April 13, 2007
Morning Roundup: Freaky Friday Edition

Well Washington, it's been a fun week, but this Friday the 13th leaves us a little jittery. To combat any bad mojo, we decided to start the day on a bright note are share a snapshot of DCist headquarters, or at least a reasonable facsimile therein. Reader Lara Marks-Finder sent us this yummy scene in response to the Post's Peep diorama contest. She also accurately depicts the inner workings of D.C.'s other top-notch blogs. Thanks Lara! So if you're feeling nervous during that big meeting today, forget about picturing your boss in his underwear. Picture him as a brightly-colored marshmallow chick.
Shock, Awe and Escorts: The woman being called the "D.C. Madam" is giving a taste of the names included in what she claims is a list of dozens of high-profile men who used her escort service. Deborah Jeane Palfry is charged with prostitution, but denies her 130 employees engaged in sex. On Thursday she said Harlan K. Ullman, a senior associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, known for coining the phrase "shock and awe", used her service. Ullman did not comment. In an attempt to raise money for her legal defense, Palfry has been threatening to expose her entire client list to the media. Last week she gave the list to ABC News, just before a judge ordered her not to release the names.
Walter Reed Shutdown Creates Traffic Fears: As we reported yesterday, a review panel has recommended that Walter Reed Army Medical Center close as soon as possible. As predicted, Montgomery County residents are now voicing concern that accelerating the process of constructing a replacement complex, slated to be built in Bethesda, near the National Naval Medical Center and CDC NIH campuses, will overwhelm the already clogged Wisconsin Ave. Military officials and lawmakers say environmental impact studies won't be abandoned in the name of expediency and there are still several steps before final plans are approved.
Briefly Noted: Reward offered in fatal "road rage" crash... Fire in Northwest leaves families homeless...
This Day in DCist: Last year we checked up on Moonie's sushi. Before that, we lamented taxi cab rate hikes.





Uh, I think you guys mean the NIH campus, not the CDC, which is based in Atlanta.
But yeah, the traffic on Wisconsin, around there sucks!
Sure, I totally knew that.
harlan k ullman? if that's a taste of what's to come, i think i'll pass. i thought this woman had some real high profile names on there. if there were any real prominent people on that list abc would have teased them by now because i doubt harlan k. ullman is gonna bring in the tv ratings.
Speaking of Moonie's sushi, check out this recently-released report about how True World Foods (connected to the Rev. Moon) and Kyokuyo Company of Japan are partnering together to distribute frozen sushi throughout the United States. Kyokuyo is a big supporter of the Japanese whale hunts, as they are one of the largest distributors of canned whale meat in Japan.
More up on the campaign center.
That diorama is awesome! Love the Flickr picks. I think WPost missed out on some really good dioramas.
The little arms on that peep are hilarious.