July 18, 2007
Ping Pong Safety Concerns Us All
Via Kriston Capps, it seems ANC 3F-04 Commissioner Frank Winstead compiled a scaaaaaary video in an attempt to stir up public safety concerns about the ping pong table located outside Comet Ping Pong on Connecticut Ave. NW. We give Ward 1 D.C. Council member Jim Graham a lot of guff about trying to shut down businesses where violent crimes occur, but clearly the baton of irrational nannyism in local government has been successfully passed. The King is dead. Long live the King!
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Why was there no NSFW warning put up? If I had my kids here at work, they might have seen this.
Horrid.Horrid,I tells ya.
Not a completely unwarranted concern for safety. But I wonder (if) how many times mr. winstead actually spoke in person with Comet proprietors first before resorting to such clandestine measures. Oh if only the ball went into the Avenue and got whacked by a bus ... now that could make for some good youtube entertainment. erahk0
The first time some drunk chases after a loose ping pong ball onto Connecticut Ave and gets flattened by a bus, bloggers will wonder why the city allowed a place to have a outdoor ping pong without a permit.
Sure, the private dick surveillance video is silly, but common sense tells you it's only a matter of time before someone a little too excitedly chases a ball into the street and either gets hit and/or causes a minor traffic accident. I'm not saying it should be enjoined, but it doesn't seem like a real smart idea.
oh good lord. I think we all learned as children not to chase the ball into the street. Which of course, leads to the next prohibition..... There are inherent dangers in doing anything in a city, stop trying to people proof the place and just live. jeez
Mayor Fenty should make this his number one priority. Shocking.
Clearly Frank has too much time on his hands.
what is really bothersome is that he posted a copyright notice -- so ANC Commissioner's work which should be in the public domain are now private property? what next -- are his speeches at the ANC copyrighted as well?
(posted by an ANC Commissioner in a different Ward)
"Sure, the private dick surveillance video is silly, but common sense tells you it's only a matter of time before someone a little too excitedly chases a ball into the street ..."
And this is the point where I really think courts should absolve establishments of liability. If you're _that_ stupid, all responsibility on the part of others should be waived. We can call it the Darwin Exception.
As for Mr. Winstead -- way, way, way too much time on your hands, buddy.
(and just to be obnoxious -- the copyright probably is valid, assuming of course, he's not doing this as part of his official ANC Commissioner duties. If he _is_ doing this as part of his official duties, methinks he needs more work to do...)
well its comforting to know that there is at least 1 anc in the district that has so few problems in its zone that it can worry about the potential dangers of outdoor ping pong tables. sigh. meanwhile i'll be dodging rock-throwing drug hoodlums on my way home tomorrow. must be a wonderful life uptown.
"Sure, the private dick surveillance video is silly, but common sense tells you it's only a matter of time before someone a little too excitedly chases a ball into the street ..."
And this is the point where I really think courts should absolve establishments of liability. If you're _that_ stupid, all responsibility on the part of others should be waived. We can call it the Darwin Exception.
As for Mr. Winstead -- way, way, way too much time on your hands, buddy.
(and just to be obnoxious -- the copyright probably is valid, assuming of course, he's not doing this as part of his official ANC Commissioner duties. If he _is_ doing this as part of his official duties, methinks he needs more work to do...)
The ping pong ball must stay close to the table. If it bounces high enough to enter Restricted Air Space, players and Comet management will be playing solitaire in Guantanamo.
Lighten up, Francis.
hey, as an ANC commissioner, this is within his purview, especially if it's in his SMD. of course, he could just go in a talk to the proprietors, instead of wasting time making a video like this. his map of liquor licences is a pretty neat tool, though, so you have to give him credit for that.
This is absurd. Comet Ping Pong is the only interesting business to open up there in years, and the ANC commissioner is trying to bring the law down over an outdoor ping pong table? Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.
On the other hand, any press is good press... I'm guessing that any publicity this generates will help Comet rather than hurt them.
Sure, putting a ping pong table on a sidewalk next to busy Connecticut Avenue isn't the brightest idea, but from the pictures at the end of the video, it's pretty clear that the table isn't even that close to the street. What's the big deal?
The real issue here is that the sidewalk on that block has a slight slope, causing an unfair advantge to the player on the south side of the table.
It's an easy solution.. just buy some plastic vinyl barriers around the table so the ball doesn't go flying.
post #16=WINNER
can someone please slap this NIMBY looser!
That looks like the sign from the Comet deli in Adams Morgan
I think Comet should apply for a permit. Pretty much any commercial activity in public space requires one, and I know of no exemptions for amusing ones.
But, yeah, they should probably get that permit.
- same poster as #20
it is the sign from the old comet deli in AM
Maybe Frank should get permission before using public mugs on his PSA. That's me and my friend Karl -- we almost hit a girl with the ball. A very small girl, mind you, with a very small ball. We loved it.
Then we ate Commisioner Winstead's heart on a New Haven style pizza.
Adrian
as someone who loves "ping pong" and the comet ping pong concept, i think the idea of putting a table so close to the street is absolutely stupid. the ball will go into the street more often than a short video will suggest. all we need is one serious accident in a five or ten year span make people wonder why the regulators didn't act sooner. but hey, live free and let the lawyers sort it out when something does happen.
if you cant take your beer outside, what's the point?