Ballou HS Rocks the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Morning Roundup: Black Friday Edition
Photo of the Day: November 27, 2009
Caps Thankful for Varly in 2-0 Win
Thanks to This Week's Advertisers
Welcome back to work, Washington. Perhaps you're struggling to focus this morning, having only barely recovered from the weekend's Halloween festivities. Perhaps you just had a difficult time extricating yourself from your bed on this first cold morning of the year. Whatever the case may be, DCist recommends a strong cup of coffee with a dash of Rumbler to get your motor running today. The Rumbler is described as a "high-tech blaster" being used in conjunction with sirens that have already been installed on 49 Metropolitan Police Department police vehicles -- basically, they make the ground near patrol cars vibrate in order to get your attention in emergency situations. The Post reports that the device has already gained fans within the MPD for its effectiveness. Amazingly though, the story makes no mention of the Rumbler's obvious potential use as a sexual stimulant. We're sure that was just an oversight.
UDC Leaders Want to Clean House: Leaders at UDC are asking for staff changes and a complete review of the university in the wake of accusations of serious mismanagement and corruption on the part of key administrators. “I'm embarrassed to say to you that people have gone for years without being appraised,” acting president Stanley Jackson told the Examiner. Jackson is asking D.C. CFO Natwar Gandhi to overhaul the staff that deals with the school’s budget.
Teen Pregnancy Way Down Across Region: Hey look, some good news! The Post reports on its front page about huge drops in teen pregnancy across the region, with the District cutting its numbers by more than half. The change mirrors national trends in declining rates of teenage pregnancies, which is generally seen as the result of teens' greater use of condoms and other contraceptives. Well done, teens of D.C.
Briefly Noted: Fire at downtown building overnight ... Small part of Poplar Point to honor Frederick Douglass ... Silver Spring woman wins Marine Corps Marathon ... Metro eyes more reserved parking.
Photo of the 32nd Annual Marine Corps Marathon by spiggycat
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
This was a house fire in residential Mount Pleasant, not a building fire.
Maybe the decline in the number pregnant teens in DC is the result in the decline in the number of at-risk teens in DC? Getting out of a dumpy neighborhood is usually the first step in improving your lifestyle choices.
Yes, a rumbling road will do wonders to your already high adrenaline super scared mind during an emergency. It will turn anxiety and panic in no time.
Have there been any longterm studies as to the side effects of The Rumbler? Cancer? Spotaneous miscarriages? Loose stools? I'd hate to think of DC once again being an experimental test bed for "brown note" crowd control devices, the earlier instances of course being Little Tavern burgers and Taco Bell Chilitos.
when did mount pleasant become part of downtown? maybe that link should read "fire in mount pleasant building overnight"
Can I get Rumblers for my Jeep sound system? 18-inch woofers just don't move me anymore.
Final edition: "fire in mount pleasant home overnight"
between you and I, IMGoph, we are a fantastic editor.
I thought I heard sirens last night . . . of course, that was after a truck exploded in front of my house (3400 block of 17th) a few hours earlier (okay, maybe not exploded -- but there was a big bang and then lots of fire). What's going on in Mt. P these days?
Mount Pleasant es en fuego! Muy peligroso!
You know how high-frequency sonar causes whales and dolphins to beach themselves? I see Rumblers doing the same thing downtown, except with rats, roaches, and policy analysts.
The house that burned looks like it isn't currently being lived in; I saw very little in the way of personal items inside or outside. I'm wondering if a homeless person was seeking shelter from the cold, set a little fire for warmth, and... it does look like the fire originated from the dugout back entrance to the basement, which would probably serve as a good shelter.
I hope nobody was injured - anybody hear anything?
I would like to know more about this truck fire/explosion. Folks on the MtP forum are saying it seems like vehicular arson. Seeing as it's all of 2.5 blocks away from last night's house fire, I wonder if there is a connection.
No news on the truck fire from any official sources so far -- just rumor and conjecture from the neighbors. A neighbor who had just arrived home said he saw a car speed past (17th Street lets out onto Rock Creek/Piney Branch Dr at that point), and one of my roommates said he heard voices outside just before it happened. All I know was that I was awakened by a BOOM (couldn't tell you if it was noise or vibration, although my roommate said it felt like a car rammed into the house - but when we got outside it was clear the truck was parked). I actually tried to roll over and go back to sleep - sign I've been living in the city too long? - but my room got awfully bright so I went to the window and looked down and saw this ball of flame. We grabbed our coats and ran outside, at which point we started comparing notes with neighbors.
I think the truck exploded around midnight, and the news reports say the house fire was a few hours later. It could just be coincidence, although last night it all felt very apocalyptic.
Teen pregnancies down? Somebody should tell the Catholic Church and the Bush Administration that condoms work better than preaching abstinence.
The house fire was around 4 AM - the crackling of the fire woke me at quarter after four at which point it was already raging. The fire crews showed up not long after that. I have to wonder if there isn't a connection or it's just a huge coincidence. Sadly I doubt we will easily hear about any developments as this was barely covered at all by the news.
I randomly I woke up at 4:45 to see heavy smoke coming from the house fire on 17th - there was an engine down in the alley below me in back of Mt. Pleasant street. I work in the emergency services so I'm used to firegrounds, but it was very surreal to see the fire from a few houses away and not be on the scene with all the engine noise and radio traffic. It was eerily quiet - just noise from the roof saws and some periodic banging, but otherwise it would just be another quiet night in mount pleasant.