Morning Roundup: Strange Currencies Edition

Good morning, Washington. It's news of the weird day today on DCist, as the Post tells the bizarre story of two 2nd-year engineering students from U-Va. who have been charged with the kidnapping of a man in Tysons Corner and demanding $500,000 in ransom. Both the two kidnappers and the victim are Chinese nationals who had been living with host families in Virginia while attending college. Police arrested Guanyu Lu and Baichuan Shu, both 19, at a motel room in Falls Church after following cell phone calls to the victim's host family and tracking credit card use at a store in Tysons Corner Center. Investigators say the victim, who was found tied up in the bathtub of the motel room and treated for mild dehydration, knew his abductors and that he was targeted by his kidnappers. We can't think of much else we could add to make this story any weirder, so allow us instead to share one of our favorite jokes about engineers: When does a person decide to become an engineer? When he realizes he doesn't have the charisma to be an undertaker.

More Students Bringing Guns to School: A new survey suggests that the number of D.C. students who have brought a gun to school has doubled in the last two years. Other findings of the survey, administered by the Centers for Disease Control, include increases in the number of high school and middle school students who say they have smoked cigarettes, been sexually active and considered suicide this year as compared with 2005. A DCPS spokesperson stressed to the Examiner that this year's numbers are still significantly better than they were in 1997.

Fenty Details HIV Strategy: Mayor Adrian Fenty announced yesterday that the city will triple the number of free condoms it distributes within a year, and will work to increase HIV testing in hospital emergency rooms. No doubt those extra condoms will bear name brands on their wrappers.

Briefly Noted: Man shot on Columbia Rd. NW near 14th street ... Vice President Cheney's heart restored to normal rhythm ... Redskins safety Sean Taylor remains in critical condition.

This Day in DCist: In 2006 we noticed local bloggers taking on area slumlords, and in 2004 we saw the end of protests over the closing of a homeless shelter in Southeast.

Photo by moworld