ambivalent images

Green Festival

Crowds packed the D.C. Green Festival at the Convention Center last weekend. It was totally cool. Best product (at least in terms of novelty): the Utilikilt. I totally want one but L. says it would be a major fashion mistake (which pretty much describes my whole wardrobe already) and they also start at what seems to me a pretty steep $125/each. Still, cool idea.

In addition to hearing Lester Brown speak at the Green Festival, we also listened to Amy Goodman, the main voice behind Democracy Now. She said many interesting things, including that the media coverage of Katrina was a model of how the media should be covering Iraq. They showed the devastation and pointed out how the government was absent or screwing up and people responded. If we had seen from the very beginning the images of what's really been happening on the streets in Iraq instead of being told “you're not patriotic if you show those images,” there would be the same response to the war—people would be saying “war is not an answer to conflict in the 21st century.” In this connection she recommends Blackwater Down, a great piece about private armies by Jeremy Scahill.

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman speaks at the National Book Festival 2005. I mentioned this yesterday so I won't say more except that he's a great storyteller and it's fun to hear him read. Oh, in response to a question about how he writes he said that the first draft of a novel is something like throwing mud at the wall, stepping back, trying to find some sense in the mess, then rewriting to make it look like you knew what you were doing all along. With NaNoWriMo coming up again in just a month, it's great to hear this kind of thing. I'm feeling ready to throw lots of mud and really can't wait to get started again! That rewrite about making it all make sense? Nah, not so much...

National Book Festival 2005

Visitors to the National Book Festival wander along the mall. Note the war protest sign in the middle of the photo. At right is a shot of the Smithsonian castle rising fantastically behind the book festival tents.

The mall was packed with both book-lovers and protestors, and many people who were there for both events. We listented to Neil Gaiman speak and at one point a group of protesters walked by outside the fiction tent banging their drums and chanting—and drowning Gaiman out. He paused and let them pass, then said something like, “That doesn't seem like a very good way to make friends. A lot of people who would probably agree w/them are just now thinking 'shut up!'” He was, I believe, correct. Time and place for everything, people.

Punk-Ass Chump

A bumper sticker seen at the peace march last Saturday.

Ask Us About Socialism!

An info table at the Adams Morgan festival a few weeks ago.

Republican Plans & Marching for Peace

A large billboard along 15th St. yesterday during the massive peach march and rally in front of the White House. The quote is attributed to Grover Norquist, "field marshall of the Bush plan."

The WaPo says there were anywhere from 150,000-300,000 people there. My own estimate was 200,000 because of this: When I was standing at the corner of 15th and Pennsylvania, I could see people wall-to-wall down 15th toward the Mall. That same line of people was packed shoulder-to-shoulder all along Pennsylvania Ave. in front of the White house, they turned right at 17th (I think that's the street), went one block, turned right again, and continued about 3 very long blocks, before turning right yet again on 14th street and back down toward the Mall. In other words, when I was standing at 15th and Penn. I could see a steady and unbroken line of people filling the wide downtown streets for 12-14 blocks or more, and that wasn't everyone by a long shot. Anyway, the WaPo has more coverage, some great photos, and this video. I have some more photos I'll post later but, well, the pros really do a better job than i do.

$3.19/gallon

The gas pump a couple of weeks ago when I last filled up the car. At the time, $3.19/gallon seemed like a steal b/c the going rate around D.C. was more like $3.50/gallon. I don't know where things stand now, but I think the price has come down to below $3 most places.

Thistle Blooms

Spiky purple blossoms look almost pretty even though most people would consider them weeds.

Hiking the AT

A sign at Sky Meadows State Park lets you know you're hiking along the Appalachian Trail—you can tell by the distance you can travel and still be on the trail!

Sisu Likes Hikes

Sisu smiles for the camera (and pants a lot) during our hike at Sky Meadows.

Barbed Wire

Barbs on the wire fence at Sky Meadows State Park.

Small Fruits

Red fruits hang heavy on a tree at Sky Meadows State Park. Shockingly, I do not know what kind of fruit this is, but it looks pretty good. Just ignore the bug-eaten leaves and look at the nice red berries, or crab-apples, or whatever they are. Yeah.

Tree Silhouettes

Trees stand out against the summer sky at the aptly named Sky Meadows State Park in Virginia. We were there a couple of weekends ago and did a loop trail that was about 3-4 miles and took a couple of hours. Very pretty, easy walking, not far from the city, and easy to reach. I bet it's going to be beautiful there in the next few weeks as the leaves begin/continue to change.

Operation Ceasefire

A poster for the peace action scheduled for next weekend in D.C. It sounds like it's going to be an awesome show, and I hope it will also be accompanied by a huge and helpful demonstration. Next weekend is going to be way busy for progressive types around D.C. -- the Green Festival will be happening, too!

La Fourchette

Looking out the windows of La Fourchette onto 18th St. La Fourchette is a little French restaurant that serves a pretty good omelet, and I'm a sucker for a good omelet. Be warned that just about everything you order here will be very buttery; this is not health food. Frommers says of La Fourchette “the ambience is as Parisian as you'll get this side of the Atlantic — as is the food.” When we were last there we got to sit next to Jonetta Rose Barras, whose voice I immediately recognized from listening to the D.C. Politics Hour with Kojo and Jonetta Fridays on WAMU. Yeah, I'm an NPR geek, but you probably knew that already.

Phone Door

A battered door beside an equallly battered payphone in NE D.C. If both could tell stories, my oh my, what they would say!

NY Ave Sunset

A bit of DC skyline in semi-silhouette looking down NY Ave. I'm sorry, I do not know what church that is in the middle of the pic, but if you're trying to orient yourself as to where this is, the White House is about two blocks from here down NY Ave, which is the street angling away on the left.

Tall Skinny Things

Construction cranes dwarf a light pole near 12th and I St. NW. Cranes like this are all over the city. Must have something to do w/the real estate bubble in D.C.

Smoked Cut Goat

A sign at the loading docks of the D.C. Farmer's Market. I was really not aware that smoked cut goat was something that people might want to buuy. Ox tail I've heard of, and cow feet, sure; also beef tripe—not for me, generally, but I know some find it quite the delicacy. But smoked cut goat? Well, it's good to be reminded that there is much in this world I do not know.

North-East Liquor

North-East Liquor store has a pretty cool sign at 5th and Neal, NE. This is right across the street from the SE DC Farmer's Market, which is easy to access via the New York Ave. metro station, or if you're driving, it's just off New York to your right once you climb out of the Capitol Hill lowlands (if that makes sense)—just a little ways after you pass Florida Ave.

Pink Porch Tree

A bright pink tree decorates a porch on 5th St. NE not far from the New York Ave Metro station and Gallaudet University.

Chinatown Starbucks

The Chinatown Starbucks has signs in two languages, as do just about all of the businesses in the area.

7th St. NW

7th St. near G (I think) at dusk. The Chinatown gate and the north entrance to the Gallery Place metro stop are both just to the left of where I took this picture.

IBEW

The large logo outside the IBEW offices on 7th St. I think this is just about the coolest logo ever!

College Move In

Boxes lined H St. in front of the GW student union as students flooded into campus last week.

Bookstore Rush

The GW bookstore was packed last week as students returned to school. This picture sort of shows that, I think...

Blue Book, 18th ed.

Stacks of the latest edition of the Blue Book crowd the shelves at the GW bookstore. One of the major changes for this version was supposed to be to improve internet citation, but apparently they still don't know how to cite to blog posts.

Plum

A partially-eaten plum. Yum.

Low Low Prices

The gas pump last Sunday when I filled our car's tank for $2.87/gallon. At the time I thought this was an incredibly outrageous price, but yesterday I saw prices that appeared to average about $3.07/gallon. I guess I got a pretty good deal on Sunday.

I'm so glad I don't have to drive every day.

Because Property Is What Really Matters

A screen capture from MSNBC.com's coverage of Hurrican Katrina aftermath. I just don't get the obsession with the looting in the press and elsewhere. Um, hello? People are dying. The vast majority of those left in New Orleans are probably only those who could not afford to leave, and never will be able to afford to leave. They are effectively Third World citizens in a “first world” nation. Is anyone surprised that those who have somehow escaped death are taking opportunities to get a little of what consumer culture has to offer—a little of what they see all around them day in and day out, but which is generally far out of their reach? Sure, there are good reasons we have laws and law enforcement under normal conditions, and eventually “law and order” will be restored in the storm-affected areas. However, it seems to me that every ounce of energy or resources expended on stopping or preventing “looting” at this point is precious energy and resources wasted. Save lives, let the property go.