Get Out Of Jail Free!

Well, I was amused anyway. Without getting too meta here lets just appreciate the immediate absurdity of the witty church sign. I love it – made me laugh out loud. Naturally I immediately thought that perhaps this was the famous “undisclosed location”. What say you?

As for the wavy-ness – I was walking to work and tried to snap the photo before the walk sign changed, so not exacty a steady shot. Neat effect though.

Locked Out!

There are several things wrong with this photo.

First, it was taken with my IPhone, so it’s rather pixelated. Nothing can be done about this. Sad but true.

Second, there is a locksmith company called “Lock Technology” – this is wrong. Appending the word “Technology” onto your company’s name does not make it sexy. It usually just makes you look silly. Surely we all learned this in the 90′s, and if not, then shortly thereafter. This makes me cringe.

Finally, there are two men, wearing “Lock Technology” jumpsuits(see point 1 as to why you can’t see this), picking the lock on their own van. This is downright hilarious.

– Jonathan

Yum!  The crisp refreshing water of the Potomac River is in the news today.  Thirsty?  If you’re not yet, you sure will be when you finish reading this!  So grab a tall cold glass of tap water, sit back and give this post a read.

According to an AP article in the Wash Post, for ten hours beginning Sunday night and ending Monday morning, 4,000 gallons of fly ash sludge from a coal-burning power plant, which supplies electricity to a nearby paper mill, poured out of a dime-sized hole in a pipeline and into the Potomac.

“But what is fly ash?” you may be asking.  “It sounds delicious!”

According to the ever-reliable Wikipedia, fly ash is a type of residue that is created when coal is burned.  Some of the more exciting chemical components of fly ash include: arsenic (yum!), mercury (delish!), lead (mmm… good!), and chromium VI (waaaay better than chromiums I-V!).

“But those components are all natural,” you may be saying.  “Doesn’t that mean they are good for me?”

Glad you asked.  Do you enjoy lung problems, such as silicosis?  Because that is a risk from inhaling all-natural fly ash.

Don’t worry, though.  It turns our that spilling all that fly ash into the water didn’t affect the operation of the mill.  Phew!

Hugs & Kisses,

DC Avenger

March 16, 1958 — WASHINGTON, DC.  At an historic press conference from the White House lawn, President Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower announced today that he is actually a nonterrestrial “space-man” from a planet in the Andromeda Galaxy. Stating that the intentions of his alien race are benign, the President has presented the American people with a book entitled “To Serve Man.”  Although the text of the book is written in an unintelligible alien language, some of the greatest minds in science today offered their own announcement that they would immediately begin work upon a translation program.  Before disappearing into a shimmering “worm-hole,” President Eisenhower stated that massive ships, capable of holding tens of thousands of humans each, would be arriving in the next 50 to 55 years, and would begin transporting hundreds of thousands of humans to an intergalactic paradise.

NOTE: November 2007 — Due to budget cuts to the science program by the Bush administration, the translation program has been discontinued.  A statement from the administration reads, “We look forward to the arrival of these transport ships by our extraterrestrial friends.  Having looked into their [three] eyes and seeing their souls, the President has concluded that their intentions are no doubt pure and we should trust our intergalactic friends with all our hearts.”

Enter the case of Robert E. Wone, a lawyer from Oakton, VA, who was murdered in a row house at 15th and Swann Streets NW (not far from where DC Avenger lives) two and a half years ago, in August 2006.  His three friends who owned the house claimed that an intruder broke in and stabbed Mr. Wone while slept, killing him.

Upon first hearing, this sounds more or less like a familiar sad story of crime in the city.  However, the story told by the three roommates had many inconsistencies and did not hold up upon closer examination as the police discovered that the men had tampered with the crime scene, and the three men have emerged as the main suspects.

While the case slowly (VERY slowly) crawls forward, four DC men are doing their best to keep the investigation alive.  Recently featured in an article in the Metro Weekly, the men, Craig Brownstein, Michael Kremin, David Greer and Douglas Johnson, run a blog dedicated to investigating the case, examining the evidence, and keeping the public spotlight shining on the investigation.  The Who Murdered Robert Wone blog breaks down the case, examines the evidence and the legal documents, explores the lives of Mr. Wone and the three men believed to have murdered him, and ultimately hopes to find justice for Robert Wone.

Thank you to Craig Brownstein for sending me information about the blog and the Metro Weekly article. –DCA

Living in the city mean gaining a lot — easy access to great restaurants, shopping, museums, etc — but it can also mean giving up a lot — square footage, easy parking, and backyard gardening.  Fortunately for city dwellers with a green thumb, DC has a wide variety of community gardens spread out across the city.

What is ‘community gardening’?

Community gardening, also know as urban gardening, is exactly what it sounds like.  Generally seen in cities and other places where house with lawns are the exception rather than the rule, community gardens are formed when a group of gardeners is able to find unused land or underutilized land and obtain permission to begin a garden in the space.  Gardens are generally either divided into plots for individual gardeners or the entire space is gardened communally.  Some gardeners may focus on flowers and other ornamental plants, while others may grow fruits, vegetables and other edibles.

By now, I think that we have all noticed that our economy has gone down the tank (and if you haven’t noticed, where have you been hiding?  Can I join you there?).  Growing your own food in a community garden can be a great way to save some money and to supplement regular meals with fresh, healthy and organic (if you choose to garden organically) fruits and veggies.

How can I find a community garden in DC?

There are many community gardens throughout the city, in every quadrant and a wide variety of neighborhoods.  Some gardens are relatively new and others have been around 10, 15 years or longer.  Some gardens have websites, such as the 7th Street Garden in Shaw, the Temple Garden for gardeners in the Dupont Circle/Logan Circle/Adams Morgan area, and the Hill East Garden in Capitol Hill.  While I have been hard pressed to find an absolutely complete list of community gardens in the city, the following websites have compiled the majority of the gardens, along with contact information if you are interested in learning more about a particular garden: Community Gardens DC and DC Community Gardens.  Due to the increasing interest in urban gardening, many DC community gardens have long wait lists or are not currently accepting new applications.  Don’t let that discourage you!  If you can’t find a space in a community garden, why not start your own!

All you will need to do is to find a few like-minded community gardeners-to-be, explore resources in your neighborhood to find space, such as local businesses, parks, your ANC rep or your ward’s council member, and get started!  Okay, so it may be a little more work than that, but if you love to garden or you think that you might love gardening if given the chance to try, it is worth the effort!

Resources and information for community and urban gardeners

The hands-down best local resource I have found for DC community gardeners is DC Urban Gardeners (no, DC Urban Gardeners did not pay me for this plug, but hey, if they want to…).

The Washington Post ran a great series about the Glover Park Community Garden in 2008.  The entire series can be viewed here.

The American Community Garden Association is a national organization with the mission of building community by increasing and enhancing community gardening and greening across the United States and Canada.  They have a database of community gardens across the country, information about starting a community garden, and a store with a wide variety of books about community gardening.

Wow, DC Avenger!  You have really opened my eyes to community gardening!

Hey, it’s no problem!  There are many advantages to living in the city but many disadvantages as well (insert Marion Barry joke?).  Now you know that having a garden of your own does not have to be one of those disadvantages.  A community garden will allow you to show off your green thumb and maybe help you save a few bucks on groceries, but, just as importantly, it will also help you to get to know your neighbors. Who knows, you may discover a shared love of an incredibly rare heirloom tomato with that guy from down the block.  And that’s priceless!

Hugs & Kisses,

DC Avenger

What is DC Avenger

I am.  You are.  He is and she is.  Every one of us who has chosen to make Washington, DC our homes, we are all DC Avenger.

Living in Washington, DC is a true privilege.  We have so many amazing resources that most people only experience on their occasional field trips or family trips to the nation’s capital.  But for us, it is right here when we walk out our front doors!

DC Avenger is a place where we can all come together, whether to gripe or plan action, gossip or  share favorite stories about DC, favorite places to eat, shop and dance, discuss our thoughts on the Mayor for Life, Marion Barry.

[NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION] This is WRONG.

[CONGRESS HAVING FINAL SAY OVER DC LAWS] This is WRONG.

[600,000 CITIZENS OF THE MOST POWERFUL CAPITAL IN THE WORLD HAVING NO VOTE] This is so very WRONG.

I know that this is wrong, and you know that this is wrong.  But why doesn’t everyone else realize this.

AND SO… Our job is to make everyone understand that these things are wrong.  Wrong not just for the citizens of the District, but wrong for all Americans.

Our other job to let people know, all of those above issues aside, DC is a wonderful place to live.

Hugs & Kisses,

DC Avenger

I am looking for bloggers for DC Avenger.

I envision this blog as an eclectic collection of arguments, rants and raves, positive news and not so good news, what it is like living under the burden on a congress that will not let us control our own city, but also a discussion of all the things that make DC a unique and wonderful place.

So if any of that interests you, please send me a email at washingtondc.avenger@gmail.com.

Hugs & Kisses,

DC Avenger