Zionist scum poster, stolen shopping cart, sleeping in at #OccupyDC

Sleeping bag in tent

Food lying on ground

Large rat trap and destroyed lawn

Well, I thought the squatters would have been cleared out of Farragut Square by now given the bill this lot is ringing up for us -- $300K in damaged public park land that no one else can use, out of control rats and other public health hazards -- but no, it seems to  be drawing ever more irrational aspects. Not only did I see a Wikileaks van driver communicating loudly from her van window with someone at the site, but also a guy holding a poster saying "expel all 5th column zionist agent scum and indict traitor US politicians."  Then I espied a "borrowed" shopping cart used by one of the squatters and despite this site purportedly being "a 24 hour vigil" which means it is NOT a campground where people are allowed to sleep overnight, it's clear there are sleeping bags in the tents and people are living in this park.  Living, not vigiling, that is, squatting now for months.  And the rats are still there too. Lots of large rat traps scattered about -- although I didn't see any rats today.  Although I did see lots of muddy torn up ground and food lying about that I am sure the rats will find tasty. I heard a passerby attempting to converse with another sign-holding man who whined "I have a Ph.D. in Psychology and I can't get a job, man," and when asked "Why don't you get another job or drive a cab or something?" he just answered "But I can't do that" and had a lot of excuses for why he wasn't going to take up anyone's suggestions for how to earn a living. A couple of hours later I passed the sight again and saw an unorganized crowd of people gathered at the doors of the nearby Sheraton hotel holding some hand-made signs.  A pedestrian informed me "they are from the park, you know, they are protesting something" and "the police said they had no permit and should stay on the sidewalk area but they keep crowding the front door area."  They were blocking the exit doors and looking it and it wasn't clear why they were there at all and I wouldn't be surprised to learn of some arrests.

Note shopping cart

Car for Wheelchair Users

You just never know what you will see on H Street NW if you are just walking along but on one particular day VPGAutos had their model car parked outside the Grand Hyatt hotel. They are a new AMERICAN car company that builds a vehicle
that is wheelchair usable, that is, it's so roomy even a large wheelchair can roll right in and be in the front passenger seat. Not only is the floor lower than most cars but the ceiling is higher. I asked the driver if I could step inside and sit down and I did. The experience was a little like sitting in a London taxi and the design of the vehicle, the MV-1, quite reminds me of one of these, although it was perhaps a lot airier and more open in feel than a typical Cockney cab. I  haven't yet figured out how the ramp works or what the price of this car is, but I would hope it comes in colors other than white! What a fantastic surprise!

Supreme Moment

It was 100 degrees Fahrenheit so I took a cab home past the Supreme Court the other day and when the cab paused at the traffic light, I rolled down the window and snapped this shot. In just a few seconds ancient Greece is captured, tourists visiting Washington, D.C., tons of gleaming white marble are displayed, not to mention some incredible representational sculpture, a security guard, an interesting lamp, and "equal justice under law". A closer inspection indicates a wonderful frieze of figures with a crowned Wisdom presiding over several figures, two admiring centurions, one holding a scroll and another holding a sword.She looks off into the far distance, through the netting that holds back the pooping pigeons, ignoring the steps, the tourists, the security guard, the hot pavement and my cab. Well, it's just a building but an awful lot hangs on it.

Spirit of Justice Guarded by Majesty of Law

Who would have thought that the Spirit of Justice in Washington, D.C. would have such a big bosom? This sculpture, that a million people a year probably walk by without seeing, is alongside the steps as you go into the Rayburn House building from Independence Avenue, right near where cabs drop you off. If you just look up you can see this marvelous marble wench and very naked bonnie baby. And on close inspection, it's not a baby bottle in her right hand, but a flame, probably the torch that the Spirit of Justice lights. Then on the other side, watching, and guarding, them closely is the Majesty of Law, with a ferociously large sword in his hand.These magnificent representational sculptures designed a long time ago still send messages we can recognize instantly.

Stinky DC Taxi Cabs

Today was too much. I often take cabs in DC because my back hurts from a slipped disk and I can't take the buses as often as I used to. Today I got stuck with three different cabs, all of which were stinky. The first was a ride to the Hill for my job, to meet with some Hill staff on some policy issues I am working on. This cab didn't have air conditioning, the inside of the passenger door was duct taped together, there were fingerprints and smears on everything and the cab smelt dirty. Worse, the brakes were snatching so at every light or stop, the cab lurched, jarring my spine. I thought I'd get better luck in the cab back to the office, but oh no, even though it had air conditioning, something was very wrong. It smelled of fresh nauseating gasoline, like someone had spilled fuel in the cab or there was some sort of leak. I staggered out of that one practically barfing on the sidewalk from the odor and with the taste of gasoline lingering my mouth. My last cab of the day was to go home. It had air conditioning. No duct tape. Brakes worked. BUT once again this one stank. Of driver body odor, half eaten food on the front seat and a dozen air freshener cards dangling from the rear view mirror. By the time I got home my stomach was churning (again) and I had to lie down to recover. I've had good and new clean cabs in DC but today took the cake! Maybe I should just calm down and thank God I have the means to take cabs. Note: the image above is NOT an example of a stinky cab but is an example of one of the good cabs -- clean, AC, courteous driver.