Archive for the ‘Washington DC’ Category

News reporters spotted in Bethesda

June 9, 2011

Over the last few years I’ve seen a bunch of news reporters in Bethesda.  Ok, it’s not Hollywood, but we do get a bunch of TV news people here.

Here’s an incomplete list:

Howard Fineman, Huffington Post reporter and MNSBC regular – the Apple Store

John King, CNN, the Apple Store

Mike Viqueira, MSNBC – Fitness First

David Gregory, Meet the Press, MSNBC – Starbucks and Bethesda Avenue.

Tony Kornheiser, PTI – Bethesda Avenue, going to Landmark movies?

Lisa Sylvester, CNN – Bethesda Avenue

Greta Van Susteren, FOX – Capital Crescent Trail

Chris Matthews, Hardball, MSNBC – Landmark Theaters

Cokie Roberts, NPR – Regal Theaters

Wolf Blitzer, CNN – the Pines of Rome restaurant

George Smith, ESPN – Bethesda Avenue

Michael Wilbon, ESPN – Cafe Deluxe

David DuPree, sportswriter – Bethesda Avenue

Chris Gordon, local TV reporter – Bethesda Avenue

Tim Brandt, sports reporter – Bethesda Avenue

Years ago, not in Bethesda:

George Stephanopoulos, Austin Grill, Glover Park

Tim Russert, Cafe Deluxe, Glover Park

Chick Hernandez, Comcast Sportsnet – Chadwick’s in Chevy Chase

Laura Evans, FOX 5 News – Clyde’s in Chevy Chase

real celebrities?

the list is pretty thin – all I can think of is Sandra Bullock, 2000, Atomic Billiards, Cleveland Park, and another bar in D.C. around the same time, and Gary Sinese, Old Ebbitt Grill, 2011.

I guess our celebrities are the news people.  Next – sports figures.

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CDC says Washington, D.C. homes with partial lead replacements are at risk for high lead in water

December 13, 2010

A December CDC report states that nearly 15,000 Washington, D.C. homes that have had partial lead line replacements are at risk for high lead levels.  See the article here on Examiner.com.

The problem started around 2000 when D.C. responded to a 1998 EPA mandate to reduce chlorine byproducts that could be carcinogenic.  Chlorine was used to disinfect the water supply, but then chloramine was used to reduce chlorine byproducts. However, chloramine caused lead pipes to leach into the water, and much of the city’s infrastructure was made of lead pipes. Lead causes irreversible brain damage to fetuses and infants.  After children tested high for lead from 2003 to 2004, two bad things happened.  First, both the city and the CDC covered up the problem, lying about it, claiming that the water was safe when they knew it wasn’t.  Second, the city embarked on a $100 million project to replace lead service lines with copper, but they stopped when they got to private property.  The chloramine caused lead to leach from the water, causing a temporary spike in lead levels, making the problem worse.

Congress came out with a report last spring that said CDC used false data to mislead the public in a 2004 report.  CDC then admitted wrongdoing, and two weeks ago published a report that stated that nearly 15,000 homes with partial lead line replacements were still at risk for high lead levels.  Those homes should be tested.

I think that’s it, but it’s pretty confusing.  Welcome to the D.C. lead in water fiasco, circa 2000-2010.  Makes the Redskins problems seem not so bad.

Also, here is an article from June about a congressional report that said CDC misled the D.C. public about the safety of drinking water, which had high levels of lead from 2001 to 2004.

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Funeral held for former Washington Bullet Manute Bol, 7’7″ giant devoted life to help war-torn Sudan

July 1, 2010

The funeral for former Washington Bullets 7’7″ center Manute Bol was held Tuesday at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Bol played 10 seasons in the NBA and became a prolific shot blocker, but was best known for his humanitarian work in his native war-torn Sudan.

Bol died at the age of 47 of kidney failure and complications from the skin condition Stevens-Johnson syndrome at University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville June 19. Bol had made trips to Sudan in recent years and was given medication that may have resulted in side effects that caused Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

Approximately 150 people attended Bol’s funeral, where former National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane, U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), friends, and relatives spoke. Former teammates including Chris Mullin attended the funeral, as did former Bullets General Manager Bob Ferry, who drafted Bol in the second round in 1985, and former NBA players Buck Williams and Rory Sparrow.

Bol was a great humanitarian and will be sorely missed. To see the rest of my article on Examiner.com, click here.  All photos below by Mike Frandsen.

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I like Washington DC

December 4, 2008

With 2008 Presidential Hopeful Mitt Romney

With 2008 Presidential Hopeful Mitt Romney

I like Washington, DC.  You don’t hear that very much nowadays.  Presidential candidates, Senators and Congressmen constantly rip DC, and then try to get there or stay there.  People who call it DC tend to like it, because the locals call it DC, whereas people from who knows where call it Washington.  I saw a Bruce Springsteen concert once and he called Washington a “wicked place.”  And he was playing in Washington.  One thing I do agree about is that the number of lobbyists and lawyers upsets the balance of the city.  However, there are a lot of great things about DC.

 

DC has more museums than any other city, and most of them are free.  It’s nice to go to the zoo for free – that’s a big savings for a family.  It’s a great sports town with the Redskins, Wizards, Capitals, Nationals, and DC United.  The Nationals have a new stadium and the arena where the Wizards and the Caps play is home to a lot of things to do.  There are several great universities – Georgetown, George Washington, American, and Howard, plus the University of Maryland just outside the city.    

There are a bunch of areas in the city that have great character and nightlife such as Georgetown, Adams Morgan, and Penn Quarter.  Next door there’s old town historic Alexandria, Virginia as well as upscale Bethesda, Maryland, with more restaurants per square mile than any city in the country.  If you’re into the performing arts, DC has the Kennedy Center and other world class venues.  DC also has an excellent subway system that is safe and efficient.  You don’t need a car to live here.   

You’d be hard pressed to find a large city with more trails than DC.  In the DC area, there are more than 800 miles of jogging and biking trails and 230,000 acres of parkland.  Because of Rock Creek Park, DC has more trees per square mile than just about any other city in the U.S.  DC is an hour and a half from beaches to the east and an hour and a half from mountains to the west.     

With DC Mayor Adrian Fenty

With DC Mayor Adrian Fenty

There’s more to DC than national politics.  There are 600,000 residents, most of whom have nothing to do with the national scene.  DC has a large international and multiracial population.  And they are taxed without representation in Congress.  So to show the two sides of DC, I put two pictures up here – one of me with a politician who bashes DC yet tried to get a job there – former Presidential candidate Mitt Romney – (a nice guy, though), and another of me with the current mayor of DC, Adrian Fenty.  Fenty is an avid triathlete who often bikes the trails of the city. 

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