Photo By Ebay Seller dunksb_sz10

Stephen Strasburg hasn’t been called up to the majors yet and somehow he has one of  hottest selling baseball card’s via Ebay Auction at the moment. The card in question is one of kind, according to Sports by Brooks, making it special among the hordes of Strasburg memorabilia … should he proceed to have the career he is said to have one day.

The initial asking price for the Bowman Chrome Superfractor Stephen Strasburg baseball card was set at $20,000 or best offer. Now, it’s way past that point. A total of 31 offers were turned down and the card was later relisted as a reserve-auction.

And all of this for a young man who hasn’t even pitched one at-bat in major league play.

‘DSC_3701’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’
It’s a controversy you’d expect out in the ‘burbs, rival politicians bickering over the placement of a fence. However, as of now, it’s proving to be a hot button issue in this year’s mayoral campaign. The Washington Post ran nearly 1,300 words yesterday about Council chair and mayoral candidate Vincent Gray (D)’s metal fence. Continue reading →

Photo By Patrick G. Ryan

Miss DC 2009 had quite the weekend here in the town that issued her the crown. First, a Saturday stint at Nationals Park to sing the National Anthem at the Battle of the Beltways series and then … things got a little less fun.

Jennifer Corey sent a line to The Washington Examiner early Sunday to explain the happenings of her Saturday night fiasco at a Georgetown bar involving her slamming a guy copping a feel up against the wall.

She told the Examiner that she was spanked by some “spoiled rich preppy kids who think that they are better than you because their dad makes a lot of money.” According to Corey, she was pushed or slapped three times by thee different men in Georgetown bars between Friday and Saturday night, hence her reaction of slamming guy number three up against the wall for protection.

“I just had so much rage against him … that I slammed him up against the wall,” Corey told the Examiner.

Rightfully so. No woman, whether they’re a pageant winner or not, should have to take being accosted by anyone without protecting themselves.

‘Cheesecake Factory…yum!’
courtesy of ‘dave~’

Have you eaten at the Cheesecake Factory in Friendship Heights lately? No? Good. Turns out, there was a credit card fraud ring operating with the help of the servers from Cheesecake Factory, to the tune of $117,000+ worth of false charges. The wait staff would use credit card skimmers to sluice off your credit card info for the low, low reward of $25-40 per card.

While this happens to local restaurants as well (famously, it happened at 701 last year) it seems to be something that happens mainly in the big chains, either due to depressed server salaries and tips, or because the organizations themselves don’t do much to engender staff loyalty to patrons. Just something to consider when you’re weighing your dining choices.

We regret the confusion, and have updated the story to put the Cheesecake Factory whence it belongs in Friendship Heights. Fail on our end.

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courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

With four council members speaking out against the Soda Tax yesterday, it appears the bill is all but done for in the general hearings, but chairman Vincent Gray has asked for council staff to look into other methods for raising the $6M necessary to fund the health food program for DC Schools, which may include extending the 6% sales tax to soda purchases of all flavors, not just the sugary kind.

‘A Very Large Kitten!’
courtesy of ‘Vicki’s Pics’

As quickly as there was joy at the National Zoo over the birth of a new
lion cub, there is sadness, too.  The small cub died after catching pneumonia, having gotten some of the tips of the straw bedding in his lungs.  Dennis Kelly, director of the National Zoo said “I believe this was a one-in-a-million fluke. Unfortunately, this is the downside to the ‘cycle of life.’ But, the animal care team and Zoo staff are consummate professionals, and I know they’ve learned a tremendous amount from creating the pride, breeding the lions and getting Nababiep through her first birth. We mourn this loss yet keep our focus on the best care for the lion pride”

We extend our condolences to the lion pride at the Zoo and to their keepers.

‘Bill Gates talks “free education”‘
courtesy of ‘opensourceway’

While DC Students are still scoring below the national average at the 4th and 8th grade levels, they are making gains, according to data released today by the National Assessment of Education Progress.  The data shows that DCPS students were the only participating urban district that experienced any growth at both grade levels from 2007 to 2009.  The Assessment was administered in 18 of the country’s largest urban school districts, and DCPS 4th graders picked up 6 scale points in reading, compared to a flat national average; DCPS 8th graders picked up 4 scale points in reading, compared to a flat national average.

DCPS cites their reform efforts in the classroom as leading directly to the success.  Michelle Rhee said, “While we still have a long way to go, we are encouraged by the strides we’ve made with focusing on instruction, and the dedication of our teachers, school leaders, parents and students providing them with an student and teacher diary planner to each one at the beginning of the course.”

Since 2002, DCPS fourth graders have added 13 scale points to their scores, growth eclipsed only by Atlanta in the same time period.  DCPS still tests below the urban average overall, and specifically in group of students eligible for school lunch programs.  Troubling, though, is the report’s demonstration that more than half of the city’s fourth and eighth graders are at below basic reading comprehension, and the scale point gap between the district’s white students and black students.  Less than 15 percent of the students in eighth grade are testing at proficient levels of reading or better, which is deeply troubling.  Literacy and writing are two of the most critical skills for students to develop, and with more than half unable to do so at a basic level, it’s clearly a failing inside the system that needs to be remedied.

‘IMG_8660’
courtesy of ‘dbking’ 

In any campaign, it’s not just what you say, or what you’ve accomplished, it’s who endorses you that makes a bit of difference.  In a deeply democratic town, the voice of organized labor can carry the weight of many, making yesterday’s endorsement of Chairman Gray by the Metropolitan Washington Council of AFL-CIO.

According to a release from the Gray campaign, the support was unanimous among the council, which represents 150,000 members. Gray said yesterday, “Working families are the life’s blood of our communities and our economy. That’s why we need a mayor who’s focused on creating jobs and opportunities, building a world-class education system, and keeping our streets safe.”

This is the first big endorsement for either campaign.