Dawn over Tokyo

jimmy

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What is this

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DC Crime Takes an Up Tick

I posted yesterday on the DC News and Notes Amplify blog http://bit.ly/cWszDO about the DC crime rate and how it is seeing a rise, even though we are not landing on any major violent crimes poll.

I mentioned in that post that there has been a rash of new crime, especially assaults taking place in and around some areas of NW, like Logan Circle and others. One other location that has seen a jump is the Mt Vernon Sq neighborhood. It has gotten bad enough that DC had stationed police on several of the corners in and around 5th St. So I was shocked to see this report pop up showing a robbery took place just the other night, and it looks like it was literally right under the noses of the polices patrolling the area.

Appears that these patrols are having little effect on curbing these crimes ..

Amplify’d from dc.everyblock.com

Location 1100 block of 5TH ST NW Report date November 20, 2010 Police dept. ID 927526 Offense Robbery The taking from another person, or immediate actual possession of another, anything of value, by force or violence, whether against resistance or by sudden or stealthy seizure or snatching, or by putting in fear. This includes carjackings. Method Robbery: Assault with intent Shift Unknown Read more at dc.everyblock.com

 

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Yes This Would be Terrifying

Not what I want to wake up next to ...

Amplify’d from dcist.com

Now This Is Terrifying: A D.C. woman woke up this morning to find a strange, naked man in her bedroom. Police are investigating the incident, which took place at a home on the 2400 block of Ontario Street NW, but they didn't find any evidence of forced entry or any other clues as to the identity of the suspect. Read more at dcist.com

 

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DC Becoming a Safer City? Think Again

I read this with interest as a DC resident. While it is true DC has become much safer in recent years, we have witnessed a rash of crimes in the city leading to some concern. In the Mt Vernon Sq area along with areas in and around Logan Cirlce, we have been witness to muggings and attacks, some in broad daylight.

In our neighborhood, Mt Vernon Sq, we now have a much increased police presence to battle what was upwards of 14 muggings in the last several weeks, along with home break ins, etc ..

Lets not count our chickens just yet

Amplify’d from www.welovedc.com

DC barely makes least safe cities list

Two decades ago, DC was the murder capital of the year.  This year? We barely made the violent crime list, and we’re ranked behind St Louis (#1, sorry Chris), Detroit (#3), Oakland (#5), Baltimore (#11), and New Orleans (#13).  DC is currently at less than a quarter of the murders from the peak year in 1991, and will likely finish the year well beneath 2009’s total of 143.  Congrats, DC, this is a milestone I think we can all celebrate. Read more at www.welovedc.com

 

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This Squirrel is After Me!

He is burying nuts outside my office window taunting me ...

Auto Draft

Funny Game Show Blooper/Honesty

In all seriousness, its a pretty damned good answer

Amplify’d from www.socialtimes.com via Google Reader

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Thank You for Your Service

I just wanted to take a quick minute to thank all those, past, present, and future who have undertaken the noble cause of joining the armed forces and protecting our country.

I was a member of the US Army for just under 8 years.  Was it hard?  Yes.  Was it sometimes miserable?  Yes.  Was it worth it?  Yes.  It was obviously a very different time then, the US was not fighting a 2 war front and most of us were relatively safe from harms way, but in the end, the step I took in order to gain some discipline, maturity, and direction in my life was the best one I ever made.

I have gained so much, to include life long friends, who thanks to Facebook, we keep in better touch.  It is true, you get out of it what you put in, and the armed service is a great tool to demonstrate that.  In my honest opinion, I truly believe that some type of service, it doesn't necessarily have to be strictly military, needs to be compulsory in this country.  Our society is becoming out of touch with a firm base of reality and this service of the country helps put it all in perspective.

To end, I would call for many of you to take a few seconds and juts a few dollars to send our men and women fighting for freedom a Cup of Joe.  It is a small, yet very appreciated token, the least we can do.

Thanks all for your service and appreciation.

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Sorry Bout that, We Got Bad Directions

And we accidentally invaded your country. Now I have heard of bad directions, gut ...

Amplify’d from www.techdirt.com

You would think that military professionals would rely on something other than Google Maps in determining where countries have their borders. However, down in Central America, there's apparently been something of an international incident, after a Nicaraguan military commander, using Google Maps as his guide, brought his troops into Costa Rica. He insists that he was just following what Google Maps said, and that he never intended to go into the neighboring country. Yet... the report also notes that there was a Costa Rican flag there, which the Nicaraguans took down and replaced with their own flag. You would think, at that point, that everyone involved might double check to make sure they were on the right side of the border. After raising their own flag, the Nicaraguans apparently set up camp, cleaned up a nearby river (nice of them) and then dumped sediment into Costa Rican territory (not so nice of them). If this truly is an honest mistake, then hopefully nothing more is made of it, but it sounds like Costa Rican citizens are quite upset about the whole thing, leading Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla to go on TV to ask citizens to "be calm... amid the outrage that these events provoke within us." Read more at www.techdirt.com

 

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re: #dcmayor I must say that in his first two days as Mayor Elect, Vincent Gray has underwhelmed drastically making me wish that Fenty write in campaign was actually supported by him, he could have won http://amplify.com/u/em9u

$200 Million a Day for Obama Security

Amamzing how much taxpayer dollars are being spent on this trip.
But I guess I would rather pay this than for Obama to fly around and campaign for what turnes out to be quite the "shellackings"

Amplify’d from www.google.com

Mumbai:  The US would be spending a whopping $200 million (Rs 900 crore approx) per day on President Barack Obama's visit to the city.

"The huge amount of around $200 million would be spent on security, stay and other aspects of the Presidential visit," a top official of the Maharashtra Government privy to the arrangements for the high-profile visit said.

About 3,000 people including Secret Service agents, US government officials and journalists would accompany the President. Several officials from the White House and US security agencies are already here for the past one week with helicopters, a ship and high-end security instruments. Read more at www.google.com

 

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Can We Impeach a Mayor Before he is Sworn In ?

This guy is not off on the right foot, by any stretch.

Amplify’d from feeds.gothamistllc.com via Google Reader

You might think that a politician who gave up nearly a quarter of the votes in a slam-dunk election -- to a candidate who wasn't even backing the write-in campaign organized on his behalf, no less -- might want to be a little more conservative with his political capital. But Vince Gray appears to really be playing with fire so far. First, Gray held his victory party on Tuesday at a nightclub whose owner owes nearly $900,000 in back taxes. Then, Gray named Reuben Charles, whose frankly shoddy financial history has been widely documented, as the head of his transition team. And today, Gray reportedly didn't show up at the funeral of deceased MPD Officer Paul Dittamo -- leaving Fraternal Order of Police chief Kris Baumann, whose organization endorsed Gray in September's primary, "apoplectic." With nearly sixty days left to go before he is sworn in on January 2, Gray's hardly getting off to a flying start. [An update: it turns out that instead of attending the funeral, Gray chose to eat lunch with Kwame Brown at The Fourth Estate.] Read more at feeds.gothamistllc.com

 

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Mayor Elect Gray Stuck in the Past

Many DC residents were hoping for new blood, a fresh start as the new Mayor gets ready to take office. However, as feared it looks like Mayor Elect gray is stuck in the past, selecting a couple former Mayor Barry staffers to lead vital city services on his transition team.

As a DC resident, am sad to see Fenty go. For all his faults, he moved the city forward not back.

Amplify’d from www.washingtonexaminer.com

The transition team that will develop the framework for Vincent Gray's mayorship includes a handful of members with links to the District's troubled 1990s and former Mayor Marion Barry's administrations.

Gray announced his 15-member team Wednesday afternoon, a day after officially winning the uncontested mayor's race. Transition team members, Gray said, will prepare concrete plans for how he'll handle education reform, economic development and government operations.

One of those is Thomas Downs, a former city administrator for Barry. Barry hired Downs -- who will co-chair Gray's infrastructure and transportation committee -- in 1981 to be transportation chief. Downs rose quickly and became Barry's chief lieutenant in 1983 after being credited for making the Transportation Department one of the city's best agencies. While serving as Barry's city administrator, Downs frequently played the role of spokesman for the mayor's troubled administration. In January 1987, it was Downs who defended the city's cleanup of a brutal snowstorm while Barry tried to make his way back from California, where the mayor had been watching the Super Bowl.

Joining Downs in leading the infrastructure committee is Cellerino Bernardino, who resigned as Department of Public Works chief in 1998 under an onslaught of criticism in the waning days of Barry's last administration. When he left, the city's inability to collect trash on time, maintain sidewalks and fix broken traffic lights had become nearly legendary. Read more at www.washingtonexaminer.com

 

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