Advice for people visiting Washington. And yes, I'm fairly confident in saying that most locals would agree with most of the points.

"Our sidewalks might seem wide, but, frankly, we've noticed that you're kind of on the wide side, too."  ¶ 21:41

  Why can't we all just get along? Controversy over Little Ethiopia in Washington riles immigrants, native-born Washingtonians, and maybe some Eritreans too.

Surprising bit of information: there's a little Ethiopia in Los Angeles. I hadn't realized that there were many people from the Horn of Africa there. Just about everyone else - Teherangeles, anyone? - but not Ethiopians.  ¶ 21:37

  One of my departmental colleagues does DHS proud. I know I'm counting the days until the inevitable lawsuit for reinstatement.  ¶ 23:00

  Say what you like about the U.S. immigration system, but we'd never make someone live in the departure lounge for the better part of two years.  ¶ 21:29

  Someone better get Tea Leoni to the ocean, pronto.  ¶ 22:59

  Is there a word in Russian for "chutzpah"? I say send in the high-priced American attorneys - somehow I'm sure they'll find a racial angle, although I really don't think that would fly with a Russian jury.  ¶ 09:20

  Seventy per cent of aid goes to administrative costs? How much of the remainder goes to corruption?  ¶ 23:51

  Jacques Chirac, missing yet another opportunity to shut up. Although you have to hand it to him, getting the British and the Finns at the same time.  ¶ 23:49

  Another Fourth of July, another year when I think how great it must be to come in for a landing at National Airport while the fireworks are going off on the Mall. And this is the second year running that I managed to get an actual seat on the Metro after the display ended.  ¶ 23:46

  They've pulled the plug on red light cameras in northern Virginia. This is good news, not because I make a habit of blowing through red lights, but because I'm always paranoid about whether I'll get a ticket for driving through a yellow light. Should I slam on the brakes and have the next car slam into me? Good riddance.

Just a bit of hyperbole in this article from an elected leader about "the very unique and very near anarchy we have on the roads in Northern Virginia". Look, I've driven in southern California and in metro New York, and northern Virginia is no worse. Of course, maybe that's because most northern Virginia drivers ARE from metro New York and California.  ¶ 21:48

  Breaking news: Washington to be evacuated!

Well, sort of. It's a test of the emergency evacuation routes, and they plan to test it on the Fourth of July. More than 300,000 people went downtown for the events last year, and that was on a day when it rained. This year the weather is supposed to be gorgeous, so half a million this year is not out of the question.

The fireworks display on the Mall is always worth braving the crowds, but the aftermath is pretty impressive in its own right. Picture the entire Mall filled with people, all looking skyward at the rockets' red glare and bombs bursting in air. The display builds to a climax, and just as the whole night sky is lit up, the first people start making their way towards the Metro stations. The sky goes dark and people applaud and cheer the display. There's a brief moment as people wait, hoping against hope that there's more. But there isn't. And then it's like stoppers were removed from Constitution and Independence Avenues as the crowds drain off the Mall to go home. At this point in time the crowds on the Metro are worse than any rush hour, and the automotive gridlock makes Friday afternoon look like a drive down a country lane.

They want to replicate emergency conditions for the exercise? That shouldn't be a problem. Public toilets down there are few and far between... I'm guessing a good number of people would rather try to make it home than wait for the port-a-potties.  ¶ 09:06

  Oy, Canada.

"Objectively, life in Canada really was better before the Hippies and the Me Generation and Generation X, and even, amazingly, human rights commissions and liberal judges secretly terrified of their ambitious and even-more-liberal young law clerks."

...

"The displacement of God and enthronement of Man has had only dimly understood but devastating social consequences. To think that we are the universe's highest beings should fill us with the greatest alarm and dread if we look around and, especially, inward. (This, as I always feel obliged to state, from a non-Christian, non-church-going, gin-swilling blasphemer. But that doesn't mean I'm stupid.)"  ¶ 09:03

  I think the obvious headline would have been "Time Will Tell".  ¶ 08:43