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Category: Virginia Page 8 of 34

Bike DC this Saturday, October 17th

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On October 13, 2009

In Cycling, DC, Virginia

Bike DC, after a successful test-run last year, is back for sure.  On Saturday, October 17th, thousands of bicyclists will participate in Bike DC.  This year, it expands across the Potomac to be the “Washington and Arlington Community Bike Ride.”   For those who are unfamiliar with it, this is a noncompetitive ride offering miles of car-free biking through the heart of DC and Arlington.  It also gives participants the opportunity to enjoy cycling on the George Washington Parkway, which is normally closed to bikes (this is the part I’m particularly looking forward to, as will anyone who’s ever driven the parkway).  I hope you’ll consider coming out and enjoying the day.  Details are:

Time & Start:

There are two route options.  The 25-mile Capital Ride begins at 8 a.m.  The 12-mile Family Ride begins at 9 a.m. Both rides begin on Constitution Street NW in front of the National Archives Building and end across the Potomac River in Crystal City, Virginia.

Cost:

To make the event especially family-friendly, Bike DC is free of charge for children 15-years old and younger. Registration and helmets are required.  The adult registration fee is $35 for the Capital Ride and $25 for the Family Ride.  Registration fees are $10 higher on the day of the event.  Details and registration are available online at www.BikeDC.net until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 16th.

Route Differences:

Both the Capital and Family rides pass by the U.S. Capitol, the Supreme Court, the White House, the Washington Monument, the Pentagon, and the Marine Corps and Air Force memorials. The longer Capital Ride also features a climb up Embassy Row to the U. S. Naval Observatory and the Twin Oaks estate in NW Washington, plus a rare opportunity to bike the tree-lined George Washington Parkway in Arlington and the Whitehurst Freeway in Washington.

While I’m definitely going to get a lap or two in on the GW section, I’ll be spending most of the ride as a volunteer near at the Iwo Jima rest stop.  Say hi.

Update: this is a map of the longer route:

Biden Comes to Town

By

On October 5, 2009

In Politics, Virginia

Looks like Vice President Joe Biden will be coming to Virginia for a bit of politicking.  I did recently get an invite for a reception with him and Creigh Deeds, for the low low price of $1000 per person.  Pass, thanks.  In any event, I wonder how well Biden will translate for VA politics.  Personally?  I like the guy.  Yes, he’s a little full of himself, but he doesn’t suffer fools gladly.  He’s also pretty goddamn smart.  And those, of course, are two strikes against any politician in Virginia.

WaPo On Electoral Reform in Virginia

By

On October 5, 2009

In Politics, Virginia

The Washington Post Op-Ed page, not typically a place I expect much of in the way of insight, draws a bead on one of the biggest problems facing Virginia.

Want to Help Arlington’s Bike Transportation Policy Efforts?

By

On September 4, 2009

In Cycling, Policy, Virginia

Then please consider donating a couple hours of your time.  Arlington County volunteers collect bicycle and pedestrian count information several times a year, and there are still a number of unfilled positions for next week’s seasonal bicycle and pedestrian counts. From David Patton, Arlington County Bicycle and Pedestrian Planner:

We could really use more help to have full coverage at the 20+ locations where we count. The September seasonal count is the most important one of the year, and the one with the greatest number of communities participating. (Here in Arlington we have counted four times in the past year – other places only once.)

To check the sign-up sheet, and for lots more information, please visit the website: http://drop.io/september09bikepedcount

Much of what is there is pretty self-explanatory. Please feel free to write to me at this email with any questions. I’ll be checking it periodically over the holiday weekend.

With thanks, and best wishes for an enjoyable end of summer …

David Patton

I’ve done this before, and I’ll be out there next Thursday, at a minimum.  Very easy, and very helpful.  For more about the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project, in which Arlington County participates, visit: http://bikepeddocumentation.org

More Appreciation for Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA)

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On August 16, 2009

In Politics, Virginia

While I find myself frequently disagreeing with him, I’ve got a lot of respect for Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.). Unlike his Democratic colleague Mark Warner, Jim Webb appears to be willing to stand on principles and decency, the popularity of it be damned:

Jim Webb, a Democratic senator from Virginia, arrived in Burma this afternoon, days after the country’s junta sentenced the pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to 18 months’ house arrest.

Webb, who served in the Reagan administration but is now considered a close ally of Barack Obama, is expected to meet the country’s leader, Senior General Than Shwe, in the country’s remote capital Naypyidaw, tomorrow.

The outcome of his visit – part of a five-nation tour of Asia – is expected to influence the White House as it considers new approaches to the problem of Burma’s appalling record on human rights.

Good luck, Sen. Webb. And good luck, Burma.

Maybe Mark Warner Should Pay Attention . . .

By

On July 31, 2009

In Policy, Politics, Virginia

to this.

Virginia Republicans – All Whack Jobs, Or

By

On July 17, 2009

In Politics, Virginia

just this one?

(And to my Republican friends, I’ll point out that you seem to have a lot of problems with the whole violent rhetoric thing.  Have you ever wondered why?  Oh, that’s right.  It’s a party that thrives on that.  Maybe you should do something about it.)

Virginia Democratic Primary Post-Mortem

By

On June 17, 2009

In Politics, Virginia

I’m very late in linking this, but on the off-chance that you haven’t read Vivian Paige’s analysis of what happened on June 9th, do so.

Boyz in tha Clarendon

By

On June 11, 2009

In Virginia

Against my better judgment, I pass along the following.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T1RMuoQnKo[/youtube]

Also, just try me.  I will close comments so fast . . .

Did They Make Them Wear Pink Armbands, Too?

By

On June 10, 2009

In Society, Virginia

Sometimes I find myself well and truly disgusted with Virginia and its very much accepted culture of bigotry.  This is one of those times.  From the Virginian-Pilot:

For more than a year, Virginia’s largest women’s prison rounded up inmates who had loose-fitting clothes, short hair or otherwise masculine looks, sending them to a unit officers derisively dubbed the “butch wing,” prisoners and guards say.

Dozens were moved in an attempt to split up relationships and curb illegal sexual activity at the 1,200-inmate Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women, though some straight women were sent to the wing strictly because of their appearance, the inmates and corrections officers said.

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