Can you say hypocrisy?

Lucky this administration isn't getting indicted for sex. Only the Dems can be castigated for their sexual deviance. But the GOP is much better at it. First of all, their sex-pots don't look like Monica Lewinsky. And second of all, their prose sounds like this:

"He could feel her heart beneath his hands. He moved his hands slowly lower still and she arched her back to help him and her lower leg came against his. "

It only gets better from there. Read all about Scooter Libby's erotic fiction in this week's New Yorker.

The Smelly City

I don't think anyone's complaining that New York City streets smell good - in fact, who'd have thunk it? And yet, that's the case. Friends on the Upper West side thought it was unique to their apartment building until they saw the NYT.

Never fear, the Office of Emergency Management is on the case. In the meantime, use this as an opportunity to quell your sweet tooth.

One Other Hot Spot

The Columbia Heights Blog also mentions Kudo Beans. Could this possibly be the same joint as this coffee shop in Seoul, Korea?

New Chain, New Local Joint in Columbia Heights

For those of you waiting anxiously to see what kind of retail goes up in the new 14th Street corridor... DCGentrification.com reports that Ruby Tuesday is coming to Tivoli Square. How this happened is beyond me. There is only one other Ruby Tuesday in DC, and it's at Chain Central near the MCI Center. Are Subway, Starbucks and Urban Outfitters on their way to Columbia Heights?

The other new restaurant to arrive will be Rumberos, brought to us by the folks responsible for the Rumba Cafe in Adams Morgan. Can't complain about that one.

I'll keep you posted as more information arrives.

Sales Pitch for New Yorkers

Seeds of Peace will present the 2nd Annual Stand-Up For Peace comedy benefit on Thursday, October 27th at 8:00pm at Gotham Comedy Club's new Chelsea venue in New York City (208 W. 23rd Street).

This year's event will be hosted by David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer, Stella) and feature comedians including:

• Susie Essman (HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, Comedy Central)
• Colin Quinn (Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn)
• Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (Late Night with Conan O'Brien)
• Demetri Martin (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central, Perrier winner)
• Caroline Rhea (The Caroline Rhea Show)
• Dean Obedeillah (CNN, Air America 's Morning Sedition)
• Aziz Ansari (Premium Blend, ECNY- Best Male Stand Up)
• Catie Lazarus (AMC, ECNY- Best Comedy Writer) **

Advanced tickets can be purchased online for $30 at seedsofpeace.org/events. Special $25 student tickets are also available. All tickets at the door will be $40. Tickets can also be purchased by calling Seeds of Peace at 212-573-8040 x.32.

All door proceeds will benefit Seeds of Peace, a nonprofit, nonpolitical organization dedicated to empowering young people from regions of conflict with the leadership skills required to advance reconciliation and coexistence.

** Catie went to college with me

UPDATE! Wine Is Fine.

DCist reports that

"the D.C. City Council passed emergency legislation establishing .05 as the blood alcohol content level below which a driver is presumed not to be intoxicated."

No need to concern yourself with that one glass of wine anymore. Drink up, suburbanites, and drive yourselves home with no fear.

Looking for Another Reason D.C. Sucks?

Look no further than this article in today's Washington Post. No wonder the city can't afford to fix the roads, fight terrorism or end the muggings on U Street. Not to mention the traffic violations they couldn't give a hoot about. They're too busy spending hundreds (thousands) of $$$ arresting people who have had one glass of wine!

Teaching Morals

Finally, a school is standing its ground. That's how you teach morality to students - not by removing Annie Proulx from your reading list.

This case is so interesting to me. Basically, it's a classic debate over whether a school should promote literature that runs counter to its values. What's most unusual is that this is a parochial school, and the literature is being called "un-Christian."

But this seems to me to bring up all kinds of political issues. If evolution is "un-Christian" and only creationism is real, do we stop reading Huxley in schools?

You can't hide behind literature. It is just another medium - like television, like movies, like music - that describes the era in which we live. If there is more homosexuality in literature today, it means just one thing. And that's what worries people.

$1K Handbags

My favorite quote of the day has got to be this one, today's New York Times:

"A bag is sort of like a portable house. It represents you."

Who are these people buying $1K handbags and - seriously - have you donated your money to Katrina victims yet? These are people who, according to the NYT, make $50,000 to $75,000 a year! People: you are spending 1/50 of your income on a purse. What if someone spills a beer on it?

But my next question is what do you do when you're done with that purse? When you're bored of it? Can you give a $1500 purse to the Goodwill? Do you get to write off $1500 on your tax return if you do?