• smart DC burger joint Rogue States catches onto the grilled-meat-on-a-bun trend currently taking over the city. We pass by this place every single day. (No smell, BTW.)
• stupid Upstairs is a powerful law firm. The firm sues over the wafting smell of burger. A judge gets involved. Rogue States has to close because of this stupid crap. source

• dumb A woman (illegally) parks in a handicapped spot outside of a dinner where Obama’s speaking; a police officer says it’s OK for her to park.
• dumberUpon leaving, she learns that her car has been moved by Secret Service agents – and they don’t know where they put it. They can’t find it.
• dumbestThe woman, after having given up and run through red tape, finds it herself the next day – less than a block away from the convention center. source

• » How far did WaPo commenters read? Rather than get upset about the fact that the Secret Service lost her freaking car, they criticized the woman for parking in a handicapped spot, even though the tag was for her husband. Not to underplay the traffic violation, but the Secret Service lost somebody’s freaking car.

• winner a more traditional, well-established candidate in a city of haves and have-nots
• loser liked at first but rampant cronyism, accusations of ignoring the poor and Michelle Rhee did him in source

• » Yeah yeah, this is a primary but there’s no way Gray is going to lose – D.C. the city proper is strongly Democratic and no Republican decided to run. So this is effectively election day.

• Something beyond imagination is happening. America today begins to turn back to God. For too long, this country has wandered in darkness.
• Glenn Beck • During a speech he made at the Restoring Honor thang, which has drawn a small handful of people. Beyond our personal issues with the quote, mainly because we personally prefer nonreligious Humanism, the scope of what Beck has put together is pretty impressive. “We are humbled that you are here,” he said. “The reflecting pool holds about 200,000 people. This field back here holds about 250- to 300,000 people. They are not only full here, they’re full in that field, they’re full behind me, and they are now across the street approaching the Washington Monument.” So yeah, this thing was kind of a hit. source

• I made it clear when we were approached: I said, ‘If it’s political, I wouldn’t even approach Albert with it.’ I don’t want to be there if it’s political.
• St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa • Totally misjudging the nature of Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” event on Saturday. He’ll be bringing his biggest star, Albert Pujols, with him. The baseball luminaries will be in D.C. on Saturday to play the Washington Nationals (who perhaps have the worst luck in the world right now), but will also be honored at the event. The event will also have a speech from Martin Luther King Jr.’s niece, Alveda King, which should be interesting to see. (Hint: She works at a conservative think-tank.) source

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• To our friends visiting Washington on August 28th to take part in Glenn Beck’s no-longer-9/12 protests: Here’s your map. (And some guy also made a dead-serious guide, too.) Visit the monuments, but don’t you dare leave the blue zone, or you’ll be in the red zones that signify D.C. You don’t want to be caught dead in Dupont Circle. It’s the ‘hood. source

• 70 people were unfortunately involved in last night’s brawl source

• » To explain D.C. Metro dynamics: These kids started their fight at the Gallery Place station, near the Verizon Center, where the Washington Wizards play. This area has become very popular for teenagers and is one of the area’s busiest stations. These kids got on a train, continued the fight, got off at the L’Enfant Plaza station, and caused a huge brawl that injured a number of people. Because these are two of the busiest train stations in the entire city. This is how people are supposed to act, apparently. Get some manners, you brats.

• 261 teachers were fired just before the new school year
• 165 were cited for having poor classroom performance
• 737 more educators are on thin ice for the next year source

• While journalists are trained never to presume motive, Journolist members tend to assume that the other side is acting out of the darkest and most dishonorable motives.
• Daily Caller reporter Jonathan Strong • In yet another piece about Journolist, the e-mail list run by Ezra Klein that forced Dave Weigel out of his job a few weeks back. The list has long been an off-the-record spot to vent. But The Daily Caller, which once had a member that was part of Journolist, isn’t following that, giving SPECIFIC examples and specific names, and likely hurting numerous journalists in the process. While some of the attacks were harsh and underhanded (including a whole conversation about shutting down Fox News), the fact is, off the record is off the record. And The Daily Caller isn’t bothering to respect that in its articles. Protip to Daily Caller: More RNC spending exposés, fewer attacks on fellow journalists. source

• 3.6 magnitude earthquake hit D.C.; that’s not a metaphor, guys source