Commuter Tax, anyone?

You would think it is not so hard to go someplace in Washington DC but guess again. As the buses are incompetent, the metro system is hardly more impressive. Although they have begun to close later, the trains run so abnormally in the non-rush hour times that it becomes more convenient to walk to your destination without charging through the lines of people. If you do have the misfortune of changing to a different line, you will probably miss your train due to the tiny little escalators that hordes must crowd onto with no stairs in sight. It would seem that metro goers did not go to the training course to learn that you stand on the right and pass on the left. Everything seems to go slow here.

What I learned recently is even more disturbing. As the weather gets nicer you would think people may leave their cars at home as it isn’t snowing so much and well it isn’t happening. There are merely more cars in the downtown area. So as again I waited over an hour for a bus when I should have seen 4 offer to take me on board as gallant and responsible drivers they are. No buses of course. When a bus dares approach the stop after seeing 8 buses out of service, I proceed to ask the driver what happened. It turns out that there are just too many cars on a street downtown in DC called K St. So the buses that run every 10 minutes or so all get stuck together on K St, while cars with one person in them sit in traffic while no one goes anywhere. The driver said that the only thing that can be done is a commuter tax but since the legislators live in Virginia and Maryland the law affects them personally and will not allow for commuter taxes. Who stands up for DC and the environment, no one, as they do not have elected officials in congress. So, on that note I will leave you for today…

1 bus, 2 bus 3 bus, 12 buses: OUT of SERVICE

Every time someone in Washington tries to tell me about the marvels of the DC transportation system, I have to try and hold back my laugher, as I never have been so appalled by the quality of service from a so-called “capital city”. If any visitor to the city were to judge the capital by its public transportation out of other “developed” countries, DC would be by far the laughing stock. Let’s take the enigmatic bus routes for example. I am by far not an expert on the bus system here in DC but from what I’ve experienced in my exasperating year here, If you are waiting for the bus – it will either not come on schedule, It will arrive crowded and not let you on, or you will get motion sick from the state of the roads where the buses go. I’ve even begun to think that the bus drivers are so audacious in their behaviour that it would be useful for rogue nations or aspiring politicians to learn useful tips on how to irritate their clientele.

If the DC public transportation authority were a multinational, they would be bankrupt by now, which leads me to think that the authorities are incapable of regulating the routes and holding bus drivers responsible. For example, today I spent 45 minutes in the cold almost getting hit by various species of yuppies in large unnecessary SUV’s on Connecticut Ave while trying to cross in a crosswalk. I wonder if half these drivers would even pass their drivers’ tests as they should be aware of stopping if someone is in the crosswalk. So I diverge….

I proceed to watch, 8, yes 8 buses go up to Chevy Chase Circle within a span of 15 minutes. One would assume that with the number of buses up there, they would be able to send down one on schedule. Which they did, however, the buses decided to be out of service for some reason. As was the next one, and the one after that. It sounds surreal, right? But I swear it’s the truth. Finally after about 40 minutes a bus stops, and I ask the driver what’s been going on. It appears that if one driver shows up late, the bus doesn’t leave , so that bus will be skipped. The mere thought of the ridiculousness of the DC bus system with gaggles of buses following each other like star struck Romeo and Juliettes would make one think that something would be done about it, that there are enough federal workers in the city to actually do something proactive. They can’t possibly all be paid to drink coffee and talk about the weather.

Race relations in Guatemala, los Garifuna

This is a fascinating article I just looked at on the black Guatemalans called Garifuna living in New York City. Coincidentally, the family I met on the place from Guatemala City also was going to NY. Even more interesting for those who have been to Guatemala, studied ethnicity, etc.

Migration

I am not sure what is so calming about random beauties of nature but it just is that way. I was at a club tonight full of cigarette smoke and loud music. We finally found a corner by ourselves, the 10 of us, next to a quasi bar that was unattended with unlimited soda/juice and water. As we head onto the deck before leaving, I see the most amazing site: A long white line in the midnight sky. It was unlike anything I had seen before. It was birds returning north from migration. What is impressive is that it was so visible from the club. I hope I will be lucky to see it again next year.

Estonia, where being wired is a human right!

I just came across this and thought, geez, the United States has a long way to go if this is the case in Estonia. With farmers and other non-traditional groups connecting to the Internet, it is no wonder that some developing countries are very progressive with new policies.