Now that I got the domain that I've always wanted, I'm going to move the District Blog back to my domain and leave Blogger alone. Once the District Blog is up and running again, you'll be able to find it somewhere at http://DavidGaines.com.

I've decided to take the blog live, moving it to Blogger.com I've always had the Blogger account, but never really used it. So, check out the new digs at http://ABlacKoreansDC.blogspot.com.

All I'm trying to say is you never know when not knowing could cost you your life. The Metro Police Department had a link on its site that I feel everyone who lives in the District needs to know about. It's a free service for those who want to know what's going on around their pad. I definitely wanna know, especially what I just recently found out about my neighborhood.

State Farm Insurance donates $1 million
Looks like the national memorial for Martin Luther King Jr. is getting a bit closer to becoming a reality. State Farm Insurance put in their seven figures and are encouraging others to also donate for the four-acre memorial planned for the Tidal Basin near the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial. Organizers said the deaths of King's widow, Coretta Scott King, and civil rights icon Rosa Parks have been an inspiration for more contributors. The memorial designers are scheduled to go before the National Capital Planning Commission soon for further review of the project.

They toss it on the ground; I say make them go get it
After spending the day out and about for the Cherry Blossom Festivities last weekend, I couldn't help but to wonder why people would throw their trash just about anywhere they pleased. You see the beauty of the cherry blossoms, the majesty of the monuments, the trees, the kids, the everything; and people wanna litter? Well, I will admit that just about every single trash can I saw was way past capacity! Maybe the city should've put out more trash cans.

Then again, looks like they have a better idea. The DC Council is thinking about giving the police authority to write tickets to those who litter. Council member Kwame Brown introduced the idea of letting police have the ability to actually enforce the law. There's already a $75 fine and/or eight hours of community service if you litter. But seems like up to now, no one has been enforcing it. I say pass it.

Did you know that each month, that's every 30 some days, officials estimate that 70 TONS of trash is removed from the Anacostia River? I say raise the litter fine to $150 and add a mandatory 16 hours of cleaning up the Anacostia River.

Just a sentence or seven on Cynthia McKinney
I really do like Cynthia McKinney. I appreciate the fact that she takes the time out to search for facts as opposed to relying on other peoples' truth before she makes a decision or casts a vote. She's independent-minded, not afraid to speak her mind and determined to make a difference for the country and not just for her career.

But the whole Capitol Police Officer soap opera is getting pretty ridiculous. To say it's a race thing is to say that officer would let a white woman pass by without showing any identification. I simply can't believe someone protecting the U.S. Capitol Building would allow an unrecognizable, unknown person, regardless of race or any other discriminating factors, into the building. And the funny thing, they wouldn't allow it because their j-o-b is to protect our leaders, such as you.

By the way – what's up with the 'do?

Some people love him and some people hate him for what he said about George Bush's affection for black people. Then again, most people probably don't care. Well, Kanye West is on the marquee for HFStival 2006 at Merriweather Post Pavilion on May 27-28. I'm not sure if the tickets are for sale yet, but just click the link and bookmark the page. Other acts include Cypress Hill, The Misfits, Counting Crows, Matisyahu, OK Go, AFI and a bunch of other groups I've never heard of. Check out WHFS2.com for more information.

Has anyone attempted to get on the red line headed to Smithsonian METRO station during a holiday in the morning? And then thought to yourself, METRO needs to increase the service on holidays? Well, you're in luck! METRO is thinking about increasing service on four holidays, but, ummm, you gotta pay for it.

I've been reading people making comments about the NFL's new rule limiting celebrations after TDs and whatever. And a lot of people are glad to see the celebrations go, citing the affects on today's kids, the self-serving mindset and all the other reasons they don't like the celebrations. I think somewhere along the way we forgot that celebrating is part of the game, and it's just a game! Sure some athletes missed their acting classes while in college, but don't punish the league for the poor antics and lack of creativity of less than 1% of the league!

I really do have a lot of positive things to say about the city I love, but when someone tries to make it less fun to live here, epecially someone in the government, I tend to get a bit edgy. I went to his web site to email him directly, but since I son't live in Mr. Rep. James P. Moran Jr.'s district, my request failed. So, I've posted my thoughts about charging $1 to visit the Smithsonian Museum for Jim, and everyone, to read.

I don't want to beat a dead horse, but it's starting to stink. Stopping by the Martin Luther King, Jr., Library is like stepping into a homeless shelter. Hey, it's their library, too, but can we not let the building look like a homeless shelter?

Ok, so I'll confess, I didn't think getting back to Washington, DC, was going to be this difficult and take this long. But, it looks like I finally am heading back. And I couldn't have done it without Torrie. She got a pad, got the keys this weekend and is just waiting for me to make it back. I'm hopping on the train tomorrow night, about a 13 hour ride, and I pick up from where I left off. Well, sorta. I shortly after arriving in DC have to go back to North Carolina for a seminar my business partner and I are having, then I'll be heading to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where my brother will be in town and we're going to celebrate my mom's birthday at the end of the month. Then the first week of May I'll be in Arizona, visiting my dad. And then I'll be returning to Atlanta to finish up some loose business ends. But, well, I'm almost back home.

For Valentine's Day, the lady and I went to Miss Saigon's, a Vietnamese restaurant in Georgetown. We started with the calamari, both of us surprised with the way it was prepared, much spicier than we were expecting, but damn good. The dip was lemongrass juice, well, that's what I think the waitress said. Delicious. Torrie ordered a shrimp seafood platter dish; I had "chicken curry." Both dishes exceeded our expectations.

What? No smoking? Anywhere? Now you know I'm not going to be happy about that, and of course, I have something to say about it. Give me a second to blaze a ciggie and put some thought into it. Who knows, maybe I'll think of something logical and not emotional.

Finally, some progress on the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. A location has been chosen, and I don't think there could have been any better choice than right there under the Washington Monument, next to the National Museum of American History and virtually across the street from the president's pad.

When I first got to Washington, DC, I learned the hard way the life of a METRO rider. From the minute you get on the escalator to the minute you leave the station, you are vulnerable to public scorn, flying elbows and being humped at rush hour. This is your quick guide to riding the METRO, especially written for those of you new to the nation's capital subway system.

Just a few words on the new development plans for the area around Florida Avenue and N. Capitol Street and the moral obligation to the humans still breathing over those who are dead and grace the dollar bill. Really, just a few words.

I guess there's no more faking it now. I don't have to keep pretending like I don't see the bollards because with the new attention being paid to its looks, it's beginning to slowly disappear. And finally, the world can see just how beautiful the city of Washington, DC, truly is. Don't know what a bollard is? You probably are more familiar with one of its mutations: the Jersey Wall.

I found an interesting blog recently, (Inside The DC Bubble), and found a handful of interesting posts. Other than the one about Dupont Circle being an eyesore, one post that really intrigued me was about Washington, DC, bringing back the streetcars.

I cannot say that I have heard all the facts about the impact of approving the funds to build the new stadium, but I will say that I am solidly in support of the Mayor on this one. I strongly feel this is one of those moments where you just have to suppress all fears, commit to never quit and start using all that energy to just make it work. If you are smart enough to see a rising concern, be even smarter and eliminate it so we can complete the common goal of securing our Nationals permanently while reducing the negative impacts it will have financially on the city and those of us who live here.

Apparently not everyone is impressed with Dupont Circle. I like it, but I do agree with what Project for Public Spaces has to say about it. PPS ranked the world's 16 worst public areas and DC had two, one even in the top 10.

When I was attending Ponderosa Elementary School in Fayetteville, North Carolina, one of the highlights of the week was going to the library. We only had a few hours, but to scour the bookshelves for a good book was like being on a scavenger hunt. I found myself always gravitating towards the Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown books. Now that I'm an adult, going to the library just isn't the same. It's a mystery to me how a city led by intellectuals can have such a decaying library system.

One of the things I love most about Washington, DC, is the fact that it's becoming more and more of a wireless city. When I first got my laptop, I was amazed at the fact that I could sit outside of the Supreme Court and get the Internet. Of course, sitting outside the Supreme Court on a laptop every time I want to check my email isn't the brightest idea. But sure enough, DC is becoming more and more wireless everyday.

There's a new game in town, and it's not baseball. Sure it stars the Nationals, but the game being played isn't played on the diamond. Instead, it's being played out in an area where you don't want to be loungin' after dark, a place where you've probably never been to in your life, and a place you'll never visit because there's no reason to, unless, of course, Mayor Anthony Williams wins this game of hardball.