Chaos On Metro

Sheer chaos on the Washington, D.C. Metro this morning. 

A water main break suspended the running of the Orange, Blue, and Silver lines.

The Metro spokeperson told me pointing with his hand up to his the neck that the water was filling the tunnels and getting way up there--nice!

At the same time, disabled trains on the Red line brought things to a "Major Delay," followed by the offloading of crowded trains because the conductors couldn't get the doors shut.

At the stations themselves, numerous escalators were out of commission, you can see them at boths ends of the station here, and the people were backed up all along the platforms. 

At one point, I got caught on the edge of a platform with a huge crowd pushing up against me, and had to tell the person behind me to please take a step back (that I didn't want to end up on the tracks, why thank you, and believe it or not, some not-so-nice people actually laughed at that!). 

Ufortunately, it didn't take much to see how most of the city can be brought to a snarl or taken right out of commission. 

After 9/11, one has to ask, what have we learned as the Capital of the nation that our basic infrastructure and support systems cannot endure the ups and downs of weather and age, let alone G-d forbid another attack on our soil. 

Hopefully, someone will wake up and step up the planning and preparations here, rather than just spending trillions abroad and with what results. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Chaos On Metro

In Case Of Emergency

Washington D.C. Metro Emergency Instructions

Ugh, long and boring.

How 'bout this instead:

- Don't Freak Out

- Don't Get Out 
(unless your in immediate danger)

- Don't Take Your Bulky Stuff Out

- Don't Fry When Your Out 
(stay away from the electrified 3rd rail--zap!)

Easy, smeazy. ;-)

[Note: Follow instructions at your own risk.]

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal - sorry so fuzzy, train was moving)

In Case Of Emergency

Who Makes Change Happen?

Well if "Station Managers do not make change" (happen), who does?

Personally, I like to see everyone think creatively about what they do and how they do it--looking for efficiencies and to create positive change, where warranted.

Not change for change itself...but where requirements have changed or methods and/or tools have changed to create opportunities or mitigate threats. 

While there certainly are "tied and true" ways of doing things, we are an evolving species, and change is fundamental to survival. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Who Makes Change Happen?

Pants Down

My question of the day, and I know it's the fashion and a lot of people do it, but why do they want to wear their pants this far down?

Maybe, I am just getting old and not so cool (anymore), but this looks mighty uncomfortable to me. 

Also, how do those things not just fall completely off?  

All the more power to them. ;-)

Pants Down

Our Lovely Metro System

Ok, so grossed out the last few days on the Washington, D.C. Metro system. 

This (see above) is what I was sitting next to this morning on the train. 

And last night was even worse, I was about to sit on one of the seats, and this nice man stopped me. 

Someone had actually spit on the seat--and just left it there for another unknowing person to sit in. 

Thankfully, I was saved this indignity, and ended up sitting somewhere else.

But later on the train, I saw someone jump up and start cursing--apparently, he had sat right in it. 

I saw another guy offer him a handkerchief, which was quite a nice gesture, considering. 

At the same time, I saw a lady on the train wearing one of those surgical masks that cover your mouth and nose--maybe not the worst idea under these ill conditions. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Our Lovely Metro System

Say It Loud

I'm not sure this guy had a lot to say.

But he was sure saying it loud. 

Cluck, cluck, cluck...hello, can you hear me???

One megaphone in each hand and another slung over his shoulder - that's three.

And he may actually have a fourth on the other shoulder - I couldn't see. 

Uh, how do you hold/use that many megaphones at one time--plus he's doing it balancing on the bicycle.

Hey, watch that foot, it's touching the ground. 

I think he's saying something like--serious noise pollution. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Say It Loud

I Quit, And Here's My Clothes

This was a funny picture on the Metro in Washington D.C. on Wednesday. 

Apparently some people threw off their Costco jackets (I think with name tags and all).

One jacket was on the train floor next to the heating vents and the other lying on the seat next to the window, 

They were not neatly folded, but sort of angrily shoved there. 

As people got on the train looking for a seat, over and over their eyes did a widening and they paused, some said, "What's that? Did someone leave their clothes on the train?"

Two teenage girls and a boy started laughing and pointing.

No one would actually go near these--maybe they were afraid of germs or to get involved in whatever happened here. 

Well Costco, if you're looking for some of your long white jackets with emblem (one from your tire center), you may want to contact the lost and found in WMATA.

As for the employees, I don't think they are coming back. ;-) 

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

I Quit, And Here's My Clothes

Metro Opens (Wrong) Doors

MetroOpensDoors.com is a website name for WMATA trains in/around Washington, D.C. 

So this was Metro opening the train doors today.

Unfortunatey, it was the wrong doors--the ones facing the tracks, and not the side with the platform.

I took this photo with the doors open on the wrong side. 

I wondered what would have happened if the trains had been full and someone was leaning up or against the doors--they could've actually fallen off/out of the train. 

Where exactly are the safety features so this doesn't happen? 

Anyway, we ended up being offloaded from the train, but at least no one that I know of ended up as train kill. :-(

Metro Opens (Wrong) Doors

In The Capital, Scary Cold

So it was 3 degrees in Washington, D.C. today (and that's before wind chill). 

I don't ever remember it being this cold, ever!

Getting on the Metro this evening, this big guy came on wearing this scary hat.

But what was really unusual was that even while we were on the train for a while, he didn't take the scary hat off. 

I didn't know whether this guy was just still cold or whether we was a murderer or terrorist in waiting. 

After a while, I said to the guy, I have a blog and does he mind if I take a photo--and he was nice enough and said, "Go ahead."

So this is how he rode the Metro all the way home. 

Today was a scary cold day--because of the temperature for sure, but also because of this unbelievable hat. 

I was literally right in front of this guy--how do you think that felt? ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

In The Capital, Scary Cold

Exposing Rape

On the Metro in Washington, D.C. there is a sign that warns people about sexual harassment. 

In the crowded rush hour trains, people can take advantage and try something.

But the advertisement reminds people that if they do the wrong thing, they are the ones who will be exposed--and punished. 

This is in contrast to a story today in the Wall Street Journal about a gang rape of a 16 year-old girl in Kenya. 

She was attacked in June--while walking home from her grandfather's funeral!

Six men ambushed her, took turns raping her, and then threw her unconscious body in a toilet pit--as if to say that she was just a thing for their sexual satisfaction and nothing but a proverbial piece of sh*t herself (excuse the directness here). 

But to make matters worse, the horrific act was not punished, but mocked. 

The rapists were "told to pay for some pain medicine for the girl and mow the grass at the police station"--I am feeling sick again!

I write this blog for this victim and for women everywhere to try to do my little part to expose the continued injustices against them--from inequality and unsafe conditions in the workplace to sexual harassment and rape in society. 

Perhaps, if we all expose the injustices, we can finally make it unacceptable and rub it out of existence evermore. 

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Exposing Rape

DC Still Has Its Mojo

Even during the government shutdown, some people are happily strutting their stuff in DC. 

This guy on the Metro had his earbuds on and was dancing up a storm. 

I asked if I could take a short video--he was like "cool!"

Should've taken it landscape, but nevertheless....

He's pretty wild and entertaining. 

At one point, he dances up to the camera and gives me his business card. 

However, due to the "spicy" nature of the lyrics on his site, a link is not provided.

Hey, this is a professional and family-friendly blog. ;-)

(Source Video: Andy Blumenthal)

DC Still Has Its Mojo

Government Shutdown - Rush Hour

Today was Day #1 of the Federal Government Shutdown.

Pictured here is rush hour in Washington, D.C. 

In terms of raising revenue to pay down our national debt, solve challenging problems facing our nation, or increase our global competitiveness--I am not sure how this gets us there. 

With around 800,000 people sitting at home or in Starbucks waiting to be recalled to work, about the only good thing you can say about the furlough is that it was easy to get a seat on the Metro. 

Sad, but true. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Government Shutdown - Rush Hour

Lessons From Breaking A Leg

Some things I learned from breaking an ankle this week:

1) Beware of the Crazies:  There are a lot of crazy people out there. This guy on the street in Washington, D.C. was yelling and screaming and when I turned to see what all the commotion was about, my foot pivoted sideways off the pavement and crack! I was cussing under my breath at the nut on the street and the pain shooting out of my foot. Thank G-d for the parking meter, which I lunged toward and grabbed to keep myself vertical!

2) Be great: The lady in the hospital that did my cast was amazing. She was so nice to me and talented as a medical professional. She was able to take even a sort of routine task like making a cast (she probably does thousands of them) and do it with an artistic flair and near perfection--I'm telling you this lady was able to make great out of the mundane. All the time explaining to me what she was doing, asking me how it felt, and then helping me test it out. She was like an angel. 

3) Easy is hard: The crutches are large and clumsy--they help to redistribute the weight off the foot, but they are uncomfortable to use and look ridiculous. But getting around on crutches, I am realizing that all the things every day that I take for granted as easy are pretty hard with a broken bone. On the first day, I went courageously out to the Metro and was going to head down to work, but when it started raining I realized this was not going to work--how to you carry yourself on crutches and hold an umbrella at the same time and not get your cast wet and ruin it. The next day, I found myself hopping on and off the escalator trying to keep balanced, keep the weight off the foot, and grab the crutches along with me--this was almost comical. Then trying to stay on the crutches, while using the metro card to activate the turnstile, and go through this narrow passage quickly, I found myself wedged between the turnstile gates. Then the morning coffee was a no-no; how do you carry a coffee while navigating on crutches, which then left me with a caffeine withdrawal headache. I could go on, but you get the picture.

Being sick and injured is lousy, but I appreciate my health anew. And I thank G-d for teaching me some valuable lessons--many refreshers--and keeping me from an even worse outcome. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Lessons From Breaking A Leg

Metro Melody

Just another talented day in the Washington, D.C. Metro. 

These guys are good!

Enjoy--and hope everyone has a nice weekend. 

Andy

(Source Video: Andy Blumenthal)

Metro Melody

Rape Crisis Nation

I've been wanting to capture this in a photo for some time. 

I took this picture from a moving Metro train and one with incredibly dirty windows at that. 

It is the phone number for a 24-hour rape crisis hotline.

Underneath the phone number is a picture of a hand picking up a telephone to call. 

It is written as graffiti on the wall facing the train tracks. 

And around it are radio towers, telephone polls, what looks like transformers, and a barbed wire fence.

It is quite an ominous setting for the ad placement. 

To me, rape is one of the most horrendous and brutal crimes. 

Ironically, it physically and emotionally violates a person through the very means that most people make love and life. 

My first exposure to rape was in the opening scene to the movie Death Wish, where Charles Bronson's wife and daughter are brutalized--I saw this movie as a little boy and it left a huge imprint on me. 

Over the course of my life, I have known people who have been both raped and molested and it changed them forever. 

I found these rape statistics online, and even though rape is down 60% since 1993, 1 out of every 6 women in this country experiences a rape or attempted rape at some point.

Also, it means that 20 years ago, the percentage was about 26% or 1 out 4.

The Atlantic-2 years ago--reported similar numbers with 18.3% of women who were raped or where rape was attempted. 

Honestly, I think the numbers may even be higher, since so many cases go unreported, and according to the American Medical Association is one of the most unreported crimes. 

The numbers are outrageously high for a western, modern, civilized country or any nation!

What is even more shocking is that the U.S. is listed as the 6th highest country for reported rape. 

Perhaps a large part of this is because we report more frequently in this country, but also maybe because we are more free and affluent and thereby, people are able to partake of vices such as alcohol and drugs, which are associated with sexual violence. 

Rape is a horrific act and in medieval times, the crime of rape was often punished with castration or even death.

In Death Wish, Bronson became a semi-crazed vigilante and sought out his own form justice.

Today, in real life, we provide the victims a hotline number to call and the rapists--if they even get reported--and caught, prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced--may get some time or not, who really knows, but we should all care. 

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Rape Crisis Nation

Get Your Newspaper With Style

Some people give out the newspapers in the morning with a loud and resonant, "Get your daily newspaper!"

Others with a call to duty, "Look alive people--it's a workday!"

A more tame and spiritual approach is the man who wishes everyone with, "Have a blessed day!"

And finally this cheerful young lady who greets everyone coming out of the Metro with a warm smile and a great happy hat!

Thanks to all the hardworking folks providing the news at Metro in the mornings, in all weather, and also at no cost. ;-)

(Source photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Get Your Newspaper With Style

Tough Day!

This was just too much on the D.C. Metro today.

This lady is sitting with her badge and bag and a red pillowcase wrapped around her head with a blue shirt hanging out the top.

Of course, everyone around her is just like so what--as one guy holds on and another lady is on the phone yapping. 

When it's been a tough day, it is time to go home wrapped in a little solace--just make sure to breath between stops.  ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Tough Day!

Hold That Smartphone!

So coming home yesterday, there is this lady sprawled out, sleeping on the Metro.

Lots of people sleep on the train...especially after a long day and when the weather is the pits out there.

However, this lady falls asleep with her smartphone just lying out on her lap--no hands on--just plop sitting on her skirt. 

A couple of guys to my right start laughing and then saying what's that lady doing--someone is going to steal her phone.

They nudge another passenger standing in front of the lady to tap her and let her know.

The passenger begrudging does it and then the guys yell over from a couple of row away--"Hey lady! You better hold on to your phone or someone's going to grab it and run!"

The lady opens her eyes sees the phone just sprawled out on her lap, fidgets with it for a moment, and then of all things--she just falls right back to sleep again with the phone laying there unattended. 

These two guys on the train are roaring about it--one starts saying that he saw someone grab another person's device on the train just the other day and run right out the train door with it. 

At this point, the lady is sound asleep and now snoring away on top of it and her smartphone is rising and falling with her laborious breathing. 

Hey folks, this lady may not have gotten enough sleep the night before, been drinking a little too much, or may not have been the brightest bulb to begin with--but we've all got to be careful out there--hold unto your valuables and your smartphones is quite that. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Hold That Smartphone!

Jumping Jean Saves The Day

This was beyond my belief this evening--it is a true story!

As I was getting off the train, my iPhone slipped out of the OtterBox clip on my belt and fell...but it didn't just fall down, it fell at the precise moment that I was disembarking the train and it fell perfectly vertically right between the small space between the train and the platform. 

I couldn't believe it--I don't think I could drop it through that way myself even if I tried. 

Sure enough the phone is laying in the rock bed on the tracks. 

As the train pulled out, I was sure it was a goner, but apparently it survived not only the fall, but also the train running over it as it lay there.

A woman next to me, saw the whole thing unfold and she says to me after the train pulls out--"if you're going to get it, you better hurry up and do it now!"

I must've looked completely astonished when she said that as I peered over to the signage that said the next train was arriving in literally 1 minute!

I looked around for someone from the Metro to help, but no one was there. 

Out of nowhere, a young man rushes forward and says, "I can get it" and before I know it--he jumps into the tracks with the train approaching.

He did it so fast, picked up the smartphone, and jumped back out onto the platform, all in the nick of time--I've never seen anything like it--it was completely amazing. 

I was in disbelief that anyone would do something so crazy as to jump in front of an oncoming train to get a dropped phone that didn't even belong to them--simply to help a fellow human being. 

I tried to help grab him onto the platform, shook his hand, thanked him profusely, and offered him a reward--he refused to even take that. 

On the train we sat together, and he told me about how he came from Cameroon where he had little opportunity and was working two jobs here, including helping seniors and working at McDonalds. He told me how he liked to help people--and that was more than evident to everyone who witnessed this. 

In the end, the iPhone was still working and Jean strengthened my faith in good people still out there. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal from a prior Metro ride)

Jumping Jean Saves The Day

Here's To Tomorrow

I was trying to get this photo of the beautiful sunset.

Instead, I ended up getting this wierd juxtaposition with this guy on the train.

And he is is looking like it's been kind of a rough day.

Election is almost over...who won? 

The sun will rise tomorrow and people will be looking more settled knowing the indecision and waiting--and election commercials--are over. 

Here is to tomorrow. ;-)

Here's To Tomorrow