Exhale Strategy

As of December 1, 2009, restaurants & bars in Virginia went smoke free.

The state legislation, which was signed by Gov. Tim Kaine in March, requires restaurants to prohibit smoking within their interiors. Patrons are permitted to smoke in outdoor patios, as well as some enclosed patios that are completely separate from the restaurant & properly vented.

Violators of the smoking ban can receive a $25 fine, along with restaurant owners who don’t enforce the restrictions.

--> Continue to breathe fresh air @ Weekend Pickup.

Breaking News

Does the term "mallet" mean anything to you? If you are a carpenter, then it's a woodworking tool. For an orthopaedic, a mallet'd finger means your finger is not able to be straightened.

Sludge doctors have examined CHarlie's right middle digit that was harmed during a friendly weekend basketball game & officially diagnosed him with mallet. A full recovery is expected after an unpalatable 3 weeks of no ulti & no b'ball.

Speculation is quick to point out that possible overuse of single-finger waving @ Weis during Notre Dame football games over the last few years made CH susceptible to mallet.

Snowtime at the 'Paul'

Meg released a press release inviting you to hear her choir "crooning at a smashing concert, with a mix of slightly wacky 50s tunes, and Benjamin Britten (which is a classic to anyone who has sung in a women's or boy's choir. Hector?) Please come if you are looking for a little bit of music to start the month off. And, as incentive, afterward there will be ricotta cake, bevvys, and other nibbles at my extensively remodeled abode in Adams Morgan."

Let it Snow!
A festive concert featuring wonderful songs for the holiday season by The Washington Women's Chorus, including Britten's Ceremony of Carols, Christmas in 3/4 Time, Christmas Island, and Winter Wonderland of Snow. Award-winning broadcaster and best-selling author, Cokie Roberts, will host and narrate this concert featuring the Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart Handbell Ensemble and an audience sing-along!

When: Sunday, December 6, 2009 @ 4pm
Location: St. Paul's Lutheran Church
4900 Connecticut Avenue, NW (at Ellicott Street), Wash, DC 20008

Tix: Adults: $20 Seniors/Students: $18 Children age 6-12: $5; 5 and under admitted free. ORDER ONLINE . Order by phone @ 202-244-7367

To get you in the mood, enjoy the wildly popular Muppets Rhap:

Natural Energy

Now harness the child's energy at the park & we'd solve the energy crisis.

Taiwan playground puts a spin on renewables with Solar Frisbee Roof
[BizGreen 11.19.09]

Taiwanese LCD panel maker AU Optronics (AUO) yesterday unveiled its first solar project – a German-funded, slightly concave solar panel array that stretches over a school playground. Installed at the private Taipei European School, the Solar Frisbee Roof consists of 32 PV modules of 210 watts each, with a total annual output of 6.2 terawatt hours.

AUO said the array will cut carbon dioxide emissions by 3.9 tonnes per year, although it did not reveal whether it would be grid-connected or supply power exclusively to the school.

The structure, which shelters children in the playground from the sun and rain, was partially financed by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, under the German Energy Agency's Solar Roofs Programme. The scheme is aimed at funding overseas projects that promote the use of German solar technology.

Right Under

Got some bird leftovers from last week? Here's another one to add...
A bald (meaning white, not hairless) eagle was seen high in the sky at last Saturday's pickup.

Do Over: November 2009

Catch up on last month's noteworthy posts you may have missed...

Shady Street

What's in a name?

Cartoonish Humor

Leaf Well Alone