It’s official, Live Earth was the largest media event in human history with over 2 BILLION people watching across every continent on the planet. In case you are feeling caught up in the global warming debate I’d suggest that the argument is over. The only thing left to do now is help decide on what is going to be done, not if something is going to be done.

This little video sums up the spirit of the event nicely if you ask me… every little thing contributes - so each of us can make a global difference.

If you are interested in seeing how your personal habits impact the environment try the Lifestyle Calculator. I hate to admit it but I seem to have a horrible score. The range is from 105-900 with the average in the US being 325.

Personally I’m at a despicable 608 - I’m guessing it has to do with all of my air travel. I guess I need to pay closer attention to the list of things you can do to fight global warming. (Here is another big list.)
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Three weeks ago CBS News reported that Former White House aide Lewis “Scooter” Libby was sentenced to 30 months in prison for lying to a grand jury. Katie Couric said, “…even people with friends in high places are not above the law”.

But as it turns out, they are. Yesterday President George W. Bush commuted Libby’s jail sentence using the rationale that the 30 month term handed down was “excessive”.
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The future of Internet radio is in immediate danger! Royalty rates for webcasters have been drastically increased by a recent ruling and are due to go into effect on July 15 (retroactive to Jan 1, 2006!).

This issue needs immediate support or the future of free radio is in jeopardy. According to Pandora founder Tim Westergren:

The survival of Pandora and all of Internet radio is in jeopardy because of a recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board in Washington, DC to almost triple the licensing fees for Internet radio sites like Pandora. The new royalty rates are irrationally high, more than four times what satellite radio pays and broadcast radio doesn’t pay these at all. Left unchanged, these new royalties will kill every Internet radio site, including Pandora.

At this point there are only a few weeks left to protect the future of Internet based radio stations. Even if you don’t listen to them currently you should be very, very concerned because these stations are how you’ll listen in the future - and that is exactly what the media giants are trying to prevent! Read on and I’ll explain…
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Finally! A little justice! When I reported on Judge Roy Pearson several weeks ago suing his dry cleaners for $65 Million there were several people who chimed in on the issue. Well, I’m happy to report that not only did Pearson lose the case, but he’s been ordered to pay all the legal fees of the defendant!

On top of that, his job is now in jeopardy and of course he is now infamous enough that no one is ever going to forget what he’s done.
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After staying at a number of hotels in Springfield, Virginia I can safely state that the Springfield Courtyard Marriott is the nicest hotel I’ve stayed at in the city. As a result, it is the one I’ve chosen to spend at least the next 8 weeks in as my home away from home.

It is unfortunately the most expensive of the Springfield hotels, at $199/night, but the service and room quality made it worth the price. Also, since I’ll be staying here for several weeks I spoke with their sales manager and she made me an attractive offer which is much more palatable.
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I quite enjoyed the stay at the Marriott Residence Inn in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia on May 14, 2007 even though I was only there for one night, mainly because it was very much like having a home away from home.

This hotel is actually more of an apartment. In fact, if they ever wanted to they could shut it down and sell the property as condos. My room was essentially a one bedroom loft apartment with the bed upstairs and a bonus hide-away bed downstairs.
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I only have one thing to say about Laurel Maryland’s hotel situation. You don’t want to stay here if you have any other options. Go up the road to Columbia or over towards Baltimore, but avoid Laurel.

Why is that? Because the Days Inn & Suites is among the “nicest” places to stay in this little town, and frankly it ain’t that great.
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I stayed at the Springfield, Virginia Hampton Inn on May 7, 2007 and the two best things about the hotel are:

1. It is relatively inexpensive.
2. It is located right beside the mall and restaurants.

All in all, I will stay here again, though there were a few details that could use improvement.
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This is the first in a series of several Washington D.C. area hotel reviews. I’m doing a few weeks worth of consulting in the area at the request of a friend, and finding a place to stay has been a challenge, so I’ve had to stay at a different hotel almost every night so far. The good news is that I’ll be able to give lots of feedback on a wide variety of hotels. So, here we go…

I stayed at the Marriott TownPlace Suites in Springfield, Virginia on May 9, 2007. The experience was fine, and I will stay here again, but there is no way this is a 4.5 star rating hotel as TripAdvisor reports. Sure, it’s cheap, and its OK, but it’s just a solid 3 - perhaps 3.5 in the hotel universe.

Unfortunately my photos make it look nicer than it actually seemed when I was in the room. When I was there the furnishings seemed like Wal-Mart quality and this does not translate well in the photos. There were also a number of other little annoyances.
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While spending a few weeks in the nation’s capital I decided to go visit a few of the famous sites and get some photos at night. You often see pictures of these famous monuments in the day, but I would argue that they are most beautiful after dark.

You also have the added benefit that there is almost no one around if you go after 10pm, especially on a weekday. So, here they are for your viewing amusement.
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