National World War II Memorial

One Hell of an Omelet After seven years as a DC city guide I have long since grown accustomed to clients arriving here with some odd notions about touring, including some strange itineraries; this week, though, was a keeper. Here’s an (obvious) tip: the closer you stay to the city the more time you have […]

We Will, Of Course A reader asked the question regarding a possible legal action filed against IAFF President for Life and Our Dear Leader (ODL) Harold Schaitberger. Given what we know about how Our Dear Leader operates, it’s quite likely that the same firm representing the IAFF would also represent him; possibly even the same […]

Washington has many impressive interior spaces and one of the best is the rotunda of the west building of the National Gallery of Art, designed by architect John Russell Pope who also created the National Archives on Pennsylvania ave., as well as the Jefferson Memorial.      

IslaFire Weighs In “The lack of an endorsement for POTUS is truly embarrassing and may forebode a difficult time when HRC is elected. The excuses I heard behind the scenes at Convention were silly and lacked substantive leadership. Our International, our State Associations, our Locals, all endorse candidates that are sometimes distasteful to the membership. […]

If True? I’m all about giving the benefit of the doubt but these folks who still qualify their concern by saying “If True” regarding the great IAFF/MDA rip-off are pretty amazing. Here’s why. No one, to my knowledge, has ever denied that the IAFF received $1,400,000 from MDA in 2015. Even an MDA coordinator confirmed […]

Trump in 54 Seconds: “Get the Baby Out of Here” Forget the Ukraine, Crimea or Russia. Or whether or not he trashes women or people of color or folks with disabilities. A crying kid in Ashburn, Virginia, sums up the utter strangeness of the craziest candidate since Andrew Jackson. Trump calls attention to the crying […]

When $300,000 Just Isn’t Enough Many were those who shook their collective heads a few months ago when Harold Schaitberger led the effort to oust former 7th district vice-president Rick Walsh over phonied up allegations that he had subverted the IAFF Constitution and By-Laws. (IAFF-CBL) Schaitberger made it seem as if he lives and breathes […]

Thank You, Readers Thanks to all of you for having a look during 2015. The stats are amazing:  56,519 individual readers viewing 175,000 pages. Perhaps best of all, the percentage of new readers was 52% meaning more and more people are coming to the site. And, thanks to everyone who took the time to write […]

Don’t be a Mess Many fires can be attributed to some aspect of poor housekeeping.  Clutter both hides (and promotes) fire hazards. Any device requiring energy or generating heat must have a clear area around it for cooling and ventilation. (portable heaters, furnaces, water heaters, appliances, electronics) Use extension cords VERY sparingly; make sure they […]