Sleep for the Mall: Tourists love to troop around the Mall, and now, some of them will be paying for it. Not through access charges, though; Marriott has announced it'll donate $5 per room at area hotels to the Trust for the National Mall through September. By which point the grass down there will really need the help. Also, former First Lady Laura Bush has joined in the cause, and all told, officials want to raise $350 million. At only $5 a pop, that's a lot of hotel stays. +2

No Autopilot: That jerky feeling as a Metro train glides toward the front of the subway platform, then the operator realizes it's not quite in the right spot, will continue. Metro officials say the manual mode they ordered after the fatal Red Line crash nearly two years ago is here to stay, at least for a while. The theory behind the order is that it's safer; no word on whether the real goal is to reduce the risk of future injuries by just making people find other modes of transportation to avoid the jerky rides. -2

Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got that Statehood Swing: The latest weapon in the District's battle for statehood: Go-go. Local legend Chuck Brown will headline a concert on Capitol Hill next week to promote the cause. Because the concert is taking place in federal D.C., a panel discussion will open for him. We just hope Sen. Joe Lieberman doesn't get confused if Brown plays "Run Joe." +2

Go to the Beach! Please!: Gas prices have dipped lately, but weeks of media hysteria over how much it costs to fill up the tank may have officials at nearby resorts a little nervous that Washingtonians won't bother driving a few hours away for summer fun. Ocean City has decided it has the solution: Give gas away. Originally, the city was going to give out $1 million in gas cards at beachfront hotels; they've scaled that back to $100,000 now, probably to prevent the town's year-round residents from burning down city hall. Still, who doesn't like a free trip to the beach? +1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 58 Today's score: +3 Friday bonus: +2 Today's Needle rating: 63

Clean Me a River: Long-time Washingtonians may sometimes wonder what's going through the heads (or digestive tracts) of people fishing on the banks of the Potomac River. For decades, the river's been considered so polluted as to be a national disgrace. Turns out those people fishing were just ahead of the curve, though; a new study finds the Potomac is in better health now than it was in the 1950s. Evidently, all it took was putting an end to the practice of dumping sewage into the water. Scientists needed 60 years to think of that? +5

Ride a Bike: With schools back in session everywhere in the region and drivers returning to the roads after August beach vacations and last-gasp Labor Day trips away from home, today was officially declared "Terrible Traffic Tuesday," which, as arbitrary names go, is far catchier than "Cyber Monday," but still kind of... silly. So far as we could tell, traffic wasn't actually any worse than usual. That's because we rode our bike to work today, just like we do most days. Sure, it was hot, and there's always the risk of getting run over by a frustrated driver, but isn't that more fun than being the frustrated driver? -2

No, Really—Ride a Bike: A DDOT study shows drivers on 15th Street NW have been speeding less since a "contraflow" bike lane was installed running south on the one-way northbound street, and more cyclists are using the street to get around, with a 40 percent increase in bikes spotted at 15th and T. The lane will soon be extended so it runs from E Street NW to W Street NW; now, it only goes between U Street NW and Massachusetts Avenue NW. Best news? D.C.'s bike lanes cost only $100,000 a mile, as opposed to New York City's tab: $1.5 million per mile. (On the other hand, New York's bikes probably cost more, on average, too, thanks to the prevalence of hipsters riding expensive track bikes from dive bar to dive bar—here, we just don't have as many dive bars to commute between on carbon fiber frames.) +3

Marty Peretz Weighs In: Any voters still undecided between Vincent Gray and Adrian Fenty now, officially, no longer have an excuse not to make up their minds—The New Republic's D.C. mayoral endorsement is finally out! Counter-intuitively, TNR decided not to go the counter-intuitive route, and endorsed exactly the candidate you'd expect for a neo-liberal opinion journal mostly written and read by over-educated white people: Fenty. (Of course, that's a whole different demographic than, say, an alt-weekly mostly written and read by over-educated white people.) Admittedly, TNR's editorial wisdom has not always persuaded the masses; otherwise, we might be living through President Joe Lieberman's second term. If Fenty wins, we at Washington City Paper look forward to the inevitable "Were We Wrong?" follow-up sometime in 2013. 0

Friday's Needle rating: 37 Today's score: +6 Today's Needle rating: 43

Today, however, we return to links to teachers bitching about Michelle Rhee, those random crime stats in that made-up neighborhood, and some important, breaking burrito news in a slowly gentrifying renaissance zone. Well, no burrito news today, but you know what we mean.

Harry Potter and the Urban School Nightmare writes about Rhee and blame:

"I think I just solved Michelle Rhee's PR problems.

OK, not me so much as two researchers from California whose study argues that blaming other people is contagious. This article gives details about the study, which found that when people were exposed to articles by people who blamed failure on others rather than accepting responsibility, the subjects were more likely to blame others for their own personal (and totally unrelated) failures. I'm not sure I'm doing the study justice, so read the article."

14th and You has the lowdown on a crime meeting in Shaw with Phil Mendelson that yielded more fingerpointing than results.

Left for LeDroit writes about fractals. Fractals!

At Congress Heights on the Rise, The Advoc8te talks tough with fellow Ward 8 activists by offering this message: Stop with the crabby, selfish, counterproductive attitudes and actions!

"Don’t get me wrong. I love Ward 8. I really, really do love Ward 8, but sometimes navigating through the dysfunction, childishness and jealousy (that’s right I said it) of community politics is like watching children fighting over a toy. They would rather break it than share it.

What is this crap of ‘old residents vs. new residents’ or ‘middle class vs. working class’ or ‘East of the River vs. River East’? It’s nothing but a diversion; a diversion to keep us busy fighting each other instead of working together to solve real problems like homelessness, illiteracy and unemployment. If you live in Ward 8  then you are my neighbor – it's that simple. It is time to smarten up people. Stop letting third-parties play our community for fools. Let’s stop playing to the stereotype. Let’s stop being crabs!"

The 42 has details on this weekend's Holiday Booty Market, featuring local indie designers. (Note: This event is not affiliated with the Booty Wall at Howard University.)

Someone with noisy, asshole neighbors writes in to Prince of Petworth seeking advice.

We don't know what The New Teacher on the Block is up to, since she has made her blog private. Email her at newteacherontheblock (at) gmail.com to see if she'll give you an invite.

And, if you like, follow me on Twitter.

Dear Joe Lieberman:

I know what you're thinking: Where are the links to teachers bitching about Michelle Rhee, random crime stats in that made-up neighborhood, and some important, breaking burrito news in a slowly gentrifying renaissance zone? Well you sir, make me sad, sad enough that I'm skipping all that to write you a letter. You sir are an asshole.

Last night, I came home to the news that you alone are messing around with healthcare reform. Because of you, there will be no public option, not even a weak public option. You have decided that it's OK for Americans to die because they don't have health insurance.

I'm sure you don't believe that last line. I'm sure you wish that all Americans didn't die needlessly. But actions speak louder than words. And your actions are telling me that you don't care if Americans die because they don't have healthcare. In 2000, you were for a Medicare buy-in program. You endorsed the Medicare buy-in three months ago in a by-now widely circulated video interview. And now, before the Medicare buy-in gets vetted by the CBO, you come out against it. You promise to filibuster it. Like I said, you're an asshole.

You are a selfish little man. What exactly are your principles other than pissing liberals off? Is this your legacy? Do you really want your legacy to be that you gutted healthcare reform? Did you read this study that pointed out that 137,000 Americans died from 2000 through 2006 because they lacked health insurance?

I work. I have health insurance. And yet this year, I ended up paying a few thousand dollars to be poked and probed over an as-yet-unknown stomach ailment. Each bill was a huge stress. I can only imagine what it's like for someone with serious medical problems without the pathetic safety net that I have.

What do you stand for besides interjecting yourself into the reform process and grabbing headlines? How would you fix this mess? [You can't repeat any Republican talking points especially on the bogus subject of tort reform]. You have provided me with zero proof that you have any real thoughts on the subject other than rejecting the reforms that the majority of your former party support.

Now it's up to all of us to make sure you never win elected office again.

Sincerely,

Jason Cherkis

1:44 pm: Sen. Joseph Lieberman enters statement from Sen. Orrin Hatch into the record. Lieberman talked about how nearly 600,000 Americans who live in the District of Columbia contribute to our society in various ways but get not representation. Lieberman yields the floor. Here's the release from Lieberman's office.

1:47: Chamber still waiting for someone else to come forward and talk.

1:49: Still waiting–how rude!

Update 2:01: Doesn't anyone want to come to the floor and talk about D.C. voting rights? Such apathy! That's the problem, I say.

Update 2:02: Some liveblog this is turning out to be.

Update 2:13: There's some fine classical piano playing on C-SPAN 2 right now. Crank it. It promises to go on as long as it takes someone to come to the Senate floor and say something, perhaps about D.C. voting rights.

Update 2:25: This liveblog is dead, apparently as dead as D.C. voting rights themselves (itself?). The classical piano on C-SPAN 2 is getting really annoying. But if I hit mute, then I won't be able to hear if someone else comes to the floor to talk about D.C. voting rights. Talk about a Hobson's choice. Or a dilemma. Or a Catch-22, or something along those lines.

Update 2:30: A sign of life! Talking from the Senate floor is the Hon. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. So what does this guy have to say about D.C. voting rights? Well, not much–he's talking about the late Sen. Claiborne Pell. From Alexander, we're learning a bit about the history of scholarships, as a way of contextualizing the contribution made by the great Pell grant.

Update 2:32: Alexander is talking about education in the United States circa World War II. How's he going to steer this monologue toward D.C. voting rights? Stay tuned. Or, better yet, don't!

Update 2:34: Alexander has always wondered why, if the Pell grant is a great idea for college, we don't have a system for Kindergarten through the 12th grade. Any minute, any minute now–this guy's going to launch into a discussion of voting rights!

Update 2:36: Alexander asks that his remarks from 2004 on "Pell grants for kids" be entered into the record of today's Senate proceedings.

Update 2:41: With Alexander having yielded the floor, we're back to lively classical piano riffing on C-SPAN 2. Could be Chopin.

Update 2:50: Byrd is front and center! The West Virginia Dem is talking about how he's watched this great institution (the Senate) weather various storms, including "strife and uncertainty." It, he says, has "served our country so well because great and courageous senators have always been willing to stay the course through thick and thin and keep the faith." More cliches than a big-league pitcher, there.

2:52: "It has been said that this institution–meaning the United States Senate–has a life of its own."–Sen. Robert Byrd.

2:53: More Byrd praising the great institution of the United States Senate. Great people in the Senate. List of great senators includes Byrd's mentors–Russell, Johnson, Mansfield, among others, of course. Including Goldwater and Gramm. Howard Baker and Mark Hatfield, too.

2:55: Byrd calls Ted Kennedy "dearest friend."

2:56: More from Byrd on Senate being a "great institution."

2:59: In recent years, says Byrd, the chamber has become "bitterly partisan." "If anyone thinks that I am exaggerating, I give just one example: The filibuster...."

3:08: Byrd says he's had a "wonderful 50 years" serving in the Senate.