Who is watching the meter maids (or better yet, the Meter Nazis) when they are out giving tickets?

Today I caught a Meter Nazi double-parked on Elm Street in Bethesda, next to the PNC Bank branch on Wisconsin Avenue, who had parked in TWO metered spots, not leaving enough room for any car to fill either space.

When I asked the Meter Nazi if he would be so kind as to move his car up some so that I may park, he said "No." No?!?!?!?! "N-O," as in a "I will not move my car, and you may park on the other side of the street [illegally, so that I can get another parking citation]" NO?

Well, that just set me off! And I turned on the camcorder on my cell phone and captured this video:


PLEASE SHARE THIS VIDEO WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

I want to do whatever I can to bring the hypocrisy of parking officials (Meter Nazis) to the attention of the citizenry, local officials and the media. Why should Meter Nazis not be held to the same standard as the ones who are paying HEFTY property taxes to pay his salary?

After the Meter Nazi moved his car (I had to raise my voice some to get his attention. Or perhaps he didn't understand my English!**), another car tried to slip into the newly open spot on the street -- the very one I was waiting 10 minutes for. Thankfully, that nice gentleman waited until I got out of the bank and he took my spot which had 18 minutes remaining on the meter!

(In case you wanted to know the license plate number of the Meter Nazi, it's "HZG-691")

**NOTE: I recently received a comment via E-mail (9/2/07). I want to make sure it is posted here in its entirety: "I found your comments about the parking officials lack of english rather racial. It would be like me saying that your voice in the video sounded rather gay. Your photography site is linked to this and on it you say you treat everyone equally. I feel that your video comments say the exact opposite of your professional website. I won't be using you for my wedding to a beautiful lady I met who is from India. Have a nice day. "

MY RESPONSE: First off, I don't care if my voice sounds gay. I am gay. It's not an insult. In fact, I think that probably makes me a better judge of style than you. (Granted, I have no idea who you are, nor would I attempt to make assumptions.) In this blog I did make a comment about whether the parking officer was able to understand the words that came out of my mouth. This was due more to the fact that he was willfully ignoring me when I kindly asked him to move his car. I know plenty of blond-haired, blue-eyed "Americans" who have an even more tenuous grasp of the English language. See, what this video does NOT show the viewer is that for almost 5 minutes prior to activating the camcorder feature, I was (honestly) kindly asking if he would move his county-issued vehicle forward. After several refusals, and his suggestion that I park on the other side of the one-way street (where there are "NO PARKING" SIGNS!!!), that is the moment the camera came on. I did this in hoping that he would feel compelled to move or I would turn the video in to a supervisor.

NOWHERE in the video do I make racially-motivated comments. Nor did I EVER make them off camera. This is NOT how I was raised to be a loving respectful human, and it goes against everything I believe. I'm sorry that you feel that I was rude, wrong, ignorant or all of the above.

So to you, ANONYMOUS COMMENTER, I wish you many happy years of marriage, and hope that your photographer does a splendid job.

Labels: bethesda, Bethesda Urban Partnership, Blog, Government, Justin Schuck, Maryland, Meter Maid, Montgomery County, Parking, Photo, photography, Street Parking, Video, washington dc

So I was sitting at my desk listening to the news this morning when a bulletin came across saying that there was a developing story related to a fire on Elm Street in Bethesda.

According to news reports, Pepco was responding to a manhole cover explosion on Thursday on the 4700 block of Elm Street in Bethesda. Pepco employees may have been working on a feeder line into a transformer when the explosion occurred shortly before 10:00am this morning.

Emergency response teams were on site investigating the explosion. As seen in the images here, smoke was billowing out of a vent in the street, and there appeared to be considerable fire and/or smoke damage to a truck belonging to First Class Plumbing, LLC of Virginia. (Their slogan: "We put the Squeeze on Pricing." Their new slogan: "We're Smokin'!")

From a photographic perspective, I was disappointed that there wasn't greater chaos, but I'm glad no one was reported as injured.

Justin Schuck Photography & Video media contact number: 301-760-7476

Read/See the NBC-4 news report:
http://www.nbc4.com/news/13425533/detail.html?dl=headlineclick

Labels: bethesda, Blog, Explosion, Fire, Fire Department, Justin Schuck, Maryland, Montgomery County, News, Newsworthy, Photo, photography, property-casualty, washington dc

(Sorry, business and photography-unrelated blog to follow...)

I have never in my life ever been so disappointed with a food item in my life. I cannot even begin to describe to you just how significantly let down I feel. All I wanted was something ridiculously greasy and delicious.

One would think that if you put "Philadelphia" in the name of the business, it has to adhere to at least some basic "hero" principles:

• The Sandwich must be greasy
• There should be loads of meat and cheese
• The sandwich should be HOT
• It should taste good enough for me to want to divorce a family and move in behind the counter to get closer that greasy, meaty, cheesy deliciousness.

But that did not happen today. I ventured over to Philadelphia Mike's on Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda upon the recommendation of a colleague. I remember recently reading an article and watching a local newscast about where to find the area's best cheese steaks, and both news outlets marked Philadelphia Mike's as a top place to go.

Here are my thoughts:

• The sandwich was warm at best
• The meat had been pre-cooked and was essentially only reheated with cheese on the griddle -- therein lies their fatal mistake. They lost all the fat that give said sandwich its flavor.
• The bread was satisfactory at best if not altogether substandard.
• There was so much mayonnaise it was like having mayo soup with a side of bread and meat.
• All good subs should have a base amount of sodium to whet the palate and there was clearly no desire to adjust the flavor of the sandwich with any kind of mild seasoning or salt to the meat. But again, I go back to the fact that they reheated the meat.
  
• I had to wait over 15 minutes between ordering and delivery after I had waited over 20 minutes to get to the point of ordering (but I did go at 1pm at the peak of the lunch rush)
• The soda machine produced an overly fizzy beverage that lost its bubbles quickly and the drink tasted as if it was of questionable origin
• The french (or "freedom") fries were great. I would have liked even more Old Bay seasoning, but I understand that they have to strike a balance. They were crispy on the outside and soft and potatoey in the inside, although they were slightly on the overdone side. (The best thing about them though was their size. They were huge and thick, none of that shoestring nonsense.
• The staff was friendly and appeared to enjoy working there.

Bottom line...
I've actually had a better Philly cheese steak from McDonald's. But in the end, I'm out less than nine bucks and I'm full.

Labels: bethesda, Food, Justin Schuck, Maryland, Montgomery County, Philadelphia Mikes

In late July I was hired by the Committee to Elect Scott Rolle to document the campaign on its quest for the Attorney General's office in Maryland. It is little secret that I am a registered Democrat and an outspoken advocate of individual rights and freedoms, but I've often found my loyalties lie with no single party. Rather my loyalties lie in truly American principles of governing and honesty that no party can claim solely as their own.

I have worked on national and local campaigns for both parties, most notably Sen. John McCain's unsuccessful presidential bid in 2000. Even as a young boy I found excitement and joy in learning about and participating the political process.



The image that you see above was captured after a luncheon in Hagerstown, MD with Lt. Gov. Michael Steele. I caught Scott literally in a moving car speeding on his way to the next community event. It's certainly one of my favorite images of the year, not so much because it's Scott Rolle (who is a handsome gentleman), but because this one image conveys so much more than it might let on. In looking at this image, I'm struck by his measured expression and strong posture. It conveys warmth, heart and vigor all in one. I've been lucky enough to capture the essence of a man before, and I've been lucky once again with Scott Rolle.

Interestingly enough, the folks on the campaign loved this image so much that they used in on the banner of his website: ScottRolle.com. Check it out! I think it looks fantastic. And hopefully soon you'll see all of the other images I've taken for the campaign.

I'm excited to be working with Scott Rolle and his staff. Of all the campaigns I have worked with over the years, this campaign seems to put forth a youthful optimism and sense of duty that I've never seen before. Of the leading candidates, Scott Rolle strikes me to be the least affected by partisan bickering. It is refreshing to know that he surrounds himself with trusted advisers whose base ideology may be different than his own. I've watched him take counsel from everyone -- from me down to the 16-year-old volunteers and everyday citizens on the street. I am glad to see real democracy in action with Scott Rolle. While I may have initially said that I wouldn't vote for a Republican for Attorney General, Scott has proven himself to be a Republican of a different stripe. His ears and his heart are open to everyone and I hope he wins come November. It would be a tremendous win for the State of Maryland and a warning for sexual predators and violent offenders. I guess you could say I'm a bit of a convert. But that's okay, I'm voting for integrity and justice, not by the tired party line.

Stay tuned here for my perspective on Scott Rolle, the campaign and his journey to become the next Attorney General for the State of Maryland, now occupied by the retiring Attorney General Joseph Curran.

Labels: Attorney General, Democrat, Doug Gansler, Frederick County, Hagerstown, John McCain, Justin Schuck, Maryland, Michael Steele, Montgomery County, photography, Republican, Robert Ehrlich, Scott Rolle