Bad photography and thoughts on today's bike ride

I took a bike ride today on my old cruiser from Bethesda to Georgetown on the Capital Crescent Trail.  I then meandered through downtown intending to go Mayor Fenty's new conference and bike ride on pedestrian safety but ended up not finding it and being late.  I tried to find the address on my iPhone, but it wouldn't show me the attachments that had the info.  I then saw some idiots on a tour via Segways and thought "what a bunch of idiots."  I took some pictures but they are over exposed since I'm a crap photographer. 

I then took some photos, which also turned out over exposed, of the magnificent American Bar Association building to demonstrate what riches are produced by a cartel.  It is almost impossible to become a lawyer without forking over close to six figures to a ABA accredited law school.  I looked a bit yesterday, and it seems two non-ABA accredited California law school graduates have successfully gained admission to the Massachusetts and Connecticut bars.  In the Connecticut case the plaintiff dropped the ABA from the suit after their excess disclosure requests. 

While pedaling up the long hill that is Massachusetts Avenue near the Naval Observatory, I saw some protesters outside the Iraqi embassy.  Here is the one photo that is only a little bit over exposed of Iranian President Ahmadinejad meeting with Iraqi National Security Advisor Mouwafak al-Rubaie.  The protesters were campaigning against the Iraqi government's increasingly close relations with Iran thus warning that Iraq is becoming a puppet state of Iran.  They were particularly concerned with the recent planned take over of Camp Ashraf by Iraqi forces.  They are concerned that a Iraqi government aligned with Iran will not be good for the People's Mujahedin of Iran personnel in Camp Ashraf.  They stated clearly their goals for the entire Middle East to be peaceful and democratic, neither of which seems to be the direction that Iran and Iraq are going.  Nevertheless, I hope that Emmanuel Todd is right, in which case both countries will end up relatively normal within a few generations.