InTheCapital

INTHECAPITAL’S WORKING LUNCH: Here’s some stuff to make you smarter/less bored while you eat your lunch alone at your cubicle. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there.

NOTHING SAYS ‘HOLIDAY SEASON’ LIKE A GOOD OLE FASHIONED CONGRESSIONAL STANDOFF! Good afternoon, DC. You’re almost there. Unless you work for a totalitarian dictator of sorts, this is probably your last day slaving away at the cube. We’re right there with you. Let’s see if we can’t get you through those next few hours, eh? Who are we kidding? You’re already drunk, aren’t you? Of course you are. That’s why we love you…

BARRY TWEETS, YOU LISTEN: Obama tweeted last night. Figured you should know. “The @WhiteHouse: Everyone should see what #40dollars means to folks: groceries, daycare, gas, copays. Keep it going. I’ll talk abt this tmrw @ 12:15ET. -bo”

OBSESSIVE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS RUINS CHRISTMAS FOR FIRST FAMILY: The rabid White House press corps follows the President to Best Buy and completely spoils Christmas for Sasha and Malia. Come on, dudes. Not cool. BEST/WORST SNIPPET: The Associated Press reported the mystery game was “Sims 3: Pets.”  (slams head against desk) http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/cutline/pool-reporters-obama-best-buy-ruin-sasha-malia-230014303.html

BREATH OF FRESH AIR - A NEW HAMPSHIRE PAPER ENDORSES LEAST-CRAZY GOP CANDIDATE: Are Granite State residents starting to see the light with Huntsman? Probably not, but this only can only help, right? The former Utah Governor, seen last night tickling the ivories on Letterman, must be smiling this afternoon after getting an endorsement from the Concord Monitor.IMPORTANT SNIPPET FROM THEIR ENDORSEMENT: ”Huntsman, a consistent but never doctrinaire conservative, would present the greatest challenge to Obama.” Read the Rest here: http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/299756/huntsman-is-the-best-choice-for-gop

Bit o’ Tech…

PETE CASHMORE’S PREDICTIONS ON 2012’s TOP TECH TRENDS: I’m not usually one for throwing out random predictions but Cashmore, founder of Mashable.com, nails it in my opinion. IMPORTANT SNIPPET:”Near Field Communication essentially lets you replace your credit cards with your phone: Wave an NFC-enabled phone near the credit card reader in a store (or taxi cab), and the money is deducted from your account.” http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/19/tech/innovation/top-tech-trends-2012/index.html

THE LIST OF COMPANIES THAT SUPPORT SOPA AND THEIR PHONE NUMBERS SO YOU CAN HARASS THEM: So, as you probably know, SOPA legislation will literally rape and murder the internet as we know it. So if you want to, you know, have an internet, maybe you should call one of these organizations and tell them they’re making a huge mistake. We’re admittedly a little biased seeing as we live and breath on the internets. http://www.businessinsider.com/all-the-companies-supporting-sopa-the-awful-internet-censorship-lawand-how-to-contact-them-2011-12

BEST OF POLITICO’S PLAYBOOK (we read it so you don’t have to): via a direct copy/paste - 

ROMNEY — “Consultant wars: Mitt’s mad men,” by Ben Smith: “MittRomney’s campaigns for governor and president have employed perhaps the three signature political admen of their generation: Mike Murphy, Alex Castellanos and Stuart Stevens. … They hate each other. More precisely, Murphy and Castellanos, who worked for Romney in 2002 and 2008, respectively, have proven unable to disguise their loathing for Stevens, his current guru and frequent traveling companion. … [W]hile Stevens makes the campaign’s ads and travels with the candidate, Murphy is widely seen as waiting in the wings. … ‘Murphy wouldn’t come back in unless they agreed to shoot Stu in the head,’ said a prominent Republican consultant who knows all three well and who, like many who spoke to POLITICO, spoke anonymously for fear of becoming involved in a dangerous feud. …http://bit.ly/tUZtAV

WELCOME TO CUSTOMS, WOULD YOU LIKE TO DECLARE THAT 9 LBS OF HEROIN?: Yesterday it was 6-inch daggers in a hollowed out book. Today…yep, you guessed it, just $315k of heroin stashed inside old soccer clothes. What tipped them off? Probably that he was coming back from 17 days in Bolivia… http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/crime-punishment/2011/12/315k-heroin-found-dulles-travelers-soccer-clothes/2024276

the fun stuff….

DOLLAR MENU BE DAMNED! ORDER OFF-MENU AT FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS (h/t Marc Pitarresi): Guess what? All your favorite artery clogging fast food restaurants have secret menus. Next time you go to Chipotle you’re gonna be soooo VIP. FAVORITE ITEM: McDonald’s Chicken and Waffles (McGriddle sandwich with chicken in the middle)

25 BEST DC-RELATED VIDEOS TO SQUASH THAT LAST REMAINING BIT OF PRODUCTIVITY: Because you are probably the only person at your office right now.

Until next time, folks.