He emerged from the Metro at the L'Enfant Plaza Station and positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. By most measures, he was nondescript: a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money, swiveled it to face pedestrian traffic, and began to play.

It was 7:51 a.m. on Friday, January 12, the middle of the morning rush hour. In the next 43 minutes, as the violinist performed six classical pieces, 1,097 people passed by. Almost all of them were on the way to work, which meant, for almost all of them, a government job. L'Enfant Plaza is at the nucleus of federal Washington, and these were mostly mid-level bureaucrats with those indeterminate, oddly fungible titles: policy analyst, project manager, budget officer, specialist, facilitator, consultant.

...

No one knew it, but the fiddler standing against a bare wall outside the Metro in an indoor arcade at the top of the escalators was one of the finest classical musicians in the world, playing some of the most elegant music ever written on one of the most valuable violins ever made. His performance was arranged by The Washington Post as an experiment in context, perception and priorities -- as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste: In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?

• Dude. Check out this video.



• I thought this was mildly amusing... from the local police blotter, a dude robs a gas station, and asks for 20s (twenty dollar bills) only. The clerk offered all of the money, but he just wanted the 20s. I guess he didn't want to be weighed down with small bills. (here, 4th story down)



• Also in the local section, buried in a small article right before the obits... local congressman Darrell Issa is in trouble for remarks made regarding victims (including firefighters) of 9/11.
  

  
  During a hearing this week about legislation to extend victims' benefits, Issa, a Republican, described the attacks on the World Trade Center as “a fire that had no dirty bomb in it, it had no chemical munitions in it. It simply was an aircraft, residue of two aircraft and residue of the material used to build this building.”
  
  He questioned “why the firefighters who went there and everyone in the city of New York needs to come to the federal government for the dollars versus, quite frankly, this being primarily a state consideration.”
  

  
  Nice attitude. Oh, by the way, are you still pissed that Ah-nuld took your spot as governor, once you hurried Gray Davis out? Hahahahahah.



• Oh yeah! Battlestar Galactica is finally back! Such such such a great show.
  
  Really quick, here's my theory on who's the final cylon. Well, I came up with this theory before I saw Friday's season opener, so it may seem a bit far-fetched. But hey, it's a guess, just like any other.
  
  So, I think the last cylon is... the lawyer who defended Baltar in the two-part season finale last year. He came out of nowhere, and disappeared just as quickly. And, as the defender of Baltar, I think that at least makes him a possible agent.
  
  I had another theory about the humans reaching Earth and Baltar possibly posing as Jesus, but then they shaved his beard, and he doesn't look that much like Christ anymore. It's probably for the better - can you imagine the uproar from the religious folks if that was the plotline?



• Speaking of TV... who here watches Ghost Hunters? OK, so, just a question that I'm sure you've all pondered at one point or another... just how many different TAPS shirts are there? Seriously!



• Did you watch that video up there? Then you've been Rick Rolled! Sucka!
  
  Seriously, I had no idea there was a term like this, or why there was a need for it. But I think it's funny.

The San Diego County District Attorney's Office charged (transients Damian) Maple and (Frank) Montoya last week with aggravated mayhem and torture in the attack Feb. 27 on Robert Schneider. Schneider, 26, was beaten unconscious with a skateboard, then pushed into a smoldering fire on the beach. He remains hospitalized with major burns and fractures.

San Diegans Carl Gregory and Roseann Iovine have announced that to support Schneider's recovery they will host an Australian barbecue from 2 to 6 p.m. April 13 at Bondi Bar & Kitchen, 333 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

• I know that Arizona State is still alive in the Men's NIT after beating Southern Illinois in the second round. Go Devils!



• I know that ladybugs eat, among other things, aphids. I know this after wondering for months why I see bags of ladybugs for sale at The Home Depot. I finally looked it up.



• I know that the Uni-ball pen (the kind that's kinda wide with a squishy grip) is endorsed by Secure Document Expert Frank W. Abagnale, Jr. Mr. Abagnale is credited with inventing and implementing the watermarking system (you know, that little "lock") you see on checks that's now an industry standard.
  
  He's probably better known as "the guy who Leonardo DiCaprio played in Catch Me If You Can."



• Speaking of people who've had movies made about them... I know that Adrian Cronauer (of "Good Morning, Vietnam" fame) was in the movie "Street Fighter" (or, at least he's credited as such). What the hell?
  
  In case you're wondering, yes, I watched "Street Fighter." Last night. Well, the UCLA/Miss. Valley St. game was boring as hell. Plus, I wanted to see just how bad the movie was. Trust me when I tell you - it was bad. But I'll admit, I did laugh pretty hard once or twice. "Quick! Change the channel!" Yeah, that was pretty funny.



• I know that I love stories like this: Dolphin rescues stranded whales. Oddly enough, the dolphin was named "Lassie."
  
  OK, I made that last part up. His name is really "Moko." Well, that's what the residents call him.



• And finally... I know it didn't happen on this exact date, but the Good Friday earthquake of 1964 (March 27) in Alaska was the largest in North American (recorded) history. It had an (adjusted) magnitude of 9.2 on the Richter Scale, and the shaking lasted for over four minutes.