Monthly Archives: May 2009

The Daily Feed
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Indian Food, in a Truck, with Moustaches

Photo courtesy of
‘fojol’
courtesy of ‘a loves dc’

I’m immensely intrigued and amused by the newly discovered Fojol Brothers of Merlindia, a “travelling culinary carnival.” The Fojol Brothers are dudes wearing strange get-ups and (fake?) handlebar moustaches in an ice cream truck tricked out to serve preservative-free Indian food. There’s a variety of veggie and meaty options to top some basmati rice. Also, all of their eating implements are biodegradable  and they donate a percentage of their proceeds to help at-risk youths in DC. How do you find this mobile meal machine? Follow the Fojol Brothers on Twitter, duh. I mean, how does anyone do business these days?

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Do Try This at Home: Driving with Biodiesel

Photo courtesy of
‘Cooking oil to biodiesel’
courtesy of ‘Marufish’
Wanna save on gas and save the planet? Learn to power your car with biodiesel. On June 9, at a 6 p.m. Carbonfree DC meetup at Martin Luther King Library downtown, they’ll say where in the DC area where you can buy biodiesel, plus talk about local laws and incentives.

You’ll also learn how to make your own biodiesel home brew with vegetable oil, perhaps gathered from area restaurants — the very epitome of reduce, reuse, recycle.

Of course, this might make you drive hungry, the scent of fast food wafting through your car. French fry, anyone?

The Daily Feed
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Smiling at VA DMV now forbidden, not just unlikely

Photo courtesy of
‘Yay Snow! (214/365) (060/365)’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

I thought for a moment that I was reading the Onion. The Virginia DMV is in the process of banning smiling in your drivers’ license photos. Due to some face-recognition technology being implemented in DMV systems, you’ll need to adopt a “neutral expression” when your picture is taken, or the system, programmed to detect your terrorist-loving grin, will reject the photo.

So when your teenager gets her license, she’s not allowed to look happy about it. The face-recognition software works better on faces wearing the same expression.   Which is just dandy, really- technology that can’t identify a face that’s smiling is going to be used by all manner of law-enforcement agencies to identify suspects, by comparing that oh-so-high-quality DMV photo with the crisp and sharp images from ATM cameras and suchlike. Because I know that when I’m knocking over a liquor store, what I’m wearing is a “neutral expression.”

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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“DC” Group Wants Marriage Referendum

Photo courtesy of
‘lift your fist’
courtesy of ‘m hoek’

A group calling itself “Stand 4 Marriage D.C.” (the substitution of the number in exchange for a three letter word is really what makes them jerks. That is, unless they want polygamy? I’m so confused.) has requested the paperwork necessary to start a referendum in the District on the subject of marriage. They’ll need 21,000 signatures of registered DC Voters in order to get the question on the ballot, which could come as soon as this Fall.

Who’s behind this? Marylanders. Bishop Harry Jackson of Beltsville is powering this new group, and is acting as its spokesman. What’s not clear, though, is how he thinks he’ll be able to get around the DC provision that referendums can’t violate the Human Rights Act, which this would likely fall under. The 180 day clock for those signatures started yesterday, after which the referendum petition must be reviewed by the Board of Elections before it could go on a ballot.

Food and Drink, The Features, Thrifty District
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Thrifty District: Recession Bean Soup

"Spilling the Beans" by Roger Smith, on Flickr 

"Spilling the Beans" by Roger Smith, on Flickr

When it comes to budgeting, I bargain with myself. A lot. As in, “if you really want those shoes, buy them, but then you have to eat bean soup for a week.” 

UGH. Bean soup?

As a child I hated beans. But somewhere along the line I had a cracking good bean soup that changed my mind. Once I had to tighten the belt I decided to try to recreate it myself. So, for all of you budget bargainers out there (I know I am not the only one!) here it is, my Recession Bean Soup recipe.

First off, we all know legumes (somehow it sounds more classy to say legumes instead of beans… be sure to snootily – or sexily – elongate the ‘oo’ when you say it) are crazy good for you. Protein, fiber, and magic. But, there’s a certain squeamish factor about, um, their effect on your digestive system. But don’t worry. If you use dried beans, simply rinse and rinse and rinse until the water no longer foams, and you will not offend anyone in your presence after consuming.

Now, to the recipe.

Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, People, Technology, The Daily Feed
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Time Warner – You’ve Got No Mail!

not such a happy family anymore?

not such a happy family anymore?

Fresh off the presses today, it seems that a number of employees now at Time Warner/AOL can shorten that to just “AOL”. The board of directors authorized the divestiture of AOL from the company and, as expected for many months (if not years), AOL is left to fend for itself. As a friend of a number of AOL employees, both past and present, I’m sure there’s even more speculation as to what’s going to happen to one of NoVa’s largest employers.

The Daily Feed
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A brief Ford’s closure

Photo courtesy of
‘Police Cruiser – Old Style Ford’
courtesy of ‘JLK1979’

What, what? No no, wrong Ford!

Photo courtesy of
‘Rehearsal, Ford’s Theatre’
courtesy of ‘Jenn Larsen’

Okay, there we go! The National Park Service is going to do a little maintenance on Ford’s Theater at the end of next month and will close to the public between June 22 and 26th, as well as the 29th and 30th. The Petersen House property across the street where Lincoln spent his last hours among the living will remain open. They’ll open on the 27th and 28th for weekend visitors so if that’s a must-visit time frame for you that’ll have to do.

The Features
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Openings: H Street Country Club

Birdhaus lights

The time has come: the newest and very long-anticipated Joe Englert H Street hot spot opens its doors today, and bar-goers will like what they find there. H Street Country Club has a lot going on– its a well-developed concept bar with impeccable attention to detail as well as a sporty hang-out and Mexican restaurant. KatieT and I got a sneak peak Tuesday night and our expectations were met by what we found, in every way.

The first thing that struck me upon entering the downstairs bar was the enormity of the space. Compared to other H Street spots like the Pug, it’s HUGE. There is a large and long bar with enough room flanking it for table seating, and further back in the place there are two tables each of shuffle board and pool with space to spare. In the back corner there are also two skeeball games, if you need some sporty engagement while you wait for a table. Continue reading →

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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13 Aquatic Specimens Die at Zoo

Photo courtesy of
‘Stingray City, Grand Cayman’
courtesy of ‘petersbar’

11 of the National Zoo’s stingrays and a few arowanas died this morning, according to the Zoo staff. The water in the Amazonia exhibit had reached a dangerous low oxygen level, and asphyxia is the likely, if not the confirmed, cause of death. The Zoo is adding oxygen meter readings to their schedule as well as water-quality tests.

The 55,000 gallon aquarium dates to the early 1990s, where it’s been home to a healthy and reproducing stingray population, which was sadly decimated by the decrease in oxygenation. Here’s hoping they’ll rebound well.

Crime & Punishment, The Daily Feed
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We Love Juicing

Photo courtesy of
‘Syringe 1 With Drops’
courtesy of ‘ZaldyImg’

According to WUSA 9, the bust of a major steroid distributor in Florida has implicated teams in D.C. as buyers.  While no specific players were named, the incarcerated dealer did admit to selling anabolic steroids to the Nationals and Capitals sports clubs.  I would be inclined to attribute the Caps’ recent success to this, but given that the Nats were sold (presumably) the same drug, my judgement is that this dealer’s stock wasn’t of the highest quality. Will D.C. be the next target of media and legal ‘roid rage?  I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Essential DC, Talkin' Transit, The Features, WMATA
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Talkin’ Transit: Tourist Tips

Photo courtesy of
‘Packed Blue’ courtesy of ‘ArcaHeradel’

So Memorial Day has passed, meaning that from now through Labor Day, hordes of tourists will be pouring into the District for various events, concerts, vacations and visits. If you’re reading this and you’re a soon-to-be visitor to our region – or if you’re a resident who has friends or family coming in to visit – we want to encourage you to continue reading. We wish to equip you to better handle and enjoy our transit system with minimal disruption to those of us who live and work here.

It’s a win-win situation.

You don’t want to suffer the embarrassment of being a “District n00b” and we certainly appreciate minimal disruption to our daily commutes. So we’ve gathered up the opinions and suggestions from several District riders and residents and are going to share our golden wisdom with you.

Trust us, it’s best this way.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Protests and forward-looks

Photo courtesy of Me

DSC_5133, courtesy of Me

I went to the Prop 8 Protest on Dupont Circle last night and took some pictures. To my eye there were just shy of 300 people, which I think is pretty good for a drizzly night on short notice. NBC 4’s count of “several hundred” was pretty imprecise but doesn’t conflict with my estimate.

Shooting was a challenge, given the poor light and cruddy weather, though there were many people taking shots. After-dark outdoor protests aren’t real media-friendly, but that didn’t stop a number of locals from standing on the edge of the fountain and talking. Council member Phil Mendelson was among them, as was DC For Marriage’s Michael Crawford.

Photo courtesy of Me

DSC_5110, courtesy of Me

Despite the impetus of the event being the California Supreme Court ruling much of the talk was oriented on the future and marriage equality in the DC area.

Which brings me to this: As a “straight ally” on this issue I have just one request. From this point forward can we please stop putting “Prop 8” in the rallying names of these events and have “marriage equality” or “spousal rights” events instead? We’re not in California and are not CA constituents. Florida’s Amendment 2 passed on the same day, so why keep titling these things for California’s particular flavor of folly?

The Daily Feed
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National Spelling Bee!

Photo courtesy of
‘Cute pollinator’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

You guys, my nerdy, nerdy heart may just burst with glee- the National Spelling Bee starts today. And it will be televised OH MY GOD. In fact, the finals will be televised on ABC in prime time. This is going to be the best nerd television since Chuck and The Big Bang Theory. You can also follow the bee on Twitter.

Why am I so excited about this? Well, aside from the fact that I competed in the qualifying arounds when I was in eighth grade (defeated, I remain convinced to this day, not by my own spelling deficiency but by the pronouncer’s thick Pittsburgh accent that obscured the phonetics of the word), and met a lifelong best friend through it… I remember very clearly being a junior high nerd, and feeling intense relief every time I participated in activities with other junior high nerds like me. Summer science and tech classes? Astronaut camp? Spelling bee? I was in for ALL of it, not just because I was such an overachiever, but because it was where I felt most at home.  So even now, at 30, I feel a lingering kinship with the Bee spellers, and hope that they will continue to embrace their nerdiness. I promise, guys… it gets easier and more fun to be the smart kid.

Good luck, spellers! Hope you get the chance to enjoy the city while you’re here.

The Daily Feed
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I offer this Red Bull to Testudo, Exam God

Photo courtesy of
‘testudo with exam offerings’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

I came across this photo in the We Love DC Flickr Pool, and I have to say, I love it. What at first glance may seem like trash around a turtle statue is actually, according to photog staceyviera, humble offerings to Testudo for good exam grades. UMD students took exams last week, so hopefully the good grades will start rolling in soon! Good luck, guys– I hope Testudo is on your side.

The Features
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We Love Arts: Arcadia

Arcadia - Thomasina & Septimus

Entrancing. Captivating. Charming. Search as I might in my mental dictionary, the attempt is futile: none of these words can adequately capture Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia as presented by the Folger Theatre Consort. The play takes place in an English country house, oscillating between two centuries as characters try to reconcile past and present.  They grapple with the Big Questions as well as the mundane with comedy and humanity in their quest to better understand the world around them and themselves. 

Hannah Jarvis (played by Holly Twyford) and Bernard Nightingale (Eric Hissom) are literary academics focused on Lord Byron. They’ve both come to Sidley Park to conduct research on their next respective big scholarly breaks. They’re staying with the Coverlys, a landed family whose ancestors hold the keys to both Bernard’s and Hannah’s research. We watch the story of those ancestors as well: the young genius Thomasina Coverly (Erin Weaver), her tutor Septimus Hodge (Cody Nickell) and his always off-stage friend Lord Byron. Those of 1809 Sidley Park are perched at the brink of the monumental thought change which brought the Romantic Period after the rational age of Enlightenment. That shift meant as much to those who study it as it did to those who lived it, as the play reveals. Continue reading →

Business and Money, News, The Daily Feed
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DC is #3 City

Photo courtesy of
‘Washington Monument – East View – 7-15-08’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Kiplinger’s has named DC the 3rd Best City in 2009, just behind #2 Albuquerque and #1 Huntsville (really guys? Huh?). It all comes down to job growth, income growth and housing, it seems. With the government here, and with all the associated business related to the government, we’re picking up jobs, and picking up stimulus funding and growth.

They also talk a lot about the tourist economy, but the best of it all? “One drawback to Washington’s popularity: No matter the time, day of the week, starting point or destination, you will hit traffic. Try the Metrorail and buses instead of driving. Just remember: On Metro escalators, you stand on the right and walk on the left.”

Bout time that message got out to the masses…

The Features, Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: Memorial Day 2009

Photo courtesy of
‘Memorial Day’ courtesy of ‘(¯`’·._.{-KrS«-»NrY-}._.·’`¯)’

We’re not late with the Flashback, honest.

It’s just taking us a little to get up to speed after such a glorious and busy weekend – Rolling Thunder, fireworks, parades, fairs, cookouts – all heralding the ‘unofficial’ start to summer in the District and the opening of the tourista floodgates.

Fantastic photos by all our pool contributors and others! So to get over your ‘hump day,’ take a moment to scroll through the shots and scenes from this past holiday weekend and let that coffee soak on in…

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Fedorov Back to Russia?

Photo courtesy of
‘090127 Fedorov’ courtesy of ‘Dan4th’

It’s quite possible the first summer Caps casualty may be Sergei Fedorov. According to the Russian newspaper Sport Express, the 39-year-old center will be signing a two-year contract worth over $7 million with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Continental Hockey League (KHL).

However, Fedorov’s agent has told the Washington Post that nothing is decided yet, other than that the Caps’ veteran center has had multiple offers from KHL teams. It’s possible Fedorov might return to the Caps next year as well, but nothing is set in stone. Any money sunk into a declining forward will surely take away prime salary cap space better used elsewhere.

The Caps have his rights until June 30th, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Fedorov scored 11 goals and 33 points this season but scored only one goal and eight points in this year’s playoffs. His goal was the Game 7 winner against the Rangers that got the Caps to the second round before losing to the Penguins in seven.

Entertainment, Music, The Features
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Concert: Jenny Owen Youngs

Photo courtesy of
‘Jenny Owen Youngs, 5/23/09’
courtesy of ‘dcjasmine’

Jenny Owen Youngs is young, oh so hipster, and she’s got something to say to you. Which may or may not be a joke, depending on whether she’s singing or talking. Her songs are sweet, thoughtful, and melodious love songs (mostly), but as soon as the music stops, all seriousness gets set aside. Even her introduction of her band-mates (her drummer has some bold eyebrows, apparently) and comments on the insane heat at Rock and Roll Hotel (exchanging moist DNA with the crowd) were delivered with the kind of deadpan wit that I love. Especially with the kind of heat we were dealing with, we needed a little humor to keep punches from being exchanged instead of just sweaty DNA. Continue reading →