‘Third Church of Christ, Scientist – Signs – 4-16-09’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

The word is out, and Marc Fisher has it: the Brutalist landmark Third Church of Christ Scientist will be torn down, despite the efforts of historic preservationists.

While I’ve always felt that the building looked more like a headquarters for James Bond villains QUANTUM, I can understand wanting to preserve the aesthetically-minimalist building there at the church. While I really don’t care for the Brutalist style (especially the terrible example at FBI HQ on 9th Street, which is an abomination of a building) I always loved how they handled the traditional carillon feature of the space.

The Congregation is going to be rebuilding the location, but hasn’t released any plan documents for the new space. The old building will not be permitted to be removed until such time as they can show what they’ll be doing in its stead, but for the moment, the rights remain with the congregation instead of with the historic preservationists. That’s a good thing, I think.

‘Wrap-Up’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’
The DC Vouchers program is fighting for its life this morning in front of the Senate. Apparently, none of the opponents of the program showed up for today’s hearing, which means the committee is largely taking testimony from those DC residents who’ve significantly benefitted from the program’s efforts. Mary Katherine Ham is livetweeting the highlights of the hearing which make for a pretty compelling case for keeping the program alive for those who’ve been part of the program in the meantime.

The best of the arguments so far is: It takes time to make the public schools better, why should those who’ve been part of this program so far have to suffer through the DC School’s worst hours? Especially when education is so important, this seems like a no-brainer.

IMG_0595, courtesy of Arlington Public Library

The Arlington Library has apparently put the most overdue book ever up for display in the lobby of Central Library and have some pictures in a Flickr photoset. I’m not sure this is the right message to send – the story says that the book was returned after thirty years along with a $25 check. You can see from the inner pocket that the book originally cost the library system $6.50.

$6.50 for thirty years at 11% interest, compounded monthly, is $173.60. The Arlington Library system is celebrating a deadbeat! Where’s the remaining $148.60, Sarah McKee?

Major congratulations to Marc Benton and his wife Sherri for launching Photoblogging DC this morning. They’re going to be highlighting the work of the DC area’s best photographers online. Their WordPress theme is just gorgeous, and needs to be seen. Head on over to their Contributors Page to see who else is snapping shots for them, as well instructions on how to contribute.

‘Screen on the Green Anticipation’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

Okay, you’re asking yourself. With no more Screen on the Green, what on earth am I supposed to do for free outdoor movies NOW?

Well, Ben S. already told us about HacDC’s Nerd Movie Nights, which will help me out a lot personally in my post-Star Trek hangover. And we’re already hearing Twitter rumblings about “some geeks, a screen, some speakers, and some public domain movies,” so we’ll be sure to let you know if any of that comes to fruition.

The Going-Out Gurus have a good roundup of outdoor movie festivals that have announced their schedules.

And finally, the About.com guide for DC, Rachel Cooper, has a list of outdoor movie festivals that happen annually, but it looks like most of the farther suburban ones haven’t announced their lineups yet.

And finally, if you’re lucky enough to have a backyard, you can always show your own outdoor movies with a projector and a bedsheet. Just be sure to invite your neighbors so they don’t get cranky when Michael Corleone’s enemies are getting whacked at 11PM.

Clouded Leopard
Originally uploaded by Smithsonian’s National Zoo

I know. You’re distraught over the end of Screen on the Green. You need a pick-me-up. Well, the National Zoo has put up more photos of the clouded leopard cubs for your enjoyment. Dull the pain with some mind-numbing cuteness.

Courtesy IgniteDC

The Innaugural IgniteDC goes down this Thursday. It’s an event where all evening long speakers take the stage for five minutes at a time with 20 slides that automatically advance every few seconds. The speaker lineup this year looks great, covering everything from modern dance to military robots to radiohead featuring people like Clay Johnson, Amanda Hirsch, and Peter Corbett.

If you don’t have a ticket yet, don’t fret. The Ignite gang sent out an email today with details on how to get in with and without a ticket:

If You DON’T Have a Ticket. We’ll have a wait list line, first come first serve. At 6:45 we’ll let in people until we hit 400. If it’s raining, we’ll have a tent. You won’t be able to buy a drink, but there’ll be plenty of cool people to talk to. If we fill up, people will still be leaving and we’ll do the whole one-out, one-in thing that you all love so much.

PRE_2117
Originally uploaded by MissChatter

Have you seen those spots running on MASN where some random Nats fan waxes poetic about some memorable moment at a game? (My personal favorite is the one where the guy talks about a player getting “a walk-off walk.” Seriously. His most memorable Nats moment was when the Nats won a game by the other team’s crap pitching.)

MASN is holding a casting call for a new round of spots- head to the game on May 23rd early, because the auditions will start about 90 minutes before the first pitch.

Oh, and try to come up with a better story than the one about getting walked. Gawd.

‘Green Tea?’
courtesy of ‘Ben+Sam’

 Häagen-Dazs loves Honey Bees, apparently.  I guess that’s only fair, since the little guys pollinate one-third of the foods we eat. In honor of those hard-working little deliciousness enablers, H-D is offering a free scoop of any “bee-built” ice cream flavor today from 4-8 p.m. You will find these noms at the following locations: Continue reading →