Yearly Archives: 2009

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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NFL Films Focuses on Zorn, Campbell

Photo courtesy of
‘Jason Campbell and Clinton Portis’
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’

This weekend’s abysmal Redskins/Rams game at Fedex left the audience booing, the team bewildered and twittering stupidly, and everyone else going “Wait, is that score from Halftime?!” NFL Films had both QB Jason Campbell and Coach Jim Zorn wired for the game Sunday and have now released the product of the experiment, where we can see how Zorn and Campbell communicated throughout the game.

It’s fascinating to see how technology has altered the NFL, specifically the relationships between QB and Coach, to increase team communication in stressful situations and to help evaluate flaws in execution and planning. Really quite interesting.

Music, The Daily Feed
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Died Young, Stayed Pretty

Photo courtesy of
‘ooO’
courtesy of ‘box of lettuce’

The words “underground indie rock culture” bring to mind a lot of things, but tonight the National Museum of Women in the Arts examines one aspect: the posters. Died Young, Stayed Pretty is a documentary that takes a look at the art and the designers behind it, including Print Mafia, Brian Chippendale, the Ames Brothers, and more.

The movie [is at the Corcoran and] starts at 6:30 pm and is $12 for public, $10 for members. Pre-registration is encouraged.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Farmer’s Market Delivered To Your Door

Photo courtesy of
‘Radishes’
courtesy of ‘Amberture’

I’m a busy lady. Without exaggerating, I live and die by my Google Calendar. But the one thing I always make time for is the Farmer’s Market. I’m a devout Farmer’s Market kind of girl, especially after a recent rendezvous with Michael Pollan. I love walking up to the market, bag in hand, and perusing the rows of colorful fruits and vegetables. It’s my Sunday morning ritual, and reminds me of all the things that are good and right in the world. The farmer’s market is my own little version of church.

At the market you can find babies, puppies, and people from every walk of life, all purchasing local, bright, healthy, delicious food. But every so often, my market ritual and my Google Calendar battle it out and the Google Calendar wins. And when that happens, I am faced with a weeks worth of produce from Whole Foods, or worse, Safeway. Until now. Bless Erin Hartigan’s heart, because Daily Candy introduced me to Harvest Delivered, founded by two women “who hand-select an assortment of fresh, seasonal fruits, vegetables
and herbs from sustainable local farms and delivers it directly to your home or office.” All for the incredibly reasonable price of $28, which includes delivery if you order every week. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The District, The Features
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We Love Events: Big Kids Block Party

Photo courtesy of
‘The Good Stuff’
courtesy of ‘DaveFayram’

In last weekend’s Washington Post, the article “Tips on Throwing a Neighborhood Block Party,” detailed the ins and outs of how to–legally–plan, promote and execute a block party in DC.

So now, my friends, it’s time to get the block partying on!

Look no further than the Big Kids Block Party, Saturday, October 3 from 6pm to midnight at Marion and Q St NW in DC’s Shaw neighborhood.  The party is being hosted and organized by the Q Street Nehighborhood Association, is properly sanctioned by local DC authorities and, as a BIG kids block party, is for the 21+ crowd (photo ID will be required for entrance.)

Did I also mention all the local restaurants/shops that are providing provisions for the event? I’m talking 200 half-smokes from Ben’s Chili Bowl, Mr. Yogato fro-yo (and they’ve got some sort of 100 yogurt cup competition up their shelves AND gift card giveaways,) lots of tasty goodies from Julia’s Empanadas, a cotton candy machine, rice crispy treats and more. Continue reading →

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

Photo courtesy of
‘TaylorFire1-8-17-09-MikeChaveas’
courtesy of ‘Coconino National Forest’

This is what it looks like when planes drop fire retardant. Load after load into the forests of the Western US when there’s a forest fire burning not far away. The difficult conditions of fighting fires in the west, where forests can be millions of acres, have lead to airplane tankers, smokejumpers who parachute in to fight the fire, and all manner of difficult and expensive techniques to prevent rampaging forest fires. However, the US Forestry Service has shunted $3M from wildland fire management to creating green jobs in DC.

While I am certainly thankful for jobs in the District, wouldn’t it make more sense not to steal them from areas that need the funding to make sure their houses don’t burn to the ground?

News, The Daily Feed
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Suspicious Package Closes Mass Ave at California Ave

MassCal.png

A suspicious package has closed Massachusetts Avenue between California Avenue NW and 24th St NW. MPD is responding now. DC Fire & EMS has tweeted the object is a backpack, but there’s “no associated threat”, which I take to mean there’s been no one calling in threats related to the backpack or the area.

There’s also a second evacuation taking place at 901 7th Street: “susp package envelope @ 901 7th st NW some evac taking place” according to DC EMS. Ah suspicious packages, I really do loathe you.

Update, 9:52a: Massachusetts Avenue has now been reopened after both packages were evaluated and neither deemed a threat.

The Daily Feed
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Help save WEAVE

WEAVE

When I skimmed the WaPo story on WEAVE this weekend I took it to mean that their closing was a done deal. Thanks to DCist I know now that’s not the case – they’re making a pedal to the metal drive to stay open and continue helping needy victims of domestic violence.

They’ve made a good start at SaveWeave, where you can throw them a few bucks to keep their doors open a little longer while they pursue more funding. They promise to return all donations if they don’t reach their goal so you can be sure your money will go towards actually providing services, not just to pay to turn off the lights.

Scribblings, The Features
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Scribblings: Jennet Conant

Photo courtesy of
‘willie wonka chocolate bar’
courtesy of ‘rafeejewell’

At noon this Thursday at the International Spy Museum, Jennet Conant will discuss the exploits of one of Britain’s key agents of the “Baker Street Irregulars,” a group of agents formed under the British Security Coordination. The BSC was created by Winston Churchill as the British mounted a massive, secret campaign of propaganda and political subversion to weaken isolationist sentiment in America and manipulate Washington into entering the war against Germany.

Conant will discuss at this special author’s discussion the exploits of Roald Dahl from his book The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington. Beloved now for his books Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach, in WWII Dahl used his dazzling imagination for espionage purposes. His dashing good looks and easy charm won him access to the ballrooms and bedrooms of America’s rich and powerful, and to the most important prize of all—intelligence.

The author took a moment to answer some questions posed by the Museum. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Thinkin’ About Streetcars

Photo courtesy of
‘r&r’
courtesy of ‘telmo32’

Greater Greater Washington has been talking about streetcars all week long and today’s entry on how to handle paying for fares on streetcars is definitely interesting. When we were recently in San Francisco, you could buy tickets from kiosks, or from the driver, or use their SmarTrip-wannabe system, which made for a lot of sense. More ways is better, but should we put it on an honor system like GGW thinks we should? I can see this being abused, but I also like the idea of more ways to pay, rather than just the driver.

What do you think for our eventual streetcar system?

Entertainment, Fun & Games, The Features
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Leisurely: Bowling

Photo courtesy of
‘rental’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

With the Lebowski Fest coming to DC on September 28-29, we’re sure you have bowling on your mind. These days you can bowl on your iPhone, your Wii, and a number of other technological devices, but some days you just want to get out there and have the whole experience. Perhaps you’ve already thought of hurling a ball towards ten pins as your preferred indoor activity during the upcoming winter season, or even – Dude! – joining a bowling league.

Well, lucky for you, the DC area has a plethora of options for getting your bowl on.

Keep it casual

Maybe you’re not looking to get into a serious relationship with bowling just yet. Maybe you want to date before you marry. Lucky Strike in Chinatown and Strike Bethesda are high-end options for an occasional bowl. The pricier-than-most food and drinks accompany the bowling prices, but when all’s said and done, it’s a classy – and still affordable – affair for a great night out. On the opposite end of the spectrum, GW’s Hippodrome offers cheap, cheap, cheap – no frills – bowling. And, while not always possible, moving your bowling extravaganza out of the city and out of the way of a metro guarantees a more “authentic” experience. — See below for more details on US Bowling (VA), Bowl America (VA) and Marlow Heights Lanes (MD). Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Locavorism at Tallula

Photo courtesy of
‘Eat Bar’
courtesy of ‘voteprime’

Tallula in Arlington tonight is having a Local Foods, Local Chefs event tonight- a price-fixe menu of ingredients sourced entirely from a 100 mile radius of Arlington. At $55/person and containing words like “Mousseline,” I’m not sure it will do a lot to convince the average person that eating locally and seasonally can be a good value and accessible to the home cook, but I’m always glad to see local farmers and food artisans getting some love (and valuable promotion) from local chefs. So if you were looking for a nice night out and wanted to cross the river, this would be a good one to check out.

The Daily Feed
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40% off Cavalia Tickets Tonight and Tomorrow

Photo courtesy of
‘Crystal City Fairy Tale’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

Courtesy of Travelzoo, tickets to Cavalia performances tonight and tomorrow, are 40% off, including the best seats in the house. The cirque-esque entertainment includes equestrian choreography, riders, acrobats, aerialists, dancers and live musicians. If you missed all the press that Cavalia has received over the past few weeks, check out their website for a full preview. Now’s a great chance to get a good deal on an awesome show.

At the corner of South Fern Street and Army Navy Drive in Arlington, the show is accessible from both Pentagon City and Crystal City metro stops. Performances are at 8:00 p.m. in Crystal City, with prices ranging from $45 – $120 (down from $75 – $200).

To take advantage of this offer, you must call 866-999-8111 and use the promotion code TRAVELZOO.

All Politics is Local, Downtown, The Daily Feed, The District, The Mall, WMATA
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Wisconsin Avenue Circulator Route Is No More

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

As reported earlier this month, the in peril Wisconsin Avenue section of the Georgetown-Union Station Circulator route has officially been cut.  According to the DDOT, the  new Georgetown routing will be Washington Circle to K Street (under the Whitehurst Freeway), right on Wisconsin Avenue, right on M Street, right on Pennsylvania Avenue, returning to Washington Circle and on to Union station.  The rerouting will also cut all the Circulator stops on the north side of M Street, as the new route will only operate eastbound on M Street.

Other Circulator service changes involve discontinuing the Smithsonian-National Mall from October 4, 2009 until April 3, 2010.  As well as added stops to the Union Station-Navy Yard and Woodley Park/Adams Morgan-McPherson Square Metro routes.

The Daily Feed
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NTSB/WMATA coverage flubs

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

WaPo’s consistently bad headlines are usually not worth commenting on, but having just written on this I felt it necessary to comment.

Express today contains a headline stating “NTSB urges track checks,” which is significantly wrong. The trouble components are actually housed at the stations and are believed to be passing errant signals between themselves via the shared power supplies. The problems are not out on the track but rather back in the station electronics rooms.

The more in-depth coverage of the NTSB recommendation in the main edition is better but erroneously states “The safety board did not say why the errant signals were occurring,” but in fact their findings explicitly identify a power supply transistor on the transmitter circuit resonating and feeding the signal via the shared power supply as the source of the signals.

The article also states that “Much of Metro’s track components are original equipment manufactured and installed when the Red Line was built in the 1970s. The agency is in the process of upgrading that equipment,” which is gives an inaccurate impression. While WMATA is indeed performing some upgrades as part of their ongoing maintenance they are not replacing the underlying system with a differently functioning one nor have they expressed any intention of fully replacing or revamping the train detection system. For the immediate future the train detection system currently in place will continue to be used, though the article discussed possible complementary systems that may be purchased.

The stories I checked in the Washington Times and the Examiner seem to get all the facts correct.

The Daily Feed
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Postal Museum Gets $8M Donation

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

That’s a lot of stamps! The National Postal Museum received an $8M donation with the purpose of expanding their gallery at their Union Station location. The donor, William Gross, will also be lending three objects of philatelic fame: a Pony Express cover, a 10-cent George Washington stamp from 1847, and a block of 4 “Inverted Jennys“.

The gallery should be completed in 2012.

All Politics is Local, Downtown, News, The Daily Feed
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Cabbie Strike

Photo courtesy of
‘chauffeur’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

As of yesterday, 1000 DC cabbies, about 1/8th of the city’s drivers, are on strike.  They are protesting the Council’s proposal to instate a medallion system, similar to that of New York City, on taxi drivers in the district.  Medallions are essentially a system of licensing for cab drivers.  The city will offer a set number of medallions that drivers will have to pay for on a monthly basis.  The Council asserts that this will limit the number of taxis in the DC and is important to protecting the transport industry in the city (or maybe its just a simple revenue generator for the city?).  The striking cabbies fear that medallions will cut their profits and make it impossible for individuals and small businesses to operate.  Public hearings on the proposal are scheduled for October 1.

Downtown, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Old-School Figure Skaters To Film Special In DC

Photo courtesy of
‘NHK Trophy’
courtesy of ‘tpower1978’

I might regret admitting this to you later, but I? used to LOVE figure skating. As in, I wrote a paper in 3rd grade about Nancy Kerrigan, Kristi Yamaguchi was my personal hero and I still think Tonya Harding is a total skank. There is something entrancing to an elementary school girl (like wee lil Katie in the ’80s) about people sailing and jumping around on ice, in super sparkly fabulous costumes. I mean figure skating had it all – bows, sparkles, pink, skirts, the romance of the couples skate, and some ridiculously cheesy dance moves. My world used to stop for the Winter Olympics. I? WAS A FAN.

So I got kind of (kiiiiiind of) geeked out when I got a press release from the Verizon Center about the filming of Kaleidoscope, a “Star-Studded Show To Feature Skating Champions, Recording Artists, Cancer Survivors and Health Advocates In One Unforgettable Night at Verizon Center” It’s seriously old-school skating with names I actually recognize, like Scott Hamilton (in his first television performance since being diagnosed with a brain tumor five years ago), Dorothy Hamill. Olivia Newton-John (say WHAT? She was in Grease AND she can skate? Is there anything she CAN’T do?) Kristi Yamaguchi, Nancy Kerrigan and some random newbies I don’t know about that are apparently Olympic figure skating “hopefuls” – Johnny Weir and Rachael Flatt.

So if you’ve at all related to my ridiculous admission of skating geekdom, Tickets for the taping of “Kaleidoscope” are on sale now. Filming will be at the Verizon Center on Monday, November 16 at 7:00 p.m. and are $115.00, $60.00, $40.00 and $20.00 (plus applicable service charges). Not feeling the price? Kaleidoscope will air nationally on FOX on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26) 2009 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. (EST), immediately following the FOX Thanksgiving Day football telecast. Excuse me, I’ve got to go set my DVR now. I mean go to the bathroom/go walk my dog/uh… nevermind.

Talkin' Transit, The Features
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An analysis of NTSB’s findings

Photo courtesy of
‘Negative’
courtesy of ‘lorigoldberg’

NTSB sent out letters yesterday to WMATA,  Alstom Signaling, Inc, Federal Transit Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration. Each letter is slightly different but they all describe what NTSB believes to be the root cause behind the June 22nd Red Line crash.

Alstrom Signaling acquired General Railway Signal, the company that manufactured the WEE-Z bonds used in the metro system and installed in the 1970s at the Ft. Totten section of the red line. These are the devices used to sense and signal the presence of trains on the line and what have been suspected to be the root cause of the June collision.

The letter states “the investigation is ongoing” but confirms that these WEE-Z bonds, and the train sensing signal, continue to be the prime suspect. Immediately after that disclaimer NTSB says the following:

[P]ostaccident testing showed that the track circuit at the accident site lost detection of train 214 when it stopped at the location where the collision occurred. Because the automatic train protection (ATP) system was not detecting train 214’s location, the following train (train 112) did not receive a command to slow or stop in order to maintain train separation.

After that point we get into some pretty hard-core geek speak, but if you’re interested I’ll do a little translation.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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WMATA Gets Recommendations From NTSB

Photo courtesy of
‘New Carrolltn’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

NTSB has recommended 9 fixes for Metro as a result of the June accident that claimed the lives of 9 people. It’s not clear what the recommendations encompass yet, but it’s reported that the NTSB has sent letters to Metro and Alstom Signaling, who makes the parts for the train presence signaling system.

Update, 6:15pm: WTOP has more details of the 9 recommendations, which include six that are marked as Urgent.

Update, 6:18: We’ve found a copy of the letter (PDF) that gives WMATA 30 days to respond to the contents.

Update, 6:23: The letter on the NTSB website is actually only one recommendation to the Alstom Signaling, Inc, the company who acquired General Railway Signal, the original manufacturer of the WEE-Z system used to sense trains on the track and which seems to have been decided as the underlying cause of the June collision. We’ll have some analysis of this later and will continue looking for the WMATA recommendations.