Yearly Archives: 2009

News, The Daily Feed
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Barry’s Ex Crashes News Conference

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcwashington.com/video.

There was a moment in last night’s press conference that the cameras didn’t quite catch, and that was Donna Watts-Brighthaupt showing up. It wasn’t immediately clear who it was on the sidewalk listening to the press conference, but it turns out that Ms. Watts was there last night, and she is denying parts of what his spokesman Natalie Williams said.

One thing that came to mind last night after the press conference, thanks in part to the prompting of author Ben Stanfield, is that it’s possible that Ms. Williams may have violated Ms. Watts’ privacy, and HIPAA, by revealing a course of psychiatric treatment and what she was being diagnosed with. This appears to be getting weirder and weirder. We won’t know until tomorrow if Councilman Barry will be charged with anything, but it sounds like the Councilman is doing some full court press for a reason, even if that reason is unclear.

News, The Daily Feed
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Marion Barry Speaks

awaitingpress.png

Here we are, waiting for Marion Barry once more. Word came down around 10pm that he would be hosting a 10:45pm press conference, with no topic known. It’s safe to assume it’s related to the incident on the 4th of July, and perhaps to the word that came out this afternoon that he had hired his ex-girlfriend and paid her $10,000 out of his council budget.

We’ll have the press conference live here in just a moment.

Update 11:00

Spokeswoman: According to Ms. Watts, she’s under the care of a psychiatrist. She’s been diagnosed with compulsive behavior disorder and clinical depression. Ms. Watts “should not be believed.”

Spokeswoman: The events surrounding July 4th are not related to the awarding of the contract. Ms Watts was awarded the contract to administer the program in question was done so legally, and done according to council regulations. This was done in accordance with city policies. He gave her the contract (valued at $60,000) because he was concerned for her children.

Update 10:58: Still trying to find a live feed. Hoping we’ll get one here at 11. From WUSA 9 Anchor Derek McGinty: “and now it appears that Barry won’t be talking–his spokeswoman will be. but we’ll be there live.”

The Daily Feed
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SOTG Schedule Announced

Photo courtesy of
‘Monday Evening Relaxation’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

HBO, Comcast and the Trust for the National Mall have officially announced the Screen on the Green lineup for this summer. Come out every Monday through mid-August for outdoors movie-watching funtimes. Screenings begin at sundown.

July 20 – Close encounters of the Third Kind
July 27 – Dog Day Afternoon
August 3 – On the Waterfront
August 10 – Rebel Without a Cause

For more information, call the SOTG hotline – yes, there’s a hotline – at 1-877-262-5866.

Where We Live
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Renting in the District

Photo courtesy of
‘070309 207’
courtesy of ‘dougtone’

If you don’t love your current place of residence you can at least take some comfort in knowing that others are worse off then you. There’s a question on a high-visibility advice site right now that I don’t want to link because I’d hate to draw the wrong attention to the asker. Suffice to say the situation is one where, as a tenant, this person and his or her roommates are dealing with an odd landlord who only wants to accept their over $2000 a month rent in cash and who seems to be running some sort of welfare/child support scam.

Their situation is a little rarefied, but I see other questions there from renters that make it clear there’s a lot of bad information floating around. Let’s try to drop some knowledge here, shall we?

If you take nothing else away from this article, save this link: D.C.’s Office of the Tenant Advocate and this resource: Tenant Survival Guide[pdf].

The OTA is an organization that’s existed in the DC government for about three years now and has been an independent agency for the last two. Their whole reason to exist is to be a resource for you as a tenant. The tenant survival guide was prepared in conjunction with Georgetown University’s Harrison Institute for Public Law, who have the Tenant Survival Guide on their website, just slightly more nicely formatted[pdf]. Between the OTA site and the guide you’ll find everything you need inside or linked from there.

That accomplished, let’s take a few minutes to talk some common myths so you don’t turn a minor problem into a big one. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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Tell Us Where You Get Crabs & Win Old Bay Swag!

Photo courtesy of
‘Maryland Blue Crabs #2’
courtesy of ‘andertho’

Let’s just get the obligatory crab joke out of the way, shall we, so that I can write this post without thinking “that’s what she said” every five seconds. Ready, here goes: I want you to tell me where you get the best crabs in DC. (TWSS) (Ahh, I feel better.)

No but for serious, you let us know in the comments where you like to get your fill of the tasty delights from the bay, and in exchange, one lucky commenter picked at random will snag a free Old Bay gift basket! The “Basket of the Bay” gift bag includes Old Bay Seasoning, Old Bay Seafood Steamer bag, a beach towel, beach bag, keychain with bottle opener, temporary Old Bay tattoo, and some great new Old Bay-inspired recipes for you to try out!

Are you the kind of guy who goes for crabs at Quarterdeck? Do you prefer fancier crabs at Hook? Or do you like them on your parent’s porch on the shore? Where are the best crabs in the area? First one to say “The Real World House” wins by default. Just kidding. Contest ends Friday at 1 p.m.

The Daily Feed
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Spotted: Rep. Aaron Schock GQ Shoot

Oh hai Aaron Schock

Shockingly attractive congressman

In DC, we don’t have many celebs. Instead we have politicos. And this congress, one of them happens to be attractive enough that he could probably count as both. Freshman Rep. Aaron Schock of Illinois, age 27, has had his share of press, even catching the eye of The Other Visible Young Republican, Meghan McCain. Today, Schock was spotted down by New Jersey and Ivy Sts SE getting his picture taken by GQ mag. (Interesting choice to follow Bruno, GQ) My sources tell me that “Shake Shake Shake Your Booty” was the relaxing mood music of choice on the shoot.

Essential DC, Mythbusting DC, The District, The Features
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DC Mythbusting: Built on a Swamp?

Photo courtesy of
‘Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens – Egret Among the Reeds – 7-20-08’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Welcome to another edition of DC Mythbusting.  I’m sure you’ve heard that the muggy mosquito-filled summers in DC are due to its location on a swamp.  The Chicago Tribune named their DC bureau’s blog “The Swamp” and it is oh-so-clever to call sleazy politicians “swamp creatures“.  And yes, we all know that summers in the city are humid and gross and miserable… but was DC really built on a swamp?

Not really– today it’d be called more of a tidal plain.  When Pierre L’Enfant set out with a team to survey the city, there was a lot of variety in what he found: fields of tobacco and corn, small forests, and some waterside bluffs and wetlands.  Most of the marshy areas were along the rivers and were susceptible to tidal fluctuations and intermittent flooding, but most of the core of the Federal City wasn’t marshy.  That being said, DC was and still is a water-rich city, with the Rock Creek, the Tiber Creek (which was enclosed in the 1870s), the Potomac River, and the Anacostia River and countless creeks.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Oceanaire is Underwater, Files for Bankruptcy

Photo courtesy of
‘Ecuadorian mahi-mahi w/king crab & asperagus’
courtesy of ‘TenSafeFrogs’

One of the poshest and most popular seafood emporiums in DC is unfortunately feeling the pinch of an economic downturn that has resulted in people having/spending less discretionary income.  Oceanaire Inc., the chain that owns Oceanaire on F Street, NW, filed for bankruptcy in Dallas, listing assets and liabilities between $10 and $50 million. The chain has closed 4 underperforming locations in Charlotte, NC, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Seattle. The iconic DC location, however, will remain open.

CEO Terry Ryan commented about the bankruptcy filing, stating that, “today, Oceanaire is taking the necessary steps to position the company for the future. During our restructuring, we expect to conduct business as usual in the vast majority of markets, and intend to work with our current vendors and to continue operations without interruption to our customers.” Ryan has recently filed for a bankruptcy with the help of a bankruptcy attorney.

Business and Money, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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New Happenings at H Street Country Club

Photo courtesy of
‘Day 157: H Street Country Club’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

A night out at H Street Country Club can get pretty pricey, if you ask me. Between $7.50 minigolf, and throwing some serious quarters down at skeeball, and sipping on $7 frozen margs all night, I can wind up walking out of there a whole lot poorer than I entered.

But, ever recession-proof, H Street Country Club recently announced all kinds of different happy hour specials, a few for each night of the week. Here are my picks: Wednesdays are FREE Chips & Salsa from 5 to 7 p.m. at the bars, and Thursdays are Preppy & Plaid days with $4 Golf if you’re wearing plaid. End your week on Sunday with Happy Gilmore Hour featuring $5 Classic Margaritas & Sangria from 5 to 7 p.m.

And while we’re talking about H St. CC, the golf course has seen some recent wear and tear (as predicted by myself and Acacia when we went to visit) and Joe Englert recently talked to the City Paper’s Tim Carman about the work they’re doing on the course to improve its durability. It’s worth a read.

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Happy Meals: The Movie

Photo courtesy of
‘Salad’
courtesy of ‘needlessspaces’

A new film serves up hope for the future of food on our planet. FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system and offering healthier, sustainable alternatives.

A special screening will happen at Georgetown’s Letelier Theater on July 29, at 6:30 p.m., thanks to the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital. Tickets are $20 per person, with limited seating; RSVP to chris@envirofilmfest.org.

This might be a nice pairing with a film about the food industry, Food, Inc., now playing at E Street and Bethesda Row. I’ve not yet seen it, but Going Green DC says before you go, eat something organic.

Crime & Punishment, News, The Daily Feed
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Security Drills Today

Photo courtesy of
‘Chinese New Year / Lookout’
courtesy of ‘little-wings’

If you noticed a bit higher than average police presence in Montgomery County this morning, you were right. They’re doing collaboration drills today including a number of agencies in Montgomery County. 180 officers from 13 different agencies are working on a drill today, which will include K-9 teams and the Montgomery County SWAT team, until 7pm. So, it’s not that there’s something weird afoot, other than the usual security theatre.

The Daily Feed
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Student discounts from DC United

Photo courtesy of
‘Ready, set..’
courtesy of ‘BehindTheBadge.com’

Attention, interns: DC United is offering student discounts on tickets to the July 18th game against the Colorado Rapids. Use your .edu email address to purchase tickets online, and you can sit near the Supporters Sections. That means you’ll be up close to the Screaming Eagles and La Barra Brava, which, if I may say, are probably just as entertaining as the game itself.

Food and Drink, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Vegetate

Photo courtesy of
‘Vegetate Outside’
courtesy of ‘needlessspaces’

I have a co-worker and friend named Heather. Heather is a vegetarian. She’s one of those odd vegetarians, though, that doesn’t really eat a bunch of vegetables. She likes them just fine, and she’ll eat them if you cook them for her, or bring them to her, but she doesn’t seek out vegetables the way a stereotypical vegetarian would. In fact, she tends to eat a lot of mac and cheese, and mozzarella sticks are her favorite bar nosh. Fried food is good food for Heather, especially when it involves cheese. So when I told her about Vegetate, the vegetarian restaurant in Historic Shaw, and my experience there, she said “now that’s the restaurant for me!” – and it totally is. Here is why. Continue reading →

Downtown, Entertainment, News, The Daily Feed, The Mall, WMATA
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A Record Setting 4th for Metro

Photo courtesy of
‘Metro, Orange Line train to Vienna’
courtesy of ‘GogonaÅ?’

The Business Journal reports that riders on Saturday set a new record for July 4th commuting.  Metro reported 631,206 trips on their system, an increase of over 32,000 from 2008 ridership.  If the masses of humanity that I saw are any indication, every last one of these trips went through L’Enfant Plaza station. What a mess.

The Daily Feed
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Fighting Global Warming Through Urban Planning

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If you have a couple minutes to spare, take a look at the clip above.  Created for the Congress for New Urbanism, it’s a catchy short film linking suburban sprawl to global warming.  It frames global warming as a result of the built environment, and encourages new urbanism (i.e. walkable development with a mix of uses that is close to transit and preserves more of the natural environment) as a way to create communities that are sustainable and built to last.

The video is quite well-done, and it got me thinking: the Washington region has a strong concentration of good examples of new urbanism (the examples of good development in the film look very familiar).  Aside from the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor that has become the national example of good transit-oriented mixed-use development, we’ve got great places like Bethesda and Crystal City and Silver Spring that are continuing to attract new development.  Recently, the region has seen high-quality walkable development in Shirlington and Rockville Town Square, among others.  Our region definitely has more than its share of high-quality walkable, mixed-use development than any other metropolitan area I can think of (of course, the region also has a lot of crappy suburban sprawl, too).  What do you think– is this type of development the answer to combating global warming?

The Daily Feed
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Local Band Love at Fort Reno

Photo courtesy of
‘Cigarbox Planetarium – Fort Reno Park – Washington, DC’
courtesy of ‘bSmithPhotoBlogDotOrg’

Tonight, head over to Fort Reno Park (two blocks from the Tenleytown Metro station) for local bands Go Home Robot, Sea Monsters, and Power Pirate. The thing I love most about the Fort Reno concert series this summer? They are serious about making it home at a reasonable hour, which is great for me since I go to bed earlier than most grandmas. Their website declares that all concerts begin promptly at 7:15 pm and are over by 9:30 pm, so feel free to jam out to some electro-rock on your blanket and still be bright eyed and bushy tailed the next morning.

The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: DC Hip Hop Theater Festival

Photo courtesy of
‘Grand Analog @ The Reverb’
courtesy of ‘blurasis’

The DC Hip Hop Theater Festival (HHTF), beginning today and running until July 11, will host a plethora of events and performances that integrate hip hop and theater, and address the socio-political issues relevant to the hip-hop community.

The kick off performance, AM Radio Live Art & Performance, begins tonight at 7pm at The Library Salon.  The show pairs DJs and painters to create 7’x5′ compositions in front of the live audience. Performance goers will watch as the artists combine to create pieces from beginning concept to finished product.  This will definitely be an inspirational show, breaking down the craft to its core.  Afterwards, hit up the Open Night Party at Marvin’s and take in various DJ’s spinning hip hop music from around the globe.

Here’s a little taste of the HHTF.

YouTube Preview Image

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Happy National Fried Chicken Day

Photo courtesy of
‘Oven Fried Chicken’
courtesy of ‘thebittenword.com’

This morning on twitter I learned something very important: namely that today is National Fried Chicken Day. I bet you didn’t know there was a National Fried Chicken Day, did you? Or that Thursday is National Sugar Cookie Day, followed by National Pina Colada Day (now that’s a day I can get behind). Yep, it turns out that every single day is dedicated to, among other things I’m sure, a niche food. Months too. Not surprisingly, July is the month of Baked Beans, Grilling and Hot Dogs. What is with this — why do Americans feel the need to make everything into a day? Feel free to pitch in your thoughts while I go talk to a bucket of Popeyes about this.

Sports Fix, The Features
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Sports Fix: Kastles Home Opener Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Picture 033’
courtesy of ‘wearedc’

Kastles
Record: 0-2
Last Two Weeks: 0-2
Place: Last in the East

Here we are, at the start of our second WTT season! The Kastles will face off with Philadelphia tomorrow night in the new tennis stadium at the corner of 11th & H Streets. Short-benched by the Wimbledon tennis final (a quick aside on tennis, holy crap! Between Venus vs. Serena on Saturday and the brink-of-insanity matchup on Sunday, could tennis be any more exciting right now?!) the Kastles have lost two incredibly close matches to Sacramento and Newport Beach. Tomorrow night, they’ll face off with the Philadelphia Freedoms, lead by Venus Williams.

Unfortunately, we won’t have a rematch with Serena (are you looking at her titles?) in the home opener, but Wimbledon champ Serena will be playing in several matches at the Kastles Stadium this July, so keep an eye out.

Also making news for the Kastles are Leander Paes, who was part of the winning team at the French Open in Men’s Doubles, and Rennae Stubbs, who was part of the 2nd place team in Women’s Doubles at Wimbledon this weekend. If you haven’t, check out Max’s interview with Kastles manager Murphy Jensen.

Continue reading →