By Tom Bridge
‘Baltimore, Maryland’
courtesy of ‘dougtone’
Friday, it was the West Wing on sale for $99. Today, it’s The Wire: The Complete Series
And, thanks to Joe on the Twitter, he pointed out that you can add his other Baltimore series, Homicide: Life on the Street
By Dave Stroup
‘Mayor Fenty 502’
courtesy of ‘yospyn’
Candidates in most of the District’s 2010 races met last night at forum sponsored by DC for Democracy. This morning, D.C. Wire gives us a glimpse of Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) on the defense. Fenty came out hard against his opponents, both Vincent Gray and Leo Alexander were present. Fenty characterized them as excellent critics but questioned their leadership abilities. Fenty also tried to make some effort to be a bit more social, arriving (surprisingly) on-time and greeting the hosts of the event.
WaPo’s Tim Craig notes, however, that Fenty eventually left early and spaced out a bit via his Blackberry:
Gray was late, but as the questioning began, Fenty appeared to grow increasingly uncomfortable. After about 20 minutes of questions, Fenty had his aide deliver a message to the moderator that he needed to wrap up the questioning so he could leave to make another appointment.
Craig also described Fenty as “annoyed, distracted and uneasy.”
Vincent Gray touted that the Council’s approval rating is north of 50%, rare for a legislative body. Gray said that is “because the 13 members of this council know how to stay focused on the most important goal and operate in an open, transparent manner and work to move the people’s business forum.” Not sure how he gets to that total of 13, what with all ethical problems facing a certain Ward 8 Councilmember.
Leo Alexander, the former news anchor, was only mentioned for again blaming the District’s problems on illegal immigration. That’s a bit unfortunate, as Alexander does have a few other ideas which are interesting, he just doesn’t want to talk about them.
By Tom Bridge
The deal was, in 2005, when the city agreed to finance with 30-year bonds the building of a new baseball stadium, that city would levy taxes of $8,000 to $28,000 per year on the city’s biggest businesses. The businesses agreed to pay the tax, hoping that the ballpark deal would spur growth along the Anacostia Waterfront, and create new markets for them to operate in. One of the tenets of the agreement was that, like for the similar bonds to build the Verizon Center, all monies collected by this tax and other methods of stadium-based revenue generation, would be used to pay down the bonds. That meant, if the city collected extra revenue over projections, that money would be used to make the life of the bond shorter. In the case of the Verizon Center, the city paid off those bonds, and removed those taxes, in half the time that had been proposed.
Cue the budget crisis, which has city leaders scrambling to shake out every last dime from the couch. You can guess what happens next. They’re using the additional revenue to fund the city budget, something they told businesses that they would not do.
It’s disingenuous to say that the city will keep the tax “permanently” as Ilya Somin writing for Volokh says, because the tax on Nats Park, like the tax on the MCI Center (now Verizon Center) will expire when the bonds are repaid. If the city can pay it out ahead of schedule, as they should do with these monies, that closes the schedule on the ballpark payments in 2021, instead of 2035. It was very interesting to read the quote from DCFPI in the Examiner piece, given their contention that the ballpark couldn’t possibly pay for itself ahead of schedule. Guess that research was off, eh boys?
By Max
fare increase? by maria jpeg izaurralde
With Metro’s new fare increase, you gotta do what you gotta do to make ends meet. Whether it’s getting a third job as oil rig repairman, as a mental coach for Stephen Strasburg, or as a medicinal marijuana distributor, it’s time for the tough to get going. I mean do they think we’re made out of money? Do they think not killing us is justification for charging more money for each trip? Maybe they’ll start offering discounted fares for those of us willing to ride on top of the train or use handcars. At this point I’m ready to start handing out the Express to wealthy passengers in the morning and then hopping on the train when my shift is over, just to break even*. In the absence of money growing on trees, this girl has got the right idea. I mean she has really got the right idea.
* This post has been brought to you by the word ‘sarcasm’.
‘what. a long. day.’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’
Summer is here in DC and so is the heat. I am sure that you are already thinking of a thousand different ways to stay cool, so here is one more to add to your list. Re-decorate your space!
With a new, super comfortable sectional sofa you could invite all of your friends over for movie night. With some interesting accents tables from Miss Pixies you will be ready in no time to whip out all of your board games. And with some additional unique lighting and decorations from and Beige, Muléh, or M29 Lifestyle, your home will instantly transform into the perfect place to enjoy a relaxing dinner or lively cocktail party.
To help get you started, CSN is giving one lucky We Love DC reader a $60 gift certificate to use at any of their 200+ online stores!
To enter, leave a comment on this post by Wed, June 9th at Midnight letting We Love DC know how you plan to stay cool this summer.
The winner will be randomly selected. Only one entry per person please!
By Ben H. Rome
‘Water Main Breakage’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’
The 3600 block of King Street is closed in both directions due to a water main break early this morning. All traffic is currently being diverted onto a service road in front of the Bradlee Shopping Center; commuters are urged to use alternate routes.
A spokesperson for Virginia American Water told WTOP the break occurred in a main underneath King Street near North Dearing Street around 4 a.m. Repair crews have shut off water in the area of the break, affecting service to approximately 200 homes in the area. There is no estimate on how long it will take to make repairs.
‘Summer in the City’
courtesy of ‘photo_secessionist’
The college students have gone home, taking their ready attention to smaller local comedy shows with them. And in their place? Interns, whose ready attention to things local seems to be limited to wearing their badges on the Metro so you can see how important they are and Cap Hill bars with lax ID-checking policies. So, this month’s local comedy happenings are perhaps a little thinner then usual. But they are interesting, oh yes.
This Friday, June 4th is 3 Chord Comedy at the Velvet Lounge, as usual. The lineup features Brent Sullivan (Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham) headlining, along with locals/former locals Brian Parise, Mike Blejer, and Eli Sairs. Brent Sullivan, in addition to his stand-up comedy, also performs a one-man show called Fag Life: A Conversation with Fred Phelps, which juxtaposes recordings of the famous hatemonger in with Sullivan’s commentary. He’s put the first seven minutes of the show online (visually SFW, but headphones may be appropriate): Continue reading
By Dave Levy
‘3RD’
courtesy of ‘MissChatter’
There is no truth to the rumor that we are changing our site to We Love Strasburg, I promise. Still, the news is coming fast and furious surrounding the Nationals pitching prospect and his first start next week.
There’s some good news for any non-DC readers or folks who may be on the road yet still want to get a glimpse of the future star’s first start. Eric Fisher of the Sports Business Journal posted the news in a tweet this morning that MLB Network, a cable channel available to most, will be broadcasting June 8th’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates to a nationwide audience. MLB is also bringing out an A-game crew of Bob Costas, Jim Kaat and John Smoltz to call the game. As my friends at Sports Grid noted, the presence of Costas is a sure sign that this isn’t just any regular debut.
By Tom Bridge
‘Ballot Box Close-up’
courtesy of ‘joebeone’
Take a deep breath, everyone, the long standoff between DCPS and WTU is ratcheting down, thanks to today’s vote from WTU members. Teachers voted overwhelmingly to accept the proposed contract, voting approximately 3.5:1 for the contract. The deal, which runs through 2012, grants teachers a 20% raise over that period of time. The victory is a big one for DCPS and Chancellor Michelle Rhee, who, in an election year, desperately needed one.
“Bob Mould” photo taken by author.
“The reason this is the best club in America is the people that work here. Trust me, most nightclubs are terrible places. You don’t want to go there.” – Neill Fallon of Clutch.
“I can not imagine a DC without the 9:30 Club. It is unimaginable. It’s just unimaginable” – Mark Noone of The Slickee Boys.
“I love the fact that I’m from DC!” – Henry Rollins
“Let’s kick on the way back machine and get this thing over with.” – Bob Mould.
One of the truly singular music events I have ever attended took place on Monday night at the 9:30 Club. It was a special free concert held in celebration of this legendary club’s 30th anniversary. The night was also a celebration of the people who work (and have worked) there, the icons who got their start there, and the wonderful music that has been played there over the last 30 years. The night was full of anecdotes and music from 13 bands and artists that have strong ties to both the old and new 9:30 Club locations. For some the evening was a living, breathing, crash course in DC music history; for others it was a fun and at times even emotional trip down memory lane.
The 9:30 Club (original location) is the nightclub I cut my teeth on when I moved here in 1993. Within a few days of arriving I was catching my first show there (British twee-band Heavenly); and in the months and years after many, many more shows followed. I once took a date there to see The Boredoms and she left with a black-eye. My little brother did his first stage dive when I took him there to see Helmet. I was completely enthralled with industrial music after hearing Einstruzende Neubauten on the PA before the melodramatic, dynamite-strapped Sheep on Drugs brought the house down with their industrial-dance mayhem. And I was seduced along with everyone else in the crowd by Toni Halliday and the sounds of Curve. The old club opened my mind to most of the music that I still passionately love today.
The V st. location is without a doubt the best club-venue in the country. I’ve been to concert halls all over the U.S.A. and it always comes back to the 9:30 Club’s awesome sound-system (which I have written/gushed about at length over the years). Seeing a concert at the 9:30 Club is a sublime experience for a die-hard music fan. Perhaps none more-so than the amazing show that club-owner Seth Hurwitz treated dedicated DC music fans to on Monday night.
By Dave Stroup
‘DC and US Flags’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
This November, District residents will decide whether the city’s Attorney General should be an elected public office. Presently, the Attorney General is appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council. This would mark the first city-wide referendum since 2002, which supported the popular election of a District Attorney. The D.A. position remains a federal appointee. As of last November, there were still hold-ups in Congress to make this happen.
This new referendum is the result of legislation passed by the Council yesterday. No one was willing to say it out loud, but this was clearly a shot at Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) and his Attorney General Peter Nickles. Many consider Nickles to be too close to the Mayor, often getting involved in issues that an independent Attorney General would have likely avoided. This measure, says Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), “makes the AG more independent.” Maybe. Provided that voters decide to make the AG spot an elected office. Passage is likely given previous polling on the subject. This isn’t an outright attempt to oust Nickles, the first election would not happen until 2014.
By Kirk
‘Kemble Park Tavern’
courtesy of ‘ZagatBuzz’
Add Kemble Park Tavern’s Brunch Burger to the list for “DC’s Best Burger.” This time Travel + Leisure Magazine is weighing in, declaring Kemble’s to be not only DC’s best, but one of the ten best in the country. The burger is topped with bacon and a fried egg and place atop a brioche roll. I’ve never had it, but for my money, you still can’t beat Ray’s. Can any of our readers weigh in?
Photo By Ashley Danchuk
Early yesterday afternoon hordes of teenage girls and entry level ladies lined-up outside Warner Theatre, according to the Washington Post, to receive free wristbands to a randomly announced Jonas Brothers show that took place this morning.
Getting into the show was an easy feat if you got in line early enough. Just stand outside the theater and wait for a wristband when the theater box office opened at 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. Sounds simple for the kiddies who are off of school, but what about those 20-somethings who have no shame in loving the adorable (yeah I went there, feel free to mock me, I can take it) pop trio?
24-year-old Ashley Danchuk, a self-proclaimed Jonas die-hard (she has a tattoo to prove it) and member of Team Jonas (The official Jonas Brothers Fan Club, who received word of the show on Monday night via e-mail), couldn’t skip out on her 9 to 5 to get the wristbands for the show so she had a friend go for her. It resulted in great success. Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
‘what else is new?’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
Oh this one has me a little bit rage-y, so you’ll forgive me if I’m a little intemperate with my words, and a bit profane. How the hell do you think that when caught texting while driving a metrobus, even after the “no tolerance” policy has gone into effect, that you could possibly try to get your job back? The driver has filed a grievance with his union and Metro and is insinuating that he should not have been fired for breaking DC law.
I mean, I know that unions exist to protect workers from dangerous working conditions, but in this particular case, they seem to be here to protect the incompetent and the criminally stupid. Ah, the ATU 689, standing up for asshats that text while driving a bus full of people up the busy streets of the city.
Gotta love it.
By Rebecca
‘Lax.com’
courtesy of ‘teamstickergiant’
This past weekend Maryland hosted both the Men’s and Women’s NCAA lacrosse semifinals and championships. The women’s Division I championship game at Towson University, saw Maryland take home the national title against Northwestern and, according to the Baltimore Sun, the match drew 9,782 people — the most ever to see a women’s lacrosse game in the US.
The mens’ games started on Saturday at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium, continued through Sunday and culminated with the DI Championship game between Notre Dame and Duke on a scorching Memorial Day. Although attendance for the final game was low, a mere 37,126, the entire weekend’s turnout was 116,289, up from last year’s 102,601 turnout at Foxborough, MA. The games stay in Baltimore for 2011, go to Foxborough for 2012, and 2013 and 2014 are up for grabs.
While the increases in attendance are good reasons to keep both championships in the MD area, in recent years lacrosse has begun to grow beyond its traditional East Coast/Prep School roots. The game’s popularity on the West Coast, Colorado and the South has been growing like gangbusters, with many footballers taking up sport in the off-season for fitness maintenance. The same is true for female athletes who need to stay in shape for fall season sports like soccer and field hockey.
The sport is also seeing a growth in popularity among the non-prep schoolers, as demonstrated in “City Lax” playing Thursday at Silver Spring’s AFI Silver. This documentary follows a sixth grade, inner-city Colorado lax team as they learn how to play the Native American team sport and take on the prep school crowd.
By Ben H. Rome
‘E Street Expressway’
courtesy of ‘Daquella manera’
Due to the new reconstruction project between the Lincoln Memorial and the Kennedy Center, there is no longer driver access to the E-Street Expressway. All westbound traffic on Independence Ave must now go north at either 15th or 17th Streets. The U.S. Park Service says the work is part of a larger project that includes the reconstruction of Ohio Drive and the storm drain system. Some night closures are also expected.
With tourists flooding town and flocking to that end of the Mall, expect traffic patterns to change between rush and non-rush hours – or find a different route for the time being. The project is expected to wrap up in October.
By Ben H. Rome
‘Wiped-out video shelves at @ArlingtonVALib.’
courtesy of ‘brownpau’
Due to the tightening of its budget, the DC Public Library begins staff reductions today. Most of the current job vacancies will not be filled and an additional 23.5 full time positions are being eliminated, which equates to roughly 40 people. Several programs, including the Youth Outreach Program, have been eliminated and their staff realigned in order to keep as many libraries open as possible. Library hours, however, will not be further reduced.
“The DC Public Library, along with libraries across the country, is facing very difficult economic times,” said Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper. “We realize that the Mayor and the City Council had tough choices to make with next year’s budget. Even with these reductions, we remain committed to continuing to provide District residents with the service they need and expect.”
The library buildings currently under construction (Deanwood, Watha T. Daniel/Shaw, Georgetown, Tenley, Petworth, Mt. Pleasant, Washington Highlands, and Francis Gregory) will still be completed and opened but the new FY2011 budget doesn’t include any funds to design and build any additional buildings.
By Ben H. Rome
‘Newseum WTOP Microphone’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
Yesterday the Hockey Hall of Fame announced that Ron Weber, the original play-by-play voice of the Washington Capitals, will receive the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for his outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster.
Hired in 1974 when the Caps joined the NHL as an expansion team, Ron Weber had the dubious honor of calling all of the record-breaking 67 losses by the franchise in their first year on WTOP. Nonplussed, Ron stuck with the team for the next 23 years, never missing a regular season or playoff broadcast – a total of 1,936 consecutive games. Chuck Kaiton, President of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association, said in a Caps press release that “Ron has been a key contributor to the growth of NHL hockey interest in the DC area over his two-plus decades as the original voice of the Capitals. He’s very worthy of this honor.”
The Foster Hewitt Memorial Award is named for the late “Voice of Hockey” in Canada and was first presented in 1984 by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association in recognition of members of radio and television who’ve made lasting contributions to both broadcasting and hockey. Ron will receive the award on November 8, 2010 in Toronto.
Yves Klein during the filming of “”The Heartbeat of France” at Charles Wilp’s Studio, Dusseldorf, February 20, 1961. Copyright 2010 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris. Image courtesy Yves Klein Archives. Photo by and copyright Charles Wilp.
“I am the painter of space. I am not an abstract painter but, on the contrary, a figurative artist, and a realist. Let us be honest, to paint space, I must be in position. I must be in space.” – Yves Klein
Yves Klein (French, b. Nice, 1928 – 1962) was much more than just an artist, he was an innovator, a visionary, and most importantly in my opinion, a dreamer. Although Klein’s notorious career only lasted a total of 8 years [he suffered a heart attack at age 34], that was all the time it would take for him to turn the art world upside down. As one of the 20th century’s most influential artists, Klein reintroduced what art and nature could be, pushing creativity beyond the traditional notions of what was accepted.
Yves Klein: With the Void, Full Powers is the first major retrospective of the artist’s work in the US in nearly thirty years. Presenting approximately 200 pieces, the Hirshhorn Museum explores a full range of Klein’s work, examining a career that radically altered the world of art.
‘$5 Nats Ticket’
courtesy of ‘MudflapDC’
Sports Illustrated posted the cover of their June issue on Facebook today. Thanks to Federal Baseball for pointing this out, but on the top right-hand corner of this issue (hitting stands tomorrow) the headline reads as it does in this post.
(Click here to see the SI cover.)
While we’re still a ways away from seeing Bryce Harper at Nationals Park, young Strasburg will be making his Major League debut (pending weather/extenuating circumstances) on June 8.
Nice to see DC getting some MLB street cred in the sports community.
I mean heck, the Nationals were number one on StubHub thanks to the big June 8 announcement!
Way to start looking like a real baseball town, DC. You’re getting really into this. I like the enthusiasm. Keep it up.
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