Monthly Archives: January 2012

News, The Daily Feed
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An end to corporate donations in DC?

Photo courtesy of nevermindtheend
VOTE
courtesy of nevermindtheend

Well, at least part of DC life.

Local political advocates Bryan Weaver (you remember him from his At-Large and Ward 1 council campaigns), Sylvia Brown (An ANC in Ward 7) and Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells are teaming up to put a ballot initiative on this November’s general election ballot to end Corporate Political Donations for local campaigns.  Should the measure get on the ballot (not a certainty), and pass (doubly so), DC would join 30 states and the Federal Government that forbid corporations from donating to local campaigns.

The group would need at least 20,000 signatures in order to get the measure on the ballot, but first it must pass some oversight by the Board of Elections & Ethics, and survive a challenge period.  Should it do those things, it would end up on the November general election ballot.

There’s been a lot of focus on the national stage about the role of corporations in politics, and I would expect that this measure would draw out a number of groups both for and against the corporate contributions. This will be one to watch.

We had hoped to get the text of the proposed amendment, but Mr. Weaver did not return contact ahead of this story breaking at the Post this morning.

Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 1/13-1/16

015 - Happy Birthday, Dr. King
015 – Happy Birthday, Dr. King
courtesy of knascar

When I said last week that we would be paying for those Spring-like temperatures later in the Winter, I wasn’t expecting it to be the next weekend. Man it was cold. I’d do some comparisons but I’ll just leave it at the scientific cold. As such, it looks like most people stayed in doors for the long weekend, only venturing out here and there.

I know how tough the Tuesday morning can be after a long weekend, so kick back and enjoy your morning beverage with some pics from the site’s Flickr pool. Oh, and I hope you’re staying warm! Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Rush Limbaugh wrong, crass about DC Councilwoman

Photo courtesy of Lord Jim
July09 199
courtesy of Lord Jim

If there’s a caricature in the media politics age that we live in, Rush Limbaugh is that clichéd, hackneyed caricature that you just can’t seem to scrub out of the landscape. On yesterday’s broadcast, the target of Rush’s ire was Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh, for her bill from 2010 about humane trapping of wildlife (not vermin, Rush, wildlife.), as well as her supposed authoring of the plastic bag tax bill (sorry Rush, that one is on Councilmember Tommy Wells’ record).  According to DCist’s transcription of the segment, at least Rush did get one thing right:

“This Mary Cheh babe — C-H-E-H — she is the woman behind the D.C. plastic bag tax”

Rush is correct; Councilmember Cheh is, in fact, a stone cold fox. However, as it’s wrong to objectivize women, or refer to them by a slang word for their looks, we would never call a public official that.

Entertainment, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Wall Puts Up Career High 38 Points, McGee Showboats In Loss To Rockets

In between the 3rd and 4th quarter of today’s Washington Wizards match against the Houston Rockets, Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like An Eagle” filled the Verizon Center. I thought it was fitting since it is the first track on the Space Jam soundtrack and coach Flip Saunders recently commented that the team, “looked like ‘Space Jam’ where everyone lost all their talents and couldn’t do anything there for a while.”

Listening to those lyrics it was very clear that for the Wizards time was indeed slipping as the Wizards lost the game 106-114.

John Wall reached a career high 38 points including 18 in the final quarter but the Wizards couldn’t catch back up after keeping it competitive in the first half. Wall looked aggressive, attacked the hoop, and landed a spectacular dunk in the third quarter.

Wall wasn’t the only Wizards slamming the boards today, JaVale McGee had several highlight worthy finishes including a second half dunk that caught Flip’s eye- not for good reason however.

Continue reading →

Sports Fix
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Nats Extend Freshly Acquired Gio

Photo courtesy of Keith Allison
Mike Rizzo – Washington Nationals General Manager
courtesy of Keith Allison

Time moves much slower in the off-season. It hasn’t even been a month since the Nats traded Brad Peacock, Derek Norris, Tom Milone, and  AJ Cole for Gio Gonzalez and not Gonzalez has a fresh five year extension worth $42 million that includes two option years that could push the value to $65 million.

Since the trade went down Gio Gonzalez has expressed his happiness and desire to win with his new team. This is a deal that give Gonzalez long term security and the Nats a team friendly deal if Gonzalez pitches to expectations. If Gonzalez improves on his walk rate like many young strikeout lefties have in the past then his average value of $8.4 million a year will look like a bargain.

Continue reading →

capitals hockey, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Caps Outlast Lightning, Win 4-3

Photo courtesy of clydeorama
Brouwer Skates Over Blue Line
courtesy of clydeorama

The Caps rode two early power play goals and a hat trick by Troy Brouwer to a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning last night at Verizon Center. Tampa Bay stormed back in the third period to draw within a goal twice. With the goalie on the bench for an extra forward, the Lightening pressed to the very end, scoring with 10 second remaining in the game, and nearly tieing the game as the final buzzer sounded. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Friday Happy Hour: The Cheap Date

Normally, I am not one for frills or added flavors when it comes to my coffee. I like the taste of coffee too much just as it is, thank you – maybe with a swirly kiss of microfoam if a pro is making it for me. Beyond that, I typically avoid white chocolate mochas, cran-banana-hazelnut syrups, or the like. However, this time, I gave in to a fancy, frothy coffee concoction – et je ne regrette rien

At each Peregrine Espresso, they have a monthly signature drink. This is an opportunity for the staff to show a little whimsy behind the bar, applying their top-notch skills and ingredients to make something outside the norm. After reading the description of the Logan Circle location’s current special, The Cheap Date, several times, I was forced to concede that it hit on so many of my favorite flavors I just had to try it.

Served in a small gibralter-style glass, it is a date and anise-infused mocha, topped with a freshly-made orange-scented whipped cream. Having not had a mocha in ages, I was a bit unprepared for just how rich and chocolatey the drink would be, but with the sweetness tempered by the espresso and the delightful date and anise elements which complicated the classic combination just a touch. Floating on top was a cloud of the aromatic orange whipped cream which, as it melted into the drink added just a touch of citrus tang as well as dense creaminess. This was a dessert of a coffee drink, to be sure – something to end a chilly evening rather than jump-start one’s morning.

The Daily Feed
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Tweet of the Week: Ris

Photo courtesy of laura padgett
ris 10.21.10 – 6
courtesy of laura padgett
My favorite food dish at Ris is without question, Chef Ris Lacoste’s Scallop Margarita: lime marinated scallops with chilies, orange, avocado and tequila ice.  My second favorite thing about the restaurant is actually not food related, at least technically. That would be Ris’ Twitter account.

Behind the tweets is Natalie Christenson, Ris’ Events Manager & Communications Director. Up since August 2009, @RISDC interacts with its customers daily by posting some delicious looking pictures, polling diners on any menu changes, and really getting involved with the community.

Tweeting under the belief that people in general want to be heard, Christenson keeps interaction with “Twitter friends” more social than formal. “Chef Ris likes for our guests to feel like they are guests in her home for a dinner party, so I like to create a family feel with our social media as well,” she says.

The tweet that caught my attention this week was one that made me want to know more.

Continue reading →

Opinion, The District
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Why I Love DC: Joanna Castle Miller

Photo courtesy of ekelly80
353/365
courtesy of ekelly80

I moved to DC (okay, NoVa to be exact) from New York via my hometown of Memphis, and love the fact that here I can get moonshine and fried pickles but still have winter sports and a subway system.

I love that DC is misunderstood and can play the victim. The city as a whole doesn’t deserve the conniving (or worse! boring) name it gets in the debates. On the same avenues as the “Washington elite” you’ll meet incredible actors, vocalists, writers and some of the most innovative designers and techies in the business – not political elites, just gifted go-getters who are passionate about their work and more creative than 10 Congresses.

I love that DC is filled with activists who volunteer their rare free time to stand up for things that matter; and I love that people come to DC from all over the world to make their voices heard.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Uber in growing fight with DCTC

Photo courtesy of nmmercer
IMG_5027
courtesy of nmmercer

Disruptive business models are hard because they challenge entrenched majorities who are often capable of regulatory backlash against new models of doing business that are more efficient and creative. Uber, the internet-dispatched creative car service, has had a rough couple of days. The trouble began on Wednesday, when the DC Taxi Commission chairman said that they were operating illegally. Their argument is that car services must operate on a time basis, instead of a mileage-based service like a taxi.

Today, according to DCist’s Benjamin Freed, Chairman of the Commission’s Ron Linton conducted a sting operation against of one of the drivers that contracts with the Uber service, that ended with the driver issued a citation, and his vehicle towed and impounded.

While I would absolutely expect taxi drivers to fight back against a perceived loss of business, Uber says they’re operating legally, based on the results of their internal code examination, and their attorneys findings. The DCTC is going for a pressure point: the limousine drivers that contract with Uber for additional funds.

Do you know what to do if you suffer an accident while you are in an Uber ride? The first step is to contact an uber accident lawyer to guide you with the whole process.

Taxi service in this town, frankly, is abysmal. I live in a part of town where getting a cab takes an extra hour and costs an extra $5 to your base fare, let alone knows where he’s going. A car service is a fairly expensive, and hard to arrange unless you know where you’re going a few days in advance. Uber bridges the gap nicely between the two, and adds a level of convenience that even the taxis in the city can’t manage.

If you want to fight back, the DCTC answers to the Mayor. Mayor Gray’s office can be reached at (202) 727-6300, or via email at eom@dc.gov.

People, The Features, They Make DC
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They Make DC: Popularise

1351 H Street NE
Courtesy of Popularise

If you haven’t heard, there’s a revolution under way and you my e-friends, can all be a part of it. It’s called Popularise, and it will change the way we interact with our community.

Popularise is a bottom-up approach to real estate that is challenging the norm and breaking barriers, creating an authentic conversation about how a neighborhood is built and who is given an opportunity to participate in the discussion. By going online, users can submit ideas for what is built in a space–a real-life Sim City of sorts (go on 90’s babies, you know you love it already). Simply said, you decide what goes into your community. Yet this has never been done in this way, until now.

The responsible trailblazers are brothers Ben and Daniel Miller and associates Brandon Jenkins and Kenny Shin of WestMill Capital. But these DC natives are not your usual old school real estate developers. For starters, they wear high tops, listen to Daft Punk, ride their bikes to work and are as good at cooking as they are at eating. But don’t take their young swag as a sign of inexperience. Though they sleep little, they dream big. Continue reading →

Food and Drink
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What Will Happen with Food Trucks While They Wait for New Regulations?

Photo courtesy of Mr. T in DC
Red Hook Lobster Truck Harassed by MPD
courtesy of Mr. T in DC

So you might have noticed that the interwebs were all atwitter yesterday about the alleged crackdown on food trucks. It started off with a post from Kyle Johnson of Food Truck Fiesta about how food trucks were going to be fined if there was any lapse in time for a line of customers (ie: a truck could serve a line of people, but if that line stopped and there were no customers for no predetermined amount of time, MPD could fine the truck and shut them down for the day). Followed by a few other blog posts, a great article by The Washington Post’s Mike DeBonis, and then a tweet from Mayor Gray assuring us all that no new enforcement was going to happen. Pardon my skeptical eye roll.

My skepticism comes from the fact the initial story got its legs from food truck owners themselves. As DeBonis reported in The Washington Post, Kristi Whitfield, the proprietor of Curbside Cupcakes and executive director of the DC Food Truck Association, stated that the police department’s lead vending enforcement officer told her “that ‘heightened enforcement’ of the city’s vending laws ‘are going to be a top priority’ starting Friday.”

Additionally, The Post reported that new regulations for food trucks are on their way to being published and reviewed for comments, they have to ensure that they use heavy vehicle lighting according to the regulations, Click Here for more information. Was that law enforcement official completely misinformed? Or is MPD really going to play games with the food trucks while they wait for new legislation to be published, reviewed and potentially passed by the DC Council? At the time of publishing this post, we had not received a response to our email requesting a comment from the Mayor’s office about moving forward with the proposed legislation.

I’m not saying that DC government doesn’t have bigger problems on its plate at the moment (one word: embezzlement). But to arbitrarily decide to start enforcing a law, albeit antiquated, and mess with the livelihoods of food truck owners and employees, well, that really grinds my gears, to put it lightly. There are several issues at play with creating regulations for food trucks and I hope we don’t punish these small businesses. It seems as though we’ll all be waiting to see if MPD acts on these initial threats of a crackdown and what the new regulations set to be published on January 20th will have in store for the trucks.

Entertainment, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Time Stands Still

Holly Twyford in Time Stands Still. Photo: Scott Suchman

Watching Time Stands Still is to witness a relationship cracking apart, as two people whose entire shared experience has consisted of an adrenaline rush that can’t be sustained, irrevocably come off the high. Its success then rests on strong performances rooted in naturalism, and luckily that’s a strength Studio Theatre has perfected. Otherwise, you might be asking yourself why you are watching yet another slice-of-life about relationship woes.

Time Stands Still begins in the aftermath of war zone trauma for Sarah, a photojournalist physically battered by an explosion, and James, a reporter psychically wounded. Sarah can’t wait for her body to heal so she can jump back in, photographing atrocity after atrocity despite the nagging moral conflict of non-engagement. James has had enough, and wants a normal life (albeit a “normal” live lived in a nice loft in Brooklyn deconstructing horror movies instead of real-life horrors). This framework might be enough for an exploration of what happens when you repeatedly put yourself in harm’s way for the sake of bringing people news they don’t want to see, but playwright Donald Margulies raises the stakes in pretty pedestrian ways. Relationship woes like infidelity, mid-life crisis and delayed parenting are highlighted. How different the play might be had the core plot revolved around Sarah’s battle to keep her shattered limbs intact, a very relevant and brutal struggle many who’ve been in war zones have faced.

Here, you’ll get a rather safe depiction of facial scars that will slowly fade, like the relationship questions we all face and ultimately survive through. No one loses an eye or a leg here in their quest for that beautiful photograph of a baby’s burns after a market bombing. Margulies and director Susan Fenichell are lucky to have four talented actors making the psychic wounds interesting to the audience.

Continue reading →

Sports Fix
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Khan/Peterson Ongoing Controversy and Drama

Photo courtesy of katieharbath
US Supreme Court
courtesy of katieharbath

Lamont Peterson winning the WBA and IBF light-welterweight titles in DC was big news when it happened, but not the ongoing controversy threatens to overshadow what was a great fight. Yesterday there was a press release from the Peterson camp responding to the accusations of Amir Khan that the fight should be overturned and was not a fair fight. The way Khan tells it it should have been clear to anyone in attendance that he not only won the fight but that he dominated. That was not the fight I saw.

The fight I saw could have gone either way and was extremely closely contested. Both fighters fought a great fight and it is a shame that this controversy has drug on. If Khan had filed the protest and kept his mouth shut then he could still come out of this looking good, but at this point he is starting to look like a sore loser who might not want to get back in the ring with Peterson. If Khan feels he is such a superior fighter to Peterson he will work to smooth things over and get a rematch as soon as possible and prove his ability in the ring.

Continue reading →

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends – Jan 13 – 16

Photo courtesy of tzk333
Eastern Market
courtesy of tzk333

Natalia: 3 day weekends are good things. They are even better when you completely forgot they were happening, as was the case with me. So I’m having a stay-cation, full of cooking and exploring. Saturday I’ll head to Eastern Market and then the nearby Maine Avenue Fish Market to pick up fresh ingredients for a night of cooking. Sunday I’ll make my way, finally, to Old Town Alexandria. I am thinking Virtue Feed & Grain for brunch, then a little shopping, and I wouldn’t be opposed to a stop into Grape and Bean for a nice glass of wine.  And because it is Martin Luther King Day after all, and I have yet to visit the monument that was erected in his honor, a bike ride to the mall sounds appropriate for his remembrance day.

Photo courtesy of vpickering
Birthday cake
courtesy of vpickering

Marissa: Oh that every weekend was three days. Saturday I’m heading to Ris to chat with executive chef, Ris Lacoste, and learn a thing or two in the kitchen (stay tuned for that Capital Chefs feature next week!). Saturday night I’m dying to check out Toki Underground once and for all. Then I’m thinking of popping over to HR-57 for some jazz since the last time I was there was way back in the day before they relocated. Come Sunday I’ll be detoxing from all the eating I’ve done this week with a little yoga and shopping at Current Boutique over on 14th street. Monday is mine, all mine, to be completely unplanned and see where the holiday takes me.

Continue reading →

Night Life, Opinion, The Daily Feed
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Classing up MLK Weekend

Barcode mlk

As you may be aware, this weekend is the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, the first in the Nation’s Capital since the new memorial to Dr. King opened on the mall. You may be planning to spend your Monday holiday in service-related activities, or demonstrating for the lack of civil rights in the District, but local club Barcode wants you to drink away the night before with special MLK-themed bottle service and drinks specials.  They’re even using the civil rights leader’s visage on their fliers.

Of course, if that name sounds familiar, it’s not just you. Barcode is the same spot that had a special happy hour and bottle service for the muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr back in August.

I guess there’s no holiday out there that Barcode will leave be.

I, for one, can’t wait for Barcode’s new “Dead Presidents” cocktails for President’s Day, or the Tombstone Special on Veterans Day next November.

Food and Drink, Foodie Roundup
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This Week in Food

pizza

Photo Courtesy Fuel Pizza

Coming Soon

From Charlotte, NC comes Fuel Pizza & Wings, a locale set to start serving at 16th and K on January 18th. The opening will even feature free food for one year for the 1st fifty customers and complimentary menu tastings throughout the day. So head over there for New York-style pizza in interesting combinations from the Old Bay Crab Pizza to the favorite Extreme Fuel, an extensive gluten-free pizza menu and smokin’ wings.

Continue reading →