‘Cheesy replica script’
courtesy of ‘wfyurasko’
The hottest “ticketed” event in NatsTown since Stephen Strasburg’s Major League Debut on June 8, 2010 is an exclusive invitation-only stub to the Washington Nationals new uniform unveiling November 10 at Nationals Park.
And, if you’re not a premium client or season ticket holder who has already purchased your package in full, then a chance to attend the evening’s events will not be yours for the taking. Continue reading
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courtesy of ‘muohace_dc’
Brilliant news! We’ve come across the following tweet from @dcgrilledcheese, promising a new grilled cheese food truck come December. The only thing better than melty, cheesy goodness is melty, cheesy goodness conveniently parked at a street corner near you. Maybe this is the coming of Grilled Cheesus after all.
‘After the Game’
courtesy of ‘Karon’
The Washington Post reports that federal agents are investigating an Ashburn man in connection with an alleged plot to bomb multiple Metro stations. Officials believe Farooque Ahmed came up with the plan on his own and expected to carry it out by himself, though they stress that the plan wasn’t anywhere near completion when Ahmed was arrested.
Before this issue becomes yet another political football in a town where official concern about terrorism is so ubiquitous as to be desensitizing, here’s one piece of practical advice: When you’re carrying stuff in the Metro (or anywhere in town, really), please be certain to take everything you brought with you. It’s something we all want to do anyway, and it will reduce the number of packages treated as “suspicious” when they are simply “forgotten.”
By Donna C.
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courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
Whether you’re gearing up (and tapering down) for Sunday’s Marine Corps Marathon or see another race in your future, you can learn from the best tomorrow night.
Come to Pacers Logan Circle at 7 p.m. to join marathon runner Ryan Hall, who broke a record in the 2008 Olympic trials and finished 10th in the Beijing Olympics, and his wife Sara Hall, also an elite runner, for a quick zip around town.
Buy a Run.Give.Run. package, and you’ll get a pair of running shoes that Ryan will sign, plus a race entry. And a member of DC nonprofit Back On My Feet, which promotes self-sufficiency of homeless populations by engaging them in running, will get a donated pair of running shoes.
No word on how far or fast you’ll have to run – better eat your Wheaties.
By Tom Bridge
‘Patrick Murray’
courtesy of ‘cliff1066â�¢’
The campaign bus of Patrick Murray, Republican challenger in Virginia’s 8th District, is currently alleged to have been in a hit and run accident of a jeep in Old Town according to ArlNOW.com. The bus sideswiped a parked car on King Street while on the way to the Rally. A campaign spokesman told the Police that a member of the campaign had left a note, but the driver of the car says they’ve yet to contact her about the incident. As someone who had his rearview mirror wrecked by a passing car near where this occurred, I can attest to the narrow streets in Old Town make for difficult passage, but there’s never, ever an excuse for not leaving a note. Fail!
By Max
High Heel Race by mpr131
The High Heel Race that takes place every year on 17th street in Dupont Circle is a scene not to be missed. The event itself is less about the race (which lasts all of 60 seconds) than it is about the costumes, the makeup, the swagger, the prancing, and the political statements being made. The race is notorious for summoning bad weather, but last night the drag queen gods granted a reprieve by giving the crowd perfect running conditions. As with many events in DC, nearly every spectator had a camera in hand, whether it be a DSLR, a point and shoot, an iPhone, or one of those things that shoots film. Many thanks to our Flickr contributors for their great submissions that follow after the jump.
‘Umbrella’
courtesy of ‘Amber Wilkie Photography’
Despite the current lack of rain, many food trucks are off the roads today because of the rain. Hopefully you can track down the few that didn’t preemptively cancel.
As a ward 5 resident, I’ve been watching the story about the DC Attorney General’s investigation into Council Member Harry Thomas’ “Team Thomas” nonprofit corporation that doesn’t have all its paperwork in order. The one Thomas’ opponent has accused him of using as a “slush fund,” while the council member insists it’s for community projects.
Whether it’s a real case of wrongdoing or just some lost paperwork used for political purposes, AG Peter Nickles seems to be ready to take it into an actual courtroom. Nickles is threatening Thomas with a subpoena if the council member doesn’t produce documentation pertaining to Team Thomas donors and leadership immediately in response to previous request. Thomas insists he needs more time to get it together. Which COULD be construed to mean, “I need more time because the documents don’t actually exist,” or it could mean, “I need more time because I didn’t hire a professional to keep track of this stuff for me and the paperwork is lost in my house somewhere.” Or, you know, anything in between. But Nickles has a point that this is the kind of documentation nonprofits are required to keep as a matter of course, and a well-run one would be able to pull this paperwork out of a file fairly quickly.
By Tom Bridge
‘I cannot resist bikes!’
courtesy of ‘(afm)’
If you were thinking about biking down to the Rally to Restore Sanity this weekend, you might want to rethink things a bit. WABA has said to TBD that they don’t recommend bicycling down, as there will be very limited places to park and lock your bike up. WABA had tried to get Comedy Central to hire them to run a bike valet for $3,000, but were initially rebuffed. Parking for bicycles is pretty limited on the Mall, at least in terms of thinks you can lock your bicycle to, but perhaps if you were to get a critical mass of friends, you could lock all your bikes together which would make it hard to take just one or two. That assumes, though, that you’re all coming and going at the same time.
Photo by Rachel Levitin
That’s right. Jim Riggleman, 57, will be back on the field with the District’s ballclub in 2011.
The Nationals announced this afternoon that Riggleman, who replaced Manny Acta as the Nationals’ interim manager on July 14, 2009, will begin his third year as the team’s manager next season.
What does this mean for Riggleman? He will continue his managerial career with the hope of one day surpassing his previous highlights as a baseball skipper. Those highlights, however, are limited to one shimmering moment in 1998 when his Chicago Cubs won the Wild Card. Other than that, Riggleman is 624-787 (.442) in 11 years as an on-and-off-again Major League manager. He also managed the San Diego Padres from 1992-94 but they never reached the playoffs.
Washingon has improved under Riggleman’s watch having gone 69-93 (.426) in 2010 compared to their dismal 59-103 record in 2009.
What does this mean for the Nationals and their fans? If anything, it doesn’t hurt to keep a familiar face around to manage a clubhouse hungry for victory. Fans and players should also be ready for that double switch. It’s pretty much Riggleman’s calling card on the field.
Photo by Megan Murphy, courtesy of Smithsonian National Zoo
If this doesn’t improve your day, I just don’t know what will. Before the National Zoo’s lion cubs can be allowed into the lion yard with their mother, they have to be able to swim in case they end up in the moat. So the 8-week-old litter of cubs, the older set, took a swim test today, with handlers placing them in the water about a foot from the edge and watching them swim back. Of course there are photos, but you know you want to see video. Be sure to watch all the way through to the fourth cub. She decides she likes the water and instead of hurrying back to the side, she tries to swim some lengths. Video after the jump. Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
‘November 2, 2010 California Election: Starchild for Board of Education’
courtesy of ‘DoNotLick’
Today is the citywide deadline to register for an absentee ballot for next Tuesday’s General Election. Yes, there’s a whole other election. Yes, that means you can vote for or against Vincent Gray again on Tuesday. Yes, there’s also early voting again and all sites are open from now til Election Day, so even if you miss today’s deadline for an absentee ballot, you can still vote before Election Day on Tuesday. Yes, there’s even a PDF Voters’ Guide so you can review all of the candidates on the (lengthy) ballot and read their (sometimes crazy and occasionally hilarious) message to voters.
Elections are part of the toolset of Democracy, and though you think your primary vote may have been enough, there’s no reason to stay home on Election Day, especially when there are all those ANCs up for vote.
By Don
The above just showed up in my twitter stream so I guess they’re warming up the GPS receivers in Wyoming, the location of the tree doomed to come adorn the Capitol. The Wyoming Trib says this is the first time Wyoming will contribute a tree, somewhat surprising since this tradition is in its 40th year and there’s really only 48 conveniently drivable states to get a tree from.
You can read more about the whole process at Capitol Christmas Tree 2010. There’s some fun tidbits in the media kit, like:
No word on what its last meal will be. Perhaps some enterprising marketer at Evian will get in on the operation and send some bottles. No fizz, please.
‘Shoeshine, Lady?’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’
One of my enduring pet peeves is the pejorative use of Washington, DC as a political metaphor. It drives me right up the wall when my home-of-choice is used as an epithet to accuse a political opponent of being out of touch, or when partisans from across the country cheer for natural disasters to befall it due to their opposition to whatever government happens to be in power at the time, apparently completely unaware that federal jobs are only a quarter of the jobs here. (Don’t believe me that this happens? Run a Twitter search for “washington” next time there’s a Snowpocalypse headed our way.)
The Onion skewers this phenomenon pretty effectively today. A quote: Continue reading
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
As Chief Official White House photographer, Pete Souza has an entirely unique perspective on the president. Now, you can ask him what White House life looks like from behind the camera. Leave your questions in flickr’s comments section, and he’ll answer them (or at least the interesting ones) this Thursday at 7 p.m. during a live webcast on the White House website.
‘Curbside Cupcake Van’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
You know what helps bring sunshine to a cloudy day? Lunch from a food truck. Go forth and eat, my friends.
By Dave Levy
‘_MG_6253’
courtesy of ‘dbking’
Entering its third season as an official bowl, Washington DC’s college football postseason game will be kicking off this December with a new name. According to the Washington Post, an announcement is expected that will change the name of the EagleBank Bowl to the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman. EagleBank will remain on as a sponsor of the game, but the other news is that the USO will also be a beneficiary of the game and associated events.
This year’s contest will be held on December 29th at RFK, and it will likely feature a low ranked ACC team against a school from Conference USA. The military tie-in to the game is also a part of the bowl’s history. Each year, the opponent an ACC school faces alternates through several conferences, but in certain upcoming seasons, Navy or Army, if bowl eligible, are automatically given bids.
By Tom Bridge
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courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
American University professor Sue Marcum’s murder is still more mystery than anything else, but the police are one step closer, having recovered her stolen car as part of a chase ending at New Jersey and M St NW, and ending with the vehicle crashed into a utility pole. The driver is not currently thought to be the killer, and faces charges of unauthorized use of a vehicle, according to the AP.
Marcum’s body was discovered in her home in Bethesda yesterday, when her boyfriend went to check on her after not hearing from her. Marcum taught Taxation at the Kogod School of Business at AU after a career working for the Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey circus in their taxation division. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family.
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courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
The Washington Post released a list of CEO earnings at 100 of the area’s largest public companies yesterday. Coming in at number one was Strayer University, whose top dog brings in a whopping $41 million per year (this includes bonuses and stock awards; Robert Silberman’s annual base salary is “only” $646,000). Last week, Strayer also ranked number 14 in Forbes’ list of America’s 100 Best Small Companies, so I guess the Arlington-based university is doing something right. Although if they stopped sending me copious amounts of junk mail, they would be doing more things right.
Rounding out the top 10 highest paid CEOs are the heads of Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Coventry Health Care, United Therapeutics, General Dynamics, Discovery, Danaher, Rosetta Stone and AES. Coming in at number 100 was Leslie Goldberg, head of Bowl America, who earns a cumulative $154,183. However, he probably deserves a raise based on his quality products: I still own — and wear — my “Happy Birthday from Bowl America” T-shirt, circa 1988. Thanks for the memories, Mr. G.
‘Great Political Cartoon’
courtesy of ‘coneybeare’
In DC, many of our major celebrities are the people who write and broadcast the news. But what about the people who draw it? This Thursday, you can pick up their contribution to the political sphere at Cartoons & Cocktails. The event will auction off the work of notable editorial cartoonists, many of whom have been recognized with Pulitzer Prizes. You can also have your own portrait sketched by caricaturist Rajan Sedalia, or simply knock back a few drinks as you watch cartoonists draw “real time” snapshots of the evening.
The event will be held at 6 p.m. this Thursday at the National Press Club. Tickets are $65 per person. Beneficiaries of auction sales include the Cartoonists Rights Network International and Young D.C., which sponsors an eponymous newspaper written and run by Washington teens.
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