Category Archives: The Daily Feed

News, The Daily Feed
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Ken Cuccinelli a Birther?

Photo courtesy of
‘Caught’
courtesy of ‘D’Arcy Norman’

Get out your straitjackets and butterfly nets, it’s time for a trip down to Richmond. In an interview over the weekend, Cuccinelli said that a challenge to President Obama’s birth certificate was “within the realm of possibility” for legal action, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s batshit crazy.

Look, it’s perfectly acceptable to not like the President, I certainly don’t think he walks on water, or is capable of delivering on the massive campaign promises he made to the American public, but isn’t the proper opposition answer to that pointing out his inability to get things done, and not challenge where he was born? Seriously? Really? That’s a viable political strategy? And you’re a state-wide office holder in Virginia? Whew. That’s some crazy-talk right there.

Night Life, The Daily Feed
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SoberRides Available On St. Paddy’s Day

Photo courtesy of
‘Four leaves clover’
courtesy of ‘steven.y’

SoberRides are back for St. Patrick’s Day. Be safe. Call for one.

The Washington Regional Alcohol Program will be offering SoberRides from 4 p.m. on Wednesday to 4 a.m. on Thursday. Rides are free for up to $50.

If you need more of an incentive to utilize the program, one third of all traffic deaths on St. Patrick’s Day are alcohol related. So don’t be a statistic, be a smart party goer instead.

I suggest you enter the following number into your phone now, you know you’ll forget later: 1-800-200-TAXI

The Daily Feed
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School Bus Involved in Crash on I-270

Photo courtesy of
‘D3H_3088’
courtesy of ‘Cazimiro’

I just received a call literally seconds ago that a school bus was involved in a bad accident on I-270 Northbound near the Father Hurley Blvd exit, in the Germantown area. Apparently a Subaru Outback did not stop in time and slammed into the back of the bus, in the right lane, with at least half of the car being sandwiched under the rear bumper of the bus. Details are limited at this time as you can imagine so I don’t know if any children were aboard the bus or not, but whenever a school bus is involved in an auto accident of any kind, let alone one on an interstate, serious concern is valid.

We certainly hope there were no serious injuries and will bring you details as we find them, but do expect traffic to come to a hault on I-270, most likely in both directions (Northbound will probably be partially closed and Southbound will be full of rubber neckers). If you have any details, please post in the comments.

The Daily Feed
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Embassy Chef Challenge

Photo courtesy of
‘House of Sweden Podium’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Awesome food in an awesomely designed embassy…. You can’t go wrong with that.

Cultural Tourism DC and the Embassy of Sweden present the Embassy Chef Challenge 2010 on Thursday from 6:30 to 10:00.  Watch 12 embassy chefs representing Belgium, Hungary, Korea, Panama, Israel, Qatar and more take on hors d’oeuvre in this delicious (and friendly) challenge.  I also hear that there will be some celebrity chef judges in the audience (hint, hint: Chef Carla Hall and Michel Richard to name a few) so to all of our foodie friends out there, you won’t want to miss this.

Tickets are available online or by calling 202-661-7581.

The Daily Feed
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How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?

Photo courtesy of
‘O Solo Mio’
courtesy of ‘wickenden’

While chewing on your socks and snatching that piece of ham off the counter top is bad behavior by your pooch, I don’t think it can get much worse than what happen to DC jewelry shop owners Robert Rosin and George Kaufmann.

According to the Associated Press,  a diamond dealer stopped by the pair’s shop last week to show Rosin and Kaufmann a $20,000, three-plus carat rock.  Upon presenting the diamond to Rosin and Kaufmann, the dealer mistakenly and clumsily dropped the jewel and it was quickly gobbled up by Soli, Kaufmann’s dog.

After a call to the vet, the only solution was to carefully monitor Soli and sort through all of his doo-doos with a fine tooth comb.  Three days later, Kaufmann hit the jackpot and the diamond was back in the dealer’s hands. Question is: Will the  final owner ever know the doggy intestinal journey their gem has been on?

The Daily Feed
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Anthem Idol

Photo courtesy of
‘the lineup’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Saturday morning in the midst of the rain, more than 60 talented performers gathered at Nats Park to tryout to sing the Star Spangled Banner. Ranging in age from as young as around 6 to as old as late 60s, and in style from Operatic Baritone to Pop Diva, it was an interesting crowd. The tryout itself is very simple: take a deep breath, now sing the Star Spangled Banner. Pick a key, but just one. Pick a speed, but know you have only about 90 seconds.

My own audition went fairly well, or at least so I thought, and I’ll find out in the next couple of weeks if Tom Davis, the Entertainment Coordinator for the Washington Nationals, thinks I have what it takes to be an Anthem Idol for the Nats. It was a chilly day for standing outside for about an hour, and then down into the tunnels beneath Nats Park. Sadly the weather had us trying out in the Umpire’s locker room, a bright reverberant space that did my big voice no favors. I had hoped the rain would have let up, and we could take our chances behind home plate.

Here’s to hoping I get that chance yet.

The Daily Feed
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Move Over Van Hollen, Corporation to Run for MD-8 Seat

Photo courtesy of
‘Guarding Justice’
courtesy of ‘Photos by Chip Py’

I enjoyed this article today from WaPo that was written in a semi-serious, semi-tongue-in-cheek tone about Murray Hill, Inc., a company based in Silver Spring, MD that has announced its intentions to run for Congress in the 8th CD of Maryland. The seat is currently held by Mr. DCCC himself, Chris Van Hollen. The story is no joke – these guys actually are trying to run for Congress. A mere 6 months ago, this would have seemed so obnoxious, it wouldn’t even have garnered sensational press attention. But thanks to Justice Roberts and pals on the big bench, the United States now officially views corporations as people when it comes to their rights related to campaign finance, and Murray Hill is out to prove that corporations deserve all equal human rights.

The progressive PR firm obviously knows how to pull off a PR stunt. (Check out their campaign Facebook page and their YouTube videos.) But this is really more than that. This is actually proving a very valid point in showing that treating corporations as people is flat out ridiculous. Giving corporations the right to have a seemingly unlimited level of influence on members of Congress destroys the many years of bi-partisan handwork that has gone into trying to tone down the sick impact that wealthy corporations can have on the everyday lives of Americans. This is NOT about stifling capitalism, this is about stifling the downright unfair ability that corporations have to alter legislation passed in Congress so that it favors their profits, instead of the needs of the country’s citizens. Allow great ideas to flourish in capitalism, but don’t allow those ideas to directly control our laws.

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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, We Green DC, We Love Drinks
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Friday Happy Hour: Guinness

Photo courtesy of
‘christmas eve’
courtesy of ‘volcanojw’

I know that St. Patrick’s Day isn’t until next week, but let’s be honest, it’s on your mind.  So, why drink anything other than Ireland’s finest: Guinness Stout. I don’t feel like I need to expound upon the flavor and richness of Guinness as I’m sure that everyone has tried it.  But, lest anyone fear that the upcoming holiday may contribute to growing waistlines, let me assure you that Guinness will not be the culprit.  It is a wonder beer, of sorts.  Despite it’s thick texture and powerful flavor, Guinness stout is actually very light.  It actually has fewer calories that Coca Cola.  In fact, there is evidence to suggest that may be healthy, if drunk in moderation.

Another fun fact: the great-great-great-grandson of Arthur Guinness is a local.  Os Guinness, who is a prolific author/critic/theologian lives in McClean.  So, this weekend drink for your health, drink for our local Guinness family member, and most of all, drink for St. Paddy’s Day.

The Daily Feed
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Operator who derailed Red Line has been fired

Photo courtesy of
‘derailed traffic’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Metro has just announced that the train operator involved in the February 12 post-Snowpocalypse train derailment at Farragut North has been fired for “failure to follow standard operating procedures.” She had been placed on administrative leave immediately following the accident, which is normal in such situations, but has been terminated effective today.

The Daily Feed
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Chicken with a side of noise and fume

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_9391’
courtesy of ‘gurms’

Today’s DC Register tolling turns up this interesting but, in my mind, somewhat questionable effort: the Nando’s Peri-Peri on 18th street is looking to add a dozen cafe seats on the sidewalk. I’m excited by the impending outdoor cafe action myself, but that’s a pretty busy and loud road there; I don’t think it’s a coincidence you don’t see much street seating along that stretch. No matter how beautiful a day, I don’t know that I want to dine while being serenaded by cabbie horn.

If you’re not intimidated, well, the hearing is set for early May so perhaps they’ll be clear by Memorial day.

The Daily Feed
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Wale to Help D.C. United Kick off the 2010 Season

Photo courtesy of
‘Vamos United!’
courtesy of ‘IntangibleArts’

District native Wale will be the entertainment of choice for D.C. United before their home opener this season.  Saturday April 3rd, he will be the headliner for the “It Takes More Concert Series,” a series of pre-game performances designed to support local acts and to highlight various organizations in the community.  At this game, the team  will take on the New England Revolution and the organization to be featured is the DC chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Wale, who was first featured in the “Unsigned Hype” column of Source magazine in 2005, has recently seen much success with his debut album Attention Deficit (which is a GREAT album by the way!).  He’s performed at the VMA’s and toured with Jay-Z, but is bringing it back home for a FREE concert open to the public..you don’t want to miss this one!  It’s for a great cause as well.  Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing safe shelter for people all around the world, and they’re even going to be building in conjunction with D.C. United and other sponsors later this season.

The concert will start at 6 pm on the Armory Mall located on the west side of RFK Stadium, and the game will begin at 7:30 pm in the stadium.

The Daily Feed
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Spring Forward On Sunday

Photo courtesy of
‘On the Clock’
courtesy of ‘Sprezzatura Images’

With spring upon us, I pass along this friendly reminder to turn those clocks forward an hour on Sunday, March 14 at 2 am.

But if you do forget, I suggest checking your cell phone or computer, they update automatically. So really … you should be all set!

Think of it now — an extra hour of glorious sunshine after work. Time for patio happy hours, outdoor dining, and longer days. Glorious.

Downtown, The Daily Feed
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Neighbors Ask Fans To Keep the Beeps Down After Caps Home Wins

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_4085’
courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

“FANS: As you leave the arena, please be considerate of our neighbors and use your horn only as a necessity. Thank You.”

The Capitals are having an immensely successful season, and as Ben noted earlier this morning, the squad just locked up their third straight division championship. Much of the success has been at home; until a shootout loss earlier this week, the Caps had enjoyed a double-digit win streak on home ice. The hometown crowd has certainly been enthusiastic in the Phone Booth, but some neighbors are now asking that the raucousness stay inside.

WTOP.com reported that the sound of constantly honking cars after Caps wins at the Verizon Center have moved nearby parking facilities to ask fans leaving to not lay on the horn so much to celebrate. The above warning can now be seen on signs in the garage under the facility, and we’ll see how well it works come late-April now that the men in red are about to set off on another playoff campaign.

News, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Another WMATA Rail Yard Derailment

Photo courtesy of
‘Car Chrisholm (LOC)’
courtesy of ‘The Library of Congress’

Metro can’t catch a break. Yesterday, the Examiner revealed, a Red line train operator ran a red signal in the Brentwood yard, causing a car to derail and damage the tracks and the third rail in that segment of the yard. No damage estimates were available, and it’s not clear why the operator ran the red signal.

C’mon guys, this just isn’t fun anymore.

The Daily Feed
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Cyclists, Mark Your Calendars

Photo courtesy of
‘Busy Bike Lane’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’

Tony Kornheiser may hate us, but cyclists should get excited about three major biking events coming this spring:

WABA has announced that Bike to Work Day will be May 21 this year, so get excited for pit stops and commuter convoys on your way to work!

Bike DC, the annual event in which major DC and Arlington roads are closed to cars to allow cyclists to rule the road, will be held two days later on May 23.

Finally, the Air Force Classic Crystal City Ride will close streets in Crystal City on June 13, so cyclists of all abilities can bike around Arlington on car-free streets.

News, The Daily Feed
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Top Chef Coming to DC!

Photo courtesy of
‘Tom Colicchio Visits DC Central Kitchen’
courtesy of ‘DC Central Kitchen’

There had been whisperings for weeks that Tom Colicchio and the Top Chef gang from Bravo would be coming to DC for their next season, and this morning the Washington Post confirmed it. To give credit where credit is due, Amanda from Metrocurean broke the news late yesterday that filming would start on April 5th.

It’s great to see the DC restaurant community get the respect it so richly deserves from the folks at Bravo.

The Daily Feed
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Food & Folklore: A Night with Women of the Vine

Photo courtesy of
‘glass of bokeh, anyone?’
courtesy of ‘Robert S. Donovan’

Last night I had the pleasure of attending this month’s installment of Eatonville’s Food & Folklore series, entitled “Women of the Vine.” The event featured Deborah Brenner, who is not only the author of Women of the Vine, a book chronicling the stories of various women in the wine industry, but also the founder of Women of the Vine Cellars. The event was an entire four-course dinner complete with great food, great conversation, and of course great wine. In fact, for each course, there was a different wine to taste…what more could a girl ask for?!

What I loved is that the dinner was so appropriately scheduled during Women’s History Month, and that it took place in Eatonville, a restaurant dedicated to Zora Neale Hurston, a woman who is known for her own contributions to the literary world and attended DC’s own Howard University. While we ate, Brenner gave us a mini-lesson about recognition of women in the wine industry, or lack thereof, which actually inspired her book and winery.  From the asparagus soup with parmesan custard (which was to die for), to the creme brulee, the food definitely got a thumbs up on my end. But of course, we can’t forget the wine. Although I’m usually partial to white wine, the merlot served with the entree did make me briefly consider the red team..so all around it was great.

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capitals hockey, The Daily Feed
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Caps Clinch Southeast Division

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_5748’
courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

They didn’t even play last night and still the Caps keep winning. With Atlanta losing to Columbus 2-1 last night, the Washington Capitals clinched as Souheast Division champions for the third year in a row. This is a guaranteed Top 3 playoff seed slot and pretty much a no-brainer. I mean, who didn’t see this coming since November?

Congrats to owner Ted Leonsis, GM George McPhee, Coach Bruce Boudreau and the entire Capitals organization for their success so far this season.

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Tony Kornheiser Hates Cyclists

Photo courtesy of
‘Caution’
courtesy of ‘Chris DiGiamo’

Tony Kornheiser is a plague that I wish we could end with some sort of deity sacrifice. I’m not sure what’s appropriate in this particular situation, and I welcome suggestions in the comments. Today on his radio show, Tony had a bit of a beef with the additional bike lanes (sorry, cycle tracks) that the city is putting in through downtown. Specifically, according to a transcript provided by Washcycle, Kornheiser said:

And they all wear…my God…with the little water bottle in the back and their stupid hats and their shiny shorts, they are the same disgusting poseurs that come out in the middle of a snow storm with cross country skiing on your block. Run them down.

Tell us how you really feel, Tony. Just let it all out. Jackass.