Category Archives: The Daily Feed

Special Events, The Daily Feed
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The Nationals Team-Up With The Cherry Blossom Crew To Welcome Spring

Photo courtesy of
‘Washington Nationals Game’
courtesy of ‘acaben’

The Nationals are teaming up with the Official Cherry Blossom Festival crew to celebrate the beginning of Spring this April. Festivities include an appearance by Screech and the GEICO Racing Presidents in the National Cherry Blossom Parade on Saturday, April 10 in addition to on-site events at Nationals Park.

Cherry Blossom Festival representatives will be present at the April 3 exhibition game vs. the Boston Red Sox and two games vs. the Phillies on April 7 & 8.

We’ll keep you posted as more details become available.

The Daily Feed
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Washington Improv Theater: FIST

WITFIST

Washington Improv Theater is hosting a fairly ambitious event for the next month or so: The Fighting Improv Smackdown Tournament (FIST) will see 44 teams of 3 improvisers each face off in a bracketed battle for comedy glory. (Which is totally an oxymoron, but whatever.)

The tournament will run Thursdays-Saturdays every week through April 10, but check the bracket for the specific dates and times. All shows will be at Source Theater, and include not only the competition performances by that night’s bracket, but also a performance by one of WIT’s company troupes. Tickets are $10, and no actual fists are involved.

The Daily Feed
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Stop the Billboard!

Photo courtesy of
‘Friendship Arch’
courtesy of ‘Rolenz’

The DC facade has undergone a few too many facelifts in the past decade or so, turning some neighborhoods – ahem, Gallery Place, Chinatown – into something reminiscent of a once (it’s getting a bit better thanks to NYC finally getting their act together) over-commercialized Times Square.

However, a few key residents of the Gallery Place neighborhood have joined together to stage an intervention.  Stop the Billboard, a website made public yesterday, hopes to raise awareness and gain support in order to “keep DC beautiful and free of outdoor color video advertisements“.  The residents behind the website are specifically outraged by the newest proposal by Gallery Place Partners LLC to install two, 12-ft by 40-ft ‘interactive’ billboards on the corner of 7th and G Street NW – which as the website states, “violates numerous District ordinances“.

If you want to learn more about this cause, keep DC architecture billboard free, or show your support – visit Stop the Billboard!

The Daily Feed, Tourism, Travel
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Travel & Adventure Show This Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_1076’
courtesy of ‘bradleyolin’

Right about now, though I’m liking the warmer weather, I’m craving something warmer. Part of me wants to drive up to BWI, get on a cheap flight to Phoenix, and go see some baseball, but then I remember what happened to Kevin Smith, so screw that noise. But, that brings me to the 6th Annual Travel and Adventure Show which runs all weekend at the Convention Center. Find a cool vacation, find a cool adventure, and there will be all kinds of travel discounts available on the show floor. Shopping for a honeymoon, or another big trip, this could be a fun way to think about escape for a day.

We’ve got two passes to give away, so leave your name in the comments, and we’ll pick a winner tomorrow at noon!

News, The Daily Feed
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FEMA Says Snowpocalypse 1 Eligible for Funding

Photo courtesy of
‘little linc’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

President Obama today ordered FEMA to consider DC’s first snowpocalypse this winter as a true disaster, opening the floodgates for funding to the area for snow removal and snow-related damages. It’s not clear yet if the region’s second snowpocalypse will get the same qualification, but that could alleviate the impending budget disaster related to the massive snow totals. Much depends, here, on the determination that this was a “record” storm, which is in turn reliant on the weather station readings for DC. Slight problem: DC’s weather station is officially at National Airport, which sits at sea level, right on the temperature-moderating Potomac, and significantly removed from the parts of DC that got a significantly larger amount of snow. We’ll see if it makes a difference.

The Daily Feed
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Vasa Ride This Sunday

Photo courtesy of
‘Start of the Vasa Ride’
courtesy of ‘Craig Lebowitz’

The weather is supposed to be pretty pleasant this weekend– maybe it’s time to break out of hibernation and take a bike ride somewhere?  WABA and the Embassy of Sweden invite you to participate in the Vasa Ride, an organized bike ride on Sunday morning with 56-, 28-, or 14-mile options.  The ride commemorates the Swedish Vasasloppet, a cross-country ski race taking place this weekend in Sweden.  The ride is free and open to the public (though joining WABA or bringing a donation would be awfully nice), and at the end of your ride you’ll be rewarded with some fabulous blueberry soup at the Embassy of Sweden.  See you out there!

The Daily Feed
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The Blossoms Are Coming! The Blossoms Are Coming!

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_2562’
courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for this winter to be over. The best signpost of spring around here is the blooming of the cherry trees, and National Park Service Chief Horticulturist Rob DeFeo has finally announced their best estimate as to when we’ll be seeing these beautiful blooms. According to the NPS press conference this morning at the Newseum, we’re looking at an expected “arrival” of April 3-8 for peak coverage. The average peak bloom date is April 4 and is considered the day when 70% of the blossoms of the Yoshino Cherry trees are open. The peak bloom every year varies due to weather and can be as early as March 15 or as late as April 18.

The blooming period usually starts several days before the peak bloom date and can last as long as two weeks, though frost, wind, and high temps can fluctuate that window. The annual National Cherry Blossom Festival is usually timed around the average peak bloom date; this year’s festival will be from March 27 – April 11. There’s still time to volunteer for the festival, so if you’re interested then vist the official NCBF website and sign up today.

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Will The Real Ferris Bueller Please Stand Up?

Photo courtesy of
‘old school’
courtesy of ‘bionicteaching’

It’s been 24 years since Matthew Broderick enlightened a nation of high school students regarding his wayward ways but it appears students enrolled at Churchill High in Montgomery Country are finally following in his footsteps.

The Washington Post announced today that police, prosecutors, and school officials are now examining a case where at least eight students allegedly used a USB device to steal teachers’ passwords and change 54 students grades.

The investigation is in the beginning stages at the moment, but school Principal Joan C. Benz confirmed that a criminal investigation ongoing.

What we DO know is an internal investigation of Churchill High proved that the grades of 54 students were altered during the Fall 2009 semester. Investigators have subpoenaed all records from the school system and have informed almost 700 families that their students’ grades are now in the hands of the state’s attorney’s office.

At this time, the school system does not know if the 54 students who had their grades changed knew that they had been.

The school is scheduled to hold a community meeting Monday evening at 7 to answer any questions.

News, The Daily Feed
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No Easy Road for Prosecutors with Barry

Photo courtesy of
‘George Gordon Meade’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

There’s no question that Marion Barry has dodged more jail time than pretty much any other sitting politician. It appears that the kickbacks scandal for which he was censured by the City Council and stripped of his committee chair will be no exception to that. Michael Neibauer took a dive into the prosecutor’s office to find out what the options for Barry are. It appears the Feds have some concern about Donna Watts-Brighthaupt’s reliability for testimony, and her public statements suggest that she may not be a good option for the stand. It’s entirely possible that Hizzoner could walk again. Doesn’t that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?

News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Terps Beat Duke, Fans Storm Court, Light Things on Fire

Maryland fans storm the court from Wash Post Sports on Vimeo.

This video comes to us from the great Dan Steinberg, from the floor of the Comcast Center in College Park as Duke (4) is vanquished by the Terps. Maryland (22) is now tied for first in the ACC with 12 wins, and could win the ACC were Duke to lose on Saturday. There are some great shots at the DC Sports Bog, which include some of the fires set by students at University of Maryland last night, and the large police presence on campus after the game.

Congrats to Maryland for beating the Dookies, but did ya’ll really need to light things on fire?

All Politics is Local, News, The Daily Feed, The District
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Marriage Day Slide Show

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Today was a big day for the gay community in DC and WLDC Flickr Pool contributor Erin M. was there to capture the moment.  I’m happy for the couples and realize that they’re the point of this whole business, but I find the counter protesters facing off against Westboro Baptist Church to be particularly hilarious.  I’m of two minds on this: I feel that counter protesting gives Westboro exactly the attention that they want.  On the other hand, I love when people stand up to hate groups.  Either way, I really enjoy some of the counter-protest signs.  See them in the slide show after the break. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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The National Archives Presents Free Screenings Of Oscar Nominated Films Today Through Sunday

Photo courtesy of
‘Academy Award Winner’
courtesy of ‘Dave_B_’

Pumped for the Oscars this weekend? The National Archives are in on the fun and are presenting free screenings of films in four of the Academy Award’s nominee categories including Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Live Action Short Film, and Animated Short Film.

The screenings begin tonight and run through Sunday in the Archive’s William G. McGowan Theater. Free tickets are available at the National Archives Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue beginning one hour prior to start time.

Seating for the screenings are on a first-come, first-serve basis. And no – you’re not allowed to save any seats. The theater crew say it’s strictly prohibited.

For a full list of the screening schedule, visit the Archives website. The first screening starts at 7.

Dupont Circle, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Media, People, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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RWDC Live Blog Resumes

Photo courtesy of
‘The Real World DC House’
courtesy of ‘alifayre’

Well, the Olympics are over and I have no excuse: the RWDC Live Blog will resume again, tonight.  Be here at 9:45 with a drink in hand to mock the strangeness of those real folks that drank and grinded (ground?) their way around or city this summer.  Is this voyeuristic? Yes.  Can I wait for it to end? No.

New Category, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Caps Make Four Moves Today

Photo courtesy of
‘Rock the Red’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

This has turned into a banner trading day for the Washington Capitals, as they made four trades before the 3pm deadline. Yes, you read that right: four trades.

Who’s In?

The Caps picked up: D Milan Jurcina from the Blue Jackets, D Joe Corvo from Carolina, C Eric Belanger from Minnesota, F Scott Walker from Carolina

Who’s Out?

The Caps sent off: a sixth round draft pick (to Columbus, for Jurcina), D Brian Pothier, prospect F Oskar Osala and a second round draft pick (to Carolina, for Corvo), a second round draft pick (to Minnesota for Belanger), a seventh round draft pick (to Carolina, for Walker)

Wow. That’s a lot of shake-up and increased talent for the Caps. We’ll hopefully have some insightful things to say tomorrow when our head stops hurting from all the various parts of these deals from McPhee’s office. Whew!

The Daily Feed
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Breast Cancer Survivors And Advocates To Be Honored On Mother’s Day At Ballparks Nation-Wide

Photo courtesy of
‘Life’s a bitch !’
courtesy of ‘pfala’

Major League Baseball and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s largest breast cancer organization,  have teamed up to launch the 2010 Honorary Bat Girl contest. The contest was created to recognize the women who have fought hard to battle breast cancer. For the next six weeks, women are encouraged to share their inspirational stories.

Men and women over the age of 18 will be able to read these stories and vote for who they think should be this year’s Honorary Bat Girl. The woman chosen will receive two tickets to the Nationals game vs. the Florida Marlins on Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 9) where they will take part in the pre-game activities which include being honored with a pink ribbon during an on-field ceremony.

“The Nationals are excited to participate in the Honorary Bat Girl program as it allows us to reach our fans on a personal level,” Nationals Vice President of Communications and Community Relations Chartese Burnett said. “We encourage our fans to share their triumphant stories at mlb.com and we look forward to hosting the winner at Nationals Park.”

All testimonials must be entered online and can be submitted by breast cancer survivors or advocates of the cause.

The contest ends April 13.

The Daily Feed
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Hooray Chris & Hampton!

Photo courtesy of erin m

, courtesy of erin m

There’s a lot of folks out there on day 1 of marriage equality in the District, but only two of them are my friends Chris and Hampton. How many people can say that they saw pictures of their friends getting their marriage license on the internet before being shown pictures by the friends themselves?

Well, today maybe a lot. But while there may be many couples like them, this one is mine. Congrats, guys.

The Daily Feed
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National Zoo’s New Octopus Makes Invertebrates Cool

Giant Pacific Octopus
Photo courtesy Smithsonian National Zoo

I’m always fascinated to learn more about the other inhabitants of the planet that could totally kick my ass, so I’m pleased that the Zoo has a new Giant Pacific Octopus. It’s actually not so giant at the moment, weighing only 3 pounds, but it’s about to hit its growth spurt and will grow to be 13 times its current size over the next year. Which, to be frank, is not nearly as badass as it would be in the wild, potentially growing to hundreds of pounds.

But it does give me the opportunity to share my favorite collection of Octopus Facts: “This is Why an Octopus is More Awesome than Your Mom,” from The Oatmeal. Enjoy.

Business and Money, Media, The Daily Feed
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Washington Post? There’s an App for That

Photo courtesy of
‘Lotus #67’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Online news site paidContent received reports this morning that the Washington Post is heading toward the Apple App Store. The new app, which will provide similar content as the paper’s online properties, should be available today for you to download to your iPhone or iPod touch. WaPo columnist Rob Pegoraro confirmed the news earlier this morning on Twitter.

As the post from pC noted, the application will run you $1.99, and this isn’t the first time a print outlet as done it as a paid version. The U.K.’s Guardian sold over 100,000 downloads of its $3.99 app in the first 10 weeks it was available, but its also worth noting that the New York Times has an app that is currently free (this may change further down the road when NYT moves to a paid-metered-content model).

I’ll toss this one to the crowd: Would you pay for a WaPo app or would you be more likely to download it if it was free?

Entertainment, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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Vote for Shakespeare!

Photo courtesy of
‘Shakespeare In Snow’
courtesy of ‘[F]oxymoron’

The talented folks over at DC Theatre Scene have asked a panel of ardent Shakespeare admirers (including your most humble author) to choose their top three favorite speeches.

It’s a fascinating list that’s been assembled, from the usual suspects to a few passages you may not be as familiar with – and even better, they’re asking readers to vote! Since we’ve had such an intense conversation about Shakespeare ourselves recently, I’m very interested to see how it pans out. As they are friends of passionate theater-goers and We Love DC alike, let them know what you think.

The Daily Feed
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Nothing Like The Smell of Chlorine in the Morning…

Photo courtesy of
‘Preparation.’
courtesy of ‘Cameron Cassan’

Our friends over at Prince of Petworth recently asked the question “Why does a swimming pool come out of my faucet?” and an anonymous commenter delivered the news: From February 1st until May 17th, DC WASA changed the disinfectant used in its water treatment process from chloarmine (NH2Cl) to chlorine.

Chloramine is used for most of the year because it is far more stable than free chlorine and lacks the smell of chlorine. Chloramine is toxic to certain animals (e.g. fish) and is one of the reasons you need to age the water a few days or use product to make it safe. However, Chloramine is not as effective at sanitizing as free Chlorine. So WASA is effectively shocking the system.

You can read the DC WASA press release for more info