Category Archives: The Daily Feed

The Daily Feed
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Molly returned!

molly

Molly, the vizla who was notoriously dognapped, was returned to her humans late Monday night by police. They were provided few details because of the ongoing investigation but they seem to believe the person who had her was suffering from some mental issues. Hopefully any case built against her will result in some treatment and prevent this from happening to others.

Like most happy homecomings, this one will have a party to celebrate. Art S says:

A thank you party will be thrown to show appreciation for everyone that offered their support, possibly on the weekend of August 22nd, location TBA.  Please email findmollydog@gmail.com if you are interested in coming.

Welcome home, Molly.

The Daily Feed
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Goodbye Fun Store


Fun window
Originally uploaded by tbridge

I was walking on E street yesterday, and I noticed that my most favorite store was now a hollowed-out shell. No longer can you get Marital Aids, Martial Arts Equipment and Stun Guns in the same place. Sigh, whatever shall we do?!

The Daily Feed
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Don’t get shocked

Photo courtesy of
‘Crecent Lightning’
courtesy of ‘Cazimiro’

It looks cool but it’s less pleasant to get hit by it. According to Pepco lightning strikes kill 400 people in the US every year – most of them in June, July, and August. So they’ve offered up this selection of tips for how to stay safer in a storm.

They don’t offer any tips for keeping your stuff safe, so let me drop some knowledge on you here: there is no consumer protection gadget out there that will protect your computer/DVD/tv/whatever safe against a close lightning strike. So-called “surge protectors” are typically one-use components (an MOV, to be precise) that may marginally protect against dirty power – but probably not. Lightning travels through the air so I assure you: it will have no problem jumping a nanometer distance or even across a power switch on a strip if the strike was close enough.

For 100% protection in an ugly storm, unplug.

[edit: accidentally left in ‘kill’ from a previous edit – Pepco claims approximately 60 fatalities out of those 400 who are struck]

The Daily Feed
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No More Tax-Free

Photo courtesy of
‘Packaging their Tomica’
courtesy of ’emrank’

Wondering when the summertime DC ‘sales-tax free’ week is?

Don’t bother. The District repealed legislation today back in May that allowed for the tax-break week, usually in time for back-to-school shopping. A victim of the economy, the city will save nearly $650,000 in revenue.

No word on if it will return.

(Corrected, since I only briefly read the press release today – more of a reminder – and forgot this was repealed back before summertime.)

The Daily Feed
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Kastles Hit Homestretch


DC Tennis by Max Cook

The Washington Kastles, now 5-6, head into the end of their season this week.  Currently in second place in the Eastern Conference, they have their work cut out for them to maintain their position.  They’ve got three tough matches coming up, two of which are against the undefeated Springfield Lasers.  To help their playoff chances the Kastles have signed Nadia Petrova, currently ranked #10 in the world.  It remains to be seen who she will replace or if she will have doubles chemistry with either Rennae Stubbs or Olga Puchkova.

Securing wins in two of the final three matches will earn them a spot in the Eastern Conference Final against the 9-3 Sportimes who they played last week.  Should they lose two matches they will need the help from the Boston Lobsters and the Philadelphia Freedoms.  If the Kastles advance to the finals it will be played here in DC, a rematch you surely won’t want to miss.

While Washington clearly has the best fans in World TeamTennis, seats are still available for this week’s matches so buy your tickets now.

The Daily Feed
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Not actually a small plane, a crash, or experimental

Photo courtesy of
‘Taxi back after landing’
courtesy of ‘jitze’

WTOP reports here that the pilot of an ultralight was unharmed – and presumably nobody else was either – after he set his vehicle down on a road median in Maryland. Unfortunately the article fudges a few terms and exhibits the ususal problems the media has when reporting on general aviation.

It’s an accurate statement, but WTOP tosses in that this is an “experimental plane” which makes it sound like something the pilot cobbled together out of junkyard parts. What the FAA calls planes in the “experimental” category is just a grouping most of us would think of as small planes flown by hobbyist pilots. There’s some restrictions on flying passengers and other commercial actions but in general there’s no reason to single these out to sound like they’re iffy in any way.

The use of the term “crash” is also problematic, since most of us would think of a crash as a fairly uncontrolled landing. The pilot here might simply have had to engage in a forced landing outside of a proper landing zone – which would require involving the FAA – but was able to do so in a controlled manner.

If the media is going to report on these things I wish they’d make up their mind whether they’re going to go balls-to-the-wall on the technical terms or simply report things in plain english. This term mixing seems to only happen when they are salacious official words.

Downtown, Entertainment, Essential DC, Media, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The Mall
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Screen on the Green Returns Tonight!

Photo courtesy of
‘Screen on the Green’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

In case you didn’t already have this marked down on your calendar, Screen on the Green makes its triumphant return tonight with a showing of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” The screen will be set up on the Mall between 4th and 7th streets (you can’t miss it) and the showing will start at sunset. There is a 30% chance of rain, so pray that it holds off till after the movie.

The Daily Feed
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40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing


Neil Armstrong
Originally uploaded by Samer Farha

That’s Neil Armstrong there, pointing skyward, standing with fellow astronauts Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. The three of them represent the crowning achievement of NASA’s space flight program: a successful trip to lunar orbit, and from there, the lunar surface. Forty years ago today, two men decamped from that lander, and they walked the surface of another world. They left behind a flag and a plaque that said “we came in peace for all mankind.”

I might be a bit of a nerd for saying this, and it’s just fine if you mock me, but this is the kind of stuff that gets me all misty. Today, if you see them around town (they’ll be at the White House today), ask them about the view from the moon to the Earth. You’ve seen the pictures, but they saw it live, through their own faceplates.

Their command module sits in the Air and Space Museum on the Mall, to remind us what we could do just 66 years after inventing human flight: land on another world. Take a look at Samer Farha’s set from yesterday’s event at NASM, and wonder: Will we go further than that day 40 years ago?

I do hope so.

The Daily Feed
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Vonage and Mix 107.3

Photo courtesy of
‘Wait! Say you’ll stay, spend a lazy Sunday.’
courtesy of ‘needlessspaces’

While the sourcing on the story is a little shaky, it appears that Mix 107.3 is denying a prize to a listener who tried to call in when they called her name, but found their cellphone and Vonage home phone blocked. The station was accepting only local calls to their 800 number. While the caller’s Vonage number is indeed within the DC area, Vonage directs all 800 calls through their New York gateway, making her local call a “non-local” call. So, is the caller a winner? Or a loser because she didn’t knock on her neighbor’s door?

The Daily Feed
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Metro iPhone app, with bus times

Photo courtesy of Me

Find a Metro DC

When I wrote about WaPo’s questionable iPhone app choice earlier, reader JW said he’d like to see Nextbus functionality incorporated into an app. Ask and ye shall receive – John popped up to say that he’d added exactly that into his app, Find a Metro DC, and it was just waiting on Apple’s approval.

Well, Apple has now approved it so you can go grab it now. I haven’t had the opportunity to try it yet but the bus times is a nice feature that my current metro app doesn’t offer. John also said that he’s got support for you to pick your 3 favorite spots for quick access, a feature I wouldn’t want to give up from my current app.

The Daily Feed
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A Fringe suggestion – you know, for the kids

capital-fringe-gilbert-and-sullivan-gilbertandsullivan

I skipped it last year, but two years ago I had the pleasure of seeing the Gilbert and Sullivan Youth Company perform at Fringe. They’re back again this year and I have no doubt they’ll be just as enjoyable. You’ve only got a couple of hours to get to the Mt Vernon Place United Methodist Church if  you want to hit their 5:30p show today but they’ll be there tomorrow at 2:45p and Sunday at 6:45p. It’s a good show and helps support and encourage some talented youngsters – the 2007 show featured players as young as 12.

The Daily Feed
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Clothing Swap Tomorrow

Photo courtesy of
‘Fashion in Motion’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

Got cute things that you just don’t (or can’t) wear anymore? Fashion Fights Poverty, an organization dedicated to spreading awareness about poverty and the environment, will host a clothing swap tomorrow afternoon at the Mayflower Hotel. At some predetermined (and undisclosed) time between 12pm and 5pm, all the clothes people bring will be put in one big pile on the table and then you’re invited to go for it. There is a time limit, though, and all the stuff left over will be donated to charity. Besides the swap, you can bring your stuff for consignment at Current Boutique or donate your items to Covenant House Washington.

The Daily Feed
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WMATA seeks cyclist input

Photo courtesy of
‘Bike Garage 1’
courtesy of ‘Tony DeFilippo’

WMATA is having a public session next Wednesday, the 22nd, about bicyclists and how they use Metro as well as what needs are and are not being met. The first line of the press release says the meeting’s purpose is “to obtain input from riders on how to improve bicycle and pedestrian access for people who bike or walk to Metro” but it goes on to invite anyone who might be interested in cycling to Metro and promises a “presentation” at one point during the 3 hour (!) meeting. So presumably there’ll be some information there for the curious and an opportunity for input from non-cyclists with concerns or needs.

Metro Headquarters, Lobby Level Meeting Room
5:30p through 8:30p on July 22
600 5th Street, NW,
Washington, DC.

Business and Money, Downtown, The Daily Feed
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A Little Sim City For DC

Photo courtesy of
‘My SimCity (650K Residents)’
courtesy of ‘adamjackson1984’

With news about budgetary changes coming to the city, in an attempt to offset a $666M budget deficit, it’s definitely time to start thinking about the hard choices necessary to fix the gap in the city’s finances. Enter the Washington Post, who’ve designed a little simulator to alter the budget and work your way back toward a revenue-neutral DC. You can alter revenues (taxes) and expenditures (Marion Barry’s girlfriends) to narrow the gap.

It’s a good way for citizens to understand the choices at play when it comes to covering a budget deficit. Either taxes and fees go up, or services go down, and sometimes it’s a little bit of both. Choices have consequences: if you raise the taxes on the wealthy, they might move to Arlington or Bethesda, and you lose their revenue. It’s interesting, give it a look.

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Good Green Nibbles at Blue Ridge

Photo courtesy of
‘Subversive Supper: Inaugural Dinner’
courtesy of ‘Cooking With Jeff’

You’ve already heard from Katie that the new Blue Ridge Restaurant is mmm, mmm good. Next week, in addition to other foodie events, you’ll have a chance to hear from Chef Barton Seaver himself why it’s also good for the planet.

On July 22 at 6:30 p.m., join the newly formed DC Green Connection there to sample Chesapeake Bay oysters and other local delights, to hear why Chef Seaver sources all his items locally, and to raise a glass of organic wine to “green” goodness!

Foodie Roundup, The Daily Feed
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Foodie Round-Up (July 13-17th)

Photo courtesy of
‘WINE. Not WHINE.’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’
Ms. Katie’s headin’ home early for the weekend and so it is my pleasure to make a meeger attempt at filling those big ol’ shoes of hers by pullin’ together a Foodie Roundup for all you (y’all, in Katie’s words) voracious eaters out there. You ready for this?

Just when I thought I was getting over the trauma, er…I mean adventure?, of my tactile dining experience Katie tells me the folks over at banished productions announced that due to popular demand (a fact I highly doubt) they will be serving up two extra shows of A Tactile Dinner on Monday, July 20, 2009 at 7pm and 9pm at the Arthur S. Flemming Center (1426 9th St NW) in Shaw. Reference the review I wrote about my experience before deciding whether or not you’d like to attend.

The owners of popular Cork Wine Bar cordially invite you to  join them for an afternoon wine tasting on Sunday, July 19, 2009.  They’re gonna be learning about wines from the Jura Region in France with local distributor pals of at Potomac Selections.  Known as France’s smallest wine region, the Jura offers an amazing diversity of wines and wine styles.  You’ll taste delicious wines and learn about the Jura region, its varietals and winemaking.  The tasting starts at 3:00 p.m., costs $30, and is limited attendance to ensure the comfort of guests (awww, how nice!)

Next up, the folks of Asia Nine are throwing a “Full Moon Party” for a good cause. Here’s the skinny: Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Flash Mob Warning

Photo courtesy of
‘Funkin’ the War’
courtesy of ‘IntangibleArts’

Tomorrow, at several times during the day, in different locations throughout the city, there will be a flash mob protest of the Iranian elections. Only in DC do we have flash mob protests, instead of San Francisco, where they have flash mob pillow fights (okay, so we had one in April.), or Los Angeles, where they have flash mob zombie shambles. Now, lest you think I am making light, I am 100% behind the protestors tomorrow, provided they don’t wreck traffic, or behave like jerks. Here’s the times and places:

Union Station: 8:30 a.m.
Freedom Plaza: 10:30 a.m.
Lincoln Memorial: 12:30 p.m.
Dupont Circle: 1:30 p.m.
Embassy of Pakistan, Iranian Interests Section: 3:30 p.m.

Project Nur is organizing the flash mobs for tomorrow, with the Georgetown chapter leading the way. “Our peers in Iran are dying for freedom, it is our duty to show that
we are with them in these trying times,” said Corina Kwami, President of the Georgetown chapter.

What will the Flash Mob look like? That part is unclear. The announcement came out that, “the flash mob will offer an agitprop visual
demonstration of support for those in the streets of Tehran, braving
tear gas, bullets, and rocks.” But I’m not sure if they’re bringing just signs and banners, or perhaps if they’re going to act out a skirmish in place.

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Metro Reorganizes Bus Customer Service

Photo courtesy of
‘Outside, Looking In’
courtesy of ‘Bogotron’

Metro has reorganized all of the hierarchy for Metro bus drivers. They started with just three garages, but have now deployed this system to all of the area garages, and they’ve collapsed some of the management bureaucracy and turned to their midline managers to help address customer service complaints. What’s this mean? Well, instead of each garage superintendent handling all the complaints for several hundred drivers, this is now a task for someone who might manage 20-30 drivers. Sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s cut down on complaints over the first quarter of 2009, and helped address some safety issues that might have gotten missed before. Well done, Metro.