Category Archives: The Daily Feed

All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Liveblogging the Metro Crash Hearing

Photo courtesy of
‘Eleanor Holmes Norton Schools Union Station Management’
courtesy of ‘lightboxdc’

Dr. Gridlock over at WaPo is liveblogging the congressional subcommittee hearing over the recent WMATA crash. We had a chance to submit some questions; hopefully we’ll see those brought up. So far, DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, a subcommittee member, has said that today’s hearing will make public all that is known now, allowing the public to separate urban legend from authoritative testimony.

Catch the latest updates over on Dr. Gridlock’s column.

The Daily Feed
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Want to go for a Swim?

Photo courtesy of
‘My feet in the pool’
courtesy of ‘jc.westbrook’

Well, you’re not alone.  Word has gotten out about DC’s free public swimming pools, and (anecdotally at least) they seem particularly more crowded than in previous years.  This past Sunday, East Potomac Park at Hains Point (home of an Olympic-size pool and favorite location of triathletes in training) had to turn people away because the pool was over capacity. 

The Department of Parks and Recreation keeps an updated list of pool attendance for the summer, and it turns out that my two favorite swimming pools, East Potomac Park and Francis (at 25th and N in West End) are everyone else’s favorites too, with by far the highest attendance this summer.  East Potomac Park has logged more than 8,700 visitors as of June 25, and Francis has logged more than 7,000 visitors, while most other pools are in the 2,000-3,000 visitor range.  So what do you think– have you noticed your favorite pool becoming more crowded this summer?

The Daily Feed
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Congresswomen Compete to Benefit Breast Cancer Survivors

Photo courtesy of
‘Just playing around in the back yard…2’
courtesy of ‘cruffo’

Batter, up! It’s now the ladies turn to swing for the fences in the first-ever Congressional Women’s Softball Game. A team of Congresswomen from both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate will face off against female staffers of the DCCC, RNCC, DNC and RNC tonight. Donations will be accepted at the gate and will benefit the Young Survival Coalition.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz D-Fla., herself a breast cancer survivor, will co-captain the congresswomen’s team with Rep. Jo Ann Emerson R-Mo., Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand D-N.Y. and Sen. Susan Collins R-Maine.

The congresswomen’s team will also include the following big-leaguers:

Betty Sutton, D-Ohio; Kathy Dahlkemper, D-Pa.; Betsy Markey, D-Colo.; Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y.; Grace Napolitano, D-Ariz.; Susan Davis, D-Calif.; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla.; Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio; Laura Richardson, D-Calif.; Donna Edwards, D-Md.

The game will be played at Guy Mason Field, 3600 Calvert St. NW. The first pitch will be thrown at 7:30 p.m.

All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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WSJ: The Nationals Are Like The Senate GOP

Photo courtesy of
‘mccainwilsonpearce’
courtesy of ‘twinkletoez’

And, I have no idea who is worse for the comparison. But, here, the WSJ argues that like the Nationals, the Senate GOP is asking, “Why are we here?”

It’s hard not to think of a few more obvious parallels to yesterday’s hysterical McSweeney’s piece on what might happen if the 1977 Royals were in charge of the hearings. Certainly, it’s funnier to think what it might be like if the Republicans in the Senate Judiciary Committee were members of the Nationals. Perhaps Senator Hatch (R-UT) could start in place of Adam Dunn? I mean, he can’t be any worse in the field, right? I suspect Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) could stare down batters a lot more effectively than Kip Wells. What are your picks?

The Daily Feed
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A sad statement

Photo courtesy of
‘take me out to the ballgame…’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

City Paper has a piece about – and the full text of – Marion Barry’s weird open letter to fellow councilman David Catania. It essentially asserts that Catania’s reactions to Barry lining the pockets of his girlfriend is all about a dispute over a past vote and that he’s pursuing some sort of vendetta. Rather than, say, being disgusted, embarrassed, or offended by unethical behavior. Even if it’s 100% on target, complaining about being persecuted works way better when you’re not admittedly guilty.

I wouldn’t find it worth noting except that I thought to myself “If it was anyone else I’d wonder if this kind of behavior was a sign of the onset of Alzheimer’s. But with Barry it doesn’t reflect any kind of changed behavior.”

The Daily Feed
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Bike Accident at 13th and Florida

Photo courtesy of
‘A New Trail’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’

There was a pretty nasty bike accident this morning at 13th and Florida NW, witnesses tell us. A biker was speeding down the hill past Cardozo H.S. toward stopped traffic without slowing down. When he finally noticed the stopped cars in front of him, the biker slammed on his brakes, flying over the handlebars and crashing into the back window of the SUV. Witnesses of the accident called 911, but police showed up within minutes to move the biker (who was, in point of fact, wearing his helmet) off the street and give him assistance. No word on the biker’s condition, but we hope he’s okay. Just a daily wake-up call for bikers across the district to be extra aware.

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Jack Evans’ Press Secretary Found Dead in Baltimore Harbor

Photo courtesy of
‘Baltimore Police Boat’
courtesy of ‘mkriedel’

Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans’ Press Secretary, Desi Deschaine, was found dead this morning in Baltimore Harbor. Deschaine was reported missing yesterday when he failed to show up for work yesterday. He had been on a boating excursion in the harbor over the weekend, but debarked with the rest of the group at 10:30pm on Sunday.

It’s not clear if this is considered foul play or an accidental death at this time. Our hearts go out to Deschaine’s family and friends. Mike DeBonis from the City Paper has a remembrance of Deschaine posted to their City Desk blog. Deschaine’s commitment to the city, and his friends, will be sorely missed.

The Daily Feed
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Kastles Mount Huge Comeback


Scott Oudsema by Max Cook

Last week the Washington Kastles were in last place in the Eastern Conference and things were looking grim.  Despite having Rennae Stubbs and Leander Paes, two players who recently competed in the Wimbledon finals, the team just couldn’t get a win.  Troubled by double faults and a low number of aces and break point conversions, the Kastles got off to an 0-4 start.

Continue reading →

Business and Money, The Daily Feed
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We Love Jobs

Photo courtesy of
‘Diversity!’
courtesy of ‘lorigoldberg’

The Business Journal reports that DC ranks at the top of yet another national list: jobs created.  The District had 133 job postings per 1000 residents, beating out the nearest competitor, Baltimore, by 43.  Experts site the government sector as the reason for DC’s strong showing and expect that job creation will remain high in our city.  Not surprisingly, Detroit rounded out the field with only 15 jobs per 1000 residents.

The Daily Feed
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DC Test Scores on the Rise

Photo courtesy of
‘GravelHillReportCard_1942-43_Inside’
courtesy of ‘Small Town OK’

Congratulations to the students, teachers and administrators at DC Public Schools, whose 2008-2009 assessment scores were higher than the preceding years. The numbers themselves are less than stellar, though, with just under half the students in elementary school at “proficient” or better for their grade level in reading and mathematics. High school students are at a mere 40% proficient in reading and mathematics. Pretty scary when you think about the number of kids in DC’s schools who can’t achieve at grade-level.

The Daily Feed
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Red Panda recognition, yo!

Photo courtesy of
‘Happy Panda’
courtesy of ‘headsoak’

Tiff mentioned the National Zoo’s announcement about another spotted leopard cub; the zoo also announced a new red panda cub today, born to a somewhat older panda named Panya – the fifth red panda born at the zoo’s conservation research center in the last three weeks.

I’d love to show you a picture but for some reason they didn’t post any. Crazy! Red pandas are cuter than giant pandas and spotted leopards put together. Perhaps the shots did not come out because the camera shattered from too much adorable.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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All Up On Your Grill

Photo courtesy of
‘Grilling Out’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

It’s that blissed out season of grilling, ya’ll. Nothing says summer quite like a beer in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other. Our cute neighbor regularly busts out his gas grill, straps on his “Virginia is For Lovers” apron, and makes me jealous while whipping up steaks out on his fancy grill. I get all envious of his style and his yummy smelling food.

My nutritionist, Danielle Omar, of Fairfax, Virginia sent out her newsletter today and included some super helpful tips on grilling from local catering Chef Oliver Friendly of Eat & Smile foods. A few of them were surprises to me (especially coming from my nutritionist) – over-salt your meat and use canola oil instead of olive oil in your marinades. For more tips on grilling, check out her blog. Furthermore, nothing beats a perfect and convenient outdoor grilling than finding the right grilling equipment like those popular grills for propane gas. Overall it is still a matter of style and the love for cooking that makes an excellent grilled food.

But that made me wonder (Carrie Bradshaw style) – what are your grilling tips? Favorite recipes? Favorite foods on the grill? Leave it in the comments!

The Daily Feed
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The Zoo is killing me…


Baby Boom of Endangered Species
Originally uploaded by Smithsonian’s National Zoo

…with all the cute baby animals. Apparently the clouded leopard adult pair at the zoo are kind of randy, and have produced another cub, born Friday afternoon. Like the first pair of cubs, this one will be hand-reared by Zoo staff to help with socialization. Which is good, because his big brother is pretty much demanding some belly-rubs.

You know, the pandas could take some lessons from a species actually interested in its own survival.

Crime & Punishment, The Daily Feed
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Friendly Reminder: Protect Your Car

Photo courtesy of
‘Be Cool in your Blue Crusier’
courtesy of ‘Wayan Vota’

Crime is something that everyone in big cities deals with, but there are things you can do to avoid being a victim. One of my friends got her car broken into over the weekend, and the friendly policewoman who responded told her that there were three other break-ins within a couple of blocks of where she lives (Eastern Market) by people looking for one thing: GPSes. These devices are often used to protect your car or increase the value of its insurance, but in this case, the device cannot protect itself from intruders. In addition to this, always keep your car checked through just car checks. There are many different kinds of GPS for different applications as the guide on GeoSettr will tell you. They are certainly a valuable asset.

It’s easy to get lax after living in the city for a while without incident, but don’t forget to take all valuables out of your car– and wipe those suction marks off your windshield! Apparently, that’s one major tip-off that a GPS might be inside. If that strikes you as over the top, just remember: it’s a whole lot less of a hassle than getting your car broken into.

News, The Daily Feed
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More Ritz closings possible, some changes certain

Photo courtesy of
‘KitsWoodinville’
courtesy of ‘Seven_Null7’

Even after the closings and liquidations earlier in the year, Ritz Camera has been unsuccessful in working out their bankruptcy reorganization. Like a lot of companies this last year, Ritz has been unable to secure needed funding. Many news outlets reported their intention to petition the court for permission to have an auction for the company a week from today. I’ve checked the Delaware filings and they did indeed get permission to proceed with an auction. The auction will happen at the office of their bankruptcy lawyers in New York and the results will be presented to the bankruptcy court on the 23rd.

It seems unlikely they won’t work something out, but if they can’t arrange a sale they’ll endeavor to start liquidation by the 24th. It’s an aggressive schedule because Ritz would like to pull the plug and get out of their leases as quickly as possible. Some of their landlords were taking issue with the speed Ritz is trying to get this done, but since the court ruled to allow the auction it seems that they were overruled.

Unless one of the two supposed prospective buyers purchases all their assets, including the name, it looks like we’ll see the remaining DC-area Ritz stores either rebrand or shut their doors entirely.

The Daily Feed
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A better iPhone Metro app

Photo courtesy of Me

IMG_0451
courtesy of Me

Sunday’s WaPo had an article about online transit tools, including mention of an iPhone app for Metro times. I already had one but I thought I’d drop the $1 to see if the one they mention, iTrans DC Metro, was better. It was not.

If you’re of a mind to spend a buck on a tool for metro times – and I have found it worthwhile – grab iMetroMap DC instead. [Confusingly, it shows the above-pictured name once installed] While it currently lack one feature that iTrans DC Metro has – location awareness to tell you where the closest stop is – it has several others that are far more useful. In particular the ‘favorites’ option where you can have the stations you need information on most often.

There seem to be plenty of others out there – any of you have one you prefer over either the Post’s suggestion or mine?

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Morrison Coming to Capitals

Photo courtesy of
‘Brendan Morrison’ courtesy of ‘RobertCiavarro’

Injury-bedeviled Brendan Morrison – once considered the NHL’s “iron man” – signed a one-year contract with the Caps on Friday, worth around $1.5 million.

Rumor has it he’ll be centering the second line, helping fill the space Fedorov left when the Russian headed off to the KHL.

Morrison’s played with three teams over the last year and a half and has been plagued with injuries since 2007. After knocking out 8 solid seasons with the Dallas Stars Vancouver Canucks – racking in 542 consecutive games from 2000-07 – he’s suffered from four heavy surgeries: wrist, hip, hernia and torn ACL. He spent less than half of the 07-08 season with the Canucks, then moved to the Anaheim Ducks and then on to the Dallas Stars last season, finishing with 16 goals and 15 assists in 81 games.

The Caps believe Morrison’s back to full health, as does the 34 year-old center, and the team continues to piece together another worthy contender for the upcoming season.