Category Archives: The Daily Feed

The Daily Feed
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Government car-sharing gets an upgrade

Photo courtesy of
‘Stuck’
courtesy of ‘Samer Farha’

WTOP has an interesting article on how the DC government is using ZipCar’s auto management technology to increase efficiency in their auto pool. I’m all in favor of the government reducing its number of cars on the road and it’s hard to argue with a projected $1M+ a year savings, but the article somewhat glosses a significant fact. The vehicles continue to be owned and maintained by the DC government, meaning that sharing vehicles in the auto pool isn’t something they couldn’t have already been doing on their own – this is just a licensed, managed solution they’re utilizing, and at an ongoing cost.

WTOP states that the fleet has been reduced by 17%, 360 cars. That works out to an original pool size of 2,117 vehicles, which reduced by 360 means 1,757 now. The article cites a monthly price of $65 to $90 per vehicle, so averaged that’s $77.50/vehicle/month, or $136,167/month for the whole fleet, $1,634,010 per year.

Ongoing.

It would be interesting to what it would have cost to get a solution custom-built and run by a local firm.

News, The Daily Feed
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Five Members of the House Arrested

Photo courtesy of
‘PHOTO Tradewinds 2009 090306-M-7404B-011CB’
courtesy of ‘Exercise Tradewinds 2009’

At the Darfur protest outside of the Sudanese embassy, Rep Ellison (D-MN) and Rep Donna Edwards (D-MD) were both arrested after crossing a police line. No word on charges at this point aside from violating a police order.

Update: It’s now being reported that five members of the house have been arrested. The afore-listed Reps Ellison and Edwards, as well as Rep John Lewis (D-GA), Rep Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and Rep James McGovern (D-MA).

For those of you scoring at home, that’s 1% of the House of Representatives currently under arrest.

Update 2: Huffington Post now has the video from the arrests. Let’s be clear: of all the reasons to get arrested, protesting genocide in a civil fashion is probably just about the best of them. This wasn’t an arrest for a violent mob getting out of control, just an arrest to make a point. And, let’s be honest, no one can be for the Sudan at this point. Expelling 14 aid agencies is just plain ridiculous when your country’s in that kind of shape.

The Daily Feed, The District
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Keep’in It Cool

Taking a water break, Originally uploaded by philliefan99

With temperatures in the 80s and even 90s for the past few days, I’ve been DYING to jump into a pool, run through a sprinkler, or catapult myself down a slip-n-slide. But no. DC public pools aren’t open until after Memorial Day, and I’m without a lawn/yard for a sprinkler or Crocodile Mile, so I guess I’ll have to settle for misting myself with a spray bottle. What are you doing to keep cool during this April Heat Wave?

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Banner Arrest

Photo courtesy of
‘ANSWER Protest Signs’ courtesy of ‘Wayan Vota’

Just noticed on WTOP’s Twitter that DCPD have arrested seven Greenpeace activists for the traffic-inducing banner-unfurling at a construction site near the State Department this morning.

The banner, consisting of a giant image of the Earth, read “Too big to fail. Stop global warming, rescue the planet.” A Greenpeace spokeswoman said if governments can bail out big banks, “they can find the resources to bail out the Earth.”

The sign’s been taken down and the activists arrested for unlawful entry.

Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Dear IMF/World Bank Protestors

Photo courtesy of
‘Old MPD Cruiser: Anyone Know What Year??’
courtesy of ‘marciadc’

Two things for the jerks who decided that breaking windows and spray-painting cars was a good idea:

1. PNC Bank isn’t the problem. Seriously guys. PNC is a medium-sized local-ish bank that avoided the risky investments that have caused the credit crunch.

2. Breaking windows and vandalizing people’s stuff is about as likely to make your message popular with the people as hitting them in the face. Seriously, nobody likes a jackass. I’m down with free speech, but that’s not a freedom to break other people’s stuff, mmkay?

Oh, and by the way, if you want to stop the delegates from leaving your hotel, that means you have to be there before they leave, okay? So maybe tomorrow don’t stop for Starbucks, and don’t sleep past 9. Or, maybe let the adults go to work, and you kids can stay home? That’d be just fine with us, too.

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed, The District
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DC Versus New York Tomorrow!

Photo courtesy of
‘Capitol – In Pre-Dawn Light – 3-9-09’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Tomorrow pits the best of DC sports against the best of New York sports:

  • Nationals at Mets at 1:10pm (on MASN)
  • Capitals at Rangers at 2:00pm (on NBC4)
  • DC United at Red Bulls at 3:00pm (on WTOP 1050AM & Telefutura)

So, who’s for taking down those feckless thugs in New York? Bring the spirit DC! See you at the sports bars!

The Daily Feed
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Spacey In Town to Study Abramoff

Photo courtesy of
‘kevin spacey’ courtesy of ‘pinguino’

Famed stage and film actor Kevin Spacey just twittered about it being a “lovely day in DC,” and he’s right: today’s going to be mid-80s and sunny, almost summery. But Spacey’s not here to see the sights; via MediaBistro’s FishbowlDC we have Nikki Finke’s report that Spacey visited Cumberland Federal Prison to study imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff, whom he will be playing in “Casino Jack,” a stage production described as “a modern day GoodFellas” about the Bush administration.

The Daily Feed
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Bicycles and Love Poems

Photo courtesy of
‘Tennessee Tandem Rally 2008’
courtesy of ‘tandemracer’
Love and zipping along on a bicycle–the two concepts are easy to connect on beautiful days like this.

Poet Nikki Giovanni had a slightly different idea in mind with her latest collection, Bicycles: Love Poems, titled so “because love requires trust and balance.” She’ll be discussing her works next Thursday, April 30, at 6:30 p.m. at the Busboys and Poets at 5th and K.

Maybe it’ll put you in the mood to make a date with a special someone and your two-wheeled friends for a weekend spin or Bike to Work Day, coming up on Friday, May 15th. Just try not to swoon all over the road, okay?

The Daily Feed, The District
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Retrofitting Strip Malls on the Kojo Nnamdi Show

Photo courtesy of
‘Tivoli Square Streetscape’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

For every active, vibrant public space in DC, there’s another lifeless, auto-oriented public space right down the street.   Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown is an urban designer’s dream, while a few miles north on Wisconsin Avenue there are parking lots and gas stations lining the streets.  New York Avenue north of Chinatown is a developing hub, while New York Avenue on the eastern edge of the city is a car-oriented paradise of fast food and motels.  The reason is simple: the closer-in areas developed when walking or streetcars were the primary mode of transportation (so everything is close to the street, compact, and walkable), while the outer areas developed in the car era (with plenty of room for parking and a focus on convenience).  Now we know that, for the most part, strip malls don’t provide the public space and active streets that we urban planners love. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Get Ready for Protests

Photo courtesy of
‘e52’
courtesy of ‘Fire Horse Leo’

That’s right, folks, it’s World Bank Protest Weekend, which means that people from all over are descending on DC to make nuisances of themselves in front of the World Bank and IMF and in front of various hotels housing various officials that are coming for this weekend’s meeting. Apparently, it’s possible that the teabaggers and the WB/IMF crowds may join forces in the best case of “most unlikely bedfellows” since Youppi and Slapshot got it on to create the Nats’ mascot Screech.

So, if at all possible, avoid the area around WB and IMF this weekend, it’s likely going to be a giant charlie foxtrot within several blocks of there. And hopefully, no one’s going to go throwing bricks in georgetown like they did a few years ago. No one would be that stupid, right? Right?

Oh right, London was a nightmare during the G-20. Get your asshat-resistance gear on, people.

Comedy in DC, Night Life, Technology, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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When Text Messages Go Bad

Photo courtesy of
‘SLVR’
courtesy of ‘Max Klingensmith’

Oh, text messaging. Sure, some people think texting is the end of society. Some others think that it’s just a gateway to ratings (Um, how many stories does Fox 5 need to do on Sexting? Is their 10pm news editor just a perv?), but really, what texting is, is comedy. Enter Texts From Last Night. Better yet, they’ve got them segregated by area code, so you can read DC’s finest hilarious texts including my favorite:

(202): And then I said “flip over. I want to show you something i learned in Afghanistan.”

Of course, there 703, 240, 301, but oddly, no 571. What, does no one text funny things from Virginia?

The Daily Feed
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“Dear Emily Dickinson…”

Photo courtesy of
‘letter’
courtesy of ‘One Good Bumblebee’

Today the Library of Congress announced the winners of the Letters About Literature Reading-Promotion Program, a program which kids from the ages of 9-18 write a letter to an author (living or dead) who impacted their lives. A fitting announcement for today, Shakespeare’s 445th birthday. Of 55,000 entrants, 2 national winners were chosen from each of three age groups. National winners get to designate their favorite library for a $10,000 grant and get a $500 gift card to Target. 

The winners wrote to widely varying authors, from Rudyard Kipling (regarding his poem “If”)  Blake E.S. Taylor (“ADHD & Me”). A list of all the winners and their letters can be seen at the Library of Congress Center for the Book website.

The Daily Feed
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Give the Dog a Bone

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Spodie Odie’

Fido is so good to you — and he doesn’t mind if you just chill out in your apartment alone and watch re-runs of The City, does he? Well, maybe it would be good for you and Fido both, if you check out the BowWowPowWow this Sunday, April 26. The BowWowPowWow is a day of fun — contests, doggie friends, exhibition booths — brought to you by the Adams Morgan Main Street Group. The event will take place 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  at Marie Reed School Plaza. It may be a little bit leaning towards a stuffwhitepeoplelike entry, but it’s not as bad as Doga. 

The Daily Feed
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Extra bad for your teeth

mervis_diamond_cupcake

Photo by:Labor of Love Photography.

Now, my darling industry shill fiancée says “sugar isn’t more likely to cause cavities than any other fermentable carbohydrate, including bread,” but I suspect even she would acknowledge that a cupcake can do some serious harm to your teeth if you bite down into the two carat diamond Mervis has stuck into the middle.

They don’t really intend for you to eat it; the cupcake, created by Classic Bakery, is to promote their wedding ring trunk show. I’m going to have to pass, what with spending the 2nd actually getting married, but since we’re serving cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake at our event I called dibs on this item.

When I did another of our authors asserted that a different cupcake bakery was a superior choice. I’ll let her share herself, but what’s your go-to location for diamond encrusted pastry?

Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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National Childrens’ Museum Opens Demo Space This Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘Gaylord at Night’
courtesy of ‘rgb48’
The National Childrens’ Museum (due to open at National Harbor in 2013) is opening up a 2,700 square-foot Launch Zone at National Harbor this weekend. They’re doing some big events this weekend, running from 11 to 4 both days this weekend. Saturday will feature a recycling-related theme, with performances of Willy the Water Bottle, and Sunday will feature the Washington Revels in a special performance of Sea Revels. All events are free and open to the public!

Downtown, Life in the Capital, Monumental, News, The Daily Feed, The Mall
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$78M for Mall Monument Renewal

Photo courtesy of
‘DC WWI Memorial Inscription’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

The Post has the news this morning that the Department of the Interior will be spending almost $80M on DC-area monuments and memorials to bring them back to their former glory. I’m most pleased to see that the DC War Memorial will be picking up $7.6M for a badly-needed rejuvenation project. The last one was back in the 1980’s, so it’s about due.

Also on the list is the Seawall at the Jefferson Memorial, and Rock Creek Park’s infrastructure, as well as a bunch of money for the C&O Canal in Georgetown.

Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Sample sale heaven is a place on earth?

Photo courtesy of
‘Colourful clothes’
courtesy of ‘Alicia Nijdam’

Zac Posen, Prada, Miss Sixty, Oh My! This Sunday, head over to Halo (1435 P St. NW) for a huge sample sale. Touting at least 70% off designer shoes, denim and clothing, Sample Sale Heaven is a must-stop-shop for the brand-name recessionista. (Word to the wise: mention Daily Candy and you can get in at noon.)

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Rough Morning Commute Today

Photo courtesy of
‘Typical Beltway traffic’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’

What a mess– two incidents are making for some long commutes this morning.  First, around 5 AM this morning (thanks for the wake-up text message alert at 7 AM, Washington Post), an accident at the 3rd Street Tunnel entrance caused some major delays.  And I mean major– according to WTOP, traffic is backed up for 24 miles (!) along 95 and 395.

In a separate incident, service on the Camden Line of the MARC commuter rail in Maryland has been suspended after a train hit a pedestrian.  Police are investigating.  In the mean time, Metro will honor MARC tickets from Greenbelt, and MTA is providing bus service from Dorsey, Savage, and Laurel stations to Greenbelt.

Did you get stuck in any of this today?  Let us know in the comments.