Category Archives: The Daily Feed

The Daily Feed
By

Eating your own dog food

Photo courtesy of ladyinpink

Page A02: An article about some researchers contending that there’s an evolutionary imperative that might explain why we as humans are more interested in gossipy fluff articles than writeups of more import and substance.

Page A01: An article about the closing ceremonies of the Olympics in China. They’re referred to as “tightly scripted” but no mention is made of the faux fireworks brouhaha from the opening ceremonies. There’s some talk about people’s objections to China’s human rights issues, but they’re behind the fold on the print edition and on page two of the web version. The article is headlined “A Victory for China,” and the print edition directs you to 3 other positive articles elsewhere in the paper but not:

Page A11: An article about China being pressured into releasing 8 jailed Americans arrested in China for protesting, as well as three Chinese citizens sentenced to a year in prison for protesting and another arrested for repeatedly applying for a protest permit.

I guess the folks deciding how to prioritize stories read that page 2 article.

freedom, courtesy of ladyinpink

The Daily Feed
By

Thai Festival 2008 at Union Station

If you’re in the area of Union Station you might want to drop by the Thai Festival that’s been running there through the weekend, celebrating 75 years of U.S.-Thai relations. They’ve got music, crafts, history, orchids, a kick boxing ring, and of course tons of Thai food. Admission is free, with booths and displays sprinkled around the station, and food all over the place. (Food is not free, but it’s good and spicy.) Hurry if you’re interested; this is the last day so you only have this afternoon to get there.

Thai Festival 2008 at Union Station

All Politics is Local, Technology, The Daily Feed
By

SMS Received – It’s Biden

It’s 3AM and I should be safe and asleep. But there’s a phone beside me and it’s beeping. Something’s happening in the world.

Obama Text Message Announcing Biden as his VP

Good morning, DC! The Obama campaign seems to have been waiting for DC bars to close before sending out the much awaited text message. Or maybe they originally planned to send the SMS later in the morning, but had to scramble to get it to supporters before they wake up to the leaked info on the news. Anyway, Delaware Senator Joe Biden is officially Barack Obama’s running mate for the vice-presidential nomination.

Alexandria, News, Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
By

“I wasn’t expecting to come home to a bus in my apartment.”

A Metrobus crashed into an Alexandria apartment last night. No one was injured as the resident wasn’t home and the driver had just offloaded his passengers due to a door problem — just before the bus started rolling away — but both apartment and bus appear to have been totalled. WJLA has more, and here’s some video of the scene from Associated Press:

Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed, WMATA
By

Metro Adds “Dangling Loop Things”*


photo: Adam Tuss/WTOP Photo

As shorter people across the metro area (myself included) know, the bars that run along the top of the middle of Metro cars can be quite high, leaving some to crowd around the vertical poles for security. On a full train, this was always challenging, but the problem was exacerbated when WMATA redesigned cars to have even fewer of these poles.

WTOP now reports that WMATA is looking into the issue and will begin adding nylon loops to the ceiling bars in the style seen on many other urban transit systems.
Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
By

Hello, Hello Cupcake

A city never content to open just one establishment serving nicer versions of a trendy food (see: burgers, frozen yogurt, wine bars, et al), the district is about to get a another adorable cupcakery – Dupont Circle’s long-awaited Hello, Cupcake – to directly compete with the formidable Georgetown Cupcake.

Thanks to a tip from The Washington Post, I was alerted that Hello, Cupcake will be opening on Monday, August 25.
Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
By

Terminal B is Delicious


5 Guys breakfast
Originally uploaded by tbridge

Sure, Jon’s talked a lot about why Dulles can be lame, but there’s stuff to like, too. We headed out early this morning to catch our flight to New York on the way to Seattle, and though we couldn’t find the infamous Diamond Lanes, we did make it through TSA without much hassle.

From there, it was off to the far end of the B terminal where JetBlue makes its home. On our way to the gate, we were lured by the wonderful smells coming from the Five Guys there. Turns out, they serve a mean breakfast. Instead of hamburgers, though, it’s egg sandwiches that they’ve mastered. Its not some pre-frozen egg patty, either. It’s a full on fried egg with cheese, and if you ask for it, bacon, plus any of their regular toppings. It’s right between Gates B70 and B76. Worth the walk, if you have to.

Arlington, Crime & Punishment, The Daily Feed
By

Warning Signs

Please Remove All

Electronic Items

From Parked Cars

Nothing like coming home to a Police warning. When I called my condo association, they said that the car bandits are running rampant in South Arlington, and that they were targeting cars with GPSes or iPod hookups. So, beware South Arlington.

Life in the Capital, Media, Night Life, The Daily Feed
By

Lifestyle Article About DC: Out of Touch, Dismissible

photo from W Magazine

Thanks to our blog-friends at YESORNO, I read about this silly article that appears in the current issue of W Magazine.

One of the worst pieces of writing about D.C. ever to be drafted on napkins in the Condé Nast cafeteria, it claims that nightlife in Washington is cleaved in twain, with young republican prepsters at Smith Point on one side and “hipster” (by which, oddly, they seem to mean “ethnically diverse,” but that interesting use of poetic license may be among the least of the factual errors in the piece) progressives at Local 16 on the other.
Continue reading →

Fun & Games, Technology, The Daily Feed, The Mall
By

Smithsonian Offers Online Content via iTunes

ssonchan.png

The Smithsonian’s amazing museums are instantly familiar to all of us, but their educational programming isn’t quite as popular. Though, now you can get it on iTunes for cheap. $1.99 for 45 minutes to an hour-plus education program? Not a shabby deal. They’ve got four series: Kids, America’s Stories, History and Natural Wonders. Go give it a look, this could be perfect for those of you with an iPod and a longer commute.

Foggy Bottom, Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed, WMATA
By

Metro Escalator Update – Foggy Bottom and Capitol South

Quick update on the Foggy Bottom Metro escalators: Friday’s mess was the result of a passenger’s footwear getting stuck on the middle escalator that afternoon, closing it down in addition to the already-under-repair first escalator, so that only one escalator was left open to serve as stairs. As of today, two escalators are open but shut down, both serving as stairs. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
By

fountain time!


Sculpture Garden & National Archives
Originally uploaded by NCinDC

Unfortunately, my friends, August is returning, bringing back the heat and humidity I have learned to… um, tolerate?

I think one of the greatest unsung pleasures of summer in DC is the fact that you can splash your feet in the Sculpture Garden fountain with impunity, and not feel gross about it. Which, by the way, is more than we can say for certain other water-based DC landmarks. This is one of my favorite things to do during a hot, nasty day of walking around the Mall in the height of summer.

All Politics is Local, Crime & Punishment, The Daily Feed, The District
By

Chief Cathy in Some Trouble?

dupont.png

The rule is, according to the Hatch Act, it’s against the law for someone in a government uniform to partake in political behavior. Essentially, that’s exactly what seems to have happened in an ad for Councilman Jack Evans, which features the councilman in a photo op with Chief Lanier. If the photo was staged by Evans with Lanier’s permission for use in his campaign, it’s likely a violation of the Hatch Act.

All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed, The District
By

Hizzoner Takes All Comers

Today on the Kojo Nnamdi show, Marion Barry (Ward 8, Mayor for Life) will be defending his elected position against those who would seek to dethrone the king. The show description reads thus:

The presidential campaign may get all the attention, but Washington, D.C. is also preparing for a full slate of local primaries on September 9. And nowhere has that election generated as much candidate interest than in Ward 8, where a crowded field is challenging an influential incumbent. We’ll meet the candidates and talk with them about the most pressing issues facing their community.

Go get’em Marion! You can listen in live via Windows Media Player or Real Player or iTunes streaming through WAMU’s live streaming.

The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors, The Hill
By

Drained Capitol Reflecting Pool

Heads-up to those of you who were hoping for a nice, relaxing wade in the cool, green, avian botulism-infected waters of the Capitol Reflecting Pool: the National Park Service has drained the Pool till Aug 29th. NPS had considered draining as a quick, immediate protective measure to wildlife — cheaper and faster than installing a water circulation and filtering system, but not quite as aesthetically pleasing. It looks like they went ahead with the draining plan, or perhaps it coincided with what the sign on the fence says is a “routine cleansing.” It’s ugly, but less so, I guess, than piles of duck corpses.

IMG_3100

Foggy Bottom, Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
By

Foggy Bottom Metro Escalator Mess: AGAIN

Foggy Bottom Metro escalators have done it again, this time at the height of the Friday afternoon rush, and I have once again gotten video of the mess:

Last time this happened, only one escalator was barricaded, so desperate riders could at least scamper up the opposing escalator. Today, two were blocked, so only one shut-down escalator was available to serve as narrow stairs for both ascending and descending foot traffic. The result: crowds above and below. Epic fail once more.

Metro police and station personnel were on hand to do what little they could, but that didn’t seem to do much to thin the mass of people. And, as before — after taking this video, I didn’t bother waiting in line; it was faster to just walk the two blocks to Farragut West Station.

This is pretty bad, WMATA. Why have escalators at all if your contractors can’t even maintain them?