Yearly Archives: 2010

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

Talkin' Transit
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Talkin’ Transit

Richard Sarles at the groundbreaking of the Mass Transit Tunnel in June 2009. Courtesy former Gov. Jon Jon Corzine's office

Richard Sarles at the groundbreaking of the Mass Transit Tunnel in June 2009. Courtesy former Gov. Jon Jon Corzine's office

Greater Greater Washington and the Washington Post both have the news that Metro is hoping to name former New Jersey Transit Executive Director Richard Sarles as interim head of the agency on Thursday. The Post reports that Metro Board Chairman Peter Benjamin confirms they do not currently have a contract with Sarles, but that he “is certainly a person we would like to appoint.”

Benjamin goes on to praise Sarles’s background, and calls him “solid on safety.” Sarles was appointed head of NJ Transit in 2007 after five years as Assistant Executive Director for Capital Programs and Planning there. He retired in January. Before working for NJ Transit, Sarles was at Amtrak where he led development of the Northeast Corridor High-Speed Rail program. He also has an engineering and project management background that spanned 20 years at the Port Authority.

Salres obviously has the chops to deal with the problems facing Metro. We aren’t privy to the interview process, and not living in the NY/NJ area, are not as familiar with his thinking on transit. Luckily, Sarles participates as a panel expert on the National Journal‘s transportation blog, commenting on many of the issues facing transportation planners. Read on for a little bit of insight.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Smithsonian Kills O. J. Donation


O.J. Simpson by Project M·A·R·C

Here is yet another reason to love DC – the Smithsonian Museum has rejected the suit that O. J. Simpson wore in court when he was acquitted of murdering his wife, Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman. Apparently there was a legal fight as to who should own the suit, but all parties settled on donating it to the Smithsonian because, you know, something that stands for such a proud day in American history should be on display next to Archie Bunker’s chair and the Hope Diamond.

Way to make the right call, Smithsonian.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Is the Macaron the new Cupcake?

Photo courtesy of
‘Napoleon box of 18’
courtesy of ‘yosoynuts’

That’s right, you heard me clearly, is it possible that the macaron is soon going to rule the market of portable deliciousness once dominated by the cupcake?  I have been saying it for quite sometime that this shift in power was bound to happen, but now that The Wall Street Journal even took notice today, this may be happening sooner than I had thought.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Suspicious Package with white powder at APA

Photo courtesy of
‘HAZMAT exercise’
courtesy of ‘United States Army Garrison – Presidio of Monterey’

WUSA is reporting that a package containing white powder arrived at the American Psychological Association building (750 1st Street NE) near Union Station earlier today. Three people were intercepted en route to the hospital by DC Fire and EMS for decontamination and none are reporting any symptoms at this point. 1st Street NE has been shut down between G and K, so plan your travel accordingly.

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Marion Barry Censured, Stripped of Committee Chair, Referred for Prosecution

Photo courtesy of
‘Misc – Post Partisan Apology – 10-11-08’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Count this one as a victory for civilization. Councilman Marion Barry today was unanimously censured by the City Council for his role in a kickbacks scandal, unanimously referred to prosecutors for misconduct related to the kickbacks scandal, and unanimously removed as chair of the housing committee.

Councilman Barry was loathe to admit his own responsibility in these matters, instead pushing off blame on the Council for the Bennett Report, on Bennett and his staff, and on Council Chair Vince Gray. Barry was looking for someone, anyone, to drag down with him, trying to drag Councilman Jack Evans and Jim Graham and Council Chair Gray down for what Barry felt were similar ethical lapses, no matter what the reality of the situation was.

As Geoffrey Hatchard pointed out on twitter, it was if Barry was saying “you do this, and you try to run for mayor, i’ll make sure no one votes for you,” to Chairman Vince Gray, which is no small threat given Barry’s clout in distressed Ward 8. Given that the Democratic Party is still afraid of Barry, this is no small measure of revenge for Barry, to attempt to frighten and impose upon the council in retribution for censure.

Barry continued to defend his innocence, to defend his record as “clean”, and then went on to challenge the very censure process that he’d just underwent. Barry said that he was “not dismayed” by the process, which largely means to me that we need to give these censure proceedings further teeth.

Sports Fix, The Features
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The 2010 Washington Nationals: A Chance To Finish Above .500

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Spring Training games start today. The Washington Nationals are in Viera, Florida and ready to play the best the Grapefruit League has to offer. Opening Day is 33 days away. Here’s your sneak peak into what you have to look forward to this season.

It’s safe to assume that 2010 will not be the year the Washington Nationals win a World Series. They’re still building a franchise and are mere youngins when compared to the veteran clubs in the Major Leagues today.

The Nationals haven’t had a winning season since moving to the District. They came close in 2005 by going 81-81, but since then they have finished last in their division (National League East) every year except 2007 when they finished second to last. So – it’s easy to understand if you haven’t made your way to the ballpark these past few years.

If you wanted to see a team win, a trip to Baltimore, dare I say … Philly, might be a better idea. Not this year though. The 2010 season has the potential to be different for the Nationals. And no – that’s not a joke. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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The Big 1-4-3! Happy Birthday Howard University


‘General Oliver Otis Howard House’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

Grab your cake and ice cream, this is a big one! Today marks Howard University‘s 143rd birthday. On this day in 1867, General Oliver Otis Howard founded the school, which is based in DC but is home to a student population from all corners of the world.

The historically-black university not only boasts several prominent alumni, but has played a key role in American history. Whether it was Thurgood Marshall’s role in Brown v. Board of Education or Zora Neale Hurston’s contributions to the award-winning Hilltop Newspaper, Howard University has a lot to celebrate today. Under the direction of President Sidney A. Ribeau, we wish you many, many more, Howard University. Make a wish!

The Daily Feed
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Ticketed on Presidents Day? You Might Be In Luck

Photo courtesy of
‘Amount Due’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

Were you (un)fortunate enough to have not heard about the snow emergency (declared Sunday evening, aka Valentines Day) and got smacked with a nice big $250 ticket for parking on a snow emergency route on February 15th? I don’t know about you but I sure wasn’t checking to see if there was a snow emergency that night. Well, City Council members Brown and Wells are fighting in your corner to have those forgiven. Give them a hug.

The Daily Feed
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Save the Date! March 20th is Polite Day…Please and Thank You.


‘Horton #23 (26/365)’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

On Saturday March 20th, District residents are encouraged to remember what their Mommies said, mind their manners, and be kind to their neighbors. Polite Day, which was sponsored by D.C. Council Member Harry Thomas, is meant to remind people to be courteous to one another, despite the hustle and bustle they encounter on a typical day in the city.

On our morning commutes, daily interactions with others, and just everyday life, it’s very easy to get wrapped up in our own agendas. Although we may not intend to be rude, I’m not sure that we need a formal holiday to do what we’re supposed to do anyway.

Is that what it’s come to? I’m all for being polite, but what I’m hoping is that Polite Day is just in light of the snowpocalypse and bad attitudes that might have been a side effect. There are certain things that we shouldn’t have to be reminded to do, right?

Mythbusting DC, The Features
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DC Mythbusting: The Lost Forts of DC

Photo courtesy of
‘Fort Gaines at Tenleytown 1864’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

Some of the myths about the city seem a little far-fetched, particularly the more historic ones about the layout of the city.  Traffic circles meant to confuse invading armies?  No J Street because Pierre L’Enfant held a grudge?  Come on.  Here’s another one I heard– there’s a system of forts on the outskirts of the District designed to protect the city from an invasion.  This story, like the other two, has to be a myth, right?  The only fort in the city I can think of is Fort Totten, which (as far as I know) is a Metro station and not some Civil War encampment, and I certainly can’t picture an entire ring of forts around the city.  So this myth is pretty easily busted, right?

Not quite. It turns out to be true– there was an incredibly extensive network of forts that once surrounded the city, and today, many of these forts are again being linked together to create a greenway trail for recreational uses. The Fort Circle Park system was a surprise to me, and digging through the history of these parks turned up some other interesting facts.

Continue reading →

News, The Daily Feed
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How To Deal With Westboro

Photo courtesy of
‘westboro baptist church and me’
courtesy of ‘Burstein!’

It’s hard to deal with the hateful jackasses at Westboro Baptist Church with the degree of response that they need, as curbstomping useless hatemongers is still technically aggravated assault, but it’s still good to let them know how we feel. For that, the Sexist at the City Paper has a great guide to how to handle a Phelps protest, which includes the sort of thing that you should put on your signs, how to not get arrested, and how to generally behave. It’d be great if DC could put together some quality counter protests to generally drown out these feckless thugs.

The Daily Feed
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DC Dogtags

dcdogtag

I’ll admit it – if I loved you as much as I should I would have written about this before snatching up the one currently available pictured item. But when I saw twitter user WStephenAnfield mention owning one of these and found it on Etsy I couldn’t resist.

On the upside, Etsy seller GingerCardCo has obviously made these before and presumably will again. You can send them a note and say you want one – it’s been my experience that Etsy sellers often have more stock they haven’t listed yet. XOHandworks also has a number of map pendants, several of which have DC on them. I prefer the marginally more “macho” dog tag, but perhaps the pendant is up your alley.

Disappointingly both of these vendors are non-local. Any of you readers local artists creating DC-centric items? The t-shirts WLDC has adopted as our unofficial uniform are made by Lara of 237inc who’s a local, by the way, and they’re still available and awesome.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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DC Food Blogger Happy Hour: Tomorrow at Vinoteca

Happy Hour Flyer March 3

Interested in starting a food blog? Or maybe you have one up-and-running, but you want to share ideas with local bloggers about recipes, photography and software? Or really, maybe you just want to talk about food. We know people who do that, too. Join the DC Food Bloggers tomorrow night for happy hour at Vinoteca.

See you there! And make sure to RSVP on the Facebook fan page.

Special thanks to co-hosts The Arugula Files, Beerspotter, Biscuits and Such, Capital Spice, Capital Cooking, Common Man Eats, DininginDC,  Gradually Greener, ModernDomestic, Thrifty DC Cook, and WeLoveDC.

The Daily Feed
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Individual Game Tickets For The Nationals Go On Sale At 10 A.M.

Photo courtesy of
‘She’s got shade to share’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Individual game tickets for all Nationals home games this season go on sale TODAY at 10 a.m. Individual ticketing includes Opening Day vs. the division rival Phillies on Monday, April 5 and a special inter-league exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, April 3 (the game doesn’t count toward any regular season standings, but sounds like fun … doesn’t it?).

You can buy the tickets online via the Individual Ticket Page.

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
‘the moon.’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

When I spotted this picture in the pool last night, I knew it had to be the featured photo for the week. As you might have noticed, we have a thing for the Statue of Freedom sitting atop the Capitol (if you haven’t noticed, look at the logo).

Erin has been taking pictures of the moon rising from and around the Capitol grounds for a few years now. Each is stunning, and in some ways iconic. We see a lot of shots of monuments and official buildings in our photo pool. Most are good pictures, even if we’ve seen the like of them before. But the moon rising over the Capitol dome is special, requiring dedication and timing to get. And we love rewarding good effort, around here.

News, The Daily Feed
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DC’s Breathalyzers Under Suspicion

intoxilyzer-5000.gif

This is an Intoxilyzer 5000, a computer-based system for determining the blood-alcohol content of a person arrested under suspicion of driving while intoxicated.  Unfortunately, due to a massive failure and/or product defect, the machines were generating false positive tests in many cases, throwing into doubt hundreds of DUI cases dating back to October of 2008.  Worse, it’s 8 of the department’s 10 units that are under suspicion of producing faulty results.  It’s not clear how long the department knew of the issue before replacing the units, or how this will be handled in the public eye.

The Daily Feed
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The DC Independent Film Festival Opens Thursday

Photo courtesy of
‘National Archives Film Canisters’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

The Oscar’s are right around the corner, but let’s not forget where our favorite filmmakers got their start — making their own movies.

The DC Independent Film Festival starts its 12 day run on Thursday at the Navy Memorial Museum/Heritage Center located 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

The festival features 117 movies over the 12 day period. Tickets for both opening and closing night are $50 each and include admission to the DCIFF opening/closing receptions. Festival 10 Pack’s are also available for $50 and offer you admission to any 10 film sessions over the 12 day period.

Click here for a complete schedule of flims and events. Tickets are available online.

The Daily Feed
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Amtrak Offers Wi-Fi On-Board Acela Express Trains Between DC And Boston

Photo courtesy of
‘connected’
courtesy of ‘nevermindtheend’

Amtrak announced that all Acela Express trains between Washington and Boston will be offering Wi-Fi access starting today. The Wi-Fi will be free for riders in both first and business class. However, Amtrak is unsure whether or not the feature will continue to be free. The final decision will be based on customer demand and system performance.