Yearly Archives: 2010

The Daily Feed
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George Michael Memorial Set for Thursday

Photo courtesy of
‘George Michael’
courtesy of ‘The SABR Office’

DC will get to say goodbye to one of its legends on Thursday at the National Cathedral. There’s no question that George was a pioneering sports anchor, his nationally syndicated Sports Machine show on Sunday night was a window on sports in the days before Cable (yes, youngins, there were days before Cable…) brought ESPN to the fore. Michael’s nearly 30 years of work in DC set the bar for all to follow. His memorial will begin at 11am, and will feature former Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs.

Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 1/15 – 1//17/2010

Photo courtesy of
‘Hudson #7’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Despite yesterday’s rain and overall dreariness, it’s still part of a holiday weekend for many. Area photographers were out and about as usual and captured some great scenes for us to enjoy. So whether you’re at work or kickin’ back at home today, take a moment to pause and regard some snapshots of the area, through the eyes of our local talent.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Looking for a New Career?

Photo courtesy of
‘Working Late’
courtesy of ‘Rukasu1’

It’s a federal holiday today, but if you’re in the private sector like me, you’re probably spending the day at work. While everyone else is out enjoying a day off, maybe it’s time for us to consider a new career field? Luckily, US News & World Report just released the top fifty careers for 2010. I guess I’ll stay where I am though, since my career is on the list.

On the other end of the spectrum, here are the hardest-hit jobs of 2009. Surprisingly, these are jobs like architects and pilots and construction workers, rather than what I was expexcting (um, journalists). There are also some conflicts between these lists (“Computer Software Engineer” is listed as one of the fastest-growing jobs in first piece, but one that is experiencing offshoring in the second piece).

Maybe Teatro Goldoni should add architects and pilots to their journalist all-you-can-drink special.

The Daily Feed
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Arenas Pleads Guilty

Photo courtesy of
‘Foul Shooters’
courtesy of ‘Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com’

Justice is swift and blind, it seems. Gilbert Arenas plead guilty to a felony charge of gun possession this afternoon in Court, and faces up to five years in prison and the invalidation of his contract with the Wizards and the NBA. In reality, it’s more likely that Arenas would receive no more than 6 months in jail, a hefty fine, and probation.

I guess that joke wasn’t very funny after all. Then again, neither are the Wizards.

Night Life, The Features, We Love Drinks
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Friday Happy Hour: The Gin Gin Mule

Photo courtesy of
‘Gibson’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

Welcome to the Friday Happy Hour, your single drink primer for the weekend.

This week, you get a longer entry for the long weekend.  You also get a summer drink to remind you that, despite what 2010 has indicated thus far, there is warmth in the world and summer is only a few months away.  Plus, it’s supposed to be 55 degrees today.  Relative to the past few weeks, that’s balmy.  This weekend, have yourself a gin gin mule.

Continue reading →

The Features
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DC Helps Haiti: Earthquake Relief Events

Photo courtesy of
‘Haiti Earthquake’
courtesy of ‘United Nations Development Programme’

Update 1/18: Information about Haiti earthquake relief fundraising has continued to pour in, so we have a new list of events you can attend this week.

By now we’ve all heard the harrowing reports coming from Haiti. And if you’re reading this, it’s highly likely that you’re orders of magnitude better off than the average Haitian even before the earthquake. Maybe you’ve got to wait for your next paycheck, maybe you’re out of work and can only spare a couple of bucks, but donate what you can, even if for no other reason than that you’re grateful live in a country with building codes and soup kitchens where you’ve never had to literally eat mud to fill your empty stomach.

But in addition to donating cash directly, there are a number of ways to help direct money (because that’s what they need now, money rather than a bunch of random goods) to Haiti earthquake relief. (A lot of this is cobbled together from press releases because we wanted to pull this together quickly, thanks for your forbearance.)  Got anything I missed? Leave it in the comments.

Wale will be playing a benefit concert at the 9:30 Club on Monday night. All ticket sales will be donated to the Partners in Health Organization and Yéle Haiti. The artists are donating their performances, the 9:30 Club has donated the use of the venue, club employees are donating their wages and the advance ticket sales service charge also will be donated.

We got a Twitter report that The Passenger is doing a Haiti relief fundraiser today, 5-8pm, but I don’t have any details. (Not that I need much of an excuse to visit The Passenger.)

This weekend, Tryst, the DINER and Open City will be donating 100% of the sales of their in-house drink specials to the UNICEF fund for Haitian earthquake survivors. Drink specials include Sierra Nevada Pale Ale at the DINER, the Creamsicle Cooler Open City and any coffee beverage with a shot of Bailey’s at Tryst.

Tonight, the Cheeky Monkey Sideshow will be having a fundraiser at the Palace of Wonders. $10 door, a portion of which will be donated, as well as all money raised during the event itself.

The Friday night Liberation Dance Party at DC9 will be donating door proceeds to Haiti relief this week.

The Black Cat will be holding a benefit concert on February 6th. Watch for more details.  LiberatedMuse will hold a benefit concert on February 12th.

If you’re looking for volunteer opportunities, the Embassy of Haiti and ServeDC are asking for volunteers to man telephone banks at the Haitian Embassy, 2311 Massachusetts Avenue, NW.  If you are able to offer mental health services and grief counseling, please contact the DC Homeland Security Emergency Management Agency at 202-272-6161.  Additional information on support and volunteerism can obtained by contacting the Haitian Embassy – Greater Washington Haitian Relief Committee is 202-241-3593.

Material donations, clothes, food, toiletry items can be dropped off at the Haitian Embassy, Sunday, 17 January 2010, 11am-4pm, 2311 Massachusetts Avenue, NW.

Additionally, the Sunlight Foundation will be holding “CrisisCamp” this weekend, in which a bunch of developers get together to put together tools for NGOs and relief organizations to use involving geospatial imagery, map data, etc. as well as family locator databases and the like.

The Daily Feed
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iPhone Metro Times app contest concludes

Photo courtesy of Me

Find a Metro DC

Time to hand out the last three codes for Find a Metro DC [iTunes], kindly donated by John B. Two stories and one more random shot.

First up, a twofer – originally entered for the funniest but also the cutest story shared, courtesy of Jenn (but not our Jenn)

Yesterday, the Metro car was completely quiet, except for a really tiny kid (like 2-3 yrs old) singing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” After about 30 seconds, the whole car started laughing. Adorable.

Next up, well, I’d have given most amusing to “lobster pants” but Prokop says he doesn’t have an iPhone, so I’m tossing it to Katie (but not our Katie – what’s with this trend?) for “vaginas” which even involves an iPhone!

Don’t even pretend you’re not going to go back and check that story out.

Last up, our random pick. Asked to pick between 1 and 49, random.org chose 15: Anthony.

Thanks to everyone for playing. Winners should look for an email from me shortly.

If you didn’t win I can personally vouch that the app is worth $1 – I paid for it and it continues to be my go-to app for Metro times and NextBus lookups. Thanks again to JRBApps for the donations!

The Daily Feed
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Haiti Survival Kit Drive This Sunday

Photo courtesy of
‘Haiti Earthquake’
courtesy of ‘United Nations Development Programme’

Update: This event did receive mention on FOX 5 News (still link-hunting on that) and has a listing on Yelp and on Meetup. Still confirming officially if this is indeed occurring, as it is (obviously) difficult to contact the Embassy at this time.

In the meantime, the Embassy of Haiti and ServeDC are asking for volunteers to man the embassy’s telephone banks. If you’d like to help in that capacity, contact ServeDC at 202.727.7925.

There will be a Survival Kit Drive on Sunday, January 17 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Embassy of the Republic of Haiti located at 2311 Massachusetts Avenue, NW. In appreciation of your assistance light refreshments will be available. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 718-755-0119.  Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Holiday Weekend Service Changes on Red Line

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Red line riders beware — this weekend is not going to be pretty, so start planning now.

NBC Washington reports that there will be some major service changes over this holiday weekend.

For those of you trying to get anywhere between White Flint and Medical Center, guess what — you can’t get there via rail. But there will be a shuttle service running. You can check out times for that on WMATA’s website here.

What’s Metro up to with the red line? They’ll be splitting the line into two parts. Grosvenor-Strathmore station closes at 10 p.m. tonight and will reopen until Tuesday at 5 a.m.

For more information regarding the closures, visit WMATA’s release about the changes here.

The Features, Where We Live
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Where We Live: Near Southeast/Capitol Riverfront

Photo courtesy of
‘loves it’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

Welcome back to Where We Live, your bi-weekly tour of the District’s neighborhoods. This week the focus is Near Southeast, which is also commonly known as Navy Yard or Capitol Riverfront. This neighborhood has been completely transformed over the past several years, and the construction of the Nationals Stadium has redefined the character of the area.  Read on to learn how the area has changed, what’s worth checking out when you’re in the area, and where to see some amazing before-and-after photos.

History: Pierre L’Enfant came along in 1791 and recognized that Washington’s waterfront retail would be its most valuable asset, and located its commercial center in this area. Then, in 1799, the Navy Yard opened (which happens to be the longest continually-operated Federal facility), and became a major shipbuilding center. This area was the heart of Washington throughout the 1800s, and the wharf was one of the most lively parts of the city. During wartime, the Navy Yard became even more important– it was a key defense of the city during the War of 1812, and during the 1940s, the Navy Yard reached its peak of 26,000 employees (by this point, it wasn’t shipbuilding but production of weapons ammunition that kept the Navy Yard so busy).

But all this production led to one very polluted river. And I-395 cut through the urban fabric of the neighborhood. After the war, the Navy Yard drastically scaled back operations– by that point, the commercial heart of the city had moved downtown. So Near Southeast was left with a polluted river, a terribly ugly highway overpass, and lots of abandoned buildings. It’s no surprise that this combination of factors led to crime, disinvestment, and neglect of buildings.

Continue reading →

News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Arenas Charged With Felony

Photo courtesy of
‘Felony Franks (#1)’
courtesy of ‘JOE M500’

Gilbert Arenas is now facing felony weapons charges related to the gun events in the Wizards locker room. The Post is reporting that Arenas is also seeking a plea deal related to the case.

Throw the book at ’em, DC.

Update: The max he’s facing is five years and a fine for his trouble, which would indicate it’s just a single charge instead of one charge per gun, which was initially bandied about. The Post has further detail about the incident which was previously not released:

The guns became an issue after Arenas and Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton got into an argument after a card game and Crittenton allegedly said he should shoot Arenas in his surgically repaired left knee, sources have said. Days later on Dec. 21, at Verizon Center, Arenas placed the guns on a chair next to Crittenton’s locker with a note that said “pick one.”

The Daily Feed
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Celebrate Chinese New Year with Terra Cotta

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_4447’
courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

The National Geographic Museum will welcome Chinese New Year a week early with a free family festival on Feb. 6, celebrating in conjunction with its popular Terra Cotta Warriors exhibition. The festival, sponsored by PF Chang’s China Bistro, will include free food from the restaurant (while supplies last), film screenings, kids’ activities, table tennis, raffles, live performances (including martial arts demonstrations), and more! Guests will also have the opportunity to win free same-day tickets for the exhibition.

Raffles will be held every half hour during the festival beginning at 11:30 a.m. for the chance to win tickets for the 3 p.m. viewing that day.

Additional tickets will be distributed by P.F. Chang’s China Bistro via Facebook and Twitter.

And coming February 20? A kung-fu film festival, featuring Hero, Lao Tou Ho, and Legendary Weapons of China.

Entertainment, The Features
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Jammin’ Java: More Than Meets The Eye

DSC00871

I’ve wanted to check out Jammin’ Java for years and last night, the dream was realized. This particular adventure was prompted by both my lack of anything better to do and the fact that there was a battle of the bands being hosted. So I figured, why not go?

My first thought upon reaching the Jammin’ Java parking lot was, “Really? This is it? But it looks so tiny!” That opinion changed as soon as I set foot inside.

The venue features the standard set of concert hall mood lighting mixed with a fully stocked bar, quick eats galore, and minimal seating. Much to my surprise, the place was a lot bigger than I anticipated. Beyond the bar, there was a moderate-sized standing room that, if packed to capacity, could hold quite a few bodies.

Last night was night two of the Mid-Atlantic Battle of the Bands hosted by Jammin’ Java and sponsored by Sucker Punch Recording Studio, so I got to catch Jammin’ Java at its finest aka hosting a nice assortment of local entertainment. The best part about any venue like Jammin’ Java is that their claim of being “run by musicians and music-lovers for musicians and music-lovers alike” is true.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro GM Catoe to Resign

Photo courtesy of
‘WMATA Blogger Roundtable’
courtesy of ‘Samer Farha’

Update 2:00 p.m.: We put in a call to our WMATA contact, Ron Holzer, who indeed confirmed that Catoe has tendered his resignation to WMATA’s Board. Apparently, the announcement took everyone by surprise, as no one at WMATA had in inkling this was coming. Needless to say, neither did any of the area bloggers last night. Catoe played his stepping-down pretty close to the vest.

This news alert came as a COMPLETE SHOCK to me. Lena Sun at WaPo has broken the story that WMATA GM John Catoe, Jr. will be resigning as General Manager of the agency, effective April 2, 2010.

What’s completely shocking about this is that it comes on the heels of what, by many blog accounts today, was a very successful face-to-face meeting with area bloggers last night. Our own Tom Bridge covered the meeting in depth and even came away with some healthy respect for the man. (As did I, after reading several accounts of it.)

Catoe announced his intentions to resign after a special board meeting this afternoon. He said he realized that the tragedies at Metro in the last year had created “an unhealthy distraction” and that good leaders should know when it is time for a leadership change.

More as details unfold.

The Daily Feed
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Mark Russell to appear at Ford’s Theatre in February

Photo courtesy of
‘Day 73: Piano’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

I was a nerdy kid. So nerdy, in fact, that my idea of a totally awesome job was to be Mark Russell, piano-playing political satirist, with a show on PBS. Never you mind that I don’t play piano at all. (What can I say? I loved Tom Lehrer too.)

I may never have gotten past telling unaccompanied jokes, but I can still indulge my childhood dreams- Mark Russell will appear next month at Ford’s Theatre, February 17th through 20th.

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends: January 16-17

Photo courtesy of
‘Rainbow Trio’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

Paulo: Gonna head down to the Sackler Gallery to check the Falnama exhibit, a fascinating historical overview of Islamic mysticism and divination among Medieval Persian and Turkish Muslims. Then, across the Garden (or under it) to the African Art Museum for a look at the sculptural work of Yinka
Shonibare MBE.

Jenn: It’s shocking for a former New England girl to admit this, but I’ve never gone skiing. Well, never say never. This weekend I’m off to Wisp Resort, some three hours away, to start slow. I envisioned Sexy Snowbunny but my outfit looks more like a Stay-Puft-Marshmallow. If I weren’t risking my limbs I’d be at the DC Tribal Student Showcase Sunday night to cheer on fellow students studying bellydance. Since this weekend may be my last, I’ll hit Marvin sometime before leaving – they’re tapping their last keg of Leffe Brun tonight… Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Learn to be a Backyard Farmer

Photo courtesy of
‘Double Red Ripe Tomatoes’
courtesy of ‘Wayan Vota’

If you’ve ever had a tomato or zucchini plant gone wild, you might appreciate this.

Soon, an area farmers market may carry produce from folks who farm in their own backyards. The Maryland Organic Backyard Initiative (MOBI) wants to create community farmers markets that lets people who have organic gardens trade with each other.

Tonight and for the next two Thursdays at 7:30 at Crossings in Silver Spring, MOBI will hold classes where organic backyard farmers or wanna-bes can meet and learn how to grow, eat and trade delicious, organic, fresh, locally grown produce.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, The District
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Iron Horse Taproom Opens in Penn Quarter Tonight

Photo courtesy of
‘Seventh Street NW at Night’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

The newest bar to hit 7th street opens tonight, POP reports. Brought to us by Bedrock Bars, the same folks that brought us Laughing Man Tavern, Carpool, Buffalo Billiards, Atomic and more, Iron Horse will be much in the same casual vein.

POP reports the motorcycle-themed watering hole “will feature skeeball, shuffleboard, jukebox, and big buck hunter.” Sounds a lot to me like a second location of Rocket Bar, which doesn’t mean I’m complaining, just observing.

Wanna be the first in the door? According to POP Iron Horse swings ’em open tonight at 507 7th St. NW., next to TangySweet.