Yearly Archives: 2010

The Daily Feed
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Famous dogs and number two sounds like a scooper violation

Photo courtesy of
‘Jack the bulldog’
courtesy of ‘Julie Lyn’

Georgetown U blog Vox Populi has been on fire with the updates today, but the one that caught my eye was yesterday’s piece about the American Kennel Club’s listings of famous dogs in pop culture.

Apparently it’s not just retail that gets slow in January. You know they wouldn’t be spending time making lists like this if the Westminster show was just around the corner.

Anyway, Georgetown’s bulldog mascot, Jack, took the #8 spot in the voting. I’m personally skeptical – there’s really more Georgetown fans than Family Guy (Brian, #10) fans on the internet? I’m betting on a vote-bot created in the GU computer science department but I can’t prove anything. Similarly I don’t get how “Who let the dogs out” (#9) made it above number 125 on the list.

In the sports category Jack took second only to Texas A&M’s Reveille, which is a stupid name for a dog. Clearly Georgetown was robbed.

updated second paragraph to make it clear I was tweaking the AKC, not Vox Populi.

News, The Daily Feed
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Breaking: Holocaust Museum Shooter Dead

Photo courtesy of
‘United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

There are reports that Holocaust Memorial shooter James Von Brunn has died  in a prison hospital.  The white supremacists was shot by security guards as he allegedly perpetrated an attack on the Memorial in June, that killed 1 person.  There is no word  on if his death was a result of the injuries he sustained during the shooting.  We’ll keep you updated as more information comes in.

The Daily Feed
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Northrop Grumman Relocates HQ to DC in 2011

Photo courtesy of
‘Global Hawk Drone’
courtesy of ‘Rennett Stowe’

Northrop Grumman, one of the largest defense contractors in the country, is moving its headquarters from the Los Angeles area to Greater Washington in 2011. It has been one of the few major contractors to not have its main office in the DC area, but it outspends its two main competitors (Lockheed Martin and Boeing) on lobbying. The move only relocates 300 employees of the company but it puts the home base squarely in the middle of 26,000 employees in Maryland and Virginia, or 1/6th of the company’s 120,000 strong work force. And hey, Grumman designed the LEM/Moon Lander back in the 60s. And that’s just cool.

All Politics is Local, History, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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White House Staff: A History

Photo courtesy of
‘DC’s Biggest Postcard’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

If someone on the street asked me to list the job titles at the White House, first on the list would be the President, VP, Chief of Staff, the news core, Press Secretary, etc…you know the people we constantly see in our national and local news reports.

But what about the behind the scenes people?  I’m not talking about the administration people, or those who do the glamorous, high powered functions, I’m talking about the guys and gals that service the place and walk secretly among DCers. Who are they?!! What’s their story? How do they make White House tick? How have their roles changed from administration to administration?

The answer is to be found at “The Working White House: 200 Years of Tradition and Memories,” at the White House Visitor Center, now through Feb. 28. The exhibit showcases the history of White House serving staff and other workers from the time of William Taft through George W. Bush.

Can’t wait for them to update the exhibit with how things have changed with the addition of the White House garden and Bo the dog.

Capital Chefs, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Dennis Marron and Brian Turowski (Part I)

P1020544

“Boys and their toys,” I laugh to Cathy. She and I are leaning against the counter in the kitchen at The Grille at Morrison House, watching Chef Dennis Marron pull out all his kitchen tools. He whips out a set of huge tweezers, tapping them together. “These are looser, more flexible,” he explains, comparing them to the pair he’s got in his other hand. Cathy and I nod knowingly.

Chef Marron is flipping big fat cuts of bacon in a cast iron pan using tweezers, and I was poking fun at him, teasing him about his tool of choice. His partner in crime, Brian Turowski, chef de cuisine at Jackson 20, is sticking up for him. “There’s a lot of detail work in plating here,” Turowski says. “The tweezers are good for that.” And it’s true. Chef Marron oversees the kitchen at two Old Town restaurants, the more casual southern-American themed Jackson 20, and the more buttoned-up The Grille at Morrison House. Chef Turowski has taken over duties at Jackson 20, and Marron spends most nights at The Grille. The plates at The Grille are more fussy, and thus, the tweezers. The home-cooking at Jackson 20 is much more basic in presentation. Today, both tweezer-wielding chefs are together in the kitchen, teaching Cathy and I to construct Jackson 20’s signature Wedge salad – a fatty delight of blue cheese, pickled onions and bacon.

Chef Marron pulls out a spoon. “We call this one the shovel”, he says. He’s rummaging around, trying to find all the second-hand tools he’s bought and stocked the kitchen with. “I got a sandwich press for six dollars once!” he exclaims with glee. “Chefs are cheap,” Turowski jokes. And that’s not all. Together they’ve collected tons of spoons, a seltzer, even an ice crusher. Cathy inquires where they get all their cookware, and Marron points towards King Street, where Look Again Resale Shop is located. The thrift store is a treasure trove, apparently. “Good stuff over there,” Marron agrees. Continue reading →

Dupont Circle, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Media, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Real World DC Drinking Game!

Photo courtesy of
‘Drink Responsibly’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

And now, to make our Real World viewing experience more enjoyable, I present the RWDC drinking game that I promised last week.  I envision this game developing as the season goes on and we get to know the characters a bit better.  For now, though, I think that this should get us through the next episode.  And, since it’s Wednesday, it’s perfectly legitimate to interpret “drink” as “sip.” The rules are after the break. Enjoy!

Continue reading →

Adventures, Fun & Games, Media, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Real World Live Blog Tonight!

Photo courtesy of
‘The Biggest Looser’
courtesy of ‘: rebecca :’

More live blogging is coming your way, this evening, for episode two of the Real World: DC.  Last week, we had 200 people tune in and it was the bomb .  So, please join us right here on the WLDC main page at 10pm for more “real life.” Oh, and be sure to have drinks in hand.  It makes the Real World so much better.

News, The Daily Feed
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One Less Challenger for Fenty

Photo courtesy of
‘H. Ross Perot & DC Mayor Adrian Fenty’
courtesy of ‘dbking’

The word came down late yesterday: R. Donahue Peebles will not challenge Mayor Fenty in 2010. For a while, it looked like we might have several challengers for Mayor Fenty, whose popularity is on a bit of a slide after a few scandals and miscues, but no one, it seems wants to make a serious effort to run. Kwame Brown? Staying Mum. Vincent Gray? Quiet like the Sphinx. Is it part of some grand plan to let the mayor keep screwing up by the numbers, and not to give him any competition for that part of the negative spotlight? Very possibly.

When will a real challenger emerge?

Food and Drink, The Features
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Dude, Where’s My Taco Bell?

Photo courtesy of
’11/365 – Taco Bell is a fickle mistress.’
courtesy of ‘BLW Photography’

What DC needs is a good Taco Bell. Fellow We Love DC Author Max addressed this pressing issue in May of 2008 and somehow I find that our beloved District is still plagued by a lack of cheap taco-y goodness.

Monday night, I figured this out for myself. It was the cosmic forces that really brought this one together. I kid you not. You see — my friend’s car needed a good jumping and I chose (out of the kindness of my heart) to stand outside in the bitter cold of night for an hour. The hour passed. The man with the jumper cables showed up. He told us, “Now you gotta drive around for AT LEAST 25 minutes to make sure that battery doesn’t fail ya,” so we did.

Instead of driving aimlessly, we plugged in the good old GPS to find somewhere less random to go. But of course fate chose to get involved. We passed Cactus Cantina (on Massachusetts NW and Wisconsin NW) when thoughts of gluttony suddenly possessed me, “I want tacos,” I said.

And — ALAS — the dream to find a Taco Bell was born.

Continue reading →

News, The Daily Feed
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Redskins Sign Shanahan

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_0321’
courtesy of ‘Brian J. McDermott’

The deal is done, the press conference scheduled for this afternoon, and Mike Shanahan is now the coach of the Redskins for the next five years, or until Dan Snyder gets impatient. Shanahan will also have some control over the roster under the deal, something that only Coach Gibbs was given before. The deal will pay Shanahan $7M per year.

Interviews, Sports Fix, The Features
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Capitals Hockey: Mid-Season Report Card

Photo courtesy of
‘Center Ice’
courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

We’re just passed the halfway point of the 2009-10 hockey campaign for the Washington Capitals. Successful? In many ways, absolutely. Joining me on the breakdown is Adam Proteau, writer and columnist for The Hockey News and a regular contributor to THN.com, who kindly offered up some of his own analysis of the Caps season so far.

Overall, impressive. The Caps have hit 50 points faster than any other incarnation of the team before and are definitely on pace – barring a complete and total Jagr-esque breakdown – to end in one of the top four playoff seeds.

“They’re looking like a complete, versatile, dynamic team very early on in the year,” says Adam. “I thought it would take them longer into the season to fully assimilate Seymon Varlamov and some new veterans and function as an effective unit of a championship caliber, but I think they’re there already.”

Continue reading →

Special Events, The Daily Feed
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No Pants Party On The Metro Scheduled For Sunday

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_0182’
courtesy of

I never saw much of a purpose to those darn plastic card holders you can hang around your neck in order to NOT lose your SmarTrip on the Metro. But now — I see the real reason behind their being invented — No Pants Metro Ride 2010!

That’s right — NO pants METRO ride! The yearly ride is scheduled for this Sunday, so start wrapping your heads around the concept now before you board Sunday morning without any forewarning.

What’s the hitch? There isn’t one. Just get on the Metro, ride around as if nothing is out of the ordinary. I mean hell, what’s better than an excuse to wear no pants and get away with it? Sure — it could be warmer — but that’d make this whole thing way less funny.

For all you locals interested in joining in on this excuse for a “No Pants” party of sorts, NBC Washington reports that people are planning to meet at the C Street park near L’Enfant Plaza at 3 p.m.

Forget that it’s winter … take off your pants and ride the Metro! You’ll thank yourself for it later.

The Daily Feed, The District
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Longing For Summer

Photo courtesy of
‘Serious Air’
courtesy of ‘Cazimiro’

I’m cold. No, seriously. It’s hateful outside. I miss summer. I miss flip flops, I miss beer on the patio, I miss eating outside, I miss laying in the park, I miss the pool, I miss my sundresses, I miss ice cream. And you guys, we’re heading into the doldrums, the WORST part of the entire year, in my opinion – January through March. I friggen hate this last part of winter because there are no good holidays, (I’m a valentines day scrooge) and it’s dark pretty much all of the time. So today, when I was getting angsty about this, I did what I do when faced with these feelings – I searched our flickr pool. So if you’re in need of a warm-weather fix, I’ve got you covered. The seasons always change, right? (At least that’s what Ingrid and Sara say.) So onward, for some summer lovin’. Continue reading →

News, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Live Metro Chat on Friday

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

WMATA is hosting a live chat with John Catoe this Friday from noon-1pm. This chat will be in the wake of the Thursday board meeting, during which general cuts to service are expected to be announced.  Metro is dealing with a $40 Million deficit, which the blame largely on decreased ridership due to the economic downturn, and in the wake to the train crash in June of last year.  Expect questions on how individual routes, particularly bus routes, will be effected by service downgrade.  You can join the chat here.