Miscellaneous

• With last night's huge Caps victory over the Rangers, it's high time to get going on some Penguins trash-talking. Here's some fodder to get you started.
• A man was stabbed this morning at the MARC station in Silver Spring.
• It's heee-ere. Reports of six probable cases of swine flu in Maryland (some in Anne Arundel County, others in Baltimore County).

Not technically D.C.-related, but given that this may actually be the best local TV news story we've ever seen, there was just no way we could pass on it. WLWT in Cincinnati reports on the "growing trend" of "real-life superheroes" in this piece of pure comedy gold. Make sure not to miss the interaction between Cincinnati's top superhero, "Shadow Hare," and a Cincinnati cop about halfway through. Absolutely brilliant. more ›

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• Gothamist has the entire play-by-play on today's bizarrely unannounced mock Air Force One flyby of the Manhattan skyline. The White House has since apologized for not alerting the public beforehand.
• The Catania v. Whitman-Walker showdown keeps getting uglier, writes Tim Craig in the WaPo.
• Frozen Tropics reports on a car vs. Checker Auto Parts store incident on H Street NE, also involving some residents sitting on their porch: "A friend who ran over to check it out reported that it was difficult to say if the two men were seriously injured (or just jolted) due to their level of intoxication."

Here's some news that will not make GWU alums proud of their alma mater: the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity apparently used abrasive laundry detergent to lubricate a Slip-n-Slide at a charity event this weekend, sending at least one sorority member to the hospital with chemical burns and severe skin irritation. After the event, university officials sent out an email warning that "Possible symptoms from the laundry detergent could also include shortness of breath, throat closing and severe pain in the genital region..." Yeesh. The event, ironically, raised money for the D.C. Firefighters' Burn Foundation. The Hatchet's article doesn't quote the fraternity president as apologizing (it's certainly possible he did), but quotes him as saying, "We're really fortunate that the women in Greek life on campus really made the event special." Maybe next time read the label, or you know, use water. more ›

Torontoist investigated reports of a man-eating caterpiller (or a man eating a caterpillar) in the city's west end.

Last Wednesday, I took in a game at Nationals Park in some boffo seats -- and while the food was tasty, the beer cold, and the ballpark just as nice and clean as it was last year, the on-field play was, as has been the norm, less than optimal. That evening, the home team lost a 1-0 game on a bases loaded walk in the top of the ninth inning; the crowd over the course of a run-less opening eight innings, as you can imagine, was not quite awash with excitement. But still: it was the ballpark. There's just something about being there to hear the crack of the bat and the monotonous chant of the beer man, to stand for the seventh inning stretch, to eat like garbage and not care, because that's just what you do. Being in that atmosphere, it's just...a good thing. more ›

It's a lovely weekend out there. What better way to enjoy it than by taking a look back at our favorite conversations which occurred within the black space of the sunless internet in What's That You Say? So kick back, put some aloe on that sunburn you cultivated yesterday, and bask in the cool commentalicious goodness ahead. more ›

• Looks like that airspace violation earlier today caused President Obama and Vice President Biden to be briefly "relocated." Turns out it was just a small plane that briefly entered the edge of D.C.'s airspace before complying with FAA directions to leave the area.
• By far the creepiest story of the day: Ingmar Guandique, the suspect charged in the murder of Chandra Levy, has a tattoo of Levy on his body.
• Dorothy Brizill writes in themail that she has the story behind how that fire truck and ambulance really got donated to a beach town in the Dominican Republic: "David Jannarone, Director of Development in the Office of the Deputy Mayor ... and Sinclair Skinner, as well as some of their friends and associates in and out of DC government, started traveling to Sosua frequently to party and have a good time. ... using their influence, Jannarone and Skinner were able to have both vehicles inspected and repaired at DC government expense prior to being sent to the Dominican Republic."

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Earth Day. Some people think it's a fake holiday, other people admire its lofty goals. As we noted last week, the Earth Day celebration on the Mall consisted of people giving out plastic trinkets and other crap, things with cardboard stuck to it, and piles of trash. It's good to think about the Earth and all, but sometimes you need to do more than think. more ›

• The EagleBank Bowl will return this year, this time with a later date: Dec. 29. The Washington Business Journal has the story.
• We Love DC is excited about Metro's plans for a new SmarTrip web site. We'll reserve our excitement for when we can actually get a look at the site, which has yet to be designed.
• Nbcwashington.com compares Va. Gov. Tim Kaine's trip to Dubai with D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty. Major difference? Kaine's trip is not a secret!

• The New York Times has some more details on the state of mind of acting Freddie Mac CFO David Kellermann before his apparent suicide today. "Some neighbors said Mr. Kellermann had lost a noticeable amount of weight under the strain of the job, and some said they had suggested that he should quit to avoid the stress." He reportedly did not leave a suicide note.
• Some minor injuries reported after a St. Andrew's Episcopal School bus crashed in Montgomery County today.
• It's looking like 17-year-olds will soon be able to get the morning after pill over the counter.
• The Presidential Inaugural Committee raked in $2 million on sales of Obama-themed souvenirs alone.

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• The Washington Business Journal reports that the NoMa BID has picked three finalists for its big public art project at First and M Streets NE.
• Heh. Princess Sparkle Pony on Michael Steele: "It's true that you can't really be a good top until you've been a good bottom."
• Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown today announced a release date for his new book, The Lost Symbol, which is reportedly set in D.C. and focuses on Freemasonry. In other words, get ready for Tom Hanks to run up and down 16th Street come 2011. Also of note: Amazon got a preorder page up almost instantaneously.

I have three or four old cell phones sitting in the bottom drawer of my desk (along with roughly 20 cables and wires I have absolutely zero need for), so I'm relieved that today's rain means that the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District's "Flowers for Phones" promotion has been moved to tomorrow. more ›

• LAist discovered that little kids on spring break enjoy spending their time teabagging.
• Chicagoist was far more enamored with the amateur strip contest So You Think You Can Strip - semifinals and finals - than they were with the local tea-bagging.
• Seattlest went on a mini listening tour this week, talking with Dr. Dog's Zach Miller, a visiting Cats cast member, and local jazz composer/comic-book enthusiast Andrew Boscardin.
• SFist was dismayed with the litter left over at Dolores Park after the city's annual "Hunky Jesus" contest (held on Easter, natch).
• Austinist noted enforcement of a noise ordinance has killed live music at a popular restaurant—and the bookings of over 80 performers.
• Londonist became rather over-excited at the prospect of Oxford Circus turning Japanese.
• Bostonist interviewed Amanda Palmer about her upcoming high school musical.
• Shanghaiist warned people against buying puppies from street sellers with horror stories about pets getting dipped into vats of dye to make them a more "lucrative" color.
• Phillyist joined their city in saying a sad goodbye to Harry the K.
• Torontoist's head exploded after discovering a colossally stupid transit shelter ad that depicted a radio about to commit suicide by jumping onto subway tracks—an ad created behind the transit system's back by a radio station that is, if you can believe it, owned by the same company responsible for maintaining those same transit shelters' ads.
• Gothamist was amused when Woody Allen's lawsuit against American Apparel (the clothing retailer used his image in an ad) and other accusations led American Apparel to demand nude pictures of his former lover's daughter-turned-wife.

Just in case you were too scared by the prospect of rain -- our sources (and our ability to read a radar screen) tell us that it began to drizzle on the Mall about half an hour ago -- here's what you've missed at today's Green Apple Festival so far: more ›

Good afternoon out there in the commentopolis. It's time, once again, for your weekly look at the best contributions from the last week of posts here at DCist. more ›

Tricycle? ? What, pray tell, is the problem that tricycles solve, Arlington County? Two wheels on a bike aren't redundant enough? Can't feel the wind in your hair on a Segway? Bethesda nab all the pogo sticks? I'd like to tell you that no one is judging you. You county employees who have registered in this trike share program are cutting down on emissions and proving that the suburbs can develop sufficiently dense commercial/residential corridors where you don't need a car to survive. But I would ultimately be lying to you. If you are an adult riding a tricycle, it is the privilege -- no, the obligation -- of every one of your fellow human beings to point and snicker. Snidely, and with abandon. I urge you to save the planet and your dignity. Barring that, please promise that you will never, ever attempt to ride a tricycle in the District. The kids here greet adults riding bicycles by throwing rocks at them. There is no telling what they would do to a grownup on a trike. more ›

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D.C. can be a wondrous place for tourists. It's got magnificent architecture, history, museums, and bustling streets and sidewalks. There are people from all over the world, homeless people, military folks in uniform, police, politicians, black squirrels, and lots of well-scrubbed young people. There's the Metro, the Mall, and more. And it's tourist season, so maybe those fanny-pack wearing throngs standing in front of the escalators are just awe struck, rather than annoying. The greater D.C. metropolitan area can be too much to grasp sometimes. It can be amazing. more ›

Breaking news: Obama staffers are fixie-riding vegans. Or at least one of them is. I uncovered this total scoop at last night’s Young and the Guest List party, Washington Life magazine’s 4th annual oh-so-very exclusive affair to honor the most influential Washingtonians under 40. Invitees included Adrian Fenty and Jon Favreau, neither of whom showed up. But event organizers told me 15 Obama staffers had RSVP’d, so my goal for the night was to locate these fabulous new D.C. residents and find out if they were cool. more ›

• Some evidence that there was a riot at the D.C. Jail last month thanks to the fact that a whole lot of cell doors don't actually work, courtesy City Desk.
• The 42 guesses what The Real World might look like depending on which D.C. neighborhood it might be in.
• Greater Greater Washington shares another case of overzealous security guards trying to convince photographers that they are breaking the rules, this time outside the Department of Transportation.
• Another child pornography arrest! This time, it's not a member of the media, but rather a lobbyist.

• Marion Barry says he has filed his 2008 tax returns! Now, literally no one has an excuse to be late.
• We have to believe WTOP's Adam Tuss knows this isn't the last time he'll have to write that the Dulles Rail extension project "may be a little longer than anticipated."
• NBC4 reports that Fairfax County is planning a public seminar on the Dangers of Sexting. Can you guess which local station will be there to cover the event, prompting a brand new wave of scaaaary sexting stories on all the local news channels?

Local non-profit Miriam's Kitchen, which provides meals and services to D.C.'s homeless population, is kicking off its annual 100 Bowls of Compassion fundraising effort this year with a chance to play an amusing prank on someone you know. All you have to do is click on this link and nominate any individual (presumably, someone you know with deep pockets would be preferable) who will then have their office, bedroom or car and plastered with styrofoam bowls, as pictured in the video above. more ›

Just in case you managed to miss this video, released by the White House, of Bo the Portuguese water dog's first day with the Obama family, here's some Wednesday morning cuteness for ya. more ›

Everything's coming up Milhouse for the District today. The Smithsonian named the designer for the NMAAHC, the Earth is bringing the Flaming Lips to the Mall this Sunday, the Wizards hired Flip Saunders to steer the team away from oblivion, the Caps are virtually giving away Mystics tickets, and a baby giant anteater revealed its sex. So what about all the bad news? more ›

» In the Washington City Paper's 2009 Best Of issue, assistant managing editor Jule Banville maybe took a shot at Prince of Petworth. The PoP fired back today, calling Banville an idiot to kick off a video profile of Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park. Showdown to take place on neutral ground: . more ›

So here we are at the start of a new season for the Washington Nationals. For those going to the game today, it's going to be cold and maybe rainy. Tickets are still available! Fire Jim Bowden has a good preview of the series. more ›

Phillyist tried to proofread this sign but gave up.

Geez, could tomorrow's Nationals home opener get any more depressing? more ›

Howdy out there -- it's yet again time to review the best of your contributions to our little corner of the internet. As usual, your reactions didn't disappoint; so grab a cold beverage and prepare yourself for the commentey goodness ahead of you. more ›

While this editor had heard rumblings about this from our staff who live in Columbia Heights, it wasn't clear whether it was true: was ANC 1A actually pushing to change the name of part of the neighborhood to "Tivoli North" because of some April Fools jokes? Well, as Greater Greater Washington reported yesterday, kinda sorta. The ANC had been considering a proposal for promotional banners well before April which would have, at least marginally, recognized the stretch of 14th Street between Monroe and Shepard Streets NW as "Tivoli North". But after emails and (admittedly obvious) blog posts began making the rounds on April 1 claiming that the ANC was exploring slapping the "Tivoli North" moniker on the neighborhood as a whole, folks got uppity and came to the ANC's most recent meeting in droves. Long story short, the banners aren't going up (yet), and the hood is still good, old Columbia Heights. Man, between this and the brouhaha over The Hoya's April 1 edition, not doing an April Fools joke is looking like a better decision by the day. more ›

As we all know, D.C. can be a strange place. People talk about things they don't elsewhere, they work in jobs that don't exist elsewhere, and the level of dialogue is totally different from, say, Nashville or Boise. And as it turns out, that can even lend itself to pretty hilarious couples' arguments. more ›

• Surprise, surprise. WTOP reports that Metro didn't get fully repaid for all its additional inauguration expenses.
• The Corcoran Gallery of Art laid off 18 people today.
• There could be as many as 24 new express Metrobus lines by 2015, reports the Examiner.

• The Business Journal breaks down all the development bids the city has received for 11 of the D.C. public school campuses that were shut down last year.
• Dee Hunter, former at-large D.C. Council candidate and ANC 1B chair, has surrendered his license to practice law in the District in the wake of allegations that he violated a number of ethics rules, according to Legal Times.
• Police are searching for a missing Howard University student. James Duncan III, 24, was last seen a week ago at the Howard Plaza Towers in the 2200 block of Sherman Avenue NW, and his car has since been found on in the 2600 block of North Capitol Street NW.
• The Nats are letting DCPS baseball teams practice at Nationals Park.
• A former D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation employee is suing the District for wrongful termination retaliation and defamation after he claims he was fired when he raised a flag about Mayor Fenty's twin sons having been improperly placed on a youth basketball team, City Desk reports.
• Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has asked Attorney General Eric Holder to release any documents related to the constitutionality of the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act, according to the Hill.
• Are you a gay couple looking to get married in another state and then have that marriage recognized by the District? City Renewed says Stamford, Connecticut is the place to go.
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• Drool. Frozen Tropics reports that Philadelphia Water Ice has reopened on H Street NE. Post includes mouthwatering pic of cheesesteak and fries.
• At almost the exact same time that D.C. was formally recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states, Vermont was legalizing same-sex marraige, which kinda makes us look like punks. Get on the stick, Catania!
• Ward 7 Connections previews a story expected from "East of the River" updating the plans for Benning Station.

• The New York Times covers Mayor Fenty's trip to visit NYC public schools on Friday.
• The Washington Times reviews the first outing of D.C.'s newest sports franchise, the D.C. Armor, part of the American Indoor Football Association.
• City Desk grabs some snapshots of the infamous city firetruck and ambulance that were mysteriously donated to a town in the Dominican Republic, which are now returned and sitting in a parking lot in D.C.

A couple of years ago, I made some friends on one of our friendly neighborhood listservs -- and people were always asking for favors. After all, that's what neighbors do for each other. In any case, I got roped into babysitting occasionally. No big deal right? A free pizza, playing some Xbox 360, and some quality time spent engaging my inner seven-year-old -- to be honest, it wasn't that much different that my usual evening activities. (You know, just without the booze.) Really, the only downside to the whole shebang was when the two or three kids decided to break into a full-throated argument about which toys were whose, and who, at that very moment, had the right to monopolize the box they all laid in. Invariably, someone got hit, I'd have to step in; it was a considerable mess that accomplished nothing. Ten minutes later, they'd be back fighting again over the same things. more ›

Fred Phelps and his cadre of fanatics were in town earlier this week, protesting local high schools in an attempt to yell at teenagers about how gay people and the military-industrial complex were killing God in America. Or something. In any case, most of our commenters were able to burn through Phelps' followers' wacko-spouting with little delay, but it was demonfafa who really nailed it, earning our Comment of the Week: more ›

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The National Cherry Blossom Festival is here again. Some people love it: lots of beautiful scenery, great weather, the impressiveness of Washington, D.C.'s urban landscape. If you don't like flowers or crowds, maybe not for you. Plus there's the name -- way to go, organizers. Getting kids' hopes up. more ›

MUSIC: It's a big, big night for DCist Three Stars alums! First up, Three Stars alums The Caribbean are at the Black Cat's backstage, along with DCist Unbuckled alums Olivia Mancini and The Housemates. Headlining the bill are the increasingly interesting Impossible Hair, a D.C./Baltimore group we dug when they played the Red and The Black last summer, and who are celebrating the release of their new record, What is the Secret of Impossible Hair. Find out at 9 p.m. Tickets only $8. more ›