If you're down on the National Mall this weekend and see, oh, 12,000 flags stuck in the ground, don't be alarmed. The Federal Government hasn't started an experimental flag farm, nor is the display an effort of the area's squirrels to show their patriotism. The flags have been planted to represent the 12,000 members of the United States military who have been discharged under the practice of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The policy, which governs... more ›

We've gotten a couple emails wondering about the strange things afoot with the two scheduled Spoon shows at the 9:30 Club in October. In case you haven't heard the somewhat confusing story, Spoon booked two nights (October 22 and 23) at the 9:30 Club, and tickets went on sale August 9. Sometime last week, tickets mysteriously stopped being sold, without explanation. Then this past weekend, people who'd already purchased tickets received the following email:... more ›

It’s almost impossible to discuss the state of punk and hardcore music in this town without someone making a grand pronouncement like “the D.C. scene is dead”. Ask any of the old timers and they’ll tell you that the kids in Washington just don’t care about punk rock anymore. It’s not hard to understand where these folks are coming from; given the vital role that our city played in the evolution of hardcore music, it’s surprising that relatively few bands in the District carry the torch to this day. However, declaring the scene “dead” is a tad hyperbolic — a punk community does still exist in D.C., it’s just a little harder to find nowadays. more ›

Update, Part 3: Here's the audio of Rep. Gohmert's wisdom on the District's lack of representation. Or, should we say, over-representation? And we've redesigned the banner for his website to better reflect his new responsibilities... Louie Gohmert — The District's Voting Representative powered by ODEO--> Update, Part 2: Here's a pic of Louie. He seems like a nice guy. And this is what he said, according to the Congressional Record: "I would submit to... more ›

>> Start your Thursday night gallery hopping at Flashpoint, where they're holding an opening reception for Shifting Waters, a collection of drawings by Janis Goodman, an associate professor of fine arts at the Corcoran. Her gestural markings create animated representations of water in its many natural forms. Ask yourself if the dark graphite Goodman uses accurately translates her subjects' connection to life and nature, at the opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. >> It's... more ›

Woooeee. As noted in the Morning Roundup, the DCist staff party was a bit of a killer last night. Ask DCist Adam about his recipe for Tom & Jerrys. Or, alternatively, if you want to live, don't. Here's some bits and pieces to send you out the door and, if your weekend is anything like ours, into a frenzy of holiday parties. >> Be careful if you're headed out and around the Shaw Metro stop... more ›

And a good Friday to you, Washington. It's just about the weekend, a great time to continue that celebrating or mourning that you've had going on for the last few days, depending on what side of the political aisle you're on. Today will be a sunny day, with highs around 70. The temperature is slated to hit the same mark on Saturday, only it will be a partly cloudy day. Sunday will see highs in... more ›

Inside the House is a DCist feature offering an insider's view of fine dining issues by the hostess at a D.C. restaurant. Her views are strictly her own and do not in any way represent those of her employer. more ›

Ask most people their favorite Indian bread and naan often takes the spotlight. I can't knock naan. The refined flour yields some of the same qualities that made Wonder Bread appealing when I was three. But sometimes I crave something with a little more flavor -- and a lot more cholesterol. Something that speaks to that same inner voice that drives me to consume things like late-night pizza and tasty burgers with reckless abandon. more ›

Food incites emotion. Ask a guy to recall his mother’s most delicious dessert or his favorite meal on his last trip to Italy, and he’ll likely have plenty to say. Perhaps because they're food-related, shows on the Food Network conjure similar passions—just read any blog comment on perky Rachael Ray, sultry Giada DeLaurentiis or exuberant Emeril Lagasse. It seems that even when we’re not eating their meals, we often respond to the processes and presentations as if we’re a part of them. more ›

Good morning, D.C. Check out this lovely shot of the Capitol by Grundlepuck. The statue looks sad, or at least concerned — perhaps it's contemplating the fate of Rep. Bob Ney, the self-proclaimed "Mayor of Capitol Hill." According to the Post, Ney's just been further implicated in the Abramoff scandal. Duncan Drops Out Of Race: The Democratic field in the race for the Maryland governorship. Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan has withdrawn from the race,... more ›

If we've learned one thing from the effort to extend the Orange Line through Tyson's to Dulles Airport, it's that two billion and change can buy you a pretty substantial amount of rail transit. Or, if you please, it can buy you 18 miles of road. The Inter-County Connector passed its final hurdle today, receiving official federal government approval and allowing construction to begin on the highway in the fall. The road will travel from... more ›

"Others have come before us, and they said they would put neighborhoods first, and it didn't really happen," the Rev. Christine Wiley of Covenant Baptist Church told the crowd. "Read my lips. We are aware of the promises in the past that were made and not kept. We're going to hold you accountable."

LAist has so much fun this week! They go to E3, where they overhear the timeless remark "Man, this is where nerdy girls get laid." Is that a promise? They also give us this week's best CDs and make us realize that LA is the best place to use Zillow. Ah, Houstonist. They're biking to work, that is, if they can figure out how to get there. That's right, Mapquest says "Houston had the... more ›

Mike Grass, that is. more ›

So, when a Washington Post art critic tells an artist that their work is the only salvageable thing in an art show of six-hundred pieces, that's a good thing, right? Maybe not when it's spat with the vitriolic follow-up that, "glass is such a gorgeous medium it's hard to screw it up." more ›

Ask and ye shall receive, right? Some Chevy Chase residents are wishing it weren't so. Residents of the Northwest neighborhood are a little angry that increased police patrols -- caused by a rash of thefts -- have led to a higer number of parking tickets, or so writes the Washington Times. And what does the police have to say about that? Writes the Times: An official in the police department's 2nd District, which includes... more ›

Below, we take a brief look at development stories along the Red Line, but first, a brief Ask DCist: more ›

Crime, education and affordable housing. more ›

It was many months ago that Kelly Ann Collins -- best known for the thinking man's blog, Washington Socialites, which she launched and lorded over -- abruptly up and left the blogosphere. No explanation was given, and considering how short attention spans have become, none was requested. And just as quietly as she left, she has now returned, DCist has learned. more ›

Ask, and ye shall receive. DCist reader and photographer Greg Heegn took pity on our plea for any and all information on West Wing sightings around town last weekend. The NBC drama was in town filming for its final episodes. Greg reports that he saw both Bradley Whitford (Josh Lyman) and Allison Janney (C.J. Cregg) filming small spots along 1600 Penn. Ave. around 1 p.m. on Saturday. So that we wouldn't feel too left out,... more ›

This post was written by Bobby Cox, who blogs at Deaf DC. Gallaudet University is located on Florida Avenue in Northeast. When I first visited D.C. in 1997, an earnest young man described Gallaudet this way: "It's an Oreo! You have the mixed, predominantly black population around the University and a creamy mass of white, deaf people in the middle!" Unfortunately for some, that creamy mass in the middle is ripe for the taking. Among... more ›

, but recently Ask DCist has stopped waiting for questions and taken to scouring the city for citizens in need. Sadly, as internet geeks our powers are pretty much limited to answering questions. Also, in lieu of a badass orbital command center with sophisticated remote sensors, we're pretty much stuck with our couches and RSS readers. But that won't stop us. more ›

In a new twist on the District's fight for voting rights, the folks at Stamp Act Congress have a novel idea: stamp American tender with a pro-voting rights message as a way to publicize the plight that faces the residents of the capital of the United States. That message? "Stamp Out Taxation Without Representation in Washington, D.C." Since we love voting rights, we love the idea. But being the law-abiding citizens and residents we generally... more ›

Good morning, Washington. We hope your commute your commute to work yesterday was better than ours. We ran into snarled traffic in two different locations thanks to newspaper machines that had been blown into the street. Chalk another one up for the new media: we may not have sources, offices or salaries, but we're indisputably less susceptible to wind. Today looks to be about as cold and blustery as Thursday was — WAMU says... more ›

When Verizon purchased MCI back in February 2005, Ask DCist pondered what would become of the MCI Center's name. Wonder no more; the MCI Center is slated to become -- **gasp** -- the Verizon Center by the end of March 2006. We were hoping for a more creative name, really. more ›

In the second installment of our new Music Rountable feature, we ventured to encapsulate the elusive art of a live show. After you see what our panel of D.C. musicians and music professionals have to say, let us know -- why do you go to see live music? What do you look for? Or, offer your thoughts on the question as posed to our panel. more ›

Ask, and you shall receive. Karaoke night at the Arlington hipster hangout the Galaxy Hut is back by popular demand. more ›

A friend is getting a Dubya mask for Halloween, but I feel like there's so many other D.C. characters and entities that would make for better costumes. Any DC-themed costumes you can suggest? (Please help, otherwise I'm doomed to show up on the 31st as either Jessica Cutler or the Metro!) DCist was staring vacantly into our computer screen thinking of taking the week off of Ask. But when this question came in, we knew... more ›

Where can I get some kitchen knives sharpened (preferably cheaply)? more ›