George Washington, more than 212 years after his death, is still one of the most dreaded people in British history, according to a poll that asked museum-goers to vote for Britain's greatest wartime enemy. more ›

Now that school is back in session and conference play is underway, DCist is giving you a rundown of all the local hoops teams, and we mean all of them. So if you need something to distract you from that other team in DC, we have eight more that you can follow. more ›

While 2011 is winding down, college basketball is about to pick up. Area schools are about to begin -- or have already begun -- conference play, which means it's time for the first of many college hoops roundups this season. So whether you follow the Hoyas, Terps, Colonials, Patriots, Bison or Eagles, we here at DCist have got you covered: more ›

Last week, Andrew Wiseman and I attended the BB&T Classic at the Verizon Center, a college basketball event that raises funds for the Children's Charities Foundation and is organized by local sports writer John Feinstein. While this year marked the 17th year of the Classic, it may have very well been the weakest-attended since the event started back in 1995. more ›

This Friday marks the first time college basketball teams can run organized practice for the upcoming season. In other words, it's Midnight Madness time. more ›

Now that March Madness is really underway -- with four channels of viewing enjoyment for good measure -- DCist breaks down the local area teams that made the Big Dance as well as those that, well, did not. more ›

George Washington isn't getting an invitation to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, unless they pull off some kind of miracle in the upcoming Atlantic 10 conference tournament. Of course, that's not stopping its donors from diving headfirst into March Madness. Robert Kasmir, who was honored at halftime of the Colonials' Saturday game against Dayton for making a five-figure donation to the university's athletic department, was summarily tossed after yelling at the refs during the second half. more ›

George Washington University is planning on allowing men and women to live in the same residence hall rooms all over its campus next fall -- just like how anyone living nearly everywhere else in the world is able to do! The university's decision is part of a national trend, ridding the somewhat-insane policy of forcibly separating genders in student housing; Georgetown is also considering scrapping gender-separate dorms. (A mild thumbs up to American, who already has a few gender-neutral accommodations on campus.) In addition to perpetuating the antiquated idea that college kids will somehow maintain their chastity by living in separate quarters, the new policy, as Amanda Hess notes, is great news for LGBT students who might feel more comfortable not being forced to live in a room with someone of the same gender. Just remember, kids: bedbugs don't care what gender you are. more ›

October is arguably the greatest month on the entire sports calendar, though college basketball fans might disagree -- March is still a long way off. But we do have Midnight Madness, otherwise known as the annual tip-off to the collegiate hoops season. DCist has taken the liberty of compiling this year's Madness events in the area -- they all take place tomorrow night -- so whether you root for the Hoyas, Terps, Patriots or Colonials, we've got you covered. more ›

Just like that guy who takes a little more than is socially acceptable at the hotel breakfast buffet (dry cereal or oatmeal, dude -- just pick one and live with it), Virginia isn't satisfied with only celebrating one holiday on the second Monday in October. Today in the Commonwealth is also Yorktown Victory Day, which serves to celebrate the Colonies' victory at Yorktown, Virginia on October 19, 1781 in the last major land battle of the Revolutionary War. more ›

Based on the various reports that we've seen, and aside from a few shouting matches, Saturday's "Restoring Honor" rally appeared to go off without major incident. Though those moving into a dorm room at George Washington University while tens of thousands of Tea Partiers were plodding their way to the National Mall, could be excused if they didn't feel like things were going so smoothly. The GW Hatchet has this report about Saturday's move-in process, during which many students and parents dodged the angry mobs while shifting those steamer trunks and cheap microwaves into the dorms. more ›

Word from the George Washington Police Department has it that a man on a mountain bike exposed his genitals to groups of women around campus on two occasions this week: once near Lerner Health and Wellness and then again by Philip Amsterdam Hall. In this snow, it's difficult to imagine anyone voluntarily exposing his skin to the elements, but frankly, it's hard to conceive this operation under the best of climactic circumstances. This pervert exposed himself . Needless to say, the package that this courier hoped to deliver was unwanted, disgusting, and criminal. Alert details follow below. more ›

It's been a busy couple of weeks at the White House. The Obamas held their first state dinner complete with party crashers. The Commander-in-Chief pardoned his first turkey. The official White House Christmas tree arrived on Friday, and next Thursday, the Obamas are scheduled to light the National Tree on the Ellipse. And, of course, the President has surely been preparing for the announcement his future plans for the war in Afghanistan on Tuesday at West Point. more ›

It was refreshing, if only for one moment, to read this morning's news and find a story that actually made this curmudgeonly writer smile: the Washington Times picked up the AP report from a surprise ceremony last night at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts where nine D.C. high school seniors were awarded full scholarships -- valued around $200,000 -- to attend George Washington University this fall. more ›

Vox Populi led us to this report in the Hatchet about one professor's desire to crackdown on the use of laptops in classes at George Washington University. On the one hand, it might not be a bad idea to dissuade students from using "Facebook, video-chatting and instant messaging" during lectures -- how exactly does one video chat during a lecture without being disruptive? -- but on the other, the professor instituting the ban is teaching in the School of Media and Public Affairs; this kind of networking behavior might end up coming in handy for students in that field. After all, if students at GW are looking to gain entry-level employment at any number of D.C. workplaces, Facebook, video-chatting, and instant messaging sounds like a lot of what they'll be doing upon graduation anyway. At least between the filing. more ›

Oh, it's a delicious day for college hoops fans across the country. Today's big game of local intrigue? Georgetown, fresh off Wednesday's huge 88-74 victory over #8 Syracuse which brought them to 3-2 in Big East play, take a trip down Tobacco Road to Cameron Indoor Stadium for a show-down with #3 Duke -- arguably the marquee matchup on a Saturday which features five games between top 20 teams. The Blue Devils (15-1) come into the game boasting an impressive 67-game home winning streak against nonconference opposition, but the Hoyas (12-3) will likely serve as the stiffest test Duke has seen all year. It also serves as a minor barometer for comparison between the Big East and ACC, without question the country's two strongest conferences. The outcome will depend on which Georgetown team shows up in Krzyzewskiville: the tenacious squad who nearly ran the 'Cuse out of the gym and knocked off Connecticut in their house; or the lackluster, frustrated enigma which surfaced in the losses against Pitt and Notre Dame. Tipoff is at 1:30 on CBS -- it should be a dandy. more ›

Yesterday we took a look at our area NCAA basketball teams that have already secured a spot in the Big Dance. In our second installment, we examine the bubble teams, as well as those unfortunate enough to miss the postseason. more ›

The first baby born in the D.C. metro area in 2008 was Stella Jones. WJLA reported that little Stella was born at George Washington Hospital at 12:02 a.m. on New Year's Day. more ›

Happy New Year! Jerrold M. Post will be at Politics and Prose to read from his latest book, The Mind of the Terrorist. Is there a more depressing way to start the new year than discussing the psychology of terrorism? Only in Washington. 7 p.m. more ›

With the opening of its ongoing Exploring the Early Americas exhibit today, the Library of Congress marks the beginning of a transformation that by the Summer of 2008 will “merge cutting-edge technology with the knowledge and inspiration embodied in the Library’s unparalleled collections and curators.” The exhibit features some of the 3,000 items representing the "beginning" of America (that is, the beginning of European documented America), that Jay I. Kislak has been collecting for more... more ›

>> Tonight, the Alliance Francaise and Twins Jazz present the Dupont T quartet, a group led by bassist Hubert Dupont, a major player in the jazz scene in Paris. Tickets to the 8 and 10:30 p.m. sets are $20. Discounted tickets are available to Alliance members. >> Marshall Allen (pictured) is a long-time member of the influential avant-garde outfit, the Sun Ra Arkestra. Tonight, Allen brings his own group to George Washington Univ, Phillips Hall,... more ›

For dance lovers looking to get into the holiday spirit, The Nutcracker is a must at this time of year. Thankfully, the Washington D.C. area has numerous performances of the beloved ballet from which to choose. While there’s over a dozen performances ranging in size from huge ballet troupes to small dance studios, here's a few that stand out among the rest. American Ballet Theater: Few companies can compete with the size and talents of... more ›

Over in academia, it's finals time, but the receSs improv team over at George Washington University isn't compromising their weekend, which will mark the group's final show of 2007, over it. On their unofficial blog, The Colonialist, they're offering up reasons why their peers shouldn't either. In the past, receSs alums have gone on to pursue real-life comic gigs, including TJ Miller (now on the ABC show "Carpoolers"), Herschel Bleefeld (who landed a role in... more ›

We've reached another Friday, D.C., but if those light flurries that accompanied you on your way into work this morning gave you visions of a leisurely Saturday snowball fight, you'll likely end up disappointed. Very little accumulation is expected from these flakes, and the weekend will see temperatures back in the upper 40s, with a possibility of some light rain on Saturday morning, according to CapitalWeather.com. If this update doesn't satisfy your weather nerd urges,... more ›

To celebrate the release of Electric Grace: Still more Fiction by Washington Area Women tonight, editor Richard Peabody and ten of the book’s forty-two contributors will be reading selections from their work at Politics & Prose tonight at 7 p.m. Faye Moskowitz, a memoirist, poet, short story writer and professor, will read from her story “Completo (A Triptych),” from the journal, Story Quarterly. more ›

>> Starting in January, the so-called Humpback Bridge on the George Washington Parkway will be revamped to be hump free and more pedestrian friendly. [WTOP] >> Mayor Fenty's administration tripled the number of employees making $175,000 or more from this time last year. Five of those employees, including the mayor himself, make over $200,000. [Examiner] >> Last night's fatal shooting of a man in the Barnaby Terrace neighborhood brings D.C.'s 2007 homicide total for... more ›

>> Both the White House Christmas Tree and the Capitol Christmas Tree arrived in Washington today. >> D.C. fire officials are warning people not to overload electrical circuits in their homes this holiday season in the wake of a fatal garage fire over the weekend. [WTOP] >> Vice President Dick Cheney experienced an irregular heartbeat Monday and will be heading to George Washington University Hospital to have it checked out -- in case you... more ›

Regarding Thanksgiving customs, going around the table saying what we’re thankful for is about as basic as it gets. If it seems too basic, this year you can consider adding a new dimension to the tradition by reading for the table what our Presidents have been thankful for. Thanks to the Pilgrim Hall Museum in Massachusetts, all the Thanksgiving Proclamations are available online. That means we have access to Proclamations dating from the Continental Congress... more ›

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Indie: Romance & Cigarettes John Turturro's third film as a director is the sort that seems tailor made to become a cult classic. Not nearly polished or glamorous enough to be the sort of Broadway to big screen musical hit that Chicago or Hairspray was, it was too oddball to fit into the heads of most... more ›

MONDAY >> The Library of Congress Mary Pickford Theatre in the James Madison Building kicks off 5 weeks worth of free Monday night rock and pop films with a rare showing of the 1966 documentary, The Big T.N.T. Show. David "Man from Uncle" McCallum hosts Ray Charles, Petula Clark, the Lovin' Spoonful, Bo Diddley, Joan Baez, the Ronettes, Roger Miller, the Byrds, Donovan, the Seeds, the Modern Folk Quartet, and Ike and Tina Turner taped... more ›