You see them everywhere: people on the street trying to get you to give money to a certain cause. Maybe it's Street Sense, the homeless newspaper, or an environmental group, political cause, or humanitarian organization. But luckily, there are many ways to help out a cause. more ›

Washington D.C. is, understandably, a big destination for tourists. It's the seat of power for the country, the architecture is grand, there are monuments, world-class museums, historical sites and tons to learn. It's really a great experience for anybody, even if it does mean the sidewalks are sometimes clogged with middle schoolers wearing neon FBI hats. And everybody comes away with fond memories of the city. more ›

You have to like the way kids think. They might be ridiculous one minute and geniuses the next. And sometimes they have an interesting way of categorizing things. more ›

For whatever reason, parents seem to be saying a lot of interesting stuff in the past few weeks. Maybe it's that more tourists are in town, or that the weather is nice so people can get out and about. In any case, here's some good advice. more ›

Happy hour, while it exists many places, seems to be a very popular D.C. institution. Every day after 5 p.m., bars fill up. You can meet up with coworkers or buddies, get some cheap drinks and some grub, B.S. about whatever, complain about the boss, and so on. But there's always the possibility you'll go too far, like at that one office Christmas party. more ›

While New Year's Eve has been called Amateur Night for some time, St. Patrick's Day is making a run at the title: green beer, goofy clothes, lots of alcohol, bad decisions. Of course, the majority of people celebrating are probably not Irish, which is odd: why not celebrate St. Andrew's Day for Scottish people, St. George for England, and so on? Well, anyway, at least some people had fun. more ›

What with the spring-like weather upon us, it seems like people are opening up. They're going outside, relaxing in the park, wearing short sleeves and skirts. Perhaps love is in the air. more ›

Anyone who has read the menu at the Brickskeller can tell you that Julius Caesar called beer "a high and mighty liquor." But aside from being a favorite of Roman conquerors, it causes people to say funny stuff - stuff that when you overhear it, makes you really want to know how that conclusion was reached. What winding path was taken to get there? more ›

The winter holidays are a big time of year for family. You take photos, somebody always wears a dumb sweater with a reindeer on it, you eat together, shop together, and so on. It's also a big time for couples — do you go to one person's parents' house? Spend time together on the big days? Or purposefully avoid spending it together? And sometimes, even the smallest details take on a lot of symbolism. more ›

>> A fire forced students to evacuate a dorm at Catholic University. [NBC4] >> "NEWSFLASH: The Nazis killed millions of people. This gay rights organization raises money for AIDS research, breast cancer and the arts, among countless other charities." [Blade Blog] >> "Wizards players are donating $20,000 to a woman whose former boyfriend doused her with gasoline and set her on fire." [AP via WTOP] >> A D.C. man in his 50s was hit... more ›

It's starting to be winter, finally, after a long Indian summer of warm days and little rainfall. But lately it's been chillier and drizzlier and crummier outside. Most people prefer the sun; they don't have to wear big jackets or get soggy, and D.C. cold always seems to bite. That doesn't bother some folks. But they're probably looking at you because you're wearing Uggs. Quote of the Week At the Foggy Bottom Metro station: Girl... more ›

Word of mouth is considered an important marketing tool these days; call it what you will, but it's still a great way to hear about new music, movies, TV, whatever. Usually the best way to find the good stuff is to talk to somebody whose opinions you respect, but sometimes just random folks can tell you about neat new stuff — some person at a party, a friend of a friend, or whoever. And sometimes... more ›

Ever work at a store with an intercom system? "Cleanup on aisle four." There's always the temptation to say something funny into it, to make a weird noise or cough or confuse the customers. And there's the amusement that happens when somebody new uses it. "Uhh... (click, buzz) is this... hey boss, uh, come here." The Metro intercoms seem to be mostly used for incoherent announcements about "trains... and stations" and things of that nature,... more ›

Washington has a ton of good things, but also a lot of problems. One we often hear about is a general lack of customer service in some local businesses — sometimes people are slow, rude, forgetful, or a combination of the three. We've seen it all over, from fancy joints to Mickey D's, but it seems to be worse here than elsewhere on the East Coast. Somebody could make a lot of money by renting... more ›

Moms are great. Aside from birthing us, they wipe our mouths when we dribble food, wrap us up warm when it gets cold out, and give us Jell-O and ice cream when we're sick. For many years it seemed like mom and dad were the smartest people in the world, an Encyclopedia Familica. Usually they give us advice like cover your mouth when you cough, wash your hands after using the bathroom and useful stuff... more ›

Many things seem more important in D.C. than they would be anywhere else. It's pretty difficult to impress somebody in most places by telling them you met the Undersecretary of such and such. Appearing on C-SPAN is more likely to be subject to quizzical looks rather than admiration in other towns. Most folks elsewhere wouldn't know they just saw George Will honking at pedestrians. And obviously, people talk about bills and laws and politics more... more ›

Some people love kids. Some people feel differently. Kids provide unconditional love, but they can also make any flight or train ride interminable. They have great imaginations and can be funny and sweet, but they can also ask the same question 80 times, just because they want to. But whether you're a kid person or not, it's hard to argue with their ability to say complete nonsense. Maybe the non sequiturs match up with whatever... more ›

What's That You Say, our roundup of the best, funniest, and most interesting comments of the past week, is back, and this time it's got taxi terrorism, school ponderings, Chinese food debates, and more. If you haven't already, take 20 seconds to register and make your own avatar. ----- The hybrid taxicab post spurred a lot of comments, but we particularly liked Reid's: Wait, do hybrids come in skeezy Buick? ----- Friday's Overheard in DC... more ›

Movers get a bad rap. Their companies are frequently thought of as fly-by-night operations. Usually they lose or break some of your things, and they help you lose your security deposit by scratching the walls. They're always expensive, and it usually takes longer than you would have hoped. But they work long hours doing a strenuous job everybody hates — you rarely hear someone talking excitedly about lugging all their stuff to a new home.... more ›

College is a time for experimentation. Trying new things and learning about subjects you didn't know about. It's also a time when you experience the wider world, meeting people from around the country, comparing what's the same and different where you're from and where they're from, expanding your horizons. And sometimes it's a time to do things you've only heard about but don't really know what they mean. Because that always works out for the... more ›

MONDAY: The Beauty Myth author Naomi Wolf will be at the Arlington County Public Library in Shirlington to read from her new book, The End of America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot, in which Wolf outlines how events of the last six years parallel steps taken in the early years of the 20th century's worst dictatorships such as Germany, Russia, China, and Chile. 5 p.m., free. TUESDAY: Erudite actor Alan Alda will... more ›

The first day of school is a stressful time. New people, new things to learn, new ways to either be cool or embarrass yourself. And the same is true for Back to School Night. Back to School Night is, of course, the time when parents come to school to meet the teachers and try to show them that their kids were raised right, while the kids hope the parents don’t embarrass them in front of... more ›

Ah, religion. We've all read about its role in public and private life and how fewer and fewer people are going to church these days. Ben Franklin said "Lighthouses are more helpful than churches." And in D.C., churches often cause a lot of debate about parking, "newcomers" versus older residents, and abandoned properties. And yet, despite all the distractions of our modern age, some young people in the city are still able to practice their... more ›

Remember that first week of college? Amid the excitement of all the new people, new classes, new books, a new life, was the hope. The hope that you were embarking on an exciting journey that would make you into someone brand new. The hope that as you left high school and your parents behind, you could finally become the person you always knew you were meant to be. The hope that this was a fresh start, and that any difficulties your teen years had presented you with were now erased from the record and the board was now wiped clean. The hope that all the things you wanted but could never seem to have, no matter how unlikely, might finally be within reach. more ›

This week at Overheard, we'd like to take a moment to give thanks for a segment of the population that we feel is unfairly maligned. That's right, we're talking about you, Mr. Stares Blatantly at Women's Breasts on the Metro. And you, sir, who just nearly walked into a pole while leering at the woman who just walked past. We raise our glasses to the guy surreptitiously taking pictures of girls' rear ends on the... more ›

As we head into the weekend, we'd like to make a small public service announcement. Though we've been enjoying unseasonably cool temperatures the past week, the heat is coming back, and we'll be back to our usual late August sweatbox by tomorrow. We realize that the heat and humidity can make you cranky and irritable. But we beseech you to try to keep your temper cooler than the air outside. We fully grant you your... more ›

Nobody enjoys having to muscle through a dense crowd of people on the metro platform. Especially on those days when everyone is so eager to get on the train that they don't even wait for anyone to get off before surging onboard. Times like that, we wish we had some magical power to transport past the crowd, but then again if we could do that, we wouldn't be taking metro to begin with, now would... more ›

According to FOX News, bastion of all things important and impartial, it's true: Michael Jackson and former mayor/D.C. Council member Marion Barry have become good friends recently after being introduced by their mutual friend and publicist, Raymone Bain. Given the fact that Jackson has been actively looking for a vacation home in the area and has been hanging around D.C. this summer with his children, it seems certain this is one of the most important items of news we'll come across all year. more ›

Temp work is more than just a last resort to keep from having to beg your parents for money after getting fired for youthful indiscretions at your previous job. It can be a valuable learning experience. Not only can you discover that it really is possible to be even more expendable than an intern, but you can find your way to parts of office life you might never have considered before. There's the ever-popular... more ›

You can lead a horse to water, yada yada. Same with music. You can force a kid to sit in front of a piano for two hours a day, but unless he actually enjoys what he's doing while he's there, eventually the force of his will not to be there is likely to win out over yours. Of course, you can dress it up. Making the tedium of endless scales and exercises into a fun... more ›