D.C. culture may have its faults, but laziness certainly isn’t one of them. We work hard here (and, according to a recent Men’s Health poll, we play hard, too). We work so hard that many organizations and companies, particularly those in D.C., try to recruit new employees by promising a “work-life balance” -- something that used to be called simply “time off” or “after 5 p.m.” only a few short years ago. In a culture... more ›

Written by DCist Contributor Josh Kramer The Hatchet — George Washington University >>The big news at GWU this week is that Freshman Sarah Marshak, who reported six swastikas being drawn on her dorm room door's whiteboard, actually drew five of them herself, which she has now said she did to bring attention to the first incident. Marshak, who is Jewish and a former reporter for the Hatchet, was informed she will most likely be expelled.... more ›

Written by DCist Contributor Sarah Stonesifer The Diamondback – University of Maryland: >> Hartwick Towers, an off-campus apartment building, was the scene of a fire on Friday, Oct. 12. The fire has come under scrutiny by both students and city officials, as the building is not equipped with sprinklers and fire alarms did not function during the fire. Students were left on their own to find alternative housing until they were let back into their... more ›

This post is from DCist Contributor Joe Viola Located in the heart of Adams Morgan is the Little Fountain Café. The menu is quaint but extremely sophisticated, the ambiance quiet but romantic, and the service is friendly but unobtrusive. There’s no elevator music while you eat. Bono, Coldplay, Billy Joel, and smooth jazz covers by Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald enhance an already private affair. Walking downstairs into the Café you pass by the little... more ›

Compiled by DCist Contributors Josh Kramer and Sarah Stonesifer The Eagle - American: >> AU is fine-tuning their free HIV testing program to accommodate students' schedules. They've also switched from an anonymous testing program to a confidential one. The changes aim to bring the school in line with the District government's HIV testing initiative. >> The American University bus drivers were approved by the Undergraduate Senate to have their own union, a debate that had... more ›

Washington Concert Opera presented the first half of their new season on Sunday night at an admirably full Lisner Auditorium. Rather than a more typical rarity, it was one of the gems of the bel canto repertoire, Vincenzo Bellini's late opera I Puritani, or as bad-girl soprano Anna Netrebko memorably put it, "crap." No one should ever mistake I Puritani for a dramatic masterpiece, but it does have some of the best, most polished, and... more ›

FRIDAY: >> Octogenarian fiddler Joe Thompson (at right), said to be the last black traditional string band player, plays a free show at The Kennedy Center's The Millennium Stage with fellow folk musicians Wayne Martin on fiddle and Bob Carlin, a clawhammer style banjoist. 6 p.m. >> Space rockers The Gulf sold out their D.C. show in April, and are coming back to play at the Red and the Black with the Joonies, Twin Earth,... more ›

By DCist Contributor Sarah Stonesifer The Eagle - American: >> At American University, officials decided that an official record will be kept along with possible judicial action after students receive their "second medical transport due to alcohol consumption." So remember kids, the first case of alcohol poisoning is free. >> There was an attempted robbery in an American University dorm last Saturday, but the suspect was quickly apprehended and identified. The Hoya - Georgetown: >>... more ›

The classical music season got officially under way this weekend, and there will be more and more choices facing eager listeners. Even if you cannot afford all the concerts you want to attend, since local radio station WETA, at 90.9 FM, went back to a classical format, there is more local music on the airwaves, too. Tune in this evening (September 16, 7 p.m.) to the live broadcast of the National Symphony Orchestra's Season Opening... more ›

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With unseasonable weather descending upon much of North America, schools getting ready to reconvene, and sports seasons getting exciting, it's a busy time of year for us here in the Ist-a-verse. Luckily, even with all the things we have to do, we still managed to get together to let you know what we've all been up to. After cooling down from a hot weekend of many badass Sunset Junction Street Fair photo dispatches, LAist asked... more ›

Isn't it Friday yet, Washington? Alas, we've still got to muddle through two hot, muggy days before what's looking to be another gorgeous weekend finally begins. With weather like this, you might be tempted to don footwear most people would deem inappropriate for work, like say, flip-flops. Other people might then be tempted to make fun of you for your choice of shoes, and they wouldn't be wrong -- flip-flops are, as we all know,... more ›

, proves an affable host for the evening. Taking on the persona of a Paula-Deen-heavy amalgam of Food Network personality types, she introduces us to the wonders of the butter bacon burger, the importance of creating a mood with "roombiance," and the assets of Taylor the Latte Boy, who services her at Starbucks. more ›

Hey, DCist, I like fireworks and celebrating the birth of our country. Where should I go, what should I do, help a sister out. -DCist reader Sarah The best (and entirely serious) tip we have for you is of course to avoid the National Mall like it's going to give you cancer. It's a sea of tourists and transit trauma every year down there, but this year it's shaping up to be even worse, with... more ›

Well, there’s Rick Foucheaux in a chair playing a dead guy again. And look — Sarah Marshall is acting crazy as only she can. And come to think of it, this is another Sarah Ruhl play that concerns itself with the afterlife. Is there anything original happening here? more ›

Story and photo by DCist Contributor Mehan Jayasuriya Much like their indie pop forebears — the Smiths, Belle & Sebastian, the entire roster of Sarah Records — Austin act Voxtrot has a thing for self-contained singles. As a matter of fact, they've taken their own sweet time releasing a full length, opting instead for a series of CD-Rs, 7-inch singles and EPs over the course of the last four years. As with the aforementioned... more ›

The women of Venus want to once again experience a man's touch. A former Miss D.C. transcends all normal applications of the term "statuesque beauty". And Jane Fonda does what Jane Fonda does best: save the world. The Hirshhorn brings high camp into the realm of high art with the kickoff of their free "Summer Camp" film series this Thursday. The theme? The feisty, dangerous, and scantily-clad women of adolescent male fantasies 50s & 60s... more ›

MONDAY >> A year ago, Rolling Stone called The Whigs one of ten bands to watch and "the best unsigned band in America." The Athens, GA trio has since been taking their pure rock-and-roll on the road in support of Give 'Em All a Big Fat Lip, winning comparisons to the Replacements, the Strokes, REM, and the Drive-By Truckers along the way. The break hasn't come yet, but we've got a feeling it could... more ›

Monday >> It’s been a few years since Strange and Beautiful brought English singer/songwriter Aqualung into the spotlight with his radio friendly sensitivity, but now he’s back touring to promote his latest release, Memory Man. He’ll be headlining the 9:30 Club with opener Sara Bareilles. $20. >> Three Stars favorites The Deleted Scenes will be out at the Warehouse Next Door tonight as part of a four band line-up including Pash, The Love Story, and... more ›

Austinist gets arty with an interactive guide to SXSW, loved some local art galleries and a new art exhibit and lamented the possible loss of "Friday Night Lights" production to New Mexico. Bostonist was happy they finally found an Anna Nicole Smith connection to their fair city and that an Apple Store was opening up. They were less happy that new rules have been established limiting underage shows and that their Governor is spending... more ›

>> Helen Thomas will be moved to the second row in the new White House Press briefing room, which will be completed early this summer. The end of an era, or the beginning of a bold new world where Tony Snow might occassionally mistake her for someone else and actually answer her questions? [Politico] >> When Keeping it Real on Amazon.com Goes Wrong [Sarah Disgrace] >> If you can believe it, more rate hikes are... more ›

D.C.'s lack of choice when it comes to gourmet grocery stores may be coming to an end, although not everything is panning out as planned. A long hoped-for Whole Foods Market on 14th Street in Columbia Heights seems all but dead. “We have no immediate plans for that location,” Sarah Kenney, Whole Foods Market, director of marketing for the mid-Atlantic Region tells DCist. Over a year ago, Whole Foods signed a Letter Of Intent (LOI)... more ›

Oh, the holiday shopping season. Preparing the troops to invade local malls, throwing punches over a video game player, listening to Jingle Bells until your ears bleed. Good times. But it doesn't have to be that way. Don't know what to get mom-in-law? Finally impress her with your cultural know-how by gift wrapping some ART this holiday season. Galleries are listening, and have a few deals for you bargain shoppers. >>Cheap for Charity: What's better... more ›

>>A CNN/Gallup Poll released today reports that "100% of D.C.-Metro area residents" agree that they "like things that are great." Okay. There's no such poll. We're just giddy that after two-plus years of trying, we finally uncovered a local issue that we all agree on: following Vincent Orange into a redevelopment abyss over the Capital City Market is a bad idea. Further developments on the story shall be noted. >> Imminent show cancellation alert!... more ›

Does anyone else need a vacation from their vacation? Some good classical music is just the thing to calm your nerves after battling the traffic or the airport crowds. Happily, we have some excellent things on the agenda for this week, before the Holiday Concert Madness truly sets in, beginning with some of the big guns. STAR CONCERTS: >> The main event this week as far as I am concerned is the recital by powerhouse... more ›

, a play with characters who seem to be a conveniently thrown-together group of wackos rather than anything resembling a realistically dysfunctional family. We’re talking a dominatrix, a possibly-retarded sister, an obsessive-compulsive cleaning lady, and naturally, the Elvis, to name a few. Luckily, most of the actors assembled here by Woolly Mammoth Theater are up to the task of creating real people out of the caricatures they’ve been given. more ›

On Tuesday, the American -ists will be celebrating democracy and hitting the polls, letting politicians know what they really think. It just made us wonder: if it were up to the -ist-a-verse, what would we be voting for? Londonist votes for better skincare, alternative spaces for art, cute little birds and the men who keep them, and concrete. Lots of concrete. Shanghaiist votes for one of the Bee Gees and Air Supply (it's a double-ticket),... more ›

Congratulations, Alyssa R.! Your thoughtful commentary on this week's Decemberists show won you the gatefold vinyl copy of The Crane Wife and a special, limited edition lithograph signed by the band! We were particularly fond of Alyssa's social and political observations as they related to the show. Here's what she had to say: A couple of thoughts: 1)The material from "The Crane Wife" rocks a lot harder on stage than it does on the album,... more ›

>> D.C. Board of Education Vice President Carolyn Graham enjoys making cartoon dress-up dolls on the Internet while at work. But really guys, who doesn't? [Yeas and Nays] >> The bloggers at Free Darko join Deadspin in talking about our very own Agent Zero. "More bottomless riddle than one-note lightweight," indeed. [Deadspin] >> After being profiled in the illustrious New York Times, the Capital Club decides it's not so illustrious after all. [Wonkette] >> Mayor-to-be... more ›

The power of a piano playing woman is quite remarkable. Fiona, Tori, Sarah even Nellie—they each have their own cult-like following, sustaining their careers through fights with labels, concept albums and ill-advised haircuts. Judging by Tuesday night’s performance, Regina Spektor can now officially be added to this list of keyboard icons. With the early 6 p.m. show, the 9:30 Club had the most popular happy hour in the city. The sold-out crowd cheered vigorously at... more ›