An interview with João Silva, the New York Times photographer who lost both his legs below the knees in October 2010 after stepping on a land mine while on duty in Afghanistan. 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 ›

After a long wait, CityDance Ensemble Rehearsal Director Christopher K. Morgan finally gets to see his face on the silver screen. In December of 2003, Morgan was cast as a dancer in John Turturro’s film Romance & Cigarettes. After filming in 2004, the movie faced some setbacks and became what the Associated Press referred to as “the luckless orphan of corporate shuffling.” More than two years after its original release date, Romance & Cigarettes... more ›

Channel 9 reporter Bruce Johnson has broken the story on the dust-up at the Washington Post this past week. Classical music critic Tim Page, winner of a Pulitzer prize, has long been one of the best writers in the Style section, making the paper's shrinking coverage of classical music all the more shameful. In response to a mass email from the staff of Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry, which was sent to Page apparently... more ›

Monday >> Canada’s post-punk four piece Uncut just released their latest album Modern Currencies in the U.S. on July 17th and will be at DC9 tonight with special guest Patrick Krief of The Dears. Just like their name says, they are raw: loud, bold, and off the wall. Check out the stopmotion animated video for their recent single, "Darkhorse" which includes a fire bombing Ronald McDonald and an army of pissed off Care Bears. 8p.m.,... more ›

>> National Zoo Panda Mama Mei Xiang may not be pregnant after all -- a recent ultra sound showed no evidence of a panda fetus. Sniff. [WTOP] >> Mayor Fenty thinks people should be able to swim in the Potomac. Sure, if they're willing to become bi-gendered. [WTOP] >> Just when you thought moving to Canada was the solution to trying live a saner, more civilized existence, they go and throw out the hallmark... more ›

>> Yesterday we wrote about the Amish market in Burtonsville being relocated next summer when the shopping center where it's located will be demolished. The blogger at Just Up The Pike seems to have information that the owner of an acre-sized plot behind Route 198 has expressed interest in leasing to the market, thus keeping Burtonsville residents sated with an uninterrupted supply of delicious Amish fried chicken. >> Private tour buses are set to... more ›

When in early March the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that the District's restrictive gun laws were unconstitutional, over 70 years of legal thinking on the Second Amendement was upended and the nationwide debate over gun control was given new life. And with another decision by the court today, it looks like the matter will be settled by the Supreme Court. more ›

In what has to be the funniest thing we've read today, The New York Times has a profile in their Home & Garden section today of four roommates living in a row house here in Washington, dealing with typical group house issues, like whose turn it is to clean and how to deal with a rodent problem. Of course, the in-house drama reaches epic heights of satiric comedy when it's revealed who the tenants are: Rep. Bill Delahunt (D- MA), Rep. George Miller (D-CA), Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-IL).

Think MTV’s “Real World” with a slovenly cast of Democratic power brokers. While Washington may have more than its share of crash pads for policy-debating workaholics, few, if any, have sheltered a quorum as powerful as this one. About a quarter-mile southeast of the Capitol, the inelegantly decorated two-bedroom house has become an unlikely center of influence in Washington’s changing power grid. It is home to the second- and third-ranking senators in the new Democratic majority (Mr. Durbin, the majority whip, and Mr. Schumer, the vice chairman of the Democratic caucus) and the chairman of the House Democratic Policy Committee (Mr. Miller). more ›

>> Travel + Leisure covers U Street and Logan Circle. Entire neighborhood now plans to move to Northeast. Also, we know it's technically correct, but does anyone actually call the downstairs at Saint-Ex, "Gate 54"? We've never heard anyone say that out loud. Commence bashing Travel + Leisure's coverage, a la The New York Times, in 5, 4, 3 ... >> Ward 4 Candidate Muriel Bowser kicks off her campaign by granting an interview to... more ›

Editor's Note: We're trying out a new end-of-the-day feature this week, affectionately called Go Home Already, which gives us the chance to point out any important headlines we might have missed during the day, great posts from the local blogosphere, a fun photo, and of course, remind you to get the heck out of your office because there are enough workaholics in this city as it is. It's just a trifle, but we're sure you'll let us know what you think in the comments. more ›

While we celebrate the reopening of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery as classic examples of what museum care and innovation should be, the Smithsonian Institution at large may be slowly losing its grasp on the rest of its constituency. D.C.-based art critic and blogger Tyler Green has some critical words in a Los Angeles Times op-ed about the dilapidated conditions the other Smithsonian museums are suffering due to Congress' underfunding of the Institution, and the questionable sources to which it is turning as a result. more ›

Like all good government employees, F.W. Thomas will be taking things a bit slower over the summer. We hear rumors an extended vacation in the Poconos may be in store. So catch the third installment of D.C.'s most comprehensive multimedia performance evening on Monday night before it goes on hiatus until September. DCist has attended both the first two shows and recommends the F.W. Thomas Performances, hosted by CityPaper writer Adam Mazmanian, with sincere enthusiasm... more ›

Franklin Foer, a longtime writer for The New Republic, was recently named editor of the venerable political magazine. A fourth generation Washingtonian, he's authored a book called, "How Soccer Explains the World," (which we heartily recommend), and his writing has appeared in a host of publications, from The New York Times to Spin. Mr. Foer was good enough to take a few of our questions, on blogging, city life, and those cursed Chelski footballers. What's... more ›

Last week Ball-Wonk picked up the news that a Cincinnati company called Bygone Sports might win a case with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granting them the rights to the name Washington Nationals. Today, ESPN and The New York Times are reporting that the dispute will go to a judge in April, and a loss in the case there might necessitate a name change for the beleaguered Washington franchise. Ball-Wonk, whose post covers the implications pretty thoroughly, suggests we keep our name and shorten the moniker on the jersey to just "Nats," which most of us call them anyway. I like the Nats idea, but think we should change the long name to the Washington Natropolitan Baseball Club. more ›

Just one man's opinion, but now is a good time to say it: The New York Times is not any longer -- in my mind -- the greatest newspaper in the land. Nor is it the base line for the public narrative that it once was. Some time in the least year or so I moved the Washington Post into that position ... The Post, I believe, is our great national newspaper now; the Times is number two, with the Wall Street Journal close behind. Still a strong fleet. With a new ship in the lead perhaps it will sail to unexpected places.

The New York Times Magazine featured, this past Sunday, the work of former Expos and current Mets General Manager Omar Minaya, whose work in Flushing has concentrated on attracting Latinos, both to the stands and the playing fields of Shea. Mentioned in the piece is the stellar work Minaya did with Les Expos, bringing in Latino talents such as current Nationals All-Star pitcher Livan Hernandez and second baseman Jose Vidro, in keeping the troubled... more ›

Photo of the National Gallery of Art tunnel taken by Digital Obscura, posted in DCist Photos Thank our lucky stars, it's Friday. And all this weekend, we'll be in for a spectacular sky show. Venus, Mercury and Saturn will be closely aligned that'll make it look like they're forming a new constellation. Then Mercury comes into the picture on Monday night. The "separation of Mercury and Venus by one-tenth of one degree -- or... more ›

-- If you haven't had enough fun playing around with the Los Angeles Times' wiki-enabled interactive editorial, take a look at John Daniszewski's dispactch from Tehran about charges of official manipulation in the recent elections ... and saying that "[n]ew doubts and divisions have come into view" regarding the Iraq war, Paul Richter tracks conservative North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones Jr. and his shifting stance on Iraq and how that's playing back home ...... more ›

Damn D.C., we're all smart. more ›

Via Boing Boing this morning comes news that Digital Rights Management may be sending dollars down the drain in Fairfax. Tax dollars, that is. According to a report from Phil Shapiro of the Digital Divide Network, the Fairfax Public Library system got the great idea to distribute downloadable books. There's just one problem. The books are in Windows Media Format. That means they don't play on Macs, iPods or computers running the GNU/Linux operating system. Apparently, they've never heard of MP3. more ›

>> Ruth Reichl, editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine and former food critic at The New York Times, comes to Politics and Prose to discuss "Garlic & Sapphires," a memoir of her times as a food critic. 7 p.m. Check out an interesting interview with her here, from back in 1996. more ›

In a relatively startling revelation that may recast the debate over illegal immigration across the country, The New York Times reported today that the country's estimated 7 million illegal immigrants may be providing a $7 billion subsidy to Social Security -- roughly 10 percent of last year's surplus. Most illegal immigrants, the article notes, manage to acquire fraudulent residency and work documents so as to land jobs subject to payroll taxes, yet will likely never draw benefits. An immigration-fraud network based in Northern Virginia was broken up late last year after allegations that it provided thousands of illegal immigrants with Social Security cards, green cards, passports, and drivers licenses -- the very documents needed to land those jobs. more ›

The Post must hate being scooped in their own backyard, but DCist has to give credit where it's due. The New York Times scored big this Sunday with an expose on the Bush administration's public relations tactics. It seems that paying journalists to toe the president's line on policy issues wasn't enough, as the administration has taken to writing, producing and disseminating its own news stories. The NYT reported that government agencies across the board... more ›

(Interview by DCist contributor Austin Dienst)

Curtis Sittenfeld has recently been getting a lot of attention for her new book "Prep." It has been on The New York Times Best Sellers List for two weeks and for good reason. Sittenfeld creates such an authentic teenager in her protagonist Lee, that it brings those angst-filled, self-conscious years of high school to life in a way that shows like the "OC" cannot. All of the uncertainty and awkwardness of coming of age is heightened by the snooty New England boarding school Lee attends and it makes for some great drama (for more info on the book, check out Sittenfeld’s website or read an excerpt from "Prep."

Curtis Sittenfeld is fairly new to D.C.; she arrived just two-and-a-half years ago when she was chosen to be the writer in residence at the St. Albans school. Now she works part-time at the school as a freshman English teacher and works on her writing. For a great opportunity to meet Sittenfeld, she will be reading at the Politics & Prose on Connecticut Avenue, Friday at 7 p.m. This would be a great time to get the book, if you don’t already have it, or just hear the words the way the author intended. (More information and events are available here. Somehow Sittenfeld made time in her busy schedule to catch up with DCist over the phone and answer a few questions.

more ›

Last Friday were were sad to hear of the passing of legendary actor and civil rights leader Ossie Davis. Davis and his wife, Ruby Dee, were recognized at the 27th Kennedy Center Honors in December. We'll remember him not only for his great acting but also the times when we saw him interviewed - including this powerful interview we saw him give with Bill Moyers on NOW. The news program Democracy Now! has dedicated today's... more ›

Food critics can come from any number of places. The Post's Tom Sietsema is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown. Frequent Iron Chef America judge Jeffrey Steingarten was formerly a lawyer. Frank Bruni, now food critic for The New York Times, covered politics in D.C. for many years. So is it any surprise that one of the area's most idiosyncratic food reviewers is, by day, a professor of economics? more ›

As Rush and Molloy reported yesterday in the NY Daily News, Jenna Bush and a group of friends were supposedly rejected from renting a house in Cleveland Park, a house belonging to The New York Times' Paris bureau chief. This makes us think that Jenna is realizing that Georgetown may not be the best bet for housing. Perhaps she even read our post from last week about her potential tough commute between Georgetown and Columbia... more ›

Dear DCist: Someone told me that it’s actually good to leave the Express behind on the Metro because you’re passing the news on to somebody else. That’s a good thing, right? Or am I just keeping the train dirty? more ›

Good morning, Washington. As you can see from this photo of the National Cathedral from the Newark Street gardens taken this morning, it should be a nice day, though according to Capital Weather, rain may be moving in this evening and into the overnight hours. more ›