Category Archives: WTF?!

The Daily Feed, The Hill, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro to Boost Bike Locker Fees 185%

Photo courtesy of
‘Bikestation’
courtesy of ‘Dendroica cerulea’

The news came this afternoon from Wash Cycle that Metro is considering a proposal to increase fees by 185% for its bicycle lockers at various Metro stations from $70 a year to $200 a year. The increase would make it, per square foot, more expensive to store a bicycle than it would be to store a car in one of the WMATA garages.

While Metro’s certainly in a hard place financially, is almost tripling the fees of cyclists who ride to Metro the way to handle things? Surely $70 was too low, but trebling the cost? We’ve asked Metro what their argument was for such a dramatic hike. We’ll let you know what they say.

Update: Metro’s Doug Karas sent on the budget for FY2011 (which did confirm the hike), but wrote: Ultimately, the Board will decide what will go on the docket for public hearing. So any changes will be announced officially. I am sure if such a change is being considered it will be discussed at a Board or Committee meeting.

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Arenas: “I am trying hard to right my wrongs”

Photo courtesy of
‘Role Models are Very important’
courtesy of ‘crazyapplefangirl’

This morning’s Washington Post features an editorial from Gilbert Arenas concerning his recent behavior, including his felony conviction for firearms possession. It’s hard to see sincerity in Arenas’ words, when he was so glib before about his prospects and about the story itself. Arenas pledges to work with youth non-violence efforts in DC as part of his penance, but it all seems to ring hollow to me. Just another athlete giving proper lip service to community service and being a role model.

I’d love to be wrong.

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Don’t Freak Out: It’s Just a Drill

Photo courtesy of
‘Lotus #37’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Tomorrow morning between 7:30 and 8:30, or, as we know it the heart of rush hour, WMATA will be conducting a terrorism drill in a crowded Metro station. So, don’t freak out if you see the bomb squad or a series of K-9 officers in your Metro station tomorrow morning.

Now, I understand it’s not really a good drill if you announce all the particulars ahead of time, but is needlessly burdening an already overburdened system in the name of preparedness a good idea? Why can’t you do this sort of drill at 10am instead of right in the middle of rush? Is rush hour a real necessity here?

News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Leonsis Offer for Wizards May Be In Trouble

Photo courtesy of
‘DC Chamber of Commerce Gala oct 17 2009’
courtesy of ‘ShashiBellamkonda’

…but it’s not a fault of the offer or the team, it seems. The threat to the peaceful transfer of the Wizards is coming from Washington Sports & Entertainment, who insist they should have the right to accept outside public offers for the Wizards as part of the sale. Negotiations have been (publicly) civil between Leonsis and the Pollin family, who’ve both retained investment banks to assist in the valuation of the Wizards franchise (right now? I’d give ’em a nickel.) and the Verizon Center.

What had previously been released was that Leonsis, and his company Lincoln Holdings, had an exclusive period in which to make an offer for the team and the Verizon Center, after which things could be opened to the public. The President of WS&E, though, believes that not to be the case, and he’s gone public with a memo sent to the Pollin estate and Leonsis.

What had been a peaceful process just got a whole lot of potential to get ugly. Thanks, jackass.

News, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro Board Hears All The Options

Photo courtesy of
‘Metro HQ’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’

Last night was your turn to talk back to the Metro board, and talk back DC did. The meeting was a standing room only affair, with many turned away who hadn’t signed up to come to the meeting, and more still turned away to the satellite viewing center. It wasn’t always the politest of audiences, we’re told that the loudest cheers and applause came from the commenter who suggested the whole board resign, but it was mostly a civil discourse at Metro HQ.

The best roundup we’ve seen so far has come from Unsuck DC Metro’s coverage, which said that though all choices were bad, but unequally so. Metro has a hard road ahead, and last night was just a preview before the budget for FY 2011 comes. Were you there? What did you see?

Crime & Punishment, Downtown, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Mr. Jefferson Frowns on your Shenanigans!

Photo courtesy of
‘Thomas from Across the River’
courtesy of ‘marc.benton’

Fox 5 reports that the US District Court has dismissed the lawsuit of a woman who was arrested for dancing in the Jefferson Memorial.  Mary Oberwetter, the dancer in question, was arrested two years ago when she failed to stop dancing at a Park Police officer’s request.  The Park Police dictate that an air of tranquility and reverence should be maintained by visitors when in national monuments.  Ms. Oberwetter’s impromptu dance party was deemed a violation of this, and like an idiot, she decided not to obey the man with the gun and was arrested. Charges were  eventually dropped, but Oberwetter sued the Park Police for violating her first amendment rights. The District Court, however, felt differently and ruled in favor of the police.  So, if you’re a dancer, keep out of the monuments.

The Daily Feed, The District, WTF?!
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Former DC Judge Has A Stage 5 Clinger Situation

Photo courtesy of
‘looker – 26/365’
courtesy of ‘Diego’

D.C. Superior Court Magistrate Judge Janet Albert broke up with her girlfriend. And then her (now ex) girlfriend Taylar Nuevelle snuck into Albert’s house and hid in the attic over her bedroom with a supply of food and a bucket for a toilet. She listened to Albert’s phone calls and, according to WaPo, “is on trial on charges of burglary, unlawful entry and stalking. Prosecutors allege that she began stalking Albert and harassing with her with hundreds of phone calls, threatening e-mails and text messages after the two ended their year-long relationship in 2008. She faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.”

Yeah, so, that happened.

There’s more: “cellphone records show that Nuevelle called Albert 473 times between Sept. 11 and Oct. 22, 2008, including 139 times in one night.”

Oh you guys. I value a lot of virtues, but one of them I hold the highest is dignity. So I say to Taylar, GIRL, GET YOURSELF SOME AT THE DIGNITY STORE. Pick it up! You needs it. Or, you know, pick yourself up a copy of the critically acclaimed book, It’s Called A Break Up Because It’s Broken, grab yourself some Ben and Jerrys, a spoon, some tissues, and have it out. Then head to the shoe store, or to Filene’s basment, I mean… ANYWHERE. Just don’t HIDE, you know like, IN HER HOUSE, LISTENING TO HER. For real.

Fun & Games, News, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The Hill, WTF?!
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Cupid’s Undie Run – Another Excuse for DC To Go Pantless

Photo courtesy of
‘Vintage Kewpie Valentine Postcard’
courtesy of ‘chicks57’

Hey DC, want another excuse to take your pants off? Did the No Pants Party on the Metro leave you wanting more? Your prayers have been answered in form of a pantless run around the Capitol scheduled for Feb. 13.

Registration for Cupid’s Undie Run (yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like) is now open and costs $30 to enter. The registration fee includes a commemorative event t-shirt, all day drink specials, post-race food, and the chance to run around DC in nothing but your skivvies.

The party starts at noon at Pourhouse (located at 319 Pennsylvania Ave, SE) and ends with a 1.75 mile jog around the Capitol. Who knows — you just might meet your future ball ‘n chain. It’d sure as hell make a good story for the grandkids!

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Stuck on the Chain Bridge? Nature calling? Fret no more!

Improvised outhouse under Chain Bridge

I saw this makeshift outhouse under the DC side of the Chain Bridge while walking on the tow path with my Lovely Wife the other day. Shoddily constructed, to be sure, but it’ll do in a pinch if you really need to pinch a loaf on the drive home. Complete with a bucket inside and running water in the canal. You know, because the Potomac River is so clean you might want to wash up in it.

The Chain bridge usually isn’t terrible, but when it’s bad, it’s horrid. Don’t forget about this gem of a facility when nature calls. You might be scowling as you read this, but disgust turns to acceptance when desperation increases beyond a certain threshold.

News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Arenas Charged With Felony

Photo courtesy of
‘Felony Franks (#1)’
courtesy of ‘JOE M500’

Gilbert Arenas is now facing felony weapons charges related to the gun events in the Wizards locker room. The Post is reporting that Arenas is also seeking a plea deal related to the case.

Throw the book at ’em, DC.

Update: The max he’s facing is five years and a fine for his trouble, which would indicate it’s just a single charge instead of one charge per gun, which was initially bandied about. The Post has further detail about the incident which was previously not released:

The guns became an issue after Arenas and Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton got into an argument after a card game and Crittenton allegedly said he should shoot Arenas in his surgically repaired left knee, sources have said. Days later on Dec. 21, at Verizon Center, Arenas placed the guns on a chair next to Crittenton’s locker with a note that said “pick one.”

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro GM Catoe to Resign

Photo courtesy of
‘WMATA Blogger Roundtable’
courtesy of ‘Samer Farha’

Update 2:00 p.m.: We put in a call to our WMATA contact, Ron Holzer, who indeed confirmed that Catoe has tendered his resignation to WMATA’s Board. Apparently, the announcement took everyone by surprise, as no one at WMATA had in inkling this was coming. Needless to say, neither did any of the area bloggers last night. Catoe played his stepping-down pretty close to the vest.

This news alert came as a COMPLETE SHOCK to me. Lena Sun at WaPo has broken the story that WMATA GM John Catoe, Jr. will be resigning as General Manager of the agency, effective April 2, 2010.

What’s completely shocking about this is that it comes on the heels of what, by many blog accounts today, was a very successful face-to-face meeting with area bloggers last night. Our own Tom Bridge covered the meeting in depth and even came away with some healthy respect for the man. (As did I, after reading several accounts of it.)

Catoe announced his intentions to resign after a special board meeting this afternoon. He said he realized that the tragedies at Metro in the last year had created “an unhealthy distraction” and that good leaders should know when it is time for a leadership change.

More as details unfold.

Downtown, Fun & Games, People, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Damn, Crowded Metro Station! You Scary!

Photo courtesy of
‘not goin’ anywhere?’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Was anyone else at the Chinatown Metro station yesterday evening at around 6:15? I was, and I was pressed into the mass of humanity unsuccessfully attempting to move around the station. It all started because a red line train, which I was on, had to offload at Judiciary Square, thereby causing a delay that resulted in platforms down the line filling up. I got to Chinatown, got off the train and proceeded to work my way through a human traffic jam for 20 minutes. New trains would come in, but the platform was so crowded that passengers could barely get off and the doors would close before anyone waiting could board. This exacerbated the crowding problem and the platform just got more and more full. I’m pretty sure that no one died or anything, but I was witness to a few fights. The best part: this was just a Monday evening. Nothing special was happening.  I really do love mass transit.

(Yes, I know the picture’s not of Chinatown.)

Crime & Punishment, News, People, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Another Cuddling Incident

Photo courtesy of
‘Cop Car in Georgetown’
courtesy of ‘Hoosiers United’

Has the “Georgetown Cuddler” returned?  Police report that a woman in Glover Park awoke on Sunday morning to find a stranger spooning her in bed. Upon discovery, the man fled without stealing anything, or otherwise causing any property damage.  This crime bears striking resemblance to a spate of sexual assaults that occurred in Georgetown, last year.  In all cases, women asleep in their homes awoke to find a stranger fondling them. This is first such incident since August.

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Tian Tian and Mei Xiang Try Again

Photo courtesy of
‘*Caution* Do Not Attempt To Enter The Tian Tian Man Cave *Teddy Bear Sleeping*’
courtesy of ‘Daniel.Techie{TaiShan~4Ever} @ 127.0.0.1’

This was the big weekend for Tian Tian and Mei Xiang to try for another Butterstick (okay, nothing could replace our Tai Shan, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want another baby panda to coo and gush over) and that meant there was a lot of panda sex this weekend. According to the Zoo, though, all that hot and heavy action wasn’t for much (“competent mating did not occur” – which is kinda the story of Youth in Revolt), and they had to tranq both animals and help them out a little bit.

Mei Xiang and Tian Tian will spend the next 3-6 months in separate enclosures to protect the nascent pregnancy (assuming there is one…) and the mother. Hopefully by summertime, we’ll have a new panda to cuddle. And may I just say, as cute as these animals are, evolution sure is against these guys…just one opportunity to mate per year? It’s worse than having a girlfriend in another state.

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro is NOT Exploding

Photo courtesy of
‘and boom goes the dynamite’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

…no matter what it sounds like. Metro’s going to be doing structural integrity testing on the new pillars they’re putting in between I-66 and the DTR this afternoon around 1pm, and it’s going to sound like an explosion, but really, nothing should combust quite like that.

Should. Remember, this is Metro, after all.

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Naked Jogger Freaks Out Secret Service Yesterday

Photo courtesy of
‘Dedication’
courtesy of ‘N.S.’

A man shivvied out of his clothes yesterday, over near the White House at 5pm, to go for a jog around the White House. The Secret Service were rather upset that the man just left his clothes in a bag, which had to be deemed as a suspicious package, at the corner of 15th and E Street to run around, and for his troubles they took him in for indecent exposure, but he has not yet been charged.

No word on how badly 25 degree windchill affected the jogger’s suspicious package.

Dupont Circle, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Media, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Real World DC Drinking Game!

Photo courtesy of
‘Drink Responsibly’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

And now, to make our Real World viewing experience more enjoyable, I present the RWDC drinking game that I promised last week.  I envision this game developing as the season goes on and we get to know the characters a bit better.  For now, though, I think that this should get us through the next episode.  And, since it’s Wednesday, it’s perfectly legitimate to interpret “drink” as “sip.” The rules are after the break. Enjoy!

Continue reading →

Adventures, Fun & Games, Media, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Real World Live Blog Tonight!

Photo courtesy of
‘The Biggest Looser’
courtesy of ‘: rebecca :’

More live blogging is coming your way, this evening, for episode two of the Real World: DC.  Last week, we had 200 people tune in and it was the bomb .  So, please join us right here on the WLDC main page at 10pm for more “real life.” Oh, and be sure to have drinks in hand.  It makes the Real World so much better.

Fun & Games, Media, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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RWDC Drinking Game

Photo courtesy of
‘beers’
courtesy of ‘Amberture’

Currently, my cohorts and I are live blogging the Real World and have come to the unanimous conclusion that this season will be impossible to get through sans alcohol.  So, dear readers, it has fallen to me to create a drinking game.  Unfortunately, in the course of watching the Real World, my mind imploded, so I need your help in devising said game.  What are your suggestions?

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Blaze a Doobie for New Year’s

Blazing a doobie at Rock Bottom

I can’t verify that’s what is happening in the picture but that’s how it looks to me. This is an ad at Rock Bottom Brewery in Ballston Mall, advertising a New Year’s Eve party at the popular bar. Check out the guy third in from the left. This is just wrong. For one thing, here in Virginia we don’t put up with the new-age hippie crap you find on the other side of the water. Another thing – I think firing one up like this guy seems to be doing would violate Virginia’s smoking ban.

Readers, take a closer look. What do you think is happening in the picture? If you look close, it appears he might be holding a circle. My Lovely Wife suggested it looks a bit like a condom, but that’s not quite right. It could be a napkin holder he is about to eat, evidence that he either got high in the parking lot or that he has been served too much alcohol.

Folks from Rock Bottom – any comment?