Category Archives: Business and Money

All Politics is Local, Business and Money, Education, History, People, Scribblings, Sports Fix, The Features
By

The Football Name Debate: Are We Missing the Point?

DSC_5205 Ben R

“The debate is over about the R-word; it’s now about whether if it’s proper to have a football team in this country carry on using a defined slur.” That was the closing statement by Jacqueline Pata, the Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). Her comment capped off a forum at the Center for American Progress, Missing the Point: The Real Impact of Native Mascots and Team Names on American Indian and Alaska Native Youth. The Center released a new report that examined several bodies of research about the harmful impact of mascot representations on the self-esteem of AI/AN youth, how they create a hostile learning environment, and the decades-long movement to retire them. The report by Erik Stegman and Victoria Phillips looks at recent key findings and incorporates statements from several Native youths, providing context that is relevant today regarding the use of these mascots and imagery.

Sitting on today’s panel was Pata; Travis Waldron, Sports Reporter, ThinkProgress.org; Mark Macarro, Chairman, Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians; Dr. Michael Friedman, Clinical Psychologist; and Erik Stegman, Associate Director, Center for American Progress. The forum started with very poignant remarks by fifteen-year-old Dahkota Franklin Kicking Bear Brown, a student at Argonaut High School in California, and a Champion for Change at the Center for Native American Youth. Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) also spoke briefly at the event.

Over the last year, the debate over the use of the slur by the Washington professional football team has largely centered on issues of economics and fan nostalgia. The larger issue at hand, however, is beyond the sports soundbites that dominate this discussion. Data and research now shows that the use of such racist and derogatory team names (and by association, ‘traditions’ and fan antics) have real and detrimental effects on Native youth today. With fifty percent of the Native population being of 25 years of age or younger, the danger of perpetuating this practice and continuing the cycle of defeatism, hostile learning environments, and poor self-esteem is all too real. Continue reading →

Business and Money, Downtown, Education, Essential DC, History, Life in the Capital, Opinion, People, The Features
By

A Conversation on Culture and Change Regarding the Washington [blank]s

Photo courtesy of BrianMKA
FedEx seats
courtesy of BrianMKA

By now, local Washington media has covered the internet with their summaries of a timely – yet still largely ignored – issue involving a particular football team located in this area. While Racial Stereotypes and Cultural Appropriation in American Sports spoke to the broader issues regarding Native American culture and peoples and their use as sports logos and traditions, make no mistake: the local NFL team’s moniker was a lynchpin in the discussion. The topic was subject of one-third of the day’s symposium, and itself is well-covered elsewhere. (You can watch the recording online in its entirety.)

I couldn’t attend in person, so I settled for the live webcast. And I’ve spent time re-watching the panels as well, because there was so much information and passion involved I couldn’t catch all of it the first time around. I could probably write several blog posts about the topic, and may yet in the future.

But what I wanted to really comment here and now, since other outlets are more focused on the local team aspect, is some key comments made by Director Kevin Gover at the start of the day. Thanks to NMAI, I received a full copy of his remarks; they provide a context that is important to the background of the overall discussion. While I won’t simply copy them all here – you can listen to Dr. Gover online for that – I did want to point out some relevant comments. Continue reading →

Business and Money, capitals hockey, Downtown, Penn Quarter, Sports Fix, The Features
By

Hockey’s Back – Should We Care?

Photo courtesy of deejayqueue
Empty Verizon Center
courtesy of deejayqueue

In case you missed it among the news of yet another Washington sports team’s playoff collapse, the NHL lockout is over. Which means the Capitals will soon be plying their trade at the Verizon Center.

We’ve had a few people ask over the last few months why we’ve not posted any lockout news here on WeLoveDC. It’s a reasonable question, considering we’ve been covering the Caps pretty solidly since our site debut. But we’ll be honest: we just didn’t feel like it.

On Sunday, messages from various teams around the NHL hit fan inboxes. Around here, the missive from Caps (and Wizards) owner Ted Leonsis sparked a flurry of conversation between Tom, Addison, and myself. Rather than keep it to ourselves, we felt it only right to vent our collective frustration here. After the jump, we break our silence and share our thoughts on the lockout, the league, the Caps’ coming season…and what it means to be a hockey fan in a crumbling hockey town.

Continue reading →

Business and Money, Special Events, Technology, The Daily Feed
By

Your #DCWeek 2012 Primer

Photo courtesy of TechCocktail
Tech Cocktail’s DC Mixer @ DCWeek | 11.10.11
courtesy of TechCocktail

This past weekend the 2012 Digital Capital Week kicked off here in Washington. For those that aren’t familiar with DCWeek, it is the city’s annual festival organized by the folks at iStrategyLabs and Tech Cocktail that focuses on many different sections of the tech scene. Anchored by keynote speeches on Wednesday and a conference Thursday at the Artisphere, the week also includes a multitude of hackathons, presentations, meet-ups, networking events, and parties. Lots of parties.

If you are a badge holder or just someone looking for some cool events to hit up, here are a few items that caught my eye as I combed through the DCWeek schedule:

Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, Business and Money, Talkin' Transit
By

Ax grinding 102: Sparks off the grindstone

Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie

I swear I’m done with this metaphor after this.

Senator Durbin has fired back at Parkmobile over their Dodd-Frank posturing. It brings us to a point in the discussion where everyone gets to be right, maybe, depending on what your perspective is.

Durbin accurately states in his letter, below, that the Durbin amendment only addressed debit card fees. He also states, sort-of correctly, that it didn’t cause Parkmobile’s processing fees to rise.

However what Parkmobile originally said was “increased costs triggered by recent federal legislative reform enacted by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act’s Durbin Amendment.” That triggered by is so ambiguous as to be unassailable, though it’s similarly meaningless when it comes to assigning real blame.

For example: “Dennis the Menace’s mid-grocery meltdown, including wailing and juice-box-throwing, was triggered by his mother demanding that he stop urinating in the cereal aisle.” I don’t think it’s the trigger to blame there; Senator Durbin certainly doesn’t feel his amendment is to blame either.

As I pointed out yesterday, the management staff of Fontinalis probably feels differently about regulation. Founders have worked at Goldman Sachs, UBS, Highbridge Capital, Booth American, and other equity firms. On a whole these are people who aren’t going to be be regulatory fans, and where Durbin points the finger at processing firms for making up lost revenue by jacking up other charges the Fontinalis folks just see the person who originally pushed down on the lump in the waterbed.

Durbin’s letter below the jump.

Continue reading →

Business and Money
By

The USDA Loan and other Real Estate Issues in the D.C. Area

Photo courtesy of juggernautco
Comparables: 1633 Hermitage
courtesy of juggernautco

Many of you that frequent We Love D.C. know me as the writer for the Redskins, Nationals, and other sports, but in the day time and sometimes at nights I am a licensed Realtor in the state of Virginia with Weichert, Realtors. What we have in this area is a truly fascinating market. National interest rates are low and prices are still down compared to before the bubble burst. This area is more insulated than other parts of the country because of the number of jobs in this area with the federal government or connected to the government.

The market in this area is a lot healthier than in other parts of the country but due to perception and in many cases reality people are afraid to list their homes. That has caused the market absorption rate in most places in and around the nation’s capital to be right around two months. Some areas it is even under a month. The market absorption rate is the rate in which all current listings would go off the market if no more listings were added to the market. For example there are 33 active listings and 10 that are currently under contract in my zip code of 22033. This is better inventory than most of the area but it is still low and gives us a market absorption rate of 3.3 months.

Continue reading →

Adventures, Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, Technology, The Daily Feed
By

ESPN Zone Arcade Game Auction

Photo courtesy of
‘ESPN Zone’
courtesy of ‘darkensiva’

Via Thrillist this morning, the now-closed ESPN Zone is auctioning off pretty much all of their arcade games and the going prices aren’t bad. Knowing the WeLoveDC audience, I figured there would be some of you out there interested in getting your gaming hands on some of these classics. Aside from the games, the auction includes lighting, furniture and industrial kitchen equipment from the Zone, so if you’re in need of an ice cream machine or a heavy duty deep fryer this is your auction.

If I lived in a group house, I would totally be ALL over my housemates to chip in and buy one of these beauties. Personally, I’m partial to the Trophy Hunting (Bear & Moose) and the Super Shot games, but I’m sure the Slapshot Hockey and Washington Redskins Football Throwing game will be big fan favorites as well.

Business and Money, Fashionable DC, Life in the Capital, News, The Features, Ward 2
By

Brooks Brothers Opens On Georgetown Strip

This year’s latest addition to the Georgetown shopping scene is New York based Brooks Brothers which takes over the former Pottery Barn and Smith Hawken spaces on the corner of M & 31st Street NW. When I attended their grand opening party last week, I had completely underestimated how large this combined location would be. The new store offers three floors of retail space filled with ready-to wear suits, sports jackets, wool sweaters, shirts, etc.

Unlike other two DC Brooks Brother stores I’ve been to (Chevy Chase and Dupont), which have a prim, proper and country club-esque sterility to them, the Georgetown Brooks Brothers is a complete departure; the shop plays heavily on a hunting lodge or Adirondack cabin vibe with dark wood paneling, heavy uses of flannel and tweed fabrics in the drapery, carpeting and upholstery. On the lower level, you’ll find a pool table and bar lounging area that companion shoppers can relax in while tailoring takes place. Continue reading →

Business and Money, Essential DC, Fashionable DC, Life in the Capital, The District, The Features
By

CB2 Fall Line: Space May Be Limited, But It Can Still Be Chic

IMAG0410

Continuing on the heels of my Etsy Round Up: Washington DC feature apartment decorating finds, I ventured over the CB2 in Georgetown recently to check out their Fall 2011 collection. The latest and greatest from this Create&Barrel and Land of Nod, “affordable” sister shop centers on providing innovative, space saving options for DC’s small apartment, loft and efficiency occupants.  Although that is not a revolutionary concept (see IKEA, West Elm, etc.) and was not chosen to meet the particular needs of DC urban dwellers, it is well executed. Continue reading →

Business and Money
By

Borders liquidations start today. Don’t be a sucker.

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Borders closing their doors has been widely reported in the news this week and today’s the start of their complete liquidation. There’s a number of stores to choose from in our area, though none remain within the city itself.

If you decide to go looking for bargains you need to be cautious, at least here in the beginning. It’s no coincidence that the signs say EVERYTHING up to 40% OFF original price. Much stuff isn’t going to be any better than a sale at Barnes&Noble or regular price at Amazon. This is a liquidation being run by a court-approved operation – in this case Hilco Merchant Resources and Gordon Brothers Retail Partners – with the goal of squeezing as much money out of the shutdown for the creditors as possible.

If you need proof, consider – this is a course of action being taken after an equity firm offered $450,000,000 total to take over Borders and the creditors rejected it. They wouldn’t have done that if they didn’t think they stood a better chance of recouping that much or more from this shutdown.

Personally I’ve stopped going to these sorts of closeouts because they never seem to have good deals. If you do I’d suggest double-checking your assumption that you’re getting a good deal. If you have the right sort of smartphone you can use the Amazon app which will scan barcodes via the camera and show you what they’re going for there.

Adventures, Business and Money, Education, Entertainment, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The District, The Features
By

Quick Contest: BLT Cooking Class

Happy Friday everyone! In celebration of the end of the week, BLT Steak and WeLoveDC are giving away two seats for this Saturday’s (aka tomorrow’s) South American Asado cooking class. The two hour plus class will be held at BLT Steak, starts at 12:30pm and features in-depth instruction from Executive Chef Victor Albisu on how to prepare exotic and delicious barbecue from South America. Oh, did I mention you also get a filling four-course lunch of the dishes demonstrated during the class? Well, yeah, you do.

BLT holds these executive cooking classes six times a year and seats generally go for $100. So for all you aspiring chefs, this is the perfect opportunity to glean some 5 star tips, tricks and creative methods of preparing foods AND fill your belly with yummy goodness.

To enter for the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address (one entry per email address, please) between 11am and 1pm today. Entrants must be able to attend the class in person, so check your schedules. If you aren’t declared the winner, you can always make your own reservations with Erica Frank at 202-689-8989 or erica@bltrestaurants.com.

Adventures, Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, News, People, The Daily Feed
By

DC’s Dolcezza On Today’s The View at 11am

Photo courtesy of
‘Dolcezza 6156’
courtesy of ‘yospyn’

Huzzah! DC’s very own Dolcezza will be on ABC’s “The View” today at 11am and we’ll get to see owners Robb and Violeta Duncan chumming it up with Whoopi, Sherri, Joy, Elizabeth and Babs. I can only assume they’ll be talking about: 1) Gelato–in particular their seasonal summer flavors (Peach, Pineapple Cilantro, Mojito…) and 2) Dolcezza’s focus on locally produce ingredients and their collaboration with local area farmers.

If you’re not familiar with Dolcezza, you can read about how They Make DC or visit them at their three area shops in Georgetown, Dupont Circle and Bethesda.

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Business and Money, Education, Essential DC, Fun & Games, History, Legacy articles, Life in the Capital, People, The District, The Features
By

50 And 50, And Oh Yeah, DC

Society6, an organization that connects artists with unique opportunities and empowers them to make their artwork available for sale without giving up control of their rights, recently completed an innovative project titled “50 And 50.” The idea behind this endeavor was to recruit 50 designers, one per each state, and have them illustrate their state motto using the same color-scheme. The results are modern, yet historical grounded, designs that would make any wall fit for oversized art proud.

Fortunately for us, although not part of 50 states, DC was included in the project and represented by Oliver Munday, whose  illustrations and designs have graced bookcovers, TIME, The New York Times, Wired, etc. And for those of us completely naive to DC’s “state” motto, it’s “Justice For All” or as the Romans prefer “Justia Omnibus.” Continue reading →

Business and Money, Special Events, Thrifty District
By

We Love Madness: The Running of the Brides Part B

Running of the Brides 2011 7
All photos by Don Feduardo

We now present the thrilling conclusion of the Social Chair’s first-hand gonzo journalistic effort in the trenches, er, basement.

After recharging briefly at home, I met up with three friends: my maid of honor, Darling Wedding Planner, and the self-proclaimed “Muscle” of our operation. We had a lovely, leisurely lunch and got to Filene’s Basement around 2:30. All the dresses were back on the racks, though not arranged by size. There are simply too many dresses to try to maintain any semblance of order.

Many of the employees I’d met earlier were still there, eagerly helping customers and quickly getting rejects back on the racks. Additionally, an industrious local alteration company had set up a table and could give you spur of the moment advice. I discarded some dresses after I found the alteration would cost more than the dress itself.

Continue reading →

Business and Money, Special Events, Thrifty District
By

We Love Madness: The Running of the Brides Part 1

Running of the Brides 2011 20
All photos by Don Feduardo

The following is a guest entry by the Social Chair, who is far more qualified than I am to discuss this particular subject matter.

At the end of February, Fedward asked me to marry him and become Social Chair For Life. Within five minutes of my saying yes, we agreed that we wanted “a short, non-religious ceremony with a really great party” and that it would be in DC (after all, we love DC) or metro accessible Maryland or Virginia. Our only other requirement? Great cocktails. Obviously.

Trying to plan a reasonably priced wedding in DC is much like trying to find a reasonably priced apartment: it’s not impossible, but it takes some work. I was chatting with Jenn about the most recent sticker shock I had seen: $25k for 100 people for a cocktail reception (I looked carefully and saw no mention of monkey butlers, which might have made the price palatable). She suggested an occasional post about planning a local wedding, and I knew the perfect way to start the series: by talking about April 29.

I bet you think I’m talking about that fancy shindig across the pond. Yes, I watched; I love me some pomp and circumstance. I cannot wait for my own procession to the ceremony with thousands of people waving at me (that happens for all brides, right?). However, Kate and Wills were merely the opening act for a much bigger event: Filene’s Basement’s Running of the Brides.

Continue reading →

Adventures, Business and Money, Life in the Capital, News, The Daily Feed
By

Nordstorm Rack Coming To Friendship Heights

Photo courtesy of

”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Friendship Heights is finally filling the long vacated Linens ‘N Things shop with a Nordstorm Rack. For those unfamiliar with the shop, it carries merchandise from Nordstrom stores and Nordstrom.com at 50-60% off original Nordstrom prices. Nordstorm Rack also features items purchased specifically for the shop at savings of 30-70% off original prices.

The 41,000 square-foot store, located next to competitor Loehmann’s, is scheduled to open on May 19 at 5333 Wisconsin Avenue, NW. Nordstorm’s currently owns 76 Nordstrom Rack stores in 21 states, with the Friendship Heights store representing the sixth Nordstrom Rack in the greater Washington D.C. metropolitan area.

Business and Money, Essential DC, Food and Drink, News, The District, The Features
By

Sprinkles Cupcakes Comes To DC

There is a new edition to the saturated DC cupcake scene and it comes to M Street in Georgetown in the form of a pink and brown row house. Sprinkles Cupcakes, started in 2002 by Candace Nelson and her husband Charles, opened  in 2002 in Beverly Hills, is the Magnolia Bakery of the West Coast and has been featured on Oprah, Entourage and The Today Show.

With the proximity of so many other cupcake options (Baked & Wired, Georgetown Cupcake, Scoops, etc.,) offering high quality cupcakes and all priced relatively equally at $2.50 – $4 per cupcake, the principal question is: what makes Sprinkles’ sugary treats different? Continue reading →

Business and Money, Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, The District
By

Homemade Pizza Co. Comes to Georgetown

Although the Homemade Pizza Co. has five other locations in the DC area, I’ll readily admit to never hearing of them or even noticing that I’ve walked by one. That was until they opened their latest shop in my neighborhood and a held three day long celebration featuring free pizza, salad and the owners grilling (yes, grilling) up their za and chatting the locals.

Unlike most pizza joints, Homemade Pizza Co. doesn’t serve you hot out of the oven pizza. Instead they sell bake-at-home pizzas made to order. Yes, that’s right, you’ll be ordering (either in the shop or order your pizza online for delivery or pick up) uncooked pizzas that you then have to (gasp!) cook yourself. The horror!

However, these unbaked pizzas are above and beyond the Whole Foods or Safeway premade pizzas. These pizzas are custom made on-the-spot with the dough is rolled out specifically to meet your needs. They use the freshest, highest quality all-natural ingredients like specialty meats, terrific cheeses, and local produce because we all know that our farmers have greatest fresh-from-the-farm products. Once home, the cooking is simple and every pizza is labelled with the uber simple 5 step instructions, where total cooking time takes about 10-15 minutes.

Continue reading →

Business and Money, Crime & Punishment, The Daily Feed, Ward 5, WTF?!
By

Dispatches from Ward 5

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_0940’
courtesy of ‘mediaslave’

The Ward 5 lists were active this week, with several things going on to talk about.

Numerous discussions ensued across both the Eckington and Ward 5 lists after the Truxton Circle murder of Billy Mitchell, who was on his way home from the theater when he was shot at the corner of North Capitol and Florida NW while trying to help a woman involved in a conflict with a man, who in turn was the shooter.

In addition to the typical point-scoring and debates about gun control and concealed-carry, there were numerous calls for additional steps to make that specific area safer, including neighborhood watch groups, coordinated dog-walking groups, a surveillance camera, etc. There will be a vigil held for Mitchell at the site of the shooting at 6PM tonight, followed by an emergency public safety meeting with the Fifth District police and Ward 5 Council Member Harry Thomas at Wesley AME Zion Church at 1712 North Capitol Street. Continue reading →