01.29 - stonks!
Hi everyone - quick update on the state of midc! In less than six months, I am super happy with the growth of this — we’re a community of over 200 strong! If you know of anyone who you think would like this newsletter, please forward - I’m trying to expand my readership as this has become more than a passion project for me. More readers will also help inform me to find additional interest pieces to share with you all!
what’s going on in d.c.
Dupont Underground is hosting a Black Alchemists Market this Saturday with food, drink, fashion, beauty care, and art vendors setting up in the underground community arts spot converted from an abandoned streetcar station.
let’s talk food and drinks
It’s Winter Restaurant Week and many area restaurants are offering special brunch, lunch, and/or dinner options ranging from $22-$55/person. Most restaurants are also offering takeout options. If you’re looking for some variety, Washingtonian rounded up 11 new spots serving meals this year.
Chicken-focused fast-casual spot Farmbird just opened their second location in Penn Quarter (9th and E St NW). They current have one location on H St NE - it even boasts the much-coveted perfect 5 star Yelp rating.
Been missing Dolcezza’s vanilla latte during the pandemic? You’re in luck - after closing most of their locations due to the economic strains of COVID, Dolcezza reopened their Dupont location. And - if you say Welcome Back at the register, all purchases are 50% off on Sat/Sun.
what’s on our minds?
In some good vaccine news, the Biden administration is pledging to increase the District’s COVID allotment by 15% over the next few weeks. Demand for vaccines in D.C. remains extremely high, with appointments filling up within minutes - and people hanging out at grocery stores hoping to claim an unfilled dose. Perhaps D.C. could follow West Virginia’s innovative model that instantly contacts the next eligible person on the vaccination list if an appointment is no-showed. In a separate act of vaccine heroism that (hopefully) won’t be applicable here, stranded public health workers in rural southern Oregon braved a snowstorm to vaccinate other stranded drivers.
The current militarized state near the Capitol may continue, much to the frustration of D.C. Mayor Bowser and multiple City Council members. The massive security fencing, erected after the January 6 insurgency, is still standing and the acting Capitol Police chief is signaling she wants it to remain indefinitely. My take - there have to be ways to secure the Capitol without resorting to such draconian measures/security theater that restrict community access and disrupt the lives of Washingtonians because of Capitol Police mismanagement and errors.
We like the stock! Redditors and other retail investors jumped on a GameStop short squeeze, bumping the price from $40 at the beginning of the week to over $400 as short sellers were forced to buy more stock to cover their losses (quick primer here if you’re unfamiliar). Drama ensued, with brokerage app Robinhood (tagline: democratize finance for all) froze purchases of GameStop and other heavily shorted stocks, drawing outrage from users, members of Congress, and probably at least one person you’ve spoken to in the last few days (was it a conspiracy? was it because Robinhood ran out of money while executing trades? I’m sure we’ll find out!). What’s next? Honestly who knows - but if you’re bored today, might be fun to watch the price of GameStop zoom around as Robinhood reopens its platform to traders.
Quick links to other weekly #goodreads:
Has the Pandemic Transformed the Office Forever? - per The New Yorker, “Companies are figuring out how to balance what appears to be a lasting shift toward remote work with the value of the physical workplace.”
Who, Exactly, Is Philly Fighting COVID? - per Philadelphia Magazine, “How a 22-year-old CEO with virtually no health-care experience got picked to run the first mass vaccination clinic in Philadelphia.” (also deemed the “Fyre Festival” of vaccine rollouts by New York Magazine)
The True Story of Jess Krug, the White Professor Who Posed as Black for Years—Until It All Blew Up Last Fall - per Washingtonian, “She fabricated harrowing personal backstories, peddled gross caricatures, and spoke from perspectives she had no right to claim. And nobody stopped her.”
‘Moulin Rouge!’ Was Their Ticket. Then 2020 Happened. - per The New York Times, “It was a Broadway smash with big plans until 25 company members took ill and a shutdown put everybody out of work. Inside a tumultuous year, in the words of those who lived it.”
what are we watching/reading?
Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour. Reinforcing themes from Sorry to Bother You and other Wall Street capers, this debut novel centers around a Black Starbucks employee who, following a change encounter, joins a high-volume tech sales team and completely reimagines his identity to succeed in this ruthless world. The book deeply satirizes systemic racism, capitalism, and corporate America, but nevertheless leaves readers with some hope for change.
Did you watch Promising Young Woman yet? Probably worth it to take the day off of work to watch it immediately if you haven’t…if you have, a Buzzfeed writer wrote a great piece on the film’s message re: power and trauma (don’t click that link if you haven’t watched yet - it will spoil the ending for you!)
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed, please share with your friends. Or, if you have any thoughts or want to say hey, just respond to this email.
‘til next time -courtney