Culture

(Note: This piece is part II in a three part series on anime fandom in D.C. Read part I here.)

When the Gaylord National's sports bar, National Pastime, was overtaken by men and women in cat ears and French maid costumes for the Katsucon 16 anime convention's maid cafe, customers were treated to a dining experience unique to any other in the mid-Atlantic.

David Williams in a Federal Correctional Institution, adorning a tattoo titled "Mom": Photo courtesy of Brian WilliamsIn the first part of our three-part series on prison inmates and ex-convicts, we tell the story of David Williams, 23, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in Loretto, Pa., serving a 12-year sentence for a string of bank robberies in Northern Virginia in 2005.

Maids greet a customer at the National Pastime bar. Video still by Alex Thompson.What's black and white and red all over?

At colorful Katsucon 16, one of the largest anime conventions on the East Coast, a group of men and women who've volunteered for the weekend to serve other guests while donning black-and-white uniforms, red uniforms and cat-ear headbands.

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
” —Matthew 6:16-18, NIV

On a Saturday tour of Washington, D.C.'s, historic U Street, Jung Hwan Park, an American University senior from South Korea, discovered more than just the history of a neighborhood in his host city.

"I never knew that blacks had to go through the backs of buildings," he said.

The intricate sensitivities of segregation, the Civil War and the basic struggles of African Americans were highlighted as the history of one street turned into a general lesson on a people whose plight has earned them an entire month of dedication and celebration.

Primal Fitness at 219 M St. is not your typical gym. The old fire station that it's housed in gets chilly and drafty in the winter. Black rubber mats line the floor, while the walls are exposed brick. Instructors wear T-shirts that read "Sofa King Tough." Workouts involve scaling walls, vaulting over barriers and clearing metal bars.

Primal Fitness is the world's first Parkour gym. As defined by American Parkour, an online community with 65,000 registered users worldwide, Parkour is "the physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one's path by adapting one's movements to the environment."

Matt Porterfield on the set of Putty Hill.: Photo by Andy Cook

Putty Hill, an independent film shot in Baltimore, directed by Baltimore-native Matt Porterfield and featuring non-professional actors from Baltimore, will make its world premiere Thursday: in Berlin.

Porterfield’s second feature, shot in August 2009 in only 12 days on a shoe-string budget, will premiere as part of the International Forum for New Cinema at the 60th annual Berlinale -- one of the largest film festivals in the world.

 Love in a cup: Photo by WordRidden, courtesy of Creative Commons"So, I'm here now. What are your other two wishes?" Cue the wink, 1000-watt smile and flip of the hair. 

"Coming out" is a figure of speech used when a gay man or woman makes their sexual identity known to those around them. Although many view this as an incredibly difficult thing to do, there are others who fear the following question even more: "What now?" 

According to Doug McCauley, a 25-year-old gay resident of the Columbia Heights neighborhood in D.C., going out and meeting people is the best thing to do after coming out of the closet.