Via a reader tip, Fox 5 reports that Greenpeace has taken responsibility for the polar bears that have been mistaken for suspicious packages around town over the last week. Indeed, if you go to the Greenpeace homepage, it turns out that not only was Greenpeace responsible, but they actually did it in collaboration with street artist Mark Jenkins -- so both of our guesses were correct! Greenpeace has unveiled a collaborative art project with well-known......

Flickr user benmiller23 spotted this polar bear installation, which looks very similar to the one that a bomb squad tore apart after shutting down surrounding streets and a Metro station in Columbia Heights today, on the National Mall on Thursday, Sept. 11. It's looking more and more like these bears are part of an elaborate campaign to raise awareness about the plight of polar bears amid global climate change. Another bear, spotted at what......

Metro says the Columbia Heights Metro station reopened at 11:45 a.m., "following a report of a suspicious package located outside the station." No mention of the bear at all. The station was closed for approximately an hour and 40 minutes. NBC4 says a neighborhood resident saw the bear between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. this morning, even though the police weren't called until 10. We've also heard that the bomb squad cut the bear open,......

Via the DCist tipline, we get this image from Irving and 14th Streets of an odd looking bear costume wearing tattered clothing and posed over a trash can. A lot of our readers are telling us this is the reason for the suspicious package alert. "Cops have the street blocked off and are standing around looking at it as of 9:30 am," the tipster wrote. Could this be another Aqua Teen Hunger Force moment?......

Yesterday we showed you how someone had added a spoof image on a Metro rail car suggesting that "Rapture" is a behavior that's banned on the transit system. Today, WMATA's director of public relations, Lisa Farbstein, sent us the agency's response to the mystery culprit. "We may be a big agency, but we have a sense of humor too!" Farbstein wrote in an email. Tragically, the sign above won't be added to any rail......

Photo by Jeffrey Lewis from ArmsControlWonk, snapped on the Red line this morning around 9:30 a.m. while traveling between the Woodley Park and Dupont Circle stations. Used by permission. National security and nuclear arms control blogger Jeffrey Lewis of ArmsControlWonk was on the Red line this morning when he noticed a rather odd new sign prohibiting certain behavior on Metro. Next to the usual diagrams picturing how you must not block, crowd around or......

James Marshall, or Dalek, has been a fixture in the urban art scene for ten years. Best known for his "Space Monkey" characters, Marshall brings this influence to Irvine Contemporary in his solo show, Overweight. Seen as a combination of street art, cartoon, Japanese pop and punk, Marshall's paintings are very precise and highly complex compositions. Using bright neon colors he creates dizzying kaleidoscopic displays. The shapes that he employs are simple and minimal......

Londonist are starting to think their city is getting just a little bit too expensive, when even Christian Slater can't afford to go out there. And there's no escaping, as local singer Lily Allen discovered when she was barred entry to the US. The British mapping agency caused further bad karma, by blocking a 3-D representation of London in Google Earth. But the smiles returned to Londonist's faces as they interviewed Baroness von Reichardt,......

What with Paris Hilton's release earlier this week and the upcoming celebration of American Independence (sorry, Londonist!), we've been thinking a lot about freedom. Freedom to vote, freedom to choose, and most importantly, freedom to blog. Here are a few things we're happy we've been free to blog about this week. Being the nation's capital, DCist felt especially proud to let freedom ring this week by exposing the really important issues, like how sad they......

From the tallest skyscraper in the City of Brotherly Love to Canadian tourism copywriting brilliance, here's what you should know from our -ist cities: This week, Phillyist took a gleeful listen to the White Stripes' exciting new release, watched in awe as their new tallest skyscraper was finally completed, found a cheaper way to get to Gothamist, invented a tasty new dessert, and brought back their Craigslist Round-Up feature with a bang. Bostonist watches......

As the world holds it's breath, teetering precariously on the cusp of the Super Bowl (well, at least in America), the wheels of the -ists keep on turning. Austinist was in a musical frame of mind as they listened to the new Shins album, updated the SXSW band listings and got called "punk rock" for their efforts by MTV. And an ice storm swept through the area. Bostonist said goodbye to John Kerry's plans......

As 2006 ends and 2007 begins, the -ists look back not at the past week, but at the past year. So here it is, your Best of 2006 Spectacular. And from all of us at the -ists, happy New Year! Austinist was all about controversy as new construction to increase urban density ran rampant in 2006, as did threats to the city's image from gigantic corporations looking to set up shop in town, leading......

You know, back when I was growing up in Southern California, graffiti used to mean something. Of course, it meant territories and violence and "don't you dare wear that red jacket over here," and fun stuff like that. But now it's gotten all existential and angsty — just look at this stuff (and also, what?). Flickr user AlbinoFlea gets a little laugh documenting our emo street art around town, and takes a particularly good......

If you've yet to succumb to Butterstick madness, succumb to Mark Jenkins' matured version of our feisty panda. His futuristic revision proposes a more rebellious future, sculpted with a tape gun including red flashing tits, a short skirt, and a permanent stance on 14th st. NW. D.C. resident miscreant Jenkins is part of a fluid four-man street art installation called itsy bitsy bollocks, with Mr. Eggs, Travis Millard, and local Kelly Towles (last seen curating......

If you're pouring one out for your boys at tonight's happy hour, give pause for Kim Ward. It's Ward's Washington Project for the Arts\Corcoran that has set aside Georgetown's former Staples store for some face melting art exhibits in the past few months (that small Post Secret thing, for example). Wallsnatchers is the venue's most recent offering, a graffiti and street art installation that represents a stark contrast to the ink cartridge and paper......

WMATA Adds Walking Directions to Website: We've wondered it, too -- how exactly does one get to and from certain Metro stations on foot? Lucky for us, WMATA has now added walking directions to the map function on its website, which pop up once the user has created a trip itinerary. This feature will be handy for us who rarely have any idea on how to get where we are going. Public-Private Land Partnerships Presented:......

Good morning, Washington. Now that the Roe v. Wade protests and street closures have calmed down, your commute to work may be a little more worry-free. Here's is a look at today's news in the region. Is it a Bird, a Plane?: If you hear or see some low-flying jets this morning, don't fret; it's not time to evacuate the District just yet. WTOP reports that NORAD is conducting Exercise Falcon Virgo as a......

Today will be mostly cloudy with some isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon, with highs in the 70s. A DCist reader uploaded an image of this pig, and even did a little sleuthing to uncover its purpose. Have you seen a pig? Injured Traffic Officer Dies: Popular traffic office Joseph Pozell, who was recognized at a vigil Sunday, has died at George Washington Hospital, the Post reports. D.C. Government Wants to Know: D.C. Mayor Anthony A.......

>> Don't forget to catch part of the US ASEAN Film, Video & Photography Festival before it ends on Saturday. The festival features fifteen nominated and selected films by talented independent filmmakers from Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. The accompanying photography exhibitions showcase works that capture the beauty of Southeast Asia. Films are shown in the National Geographic Society's Gilbert H. Grosvenor Auditorium. You can buy tickets here. >> Another photography exhibit of interest opens......

This photo of street art near Shaw was taken by Georgetown freshman Matt Kallman. Today will be mostly sunny with highs around 60. Nationals Opener Tonight: Tonight is the Nationals opening night, and tickets are flying back and forth for the game on Craigslist. (You can also find tickets for tonight's sold out Moby show at the 9:30 Club) The Examiner, Post, and W. Times all have stories about the Nats. We expect the......