Chocolates and Flowers
Dear Sweethearts:
As my special Valentines Day gift to you, and as a result of Dorothy's
pleading, I shall spare you my bitter ruminations on the adventures of your president. As
a concession to the prevailing sentiment, I shall even emulate what Herblock did when
Richard Nixon was elected president. As you may remember, Herblock had always drawn Nixon
with a heavy, sinister beard shadow, but on Nixon's first inaugural day Herblock drew him
in a barber's chair, getting a shave, and thereafter drew him as clean shaven. In honor of
the Senate vote, from now on I shall not use the term “Slick Willy” any more,
and shall speak reverently of “Honest Bill.” And I'll be just as sincere as
Herblock was.
We have plenty of classifieds here, but few substantive messages. What do
you hear? What do you want us to know?
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Life and Death — In the District, Naturally
Charlie Wellander, jfa-cwr@CapAccess.org
Sitting in my apartment Thursday morning, I noticed small softly slipping
shadows of snowflakes sliding across the bright sunlight on the floor. No — too warm this
February day. Falling leaves? No — fall was months ago. I sidled to the window and
peered out. On a tree branch ten feet away sat a hawk deftly defeathering a pigeon. The
daintily descending plumage postumbrated its owner's final flight. (For the naturalists on
this natural list, my bird guide says the perp was a Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii).)
So, you can still see bits of wilderness in this city. There's a predator
plundering our packs of pigeons. If only a raptor would ravage our rafts of rats.
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A View from One Neighborhood — 17th and Q NW
Mark Richards, mark@bisconti.com
I live on the east side of Dupont Circle, near the 17th St. Strip. Dupont
is like 4 or 5 neighborhoods. Seems as if residents identify “their
neighborhood” as a fairly small area within a certain few block walking proximity to
home. A survey I did found one of the main reasons people live here is that the
neighborhood is self-sufficient, with dry cleaners, shoe repair, hardware, grocery,
videos, clothing, household goods, cards, restaurants, and clubs all outside one's door.
People here don't mind getting snowed in. The sidewalks are alive and the mood upbeat with
a nice mix of people of all shapes, sizes, and skin tones — many singles. You won't
find many racists, sexists, or homophobes here. Although the majority are probably
straight, gays and lesbians have a vibrant community here and are not fearful to walk
hand-in-hand. If you live in this urban village awhile, you can't walk out of your home
without seeing neighbors and friends. The church bells still ring without fail several
times each Sunday (I've even heard them when out of town on CNN as they showed Clinton
exiting Foundry United Methodist Church).
There's an ongoing dispute (ANC2B) about how to keep the current BALANCE
between residential and commercial space. The neighborhood has gone through many changes
and its on the upswing. Those who have been here longest seem to be most active in the
ANC. Many fought to protect historic buildings from being razed and today feel miffed that
newcomers don't recognize what it takes to keep a neighborhood intact. Activists have been
using a liquor moratorium as a tool to keep the current balance. I'm not opposed to their
goal, but wish there were other ways to accomplish it. Using the moratorium means that
Randy, a great guy who owns and operates Palmer's Café, and the Greek café and the
African/Caribbean café can't serve wine with meals. That doesn't seem fair, and it hurts
their business. Activists fear becoming another 18th Street/Adams Morgan, with the growth
of night life. They don't share a vision of DC with a suburban playground economy.
Already, they complain that parking is a nightmare and some guests are not respectful of
the neighborhood (noise, trash...). I'd like to see a parking garage built underneath
Stead Park, which it wouldn't be visible but easily accessible through the alley.
Angie's New Leaf, a plant and flower shop with everything else imaginable
packed in, is going out of business. Mary owns and operates Angie's — she's closing
it not because it hasn't been profitable, but because she's been running it for about two
decades and is tired. She doesn't look tired — this woman has energy. She lives in
Maryland, but her family has a long connection to the block since her grandfather ran the
grocery that is now JRs next store. People mistakenly call Mary “Angie.” You
could always find a quick gift for anyone there, and her prices were a deal. She knew
everything about plants. We got attached to Angie's, maybe took it for granted. I'm sad
that Mary is closing Angie's — I understand her, but I guess I'm stingy. Some will
probably blame the restaurant/club owners. They'll say the restaurants and night clubs
have led to rising rent costs, pushing out places like Angie's. I asked Mary and she said
“nothing to do with it.” From the roof of the old Cairo Hotel, the tallest DC
residential building, one can see how the neighborhood has developed. I appreciate our
small businesses — they're run by people who work hard and many have stuck around a
long time — long enough that we still enjoy a few blocks of small, business owned
townhouses that would surely have been razed by now if they sold out. Those spaces
wouldn't be human scale, they would have been replaced by block — big buildings that
would have meant the end of our urban village. There are lessons here for other
neighborhoods.
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Why Bother??
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
You have to wonder why so many folks are calling for more funding for UDC
and status as a “Historically Black University” when the Board of Trustees of
the University can't even raise a quorum for a meeting. With all the problems that UDC has
the Board should be meeting every month not once a year. And then the Board should be
putting the screws on the Admin and Faculty to make the University work.
Unfortunately the concept of a real university in D.C. will not be
realized and we are wasting taxpayer dollars on a non-functioning activity. Better to
revise the mission of the school to one that can be realized and adjust the curriculum and
the faculty accordingly. This would result in better use of our tax dollars and provide
services to students coming out of our public High Schools who need a great deal of
remedial work before they are ready for a real college or university.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Chief of Police Ramsey at Chevy Chase Citizens
Association Meeting, February 16
Evelyn M. Wrin, evbobwrin@aol.com
The D.C. Chief of Police, Charles Ramsey, will be speaking to the Chevy
Chase Citizens Association at its February meeting on Tuesday, February 16th, at 7:30 pm.
The meeting will be held in Blessed Sacrament School, located at Chevy Chase Parkway,
Patterson St. and Quesada St., just east of Connecticut Avenue at Chevy Chase Circle. Also
on the program for that evening is Ellen Jones, who will talk about recycling in D.C. For
further information, call 202.244.5744.
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Abow and Jaleo and Kramer
Sven Abow, slomo@doubled.com
Hope y'all are enjoying the warm days. My folks back in Germany are
digging their way through about three feet of fresh powdered snow right now. This Saturday
I will drum with my friend Mike Wheaton and his band Jaleo down at Kramer Books on
Connecticut Ave. right above Dupont Circle. Jaleo is Latin Pop with a back beat plus some
Jazz Standards. We'll play from 10 pm til 2 am. If you stop by you can just browse through
the books or grab a chair or a table and chill with their delicious food and our tunes.
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Prison Reform Walk
Jon Katz, katz@erols.com
You are invited to join the Prison Reform Walk in New York, which runs
from March 15 – April 14, 1999. The walk is organized by my friend Jun Yasuda, who is
a nun with Nipponzan Myohoji, a small peace-promoting Buddhist order that had a key role
in the Pilgrimage to the Middle Passage that was in Washington last May, and which
continues towards its culmination in South Africa. You can get more information from http://www.albany.net/~rusami/peace/gpp2-1999.html
, or from Ms. Yasuda at: (518) 658-9301.
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CLASSIFIEDS — PETS
Adopt Rescued Death Row Dog
Michelle Buckman, quilting53@aol.com
Adopt rescued mixed breed female dog. Tan color. Medium to large size.
Between one and two years old. Well behaved and very sweet. Gets along well with children.
Likes other dogs. Seeks loving home. Please contact if interested.
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CLASSIFIEDS — DONATIONS WANTED
Hyde Elementary School Auction
Bill Starrels, points@erols.com
A reminder that we are still accepting tax deductible donations to the
annual Anthony Hyde E.S. Auction. The auction will be held on Saturday March 20th 6- 9 pm.
To donate an item or to advertise in the auction catalog please contact Liz Starrels at
202-338-1547 e-mail: points@erols.com. Tickets will be on sale February 20th. Thanks to
all those who have already responded. 100% of the proceeds go to the PTA.
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CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE
Four door sedan, well maintained. Bronze/brown color. 112K miles.
Reliable, agile automobile. Leather seats, power windows, power locks, power front seats,
power sunroof. Over the past year, new clutch, new suspension components, tires, battery,
starter. $4200 or best offer.
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Does anyone know of a good way to sell or donate old phonograph records
(remember those?). We have a large collection of classical, folk, and Broadway music and
can't find a place that wants to buy very many of them. Any advice or info appreciated.
E-mail me at nddavidson@earthlink.net or
phone 202-337-6482.
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CLASSIFIEDS — HOUSING
Room Available in Brightwood Group House
Mike Livingston, livingstonm@earthlink.net
1/3 of our household is moving out to get married, leaving a friendly
nonsmoker the opportunity to rent a room for $350 + utilities in a sunny old row house in
Brightwood. (That's the quiet neighborhood just south of Walter Reed, between 16th &
Georgia NW.) Takoma Metro station is a 20-minute walk (15 if you're in a hurry), and
Dupont Circle and U Street are 20-minute bus rides (25 if you're in a hurry). Rock Creek
Park is two blocks west and Georgia Ave. retail is two blocks east.
Your house mates would be Rob, an Irish music teacher and gourmet cook,
and me, a freelance writer and social justice activist. It's a very basic room, but a
great house and a great neighborhood. E-mail me or call 722-1650.
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CLASSIFIEDS — SERVICES
It's time to start getting your garden ready for the Spring growing
season. Winter clean ups, mulching, pruning, weeding, fertilizing. One time maintenance
visits to a year-round regimen. Shrub, tree, perennial, and seasonal flower installation.
Outdoor lighting, deck treatments, water gardens, hard scapes, pathways. Many satisfied
themail readers as clients.
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