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June 10, 2001

Lists of Lists

Dear Listers:

Here's the first installment of other E-mail lists, discussion forums, and bulletin boards. Please look over the first returns and let us all know about lists that are missing. Keep the suggestions coming.

On Thursday, Mayor Williams appointed a committee, cynically named the “Health Services Reform Commission,” to ratify his plan to close DC General Hospital (http://www.dcwatch.com/mayor/010607.htm). The Commission members are named by the Mayor and serve at his pleasure, and the great majority of them are his faithful and uncritical supporters. At the ceremony announcing the Commission, the Mayor made their mission clear to them. As the Washington Post reported: “He predicted that the commission would demonstrate that the allegations of DC General loyalists are untrue. 'All the horror stories you've heard did not materialize,' he said. 'Greater Southeast and this alliance will be there to help us.'” The logic is presented below in a message from Jim Grant. Since nobody will ever be able to prove absolutely that a patient who dies would have been saved by DC General if it had been open, there can never be any conclusive evidence that the closing of the hospital caused any harm. Is it possible for anybody — perhaps an alliance of local organizations representing doctors, nurses, and hospitals — to create a truly independent and critical commission to issue believable reports on the results of the Mayor's health care plan?

If you are under the illusion that you can accomplish anything by testifying at a City Council hearing, think again. Thirty-two people testified at the hearing that the Council held before it overturned the voter initiative that overwhelmingly instituted term limits. Thirty out of the thirty-two who testified opposed the Council's action. On WAMU's DC Politics Hour last Friday, Councilmember Jack Evans spoke openly about the contempt he had, and the majority of Councilmembers shared, for the people who testified. Evans said, “We had, I think, thirty-two witnesses. We've had more witnesses down there when we did issues of much lesser significance. There was no public outcry. There was very little interest. The people who came were the people who usually come.” In Mr. Evans view, citizens' opinions are of little value, and the more a citizen involves himself in city politics, the less valuable his opinions become. Obviously, Jack only values opinions that are expressed through campaign donations.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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Conflict of Interests
Larry Seftor, Larry_Seftor@compuserve.com

In the private sector we think a lot about conflict of interests (COI). Law firms do conflicts checks before taking on new clients or issues. And commercial firms, such as my own, spend a lot of time writing, promulgating, and enforcing COI policies. Databases are set up to track relationships to ensure than a COI does not unintentionally occur. Considering how the rest of us avoid COI, it is disturbing, but not unexpected, that DC Council members who hold a position of public trust completely ignore COI and act self-servingly. I'm talking, of course, about the vote to repeal the voter initiative on term limits. Councilmembers who voted to overturn the initiative voted for continued job security for themselves. Regardless of the merits of the issue, these people showed a total lack of integrity. Their actions certainly violate the Code of Ethics that everyone in my company has to sign.

As a postscript, the Washington Post, in its article “District Term Limits Tossed,” oddly refused to provide a list of Council members who voted to overturn the voters' will, giving us instead a list of those who voted against this measure. The result is that my Councilmember, Kathy Patterson, apparently voted to repeal the voters' intent, but escaped having her name in the paper. I guess Ms. Patterson's ties to the media (and that of other Council members) served her well.

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“Scared Straight” and Kid's DC Jail Tours
Victor Chudows, VCHUDOWS@MERIDIAN.org

From Marc Fisher's column in today's Post (6/7/01), other media coverage, and conversations on this list, it is evident that the strip-search of DC school kids on a jail tour has really hit a raw nerve. The quality of the schools, school officials, their command of the English language, quality of our jail officials, juvenile crime, etc., are all in the mix. Yet what is surprising is that nobody has looked into the purpose behind these jail visits. One school psychologist Fisher mentions in his column seems to indicate that these jail tours are arranged by “teachers who have run out of ideas.” Well, this is a poor reason to send these kids on jail tours, because recent research indicates that these “Scared Straight” programs, meant to deter kids from crime by exposing them to the horror of prison, do not work!

“Scared Straight” became all the rage in juvenile justice after the release of a popular documentary depicting a visit to Rahway state prison by a group of young troublemakers. The program the kids were participating in sent kids to the prison, where they were screamed at by inmates who depicted the horrors of prison life — stabbings, beatings, rape, bad food, etc. By the end of the day, the kids were so shaken by the experience they vowed never to end up like the inmates. Similar programs were quickly replicated elsewhere, and their “success” was touted. However, criminologists at Rutgers University conducted a study of groups of kids who had participated in such programs, and compared them to a control group that had not. Their findings: participation in the program did not deter kids from criminal activity. The “Scared Straight” program only had a minimal impact: it reinforced attitudes of criminals as “losers” by those kids who were not likely to commit crimes anyway. It had no impact on juveniles who were already in trouble with the law or in a juvenile facility, the “target” of such programs. The reason? Criminologists agree that deterrence is based far more on the certainty of punishment than on its severity. Certainty means that if you commit a crime, you will definitely go to prison. However, as we all know, this is not the case in today's criminal justice/police system, especially here in DC, where only one third of murders are solved. “Scared Straight” programs focus on severity, not certainty. If the participants are unconvinced that they will be caught for a crime, the severity, even though real, is a rather remote possibility. In addition, the hardened juvenile criminals, who had already been inside institutions, were already familiar with and accustomed to prison conditions. These findings were recently published by the Rutgers profs in book form.

So, the best way to prevent future abuses during jail tours is to simply end jail tours. The kids would be much better off if they just stayed in school and went to computer class . . . uhh, as long as they aren't served alcohol by their teachers (sadly, also in today's Washington Post).

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An Open Letter to Dr. Paul Vance
Erich Martel, ehmartel@starpower.net

Dear Dr. Vance, Last January, when you learned of DCPS' grammatically bungled Metro bus ad (“Go To Class — It a Blast!!!”), the Washington Post reported, that you were, “infuriated by the error, calling it 'absolutely inexcusable.'” You said that “[i]t reinforces the perception that we're less than competent.” The ads came down immediately. The deficiencies in the DCPS Social Studies/History standards are not a “perception,” but an “absolutely inexcusable” reality, now approved by your Chief Academic Officer (CAO) for translation into curricula and assessments aimed at the minds of all students and their teachers. The tortured syntax and bungled grammar only hint at the far more serious obstacles to learning they promote.

On three occasions since you became Superintendent, I provided you with detailed reviews of the DCPS Social Studies/History Standards (3rd draft, May 2000), including copies of correspondence going back to 1999, detailing my unsuccessful efforts to convince the Social Studies Content Specialist of their deficiencies at our August 30th meeting in your office; in the January 24th proposed “Academic Program” I sent you; prior to the February 27th Board of Education hearing on the standards; and to Ms. Mary Gill, on March 13th, after you appointed her Chief Academic Officer.

When we met, I explained that my criticisms and proposals were based on more than a decade of experience with history standards and curricula, including the National History Standards, the DCPS/DOE History-Language Arts Standards project (1994-97), the development of model national certification standards for social studies teachers, reviewing state standards as a consultant, and over three decades as a history teacher. Since learning is the single reason why schools exist, I thought you would examine the standards, solicit the views of teachers, and take action. My waning optimism was finally dashed, when I read Ms. Gill's 5/4/01 Memorandum, inviting teachers to apply for summer positions, “under the supervision of subject-area Content Specialists, ... [to] develop curriculum units and lessons that are aligned with the standards . . . that will be available next fall.” I hope, through this open letter, to show you why the social studies-history standards you authorized Ms. Gill to approve should have caused you far greater concern than that “absolutely inexcusable” bus ad.

The above is taken from the first page of a twelve-page letter. Anyone wishing to read the entire letter, so you can see what nonsense is being perpetrated in the name of PreK-12 “social studies standards” can E-mail me at ehmartel@starpower.net. Erich Martel, Dept. of Social Studies, Woodrow Wilson H.S., DCPS.

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Where the Cars Are Stacked
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com

Another week has passed without the city's having purchased or leased an impoundment lot for abandoned and junked cars. It's time for Chief of Staff John Koskinen to issue another of his weekly statements, "By the end of this week, for sure." On June 5, the DC auditor issued a report (http://www.dcwatch.com/auditor/audit032.htm) that showed serious deficiencies in the performance of the Abandoned and Junk Vehicle Division (AJVD) of DPW over the past three years. Following are a few quotes from that report:

“AJVD did not remove from public space a majority of abandoned and junk vehicles within 7 to 10 days as stated in the Mayor's Fiscal year 1999 Performance Measures Scorecard. Overall, the analysis indicated that abandoned and junk vehicles were towed from District streets an average of 24 calendar days after a complaint was filed with AJVD. In a significant number of cases, abandoned vehicles were not removed from public space until at least 45 days after a complaint was received, and in some cases over 100 days after a complaint.” “The Auditor's analysis of data provided for the audit revealed the existence of approximately 3,300 apparently unresolved abandoned and junk vehicle complaints filed with AJVD during the audit period.” “The Auditor's examination further revealed that AJVD's performance statistics regarding the number of vehicles it removed from District streets were artificially inflated by as much as 51% to 55%.” (AJVD counted a car when it was towed from the streets, and counted it a second time if it was towed from the Brentwood Impoundment Lot to the Blue Plains Impoundment Lot.) “Through a comparison of relevant financial records for auctions held during the audit period, the Auditor found auction revenue variances averaging approximately $30,000 annually, or approximately $90,000 during the three-year audit period. In reviewing records for the ten-year period between fiscal years 1990 and 2000, the Auditor determined that AJVD may have incurred cash shortages in excess of $300,000.”

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Where the Truth Is Stacked
Jim Grant, dcvoyeur@aol.com

I enjoyed (LOL) the article by Cabcurtis (Where Some of the Bodies Are Stacked). I was especially intrigued by the immense amount of misleading information. I would like to know why it took 1 hour and 13 minutes to transport someone to Howard University hospital. Did they get lost on the way to the scene? It takes me 15 minutes to drive from RFK to Howard, that is 15 minutes from lousy service, quack doctors, and incompetent staff to one of the best hospitals in the country. This is stopping at red lights and avoiding a moving violation. The writer was making some assumptions: the person was alive at the scene when the paramedics arrived, the one hour and 15 minute delay was caused by a 3 mile drive, the patient would have survived the typical 12 hour wait at DC General. OK so I exaggerated; only two hours in critical cases..

Another argument that was misleading was the body count in northeast DC. This guy wants you to assume that the people would have survived if DC General was still open. As far as I know the body count has always been large there. If you really want to analyze the data then look at the survival rate upon acceptance for patients when comparing the two hospitals. The ex-DC General (ex-over paid under worked) employees are trying to keep their jobs so they use the poor and suffering, “you don't care” arguments to keep their jobs. Gee, Mouthoff did tears form at the corners of your eyes? Damn the truth, I just want to feel PC, I want to feel your suffering.

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Columbia Heights
Elizabeth McIntire, elizabeth@innercity.com

The Columbia Heights mailing list is devoted to sharing information about the Columbia Heights neighborhood. Subscribe: columbia_heights-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Group committed to providing a space and opportunity for the diverse community in Columbia Heights to work together for a community marketplace. Subscribe: CHCM-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

The District of Columbia Coalition for Housing Justice works to address the recent city wide evictions of low-income housing. Subscribe: DCHousing-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

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Mount Pleasant
Laurie Collins, lauriec@lcsystems.com

Mount Pleasant has a web-based forum, no need to join and opened to everyone located at http://www.mtpleasantdc.org.

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Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant
Josh Gibson, jgibson@ledcdc.org

We have an approximately 500-member list here in Adams Morgan that I co-moderate. It comes out roughly twice a week. To subscribe, send a blank E-mail to adamsmorgan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.  Once subscribed, to post, write to adamsmorgan@yahoogroups.com.

Robert Frazier (rf@juno.com) runs the Mount Pleasant list, which is far bigger and better than ours (but we're trying!) [To subscribe, send an E-mail to rf@juno.com.]

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Capitol Hill
Sharon Cochran, secochran@aol.com

Some community sites that I know about in my neck of the woods. You did not mention web sites but I included them too. To be added to the E-news letter for PSA 511, write to David Thompson at dvd.lt@verizon.net. The web page for PSA 511 is http://psa511.juniperdc.com.

The web page for the North Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association is http://www.nlpna.juniperdc.com. Juniperdc donates space to several nonprofit Capitol Hill area community groups.

The E-mail list for ANC 6A is anc6a@yahoogroups.com. An E-mail group for those folks interested in H Street, NE, is hstreetdc@yahoogroups.com. Also check out the discussion board on http://www.voiceofthehill.com for current hot topics and occasionally hot discourse.

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Capitol Hill
Ronald J. Lefrancois, Ronald_J_Lefrancois@newyorklife.com

COMMUNIT-E is run by Kathy Smith, and can be subscribed to by writing to Ksmith1804@starpower.net.

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Cleveland Park
Trudy Reeves, trudyr222@yahoo.com

This is probably one e-mail group you already know of. cleveland-park-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

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Takoma and Shepherd Park
Ralph Blessing, rblessin88@hotmail.com

Two list serves in my part of town. The Takoma one is extremely active and will produce up to 20-25 messages on some days. The Shepherd Park list, on the other hand, is almost comatose, which is rather interesting given that the two communities sit side by side, though I guess Takoma, DC, is more akin to the Republic of Takoma Park, MD, than it is to its DC neighbors.

To subscribe, send a message to each. TakomaDCList-digest@studio405.com and shepherdpark-subscribe@egroups.com.

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Chevy Chase
Jay Vinton, vintonj@mail.nih.gov

Here's a new group for Chevy Chase, DC: to subscribe to the Listserv, send your full name, street address, and preferred E-mail address to darci_terrell@yahoo.com. To post a message to the Listserv, mail to ChevyChaseCommunityListserv@yahoogroups.com.

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Brookland
Suzanne Griffith, suzanne.griffith@zzapp.org

I just started a list for Brookland last week. It's on Yahoo!Groups. Anyone who wants to join should go to groups.yahoo.com/group/brookland and click “Join This Group.” If you are not already a Yahoo!Groups member click on “Sign Up Now” to get a Yahoo ID and password..

Yahoo also has groups for Cleveland Park, Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant, Adams Morgan, H Street NE, and Bloomingdale, among others.

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Announcement Lists
Paul Dionne, PDionne@speakeasy.net

None of these is a listserv, but they are regular announcement lists.

ANC 2F, anc2f@starpower.net
ANC 2B, vnm3@rcn.com
DC Gay and Lesbian Youth Pride, youthpride@youthpridedc.org
Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, rick.rosendall@glaa.org
Capital Area Log Cabin Republicans, mtferens@aol.com
DC Republican Committee, DCGOP@aol.com
Carol Schwartz, SCHWARTZC@dccouncil.washington.dc.us
David Catania, DCATANIA@dccouncil.washington.dc.us

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Footlights
David Sobelsohn, dsobelso@CapAccess.org

Footlights — DC's only modern drama discussion group — has its own E-mail list, along with a monthly on-line newsletter. The newsletter provides information about our events. But any subscriber to the list can post to the list. Subscribers include several local theaters. These theaters sometimes send special offers (including free or deeply discounted tickets) to selected on-line lists. Subscribers can also use the Footlights list to organize theater trips. To subscribe, send any message, even blank, to join@footlightsdc.org. After subscribing, send messages to the list to list@footlightsdc.org. For more information, go to http://www.footlightsdc.org.

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Youth and Charity Mailing Lists
Susie Cambria, scambria@dckids.org

There is a mailing list for children and youth operated by Connect for Kids (part of the Benton Foundation). It largely announces events, opportunities for involvement, etc. Members of the list may post information. To subscribe to this list, send a blank message to subscribe-dclink@connectforkids.org.

There is also the DC Metro list operated by Charity Channel.com. According to Charity Channel.com, this discussion forum is “Online communication among governments, nonprofits, community organizations, foundations, and businesses in the DC Metropolitan area about partnerships, resource development, and grants.” To subscribe, you have to go to the site and follow the directions.

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Charter Schools
Francesca Dixon, FGDixon@aol.com

I'm interested in hearing from parents, students and community members about their experiences with DC charter schools. If your child attended a charter school this year, were you satisfied with the educational program, the facilities, the quality of instruction, and the administration? Will you be sending your child back to that school or moving on to something different? Alternately, if a charter school opened in your neighborhood, what impact, if any, has this had on your community?

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Sign the Petition to Keep DC General Open
David Barrows, barrowsdavid@hotmail.com

Sign the on-line petition to members of Congress to keep DC General Hospital open as a fully-funded, full service public hospital and forward it to your friends, family, and colleagues. The petition closes on June 19, so do it now!

http://www.petitiononline.com/Savedcgh/petition.html

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June 2001 InTowner
Peter Wolff, intowner@intowner.com

This is to advise that the June, 2001 on-line edition has been uploaded and may be accessed at http://www.intowner.com. Included are the community news stories, crime reports, editorials (including prior months' archived), restaurant reviews (prior months' also archived), and the text from the ever-popular “Scenes from the Past” feature. Also included are all current classified ads. The complete issue (along with prior issues back to January 2001) also is available in .pdf file format by direct access from our home page at no charge by clicking the link provided. The next issue will publish on July 13, and the website will be updated shortly thereafter.

To read the lead stories, simply click the link on the home page to the following headlines: (1) “Tivoli Site Plan Close to Final Approvals; Graham Acts to Ensure Construction Start” (2) “Police Crack Murder Case, Sentencing Set for Next Month; Area Neighbors Relieved” (3) “Mexican Cultural Institute in Adams Morgan Reaches Out to Neighborhood Residents.”

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CLASSIFIEDS — HOUSING

Adams Morgan Sublet
Virginia Johnson, virginiajohnson@netzero.net

Short-term sublet in Adams Morgan/Kalorama: Sixth floor, furnished, sunny efficiency in the best location near Metro, restaurants, bars, stores, bus at door. Hardwood floors, kitchen, five big windows overlooking nice park, CAC, dishwasher, laundry facilities, telephone entry, quiet and safe. Available mid-August. For further information, call 328-9639.

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Short Term House Rental Wanted
Gary James, jamesgang@worldnet.att.net

I have two female (alternative lifestyle) friends, early 40s, very secure relationship, very together ladies, looking to rent a home in the area while they try to find someplace to buy. They’re coming up from Florida in July and will need a place for the two of them and their beautiful, white, housebroken poodle (no shedding) Jennie. If anyone knows of a close-in house (preferably with a fenced yard) they could rent for three or six months to one year, and up to $1500 a month please let me know at jamesgang@att.net.

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