Must Be More Lists
Dear Multilisters:
In this issue of themail, there are a few more suggestions (and
corrections) of E-mail lists, discussion forums, and E-mail news and
opinion forums relating to DC. I'll add one more that hasn't been
mentioned yet — Sam Smith's “Undernews,” which calls itself
“Washington's most unofficial source.” While most of this
entertaining daily consists of Sam's personal summary of and commentary
on the day's national and international news, the last few items in each
issue are frequently about local life and politics in our town. You can
subscribe from the home page of http://prorev.com.
Do any other lists that deal with our daily lives in DC come to mind?
Personal, neighborhood, ANC, PSA, professional, environmental,
educational — think broadly, and let's get as comprehensive a list as
we can.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Charter Schools
Patricia Chittams, Rider397@aol.com
I have four children in Charter Schools. Three of my children are in
schools that are great: Children's Studio School and Hyde Leadership
Public Charter School. Children's Studio is in the old Harrison Building
located on 13th Street, NW; a bright, airy inviting building. Children's
work lines the walls. The teachers are inclusive, and want and encourage
parental involvement. The management is responsive to parents. It's an
arts based program; the children learn through doing and are encouraged
add to the day with their own experiences. Hyde is also a school that
works. The school requires parental participation, and each parent
discovery group meets monthly. They believe that the home is the primary
classroom and that the child cannot learn without parental
participation. Here, as well, the teachers are responsive and management
is also responsive to the parents.
However, without the influence of these two schools, I would believe
that all Charter Schools were like World Public Charter School, which my
middle child attends. Initially I thought this was a great school. I
visited several times and spent several hours each time. I didn't know
how wrong I was. There must have been some secret signal to let the
children and teachers know that someone was visiting and to be on their
best behavior. There is no discipline; the inmates run the asylum.
Management is unresponsive at its best. Often the management retaliate
on the children when parents complain. Heaven help the child that gets
sick while at school. Once I was in the office and a child was sick.
This child was laying on the floor; no one was attending to the child's
needs and the principal stepped over the child as if he weren't there.
I've seen children yelled at, cursed at, and hit. But management claims
that these personal observations don't occur, and the police response is
that the children should have done what the teacher told them to do.
Parents involved in the parent organization are of the opinion that
there is nothing that can save the school save a DCPS (as bad as it is)
takeover. Teachers who look out for the best interests of the children
run the risk of losing their jobs. No instructor can speak to parents
about their children without the principal being present. Any teacher
that has, has been fired. There is no lunch room, no free lunch program,
and no free and appropriate education for special education students.
The classrooms are small (barely large enough for eight students),
the school is located in an old dormitory. There is only one bathroom
for the girls, and one for the boys. One would think that this school is
in a third world country. Why you ask, am I still there? Truthfully, I
believe in the program; it is purported to be a bilingual program.
However, I am also afraid of what would be said if I removed my child
from the program. Parents who remove their children report that horrible
tales are related to their children's new principals, which they and
their children now must live down. Hopefully, this school will be closed
or taken over. No child should be subjected to the horrors that many
have endured this school year.
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Late for First Period Classes
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
Last Tuesday's Washington Post had an article about one of the
high schools in D.C. where 25% of the students are coming late to their
first period classes. Some are as much as forty minutes late for the
first period class, which begins at 8:45 a.m. It seems to me that high
school students should show some measure of self-discipline and be able
to get to a class that is not that early in the morning. What is really
whacky, though, is that the school is not disciplining these kids for
being late to class.
In my high school, classes began at 8:05 a.m. and ended at 3:30 p.m.
I took public transport (forty minutes each way) to my magnet high
school in downtown Brooklyn, and had to be in the building by 8:00 a.m.
Any student arriving at the school after the 8 a.m. bell was promptly
escorted by one of the Longfellows (all students over 6 feet tall) to
the Admin Office, where the late student was immediately assigned one
period of detention (unless he had a valid note from his Mom).
Invariably the detention would be for morning detention, which began at
7:15 a.m. Shifts of Longfellows guarded the three entrances/exits to the
school all day, and you could not leave the school without a valid pass
from the Admin Office. Although I probably held the course record for
detention while at "Tech" for four years, not one of those
detention days was for being late to my first period class at 8:05 a.m.
Schools should enforce some discipline on those kids who have not
learned self-control and respect for the rules.
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Rising Property Values, Rising Rental Costs
Mark Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com
A friend living in Dupont Circle recently received a notice of rent
increase for his one bedroom apartment-from $850 to $1,400 monthly.
Because he cannot afford this dramatic increase he must move. He had the
right to purchase the property, but cannot. He doesn't blame the
landowner, and says he has been reasonable over the years.
I have heard this same story numerous times over the past two years.
Although property owners are enjoying the increase in the value of their
homes and the corresponding rental windfall increases, those renting —
the majority of District residents-could see their quality of life erode
at an alarming rate. I'm glad there are proposals to retain low- and
moderate-housing units in the District, but what about rental prices? Is
anyone aware of data showing the scope of this issue? The United States
is a “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” kind of nation, but this
story shows all too clearly that forces beyond ones control are
frequently more powerful than an individual, like trying to stabilize a
small boat on a big stormy ocean.
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Larry Seftor believes the Post was in collusion with
councilmembers who voted to overturn the term limits referendum because
the Post listed the names of those voting against repeal, rather
than for repeal. Actually, the Post simply prints the shorter
list, which would be the losing vote side. You assume the names not
listed voted for the winning side, unless there is further explanation
(like absent or not voting). It's the same way they report Supreme Court
decisions. They name the dissenters in a 6-3 decision, for example,
because it takes up less space and you can assume the other 6 voted the
other way. You can accuse the Post (and any other paper) of all
sorts of bias, and you may often be right. But, in this case, I think
it's unfair. (I'm against term limits and against what the Council did,
by the way.)
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What’s Next?
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
Mayor Williams has eliminated one of the big taxpayer money sinkholes
in D.C. with the imminent closing of D.C. General. Next on his list
should be the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). UDC has
outlived its usefulness and has become a very costly and ineffective and
inefficient teaching facility. What is really needed in D.C. is a school
that will take the very poorly educated high school graduates from the
D.C. public high schools and provide them with the tools that they need
to get into a decent post high school educational facility. The feds
will now pay the in-state tuition for D.C. high school graduates who are
accepted at any public state school in the U.S. Only about 50 percent of
the students who attend D.C. public high schools ever graduate (some
take five or more years to do so) and then, many are barely literate
when they do so. For those who really want to continue their education,
we should be providing an avenue that will remediate these students and
bring them to a level of competence where they will be able to survive
in a college or junior college environment. We owe our kids that
opportunity and the money that the taxpayers currently pour into that
sink hole at UDC could be much better spent.
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Birth of the Nation: The First Federal
Congress
Mark Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com
Have a look at this — it's great! http://www.gwu.edu/~ffcp/exhibit/index.html.
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Palisades Citizens’ Association
Nicolas Kauffman, nicholas.kauffman@dc.gov
I'm forwarding the PCA website link. The PCA officers and committees
communicate via E-mail, and Lynn Scholz, a Board member, maintains a
neighborhood emergency notification E-group list that alerts the
community to crisis situations, e.g., violent crimes, serious traffic
accidents, environmental hazards, etc. http://www.palisadesdc.org.
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Brookland’s E-Mail List, Revisited
Suzanne Griffith, suzanne.griffith@zzapp.org
The instructions I gave in the last issue of themail to subscribe to
Brookland's list are needlessly complicated. Here's an easier (and less
intrusive) way: To subscribe, send a blank E-mail to Brookland-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Once you have subscribed, you can send your E-mails to Brookland@yahoogroups.com.
Hope this clears things up.
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The COMMUNIT-E newsletter by Kathy Smith covers AU Park, not Capitol
Hill, as listed in the last themail.
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That’s AU Park, Friendship Heights, and
Tenleytown
Kathy Smith, Ksmith1804@starpower.net
COMMUNIT-E does not serve Capitol Hill. Beat26@aol.com
does that service. COMMUNIT-E goes mainly to AU Park, Friendship
Heights, and Tenleytown (PSA 202). I'd appreciate it if you would run
this so that your readers on Capitol Hill get to the right newsletter.
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I swear in the last few days that I got a posting about a new Adams
Morgan group. These are Ward One groups for obvious reasons.
DCCoalitionForRentControl@yahoogroups.com
ColumbiaBuzz@yahoogroups.com (moderated)
ustreet@listbot.com (U Street-Cardozo Shaw Neighborhood
Association area)
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As always, the Greater Washington Metro Area WebSpace Search Engine
is running at http://www.earthops.org/Harvest/brokers/Washington_Metro/.
It's about time for it to do another crawl across the local InterNet but
even now it has indexed nearly 15000 pages from almost 60 purely local
sites. Please note that it searches almost all of the District
Government sites listed by the DC Library, and also searches many other
mostly DC sites including various neighborhood associations and citizens
groups' sites.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS AND CLASSES
There will be a free six-week acting workshop for adults and serious
young actors every Tuesday, starting Tuesday, June 19. Sessions will
begin at 7:30 p.m., and end promptly at 9:30 p.m., at Sixth Presbyterian
Church, 16th and Kennedy Streets, NW. Parking available in the rear of
church off of Kennedy Street. Sessions are free and will be conducted by
Ronald Newman and Linda Kenyon. To register call Sixth Presbyterian
Church, 723-5377.
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Woodley Park Community Association, June 21,
2001, Meeting
Martin G. Murphy, wpcadc@hotmail.com
Two important items top the agenda of the June 21, meeting of the
Woodley Park Community Association. Councilmember Kathy Patterson has
arranged for DC Police Chief Charles Ramsey and Peter LaPorte, Director
of the Emergency Management Agency for DC, to attend our meeting, and
brief the community on preparations for the annual World Bank/IMF
conference, which will be held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in
Woodley Park on October 2-3, 2001. The usual disruptions caused by the
World Bank conference may be compounded by the legions of protesters now
routine at such events. WPCA will be seeking volunteers to work actively
with Chief Ramsey and Director LaPorte to develop plans that insure
public safety while minimizing hardship to Woodley Park residents.
T. Luke Young of the DC Office of Planning's Historic Preservation
Division, will discuss the “Old Woodley Park Historic District,”
focusing on preservation guidelines and possibilities for expansion of
the historic district. The Thursday, June 21, WPCA meeting will be at
the Maret School, 3000 Cathedral Avenue, NW, Athletic Center Building, 7
p.m. For more information, contact Martin G. Murray, President, 667-0105
(evening), 418-5276 (daytime).
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Logan Circle Community Association
Wayne Dickson, wayne@dicksonfelix.com
Just a quick message to remind you of the LCCA Picnic
on Saturday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Lots of food and other
refreshments. Most important is the opportunity to meet your neighbors
from other parts of the community. Admission is free — all that is
required is for you show up. We are expecting a substantial turnout, so
please do join in the fun. The Picnic is being staged at the LCCA -
PEPCO Park at 12th and O Streets, NW.
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Trash Force This Saturday, June 16
Paul Nahay, pnahay@sprynet.com
Trash Force's next outing will be this coming Saturday, June 16,
meeting 10:45 a.m. at the Watts Branch Recreation Center, 62nd St. and
Banks Pl., just two blocks from the Capitol Heights Metro. Single
Volunteers of DC (http://www.singlevolunteers.org/dc)
will be joining us, and possibly some folks from Washington Parks &
People (http://www.washingtonparks.net).
Directions and info are at http://pnahay.home.sprynet.com/tforce.htm#June16.
Please bring plastic bags (a dozen would be good), gloves (if you want
them), and consider long sleeves and long pants, if worried about poison
ivy. Please let me know if you're planning on attending.
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Community Dinner and Town Hall Meeting
Shazza Nzinga, dcblackpanther@hotmail.com
On Thursday June 14, at 6:30 p.m., the New Black Panther Party will
be sponsoring a free community dinner at Anacostia Public Library
located at Good Hope Road and 18th Street, SE. There will be a
discussion on “The Fate of the Homeless in DC.” Other organizations
joining in the discussion are the Lutheran Social Services, RAP Inc.,
and Homeless Association Connection. The homeless in DC are being pushed
out of the District by underfunding of programs and services that cater
to them. Everyone is invited to this free program and enjoy a home
cooked meal in the process.
There will be a town hall meeting on Mayor Anthony Williams,
Wednesday, June 20, at 6:30 p.m., at the Martin Luther King Library
Auditorium. This will be a referendum on the performance of the Williams
administration. Citizens are encouraged to come out and share their
views and comments on DC issues in relation to Mayor Anthony Williams.
There will be a panel of leaders from various DC-based organizations.
For more information, E-mail us or call 722-5929 or 986-9605.
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TasteDC.com’s Updated July/August Calendar
of Wine and Food Events
Charlie Adler, wine@TASTEDC.COM
1) July 10, Tuesday, “Cocktails 101: Hot Summer Quenchers,” Ozio
Restaurant and Lounge, 1813 M St., NW, Metro Farragut North or Dupont
Circle (Red Line), 7-9 p.m., $40 per person. This is one of our most
popular events! Ozio's experienced bartender will mix, entertain and
serve you samples of 10 classic and trendy mixed drinks for Summer and
some attendees will have a chance to get up and mix drinks as well!
Light appetizers will also be served such as fried calamari, sesame
chicken tenders, and baby eggplant pizza. You will also learn the basics
of setting up your own home bar, secrets of the trade, and a whole lot
more! Don't forget, each attendee gets a sample of all 10 drinks, it's
included in the price of the event. Current list of drinks: a) Alabama
Slammer, b) Malibu Bay Breeze, c) Margarita, d) Planter's Punch, e)
Melon Ball Shooter, f) Woo Woo Shooter, g) Classic Martini, h) Sour
Apple Martini, i) Cosmopolitan, and j) Manhattan Martini. 2) July 17,
Tuesday, “Wine Basics 101,” Radisson Barcelo Hotel, 2121 P St., NW,
valet Parking, Metro Dupont Circle (Red Line), 7-9 p.m., $40 per person.
Our most attended event! Learn how to order wine in a restaurant,
determine basic wine styles and varietals, pair wine and food and more!
3) July 19, Thursday, “Embassy of Austria Wine Revolution,” Embassy
of Austria, 3524 International Court, NW, Metro Van Ness (Red Line),
limited street parking, 7-9 p.m., $45 per person. Join us for an
exciting night at the Austrian Embassy to see exactly what's hot and
changing in Austrian wines! Austria is currently experiencing an upsurge
in interest in the wine world due to the amazing amount of new and
distinctive wine being produced and imported. New young wine producers
are taking a stand and revolutionizing the taste of Austrian wines.
Austrian wines are dry, as opposed to German wines. Come taste this
surprisingly fresh wine for yourself along with some wonderfully paired
cuisine! (This is a walk-around tasting and reception) 4) July 24,
Tuesday, “Embassy of New Zealand Wine and Food Celebration,” Embassy
of New Zealand, 37 Observatory Circle, NW (behind the British Embassy
off Massachusetts Avenue), limited street parking , 7-9 p.m., $55 per
person. Join us at the beautiful Embassy of New Zealand for an evening
of tantalizing wines that have put the country in the wine-lovers
spotlight. You'll taste the world-famous energizing and racy citrus
Sauvignon Blanc, distinctive Chardonnay and many hidden gems from the
tiny island in the Pacific. Ever heard of the green gooseberry? You will
after this night and so will your taste buds! Plus, we'll pair the wines
with some unforgettable and exotic Kiwi Cuisine! (This is a walk-around
tasting and reception.) 7) July 28, Saturday, “2nd Annual Lobster and
Wine Festival,” Christopher Marks Restaurant, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave.,
NW, Metro: Metro Center, parking available in adjacent garage as well as
limited on street, noon-2:30 p.m., $68 per person, tax and tip
inclusive. Rain or Shine. If you love Lobster, this is the event for
you! Here's what is included: Fresh New England 1 1/4 lb. lobster per
person with the fixings, more lobster prepared in various gourmet
presentations by Chef Robert Polk, an assortment of wines perfectly
paired with the juicy meat (expect some unique combinations!) Seating
for everyone with the option to taste wine on the indoor/outdoor patio.
Don't wait, we've rented the whole restaurant with a capacity of 250
people. Attire is very casual, we'll even provide the bibs! (This is a
seated event with optional reception area.) Reservations: https://labyrinth.dgsys.com/clients/tasteusa.com/order.cgi?X_DC
or phone 333-5588.
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CLASSIFIEDS — HOUSING
4707 Connecticut Ave., NW, 1 bedroom renovated apartment with modern
kitchen, oak hardwood floors, high ceilings, storage space, in premier
“Old World” building, near Metro, $1795/month, 244-8598.
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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
What About All the Rats?
Heather Scott, ScotH@cof.org
As a new home buyer in the Capitol Hill area, I am appalled by the
infestation of rats in our area. They seem to run around and rule the
city and I personally have had many problems in the six short months I
have owned my row house. One ended up dying in our wall and costing over
$200 just to get rid of the stench. Unfortunately, the carcass was not
retrievable without ripping out a wall. Does anyone else out there know
of a solution? Who do I call? Rat Busters? Please e-mail me at rochescott@aol.com
with any guidance, suggestions, etc.
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CLASSIFIEDS — CITY PAPER PREVIEW
Dave Nuttycombe, webmeister@washcp.com
From washingtoncitypaper.com's LOOSE LIPS column, appearing this
Friday:
THE NUMBERS GAME: The way some D.C. councilmembers acted last week
during the discussion on the redistricting proposal known as “Plan
H,” a casual observer might have concluded that the legislators were
being robbed.
Ward 1's Jim Graham whined repeatedly over the loss of four blocks,
including a section of U Street NW — this in addition to his week-long
lament about the snatching of the Sheridan-Kalorama neighborhood from
his ward. He also valiantly took up the cause of residents in Ward 3's
Chevy Chase community, who are vexed by the idea, as the councilmember
put it, of “leaping Rock Creek Park at its widest, at its widest
point, to land in Ward 4.” Plan H would take a slice of predominantly
white, middle- and upper-class Chevy Chase and relocate it to
predominantly African-American middle-class Ward 4. (Tsk, tsk — what a
terrible fate!)
Read the entire Loose Lips column here: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/lips/lips.html
From washingtoncitypaper.com's CITY LIGHTS page, here are a few early
warnings for upcoming events:
TUESDAY: “How to Be Your Own Lawyer,” at 6:30 p.m. at First Class
Inc., 1726 20th St. NW. $37.
THURSDAY: Mexican chef Geno Bahena, owner of Chicago's acclaimed
Ixcapuzalco restaurant, guides diners through the tastes of tequila
country — El Bajao and Central Mexico — at 6:30 p.m. at the Mexican
Cultural Institute, 2829 16th St. NW. $60
More details and more critics' picks are available online at http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/pix/pix.html
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