Hopalong Cassidy
Dear Pardners:
This is as far away from Washington as it gets, but it's too good not
to mention. Buy a new VCR, buy a satellite television system, make sure
that you're subscribed to the Westerns channel, and do all this before
Friday evening. Starting then, at 8:00 p.m., and running through 9:00
p.m. on Sunday, the Westerns channel will have a forty-nine-hour nonstop
Hopalong Cassidy festival. Forty-one movies and a new documentary
special, “Hopalong Cassidy: Public Hero No. 1.” Your idea of a movie
hero may have been John Wayne or Arnold Schwarzenegger or Alan Alda or
Woody Allen, but William Boyd, the one and only Hoppy, was and is my
idea of a real star.
It has to do with the kind of Westerns he made. Before Westerns
became “adult,” before they got filled with angst and ambiguity,
they were about good people fighting bad people and winning against the
odds. Hoppy, the original man in black, did it better than anybody else,
including even Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. Hoppy knew the difference
between right and wrong, and he was for right and against wrong. He
fought against crooked land dealers and crooked bankers and crooked
lawyers and crooked town officials and just plain crooks. Hopalong
Cassidy's strength wasn't really that he was better in a fist fight or
faster on the draw; it was that he would never turn a blind eye to
corruption, never apologize for it or defend it.
I told you this was as far away from Washington as it gets.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Dirty Deed Inquiry
Paul K. Williams, PkelseyW@aol.com
Quick question for all you legal real estate types out there. During
the course of my investigating a deed history, it is not uncommon to
have the title swap from a homeowner of several years to another party,
only to go back to the owner on the same day. Why is this? Is it to
clear title just before/after a mortgage or other financing? This
curious procedure has happened for more than ninety years.
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In April 2001, Congress approved DC Law 13-279, the Individuals With
Disabilities Parking Reform Amendment Act of 2000, a new regulation
designed to improve parking congestion in the District's major business
and residential areas. Following a 30-day warning period that began July
23, the new law will be fully enforced beginning Monday, August 20.
District residents holding either handicapped license plates or a
hanging placard, as well as all disabled commuters and visitors to the
city, should note the following changes:
1) Free, unlimited parking in time-restricted spaces (including
metered and residential parking spaces) is no longer allowed. 2) All
drivers, including the disabled, must now adhere to the two-hour parking
limit in designated District residential neighborhoods. 3) Persons with
DC-issued handicap tags or placards may park free of charge in any other
time-restricted space for double the amount of time permitted by the
sign or meter. Following the free period, posted time limits and meter
fees apply. 4) Disabled drivers from other states must obtain a
DC-issued placard to take advantage of free street parking. Otherwise,
posted time limits and meter fees apply.
Beginning Monday, DPW parking officers will issue pink “Warning
Tickets” to all vehicles bearing a handicap designation. DMV plans to
send a mass mailing to inform residents holding handicap permits that
the law will soon be enforced. Information will also be available at DMV
satellite offices, as well as on agency web sites. Additionally, city
agencies, community groups and business organizations will be notified
by mail and E-mail.
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I understand that the District is cracking down on the misuse of
handicapped parking permits by limiting handicapped permit holders to
two hours at meters. As someone with a disability, I applaud this
action. Working in the Southwest Government area, I notice that there
are too many people who park near their office buildings all day.
Leaving aside whether they are able or disabled, this foils the
possibility that legitimate handicapped visitors would be able to park
for a short time to shop or enjoy museums. The Federal government
parking policies allow priority for disabled drivers within their own
parking areas. The District did this right!
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Today, Mayor Williams chose Stanley Jackson to serve as Director of
the Department of Housing and Community Development (http://www.dcwatch.com/mayor/010725.htm).
Jackson who has worked in the DC government since 1981, has held a
variety of senior positions in the Office of Tax and Revenue. In 1995,
he became Chief of Staff to Nat Gandhi, the city's Chief Financial
Officer. Jackson, who has no expertise in housing or economic
development, will become Mayor Williams's fourth director of DHCD in two
and a half years, succeeding Richard Monteilh, Othello Mahone, and
Milton Bailey.
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An organization like the MPD, that had been going down hill for
twenty or so years, is not going to be "fixed" in just three.
When Chief Ramsey came to the job, he estimated it would take five years
to make really dramatic improvements. I think it will take at least that
long. But I am seeing improvements inside the department in all sorts of
places. I applaud his bringing in a new chief of detectives with
extensive FBI experience. The improvements in the department are
happening gradually, but they are happening.
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I'm glad you're noting the ongoing problems with homicide. I've
scheduled a follow-up Judiciary Committee hearing on the subject on
September 20, following up on the hearing that was held on January 25.
[Councilmember Patterson also provided the committee report from
January hearing, the MPD section of the committee budget report, and
correspondence raising questions from the recent homicide review for
posting on DCWatch — see http://www.dcwatch.com/police.
— Gary Imhoff]
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MPD and the Levy Case
Dianne Louise Rhodes, RHODESD1@WESTAT.com
The media have been far too judgmental of the MPD in their desires to
fan this case into some kind of sex scandal. From my first hand
observations, I feel that the police have done a first rate job of
investigating this case. What are my credentials? First of all, I live
in the Newport condominium and have lived there since 1988 and have
served on the Board of Directors. I live across the hall from the
apartment Ms. Levy rented. Ms. Levy's parents called the front desk of
the building (I believe on May 6th) and wanted the desk clerk to see if
Ms. Levy was in her apartment; she was not answering their phone calls.
This is not one of the desk clerk's responsibilities and he assumed that
perhaps Ms. Levy was just avoiding talking to her parents. He referred
the call to the building manager. On the evening of May 10, the MPD came
door to door in our building with a flyer of Ms. Levy and asked if we
knew anything about her absence. It was also at this point that the
police asked for the videotapes from the security cameras, and asked us
to remove the cover from our pool, which had not opened yet.
The police have canvassed the building apartment-by-apartment twice
since then. Yesterday (Sunday July 22) they came to complete interviews
with the people they have not been able to contact. When I went out to
go up to the pool, I noticed that they had left a business card on the
apartment next door to me. I checked all the other apartments on my
floor, and none of the others had cards. The apartment next door to me
is unoccupied. (Footnote, the new owners are asking for $1650 a month in
rent and it has gone unrented).
In the meantime, I have been interviewed by the New York Times,
ABC News, and America's Most Wanted. We continue to have camera crews
who set up in our driveway, and bring their own camp chairs. Our
management sent around a memo on Friday (July 20) asking that anyone who
had not been interviewed by the police contact them directly. I heard
this reported on the evening news as evidence that the residents of the
Newport had been uncooperative with the police. It is clear to me that
at this point the media have no news to report, so they are just making
it up.
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CLASSIFIEDS -- EVENTS
Calligraphy Exhibition
Lorraine Swerdloff, swerdloffs@erols.com
The Washington Calligraphers Guild's 25th anniversary exhibition of
calligraphic artwork and the winning entries in the 2001 Graceful
Envelope Contest are on view until August 25 at Strathmore Hall in
Rockville, MD. For information and to view the uniquely illustrated
envelopes, see http://www.calligraphersguild.org
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DC Baseball.Org July Meeting
John Vocino, vocinodc@hotmail.com
DC Baseball Org will meet on Tuesday, July 31, at 7:00 p.m., at Chevy
Chase Community Center, 5601 Connecticut Avenue, NW. For all interested
in working together to revive the game of baseball for our city's youths
and amateurs. League commissioners, coaches, umpires, members of the
local business community, and other interested stakeholders. Efforts
forming around DC's fields and facilities; participation in leagues,
players, teams, clinics/camps in DC; coaches; umpires;
communications/media; fundraising. Your ideas and efforts are needed.
To RSVP (or for additional information) please feel free to contact
John Vocino, 512-7290 or vocinodc@hotmail.com,
or Scott Burr, 544-2135 or techpainting@erols.com.
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CLASSIFIEDS — HELP WANTED
Temporary Office Help Needed, August-September
Anne Herr, HerrAnne@aol.com
Capital City Public Charter School, located in Columbia Heights, is
looking for an enthusiastic individual to help with telephones, filing,
and administrative support while our office manager is on maternity
leave, beginning August 1 through the end of September. Hours would be
approximately 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bilingual capability (English-Spanish) a
plus. If you are interested, or know someone who might be interested,
contact me by return E-mail or call Susan Sabella at 387-0309.
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CLASSIFIEDS — HOUSING
Seeking DC Apartment for August
Marshall Mattera, jmattera@sas.upenn.edu
I'm interning in Washington, DC, in August and am looking to sublet a
room from August 1st to August 31st. Please E-mail me if you know of
anything available.
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Conservationists wanted to share 3BR, 2BA home only ten minutes to
downtown DC. Heavily wooded backyard of big native shade trees, one
block to large forested Nature Park with trails. Best of both worlds:
clean, safe neighborhood, with strong sense of community and
environmental ethic, yet convenient to so much. Lovely walk or bike ride
from Metro (Orange Line); 25 minutes to Annapolis, 10 minutes to
Beltsville, 30 minutes to Baltimore, 7 minutes to Beltway; AND only 5
minutes to the National Arboretum.
Huge bedrooms with walk-in closets (one has a balcony), plus basement
storage. Large screened porch. Hardwood floors and beautiful woodwork
throughout. CAC, W/D, DW, FP. Rent is $475 plus one-third utilities.
Strongly prefer vegetarian professional people. Must be willing to
compost and to conserve, re-use and recycle resources. Sorry, no pets!
Call me 301-772-9276 or write maryvogel@yahoo.com.
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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
A Find in Adams-Morgan
Elisabeth Knauff, CalTfone@aol.com
I'd like to alert readers of this list to a new place in Adams-Morgan
for a tasty and inexpensive lunch or supper -- Cafe Antoine at 2427 18th
Street, up one flight from the street level. The short menu, both eat-in
and carry out, features a variety of savory and sweet crepes at $4.50
per order, as well as delicious house-made ice cream and sorbet. There
are also soups, sandwiches (including Croque Monsieur), salads, and
omelets. Although the setting is not fancy, I found the food good and
the prices much more reasonable than most other places nearby in
Adams-Morgan. It's open Tuesday from 5-11 p.m., Wednesday - Thursday,
11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday - Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. and
Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
I have no connection with the business except as a satisfied
customer.
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Recommendations please for cool furniture stores in/around D.C. I'm
talking funky cheap antique-ish retro-y type furniture.
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CLASSIFIEDS — CITY PAPER PREVIEW
Dave Nuttycombe, webmeister@washcp.com
From washingtoncitypaper.com's LOOSE LIPS column, appearing this
Thursday:
Slightly over a year ago, former Mayor Marion S. Barry Jr. declared
himself the city's anti-violence czar. “I am seeking a way to serve
rather than seeking the limelight,“ Barry said. ”In the coming
weeks, I will be announcing a three-part major effort to end violence
now. . . . The stakes are high and the impact of our effort will be
critical if we are to save this generation of urban youth,” he
continued. “Our course is set, our resolve is strong, and our mission
is clear.”
Invisible, if you ask LL. If there was a three-part plan announced
later, she never heard of it. In fact, LL's been chasing MB's phantom
movement for months.
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:
SUNDAY: Pat Dowell conducts an all-day symposium on French New Wave
Cinema, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Ripley Center's Lecture Hall,
1100 Jefferson Drive SW. $96.
WEDNESDAY: Ed Neville hosts “Exploring the DelMarVa Peninsula,” at
7:30 p.m. at REI, 3509 Carlin Springs Road, Bailey's Crossroads. Free.
More details and more critics' picks are available online at http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/pix/pix.html
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