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October 3, 2001

Volunteering

Dear Volunteers:

We're normally a city full of volunteers, and the readers of themail seem to be unusually generous donators of time -- see the message from Sid Booth below. At this time many of us are looking for opportunities to do something extra for our community, and this issue of themail has a number of requests for volunteers. Have you worked at a particularly satisfying volunteer position that you would like to recommend to others, or do you know of a particularly worthy organization looking for volunteers? If so, let us know about it.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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To Summit or Not to Summit
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com

On Saturday, October 6, Mayor Williams will hold his second Citizen Summit at the Convention Center. In materials distributed last week, the administration states that, "at the first Citizen Summit, held on November 20, 1999, more than 3,000 citizens came together to shape the future of the District of Columbia and advised Mayor Anthony Williams about the priorities they most wanted to see addressed." On the eve of the second Citizen Summit, it's only fair to assess what was really accomplished as a result of that exercise two years ago.

Many of the “accomplishments” being touted by the Williams administration are the regular duties or functions of any municipal government — cleaning streets, renovating recreation centers, abating nuisance properties, and reducing crime. The one clearly unheralded consequence of the first Citizen Summit has been the establishment of a huge and duplicative bureaucratic structure in the executive branch that is supposed to focus on neighborhoods. There is now the Office of Neighborhood Action in the Executive Office of the Mayor (staff of five), the Office of Neighborhood Service Coordinator in the Office of the City Administrator (staff of twenty), the Office of Neighborhood Outreach in the Executive Office of the Mayor (staff of fourteen), Neighborhood Planning in the Office of Planning (staff of sixteen), and the Neighborhood Stabilization Office within the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (staffing not known).

Despite this new, large, costly, and redundant governmental structure focused on neighborhoods, most citizens have not seen any appreciable improvement in their neighborhoods, have not seen a real shift in the administration's focus to residential neighborhoods, and have not felt that this administration supports residents' interests against the usual inside players. For that reason, many citizen activists who came to the first Summit with hope and anticipation two years ago are not coming this time around, and city workers are being pressured to attend to plump up the attendance numbers.

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“Step Down,” and Other Memories from the Record
Mark Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com

In my Control Board file of clips, I found a lovely article from February 20-26, 1998, entitled “STEP DOWN — Five reasons this control board has got to go” in the Washington City Paper. The five reasons were: Education, Police, Money, Reform, and Community. Here are a few headlines of articles in my file: “Barry Demands Spot on D.C. Control Board,” “A ‘Tough’ Texan’s Newest Tall Order,” “A Jerry-Built Control Board,” “DC Board Pay Moves Broke Law, GAO Says,” “Businesses hail outgoing board’s parting shot,” “Becton Leaves the Fray, Eludes the Limelight,” “Top administrator in D.C. makes $198,000; Mayor paid $90,700,” “Control Board Gets Mixed Reviews from Officials and Public,” “Brimmer clears Barnett, Finds no ‘cronyism’ in voided contract,” “And they call this control??,” “N.C. Senator Seeks to Clarify Authority of Control Board,” “Third member to leave D.C. control board,” “Control Board in Limbo,” “Rivlin Wants to Aid Home Rule.”

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Control Board Wasn’t Lucky, the City Was
Paul Michael Brown, Eastern Market, pmb@his.com

Mr. Imhoff recently wondered whether the Control Board improved the city's finances, or whether it just had the luck to exist during good financial times. The answer is that it was the city, not the Control Board, that was lucky. Revenues were increasing so rapidly that the city's finances improved dramatically without any real reform taking place. Sure, DC General was closed and there were some cosmetic improvements in city services like the DMV. But the core beliefs of those who run the District have not changed. Their primary goal remains providing what are, in essence, no-work jobs to those on the city payroll. Actually providing city services is secondary. From matters large (like the scandalous foster care system or the massive Board of Ed deficit) to small (like letting Dutch Elm disease run rampant) the lack of commitment to public service is no different today than it was when Mayor Berry sipped Super Bowl champagne while the snowplows stood idle.

Despite years under the thumb of the Control Board, the majority of city employees continue to view the District government primarily as a mechanism to effect the transfer of money from Washington's taxpayers to a bunch of bureaucrats who decamp to PG County every night. Doing the difficult work of municipal government has always taken a back seat to the preservation of their middle class lifestyle. Until that attitude changes, and major structural reforms are undertaken, we're one recession away from the return of the Control Board.

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Upgrading Federal Oversight of DC
Len Sullivan, lsnarpac@bellatlantic.net

DC is an orphan city with no state-level oversight, but with an “economic demography” that defies self-sufficiency. It will continue to benefit from enlightened oversight, and the Congress is constitutionally obliged to provide it. What DC sorely needs, even more than a greater voice in the Congress, is oversight from a single committee which excludes members with conflicts of interest clearly detrimental to the long-term interests of the capital city. Further, major DC issues should be addressed in the context of the metro area that surrounds it, much as state oversight would. At the same time, the Congress has no standing committee that addresses the evolving problems of many US metro areas (in which almost 85 percent of all Americans now live). It would be quite rational, then, for the Congress to establish one Joint Committee on Metro Area Issues and the District of Columbia. That committee should address the broader national issues of leveling metro area playing fields, if you will. It should get out of the insulting and inappropriate annual routine of multiple subcommittees dabbling in the locally prepared , locally funded share of DC's budget.

Is DC out of the financial woods? Certainly not if it follows its current path. The city is relatively recession-proof since its major industries are government, government-lobbying, and government services. But it cannot indefinitely support well over half of the region's poor with well under one-quarter of the region's wealth. It is a formula for relatively high crime, poor education, and decaying infrastructure. And it cannot solve this problem through the romantic fantasy of simply adding more middle-class neighborhood-friendly families that consume at least as much in city services as they generate in revenues. Until DC recognizes that businesses are more net revenue-productive than residents per acre of scarce land, it will continue to compound its long-term financial risk

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Hooray for the Airlines
Ed T, Barron, edtb@aol.com

The Feds have magnanimously signed up to give the airlines $15 billion to help them recover from their loss of income following the 11 September attack on the US. That's a great idea but the Feds have been very stingy with those big bucks when it comes to Amtrak. That's too bad because the rails are an ideal way for many of us to travel. It is far easier, and much more comfortable, for me to commute once each week to the Big Apple by train than to save forty minutes (pre increased security time, and leaving from National Airport). The three hours on a Metroliner are very relaxing with time to read, do some work, or just doze in those big comfortable seats. Sure, flying only takes fifty minutes. But there is also the hassle of getting to and from the airport. I'll take that relaxing three hours anytime, with only a fifteen minute Metro and subway ride at each end.

The Feds have been trying to put Amtrak out of business for years. That's a huge mistake. They should, instead, be putting some money into our rail system to make it viable and a better alternative to short haul transport by commuter airlines. The energy efficiency alone of the trains makes it important to use that method of transportation for both passengers and freight in lieu of airplanes and trucks.

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Tornado Warnings
John Dorsey, jmdorsey@earthlink.net

In response to Diane Lee Schulz's query (does DC have tornado warning sirens), I am guessing that the answer is no. I grew up in Michigan, where (as in Kansas) tornados were a seasonal fact of life. In this part of the country, though, they're nowhere as common. Indeed, last week's events were really quite unusual (though maybe with global climactic change coming on, we can expect more fierce weather hereabouts). Even if they installed sirens, they'd have occasion to use them only every three or four years at best, and people would soon forget what they were for.

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Where to Get Tornado Warnings
Bill Adler, billonline@adlerbooks.com

In response to the post about tornado warnings in the last issue of themail, here are some options. There are several early warning services that tell you if a tornado or other severe storm is on its way. I subscribe to StormWarn, http://www.stormwarn.com. StormWarn will send severe weather alerts to your E-mail address, cell phone or pager. StormWarn costs between $2 and $5 a month, depending on how you customize it. A second early warning network that's free comes from Weather.com: http://www.weather.com/services. Weather.com doesn't offer as many features as StormWarn, but you can't argue with free. Another free service that offers a variety of emergency notifications by E-mail is The Emergency Mail Network, http://emergencyemailnetwork.com/.

You can also buy a NOAA weather radio that warns about a wide range of emergencies including severe weather, chemical spills, and flash floods. NOAA bills these radios as “all hazards” radios, capable of warning you of just about everything. If you get a NOAA weather radio, be sure to buy one with “specific area message encoding,” SAME. The SAME feature lets you receive weather alerts by zip code, so if you live in DC and there's a severe thunderstorm over Fairfax County that's not heading toward the District, you won't be disturbed. The radio stays silent until called into action. The alarms on the NOAA weather radios are very, very loud. Radio Shack and other stores sell NOAA radios with SAME. There's more about NOAA radio at http://205.156.54.206/nwr/. On the day of the tornado, my NOAA radio went wild — which I appreciated.

Finally, if you want to view where in the United States there are active weather warnings, visit http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/graphicsversion/bigmain.html.

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Thanks from Ben
Sid Booth, SidBooth1@aol.com

I think themail's readers will be interested to learn of the response to Ben Rigberg's request for volunteer readers last week. "I would like to thank the volunteers who responded to my needs for assistance in working with books and other written matter. One person, an engineer, asked me to contact him after Dec. 1, when he will retire. Unfortunately, my recording machine played a trick on me and I have only the last four digests of his D.C. telephone number: 8595. I would appreciate receiving a call from him again. Ben Rigberg: 966-5939."

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

Slide Lecture — Washingtoniana Division/MLK Library
Jerry A. McCoy, sshistory@yahoo.com

A slide lecture on “Truax's Century of Washington, DC Activities from 1865” will be given by Lee H. Rodgers as he presents a slide lecture of images from the collection of retired Washingtoniana volunteer Robert A. Truax. The lecture will be on Wednesday, October 10, at 12:00 p.m., in the Washingtoniana Division, Room 307, of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW (Metro: Red Line, Gallery Place - 9th Street exit. Parking in the library's underground garage will not be available.) The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jerry A. McCoy, Washingtoniana Division, 727-1213.

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Cleveland Park Library Book Sale
Jill Bogard, jill_bogard@ace.nche.edu

The Friends of the Cleveland Park Library will hold their annual fall book sale on Saturday and Sunday, October 13 and 14, at the Cleveland Park Library (Macomb and Connecticut, one block south of the Cleveland Park Metro) from noon to 4:00 p.m. Most hardcovers will be $1.00, most paperbacks $.50. Mysteries, romance, and science fiction paperbacks will be $.10 each. We have thousands of books, from elegant coffee table editions to out-of-print treasures to recent bestsellers. This time around we have an unusually large number of science fiction books. For more information contact Nathalie Black at 362-3599.

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Play “Art”
David Sobelsohn, sobelsohn@footlightsdc.org

“Art” depicts the impact, on a shaky three-way friendship, of one friend's purchase of a pricey all-white painting. It ran for a few weeks last year at the Kennedy Center to rave reviews and returns October 9 for a month at Olney Theater Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd. (MD-108), midway between Georgia and New Hampshire Avenues in Olney, MD. Footlights — DC's only modern-drama discussion group — has just a few $19 tickets left for the 2 p.m., October 14 matinee, post-show discussion included. Send your check, payable to “Footlights,” to Robin Larkin, 5403 Nibud Court, Rockville, MD 20852 (301-897-9314 and rlarkin@footlightsdc.org). Call Robin if you need a lift. For more information go to www.footlightsdc.org.

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Dialogue on Public Schools
Gloria Mobley, glomo_53@yahoo.com

Let your voice be heard. Come out participate in a community dialogue about the history of public education in Washington, DC — significant and still unfinished — on Thursday, October 4, from 4-8 p.m. at the Sumner School and Museum Archives; 17th and M Streets, N.W.

DC VOICE and DC Action for Children are sponsoring the screening of the fourth and final episode of “School: The Story of American Public Education” and public forum on Thursday, October 4 from 4-8 p.m. Entitled "The Bottom Line (1980 to the present): Challenges to the Notion of a Common School," this episode features an overview of standards and high stakes testing, alternative schools, vouchers, charter schools and home schooling. Attendees will have an opportunity to tour the historic Sumner School, visit with community based organizations involved in education reform and advocacy. A light buffet will be served. Space is limited and reservations are required. Kindly RSVP to Carmelita Lacey at 986-8535 or E-mail dcvoice@dcvoice.org. Come out and talk about ways to support the DC Public Schools!

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Arts for Health and Self-Development
Juliet Bruce, juliet@artsforlife.com

Institute for Transformation Through the Arts (ITA) is a nonprofit based in Mt. Pleasant that uses arts-based programs to support the health and well-being of people and communities. The following programs are for adults. We also offer workshops for teens (please call to arrange). October 13, Beads of Peace, a jewelry-making and writing workshop. 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Suggested tax-deductible donation: $50 (includes all tools and supplies). With Elena Crusoe, jewelry artist. October 27, Creative Recovery: Ghosts, Clowns, and Angels, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Suggested donation: $20 (includes all materials). Mask-making and fairy tale. For people in recovery from addictions — their own or that of a loved one, depression, life transition, or who want to feel more joy in their daily life. Qigong for Beginners. Learn the basics of this 8,000-year-old Chinese movement meditation practice. Qigong reduces stress; boosts the immune system; and dissolves blockages in body, mind, and spirit that make us vulnerable to disease, anxiety, and depression. It also strengthens our intuition and our connection to the intelligence of our bodies. $10/session. $100 for 12 weeks. An ongoing weekly group will begin soon at a location to be announced. If you're interested in attending, let me know so I can determine the size of the space needed. For more information about ITA's approach and programs, visit our website: http://www.artsforlife.com or call 667-3766.

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What You Can Do to Prepare for Biological and Chemical Terrorist Attack
Shazza Nzinga, Washington Study Group, shazzanzinga@hotmail.com

The Washington Study Group will sponsor a community teach-in on "Biological and Chemical Warfare in the United States and the New Face of Terrorism." This informative meeting will teach citizens about biological and chemical agents and how to protect themselves and their loved ones against such terrorist attacks. Participants will be given a copy of The Washington Study Group's, “Citizens Self Defense Guide to Biological and Chemical Weapons.” US citizens have been put on alert for future terrorists acts and the Washington Study Group is committed to educating and helping the public prepare for these types of terrorist acts. This meeting is free and open to the public and will take place Thursday, October 11, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Sankofa Bookstore located at 2714 Georgia Avenue, NW. Please come early! Limited seating. For more information please call 986-9605 or E-mail us.

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CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE

Dishwasher
Roy Kaufmann, RKaufmann@JacksCamp.com

Dishwasher (built-in) available because of kitchen renovation. Kitchen Aid 3-cycle, black, works perfectly. $100. RKaufmann@JacksCamp.com

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CLASSIFIEDS — SPACE WANTED

Parking Space Needed
John Hughes, jah@Radix.Net

I'd like to rent a parking space near the 1700 block of T as soon as possible. Does anyone have anything available?

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CLASSIFIEDS — HELP WANTED

Cleaning Person
Tim Cline, Timandann@aol.com

We are looking for a new cleaning person for our house in Columbia Heights (our current one is retiring). Looking for someone once every couple of weeks who does a good job, is reliable and honest. We have a two story row house with only an adult couple living there (oh, and one cat). E-mail recommendations or suggestions to timandann@aol.com

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CLASSIFIEDS — VOLUNTEERS

National Run for Recovery Volunteers Needed!
Jay Jacob Wind, jay.wind@att.net

Vanguard Foundation's 6th annual National Run for Recovery is Sunday, October 21, at 10 a.m., starting at the National Navy Memorial, 7th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, following the Pennsylvania Avenue Mile. For full information, please see http://www.vanguardservices.org, E-mail racedirector@att.net, or call 703-920-0156 (short message) or 703-218-2726 (long message). The 5K run and walk is open to all participants and raises funds to build a new addiction treatment center in Arlington and support similar programs in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Vanguard manages 10 treatment centers and has helped 27,000 clients over the past forty years to return to their jobs and families healthy, clean, and sober.

Join in the run or walk with Senators, Congressmen, Presidential appointees, radio and TV personalities, US and international Olympians, and World Champions, as well as 1,000 other runners and walkers. Registration is $18 through October 16, $20 on October 21. To make this event successful, we need fifty volunteers to help in various ways: at Vanguard Foundation, 2924 Columbia Pike (around back) in Arlington VA, this week and next, to prepare pre-race materials; at Fresh Fields, 2700 Clarendon Blvd. in Arlington, for packet pickup on Friday, 10/19, 4-7 p.m., and Saturday, 10/20, 1-4 p.m.; on race day, Sunday, 10/21, 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the start/finish at 7th and Pennsylvania, NW (Archives / Navy Memorial Metro Station), for setup, registration, water tables, hoisting banners, meeting celebrities, course marshals, finish line, post-race picnic, post-race cleanup,

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College Bound
Wendy Sittner, wendy@collegebound.org

I am program manager of a nonprofit called College Bound, and we are very much in need of volunteers tutors/mentors. We are a nonprofit mentoring and college-access program that prepares DC area public school students for college. As you may know, the DC high school graduation rate is approximately 50 percent. By contrast, College Bound's Class of 2001 graduated at a rate of 100 percent and entered college this fall at a rate of 100 percent. If you would like more info., please contact me ASAP at wendy@collegebound.org or 842-4014. Please help me spread the word about this great organization. The children and I look forward to hearing from you!

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National Building Museum’s CityVision Program
Mike Hill, MHILL@nbm.org

The National Building Museum is seeking volunteers for the fall 2001 CityVision program, beginning Tuesday, October 16. CityVision is the Museum's flagship youth education program, introducing many students to the Museum for the first time. This is a twelve session program, scheduled for Tuesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The program begins on October 16 and ends with a formal presentation on January 17, 2002 (a Thursday). No sessions will be held during the Christmas/New Years holidays.

CityVision participants work in small groups with volunteer professionals and university students to identify a problem in the community around their school and design a built-environment solution to the problem. Youth participants are expected to attend every session and get extra credit in their civics or social studies class for successfully completing the program. This program serves between 60 and 70 kids each year.

Local professionals get credits for community service needed for professional registration and a small stipend, university students may receive three credits for independent study. All volunteers get Museum member benefits for participating. Volunteers attend every other session. The Museum is seeking sixteen volunteers for this program. Training will be held on Saturday, October 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Applications must be returned by Tuesday, October 9.

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Prevent Child Abuse
Susan Russell-Smith, pcamw@juno.com

Prevent Child Abuse of Metropolitan Washington (PCA/MW) is dedicated to empowering children and families to live in a safe and nurturing environment, free from violence, and to reducing the circumstances that lead to child maltreatment through public education, community partnerships, and supportive services. PhoneFriend is a free and confidential telephone support line for children in metropolitan Washington, between the ages of 5 and 15, who are home without adult supervision. It provides comfort and support to children who are lonely, afraid, or just want to talk. PhoneFriend operates weekdays from 3-9 p.m. and Saturdays from 1-5 p.m. The Crisis & Family Stress Hotline is Washington’s oldest 24-hour telephone counseling service, providing comprehensive crisis intervention, support, referrals and information to anyone experiencing a crisis or stress.

Since both of our phone lines are staffed exclusively by volunteers, it is critical that we find conscientious, concerned Washingtonians to aid us in providing support and counseling to the hundreds of needy callers we talk to each month. Volunteers are provided with extensive training in counseling, listening, and problem-solving skills, as well as with supervised practical experience. The next training sessions for both PhoneFriend and the Crisis and Family Stress Hotline will begin in mid-October. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 223-0020. Thank you for your support on behalf of the children and families we serve.

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Volunteers Needed to Help Change City Council Hearing Hours
Shazza Nzinga, The Washington Study Group, shazzanzinga@hotmail.com

The Washington Study Group is currently researching and developing a “Citizens Request” including a petition, to have the current DC City Council hearings changed from its current daytime hours to evening hours after 5:00 p.m. We feel that the current hours do not give the majority of citizens the opportunity to share their views on the decisions of their elected officials. District residents already have limited rights and we feel this is a local issue that can be handled locally to empower the citizens in their government. We need individuals who are willing to share their political expertise on the council and DC government, people who can assist us with research and development on this issue. If you feel this is something you would like to be a part of please call 986-9605 or E-mail us. We welcome all citizens and organizations who would like to help on this project.

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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS

Taxi Service Especially for Children
Kathleen McLynn, kdmclynn@starpower.net

Does anyone know of a taxi service for children which is reliable? There used to be a company called Kid Taxi which used a mini van and picked up kids at private schools in the McLean area and then took them to ballet, their tutor, or home. Kid Taxi isn't in the directory. My query would be for the Bethesda/Chevy Chase/Friendship Heights/Tenley area. Safety is a concern, of course.

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School Stats Needed
Sue Bell, bellsue@aol.com

Does anyone know where a list exists that includes all DC public schools ranked by their percentage of reduced and free price lunch? And, I would like that cross-referenced by test scores. I know the Post published something like that a couple years back, but I couldn't find it on a search of the Internet or Post archives.

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