Cruelty to Animals
Dear Inmates:
Read Victoria McKernan, below. And you think I'm tough on the mayor.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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The recent accidental poisoning of two red pandas at the National
Zoo, tragic as it was, has given us an opportunity to see effective and
responsible leadership — something so rare in this city. Although all
the details have not yet been sorted out, here is what we have seen so
far. Lucy H. Spelman, the zoo's director, though not the one who
authorized the application of rat poison, has accepted responsibility.
She has acted promptly and called in outside investigators. She has held
her senior staff accountable for their actions, even though this may
have been just a horrible and singular case of miscommunication,
paperwork oversights or any of the other ordinary mess-ups each of us
has been guilty of in our professional lives. Two senior employees, who
may in fact have had exemplary careers before this (I know nothing more
than what I've read in the news) have nonetheless been removed.
When lives are at stake, even the lives of animals, there is no room
for error. Contrasts with the Williams administration are obvious so I
shan't belabor them here. Is it possible we could simply switch offices?
Let the zookeeper run the city and the mayor run the zoo? Probably not,
we would be excoriated by PETA for cruelty to animals.
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On Friday evening, Mayor Williams and his wife Diane will host a
private party to thank a select group of campaign workers for their
efforts in his 2002 campaign. E-mail invitations have been sent to
“Team Williams“ members for the 7:00-9:00 p.m. party at the Henley
Park Hotel, 926 Massachusetts Avenue, NW. “Team Williams” is the
term campaign manager Ted Carter used to refer to the inner circle of
loyal Williams campaign workers in 2002. Those who received the
invitation were directed to respond by calling Monica Myles at a
Maryland telephone number. But when some faithful campaign workers
failed to receive invitations and asked if they could attend, Myles told
them that to be added to the invitation list they had to call Denise
Grant, the Confidential Assistant to Mayor Williams in the Executive
Office of the Mayor. Grant told all her callers that they had to speak
with longtime Williams aide Peggy Armstrong, currently a Senior Policy
Analyst in the office of Gregory McCarthy, the Deputy Chief of Staff for
Policy and Legislative Affairs. Armstrong had the final veto power over
those seeking to join the invitation list.
The Williams campaign had no event to thank workers after the general
election, during the holiday season, or at the mayor's inauguration. Why
is the party being held now, in the middle of US Attorney and grand jury
investigations of election fraud by the Williams campaign, of
embezzlement from the Washington Teachers Union, and the connections
between the two? And who is paying for the party at the expensive Henley
Park Hotel, since the Williams campaign treasury is broke, with less
than $700 remaining and several outstanding bills? And when, if ever,
will “Team Williams” learn to separate the business of government
from political campaigning, and stop carrying out its political
activities on government time and the taxpayers' dime?
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The Latest Not-So-Good Idea
Evelyn Goodwin, goodlady@prodigy.net
Can someone please communicate to Chief Ramsey that his latest idea
of having police cruisers turn the flashing lights on at all time so
that the citizens are aware of their presence is not a good one?
We'll become further desensitized to the presence of emergency
vehicles. The response that there's a discernible difference in the
appearance of the non-emergency light display and the emergency one
misses the point. It's very difficult to pull to the right in congested
traffic and I try to do so as soon as I see the lights approaching. Now
I lose precious seconds trying to discern if this an emergency or just a
"show."
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Fire Insurance for Us Uninsurable People
Paul Penniman, paul@mathteachingtoday.com
Readers may recall I was one of those refugees of the mainstream
homeowner's insurance industry, chewed up and spat out after I made two
claims in three years. Rejected for insurance by my longtime carrier,
USAA, as well as Geico and everyone else, I finally got a policy which
DC law mandates as the minimal coverage: protection against fire only
(no water damage of any kind) with a $2500 deductible. The good news:
it's really cheap! If I had had insurance with this company all along, I
would have saved money and not dealt with a lot of hypocrites.
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This information would ideally be found at the DCPS website —
clear, complete and detailed guidelines on how to use the new DCPS out
of boundary lottery process to gain admission to the highly sought after
public school programs. The first-come first-served selection process of
old produced marathon long line-waiting in bitter cold winter. The new
system was supposed to cure these access problems. It is highly likely
that everyone in the city knows at least one family who wants to get
into the Janney School in upper Northwest or some other of those
desirable program that people expend serious time and energy trying to
gain admission to.
If you know anyone who is looking for information on how to navigate
the process as it is currently being explained, here is a link to
Lobbyline.com that gives a “how to” on navigating the
out-of-boundary application process. http://www.lobbyline.com/outofboundary.htm.
Pay special attention to “special programs,” since applications for
admission to special programs are obtained at and submitted to the
special program directly, not the central DCPS location for the regular
programs. Call the school of your choice to confirm the information we
provide, to determine whether or not it is a special program, to
determine where to take applications for the school to, to determine
whether there is an element of first-come first-served, and to determine
when the deadline for applying is. Do not assume that the standard
guidelines for making applications pertain to the school of your choice.
But hurry, the application process began Tuesday, January 28, and while
the deadline for submission is February 28 for regular programs; it is
earlier for some specialized programs like School Without Walls.
In acknowledgment of the confusion around special programs, the
School Board held an emergency meeting on Monday, January 27, to discuss
problems with implementation of rules for special programs. The outcome
of that is less than clear; there is still no list of the special
programs, and no list of the admissions criteria for them. Also, take a
look at the new DCPS rules for yourself at http://www.k12.dc.us/dcps/outofbounds/pdfs/chapter26section2106.pdf.
It is critical to spread the word about this and to families who might
not be “in the know,” since details are so sketchy on how the DCPS
out of boundary process works that many are likely to show up at the
wrong place this week and should any weight at all be given to date of
application submission, these uninformed people will be left out. Of
course folks “east of the river” who have shown up at the DCPS
community meetings about the lottery process will not be happy to hear
their suspicions have been confirmed — that if you are on the outside'
you will not get into your school of choice. With no inside information
on the process (like friends already at the school of choice or siblings
already enrolled in the program), you could be out of luck. It is
unfortunate, but probably only the insiders have a good handle on
things. That is not fair if we are to have equal access to educational
opportunity and diversity in our best schools.
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I wanted to introduce myself, and tell you about a new website I am
publishing. I have over thirty years experience in political and issue
organizing, and have lived in DC most of that time. I am originally from
NYC, 'da south Bronx, and started working in local politics as an 11
year old, by the time I was fifteen I was organizing rent strikes in my
neighborhood. In my early twenties I worked professionally on my first
campaign, and have been at it ever since. I have a passion for
participation, and mobilizing people to action is my idea of a good
time. Most recently, I served as the Field Organizing Director of a
large nonprofit, and held consulting jobs here in Washington, as well as
campaign positions in over twenty states.
I started http://www.dcmetroaction.com
two weeks ago, to provide a vehicle for folks in Washington who are
involved in advocacy work nationally — to get plugged in locally. It
is my hope to grow it to a “go to” resource for local activism and
participation. I hope to reach the hundreds of progressives here, from
someplace else. I am interested in a wide range of socially just issues,
and hope to present a broad selection to engage folk in. Please visit
this new local activist website, pass it on to your friends, and please
let me know what you think. I am open to any and all suggestions
regarding format and content.
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Budget Oversight Hearings Scheduled
Susie Cambria, scambria@dckids.org
The Council's budget office has finalized the schedule for the FYs
2002 - 2003 oversight hearings. The hearings are scheduled from February
7 to March 8. The hearings are a good opportunity for residents and
service providers to share their views of the budget and its impact on
services with the City Council. DC Action for Children, a longtime
budget advocacy organization, has prepared a list of hearings that
relate to children, youth and their families; the schedule is available
by E-mail, mail, or fax -- just contact Susie Cambria, scambria@dckids.org
or 234-9404. DC ACT has also prepared a list of committee contacts and
helpful hints for testifying. That, too, is available by contacting
Susie.
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In my tenure at Washingtoniana, as part of the team of reference
librarians, presenting to classes when they visited was one of the most
enjoyable activities. It helped keep everything in perspective — both
the clientele being served and the breadth of the resources we were
making available to them.
I have moved on to other work within the DC government, however I am
still involved with DC history matters with: H-DC. H-DC, a refereed,
multi- and inter-disciplinary discussion list, provides a means of
communication and interaction for those who research, write, read,
teach, collect, curate, and preserve Washington, DC history, http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~dclist/.
I am also as serving on the editorial board of Washington History, http://www.hswdc.org/Learn_About_DC/Publications/Fall_Winter_2002_Available.asp.
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The Public Library Comes Through
Rona Mendelsohn, Mendelsohnr@gao.gov
This is a chance to say a good word about a much-maligned service, DC
public libraries. In particular, the Martin Luther King Library.
Recently, I asked for a very popular book that didn't appear to be in
any of the DC libraries. At MLK's first floor “popular library”
room, a librarian told me how to use the library's phone to check on
whether the book was at the only library in town that seemed to have the
book. Calling that library, I reached another helpful person who said
his branch would have the book in a week and advised me to call back. He
also said that I could place a hold on the book by sending in a
postcard, which I already knew. However, at MLK's information desk,
another courteous person told me how to place a hold on a book online,
thus saving 23 cents (not that that's a lot of money!). I did so, and
everything worked perfectly (although I don't yet have the book). By the
way, the DC library's Web site (http://www.dclibrary.org)
is very good, too.
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With regards to Metro, I think the bus service on Connecticut Avenue
(L lines) is great. The buses arrive at posted times, the drivers are
courteous and lower the steps for senior citizens. With regard to train
service and out-of-order escalators, it ain't like it was 25 years ago,
but consider the alternatives: jammed buses and traffic congestion.
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Presidential Primaries
Paul Dionne, Pdionne at speakeasy dot net
While I imagine most Americans would think that moving DC's primary
up is a terrible idea, it is a good idea on a few levels. First, it
provides an opportunity to demonstrate that there are two DCs. That the
people who would vote in our primary are not the federal government's
political appointments (who more often than not remain registered to
vote in their home states) but the residents of a city which has little
to do with running our federal government. Second, it underscores that
those people who do work for our federal government as career-level
employees (and their friends and families) ought not be treated as
second-class citizens. Should a career employee who calls DC home be
treated any different than a career employee who calls California home?
More importantly, moving the primary up also demonstrates the
absurdity of the whole primary schedule. While big states are moving
their primaries up, everyone else is quickly becoming irrelevant. In
2000 both primaries were decided before we even held ours. If we fail in
our efforts to move it up, and we find ourselves in the same boat as we
were in 2000 then we ought to cancel our primary or postpone it until
after the two conventions. Not out of cost, because there are certainly
other people on the ballot at that time, but out of protest. It would
send a loud message that we feel we don't count. And perhaps other
jurisdictions who will be in the same boat will consider doing the same.
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New Hampshire Relents
Sean Tenner, stenner@mrss.com
For those of you who haven't heard, the New Hampshire Secretary of
State has said (according to AP and National Journal's “Hotline”)
that he will not change the date of that state's primary in order to
leap frog ahead of the District of Columbia. This means that Washington,
DC, will be slated to hold the nation's first Presidential Primary on
January 10, 2004 pending approval of a bill now cosponsored by every DC
Councilmember and supported by the Mayor.
This action by New Hampshire means that there will be no state
opposition to our efforts to use DC's primary to highlight for the
nation and its presidential candidates our lack of voting rights.
Presidential candidates and the National Republican and Democratic
parties will certainly have less incentive to ignore/oppose our primary
because of New Hampshire's decision — although there are plenty of big
fights ahead over party rules, delegate selection, etc. Thank you to all
the themail readers and concerned Washingtonians who have joined DC
Democracy Fund, Councilmember Jack Evans and other DC voting rights
groups in the campaign in support of the Primary as a mechanism to draw
attention to our city's disenfranchisement.
Councilmember and bill supporter Vincent Orange has scheduled the
hearing on the "first in the nation" bill for Wednesday,
February 19, at 10:00 a.m. in the Wilson Building, Hearing Room #412. We
need to pack this hearing with DC voting rights supporters. All those
who can attend and/or are interested in testifying please E-mail me as
soon as possible. Also, check out our stalwart activist Tim Cooper's
op-ed on the Primary in next Sunday's Washington Post and the guest
commentary in the upcoming edition of Black Commentary (http://www.blackcommentary.com)
on the issue by yours truly. A date for a council hearing on the
“first in the nation” bill will be announced within the next few
days, and I will alert all readers of the specifics.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
DCPS Teachers, January 30
Nathan Saunders, nasaunders@aol.com
All DCPS teachers are invited to meet with plaintiff Nathan A.
Saunders at the law firm of Wilmer, Cutler, and Pickering, 2445 M
Street, NW, on Thursday, January 30, at 6:30 p.m. Security in the
building is tight, and an RSVP is required at 486-5135. This will be an
opportunity for any teachers who have questions or concerns about the
Saunders v. WTU lawsuit and what it means to teachers in DCPS to talk
with the lawyers handling the suit. This meeting is for DCPS teachers
only.
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People’s Counsel Public Meeting on
Washington Gas's Plan to Close SE Payment Center, February 1
Phillip Harman, vir191@cais.net
Washington Gas has moved to close the SE Payment Center located in
Ward 8 at 3101 Martin Luther King Avenue, SE, and the company wants to
discontinue accepting cash payments at its headquarters on 11th Street,
NW. Members of the community got together and turned in petitions with
hundreds of signatures to the Public Service Commission asking for WG to
be put on hold. The DC Office of the People's Counsel, the public
advocate for utility rate payers, petitioned the PSC to hold public
hearings to determine whether these unilateral policies undertaken by WG
were in the public interest. Contact DC OPC for more information at
727-3071. The second public meeting on this issue by the Office of the
People's Counsel will be held on Saturday, February 1, at 10:00 a.m., at
Washington Highlands Library, 115 Atlantic Street, SW (1/2 block west of
the intersection of Atlantic and South Capitol Streets, SW). Sign up to
speak at this meeting by calling DCPSC Secretary Sanford Speight at
626-5100.
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CHIME Celebrates African-American History
Month with Four Programs, February 1 and later
Dorothy Marschak, chime-dc@erols.com
The next four programs in CHIME’s Music Around the World series of
22 free library programs for all ages this year feature music with
African roots. All are on Saturday afternoons at 2 p.m. Please call the
libraries for directions. February 1, African Music with Leo Sarkisian,
Lamond-Riggs Library, 5401 South Dakota Avenue, NE, 541-6100. February
8, History of Gospel Music with Angela Polite, Francis Gregory Library,
3660 Alabama Avenue, SE, 645-4297. February 22, African Music with Leo
Sarkisian, Francis Gregory Library, 3660 Alabama Avenue, SE, 645-4297.
March 1, African Drumming with Steven Nash and Friends, Washington
Highlands Library, 115 Atlantic Street, SW, 645-5880.
Leo Sarkisian has written, produced, hosted and performed for over 40
years in Voice of America's Music Time in Africa program, and travels
and collects music from all over Africa. He will give a comprehensive
introduction to the music of Sub-Saharan Africa with illustrated musical
examples covering most of that region. The complexity of cross-rhythms
and the important role of tonal languages in communication, poetry and
drum orchestras are some of the points discussed to enable listeners to
easily appreciate and identify their feelings with those expressed in
the music. Angela Polite, a singer, actress, and TV producer, has
performed recently at the H St. Theater in James Baldwin’s “The Amen
Corner,” and in other productions and has sung at Kennedy Center and
the Lincoln Theater and at the Apollo Theater in NY. In The History of
Gospel Music she will explore the historical context of Gospel music
from slavery to the present, when it has moved out of the pews and
become an influential force in the making of many genres of popular
music. She will illustrate with her own singing and recordings from
great gospel singers such as Mahalia Jackson. Steven Nash is a
percussionist; performer and educator. In his program African Drumming
he and his friends will focus on the African roots of contemporary
music. A variety of percussive instruments are demonstrated and passed
around. The audience is encouraged to participate in dance, song and
rhythm.
For a complete schedule with descriptions of all our programs, and
information about CHIME (Community Help In Music Education) please visit
our web site at http://www.chime-dc.org.
You can also reach us at info@chime-dc.org,
or call 232-2731.
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The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) cordially
invites you to attend a public meeting to discuss the new customer
service initiative, WASA’s automated meter reading and replacement
program. WASA representatives will be on hand to resolve individual
customer concerns. The meeting will be held on Monday, February 3,
6:30-8:30 p.m., at the Chevy Chase Community Center, 5601 Connecticut
Ave., NW. For more information, please call WASA’s Public Affairs
Office at 787-2200.
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“A Born Writer,” February 6 and March 16
Mark Gruenberg, gruenberg@footlightsdc.org
On February 6, Footlights, the Washington area's only modern-drama
discussion group, will meet for dinner with one of today's rising young
playwrights to discuss her brand-new play, “Intimate Apparel.” Lynn
Nottage is on the growing list of successful African-American women who
write for the stage. Round House Theater recently produced her “Crumbs
From the Table of Joy,” which the Washington Post called
“sweet” and “gently nourishing” and the Village Voice called
“a hint of feasts to come” from “a born writer.” The independent
but lonely heroine of “Intimate Apparel” lives in 1905 Manhattan,
where she makes fancy lingerie for everyone from Park Avenue matrons to
Bowery call girls. All of a sudden, she starts getting love letters from
a laborer helping to build the Panama Canal. She isn't getting any
younger. What should she do? We'll meet playwright Lynn Nottage from
6:30-9:30 p.m. over dinner at Delray Vietnamese Garden, 4918 Del Ray
Avenue, Bethesda. For reservations, call 898-4825 or E-mail gruenberg@footlightsdc.org.
We'll attend the world premiere of “Intimate Apparel” on Sunday,
March 16. For details or more information, go to http://www.footlightsdc.org.
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Washington Regional Network Forum, February 12
Cheryl Cort, staff@washingtonregion.net
The Washington Regional Network for Livable Communities presents a
forum on smart growth after the elections on Wednesday, February 12, 7
p.m., at One Judiciary Square, Old DC Council Chambers (441 4th Street,
NW, at Judiciary Square Metro Station), with: Peter Shapiro, Chair of
the Prince George's County Council and the Transportation Planning
Board; Jay Fisette, Arlington County Board and Metropolitan Washington
Council of Governments; and Jim Graham, District of Columbia Council and
Chair, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority,
The November 2002 elections brought significant change to all levels
of government. How will this affect smart growth in the region? How will
Metro fare in the new political and economic climate? Will the region’s
officials find a way to meet air quality standards? How can land
use-transportation linkages and affordable housing be advanced? Will
contested highway projects like the Inter-County Connector be built?
Learn the answers to these crucial questions from the region’s elected
leaders as well as their hopes and concerns for the future. RSVP to WRN,
667–5445, or E–mail staff@washingtonregion.net.
This event is free of charge. Find out more about WRN at: http://www.washingtonregion.net.
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CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE
Bianchi Trofeo, 16-speed road bicycle. I think the frame is about 51
cm, the top bar is 32" high. I purchased the bike in 1997 and used
it for the AIDSRide that year but haven't used it much since then. Just
had local bike shop give it a basic tune-up, new tire tubes, etc. It
would be a great bike for someone who wants to do the Tour De Friends
this year. $400 or best offer. E-mail chris@chrisandersonphoto.com.
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CLASSIFIEDS — WANTED
Filing Cabinets Wanted
Matthew Kessler, matthew@stand.org
Nonprofit children's advocacy group looking for filing cabinet
(vertical or lateral) with lock and key. Please E-mail matthew@stand.org
if you have or know of someone that may have one.
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