Labor Day

Dear Readers:

Today's issue of the Washington Post's Book World is bookended by reviews by Jonathan Yardley and Michael Dirda, two of the best book reviewers in the business, who between them provide a better public education than most schools. These two pay attention to books of broad interest and lasting importance, rather than to political tomes that will be outdated as soon as they are proven wrong by the next election or to novels that have every virtue except for plots and characters. Dirda today writes that the book he is reviewing, on, of all subjects, the ambiguity of classical oracles, provides “a short trot with a cultured mind,” which is what he himself provides for us in his frequent reviews of classics and forgotten classics. Yardley, in his review of Geoffrey Wolfe's biography of John O'Hara, concentrates on one of O'Hara's virtues: “He was also — a quality that appealed to men and women alike — a 'good listener.' As he grew old and famous the voice he most like to hear was his own, but as a young man in the 1930's 'the fictionalist in the making, whether by vocational design or inquisitiveness, soaked up what he could learn about strangers, speech, manners, and always, facts: names, dates, geographics, metes and bounds, titles, liens, weights and measures, yards gained, speed, dollars made and spent, meum et tuum, dowers, goods, stuff.'” Yardley himself listens carefully to the voices of the writers he presents, and distinguishes himself from most other reviewers by serving those voices, rather than by simply judging books as good if they agree with his personal opinions and bad if they don't. We're lucky to have Yardley and Dirda as our local book reviewers and as our guides to the books we should be reading, even if we won't.

A reminder: my E-mailbox is still being regularly filled by Sobig virus messages; if at first your message fails to get through, try, try again. I really do want to listen, rather than just to hear my own voice.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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Bavasi Is Still on the DC Payroll
Ed Delany, profeddel@yahoo.com

It’s almost two months since it was revealed in the Washington Post that Bavasi Partners was being paid from public funds a whopping $10,000 a month plus who knows how much (the public sure doesn‘t know) in expenses to serve as the point man of the District's baseball effort, something for which DC Sports and Entertainment Commission executive director Bobby Goldwater is already being paid handsomely. There were comments from baseball boosting council member Jack Evans in the article noting the overlapping of the roles and that Bavasi's contract must be terminated, but apparently despite that, nothing has changed, except for Evans to whisper sweet nothings to Major League Baseball almost every day this week in the sports sections of the Post and Times. DC officials need to be urged to pull the plug now on this redundancy. I've already written the mayor and council members urging them to do just that, and hope that more people will as well, since this situation is unacceptable.

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The Leases and the Lease Audit
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com

With the end of its summer recess, the City Council will soon resume its investigation of the ongoing scandal at the Office of Property Management involving developer Douglas Jemal and several other companies. After several weeks of delay, the Williams administration has finally engaged the firm of Ernst and Young to conduct an audit of more than sixty District property leases. The cost of the lease audit will be $550,000.

Two issues with the lease audit remains unclear: first, will the full report be made public, or will the administration release only an edited, tailored version of it? The administration has a history of refusing to release information that could prove embarrassing; for example, the Department of Health hides from the public the weekly reports produced by its monitor at Greater Southeast Community Hospital pursuant to the consent decree. Second, what methodology will the Ernst and Young audit use? For example, the Department of Employment Services has a one-stop employment center off Rhode Island Avenue in far northeast; to justify the inflated rent the DC government pays for that office, the comparable rents used were those paid in the downtown K Street corridor. Will the Ernst and Young report be independent enough to expose practices like this, or will it justify such practices and protect the administration and the companies that cooperated to fleece the public? Will Ernst and Young see their client, to whom they must be responsive, as the taxpayers of DC or as the administration officials who let their contract and who will pay their half million dollar plus bill?

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DC Gun Ban
Ralph Blessing, rblessin88@hotmail.com

Based on local news reports, the District already has more “recreational” shooting than it can stand. Just ask the folks in Columbia Heights. As for the Second Amendment, I'm not sure which version P. Jodi Miller has been reading, but the only one I've seen addresses gun ownership in the context of an organized militia. And what's the closest thing to an organized militia in DC? From my perspective, it's the gangs currently terrorizing our neighborhoods. So we should make it easier for them to get guns?

[If you want to debate DC's gun ban here, please remember that themail is parochial. We're about living in this city. This isn't the place for the national aspects of national issues — don't rehash whether or not the Second Amendment grants an individual right, whether or not the government should have a monopoly on the possession of weapons, and so on. Do talk about how we're affected by our local laws. Perhaps you could address whether DC's gun ban protects residents of the city by keeping weapons away from criminals or endangers them by preventing law-abiding citizens from self-protection; I'm sure that you can think of a better way to frame the issue and still keep it local. — Gary Imhoff]

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

Press Conference Against Vouchers, September 3
Tarek Rizk, peoplefortheamericanway@pfaw.org

On Wednesday, September 3, at 11:45 a.m. at the Rayburn House Building room 2167, District of Columbia religious leaders, community leaders, and residents will gather on Capitol Hill to urge Congressional members to oppose the so-called DC Parental Choice Initiative. This legislation would force a $10 million experimental voucher program on District residents. The press conference and lobby day comes one day before the House is scheduled to vote on the DC voucher proposal. Area ministers, community leaders, and parents will talk about why they oppose the imposition of vouchers in the District. Area ministers will then lead the delegation to meet with House representatives where they will urge them to prevent the use of public money in support of private schools.

The press conference is being organized by The Coalition for Accountable Public Schools (CAPS), of which People For the American Way is a member. CAPS is a local coalition of parents, clergy, DC residents, and public advocacy organizations devoted to the support of accountable public schools. Iris Toyer, Parent of 2 DCPS children and president, Parents United; Rev. Jeffrey Haggray, executive director, DC Baptist Convention; Rabbi Jack Moline, vice-chair, Interfaith Alliance; and Darlene Allen, president, DC PTA, will speak. The press conference will also be attended by over 100 District residents.

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Adams Morgan Day Yard Sale, September 7
Ann Hargrove, ahhjlhdc@worldnet.att.net

Put it on your calendar: Sunday, September 7, 9 to 5, to be held in the yard of 1827 Belmont Road, NW. Lots of good stuff, including very good furniture (such as an art deco bed, carved coffee tables, small chests, antique chairs) , bric-a-brac, china, pottery, small appliances, lamps, rugs, artwork, clothing, glassware and crystal, rugs, books, jewelry and more. All proceeds to go to the special fund for undertaking the Washington Heights historic buildings survey in Adams Morgan sponsored by the Kalorama Citizens Association. If you have something nice to contribute (tax deductible) or have an hour or two to help, contact Ann Hughes Hargrove, ahhjlhdc@worldnet.att.net.

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Tenleytown Historical Survey Draft Meeting, September 8
Mary Alice Levine, tenleytownhistoricalsociety@yahoo.com

The Tenleytown Historical Society and Paul Kelsey Williams are pleased to present the draft of the

Tenleytown Historic Resource Survey on Monday, September 8, at 7 p.m. at St. Ann's School on Wisconsin Avenue NW. We invite members of our Survey Advisory Board, our survey volunteers and the general public to attend this presentation. We hope to hear your thoughts on the survey before it is officially completed on September 30.

The meeting will be held in the Monsignor Awalt Room of St. Ann's School on Wisconsin Avenue just north of Tenley Circle. If you are driving, you may enter and park in the alley behind the school. (The entrance is off Yuma Street, west of the Circle).

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The Speak Easy: DC’s Best Kept Secret, September 9 and following
Amy Saidman, info@washingtonstorytellers.org

Tuesday, September 9th marks the beginning of the 5th Season of the Speak Easy — Washington Storytellers Theater's monthly storytelling series showcasing local storytellers, from novice to professional. The open mic is a unique opportunity for people with an itch to perform, or for those who just have a good story to tell, to take a stab on our stage. Some stories make you laugh, some make you think, some are good, some may need a little work. But all add to the anticipation that keeps our audiences in their seats right up till the final story of the night. The ever-growing popularity of the event is a product of extraordinary word-of-mouth. As one regular explains, “It fulfills a need.” Included in this year's line up are three special events. On October 14th, WST will host a Liar's Contest to see who can craft the best tall tale. In June, WST will host its third Story Slam, a five-minute story competition modeled after poetry slams and NYC’s The Moth Story Slam series. The last two Slams have featured over 18 contestants — with many turned away due to time — and drawn audiences of over 130 people. We will close out the year with our second annual joke swap, a wild success this past August. The steady rhythm of jokes being swapped for two hours was slowed only by the regular bursts of laughter or the occasional forgiving groan.

All Speak Easys take place at HR-57, 1610 14th St., NW, at 8 p.m. Admission is $5, plus $3 per person corking fee if you BYOB. Door open at 7:30. HR-57 sells beer, wine, and some food. Sign up for the open mic when you arrive. Open mic stories are strictly limited to seven minutes and must incorporate the theme. Dates and themes are: September 9, Red Handed: Stories About Getting Caught; October 14, Fibs, Stretchers, Falsehoods, and Prevarications: A Liar’s Contest; November 11, Won’t You Be My Neighbor: Stories About the People We Live Near; December 9, All Wrapped Up: Stories about the Giving and Receiving of Gifts; January 13, In the Eye of the Beholder: Stories about Beauty; February 10, Taking the Bull by the Horns: Stories about Getting Your Way; March 9, Below the Mason Dixon: Stories from and about the South; April 13, Cutting the Cord: Stories about Passing into Adulthood; May 11, Counterculture: Stories about Defying Convention; June 8, Story Slam — Near Misses: Stories About What Might Have Been; August 10, Punchlines: WST's Second Annual Joke Swap.

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Spotlight on Design Lectures at the National Building Museum, September 16, September 29
Briana Hensold, bhensold@nbm.org

Tuesday, September 16: The Atlanta-based firm of Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects is known for a wide range of award winning projects around the world. Winner of a Chrysler Design Award, the firm has brought dynamic design to projects ranging from private residences to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Merrill Elam, AIA, will discuss her firm's work, including recent commissions for the Music Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Bank for International Settlement in Basel, Switzerland.

Monday, September 29: The innovative and award-winning projects of Vancouver-based Bing Thom Architects reflect the firm's multidisciplinary approach to design. Founding principal Bing Thom, CM, FRAIC, AIA, will discuss his firm's work, including the Canada Pavilion for Expo '92, the Chan Center for the Performing Arts for the University of British Columbia, and the highly anticipated expansion of Washington, DC's Arena Stage.

Spotlight on Design Lectures will be held at the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW (Judiciary Square Metro, Red Line), at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $12 for museum members and students, $17 for nonmembers.

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Sarah McClendon Room, September 24
Sally MacDonald, sn3macd@aol.com

On September 24, the National Press Club will have its ceremony to open the Sarah McClendon Room. Other rooms are named for presidents or for very distinguished journalists, so it is indeed an honor! For those of you who are in town, or who are able to attend, the event will begin at 6:30 p.m. on the 24th, with a Marine Honor Guard and music, with speeches, cocktails, food — then to move upstairs to officially cut the “Red Tape” to open the room. People have commented that Mother used to say, “Cut the red tape!” . . . so they are!

Afterward, many may stay on to have their dinner at the club, in either the Reliable Source or the restaurant. If possible, please do come and join us and the Press Club members and officials. Please do let others who may be interested know of the event. People can always call the club for more information. John Cosgrove, a venerable member of the club, the Head of the Silver Owls, is the organizer. The club's American Legion Post is also organizing it.

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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS

Office Mover
Jon Katz, jon at markskatz dot com

Please give me your recommendations for a qualified office mover. This will be an easy three to four hour job moving us to the suite next door to our law firm's current space in Silver Spring.

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