Going to the Dogs
Dear Dog Lovers:
Our last dog died nearly three years ago, after seventeen years of a
healthy and happy life. At least I'm assuming that he had a happy life.
Dogs' minds are mysteries for humans, so there's no way to be sure; but
he certainly made our lives happy. Three years is too long to live
without a dog, so Dorothy and I went looking for a new dog today. Twenty
or so years ago, when we first decided to get a dog, we did serious
research into breeds. We studied the AKC breed book and read several
other books on dog care and behavior; we went to several all-breed dog
shows. We finally settled on a West Highland White Terrier, and our
research paid off. The Westie that we got was, indeed, the best dog in
the world. Then, a year or two later, a stray dog, a mutt, a mixed
terrier, showed up at our door, knocked, and announced himself at home.
Chance paid off as well as careful preparation. It turned out there were
two best dogs in the world, and we ended up with both of them.
Well, as I said, we're back in the market for a dog, so today we went
to a Westie specialty show where about 150 West Highland White Terriers
competed. The thing about Westies is that the worst loser in the bunch
is a winner. If all 150 dogs had competed in one class, the one that
came in 150th, dead last, would still be cute, have a great personality,
and be completely lovable. And all the dogs that the breeders left at
home, the ones that didn't conform closely enough to the physical
standards of the breed to enter into a dog show, the ones who are
“only” pet quality, are just as good, too. There's no better way to
spend a day than to spend it with a room full — literally, full — of
dogs. The best world is the dogs'.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Pedestrian Signals at Thomas Circle
Annie McCormick, amccormick@itic.org
Is there anywhere I can report a dangling pedestrian “walk/don't
walk” signal at Thomas Circle? It has been hanging by its electric
wire for the past week or more. I'm afraid it will drop and hurt
someone. And I'm really afraid to find out how it got in that position
in the first place. It's hard enough to walk around Thomas Circle with
the drivers not paying attention to the lights; it is truly frightful.
And now not to have a signal to help indicate for pedestrians adds to
the danger. It is the nearest pedestrian signal to the National City
Christian Church.
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It appears that in the name of safety the city fathers are bent on
extracting more money out of the drivers that use the city streets. DC's
posted speed limits were set for cars of a bygone era, and on some
streets most cars speed. It would seem that someone would start thinking
outside of the box, and do a study to determine the right speed for
modern-day cars on the streets of DC, before erecting robotic cameras to
take pictures of violators exceeding the speed limit. Requiring modern
cars to slow down to 25 miles per hour is detrimental to the mechanics
of the automatic transmissions that have advanced from 3 speeds to 4 and
5 shifting speeds, which in most cases require driving speeds in excess
of 25 miles per hour. To maintain such slow speeds, today's automatic
transmissions must downshift into lower ranges causing unnecessary
strain on their mechanics. Must we return to manual shifts, to the Hy-Drive
of Dodge, or to the Fluid Drive of Chrysler to maintain the posted speed
limits? The elected officials of this city seem to go for the jugular
instead of seeking solutions in the publics' interest. I wish they had
the same enthusiasm for helping the learning disabled pupils in the
public school system as they have for gouging more money from the
taxpayers.
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School Governance Vote on Tuesday
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com
On Tuesday, the city council will vote on two competing school
governance bills: the bill proposed by Councilmember Kevin Chavous and
passed by the Committee on Education, Libraries, and Recreation, that
would keep the current Board of Education structure until January 2,
2007, when we would return to an all-elected school board (this time
with one member from each ward plus a chair elected citywide); or the
bill proposed by the mayor, to be introduced by Councilmember Jack
Evans, that would reduce the school board to an advisory joke and vest
full power in the mayor to run the schools. There is no empirical
evidence that mayoral-run school systems are any better than those run
by democratically elected school boards or that they improve student
performance (see Mary Levy's papers at http://www.dcpswatch.com/dcps/040319.htm
and http://www.dcpswatch.com/040326b.htm).
So the mayor's arguments for his assuming control consist primarily of
two things: his disparagement of the current hybrid school board
structure that he advocated and campaigned for in the special election
of June 2000, and his repudiation of any current responsibility or
accountability for the schools, when the very essence of his campaign
four years ago was his promise that he would be accountable and his
campaign slogan of “Accountability Now.” Today, the mayor is saying
that he didn't really mean it when he promised accountability then, and
that he hasn't been engaged in schools like he said he would — but
trust him, he really means it now.
The disparagement of the school board, half of whose members he
appointed, is particularly telling. At his last press conference, the
mayor, who as Chief Financial Officer oversaw the disastrous failed
introduction of the SOARS accounting software for the city, berated the
BOE for its failed PeopleSoft accounting software. The mayor, who hired
Fire Chief Ronnie Few and Department of Parks and Recreation Director
Robert Newman and many others with inflated and phony resumes, scorned
DCPS for hiring a principal with a mail-order Ph.D. The mayor, whose
Office of Property Management entered into millions of dollars of leases
without council approval and used lease agreements to circumvent
procurement rules for purchasing expensive furniture, scolded the BOE
for not sending its school security contract to the council for approval
in a timely way. The mayor, who invented the practice of huge cash
bonuses given only to the most highly paid city employees and of costly
buyouts and payoffs to fired top managers, expressed his disdain for
former Superintendent Paul Vance for giving $20,000 bonuses to two of
his employees. The mayor, who has direct responsibility for the small
State Education Office that mismanaged the summer feeding program and
used its travel funds for private boondoggles, rebuked the BOE for not
getting the huge school bureaucracy under better control. The mayor,
whose mismanagement of the Youth Services Administration has put the
city into contempt of court for its continued, blatant failure to
protect juvenile delinquents at the Oak Hill Youth Center, rebuked the
BOE for failing to improve the conditions of schools. And the mayor's
supporters on the council argue that the mayor should be given full
responsibility for the schools because, at least, he can't make anything
worse. Judging by his record, it's clear that he can, and he will.
As a side note, for those who are interested in the mayor's thirty
nominees to the Comprehensive Housing Strategy Task Force, the city
council's Special Committee on a Comprehensive Housing Policy for the
District of Columbia, co-chaired by Harold Brazil and Adrian Fenty, is
rushing their nominations through at a short notice roundtable on
Wednesday, April 21, at 11:00 a.m., in Room 123 of the Wilson Building.
This hearing isn't listed on the Council's public schedule, either in
printed form or on the council's web site, and is obviously intended to
slip by without public notice.
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As a suburban resident, I am particularly frustrated when it appears
that my local government, surrounding suburbs, and the District get into
bidding wars to keep local taxpaying businesses within their borders.
While the need to generate tax revenue is clear, the value of tax
incentives to lure or retain businesses is not. Those who share my
frustration may be interested in the Economic Policy Institute's latest
study showing (again) that such incentives cost more than they are
worth. To read a summary of the study, go to http://www.epinet.org and
click on "Rethinking Growth Strategies."
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DC Bureaucracy at Its Worst
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
In the name of "hysterical" preservation folks in NW DC
have been without a firehouse for nearly two years. That same
designation doomed the use of the old Hechingers/Sears building, very
nearby to the firehouse, from becoming a much needed hardware store.
What is left of a good working firehouse is merely a wall, propped up
and looking like Dresden in WW II.
Since it is likely this mess with the old firehouse will continue for
another four or five years, it is timely to cut our losses and move on.
Let's sell the wall to a commercial developer. It would make a good
restaurant site. The commercial developer should keep the old wall and
call the place Firehouse Chili. In the meantime let's get started
building a new firehouse in Tenleytown to serve the residents of Ward 3.
Perhaps it should be the first three floors on the site where the
Tenleytown Library is located, with a new library on top. Good views of
the National Cathedral and even downtown D.C. from the top floor.
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DMV's Georgetown Park office is amazing! On Thursday, around 11 a.m.,
with four quarters (one hour) in a street meter, I was able to get my
driver’s license renewed (in about fifteen minutes) with plenty of
time left to shop for a new pair of pants. Incredible!
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Excuse me, Dorothy [themail, April 14], but didn't the Mayor tell you
to go research His Openness? How dare you show such utter disrespect for
His Bidding by pointing to a few unimportant matters as services for
Children, Youth, Families, and Elders; Libraries; Emergency Management;
Public Works; Personnel; Medical Examiners; a Clean City; Health; and
Neighborhood Action. Where are your priorities? And how dare you
question His Willingness to undertake the benevolent dictatorship of the
DC public schools. Did he say anything about education? No. Education is
a service. He said schools. You know, the nice, spacious, conveniently
located buildings wasted on poor kids all over the city, where
those-who-can't teach while those-who-can do. The Man with Superior
Ability knows how to allow them to deteriorate until they have to be
shut down. He understands that those nice buildings can be sold to
developers for lofts that will attract the Right Sort of New Citizen.
His Willingness has a plan and His Openness will tell you about it one
of these days.
Here Little Anthony is trying to do his very best for The
Imperialists, and all you can do is try to distract him with petty
details and annoying questions. No wonder he loses his temper with you
for pointing out his secrecy in public. If you want to know what's going
on, just close the door and someone will whisper you into the loop . . .
shhhhh . . . on the down-low. By the way, why do people say, “under
the Control Board” as if it's over? “You don't remember me, but I
remember you . . . .” It's the same old song: the Lead would be
nothing without his Backup. The Control Board is alive and well and in
the house. It's the rest of us who are forgotten. Except on April 15.
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Daring to Be the Public
Anne Lindenfeld, annekl@aol.com
I was very interested — delighted, even — to read Gary Imhoff's
description of busting into a public meeting of the Task Force on Lead
in Drinking Water. How can one join DC Watch in also attending?
Like many of us, I am astonished that “our” mayor is negotiating
behind closed doors for a sports team when many of our citizens can
barely get access to health care, clean water, or a decent education.
Maybe a little "publicking" is in order at some of these
meetings?
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The Sunshine Act applies to meetings of appointed commissions. It
does not apply to interagency working groups. Let us hope for the sake
of the children that your publicity stunt [themail, April 14] did not
delay a solution.
[Michael is right that DC's sunshine law, which was passed as part of
the 1973 Home Rule Charter, is weak, limited, and outdated, and that the
city's lawyers interpret it narrowly. It applies to “any department,
agency, board, or commission of the District government,’ and
government lawyers would say that all you need to do to evade the law is
to call your group a “task force,” instead of a commission or board,
and that if the law covered task forces explicitly you could call it a
“working group,” and if it covered working groups you could call it
a potato. Where Michael errs is in his assumption that secret government
meetings are more efficient or effective than open ones, or that
decisions arrived at in closed meetings lead to better solutions that
decisions arrived at openly. — Gary Imhoff]
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Wither Goest the Middle Class?
Gabe Goldberg gabe@gabegold.com
Ed T. Barron said [themail, April 14]: “These families sell their
houses at inflated prices to upper income folks, double income couples
(DINKS) and move to Prince Georges or Montgomery County, where the
schools are much better.” Fairfax County too. “Let's get someone in
power who can fix the schools which will solve most of the major
problems facing the city in the long term.” “Let's get” = “let
us get.” This list is the choir. “Let us get” seems aimed at the
choir without being specific, offering to help, or suggesting someone
who might help.
“Someone,” “who can fix,” and “which will solve” seem
similarly vague language, akin to the “and then magic happens”
mindset in business or life, believing that wishing for something can
make it so. It's easy to wish, harder to make happen. Especially when
the wish is unaccompanied by even the whisper of a plan. While I've got
no stake in the DC schools, I'm all in favor of their improving,
competing with surrounding counties. But I could similarly say “Let's
get a sensible budget passed in VA.” It might make me feel good for
having contributed to good civics, but it would have equal (i.e., no)
effect.
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WASA Test Non-Results
William B. Menczer, billmencer@yahoo.com
In response to Ralph Blessing's entry [themail, April 14], we had our
water samples picked up on February 24 with a promised response date of
March 30. I have called the WASA hotline five times since the end of
March for a status report. Although the hotline employees have been
polite and considerate, they have been completely powerless. They check
their computer records, find that a pickup was completed, but show no
further information. Each time, they request that I call back in a week
or so and try to understand that they are running behind schedule due to
the high demand. One hotline worker gave me the number of the
"engineering department" which “would have more information
for me.” When I called them, their recorded announcement directed me
back to the hotline that I had just called.
On another occasion, a hotline worker went so far to say that if he
were in my shoes, he'd be angry at the lack of action taken by WASA and
would expect that more resources (i.e., people) would have been assigned
to address the crisis. For all I know, he might have been instructed to
say that to appease dissatisfied customers! If so, DC government is
getting creative in covering for its continued incompetence.
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National Aquarium
Clare Feinson, cfeinson at erols dot com
Since fishing is a multimillion dollar industry, it isn't any
surprise that the Fish Commission (established in 1871) was made a part
of the new Department of Commerce in 1903 and renamed the Bureau of
Fisheries. When the Commerce Dept. building was built in 1931, space was
created in the basement for the Aquarium, which already existed
elsewhere. Although the administration of the Bureau of Fisheries was
moved to the Department of the Interior in 1939, the Aquarium stayed
put. The Aquarium lost its government funding during the Reagan
administration, but private efforts have kept it open. Read about it in
“A Brief History of the National Aquarium in Washington, DC” at http://www.nationalaquarium.com/iindex.html.
The Aquarium is one of the great hidden treasures of DC, and you
haven't lived until you have seen the daily shark feeding — the sharks
are only a foot long, but their feeding frenzy is still quite
impressive!
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I don't know about Arena, because I don't go there very often
anymore, but I do think that theater is alive and well (though
financially ailing) in this area, better than it has ever been since I
moved here in 1948, when this was a theatrical wasteland and Arena was
just about to get started. Within the last month, I have relished three
good, well-done plays: “Arcadia” by the RepStage in Columbia (Howard
Community College facilities used); “The Crucible” by the Washington
Shakespeare Theater out at the Clark Street Playhouse in Crystal City;
and “Homebody/Kabul” by Woolly Mammoth and Theater J at the Jewish
Community Center on 16th Street.
I don't know about other Woolly Mammoth productions, because it's not
on my usual radar screen, but I do know how fortunate I feel to have so
much really good theater so close by. And this doesn't even include the
theaters that we regularly patronize. This is not to say that times are
not tough for our theaters; they are. This is also true for the two
nonprofit social service agencies with which I am affiliated in DC. It's
a wonder to me that the theaters and the agencies can keep going with
contributions and grants so low. We all need to dig as deep as we can to
support both kinds of institutions. (Because, to paraphrase GB Shaw, we
need to feed man's soul as well as his belly.)
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Support Affordable Housing, April 19
Amanda Huron, ahuron@cnhed.org
Do you think the District needs more affordable housing? Then come to
the city council hearing on the District's Budget Support Act this
Monday, April 19! The future of the Housing Production Trust Fund —
the District's most significant affordable housing program — is at
stake in this year's budget debate. The Budget Support Act may sound
boring, but it's where the Mayor has proposed to permanently cut the
Housing Production Trust Fund and take its funds for his own
"affordable housing plan," even though the Administration
hasn't offered any details about how the money would be spent.
Come to the hearing on the Budget Support Act on Monday, April 19, at
10:00 a.m. and call on the city council to reject the Mayor's proposal.
Come testify or just show up (even for a while) to demonstrate your
support. The hearing takes place in the council chambers of the Wilson
Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Numbers matter. Visibility
matters. Wear red if you choose.
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Charles Ogletree at UDC, April 20
Joe Libertelli, jlibertelli@udc.edu
Please join us for a stimulating conversation with Charles J.
Ogletree on the topic of his new book, All Deliberate Speed: Reflections
on the First Half-Century of Brown v. Board of Education. Introductions
by Wade Henderson, Executive Director, Leadership Conference on Civil
Rights, and Joseph L. Rauh, Jr., Professor of Public Interest Law at the
UDC David A. Clarke School of Law. Tuesday, April 20, 7:00 p.m.,
University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law,
4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Building 38, 2nd Floor. Food and
refreshments provided. RSVP to Delores Jackson, 274-7349, or JLibertelli@udc.edu.
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DC Public Library Events, April 20-21
Debra Truhart, debra.truhart@dc.gov
Tuesday, April 20, 9:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m., main library and all branch
libraries. As part of the District of Columbia Government’s citywide
campaign, "Re-think, Reduce, Re-use, and then Recycle," the DC
Public Library is serving as a drop off location to collect old athletic
shoes. Washington, DC, has partnered with Nike and the National
Recycling Coalition to collect old athletic shoes. The goal of the
effort is to collect 5,000 athletic shoes so that the city can apply for
a $25,000 grant for a new athletic surface made out of Nike Grind.
Through the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program, re-cycled athletic shoes are
being used to make new soccer and football fields, basketball and tennis
courts, and running tracks. Public contact: 727-1186. Tuesday, April 20,
7:00 p.m., Takoma Park Neighborhood Library, 416 Cedar Street, NW.
Shawne Johnson will discuss her new book Eden, Ohio. Public
contact: 576-7252. Tuesday, April 20, 7:00 p.m., Cleveland Park
Neighborhood Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue, NW. Philip Burnham,
author of So Far from Dixie, presents a slide lecture and book
discussion on Confederates in Yankee prisons. A book signing and sale
will follow the lecture. Public contact 282-3080. Tuesday, April 20,
7:00 p.m., Southeast Neighborhood Library, 403 7th Street, SE. Lee Hayes
will discuss his new book, Passion Marks. Public contact:
698-3377.
Wednesday, April 21, 12:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial
Library, 901 G Street, NW, Main Lobby. Dr. Eugene Williams will discuss
and sign his book, Grounded in the Word: A Guide to Mastering
Standardized Test Vocabulary and Biblical Comprehension. Public
contact: 727-1251.
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Brooklyn: A Place of the Heart, May 2
Diana Altman, daltman@bnaibrith.org
On May 2, the B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum,
along with the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington and the
District of Columbia Jewish Community Center, will present
"Brooklyn: A Place of the Heart," a program focused on Jewish
Brooklyn. To be held 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the DC Jewish Community Center
at 1529 16th Street, NW, the event will capture the unique cultural,
intellectual, and culinary appeal of this New York City borough.
Brooklyn borough historian Ron Schweiger will trace the development and
special attributes of Brooklyn’s Jewish communities. A panel of
distinguished transplanted Brooklynites, including Hyman Bookbinder, Mel
Elfin, Mary Hadar, and Mel Krupin, will offer their insights into
Brooklyn’s unique allure as a hometown.
Attendees will have ample opportunity to reconnect with fellow
Brooklynites and share fond memories. Egg creams, Dr. Brown’s soda,
and a host of other culinary treats will contribute to the nostalgic
ambiance. Participants will have the opportunity to purchase signed
copies of the 2002 book Jews of Brooklyn (Brandeis University Press) at
a special discount. Space for this special program is limited. Cost is
$18 for members (of the Klutznick National Jewish Museum, the DC JCC, or
the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington) and $25 for
non-members. Preregistration is recommended. To pre-register, call
857-6687 or mail a check to B’nai B’rith, Museum, 2020 K Street, NW,
20006.
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CLASSIFIEDS — SERVICES
Guitar Lessons in Your Home
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
Guitar lessons for youth and adults. Chords and fingerpicking. Folk
and folk/rock. $40/session. Bartering possibilities, too. QuickTime
samples at http://guitarlessons.blogspot.com.
(You'll need a high speed Internet connection, or dial-up and a lot of
patience, to view these.) On Macintosh computers you can watch these
videos as they are being transferred. On Windows computers, you’ll
need to use Netscape to view the videos as they’re being transferred,
or use Internet Explorer and wait until the video has transferred before
starting to watch it. (The Mozilla browser will also let you watch the
QuickTimes during the transfer [http://www.mozilla.org].)
If the videos don't play on your computer, you'll need to install
QuickTime 6.x, available from http://www.apple.com/quicktime/.
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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
Building Contractor
John Hughes, jah@radix.net
Can anyone recommend a good building contractor in the District? I
want to add an all-season patio room to the back of my house, and would
like to work with someone who comes highly recommended, is reliable,
works within estimate, etc. Send replies to jah@radix.net.
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