Sports
Dear Sports Fans:
I was sorry to hear today that Ward One Councilmember Jim Graham
won't be challenging At-Large Councilmember Harold Brazil for the
at-large seat in this year's election. It isn't that I support either
Graham or Brazil; it's just that for those for whom politics is
entertainment, a race between the two councilmembers promised to be the
most fun this year. Graham and Brazil had already begun bitter, personal
sniping at each other, and the situation was sure to deteriorate
further. Graham's press release explained his decision not to enter the
race this way: “'Chairman Cropp expressed to me concerns that a
campaign pitting council members against one another would be a
distraction and potentially disruptive to the body and the business at
hand,' Graham continued. 'There are serious, pressing issues that must
be addressed by this Council, and I agree with Chairman Cropp, that a
potentially combative political element could stand in the way of
progress and to fulfilling our obligation to work in the best interest
of District residents.'”
In other words, Linda Cropp's idea, shared by most councilmembers, is
that the city council is a club of insiders who, regardless of party and
ideology, will protect each other's seats and advocate each other's
reelection against outsiders — and that councilmembers don't challenge
each other. And Graham caved in to the pressure. For those of us who
view politics as a blood sport and the modern equivalent of bear baiting
or dog fights, this is a great disappointment. Ah, well, something will
come up.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Bye
John Whiteside, johnwhiteside at earthlink dot net
Well, this is it; the house is on the market and I've rented an
apartment to get myself settled in my new home town, Houston. I will
miss many things about DC, but what I won't miss is the way DC lowers
citizens expectations of what is acceptable. To be sure, Houston has its
own set of problems, but I'll share a couple of observations from a
weekend of running around town, finding a place to live, and reading the
local news to get up to speed on what's happening here in the bayou
city.
1) Saturday was a day of violent thunderstorms and tornado warnings.
I drove through an intersection at lunch time and noticed a traffic
signal dangling precariously from one cable. A few hours later I passed
through the same intersection, and a crew was out repairing it. Wow. 2)
Friends here commented on how the city is going to start using red light
cameras because of the public outcry over people running red lights. The
funny thing is, I was struck by how consistently people stopped at
lights, didn't drive all that fast on city streets, and generally were
fairly courteous on the road. What would be considered miraculously good
behavior in DC is a major problem in Houston. 3) Voters have given the
go-ahead to expanding the new light rail system to ten times its current
size. Meanwhile, when do you think I'll be able to come back to DC for a
visit and catch Metro from Dulles? Not soon, given that the system has
to raise fares because local governments won't support it properly. (Ed
Barron, your anger at Metro is misplaced; they are stuck between a rock
and a hard place.)
I'm sure I'll discover Houston's unique forms of dysfunction
(actually I already have discovered some of it) but I've also spent
enough time in enough cities to know that it probably won't come close
to DC's problems. DC has so many great things and so much to offer. Good
luck to you all on getting your city government to help make it the
great place that it ought to be, but usually is not.
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Jury Pool Depth One Fathom
Phil Greene, pgreene@doc.gov
On April 18, 1992, my dear grandmother, Ann Love, passed away. My
wife and I were fortunate enough to purchase her home in Chevy Chase,
DC, and we've lived there since early 1993. In our eleven years there,
my wife and I have both been called up for jury duty two or three times
each. We received a Petit Jury Summons yesterday in the mail, but this
one was different. It was not addressed to me, nor to my wife. No, it
seems they want my dearly departed Grandma to serve. I'd heard that the
pool of available jurors was shrinking, but I didn't realize it had come
to this. Question, do we have to reopen her estate to account for the
$4.00 transportation fee? Oh, says here she can donate it, phew!
“Please list any special accommodations you require to enable you to
serve.” A pulse? Actually, the most puzzling thing about it is this,
if they think she's still alive, why haven't they called her up sooner?
Maybe I'll just show up in her place, “The Ouija Board says
'Guilty!'”
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Where Technology and Customer Service Meet
James Treworgy, jamie@trewtech.com
So, my phone goes dead for the second time in one week last Friday,
as I am about to go away for the weekend. I didn't want to leave my rear
gate unlocked all weekend so Verizon can access the network box and
explained this to the helpful supervisor at the other end. He offered to
leave detailed notes and my next-door neighbor's phone number so she
could be the point of contact and let the Verizon technician in.
I called back on Sunday night; my neighbor has heard nothing. I asked
what happened, and the Verizon representative said that the tech showed
up and could not get access. Frustrated, I explained that I had left
very specific instructions on Friday that I would be away, and that they
should contact my next door neighbor. Here's the punch line: “Yes, I
see that we have your neighbor's telephone number. However, our
technicians do not carry cell phones, so there is no way they could have
contacted your neighbor.”
I can only assume that while I was away, Washington, DC became Mars,
and phone techs can't make phone calls.
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[Open letter to city councilmembers:] The purpose of this report is
to try to answer the question, “Is all or part of the Board of
Education's $19.4 million in new initiatives ('Anticipated Investments
in the Core Priority Areas') educationally justifiable?” This is a
timely question, since the Board of Education intends to allocate funds
for this investment by abolishing teaching and other professional staff
positions. This is a good opportunity for you to do what our school
system desperately needs (whether it remains under Board governance or
is shifted to mayoral governance): require detailed and fully documented
reports and explanations for every program and policy. Remember that the
history of democratic institutions started with legislative bodies using
the power of the purse to control the arbitrary use of power.
I would examine and/or propose the following: 1) The false promises
of the business plan should be challenged, not diplomatically skirted.
They are evidence of the need for the Council to hold the Board of
Education accountable for full details of all programs it intends to
implement and detailed documentation of success in DCPS or elsewhere. 2)
cut the $4.1 million for “Reforming Senior High Schools” (CTE
Academies); 3) explore legal means of redirecting federal funds from the
DCPS CTE Office to existing vocational education programs, e.g.,
computer instruction, home economics, and real vocational education
programs, etc.; 4) reduce or eliminate funds to Transformation Schools
($2.0 million) pending a report on the successes and failures, school by
school; 5) eliminate questionable components of the literacy initiative
to ($13.3 million); 6) DCPS has spent exorbitant sums on a variety of
software programs and systems over the past five years (not including
Student Information System software and hardware). DCPS needs to provide
a detailed analysis of these recent purchases and explain why they are
inadequate for supporting the literacy initiative. Some of the requests
appear to be overlapping or even redundant. [The full open letter to
councilmembers is available online at http://www.dcpswatch.com/martel/040502.htm.]
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Why Should Anybody Care?
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com
At today's meeting of the Board of Elections and Ethics, the Board
voted to review the Office of Campaign Finance's Order that
lobbyist-lawyer Mark Policy and Mayor Anthony Williams did not violate
campaign laws when Policy represented Williams in a lawsuit — either
giving his services pro bono, as Mr. Policy once claimed, or
simply neglecting to bill or collect for his services for a period of
several months, as he now claims. There are a number of side issues in
this case. Among other things, Policy and his law firm, Greenstein,
DeLorme and Luchs, are presenting themselves as the most unsuccessful
and incompetent lobbyists in town; they're claiming that although they
advertise themselves as a legislative lobbying firm and registered
themselves with OCF as lobbyists, they haven't made a dime as lobbyists
or spent a dime doing lobbying. The OCF's Order is troubling in a number
of ways — most importantly, it basically guts DC's absolute
prohibition against a lobbyist giving a government official gifts worth
more than $100 a year, since it says that any gift to an official is
legal unless it can be proven that it is given for the purpose of
influencing a specific official action. In other words, OCF argues,
lobbyists could pass out $10,000 checks to councilmembers and their
staffers, as long as they argued that the gifts weren't intended to
influence them, or even if they argued that the gifts were just to buy
general good will and not tied to a specific favor on a particular bill
or issue.
But why should people care if lobbyists can give gifts to government
officials? It is already hard for average citizens who have a position
on a civic or community issue to get the attention of members of the
administration, and it is nearly impossible for them to get a meeting
with the mayor himself. But the administration and the mayor have an
open-door policy for a few influential insiders, mostly for wealthy
suburban businessmen and developers such as those in the Washington
Association of Realtors and the Apartment and Office Building
Association of Metropolitan Washington, which are represented by Mark
Policy and his law firm. Allowing lobbyists to make gifts to the mayor
or other administration officials harms the average citizen because it
gives lobbyists for these interests additional sources of access and
influence, and more ways of currying favor with elected and appointed
officials.
Next week, on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m., the Board of Elections and
Ethics will hear the case. It may well be the last major case heard by
the current members of the Board of Elections and Ethics. The current
chairman, Ben Wilson, will soon be replaced by Wilma Lewis, whose
nomination has already been approved by the city counsel; and the mayor
has named Charles Lowery, the mayor's nominee to replace Stephen Callas.
Rumors about Lewis' plans for the Board have already raised concerns. In
the past, the Board has been one of the most accessible and open parts
of city government for the average citizen. Ms. Lewis, apparently, plans
to run the Board more like a court of law; she is rumored to want to
require all matters brought before the Board to be addressed in legal
briefs, which will make it much harder and more expensive for the
average voter to bring an issue to the Board.
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Just a quick response to Anne Lindenfeld's entry in themail, May 2:
Nothing in DC is a coincidence, but rather just a part of the same old
game. Ed Dixon points out how per pupil funding has not been
"funded" and that most schools get much less than they should.
The politicians cry the same bull each year and do not mean a word of
it. For example, go to DCWatch and pull down Tony Williams 2000 State of
the DC address (at Ballou) and read it [http://www.dcwatch.com/mayor/000306.htm].
The truth of the matter is that public education is not a main priority
or concern. The mayor has never funded it fully in his budget; the city
council has not pushed for it; the school board doesn't oversee the
school system well; and central administration in DCPS is a joke.
But the saddest part of all is that most of us parents know this and
we sit back and let it happen. I am a parent with children in Kimball,
Beers, Stuart Hobson, and Hine. I know how hard the teachers and
administrators are struggling to provide the best for the kids with
nothing. When it's all said and done at the top, we at the bottom are
left with the leftovers and the proverbial, “Do the best that you
can.” But we really only have ourselves to blame. Parents, teachers,
and administrators better join hands and become proactive. But as
parents, we must realize that these are our children, and we better wake
up and get up!
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Speed Limits and Cameras
Kenneth Nellis, nellisks@aol.com
In the May 2 issue of themail, Natalie Hopkins writes, “I think the
traffic cameras are a money grab and not part of a real effort to change
driving patterns.” I agree, but you only get ticketed when you exceed
the limit by 10 mph. This allows you to go as fast as 35 mph on
MacArthur Boulevard. This does not strike me as unreasonable.
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Speed Limits Prevent Deaths
Gabe Fineman, Porter Street, gfineman@advsol.com
I am distressed by Ms. Hopkins' failure to recognize the importance
of the 25 mph speed limit. Yes, cars are now safer for drivers and can
go faster than ever before, but the human body is still antiquated. The
reason that 25 mph is still the norm in most urban communities is not
inertia by myriad governments but because the human body has not changed
along with cars. The most favorable study for higher speeds that I have
found states the probability of being killed when hit by a car in a 25
mph zone is about 1.8 percent and in a 30 mph zone about 5.4 percent.
(see http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/research/pub/HS809012.html,
Literature Review on Vehicle Travel Speeds and Pedestrian Injuries,
section 2 - Empirical Results: Three US Databases) Another study found
that that about 5 percent of pedestrians would die when struck by a
vehicle traveling 20 mph, about 40 percent for vehicles traveling 30 mph
and about 80 percent for vehicles traveling 40 mph (same, Section 1). I
suppose it depends on whether the vehicle was an SUV that pushed the
person under the car and struck the head or a sedan that tossed the body
onto the hood and also on the quality of the local EMS service.
Fortunately, Ms. Hopkins is in the minority. Surveys find that 92
percent of drivers think that the current speed limits are appropriate
or too high on city streets (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/research/speed_volII_finding/SpeedVolumeIIFindingsFinal.pdf).
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On May 6, I will be one of the guest speakers at the ANC 5B 7:30 p.m.
meeting that will be held at 2601 18th Street, NE. My address will be to
expose the fact that the DC taxicab fare structure is not only unique
but it is also illegal. I ended [my previous posting on taxicab fares,
themail, April 25] by inviting any supporter of the DC Taxicab Zone
system to meet with me and present documented facts and not mere opinion
to counter my position on this issue. May 6 will be an opportunity for
any supporter(s) to explain their position. I will send and present to
those attending the May 6 meeting a copy of an invitation that I send
out to DC city councilmembers Graham, Orange, Patterson, and Schwartz to
have just one of their staff attend the ANC meeting and explain why they
have refused to enlighten DC residents of the undeniable facts of this
issue, as it is their duty as members of the Committee on Public Works
that has that duty to regulate the DC taxicab industry. Councilmember
Orange is the elected member of the DC City Council for Ward 5. I find
it fascinating that all Public Works Committee meetings since 1975 at
which I was given opportunity to testify resulted in my only addressing
the Chairman. In respect to my fellow DC residents, I will continue to
respectfully inform them of the little known facts on this issue. The
May 6 meeting with the ANC 5B is not the beginning of my effort to
expose the corrupt and inequitable DC taxicab zone system, and I doubt
very seriously that it will be my last.
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World War II Memorial
Jacqueline M Jenkins, jjcpa2@aol.com
Haven't been down to the new Memorial, but thought the TV views
showed it to be magnificent in its simplicity and beautiful. Not all
things large would come under the heading of a barn or silo.
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“Fascist” Is Indeed the Best Label
Wendy Blair, wblair@npr.org
Ed Barron is correct in calling the new WW II Memorial on the Mall a
dud. How revealing of the zeitgeist right now. How ironic. How
embarrassing.
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Accomplishments That Speak for Themselves
Alan Henney, alan at henney dot com
With regard to your WWII memorial critique [themail, May 2], some
accomplishments speak for themselves. They don't need long-winded
political speeches, memorials, stone markers, or interactive multimedia
displays to show they were significant and great. Let history speak for
itself. Besides, we're running out of room on the Mall.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness,
May 6
Sarah B. Rubin, sarahb@dcjcc.org
Join the National Institute for Jewish Leadership for a discussion
with top area officials about the state of local preparedness, the role
of nonprofits and volunteers in emergency preparedness and response, and
the role of Israel in helping US emergency responders respond to
terrorism. Thursday, May 6, 7:00 p.m., Washington DC Jewish Community
Center, Kay Community Hall; $4 members, $6 non-members. RSVP to Sarah at
sarahb@dcjcc.org or 777-3215.
Guest speakers: Barbara Childs-Pair, Director, DC Emergency
Management Agency; Charles Blake, Senior Director, Emergency and
International Services, American Red Cross of the National Capital Area;
Jim Colbert, Communications Director, JINSA, the Jewish Institute for
National Security Affairs. Moderator: Elliot Harkavy, CEO, EGH and
Associates, Consultant in Emergency Planning and Preparedness.
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Sahara Dance Performance and Grand Opening,
May 8, 15
Marta Vizueta, marta3@hotmail.com
Under a Desert Moon: A Celebration of Middle Eastern Dance will take
place this Saturday, May 8, at the American University Greenberg
Theater. It will be a wonderful and entertaining show! Bring friends and
family!
Founded by established and respected instructors the Sahara Dance
Center offers a full (adult and teen) schedule of raqs sharqi, tribal,
and folkloric classes, including drumming and other special workshops by
renowned US and international dancers and teachers. A grand opening
celebration will take place on Saturday, May 15 from 8-10 p.m. It will
feature live music, belly dance performances, food, drink, and door
prizes. Free promotional classes during the day! Bring your friends!
Visit http://www.saharadance.com
for more information.
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Spotlight on Design at the National Building
Museum, May 10
Brie Hensold, bhenhold@nbm.org
Monday May 10, 8:00-9:30 p.m., Spotlight on Design: Richard Rogers:
Architecture and Sustainability. Long known for his visionary design of
such buildings as the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Millennium Dome
in England, Richard Rogers has championed sustainable design. In an
exclusive Washington lecture, he will discuss his firm's research and
design of intelligent, energy efficient building such as Bordeaux Law
Courts, Lloyd's Register of Shipping and his environmentally friendly
urban designs for Berlin and Shanghai. Following his lecture, Lord
Rogers will sign copies of his books. At the National Building Museum,
401 F Street, NW, Judiciary Square stop, Metro Red Line. $15 Museum
members; $20 nonmembers; $10 students. Prepaid registration required.
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Piano Concert at DC Public Library, May 10
Debra Truhart, debra.truhart@dc.gov
Pianist Serhii Morozov performs works by Mozart, Brahms and Chopin,
Monday, May 10, 12:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library,
901 G Street, NW, Room A-5. Public contact: 727-1248.
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Are you planning to go to college? Do know someone who wants to go to
college? Do you or they have the annual average cost of $10,636 for a
public college or the $26,854 average cost of a private college? We can
help you get it! Come to Eleanor Holmes Norton's College and Service
Academy Night, Wednesday, May 12, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the US Navy
Memorial, 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. DC Students and their parents can
meet one-on-one with representatives from SallieMae, the US Department
of Education, the DC State Office of Education, the DC College Access
Plan, and the DC 529 Plan. Learn first hand about special financial aid
programs for DC Students only and financial aid available to all.
Officers from the US Military, US Naval, US Coast Guard, US Merchant
Marine, and US Air Force Academies will also personally meet with DC
students and their parents to explain how students can earn a degree
from one of five world-class universities, pay not a dime in tuition,
graduate into a rewarding career, and serve their country at the same
time.
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Twelfth Annual Celebrate Mount Pleasant
Festival, June 6
Annalisa Rosmarin, arosmarin@folger.edu
The twelfth annual Celebrate Mount Pleasant Festival is set for
Sunday, June 6, from 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The festival is a
family-friendly, alcohol-free, celebration of city living and urban
diversity for everyone in the metropolitan area. The free festival will
take place on Mount Pleasant Street, NW, between Irving Street and Park
Road (Columbia Heights Green line Metro).
There will be four stages for music, children's performers, local
artists, and street performers. Clowns, jugglers, and stilt walkers will
also delight visitors throughout the festival area. Craft artists and
vendors will offer original works of art, contemporary American crafts
and international folk art in the Festival Market Place. A Taste of
Mount Pleasant will offer a variety of regional American and ethnic
cuisine from two international food courts. Food will also be available
from the restaurants along Mt. Pleasant's Restaurant Row.
A broad range of musical styles will be offered at the two
performance stages at each end of the festival. A third stage will
highlight the talents of local artists, street performers and drummers.
Included in the lineup of the stages will be Latin, rock, jazz, and
R&B music from popular DC metro area bands and rising national stars
from Mt. Pleasant. Bands include Alternate Root (R&B), Congregation
(Funk), Group Therapy (Rock), Janine Wilson Band (Rock), Los Lobbozz (Merengue),
and Palenke (Salsa). For fun, children will enjoy a worldwide variety of
performers on the Family Stage. Midway style amusements, face painting,
and clowns will also delight the kids. All children’s events are free.
The festival, sponsored by the Mount Pleasant Business Association
and other neighborhood organizations, is organized by a team of Mt.
Pleasant volunteers. The day celebrates the unique cultural and economic
diversity of this historic northwest Washington, DC, neighborhood.
Corporate and civic sponsors are encouraged to support the efforts of
this volunteer project. Booth applications for craftspeople, artists,
community organizations, and other vendors are available at the Festival
Office, 3213 Mt. Pleasant Street, NW, #2, Bank of America, 3131 Mt.
Pleasant Street, NW, by mail, by fax, or E-mail. The Festival Planning
Committee also welcomes anyone wishing to perform or volunteer at the
event to call the Festival office: 588-5272.
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CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE
I am renovating my Columbia Heights rowhouse and must part with its
last 1900-1910 mantle. It stands 70" high and is 60" wide. The
dark wood is unpainted with a tiger's eye pattern. The condition is
quite good. Additionally, there is some original tile around the mantle
as well as in the entry into the house. I would consider an offer of
$1000 for both the mantle and the tile but would be open to an offer.
E-mail me with queries and to see photos.
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CLASSIFIEDS — HELP WANTED
M/DALC Development Manager
Sylvia W. Keene, mdalc@erols.com
Development manager needed to write proposals and secure funding in
busy adult literacy office in northwest DC. College degree and extensive
experience in writing successful proposals and in public speaking
required. Salary low 40s. Fax resume to 234-1511 or E-mail to mdalc@aol.com.
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Legal Assistant/Summer Help
Jon Katz, jon@markskatz.com
Our Silver Spring law firm has immediate openings for 1) a full-time
Legal Assistant, 2) a summer associate, and 3) two to three summer
junior secretaries/clerical assistants (full-time and part-time).
Successful summer work may lead to permanent offers of employment. Top
pay, benefits, and appreciation for top performance. We are committed to
equal opportunity employment. Full details are at http://www.markskatz.com/jobs.htm.
Please refrain from E-mail attachments.
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CLASSIFIEDS — SPACE
M/DALC Needs Space
Sylvia W. Keene, mdalc@erols.com
Metropolitan/Delta Adult Literacy Council, Inc., is seeking
approximately 3,000 square feet of office space in the Shaw area as
close as possible to 12th and R Streets, NW. We would like to move into
our new location in August 2004. We hope this will be a temporary move
(one to two years) while the current space provided by Metropolitan
Baptist Church is being developed. If you know of space available,
please contact Artee Milligan at 234-2665 or E-mail mdalc@aol.com.
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