Perry Mason
Dear Crime Solvers:
I’ve always been a fan of the classic Perry Mason television series
starring Raymond Burr and his wonderful supporting cast, and I have
missed it for the past few years, since Channel 5 stopped running it at
3:00 a.m. Now, however, Comcast DC has added the Hallmark Channel.
Hallmark is broadcasting two Perry Mason shows every weekday at 3:00
p.m., and I’m satisfied again. That series is by far the best
presentation of the Perry Mason character in all media — it’s better
than the Erle Stanley Gardner books themselves; better than the feature
movies made in the 1930’s and 1940’s; much, much better than the
radio series of the 1940’s; and even better than the revival of the
television series as two-hour TV movies in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
Perry Mason is not highbrow television, and it may not even be
middlebrow television; instead, it is formula drama, and all the more
satisfying for its adherence to that formula. A Perry Mason hour-long
show is like a sonnet; the pleasure lies in seeing the changes and
variety wrought within the formula.
Everyone can predict who the victim will be; it’s easy to spot who
will be killed in the first fifteen or twenty minutes of the show. The
victim is always the worst villain, the most hated and hateful person,
the one whom everyone else wants to see dead. The murderer is harder to
detect, and its hard not to believe that the murderer is chosen at
random from among the remaining characters. The clues to the killer are
not fairly presented, and often seem to come out of nowhere. However,
when I was young and watching the series during its first broadcasts, I
did discover the secret of the spotting the murderer, and it works about
nine out of ten times. If you want to astound your friends and family,
and solve the Perry Mason mysteries (in the series, not in the books) I’ll
share the secret with you. Forget all the nonsense about alibis and
timetables; forget the physical clues; they’re only there to confuse
you. The murderer is almost always the person who, once the victim is
disposed of, has the fewest ties to the other characters. The murderer
is not married or, if married, is in a loveless marriage. The murderer
has no close friends, no relatives who will miss him or her. The
murderer is the next most disposable character after the victim. Nearly
everyone is glad to see the victim dead, and almost no one will miss the
murderer. That’s also the secret of why the series is emotionally
satisfying; it is murder both committed and solved with almost no
consequences.
I’m usually the one who makes the far-fetched analogies, but this
time I’ll let you do it for yourselves. A Perry Mason episode is just
like the baseball stadium giveaway, the recent city council elections,
the slots initiative, or any of the other topics of current discussion
in DC — because. . . .
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
###############
Yesterday I was driving down Florida Avenue, NE, and pulled up behind
a DC school bus and noticed that it had a tag that read Massachusetts
School bus. I drove around it to make sure that it was a DC school bus,
and it was. Anyone out there have any idea why we’re tagging our
school buses in New England?
###############
I had volunteered to help with the Clean City survey today because I
believe that living in a clean and attractive city is important. Before
the alarm went off this morning, the outside alarm went off — ten
minutes of noise by KMG, also known as the Garcia trash truck making an
early and illegal trash pickup in our block. It is a $500 fine against
the driver, assuming residents could get someone to write the ticket.
Wide awake and waiting for the alarm to go off, I counted Tony William’s
agencies that have not been responsive or have been disrespectful during
the past year: DPR, MPD, DPW, DDOT, DOH, DCRA. . . . When the alarm
sounded, I turned it off and went back to sleep. Lowering myself to the
level of the DC government is nothing to be proud of, but I am sick and
tired of supporting a government that does not support residents.
###############
Oppose Public Financing of a Baseball Stadium
Ed Lazere, lazere@dcpfi.org
Major League Baseball is expected to announce next week that it has
selected Washington as the new home for the Montreal Expos. Mayor
Williams has revealed a plan to finance a baseball stadium almost
entirely with public funds, at a cost of $440 million. It is likely the
DC Council will try to adopt a financing plan quickly, some time this
fall. If you oppose using public resources to build a stadium, it is
time for you and your organization to be heard. You can endorse the No
DC Taxes for Baseball campaign and send a letter to Mayor Williams and
the Council by going to http://www.nodctaxesforbaseball.org.
Mayor Williams argues that the $440 million financing plan, including
a new tax on businesses, will not affect funding for other DC services.
But if new taxes can be raised for a stadium, they could be raised for
any purpose. The Mayor in effect is arguing that a baseball stadium is a
more important reason for raising taxes than repairing schools, building
a new central library, improving recreation centers, building a new
public hospital, preserving affordable housing, or any other public
purpose. Consider the following. A new stadium would be a huge public
works project -- more than half the cost of the Convention Center. Yet
economic research consistently shows that sports stadiums do little to
create new jobs or boost local economies. DC’s own analysis shows that
a stadium will create just 380 jobs for DC residents. DC’s subsidy
works out to $1 million per job! DC should not have to finance 100
percent of the stadium’s costs. The District is the largest and
wealthiest community in the US without a team. The new team owners
should be able to pay for a stadium and still make money. Numerous
communities across the nation have required team owners to cover a large
share of their stadium’s costs. Major League Baseball’s decision to
move the Expos to the District is a clear sign that the League sees DC
as the best market for a team. The District’s leaders should be able
to use the city’s strong market position to negotiate a stadium deal
rather than financing a stadium almost entirely with public funds.
More information is available at http://www.nodctaxesforbaseball.org.
Posters can be ordered by contacting pierre@dcfpi.org.
###############
For good or ill, it seems that baseball in DC is likely to be
announced as a done deal very soon, as our council and the MLB realize
it will not happen after three pro-baseball incumbents are sent packing.
Tradition would dictate that the Expos become the Senators; however, I
propose that this name is entirely inappropriate. The District’s
citizens have made it clear that we are sick of being governed by a
Congress chosen by Americans everywhere else, so how can we tolerate our
baseball team being named for our unwanted overlords?
I suggest that the citizens of DC petition the MLB to rename the team
to the “Sons” after the pre-Revolutionary association of American
colonists opposed to taxation without representation, as well as
adopting and official team motto of "taxation without
representation." For those unfamiliar with the Sons, they formed to
fight the 1765 Stamp Act, and organized the famous Boston Tea Party.
Naming DC’s team after the Sons of Liberty will help millions of
Americans realize how our government infringes upon our rights,
withholding representation so that DC can be used as a pawn in political
schemes. If you agree, please sign the online petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/sons4dc/petition.html.
###############
Among the DC Council comments on the recently released DC Vision
planning document (http://www.narpac.org/REXDCVIZ#councilcom),
there is a statement that, "All Metro stations are not the same:
some were designed to serve neighborhoods, while others were designed to
transform neighborhoods. Growth incentives should focus on low market
demand areas." Can any of you out there in themail please advise me
where I can find reference to this in any government or WMATA document,
and which Metro stations are officially absolved from transforming
neighborhoods? For instance, I can’t find it in the 1984 Comprehensive
Plan, DC Elements.
###############
I am one of the thirteen people from the Running Against Bush slate
who were elected to the Democratic State Committee (DSC) on September
14. First, I wish to thank everyone who voted for me and the other
members of our slate. On September 14, there was a tidal wave of
anti-incumbent sentiment that swept across the entire city; and it was
not limited to Wards 7 and 8. Harold Brazil lost every ward in the city.
We benefited from the tidal wave because many voters who supported Kwame
Brown or Sam Brooks supported us as well. (I was a precinct captain in
Kwame Brown’s campaign.) I think that we also benefited from having a
strong, specific platform which was prominently displayed on our
campaign literature. The platform plank for which I was largely
responsible stated that: “We are committed to holding regular
neighborhood issue forums with elected officials to engage in community
concerns.” I was very concerned that the DSC was largely an invisible
organization to most voters. When I was out gathering signatures for our
slate to get us on the ballot, I had to constantly explain to voters
what the DSC was. (I usually told them that the DSC was like a board of
directors for the local Democratic Party.) Some people even thought I
was trying to run for one of the delegate seats to the Democratic
National Convention. Of course since we live in what is practically a
one-party town where the Democrats routinely win every presidential
race, every mayor’s race and every council race every single time
(except for the council seats reserved for minority parties), the DSC
doesn’t have to work very hard to win (unlike, for example, Iowa,
where the voters are closely divided between Democrats and Republicans).
Other members of our slate and I are going to be pushing the DSC to set
up a series of neighborhood discussions and debates on the most
important issues facing our city. In this way, we can help to educate
the public on these issues and at the same time, make the DSC more
visible to the average citizen.
###############
Electoral Reforms
Doug Neumann, dbn99@yahoo.com
Harold Foster’s list of electoral reforms [themail, September 19]
are all worthy of serious discussion. I would add another needed reform
— giving responsibility for ward redistricting to a nonpolitical
entity. Having the council carry out redistricting is a conflict of
interest.
Those interested in seeing how instant run-off balloting works should
check the results of San Francisco municipal elections this November.
Two years ago, San Francisco voters approved "rank-choice
voting" by referendum — I believe that this is the first election
where it will be used.
###############
You Catch More Grants with Honey than with
Bigotry
John Aravosis, john@wiredstrategies.com
I read with interest, if you can call it that, Richard Urban’s
E-mail regarding his organization, Ultra Teen Choice, not getting an ANC
grant [themail, September 15]. Perhaps if Mr. Urban refrained from
launching bigoted tirades about “the homosexual agenda,” and also
refrained from espousing junk science about gay people that serious
scientists have long since repudiated, he might do better with his
requests in the future. Just a thought.
###############
The main issue is why the ULTRA Teen Choice program did not get a
fair hearing, either in the ANC6A community outreach committee, or in
the ANC6A regular meeting. The reason it did not get a fair hearing is
because the program promotes abstinence until marriage (which, for
reference, is the Federally mandated standard for programs funded under
Title V of the 1996 Welfare reform act). At the ANC meeting, a blatant
attempt was made to sideline the proposal without any discussion
whatsoever, as I already mentioned [themail, September 15]. Our proposal
can be viewed online at http://www.anc6a.org under the heading
“Agendas” and “September 9, 2004.” As the proposal states, “In
1998 (last year reported), one of every eight 15 to 19 year old girls
became pregnant in Washington, DC. The club gives youth an alternative
to this high-risk environment by providing education, positive peer
support and opportunities to serve others.” Attendance at the Club
meetings is voluntary; we support youth in their decision to remain
abstinent.
The main reason for not funding the program stated during the
community outreach committee meeting where the proposal was discussed
was that “the ANC funds primarily the purchase of goods for community
groups, not the provision of services.” A study of grants approved
this year shows that this is false. Our total request was for $1,875.
START Inc, a literacy program, received $3,350, of which $3,120 went for
services and $230 for materials. Friends of Lovejoy park received $2,500
for removal of an old fence and basketball hoops. Interestingly, the
chair of the community outreach committee, Michael Musante, is on the
Board of Directors of the Friends of Lovejoy Park. Michael was absent
when I presented my proposal to the committee, and also has not returned
phone calls to me as I attempted to find out the reason for his
opposition for funding of this proposal. However, none of this was ever
reported at the ANC6A meeting. It seems like none of the commissioners
wants to say in public why they do not support this proposal.
Now, to answer some of the negative responses. Inclusion is not an
issue with the ULTRA Teen Choice service Club. The meetings are
voluntary and support these youth who want to be successful in life by
being abstinent until marriage. The meetings are open to all youth who
are interested. The presence of an agenda other than the welfare of the
youth being served is obvious because of the unfair way that this
proposal has been handled. Fair discussion of the merits of this
proposal would show the lack of an agenda. Sidelining the proposal
without any discussion whatsoever shows the presence of an agenda.
Regarding "inclusiveness," almost universally, the parents of
the youth we work with support the goal of abstinence until marriage. It
is very ironic that programs that include youth who want to abstain
until marriage are excluded from even being discussed. Regarding the
effectiveness of virginity pledges mentioned by Amy Hardt, a new study
shows that those making virginity pledges do enjoy a wide variety of
improved life outcomes, including being less likely to experience teen
pregnancy; being less likely to be sexually active while in high school
and as young adults; being less likely to give birth as teens or young
adults; being less likely to give birth out of wedlock; being less
likely to engage in risky unprotected sex; having fewer sexual partners;
and not being less likely to use a condom when they have sex (this data
is based on an analysis of Wave III of the ADD Health survey, used to
track youth behavior, see http://www.heritage.org/Research/Family/wm570.cfm
for more information). Also, since those making a virginity pledge are
14 percent to 23 percent less likely to have sex than those not making a
pledge, the youth who make pledges are overall significantly less likely
to engage in unprotected sex.
[We’ve had a round of debate on the value of youth sexual
abstinence programs generally; in any follow-up postings, please limit
your remarks to the operation of abstinence programs in the District.
— Gary Imhoff]
###############
I have thought long and hard about Tuesday’s result and wanted to
take my time in reaching out to you. Let me begin by thanking the Mayor,
the DC Council and Congresswoman Norton and all of our Democratic
elected officials and each of you for the opportunity to serve as Chair
and tell you that it has been a tremendous honor. I have often said over
the course of our time together that we as an organization and our
members had nowhere to go but up and I was wrong about the membership
— we brought each other to a level of excellence than existed in each
of us already.
Let me congratulate all of the winners, especially the Running
Against Bush slate, a clever name, a good ballot position, a great sense
of energy and a strong grass roots organization that lent itself to
victory. A great campaign and a great group of Dems who deserve the
credit for their energy and leadership in the Democratic Party.
Ironically, I worked very hard to recruit many of their members to join
the Victory 2004 Slate before the filing deadline, but was unsuccessful
in doing so. I look forward to working with them in the future and will
work very hard with them in the transition of leadership in the DCDSC.
Indeed, I hope the new team of DCDSC leaders builds on the incredible
amount of work our team accomplished in the last year and a half.
Indeed, we inherited very little as an entity and built an organization
from the ground up. If you are reading this message, I hope you take a
minute to reflect on this issue and get that part. We were political
reformers and we did our best. And now it is up to the new DCDSC to move
forward and deeper into excellence. It will not be easy, but it can be
done and I will be available to assist in that important effort — the
DCDSC remains my passion, untapped in its power to change and potential
for greatness and to lead the Democrats in DC.
This has been a very difficult time for all of us, and for me, it has
been perhaps even more challenging. I must admit, I do not lose very
often and do not like losing. With the passion and commitment and
leadership principles that come with this position, I have struggled
over the last several days to sort out the results, assess our
collective political damage, if any and understand how deeply
disappointed I am for each of slate members. And it is simply not enough
to even say or think that this job, as Chair, is tough and difficult
because that goes with the territory. My struggle lies in understanding
the electorate, our adversaries and even our Democratic elected
officials and supporters in the mist of an unmatched record of
achievement, and their rejection or opposition to the transformation of
the DC Democratic Party whose time has come. It is almost as if the
better and stronger we as an organization became, the more problems and
opposition existed. It is simply illogical and yet, this is politics and
sometimes nothing makes sense. Indeed, in many respects, our competition
was our own creation because of our reform, rebuild and reorganized
efforts. Clearly, being agents of change is always a difficult
proposition, but in this regard, it cost us so much support.
Despite our success, the left wing of the DCDSC railed against us,
certain DC Council members opposed the very slate that they helped put
together and some of our own slate members, led by mayoral supporters,
campaigned against members of our slate — how could we win under these
circumstances. These challenges needed to be addressed, but surely they
were not of such an issue that members on the slate would risk our
overall success. And yet, this issue was a factor in our political
performance, but not dispositive. I hope that as we move forward, that
each of us tries desperately to put petty politics behind us for the
sake of the greater good. If you don’t get that part, you will never
understand our collective political disappointment and you are destined
to not only repeat history, but revert back to it. Eating our own will
never be a winning formula and I will always remember the personal pain
and dissension it caused in our plight for reelection. And based on what
— displeasure with my personality — nonsense, utter nonsense,
nothing of any depth or substance. We have got to be better in this
regard, or the DCDSC will return to a culture of both failure and
mediocrity. You can ignore my words and my warnings if you want, but I
implore to give up this failed strategy. Our Values Code we adopted last
year do not change and are never wrong — only we are wrong when we don’t
follow them.
As for me, I am looking forward to some rest, I even helped the twins
with their homework last week without having to divide my time with
politics and their book report. It felt good and it felt good to just be
with them without party politics splitting my mental time. For those of
you who have written my political obituary for 2006, I hope you consider
rewriting your draft and go back over your analysis. These results will
have no impact on any of my future political decisions. The democratic
electorate knows of the phenomenal success of the Party over the last
two years. We are going to work even harder in the coming months to make
the District of Columbia and the Party the best ever because its best
days are yet to come. Our record of achievement is unmatched and rooted
in collective service leadership. And anyone, political pundit, reporter
or political operative who still believes that this is the same party
from two years ago, just doesn’t understand or has simply ignored the
substantial evidence of transformation.
And this is the part that is so frustrating -- they will never write
about or give credit to our successes, only our challenges. But no
matter what, they can never take our success away from us; they can
never take or break our spirit and nor can anyone, who is informed, say
that we are not better than we have been or had an unsuccessful term of
leadership. The vote on Tuesday was a vote for a very good slate name, a
strong ballot position and in the end, no matter how much money we
raised and spent we could not overcome the desire of all Dems to defeat
Bush in 2004. I have a lot of politics left in me; I love the City and I
believe in the power of party building. We will reassess and know that
our election results is an opportunity for all of us to come back,
bigger, better and brighter. Together, we transformed the DCDSC and
together we can transform the City through collective leadership,
servant leadership — real leadership.
Finally, we are not going to let this setback, set us back in our
drive for excellence and to transform this organization -- period. Since
June of 2003, we have successful at everything we set out to do and we
had a lot to do -- the January Primary, the February Caucus, the March
Caucus, the Democratic presidential delegate selection process, DNC
Convention and this election. We broke voter turnout records in each of
these elections and even on Tuesday, voter turnout exceeded 22 percent.
In between all of this, we passed a 2004 Platform, added eight diversity
seats and broke fundraising records every month while building staff and
infrastructure.
And the endorsement meeting, it was the right thing to do, but upon
reflection, we as Democrats may not have been ready for it. Given the
level of dissension that was created by others, we should have move
forward with it at a more incremental pace. But we knew the electorate
was restless and change was in the offing and we believed that we had to
be a part of it and it was a tremendous opportunity to be relevant
during an historic vote in the DC primary and given the results, we
were. Until we are relevant, nothing else will matter. There simply was
nothing personal in any of this effort, but we could have been better in
vetting the process. I just did not figure that Victory 2004 would be
part of that change. (LOL)
For me personally, the Lord is not done with me or you and I have
made plenty of mistakes, but I know there is strength and greatness even
in mistakes, so long as we learn from them and I have learned a great
deal from this humbling experience. I need to listen more and I need to
be better with you and others in my communications — I get that part.
But I will never accept the proposition that temperament and personality
issues effected the outcome of these elections, nor can it wipe out or
eviscerate our record of success. Thanks to so many of you, I have
learned a great deal and I am better because of it. Beyond that, I hope
you and I can this election behind us because you have been great
together and no election result or political pundit or community critic
can take that away from us. And when the agony of defeat stings you from
time to time, think positive thoughts and think about our collective
successes and move on and move forward. I know I will. No long good-byes
or farewells here, we have much work to do. Accordingly, I will be in
touch very soon.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
National Day of Remembrance for Murder
Victims, September 25
Queen Washington, queen.washington@blm.gov
The Washington, DC, Chapter of Parents of Murdered Children, Inc.,
will observe the Sixth Annual National Day of Remembrance for Murder
Victims with a candlelight vigil on Saturday, September 25, 5:00-7:00
p.m., at the corner of Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King Avenue, SE.
Everyone is welcome to come and join us along with other survivor
organizations to remember our loved ones that were senselessly murdered
and send the message that we will no longer tolerate the violence that
has plagued our city.
Sponsored by the National Organization of Parents Of Murdered
Children (POMC), this special observance seeks to pay tribute to the
hundreds of thousands of people in America who have been murdered; to
publicly recognize the tremendous losses endured by their families and
friends; and to educate our community about the rights and services
available to surviving family members of homicide victims. For more
information, contact Queen Washington, Communications Director, 332-1642
or Queen.Washington@blm.gov.
################
Digital Storytelling Presentation, October 4
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
Are you interested in learning some of the ins and outs of digital
storytelling on the web -- where photos, narrated audio and accompanying
text are mixed? I’ll be making a presentation on this subject at the
upcoming October 4 meeting of the Virginia Macintosh Users Group, in the
Media Center/Library at Kenmore Middle School, in Arlington. (See http://www.vmug.org
for details.) Although this presentation will be Macintosh focused,
Windows users might benefit from attending. Because of the nature of the
VMUG group, I won’t be taking Windows-related digital storytelling
questions during my presentation, but I’d be happy to answer them via
E-mail before or after the meeting. The main software I’ll be
explaining, QuickTime Pro, is available for both Macintosh and Windows
computers. (Apple sells QuickTime Pro for $30.)
Guests are always welcome at VMUG meetings. There is pizza available
at meetings, but you do need to bring your own drink. If you need a ride
to the meeting from the subway, thanks for letting me know early. I’ll
try my best to arrange one.
###############
Board of Education Candidate Forum, October 14
Marissa Bachman, mbachman@21csf.org
A Board of Education Candidate Forum will be held on Thursday,
October 14 from 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at Sumner School, 1200 17th Street,
NW, Farragut North Metro) in the Great Room. The forum is hosted by a
consortium of community organizations, including the 21st Century School
Fund, DC Voice, SHAPPE, and Parents United. The Board of Education races
for District 1 (Wards 1 and 2) and District 2 (Wards 3 and 4) will be
decided in the November 2 elections. Come hear the candidates respond to
community issues. For more information, please contact Marissa Bachman
at 745-3745 or mbachman@21csf.org.
###############
Women’s Health Worldwide, October 19
Sarah B. Rubin, sarahb@dcjcc.org
Women’s Health Worldwide: a Jewish Call to Action Sponsored by
Jewish Women’s Project in partnership with several other major Jewish
organizations (for details visit http://www.dcjcc.org).
Tuesday October 19 at 7:00-9:30 p.m., Washington DC Jewish Community
Center, 1529 16th Street, NW. Free! RSVP by October 12th to Sarah Heaton
at 301-270-1182 or sheaton@genderhealth.org.
Please join us for an educational seminar about women’s global
health issues featuring: Ruth Messinger, Director of American Jewish
World Service; Jodi Jacobson, Executive Director of Center for Health
and Gender Equity; Sakena Yacoobi, Director of Afghan Institute of
Learning and others. A follow-up advocacy skills training session “You’ve
Marched, Written a Check, What’s Next?” will be held on November 16,
7:00-9:30 p.m.
###############
On October 12, at 8:00 p.m., Washington Storytellers Theater will
present a scary story contest: “Go Ahead . . . Scare Me!” Join us
for an evening of the most bloodcurdling, jaw-dropping, bow tie-spinning
stories you’ve ever heard. Each contestant will have seven minutes to
weave a web of horror, and everybody out there is encouraged to call the
office to sign up for a slot. The five scariest stories will be invited
to perform in a special Halloween eve presentation on October 30th at
the District of Columbia Arts Center. At the HR-57 Center for the
Preservation of Jazz and Blues, 1610 14th Street, NW, between Corcoran
and Q Streets. Ticket price: $5 (corkage: $3 per person); purchase at
the door (doors open at 7:30 p.m.). Street parking; Red Line (Dupont) or
Green Line (U Street/Cardoza). On the first of each month, we will begin
taking sign-ups for that month’s Open Mic. Call the WST office,
301-891-1129, to reserve a space.
Washington Storytellers Theater Season 04-05, in association with
Class Acts Arts and Montgomery College, presents Haunts and Hollers:
Stories and music from Baba Jamal Koram and Chris Patton. Washington
Storytellers Theater continues its 15th Anniversary Season with this
special collaboration for a chilling evening combining stories of night
terrors with the spooky sounds of the Video Harp. Come celebrate the
Halloween season with master storyteller, Baba Jamal Koram and composer
Chris Patton. The beat of African drums and the computer generated
sounds of the Video Harp add a creepy backdrop to the recounting of
ghost and poltergeist folklore that permeate our culture.
At The Black Box Theater at Montgomery College, Takoma Park Campus,
located at the corner of Philadelphia Avenue (East-West Highway/Rte.
410) and Chicago Avenue. Saturday, October 23, shows at 7:00 p.m. and 9
p.m. Tickets, $15 general admission, $12 for groups of five or more, $10
for seniors and students, $5 Montgomery College faculty and students.
Call 301-588-4475 for tickets, or purchase online at http://www.classactsarts.org.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — HELP WANTED
Zapper challenged would-be TV viewer needs help from someone savvy to
get the shooters working simply and well, to make DVD and VHS equipment
function, and to make Tivo work. Starpower complicates things further
for me. Will pay $20/hour up to $80 cap. I’ll need three character
references. Please reply off list to deborah.fort@starpower.net.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — VOLUNTEERS AND INTERNS
Volunteers Needed for 2004 Takoma Park
Alternative Gift Fair
Sara Yamaka, sey3@georgetown.edu
We need your help staffing and promoting this year’s Takoma Park
Alternative Gift Fair. Last year, we raised almost $20,000 for local,
national, and international nonprofits. Please help us provide support
to these worthy causes once again. Alternative gift fairs allow holiday
shoppers to honor family and friends with donations to nonprofits that
make a positive difference in the world.
The Fair will be held from 12 noon-4 p.m. on Saturday, December 4, at
the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church. If you are interested in helping
out, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Karen Schultz at karenmarieschultz@yahoo.com.
If you would like more information on the fair, see http://www.idealist.org/orgs/91370:182.
###############
Documentary Interns and Volunteers
Tolu Tolu, Tolu2books@aol.com
I am doing a documentary on “The Pimping by Probate Courts
Nationwide.” Great opportunity for internships and volunteers to get
hands on experiences. We have a national probate court crime, which is
that probate courts nationally are pimping both living and dead
citizens. Probate court officers are holding citizens as "ward
hostages" to loot their estates. How much longer is it going to
take before each jurisdiction both stops this irreversible crime and
criminally indicts these greedy, ruthless dogs — starting first with
the judges who lead this abusive and criminal activity against many
thousands of families.
I would like to hear your story of abuse; theft; collusion among
nursing homes, social workers, and attorneys, probate judges, guardians
and any other group or institution to benefit their coffers on your
back. Please let others know of this documentary to share their probate
court’s abuse stories. Also post your probate court stories at http://www.voy.com/136871/.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — PETS
Boston Terrier Mix Needs Home
Mary Rowse, MERowse@aol.com
Precious is a five-year old spayed Black and White Boston Terrier mix
looking for a temporary or a permanent home because her owner is
terminally ill in the hospital. Precious is forty pounds and a very
sweet, loving girl — full of life — but currently living alone in
the family home. Someone comes in on a daily basis to care for her, but
she’s lonely. If you can provide a temporary or a permanent home for
her, please let me know. I’d be happy to E-mail photos of her. She’s
living with a cat (who also needs a home) and is said to be good with
other dogs.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
Has anyone ever had the glass replaced in an iPaq? Would you please
recommend someone? I’m currently considering iPaqRepair.com and
PDASmart.com. Has anyone used their services?
###############
themail@dcwatch is an E-mail discussion forum that is published every
Wednesday and Sunday. To subscribe, to change E-mail addresses, or to
switch between HTML and plain text versions of themail, use the
subscription form at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail/subscribe.htm.
To unsubscribe, send an E-mail message to themail@dcwatch.com
with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. Archives of past messages
are available at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail.
All postings should also be submitted to themail@dcwatch.com,
and should be about life, government, or politics in the District of
Columbia in one way or another. All postings must be signed in order to
be printed, and messages should be reasonably short — one or two brief
paragraphs would be ideal — so that as many messages as possible can
be put into each mailing.
