Sock Puppet

Dear Real People:

Please ignore the message in the last issue of themail from “Joe DeLuth.” “Joe DeLuth” is what is known in blogger slang as a “sock puppet,” a false identity used to simulate support for or opposition to a person or position. I have matched the address of the computer from which it was sent to another poster, and have determined that it was a spoof or prank E-mail, designed merely to provoke controversy.

As you know, themail is an open forum, and I don’t normally try to check or confirm a poster’s identity. Luckily, over the years there have been few attempts at gaming themail with fake E-mails, and even fewer fakes have actually been published. I’m embarrassed when it happens, and I’ll be a little more vigilant in the future.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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Home Is Where the Tax Break Is
Mark Eckenwiler, themale at ingot dot org

A puzzle I hope my fellow themail readers can solve: how is it that the common owner of 1334 G Street, NE (square 1027/lot 44), 1336 G Street, NE (1027/43), 229 E Street, NE (755/815), and 740 5th Street, NE (809/32) claims the homestead deduction on all of these properties? Personally, I find it nigh impossible to be in two places at once; having a primary residence in four places simultaneously is well beyond this mere mortal’s ability.

A further puzzle: How is it that the Office of Tax and Revenue fails to notice this sort of thing?

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Ward 5 Flawed Election
Anne Anderson, mobileanne@earthlink.net

On October 13, Philip Blair filed a complaint with the Board of Elections and Ethics about the Statehood Green Party primary election in Ward 5. Somehow 139 people signed in to vote in the DC SGP primary in Ward 5, but the reported turnout is 90, and the most votes cast in any one race is 89. What happened to the other fifty people who came in to vote?

I consider this a very serious matter concerning our voting system. With this many votes not recorded, how can we tell who won in the one race that had two candidates vying for the nomination? I cannot figure out how these discrepancies have happened without doubting the reliability of the election process right here in Ward 5, and perhaps across the city.

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DC Inspection Fee
Clyde Howard, ceohoward@hotmail.com

Have you as a driver ever stop to figure out the way the DC Department of Motor Vehicles determines your inspection fee? When you opt to renew your registration for two years you are charged a one-time inspection fee of $26, but if you elect to renew for successive one-year renewals you are charged $26 for each year of renewal. So how do you figure? Should you be charged $52 if you elected to renew for two years? Is the discounted fee some form of enticement to get you to sign up for a two-year renewal, or are you being punished because you have elected to renew for only one year at a time? There is something wrong with that picture.

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Upgrade for DC High School Athletic Facilities
Christopher Jerry, cjerrydc@gmail.com

In the last edition of themail [themail, October 15], there was a discussion about mixed use for schools and libraries. How about extending that to sports? This morning I read where DCPS Superintendent Clifford Janey intends to spend $10 million to upgrade high school athletic facilities at five DC public schools. My guess is this would mostly go to build up football support issues such as weight facilities and decaying stadiums, as those specific areas have gotten most of the bad press lately — consequently the newfound attention from DCPS officials.

I’m not sure what that amount of money would do spread over five high schools, but, before they proceed, perhaps Mr. Janey should look south about 180 miles to the neighboring cities of Newport News and Hampton, Virginia. There, the four high schools in Hampton and five in Newport News all play their varsity games at stadiums built for regional use and not at a specific high school. Hampton schools play at 7,500-seat Darling Stadium, while 10,000-seat Todd Stadium serves as the home field for the Newport News schools. Basically, what the school districts there decided was to place their monies into one bigger stadium and have the cities be responsible for upkeeping one facility, as opposed to having to keep up maintenance on nine high school stadiums across their region.

This plan has been successful, as Darling and Todd Stadiums host high school games on Thursday and Friday nights, and two games can be played on Saturday afternoon and night if needed. Also, these stadiums are used for regional and state soccer and track and field championships. It has also resulted in higher attendances, because instead of five or six games going on at the same time Friday night, there are only two, one in each city. This has increased the number of fans that can go to games, and also reduced the number of police and safety related personnel needed for games on those days. Given DC’s open enrollment, where students don’t necessarily go to school in their neighborhoods, and with some downsizing of schools on the horizon, maybe DC should consider using a plan such as this with the new money allocated for high school athletic facilities.

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Article on DC’s Adoption of Everyday Mathematics
Barry Garelick, barryg99@yahoo.com

As many of you know, the DCPS Board adopted Everyday Math for DC schools on June 15, 2005, at a rather one-sided meeting. I wrote an article about this adoption. It has been posted at the Nonpartisan Education Review, and can be accessed at http://npe.educationnews.org/Review/Essays/v2n6.htm 

I solicited comments from parents through themail, and I thank those of you who responded; it greatly helped in the writing of this article. If you know of people who have kids who may be affected by Everyday Math, please direct them to this article.

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Kathy Sinzinger
Ron Linton, rmlch@rcn.com

I certainly want to add my voice to Eric Marshal’s comments on Kathy Sinzinger [themail, October 15]. Nothing is more difficult in our business climate than trying to sustain the small enterprise as a business. Let the record show that as professional journalism it was superb. Losing such a good voice is like losing a friend.

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Demise of The Common Denominator
Mary Vogel, maryvogel@yahoo.com

I read the news of the demise of The Common Denominator and your own personal struggle, Kathy, with great sadness. When I first returned to DC (my hometown) from the Pacific Northwest six years ago, the Common Denominator was one of the things that gave me my sense of community here. I loved its grassroots flavor and its progressive analysis of issues. As a planner, it helped me keep in touch with the needs of the entire city, not just the cases I was assigned and the NIMBY attitudes I often encountered. It will be sorely missed!

I was an early subscriber, but as my own life became more destabilized by the investor greed and the government and private sector policies that created the housing bubble — leading to my frequent displacement — I let my subscription lapse in favor of picking it up at a box when I saw a new issue. If it is any comfort, I can see many parallels in our lives over the last few years that I won’t go into here. But I will say that the twisted shibboleth “no good deed goes unpunished” in this town seems to ring true in both our experience.

I want you to know that you are one of my heroes, Kathy Sinzinger! Thanks so much for all your good work on our behalf. I hope that those who are able will rally behind you financially. And I hope that you will come back even stronger than before.

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October 2006 InTowner
Peter Wolff, intowner@intowner.com

This is to advise that the October 2006 on-line edition has been uploaded and may be accessed at http://www.intowner.com. Included are the lead stories, community news items and crime reports, editorials (including prior months’ archived), restaurant reviews (prior months’ also archived), and the text from the ever-popular “Scenes from the Past” feature. Also included are all current classified ads. Special Note: due to a temporary problem involving a minor defect within our web site publishing program, the link on our home page for the October lead stories still indicates September; however, when the link is clicked to bring up the list, it will in fact correctly list the October lead stories. Also, there is at this time a problem that is interfering with our ability to upload the October editorial, and until that is fixed the PDF version may be read in the Current and Back Issues Archive.

The complete issue (along with prior issues back to December 2002) also is available in PDF file format directly from our home page at no charge simply by clicking the link provided. Here you will be able to view the entire issue as it appears in print, including all photos and advertisements. The next issue will publish on November 10 (the second Friday of the month, as always). The complete PDF version will be posted by the preceding night or early that Friday morning at the latest, following which the text of the lead stories, community news, and selected features will be uploaded shortly thereafter.

To read this month’s lead stories, simply click the link on the home page to the following headlines: 1) “Opposition to Trio Owner’s Application to Serve Mixed Drinks on Existing Q Street Patio Not Sustained by ABC Board Action”; 2) “Contemporary Addition Approved by HPRB for Dupont Circle’s Historic Blaine Mansion”; 3) “Studio Theater Apprentices Will be Corcoran Street Neighbors — Will Occupy Renovated Six-Unit Building Starting in Fall, 2006”; 4) “Mt. Pleasant Bestway Market Controversy Over Dumpster Enclosure and Other Trash Arrangements Continues Despite HPRB Approval.”

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

Talk: Keeping Your Identity Safe and Secure, October 21
Barbara Conn, bconn@cpcug.org

When you purchase desktops, laptops, and other IT hardware, you consider availability and price. Do you factor in what’s needed to keep that new equipment protected from hackers and identity thieves? Do you have a disaster recovery plan? In a nutshell, do you know how to keep your equipment healthy in a broadband environment?

This presentation is for computer users at home offices and small businesses who want to keep their IT secure. Topics to be discussed include 1) security against identity theft, 2) hardware standards for security, and 3) disaster planning and data backup/recovery. The presenters are Chad Laibly and Matt Zeppa, who are prepared to answer your questions.

Gather your friends and colleagues, and bring them to this Saturday, October 21, 1:00 p.m. (check-in at 12:45 p.m.), gathering of the Capital PC User Group (CPCUG) Entrepreneurs and Consultants Special Interest Group (E&C SIG). These Saturday afternoon events are free and open to all. This month’s event is at the Cleveland Park Library (First Floor Large Meeting Room) at 3310 Connecticut Avenue, NW, just over a block from the Cleveland Park Metrorail Station on the Red Line. For more information about the presentation, the speakers, CPCUG (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization), and to register for the event, visit http://www.cpcug.org/user/entrepreneur/1006meet.html.

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School Board Debate Location Change, October 23
Jan Eichhorn, ward6dems@aol.com

The Monday, Oct. 23, forum for District III (Wards 5 and 6) school board candidates is being moved from Gallaudet University’s Kellogg Center to McKinley Technical High School at 151 T Street, NE, one block east of North Capitol Street. The forum is co-hosted by the Ward 5 and the Ward 6 Democrats. The event will begin at 7:45 p.m. in Room 150, next to the principal’s office. McKinley has a large, well-lit parking lot.

Originally the forum was to be held on Gallaudet’s Campus on Florida Avenue which is the border between Wards 5 and 6. However, events at that site have led us to change the location. McKinley Tech is a little further away for Ward 6 residents, but for those of you who haven’t been there, it’s an opportunity to see DC’s new, state-of-the-art technical high school.

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DC Public Library Events, October 23, 24, 26-28
India Young, india.young@dc.gov

Monday, October 23, 7:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Second Floor West Lobby. All the World’s a Stage Book Club. Different countries, times and lives. Each book is an adventure. Discuss selected Biographies of Genghis Khan. Next month’s selection: Washington’s Spies by Alexander Rose. Young adults - Adults. For more information, call 727-1161.

Tuesday, October 24, 2:00 p.m., Woodridge Neighborhood Library, 1801 Hamlin Street, NE. Bring your favorite book to share with others! Participants in the Adult Summer Reading program will discuss books they read. For more information, call 541-6194. Adults.

Tuesday-Saturday, October 26-28, Thirty-third Annual Conference on Washington, DC, Historical Studies. A three-day conference of lectures, panel discussions, and historical cemetery tours.

Thursday, October 26, at 6 p.m., Letitia Woods Brown Memorial Lecture and Reception. Guest speaker: Lonnie Bunch, founding director of the Smithsonian Museum of African-American History and Culture. Location: Historical Society of Washington DC Theater, 801 K Street, NW.

Friday, October 27-Saturday, October 28, 9:00 a.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library. Theme-related lecture sessions, a lunchtime history network of local DC historic organizations, and a cemetery tour. Co-sponsored by the Washingtoniana Division of the DC Public Library, the Historical Society of Washington DC and the George Washington University Center for Washington Area Studies, with support from the Humanities Council of Washington DC. Adults. For more information, call 727-1213.

Thursday, October 26, 12:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Second Floor East Lobby. Author Vikki Stark will discuss her book on sibling rivalry, My Sister, My Self. Copies of the book will be for sale after the program. For more information, call 727-1261. Adults.

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H.D. Cooke Elementary Rally Date Changed, October 24
Nancy Shia, nancy@upcloseandpolitical.com

Because of heavy rain, the October 17 H.D. Cooke rally has been postponed to Tuesday, October 24. Parents, community members, and students will rally to demand that DC Public Schools end their ongoing neglect of DC schoolchildren and begin the renovation of H.D. Cooke immediately. Two and a half years with no work on the school is too long. Tuesday, October 24, 6:00 p.m., on the front lawn of H.D. Cooke Elementary School, 2525 17th Street, NW. 6:00 p.m., rally and short statements from former and current students , teachers, and parents; 6:30 p.m., busses arrive with students from the aftercare program from Cooke’s "swing space"; 6:40 p.m., a press conference featuring parent leaders, student orators, a representative from the DC Public Schools, a representative from Councilmember Jim Graham’s office, and other community leaders; 7:15 p.m., statements of support from DC candidates in November election. Spanish and English translations provided throughout.

Since September 2004, the students of H.D. Cooke Elementary School have been bused from the front of their school to a “swing space,” an alternative school near Howard University. Cooke was originally supposed to be renovated, with students returning within three years. However, two and a half years later, DCPS has not even begun the renovation. Bussing the students costs $1 million dollars each year, in addition to nearly an hour a day for each child bused.

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Parks and Recreation Speak Out, October 26
Robert King, dprcommunications@yahoo.com

The Department of Parks and Recreation will hold a Townhall Speak out to give stakeholders an opportunity to ask questions, give comments, and make suggestions about parks and recreation activities and services in your neighborhood. Thursday, October 26, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Parkview Recreation Center, 693 Otis Place, NW.

For more information about the Townhall Speak Out, please contact Robert King, Special Assistant for Community Affairs, at 673-7645.

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National Building Museum Events, October 26-27
Lauren Searl, lsearl@nbm.org

Thursday, October 26, 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Building in the Aftermath: Disaster and Displacement: Housing and Community Post-Katrina, Rita. The National Building Museum together with the American Planning Association and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, presents a morning symposium exploring housing and community issues related to the short and long-term displacement of recent Hurricane survivors. Panelists will discuss the challenges involved with survivor displacement, and the role of local planners and housing organizations in addressing challenges and rebuilding communities in Katrina and Rita affected areas. $15 Museum and AIA, ASLA, and APA members; $22 nonmembers; $12 students. Prepaid registration required. Walk-in registration based on availability. Building in the Aftermath is sponsored by Lafarge North America, the American Planning Association, and the American Society of Landscape Architects.

October 27, 6:30-8:00 p.m. 2006 Pritzker Prize winner Paulo Mendes da Rocha will make an exclusive public appearance at the Museum, presenting work like his Forma Store (where his design transforms a window into a "billboard") and the Brazilian Museum of Sculpture, both in Sao Paulo, and his current master plan for the Technological City, part of the University of Vigo in Galecia, Spain. Upon announcing da Rocha as the Prize winner, the Pritzker jury noted, “. . . he builds with exceptional economy to achieve an architecture of profound social engagement, an architecture that transcends the limits of construction to dazzle with poetic rigor and imagination.” $12 Museum members; $20 nonmembers, $10 students. Prepaid registration required. Walk-in registration based on availability. Both events at the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW, Judiciary Square stop, Metro Red Line. Register for events at http://www.nbm.org.

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Children’s Book Authors, October 28
Beth Meyer, Librarian, Cleveland Park Branch, lmeyer8090@aol.com

The Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library invites you to attend an afternoon with children’s book authors on Saturday, October 28, at 2 p.m. Mary Quattlebaum will read from Sparks Fly High: The Legend of Dancing Point and Erica S. Perl will read from Ninety-Three in My Family. The program will be followed by a book signing and sale. Free and open to the public; no reservations required. Address: 3310 Connecticut Avenue, NW. For more information, call 282-3073.

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Kidsave Weekend Miracles Carve and Bowl, October 29
Susan Punnett, susan@kidsave.org

Please join us for the Kidsave Weekend Miracles Second Annual Carve and Bowl, Sunday, October 29, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Howard University Blackburn Center. Join us for a fun-filled afternoon of bowling and a pumpkin carving contest! Learn how you can make a difference in a child’s life through Weekend Miracles, a new program dedicated to helping older children in DC foster care find permanent, loving homes. For more information, please call 237-7283 or E-mail weekendmiracles@kidsave.org.

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Ghoul at Ross School, October 31
Dawn Dickerson, ddd668@aol.com

Come to the Ghoul at Ross School, a family-friendly Halloween Event, on Tuesday, October 31, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Tour our Haunted School and enjoy food, entertainment, and Halloween fun for the entire family! Ross Schools is at 1730 R Street, NW. Admission, $10 (admits a family of four).

Can’t attend? Send a donation of candy or decorations. Please contact Dawn Dickerson at ddd668@aol.com to arrange for the pick-up of donated items.

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Fall Retreat Day for Women, November 4
Connie Ridgway, Connie at FullCircleCreativeHealing dot com

“Finding Your Voice,” a Fall Retreat Day for Women, will be held on Saturday, November 4, 9:15 a.m.-4 p.m. I will be co-leading this day-long retreat, held in the Potomac Overlook Park in Arlington, Virginia. Please join us for a day of reflection, singing, chanting, journalling, walking in nature, and telling our stories. Please contact my web site, www.FullCircleCreativeHealing.com for more information or to download a registration form.

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