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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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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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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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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