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October 29, 2006

Horror

Dear Halloween Fans:

Isn’t this a wonderful time of the year? When people of a certain generation (mine) were growing up, at least one television station in any large city had a weekly broadcast of horror movies, usually on Friday or Saturday night at midnight. It could be called Creature Feature, Chiller Theater, Shock, Monster Movies, or Sci-Fi Theater, and it often had a costumed ghoulish host. In Washington, Channel 20 had series hosted by both The Great Zucchini and Count Gore De Vol (http://www.countgore.com). These series showed every black-and-white horror and science fiction movie ever made, from the shlocky low-budget ones that featured tiny animals made gigantic by atomic radiation (remember The Killer Shrews) to the great Universal monster series of the thirties — Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolfman, the Mummy. It was the source of all our best nightmares. Since those late-night series have been canceled, the only time of the year that we can see these movies is mid to late October, when cable movie stations have pre-Halloween festivals of classic good and bad horror movies.

Both the good and bad horror movies from the thirties through the fifties had something that was lost in the sixties and the seventies: atmosphere. Of course, atmosphere is often just another word for fog, but the great movies created horror through gothic sets and eerie lighting and suspense. I never outgrew my fondness for them, but I never could become fond of the horror movies that replaced them, the slice and dice movies that derived their horror from the detailed graphic mutilation and slaughter of hapless teenagers, the Texas Chainsaw Massacres, Nightmares on Elm Street, Friday the 13ths, and their countless imitators. The early horror movies dared you to look away from the screen; the gorefests that replaced them dared you to look at the screen. The early movies tried to scare the audience, and the ultimate applause was the audience’s scream. The later movies tried to gross out the audience, and the ultimate applause was the audience’s involuntary gag reflex.

Ridley Scott, who directed the original Alien movie, once described how to shock a movie audience. The method, he said, was to put the heroine and the monster in the same space, and to have the audience know that the monster was there somewhere, so that suspense could build up. Then have the heroine walk down a long, dark corridor, where the monster could jump out at her at any time. Prolong her walk, so the suspense builds up. Figure out the exact time when the tension would be at its height, so the monster’s appearance would have the maximum effect. Then have the monster jump out a few seconds before that, when nobody is expecting it.

That brings me to the November general election, which will be here before you expect it. Who will you be voting for, Frankenstein’s monster or Dracula, the Wolfman or the Mummy, Freddie or Jason? Can anybody be trusted to protect us and not turn on us? Will they protect our city’s assets or loot them to benefit their friends? Will they protect MLK Library and the branch libraries, the schools and their students, the health care system and its patients, and our neighborhoods, or will they answer to other masters? As we walk down this dark corridor, what’s around the next turn? Are you dreaming or having nightmares?

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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Lost Votes Mystery in Ward 5
Anne Anderson, mobileanne@earthlink.net

The Board of Elections and Ethics, discussing Phil Blair’s complaint on the DC Statehood-Green Party primary voting irregularities, has been quoted in the Examiner (http://www.examiner.com/a-361343~Mystery_in_Green_party_votes_solved.html) as saying that DC Statehood Green voters were probably handed Democrat ballots, explaining where the fifty or so missing votes might be found. While the number of voters involved will probably not make a difference in most races in the Democratic Party, it certainly could have made a difference in the DCSGP primary, where the difference between the candidates was seven votes. Furthermore, in a closed primary system, it is illegal for voters from another party to vote in the Democratic primary.

Several elections ago, I had to argue with the poll workers when they tried to insist that the Democrat ballot was all they had. I had to sit in the polls while they called downtown to check about the DCSGP having a primary, and then finally found our ballots in the back room. I wrote a letter about the lack of training to the BOEE back then, and have not personally had a problem since then. But, if what the BOEE says is true, then that problem is still with us and must be fixed.

Phil Blair has filed another letter that quotes the regulations for accounting for the ballots in each precinct and asking for the records of that accounting. If this accounting has been properly done before certification of the elections, we should be able to tell very quickly what happened to all the ballots and in which primary voters voted. There should be a total number of ballots of all types (regular, provisional) that were voted or spoiled, that add up to the number of people who came into vote in each primary — DC Statehood Green, Democrat, or Republican, and the cards that people signed, which are color coded by party, should match the number of ballots distributed. I really hope we get full confirmation that the BOEE is training poll workers correctly for the upcoming election, that the correct procedures for accounting of ballots have been followed in the primaries and will be used in the general election, and that the BOEE demonstrates that it takes equal care for all voters in the city, no matter their party affiliation. Right now I am not feeling too confident about these issues.

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Voters Elected Fenty for His Constituent Record, Not His Political Staff
Mary C. Williams, mslaw1121@aol.com

I don’t understand all of the brouhaha over Fenty’s firing of political campaign aide Alec Evans. Given the spin that some reporters have put on this story, some might believe for half a second that Evans was this critical political machine solely responsible for Fenty’s win in September. While he may have contributed something over the past year, his presence was not the reason that residents turned out in historical numbers to cast their votes for Fenty. I speak as an early Fenty supporter, who recognized that Fenty was a leader who had skills and energy to effect change in a terribly dysfunctional government.

The bonus is that he is a marathon runner. As it turns out, our next mayor really needs to have not only brains but enormous endurance. The race to improve the quality of life in this city and the beleaguered school system is not going to be a sprint or a walk in the park. It will be a grueling test of wills and physical endurance, a miles-long haul without an end in sight, with meetings after meetings, 24/7. So if those who signed on to help on the job can’t keep up with the leader at this early juncture in the race, when it involves just knocking on doors and greeting people to ask for their vote, I think that it not only is a wise move but necessary that Fenty cut him loose and find a replacement. We need dedicated and committed people to serve. Meanwhile, we have a race to win. Few, if any, voters went to the polls in September to vote for Alec Evans. We need to stay focused on the upcoming goal. So go out on November 7 and vote for the Marathon Mayor. Run, Fenty, Run.

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Unpleasant and Overpriced Verizon Center
Gabe Goldberg, gabe at gabegold dot com

Having led a relatively sheltered life, I recently attended an event at the Verizon Center for the first time in a very long time. My wife likes horses and riding so we went to see the Friday horse show. Buying the ticket a couple weeks ago at the Verizon Center box office was unpleasant; the clerk was gratuitously nasty through the process. Then she insisted on seeing a drivers license for me to use my credit card. I use the card several times a week and nobody asks for identification, and I think doing that is prohibited by Visa/MC contracts. The ticket cost included a $1 “service charge” — at the event’s own box office. That’s like Giant’s charging a “cash register” fee to buy groceries!

The worst part was the night of the performance. Before the show, we ate at a very nice and pricey nearby restaurant and had our leftover food in a container. We (or, more accurately, the leftovers) were refused admission. The nice just-following-orders door clerk said we could either eat the food outside or dump it. So we pitched half of an expensive meal to enter the Verizon sanctuary. I guess Verizon is afraid that someone bringing in food might be able to resist their overpriced beer, fries, and whatever else they peddle. But being in the middle of an increasingly upscale neighborhood and surrounded by restaurants, why annoy patrons with the ridiculous no-leftovers-admitted policy? The back of the ticket reads like a bad software license — the customer assumes all risks and has no rights. But nowhere is mentioned "can’t bring in leftovers." It will be a long time before I set foot there again.

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DC Speed Trap
Gabe Goldberg, gabe at gabegold dot com

A couple days ago I was cited for doing 53 mph westbound in the E Street tunnel, posted as 30 mph. The one-way tunnel serves as a long approach ramp to the I66 bridge to Virginia. Anyone actually driving 30 mph would endanger himself and others; traffic moves at 50 or better since the tunnel is a highway. At 53 I was simply keeping up with traffic, not passing anyone and certainly not driving recklessly. So I’m inclined to fight the ticket on the basis that the posted speed limit is unreasonable and unsafe. Many interesting web sites offer information on dealing with traffic tickets. Any DC-specific suggestions would be helpful and appreciated.

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Why Is Everyone So Interested in DCPS All of a Sudden?
Gina Arlotto, Save Our Schools, citymom@dcaccess.net

In the last issue of themail [October 25], Gary hit the nail on the head. It is very apparent to many parents of children in DCPS that the driving factor behind so many people wanting to get involved in school issues is the very fact that DCPS controls many extremely valuable pieces of property. Add to that the nearly $3 billion in modernization funds and you have a dangerous mix. All one has to do is to look at where the money pouring into our school board races is coming. Developers, private contractors, private foundations, and charter school operators are all writing checks as fast as they can to one of our Board President candidates, and belatedly to Fenty’s campaign, now that Cropp is out.

DCPS is in crisis, but the parents and teachers I talk to all over the city feel a bit of optimism for the future. Janey has moved quickly and decisively issuing an MEP and a MFP that, while still needing some tweaking, show hopeful, positive visions that are, at least, much more than we’ve ever gotten in the last ten years. Janey also has rightfully called for a moratorium on charter schools to give DCPS time to plan and organize for the modernizations. Unfortunately, in the midst of all this optimism, we have charter school leaders stating that: “DCPS is dead. Now is the time to bury it,” and that with mayoral control we could put “wasted classroom space . . . into an independent real estate trust -- attracting private investment. . . .” (T.R. Ahlstrom, headmaster of Washington Latin charter school, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701326.html)

A mayoral takeover will only throw DCPS into more chaos and uncertainty, right at a time when the system is showing signs of being on the right track. Save Our Schools, an organization I co-founded to advocate for a quality DCPS and to support our neighborhood public schools, is backing a write-in campaign for mayor to show our opposition to any plan that would take the control of our schools away from our elected school board. If you want to register a protest vote, please write in Julius Hobson (1922-1977), DC’s own civil rights activist and former elected member of our school board, for mayor. With Fenty talking to big city mayors all over the country and touting his plan to take over the schools, before he is even elected, we felt the need to act quickly. We need a mayor who will support our Superintendent, not displace him. Our children deserve continuity and stability, not uncertainty and chaos, all because some very wealthy people have decided they want a piece of the action.

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Board of Education Races
Ann Loikow, Cleveland Park, a loikow at verizon dot net

I strongly agree with Gary [themail, October 25] that the sleeper issue in these elections is who is going to control all the public land and facilities owned by the school system. I support the election of Timothy Jenkins, as he appears to be the one candidate with real experience in education at a number of levels and as one who is not primarily concerned about using our schools as development opportunities.

This issue has come up recently in a number of different forums. As I said on June 15 for the Federation of Citizens Associations of the District of Columbia before the council’s Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation regarding the fate of our central library: “The Federation and its members do not want government officials to look at public lands and facilities as possible cash cows to be sold to some favored private developer. Land is scarce in the District and over time will only become more so. Washington, D.C. is planned city and part of that planning was to acquire, whether through purchase or from the Federal Government, land for schools, libraries, parks, streets and other government facilities that is located at convenient places throughout the city. Over the years we have also made major investments in developing this property. We urge the Council to be very, very cautious in disposing of public property for once we get rid of it, it is very unlikely we will ever have the funds to be able to acquire it again.”

District voters need to keep this in mind when they vote in the school board elections on November 7.

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Education, Not Real Estate
Ron Linton, rmlch@rcn.com

In all the conversations I have had with Adrian Fenty and all the discussions I’ve participated in or listened to in the Fenty team, I’ve never heard anything about gaining control of real estate. I believe that Adrian Fenty sincerely intends to force the improvement of public school education.

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Board of Education Versus New Mayor
Jonathan R. Rees, jrrees2006@verizon.net

I believe that there will be an ugly tug of war between the Board of Education and our next mayor, most likely Adrian Fenty. I believe that the Board of Education will resist vehemently a takeover, will argue that a mayoral takeover is not needed, and that the plan presented for a takeover is flawed. They will rely on recent reports by the New York Times that say that mayoral takeover of schools nationwide have not proven to be a success anywhere, and that even NY state is talking about seizing control of the NYC schools back from Mayor Bloomberg.

I believe that Adrian Fenty, when all is said and done, will be a bigger failure as mayor than Sharon Pratt Kelly was. His early-on fights with the council and others will water down his efforts to take over our schools by members on the council. Vincent Gray, who so much wants to be our next mayor; Kwame Brown, etc., will not want to see Fenty succeed. Special interest groups who do not like Fenty will jump in to help trip him, and he will not get the respect he wants from outside DC to make certain things happen.

I believe Fenty will fail in his efforts to make our schools better, that two years from now we will all regret having voted for him, and that Vincent Gray and Jack Evans will come up with plans to better our schools without a mayoral and/or council takeover.

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Mixed Up Libraries
Pleasant Mann, pleasant@chesapeake.net

This is a late addition to the discussion on public mixed-use buildings started by Richard Layman in the October 11 edition of themail. In his submissions, Mr. Layman has expressed unbridled enthusiasm for the current effort to build new, mixed-use libraries in the District with private sector functions as part of the package. While I am all for maximizing the use of our public buildings, there are some problems with the current approach. First of all, there is the troubled history of mixed use in the District. In my neighborhood, the new Shaw Junior High School was built with a pool in the basement and an adjacent park so that it could also serve as a recreational center. Unfortunately, the pool and eventually the entire park were abandoned by the Recreation Department. Whatever the cause for this sad state of affairs, the department does a decent job of managing its new single-use facility at the Kennedy Playground a few blocks away, I would not push for more mixed-use public buildings in the District until there was an explicit and coherent policy behind the effort.

A second problem that I have with the current drive for mixed-use is its emphasis on our libraries. If you look around the District, there are police headquarters, fire stations (check out Engine Company 3 on 13th Street, NW), recreation centers, and schools that are sitting on valuable sites. However, the library system is the only District agency called upon to leverage real estate in order to finance its capital needs. While the Mayor’s Library Taskforce stressed the need for more mixed-use buildings, there were only two examples available. The fact that the mixed-use library projects in Salt Lake City and Vancouver were both done to address a particular problem (revitalizing run-down sections of downtown) and even share the same architect (Moshe Safdie) suggests that mixed-use may not turn out to be a major trend in library design.

We may have a particularly unattractive example of mixed-use advocacy in the District’s proposal for a new central library. Proponents want to build a new (smaller) central library on the old Convention Center site, name it for Martin Luther King, Jr., but include high-end retail as part of the project. How would we respond if ads of questionable taste (“Have Your Dream: All Prada reduced during the month of January!”) started to appear on the side of our new memorial to Dr. King?

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Florida Market
Richard Layman, rlaymandc@yahoo.com

While I think that Kathy Henderson is the greatest (had I lived in Ward 5 I likely would have voted for her), I respectfully disagree with her interpretation of my statement (which Gary Imhoff reprinted [themail, October 25]) about the relative lack of sophistication of ANCs in the matters that come before them, especially with regard to the Florida Market issue. My written testimony on the Florida Market is here: http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2006/10/testimony-on-florida-market-new-towns.html.

First, despite my various writings, I am not necessarily against the exercise of eminent domain authority, or even city-provided funding and incentives. However, I do think that the exercise or provision of such should always be performed with great care, and not to the benefit of particularly well connected people at the expense of the less well connected. Second, I find it appalling that the equivalent of private bills favoring a particular group can be entered as proposed legislation before city council without requiring a public tendered request for proposals that is open and transparent, with stated criteria for evaluation; an independent analysis of alternatives; and an independent economic analysis of the claims made within such a bill.

There is something seriously wrong with how the DC government conducts business, given the frequency of how often this occurs. The lack of sophistication goes far beyond ANCs, although at the higher levels I believe the failure to create regularized and transparent processes and procedures is deliberate -- it allows for the creation of a habitat (a.k.a., “cesspool”) where it is far easier to make deals and satisfy special interests.

Third, in my testimony I quote from a Boston Globe op-ed about ways to provide open evaluation of eminent domain proposals. The provisions offered are extendable to the evaluation of proposed private-public partnerships such as that laid out in the New Towns proposal. The authors suggest: requiring, as Justice Anthony M. Kennedy suggested in his Kelo concurrence, that any exercise of eminent domain for economic development have a primarily public purpose rather than a merely incidental one. Requiring the government to demonstrate the public benefit through a full-scale financial analysis that could be challenged in court. Requiring that eminent domain not be used for a solely fiscal purpose and that it instead must be part of a comprehensive land use plan. Requiring that the affected neighborhood have adequate participation in the planning process, a right that would be backed up by state-provided technical assistance upon the neighborhood’s request.

Finally, concern about the New Towns proposal should not be geographically bounded. For one, the area abuts Ward 6, and Ward 6 residents live closer to the Market compared to neighborhoods located in Ward 5. Probably more of Ward 6 is closer and more Ward 6 residents than Ward 5 residents live close to the market -- especially compared to all the people bused to the hearing from Fort Lincoln. Yet the two abutting Ward 6 ANCs (one has a boundary one block away), have not been consulted about this matter.

Of course, it is troubling that the Ward 5 ANCs heard and acted on only the one side that was presented to them, by the New Towns proponents. The ANCs did not seek out, hear, and consider alternative perspectives. It is likely that the ANCs did not evaluate the claims that were proffered. Plus, the ANCs seem to be relatively unconcerned about the sidetracking of the original and innovative revitalization strategy suggested by the Office of Planning (which has been ordered to shut up by higher ups in the Executive Branch). This is the source of my statement that ANCs can be relatively unsophisticated when considering such matters.

In any case, the Florida Market should matter to us because we live in the District of Columbia, not because of the particular Ward we live in. Furthermore, exercise of eminent domain authority and the provision of government subsidies should be a matter of interest to all District residents, regardless of where we live or the location of the particular site where government power is being exercised and/or subsidies provided.

What I call the too often “tyranny of neighborhood parochialism” has got to stop. It serves the city — and neighborhoods — poorly. And it starts with ANCs.

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Navy Blue
Bill Coe, bceedeec@aol.com

Regarding Paul Williams’s inquiry in themail [October 25] about blue water flowing through the fountain at the Navy Memorial, I recall seeing an explanation for it in one of John Kelly’s columns for the Post. Exact details escape me, but the coloration is tied to some sort of water treatment. I first noticed it last summer and figured it was supposed to evoke colors seen by sailors on the deep. (The water at that time seemed to me more green than blue.) Not true. It’s purely maintenance, according to Kelly.

This might be analogous to what was done years ago at the long reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. That body of water had become choked with algae and was rather fetid. The Park Service added a dark inky tint that deprived the invasive plants of light. At a distance, the water’s surface appeared black, which made it a fine element in photographs of that area. The algae retreated, other more agreeable things began to grow in the water, and the pool eventually attracted wild ducks. I doubt the Navy is going for wildlife at its memorial, but there must be something in the water that is not good for their fountain.

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Algae? [Hiss!]
Mark Eckenwiler, themale at ingot dot org

In the last issue, Paul Williams asked why the Navy Memorial fountain water is unnaturally blue lately. For once, I can attest that the Post is ahead of themail’s curve, in that John Kelly answered this very question over a month ago: “To deal with the ongoing algae problem, memorial officials consulted the National Park Service, which is responsible for monument maintenance. Because algae grows poorly in dark water, a nontoxic commercial dye was added to the fountains. They’ve been adding about a pound of liquid dye per week. It’s likely the chemical will be used through October, when the fountains are turned off for the winter.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/09/AR2006090900854_pf.html.

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Emergency Contacts on Drivers’ Licenses
K. Edward Shanbacker, shanbacker@msdc.org

Whether or not the Florida system is brilliant, as Joan Eisenstodt writes [themail, October 25], there is already a national system in place for emergency contacts. It is the ICE number. ICE stands for “In Case of Emergency.” It is a contact number that should be on your cell phone address book. First responders are trained to look for the ICE number in a victim’s cell phone list of contacts. Unlike the idea Ms. Eisenstodt proposes, the ICE number need not be static for the full four years of a driver’s license term, but can be changed as need be. It’s a system already in place and seems to have advantages over the idea from Florida. One could argue that doing both is optimal.

[Not everyone has a cell phone and not everyone has a driver’s license, but most adults will have one or the other, so emergency contact numbers on both would seem to be the ideal “belt and suspenders” solution. However, from Joan’s description of the Florida plan, the contact numbers are linked to the driver’s license by the licensees themselves, over the Internet. I suspect, therefore, that they can be modified at any time in the same way. — Gary Imhoff]

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

Joint Utility Discount Day, October 31
Candace McCrae, candace.mccrae@dc.gov

On Tuesday, October 31, the District Department of the Environment’s Energy Division along with their partners, the Public Service Commission, the People’s Counsel and the four D.C. utilities — PEPCO, Washington Gas, WASA, and Verizon — are hosting Joint Utility Discount Day (JUDD) at the DC Convention Center. For nearly two decades, the groups have joined forces to sponsor this event which allows low-income DC residents to apply for financial assistance with their energy bills as well as take advantage of home weatherization services and discounts offered by the four utilities. Each year, nearly 6,000 low-income DC residents participate in JUDD to learn how to maintain healthy and affordable households.

All DC residents in need are encouraged to apply at the DC Convention Center from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The address is 801 Mt. Vernon Place, NW. DDOE is currently accepting emergency applicants whose PEPCO or Washington GAS service has been disconnected or they are out of heating oil. Then, on November 20, eligible residents may apply for energy assistance and discounts. For more information or to schedule an appointment, interested persons should call DDOE’s Energy Hotline at 673-6750.

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Trick or Heat Blanket Drive, October 31
Tina Schumacher, tina.schumacher@ketchum.com

This Halloween, FedEx Special Delivery and the American Red Cross of the National Capital Area have joined forces to collect blankets for local Red Cross community partners that provide shelter and protection from the winter elements. The FedEx Special Delivery vehicle will collect donations of new, twin-size blankets near the Bed, Bath and Beyond in Chinatown from 12:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 31.

The Trick or Heat Blanket Drive is part of an American Red Cross winter preparedness program to encourage DC area residents to keep extra blankets in their cars and offices in case of a winter emergency. American Red Cross volunteers will be on site to give additional cold weather health and safety tips.

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School Board Candidates Forum Broadcasts, October 31 and following
G. Ivory, givory@dcpcsa.org

On October 25, the University of the District of Columbia hosted the DC School Board Candidates’ Forum, which was cosponsored by the DC Public Charter School Association and District of Columbia Public Schools. View it on UDC TV, Channel 98 on Comcast and Channel 19 on RCN. Broadcast times are Tuesday October 31, 8:00-11:00 p.m.; Thursday, November 2, 8:00-11:00 p.m.; Saturday, November 4, 8:00-11:00 p.m.; and Sunday, November 5, 8:00-11:00 a.m.

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National Building Museum Events, November 1, 2, 5
Lauren Searl, lsearl@nbm.org

All events except Construction Watch Tours at the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW, Judiciary Square stop, Metro Red Line. Wednesday, November 1, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Join in a discussion about the latest trends and technologies for your home. Dr. James Seferis, a member of the National Materials Advisory Board of the National Research Council, will explain how materials from the interior of jets can be used in your home. Then interior designer Sharlyn Underwood, ASID, LEED AP, will demonstrate how green design can be tangible to everyone regardless of their current knowledge on the subject. After the lecture, visit the exhibition The Green House to explore examples of cutting-edge materials in use. This program is presented in collaboration with the Koshland Science Museum. $12 Museum members, friends of KSM, and students; $20 nonmembers. Prepaid registration required. Walk-in registration based on availability. Register for events at http://www.nbm.org.

Thursday, November 2, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Building for the 21st Century: Increasing Your Home’s Value and Performance. Consumers recognize that upgrading kitchens and baths, and building new space, adds value to a home. But remodeling is also a perfect opportunity to add performance and health improvements that will lower energy bills. Darin Hughes, high performance building expert and senior vice president at Green Homes America, will describe how to incorporate smart choices into remodeling to achieve greater value, comfort, and energy cost savings. Free. Registration not required. Building for the 21st Century is sponsored by the US Department of Energy.

Sunday, November 5, 12:00-4:00 p.m., Family Program: Block Kids. Participants create their own buildings using boxes and other craft materials. For a second project and a contest, young people make a building using interlocking plastic blocks and additional materials -- the top three entrants receive awards! This program is co-presented with the Greater Washington, DC, Chapter #67 of the National Association of Women in Construction. $5 per student. For 1st - 6th graders. Registration required by October 23 at 301-272-8275 or rita.thompson@clarkconstruction.com.

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DC Public Library Events, November 1 and throughout month
India Young, india.young@dc.gov

Wednesday, November 1, 12:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, A-9. Deaf certified financial planner Louis J. Schwarz discusses economic trends in the deaf community over the years. All ages. For more information, call 727-2145.

Wednesdays, November 1-December 6, 7:00 p.m., Juanita E. Thornton/Shepherd Park Library, 7420 Georgia Avenue, NW. Shepherd Park Speaks: An Author Series of local authors from the Shepherd Park community. November 1: The Nun and the Bureaucrat: How They Found an Unlikely Cure for America’s Deadly Hospitals by Clare Crawford-Mason. November 8: Living in Babylon/D.C. Poets Against the War by Esther Iverson. December 6: Unconfirmed but Desirous: Dr. Rovenia Brock by Faith DeVeaux. Adults. For more information, call 541-6025.

November 1-30, Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Room 110. Chess League for Teens. Vaughn Bennett, an instructor at the Olympic Chess House and the CABLE Foundation, will instruct young adults in chess. The following neighborhood libraries will also host the program: Capitol View every Wednesday at 4:00 p.m.; Francis A. Gregory on Fridays at 4:00 p.m.; and Washington Highlands on Thursdays at 4:00 p.m.. Teens can participate in the Chess Challenge every Saturday at 2:30 p.m., at MLK. All participants and finalists will receive trophies and prizes. This program is made possible with a grant from the DC Public Library Foundation. All ages. Public contact: 727-5535.

Wednesdays, November 1 and 15, 11:00 a.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW-Computer Lab, Room 315. Computer Training Classes for Seniors. Are you computer savvy? Want to be? Learn your way around a personal computer and to navigate the World Wide Web. First Class-Senior PC Basics; Second Class-Senior Web. For more information and to sign up, call 727-1335.

Wednesdays, November 1, 15, 29, 6:00 p.m., Georgetown Neighborhood Library, 3260 R Street, NW. The Fruits of Silence, The Power of Meditation. Learn about the benefits of meditation from the Brahma Kumaris Center of Washington, DC. Adults. DC Public Library is not responsible, nor does it endorse health information given to participants during the program. For more information, call 282-0213.

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Ward Three Board of Education President Forum, November 1
Ann Loikow, Cleveland Park, a loikow at verizon dot net

The Ward Three Democratic Committee will sponsor a forum for candidates for DC Board of Education President on Wednesday, November 1, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m., at the Washington Home, 3720 Upton Street, NW (one block east of Wisconsin Avenue and Upton Streets, NW). Parking available on the premises. Refreshments will be served. Come hear the candidates discuss important educational issues and take the opportunity to ask questions of the candidates.

For more information on the forum, please call Ward Three Democratic Committee Chair, Robert M. Brandon, at 966-5333 or E-mail him at rmbrand@robertbrandon.com.

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Ward 3 Council Candidate Forum, November 3
Alma Gates, agh71139@aol.com

There will be a Ward 3 councilmember candidates forum on Friday evening, November 3, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., at the International Methodist Church at River Road and Fessenden Street, NW. Candidates Mary Cheh and Theresa Conroy have agreed to take part, and the League of Women Voters will be moderating. Co-sponsors include ANC3C, ANC3D, ANC3E, the Tenleytown Neighbors Association, the Friendship-Tenleytown Citizens Association, the Ft. Gaines Citizens Association, and the Woodley Park Community Association.

Five topics will be covered by the candidates: education, the environment, growth, public safety, and fiscal management. Each topic will be given ten minutes. Questions from audience members will be written on cards, collected by volunteers, and incorporated into each issue block. The moderator will review cards and select one question per topic to ask each candidate. Each candidate will have two minutes to make an opening statement at start of debate, and two minutes to make a closing statement at the end.

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The Second Annual Vassar FilmFest, November 12
Ann Loikow, aloikow@verizon.net

The Vassar FilmFest is a Scholarship Benefit presented by the Vassar Club of Washington, DC, showcasing new films by Vassar alumnae/i, faculty and students. This year’s featured attraction is "Four Corners of Suburbia" by Elizabeth Puccini, Vassar class of 1987, which follows four friends together for the weekend on a secluded island in Maine as they find themselves haunted by the choices they didn’t make as they confront the meaning of love, friendship, and their lives in a world of virtual wonders and genetic cloning. It was voted the best narrative feature at the Crossroads Film Festival. Ms. Puccini, who wrote, directed and produced the film, will introduce and it.

The festival will also focus the spotlight on documentaries. Elisabeth Harris, Vassar class of 2000, will introduce and comment on her film, “The Hermit of Manana,” which is a portrait of a man who left city living in New York for a life of seclusion off the coast of Maine. Jamie Meltzer, Vassar class of 1996 and Assistant Professor Film at Vassar, will introduce and show his own film, “Welcome to Nollywood.” It is an eye-opening look at the world’s third largest film industry — in Nigeria. He is also bringing a new group of films by Vassar students. "Best Told Lies" by Aaron Naar and Seth Cuddeback, Vassar class of 2008, and a team of students, follows a burned-out cop as he struggles with mid-life crises. It won the Audience Award and the Award for the Best Use of Character at the 2006 48 Hour Film Project in New York. In “The Common Sense Farm,” by Kathleen Russell, Vassar class of 2006, we visit the world of the Twelve Tribes, a Judeo-Christian group living communally in New York State and a look at their fragile relationship with the world. “Que Payasos!” by Anna Bowers, also Vassar class of 2006, explores what it takes to be a master clown.

The FilmFest will be held on Sunday, November 12, 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., at the Jack Morton Auditorium at The George Washington University, Media and Public Affairs Building, 805 21st Street, NW. The auditorium is on the first floor of MPA Building which is located on the corner of 21st and H Streets, NW. The closest Metro stop is the Foggy Bottom, GWU stop on the Orange and Blue lines. Tickets for the films only is $25 and for the films and VIP reception with the filmmakers is $100. Our second annual celebration of Vassar films promises to be a stimulating afternoon and evening. We hope that you’ll join us to view the films and discuss them with the filmmakers at our VIP reception. The FilmFest is our chief scholarship fundraiser for DC area students, so please contribute as generously as you can. For more information, go to the Washington Vassar Club web site at http://www.vassardc.org or call 301-299-4855.

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