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March 21, 2007

Literacy

Dear Literates:

A third of DC adults are supposedly illiterate, according to a report for the State Education Agency by the University of the District of Columbia that got a lot of publicity in the past few days (http://www.literacydc.org/documents/report.pdf). Judging by the number of large color photographs in the thirty-two page report, SEA administrators must not think that consumers of its publications read so well, either. I promise that before Sunday I’ll post a text-only version on DCPSWatch that will take only a small fraction of the 2.15 mb that the SEA version consumes.

Here’s a chicken-or-the-egg problem for you: which came first, a literate audience or good writing? That’s a question that has obviously stumped Mayor Adrian Fenty, because the quality of his major political speeches has been so abysmally low as to encourage illiteracy. It was only a little over two months ago that I complained about the vacuity of Fenty’s inaugural address (http://www.dcwatch.com/mayor/070103.htm); today the platitudes and empty rhetoric of his first State of the District Address made that earlier speech seem as statesmanlike as President Washington’s Second Inaugural. It’s no wonder that Fenty deliberately avoided making his State of the District speech a major public event, like Williams did before he started restricting attendance in his last couple years in office, and instead gave it to a small audience at a senior citizens’ center, with little advance public notice and no attempt to invite the general public to attend.

Read it now (http://www.dcwatch.com/mayor/070321.htm) and then regret the time and effort you put into learning to be a proficient reader.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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Fast Forward
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com

On Wednesday, Mayor Fenty marked his seventy-eighth day in office by delivering his 2007 State of the District address, entitled, “Moving Forward Faster” (http://www.dcwatch.com/mayor/070321.htm) at the Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center. In the speech, Fenty detailed a laundry list of accomplishments that he claimed as his own, including a new Anacostia Interim Library (sited in a trailer as a replacement for the library building that was abruptly closed more than two years ago); the construction of a new Salvation Army Facility on Martin Luther King Avenue; the Skyland Shopping Center; and the acquisition of four new ambulances. All of these were projects that were initiated and nearly completed during the Williams administration. In his speech, Fenty also took credit for the everyday workings of government, with a recitation of statistics including the number of 911 calls answered in the past 78 days (390,000, he claimed); the number of E-mails received (but not necessarily answered) by the mayor’s office (15,000); the number of community and civic association meetings Fenty has attended (forty-seven); the number of condoms distributed by the city to prevent HIV and AIDS (250,000); the number of trees planted (1,815 during the cold winter months of January, February, and March, he said); the number of potholes filled (3,400); the number of vehicles inspected (40,000); and the number of buildings inspected by DCRA (6,000).

The speech failed to provide any insight into any new policy or project initiatives that will mark the Fenty administration. The only recurring theme in Fenty’s speech was that under his administration the District “will move forward —- smarter, stronger, and faster than ever before.” We can hope that Fenty will detail his real plans for the District on Friday, when he submits his FY 2008 budget to the city council.

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The Ultimate Insult
Ronald E. Hampton, National Black Police Association, nbpanatofc@worldnet.att.net

On Friday, March 16, during the confirmation hearing for DC Metropolitan Police Department’s Chief of Police Cathy Lanier, the ultimate insult occurred. Mayor Adrian Fenty selected Ms. Lanier because of his support for and her practice of community policing for the residents of the District of Columbia. However, in my experienced opinion, they know very little about community policing.

Community policing is more than just something to talk about during a political campaign to be mayor of our city. As for the police department, it talked about community policing the entire time that Charles Ramsey was the chief of police, only to disappoint those of us who would recognize it any form. The truth is there has been no community policing in the city since former Chief of Police Isaac Fulwood’s tenure. It requires police officers and their managers not only to talk, but more importantly to behave in a way that begins to establish a meaning relationship. We are now in the midst of a strategic police community relations campaign, and it looks more of the same.

Lastly, if the mayor and Chief of Police were serious about community policing for our city and its citizens, they would have involved the community in the selection process for chief of police. About nine years ago, several others members of this city and myself participated in the selection and interview process for the past chief of police. It worked wonderfully.

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Deeply Rooted?
Ralph J. Chittams, Sr., chittams@sewkis.com

The following comments are not an endorsement of any candidate in the Ward 7 council race.

A group calling itself “Ward-7 Concerned Citizens” has been plastering Ward 7 with anonymous attacks on individuals running for the Ward 7 council seat. In its latest diatribe, this one against Vincent Vandell, this group states that the next councilmember from Ward 7 should be “deeply rooted in the community.” That is a reiteration of a statement made by Vincent Gray, the current chairman of the city council and former Ward 7 councilmember. For Gray to have made that statement and for the Concerned Citizens to repeat it is the height of hypocrisy. As chairman of the city council, Gray is leading the effort that is disenfranchising the very people who gave him his start in politics. I guess those “deep roots” in Ward 7 did not prevent him from selling us out. Voting on the proposed school takeover is proceeding without Ward 7 or Ward 4 being represented on the city council. How is that in our best interest? The proposed legislation, once passed, will be marched directly to Capitol Hill for approval, in violation of the Home Rule Charter, Section 303(a), which requires approval by the electorate in the form of a referendum prior to the legislation being taken to Congress. How is circumventing us and denying our right to vote in our best interest? Gray, et al., want a vote in Congress while at the same time denying local voting rights! Can someone say inconsistent, self-serving, schizophrenic? Someone “deeply rooted in the community” shouldn’t be screwing-over his neighbors. Someone “deeply rooted in the community” should fight for the rights of his neighbors. Someone “deeply rooted in the community” should remember where he came from. If Vincent Gray is an example of how someone “deeply rooted in the community” treats his neighbors, give me a carpetbagger!

Who needs enemies when you have friends like that?

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Locals Nominated for the Lillian Carter Award
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com

On Monday of this week Jim and Kathy Mueller of Takoma Park were nominated by the Peace Corps for the Lillian Carter Award. The Lillian Carter Award honors those who bring the Peace Corps spirit back to their own communities. (See http://tinyurl.com/3cc75t)

Jim and Kathy are thrilled to be nominated. They served together in the Peace Corps three times — in India, Lesotho, and the Solomon Islands. Jim currently volunteers his time teaching computers to seniors at the new community center in Takoma Park. You can see Jim teaching at http://youtube.com/watch?v=yPo8BDBIJtc. His patience is exemplary. He delights in seeing people learn. If you’d like to send Jim and Kathy some words of congratulation, their E-mail is jandkmueller@yahoo.com.

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Free and Equal DC
Mike Panetta, US Shadow Representative, mike.panetta@gmail.com

Now that the DC Voting Rights Act has passed two key committees and is heading for the House floor, it is critical that voices from outside the District of Columbia are heard in Capitol Hill offices. We need to have a public echo from our supporters around the country if this bill is going to become law.

I’ve set up a web site at: http://www.freeandequaldc.com that makes it easy to spread the word (if you live in the District) and to send a letter to your members of Congress (if you live outside the District).

I feel this bill is a first step towards full representation in Congress and expanded home rule. I urge all District residents to get their friends and relatives who live outside the District borders to take action on our behalf. We’ll need as much grassroots support as we can get on this effort and future campaigns to finally end our second-class citizenship.

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How We Might Reform UDC
William Haskett, williamhaskett@hotmail.com

These are what I take to be fundamental problems with the University of the District of Columbia, which have gradually accumulated since it was formed out of Federal City College, the DC Teachers College, and Washington Technical Institute in 1976. I suggest that solving these problems ought to take a high priority in the mayor’s program of action for his term of office. 1) An aging faculty (insufficient rotation since the 1970s); 2) incompetent administration (over ten presidents from its founding year, 1976, to the mid-1990s, and even more provosts and deans, although the faculty remained much as it had been); 3) a distant and poorly-informed Board of Trustees; 4) rigidities of management as a consequence of the organization of the faculty as a self-protective labor organization; 5) need for a fresh start that has never been done; 6) pretenses and realities not regarded; 7) removal of competence by early retirement; 8) loss of morale; 9) gradual decline in recruitment, and insufficient connection with DCPS at all levels; 10) budgetary limitations, especially and essentially after 1988; 11) an apparent lack of city council interest in the problems of higher education, and 12) failures of effective supervision.

I should explain that none of this is in the least theoretical, but builds on personal experience from the founding of FCC in 1968 to my own retirement in 1995 as professor of history. I’d be pleased to explain any item in it at any time. Others and I attempted renewal of discussions with the acting president after Nimmons, but these too died from inaction. Can we now get back to these issues? At its height, the University had, I think, around ten thousand students and around five thousand full-time employees, and it is now, I believe, less than half that number in both categories. This is a vital and useful topic for a new mayor and a changed council. I should add that the Law School is quite distinct in all these areas, and might, for all I know, be separated from the University (as it already largely is for budgetary and administrative arrangements).

We all, I am certain, mistook the difficulties of founding a university at all, and what I would like to see is a more sober and serious look at what has gone wrong, and what can, even at this late date, be done about it.

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Re: Gun Law from Ron Linton
Richard Rothblum, richard@rothblum.org

Ron Linton’s prediction [themail, March 18] — an increase in injury and death, death among children, accidental death — as a result of more honest citizens owning guns is already happening, and has nothing to do with gun laws. Guns are freely available in the city to criminals and irresponsible adults and children. He states, “No matter how hard adults work at secreting dangerous instruments, children have an uncanny knack for locating them.” You could substitute “government” for “adults” and “criminals” for “children” and the statement would be equally true. The United Kingdom has among the most restrictive gun laws anywhere, yet the IRA has no problem obtaining guns.

The argument that it is foolhardy to try to defend oneself from criminals may be correct. However, those who are willing to fight to protect themselves are a boon to the rest of us. Gun violence would be decreased by the presence of responsible and properly trained gun owners. At Eastern High School in the ’50’s, I was on the rifle team. Most people in my neighborhood owned guns. More people were trained in the use of guns. There was less gun violence.

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How Do Guns Make You Safer?
James Treworgy, jamietree@yahoo.com

Bryce Suderow writes [themail, March 18], "I’ve been the victim of four robberies and one attempt to break into my apartment while I was home. . . . I have no faith in the ability of the police to protect me or to catch the criminals who victimize me" I am sorry you have been such a frequent crime victim; I’ve also been held up at gunpoint in DC before. It’s a very frightening experience and really makes you feel powerless. But it seems that you are still alive and well despite not having gun to defend yourself.

I wonder, what would you have done had you been carrying a firearm on your person when each of these past incidents occurred? Would you have challenged your assailant to a gunfight? Would you have shot the perpetrator from behind as he ran away? Neither of these seems like a particularly smart way to come through a mugging in one piece, not to mention stay out of prison yourself if your plan is simply vigilante justice.

I wonder how you think that having a gun would have improved your chances of getting through these regrettable incidents safely?

[A reminder for contributors: in themail, don’t get involved in national issues surrounding gun rights, gun bans, gun safety, or other general issues surrounding guns. Keep it local -- what does this mean specifically to those of us who live in DC? — Gary Imhoff]

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Energy Star Program
Leila Afzal, Leila.Afzal@noaa.gov

A while back I wrote to themail for suggestions on what my next steps should be to wrestle my rebate free from the Energy Star Program. (I had applied for my rebate last summer.) I was contacted with great suggestions by several people, including an employee from the program and my councilwoman. It turns out that, indeed, the program had been experiencing significant problems. They believe they have successfully addressed them now. Within three weeks I received my rebate in the form of a debit card from Chase Bank. There was even an extra $2.00 on the card to cover the cost of an ATM fee if I chose to redeem my rebate in cash. Although I was unable to use any of the “participating” ATMs to withdraw my money, once I drove to an Industrial Bank branch, the withdrawal was easy. So, hopefully the program really is up and running correctly now. Also, I hope the powers that be consider using another more convenient bank to issue debit cards. Chase is not located in this region, and Industrial Bank is not conveniently located because it has too few branches. Thanks to all who contacted me.

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Red Light and Speed Camera Contracts
Clyde Howard, ceohoward@hotmail.com

According to Anne-Marie Bairstow in the March 18 issue of themail, I should be ashamed of calling the persons in the DC government “idiots.” She said that, “mistakes are made by dedicated DC employees.” Yes, that may be true. However, there have been too many mistakes made to remove them by the eraser on the end of a pencil. Mistakes cost the residents of this city in unnecessary money being spent to correct them, in grants lost because certain paper work was not done, and in prisoners being released in error. Bairstow stated that I should work for the government in lieu of standing on the side lines throwing bricks. Well, I did work for the government for thirty-three years, and you can believe me that if some of your DC government workers were in my camp they would be standing in the soup line by now for their costly mistakes. The dedicated workers are some of the grunts in the DC government work force. They are not the pompous, obstreperous, arrogant managers that are entrenched in positions of responsibility, where they try to impress everybody that they are paragons of knowledge when in reality they have been promoted to a level beyond their ability. Therefore, I remain of the opinion that until the DC government is purged of the incompetents that are so deeply entrenched in it, this government will never be able to operate with any efficiency and intelligence.

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Correction on Charter Amendment
Lars H. Hydle, Larshhydle@aol.com

I was mistaken in my recent posting about charter amendments [themail, March 7] in which I said that the Congress must enact such an amendment though regular legislation, rather than through Congressional review. In fact, the Congress can allow such a charter amendment to take effect by not passing a concurrent resolution against it during a review period of 35 legislative days.

But I was right to say that the mayor and the council cannot, without ratification by a majority of the voters, bring a charter amendment before the Congress for such review. Such a purported charter amendment would have the legal status of a suggestion to the Congress that it enact such legislation. The Congress reserves authority under the Charter to enact legislation for the District, with or without the approval of the mayor, council, or DC voters.

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The Quest for a Model School System for, by, and of the People
Kathryn A. Pearson-West, wkpw3@aol.com

Are DC citizens enthralled with the current makings of a charismatic twenty-first century style political boss? This boss is taking the expanding of his political fiefdom to a new art form. Are his followers expected to drink the political Kool-Aid, the elixir of “yes-ism,” and follow him wherever, whenever at his command, even to his or the city’s detriment? Are DC citizens supposed to willingly accept a takeover of the DC public schools just because those at the helm of leadership say so? Must we nod in agreement just because we’re told it’s the right thing for us as if we are taking our medicine as instructed? Can we show alarm over certain actions during the honeymoon period or shortly after or do we have to wait until the anniversary before we can say what we really don’t want or like?

Maybe it’s time that the mayor and his city council take a moment to pause and cross the t’s and dot the i’s when it comes to the school governance controversy. There is no shame in holding up the accelerated process instead of making citizens feel that they are being Shanghaied into accepting an agenda they are not ready to embrace, especially when there are other options to explore and new school leaders to test rather than surrender to a takeover. Right now, many DC residents want their government back where they, the stakeholders, have the right to approve or stop possible charter changes. Many citizens don’t want to subscribe to the theory of the new government leaders that advance the notion that because a person was elected overwhelmingly that his bidding has to be followed — he has a mandate to take over the schools because he mentioned the word education in his campaign and maybe whispered the word take over to somebody after the primary.

History has taught us little. When Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address in 1863, never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined that that his speech would resonate in the hearts and minds of citizens in the nation’s capital as the city’s elected officials lose sight of the people’s struggles and their desire for an inclusive government. Lincoln once said, “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” The District of Columbia should not lose sight that its government and its school system are of, by, and for the people of a not-so-free nation’s capital.

Today’s DC elected officials seem to have forgotten those that have given their lives for home rule who knew that the home rule charter would have to go through set procedures to be changed and not violated. That charter, like the United States Constitution, was viewed as a holder of our truths, inalienable rights, and as a conduit to the next level of autonomy and protections. Our elected forgot the struggles of the past to ensure the protections and rights for today. Elected officials now make a mockery of the DC charter by planning to go straight to Congress for their approval instead of going to the people for consent. City officials are also making a mockery of Emancipation Day as they plan to lobby Congress as part of the holiday’s festivities. Emancipation Day was established as a holiday to commemorate the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia but apparently now symbolizes the District’s quest for freedom from Congress and further to mark their impending conquest over the schools and the DC charter. The council vote to take over the school system is expected to come shortly after this holiday. So in April, citizens can look forward to the Martin Luther King parade, income taxes, Emancipation Day, lobbying day, and now the hostile takeover of the schools. Some citizens will look at this month as a time to re-energize their efforts to champion further protections for our current home rule charter and the procedures to change it. It is may also be a time to mark names of our political leaders in stone for a watch list for further deviations and violations of the public trust.

Sometimes citizens think that standing up and protesting against the powers to be is disloyal or unfaithful. Sometimes they think that only a handful of committed citizens can’t make a difference. For a minute I thought that, but was quickly reminded otherwise. When I wavered about going to protest in front of the mayor’s home over the hostile school takeover issue, my twenty-four-year-old daughter quickly asked me what would have happened if people had been like me and said or did nothing during the civil rights movement. She grabbed her camera in case I had to go to jail, too, and said let’s go make a difference by standing up for what we believe. This protest brought back memories of when my son, daughter, and I traveled to North Carolina with a busload of Washingtonians to march in front of Senator Faircloth’s house about his tight control over the District. This protest also reminded me of the time when I joined with a labor group and others in front of the home of the first DC control board chairperson. History shows us that sometimes a few people have to begin to make some noise to make sure that the rights of citizens are protected. The senator and the control board are now gone, but not until some folks let it be known that their presence was not to be tolerated very long.

As we continue to debate the changes to the school system, we must always remember that government and our schools are of, by, and for the people. We must maintain the public trust and vet the issue as long as the people see fit. Maybe the mayoral legacy and that of council members won’t come in the first year. Maybe they will have to achieve their legacy by improving our city and our schools by trusting the citizens when they say let’s come together to develop a consensus plan. Let’s wait until Wards 4 and 7 have their elected council members in place. And at the end of the day, if the council votes for changes to a charter against the thinking of many, then ratify that vote with a referendum. Is it to much to ask that the process and the people be respected? Now let’s move toward excellence in our schools and our city by working together for the common good. No man is an island and the proverbial village is ready to help, but first requires buy-in with the planning. Now let’s see the new Democratic Congress tell DC leaders to go back and get approval from DC citizens from a referendum before coming to them for approval. Stop confusing them as to what DC wants. Stop sending mixed messages. Let the school system remain a local issue, unless of course the city needs more money from the Feds.

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

The Craft of Writing for Blogs, Saturday, March 24
Barbara Conn, bconn@cpcug.org

Writing for a blog is not the same as writing for a web site. Although a blog often looks like a web site, and may function as a web site, it is not the same thing as a web site. When you’re writing for a blog, your focus is different. Your relationship to your audience changes as soon as you start communicating via a blog. Your writing style for blogging needs to evolve, to fulfill your purpose in creating and maintaining a blog. This presentation, for bloggers and potential bloggers, is by Merry Bruns of ScienceSitesCom.com, who has been producing and editing web sites since 1994.

Gather your colleagues, and bring them to this Saturday, March 24, 1:00 p.m., gathering of the Capital PC User Group (CPCUG) Entrepreneurs and Consultants Special Interest Group (E&C SIG). These monthly events are free and open to all. This month’s event is at the Cleveland Park Branch Library (first floor large meeting room) at 3310 Connecticut Avenue, NW (between Macomb and Newark Streets), just over a block south of the Cleveland Park Metrorail Station on the Red Line. For more information about the presentation, the speaker, and CPCUG (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization), visit http://entrepreneur.cpcug.org/307meet.html. To register, send an E-mail to bconn@cpcug.org.

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Fair Budget Coalition Annual Town Hall, March 24
Martina Gillis, martina@legalclinic.org

The Fair Budget Coalition is sponsoring its annual town hall meeting with community organizations on Saturday, March 24, at the True Reformer Building, 1200 U Street., NW, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The community town hall meeting is an opportunity for you to talk with city leaders about your concerns and priorities in your community.

Many community members are unable to attend council hearings and various meetings to express their concerns because they were unable to take time off from their jobs or find child care. So, we decided to invite city leaders to come to us! Last year more than one hundred fifty community members came out and shared their concerns with more than ten city department directors and councilmembers. Come talk with city leaders on "our turf." City department directors and all councilmembers have been invited. Fun children activities and food will be provided; you must RSVP for child care and Spanish translation to Martina Gillis, 328-5513 or martina@legalclinic.org. There will also be a raffle and door prizes. If you would like flyers to distribute , please contact Martina.

Cosponsors as of March 19: Bread for the City, DC Hunger Solutions, Citizens About Real Empowerment, So Others Might Eat, Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, The Arc of the District of Columbia.

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DC Vote Student-Teacher Outreach, March 26
Sarah Pokempner, azepo@aol.com

DC Vote is looking to get students and teachers mobilized for the DC Voting Rights March on Monday, April 16, DC Emancipation Day! Join us on Monday, March 26 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at Ben’s Chili Bowl, 1213 U Street, NW, to help plan for the march, which will begin at Freedom Plaza and move to a rally on Capitol Hill. We want dedicated individuals who can turn out as many people as possible for this April event! Visit the web site at http://www.votingrightsmarch.org/ and RSVP for Ben’s at jbumpus@dcvote.org.

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DC Public Library Events, March 26-27
Randi Blank, randi.blank@dc.gov

Monday, March 26, 7:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, 2nd Floor, West Lobby. All the World’s a Stage Book Club. Different countries, times and lives. Each book is an adventure. We will discuss Galileo’s Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love by Dava Sobel. For more information, call 727-1264.

Tuesday, March 27, 12:00 p.m., West End Neighborhood Library, 1101 24th Street, NW. West End Library Film Club. Bring your lunch and enjoy watching Cinderella Man (PG-13). For more information, call 724-8707.

Tuesday, March 27, 6:30 p.m., Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue, NW. Jeff Sypeck, author of Becoming Charlemagne: Europe, Baghdad, and the Empires of A.D. 800, will speak about "Why Charlemagne Matters." A book sale and signing will follow the program. For information, call 282-3080.

Tuesday, March 27, 7:00 p.m., Takoma Park Neighborhood Library, 416 Cedar Street, NW. Takoma Park Branch Book Club. Enjoy a lively book discussion of Our Lady of the Forest by David Guterson. For more information, call 576-7252.

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National Building Museum Events, March 29-31
Lauren Searl, lsearl@nbm.org

Thursday, March 29, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Smart Growth: Conservation Lessons from the Cascade Agenda. Ryan Dicks, vice president of Conservation Transactions for Cascade Land Conservancy (CLC), will speak about CLC’s progress on gaining a strong understanding of the market forces when acquiring conservation easements, taking a regional approach to land conservation, and working with rural communities to ensure land not slated for conservation easements gets development patterns that accommodate greater densities. Free. Registration not required.

Saturday, March 31. Cherry Blossom Festival family day (10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.) and opening ceremony (4:00-5:30 p.m.). The National Building Museum and the National Cherry Blossom Festival kickoff Washington, DC’s , 2007 cherry blossom season with a family festival full of hands-on fun exploring Japanese arts and design, and ways Japan is green, or environmentally friendly. Enjoy performing artists, kimono displays, and expert demonstrations. Hands-on activities include creating miniature Japanese-style paper gardens to take home, constructing miniature shoji screens, origami, designing a scrapbook, and much more. Be a part of the citywide celebration! Free. All ages. Drop-in program. Both events at the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW, Judiciary Square stop, Metro Red Line.

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CLASSIFIEDS — HOUSING

Room in Shared Apartment in Lanham
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com

Room in spacious three-bedroom apartment in Lanham, Maryland. $400/month, includes utilities, cable television, and cable modem. Shared bathroom with one other person. Across the street from NASA Goddard. Drive (or bus) to the Greenbelt subway stop. Parking. Pool. Fifteen-minute drive to University of Maryland. Available April 1.

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