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April 15, 2007

Rubber Stamp

Dear Stampers:

The Washington Post made a baffling endorsement of Muriel Bowser in the Ward 4 race today (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/14/AR2007041401205.html): “Some have unfairly suggested that because of Mr. Fenty’s support, Ms. Bowser will be a rubber-stamp for the mayor. Anyone who has seen Ms. Bowser stake out a position, even when it’s not popular with the crowd, would not fear for her independence. She alone of the Ward 4 candidates had the courage to support transferring control of the schools to the mayor.” What’s that again? The Post asserts that Muriel Bowser has shown that she will not be a rubber stamp for the mayor because she faithfully supports the mayor’s power grab for the schools’ budget and land even though it is overwhelmingly unpopular with the citizens.

The tortured illogic of that argument is stunning. It reveals that another councilmember who will be a rubber stamp for the mayor is precisely what the Post wants, and is likely to get.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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Fenty’s Dismissal of Freedom of Information Request
Peter Craig, swedecraig@aol.com

This is my E-mail of today addressed to Mayor Adrian Fenty and his legal staff, objecting to his Deputy General Counsel’s dismissal of my FOIA appeal: I am shocked at the message I received on April 12 from your Deputy General Counsel, Chip Richardson, “dismissing” my FOIA appeal addressed to you because the records I seek allegedly “do not exist.” My request was for the neighborhood adjustment factors that constitute one element in determining the real property assessments for all houses in the District of Columbia. Mr. Cooper (counsel for the Office of Tax and Revenue) admits that such records exist, one number for each of about 150 neighborhoods and that such record is on the computer used for making real property assessments. He makes the incredible claim, however, that no list has been made of such factors, not even for the Chief Assessor, who admitted to me on March 1 that the list of neighborhood adjustment factors had been omitted from OTR’s Internet publication, Assessor’s Reference Materials, but could be reviewed on “an individual basis.” Mr. Cooper now overrules him by saying no one will get the list at all because (presumably) it has been destroyed and now remains only on the computer, and that OTR may not be compelled to extract data stored on a computer.

Most of the factors used by OTR to make its assessments are disclosed in its annual Internet publication, Assessor’s Reference Materials. Most of the factors (multipliers) are the same in each neighborhood. The two exceptions are the formulas for land values and the neighborhood adjustment factor. Both the land value formulas and the neighborhood adjustment factors are developed by OTR staff from recent sales data and the results are then entered into the CAMA program to develop assessments for all residential houses. Whether they were on a “list” or not is irrelevant. The numbers were developed as instructions as to how each assessment should be made, as explained in detail in OTR’s web site publication.

OTR has in fact put on the Internet its land value formulas. There is no reason why OTR cannot and should not do the same for the neighborhood adjustment factors. Indeed, the law requires it to do so. Section 2-536 of the D.C. Code includes as information which must be made public on the Internet “administrative staff manuals and instructions to staff that affect a member of the public.” The fact that an instruction is entered into a computer program does not immunize such instruction from public scrutiny. Every house owner in the city is affected by the neighborhood adjustment factor. Every house owner in the city has the right to know not only what neighborhood adjustment factor was applied to his house, but also how that compares with the neighborhood adjustment factors applied to other houses. If there is discrimination among neighborhoods, this is a fair issue for the homeowner to pursue on appeal. It is regrettable that Mr. Richardson relied upon an ex parte submission by Mr. Cooper without affording me an opportunity to respond. That ex parte submission did not deal with the merits of my appeal and contained incredible and erroneous assertions of fact. It also did not address the central issue of whether Section 2-536 requires the publication of such factors on the Internet. I respectfully ask that there be a meeting involving Mr. Branham, Mr. Cooper, myself and the Mayor or his representative so that this issue can be fairly resolved without going to court.

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Save Time Dollar Youth Court
Sarah Tomkins, scltomkins@gmail.com

The Time Dollar Youth Court, a youth diversion program which provides social services and alternative punishments, like serving on a youth jury and doing community service to youth in the District of Columbia, will close on April 17 if the DC council and Mayor Fenty do not agree to support the program financially.

The Youth Court costs around $500,000 a year to run, and saves an estimated $9,200 per child who goes through the program rather than through the Juvenile Justice system -- a total of around $685,000 a year. In addition to providing alternative punishments for juveniles convicted of misdemeanors, the Youth Court gives children the opportunity to avoid having a criminal charge on their record through completion of the program, and connects them with a wide network of social service resources like tutoring, mentoring and counseling. As one participant in the program put it, “Being in the youth program is like being with family that want to see you do good in life and do even better, and want you to be someone in life.”

Please help us preserve this facility for DC’s children. Call Mayor Fenty, at 262-8413, and your Ward council member and at-large members and tell them you want money found to keep Youth Court functioning. We would also love your company at the march for the DC Vote on April 16.

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Gandhi Gonedi?
Ed T Barron, edtb1@macdotcom

Amtrak is trying to lure our fabulous Chief Financial Officer to save the finances of their troubled railroad by offering twice what he’s making as DC’s CFO. This might just be attempting offer to Natwar Gandhi who may perceive our new mayor as one whose takeover plans include DC’s finances. Gandhi’s loss would be a potentially devastating blow to the District. It might result in our bonds reverting to junk status and cost the taxpayers tens of millions in added interest. Mayor Fenty should get down on his knees to encourage Gandhi to stay and assure him that he will remain autonomous and independent when it comes to controlling DC’s finances.

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Tenleytown Whole Foods Liquor License
Lyla Winter, mrscalabash@att.net

For all those who think it’s a good idea for Whole Foods to sell beer and wine, please note that there are ten exits from this building, one of which opens onto nearby Wilson High School. Wilson’s students have already managed to eliminate other customers from sitting outside at Starbucks, and after 3:00 p.m. forget shopping at CVS. Do we really want to take a chance that these teenagers might be able to buy beer and wine (illegally), at a nearby Whole Foods store?

Sign the petition (at Tenley Liquors) to stop Whole Foods from getting a license to sell alcoholic beverages. Protect Tenleytown and our neighborhood.

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On DC Emancipation Day, Demand Real Democracy
Scott McLarty, scottmclarty@hotmail.com

Imagine that it’s 1776, the Mayor of Boston has just endorsed the Declaration of Independence, and then a week later he invites the British Redcoats to occupy Boston. That’s essentially what Mayor Fenty did in January 2007, when he called for DC statehood and democracy during his inaugural speech, and then announced his DC school board takeover scheme, declaring that he’d ask Congress to impose it on the District rather than seek a voters’ referendum in accord with the DC Charter. On Monday afternoon, April 16, Mayor Fenty will host a “DC Emancipation Day” rally and march for passage of the DC Voting Rights Bill, which will give the District as single voting seat in the US House. The bill is clearly unconstitutional, and even if passed will do nothing to alter DC’s last colony status or extend real emancipation (self-determination and self-governance, i.e., statehood) to DC. (Anyone who believes that voting representation in a national legislature equals democracy should read a history of the Soviet Union.) Will Mr. Fenty have the nerve, during the rally, to mention his plan to have Congress override local law and force the Council’s takeover of school board powers down our throats? Will the crowd suddenly understand the disconnect between the rhetoric about democracy and the actual agenda of the mayor, council, Federal City Council, et al.?

Some organizations with clearer notions of democracy will show up downtown on Monday. The Stand Up! for DC Democracy Coalition (http://www.freedc.org) will hold its own rally and March for Statehood at Franklin Square (corner of 13th and I Streets, NW, at 1 p.m. (http://standupfordemocracy.org/documents/dced2007.pdf). Save Our Schools DC (http://www.saveourschoolsdc.org), the DC Coalition for Democracy in Education (http://democracyineducation.net), the DC Statehood Green Party (http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org/press) and other advocates of DC democracy and quality public schools plan to attend Mayor Fenty’s rally and protest the School Board takeover plan. Statehood Greens will bring the giant hemp “DC Statehood Now” flag. For a list of important talking points on the DC Voting Rights bill, visit http://www.gp.org/press/states/dc/dc_2007_03_22.shtml. And don’t forget to call councilmembers and urge them either to vote nay on the school board takeover when they vote later this week, or at least wait until Ward 4 and 7 are represented on council again before voting.

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Fenty Transition Team Recommendations on Democracy and Voting Rights
Sam Jordan, samunomas@msn.com

Below are excerpts from a little-known public document, the recommendations of the Fenty administration’s pre-transition subcommittee of the Committee on Democracy and Voting Rights. The subcommittee advised the Mayor-Elect to be bold and to lead a District-wide grassroots campaign for statehood. As co-Moderator of that subcommittee, I want to disclose the measures projected for the Mayor’s first one hundred days as a backdrop to the Emancipation Day activities. You determine how far we have been diverted by the HR 1433 “one vote for DC, one vote for Utah” scheme.

“Statehood for D.C. is essential if its residents are ever to attain parity — and its accompanying irrevocable sovereignty — with all fully enfranchised citizens of the United States of America. . . . Assert decisive leadership of the campaign for statehood, the greatest measure of equality of civil and human rights for the residents of the District of Columbia, in your inaugural address. . . . Select and pursue one of the two major paths to statehood: a) An ‘all-or-nothing’ vote in Congress as occurred in 1993 or; b) The Organic Act/Enabling Act/Admission Act route applied historically to 31 of the territories admitted as states. . . . Establish an office and working group to draft legislation and manage an intensive lobbying and informational/educational campaign directed toward members of Congress, relevant nongovernmental organizations, and institutions. . . . Enhance the District’s prospects for statehood by improving its fiscal solvency through exploration and implementation of programs and measures with the assistance of the Council of the District of Columbia that would include realignment of the District’s regressive schedule of taxation rates, payments in lieu of taxes, and a fair federal compensation formula relieving the impact of the uncompensated federal presence on locally generated revenues.”

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Janney School Public/Private Partnership
Nick Kauffman, Palisades, kauffman@prodigy.net

Ann Hargrove [themail, April 11] is clairvoyant!

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Janney School and Outdoor Play Space
Allison Feeney, allisonfeeney@starpower.net

I’d like to provide a few additional details about Janney School and the partnership proposal that was presented to Janney parents on March 20, because it is important that the community has the facts when considering the possibility of a partnership between the school, the Tenleytown Library and a private developer. First and foremost, Janney need not give up a soccer field in this exchange. In fact, the proposed partnership provides the opportunity to gain a regulation-sized youth field. The current fenced area between the library and the school is neither large enough nor the correct proportions to accommodate a youth soccer field.

The plan that I have seen would move staff parking underground, and replace the current three portable classrooms and the two portable classrooms planned for SY07 with a two-story addition built into the steeply sloped land on the west end of the school. Parking and portable classrooms are significant non-play uses of the Janney land that chop up the outdoor play space, limiting its configuration. Consolidating these non-play uses would yield more contiguous space that could be reprogrammed as desired to accommodate the range of outdoor play opportunities that are used daily by both Janney and St. Ann’s students. The residential component of the partnership would be L-shaped and sited over the Tenley Library along Wisconsin Avenue, and extend some distance West along St. Ann’s fire alley/driveway. There would be approximately one hundred feet between the residential building and the east end of the school, allowing for the remaining soccer-field space to be reprogrammed perhaps into a tot-lot for Janney’s youngest students.

Our school community places a high value on our outdoor play space and any plan that significantly reduced the amount of usable play space would simply not be acceptable. Roadside Development will be presenting their ideas at ANC3E’s meeting on May 10 (7:30 p.m., St. Mary’s Church, 42nd Street and Fessenden Street, NW). As noted in the Northwest Current editorial on April 11, there is a small window of opportunity for the community to consider this possibility, and I urge everyone to become an informed advocate for these community assets, whatever their position.

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Janney Elementary School
Tad DiBiase, thomas.dibiase@usdoj.gov

To respond to Ann Hargrove’s post on the public/private partnership for Janney Elementary School [themail, April 11]: in fact, in the proposal put forth by Roadside Development the soccer field would not be lost; it is actually moved to the rear of the school and enlarged. The overall green space is actually increased, not decreased, in the proposal. In addition, the two “demountable classrooms,” really trailers, that currently exist would be eliminated and the school would gain an additional six new classrooms (for an increase of four classrooms total) plus a gym. DCPS has proposed redoing Janney Elementary School in 2013, and under its plan there still would not be enough space in the overcrowded school.

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RFK Site
Kenan Jarboe, kenan.jarboe@verizon.net

In response to Dennis Moore’s suggestion for the RFK site ("Build It And They Will Shop, themail, April 11), the last thing we need on that site is the huge retail shopping megaplex that draws thousands of suburbanites and visitors. What we do need is recreation space and open green space, as envisioned by the National Capitol Planning Commission study (see http://www.ncpc.gov/planning_init/RFK/RFK.html). Recreation and parks for DC residents is what we need, not another Dan Synder give away (a.k.a. a new football stadium) or National Harbor on the Anacostia.

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Spam from DC Independents
Mark Eckenwiler, themale at ingot dot org

Although I’d never heard of these folks, let alone asked to be on their E-mail list, the DCICC has been spamming me, too. Over a month ago I dropped them a short, polite note asking to be removed; they replied that my work E-mail address isn’t on their list. (It’s possible they’ve latched onto one of the various forwarding addresses I use, but I’m skeptical; in any event they created this situation by adding me involuntarily.) Rather than argue with these inconsiderate clods, I added them to my spam filter. The spamming continues (most recently twice on April 6), but I don’t have to see it.

Ruel Lanier, writing in the April 11 issue, calls prior complaints about this spamming “shameful and ignorant” and accuses the spam recipients of “falsely and arrogantly bash[ing]” DCICC. I couldn’t disagree more. For my part, I don’t know what DCICC’s politics are, nor do I care to know; I’m judging them by their behavior, which is inexcusable. Note especially their comical threat to Connie Ridgway to “REPORT THIS ISSUE TO THE APPROPRIATE INTERNET, E-MAIL AND PROVIDER AUTHORITIES FOR ADJUDICATION” [sic] for her request to be removed from their list. If DCICC is trying to alienate people active in DC civic affairs, from where I stand they are doing a bang-up job.

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Sizzling Express “Victory”
Mary Bloodworth, marybindc@yahoo.com

Sam Jordan’s entry [themail, April 11] about the picketing of Sizzling Express was little more than a press release for his campaign for Ward 7 councilmember and should be treated as such. If he wants to continue to use these kinds of inflammatory and misguided tactics, I wish that he would confine it to his own ward.

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The State of the District Depends on Where You Perch
Len Sullivan, lsnarpac@bellatlantic.net

NARPAC’s update combines three very separate March happenings (besides the weather) that offer very different perspectives on the current “state of the District.” First, DC’s dynamic new mayor gave the official position in his annual address, in the novel setting of a Ward 8 wellness center. While the City Bull Pen prepared an impressive list of fast-moving daily actions in its first seventy-eight days, a single themail regular challenged NARPAC to clarify what it wanted for DC’s future, and we responded. Third, we churned out our usual monthly summary of local headlines about the daily state of DC, as we have for almost ten years. The headlines (listed under seven distinct functional areas at http://www.narpac.org/INTHODH.HTM) describe a city still fumbling with the same old embarrassing issues (and personalities). We contrast them in our monthly editorial (at http://www.narpac.org/EDIT.HTM). The mayor sees a city in better shape than ever, now "moving forward faster" (our edited version is at http://www.narpac.org/CMR.HTM#fentysod7).  But none of our five highest priority goals (see http://www.narpac.org/INTHOP.HTM#narpri07) appears in either the media or the oratory. Once the city picks its new contractor-developed motto to help attract Americans to our capital city (no kidding!), perhaps it will slow down enough to address its fundamental shortcomings.

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

Thousands Will Demand the Vote for DC on Monday, April 16
Kevin Kiger, kkiger@dcvote.org

Marching down Pennsylvania Avenue, citizens and civil rights leaders who want to end taxation without representation in the nation’s capital will turn out Monday to raise awareness about DC’s injustice. The marchers will arrive at the Capitol at 4:00 p.m. to rally for voting rights. The nearly 600,000 citizens of Washington, DC, pay full federal taxes but are denied a vote in the United States Congress. Members of Congress, including Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Tom Davis (R-VA), Chris Shays (R-CT), and civil rights icon John Lewis (D-GA) will join Mayor Adrian Fenty and Council Chairman Vincent Gray for the rally at the Capitol. Secretary Jack Kemp will also speak.

Thousands have pledged to march at VotingRightsMarch.org and many more are expected to turn out. The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, unions, teachers, students, People For the American Way, Common Cause, and MoveOn.org are just some of the dozens of groups who have been working to recruit marchers. A bill that would address the denial of voting representation, the DC Voting Rights Act, was pulled from the House Floor last month after three legislators tried to attach a provision that would strip DC of its strict gun laws. The DC Voting Rights Act is expected to return to the House Floor the week of the Voting Rights March. The march will start at 2:30 p.m. on Freedom Plaza, 13th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, and continue down Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, to the Capitol Reflecting Pool, 3rd and Independence Avenue, NW, at 4:00 p.m.

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Martin Levine Candidate Meet and Greets, April 18, 20
Jeffrey Norman, jeffrey.norman@att.net

You are invited to meet and greet Martin Levine, a candidate for the DC Board of Education who was endorsed by the Northwest Current and Alice Rivlin, at the home of Allison Scuriatti, 4702 Yuma Street, NW, Wednesday, April 18, 7-9 p.m.; or the home of Diz Hormel, 3629 Albemarle Street, NW, Friday, April 20, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served at both events. Please RSVP to Joann at 257-3604 or by E-mail at joann@levine2007.com. All are welcome!

Martin Levine asks for your support in a special election that will be held May 1 to fill a vacancy on the DC Board of Education for Wards 3 and 4. He’s running to bring meaningful change to DC’’s long-suffering public school system. As a native Washingtonian and graduate of DC’s public schools, he wants every child in Washington to have the same opportunity he did. The ongoing failure of Washington’s public school system to serve thousands of students is a stain on our city. He has a clear vision of how the Board of Education can improve the performance of our schools. He will: 1) create a first-fate policy-making process that combines the input of policy experts with citizens’ views, focusing on areas that can affect student achievement most significantly, such as early childhood education; 2) serve as an advocate for parents and provide oversight, while working with the mayor to help him achieve his pledge to improve school performance; and 3) work full time to create partnerships with universities, local businesses, foundations, and others to bring mentors, tutors, and curriculum enrichment to every Ward 3 and 4 school by the 2008 school year.

He has the experience to make this vision a reality. He’s been a teacher, an education policy analyst, and a senior manager in the private sector, building community partnerships. Throughout his career, he has served as a consensus builder, bringing people together to achieve shared goals. The Northwest Current recently endorsed him, citing his “remarkable familiarity with the issues affecting public school performance” and his “clear understanding of the need for board members to adapt to the new structure.” Alice M. Rivlin, one of our nation’s and city’s most highly regarded public servants, is also supporting him. She said: “Martin Levine combines intelligence and sound judgment with integrity and a lifelong commitment to Washington and its schools. Martin’s combination of teaching, public policy expertise, and management experience will make him a strong force on the Board of Education. He will work with others to make change happen.” He looks forward to meeting you at one of the meet and greets, and asks for your vote on May 1 to be your partner in the education of Washington’s children.

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DC Public Library Events, April 19-20
Randi Blank, randi.blank@dc.gov

Thursday, April 19, 7:00 p.m., Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library, 5401 South Dakota Avenue, NE. Book discussion. For more information, call 541-6255.

Thursday, April 19, 11:30 a.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Great Hall. Celebrate the start of DC’s Big Read. The event will feature local and national celebrities. Special guests include Sheila Johnson, president and co-owner of the Washington Mystics; Andrea Roane, weekday morning anchor of WUSA9; Dana Gioia, National Endowment for the Arts Chairman; and David Kipen, National Endowment for the Arts Director of Literature.

April 19-May 19, DC Big Read of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. The DC Public Library and several local partners will celebrate DC’s Big Read, a city read event cosponsored by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. The event, which runs April 19-May 19, is a spin-off of The Big Read, a new national community reading program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.

Friday, April 20, 10:00 a.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Great Hall. Speak, So You Can Speak Again: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston. Lucy Anne Hurston will discuss her written reminiscence of her aunt Zora Neale Hurston. For more information, call 727-1161.

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Virtualization: Not Just for the Big Guys Anymore, April 21
Barbara Conn, bconn@cpcug.org

Virtualization has been important in portable workspaces, portable applications, server consolidation, disaster recovery, and testing and training. During this presentation, Capital PC User Group President Dennis Courtney will cover 1) how virtualization works, 2) how you might use virtualization in your business or at home, and 3) how to get started with virtualization. In addition, he will talk about the pitfalls and the positives of this exciting technology. VmWare, Microsoft, and Open Source virtualization products will be the focus of this presentation. If time permits, some third-party virtualization tools will be discussed.

Gather your colleagues, friends, and neighbors, and bring them to this Saturday, April 21, 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), Washington, DC — 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/407meet.html. To register, send E-mail to bconn@cpcug.org.

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Dessert Talk at Cleveland Park, April 24
Beth Meyer, lmeyer8090@aol.com

Roland Mesnier, author of All the Presidents’ Pastries: Twenty-Five Years in the White House: A Memoir and Dessert University will give a book talk on “My Years at the White House” on Tuesday, April 24, at 6:30 p.m. in the first floor auditorium of the Cleveland Park Branch of the DC Public Library, Connecticut and Macomb Streets, NW. A book sale and signing of both books courtesy of the Trover Shop will follow the program. Chef. Mesnier will talk about his twenty-five year tenure as the White House pastry chef and share insights into the characters and tastes of the five Presidents and First Ladies that he served — Carter, Reagan, Bush, Sr., Clinton, and the current President Bush.

Chef Mesnier has received twenty gold medals in pastry competitions around the world. He has been honorary president of the World Cup of Pastry from 1989 to the present, received the Legion of Honor award in 2005, and is a member of the Chocolate and Pastry Hall of Fame in New York. His first cookbook, Dessert University, was published in 2004. The Cleveland Park Branch of the DC Public Library is located near the Cleveland Park Metrorail Station. All District of Columbia Public Library activities are open to the public free of charge. For further information, please call the Cleveland Park Library at 282-3080.

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Cultural Institute of Mexico Sponsors Multiple Vision, April 25
Alfonso Nieto, icm@instituteofmexicodc.org

Wednesday, April 25, 6:30 p.m., Visiones Múltiples/Multiple Visions, Cajas Viajeras de Argentina, México y Uruguay/traveling art boxes from Argentina, Mexico and Uruguay. At the Embassy of Uruguay, Salón de las Artes, 1913 I Street, NW. For more information call 331-1313 or uruwashi@uruwashi.org.

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CLASSIFIEDS — FREE

Free Overhead Projector
Mike Livingston, mlivingston@greens.org

If anyone can still use an overhead projector, come pick one up at 13th and E Streets, NW, during business hours. It’s an Elmo HP-3K DX, for all you overhead projector connoisseurs. Also giving away four teakwood name tag racks (something you’d use at the registration table for an event). They each hold forty cards; three are in mint condition and one is missing a few screws.

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