Politics
Dear Politicos:
It’s time again to review some guidelines for posting to themail. I’m
getting a number of campaign press releases, but I’m not publishing
all of them. Here’s why. If a message is sent to themail@dcwatch.com,
I assume that it’s meant for publication unless it is explicitly
marked as private. If a message is sent to any other address at DCWatch,
I assume that it’s not intended for publication. If themail@dcwatch.com
is included in a blind list of addresses, it won’t be sorted into the
right folder for themail, and it won’t be published. Also, all
messages published in themail have to be signed by an individual person,
with an E-mail address at which that person can be reached. Messages
sent by a political party, a campaign office, or a public relations
company, with no individual identified as the writer, won’t be
published.
If you’re an individual who supports or opposes a candidate because
of a position that candidate has taken, something that candidate has
done, or your personal experience with that candidate, that’s a lot
more interesting to themail’s readers than a message from a party
organization that says it supports its own candidates. If you’re a
candidate, please send themail a message saying how you would improve
our city’s government and why voters should support you; I’d
certainly like to know.
The Eduwonkette blog at Education Week gives a good example of
how Chancellor's Rhee system of firing teachers disfavored by the
administration will work: “We've now had an inside look at how
Michelle Rhee's system manages talent. [Arthur] Siebens applied for all
open science positions at a hiring fair in June, and was not called for
interviews at any of the schools to which he applied. He interviewed at
several other schools over the summer, and either was not offered the
position or told that ‘the position has been filled for us.’ On the
first day of school, Siebens — who has a PhD in Physiology — was
assigned to teach 9th grade environmental science, a course he has never
taught before. To date, he has not even received the teacher's edition
of the environmental science book, despite asking for it repeatedly. And
the kicker? The Washington Post reported a week ago that Wilson
has a science vacancy. Is this what the ‘strategic management of
talent’ looks like?” (http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/eduwonkette,
with a tip of the hat to Sam Smith’s City Desk, which discovered it
first).
The preliminary report of the city council’s Board of Elections and
Ethics Investigation Special Committee on the September 9 primary election has been released: http://www.dcwatch.com/govern/boee081008.htm.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Hardworking Writers or Union Slackers
Ed Dixon, Georgetown Reservoir, jedxn@yahoo.com
Having been a DCPS teacher for the last three years, I can’t resist
sharing the details of the Washington Post reporters’ and other
newsroom workers’ contract negotiations, since they seem to share so
much about the teachers’ contract details in their paper. In that same
spirit of free speech here’s a clip from Union City, the local AFL-CIO
list serve.
“Washington Post workers will vote on a proposal today
[10-8-08] to extend their current contract until May 7. The proposed
extension was reached to give more time to bargain over print/internet
operations integration, time negotiations ‘to a period more likely to
be aligned with the rollout of significant changes,’ and maintain
current job security provisions, says a Washington-Baltimore Newspaper
Guild Local 35 Bargaining Committee report. The contract was set to
expire November 7.”
Whenever the Post has a story on line about teachers and the
union, the commentaries are usually filled with anti-union vitriol.
Maybe we could get similar speculation going here in themail on the
ability of the Post writers to do a good job based on their
affiliation with a union? Maybe by discussing the Post writers’
contract, evaluations, and pay scale, we could make them feel better
about their jobs and going to work everyday? Salary details for newsroom
positions are here: http://www.wbng.org/post/bulletins/2008/08-0709PostSalary.pdf.
Anyway here’s to Jay Matthews, Marc Fisher, Colby King, Valerie
Strauss, and Bill Turque on their contract negotiations. May they get
their raise and not get painted as union slackers.
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Republican Party on Michael Brown and Patrick
Mara
Paul D. Craney, press@dcgop.com
The DC Republican Committee made the following statement to respond
to Michael Brown’s promise to keep DC inmates closer to DC. “Instead
of finding solutions to solve the gang related crimes that plague
certain sections of DC, Michael Brown is putting the interests of
inmates ahead of victims,” stated DC Republican Committee Chairman
Robert Kabel. According to Michael Brown’s web site, under “Crime,”
he doesn’t make one reference to how to deal with gangs or the
violence in the Trinidad area of DC. “Michael Brown has already
promised to increase spending and now he wants to make DC a more
dangerous place to live. Michael Brown is out pacing everyone to be the
most dangerous council candidate we have ever seen,” concluded Kabel.
The DC Republican Committee made the following statement in regard to
Patrick Mara’s (DC Council candidate, At-Large) getting endorsed by
the DC Board of Trade. “Patrick’s support from the DC Chamber of
Commerce and now the DC Board of Trade proves that he is the only
candidate qualified to handle our fiscal issues,” stated DC Republican
Committee Chairman Robert Kabel. “While Michael Brown is promising to
increase spending and sink our economy faster into a recession, Patrick
is asking the local business community what else we can do to make DC
more affordable and business friendly. Patrick is the only candidate
with the right balance to attract jobs and strengthen our middle class,”
concluded Kabel.
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Expanded Recycling Programs
Nancee Lyons, nancee.lyons@dc.gov
Mayor Adrian Fenty announced that starting today Department of Public
Works recycling collection crews will accept an expanded list of items
for recycling, especially plastics. Now residents can recycle film
plastics like grocery, produce, and dry cleaning bags, as well as
aerosol cans and a variety of rigid plastic including plastic lawn
furniture, toys and flower pots. Mayor Fenty noted that District
residents exceed national recycling rates for newspapers, cardboard and
plastic and glass bottles. He added that there are opportunities to
increase the overall recycling rate by increasing the number of
acceptable items and diverting more cardboard, and steel and aluminum
cans from the landfill to the recycling processing center.
Beginning October 6, residents can recycle aerosol cans, milk and
juice cartons; plastic bags, grocery bags, newspaper bags, and shopping
bags (please “bag the bags” by placing all the bags into one bag);
rigid plastics such as plastic milk/soda crates, plastic buckets with
metal handles, plastic laundry baskets, plastic lawn furniture, plastic
totes, plastic drums, plastic coolers, plastic flower pots, plastic
drinking cups/glasses, plastic five-gallon water bottles, plastic
pallets, plastic toys, and empty plastic garbage/recycling bins; and
wide-mouth containers such as peanut butter, margarine/butter tubs,
yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, whipped topping, and
prescription and other medicine bottles.
For a complete list of accepted recyclables and instructions, review
a copy of the new DPW Reference Guide, which is being mailed out to DPW
customers and distributed throughout the city, or visit http://www.recycle.dpw.dc.gov.
Residents whose recyclables exceed their container(s) can put additional
recyclables in either a brown paper bag or a small cardboard box and
place them next to their recycling bin or cart. For an additional cart
or bin, residents may call 311.
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Our Purpose in Life Is Noticing
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
I’ve been heartened by feedback I’ve heard from others on themail
that they noticed the community supportive E-mails I send from time to
time. Our purpose in life is to notice. It’s the most human of all
acts. Weave noticing into your week and you’ll begin to notice
something. Here’s some noticing I did this morning. It’s not related
to DC, but it might prove food for thought. See http://tinyurl.com/4667mo
Aside from noticing, the most human of acts is telling, as you can
tell.
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Singles Ban Discriminates Against the Working
Poor
Dwayne L. Smith, Linroy62@yahoo.com
In response to Mary Beatty [themail, October 4], I’m sure that
there has been a reduction of public drinking and the “unsavory”
behaviors associated with it. But, I still believe that I have a right
to be able to purchase a single beer if I choose to do so or if my
financial circumstances dictate my choice. I have always thought this
ban on singles was discriminatory toward the working poor, who often don’t
have enough money to buy larger quantities and who for the most part
aren’t seen doing the behaviors that this ban has addressed.
This ban is like putting a bandage on a tourniquet wound. It doesn’t
address the root cause of these behaviors, which are addiction, lack of
jobs, education, and even law enforcement. If we focused on those root
causes, then it would be a win-win situation for everyone.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Festival of the Building Arts, October 11
Jazmine Zick, jzick@nbm.org
Saturday, October 11, 10:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Family Program: Festival
of the Building Arts. Come participate in the Museum’s annual,
all-ages celebration of the building arts: Festival of the Building
Arts. This year’s festival features hands-on activities; a
nail-driving contest; a construction vehicle "petting zoo"; a
ballet featuring skid steer loaders; plus glass designers, stone
carvers, woodworkers and more, demonstrating their craft. Free. Drop-in
program, no registration required. At the National Building Museum, 401
F Street, NW, Judiciary Square stop, Metro Red Line.
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Historical Society of Washington, DC, October
12
Ed Bruske, euclidarms@yahoo.com
Sunday, October 12, 2:30 p.m.-4 p.m., HSW Author and Lecture Series:
The Making of the American Capital, at the Historical Society of
Washington, DC, 801 K Street, NW, at Mt. Vernon Square. Free admission.
Featured author, Fergus Bordewich, (Bound for Canaan) depicts how
such improbable and unwelcoming terrain on the Potomac came to be chosen
in 1790 as the site for the nation's capital. Bordewich likewise
narrates the graft, inefficiencies, and myriad injustices that went into
the design of the new capital and the construction of the first state
buildings. As the author emphasizes, slavery affected everything about
the genesis of Washington: the politics of selecting a site that was
nominally Southern to placate Jeffersonian Democrats; the construction
of such buildings as the White House and the Capitol — projects that
exploited slave labor. Bordewich also reveals the backroom politics
wherein the conservative Northern Federalist Alexander Hamilton made a
deal regarding federal fiscal policy and the site of the so-called
Federal Territory. Bordewich is especially strong in painting portraits
of such memorable characters as city planner Peter Charles L'Enfant as
well as the brilliant black mathematician, astronomer, and surveyor
Benjamin Banneker, who did essential work on the first survey of the
city, along with various piratical speculators whose greed nearly sank
the grand project more than once. In sum, Bordewich tells a fascinating
tale, and tells it well. RSVP@historydc.org
or 383-1828.
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Journeying through Decades of Russian Live,
October 23
Liz Meyer, lizmeyer8090@aol.com
Naomi F. Collins, Ph.D., author of Through Dark Days and White
Nights: Four Decades Observing a Changing Russia, will give a talk
on “Journeying Through Decades of Russian Life” on Thursday, October
23, at 6:30 p.m. A book sale and signing will follow the program.
Ms. Collins will talk about her experiences in Russia from the
mid-1960s as a graduate student at Moscow State University through the
turn of the 21st century as the wife of the American Ambassador to
Russia. She provides an eyewitness account of the Soviet Union’s
evolution from awesome super power to disintegrating empire and through
the roller-coaster rebirth of Russia.
Ms. Collins is currently a consultant to cultural, educational, and
international organizations. She has previously served as Executive
Director of the Maryland Humanities Council, an affiliate of the
National Endowment for the Humanities, and of the NAFSA: Association of
International Educators. 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
Neighborhood Library at 282-3080.
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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
Please do try Nirvana at 1810 K Street, NW. It’s vegetarian, and
every day the lunch buffet highlights a particular state or region:
Gujarat, Rajasthan, South India, Delhi and the North, and so on. Mrs.
Doler Shah, the proprietress, is a charming, multi-talented Jain woman
from Gujarat, but she does use onions and garlic. In addition to
presiding over the kitchen and warmly welcoming guests, Mrs. Shah has
herself painted most of the dining tables in the bright reds, greens,
and yellows of Rajasthan. The walls have wonderful photos of India, with
focus on Jain temples. Mrs. Shah loves art; she’s a volunteer docent
for one of the local museums. The restaurant is very convenient to reach
by Metro and bus, including the Georgetown-Convention Center Circulator.
Martinis are very reasonably priced! See http://www.nirvana.com
and the Washington review at http://www.washingtonian.com/restaurantreviews/860.html.
Farther afield, and not so good for public transportation, are two
South Indian “pure” vegetarian restaurants in Langley Park, with
lunch buffets seven days a week. (Among other things, “pure” means
no alcoholic beverages.) Both are very nice inside, but located in ugly
strip malls near the corner of New Hampshire Avenue and University
Boulevard: Woodlands on the northwest and Udupi Palace on the southeast.
For those needing meat, there’s also Tiffin, owned by and very near to
Udupi Palace, but I don’t go there. See http://www.udipipalace.com
and http://www.woodlandsrestaurants.com.
The lunch buffets of all three of these vegetarian Indian restaurants
include numerous dishes of appetizers, main courses, chutneys/pickles,
raita and breads, made with different spices and having varying degrees
of hotness — in other words, a varied menu with lots of different
taste sensations. Some days, they are wonderful; other days, they are
merely very good. (Udupi and Woodlands may have dinner buffets, too; I’m
not sure.) Nirvana is my favorite because of the food, the welcoming
atmosphere, the gorgeous tables, and the location. But the other two are
good, too!
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