Brain Freeze
Dear Frozen Ones:
There are plenty of outrages in the news and in this issue of themail.
However, Dorothy and I spent all day at an auction of construction and
contractor materials, and it was outdoors at the Howard County
Fairgrounds. Let me repeat that. We were outdoors in the cold all day,
with a freezing wind blowing most of the time.
Not just our fingers and toes are frozen. If you think eating a
Slushee too fast leads to brain freeze — that’s nothing in
comparison. I’ll be outraged tomorrow, when my brain reaches room
temperature again.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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The two blocks of road and sidewalks on Chesapeake Street/Gates Road
east of Connecticut Avenue, which just happens to run in front of
developer Chris Donatelli’s home, the Owls Nest, is receiving
extensive renovations. Sidewalks, driveways, and curbs are being
replaced. It looks like a repaving is coming, also.
This happened just as Donatelli held a campaign fundraiser and
birthday party for Mayor Adrian Fenty on Saturday. Just a coincidence, I
guess. My NowPublic article is at http://tinyurl.com/5a2lqn.
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Clear License Plate Covers Banned in DC
Jack McKay, jack.mckay@verizon.net
A Mount Pleasant resident was surprised this week to get a ticket for
having clear plastic covers over his license plates. Seven years ago,
his car came from the dealer with transparent plastic tag covers, and
nobody ever told him that this was a problem. But since April 2005 there’s
been a law in the District prohibiting any type of cover on license
plates, even perfectly clear covers that leave the lettering fully
visible. It’s assumed that the cover, even if clear, is put on for the
purpose of foiling photo enforcement cameras. (According to television’s
Myth Busters, license plate covers sold for the explicit purpose of
preventing identification by these cameras don’t work, http://tinyurl.com/37a3yc.)
Well, okay, maybe the District’s red-light and speeding cameras are
so bad that even a clear plastic cover beats them, so these covers
should be prohibited. A warning or a modest fine would have set this
resident straight. But hold on: the fine for his plastic tag covers was
a solid $500. Yes, far more than a driver will pay for a serious moving
violation, such as speeding or running a red light.
Surely, if these covers were such a serious problem, the Department
of Motor Vehicles would catch them at an annual safety inspection. No
way. This resident’s car has passed inspection without a murmur from
the DMV, which let the poor guy go home and park his car on the street,
where the MPD nailed him for the half-grand fine. Now there’s a
revenue enhancement measure for you. Clear license plate covers are also
banned in Maryland, but the fine there is a mere $60. In Virginia, they’re
not even illegal. Only in the District is the use of clear license plate
covers treated like a criminal offense, subjecting the automobile owner,
even if entirely innocent of any attempt to defeat photo enforcement
cameras, to a ferocious fine.
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Inaugural Celebration Extension of Hours Act
Kathy Henderson, khenderson029@aol.com
I am very concerned about the “Inaugural Celebration Extension of
Hours Emergency Act,” passed by the council last week. The legislation
allows any bar, tavern, nightclub, or restaurant that serves alcohol on
its premises to serve alcohol until 5:00 a.m. from January 17-21, 2009.
Restaurants are allowed to operate twenty-four hours a day during
January 17-21, underscoring the second provision of this legislation.
The city is anticipating an unprecedented crowd during the inauguration.
The prospect that thousands of persons will have nearly unfettered
access to alcohol represents a significant public safety breach and a
certain nightmare for many District residents.
I fully appreciate the mayor’s and council’s wanting to maximize
the revenue from the inaugural events for the benefit of the District.
However, I believe this legislation was hastily conceived and enacted. I
believe this matter will strain police resources and divert officers
from my Patrol Service Area (PSA) 504 and other PSA’s to police the
bars, clubs, and restaurants. I believe greater care should have been
given to protect public safety. No amount of increased revenue justifies
the breach to our public safety this legislation is sure to generate. We
pay taxes and deserve maximum consideration.
Finally, the dialogue about the impact of this legislation is
beginning in my community and undoubtedly throughout many communities in
our city. So far, the neighbors I have spoken to do not support the
legislation. I believe the council should have held a hearing to allow
the public to comment on this legislation before it was speedily passed.
If the murmurs of discontent build to a crescendo of downright
opposition, then it is our duty to petition the council to rescind or
modify this ill-conceived legislation. Thank you Councilmembers Bowser,
Graham, Mendelson, and Schwartz for voting against this legislation.
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Late Closing of Bars and Restaurants
Clyde Howard, ceohoward@hotmail.com
Once again, city councilmembers have shown what they think of the
residents of the city. They have acquiesced to the wishes of those who
do not live in the proximity of the commercial strips containing bars
and restaurants. And for the weekend of the inaugural, we the residents
must put up with the influx of persons parking their cars in the
available curb space, depriving us of the ability to park near our
homes, all in the interest of money and giving the visitors a happy face
from the city. The decision to allow bars and restaurants to close late
was never discussed with our ANCs or the general population; the
decision was made in a vacuum. Only the councilmembers who realized the
impacts upon their respective neighborhoods and the possibility of an
increase in stickups and muggings voted against it. The members who
voted for the bill do not live near a commercial strip nor do they have
to struggle to find a parking space after a night attending meetings or
socializing. It is a pity that we have voted in office people who have
forgotten whom they represent. When will we ever learn?
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I put the trash out today as I have every Thursday for ten years. It
was still here when I returned, so I thought I had been overlooked
again. A call to 311 apprised me that my collection day has been changed
to Fridays. Of course my concern was when would I have been told of the
change. The nice lady at the Mayor’s Call Center replied, “A lot of
people have called to ask that, but they [the city] haven’t gotten
around to that yet.”
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With a Lot of Fanfare
Ed T. Barron, edtb1@macdotcom
The DC Department of Public Works spent a lot of money putting up
posters, mailings, etc., to alert folks in Spring Valley/American
University Park that trash and recyclable pickups would shift from
Tuesdays to Thursdays each week beginning Thursday, December 4. Arriving
home at just before midnight on the third of December from a road trip
to the other Washington, I dutifully put out my trash before the 7:00
a.m. deadline. Late on the fourth of December the trash was collected.
As for the recyclables, they are still waiting for the contractor to
collect them.
This lack of communications is symptomatic of many of DC’s
agencies. They have no defined processes (checklists) to follow when
changes are made in routine tasks. DPW communicated to the end customers
but failed to communicate with the doers, those who collect the
recyclables. This was either a lack of communication or a lack of
feedback and coordination with the contractor. In any event, the
recyclable bins are still lined up on Massachusetts Avenue on my block
waiting for a pickup.
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More on “Practice Makes Imperfect”
Pat Taylor, ptaylor.dc@verizon.net
Thank you for your December 3 editorial letter challenging Jay
Mathews’ views in his Washington Post article, “New DC
Principal, Hand-Picked Team Makes Early Gains,” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/30/AR2008113001929.html.
Mathews praises new principal Brian Betts for wanting a staff of young
teachers with limited or no teaching experience because they are “eager
and optimistic,” in Mathews’ words or, in Betts’ words, “before
they were jaded.” Ninety-three percent of the twenty-eight teachers
hired by Betts had five or fewer years of teaching experience. This
hiring strategy certainly sends a clear message to anyone planning a
career in public school teaching — do not apply to DCPS. You will no
longer be wanted after you’ve taught for more than five years. At
which time there be no union to protect your job rights.
Apart from the hiring criteria of 1) applicants’ belief that
teachers, not parents and home life, are the most important factor in
the education of most of their students and 2) lack of teaching
experience, it would be interesting to know the other criteria that
Betts used in selecting his staff. Also, one would like to know why of
all the Shaw teachers, whose jobs were guaranteed, only five decided to
stay. And by what criteria did Betts judge the fifteen Garnet-Patterson
teachers and find only one to be qualified:
Finally, can it be that a public relations firm is providing Michelle
Rhee’s public relations blitz? Can it be that this PR campaign is
funded by DC taxpayers? If not by the taxpayers, by a foundation? How
can we find this out?
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The Cult of Rhee Has Reached Even Arizona
Star Lawrence, jkellaw@aol.com
You mention [themail, December 3] Michelle Rhee’s national public
relations blitz. It’s working. She gets ink even out here in cowboy
country, where I brought my child to get her out of the DC schools —
and leapt into another fire. My kid had some horrible teachers in DC,
and some great ones. Same out here. Same for me, as a kid. Same for all
of us, I bet. Can you even name three you had? A recent survey kicked
around on the New York Times blogs showed teens lie like the
proverbial floor coverings, steal, etc. It isn’t always the parents
cheating on their taxes or spouses that causes it. Or the rap. Or the
bad schools. We can’t put this all on teachers. But some, yes. At very
least, don’t pound the joy and motivation out of kids, as happened
with mine.
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Post
Records
Violation of Teachers Contract
Ed Dixon, Georgetown Reservoir, jedxn@yahoo.com
In a Friday page A1 story, the Washington Post noted that the
District does not follow the often controversial contract it has with
the Washington Teachers Union. The article, on the negative effects of
growing class size, reported that the District’s contract with the
teachers union calls for limiting the size of an elementary classroom to
twenty-five students. According to US Department of Education
statistics, the 2004 national average for elementary schools was twenty,
with many local district averages hovering around that number. With
little fanfare, the article pointed out that the District has been
unable to maintain the contracted level in spite of concerns nationally
on classroom size: http://tinyurl.com/5t7p7e.
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Local Vendors on Inauguration Day
T. Lassoc, Cei76@aol.com
Here is an article from Saturday’s Washington Post. “Street
Vendors Aren’t Sold on Lottery for Jan. 20 Slots: Local Salespeople
Say DC Plan Could Shut Them Out,” http http://tinyurl.com/5aohgf.
This lottery is really unfair to local vendors.
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Re: “Bringing the Inauguration Close to Home” [themail, December
3] Rather than go to a secondary location, such as a park miles away
from the action, why not just watch it on TV?
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Turkey Claus Showdown Championship and Toys
for Tots, December 12-14
John A. Stokes, dcdocs@dc.gov
The Takoma Community and Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren Street, NW,
has been chosen as an official drop-off location for the US Marine Corps
Reserve Toys for Tots Program (Toys for Tots). From Friday, December 12
through Sunday, December 14, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Takoma
Community and Aquatic Center will be the host site for the annual Turkey
Claus Showdown Championship, which is a proud sponsor for Toys for Tots.
The annual swim meet, hosted by Machine Aquatics Swim Team as a member
of Potomac Valley Swimming, is asking every participating swimmer to
donate at least one new toy to be given to DC Metropolitan area children
in need. Members of the public are also invited to donate toys.
Toys for Tots collects new, unwrapped toys during October, November,
and December each year and distributes them as Christmas gifts to
children in need in communities in which campaigns are conducted. The
program desires to help needy youngsters throughout the United States
experience the joy of Christmas and believes that through the seemingly
simple action of delivering a shiny new toy to them at Christmas that it
also sends a message of hope that can motivate them to grow into
responsible, productive, and patriotic citizens and community leaders.
During the weekend of the meet, the Takoma Aquatic Center will be
closed to the public for swimming; the meet is open to the public for
viewing and admission is free. Takoma Aquatic Center will reopen and
resume regular hours on Monday, December 15.
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Historical Society of Washington, DC, December
13-14
Ed Bruske, euclidarms@yahoo.com
Saturday, December 13, 1:00 p.m., Historical Society of Washington,
DC, 801 K Street, NW. Free admission. Miracle on 34th Street,
Dir. George Seaton, 1 hr. 47 minutes, 1947. At the Macy’s Department
Store Thanksgiving Day parade, the actor playing Santa is discovered to
be drunk by a whiskered old man. Doris Walker, the no nonsense special
events director, persuades the old man to take his place. The old man
proves to be a sensation and is quickly recruited to be the store Santa
at the main Macy’s outlet. While he is successful, Ms. Walker learns
that he calls himself Kris Kringle and he claims to be the actual Santa
Claus. Despite reassurances by Kringle’s doctor that he is harmless,
Doris still has misgivings, especially when she has cynically trained
herself, and especially her daughter, Susan, to reject all notions of
belief and fantasy. And yet, people, especially Susan, begin to notice
there is something special about Kris and his determination to advance
the true spirit of Christmas amidst the rampant commercialism around him
and succeeding in improbable ways. When a raucous conflict with the
store’s cruelly incompetent psychologist erupts, Kris finds himself
held at Bellevue where, in despair, he deliberately fails a mental
examination to ensure his commitment. All seems lost until Doris’
friend, Fred Gaily, reassure Kris of his worth and agrees to represent
him in the fight to secure his release. To achieve that, Fred arranges a
formal hearing in which he argues that Kris is sane because he is in
fact Santa Claus. What ensues is a bizarre hearing in which people’s
beliefs are reexamined and put to the test, but even so, it’s going to
take a miracle for Kris to win. RSVP@historydc.org
or 383-1828.
Saturday, December 13, 3:00-4:00 p.m., Historical Society of
Washington, DC, 801 K Street, NW. Free admission. Sacred Music Series
featuring a cappella gospel group Reverb. Reverb is a male a
cappella vocal group based in the Washington area. The all-male
group has been named best harmony group and best gospel group by the
Washington Area Music Association. It has performed nationally and
toured East and Southern Africa, the Persian Gulf, and the Caribbean.
The sacred music concert on December 13 will include songs from Reverb’s
CD, “The Mission Statement,” described by Washington Post
music critic Mike Joyce as “unrivaled for sheer beauty of tone and
intensity of performance.” RSVP@historydc.org
or 383-1828.
Sunday, December 14, 2:30-4:00 p.m., Historical Society of
Washington, DC, 801 K Street, NW. Free admission. Live
Performance/Christmas Concert. The Lilliput Rose Garden Orchestra is a
small group of string instrumentalists and vocalists who create a
whimsical and eclectic style, combining folk, inspirational, and
classical songs and interludes. This Christmas concert for 2008 at the
Historical Society of Washington will include early American and
International as well as more recent Christmas melodies to comment on
the passage of Washington, DC, through many Christmases of years past to
the present day. Performers: Linda Nash, a singer, song writer,
guitarist, and harpist has sung her own inspirational songs in Cornwall,
England, in Israel, India, Guatemala, and El Salvador. She has compiled
a CD called Consider the Lilies. William Feasley is a world-class
guitarist who has produced six CDs and has traveled to Europe, Greece,
Bosnia, South America, and New Zealand. He is a professor of music at
Sheperd University and Catholic University and won the 2000 Baltimore
Chamber Music Award. Gerri Cathcart, an evangelist and rich alto singer,
has performed at Christian conferences worldwide. Karen Ashbrook is a
well-known dulcimer player and composer, has produced many CDs such as
Celtic Lace, and Spring Will Come. She recently performed at the World
Dulcimer Congress in Germany. Tom Morton is an accomplished mandolin and
banjo player who performs with the Washington Mandolin Quintet, and he
is a tax lawyer. RSVP@historydc.org
or 383-1828.
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