Advances
Dear Social Improvers:
One further thought on the probably invented H.G. Wells quotation
about bicycles that I wrote about in the last issue of themail. Wells
was quite a futurist, as we all know. One of his lesser-known works,
because it is not a novel but instead nonfictional speculations on the
advances that Wells believed would occur in the twentieth century is his
1901 book, Anticipations of the Reaction of Mechanical and Scientific
Progress upon Human Life and Thought. A copy of the fourth edition,
of 1904, is available online at
http://ia340931.us.archive.org/1/items/anticipationsofr00welluoft/anticipationsofr00welluoft.pdf.
The first chapter is a celebration of what Wells foresaw as the rise
of a new form of transportation — individual vehicles, each powered by
its own motor, riding on soft tires made of something like rubber on
streets that may be hard surfaced with something like asphalt. Some of
these vehicles would be large and used for the transportation of goods;
some would be motor omnibuses replacing horse omnibuses; and some would
be private individual vehicles.
To me, these vehicles sound awfully similar to automobiles. According
to Wells, they would create a tremendous improvement over the dirt and
noise of current streets, and relieve people of the “quite unendurable
inconvenience and danger of urban cycling,” caused by the “omnipresence
of mud, filthy mud, churned up by hoofs and wheels under the inclement
skies, and perpetually defiled and added to by innumerable hooves.”
Even worse for smart-growth planners, in the second chapter, “The
Probable Diffusion of Great Cities,” Wells celebrates the spread of
the population of large cities made possible by these new modes of
transportation, and the resultant relief from the “over-crowded
humanity” and “swarming concentrated humanity” that led to such
terrible conditions in the major cities of his day.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Parking Ticket Writing Blitz
Wendy Blair, wblair@npr.org
I can chime in with another example to go with Ed Barron’s Janney
School parking ticketing scam story (themail August 23): the sign in
front of the Hine school on Capitol Hill at 8th Street. SE. and
Pennsylvania Avenue (Eastern Market) says “No parking on school days.”
The tickets issued cite the sign as “in clear evidence.” However,
the Hine school has not had any school days since June of 2008. The
school has been closed for more than a year. The Hine School side of the
street is always fully parked up — and the tickets are given
sporadically — necessitating each car owner to contest them.
Ticket contesters must take photos to prove the school is empty on a
weekday, find a news clipping announcing the school closing, and copies
of notices of subsequent plans to raze the Hine building — and submit
these, contesting the ticket. They will then receive a notice from
Traffic Adjudication saying, “Your letter has been received and notice
of arbitration will be given in due course”. So far (months later) —
nothing.
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Lethal Deer Controls in Rock Creek Park
Carol Grunewald, c.l.grunewald@comcast.net
The National Park Service has published a draft white-tailed deer
management plan for Rock Creek Park. Alternatives promoted by the Park
Service include hiring sharpshooters to kill deer throughout the Park,
and capturing deer and euthanizing them.
A meeting to discuss this document will be held Wednesday, September
2, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the Rock Creek Park Nature Center, 5200
Glover Road, NW. A copy of the report can be obtained from http://parkplanning.nps.gov/rocr,
and comments can also be submitted there. I hope our community will show
up to promote non-lethal methods of deer control — and protest lethal
methods.
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This past week I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, using the highways of
our adjacent neighbor Virginia, only to run into a vast network of
highways void of rest stops for the tired and weary drivers traveling
long distances. Granted that the government of Virginia is in a budget
crunch, but to close rest stops is criminal. From DC to Richmond, VA, is
in excess of ninety miles and from Petersburg, VA, to South Hill, is 136
long miles. Closing them will save money on the one hand, yet on the
other hand tired and weary drivers have to cover many miles to reach the
North Carolina line just to pull in to a rest stop where they can safely
take a short power nap or tend to their needs borders on the criminal.
Yes, they might be able to pull to the shoulder, but have you seen the
shoulders of Virginia highways? They are full of pieces of tires that
have wires protruding from them that will puncture your tires. Some
shoulders have deep drop-offs if you pull in too far. Also, there is a
danger of being hit by inattentive drivers.
Tired and weary drivers are a danger to themselves and to others, and
to take away the only means of rest is awful. Yes, they can pull in to
service areas as well, but how long will it be before these gas stations
and food outlets discover that their water bill has increased before
returning to the good old days of having to put a quarter into the slot
before you can use the toilet. I have traveled the highways of Virginia
on many long trips and appreciate the rest stops greatly, and I am sure
the big rig drivers did too. But not to have been proactive as other
states have been in manning the rest stops like Pennsylvania, Maryland,
and other states have with commercial businesses shows that Virginia was
lacking in looking at the problem of expenses of the rest stops and
making plans to reduce the drain on their budget.
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Parents Alarmed at
Hazardous Conditions at John Burroughs Elementary
Candi Peterson, saveourcounselors@gmail.com
I received a number of E-mails about the Environmental Protection
Agency violations and a notice of asbestos at John Burroughs elementary
school. The school is described as being replete with environmental
hazards. Burroughs elementary school parents met in June and were quite
concerned that the school’s renovation project was too ambitious to be
completed by the school’s opening in August. It seems that the parents
called this one right, as Burroughs teachers and staff had to face
chemical toxins, flying dust, asbestos, and inadequate air quality while
preparing for their students’ return last week. According to a notice
from the PTA, the guidelines for proper ventilation are not being
followed.
The renovation project is under the supervision of Mr. Allan Lew. The
name of the construction company is the Centennial Construction Company,
which reportedly hires day laborers who may not be aware of the hazards
involved in this project and do not have experience in the appropriate
disposal of hazardous materials and largely do not speak English. It has
been reported that asbestos is in the new wing of John Burroughs, has
chipped away and is what is known as friable, and is being covered over
by tile. Complaints have been made that dust is all over everything,
chemicals from paint and glue fumes stagnate the building as all of the
air conditioners are not working in the school and the windows have not
been open for the proper ventilation and time frames have not been
adhered to for airing out the school. Kindergarten size toilets are
being placed where first through sixth graders and middle school
students will have to use the bathroom now that the school has expanded.
Here are excerpts from the letter that the PTA sent out to parents,
teachers and school staff on August 22: “In observing the work that is
being hastily done at Burroughs and remains hugely incomplete, although
school starts in less than 48 hours — please be mindful that the EPA
states that 72 hours is required to adequately ventilate the building
after any construction is complete. From the looks of progress, this
will not happen. At 4:10 p.m., Saturday, August 22 dust is wafting
through the air in the building, while our teachers are rushing to
prepare their classrooms for the children. There is dust everywhere and
sawing, hammering, nailing, moving is going on as I type this E-mail —
please download the pictures, taken just minutes ago to see a sample of
the existing conditions. Please call the EPA’s hot line (800-438-4318)
to request that an Indoor Air Quality Test be done on Monday, August 24,
prior to school opening, and that the results be made available to all
parents, teachers, and staff — so that we know that the air quality
levels are safe enough for our children, teachers and staff to inhabit
the building.”
According to the EPA web site: “Some construction activities can
release large amounts of VOCs into the school, and if the school is
already enclosed with walls, windows, and doors, outdoor air can no
longer easily flow through the building and remove the VOCs. In addition
to affecting the health of the construction workers, these VOCs can also
be adsorbed onto other building materials and be re-released into the
air later when the school is occupied by children and staff. During
certain construction activities, temporary ventilation systems should be
installed to quickly remove the gases.
“Ventilation is generally needed when “wet” building materials
are in use, when using materials that give off an odor, or when using
materials that carry a manufacturer’s warning regarding the need for
ventilation. Odors from building materials are the result of chemicals
being released from the materials into the air, so if there is an odor
present, it is safest to provide ventilation that will quickly remove
those odors from the building. Examples of potentially problematic
construction activities include painting (even with no- or low-VOC
paints), spreading of floor adhesives, and use of large amounts of
caulk, sealants, and cleaning agents. Additionally, the installation of
large amounts of building materials, such as carpet or vinyl-based
flooring products and composite wood cabinets and shelves, can require
extra ventilation if the material has not been carefully selected or
aired-out before being unrolled or unpackaged within the school.
“During installation of carpet, paints, furnishings, and other
VOC-emitting products, provide supplemental (spot) ventilation for at
least 72 hours after work is completed. It is important that an exhaust
fan be used to pull the polluted air out of the building, not to push
outdoor air into the building. Simply opening windows or doors is not
enough to effectively exhaust contaminants in most cases. The fan should
be placed in a window or exterior door as close to the work area as
possible, and any openings in the window or door around the fan be
temporarily sealed with plastic or cardboard. Then open a window or
exterior door at the opposite end of the room or building, so that
fresher outdoor air will flow across the work area and sweep polluted
air out through the exhaust fan. The size of exhaust fan needed will
increase as the size of the room increases, and as the amount of gases
being released into the air increases. The fan should provide about 5
air changes per hour (5 ACH). Divide the volume of the room in cubic
feet by 12 to get the minimum amount of cubic feet per minute (CFM) that
the fan must be able to exhaust. For example, a classroom with a volume
of 9000 cubic feet (1000 square feet of floor area with 9 foot ceilings)
divided by 12 results in a fan of 750 CFM. A 21 inch box fan may be
sufficient for a single classroom if the materials are not too strong a
source of gases, but would certainly not be sufficient for a wing or a
whole school. As a rule of thumb, there may be enough airflow if odors
do not spread out of the immediate area where the work is being
performed, of if dust or smoke released into the air can be seen to be
drawn towards the exhaust fan. As long as the odors or air pollutants
are present, the temporary exhaust ventilation must continue to be
operated, even during nights and weekends if necessary. Ventilation
should continue for a minimum of 24 hours after completion, or until
there are no longer any noticeable odors. ”
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Aussies (and Others) Make Up Bogus Facts About
DC
Bob Levine, rilevine@cpcug.org
Also the roads are better maintained in Iraq than DC.
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A referendum or initiative on same-sex marriage in DC would be
extremely divisive and would inflict sociopolitical wounds that would
take years to heal. However, the proponents of such a vote really do not
care about ripping this city apart because the call for a plebiscite on
this issue is nothing more than homophobic bigotry wrapped in democratic
rhetoric. Homosexuals constitute one of the few remaining minorities in
the United States against whom our society sanctions discriminatory
policies and actions (i.e., the military policy of don’t ask
don’t tell) and the advocates of referenda on this issue throughout
the nation have reveled in being able to express their anti-gay
prejudices and hate under the guise of protecting the institution of
traditional marriage.
I have had proponents of the referendum tell me that they hope that
their actions will lead to the dismantling of the DC Human Rights Act
and that gays and lesbians will eventually be barred from teaching in
our schools and protections for LGBT residents would be removed in the
areas of housing and some public accommodations. The advocates for a
referendum obviously think that it is impolitic to state publicly what
they really want to achieve.
As a gay African American, I find it offensive that community leaders
and activists would find it appropriate to put to a vote the effort to
make people like me equal citizens. It is heartbreaking to witness so
many blacks in this city engage in a campaign of naked hatred against an
unpopular minority. In our country most of the human and civil rights
advances for African Americans have been the results of legislative and
judicial actions enacted after years of struggle and bloodshed. If
racial civil rights had been put to referendum, de jure equality
for blacks would have been delayed and denied. I hope and pray that
those of us who believe in fairness, justice, and equality on the basis
of sexual orientation will reject the efforts of the haters to ruin the
progressive reputation of our great city.
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You’re hastening your own irrelevance with this dross.
As amusing as it can be to watch a cranky old man huff and splutter,
I have to wonder whether, when you first started this “E-mail
newsletter,” you pictured a more dignified sunset than the one you’re
driving into here.
Stick to fights worth picking.
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One Cannot Be Selective in
a Democracy
Robert “Bob” King, grassrootsdc@gmail.com
“Selective democracy” is not an option. Voters throughout the
United States receive more than the arbitrary, “selective” voter
democracy forced upon District residents and that disparity is amplified
when it comes to ballot measures. DC at least should be no different on
ballot measures, especially as DC Voting Rights Activists move
throughout the nation to promote our own quest for statehood/voting
rights.
Denying democracy from within our own ranks of leadership and
citizenry cannot be an option in the nation’s capital. It is clear
that the District of Columbia covets and is pursuing voting rights in
Congress and ultimately statehood. The District champions democracy, so
it is unenviable to pick and choose what democracy is the flavor of the
day. Therefore, do not dishonor the rights of DC voters by challenging
their right to have a citizen-driven ballot initiative in 2010.
Fortunately, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, civic/community
leaders, members of the faith community, and so forth are sending in
resolutions to support the journey to a citizens-initiative. The
resolution is referred to as the People’s Resolution and is the
product of a grassroots movement to put a citizens-driven initiative on
the ballot in 2010 when citizens go to the ballot to vote for their
candidates.
There are several points from the People’s Resolution which is
circulating to call for Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners and citizens
to push for a citizen-driven initiative for the ballot in 2010 on the
definition of marriage. Citizens of the District of Columbia have not
had an opportunity to address or vet the issue of changing the
definition of marriage to include same-sex marriage, and most were not
aware it was an issue before the city council. Advisory Neighborhood
Commissioners, who provide great weight on DC issues, policies, and
laws, and have a constituency of at least 2000 residents, were not
consulted on legislation regarding the definition of marriage, nor were
civic groups, community leaders, the faith community, business leaders,
or other groups. The council of the District of Columbia, the mayor, and
the DC Delegate to Congress support legislation to recognize same-sex
marriage; however, there was no public hearing on changing the
definition of marriage to gauge the pros and cons or to measure
public/taxpayer opinion, and Congress chose not to intervene on this
local issue. The DC council is expected to introduce legislation in fall
2009 to change the definition of marriage to permit same-sex marriages
to be performed in the District of Columbia, while recent legislation
allowed such marriages to be recognized from other jurisdictions.
The District of Columbia is the nation’s capital, America’s first
city, with nearly six hundred thousand residents (more residents than a
few states) and is considered the international seat of democracy in the
Free World and symbolically DC policies may have far reaching impact and
set the tone and direction for jurisdictions to follow. Nothing in the
DC Human Rights Act should prevent the people of DC from being heard on
this important public policy matter of changing the definition of
marriage or other public policy issues.
The District of Columbia and a multitude of states allow for ballot
measures in the form of a referendum and/or initiative to create,
affirm, or reject legislation. The people of the District of Columbia
should decide the critical issue of the definition of marriage and
same-sex marriage, not the thirteen members of the DC council, the
mayor, and the DC Delegate to Congress. Many citizens support having a
citizens’ initiative on the ballot in the 2010 General Election for DC
voters to decide whether or not the definition of marriage in the
District of Columbia shall include same-sex marriage. District of
Columbia registered voters (Democrats, Republicans, Independents,
Statehood/Green Party) should be able to vote for or against, “yea”
or “nay,” on the ballot measure, thus giving power back to the
people in the nation’s capital and taking the matter beyond elected
officials to determine once and for all the will of the people.
With democracy comes the right to vote (the will of the people),
which separates democracy from communism, socialism, tyranny, and
dictatorship. The value of the American democratic vote is so important
and so well valued that measures were enacted to protect it. If it were
not for the Civil Rights Acts of 1963 and 1965, many Americans would
still be denied their constitutional right to vote — a right that the
District of Columbia demands as a taxed body of people.
Many citizens in the District feel they are being denied their right
to vote by their own elected and appointed public officials. As of June
30, there were 311,528 Democrats, 28,448 Republicans, 4,126
Statehood-Green Party, and 66,078 Independents/No-Party registered
voters. There were 411,476 total registered voters in the District of
Columbia. They demand the right to vote on what the definition of
marriage should be in the nation’s capital, and no excuses will
soften, abrogate, or nullify their stance to involve them intimately in
this controversial public policy issue. Citizens are determined to go to
the ballot box on this issue one way or another. It is imperative that
there be an initiative on the ballot in 2010 to relieve impressions of
anarchy and self serving interests as well as disrespect and disinterest
for the everyday voter and taxpayer. When states decide on a citizens’
initiative, it is because the will of the people must be heard. Why must
citizens of the District be held hostage and treated like unintelligent,
unsophisticated second-class citizens when other jurisdictions enjoy the
liberty to have a citizens’ initiative on the issue of defining
marriage? In a democracy, a voter ballot is the most valued voice
citizens have to express themselves and to participate in our society.
It is the right to vote that matters more than what the outcome of the
vote may be. To follow the happenings of the People’s Campaign, please
E-mail grassrootsdc@gmail.com
to join our mailing list for updates.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities will have its third
installment of Art Salon at Solea, a Jair Lynch property, featuring work
by DC artists Peter Krsko, Quest Skinner, Rogelio Maxwell, Cory
Orbendorfer, and Decoy with rhythms driven by DJ Iwah and Christylez
Bacon. Art Salon brings together members of Washington’s creative
community that are shaping the next era of art in DC.
Thursday, August 27, 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., Solea, 1401 Florida Avenue,
NW. RSVP: dccahevents@gmail.com.
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Department of Parks and Recreation Events,
August 29
John Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
August 29 through October 17, 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Anacostia High
School, Ballou High School, Cardozo High School, Coolidge High School,
McKinley Tech High School, Roosevelt High School, Spingarn High School,
Stanton Elementary School. DC Pop Warner Football League Kickoff -
Opening Weekend for ages five through fifteen. Join DPR and the Boys and
Girls Clubs of Greater Washington for the opening weekend of the DC Pop
Warner Football League season. Regular season football games will be
played across the District every weekend until October 17. This year,
the DC Pop Warner Football League will have over two thousand youth
athletes, aged five to fifteen years old, competing in six Pop Warner
Football age/weight divisions. Playoffs Weekend begins October 24 and
Championship Weekend begins October 31; teams will play for the DC Pop
Warner Football League championship, and the opportunity to represent
the DC Pop Warner Football League in the regional playoffs in November,
and a shot to compete in the Pop Warner Football Super Bowl in December.
For more information, call DC Pop Warner Football League at 673-2032.
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