Full Removal
Dear Snow Experts:
Ronni Glaser’s message in the last issue of themail comparing snow
removal facilities in Chicago and DC has stirred some healthy debate in
this issue. What do you know about snow removal abilities of other
cities? Comparisons are going to be difficult for all the reasons listed
in the messages below. How do you compare snow fleet sizes directly when
cities have different sized trucks; owned, rented, and leased fleets;
and different access to state and federal government assistance? But,
unlike Martin Austermuhle, below, who believes that the city council
hearings will lead to answers about snow removal efforts this year, I
don’t think the answers will come from the administration or the
council. We already know their answer: spend a lot more money or be
satisfied with the service you received. If we want a better plan, with
better coordination of equipment and personnel, more efficient street
clearance, and less managerial confusion, we’re going to have to come
up with the ideas ourselves.
#####
Bill Turque gives notice of two rare public meetings by the Office of
Public Education Facilities Modernization, Alan Lew’s school
construction and renovation operation, on February 20 and February 24, http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcschools/2010/02/school_modernization_meetings.html.
As Turque notes, it’s an agency that “has taken some hits in the
past for lack of responsiveness and transparency.”
#####
A warning for sensitive readers: there are more expletives in this
issue of themail than ever before, with one message that seems
especially designed to get the issue banned by corporate and
organizational censorship programs. Therefore, I’ve precensored the
E-mail version of this issue myself. The asterisked words that you’ll
see in the E-mail version are restored to full offensiveness in the
web-based version.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
###############
Council Contracts and Earmarks
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com
Attorneys Robert S. Bennett and Amy R. Sabrin have completed their
seven-month investigation as Special Counsel to the city council (http://www.dcwatch.com/council18/100216.pdf).
At yesterday’s meeting of the council’s Committee of the Whole, they
submitted a report on their investigation of personal services contracts
and earmarked grants by the council. The report finds that Ward 8
Councilman Marion Barry violated District laws and regulations regarding
conflict of interest, ethical standards of conduct, the operation of
citizen service programs, and obstruction of council proceedings. It
recommends referral of the matter to the US Attorney and the DC Office
of Campaign Finance for investigation of possible violations of law.
Councilmembers will have a week, until February 23, to review the
draft report and submit any comments or corrections directly to the
Special Counsels. Bennett and Sabrin will then have a week to review the
submissions and prepare a final report.
The council investigation began in July 2009, following the adoption
of Resolution 18-217, prompted by concerns about a personal services
contract Councilmember Barry had awarded to his girlfriend, Donna Watts-Brighthaupt.
The investigation was soon expanded to include earmarked grants awarded
by the council during the budget process.
###############
How about Some Signs of Intelligence Instead?
Abigail Padou, abigail_padou@yahoo.com
Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr., recently introduced
legislation to allow “special signs” (i.e., billboards) to be
erected in Ward 5. If Mr. Thomas has his wish, billboards will spring up
along boulevards like Rhode Island Avenue and neighborhood corridors
like 12th Street, NE. Why would Mr. Thomas support increasing billboard
blight in Ward 5 when the rest of the District is finding ways to remove
it?
###############
Free Tax Help From AARP’s Tax-Aide Program
Grier Mendel, gmendel@aarp.org
District residents can take advantage of free tax help through AARP
Tax-Aide, an AARP Foundation program and the nation’s largest
volunteer-run tax counseling and preparation service. The program offers
help to low- and middle-income taxpayers with special attention to those
who are sixty and older. Here in the District, fifty AARP Tax-Aide
volunteers will be helping thousands of District residents file their
taxes at seventeen Tax-Aide locations throughout the city. To find the
Tax-Aide location nearest them, District residents can call
1-888-AARPNOW (1-888-227-7669) or visit www.aarp.org/taxaide.
Last year, more than four thousand DC residents received Tax-Aide
assistance. AARP Tax-Aide volunteers, certified by the Internal Revenue
Service, can assist in filing tax forms and schedules, including the
1040, 1040A and 1040EZ. AARP Tax-Aide, America’s largest free,
volunteer-run tax preparation and assistance program, provides services
to taxpayers each year from the beginning of February through April 15
at approximately 6,600 sites around the country. Sites are located in
places such as senior centers, libraries, and community centers. In
addition, volunteers can visit hospitals and nursing homes for those who
are homebound. Help is available on a walk-in basis or by appointment,
depending on the site. The program began in 1968 with only four
volunteers who worked on one hundred returns, but it has grown
dramatically. Last tax season, AARP Tax-Aide served 2.6 million people
with more than 34000 volunteers nationwide.
The AARP Foundation administers AARP Tax-Aide in cooperation with the
IRS. Additional funding comes from private contributions. Tax counseling
on the Internet is available year round.
###############
Federation of Citizens Associations Backs
Public Education Use for Franklin School
Bell Clement, bell.clement at gmail.com
The District-wide citizens’ effort to prevent the privatization of
historic Franklin School has received the support of DC’s Federation
of Citizens Associations. In a February 8 letter to Mayor Adrian Fenty,
Federation President Carroll Green called upon the District to
reconsider its move to turn the nationally landmarked building over for
private development, and announced Federation backing for redevelopment
of the school for educational use by District residents. “Franklin
School can reclaim its prior status as a model of educational excellence
for the world,” counsels the Federation letter, noting that “for
over 120 years, Franklin served the educational needs of our citizens,
providing teacher training, a business school, vocational training and
adult education.” Founded in 1910, the Federation of Citizens
Associations is a coalition of more than forty neighborhood
organizations from across the District, “committed to bringing the
voice of District taxpayers and residents to policy discussions.”
The DC Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development offered
Franklin School for conversion to condominium, hotel, or other
commercial use in a September 2009 Request for Proposals. On January 19,
a citizens’ proposal, calling for retention of the building in the
public inventory and its redevelopment for educational use was filed by
the Coalition for Franklin School, an ad hoc group representing a
cross-section of District of Columbia citizens and area residents. The
Federation letter states its support for Coalition goals. The Coalition’s
proposal to the District lays out several public and public / private
partnership alternatives for redevelopment of Franklin, among them a
magnet high school for global education; a school of education for
teacher training and research; and an academic center that would share
space through rentals to education organizations such as universities
based outside the District.
The Coalition for Franklin School has challenged the legitimacy of
the District’s RFP, which was issued without input from the public and
in the absence of a master facilities plan and of action by DC Council
declaring Franklin to be surplus property, both of which are required
under District law. Information about Franklin School and the work of
the Coalition for Franklin School as well as the Coalition’s proposal
for public education use for Franklin can be found at http://www.franklinschooldc.org.
###############
Like Ronni [themail, February 14], I lived in Chicago for many years.
Three of my children were born there. I lived in Chicago during one of
its largest blizzards in 1981 or 1982. I voted in protest for Jane Byrne
against Mayor Michael Bilandic because of his dysfunctional snow removal
plan. People died, cars were crushed, schools and businesses were closed
for long periods, and piles of snow was everywhere. This blizzard
reminded me of why I left Chicago and moved to DC.
Ronni’s comparison of Fenty’s fleet to Chicago’s is very
important. We have more vehicles to use in a smaller area and somehow
can’t get it right. The Department of Public Works director, William
Holland is no stranger to blizzards. He worked in Fairfax County. I’m
sure Holland probably had a good plan. The problem we have is Fenty
wanting to micromanage everything. It’s Fenty’s way or you’re out!
As long as it was sunny, Fenty could jog showing off his sport gear.
But he should have learned how to ski. Chicago residents learned there
were some basic strategies that should have been used years ago to
prevent the disaster it faced. Somehow these effective strategies are
not part of Fenty’s “best practice” snow removal efforts. I know
what to do in thirty weeks. I’ll protest just like I did in Chicago.
###############
I enjoyed reading Ronni Glaser’s opinion about Chicago’s snow
removal abilities. I suggest that a little more research was required.
While her basic assertion that the city of Chicago has 275 plows is
almost correct, she neglected to mention the fleet of 24 smaller plows
(used on narrower streets) and the 200 garbage trucks that are outfitted
with plows. And that, “In addition, heavy equipment and labor is
available from other municipal departments for snow clearance during and
after a blizzard.” And that the State of Illinois plows all of the
expressways in the city. And that, according to the city, “Chicago
averages 39 inches of snow annually.”
So DC got more snow in five days then Chicago averages in an entire
winter, the city of Chicago has far more plows available, and isn’t
even responsible for any of the highways in the city. Draw your own
conclusions. And for all you Marion Barry haters out there, remember how
Chicago treated its mayor when he couldn’t clear the snow after a
blizzard.
Finally, from NOAA/National Weather Service, Chicago’s ten biggest
snowstorms: 1) 23.0 inches, January 26-27, 1967; 2) 21.6 inches, January
1-3, 1999; 3) 19.2 inches, March 25-26, 1930; 4) 18.8 inches, January
13-14, 1979; 5) 16.2 inches, March 7-8, 1931; 6) 15.0 inches, December
17-20, 1929; 7) 14.9 inches, January 30, 1939; 8) 14.9 inches, January
6-7, 1918; 9) 14.3 inches, March 25-26, 1970; 10) 14.0 inches, January
18-20, 1886.
###############
I’m not sure where Ronni Glaser got her numbers, but an AP article
published on February 16 stated that Chicago has 500 plows and 1,000
workers dedicated to snow removal (http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/ap/clearing-roads-in-winter-requires-snowphistication-84429977.html).
Additionally, Chicago’s snow removal budget is three times higher than
the District’s, and the city’s annual snowfall is twice what we get
here, which means that they’re simply better practiced at dealing with
large amounts of snow. Moreover, Chicago’s mass transit system —
primarily the trains — are equipped to handle snow and ice, unlike
Metro, which can’t deal with anything above eight inches on and around
the tracks.
As for defending Mayor Fenty against Chris Matthews, well, what
Matthews said was patently indefensible. He blamed the District for the
federal government’s decision to shut down and compared the city’s
response to the snow to the Hurricane Katrina aftermath. (One of his
guests compared it to 9/11.) For someone with a national audience, this
is both irresponsible and wrong. Matthews and other national figures
that have criticized the District should know that the federal
government’s decision to shut down was based on a number of factors,
including the fact that Metro couldn’t run above ground and that most
neighboring jurisdictions handled the snow worse than we did.
(Ironically, Matthews lives in Montgomery County, which preemptively
closed its schools for an entire week, while the District’s schools
remained day-to-day.)
Regardless of what other cities can or cannot do when it comes to
snow, the back-to-back storms dumped a historic amount of snow in the
region. And while the hearings called by the DC council later this month
will surely expose whether or not the city’s response was adequate, I
think that the majority of the city’s residents are willing to cut
Mayor Fenty, DDOT, and DPW some slack for what happened. Does that mean
things can’t be improved or that we can’t prepare better for next
time? Absolutely not. But all things considered, I think that the city’s
snow removal crews did about as much as they could considering what they
were faced with. After storms like these, someone will always be
unhappy. But we need to stop, put things in perspective and judge the
city’s response based on quantifiable factors, not simply politics.
###############
On Crittenden Street, NW, in addition to the few passes by snow
plowing tractors and trucks during the recent storms, one day a
contractor being supervised by a Department of Public Works employee
worked a Bobcat plow to great effect. He didn’t create barriers of
snow for parked cars and was able to get into places where a large plow
couldn’t. I think these should be employed more than they are
presently. You can buy maybe three for the price of one large plow. I’ll
bet they cost less to operate and maintain, too.
The additional people to operate them could be recruited starting at
DC council. I read about Councilman Kwami Brown, in a Samaritan act,
operating one in his southeast neighborhood.
###############
According to an interview with Bobby Richardson, head of snow removal
in Chicago (http://www.newsok.com/article/feed/133605?searched=bobby%20richardson&custom_click=search),
Chicago has a fleet of “more than 500 plows and 1,000 workers. . .“
to be used for snow removal. The same source reports that Chicago has
three hundred vehicles specifically designed for snow removal and DC has
two hundred.
Money is very much part of the issue. Chicago had a calendar year
snow removal budget of $17 million in 2009 and $17 million in 2010 for
an average winter snowfall of 39 inches. DC had a snow removal budget of
approximately $6.2 million in each of the last two fiscal years for an
average winter snowfall of 19 inches. We can get a Chicago style system
for higher taxes/reduced services/bigger deficits. That’s a struggle
Chicago had in 2008 when the city tried to remove $1 million from the
2009 snow removal budget to keep other programs.
The article in the Oklahoman also cites the futility of
comparing snow removal in different areas where temperatures,
topography, and other variables complicate snow removal. There are very
interesting algorithms/computer models to optimize winter road
maintenance and snow removal (see James F. Campbell, University of
Missouri, St. Louis, http://business.umsl.edu/faculty/logistics/campbell.html),
but they are models, not magic.
I do not know how accurate the above information is since I did not
use primary sources, but I was able to locate some of it from more than
one source. The assertion, “It’s not money or equipment. . . ,“
does not appear to be borne out by either the models or the facts.
###############
This series of storms was an aberration. Therefore I have no
complaints about how DC and Fenty handled the snow removal. For those
complaining about DC, keep in mind that DC streets were no better or
worse than those in Maryland and Virginia. I will have a problem during
the next minimal snow storm of five inches or less. During those
occasions, I think the city does an abysmal job. This is not rocket
science, and a couple of inches of snow should not be a big deal.
I did see a couple of problems that we all should be concerned about:
1) sidewalks. The sidewalks were generally impassable. Most sidewalks
are maintained by us, the citizens. Therefore if we want to dump on the
mayor, we should also consider the job that we did. Pedestrians were
forced to walk in the street, because they couldn’t walk on the
sidewalks. 2) End of block sidewalks. For those who live at the end of a
block, I feel bad for you because you have the biggest responsibility
during snowstorms. However, you can’t just shovel your extensive
property line, you also have to keep the curb entry to the street clear.
I know the plows dump more snow on you, but you are one of the main
reasons people walk in the streets. Don’t just shovel the sidewalk,
please shovel to the street entrance, and keep it clear. 3) Metro
underground. Metro needs to operate fully no matter how much snow we
get. I don’t know the mechanics of track safety, etc., but I would
really love to know why the trains can’t keep rolling on two tracks.
And by rolling I mean, why can’t they at least keep rolling
underground. I tried to take the Metro one day during snowmaggeden and
discovered that the trains were single tracked. Why? 4) Metro
aboveground. Metro should be informing us about what it will take for
the above ground tracks to work. Can someone at Metro please call Russia
and ask how they keep the trains running during the winter? 5) Schools.
I can’t see any good reason for schools to have been closed for one
week. Open schools should be a bigger priority than an open Pennsylvania
Avenue. If the streets were basically OK, kids should have been in
school for at least a couple of those days. Parents should stop
complaining about how hard it is for kids to get the bus to school, and
walk them to school in the snow, just like most parents do in the rest
of the country where they get a lot more snow. The same kids I saw
outside walking to hills to sled, could have walked to school for math
and English. The same parents I saw walking to Safeway and Giant, could
have dropped their kids off at the schools next door to those stores.
6) Where to dump the snow. I know we don’t want to hurt the fish.
But the city has got to come up with a long-term holding area for the
snow. I’m tired of the debate about where to put the white powder.
This is a town of experts. Pick one or two, no more than three, and
settle this. I think we can probably get this expert advice for free,
and get a long term plan in the process. 7) Garbage and recycling. Once
the streets are plowed, can we have garbage pickup in the front of the
house, maybe at the end of the block? Also, why can’t the recycling be
picked up at the same time? The city could alert us when the alley
pickup will start again.
Just a few snowmaggeden thoughts.
###############
Students in Danger Going to School on the
Franklyn Street Bridge
Marvin Tucker, mgtucker@hotmail.com
[An open letter to Chairman Vincent Gray] Today the students of the
city of Washington, DC, need your help and that of council. Students who
attend schools in Ward Five are staring down at death’s door when they
are trying to go to school. The mayor and his staff have put our
students in danger, and refuse to help them. Students have to walk in
the roadway on a bridge with cars coming at them, with nowhere to go.
They could be hit and killed by a car or truck on the Franklyn Street
Bridge in northeast Washington, DC.
The mayor has told the citizens that he and his staff have done a
good job, but in fact the walkway the students use to go to school is
full of snow, although people have gotten paid to clear it. This bridge
and street belongs to the city of Washington, DC, and our taxes are used
to keep it up. That means the bridge and walkway should be cleared so
that they can be used by people of the city. It is sad that when parents
tried to contact people to help our kids on Tuesday February 16, the
Department of Public Works, the mayor’s call center, and the Fifth
District Police Department, have all turned us down and would not help
us.
We could not get any help from the city agencies. We pay taxes in the
city like other parents and we have the same rights as others. I, as a
parent, have tried to contact others like The Washington Post,
television stations, and news networks who have companies in the city,
who work in this city, and who cross this bridge and know the dangers
that our students face. I also know some people who work for the Washington
Post like the mayor and will take bad news and cover it up, and not
put out the truth out when he is wrong. I know you and the council were
in a long hearing today, but our children were put in danger by the
mayor. As of right now, the walkway is blocked and our students still
have to walk in the street. The mayor’s children get a ride and not
are put in danger like our children. I tried to get in touch with the
City Administrator’s office, also with no answer. Again it goes to
show that if you don’t have money in this city you will not get
anything done; that means where you live in the city does makes a
difference. Mr. Gray, you know if a child gets hit by a car and killed,
the mayor and his staff will come running to the parent’s house and
offer their help. But it would be because of the mayor’s neglecting to
take care of the problem. If this is school reform, then our schools are
in trouble. If you need pictures I will get them to you. Please give me
a call at 609-5256 or E-mail me.
###############
Is it possible that one simple contribution to the issue might be to
require that all off-street parking, such as driveways, must be used
before plowing begins? As so very often, the private car and where it is
a large contributor to at least a fraction of an unplanned response. The
planning and Chicago’s response to heavy snow I would stipulate and
accept. The city of Chicago currently has 275 snow plows. The city of
Washington, DC, currently has 330 snow plows. The city of Chicago is 228
square miles. Washington, DC, is 68.3 square miles. There familiarity
does not breed contempt: quite the reverse, it appears to generate
useful thought and anticipation.
###############
Rebuttal to School Gardens Critique from the Atlantic
Virginia Johnson, virginiamjohnson@verizon.net
I read the Atlantic article with a lot of interest a few weeks
ago. Although I support community gardens, I have always been a little
bit skeptical of the lofty claims of the benefits of putting gardens in
grade schools. Adults are the ones who need regular access to a small
plot of land to make best use of it growing vegetables and fruit, and if
they want to pass what they learn on to their children, then fine.
Nevertheless, the Atlantic in general and the author (Caitlin
Flanagan) in particular might not be the most credible sources for
accusations of elitism. Coming away from the article, I thought, “I’m
not sure if a ‘certain kind’ of educated professional class member
can instruct California’s school children, one way or the other, Alice
Waters or Caitlin Flanagan, about much of anything.” The article made
what were to me some questionable assumptions.
Of the President’s physical fitness program implemented in the
1960s under JFK, Flanagan writes, “[Alice] Waters calls for a new
federal program based on the old one, but the new one is necessary only
because the old one has obviously failed: American kids are fatter and
sicker than ever.” My own admittedly limited understanding is that if
kids are indeed bigger and sicker than ever, one reason might well be
that the physical education requirements, i.e., the old program,
are being and have been abandoned at a rapid pace. In other words, when
it stayed implemented, the “old program” actually worked. (There’s
no mention of junk food advertising, or soft drink machines and candy
machines in schools in Flanagan’s piece.)
The immigrant farm worker scenario we are asked to imagine is
inflammatory. Seeing that call to outrage, I urge readers of themail to
read the article themselves and come to their own conclusions. After
all, it’s not just immigrant farm workers’ children who are
participating in school garden programs, presumably. What comes across
in the article is not so much a well-reasoned critique of school
gardening programs and public education, but rather an intense dislike
by one professional class member for another professional class member.
I saw it going no deeper than that.
###############
Gary, I never said that simply opposing marriage equality is hate
speech. That is an erroneous inference on your part. If your readers
think that I implied that, then I apologize. The point I attempted to
make is that when some opponents of marriage equality resort to
homophobic hyperbole such as contending that it is tantamount to
supporting polygamy, incest, and pedophilia, then the atmosphere around
the discussion may get heated up and fire up the fringe element.
For ten years I served as a Trustee for the DC Public Libraries and
was a member of the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Association
for Library Trustees and Advocates, a national association. I defend the
right of libraries to have Mein Kampf on their shelves and
vigorously support your right to continue to post opinions on marriage
equality no matter how odious they may be to the LGBT community. I have
friends and relatives who disagree with me on the issue, but we keep the
discussion rational and civil.
###############
Nope, I didn’t read anything wrong in Phil’s letter [themail,
February 10]. As a matter of fact it was nice to see the bigots called
out and the truth told.
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Re: “I’d plead for mercy considering the accuracy of the phrase.”
— Gary Imhoff, themail, February 14.
Are you saying that Mayor Fenty’s mom is a dog? Yep, I’m
offended. Please consider an apology to her.
###############
In the last issue of themail, in reference to criticism of your past
use of the term “son of a bitch” to refer to the mayor, you stated
“In addition, in this case I’d plead for mercy considering the
accuracy of the phrase.”
If you really gave a damn about accuracy, you would realize that the
expression you chose is actually not derogatory to the mayor, it is
derogatory to his mother, Jan Fenty. I have known Jan Fenty for over ten
years. She is a gentle, thoughtful, and energetic community-oriented
soul who does not deserve your scorn.
Please, be more selective in the future in your choice of
vulgarities, such as I will now do when I call you an asshole. The only
entity who might be saddened by this reference is an actual sphincter,
who might be shocked and disappointed to be compared to the likes of
you.
###############
When you feign offense in order to try to gain tactical advantage, in
this case to defend the mayor’s inadequate management of the recent
snowfalls, try to take your stand on solid ground, and be sure you’re
right. The mistaken complaint about “son of a bitch” reminds me of
the controversy when Mayor Williams fired David Howard for using the
word “niggardly,” which Marshall Brown wrongly interpreted as a
racial insult (Wikipedia has a good summary of the incident, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_about_the_word_%22niggardly%22).
“Son of a bitch” is an insult to the person against whom it is
directed, not against his mother. See definitions and the origin of the
phrase from several dictionaries at http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/son+of+a+bitch.
A son of a bitch is “a contemptible or thoroughly disagreeable person,”
“a person regarded as thoroughly mean or disagreeable,” “a
despicable person, usually a male.” None of these definitions is “the
son of a disagreeable woman.” Literally speaking, the phrase
originally called the man the son of a female dog, but it did not imply
that the man’s actual, human, mother was a female dog. It implicates
the man’s character, not his mother’s. If you’re not familiar with
actual English usage, it may be excusable to make such a mistake, and to
misinterpret the phrase, but it’s not excusable to sink into
vituperation and mean-spiritedness based upon your misinterpretation.
The best line about the “niggardly” debate came from Julian Bond,
then the president of the NAACP, who is quoted in the Wikipedia article.
It applies here: “You hate to think you have to censor your language
to meet other people’s lack of understanding. . . . David Howard
should not have quit. Mayor Williams should bring him back — and order
dictionaries issued to all staff who need them.” Next time, use the
dictionary first.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
DC Climate Action Plan, February 18
Chris Weiss, cweiss@foe.org
The DC Environmental Network invites all Metro-based
environmentalists to a brown bag luncheon on the District of Columbia
Climate Action Plan featuring Dan Barry, Senior Policy Analyst for
Climate, Office of Policy and Sustainability, District Department of the
Environment (DDOE) (invited); Larry Martin, Chair, Energy Committee,
Sierra Club, Washington, DC; and Chris Weiss, Director, DC Environmental
Network (moderator). In 2006, the DC Environmental Network recommended
Mayor-Elect Adrian Fenty join Mayor Bloomberg (New York City) and Mayor
Newsom (San Francisco) in the fight against global warming. Today, in
2010, as New York and San Francisco have charged forward, the District
has only just started implementing policies to curb greenhouse gas
emissions. Although Mayor Fenty has implemented some new programs most
of the significant policy changes in the last few years have been
spearheaded by the District council, including green building
legislation, clean car standards, increasing the amount of clean energy
(Renewable Portfolio Standard) and creating a new utility to promote
energy efficiency in DC (partial).
The good news is that the District just released, on February 1, a
new greenhouse gas emissions inventory, and will hopefully follow this
release with a new draft climate action plan to curb these dangerous
emissions. The environmental community is ready to push for and support
the best climate action plan possible. Dan Barry of will give us a quick
overview of the newest greenhouse gas inventory for the District and
tell us what he knows about the upcoming DC Climate Action Plan. This
will be followed by an open discussion.
Thursday, February 18, 12:00 to 1:30 p.m., at Friends of the Earth,
1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, #600 (Dupont Circle Metro, South Exit).
RSVP to: cweiss@foe.org. Call in:
888-346-3659, when prompted enter 7405#. Please remember to bring a
picture ID to get in the building! For more information contact Chris
Weiss, Director, DC Environmental Network, 222-0746 or cweiss@foe.org
###############
DC Jobs with Justice on Wage Theft, February
18
Mackenzie Baris, mackenziebaris@yahoo.com
Every day working people in our city have their hard-earned wages
skimmed or outright stolen from them. Employers withhold tips, force
people to work off the clock, pay less than the minimum or prevailing
wage, pay less than promised, and sometimes run off without paying at
all. For poor and working people who already struggle to make ends meet,
even a small theft of wages can be disastrous for their families. Please
join DC Jobs with Justice to learn more about this hidden crime wave and
how you can fight it.
Workers’ Rights Board Hearing on Wage Theft: DC’s Hidden Crime,
Thursday, February 18, 6:30-9:00 p.m., First Rising Mt. Zion Church, 602
N Street, NW (Mt. Vernon Square Metro station). A panel of community,
faith, academic, and political leaders will hear testimony from workers,
question government officials, and discuss tools for combating wage
theft. For more information, E-mail mbaris@dclabor.org
or call 974-8224.
###############
68th Annual Day of Remembrance, February 20
Chris Bastardi, chris@thetascgroup.com
The National Japanese American Memorial Foundation (NJAMF) and the
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program will be commemorating the
68th anniversary of the February 19, 1942, signing of President Franklin
D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066, which led to the imprisonment of
120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II. NJAMF and
the Smithsonian will hold a discussion on Saturday, February 20, at 2:00
p.m. at the National Museum of American History’s Carmichael
Auditorium (14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW).
The discussion will feature award-winning playwright Philip Kan
Gotanda and historian Dr. Scott Kurashige. Philip Kan Gotanda is revered
as the chronicler of Japanese America on the American stage and will
talk about one of his latest plays, After the War, which captures
postwar life for eleven Americans of diverse backgrounds brought
together by a shared address in San Francisco’s Japantown. Through
deft characterizations, Mr. Gotanda explores the delicate balance amidst
diverse communities in post-War San Francisco.
Dr. Scott Kurashige, an associate professor of Asian/Pacific Islander
American Studies, American Culture, and History at the University of
Michigan, will discuss his debut title, The Shifting Grounds of Race:
Black and Japanese Americans in the Making of Multiethnic Los Angeles.
Dr. Kurashige examines both the conflicts and combined activism of the
Japanese American and African American communities within a
predominantly white but quickly changing Los Angeles during the last
century. This event is free and open to the public. For information call
NJAMF at 530-0015 or visit http://apanews.si.edu/2009/12/07/annual-day-of-remembrance-at-the-smithsonian-2010/
###############
Increasing Productivity With Mobile Apps,
February 20
Barbara Conn, bconn@cpcug.org
Smartphones powered by Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android
platforms are transforming the business landscape. Now, more than ever,
people on the go can carry their offices in their pockets and be more
productive. With small pieces of software known as “apps,” smart
phones do much more than send and receive calls, E-mail, and text
messages. With more than one hundred thousand apps on Apple’s
platform, there’s an app for just about everything. With the touch of
a button, someone on the go can manage client relationships and sales
leads, find a nearby shipping center, comparison shop, and much more.
During this session Barg Upender, Founder and CEO of Mobomo, will
discuss some of the best business apps for the iPhone, including several
from Mobomo. We will also explore where the mobile industry is heading.
Gather your colleagues, friends, and neighbors, and your questions,
and bring them to this Saturday, February 20, 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
seminar, the speaker, and CPCUG (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational
organization), visit http://entrepreneur.cpcug.org/210meet.html.
To RSVP, send an E-mail to bconn@cpcug.org.
###############
Department of Parks and Recreation Events,
February 20, 22
John Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
February 20, 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., National Mall Museums, 1400 41st
Street, SE. Black History Scavenger Hunt for ages twelve through
nineteen. The teen club will participate in its second annual Black
History scavenger hunt at the National Mall. The youth will be given
thirty questions to answer, and visit five museums in order to obtain
the answers for the questions. For more information, call Elijah Fagan,
Site Manager, Ft. Davis Recreation Center, 645-9212.
February 20, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., King Greenleaf Recreation Center,
201 N Street, SW. Royal Chili Cookoff for all ages. Calling all Royal
Chili Cookers to come out and battle for the right to be labeled the
Royal Chili Cooker for the best chili in the world. For more
information, call Henry T. Moton IV, Site Manager, at 645-7454.
February 22, 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Raymond Recreation Center, 915
Spring Road, NW. Black History Essay Contest for ages twelve through
nineteen. Teens will read their essays to their peers; the group will
discuss the essays and enjoy juice and cookies. For more information,
call Ellsworth Hart, Site Manager, at 576-6850.
\###############
Gwen Ifill to Speak at DC Public Library,
February 22
George.Williams2@dc.gov
On Monday, February 22 at 7:00 p.m., journalist and author Gwen Ifill
will talk about racism in America based on her best-selling book, The
Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama, at the Martin
Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library. Ifill is the managing editor and
moderator for ‘‘Washington Week’’ and a senior correspondent for
‘‘The NewsHour.” A book sale and signing will follow the program.
The Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library is located at 901 G
Street, NW, near the Metro Center and Gallery Place subway stations.
###############
National Building Museum Events, February 24
Johanna Weber, jweber@nbm.org
February 24, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Building in the 21st Century:
Sustainable Designs for Emerging Energy and Movement Technologies.
Shannon Sanders McDonald, professor at Southern Polytechnic State
University and author of The Parking Garage: Design and Evolution of
a Modern Form, discusses emerging technologies for transportation
and movement that promote the use of alternative energy sources. Free.
Registration required. Walk-in registration based on availability. At
the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW, Judiciary Square Metro
station. Register for events at http://www.nbm.org.
###############
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