Cherry Blossom Festival
Dear Festivalers:
The Cherry Blossom Festival starts in three days, on March 26, and
lasts until April 10 (http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org),
but the trees are going to be in full bloom for a short time this year.
So in a few days, as soon as the weather clears, get out and around, and
enjoy Washington’s best season. Do you have any celebratory
suggestions for fellow themailers, aside from the official Cherry
Blossom events?
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Establishment of a National World War I
Memorial in the District of Columbia
Joe Grano, joegrano@netzero.com
On March 21, I sent a letter to David DeJonge and Edwin Fountain,
both board members of The World War I Memorial Foundation, regarding the
establishment of a World War I Memorial in WDC. As the letter shows,
while I am in favor of such a memorial, I oppose altering the name of
our DC World War I memorial to include the word “National,” as H.R.
938 and S.253 propose. Our DC memorial represents the sacrifices
citizens from the District are asked to make in the absence of voting
rights in Congress. It therefore has special meaning for us and it
should not be shared.
In addition, the DC Memorial is too small and inaccessible relative
to the three other major war memorials on the Mall. This memorial has
become identified with the DC voting rights in Congress movement and
shouldn’t be “nationalized.” But renaming the memorial to John J.
Pershing at Pershing Park on Pennsylvania Avenue is appropriate. The
subject matter of this memorial is exclusively World War I and General
Pershing’s role in it. The size and gravitas of this memorial is
comparable to the other three war memorials on the Mall. It occupies a
prime location on Pennsylvania Avenue which, guarantees it will be
visited by many. And, there is precedent for a major national memorial
on Pennsylvania Avenue, the Navy Memorial at 6th Street.
I have copied many people on the letter, including Congresswoman
Norton and Councilmember Evans, but mostly non-governmental leaders in
the DC community. I think it is important that people be informed about
the issue as the bills make their way through Congress. I hope there
will be informed discussion and the bills will not be passed without
that discussion. As you may know, I am a longtime proponent of DC voting
rights in Congress. In 2003, I presented Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes
Norton a petition signed by more than one thousand prominent
Washingtonians, asking for a vote in Congress. The names were printed in
the Congressional Record on September 17, 2003, courtesy of the
Congresswoman.
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Brian Weaver for At-Large Councilmember
Vic Miller, Washington Heights, millervic@hotmail.com
I don’t know if themail is taking endorsements, but I would like to
submit one for Brian Weaver. Brian’s reputation for honesty and
integrity is unfortunately limited to the Adams Morgan area, in which he
has served on the ANC for eight years. He was recently named the best
ANC commissioner in the city by the City Paper. He takes strong
positions, but is not polemic in delving into and understanding the
positions of others.
He is somewhat rare in DC city politics in that his perspective has
been the well being of the city’s residents. He especially works with
teenagers. But he is also rare in that his focus on residents does not
obscure his understanding that the city needs profitable businesses,
both to serve the needs of residents and for revenue production.
I cannot imagine someone whose intelligence, integrity, and
temperament I respect more than Brian, and I hope that others will
follow my lead in supporting him. His positions can be found at his web
site, http://www.bryanweaverdc.com.
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Unfortunately the DC government representatives couldn’t answer the
questions and promised me a call back, which unfortunately has not
happened.
What is the succession order for the DC mayor? I was told it was one
of the deputy mayors, then I was told it was the council chair, but if
he/she is also under investigation who’s next? Is there a DC code or
constitution that governs this? Thanks so much for any assistance.
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[Re: Nathan A. Saunders, “DCPS Featured in the Upcoming Survivor TV
Series,” themail, March 16] You seem to have a grudge towards the type
of duties required of teachers. You described the duties well, and, if
it is not to your liking, I’d say pick another profession. Or, if
educating is still your passion, try another education field. Any job
has its description which includes tasks one enjoys as well as tasks one
classifies as “necessary but unpleasant” and tasks which are
classified as a “hassle.” In life, we cannot usually pick only the
tasks we enjoy: I like eating (but not cooking), or, I like eating and
cooking (but hate cleaning up afterwards), or I like eating and enjoy
the monotony of cleaning up, but hate cooking.
Do teachers have a hard job? Of course they do. Do they have a lot of
responsibility? Of course they do. Are they financially compensated
adequately? Of course not. But more money won’t allow them to get more
tasks completed in a day, nor make them like the job better.
There is indeed a need to reform the system, which will occur only
when teachers are placed in charge of their own actions, with
responsibility of creating the curriculums, rewarded for success, and
fired for failure.
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I can’t speak for the Washington Post but I am sure I am one
among many who don’t think the reaction is outsized. Missteps of past
mayors are no justification for missteps of a current mayor. Many of us
were expecting much better from Mr. Gray, and that’s the cause of
disappointment and outrage.
Which absolutely does not justify the Sinclair Skinner piece in the WaPo.
A piece by someone with no ax to grind would have been appropriate. His
diatribe was not.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Mark Braverman to Speak to St. Columba’s
Peace Fellowship, March 31
Ann Loikow, aloikow@verizon.net
On Thursday, March 31, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., in the nave of St.
Columba’s Episcopal Church, Mark Braverman, a Jewish American with
deep family roots in Jerusalem and author of Fatal Embrace:
Christian, Jews and the Search for Peace in the Holy Land, will
speak to the St. Columba’s Peace Fellowship on the role of Christian
churches in bringing peace to the Holy Land. Mark’s presentation is
open to the public. St. Columba’s is located at 42nd and Albemarle
Streets, NW, one block west of the Tenleytown Metro stop.
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Public Comment on Acting Chancellor Kaya
Henderson, March 31, April 6, April 7
Karen Sibert, ksiebert@dccouncil.us
With Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s nomination of Kaya Henderson to assume
the position of Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)
permanently, Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown has announced plans to
conduct citywide community conversations to provide an opportunity for
public comment. Ms. Henderson’s confirmation hearing will be held at
council headquarters (John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue
NW) in early May (day and time to be announced later). However, Chairman
Brown is planning three separate meetings in neighborhoods across the
city to hear citizens’ views.
The schedule is as follows: Thursday, March 31, 6:00 p.m., at
Memorial Baptist Church, 2616 Martin Luther King, Jr., Avenue, SE;
Wednesday, April 6, 6:00 p.m., Stuart Hobson Middle School, 401 E
Street, NE; Thursday, April 7, 6:00 p.m., Lafayette Elementary School,
5701 Broad Branch Road, NW. Individuals and representatives of
organizations who wish to testify at the public oversight roundtable are
asked to telephone Priscilla McIver, administrative assistant to the
Committee of the Whole, at 724-8196, or via E-mail at pford@dccouncil.us.
Furnish your name, address, telephone number, and organizational
affiliation, if any, by the close of business on Wednesday, March 30,
and bring twenty copies of your written testimony or submit one copy of
their written testimony to the roundtable. Testimony will be limited to
three minutes each.
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An Intro to Ubuntu Linux for Teachers and
Parents, April 2
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
Learn about some of the fun, free educational programs you can use on
Ubuntu Linux operating system which runs well on older (or newer)
computers. I’ll be showing some logic puzzles, drawing programs, touch
typing tutors, and other programs. Lots of chances for kids and adults
to try out the programs that I’ll be showing. Location: Watha T.
Daniel Branch Library meeting room, 1630 7th Street, NW, Saturday, April
2, 9:30 a.m. to noon.
I’ll be giving away some Ubuntu Linux computers at the end of this
meeting, along with some Ubuntu Linux CD’s ROM which will let you use
Ubuntu Linux on Windows or recent Macintosh computers. Free and open to
all to attend. If you plan on attending, thanks for RSVPing via E-mail
to give me an idea of how people will be attending.
On another matter, if you’d like to better understand what the
Twitter service is all about, here is a short talk I gave recently on
that topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naEVaAjgtM0
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2011 Charles Atherton Memorial Lecture: Jan
Gehl, April 7, 6:30
Stacy Adamson, sadamson@nbm.org
Danish architect, planner, and author Jan Gehl discusses his work
making cities across the US more walkable, bikeable, and sustainable and
shares his thoughts on how to make a greener capital city. The Charles
H. Atherton Memorial Lecture program commemorates the life and legacy of
Charles Atherton, who served for almost four decades as secretary of the
US Commission of Fine Arts. Peter Taksoe-Jensen, the Ambassador of
Denmark, will provide the program introduction.
At the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW, Red Line Metro,
Judiciary Square station, April 7, 6:30-8:00 p.m. $12 members; free
students; $20 non-members. Prepaid registration required. Walk-in
registration based on availability.
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