R.S.V.P. RequestedDear Neighbors: Our Spring Party for dc.story subscribers is planned for April 8 at Pizzeria Uno (at the corner of Connecticut Avenue and Ordway Street, NW, from 7 PM to 9 PM). Entrance is free and happy hour prices will be offered. It would be great to pull this together with as little fuss as possible (which means we can do this more often if we choose.) All I need is a head count and a volunteer to handle name tags. (Hi. My name is Story@intr.net. What’s your domain?) So here’s my request. Send me a message (to story@intr.net) if you plan to come. Write Party in the subject line and write your name in the body of the email. If you are responding for more than yourself, just add the number of folks in your party in the header (e.g. Party 2). Please respond within the next couple of days. Uno’s needs to staff the event and I need a read on whether we have enough interest to go forward. You can let me know later if your plans change. ******* Computers. Buying one shouldn’t be so scary. Learning how to use one shouldn’t be so scary. Getting on the Internet shouldn’t be so scary. Jeffrey Itell. Story@intr.net. 202.244.4163 ////\\\\\////\\\\////\\\\\/////\\\\ Also free! dc.movie: Free movie passes, short movie reviews, and movie discussion. Send an email message to story@intr.net to subscribe. Cheers, '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' The Next Time As Farce Ralph Blessing suggests travelling to North Carolina and working to defeat Lauch Faircloth in his next NC Senate race. Just for the historical record, dc.story readers should know that it was almost an identical strategy implemented under the leadership of Walter Fauntroy in the early 1970s that led to the defeat of Rep. John McMillan, chair of the House District Committee which cleared the path for the adoption of the Home Rule Act in 1974/75. (I added the title. It’s no slight on Ralph’s suggestion. If you don’t get the reference, you haven’t been reading enough Karl Marx. Jeff) **** I Hate the Cable Company A seven percent cable increase. And still you can barely get them on the phone. And when you do, they can’t come out on time. And when they get there, they didn’t bring the right parts, or the right color cable, or they sit in your driveway eating lunch (all of these things have actually happened to me). And when they do start working, they drill hole through the wrong parts of the wall, splintering hard-to-replace fifty-year old wood. And then the reception stinks. And then there’s nothing to watch.… ....Is anyone out there from the cable company listening? Of so, get this. YOU STINK. You run what may be the worst cable service in the United States of America! You are ripping off people who live in poorer neighborhoods by failing to install the lines, and ripping off people in other neighborhoods by installing lines that carry garbage owned by the company that owns you! No one respects you. Everyone hates you… ....did you get that? I bet not. ***** What’s a Few Decimal Places? Whoever it was that complained that D.C. has far more money than an African country (presumably "a sub-Saharan country excluding South Africa") missed the point. D.C.’s government is similar to that of other corrupt regimes on several continents; only the amounts involved vary. A word coined to describe the system is "kleptocracy" — a government run on the principle of theft by a single leader. Governing strategies include: (1) Suck up as much money from as many sources as possible. (2) Use it to reward your friends and extended family, thus expanding your power base. (3) Do not repair the physical infrastructure or provide services except when such efforts contribute to strategy #2 by giving friends contracts; the actual service is of no significance. (4) Blame all problems on colonialism, communism, the introduction of capitalism, excessive congressional meddling, or whatever. Kleptocracy is a valid system in a number of places, unfortunately, and D.C. is only one of them. ***** Emergency Board Trustees I would like to know what others on this list think about what appears to be the Emergency Board Trustees’ preference to conduct their "thinking" behind doors closed to the public. I think it is wrong to do so. Even in the world of business with its different rules of accountability (some say lesser), while a business manager can ultimately make drastic decisions about the future, the venture is surely doomed to failure if the manager choose to not listen to or discount the input of his/her customers. Some of my friends seem to still want to give the Emergency Board of Trustees the benefit of the doubt and trust that they are doing the right thing. In the defense of the Trustees actions they always site a School Board history of infighting and acrimony where nothing got done. I remind my friends that, as oppose to the previously elected board and except for Don Reeves’ lone dissent on the practice of secrecy, these Trustees appear to be of one mind ( a dangerous concept in itself, but that’s for another discussion). In this environment parent/public input, although uncomfortable to thin skins on the board, should not be a disruptive factor to the board’s timetables. ***** Police Numbers Somebody wrote a piece a short time back about the number of DC officers on the beat at any one time (citing the Booze-Allen report), also remember that despite the fact that we have 3,000 or so total MPD officers, this city also has around 9,000 Federal Law Enforcement officers! (I saw that figure in the post about 3 months ago). ON Capitol Hill (where I live) the US Capitol Hill Police department police up to 5th street, in NW the uniformed Secret Service provide policing functions outside embassy’s, around the Mall and Rock Creek Park the US Park Police are always very much present. SO this makes the crime/violence situation even harder to understand. But while we are on the subject of this, let us all not forget that MPD has many wonderful and talented officers who daily go into harms way for us all....it’s just that we need to encourage many more to do the same. ***** MacArthur Theatre Closing I wanted to add my two cents regarding the closing of the MacArthur Theater. While much of the debate seems to focus on the looming monopolistic menace of CVS, I think this takes away from the real tragedy- the loss of the theater. Living just a few blocks from the Uptown, I see first hand the popularity and commercial success of a big screen movie house. With a little effort and creative marketing on the part of Cineplex Odeon, I believe they could save the MacArthur Theater from demise. Perhaps they could divert some first run movies from the Uptown to attract customers and bolster attendance at its sister screens in the Palisades. Since people will line up to see almost anything at the Uptown, this would probably not hurt attendance there. George Washington, Georgetown, Howard, UDC and American Universities may (may not) have film programs that could take advantage of the for educational and/or student entertainment. Perhaps they could team up with the Biograph folks and show repertoire films on the small screens. With a little effort and innovative film programming, Cineplex Odeon could save this theater while maintaining its commercial viability. ***** Renting with dogs I just managed to rent a beautiful two-level apartment in MT. Pleasant with a VERY meticulous landlord AND two dogs. So in response to the person who asked about how to rent a place in DC with a dog here’s my advice. First off, don’t mention the dog when you call - if there’s a place you like take the time to go see it. After the look see and you want the place, ask the landlord about pets. From then on, it’s all reading the guy. I have a very well-trained 7 year old cocker spaniel. He’s well-behaved, small and adorable. What works to convince? I tell them he’s not a puppy, he’s a tired middle-aged dog. He’s very small. He doesn’t yap through the night. I try to show how obviously I dote on him. I mention I’ve lived with him in tiny apartments. If worse comes to worse, I show the landlord the dog (who’s really cute) and then finally if I really love the place (and can afford it) I offer an extra deposit and/or pet rent. It works on people who aren’t no from the offset. And I’ve never tried the apartment buildings. ***** DC Emissions Yesterday I received a $50 ticket for having missed the deadline for inspecting my car - the sticker on the windshield showed a March 7 expiration date, and I’d let it go to March 11. Having moved from Maryland a couple of years ago, where you receive in the mail a notice of your upcoming inspection deadline (of course, in Maryland you only have emissions inspection), I had no idea that I was past due. My questions is this: is there any other notice given by DC other than the sticker? The guy at the inspection station at Half Street said that they used to send out notices, but the computer was down and they haven’t been sending them out lately. Anecdotal evidence? Am I screwed? Should I have gotten any other notice? Do I have any argument that the $50 ticket was unfair since I never received notice (other than the sticker) that the car’s inspection had expired? Any suggestions (aside from moving back to Maryland)? **** An Atta Boy for the Motor Vehicle Bureau There’s been some criticism of the Motor Vehicle Bureau centered around the number of visits it takes to get a vehicle registered, etc. My own experiences over the years have all been favorable. The MVB seems to have only three different forms, in total, to do all their business. That’s good. They are also pretty clear about what you need for any specific transaction. That info is available on their automated phone line (if you can spare a half hour to wade through the different menus). Once you get to the MVB you will find that they are remarkably (everything is relative) efficient and effective (and also, by the way, polite). This is in contrast to almost all the other bureaucracies I’ve come in contact with in D.C. I think we should find out who is running the MVB and ask him, or her, to run for Mayor. It would be a welcome change to see other District Services run efficiently. If you come to the MVB at about 9:30 in the morning, the early crunch is over and you can get most everything done in about twenty minutes. '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' dc.queries Net Day 1997 I’m writing to solicit volunteers for Net Day this April 19th (and going on through the spring). I’m a member of Tech Corps-DC, a volunteer not-for-profit organization that works to better integrate the use of technology in the District’s classrooms and curricula. NetDay needs volunteers to help wire Washington area schools for the Internet. The goal is to wire at least five classrooms and a library or a computer lab in all public, private and alternative K-12 schools in the national Capital area over the next year. To register or find out more see http://www.tcdc.org/netday or call 202-628-TECH. If you’re a teacher or parent whose school is not yet signed up, you can enlist your principal and register the school. Although any help is welcome, technical volunteers are particularly needed to serve as crew bosses at the schools, train people to wire, and help the schools assess their wiring needs. If you have **any** wiring experience, you could make a big difference to a school. Volunteers are needed to plan events, coordinate projects, make phone calls, recruit volunteers, raise money, and so on. Students can help too. There will be a pre-Net Day activity Saturday, March 29th, at Myrtilla Miner Elementary if you want to start right away. . Visit the website or e-mail me for more information. Faith Williams faithw@cais.com fmwill@aol.com ***** Deliver Bread to the Homeless The Homeless Breakfast Program at St. Margaret’s Church is looking for drivers to pick up bread from local bakeries and deliver it to homeless service organizations in North West. Each pick up and delivery route is done once per week in the morning and takes less than an hour. Contact me for details. Bruce McBarnette (703) 404-8429 mcbarnet@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' dc.events Party With Your Neighbors at Sirius Coffee Company Sirius Coffee Company will celebrate our 3rd birthday with our neighbors at a day-long party at our store, located at 4250 Connecticut Avenue (Van Ness/UDC Metro). Here’s what we’re planning for Saturday, March 22 : All-You-Can-Eat Live Jazz Brunch, 10am-2pm, includes bagels, scones, juice, and unlimited coffee, $5/person, $4 seniors, kids & students; Easter Egg Hunt, 2-4pm, with prizes, for kids of all ages. Bring your kids. Coffee refills will be free all day. We will also have a Live Dance Band and Party at night. Dance to the smokin’ sounds of Tommy Lepson & the Lazy Boys! 8pm-??? $5 cover. Andrew Frank DrSirius@aol.com **** Two Books Illuminate Bosnia: Meet the Authors On Saturday, March 22, 7:30 p.m., Kemal Kurspahic, author of As Long as Sarajevo Exists, and Peter Maass, author of Love Thy Neighbor: A Story of War, will read from and sign copies of their books on the Bosnian conflict at First Christian Church, 2723 King Street, Alexandria. Admission and refreshments are free and books will be available for purchase; for further information, including directions to the church, fax to 703-751-1160 or e-mail to irmag@dgsys.com, or else see the announcement at: http://www.his.com/~pshapiro/dc.story/announce9.html Kathy Waldbauer kwald@mirror.his.com ***** Gorilla Film at Zoo Let the Environmental Film Festival take you on a unique journey into the heart of Africa with a screening of Gorillas: Tender Giants. In this program, co-sponsored by the National Zoo and Animal Planet, see spectacular views of these legendary enigmas and have a glimpse into their daily activities of playing, socializing, and caring for other members of the group. Following the film, Craig Sholley, director of conservation and education for International Expeditions, and Mick Kaczorowski, senior producer at Animal Planet, will talk about gorillas and the production of this wildlife film. Thursday, 10 April 1997. Reception 6:30 p.m. Screening 7:00 p.m. Education Building. National Zoo. Enter at Connecticut Ave. Park in Lot A. Free, but please RSVP by calling (202) 673-4801 or sending e-mail to me at nzpem053@sivm.si.edu. Margie Gibson Office of Public Affairs National Zoo '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' dc.market Summer Sublet Needed I am in search of a furnished summer sublet in NW D.C. for my mom and her small, well-behaved dog. Any leads much appreciated! Mark Hoffenberg mhoffenberg@cov.com **** Home Maintenance Services Delbe Home Services is a one-stop resource for all of your home needs. We have been taking care of maintenance problems for over 25 years right here in your neighborhood. Call us for any problems at (301) 652-7201 or visit our web page at http://www.delbe.com for more information. David Burka dhs@delbe.com ================= dc.story is a discussion group. The opinions stated are the sole responsibility of the authors. dc.story does not verify the information provided by readers. ---------------- For fast, reliable Internet services and cutting edge Websites contact Michael Mann at Internet Interstate mmann@intr.net. Web: http://www.intr.net ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ dc.story—Your Electronic Backfence http://www.dcstory.com Kibitzing by Jeffrey Itell (story@intr.net) Copyright © 1997 by Itell Communications, Inc. All rights reserved |
Send mail with questions or comments to webmaster@dcwatch.com
Web site copyright ©DCWatch (ISSN 1546-4296)