Bouncing

Dear Bounced:

I've written before about the problem with AOL's new spam filter, which is preventing a large number of themail subscribers with AOL addresses from receiving their issues. I originally thought that the problem may have been specific to themail, but it's not. Just this week both Kathy Smith, who publishes the “Communit-E” E-mail newsletter for American University Park, Friendship Heights, and Tenleytown; and Brian Livingston, who publishes a very useful newsletter on the Windows operating systems, have written about having the same problem. Here's what Livingston says: “I've written many times that Internet service providers (ISPs) are mishandling the growing menace of spam by imposing crude 'junk-mail filters' that delete legitimate messages without notifying the intended recipients of that fact. This affected several of my readers personally when the last issue of Brian's Buzz was sent out on March 26. AOL 'bounced' about 88% of the newsletters that had been sent to subscribers who use aol.com e-mail addresses. The problem was also severe at subsidiaries owned by AOL, including cs.com (which bounced 88%) and netscape.net (96%).

“As the world's largest ISP, AOL is constantly targeted by spammers and receives 1 to 2 billion spam messages per day. As a defensive measure, the ISP's bot filter simply deletes huge quantities of mail without ever delivering it, and errors are inevitable. Only 3% of Brian's Buzz subscribers use AOL, CompuServe, or Netscape e-mail addresses. But that's too many for me to be complacent about. And it's also a warning to the rest of us that our own ISPs and corporate e-mail servers might be deleting legitimate mail without letting us know. To protect yourself, take the following steps: 1. Use your 'approved senders' list. Make sure the e-mail address of any sender you want to hear from is placed into your e-mail program's Address Book and any 'approved senders' list it may use.” For themail, of course, that address is themail@dcwatch.com. The other solutions are either to switch your Internet service provider or to use a free E-mail address such as those provided by Hotmail, Yahoo, Excite, or, soon, Google to receive your newsletters and mass mailings.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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The Molly Smith Experiment
Larry Seftor, Larry underscore Seftor at compuserve dot com

I bought my first full season subscription to the Arena Stage back in the early 70s, and continued to renew it faithfully until last year. Every performance wasn’t great, and I felt myself lucky if about half the plays were really worth seeing. But in that favorable half there were really some wonderful things to see. I can remember performances from twenty years ago like they were yesterday, and some plays left a lasting impression. Partially in memory of the good from the past I continued to renew my subscriptions through recent years. With each passing year, however, the season became more painful to sit through, until last year I just couldn’t stand it anymore.

In experiencing this reaction I wondered whether I had lost my judgment or had the theater lost its course. In part, because I have attended performances elsewhere, I was pretty sure that I hadn’t lost all my wits. Then today, in the Post, I found vindication. It appears that at its peak Arena had 15,000 or more subscribers who signed up for the entire season. Today that total is down to 6,200. While I felt that artistic director Doug Wager was weaker than founder Zelda Fichandler, Molly Smith’s direction of the theater has accelerated its decline. In private industry, the loss of one’s customer base is a clear sign to a board of directors that changes need to be made. In the case of the Arena Stage, the Molly Smith Experiment is clearly a failure and change is overdue.

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Even Streetlights Are Secret
Sally MacDonald, sn3macd@aol.com

Nancy MacWood received a message that was sent to her by mistake from Colleen Smith Hawkinson of the Department of Transportation. That is how she — we — discovered that DOT has appointed a Streetlight Task Force with representatives from each city ward. Unfortunately, the Ward 3 rep is someone who has not been involved in the streetlight issue, while others, ANCs and community association representatives who have worked constantly on streetlight issues, were kept totally uninformed. The Task Force is to work with a consulting firm that has been hired by a city contract (DOT won't say who and for what amount) to decide on the city's streetlights. They are to make the decisions for the entire city about streetlights' style, price, design, wattage, etc. Representatives from Civic Associations, from the Federation of Citizens' Associations, and from city council offices may want to check on their official ward representative to be sure that it is someone they would want to be making decision for them.

Bill Rice from DOT told me on April 9 that it is not a secret committee. However, I pointed out to him that the Department had not publicly announced that they were planning or setting up such a committee, that they had set up such a committee, that the committee had started to meet, who was on the committee to represent the wards, what the committee was supposed to be or expected to be doing, what it would in fact be doing and when, or anything else about this committee! We, in Ward 3, were surprised to discover — by accident — that it even existed. We, and you, as nonmembers were not to know, and those who received the message by mistake were immediately asked to “disregard” the info! Does this not meet the definition of “secret”? The DOT now says that we were to be told after the fact and then be able to comment on the results of the Task Force's decisions! No, we need to know the details about this secret committee and what other such committees exist. Regarding the consultants' contract, we need to know for how much, with whom, for how long, and for what work. By the way, when I asked for a list of the Ward representatives and members of the committee on Friday, DOT officials responded that it could not be sent and that the request would have to be made from them to Dan Tangherlini. There was no reply on Friday, so the membership of the Secret Committee is still secret. I would have thought that the membership list could easily have been E-mailed or faxed, but apparently that is not so.

One reason for the community's surprise about the secret DOT streetlight committee was that the community leaders working on streetlight issues in Ward 3 were led to believe by DOT that we were all in touch and proceeding to discuss and work together on the problems. Imagine our surprise to learn by accident that DOT had hired a consulting firm and appointed an unknown city group to an unannounced committee to work on the very problems that we in the communities were already talking about and trying to respond to on behalf of our residents.

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Verizon Victim Again
S. Henery, She741@aol.com

I am wondering if any of themail readers have had recent dealings with Verizon and been subjected to the anguish I am currently feeling. The week of March 22, a secondary phone line in my home went dead: no dial tone. I called the repair line and, after going through the voice-activated prompts, reached a human being. A repairman arrived on Saturday, April 3, and checked the lines in my basement twice, drove to two other nearby Verizon locations within my community to “double check circuits,” and returned to inform me that “all was fine.” Having previously been a “Verizon victim” when I moved into my home four years ago, I checked for myself before he left. The problem had not been corrected. The repairman’s response was, “Well, I need to go up on the pole outside to check the wires leading to your house, but I can’t do that today. I will put a ticket in to come back Monday and you won’t need to be home because it’s an outside problem.”

Early Monday morning (April 5), I called Verizon to confirm the rescheduled “ticket,” and it had never been rescheduled. Someone else was sent out on Monday (while I was at work), and fixed the dead second line. However, as of April 7, I cannot receive any calls or make any long distance calls on my primary line that had been fine before Verizon touched my telephone lines. On April 7, a repairman called me at work to tell me that the outside line for the number was fine, but since no one was at home, he couldn’t guarantee that the trouble would be corrected inside because he needed to get inside the house. He recommended I call and reschedule for an inside visit. I called, relayed my problem and was told that I could get service on Friday, April 9 between 4-8 p.m. or Saturday, April 10 between 8 a.m.-noon. Regardless that Verizon was the culprit, I would have no phone service for two days or three days. By Saturday, April 10, I hope I shall have my telephone services fully restored by the company that is “here to provide you (the customer) with outstanding service.”

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Vote on Public Funding for a Stadium
Patrick Thibodeau, smoke_dc@yahoo.com

Washington, DC, isn't Cleveland. It does not need a baseball stadium to help its central business or tourism. DC is already the envy of many other US cities in what it offers. Let Virginia or Maryland residents waste their money. A city that has cut library hours to save money can't now say it has the money to build a multimillion dollar stadium. Let's put Mayor Williams' Stadium proposal up for a referendum and see what voters think.

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For a Minor League Club
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aoldotcom

Tom Matthes calls for an open boycott of the Baltimore Orioles by those in D.C. who attend baseball games at Camden Yards. A formal announced boycott would play right into the hands of those bedfellows, Angelos and Selig. Nothing would help Angelos' case for no team in D.C. more than to have D.C. formally announce that D.C. baseball fans were boycotting Orioles' games. I think there is little or no hope for a major league club as long as Angelos and Selig share the same bed.

Instead let Washington lure a good minor league club to D.C. and build a new 25,000 capacity, first class ball field and stadium that can be reached by Metro with ticket prices that all of us can afford. I have watched the Frederick Keys on several occasions and it's great fun to see the up and coming major leaguers (and those on their way down) in a stadium that is very people and kid friendly. Even Brooklyn and Staten Island, in the Big Apple, have minor league teams that draw big crowds of fans and families in nice new ball parks. Does this hurt the Yanks and the Mets? Probably, but Selig and Angelos can't stop the minors from having a team in their backyard.

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Misaddressed Faxes
William Haskett, gollum@earthlink.net

Has anyone else encountered the peculiar kind of administrative error which sends (either to E-mail or, as here, to fax) records that ought not to be seen to the wrong address? I have been the recipient of such medical and similar records at least five times in the past year. Each time, I have called the telephone numbers indicated, and each time received a profuse apology, and a request that I destroy them. Each time, too, I was assured that it would not happen again, and each time, again, it did.

This concerns the city directly, since the records come (I presume) from firms contracted by the city to do certain kinds of welfare or social service functions, and which, I would have assumed, require and deserve privacy. A footnote: I did call the Mayor's office and its advice center: it was suggested that I speak to the police, as the parties who deal in fraud. To my objection that I was not suggesting that anyone was being defrauded, and could not therefore see how I could be helped by such a conversation, I received no useful reply. I simply wonder why common sense is so rare, at least in responsible public offices.

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The Klingle Road Fence
Larry Lesser, lblesser@aol.com

Mr. McGee, pardon me for being a slow reader and just getting to your explanation of the fence [themail, March 28]. I just read it. I can see you feel pretty strongly, since you've referred to neglect by the city government and selfishness by nearby residents. I'm not exactly either one, just a guy who loves to spend time on foot on the trails of Rock Creek Park. For me the Klingle Valley is a godsend, for as long as it lasts in its more and more natural state. Sorry about the old, dying trees, but they ain't none of us getting younger, and don't get me started about dying. I don't like to think about it.

Here are some further observations about the chain-link fence. 1) It's pretty easy to go around it, whether at the top of the road or at the bottom. 2) There are no signs posted telling people the road is off limits or why. (There were concrete barriers before that were easy to climb over or go around or between, which essentially met the same objective of warning people that there might be a reason to be cautious about going further.) 3) For better or worse, the park is full of hazardous places for the unwary or the unlucky. Just a short walk from Klingle Road is the so-called Little Billygoat Trail, which is decidedly more hazardous than Klingle. It's a treasure nonetheless, and I hope no one is thinking of barring access to it. 4) I can't resist pointing out that the rest of the natural and unnatural world is also full of hazards. As a frequent foot-goer, I've had many occasions to notice that motor vehicles create a lot of danger for my ilk, as well as sometimes for one another.

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The Trouble with DC Public Schools
Karl Rudder, krudder222@aol.com

I find it fascinating that you would end your address to, “Humble Readers” [themail, April 7] with your suddenly finding a need to refer to yourself as, “the leading international spokesman for the most prestigious world-class web site on the Internet.” Such a bizarre series of events is explained, however, by your openly expressing a deep sense of ignorance by congratulating Kevin Chavous. Neither of you are really interested in serving to the needs of the residents of DC. I am a proud 1970 graduate of the Joel E. Spingarn High School of the DC Public Schools and as a graduate of American University have served as an Educator for our youth and Adults since 1975.

Chavous has not served the nation's capital city in any shape, manner, or form and now has you sending me an E-mail that allows you to try and boast for him about his spending only a few hours a week as an elected DC city council member. That fact reveals to me, and I trust many others, the true merit of having Chavous serves on the DC city council. I have copy of your address to me so please don't deny your statement of his serving two whole hours. It is a national disgrace that the residents of the Capital City of these “United States” are not represented in Congress nor have control of their tax revenue. What does every citizen of this country have that the residents of Washington, DC do not have? Why? Believe It or Not this country has actually been referred to as being a “model democracy” by many prominent politicians despite the fact that the residents of the very capital city of this country do not have any control over their own tax revenue nor are they sincerely and responsibly being represented in the Congress of these “United” States!

Chavous and every “elected” City Council member are being paid huge salaries, with medical and retirement benefits for more than just a few hours a week of work. Chavous must only be serving as a political puppet to serve only a few hours a week despite his being given a staff, a Committee to Chair, Committees that he is appointed to as well as serve to the needs of the residents of Ward 7. The Truth will not change. It doesn't appear that you realize that Chavous is further destroying the communities of the District of Columbia by selling the DC Public Schools to private interests. Nothing but a capitalistic cop out. Charter Schools will relieve governmental bureaucrats of being responsible for improving the curriculum and instruction being provided for our children and point a finger at the Charter School “administrators” and “boards.” It is a perfect way to further socially, economically and politically oppress the residents of the Capital City of these United States. Let me end this very brief address by letting you know that I am becoming more determined , willing and able to begin inviting my fellow graduates of the DC Public Schools to getting together. My extensive experience as an Educator has me know that the graduates of the DC Public Schools are the resource that is available that can be recruited and coordinated to return to their alma mater and help their little brothers and sisters. Giving out tens of millions of dollars will not erase the myth and insult of only providing our children of today a 9 a.m.-3 p.m. course of education. Workshops designed to build the academic and tutorial skills of the parents of DC youth are in need of being designed and provided now and during this summer. Please contact me and let us start getting to work for the benefit of our little brothers and sisters and not for who will earn 2 million while buying one of our DC Public Schools.

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April 2004 InTowner
Peter Wolff, intowner@intowner.com

This is to advise that the April 2004 on-line edition has been uploaded and may be accessed at http://www.intowner.com. Included are the lead stories, community news items and crime reports, editorials (including prior months' archived), restaurant reviews (prior months' also archived), and the text from the ever-popular "Scenes from the Past" feature. Also included are all current classified ads. The complete issue (along with prior issues back to March 2002) also is available in PDF file format by direct access from our home page at no charge simply by clicking the link provided. Here you will be able to view the entire issue as it appears in print, including all photos and advertisements. The next issue will publish on May 14. The complete PDF version will be posted by early that Friday morning, following which the text of the lead stories, community news, and selected features will be uploaded shortly thereafter.

To read this month's lead stories, simply click the link on the home page to the following headlines: 1) “Skyrocketing Home Assessments Have Shaw Residents in Panic — City Council Acts to Give Relief”; 2) “Convention Center Area Parking Problems Leave Neighbors Frustrated”; 3) “Logan Cyclist, Activist Run Down by Dump Truck — Memorial Charity Bike Ride in Works.”

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

Janney Elementary School Public Meeting, April 14
Anne Sullivan, acsullivan@starpower.net

There will be a community meeting at Janney Elementary School (4130 Albemarle Street, NW) on Wednesday, April 14, at 7:00 p.m. The topic will be the concept of selling off part of the Janney school land to a developer in exchange for school renovations and/or expansions. The meeting is open to the public, and the format will be an “open mike” discussion. Please plan to attend."

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National Building Museum Events, April 14, 17
Brie Hensold, bhenhold@nbm.org

Wednesday, April 14, 6:30-8:00 p.m., D.C. Builds: Metro Faces the Future. Washington's 28-year-old Metro system, America's second-busiest subway, faces issues of capacity, changing commuting patterns, parking, and promoting development around stations. Edward Thomas, Metro's assistant general manager for planning and strategic programs, and Ron Kirby, director of transportation planning at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, will analyze these and other issues. $10 Museum members and students; $15 nonmembers. Registration required.

Saturday, April 17, 4:00-6:00 p.m., Design Apprenticeship Program final presentation. DAP Squad 9 is related to the Museum's exhibition Affordable Housing. In their projects, students have addressed the challenge of designing living conditions with minimal resources. During the program, students sketched initial ideas, constructed a scale model of a home, and designed and built a scaled object. The DAP Squad exhibition will show the students' design processes and will feature their final projects. Free. Registration required. To register, contact Julian Looney at 272-2448 ext. 3301 or jlooney@nbm.org.

Saturday, April 17, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., construction watch tour at Studio Theater. Washington's Studio Theater has begun an $11 million expansion along the reemerging 14th Street corridor. Bill Bonstra, AIA, of Bonstra Architects PC, will lead a tour of the project that will include two new theaters, a glass-covered atrium, entrance lobby, box office, and classroom space. Open only to Museum members, $14. Appropriate clothing required. Prepaid registration required and must be received by April 12.

Saturday, April 17, 1:00-2:30 p.m., Film: Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud. Narrated by Journalist Morley Safer, this retrospective documentary looks at the life and work of R. Buckminster Fuller, one of the 20th century's most visionary thinkers, known as the creator of the Geodesic Dome. This program complements the exhibition Envisioning Architecture. Free. Registration not required. All events at the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW, Judiciary Square Station on the Metro Red Line.

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Stand Up on Emancipation Day, April 16
Anise Jenkins, anisej@hotmail.com

Friday, April 16 is DC Emancipation Day --- on that day in 1862 enslaved persons in DC were the first, by nine months, to be freed from slavery in this country. After long years of work by Ms. Loretta Carter Hanes (Stand Up! member and President of DCRIF) the DC government is giving this historic event its due! DC is sponsoring a week of activities this year including a VIP reception scheduled at the DC History Museum from 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Thursday, April 15, and the annual parade at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 16, from 4th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, to Freedom Plaza. We are invited to participate because Ms. Hanes wants to make certain that these events remain grassroots based.

Please march with us in the DC Emancipation Day Parade on Friday morning, starting at 11:00 a.m. Our Theme: "Break the Chains: First Freed -- Last Free!" We march in chains because DC is not yet free. Slave wear and 1860's clothing are encouraged. Met us on Friday, April 16, at 10:30 a.m., at Pennsylvania Avenue and 4th Streets, NW. Entertainment and fireworks follow at Freedom Plaza. Please give me your name ASAP if you would like to go to the reception. Or you can call Clarance David, DC Archives, at 671-1108 on behalf of your group. Call 232-2500, ext. 1, or see http://www.standupfordemocracy.org for info on Stand Up!

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TechTalk: Giving Web Site Readers Targeted Content, April 17
Barbara Conn, bconn@cpcug.org

Successful Web site developers know their target audience and its needs. Do you know how to determine who is looking at your site and give them the content they want? During this TechTalk, Merry Bruns of ScienceSites Communications will offer ideas and suggestions for creating site content that targets the interests of your readers, whoever they are! Attendees will learn to organize web site content around viewer objectives. The presentation will focus on the needs of web site editors, content developers, and others involved in the issues related to web site creation and maintenance.

Gather your friends, colleagues, and family members and bring them to this Saturday, April 17, 12:30 p.m., TechTalk of the Capital PC User Group (CPCUG) Entrepreneurs and Consultants Special Interest Group (E&C SIG). This free TechTalk will be at the Cleveland Park Library (First Floor Large Meeting Room) at 3310 Connecticut Avenue, NW, just over a block from the Cleveland Park Metrorail Station on the Red Line. For more information about this TechTalk, the speaker, CPCUG [a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization], and to register for the event, visit http://www.cpcug.org/user/entrepreneur/404meet.html.

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Big Band Jazz at UDS, April 18
Michael Andrews, mandrews@udc.edu

The UDC Jazz Studies Program and the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives present the University Big Band Jazz Festival. The hot sounds of big band jazz will flow from the University of the District of Columbia’s Auditorium at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, April 26, at the UDC Auditorium, 4200 Connecticut Avenue, Building 47. Jazz ensembles from the University of the District of Columbia, Howard University, and the University of Maryland will celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month at this 18th annual melding of the traditional sounds of big band music and those of contemporary jazz.

The festival traces its roots to 1987 as part of a citywide tribute to Washington-born jazz legend Duke Ellington, and it remains one of the most anticipated events on the Washington, DC jazz calendar. The three jazz ensembles offer a rich blend of musical stylings that complement each other. The University of the District of Columbia’s ensemble is directed by Calvin Jones. Fred Irby III directs the Howard University ensemble, while the University of Maryland’s ensemble is lead by Chris Vadala.

Tickets for the big band concert can be purchased in advance at the University of the District of Columbia’s Department of Mass Media, Visual, and Performing Arts, which can be found in Building 46 West on the UDC Van Ness Campus, 4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW. Tickets will also be available at the University Auditorium door on the night of the performance, and complimentary parking will be available on the night of the festival. Additional information may be obtained from Judith Korey at 274-5803 or jazzarchives@wrlc.org.

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UDC Summer Fellowship Fair, April 20
Joe Libertelli, jlibertelli@udc.edu

Please spread the word about the availability of UDC David A. Clarke School of Law students for summer internships at Washington area non-profits, government agencies and judicial chambers. To qualify for our school-paid program, students must provide a minimum of four hundred hours of attorney-supervised public service legal work. Attorney-supervised legislative, regulatory, or law-related policy work is also acceptable. The UDC David A. Clarke School of Law Summer Fellowship Fair will be held on Tuesday, April 20, 12:15-1:45 p.m., at 4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Building 39, 2nd Floor.

Each year the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law Equal Justice Works Chapter raises funds to provide students with $2,500 stipends for this work, guaranteeing funding to all rising second-year students who find qualifying placements. These funds, though meager, make it possible for students to afford to work for organizations doing work of particular interest to them – and help to guarantee their reliability! While host organizations are permitted to provide additional support to the students, there is no charge to the host organization for their UDC Summer Fellow!

In addition to our rising 2Ls seeking Summer Placements, both they and rising 3Ls may also be in the market for summer and/or future academic creditworthy and voluntary internships. Many graduating students, of course, may be interested in paid positions. If you do intend to participate, please let us know as much as you can about what level student you may be looking for, for what time frame, etc. That will help us whet our students’ appetite for work with you! Finally, if you can’t make the Fair, please consider sending detailed information to us. We’ll make sure that it gets distributed. (But we do hope to see you on the 20th!)

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Public Scoping Meeting on Klingle Road, April 27
Laurie Collins, support@repairklingleroad.org

Mark your calendars! The DC Department of Transportation will hold a public scoping meeting to present five alternatives for the repair and reopening of Klingle Road on April 27, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., at the National Zoo. They will solicit public comments at this meeting so it is imperative that you attend. More information to follow.

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CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE

Reduced Price on One Month Pass to Results The Gym - $66
Maude D. Bauschard, mbauschard@usaction.org

One month pass to RESULTS, the premiere Washington DC gym located at U and 18th Streets, NW. $66 (or best offer) plus no initiation fee required! Access to all classes and all equipment. E-mail mbauschard@hotmail.com or call 256-2446 for more information.

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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS

Stone Mason
Norma Zane Chaplain, Normazane@msn.com

I need to replace some paving stones at the front of my house. Can you recommend a mason?

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Veterinarian
Deborah Fort, deborah.fort@starpower.net

I would like to recommend our veterinarian of about forty years, Dr. Yu of Ross Veterinary Clinic on MacArthur Boulevard and Arizona Avenue, NW, 363-1316. He has watched over two generations of our cats, outside animals who have lived respectively for 21, 17, and 17 good years; and for our 14-year-old dog. He is kind, careful, expert, and fair. His rates are reasonable. We cannot recommend him highly enough.

PS: Although it's good to know that they're open in off-hour emergencies, we have found Friendship Veterinary Hospital to be overpriced.

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Wonderful Night for a Moonbounce
Dan Rosenthal, dan.rosenthal@mercermc.com

For a moonbounce, we've used Astrojump. Contact Sean Mulvey at 703-339-8000. Tell Sean that Karen from Turtle Park referred you.

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