November 8, 2010 | 8:36 AM | By

Tasty Morning Bytes – Disconnected Utilities, Denying the Homeless, Longer School Days

Good morning, DCentric readers! Welcome back from the weekend.

Beyond Bread: A Wild Goose Chase for Utility Assistance “The Social Services Department here at Bread for the City is consistently returning phone calls and meeting with clients that are on the verge of being disconnected, with very few resources to protect them and their family from living without utilities this winter. We see this as a most pressing issue. In our Northwest Center, my colleagues and I fielded 126 phone calls this September and October, before the most high-cost winter months. This is an increase of 34% since last year.” (breadforthecity.blogspot.com)

Some Advocates For Homeless Say Residency Requirements Could Backfire “Some advocates for the homeless, however, say they’re concerned the plan will backfire. Nassim Moshiree, an attorney with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, doesn’t mince words. “My main concern is that people will die of hypothermia on the streets when they can’t get any services,” says Moshiree.” (wamu.org)

DC Teacher Arrest Sheds Light On School Problems “I understand they both were wrong,” said Rayshad Anderson. “At the same time, Mr. Coleman is not the type of man to do something like that. So I think something needs to be done at the school to prevent these types of things. Tthis school is out of control. It has no structure whatsoever.” Volunteers Byron Ezell and Taria Nelson agree. They run a non-profit called Come Back to Give Back. This past year, they’ve spent Tuesdays and Thursdays working with Rock Creek students, who have a variety of disabilities. They said they believe an assault was “bound to happen.” (WUSA Washington, DC)

Continue reading →
FILED UNDER: Around the City, Roundups
November 5, 2010 | 5:40 PM | By

Love Bites Food Truck: A Sweet Idea from Native Washingtonians

http://twitter.com/DCLoveBites

Remember when I mentioned the Love Bites food truck on Monday? Unlike the majority of trucks I’ve wandered up to, Love Bites is run by an African-American, Mother-Daughter duo and powered by local recipes. I had serendipitously discovered them on U Street, on Saturday, while taking my puppy for a walk; shortly thereafter, I tried my first Sweet Potato cupcake, ever– and I’m a believer. I spoke to Tima of Love Bites, today; she’s the younger half of the team behind the truck. Love Bites will be at Planet Pet’s “Grand Opening Party” in Adams Morgan tomorrow, November 6th.

How did Love Bites get started?

We actually formed the business in April but had to go get the truck, paint it and everything. So we were established in April, but were on the road four weeks ago.

What inspired you to start?

My mom has been in catering and event planning for over ten years, and we always wanted to start a Mother-Daughter business together. First we were going to do cookies, but I said I loved cupcakes. I was going to different cupcake places in D.C., all the time.

What happened to the cookies?

Last May, I went on a business trip and saw a mobile cookie truck in Columbia, South Carolina. It was called Insomnia. They basically go to the nearby colleges and deliver late night cookies to students who are studying. They make the cookies on their truck, so when they give them to you, they are still warm. So we thought of franchising, but we wanted to do something of our own.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Culture, Food Trucks, Small Business, Washingtonians
November 5, 2010 | 3:30 PM | By

Charter Schools: Like Seeing a Dentist for a Heart Condition?

Bread for the World

Latin American Montessori Bilingual Public Charter School, D.C.

While I was reading anything and everything last night, to curate our morning link roundup, I stumbled across this:

If doctors were treated like teachers:

1. “Charter hospitals” could certify “smart people” as qualified to begin practicing medicine without any prior experience in the field if they had had “some business background.”

2. Since a “doctor” can “doctor” anything, a cardiologist would be on staff at a hospital in place of a urologist when there was a shortage of urologists. The cardiologist could “learn on the job.”…

3. Whenever a doctor gave a patient a prescription, the patient’s parents could come to the doctor’s office demanding he or she change the prescription since the parents “knew better.”

4. Because of a shortage of doctors, Mayor Bloomberg would institute a summer “crash course” in medicine for people who had no background in the field but “liked playing doctor” when they were little. Those who got through the six-week course would then be considered qualified to care for the most severely ill patients since no other doctors would want to do the job.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Education, Charter Schools, Children, Schools
November 5, 2010 | 1:46 PM | By

The people who voted for them are guilty, too.

A Canadian man in a confederate flag and Klan hood leads a former police officer in blackface with a noose around his neck. Their "costumes" took first place.

You know how people threaten to move to Canada if someone whom they dislike is elected, because America would then be intolerable and Canada is more civilized? Or how some of us assume that our neighbor to the North handles concepts like “diversity” and “tolerance” better than we do? Well, I was just sent a reminder that no nation is perfect:

A former police officer who donned blackface for Halloween as was led around on a rope by a friend dressed as a Klansman says it was a stupid mistake.

Terry Nunn says he is in “no way, shape or form” a racist and neither is his friend Blair Crowley.

The two won first prize at the Royal Canadian Legion Halloween party in Campbellford, Ont., Saturday night for their outfits.

Mr. Nunn tells Toronto radio station AM640 that he doesn’t believe in the Ku Klux Klan and he’s surprised someone complained to police.

FILED UNDER: Privilege, That's racist.
November 5, 2010 | 11:57 AM | By

Will John Wall teach Ted Leonsis how to Dougie?

Yesterday, D.C. sports magnate Ted Leonsis made a bold promise to shore up ticket sales for his less popular team, The Wizards:

Remember when I preached that the Washington Capitals were like a growth stock?…Now we are totally sold out with a waiting list. Bad times became good times. The people that believed were rewarded.

I am here to tell you that about the Washington Wizards. Buy your tickets now, please. Sign up for season tickets…Get in early. See our own home grown and developed stars grow up before your very eyes.

Sorry, I had to get up on a soap box. We need your help. We play this Saturday night. We need and want you to be in attendance. The team plays better in front of a sold out building. Come support the team…

When we have a total paid sellout this season, I will do the “Dougie” – I promise.

Leonsis was inspired to embarrass himself in such a unique way because his franchise player, John Wall, infamously did the Dougie during his introduction at the Wizards’ home opener.

Leonsis challenge to the fans spread quickly over Twitter last night (as it should!) but there’s a catch– popular teams don’t count:

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Culture, Delightful City
November 5, 2010 | 8:01 AM | By

Tasty Morning Bytes – Mostly Mayoral Edition

Good morning, DCentric readers! Ready for some links?

UDC President Sessoms has D.C. Mayor-elect Gray’s support in recharging campus “Sessoms preserved the heritage of open access in the new Community College of the District of Columbia, with no entry requirements and flat $3,000 tuition. Four-year and graduate study is now housed in a separate “flagship” institution, with entry standards and higher tuition. The community college is effectively a branch of UDC. The president’s plan sparked protests last year, with students and some elected officials decrying the tuition increases and accusing Sessoms of trying to destroy a tradition of service to low-income African Americans.” (The Washington Post)

Mayor-elect Gray’s absence at police officer’s funeral blamed on staff oversight “Fenty’s behavior is not a surprise,’ Baumann wrote in an e-mail to TBD. “Fenty has made it clear that he has no respect for police officers and their sacrifices. The fact that the Council did not show is disheartening. Today the elected officials of the District made it clear they have little or no regard for those that keep the city safe and risk their lives everyday. There were more police officers and officials from Maryland and Virginia than District officials or politicians. Unfortunately, the message sent today was only the police care about the police.” (tbd.com)

Gray transition: bold innovators or a return to Barry? “Which would you rather have running Mayor-elect Vincent Gray’s transportation transition team? A former City Administrator under Marion Barry, who was running the city during the famous episode where Barry flippantly dismissed snow plowing failures while he was at the Super Bowl? Or a former CEO of Amtrak, head of UMD’s smart growth center, and occasional blogger who wrote excitedly about the return of streetcars, the value of high-speed rail, and the need for a federal transportation reauthorization? What if they’re the same guy?” (Greater Greater Washington)

Continue reading →
FILED UNDER: Around the City, Roundups
November 4, 2010 | 4:36 PM | By

Mayor-Elect Gray Prioritizes Lunch over a Funeral

My twitter feed is buzzing about Mayor-Elect Vince Gray missing the funeral of a police officer who died while serving, last week. Gray was having lunch downtown:

It’s going to be a long day for Vince Gray, Mayor-Elect of the District of Columbia.  Instead of attending the funeral of Officer Paul Dittamo, who died last week in the line of duty, Gray was in the dining room at the 4th Estate, the restaurant in the National Press Club, according to the restaurant’s Twitter account.  We called The Fourth Estate, and he arrived at 1pm for a lunch with Council Chair-Elect Kwame Brown, where he still sits at press time.

According to the Post’s Mike Debonis, Fraternal Order of Police chief Kris Baumann was “apoplectic” at the no-show.  You can understand his frustration and anger, given that Baumann and the Police union were leading supporters for Gray on his campaign.

Local blog We Love DC deserves credit for spotting the restaurant’s tweet and figuring out where the Mayor-Elect was. Even outgoing Mayor Adrian Fenty, who was criticized in the past for being a no-show at high-profile funerals, managed to make an appearance and offer remarks, though he was late.

The comments under this We Love DC post highlight why this was a bad move for Gray. “Welcome back to Barryland!“, a reader said, comparing the Mayor-Elect to Mayor-for-Life, Marion Barry. Here’s another:

Is anyone at all surprised by this? Vince’s first two days post election have been a disaster. It’s not going to get any better, people.

It’s been years since I worked on a campaign, but I feel qualified enough to offer this wee bit of advice; don’t give your detractors fuel with which to flame you, if you can help it, especially when you’re trying to eliminate division and lead “one city”.

FILED UNDER: Government, 2010 Elections, Fenty, Politics, Vince Gray
November 4, 2010 | 2:25 PM | By

Why You Need a Car to Volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters

The Pulitzer

Two readers wrote to Prince of Petworth to ask about doing some good:

I recently upgraded my kitchen pots and pans, and want to get rid of my old ones. They’re a decent brand (Calphalon) and are about 4 years old…Assuming they’d be accepted, does anyone have a recommendation of a good charity? I currently live near the U-street corridor, and while I’d prefer to donate to an organization that serves my immediate community, I’m not opposed to other suggestions.”

Below that request, another reader wondered about volunteer opportunities in D.C. If some of you have similar questions, the comments section is full of great ideas and answers. I know so many people who are open to giving their time to help others but feel unsure of how to start. This suggestion caught my eye:

Big Brothers Big Sisters for the DC area also has an urgent need for male volunteers. (Particularly those that qualify as minority, but I’m not sure they’re that picky.) You do need to own or be able to use a car on a regular basis to do BBBS, though. (Zipcar membership counts.)

That comment surprised me. I was unaware that to volunteer with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, you had to have access to a car. I was less surprised about the need for diverse mentors. I couldn’t stop thinking about the “car”-requirement; I wondered if it prevented people from getting involved, since most of my friends in D.C. do not drive.
Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: The People, Children, Non-profits, Race and Class, Volunteering
November 4, 2010 | 10:14 AM | By

A Better Post about African Americans and Voting

So, I’ve been a bit sad that no one ever comments on DCentric, even though I know better than to take it personally– I’ve been blogging for eight years, and in the beginning, no one. ever. comments. But, after yesterday’s post about African Americans and voting, several of you spoke up– and one of your comments was better than my post, itself.

Making up 10% of the voting electorate can’t meant that only 10% of registered African Americans voted. ~ 90 odd million people voted, so 10% of that is approximately 9 million voting African Americans. Voter participation in this midterm election was supposed to be 42%, so if 90 million = 42%, the total registered voter pool was 214 million, and 13% of that means there are probably 27 – 28 million registered African Americans. 9 million out of 27 million is much closer to 32- 33% participation rate, not a measly 4.7%. That’s pretty comparable to the general rate of 42%, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the discrepancy is due to being disproportionately burdened by the factors that depress voting for the less than wealthy. It’s a working day, not a holiday, there’s no childcare, and polls are often hard to get to–all things we should fix. ( I got my statistics on the voting numbers from this AP article by Matthew Daly.). According to Wikipedia In 2000 there were 36 million African Americans in the united states, so assuming growth was steady, there are about 40 million *now*. Many of those people are under the age of 18, so they can’t vote, so that means over all participation was AT LEAST 25%. That strikes me as pretty respectable–especially when you consider wide spread evidence that African Americans have been disproportionately and unfairly disenfranchised b/c of the discrepancy in felony status laws regarding the use of crack vs. the use of cocaine, not to mention other less clearcut kinds of unfairness in the criminal justice system.

Moral of the story: we need more numeracy in all of our communities. Support the Algebra Project.

Uh, I’ll take quality like that over quantity, any time. Thanks for breaking it down so beautifully, Saheli.

FILED UNDER: Elections, Media, 2010 Elections, Race and Ethnicity, Social Media
November 4, 2010 | 8:11 AM | By

Tasty Morning Bytes – a Disabled Dachshund, Sidwell Football and Lunch with Obama

Good morning, DCentric readers! Ready for some links?

Paraplegic dog finds adoptive home; more pets remain in need “Buddy is a five and half year old dachshund. A spinal problem cost him the use of his hind legs, but his tail still wags. Despite buddy’s problems his life is good, thanks to the care of his owner. “I love him so much it is not tough on me at all,” said Janet Harris. “He is a very happy little boy he bounces, bounces up and down and play.” Harris has had health problems, she lost her job, is losing her home, and now has to give up her dog. “I can barely stand. I am kind of not trying to think about it because he is like my baby. He IS my baby,” shared Harris.” (tbd.com)

Fenty Write-In Campaign Drives Mayoral Write-Ins To Nearly 23 Percent the committed movement to write-in Mayor Adrian Fenty was the driving force behind the casting of 27,828 write-in votes in “…yesterday’s general election, nearly 23 percent of the approximately 125,000 votes cast. The vote total is all the more impressive when one considers that the movement to write-in Fenty was working with almost no money and lacked the support of the candidate it sought to elect.” (DCist)

Sidwell Friends’ Football Futility: The Obama Kids’ School Football Team is Losing Worse than Dad’s Party “Sidwell bashers: “Sidwell is a girls school that happens to have boys.’” “At other schools, excellence in the classroom and athletic fields are not mutually exclusive.” “Maybe Sidwell should consider a flag football league. Or just games where boys tickle each other with feathers.” Sidwell sympathizers: “Come tell some of the real male athletes (yes, there are a few) at Sidwell that they’re ‘girls’ and they’ll sort you out.” “Sidwell just isn’t a meathead school. Hey, if you want a meathead school, head to Landon.” “Landon athletes will have plenty of time to lift weights in prison.” (Washington City Paper)

Continue reading →
FILED UNDER: Around the City, Roundups