September 9, 2010 | 5:35 PM | By Anna
nevermindtheend
This SmarTrip card is in the red...thanks to a sharpie.
Last week, I posted about having your say regarding Metro’s proposal to no longer allow negative balances on SmarTrip cards. The whole reason Metro considered changing the current system, which allows riders to exit even if they don’t have enough money on their card to cover metro fare was because of a proposal to lower the cost of a SmarTrip card from $5 to $2.50, in order to make the plastic fare card more accessible and affordable. Laudable goal, right?
Well, yes, but officials at Metro then theorized that people could abuse the system by purchasing a card and taking a ride which cost more than $2.50. That’s why they considered eliminating negative balances. What they didn’t consider was how complicated this would all become. For example, there were no plans to change the Exit Fare machines to accept credit cards– they are cash only. That was one of the reasons why negative balances were allowed in the first place; the machines for adding value to SmarTrip cards are beyond the fare gates. Continue reading →
September 9, 2010 | 3:07 PM | By Anna
Roti, 1747 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
My latest vegetarian obsession is Roti, the Mediterranean place near the White House. I love the falafel there, because their version is unlike what is served at Amsterdam Falafel, Zaytinya or Maoz. Roti plays hard to get, which is why I’m consumed with it. It closes at 5pm and is not open on the weekends. That’s why I rarely get to eat at the delicious Chicago transplant. Today, an errand took me to 17th street and I gleefully got in line. Oh, I should mention the line. It is long, and thus a testament to the scrumptious nature of Roti food; the good news is, Roti is fast about wrapping up chick pea fritters in warm laffa bread, so the line moves.
After paying, I asked three questions of the jovial immigrant from Africa who assisted me.
“Is there wifi?”
Continue reading →
September 9, 2010 | 10:40 AM | By Anna
ghbrett
East Falls Church Metro
There’s a thought-provoking post up over at Greater Greater Washington about how VDOT wants to retain all the parking (if not increase it, in the future) which currently exists near the East Falls Church Metro stop.
VDOT cites the early fill time for the parking lot as justification for considering more parking than already exists. The lot regularly fills before 7:30 am, and data obtained from Metro cites the lot as one of the region’s most crowded.
The author of the post, Michael Perkins, thinks that the lot fills regularly because it is under-priced. Continue reading →
September 9, 2010 | 7:45 AM | By Anna
Good Morning, DCentric readers! While you were dancing to Big Boi at the 9:30 club, we were…dancing behind you! And then we went to Ben’s, walked home and compiled delicious breakfast links.
Young District residents allege Fenty campaign offered jobs for votes “The driver was a man who was looking to make a deal: He told Williams and others that they could make $100 per day between Sept. 4 and Sept. 14. First, though, they’d have to go downtown and vote for the man whose campaign would soon employ them: Mayor Adrian Fenty.” (tbd.com)
What did Lady Gaga wear to practice Bikram Yoga, on the hill? “Five-inch Louis Vuitton heels and a gorgeous blazer, which she shed to work out in…Platinum bob, fake eyelashes.” (voices.washingtonpost.com)
Polling employees removed after anti-Fenty remarks “According to Mayor Fenty’s re-election campaign chairman Bill Lightfoot, a precinct captain and a Fenty poll observer overheard a Board Of Elections and Ethics employee tell a voter that Fenty had a poor record when it comes to womens’ issues.” (WTOP News)
Continue reading →
September 8, 2010 | 6:18 PM | By Anna
j_mills
Believe it or not, this is graffiti in Atlanta.
WAMU 88.5′s The Kojo Nnamdi Show and The City Paper collaborated on a poll of registered voters, asking them about the obvious (Mayoral candidates) and the not-so-obvious (“Mayor For Life” Marion Barry).
While a lot of the Twitterati are focusing on Vince Gray’s 50-39 lead over Adrian Fenty, I’d like to highlight this, from the WCP:
One question looked at yet another polarizing figure in D.C. politics: former Mayor Marion Barry, now a Ward 8 councilmember.
- 20 percent said Barry “should be respected as ‘Mayor for Life’ and celebrated as a civil rights hero.”
- 36 percent said Barry “should remain in politics as long as he likes and is re-elected.”
- 32 percent said Barry “should retire gracefully and go away from public life.”
- 7 percent said Barry “should still be in jail.”
5 percent weren’t sure what they thought of him.
Continue reading →
September 8, 2010 | 5:45 PM | By Anna
This afternoon, I wrote about a piece of campaign literature from Maryland State Senator Nancy King, which featured a picture of King’s opponent, State Delegate Saqib Ali sporting a noticeably darker complexion. I wondered if the picture had been photoshopped, but the King campaign denied editing the image in any way.
I called Ali to tell him about his opponent’s denial. This was his response:
It’s plain for anyone to see, if you put them next to each other. It’s very obvious. I don’t know why they did it, it doesn’t make sense. I wouldn’t expect this kind of behavior from any Montgomery County Democrat. I think she owes everyone a real explanation, not just an evasion. Voters should wonder why they are doctoring photos in this way and why she won’t come clean.
September 8, 2010 | 4:20 PM | By Anna
The questionable image I asked about...
Earlier today, I wrote about a piece of campaign literature currently circulating in Maryland from State Senator Nancy King, featuring what looks like a photoshopped picture of her opponent, State Delegate Saqib Ali. In it, Ali’s skin looks visibly darker. I contacted the King campaign to ask about it and this is what they had to say:
First off, at no time, in any way whatsoever, did we, or would we, alter photos or attempt to insinuate anything about Delegate Saqib Ali other than the verified facts we have consistently laid out through this campaign — the fact that he fell asleep and missed a crucial vote on education funding, and the fact that he broke his promise to reject special interest funding and then accepted $50,000 in corporate and PAC money.
That’s interesting, and I’m grateful they took the time to respond, but if they didn’t alter photos, then why does the picture of Ali look like it’s a recolored, mirror-image of the other photograph in the mailer? Curiouser and curiouser…
September 8, 2010 | 3:12 PM | By Anna
TBD covers what was once a “Segregation Wall” in Arlington:
Decades ago, before schools, hospitals and other public spaces were integrated in Arlington, a bunch of white homeowners were increasingly wary of the growing population of African-Americans living in Hall’s Hill. And so one by one, they piled cinder blocks or built high wood fences behind their homes and those of their backyard neighbors.
Eventually, the wall was one continuous barrier between the south-facing homes on 17th Street, owned by white families, and the north facing ones on 17th Road and 18th Street, owned by black families. That same strip now serves as the dividing line between two civic associations: John M. Langston to the north and Waycroft-Woodlawn to the south.
It’s amazing to sit in this currently (for now!) majority-minority city and imagine a time when public spaces were segregated by law. Not that they are all wonderfully integrated now, but the reason why certain Clarendon bars don’t resemble a Benetton ad is because of…personal preference, mostly.
September 8, 2010 | 1:51 PM | By Anna
I spy, with my brown eye…some photoshopping.
UPDATE: We reached out to both campaigns for their reactions. Here is a statement from the King campaign and here’s a response from Saqib Ali.
.
We’re in the thick of campaign season and while I tend to focus on the Mayoral race or candidates with confusing names here in the District, last night I saw something eye-catching from Maryland, where State Delegate Saqib Ali is challenging State Senator Nancy King to represent the 39th district.
What you see to the right is a mailer that King sent out to potential voters about Ali. I saw it and had flashbacks to O.J. Simpson’s infamous mug shot, on the cover of Time magazine. I thought of that moment in magazine history because of the striking change in Ali’s complexion. Now, it is entirely possible that in four years, Saqib Ali got some sun. Also possible? That whoever designed this flier used the same photograph, but flipped it directionally, recolored the suit…and Saqib’s face. There’s only one way to find out– I just reached out to the King campaign for comment. Continue reading →
September 8, 2010 | 9:57 AM | By Anna
What's for Lunch, on the first.
D.C. public school menus are available for download here.
At first, I thought this was nifty; then I realized that there are a lot of people who may not be able to access such useful information. I am not sure that my Mother would know how to wrangle PDF files; I am sure that there are other Parents or caretakers who lack robust internet access at home and machines with which to use it.
I don’t know that Smartphones would be well-suited for this purpose, either: Continue reading →
