DCentric

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

$8 Eggs and the Cost of Food “There are many, many people out there, of varying socioeconomic levels, who are worried about what goes into their food. A one size fits all prescription (“eat less meat” or “go vegan“) removes any incentive to bring more people into the movement (the food movement big tent: we have catering, and it is tasty!)- you either care about it and don’t complain, or you don’t care enough, and can go back to your wasteland of McDonalds and Chinese takeout.” (PostBourgie)

Black Scientists Less Likely to Win Federal Research Grants, Study Reports “Even when the researchers made statistical adjustments to ensure they were comparing apples to apples — that is, scientists at similar institutions with similar academic track records — the disparity persisted. A black scientist was one-third less likely than a white counterpart to get a research project financed, the study found.” (New York Times)

Allen West: ‘I’m Here As The Modern-Day Harriet Tubman’ To Lead Blacks Out Of The Dem ‘Plantation’ (VIDEO) “Rep. Allen West (R-FL) said that the Democratic Party has kept African-Americans on a “21st-century plantation,” with liberal black politicians being like the “overseers” who would rule over the slaves — and likened himself to Harriet Tubman, the most famous member of the Underground Railroad movement, who helped over 70 slaves escape to freedom and inspired many others by her example.” (Talking Points Memo)

The undoing of a village’s character “Without a strong sense of community and direction, youths and young adults become wolflike members of a pack and go on the prowl. It’s on the front end, instilling a sense of family and community, not on the back end, after flash mob perpetrators are locked up, where our messages are falling short.” (Washington Times)
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Good morning, DCentric readers! Here are your Friday links:

D.C., MontCo to join federal illegal immigrant crackdown “In 2010, the D.C. jail held 185 inmates on warrants from ICE…Only 10 were released to ICE, and another 78 to the U.S. Marshals Service. More than 30 were put back on the streets. A DOC spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.” (Washington Examiner )

School Districts Rediscover Value of From-Scratch Meals “’The biggest myth is that it costs more money,’ said Kate Adamick, a food consultant based in New York and co-founder of Cook for America. She said federal reimbursement rules could actually give poorer school systems some advantages in shifting back to scratch, especially for meat, which many districts buy with deep discounts. Cooking the meat themselves, rather than paying a processor, can drastically reduce total costs, she said.” (The New York Times)

Black Marriage: Good News by the Numbers “In Washington, D.C., 36 percent of those with only a high school diploma, 47 percent of those with a college degree, 59 percent of those with a master’s or professional degree and 62 percent of those with doctoral degrees are married. There’s a similar pattern in Atlanta. So much for having to choose between a diploma (or four) and a husband.” (The Root)

The Impossible, Inevitable Redemption of Michael Vick “it is still estimated that tens of thousands engage in dogfighting—which is notoriously more prevalent in urban areas, where it has been part of African-American culture for decades. Vick, well versed in his talking points on this matter, hesitates to make this a race issue. And yet: ‘Yeah, you got the family dog and the white picket fence, and you just think that’s all there is. Some of us had to grow up in poverty-stricken urban neighborhoods, and we just had to adapt to our environment. I know that it’s wrong. But people act like it’s some crazy thing they never heard of. They don’t know.” (GQ)

Flash Mob Robberies Continue “In the latest incident, 10 women stormed the Shop Express convenience store along Benning Road in northeast Washington at about 3:15 a.m. Thursday. They loaded up on food, drinks and snacks at different parts of the store. Some of the women were carrying bags to hold some of the items. Then they all rushed out of the store at the same time without paying. ” (NBC Washington)

Good morning, DCentric readers! Some links, for your morning coffee break:

As Furin’s bakery closes after 27 years, Georgetown retail faces identity crisis “At the turn of the 20th century, Georgetown was what Billy Martin, the third-generation owner of Martin’s Tavern on Wisconsin at N Street and a Georgetown history buff, described as a ‘very blue-collar neighborhood’…What many people don’t know is in the early 1900s, it was primarily African American. It had a seaport and a coal facility,’ said Martin, as well as a lumber yard, a cement plant, a flour mill, a textile mill, a paper factory, a power plant and a garbage incinerator.” (The Washington Post)

Brand Degradation Over at The Atlantic, Ta-Nehisi Coates takes on popular mall retailer Abercrombie and Fitch’s decision to pay a Jersey Shore star NOT to wear the brand’s clothing, because it is damaging their image: “It’s an interesting class conflict. These guys create an aspirational brand, and people who are “aspiring”–in all kinds of ways–flock to it.” (The Atlantic)

DCCK to deliver produce to D.C. food deserts “The Healthy Corners pilot program will target bodegas and retailers in those D.C. neighborhoods that have been designated food deserts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.” Bodegas will get regrigeration units and either low- or no-cost fruits and veggies. Some of the produce will be local, whenever possible (Apples, yes. Bananas? No.) There will even be recipe cards with cooking tips! (The Washington Post)
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