DCentric

Good morning, DCentric readers! Ready for some links?

Elitism On A Food Stamp Budget? “We complain about and assume food stamp recipients are the dredges of society, all fat and miserable (and Black welfare queens) and eating up all the cheetos… but we’re angry as hell – collectively – when they prioritize health and wellness (and preservation of both) above all else? When they use the little bit of money they’ve got wisely? (Or are they?) Would we feel better about paying into a system that takes care of others if and only if they still appeared to be doing worse than we are? Is that element of superiority required here? That we feel superior to food stamp recipients?” (blackgirlsguidetoweightloss.com)

Muslim employees of D.C. hotel say they were barred from floors where Israelis stayed “The one worker said that after he was barred from the floors in question, co-workers teased him about being a terrorist…He said he had worked in proximity to other VIPs, such as George W. Bush, with no security concerns. “I don’t care about Israel. To me, it’s just another country,” he said. “I work for [the hotel] 12, 14 hours a day, and they profile me like I’m a criminal, like I’m going to harm them. I’m like, ‘If I’m going to harm them, why would you keep me in your hotel even one day?’” (The Washington Post)

Nats Looking to Add a Curly W to Navy Yard Metro Station Name “At tonight’s ANC 6D meeting, Nationals vice president Gregory McCarthy asked the commission to support the Nationals’ request for a name change for the Navy Yard Metro station. But, instead of asking to add “Nationals Park” or “Ballpark” or “Baseball Stadium” or “[Insert Corporate Naming Rights Winner Here] Park” or some other permutation, the Nationals are asking that the Nationals’ “Curly W” red logo be added to Metro’s maps and signage instead.” (JDland: DC Redevelopment )

Marion Barry’s D.C. Council Wages Garnished for Campaign Debt “Since 2006, the Ward 8 councilmember has had a portion of his income pared away by the IRS. Now he’s facing a wage garnishment connected to campaign materials he purchased in June 2008. The gear was sold to him by Lanham, Md.-based advertising company Charles G. Brown Inc. The mayor-for-life spent $9,352.92 on things like signs and lapel stickers, which the company is now trying to recover. (Barry wasn’t immediately available for comment.)” (Washington City Paper)

Out With the Old – Again “Dunbar, a storied high school that dates back to the early 1900s, was the District’s first high school for African-American students. It’s grand, classic school building was similar to those of Cardozo and Eastern, which still stand. “And it really had an atmosphere that was very conducive to learning,” Mayor-elect Vincent Gray, who graduated in 1959, said on Tuesday. But the proud Dunbar building was torn down in the 1970s — a hideous, modern “brutalist” building constructed in its place. “Brutalist” architecture is the type that overwhelms you with concrete, too few windows and cold exteriors.” (NBC Washington)

Reading service’s human voice silenced, at least for D.C. residents “About half of the money for the Ear’s $394,000 annual operating budget comes from local governments, which provide funding so the service can be used by qualified residents. The District government recently decided to switch to a rival service operated by the Baltimore-based National Federation of the Blind. Called Newsline, the service uses computers to “read” the stories. While computer-generated voices have gotten better over the years, they still sound like machines, without the nuances that a human provides.” (The Washington Post)