DCentric

Good Morning, DCentric readers! While you were watching the Real Housewives of DC– oh, wait…that was totally us. Don’t worry, though! We have delicious links for you:

Adrian Fenty, Not Michelle Rhee, Caused Fenty’s Loss “What went wrong with education reform in D.C. was Adrian Fenty….Fenty simply couldn’t be bothered to try to sell Rhee’s school program to the people who mattered most in assessing it—District voters…you’ve got to tell voters what you’re up to, and explain why they should trust you to carry it out. And if your schools chancellor is going out of her way to start fights all over the city, you’ve got to spend that much more energy running around trying to get people to buy into it.” (Washington City Paper)

D.C. school chief Rhee’s next move probably toward the door “Gray chafed at the Fenty-Rhee operating style, which he said lacked transparency and a commitment to public participation. “Frankly, we live in a city that has been oppressed,” Gray said after a 2007 list of prospective school closings appeared in The Washington Post before the council learned about it. “In this city, more than any other, how you do something is a major factor. It is a city that has been dictated to. People are very sensitive to being left out.”" (The Washington Post)

Greater Greater Washington says, “Lay off the BOEE” (I agree) “We’re accustomed to having results posted on the Web right away and continually updated as precincts come in. However, we shouldn’t be so impatient with BOEE. Their job is to get the count right, not to satisfy our thirst for results minutes after polls close. Sure, it’s fun to see who’s ahead when only 6% of precincts are reporting, but it’s also pretty useless.” (Greater Greater Washington)

Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert announce Washington marches “Stewart called his event the “Rally to Restore Sanity.” Colbert announced the competing “March to Keep Fear Alive.” It was not immediately clear Thursday night whether the comedians will attempt to lead actual rallies or are just joking. But Stewart is already planning to do his show from Washington Oct. 25-28.” (tbd.com)

I will never complain about the rats of Adams Morgan, again. “Residents of a township in southwest China have been running scared after more than 160 cobras escaped from an illegal breeding laboratory, state media said Thursday. People in Shijiao township in the huge Chongqing municipality have found the deadly snakes in outdoor toilets, kitchens and on the streets since they escaped earlier this month…” (Yahoo News: Business)

Wash., DC transit authority uses proprietary RFID system for SmarTrip, is in trouble “The best solution they’ve got is replacing every fare box and farecard… again. Kicker: they’re paying more than $3 each for bog-standard 13.56MHz RFIDs, which can be purchased singly by normal folks for $.25.”" (Boing Boing)