DCentric

Good morning, DCentric readers! Five fresh links await you:

Interview with Alycea on Punching Earthquakes and Tornadoes "My name is Alycea. I am five-years-old…I want to tell all of the kids in Washington not to worry about tornadoes and earthquakes because if they come here, I will punch them in the face. I will punch them and then step on them so they won’t knock our buildings down. Now can I ask you some questions? Have you ever seen an orangutan eat his own poop at the zoo? Have you ever had a baby in your stomach? Have you ever put cake on your pizza?” (peoplesdistrict.com)

Sisters Go From The Streets And Trouble To College "The Callahan sisters are among the first teens literally rescued from the streets by the now-struggling Peaceaholics program — founded by Juahar Abraham and Ron Moten, a couple of youth advocates who got healthy funding from then-mayor Adrian Fenty. Moten and Abraham confirm the Callahan sisters were among the toughest and most feared females in Southeast, DC. But once they were recruited to stop the violence, other females followed and agreed to "'do the right things.'" (WUSA Washington, DC)

Apartment construction to spike in D.C. area "A surge in completions may cause area owners to sweat, but the new rentals should be absorbed fairly quickly due to falling vacancy rates, a spike in jobs and a large pool of short-tenure residents, according to the forecast…Asking rents will increase 4.6 percent to $1,442 per month, while a 5.5 percent jump in effective rents to $1,374 per month will reduce concessions to 4.7 percent of asking rents. During 2010, asking rents rose 3.5 percent, and effective rents gained 5.5 percent." (bizjournals.com)

Bernard Hopkins and Donovan McNabb: There's No Monopoly on Blackness "This time it's boxer Bernard Hopkins, who claims in a recent Philadelphia Daily News article that Washington Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb isn't black enough…But it's not a problem that their backgrounds and formative experiences are starkly dissimilar, because plenty of blacks with unfavorable upbringings have overcome and worked toward enlightened views. The problem is Hopkins' holding on to the mind-set that equates "blackness" with high levels of crime, poverty and dysfunction, and low levels of education, prosperity and normalcy." (The Root)

Church to reopen historic Barracks Row theater "The Community Church, which purchased another Southeast property for nearly $7 million last fall, has already begun holding services in the space but said this week it eventually envisions restoring the single-screen theater to run movies and host community events. With no other movie theater around, the venture could quickly gain a big market share in the community. 'I think a for-profit movie company will kick themselves for not doing this," said Neil Glick, the Advisory Neighborhood Commission chairman. "People here would pay through the nose [for] this.'" (Washington Examiner )