DCentric

Good morning, DCentric readers! Let’s start this week off properly– with some nifty links!

MPD Makes Marijuana Bust in Burlieth A comment: “We keep voting in demagogues who won’t even think about ending our insane Prohibition-style approach to treating drug abuse, and then we blame the cops for enforcing the law. As far as I’m concerned, the cops should bust more people in upscale areas: if members of the moneyed and influential classes start becoming collateral damage in this stupid “war” on drugs, then maybe we’ll start seeing change that will benefit everyone.” (DCist)

How Heartbreaking for Families: Foreclosures Slow as Document Flaws Emerge ““We’re seeing a fundamental breakdown in the system, because no one cared that much about getting things right,” said Representative Alan Grayson, a Democrat of Florida, who unsuccessfully asked the Florida Supreme Court to halt all foreclosures in that state…Defense lawyers say the disclosures are symptomatic of the carelessness, if not outright fraud, that lenders have been exhibiting for years in their rush to file cases. Many necessary documents have disappeared, with defense lawyers saying the lenders often do not even have standing to foreclose.” (The New York Times)

After buying historic home, Md. officials find it wasn’t really Uncle Tom’s Cabin The house was once home to the Riley family, who held Henson as chattel, and the years Henson spent on the 3,700-acre Riley plantation, from 1795 to 1830, did form the basis of his memoirs, which Stowe, in turn, relied heavily on. But historians have determined that Henson never lived in either the house or the cabin, which was then a kitchen. He lived in slave quarters that are long gone. (The Washington Post)

PostBourgie on H.I.V. and African American Youth “All of the moralizing over sexual promiscuity and handwringing over the downlow myth won’t do anything to address the problem. That being: HIV exists, and it’s more likely to be contracted by those who lack the agency to protect themselves against it. And you know who lacks agency? People who have been historically and systematically faced with barriers to healthcare, wealth, and education. This includes both the young men Goforth talks about, and the young black women whose rate of contracting the disease has skyrocketed in recent years.” (postbourgie.com)

Where to Find D.C.’s Best Coffee (after you wade through all the NoVa places first) “Besides, if I want a good cup of coffee, I know where to go. I head straight to Qualia Coffee in Petworth. Listen, I know the District’s coffee culture has made tremendous strides in the past few years. You can find really good hand-pours at Peregrine Espresso on Capitol Hill, at Chinatown Coffee Co. on H Street NW, at Filter Coffeehouse on 20th Street NW near Dupont Circle, and at Mid City Caffe on 14th Street NW. But if you truly love roasted beans and the sweet liquid stimulant extracted from them, Qualia’s Joel Finkelstein is your guy. Finkelstein believes in serving only the freshest beans, which are all roasted in the back room of his small shop on Georgia Avenue NW.” (Washington City Paper)

About that new show from WETA, ‘Breakfast in Washington’ “The show does dip somewhat into history at each venue, such as explaining why the Greek-themed Vaso’s Kitchen in Alexandria kept the landmark neon sign of its predecessor, Dixie Pig BBQ; or lending riot-era significance to the persistent Florida Avenue Grill in the District, which now finds itself serving scrapple to the gentrified masses of U Street’s condoville.” (The Washington Post)

DCPS, please do NOT take note: For pupils in Massachusetts, Advertisements on Permission Slips? “…ads for local ice cream shops or hair salons could soon be appearing on permission slips, class calendars, and school notices sent home with Peabody elementary school students after a unanimous School Committee vote this week. The novel plan to sell ad space on school communications marks the latest twist in how commercialization of schools — from the sale of billboard space to ads on buses — is generating cash in lean times.” (Boston Globe)