Damn You Congressional Republicans

by Bill Adler

One of the sticking points over the Federal budget is whether or not the District of Columbia can use its own money to pay for abortions for low-income women. Our right to spend our own money was restored by Congress in 2009, but now the Republican majority in the House of Representatives wants to take that right away from us once again.

If the Federal government shuts down, many DC services will be curtailed or closed: Trash pickup will temporarily stop, libraries will close, the DMV will shut down, to name just a few of the ways that we'll suffer. No other jurisdiction is as adversely affected as the District is by a Federal government shutdown.

We're pawns in this ideological battle over the budget. The impending Federal government shutdown, more than anything else, shows how Congress treats us like inanimate objects, rather than living, breathing American citizens with rights. 

Pepco to Replace Live Trees with Storm-Proof Artificial Trees to Prevent Power Outages

The Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco) announced today that it will be planting artificial, storm-proof trees throughout the District of Columbia and Montgomery County. According to Pepco, these artificial trees will be able to withstand heavy snowfalls, ice storms, and winds of up to 100 miles per hour. “We’re excited about the storm-proof tree initiative,” said Pepco’s arborist, Mary Conti. “These trees, which are composed of carbon nanofibers, are able to hold up against just about anything that nature can whip up. Replacing living trees with artificial trees will dramatically reduce the number of power outages in the Washington, DC area.”

Pepco plans to initially replace some 4,500 living trees with artificial trees. “None of these real trees has a life expectancy of more than 20 years,” Conti said. “Compare that to the Pepco trees that will last for at least a century.” The 4,500 trees that Pepco has targeted for replacement either intersect or overhang power lines. That alone should reduce the power outage rate by 75 percent, Pepco says. Eventually, Pepco plans to replace approximately 15,000 trees with these modern, indestructible artificial trees.

Pepco’s artificial tree project is in response to customer’s requests to have more reliable electricity.

Pepco, which already has considerable experience at cutting down trees, expects that it will take approximately eight months to replace the first batch of 4,500 trees. “When the next snowpocalypse strikes, we’ll just laugh at it,” Conti said.

Pepco pointed out that area residents will be impressed, even wowed, by these artificial trees, because they were created by the award-winning Italian design firm FioreNuovo. “We think that people will like our Pepco trees even more than actual trees,” Conti said.

Each tree will have three openings that lead to spacious hollows inside for squirrels, raccoons, birds and other critters to establish homes. “These are not just beautiful, but eco-friendly trees. I know that the squirrels will be very happy.” The upper leaves on the trees can be replaced with solar-cell coated leaves at a future date so that not only will we have fewer power outages, but the Pepco trees will actually generate more energy. “An ordinary tree can’t make electricity,” Conti pointed out. “Our trees are better than nature.”

The cut-down trees will be turned into firewood and given away to needy families, Pepco said.

There's more information about this on our companion email list, the Cleveland Park Listserv.

Nostalgic

Urban Density and Quality of Life in DC

The argument is often made that increased urban density produces a less hospitable city. New York City is cited as the example: Skyscrapers and mega-apartment buildings make for a city that's dynamic and vibrant, but not beautiful. Washington, DC and Paris are beautiful cities; New York and Chicago aren't.

Graph created by the Center for American Progress

Except. Except that Paris, perhaps the most beautiful city in the world, has a population density that's about 5 times that of Washington, DC. Washington, DC's population density is closer to that of Fargo, North Dakota, according to Matthew Yglesias' Think Progress blog. New York City's population density is less than Paris', by the way: 26,000 people per square mile for the Big Apple.

Urban density, by itself, doesn't create a "crowded," "hectic," or "impersonal" feeling for a city. Density doesn't automatically mean ugly or large buildings. But increased urban density can improve quality of life in a city: More people can bring about a more potent economy, with more shops, restaurants, recreational facilities, and better schools. Worth remembering when the next zoning battle occurs in the District of Columbia.

Free Condoms in DC: "Rubber Revolution"

The outgoing Fenty administration has launched the “Rubber Revolution DC,” a new campaign to promote condom use. The campaign will feature a new web site www.RubberRevolutionDC.com, text messaging, ads on radio, newspapers, Metro and the Internet, as well as offer educational materials.  The Rubber Revolution media partner is WPGC Radio and radio/TV personality Big Tigger who will serve as the campaign’s first ambassador to encourage condom use and safe sex.

“The Rubber Revolution aims to encourage sexually active people to always use condoms and engage community and business partners to support condom use,” said Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. “The District is proud of its aggressive approach to address this issue, and we hope to build on our success as one of only two cities in the country with a public sector condom distribution program that has provided more than 3.5 million free condoms last year.”

The Department of Health developed the campaign based on studies showing that between 40% and 70% of all DC adults and adolescents are not regularly using condoms. These studies indicate that many women, men, and youth of all ages and races are at risk of contracting HIV and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs). The campaign was created to address potential barriers to condom use and any misconceptions about condoms.  DOH conducted focus groups with District residents to ensure that the messages are relevant and effective.

“Condoms are 95% effective in blocking the transmission of HIV and STDs, but they are 0% effective if people don’t use them,” said DOH Director Dr. Pierre Vigilance.  “DOH has been a leader in making condoms available in the District in collaboration with more than 300 community and business partners. We look forward to continuing our success with this new campaign that increase awareness and encourage more residents to practice safe sex.”

Reasons given for not using condoms include: Condom sizes are too small and uncomfortable, condoms interrupt the mood, people simply trust for their partner even if they just met them.

The “Rubber Revolution” messages to encourage condom use include: “Get Wrapped up in the Moment,” “Life is Feels Better with a Condom,” “Big Enuf 4 U,” “A Condom Fits Any Head”

The campaign features the new partnership with WPGC Radio and Big Tigger, who will make numerous public appearances and outreach efforts on air and in communities on condom use.  The new web site www.RubberRevolutionDC.com includes information on condoms, where to find them for free in DC and the option to order directly for 10 free condoms.  In addition to other ad locations, the campaign will advertise on popular social networking Internet sites.  Also, in the District, individuals can text DCWRAP to 61827 to find free condom locations by zip code.

How Service Requests Work in DC...Or Not

You can go to the DC Government's website to post a service request for a street light that's out, an abandoned car or some other problem that requires the city's attention. But what happens next? Here's one Cleveland Park resident's story about how his service request simply disappeared.

I opened an http://311.dc.gov service request on 24 Oct 2010 and it was closed ten days later with no notification or information to me concerning the resolution. I found no way online to determine what had actually been done, so I opened a new service request, asking about the disposition of the first, including my name and email several times. The second request was simply closed three days later, again with no information to me whatsoever.

When I check the status of both requests on the Web site, I see only "Complete" and the date.

Kwame Brown Speaking at St. Columba's Church, Thursday

Prospective DC Council Chairman Kwame Brown will be the guest speaker at the Ward Three Democratic Committee meeting on Thursday, October 28 at 7:15 PM at St. Columba's Episcopal Church, 4201 Albemarle Street, NW. Also speaking will be DC Watch's Dorothy Brizill who will talk about the problems with the DC elections process experienced during the Primary Election. For more information, visit the Ward Three Dems website.

Godless in DC

Thanks to DC Blogs for drawing our attention to the new area blog, Godless in DC: Atheism in the Nation's Capital.

The DC metropolitan area is populated with places of worship. We Love DC talks about the ten mile "Highway to Heaven" along New Hampshire Avenue between the Beltway and Sandy Spring Road, so called because of the number and diversity of houses of worship along that ten mile corridor.

It's fair to say that the number of people in the DC area who believe in a supreme being far outnumber those who don't. Yet non-belief is growing in both interest and numbers, especially among people in their 20's: An estimated 25 to 30 percent of young Americans claim no religious affiliation. Interest in books that discuss the problems with religion, such as Richard Dawkin's The God Delusion and Sam Harris' The End of Faith have become bestsellers. Godless in DC. It will be interesting to see how Godless in DC evolves.

DC's Pedestrian Laws: Drivers Pay Attention

This summary of the District of Columbia's pedestrian laws (below) was published on the Palisades listserv by Erik Gaull.  It's the best and clearest explanation of what obligations drivers have to pedestrians, and vice versa.

If you're interested in knowing what changes are coming to enhance pedestrian safety, you can read the DC Department of Transportation's pedestrian safety plan. Connecticut Avenue in Northwest DC has its own pedestrian safety organization, Connecticut Avenue Pedestrian Action, which has several excellent safety initiatives.

Wikipedia Declares DC a Territory

In its article about the minimum wage, Wikipedia classifies DC as a Territory. Oh well. We have to be something, and "territory" has a nice ring to it. Now maybe we can get that no-federal-tax status enjoyed by the citizens of Guam, the Northern Marianas, and other territories.

More Free WiFi in DC

FedEx has started to roll out free wifi at their office centers. You can add FedEx to the growing list of places in the Washington, DC area that have free wifi, including the National Mall, Starbucks, Barnes and Noble, and numerous restaurants and cafes. Looking for more wifi hotspots?  Try Hotspotr. If you have a smartphone with wifi, you can get an wifi detecting app, and if you don't have a smartphone, a wifi detector key chain can be handy.

Is It News? Colbert, Stewart Cancel DC Rallies Due to Bedbugs

This just in: Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have canceled their October 30th rallies in Washington, DC because of "the clear and present bedbug epidemic in the nation's capital." Speaking for both Comedy Central stars, Stephen Colbert said, "When I titled my rally March to Keep the Fear Alive, it certainly wasn't my intention to actually scare the pants off everyone by bringing them to bedbug central." Colbert added in an uncharacteristically somber tone, "I'm scared, too."

Bedbug incidents have been increasing in Washington, DC over the past weeks, with reports coming in of bedbug sightings in neighborhoods and even government buildings. "There's no hiding from this threat," Colbert said.

Arianna Huffington, who was going to provide free bus transportation from New York to Washington, agreed with Stewart and Colbert's decision: "It's not just the cost of having to de-bug the buses afterward, but it would be wrong to subject people to this scourge."

Bill O'Reilly, host of The O'Reilly Factor, said, "I always knew that deep down Stewart and especially Colbert were chicken. Glenn Beck brought in thousands and Colbert and Stewart are just yellow-bellied wimps, running for the hills."

Is It News? by Bill Adler is All Life Is Local's humor column.

Watching Over DC

Watching over the District of Columbia.
Photo taken from a rooftop on Connecticut Avenue, NW in Kalorama.

Photo by Bill Adler

Poll: Should Leaf Blowers Be Banned in DC?

Photo by Hillary

Vote in our poll:

Should leaf blowers be banned in the District of Columbia?

People who support leaf blowers argue that they save time and money.  Opponents of leaf blowers argue that they're noisy, they pollute and they push pollen, dog poop and other debris into neighbors' yards.

Some cities, including Los Angeles, ban leaf blowers with 500 feet of any residence. Other cities, such as Palo Alto, ban just gas-powered leaf blowers. Should the District of Columbia ban all leaf blowers, too?  Or ban the use of leaf blowers within 500 of any residence? Or just the use of gas-powered leaf blowers?

On Monday, All Life Is Local will publish a column calling for a complete ban on leaf blowers in the District of Columbia. In the meantime, you can register your opinion in our poll.

Tornado Watch for DC Until 1pm

A tornado watch is in effect for the District of Columbia until 1pm.  This means that conditions are favorable for tornadoes. A flash flood warning is in effect for the area, too, as heavy rain continues

Here is status the of this watch from the National Weather Service.

TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 688 NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK THU SEP 30 2010 

TORNADO WATCH 688 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 PM EDT FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS: DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

DDOT Considers Limiting Residential Parking to One Side of the Street

The weather and parking have much in common, but the main difference is that you can do something about parking. Sometimes. We learned from our companion listserv that DDOT is considering changes to the city's residential parking program. One of possible changes might be to limit parking to residents only on one side of the street. Here is the information that was posted today on the Cleveland Park Listserv by an ANC 3C Commissioner.

DDOT has undertaken a review of the citywide residential parking permit program. This includes the concept of resident-only parking on one side of the street. The expectation is that the review will not be completed until after the election and that a decision about implementing a pilot program specific to the area near the metro would not be made until after the new year. 

We'll update you on this when we have more information.

DC Might Burn After All: Your Help Wanted

After we posted our story about the marvelously creative display of Rome's coliseum burning (see the video in our previous column), we received a message from William Herbig of the National Capital Planning Commission, letting us know that the NCPC is looking for new, creative ways to honor American history.

There will be a forum on Beyond Granite: Global Approaches to Public Art, Placemaking, and National Commemoration on December 8th and the public is invited.

The National Capital Planning Commission and its partners are beginning to explore alternative methods to honoring America’s most significant people and events. These might include temporary public art installations (much like the burning coliseum).

Gargoyles in DC

Rooftop view from an apartment building on Connecticut Avenue, NW, in Kalorama.

A Window to DC's Past: Horse Stable in 1865

Photo from the Library of Congress

We're introducing a new, occasional feature on All Life Is Local: A Window to DC's Past, in which we present a photograph depicting what the District of Columbia was like way back when. These historical photographs never cease to captivate and fascinate us. This photo, taken in 1865, is of John C. Howard's stable on G Street between 6th and 7th.

Should Michelle Rhee Stay or Go?

Should Michelle Rhee stay or go? Although Michelle Rhee by her recent statements seems very likely to leave her post as chancellor of the DC public school system the minute Adrian Fenty is no longer at the helm, is that a good thing or a bad thing for the future of the schools? Vote in the poll on All Life Is Local to voice your opinion. If you wish there were a way to induce Michelle Rhee to stay on and continue her program of school reform, vote yes. If you’re glad to see the end of her reign, vote no.