Michelle Kingston • April 9, 2012

Whether you think they smell like diapers, spoiled meat or yesterday’s garbage, all Georgetown residents will agree that gingko trees may be beautiful with their fan-like leaves, but, oof, they sure can give off an awful stench.

Why?

The female trees are notorious for the strong odor their fruits give off as they begin growing this time of year. By the fall, the fruit has ripened, and by November, the wrinkly and yellow grapes drop to the sidewalk, leaving every opportunity for passerby to step on them, squeeze them or terrorize others with the rancid aroma.

Luckily, we can thank the District Department of Transportation’s Urban Forestry Administration for beginning to spray the trees in our neighborhood this evening. When the Shield-EC chemical hits the trees, it will prevent spreading the unpleasant scent of the fruit.

According to the DDOT, you do not need to move your cars. But be advised the spraying will begin on the following Georgetown streets:

R St between 27th and 31st Streets

Avon Place South of R Street

Cambridge Place

26th Street between East Place and O Street 27th Street from Poplar Street to Olive Street

Olive Street from 27th Street to 30th Street

Potomac Street from O Street to M Street

Prospect Street between 36th and 37th Streets

Michelle Kingston •

More than 35,000 lucky guests, chosen by lottery, will flood the South Lawn of the White House on the morning of Easter Monday, April 9, for the 134th annual White House Easter Egg Roll. This year’s theme reflects First Lady Michelle Obama’s physical fitness campaign: “Let’s Go, Let’s Play, Let’s Move.”

In the 19th century, the event was held on Capitol Hill. Children were given a hard-boiled egg which they would push, drag, fling, propel or toss with a long-handled spoon as fast as they could to the finish line. Some in Congress grew tired of the ripped up grass and passed a law that prohibited egg rolling on U.S. Capitol grounds. President Rutherford Hayes was approached by young Americans to host the event in his backyard in 1878, and ever since, the roll has been held at the White House, continuing the tradition.

Year after year, memories are made, but some of the most notable include:

First Lady Grace Coolidge’s holding a pet raccoon named Rebecca, as she walked through the crowds.

First Lady Florence Harding wearing a girl scout uniform to the egg roll.

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt showing the evolving sign of the times when she welcomed guests and addressed listeners across the country with the radio.

The first broadcast on the Internet was made by the Clinton administration at the event.

One hundred same-sex couples were accused of crashing when they stood outside with their children to show President George W. Bush that gay families do exist in the U.S.A.

Just a few years later, President Barack Obama welcomed gay families and even distributed tickets directly to gay rights organizations.

This year, the president and first lady have requested all natural and local food. Michelle Obama has even gathered top local chefs to teach children how to cook healthy meals in the White House gardens.

Other activities that will be taking place at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue’s largest annual event include arts and crafts tables, storytelling sections, yoga classes and an egg hunt. A main stage is always reserved for pop music stars (Justin Bieber, Willow Smith and the Jonas Brothers are all previous performers), while athletes and celebrities walk around and say hello to the kids and even work the stations. A list of celebrity attendees will be announced on Friday, April 6, at www.WhiteHouse.gov.

Each guest is given a time slot for two hours on the south lawn and then will depart with one free Forest Stewardship Council-certified, U.S. hardwood egg with the president’s and first lady’s signatures (a tradition since 1981 when President Ronald Reagan hosted a hunt for eggs with signatures of famous people). An on-scene report from the Georgetowner on the White House Easter Egg Roll will be in the next Georgetowner newsletter on Monday.

Before heading to the Easter Egg Roll, check out Bo’s announcement of the 2012 White House Easter Egg Roll Lottery

Michelle Kingston • April 5, 2012

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has released a video tour by general manager Richard Sarles about the Metrorail’s new 7000-series rail car.

The video shows off several upgrades which were designed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company of Japan and built in Lincoln, Neb.

What makes these new cars so special?

1. More comfortable seats

2. More poles for straphangers

3. LCD screens detailing when the train arrives at a station and what can be found at that station

4. Overhead displays showing the location of the train in comparison to the rest of the line to help tourists and Metro newbies know just how many more stops they have until they arrive at their final destination

Keep an eye out during the video for a few errors in the car. The LCD display shows stops along the Red Line at “Farrabut North” and “Woodlley Park” (oops).

Fortunately, Metro has some time to fix the small stuff before passengers step on board. WMATA announced the new 7000 series will be on the rail sometime next year.

Michelle Kingston •

Bright blue skies and sunshine-filled days have most Washingtonians walking or biking to work, leaving their four-wheel gas guzzlers back at home.

With the increase of foot traffic, the District of Columbia government has considered fining pedestrians who use electronic devices, such as cell phones and iPods, while crossing the street.

“Every day in Washington, sidewalks and crosswalks are filled with people who are plugged in to another environment — the ether,” says the Pedestrian Safety Committee of the Council for Court Excellence, a civic group that works to improve the administration of justice in the District.

According to the council, 12 percent of D.C. residents walk to and from work on a normal basis, which is twice the national average. With the unseasonably warm temperatures this month, that percentage is likely to have been even higher.

These walkers are plugged in during their commutes on foot and, according to the CCE’s Pedestrian Safety Committee report, “Walkers using electronics are bumping, slipping, falling and harming themselves through inattention.”

The report recommends that the District Council consider banning the use of electronics not only by walkers but by bikers as well. If people are listening to their iPods at full volume or in the middle of an intense conversation, they are not giving the road their full attention.

The University of Maryland School of Medicine and the University of Maryland Medical Center recently published a study indicating that the number of headphone-wearing pedestrians killed or injured by motor vehicles and trains have more than tripled in six years.

Nothing has been set in stone at this time to prevent more injuries and deaths, but Barbara Harsha, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, said the time is now to “aggressively enforce pedestrian laws, and pedestrians need to be educated about the hazards of walking distracted.”

Michelle Kingston •

Behind her ice-blue eyes, Jill Homan — who is vying with Teri Galvez to be Republican National Committeewoman for Washington, D.C. — has aspirations to bring more red into D.C. by connecting voters from all over the city, east to west.

“I think we can improve our relationships with existing Republicans,” Homan said. “Going door to door has been very beneficial. People see that there is a vibrant party and that we have the opportunities to succeed.”

Homan believes the District can improve its local Republican Party in three ways. First, she said, is connecting with the base. Second is bringing new residents moving to Washington into the Republican Party, and third is taking advantage of the opportunity to connect with voters east of the Anacostia River in Wards 7 and 8.

These two wards have severely high unemployment rates. “It’s something like 50 percent for ex-offenders,” Homan said. “I would argue that their leaders have failed them.” Unemployment rates for Wards 7 and 8 are 17 percent and 25 percent, respectively.

Having recently held a Black History Month event in Ward 7 with D.C Council candidate Ron Moten, Homan heard firsthand from the Republican voters in the community who are looking for change.

“They say, ‘Why can’t we have more sit-down restaurants nearby? Why is Denny’s one of the only options? Why can’t we have a bank over here?’ ” she said.

Homan also expressed her frustration for those more concerned with legalizing marijuana or conserving the wildlife over more immediate issues. “We need to be equally concerned with lack of jobs, lack of access to healthcare and difficulty with transportation.”

A Penn Quarter homeowner, Homan worked for former Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich, when he is a representative on Capitol Hill as his press secretary. She earned two master’s degrees from Duke University and co-founded Javelin 19 Investments, a commercial real estate investment company.

“Being able to provide my insight was helpful to people there,” she said. “I am excited, come April 4, to continue.”

If she is elected, her first plan of action is to get some sleep, Homan said laughing. After that, she hopes to get the leadership together. “Everybody, even my opponent,” she said, can “talk constructively about how we can move forward together. I need to take the momentum, the information and the support and transfer that to other campaigns to get more people voting and staying engaged.”

Click Here to Read Michelle Kingston’s interview of Teri Galvez.

Michelle Kingston • March 29, 2012

Teri Galvez is running for Republican National Committeewoman for Washington, D.C., in a very important, very historical race where she believes conservatives, including herself, have the opportunity to make this city a focal point for the Republican Party.

With a mission to grow the conservative population in Washington by bringing young voters and minorities in, Galvez wants to erase the mindset that so many people carry that Republicans are bad and support candidates because they are the best candidate for the job, despite their political preference.

“We are about addition, not subtraction,” she said. “We want folks even if they don’t line up completely with our philosophy.”

Galvez was born and raised in California of Mexican parents, and said she can speak personally from her own experience growing up as a first-generation American as what persuaded her to become a Republican.

“For me, it was really just, you know, you really need to take charge of yourself and be responsible for yourself,” she said. “It was all about personal responsibility.”

While 51 percent of D.C is African-American and nine percent are Hispanic, just six and a half percent of D.C. voters are registered Republicans, Galvez said. “We can’t be complacent. We need to be reaching out to our constituents of color in the District. We are never going to get elected if we don’t.”

She believes her message will resonate with minorities because she knows what it is like to struggle. “My father was a mechanic. His company went on strike twice. We almost lost our house. We went on vacation once and came back, and our house had burned down.”

Despite it all, her parents came here because it is such a great country. “I’m so blessed that I can do anything I want here,” Galvez said. “If I lived in Mexico and my mother was a housekeeper, I’d probably be a housekeeper. In America, the occupation of your parents is not your occupation.”

Galvez also wants to address the importance of education among minorities. Her family was not able to pay for her schooling fully and was thankful for her involvement with the Miss America pageants which granted her scholarships to pay for college. “I would not be here today if it weren’t for the preparation I received from the program,” she said.

The Miss America pageants not only sent her to school but also taught her how to interview, how to speak into a microphone and not to be nervous in front of an audience. “People really misunderstand this aspect of my life,” Galvez said. “It’s a lot more than just the swimsuits and evening gowns seen on TV. It’s more like Candidate 101. I wasn’t really going to learn speaking skills and interview skills at home. You don’t really learn these in college, either. Miss America Program taught me speaking, advocacy and philanthropy.”

With all she learned in the program helping her throughout her campaign, she also credits several other aspects of her life to her qualifications for becoming the next Republican National Committeewoman of D.C. She’s bilingual, has been committed to conservatives for 30 years, has lived in D.C since 1985 and owns her own small business. She attends 4-5 events a day to meet voters and volunteers in several organizations including Miss D.C. Scholarship Organization, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship.

“Everything you learn along the way is a benefit,” Galvez said. “You will use it all in some way.”

Click Here to read Michelle Kingston’s interview of Jill Homan

Michelle Kingston • March 27, 2012

Spring has sprung early, and Jovee Co. is coming to town to bring you the latest in make-up and skincare.

The company was launched by Jhavon Smith to bring people together in support of local businesses and bridge the gap between beauty and art. “Spa In The City” travels to 10 cities, showcasing “spa-like” businesses in art gallery’s or the sort.

The event caters to both men and women and gives people services to indulge in, providing the outlet to do so with friends all in a relaxing, eclectic art atmosphere.

The Georgetown event is the first event by Jovee Co. for 2012. New vendors, multiple treatment areas, interactive presentations, a glam photo stage, sample spa treatments, skin/beauty products and medical/wellness consultations will be on display on April 7, 6 to 10 p.m. at Georgetown’s MOCA DC located at 1054 31st St., N.W.

Michelle Kingston • March 22, 2012

We’ve already waved good-bye to video cassettes and pay phones. Now, after 244 years, Encyclopaedia Britannica announced March 13 that it will no longer be printing its reference publications. The 32-volume print sets will be discontinued; the 2010 Encyclopaedia Britannica set is its final printed version.

Founded in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1768, the encyclopaedia was a creation of the European Enlightenment which challenged the status quo of the day. Moved to Chicago by a new owner, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., has been on bookshelves across the world year after year, day after day.

With the new digital age and demand for constant news updates, the company can no longer keep up with the times through its printed version.

“We just decided that it was better for the brand to focus on what really the future is all about,” said Encyclopaedia Britanica president Jorge Cauz.

Turning to the web is not new for them. Communications director Tom Panelas, said the company produced the first digital encyclopaedia in 1981 (distributed through LexisNexis) and its multimedia encyclopaedias were invented in 1989. The company put its first encyclopaedia on the internet in 1994.

“It’s a rite of passage in this new era,” Cauz said. “Some people will feel nostalgic about it. But we have a better tool now. The website is continuously updated, it’s much more expansive, and it has multimedia.”

To show a true sign of the times, Parade magazine claims that Americans purchased 120,000 printed sets in 1990, and Encyclopaedia Britannica made $650 million in revenue. This final printed version, produced in 2010, contains 32 volumes and weighs129 pounds. The company printed just 12,000 sets and still has an estimated 4,000 left, currently selling for $1,395.

For now, the company will direct their focus to online and educational curriculum for schools. “We have very different value propositions,” Cauz said. “Britannica is going to be smaller. We cannot deal with every single cartoon character, we cannot deal with every love life of every celebrity. But we need to have an alternative where facts really matter. Britannica won’t be able to be as large, but it will always be factually correct.”

Starting March 14, Britannica Online — www.Britannica.com — is offering a free week to customers.

Michelle Kingston • March 15, 2012

With 47 million people suffering from sleep deprivation and 43 percent of American’s claiming they rarely get a good night’s sleep, according to a University of Minnesota study, it is no wonder there is now a National Sleep Awareness Week. The events, which ran March 5 through 11, focused on screenings and educating the public on how to get some proper shut eye. What may come as a shocker to most of us, however, is what follows NSAW: Daylight Saving Time (DST).

Why do we lose an hour of sleep after being told how beneficial it is to sleep well?

Daylight Saving Time began in World War I to conserve energy. Five years ago, the date in which we change the clocks moved to the second Sunday in March. Regardless of when we have to do it, we have to do it. And, boy, is it tough.

This year, from March 11 until November 4 (unless you’re in Arizona, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, or the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands), our clocks spring forward an hour and force us to lose an hour of sleep. Not only do we suffer a groggy Monday, but we are also putting ourselves at risk.

Charles Cziesler, M.D., Ph.D., who is the chief of the division of sleep medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and professor and director of the division of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School, says that cutting just one hour of sleep might not sound like a big deal but that springing forward increases the risk of car crashes and heart attacks significantly.

While driving statistics show only 1 percent of drivers crash because of drowsiness each year, this still totals 1.9 million drivers. A 1996 study found that the number of car accidents on the Monday after the beginning of Daylight Saving Time increase, the Huffington Post reported.

Heart attacks are more common because of the effects of sleep deprivation. Less sleep equals more buildup in arteries that leads to heart attacks. Also, people who get less sleep are often overweight and are at risk for heart problems even before the time change.

The good news: Sam J. Sugar, M.D., director of sleep services at the Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa, said that, although it can take up to a week to adjust to the hour lost, for most people it will only take a few days to be back on track. “Our brains are incredibly good at adjusting to anything we throw at them,” she said. “For almost everybody, it isn’t a problem.”

Also try to get some sun if you are feeling the time change. Robert Oexman, M.D., director of the Sleep to Live Institute said, “Sunlight helps us ‘retrain’ our circadian clocks and allows us to get back on the right time.”

If that isn’t enough, we can always catch up on our sleep in November, which is just a short eight months away.

Michelle Kingston • March 8, 2012

Instead of sitting at a bar to rewind after a long week, why not try painting?

ArtJamz, a company that has been holding art sessions around Washington, D.C., since 2010, will open its very first retail location March 9.

The first session was held at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Since then, the group has hosted almost 80 and has provided more than 4,000 customers with creativity, food and drinks.

To celebrate the 800-square-foot new, cozy home, ArtJamz is hosting “Dupont Studio Launch Sessions” throughout March. For $65, eat, drink and paint while receiving tips and tricks from ArtJamz’s “creative enablers.” Along with unlimited use of paints, brushes and art materials, they’ll provide beer, wine, bottled water and pizza while artists work on painting a canvas that you can take home.

Although the group has a place of its own, ArtJamz’s “chief creative enabler,” Michael M. Clements, says, “Pop-up sessions are in our blood. We will be continuing our partnership with the Smithsonian American Art Museum as well as other pop-up sessions at cool and unusual places.”

ArtJamz is family-friendly, too. From noon to 4 p.m. on weekends, the store offers KidsJamz. Two-hour sessions are $40.

Located at 1742 Connecticut Ave., N.W., the studio is taking reservations at www.artjamzdc.com.
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