Business Group Kicks Off 2013 at the George Town Club

January 22, 2013

The Georgetown Business Association held its first board and committee meetings of 2013 Jan. 16 at the George Town Club on Wisconsin Avenue and then kicked back with an “Inaugural Kick-Off Reception” at the Club Room, which filled with members, old and new, and with guests for a lively evening of camaraderie along with food and drink.

In gearing up for this year’s business efforts, the association is calling for volunteers to help with various committee assignments: membership, events, marketing and communications, safety, economic development and small business, governance and legislative.

To serve on any of these committees, contact the Georgetown Business Association, 3233 K St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20007 — 202-640-1279 or e-mail:info@gtownbusiness.com.
[gallery ids="101126,139617,139612,139580,139606,139587,139601,139594" nav="thumbs"]

Weekend Round Up January 17, 2013: Inaugural Edition


This list of events and inaugural balls, official or otherwise. There are only two official balls, the fewest since the Eisenhower Administration. There will, though, be plenty of events in Georgetown this weekend. Information compiled from news reports, press releases, news wires, websites and e-mails; visit the event’s website for more details.

Saturday, Jan. 19, National Day of Service

On Jan. 21, we will celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day (MLK Day), a national holiday during which we honor the legacy of the civil rights leader Dr. King through a day of service and volunteering. This year, MLK Day commemorations will coincide with the 57th Presidential Inauguration. President Barack Obama is asking all citizens to join him in participating in a National Day of Service on Saturday, Jan. 19. President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, first lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden will take part in service projects in D.C. area on Jan. 19 as part of the National Day of Service. Check for projects around your neighborhood — http://action.2013pic.org/service.

First-term Retrospective Third Annual Cartoonist Exhibit, presented by Art Soiree Production, Malmaison Restaurant, 3401 Water St., NW.; 8 p.m., $20 (live music by Suspicious Package) — www.TheArt Soiree.com.

Moving America Forward Gala, hosted by Friends of Friends, Tony and Joe’s Seafood Place, 3000 K St. NW; tickets, $150 and up — TonyandJoes.com.

The Generation Now Party, hosted by OurTime.org, National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F Streets, NW; 8 p.m., $150 (John Legend, Jessica Alba and others) — ourtime.org; tickets

The Black Tie & Boots Inaugural Ball, hosted by the Texas State Society, Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Md.; 6 p.m., $250 (Asleep at the Wheel, Josh Abbott Band, Mark Chesnutt, Jack Ingram, Charley Pride and others) — Texasstatesociety.org.

The Bluegrass Ball, hosted by the Kentucky State Society, Marriott Wardman Park, 2660 Woodley Road, NW; $250 (with chef Edward Lee) — Kentuckysociety.org.

Chefs Ball, Art and Soul, Liaison Capitol Hill, 415 New Jersey Ave., NW; chefs Art Smith and Wes Morton will co-chair; 10:30 p.m., $75 —artandsouldc.com.

Disability Community Inaugural Ball, hosted by Disability Power & Pride and the American Association of People with Disabilities; the National Press Club, 529 14th St., NW; 7 p.m., $100 — MyPowerandPride.org.

Florida Inaugural “Sunshine and Stars” Ball, hosted by the Florida State Society, Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium. 1301 Constitution Ave., NW; $200 (with dinner, $500) —www.floridainauguralball.com.

Illinois State Society Inaugural Gala, Marriott Renaissance Hotel, 999 9th St., NW; 8:30 p.m., $260 — Illinoisstatesociety.org.

Indiaspora Inaugural Ball, Mandarin Oriental, 1330 Maryland Ave., SW; black tie or Indian formal attire; $250 — Indiaspora.org/inauguration

Jamaican Inaugural Ball, National Education Association Building, 1201 16th St., NW; 8 p.m., $125 — Jamaicaninauguralball.wordpress.com/

National Bar Association Inaugural Legacy Ball, National Air and Space Museum, 600 Independence Ave., SW; 7 p.m., $300 — Nationalbar.org

Sunday, Jan. 20, Formal Swearing-in

As required by the Constitution, the president and vice president will be officially sworn in at noon Sunday, Jan. 20, at the White House. Later on Sunday, there will also be a private reception at the White House.

Navajo Nation Inaugural Reception, Navajo Nation Washington Office, 750 First St., NE; 5 p.m. — www.nnwo.org

Presidential Pearl Gala, hosted by Strategic Alliances USA, Mandarin Oriental, 1330 Maryland Ave., SW; 6 p.m., $250 (Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus) — www.PearlGala2013.com

Virginia Inaugural Ball, hosted by the Democratic Party of Virginia and the Arlington County Democratic Committee, Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel, 801 North Glebe Road, Arlington, Va.; 7 p.m. (Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Terry McAuliffe, a candidate for governor)

American Inaugural Benefit Gala, hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim American Presidential Inaugural Committee, Josephine Butler Parks Center, 2437 15th St., NW; 7 p.m., $100 — musliminauguralgala.
eventbrite.com

Georgia State Society Inaugural Gala, National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York
Ave., NW; 7 p.m., $150 — www.georgiastatesociety.org

Garden State Inaugural Gala, sponsored by the New Jersey State Society and N.J. companies, unions and associations, Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Ave., NW (portions of ticket price go to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy); 7:30 p.m., $225 — www.njss.org

Maryland Democratic Party Inaugural Gala, Gaylord National Hotel, 201 Waterfront St., National Harbor, Md.; 8 p.m., $225 — www.mddems.org/inaugural

Historically Black Colleges and Universities Inaugural Ball, the Sphinx Club at Franklin Square, 1315 K St., NW; 8 p.m., $250 — www.hbcugala.com

Arkansas State Society of Washington, D.C., Inaugural Gala, sponsored by James Lee Witt Associates, Tyson, Walmart, Entergy, Baxter, Alltel and Windstream Communications, National Press Club, 529 14th St., NW, 13th floor; 8 p.m., $150 to $200 — www.arkansas-state-society.org

Rhythm and Blues Reloaded Inaugural Ball, hosted by DEC support Consulting Inc., George, 3251 Prospect St., NW; $75 — www.randbreloaded.com

Green Inaugural Ball, Newseum, 5554 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; 7 p.m., $400 to $1,000 — www.nwf.org/2013-Green-Inaugural-Ball.aspx.

African American Church Inaugural Ball, Washington Grand Hyatt, 1000 H St., NW; 7 p.m., $300 — www.aacib.com.

All American Inaugural Ball, Hyatt Regency, Capitol Hill. 400 New Jersey Ave., NW; 9 p.m., $175 — allamericanball.com.

American Indian Inaugural Ball, hosted by the American Indian Society of Washington, Crystal Gateway Marriott, 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Va.; 6 p.m., $140 — www.aisball2013.com.

The Dream Moving Foward Inaugural Gala, presented by the Sovereignty Group, Howard Theatre, 620 T St., NW (Patti Labelle, Angela Bassett, Cicely Tyson, Hill Harper, Dick Gregory, Omarosa Manigault, Rock Newman and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts); 7:30 p.m., $200 — http://thesovgroup.com.

Latino Inaugural, Kennedy Center, 2700 F St., NW (Raúl Esparza, José Feliciano, Juan Diego Flórez, Melanie Griffith, George Lopez, Mario Lopez, Rita Moreno, Chita Rivera, Robert Rodriguez and Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner); 7 p.m., Opera House, $300, Eisenhower Theater, $150 — Latinoinaugural2013.org.

The Peace Ball: Voices of Hope and Resistance, Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater,1101 6th St., SW (Amy Goodman, Katrina vanden Heuval, Ralph Nader, Alice Walker, Van Jones, Nicole Lee, Avis Jones-DeWeever, Julian Bond and Marian Wright Edelman); $135.

Pennsylvania Society Inaugural Gala, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Society of Washington, the Ritz-Carlton, 1150 22nd St., NW — www.pastatesociety.com/

Monday, Jan. 21, Inauguration Day/MLK Day

President Obama and Vice President Biden will attend services at St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square, 16th and H streets, NW. Later, the president and vice president will arrive at the U.S. Capitol to take the public oath of office on the west steps of the Capitol. (Obama and Biden will already have been formally sworn-in at a private ceremony on Jan. 20). After the ceremony and inaugural address, there is a lunch for the president and vice president with members of the Congress in Statuary Hall. After that begins the Inaugural Parade on Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House reviewing stands — the president leading the way. That evening, the Obamas and the Bidens will attend the two official Inaugural Balls at the Washington Convention Center. (In January 2009, there were 10 official balls).

The Inaugural Ball “will bring all participants under one roof, but will span throughout the Washington Convention Center itself and will offer general and VIP options for donors,” according to the Presidential Inaugural Committee. All tickets are taken.

Commander in Chief’s Ball, Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW; free for all guests — active duty and reserve servicemembers, Medal of Honor recipients and others.

Native Nations Inaugural Ball, National Museum of the American Indian. Fourth Street & Independence Avenue, SW; 7 p.m., $1,000 (includes morning inaugural viewing reception) — nmai.si.edu/inauguralball/

Tennessee State Society Inaugural Ball, the Sphinx Club, 1315 K St., NW; 8 p.m., $160 — www.tnstatesociety.org/events.cfm](http://www.tnstatesociety.org/events.cfm)

George Washington University Inaugural Ball, Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert St., NW; 8 p.m., $100 to $150 — [inauguralball.gwu.edu/](http://inauguralball.gwu.edu/)

Ambassadors Inaugural Ball, “Promoting International Peace, Unity & Diplomacy,” co-hosted by more than 30 ambassadors, including those of Botswana, Cyprus, Denmark, Guyana, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Morocco, Oman, Trinidad and Tobago, Carnegie Library, Mount Vernon Square, 801 K St., NW; 7 p.m., $250 — [www.ambassadorsinauguralball.com](http://www.ambassadorsinauguralball.com/).

Environmental and Clean Energy Inaugural Ball, hosted by the the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, Sequoia Restaurant, 3000 K St., NW (Washington Harbour); 8 p.m., $200 (Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will attend.) — [www.environmentalball.org](http://www.environmentalball.org/).

The Creative Coalition Inaugural Ball and Benefit, Harman Center for the Arts, 610 F St., NW; 9 p.m. (Co-hosts include Tim Daly, Kirsten Dunst, Ashley Greene, Chelsea Handler, Connie Britton, Paula Abdul, Alfre Woodard, Omar Epps, Marlon Wayans, David Arquette, Richard Schiff and Wayne Knight among others.) — [thecreativecoalition.org/](http://thecreativecoalition.org/)

[gallery ids="101121,139554,139551" nav="thumbs"]

Postal Worker Meets President

January 18, 2013

U.S. postal worker Gary Varner ran into former President Bill Clinton as he made his rounds on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. Clinton, who had Secret Service agents with him, was walking along O Street and was more than happy to meet Varner.

Caps Guy Is Back, Overlooking the River


Almost as soon as the inflatable Santa Claus left the roof of his Prospect Street house, homeowner Jack Davies inflated a huge hockey player on the same spot.

“I decided to break out the ‘Caps Guy’ to mark the start of the new hockey season and the excitement felt by Caps fans that hockey is back,” said Davies, who owns part of the team. “The shortened 48-game regular season will create a playoff-like sense of urgency from the opening game on Jan. 19 until the conclusion of the regular season at the end of April. I am hopeful about returning ‘Caps Guy’ to my roof at that time for what I hope will be a long playoff run.

Musings: Dumb Justice, Gun-friendly Phrases and Overuse of ‘Amazing!’

January 17, 2013

Even in modern times, there are things that seem mysterious—not in a holy way, but in a way that makes you dumbfounded. We’d like to throw in a few of these mysterious happenings on the off chance that someone would solve the mystery.

The Case of the Silent Justice

Recently, for instance, news came that Justice Clarence Thomas was heard during a court proceedings which still remains obscure. Apparently the justice had not spoken from the court in seven years, or asked a question from the court. The comment he made recently was understood to be some kind of joke regarding Harvard.

Let’s look at this a minute. I know justices write opinions or lend their names to them, and I know they deliberate in private, at which point even Justice Thomas is reported to take part. But here’s my mystery—it hardly seems possible that a judge in such a high place could not ask a single question of attorneys representing plaintiffs or the government in a case in seven years or make a comment. It’s as if he’s a ghost in robes. There are some justices, we hear, that have made an art form out of questioning attorneys to the point of badgering, while others take great delight in the whole process. Is it actually legal to keep silent for seven years, and does this man get invited to cocktail parties for his volubility? Does Justice Thomas have so little curiosity or interest in cases, or does he already know everything there is to know that not a single question comes to his mind during the course of the proceedings?

Just think if all sorts of people in other professions displayed as little curiosity as Justice Thomas: why, if he had been Lou Costello, there would be no one to ask who’s on first? And Jean Valjean wouldn’t have asked, albeit in song, who am I?, both a rhetorical question and a highlight of “Les Miserables.” Sam Spade, Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie would never make us ask “who done it” or give title to a genre of literature. To be or not to be, that is the question—but perhaps not if Justice Thomas had anything to say about it. The fact that the justice said something was news—sad news, if you think about it. The fact that what he said could not be heard properly enough to be recorded is only ironic.

Good Guys with Guns

The National Rifle Association, in its now complete nuclear warfare—can nukes be guns?—over gun control once held title to the worst slogan to stand behind by way of “I’ll give you my gun when you pry it from my dead cold hands,” which was uttered with particular conviction by NRA spokesman, the late and great actor Charlton Heston, who said it to great effect while holding up rifle. “If you outlaw guns only outlaws will haves guns” is an example of the kind of syllogistic turn of phrase the NRA seems particularly adept at, witness the NRA’s belated response to the horrific shootings at Newton with “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” following that up with a proposal to arm teachers in the classroom and a full-court press ad campaign that has offended many people with its referencing of the President Obama’s daughters.

Amazing!

Isn’t it amazing how often “amazing” is used these days in conversation, especially on television, but also at fashion shows, red carpets, wine tastings, by news people, people writing about Lindsay Lohan or British royalty, shoppers, and bloggers? It threatens to usurp all the known words in the dictionary for something excellent, outstanding, unusual or out of the ordinary, if not extraordinary. I have to say it: that’s amazing.

DDOT Parking Meeting Set for Jan. 16


Make your views and ideas heard at a Jan. 16 community meeting on public parking, set up by the D.C Department of Transportation and Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E (Georgetown, Burleith and Hillandale). Businesses, residents and university representatives have been invited by DDOT as part of its on-going “think tanks” and its recent parking summit across the District which solicit community comments.

The issues surrounding parking include the needs of residents as well as those involving businesses, schools and churches. How to assess parking permits will be discussed — along with places where parking is difficult.

“The purpose of the think tanks was to gauge the state of parking and solicit input on the future of curbside parking management in the District, states DDOT on its website. “DDOT will share what it heard from the public and how this input may potentially shape the outcome and future of comprehensive curbside parking management for the District.”

“This is a meeting for DDOT to listen to the community, not a decision meeting,” according to the Citizens Association of Georgetown. “DDOT will give an overview of parking issues in the city and identify various tools and techniques that have been used, and then there will be break-out groups to focus on issues of specific interest, then a summation of the discussions.”

The Jan. 16 parking meeting is at Hardy Middle School, 6:30 p.m.; 1819 35th Street (entrances at T and 35th Streets; 34th Street near Wisconsin Avenue).

Georgetowner’s Annual Photo Competition Photo Exhibit and Opening Reception Canceled


Due to the upcoming inauguration and inaugural events, this year’s Photo Exhibit and Opening Reception that was to be held at Boston University’s Center for Digital Imaging Arts on Thomas Jefferson Street will be rescheduled at a later date.

Georgetown Biz Group Honors Achievers, Affirms New Officers

January 16, 2013

The Georgetown Business Association held its Annual Meeting and Holiday Soiree at Dumbarton House Dec. 12, affirming its 2013 officers and board and honoring individuals and businesses. The 2013 GBA officers are Riyad Said, president (Wells Fargo); Janine Schoonover, vice president ( JSW Group); Karen Ohri, treasurer (Georgetown Floorcovers); Molly Quigley, secretary (Clyde’s Restaurant Group).

Proud to be thanking the crowd was one of the communitarians of the year, Terry Bell of Salon Ilo, whose latest charitable effort was a Dec. 5 Kitty Kelley booksigning, a fundraiser for the D.C. Public Library Foundation and Friends of the Georgetown Public Library. Business person of the year Zubair Popal, whose Malmaison at 34th and K Streets will open in January, recalled his journey from Afghanistan to the D.C. area and noted that his children went to Georgetown University and George Washington University. Popal assured that his new restaurant would exude “traditional Afghan hospitality.” Said called Linda Greenan’s lifetime achievement award a “half-life award,” as he expected she had a lot more to do beyond her retirement from Georgetown University and her last GBA board meeting.

Last Edition of This Third Edition


The Third Edition, part of Capital Restaurant Concepts which includes J. Paul’s, Paolo’s, Neyla’s and Old Glory, will celebrate the end of an era at a Jan. 24 bang-out party. The legendary bar and restaurant near the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street will close only to re-open under a new management arrangement with Richard Sandoval Restaurants, which owns a string of eateries, including Masa 14 in D.C.

Opened 1969, “the Third” has always been a player on the college-bar scene. It was shown in the 1980s classic, “Saint Elmo’s Fire.” Since 1982, Greg Talcott has owned the bar and restaurant and will continue as an owner. This year, the Third will undergo “a major renovation,” he said.

“It’s been a great run, and it has a great history,” Talcott said of Third Edition. “But it’s time to put a new face on it.” Sandoval has come on as partner to help make the 2013 upgrade. “We signed a 20-year lease four years ago,” Talcott said. “I hope we continue as a Georgetown institution.”

The Jan. 24 party will see many who met their future spouses at the place. Check the Facebook page, “The Last Edition of Third Edition,” for details.

Georgetown Stops for Karzai, Who Sees Afghanistan ?Moving Forward? January 16, 2013


Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited Georgetown University Jan. 11 to give a speech, entitled ?Afghanistan Beyond 2014: A Perspective on Afghan-U.S. Relations,? at Gaston Hall.

Before the speech, Karzai?s motorcade got presidential treatment and caused temporary roadblocks on the west side of Georgetown, leaving motorists stopped on 34th and 35th street and other streets that intersected with M Street. One woman who lives on the 3600 block of Prospect Street, part of the motorcade route, was ordered by police not to drive to her nearby home, which has a garage, but in the opposite direction into the campus. A block away, she left her car with its lights flashing to gather items from her home and then travel with her two children back to her car to pick a third child. She and most affected motorists were halted for at least 25 minutes, as the university awaited the Afghan president.

Karzai met President Barack Obama earlier that Friday at the White House to discuss the withdrawal of most U.S. troops in Afghanistan in the months and year ahead and the transition of Afghan troops as U.S. troops take on a supporting and training role by the end of 2014.

Karzai reminded all that his country and the U.S. had come together after the September 11 attacks in 2001 ?for a great cause?: to free the world of terrorists, liberate Afghanistan and take down the Taliban.