Luke’s Lobster to Open Aug. 23
• August 10, 2012

Luke’s Lobster, which specializes in authentic Maine seafood rolls, is set to open a Georgetown location at 1211 Potomac Street, NW, Aug. 23.

The young company which runs eateries in Penn Quarter and Bethesda, along with its five Manhattan spots, was founded by Luke Holden, who is a Georgetown University business school alumnus. His family owns a lobster-processing company in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Holden opened his first spot in Greenwich Village in 2009.

As for the new Potomac Street, spot, Ben Conniff of Luke’s said, “We can’t wait to open in the neighborhood. Aug. 23 is around when we think we will be fully decorated, staffed and ready to go. We hope to get a few days under our belt and introduce ourselves to the neighbors before the students return to campus.”

Luke’s is planning a grand opening party around the Aug. 23 date, Conniff said. “For customers, we’ll be giving away some Luke’s Lobster Georgetown swag to our first hundred or two customers.”

“Luke’s Georgetown years were as formative as his lobster-boat summers,” a company press release recalls. “Dishing fresh, sustainable Maine lobster to his old neighborhood and fellow Hoyas has been Luke’s dream since he served his first sandwich. In particular, he has been pining for the building where he burned his mouth so many times on melted cheese and tomato sauce before the pizza joint closed in 2010. He couldn’t have found a better location. The whitewashed clapboard house at 1211 looks as though it was transplanted directly from a Maine lobster dock. Luke’s first two-story location will have room to satisfy neighbors and students alike amid lobster gear from his old boat. And the neighborhood’s love of good food, from cheesesteak to cupcakes, makes it the ideal community to share the world’s greatest lobster, in the form of D.C.’s favorite lobster roll.”

The menu is already posted outside the door of the Potomac Street eatery: Lobster roll, $15; crab roll, $12; shrimp roll, $8. For $20, there’s Taste of Maine, a sample of the three rolls in one meal; double that amount for $38 with Noah’s Ark. There is a blueberry ice cream sandwich — and, of course, clam chowder.

The Potomac Street building once housed Philly Pizza & Co. (closed due to community protests about neighborhood noise), which then became Go Fresh. It last occupant, a sandwich joint called The Crave, was shuttered a few months ago because of a rent dispute.

And what about Luke’s staffers’ favorite eating establishments around town? Conniff noted that there are “lots of good choices but I think we have to give a shout out to Luke’s classmates behind Sweetgreen. What great food and a great company. Beyond that, Scott won’t shut up about the Southwest Chicken Salad at the Tombs, and Wisey’s Chicken Madness is a team favorite. ” [gallery ids="100927,129544,129540" nav="thumbs"]

National Night Out; Canal Road Closures; Glover Park Traffic
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Tomorrow Night, Aug. 7: National Night Out

Come celebrate National Night Out with the Metropolitan Police Department at your Second District Police station on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 5 to 7 p.m. There will be free car seat checks and installations, safety tips, McGruff the crime dog, a clown, hot dogs and ice cream. The Second District station is at 3320 Idaho Ave., NW.

What is National Night Out? It’s America’s Night Out Against Crime.

The “29th Annual National Night Out,”Aug. 7, is a unique crime/drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch.

Last year’s National Night Out campaign involved citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from more than15,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, along with Canadian cities and military bases worldwide. In all, more than 37 million people participated.

National Night Out is designed to:

• Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;

• Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs;

• Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and

• Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

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Canal Road Off-Peak Closures Planned Tomorrow and Next Week

The District Department of Transportation’s Urban Forestry Administration and the National Park Service will be implementing the following closures on Canal Road, NW, to conduct routine roadway maintenance activities.

Northbound and southbound Canal Road, NW, between Reservoir Road and Arizona Avenue will be closed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 7 through Thursday, Aug. 9. Northbound traffic will be redirected at Foxhall Road to MacArthur Boulevard then onto Arizona Avenue. Southbound traffic will be redirected at Arizona Avenue to MacArthur Boulevard then onto Foxhall Road.

Northbound Canal Road, NW, between Arizona Avenue and Chain Bridge Road will be closed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 14 through Thursday, Aug. 16. During this time, southbound Canal Road along this stretch will remain open. Northbound traffic will be redirected as follows at Arizona Avenue to MacArthur Boulevard then onto Foxhall Road.

Visit www.goDCgo.com for more information on transportation options in the District.

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DDOT Meeting Aug. 9 on Plans for 37th Street and Tunlaw Road

The District Department of Transportation will host a public meeting on Thursday, Aug. 9, 7 p.m., at Stoddert Elementary School, 4001 Calvert Street, NW, to present the preliminary design plans for the proposed reconfiguration of the intersection at 37th Street, NW, and Tunlaw Road, NW.

Representatives from DDOT will be on hand to discuss the roadway improvements that are being considered to enhance pedestrian and vehicular safety. Community members are encouraged to attend to review the plans and provide input.

As part of the safety improvement initiative for Wisconsin Avenue in the Glover Park corridor DDOT is further evaluating feasible improvements to implement at adjacent intersections. Included in the improvements that are being reviewed are new roadway markings, signage and traffic signage upgrades. This information will also be presented at this meeting.

For additional details about the Glover Park Wisconsin Avenue Project, visit the project website at wisconsinavenueproject.com or contact the public outreach coordinator for the project — Shana Vieira at 202-726-8650 or svieira@jdosinternational.com.

M&T Bank Opens Branch on Wisconsin Avenue
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M&T Bank opened a new, full-service branch at 1420 Wisconsin Ave., NW, in the space once occupied by famed hipster clothing store, Commander Salamander. It is across from CVS pharmacy and another bank, BB&T. The M&T branch reports that will offer “several convenient features for customers, including extended weekday hours, Saturday hours, a customer service center, night depository and an ATM.”

“Our new Georgetown branch is an example our investment in and commitment to the greater Washington area,” said Steve Heine, M&T Bank’s greater Washington market manager. “This is a convenient location that will help us to serve existing customers and attract new customers with our high level of service and M&T’s wide range of banking products.”

The new branch manager Vickie Quezada and business banker Adeep Sandhu can meet with customers to deliver personalized solutions through the bank’s full product line as well as discuss a customized strategy for meeting their financial goals, says M&T which claims to be the leading Small Business Administration lender in greater Washington and the sixth largest in the nation.

M&T Bank Corporation is one of the 20 largest U.S. bank holding companies with more than 750 branch offices in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and Delaware. Founded in 1856 in Buffalo, N.Y., M&T was originally called Manufacturers and Traders Bank. Investor Warren Buffett owns large amounts of the bank’s stocks.

M&T’s hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday. The branch’s phone number is 202-333-6163.

Olympics Get Better Despite NBC
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Forget Obama.

Forget Romney and the horse he rode in on.

Forget Syria and the job reports, and the drought and the two hurricanes coming to a coastline near you. Forget Kristin Stewart, tsk tsk.

Instead:

Rule Brittania.

God Save the Queen.

Aren’t the Olympics a hoot?

Wasn’t it just last week that we (myself included) were trashing NBC for their coverage of the opening ceremonies in London?

Well, I’ll take some of it back, just for the way they covered the Heptathlon, the women’s athletes version of the Decathalon in which the athletes vie in seven events — high jump, javelin, 200 meter dash, 800 meter run, hurdles, shot put and long jump– for the title of best woman athlete in the world.

We caught Bob Costas and company covering Great Britain’s Jessica Ennis, the nation’s darling competing before 70-to-80 screaming, delirious Brits on Saturday, already leading going into the last event, the 800-meter run.

She could have finished second or third and still won, but what she did was even more exciting. Leading most of the race, she was passed late by two runners but suddenly surged in what seemed to from nowhere and won going away.

The stadium erupted. It was the kind of noise I last heard at Nathan’s when John Riggins burst open for a game-winning touchdown against Miami to give the Redskins their first of three Super Bowl championships.

It was loud. The usually much more reserved Brits jumped up and down, cried, patted each other on the back and high fived.

The British—who did know how to put on an Olympics and then some—had a lot to celebrate about, especially over the weekend, when they started piling up gold medals in cycling, rowing, distance running and finally, on Sunday, in the redemption of the great Scots tennis hope Andy Murray pulverizing Roger Federer in straight sets to win men’s tennis singles event.

These Olympics have provided all sorts of fun in spite of rain, wind and badminton. It was terrific to see, for instance, Serena Williams regain a kind of teenage delight in winning, dancing for joy, and joining in the joy with her sister Venus in the doubles, picking up two gold medals.

It was interesting to see the transformations of Michael Phelps, at once both senior superstar and elder statesmen, as he got better and better, ending up with the most individual gold medals in Olympic history but also marching towards history and into retirement.

Even watching Billy Bush—a man who would be struck dumb if ever the letter “I” was removed from the alphabet—interview America’s fabulous gymnasts was a reminder that these incredible girls were just that—girls still squealing about Justin Bieber, as was the dominant swimmer Missy Franklin.

There were courageous firsts everywhere—the woman from Afghanistan competing, running and following her father’s admonition “to run”, and the blade runner. Kudos for the men’s basketball team for prevailing over Lithuania after being pushed to the edge by the old back door, pick and roll as practiced in the Ivy League.

If there is a gold medal for putting on a great show, let the Londoners share it with all the athletes here, except the ones ordered to tank their badminton games.

Weekend Roundup August 2, 2012
• August 6, 2012

Old Fashion, New Look

August 8th, 2012 at 06:00 PM | rsvp@streetsclotheir.com

Streets Of Georgetown cordially invite you to “Old Fashion, New Look” on Wednesday, August 8, 2012.

Join us for a distinguished evening of bourbon, antiques, and shopping- along with a fine tailoring, timeless style, and the finer things in life. To RSVP, email rsvp@streetsclothier.com

Cocktails and Hor d’ oeures will be served.

30% Discount on Made to Measure Tailored Clothing Additional 10% Discount on Sale Merchandise.

Address

1254 Wisconsin Ave, NW (Georgetown)

Blues Alley: Freddy Cole

August 2nd, 2012 at 08:00 PM | Tel: 202.337.4141

This week at Blues Alley (1073 Wisconsin Avenue, NW), from Thursday, August 2 through Saturday, August 4, jazz and music lovers alike are in for a treat with performances by Freddy Cole.

Address

Blues Alley (1073 Wisconsin Avenue, NW)

BrickFair – Family fun at the largest LEGO fan festival in the United States

August 4th, 2012 at 11:00 AM | $10 | Event Website

Be inspired by original LEGO creations covering 100,000 square feet! Sat & Sun, August 4-5, 2012 11:00 am – 4:00 pm. Get creative yourself in the Stay & Play area. Vote for your favorite creations.
Play LEGO-themed games and win prizes. Check out some of the newest LEGO sets! Shop for unique souvenirs and original LEGO artwork and collectables. $10 at the door. Cash is recommended. Advance tickets are not available. Sorry, strollers are not permitted inside BrickFair.

Address

Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, VA

Signature Open House

August 4th, 2012 at 12:00 PM | Tel: 703-820-9771 | Event Website

Free shows every 15 minutes on 4 signature stages! Featuring the best of DC and broadway. Including SIGNATURE IDOL, FAMILY CABARETS, BROADWAY ON THE PLAZA, and ALL THAT JAZZ. One day ticket sale! 50% off select shows for next season. Available at the box office only.

Address

Shirlington Village Plaza, 4200 Campbell Ave. Arlington, VA

“Go for the Gold” celebrates competition, history surrounding the Olympics

August 4th, 2012 at 01:00 PM | abibb-carson@ncm.museum | Tel: 216-926-3911 | Event Website

National Children’s Museum Teams Up With Former Olympian To Get Opportunity in the Summer Games Spirit. Olympic athlete and local resident Tiombe Hurd will join the National Children’s Museum in celebrating the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

Address

National Children’s Museum’s Launch Zone
112 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD 20745
(street and garage parking available)

Sports Zone: Meeting Jessica Brown

August 4th, 2012 at 07:00 PM | Tel: 240.277.0620

On Saturday, August 4th, from 8 p.m. until midnight, join Sports Zone (3140 M Street, NW) for an all-in-one night event. From 7 to 9 p.m., come out and meet Jessica Brown (MTV’s Daddy’s Girl), buy a pair of her new Piro TabloidKiss shoes and get them autographed. At 10 p.m., the store will reopen for a BTS Fashion Show with terrific models and great musical and comedian performances. You will not want to miss this fantabulous event!

Address

Sports Zone (3140 M Street, NW)

The Dandelion Patch: Summer Soiree

August 5th, 2012 at 12:00 PM | Tel: 202.333.8803

Please join The Dandelion Patch for their Summer Soiree in their new Georgetown location. Joining to help cut the ribbon will be Page Stationery for a special stationery trunk show. While mingling with fellow Georgetown neighbors, sip sparkling beverages, sample tasty treats, and shop with a 20% discount store-wide. Enter to win a $200 shopping spree and receive a swag bag full of coupons, samples and goodies from fellow Book Hill retailers: Sassanova, Urban Chic, Sherman Pickey and more.

Address

The Dandelion Patch 1663 Wisconsin Avenue, NW

The Bump Bring Your Baby Matinee

August 7th, 2012 at 12:00 PM | Event Website

The first Tuesday of each month, parents can enjoy movies in a baby friendly environment without worrying about baby making too much noise, no place to breastfeed or room to park the stroller. The featured movie is The Amazing Spider-Man. This month, we’re giving away a Little Pim Spanish Playtime DVD to the first 10 moms or dads in the theater!

Address

AMC Theatres across the country

U.S. NAVY MEMORIAL CELEBRATES THE U.S. COAST GUARD’S 222ND BIRTHDAY

August 7th, 2012 at 08:00 PM | Free | mweber@navymemorial.org | Tel: (202) 380-0723 | Event Website

In celebration of the U.S. Coast Guard’s 222nd birthday, the U.S. Navy Memorial will host the United States Coast Guard Dixieland Jazz Band for a special birthday performance during the 2012 Concerts on the Avenue series. The five-member group was organized in 1970 to perform classic jazz, blues and rags with a “New Orleans” flavor and has since entertained audiences across the globe.

Address

United States Navy Memorial
Naval Heritage Center
701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20004
www.navymemorial.org

Concert
Outdoor Plaza
Tuesday, August 7, 2012 at 8:00pm

Imagining a Better Olympics Opener, Despite NBC
• August 2, 2012

Every four years, I turn into a mushy little kid when the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics are broadcast, be it from Beijing, Sidney, Athens or even Atlanta. Ditto for the Winter Olympics, although those games tend to be a little monochromatic.

And every four years, I get a little ticked that I have to listen to the folks at NBC: to have Matt Lauer go through his little book of fun facts when the parade of nations with its many athletes commences or watch interviews of only American athletes, or get a parade of commercials during the parade of nations, letting little countries without a major arsenal pass by during said ads.

I’m as a patriotic as the next immigrant citizen, but do we really have to watch Ryan Seacrest continue NBC’s Phelps gush-a-ton in lieu of more “Rule, Britannia”? Ryan Seacrest? Seriously?

Speaking of ads, was that a Batman ad I spied, and was that maybe a little soon to ca-ching for that movie? And by the looks of all the Cadillacs and Chevies—at what cost per second we can only imagine—General Motors seems to be doing just fine. I so hope we’ve gotten all that bailout money back.

Still, you gotta love it all, even with the presence of Lauer, the too-soon return of Meredith Viera who apparently has Johnny Rotten in the songbook of her life, and even sad to say, the veteran Bob Costas, a shrewd, often witty and eloquent announcer, who lulled himself into clichés sitting besides the droning Lauer. Costas noted that the International Olympic Committee had chosen not to have a moment of silence in honor of the Israeli athletes slain at the 1972 Munich Olympics but offered no opinion on that choice—perhaps because the IOC gets to select recipients of broadcast rights to the Olympics? He also churlishly quipped, after citing a glowing description of Uganda by Winston Churchill, “He probably didn’t know Idi Amin” or some such tripe. And when in the odd segment in honor of Britain’s national health system and children’s literature, we saw a sweeping view of children and hospital beds, Lauer gasped, “It’s bedlam out there.” Perhaps not.

Opening ceremony director, Academy Award winner Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”), hooked into the vibrancy of London and the mashier aspects of British history to put on a show that was at once stupendous fireworks, smokestacks rising out of the green soil of England, a quick and smart appreciation of the United Kingdom’s contribution to rock and pop music and a starring role for Queen Elizabeth II, who just got through celebrating 60 years of her reign, outpomping and outcircumstancing Queen Victoria.

Bet you never thought you would see (even if only in a film clip) the queen herself (as opposed to Helen Mirren or Judy Dench as M) greet James Bond (Daniel Craig) in person, while her corgies rolled on the carpet or watched mournfully as mums lifted off in a helicopter. While the queen rarely smiles, as rudely pointed out by our announcers, she appears to know how to laugh at herself, even parachuting out of a helicopter. Or not. It was a splendidly cheeky.

There was a lot of speculation about who would light the Olympic Cauldron. No soccer superstar: neither Roger Bannister nor Ringo Starr. Turned out to be a bunch of young budding Olympians in training, lighting up the future, which was touching.

Former Beatle Paul McCartney played his heart out on “Hey Jude.” Although if you watched NBC, only our American Olympians, completely preppy in Ralph Lauren, and our British hosts heard it, even if none of them had been born when the Beatles ruled the world. Or as a friend’s daughter once said when she was 11 years old: “Did you know that Paul McCartney used to be in a band?”

Here’s what I would have liked to have seen: shots of all those majesties, rulers, kings, queens, prime ministers, presidents or potentates and potato heads that were watching their country’s athletes march jubilantly by—not just first lady Michelle Obama, the unsmiling queen, the splendid Kate and her sleepy husband, the queen of Spain, the once again prime minister of Russia.

Likewise, I’d like to see more of the athletes competing for other nations, because we do live in a global village these days. The Olympics always represent one of the best opportunities for the athletic citizens of that world to interact and present. If we have athletes with the hearts of lions, the looks of models, the courage of tireless heroes, why surely there must be similar types on other teams: archers we have not seen, rowers from Finland, shot putters from one of the former Soviet Union–stan countries, the marathoners from small villages in new countries, the first women athletes from the Middle East. We never or rarely see that on television where the pool tends to be full of Americans, which has a two-man team of Phelps and Lochte, as opposed to the female Chinese swimmer who set a world record.

“Hey Jude” is a wonderful song. But imagine for a moment if the song had been, well, “Imagine,” and the cameras had scanned all the teams, all the faces and you could hear John Lennon singing, “Imagine there’s no countries . . . and no religion too. Imagine all the people…”

Weekend Roundup July 27, 2012
• July 30, 2012

L2 Lounge: Let the Games Begin

July 27 at 9 p.m. | events@l2lounge.com | Tel: 202-965-2001

In celebration of the London Olympics Opening Ceremony, L2 invites you to its opening ceremony party, “Let the Games Begin,” on Friday, July 27 at 9 p.m.

Address

L2 Lounge, 3315 Cady’s Alley, NW

Drink the District: Beer Edition

July 28 at noon | $30 | ilovebeer@drinkthedistrict.com |Event Website

An outdoor craft-beer event with unlimited tastings of more than 40 craft beers. Featuring ten of DC’s best food trucks and live entertainment all day. Tickets are available for one of two four-hour tasting sessions (noon to 4 p.m. or 5 to 9 p.m.); tickets are limited.

Address

500 New York Ave., NW

CAPCS Online Summer Concert Series

July 30 at noon | free | Tel: (866) 339-9912 | Event Website

Online students don’t just hang out with their computers. They enjoy summer fun with their classmates, too. Students, families and staff from Community Academy Public Charter School Online (CAPCS Online) will be grooving to everything from funk rock to New Orleans jazz this summer during a series concerts throughout the summer. Interested families are also invited to see how the CAPCS Online community likes to have a good time and to get their questions answered by knowledgeable staff members.

Address

Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Urban Chic: An Afternoon Tea with Author Emily Giffin

July 30 at noon | katherine@urbanchiconline.com

Join Urban Chic for an afternoon of tea and book signing celebrating the release of favorite author Emily Giffin’s latest novel, “Where We Belong.” Guests who purchase the book at the event can also take 20 percent off all Urban Chic merchandise. The first ten guests to make a $100 purchase during the event will receive a print of Inslee by Design’s custom Emily Giffin/Urban Chic illustration.

Address

Urban Chic, 1626 Wisconsin Avenue, NW

The Bitter

July 31 at 07:15 p.m. | $37 | Info@LibationsBarSchool.com | Tel: 2026421256 | Event Website

Libations Bar School owner Jesse Dean teaches participants to blend their own cocktail bitters from various spices, herbs, barks, and roots available at The Spice & Tea Exchange, where classes are held. After tasting their concoctions, participants leave with their own recipe book so that they can make their own digestifs at home.

Address

1069 Wisconsin Ave., NW

Blues Alley: Freddy Cole

August 2 at 8 p.m. | Tel: 202.337.4141

This week at Blues Alley (1073 Wisconsin Ave., NW), from Thursday, Aug. 2, through Saturday, Aug. 4, jazz and music lovers alike are in for a treat with performances by Freddy Cole.

Address

Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Avenue, NW

Old Fashion, New Look

August 8 at 6 p.m. | rsvp@streetsclotheir.com

Streets Of Georgetown cordially invite you to “Old Fashion, New Look” on Wednesday, August 8.

Join us for a distinguished evening of bourbon, antiques, and shopping — along with a fine tailoring, timeless style, and the finer things in life.

RSVP to rsvp@streetsclothier.com

Cocktails and hor d’ oeures will be served.

30-percent Discount on Made to Measure Tailored Clothing; Additional 10-percent Discount on Sale Merchandise.

Address

1254 Wisconsin Ave, NW
Georgetown

AIDS Conference, First Held in U.S. in 22 Years, Kicks Off
• July 27, 2012

Thousands of AIDS activists gathered on the National Mall July 22, looked at the unfurled AIDS quilt there, listen to a concert by Wyclef Jean and heard speeches in a huge rally on the mall called “Keep the Promise on HIV/AIDS.”

The rally, sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, helped kick off the International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012), the first held in the United States in 22 years, around the theme of “Turning the Tide Together” at a time which organizers have called a “defining moment in the history of the AIDS epidemic.”

The conference, which kicked off Sunday and will see sessions, speeches and activities — primarily in the Washington Convention Center — runs through July 27, with the expectation of some 25,000 persons attending the conference and activities throughout Washington.

“Our return to the United States after a 22-year absence comes at a time of extraordinary hope, a time when we believe that the end of the AIDS epidemic is possible,” said Elly Katabira, chair of AIDS 2012 and president of the International AIDS Society. “My message to policy makers around the entire world watching us here in DC is this—invest in science, invest in the epidemic—you will save lives,” said Diane Havlir of AIDS 2012 and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said, “In the 22 years since this conference was held on American soil, we have made long-awaited breakthroughs in science and treatment. Today, someone diagnosed with HIV and treated before the disease is far advanced can have a nearly normal life expectancy. Now is not the time for easing up, slowing down or shifting our focus. If we are going to reach our ultimate goal of an AIDS-free generation, we must all challenge ourselves to do more-to reach even more people, to make programs even more effective and accountable, to push the boundaries of science even further.”

The previous international AIDS conference held in the U.S. was in San Francisco in 1990. It could not return because of travel restrictions to the U. S. for persons with HIV-AIDS. Since then, in a process initiated by President George W. Bush and completed by President Barack Obama, the U.S. restrictions have been lifted, paving the way for the conference in D.C.

At Sunday’s opening session, which featured a welcoming address by Mayor Vincent Gray, actress Sharon Stone presented the IAS/amfAR Elizabeth Taylor Award in recognition of efforts to advocate for human rights in the field of HIV.

Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton was the keynote speaker at the July 23 plenary session on “Ending the Epidemic: Turning the Tide Together.” It also included remarks by Senators John Kerry and Lindsey Graham, Bill Gates, Jim Young Kim of the World Bank and Ambassador Eric Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS coordinator. The special session “Can Public-Private Partnership Help Those Who Think Globally, Act Locally?” featured a keynote speech by Elton John.

Other major speakers throughout the week will include former President Bill Clinton, former first lady Laura Bush, South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute, and French cabinet ministers Marisol Touraine and Genevieve Fioraso among others.

For all activities, plenary sessions, speakers and online video and streaming availabilities for the conference, go to the AIDS2012 website.

Aurora’s Dark Night: No Dawn for 12
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After all the shock, the videos of people running in panic, some of them with blood-spattered shirts out of a midnight screening of the Batman movie, “The Dark Knight Rises,” after all the loss and grief and tears and interviews and the pictures of the victims, after “Deadly rampage at Colorado theater: 12 moviegoers are killed, 58 others wounded in Aurora,” after the guns and the vigils, after all that:

There he was in court today, July 23, flanked by what was presumably a public defender, bright right bird-nest of hair, looking a little bewildered or solemn, take your pick, in a jailhouse jump suit.

James Holmes, 24. Alleged—because that will be the most used adjective describing him officially—killer, murderer, mass murder of 12 persons, mostly young people, the youngest Veronica Moser-Sullivan, age six.

Until then, Holmes, a post-graduate student and San Diego native, was apprehended by police in this Denver suburb outside in a mall parking lot after the shooting rampage, dressed up like a member of a SWAT team and heavily armed. He has been held in solitary confinement and lockup ever since in Centennial, Colorado.

He has said next to nothing since his arrest, and he said nothing in court. Reporters have pieced together his story, which seems like some blank, minimalist abstraction, a loner life with a normal childhood. Police found his apartment to be a booby-trapped arsenal of explosives. He was a member of a 35-student Ph.D. program at the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus.

According to reports, the local district attorney is considering the death penalty charge. The hearing for Holmes was held in the same complex that includes the facilities for his lockup and detention, at the Arapahoe County Justice Center.

An unidentified source has said that a Batman mask was found in his apartment.

An emotionally charged vigil, at which several thousand people gathered, was held Sunday night. President Barack Obama visited with families of the victims at University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, where ten victims still remained, seven of them injured critically.

GOVERNOR AND FIRST LADY O’MALLEY HOST FIFTH ANNUAL BUY LOCAL COOKOUT
• July 24, 2012

Governor Martin O’Malley and First Lady Katie O’Malley today hosted the fifth annual Buy Local Cookout at Government House and officially kicked-off Maryland’s Buy Local Challenge Week, which encourages Marylanders to incorporate at least one locally grown, produced or harvested product into their meals each day. Governor O’Malley designated July 21-29 as “Buy Local Challenge Week” to raise awareness about the benefits of local farms and food.

The Maryland’s Best Program which is run by the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Office of Marketing is in it’s 11th year promoting Maryland Agricultural Products. The goal of the program is to encourage consumers to buy locally produced/grown products in the Maryland and DC areas through advertising and marketing promotions. We also work closely with grocery retailers, restaurants, and institutional buyers to help them source locally and show them the benefits of carrying locally grown and produced food. In 2012, 78% of Marylanders said they would prefer to purchase and consume fruits and vegetables identified as having been grown in Maryland (Conducted by the University of Baltimore’s Schaefer Center). Our goal is to continue to increase consumer preference towards local and help to identify local products so that they may be easily sought after. We also look to continue and increase our partnership with restaurant and retailer buyers, so that they are aware of the great local options in Maryland when sourcing ingredients and food. This was our primary purpose for helping to sponsor this years Chefs Go Fresh tour. Another event which we put on to help restaurants and grocery retail buyers connect with local producers is our Buyer-Grower Event which is held every January in Annapolis. In addition we continue to build upon our web site, www.marylandsbest.net where consumers are able to search for locally produced agriculture products.