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Gary Tischler • April 5, 2012

This is what it’s like to be in Washington in the spring, punchy, yelled at, bowled ever, embraced, cajoled, and awed by history almost everywhere you go.

If you come here to see the sites and sights, history is purposefully and permanently here in all the monuments, past, present and soon to be erected.

If you come here to be in the nation’s capital and ingest the atmosphere of what’s on the nightly news you may get lucky and get more than you bargained for. If you came here to let your passions burn out loud, your feelings spill into parks and streets, your face on television as an army of many on the very same nightly news, well, here and there you are.

And if you want to be a part of something enduring and fragile, all at once and steeped in history, well, there’s that, too.

All sorts of history was going on over a Washington weekend and is still going on. On a Saturday, you could catch a large group of demonstrators at Freedom Plaza, many of them young black men dressed in hoodies to protest the death of as 17-year-old unarmed Florida teenager shot to death nearly a month ago by a self-appointed member of a neighborhood watch in a gated community. The voices were loud, impassioned and as clear as an open wound, even if the larger issues were not so easy to decipher.

You could go over to Capitol Hill (and to the Department of Health and Services) and see the preparations as the country’s highest court in the land, the Supreme Court, prepared to take on the landmark Health Care legislation, called ObamaCare, passed more than two years ago and now under question on constitutional grounds. Tea party demonstrators were already here, demonstrating at HEW, while other folks prepared to get in line for the limited seats available to spectators.

Down at the Tidal Basin, on Friday, history was being honored again — in that unique way that is both immediately, beautifully, sweetly, mysteriously, in the here and now and firmly rooted in the commemorative past.

The cherry blossoms, first presented as a gift to the United States from Japan 100 years ago were in full bloom. And they were early. And there was a storm coming, a “monster storm,” a “huge storm” as told by hyper-ventilating, vibrating weather people and television news in apocalyptic tones who expressed an uninvited opinion that the cherry blossoms were in serious danger.

As if anybody needed that kind of panic-inducing encouragement, everybody showed up. It’s fair to say they showed up in the thousands, on a sunny, brilliant, warm day as far removed from sturm und drang as you can possibly be.

I went to see the cherry blossom with my colleague Robert Devaney. I, too, felt some panic at the dire predictions. So, I feared that my usual penchant for procrastination might have dire results. The cherry blossoms might be gone, for all I knew, something that could not be said about demonstrators for justice or lines at the Supreme Court.

And so, for the first time since I moved in Washington, D.C., in the late 1970s, I went to the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms in full, fabulous, fantastic bloom. Regrets? Boy, do I have a few. Ashamed? I certainly am.

Because the cherry blossoms themselves, and the festival that has evolved out of the gift and the flowering of white and pink blossoms, and that ballet-like swirling dance they do, making you blissfully blinded by the white, as they twirl like bashful multiple twins to earth, is one spectacularly good reason to be alive.

I’ve always seen the pictures, items on the web, accounts by word of mouth, local TV segments, and I have gone to National Cherry Blossom Festival events, such as parades, exhibits, shows, kites, and all things Japanese in America. The festival that has sprung up gets bigger every year until it runs the hopeful course of the coming of the buds, the blossoms and the dying of the light blossoms, a process that will perhaps be a bit shorter this too-sunny and warm year, although the festival will not.

But, as the song goes, “Ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby.”

I feel, after all, blessed by blossoms, and the spirit that they so lightly carry. We walked past the Washingtonia of the still slightly wounded-by-earthquake Washington Monument and the future site of the Museum of African-American History. And, as the poet Walt Whitman so sung of ourselves: the world’s humanity arrived pretty much all at once. They jostled for walking space, laid out blankets, kissed and made up, let their hot dogs drink, maneuvered their baby carriages, managed their canes and fragile bones.

All of us walked in splendor.

Across the paths to were the site of where the first trees were planted, you could see the thousands, and the packed blossoms straining successfully to be a vista edging up to either side of the Jefferson Memorial. Choppers in the sky — black ops? — paddle boats on the river, a dangerously flirtatious female duck making her final choice among four or five male admirers who appeared to be trying to drown her. Tough love indeed.

Everybody posed. Everybody clicked the age of the digital camera click — up for the blossom closeup, back for the larger world view, snap, snap. Get the girls lacrosse team, the park cop on her horse, the children running or sleeping.

And there was the group that had laid out a picnic cloth, friends, neighbors, acquaintances and an artist painting. One was a couple who live in Paris: he, American, a retired TWA pilot who once saw a biplane land in a field near his town and never forgot it; she, his instant French love-of-his-life.

Perhaps influenced by his surroundings, he said, “I got to say it. I’ve had a wonderful life.” He hushed my expressions of worry about getting older. “You’re an amateur,” he said. He was 91.

This is the way it was on a Friday in Washington, in the sudden peak time of the cherry blossoms and many other things. There are, I’m sure, very good and always mysterious reasons for believing in God, a deity, a creator, a higher being. The atheists or non-believers among us who were also gathering in Washington this weekend had found none. [gallery ids="100655,100656,100657,100658,100659,100660" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

The murderer of Vladimir Djordjevic, a manager of the strip club Good Guys on Wisconsin Avenue in Glover Park, was sentenced to 35 years in prison last week by the U.S. District Court, according to the Associated Press.

Vasile Graure attacked Djordjevic in November 2007 after being thrown out of Good Guys for photographing one of the dancers. Graure then shortly returned to the entrance of the club and poured gasoline on Djordjevic and ignited it, causing burns over 90 percent of the manager’s body. Graure was found guilty of assault and arson four years ago and given a 30-year sentence in prison.

According to WTOP, Djordjevic had undergone dozens of painful surgeries since the attack and testified from his hospital bed by videotape during Graure’s first trial. Djordjevic died from his injuries in May 2010; Graure was convicted of murder in January.

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.

Robert Devaney •

Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, came to Georgetown University March 28, the day after he cut his campaign staff by a third and spoke to a crowd of well-mannered students at Gaston Hall.

In a seemingly new phase of his campaign, Gingrich was forceful, relaxed, passionate and academic — and still under Secret Service protection. He behaved as a happy warrior of ideas transformed into a 21st-century thought leader, as they say in seminars, ready to speak with anyone. Before the speech, he spoke to student journalists about his “steamlined,” not suspended, campaign, according to the Georgetown Voice.

After citing the dysfunctional political life in this “imperial capital,” Gingrich said, “I have not done a very good job as a candidate.”

Nevertheless, Gingrich lit into his list of America’s best ideas and achievements. He took students and others in the university’s historic hall through parts of his stump speech that became a lesson on history, civics and sensibility. He paid homage and mind to America’s versions of value, innovation and exceptionalism.

Drawing first on the very American stories of Captain John Smith at Jamestown and the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, Gingrich exhorted all to solve the problems of our times, as Americans have in the past. We are “smart by doing something, not by tenure.”

He invoked the name of Abraham Lincoln. Read the Gettysburg Address and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address slowly, he softly advised.

Gingrich also ran through an array of improvements to make America better, smarter that made sense to him on the following: a restrained judiciary, Social Security, neurological research, government efficiency, respect for a higher power and more.

“Ideas matter,” he said, “for people . . . and for reporters.” The former House Speaker said he fights the threats of those overly secular and cynical and discerns the “denseness of Washington that resists innovation.”

During the question-and-answer period, a student, who had been a janitor, said he had felt insulted by Gingrich’s remarks about janitors from months ago. The candidate replied that his daughters had been janitors at his church. Another asked Gingrich, “Why aren’t politicians like you?” [gallery ids="100710,120092,120087" nav="thumbs"]

Emma Watters •

Lights across the world will go dark for Earth Hour 2012. Support the
World Wildlife Fund for Nature’s “I Will if You Will” campaign by
saving energy and flipping those switches.

For more information, EarthHour.org

Gary Tischler •

Can you believe it?

Tomorrow, April 3, Tuesday, is the official voting day for the 2012 District of Columbia Primary Election. Tomorrow, Vincent Orange will know if he’ll be running in the general election to keep his at-large Council seat for another four years. Tomorrow, we’ll find out if several other council incumbents will live to fight another day — almost surely.

One thing we know for sure. Jack will be back.

That would be Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans, the formidable, perennial and most enduring member of the City Council, who is running unopposed, at least by any Democrat. The story will more than likely be different in November. There are, after all, with a changing electorate and population, a few more Republicans in Washington.

Although it’s hard to tell — no polls, not that much chatter, reported spotty attendance at candidate forums — Orange appears to be in a bit of a battle to keep his seat out of the hands of at least three worthy opponents on the Democratic side.

[Editor’s Note: The Georgetowner endorsed Vincent Orange for the 2011 special election, and it endorses him this time around, too. Orange e-mailed detailed information about mail-order contributions to the newspaper and has answered questions about any perceived improprieties. Along with his hard-working, long days, Orange’s citywide concerns and interests remain constant. He supports Georgetown, and the Georgetowner supports Orange.]

There are ongoing investigations of Mayor Vincent Gray’s campaign that now include the activities of major developer Jeffrey Thompson, his contributions not only to the Gray campaign but to District Council campaigns, as well as other federal investigations and the departure of Ward 5 Councilman Harry Thomas Jr. The passage of an ethics legislation bill (which includes a board that has yet to be filled) has not noticeably dampened a growing popular notion that the council is permeated with old-style politics marked by a membership that has been around too long. People are talking — seriously? — about term limits. Orange has had to answer questions about money-order contributions to his last campaign.

A kind of inertia seems to have settled on city politics and government, although financially the city appears to be in pretty good shape considering that tough times still prevail across the country and that jobs — especially East of the River — are still hard to come by.

The other shoe — Thomas was the first — has not dropped on anybody yet, but there seems to be a feeling that city politics is tap-dancing in place awaiting the results of ongoing investigations.

Orange, who has been in his political career part of many campaigns, including wins for the Ward 5 seat, losses in runs for mayor and council chairman and a win for the at-large seat making him an incumbent — may become a victim of that growing indifference or aversion to politics as usual. Or just aversion to politics. The advantages of incumbency for Orange — everybody knows his name and voice — may be liabilities this time.

We’ll find out tomorrow if Sekou Biddle, the educator and brief incumbent of the at-large seat who lost it in a special election, can return to the council on his merits. Biddle, appointed by Democrats to the seat after Kwame Brown became chairman, lost it to Orange, finishing a close third. The runner-up just to jog your memory was Republican Patrick Mara, who won big in Northwest. In a recent forum in Kalorama, Biddle appeared sharp, thoughtful and engaged answering questions about the fate of the D.C. Public Library and its branches, as if he’d been up all night studying on the subject. Orange — who like Biddle appeared late to the forum — was less detailed if just as positive.

Also impressive at the forum were Peter Shapiro, a former member of the Prince George’s County Board of Supervisors who is described as a leadership and organizational development consultant who has recently moved back to Washington and lives in Chevy Chase, D.C., and E. Gail Anderson Holness, a pastor at Christ Our Redeemer Baptist Church, who said she was the only candidate who had not accepted corporate contributions.

Of the other council members running for re-election, the safest bet would appear to be Ward 4’s Muriel Bowser, who seems to have grown in her time on the council ever since she won the seat vacated by former Mayor Adrian Fenty when he ran for mayor the first time. She helped spearhead the ethics bill and is being opposed by five candidates, including Calvin Gurley.

The number of opponents — with chances to split the opposition as it were — are large for Yvette Alexander in Ward 7, which helps her mightily. She has William “Rev. Bill” Bennett, among others, to contend with. Bennett is senior pastor at Good Success Christian Church and Ministries. There’s also a familiar name in Kevin B. Chavous, running for the seat once occupied by his father. Two Republicans are also fighting for Alexander’s seat: Don Feldon, Sr., and the always outspoken Ron Moten, the founder of Peace-a-holics and fiery supporter of Fenty.

In Ward 8, it appears that we will always have Marion Barry to contend with on the council, although he also faces opposition in a big way from, among others, perennial candidates S.S. Sandra Seegars, Darrell Danny Gaston and Jacques D. Patterson.

Among the shadow-senate crowd, Democrat Michael D. Brown is running again. As you might — or not — remember, Brown made a brief splash in the last at-large race held by Phil Mendelson, in which he got a surge in the polls after many voters thought he was the Michael Brown who held an at-large seat on the council.

In the past, the district held its primaries in September. Because of a change in the voting law, the switch was made to spring. The new and earlier voting day will likely affect turnout. Voter turnout is off — and really off-elections like this are critical and notoriously low. It’s like the lottery: You’ve got to play to win. If you don’t vote, you don’t get to complain.

Marit Fosso •

Grande Fète de la Francophonie

Friday March 23, 2012 at 7 p.m. | Tickets $35 | Event Website.

La Maison Francaise at the Embassy of France will host the Grande Fète de la Francophonie. More than 35 embassies will unite to present their cuisine and culture. Sample their food and beverages and check out their arts and crafts from 7 to 10 p.m, listen to a live concert at 8 p.m. and dance the night away when the volume gets turned up at 10 p.m.

Address

La Maison Francaise at the Embassy of France

4101 Reservoir Rd NW,

Washington, DC 20007

Family Days

March 24, 2012 at 10 AM to 4:30 PM & March 25, 2012 from 11 AM to 3:30 PM |Event Website

This weekend, the National Building Museum will present Family Days, a two-day festival of family entertainment. Experience fun activities, such as creating shoji screens and pop-up architecture, dressing up in traditional Japanese Costumes and interactive lessons on climate change and energy conservation.

Address

National Building Museum

401 F Street, NW

Washington DC

Girl Scouts in Georgetown Day

Saturday March 24, 2012 |10-11:30 AM | Costs $10 for scouts and tag-alongs and $3 for accompanying adults |Event Website

Scouts can explore architectural styles from around the world, tour Tudor Place and the Georgetown neighborhood and be creative in designing their own landscape and building.

Address

Tudor Place

31st Street NW

Washington, DC

Georgetown University’s Annual Spring Charity Fashion Show

Saturday March 24, 2012 at 7 PM | Tel: 734-717-6056 | Email: vmp22@georgetown.edu

Georgetown University will host its annual Spring Charity Fashion show. Proceeds will go towards the construction of a new kindergarten for the children of Roslin Orphanage in West Timor, Indonesia. There will be designer clothes, Georgetown models, raffles, live music and a beauty queen.

Address

Gaston Hall at Georgetown University

37th and O Streets, N.W

Washington D.C. 20057

Springtime Pops!

Saturday March 24, 2012 at 8 PM | Students get in for free; adults, $17; seniors, $11 | Event Website

The City of Fairfax Band will play a concert called “Springtime Pops!,” featuring a program of classical and popular selections in the format made popular by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops.

Address

Fairfax High School

3501 Rebel Run

Fairfax Va 22030.

Cherry Blossom Bike Ride & Cycle Expo

Sunday March 25, 2012 from 10 AM to 2 PM | Event Website

The Cherry Blossom Bike Ride & Cycle Expo will take place in Georgetown. There will be rides along the Capital Crescent Trail and educational demonstrations and vendors in front of Jack’s Boathouse on Water Street under Key Bridge. The event will benefit the American Diabetes Association

Address

Georgetown Waterfront Park on Water Street.

Opening Ceremony

Sunday March 25, 2012 5 to 6:30 PM | The event is free but requires that you register online in advance | Event Website

Opening ceremony for the Cherry Blossom Festival at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The ceremony presents performances that tell the story about how the gift of trees turned into the annual festival.

Address

The Walter E. Washington Convention Center

801 Mt Vernon Place NW

Washington, DC 20001

Benetton Spring Fashion Show

Sunday March 25, 2012 from 6 to 8 PM | Tel: 202-625-2183 | Event Website

A VIP Fashion Show at the United Colors of Benetton Store in Georgetown. See the new spring collections, enjoy refreshments and shop the spring/summer collection, enjoying a 20-percent discount.

Address

The United Colors of Benetton Store

1200 Wisconsin Ave., N.W,

Washington, D.C. 20007.

Georgetowner • April 2, 2012

DC Swan Event in Georgetown: “Singles Faire” Opening Reception

March 30th, 2012 at 8:00 PM | FREE | Event Website

The Georgetown Theatre Company and Women in Film & Video will host the 5th Annual DC SWAN Day, an all-day event featuring FREE Music, Theatre and Storytelling Performances, Poetry Readings, Visual Arts and Film Screenings. In honor of DC SWAN (Support Women Artists) Day, there will be an opening reception for the Singles Faire exhibition on Friday, March 30, at 8 p.m. at Baked & Wired. Jenny Walton’s art will be exhibited.The indie band Not My Sister will be performing at 7:30PM.

Address

Baked & Wired

1052 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW

Friends of Palisades Library Book Sale

March 30th, 2012 at 10:00 AM | 25 cents to $10/bag | friendsofpalisadeslibrary@gmail.com

Book Sale, The Friends of Palisades Library holds its Spring Sale, Friday, March 30, and Saturday, March 31, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Palisades DC Library, 4901 V Street NW. Most books priced at $1; “bargain” books go for 25 cents each or $5 per bag. Buy $10 bags of regular books on Saturday. Proceeds benefit the Palisades branch library to support special programs for children and adults. Email FriendsOfPalisadesLibrary@gmail.com.
Address

Palisades DC Library

4901 “V” Street NW

Blossom Kite Festival

March 31st, 2012 at 10:30 AM | Free and open to the public | ncbf@downtowndc.org | Tel: 877.442.5666 | Event Website

Have fun with kite flying at the Blossom Kite Festival that presents demonstrations of Japanese woodblock printing and painting, kite-making competitions and shows.

Address

Washington Monument grounds

Constitution Avenue & 17th Street, NW

The 2012 Capital Art Fair

March 31st, 2012 at 10:00 AM | $10.00 | Tel: (202) 965-1818 | Event Website

The Capital Art Fair will host its third annual art fair on Saturday, March 31, and Sunday April 1. Held at the Rosslyn Westpark Hotel in Alexandria, the Capital Art Fair will bring 22 established art dealers to Washington, D.C. Visitors to the fair will find thousands of works on paper- great master prints to cutting edge, contemporary pieces. The original prints, paintings, and photographs span over 500 years of creative expression, offering an impressive assortment to DC art collectors.

Address

Holiday Inn- Rosslyn Westpark Hotel

1900 North Fort Meyer Drive

Alexandria, VA 22209

Walking Tour “Mr. Nourse’s Neighborhood: Georgetown c. 1800”

April 1st, 2012 at 01:00 PM | $10.00 | info@dumbartonhouse.org | Tel: 202-337-2288 | Event Website

Join Dwane Starlin, member of the Guild of Professional Tour Guides, for this meander through Georgetown’s “East Village” streets, circa 1800, the way Joseph Nourse– first resident of Dumbarton House and first register of the U.S. Treasury- would have viewed his neighborhood on the heights of Georgetown from his “Belle Vue” home (aka Dumbarton House) atop Cedar hill. 60 minutes. Comfy walking shoes a must! $10 per walker (age 3 and under free). No pets, please. Register online or call us.

Address

2715 Q Street, NW

Washington, DC 20007

Taste of the Nation

April 2nd, 2012 at 06:00 PM | $95 | dctaste@gmail.com | Event Website

Hottest food and wine event of 2012 featuring tastings from the best restaurants and bars and a silent auction to help fight childhood hunger. This year’s event benefits Capital Area Food Bank, DC Hunger Solutions and Mary’s Center.

Address

National Building Museum

401 F Street NW

Washington DC 20001

Cherry Blossom Tea

April 4th, 2012 at 01:00 PM | $20

Enjoy the return of the cherry blossoms at Tudor Place with teas, sandwiches, scones, desserts and a stroll through the gardens.

Address

1644 31st Street, NW

Washington, 20007

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