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Gary Tischler • April 21, 2014

I swear to God I wasn’t going to watch any part of March Madness this year.

For one thing, I don’t think I can name you one player in the tournament, and I don’t mean just the Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina, which qualifies as the best team nickname.

I mean there are some names I sort of recognize when one of the local sports ladies mentions them, much the same as my ears beam in recognition at the word “Tatar” which I’m pretty sure is not cold steak.

College sports is starting to elude me, it’s a form of sport dementia. I’ve stopped looking up two alma maters and their scores from Bowling Green and Oklahoma—except during football season, when I’m still a Sooner Boomer.

This year, there’s another factor. We don’t have too many dogs that hunt in this tournament locally. Maryland didn’t even qualify, although George Washington has had a pretty good season under its new coach and made it to the NCAA Tournament. (All right, I still read about college sports). That leaves us with Virginia, muttering, McCain-like, that today we are all Cavaliers.

By the way, Georgetown University, which was in three NCAA final games and one national championship to its credit from the bygone Patrick Ewing-John Thompson era, won . . . An NIT game, that is, beating West Virginia 75-65 at McDonough Gymnasium.

What kind of tournament is that, where you can play on your home gym? The Hoyas get to play Florida State, the top seed, fittingly in Tallahassee, Fla., Monday.

It’s tough to watch the NCAA games—it’s practically made of nothing but kids who just graduated from high school, other wise known as the Kentucky.

I made a mistake today. I wanted to see how American University, a 15-seed, might fare against a number-two seed, Wisconsin, in Milwaukee—what kind of tournament . . . oh, never mind. AU actually had a seven-point lead in the early going, but it was a false spring—like the one we keep having in the weather version of March Madness. Wisconsin crushed AU, 75-35, and that was the end of that, perhaps not a surprise for a team whose best player was a guy named Pee Wee. Still, it was a good year for AU, winning its conference tournament against considerable pre-season odds.

I made another mistake. I switched to another game, which, due to many channels and the worldwide web, you can actually do. It was Ohio State, the sixth seed, against Dayton, the eleven seed in a Buckeye battle between the Buckeyes and the Flyers. Score tied 55 to 55 with a couple of minutes or less to go.

And that’s when they reeled me back in again. Ohio State scored, then Dayton got the lead back with three straight free throws, and Ohio State scored with its star senior, the tough little guard Aaron Craft, bulking his way to the basket for a lay up to make it 58-57, ten seconds left. In a basketball game, especially during March Madness that is a lifetime of heartbeats. Sure enough, fella by the name of Vee Sanford banked a shot in with 3.8 seconds left, with Craft stilling getting a shot off before the buzzer, but it bounced off the rim.

I’ve seen this hundreds of times from years gone by: the winners building a pileup of squirming bodies, yelling and screaming, Craft laying on his back staring up at the ceiling in head-shaking disbelief.

In spite of the fact that college sports have become a mountain of greed in which schools change conference more often than Pat Riley changes shirts, in spite of the fact that freshmen come to school for NBA tryouts (for one year), in spite of the fact that the brackets are trending on Twitter and Facebook, instead of around the water cooler or the local bar, March Madness still provides some mad moments.

There was the insistent and still familiar voice of announcers Bill Raftery and his partner Verne Lundquist—“the drive, the shot, the touch, the kiss”—which is not a courtship scene but a description of Vee Sanford’s winning shot.

In moments like this, you remember Christian Laettner’s shot at the buzzer, ditto for a Indiana Hoosier beating Syracuse with a corner shot, Bobby Knight not throwing a chair, Georgetown coach John Thompson hugging the player whose mistake cost a championship game, Maryland under Gary Williams winning its one and only title, George Mason’s wondrous run to the Final Four, and maybe the first shot you ever made in high school.

And this just in: 12-seed Harvard beats five-seed Cincinnati 61-57. For his NCAA brackets, President Obama picked the game for Harvard to win. After all, he did go to Harvard Law School. Got to be true to your school

March Madness, indeed.

Georgetowner •

March 20 marks the 60th anniversary of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas’s historic walk of the entire 184.5-mile length of the towpath of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal to help save it from becoming a parkway.

Do you know the story? The following was provided by the C&O Canal Trust:

In the 1950s, due to the explosion of America’s automobile culture and President Eisenhower’s push for an interstate system, highway construction was common throughout the country. Even the Washington Post, in a January 3, 1954 editorial, stated that the old canal was “no longer either a commercial or scenic asset” and that a highway, proposed by the National Park Service itself and approved by Congress, was a fine way to make the Potomac Valley accessible to sightseers, campers, and hikers. “The basic advantage of the parkway is that it would enable more people to enjoy beauties now seen by very few.”

Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas had grown to love the C&O Canal, hiking 15 to 20 miles every Sunday to stay in shape. With his beloved canal in peril, Justice Douglas fired back a written response to the Washington Post:

“The stretch of 185 miles of country from Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, Md., is one of the most fascinating and picturesque in the Nation . . . It is a refuge, a place of retreat, a long stretch of quiet and peace . . . a wilderness area where we can commune with God and nature, a place not yet marred by the roar of wheels and the sound of horns.”

In addition, Douglas challenged Post editors Merlo Pusey and Robert Esterbrook to hike with him the entire distance, hoping to convince them to “. . . use the power of [the Post’s] editorial page to help.”

On March 20, 1954, Douglas, Pusey and Esterbrook started their hike of the entire 184.5 miles of the park from Cumberland, Md., to Georgetown.

Douglas’s adoption of the cause provided a focal point for media attention and intensified the efforts of conservation groups, such as the Wilderness Society and the National Parks Association that sought to preserve the canal. Many others, from preservationists to naturalists, from well-wishers to curiosity seekers, joined the hike, too, making it an unqualified success.

The Washington Post retracted its initial editorial, and the National Park Service abandoned the parkway idea in 1956. Nevertheless, Douglas and the conservationists did not immediately realize their dream. Only after numerous reunion hikes and years of sophisticated lobbying on Capitol Hill did the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal finally become a National Historical Park in 1971.

For his immense efforts in preserving and protecting its natural and historic resources, the C&O Canal is the only national park dedicated to the memory of one person: William O. Douglas.

Justice Douglas, visionary and activist, was truly instrumental in protecting this special place that is today the C&O Canal National Historical Park. It is up to us to keep his vision alive.

For more information, contact Mike Nardolilli, president of the C&O Canal Trust at 301-714-2233 or [www. CanalTrust.org](http://www.canaltrust.org/trust/)
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Serafine George •

Ricin was found in a student’s room in McCarthy Hall at Georgetown University March 18. That dormitory and adjacent dorms were evacuated, and students relocated until the threat was clear.

As of now, no arrests have been made. One of the university’s student newspapers, the Georgetown Voice reported that it had talked to a source who said the subject of the investigation had confided that he possibly “intended to use the substance on another student.”

The case has been taken over by the FBI, and the investigation will continue.

The Center for Disease Control says that symptoms of ricin poisoning will show up in the first 24 hours. “This window has passed, and there are no reports consistent with ricin exposure,” said university police chief Jay Gruber. McCarthy Hall is now reopened.

A poisonous powder, ricin can be made from castor beans which are used to make castor oil, according to the Center for Disease Control. When the powder is ingested or inhaled, it can become fatal. The toxin gets inside the cells of a person’s body and prevents him or her from getting the proteins they need. Symptoms can be a range of things, including trouble breathing and vomiting.

Ricin has been previously used in domestic attacks against officials through the mail. In December 2013, a woman in Texas mailed three letters laced with ricin to President Obama and blamed it on her ex-husband shortly after he filed for divorce. In January of this year, a man from Texas pleaded guilty to sending poisonous letters to President Obama as well as Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and a Mississippi judge.

Georgetowner •

DC International Film Festival 2014

April 17th, 2014 at 07:00 PM | filmfestdc@filmfestdc.org | Tel: 202-274-5782 | Event Website

The Washington, D.C., International Film Festival (Filmfest DC) returns to the nation’s capital for the last time April 17 to 27, 2014, celebrating nearly three decades of bringing award-winning movies to Washington, DC theater-goers.

Address

Opening night at Mazza Gallerie; 5300 Wisconsin Ave., NW

8th Annual DC Walk to End Lupus Now

April 19th, 2014 at 08:00 AM | bwachtel@lupusdmv.org

We will walk down Pennsylvania Ave, NW starting at 12th Street down to the capitol and back. It is approximately 1.5 miles total, but you can turn around at any point and not walk the entire distance. We walk rain or shine! No fees. Registration is required.

Address

1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (between 13th and 12th St. NW) Washington, DC

“EGGS-TRAVAGANZA”

April 20th, 2014 at 10:00 AM

To celebrate the spirit of Easter, the award-winning Capella Washington, D.C., Georgetown has organized a fun Easter city-wide egg hunt with various golden-colored eggs places around famous landmarks in the DC area. Each golden egg will contain prizes courtesy of Capella D.C.

Address

Capella Washington, D.C., Georgetown will post a photo on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter the three weekends, leading up to Easter that will provide the public with a hint of the location where the golden egg will be each day.

www.facebook.com/CapellaWashingtonDC.Georgetown

twitter.com/CapellaDC

instagram.com/capelladc

Hill Country Barbecue Market

April 20th, 2014 at 10:00 AM | Free

The Hill Country Easter Bunny will be on-hand throughout the day, and there will also be an Easter egg hunt, open to anyone who would like to participate. There will be eggs and treats–for grown-ups and kids alike–hidden around the restaurant, full of fun & FREE surprises. Hill country will feature its aptly-named Feed Yer Family special all day.

Address

410 7th Street NW

42nd bi-annual Messiah Sing-Along

April 20th, 2014 at 07:00 PM | FREE! | jrlewisoffice@aol.com | Tel: 703-527-8574 | Event Website

For 42 years, Dr. J. Reilly Lewis has provided a bi-annual community Messiah Sing-Along at Christmas and Easter. This is one of the longest running Messiah-Sings in the DC area. On April 20, 2014, Dr. Lewis will lead full orchestra, harpsichord, organ, guest soloists, and the audience in Parts Two and Three of Handel’s Messiah. There is no admission charge for the performance; however, a $20.00 donation is suggested. A reception will follow the evening’s events.

Address

606 N. Irving Street; Arlington, VA 22201

Architecture Week 2014

April 21st, 2014 at 08:00 PM | $10 | shawn@dcpr.com | Tel: 202.347.9403 | Event Website

Architecture Week 2014 — April 21 through May 1 An 11-day festival that spotlights DC’s architectural landmarks, neighborhoods, and cultural institutions. Over 20 architecturally-themed building tours, walking tours, book signings, social events, and exhibitions of interest to adults, children, architects, and the public. For details and registration: aiadc.com/ArchitectureWeek

Address

AIA|DC 421 7TH STREET NW

Take an Om Break – Lunch Hour Yoga

April 22nd, 2014 at 12:30 PM | Free | Erika.Rydberg@dc.gov | Tel: 202-727-0232 | Event Website

Feed Yourself something different on Tuesdays. Join us for ongoing lunch hour yoga at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library. Lunch Hour Yoga will take place on Tuesdays beginning April 8th from 12:30 to 1:30. Our wonderful teachers come from different disciplines but are hoping to bring some health to your mind and body during a busy work week. Please bring your own mat. To RSVP for any or all sessions please email Erika.Rydberg@dc.gov
Yoga teachers are provided by Yoga Activist.

Address

3260 R Street NW

Serafine George •

Coming up next week is Earth Day, started in 1970 by Sen. Gaylord Nelson to bring light to environmental issues. As a result, 20 million Americans demonstrated across the country on April 22, 1970. Later that year, Congress authorized the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency – a triumph for those seeking a cleaner, greener America. Today, environmental issues are at the forefront of many people’s minds all over the country. If you’re looking for a way to celebrate the day, check out some of these events going on April 22 – unless otherwise noted — in the city.

Earth Day at the National Zoo – April 22

At this free event, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors can meet the Smithsonian National Zoo’s Green Team experts, participate in “green” crafts and learn simple daily actions to achieve a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. Also, State Farm will host a special area for children to make their own plant pots with recycled newspapers. For details, visit http://nationalzoo.si.edu. 3001 Connecticut Ave., NW.

“The Greening of Architecture” with Professor Phillip Tabb – April 22

Professor Tabb of Texas A&M University will speak about community architecture, with an emphasis on climatic, energy and sustainable architectural design, and sign copies of his book, “The Greening of Architecture.” The event begins at 6 p.m. Architecture Week runs from April 21 to May 1, and there are several other “green” events scheduled. For details, visit http://aiadc.com/calendar/event. District Architecture Center, 421 7th St., NW.

Earth Day at Union Station – April 22

There will be an Earth Day celebration at Union Station commemorating the 44th anniversary of earth day. Exhibits from sponsors will be set up within the station offering interactive and educational exhibits for all ages to enjoy. Sponsors include the Earth Day Network, NASA and more. Find out more at http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-union-station. Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Ave., NE.

Tudor Place – April 22

Tudor Place is selling tickets for a family-fun earth day on the lawn on April 22. The day will have green-friendly games and a scavenger hunt. Kids will also be allowed to paint their own flower pots and plant seeds in them within the garden. The event will cost non-member children $8 and adults $5. Member children only have to pay $5. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/earth-day-at-tudor-place-tickets-2127323883. Tudor Place, 1644 31st St NW.

4th Annual 6K Walk for Water – April 23

At 11:45 a.m., a senior State Department official will make brief remarks and cut the ceremonial ribbon at the 21st Street entrance of the Truman Building. Walkers will head from the State Department to Georgetown via the Rock Creek Parkway trail system. The House of Sweden is hosting the halfway point water break, where walkers will hear from experts from the World Wildlife Fund and the Nature Conservancy about our drinking water source, the Potomac, and water issues in other parts of the world. Rain or shine. For more information, email EarthDay@state.gov. U.S. Department of State, 2201 C St., NW.

Conscious College Road Tour – April 22

The conscious college road tour is coming to D.C. The tour will stop at American University April 21 and Georgetown University April 22. The event will have free organic food, free samples, demos, and information about the transition from conventional to conscious living and then a town hall meeting with special guests Ashley Koff, a celebrity dietician, and Jessica Shade, the director of science programs. For more details, visit http://www.teensturninggreen.org/programs/pgc-conscious-college-road-tour/.

Earth Day Keynote Speaker at Georgetown University : Mark Tercek – April 22

Georgetown University keynote speaker for Earth Day this year is President and CEO of the Nature Conservancy, Mark Tercek, to talk about his bestselling book “Nature’s Fortune: How Business and Society Thrive by Investing in Nature.” The talk will be in the ICC Auditorium at 7 p.m. The university is asking people to register to attend. To register, visit sustainability.georgetown.edu/news/earthday2014/.

Georgetowner • April 17, 2014

Georgetown Park retail space is getting an upgrade with three new additions this month, including shoe retailer DSW, the shop-in-shop Bhldn and a new Department of Motor Vehicles service center.

DSW opened this morning in Georgetown Park at the entrance near Washington Sports Center. The 22,000-square-foot space offers discount shoes, accessories, and handbags for Georgetown shoppers to enjoy. The store will be open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 8pm and Sunday from 12pm to 6pm.

Bhldn, Anthropology’s sister brand, is opening their shop-in-shop within Anthropology tomorrow. Bhldn (pronounced “beholden”) is a bridal boutique focused on vintage inspired gowns and accessories. The shop-in-shop will have their wedding dresses to choose from as well as reception gowns, bridesmaid dresses, and accessories. The store will be open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m., Sunday.

While a ribbon-cutting with Mayor Vincent Gray is scheduled Monday, April 14, the DMV service center is slated to open April 29 at the Georgetown Park space. The center will share an entrance on M Street across from Dean & DeLuca with Washington Sports Club and DSW, but will actually be on the floor below. The new DMV comes just over two years after they shut own the previous Georgetown DMV center in 2013. “There will now be a D.C. DMV service center in every quadrant of the city,” said Vanessa Newton, DMV public affairs specialist.

Georgetown Park, originally an indoor mall, is now focused on retail space on the street.

Paulina Phelps •

With the beautiful weather and cherry blossoms in full bloom, it is easy to forget that “Potholepalooza” season is here.

For those unfamiliar, “Potholepalooza” is a month of the year, when the District Department of Transportation is totally dedicated to reporting and restoring potholes. While this is helpful and beneficial as it makes the road much more vehicle-friendly, it also infamously creates traffic jams and delays.

Due to the weather conditions, the start of “Potholepalooza, “which in past years begins at the end of March, was announced April 9. “The unusually cold winter coupled with the snow and temperature fluctuations have all taken a toll on our roads,” said Mayor Vincent Gray in a press release.

It has already been a very productive year for DDOT. The department has patched more than 9,000 potholes this winter alone — with crews patching up more than twice as many potholes this January and February as they did last year. DDOT has decided to step up its game in other ways as well. For instance, it added more patching crews and increased the goal for fixing potholes from 72 hours to 48 hours.

During “Potholepalooza,” Washingtonians are encouraged to report potholes to get in touch with the city through a number of avenues. For instance, one could call 311, tweet @DDOTDC, or email potholepalooza@dc.gov.

For more information, such as a map of the potholes that are closed, open, and pending is found on this website: [http://gis.ddot.dc.gov/potholeapp/](http://gis.ddot.dc.gov/potholeapp/)

Robert Devaney •

Mayor Vincent Gray and other D.C. officials cut the ribbon April 14 for the soon-to-reopen Georgetown service office of the Department of Motor Vehicles after its nearly two-year absence. As it was previously, the office is located in the Georgetown Park retail complex at 3222 M St., NW. Entry for the DMV center is the one at the western M Street entrance of the retail complex for DSW and Washington Sports Club.

The Georgetown DMV will open for business April 29: hours are 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. The new 12,000-square-foot space has 150 seats and is twice the area as the old center; it is on the lower level. On average, the Georgetown DMV has handled 500 persons per day; the new center will be able to handle at least 600 per day.

Speaking at the morning press conference were Gray, council members Jack Evans of Ward 2 (where the DMV office is located) Mary Cheh and advisory neighborhood commissioner Bill Starrels — along with Brian Hanlon, director of the D.C. Department of General Services, and Lucinda Babers, DMV director — and representatives of landlord Vornado Realty Trust and contractor Davis Construction.

Babers said she was grateful for all the teamwork to make the DMV office return to Georgetown after its May 2012 closing. Declaring it “a beautiful at the DMV,” Babers said, “It takes a village.” Meanwhile, she noted DMV workers were undergoing employee training.

Also coming are new requirements for DMV-issued identification cards. There are already newly designed driver IDs. On Oct. 1, updated federal IDs will be required for entry into federal buildings — a particularly acute need for those who work and live in D.C. The REAL ID Act will require revalidation of all driver’s licenses in the years ahead. By April 1, 2016, old IDs regardless of expiration date will not be acknowledged for air travel by the Transportation Security Adminstration.

DMV will notify those whose IDs will become obsolete, Babers said, and assign appointment times to come into the DMV center to revalidate. Baber said DMV has issued 541,000 driver or non-driver IDs.

Nicole Cusick •

On April 16, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery in the District of Columbia. This act marked an important moment in American history, preceding Lincoln’s more famous Emancipation Proclamation, and is celebrated in D.C. with citywide events.

During the Civil War, D.C. was a common place of escape for slaves running from the slave states of the South. There was a lot of pressure on the president to abolish slavery in the city. In 1862, with the help of Henry Wilson of Massachusetts, Lincoln signed the D.C. Compensated Emancipation Act, a unique law by Congress that abolished slavery in the District and allowed compensation to the former owners.

The black community of the city organized a parade to celebrate the anniversary in 1866. After an absence of 100 years, the parade returned in the 21st Century as part of an annual tradition – and a heightened awareness by citizens of this important step in the march of freedom. Several additional events around April 16 have come along since then.
The D.C. Emancipation Day Parade will run 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday, April 16, along Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, between Third Street and 13th Streets. The parade will feature public officials, government agencies, community organizations, D.C. schools, the military, churches and universities. Since 2005, April 16 has been an official public holiday in the District of Columbia; local government offices will be closed.

At 3 p.m., Wednesday, there will be a free concert near the end of the parade location on 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. The concert will include performances by Talib Kweli, Dough E. Fresh, DJ Kool, J Ivy, and D.C.’s own Black Alley Band. There will be vendors with food and drinks to add to the celebration.

To end the day of celebration on a more contemplative note, go the Walter Pierce Park on Calvert Street, NW, at the Duke Ellington Bridge. There will be a luminaire to honor the 8,428 African Americans who are buried in the park.

For more information on Emancipation Day events and the history of the holiday, visit: http://emancipation.dc.gov/

Photos below are from The Emancipation Day Panel; Celebrity Town Hall Discussion at the Lincoln Theatre, April 13.

Centric, a BET Network, the Office of Cable Television, the office of District Council member Vincent Orange and Howard University’s WHUT partner to present the Emancipation Day Panel, a town hall-style discussion focused on important topics affecting youth and the African-American community. Topics involved education, employment, closures of hospitals and healthcare facilities, anti-violence, prison reform and other social issues. Moderated by TV host, reporter and producer Robyn Murphy, the event’s panelists included actress and recording artist Toni Blackman, hip hop artist MC Hammer, Public Enemy’s Chuck D, social and political correspondent Michael Skolnik, president of Russell Simmon’s GlobalGrind.com, and recording artist Monie Love, founder of the Ladies First Women’s Empowerment Organization. The town hall will air as a one-hour television special, complemented with highlights from all official D.C. Emancipation Day celebrations, for future broadcast on CentricTV and WHUT Television.
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Paulina Phelps •

Are doctors making a small fortune off Medicare?

On April 9, the Washington Post reported that, according to new data, Medicare, the government insurance program for elderly people, has paid nearly 4,000 physicians more than $1 million each in 2012.

These findings reveal the possibility of corruption in our government and its programs. “The release of the information gives the public access for the first time to the billing practices of individual doctors nationwide,” reported the Post. The highest billing totals could reflect for some physician’s extreme efficiency or an unusually high number of patients. However, it could also signal fraudulent behavior among doctors, as has been previously found by government inspectors.

The Washington Business Journal reported on April 9 that before the leak of this information, “The American Medical Association and other physician groups had resisted the data release, arguing the information violates doctor privacy and the public may misconstrue details about individual doctors.” The doctors who profited the most were those who specialize in procedures that require costly operations.

“The specialists most common at the top ranks of the Medicare payments were ophthalmologists, oncologists, and pathologists,” according to the Washington Post. Many of these doctors understandably worry this data released to the public could be misleading. For instance, the Post quoted Minh Nguyen, “a hematologist-oncologist at Orange Coast Oncology in Newport Beach, Calif.,” who said, “It looks like I’m getting paid $9 million .?.?. but it’s a pass-through,” he said. “The majority of the billing goes to pay the drug companies.”