News & Politics

Michelle Kingston • April 5, 2012

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

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

What makes these new cars so special?

1. More comfortable seats

2. More poles for straphangers

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

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

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

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

Georgetowner •

Benetton Spring Fashion Show

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

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.

Gary Tischler •

Mother Nature has messed a little, this year, with the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which is celebrating the centennial of Japan’s gift of cherry trees to Washington, D.C. The unusually mild, near-summer weather has caused the blossoms to hit their peak days much earlier than usual — as well as threatening storm weekend weather that might harm the blossoms.

Nothing, however, can dampen the presence of the festival itself which will run through April 27 with its myriad exhibitions, festivals, celebrations, films and performances.

Especially spectacular are the launching of three major and stellar exhibitions celebrating the finest expressions of Japanese art from the Edo period at two noteworthy venues, the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. The exhibitions are accompanied by a host of special events and programs during the run of the festival and the exhibitions, including films, concerts, performances, lectures, tours, gallery talks and more.

Under the heading of “Japan Spring,” these shows mark the first time any city outside Japan has hosted three major exhibitions of masterworks by distinguished Edo-period Japanese artists.

The National Gallery of Art will host the “Colorful Realm of Living Beings,” a 30-scroll set of bird-and-flower paintings by the renowned Edo-period artist Ito Jakuchu who worked on the scrolls for nearly ten years in the middle of the 1700s.

This exhibition marks the first time that all 30 scrolls have been on view in the United States, but also the first time any of the individual scrolls have been seen here since their six-year long restoration. The scrolls are being lent to the National Gallery for one month by the Imperial House of Japan.

The scrolls—exquisitely detailed and stunning—seem to embrace the larger cosmos of the Buddha nature itself, as they embrace and pull together many strands of East Asian traditions of bird-and-flower painting.

“Colorful Realm” also manages to reunite his masterpiece with Jakuchu’s famous triptych of the Buddha Sakyamuni from the Zen monastery Shokokuji in Kyoto.

“Colorful Realm” will be on view at the National Gallery March 30 through April 29.

The Sackler Gallery will host both “Masters of Mercy: Buddha’s Amazing Disciples” and “Hokusai: 36 Views of Mount Fuji,” both examples of masterworks by two artists whose works reflect and exemplify the interests and identity of 19th-century Edo (now Tokyo).

In “Masters of Mercy,” artist Kano Kazunobo produced a series of phantasmagoric paintings on the theme of the lives and deeds of Buddha’s 500 disciples. The exhibitions includes many paintings from the 100-painting series Kazunobo created over nine years for the Pure Land Buddhist temple Zojozi in the heart of Edo.

These paintings have never been displayed outside of Japan. They imagine the lives of the disciples living in the great wide world performing both mundane tasks and miraculous feats of compassion and mercy. “Masters of Mercy” will be on display through July 8.

Opening March 24 is “Hokusai: 36 Views of Mount Fuji,” works by Japan’s most famous artist, Katushika Hokusai and his most famous works, a print series which include some of the best known works of art in the world, including “Beneath the Wave of Kanagawa,” or “The Great Wave,” and “South Wind at Clear Dawn” or “Red Fuji.” Ten prints were added to this series because of the popularity of the art when it was first viewed, leaving us with 46 images in total—all prints of exceptional quality. The exhibition will be on view through June 17.

Ari Post •

Spring has hit us, hard and fast. In Washington, that comes with a lot of baggage: the National Cherry Blossom Festival swells the streets with tourists from across the world, the spring gala season fills our calendars to the brim, our retail districts overflow with throngs of shoppers eager to replenish their warm-weather wardrobe. Our city parks are also rediscovered. Having lain dormant through the whippings of winter, they spring up with joggers, ball players and picnickers about as fast as with dandelions.

For a good many of us, it’s time to pull the bicycles out of storage and widen the horizons of our recreational and commuting potentials. If you talk to a local cyclist, very little can refresh the senses like the rush of cruising through warm spring winds along the Potomac or through the Mall. Whether biking along the Tidal Basin or the Capital Crescent, the Washington & Old Dominion Trail (W&OD) or Rock Creek Park trails, the very nature of the ride is a signifier of spring.

Unfortunately, those of us who aren’t on bikes don’t always share the elation, and that disconnect can often result in some ugly run-ins—literally. Every spring, bicycle accidents increase significantly, a result of both heightened automotive, pedestrian and bicycle traffic. While it’s easy to blame it all on the cyclists—and in many cases, they are indeed the ones to blame—it is worth trying to understand their situation.

Cyclists are at the bottom of the traffic food chain. Too slow and fragile to share the road properly with vehicles and too fast and precarious to ride along pedestrians on the sidewalk, bikers hunt for safe riding areas in the city like a scavenger: winding around the neighborhood blocks to avoid the congested streets, shooting into pockets of open road when they present themselves, compensating for the cars that never see them and the pedestrians that don’t pay them attention. Even most bike lanes in the city are sandwiched between traffic lanes and parallel parking spots. Bikers are almost constantly at risk when riding through the city.

As a response to the increase of bikers and walkers and runners, the Metropolitan Police Department has kicked off its Street Smart Campaign, an annual mission enforcing pedestrians, cycling and driving laws.

Street Smart is an annual public education, awareness and behavioral change campaign in the Washington area, responding to the challenges of pedestrian and bicycle safety since 2002 through public awareness and law enforcement efforts. The Street Smart program emphasizes education of motorists and pedestrians through mass media as a companion to the efforts of state and local governments and agencies to build safer streets and sidewalks, enforce laws, and train better drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

The program is coordinated by the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB), and is supported by federal funds made available through state governments and funding from some TPB-member jurisdictions. Throughout the past week, police have been enforcing traffic laws at major city areas and intersections—they were focused on 14th and U Streets last Tuesday and cleaned up good.

Arlington County has also gotten on board with its own campaign, PAL (Predictable, Alert, Lawful).

Whether in your car, atop your bike or on your feet, now is a good time to be aware of the road—not only to avoid citations but to prevent injuries or worse. And for the sake of greater good, let us all agree not to bring back roller-blades.

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.

Gary Tischler •

Inside, in that majestic, bone-white building, men and women in robes and the best lawyers in the United States were in the midst of a historic debate on the merits, demerits and future of President Barack Obama’s historic health care proposal, passed by Congress two years ago.

Outside near the steps, the masses—many of them highly vocal members of the Tea Party—had gathered to conduct their own debates, large and small, a quartet here, two people finger pointing there, some being interviewed by the gathered media come to this place like bees to flowers.

From the written and televised reports of the three-day review and legal discussions—an unprecedented effort for a piece of major legislation being considered by the Supreme Court—Obama’s health care plan was not faring well, especially the controversial mandate which purports that everyone must buy health insurance or be penalized. And so, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dug in, listened and asked questions and made comments which were studied like runes by the media and opponents and proponents of the health care plan.

Outside were people like Lenny and Dave, who argued vehemently on a first-name basis, and other loud or muted voices weighing in. But by the steps, and certainly at a nearby rally of conservative opponents, which included speeches by Republican Congressman Paul Ryan, who talked about budget cuts, debt and freedom, it was clear that the anti’s outnumbered the bill’s supporters.

Tuesday, and no doubt Wednesday, and for sure Monday, was an ongoing replay of the nation’s great divide over the issue, a divide which had all but given birth to the tea party and resulted in the Democratic Party’s loss of the House of Representatives.

Nothing had changed: Tea Party demonstrators pretty much talked and behaved as you might have expected. They argued with some remnants of the occupiers which were still in Washington, they boiled down the health care bill to its mandate provision and, like the GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum, rolled up into a one-word cause: freedom.

No such simplicities were evidenced at the Supreme Court case where judges at worst tried to critique the mandate as being the same as being forced to buy food that’s good for you. But everyone inside acknowledged that the bill was much too complicated, big and long, to fully be understood in all of its details.

That did not deter the debates outside, where everything squeezed itself into slogans (OMG-Obamacare-Must-Go) or the classic liberal/conservatives divides and a growing sense of utter frustration and unreasonableness. Two men were arguing about the debt, about the bill, about the growth of government. “I don’t care, Dave,” a man holding up a “don’t touch my health care” sign said, gesturing with his hands. “I don’t know what Reagan did, I don’t care if he did, or what the deficit was then, you’re still wrong. Understand that you’re completely wrong.”

You could see another woman arguing with a young black man, re-interpreting the Civil War and its causes by suggesting that slavery had little if anything to do with it. “The North wanted the South’s money, that’s what it was,” she said. “They had a contract, and they chose to leave it.”

If you’re of a conciliatory, negotiating mind and have your own opinions about health care and the mandate, the tea party folks are a tough sell. To them, it’s all about freedo and big government and how it infringes on said freedoms. And if that argument fails by itself, well, you know, they have a direct pipeline to the hearts and minds of the founding fathers and what they intended. Obviously, they have not seen “1776.”

At the rally, the crowd seemed to sense a wavering of support for what has now been embraced by both sides as Obamacare. The green “Don’t Tread On Me” signs and the “Don’t touch my health care” signs stuck out, as did a sign portraying Obama as the last in a long line of prominent Socialists like Mao Tse Tung, Stalin and Lenin and Marx. Meanwhile, one of the surviving Socialists was at that time having a chat with the Pope in Cuba.

It’s hard to stay out of the talk and just listen to it. The Tea Party is not made up of strangers—they look exactly like many of the out of work teachers and civil servants who came here for the first big rally of the Occupy DC movement. They look like the ruddy salt of the earth, with bills to pay and children to raise (one man was holding a sleeping baby, and pushing a double-baby carriage). The difference is that these people exercising their rights to freely argue and say any preposterous things that come to mind are difficult to talk with on any issue at hand—not because they’re right, but because they’re angry and afraid. They’re angry—like the rest of us—about just about everything, and afraid of the government. Often, their ideas about the government of the United States resembles something that was dropped on us from outer space, intent on controlling every aspect of our lives, and that the president—especially this president—is an alien stranger, and certainly not a real American.

It’s likely that inside the court, the conversation was more muted, and the hope exists among reasonable folks that the three-day talks and the subsequent deliberations will produce a reasonable outcome that’s not purely political. The hope now appears slim: it should be remembered that this court by a 5-4 margin produced a ruling that has resulted in the proliferation of Super Pacs in the 2012 election, a result that’s had a huge effect on the political landscape.

Click Here to View Jeff Malet’s photo Coverage the Supreme Court hearings

Jeff Malet •

This week the Supreme Court heald hearings on the constitutionality of President Obama’s signature health care law, which attracted the attention of proponents of both sides of the issue. View our photos of the activity surrounding the Court on March 27-28 by clicking on the photo icons below. (photos by Jeff Malet)

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Jeff Malet •

It was perfect flying weather as hundreds of kites of various shapes and sizes populated the skies over the National Mall on Saturday, March 31. The Blossom Kite Festival, formerly the Smithsonian Kite Festival, is an annual kite event usually held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in late March during the National Cherry Blossom Festival. View our photos of the event by clicking on the photo icons below. (All photos by Jeff Malet).

View additional photos by clicking here. [gallery ids="120383,120291,120284,120276,120269,120261,120253,120246,120239,120298,120306,120313,120374,120366,120359,120351,120343,120336,120329,120321,120232,120225,120216,120120,120112,120392,120103,120398,120403,120095,120410,120128,120136,120144,120207,120199,120191,120184,120176,120168,120161,120152,100711" nav="thumbs"]

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.