Additional ideas are on Hacker News in the responses to the Posner blog post.
Interested in public policy, the DC budget, research and information to inform and improve the caliber of public policy discussions or advocacy? This is the place for you: information and intelligence that improves advocacy is the stock in trade of this blog.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
TA: Tracking participant progress in a workshop
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Another good DC history read
The History of D.C.'s Epic and Unfinished Struggle for Representation and Self-Governance | At the Smithsonian https://t.co/uNefwVhoKQ
— Adrianne Todman (@Todmandc) December 27, 2015
Relive the good ol' days of The Bayou Jan. 3
The Bayou: DC's Killer Joint Trailer from dave lilling on Vimeo.
From murder to redemption, from jazz to rock and roll, from striptease to Kiss, from Mister T to misadventure, from business-as-usual to anything-goes, the documentary, like The Bayou itself, will arouse the senses. (The IDA)
Relive the concerts or learn about this famed club Sunday, January 3 at midnight (Saturday night); watch "The Bayou: DC's Killer Joint" on WHUT.
Monday, December 28, 2015
Mayor Bowser on NewsTalk Dec. 29
Tune in to NewsChannel 8 streaming here, http://news8.net/, to see the conversation.
If you have questions or comments, call (703) 387-1020 or email (newstalk@news8.net) the show.
December 29: Tech advice on @kojoshow
On the hunt for end-of-the-year deals? Let @webbmedia's tech insights on the coming year inform your purchases: https://t.co/yG71k2dCCz
— The Kojo Nnamdi Show (@kojoshow) December 27, 2015
DMHHS staff list, updated
- Brenda Donald, Deputy Mayor, Brenda.Donald@dc.gov
- Rachel Joseph, Chief of Staff, Rachel.Joseph@dc.gov
- Christian Barrera, Policy Advisor – Health Policy, Christian.Barrera@dc.gov
- Rashida Brown, Policy Analyst, Rashida.Brown@dc.gov
- Jenna Cevasco, Senior Policy Advisor, Jenna.Cevasco@dc.gov
- Marcus Ellis, Safer, Stronger DC Community Partnerships Manager, Marcus.Ellis@dc.gov
- Kristy Greenwalt, Executive Director, Interagency Council on Homelessness, Kristy.Greenwalt@dc.gov
- Gail Kohn, Age-Friendly DC Coordinator, Gail.Kohn@dc.gov
- Nick Kushner, Age-Friendly DC Strategic Analyst, Nick.Kushner@dc.gov
- Tina Roper, Executive Assistant, Tina.Roper@dc.gov
- Theresa Silla, Policy Advisor, Interagency Council on Homelessness, Theresa.Silla@dc.gov
- Jennifer Valdivieso, Program Analyst – Constituent Services, Jennifer.Valdvieso@dc.gov
The phone number for the office is (202) 727-7973.
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Solving obesity requires more than building grocery stores in food deserts
Building grocery stores in food deserts won't change obesity rates. https://t.co/0KBWbyCNYQ
— Eric Fidler (@EricFidler) December 26, 2015
Saturday, December 26, 2015
More book recommendations
Know of other lists? Leave them in a comment.
TA: Getting the most out of Google Analytics
- Fight referrer spam
- Use Google Analytics to track your social media channels
- Connect the Google search console
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Changes at Washington Business Journal
Kaya Henderson guests on Harvard EdCast
Kaya Henderson (@HendersonKaya), Chancellor of DC Public Schools, reflects on the complexity of reform https://t.co/SCxUkKD8BV via @HGSE
— Harvard University (@Harvard) December 17, 2015
Monday, December 21, 2015
January 8: Miss Pixie’s Presents: Street Sense Rising
From the event website:
In Fairness Rising, follow the amazing men and women of People for Fairness Coalition - an advocacy group of unhoused and formerly unhoused individuals - as they fight against the odds to win housing for all.Then, in Raise to Rise, experience D.C. General from the inside as a brave mother raising her two-year-old maintains a secret iPhone diary of their time at a shelter notorious for its uninhabitable conditions and structural neglect.
The event also features a Q&A with the film-makers.
Space is limited. The event is free, with a suggested donation of $7.00.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Track Santa as he makes his way around the world
The tool is available in English, Español, Deutsch, Français, Italiano, 日本語, 䏿–‡, and Português and provides the following information in Santa's Village:
- Learn about Santa, his magic sleigh, and holiday traditions
- Santa's favorite holiday songs
- The Arcade in which you can play a new game every day
- The Theater which shows movies about Santa and NORAD
- NORAD HQ where you can learn about NORAD, its mission and work
If you are on the go December 24, you can still follow Santa. The Santa Tracker app is available for Apple and Android mobile devices.
Saturday, December 19, 2015
TA: Leveraging Twitter for Nonprofit Initiatives
Friday, December 18, 2015
Changes in the DC radio landscape
NEW: @WNEW 99.1 & 105.7 will convert to Bloomberg's first radio stations. @wusa9
— Bruce Leshan (@BruceLeshan) December 18, 2015
And the WaPo story on the subject, Bloomberg takes over all-news station WNEW.
Need old illustrations?
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Diane Rehm guests at February 11 Q&A Cafe
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
GGW chat with WMATA's Paul Wiedefeld (transcript)
ICYMI: 12/15 @ggwash Live chat with WMATA's Paul Wiedefeld https://t.co/8VmHofLpo5
— Susie Cambria (@susiecambria) December 16, 2015
Several worthwhile reads
- Feeling SAD? Talk therapy gets better long-term results than light boxes by Kelly Rohan, Professor of Psychology, University of Vermont, on The Conversation US
- The other side of Black Lives Matter by William J. Wilson, Nonresident Senior Fellow at Brookings
- Stop Setting Goals and Start Designing the Life You Want to Live by Jeff Goins on Medium
- Are homeowners better citizens? U.S. homeownership and community participation by Chrissie Long at Journalist's Resource
- Every Little Bit Counts: The Impact of High-speed Internet on the Transition to College (PDF) by Lisa J. Dettling, Sarena F. Goodman, and Jonathan Smith (the abstract: "This paper investigates the effects of high-speed Internet on students' college application decisions. We link the diffusion of zip code-level residential broadband Internet to millions of PSAT and SAT takers' college testing and application outcomes and find that students with access to high-speed Internet in their junior year of high school perform better on the SAT and apply to a higher number and more expansive set of colleges. Effects appear to be concentrated among higher-SES students, indicating that while, on average, high-speed Internet improved students' postsecondary outcomes, it may have increased pre-existing inequities by primarily benefiting those with more resources.")
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
December 17: "Dream City" at 21
From the event notice:
Come and join us for a light brunch and have a candid conversation with the authors of the seminal book on District politics and government - Dream City: Race, Power and the Decline of Washington, DC - which was republished last year as a 20th Anniversary edition. What do authors Tom Sherwood and Harry Jaffe think about the District’s stature and outlook now, 21 years after the publication of their chronicle of corruption and decline? What is the state of race relations and politics in the nation's capital? What has changed for better or for worse and what remains unchanged? Is the District in decline today, or are we on the rise?
Monday, December 14, 2015
Best books of 2015
- WaPo Bookworld's The 10 Best Books of 2015
- Politics & Prose Top Ten Picks of 2015
- Teaching for Change's Favorite Books of 2015 groups books by grade level
- Kojo Nnamdi Show's Winter Reading 2015 list
- 'The New York Times' Best Books Of 2015: Our Interviews With Authors on The Diane Rehm Show
- NPR’s Book Concierge: Our Guide To 2015’s Great Reads
Additional recommendations are available from Fantom Comics blog and Upshur Street Books staff.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Respond to the call! Brentwood PO needs Christmas wish fulfillers
There are various ways to help.
- You can fulfill all or part of the requests in a letter
- Swap out more general age-appropriate gifts (book, hat and gloves, doll, socks)
- Individuals can pick up to 10 letters
- Organizations and offices can take up to 25 letters
- Fpr those who cannot get to the PO, Friends of the Rosedale Library has 20 letters. You can fulfill all or part. or make a donation. Contact Wyckoff via email, FriendsoftheRosedaleLibrary@gmail.com
How to make this happen: With your driver's license in hand, go to Brentwood Post Office (900 Brentwood Rd NE) Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm, Saturdays 9:00 am - Noon. At post office, ask for Sherry/Secret Santa Helper. When you return the gifts, they must be gift wrapped, marked with the number of the letter, and returned to the PO in a sealed mailing box (with number of the letter on the outside) NO later than Monday, December 21. Donors pay for mailing (though they sometimes waive that if you're donating a lot).
Take the WBJ unusual tourist destination quiz
The Washington Business Journal's How well do you know Washington's unconventional tourist spots? will test what you know about the city's "quirky landmarks."
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Mayor Bowser guests on Rock Newman Show
ICYMI: Watch the #RockNewmanShow interview with Washington, DC’s @MayorBowser online now at https://t.co/734WO6zd2c pic.twitter.com/QfVd1aSqYu
— WHUT-TV (@whuttv) December 8, 2015
Friday, December 11, 2015
Free two-part webinar: The Hidden Financial Lives of America's Poor and Middle Class
An unprecedented look at the financial lives of working Americans and new insights for designing policies, programs and products that can help make their lives better.There’s no question that the American economy has undergone dramatic change over the last 30 years—stagnant wages, rising inequality, automation, freelancing, and globalization. The impact of these economic changes on the lives of low- and moderate-income Americans has been difficult to see, until now. New research indicates that current programs and policies for helping families escape poverty, build stability, move up the ladder, and invest in the future are based on an outdated understanding of what their financial lives looks like—one that no longer reflects reality.
...
In this complimentary two-part SSIR Live! webinar series, researchers from New York University and the Center for Financial Services Innovation, will be joined by experts from the Aspen Institute, and Pew Charitable Trusts, the University of Michigan, and the Urban Institute to present new research findings, their implications, and insights for designing new policies, programs, and products to help improve the lives of low- and moderate-income Americans.
Anacostia Park: good for people now and in future
#Anacostia park could protect generations of District residents from the worst impacts of climate change https://t.co/lylM6rq4uG
— Anacostia Trust (@AnacostiaWater) December 9, 2015
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
USAO investigation of Vince Gray over
It's over. Gray was under investigation for 1,739 days. No charges. https://t.co/BMKg9qihec pic.twitter.com/D8ZdX1Tk4k
— Zach Rausnitz (@rausnitz) December 9, 2015
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Times they are a-changin' (at WAMU)
The sky is falling: Changes Afoot At WAMU As Kojo Show Halved And Diane Rehm Eying Retirement @kojoshow @drshow @wamu885 @Curious_Kurz
— Susie Cambria (@susiecambria) December 9, 2015
Read the details of the changes at WAMU in Rachel Kurzius' Changes Afoot At WAMU As Kojo Show Halved And Diane Rehm Eying Retirement.
Monday, December 7, 2015
David Cohen on lobbying
David Cohen died November 29. Read the WaPo obituary: David Cohen, lobbyist for 'public,' rather than 'special,' interests, dies at 79. Read Michael Barone's thoughts about Cohen: David Cohen: R.I.P.
Today: Learn about the attack on Pearl Harbor
>>2day is National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Watch events live-streamed https://t.co/hBu2J4tLkk & ask National Park Service staff ?s.
— Susie Cambria (@susiecambria) December 7, 2015
Sunday, December 6, 2015
New data about financially vulnerable families and news about innovative workforce program
Last week, Citi Community Development and the Corporation for Enterprise Development released new data about family financial security in DC. The data is found on FamilyAssetsCount.org in Building Financial Security in the District of Columbia: A Data Snapshot (PDF)—a snapshot is shown in the image above.
As reported in the blog post DC's unbanked population twice regional rate, may DC individuals and families are financially vulnerable. According to Family Assets Count,
- 74% of single-parent households, 55% of households with children, 54% of renters and 73% of households with no education above a high school diploma live in liquid asset poverty in the District.
- 18% of the District’s population receives the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), but only 4% are utilizing free tax prep services to receive their refund.
- 12% of District households do not have a checking or savings account—nearly twice the national rate. So, nearly 32,000 households are more susceptible to using alternative, often predatory, financial services. Even among those households that have bank accounts, a full 25% still relied on alternative financial services, such as check cashing or payday loans in the last year.
Family Assets Count is a project of CFED (the Corporation for Enterprise Development) and the Assets & Opportunity Initiative along with Citi Community Development, Capital Area Asset Builders (CAAB), and United Way of the National Capital Area.
In related news, Mayor Bowser announced the new Asset Building @ Work program, a partnership between CAAB and the Department of Employment Services. The partnership represents an "innovative model of integrating financial capability services with workforce development program over three years." (Mayor Bowser, Citi, CAAB Launch Partnership to Strengthen Employment Services Programming).
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Friday, December 4, 2015
Encouragement to make DC smoke-free
DC has taken numerous steps to reduce resident, worker, and visitor exposure to smoke but more can be done. Young people continue to experiment with smoking. According to the 2012 OSSE report District of Columbia PROMOTE. PREVENT. PROTECT. Youth Risk Behavior Survey (PDF), 5% of middle school students reported having smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days and 14% of the high school students reported having smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days. And the number is likely higher; surveys relying on self-reports are known to under-report.
If you are interested in tackling this important public health issue, read the Partnering4Health project's Where You Live, Work and Play Should Be Smoke-Free, below.
Unfortunately, CFSA reverts to bad old practice
Not a blast from the past: Children in Foster Care System Slept At CFSA Office, in Hotels This Year https://t.co/2KB2lDppBX @wcpsarah
— Susie Cambria (@susiecambria) December 4, 2015
DC's unbanked population twice regional rate
This information and more is available in the new estimates from CFED in their Assets & Opportunity Local Data Center.
There is deeper meaning to this data. Consider how much more powerful the DC Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) could be when claimants have bank accounts. Unbanked tax filers, according to Brookings' Alan Berube and others, commonly use high-priced refund loan products. Berube et al. also write,
In the Washington, D.C. area, taxpayers claiming an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) of $1,500 spend, on average, more than 10 percent of this amount on tax preparation, electronic filing and a refund loan if they use a commercial tax preparer. One local preparer’s prices were typical of those for national chain preparers: $60 for preparation of a federal return with the EITC, $34 for a state return, $20 for electronic filing, and up to $90 for a refund loan, for a total of $204. (The Price of Paying Taxes:How Tax Preparation and Refund Loan Fees Erode the Benefits of the EITC (PDF))In 2002, University of Michigan Law School's Michael S. Barr testified before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs about the unbanked. In a related essay, he described the high costs:
- Basic financial services cost a lot. Without a bank account, people must rely on check cashing establishments. In 2000, the FDIC estimated that a worker making $12,000 a year would spend $250 to cash paychecks.
- Saving is hard without a savings or checking account. "Bill Gale of the Brookings Institution has shown that, after controlling for key factors, low-income households with bank accounts were 43 percent more likely to have financial assets than households without bank accounts."
- "the unbanked are also largely cut off from mainstream sources of credit necessary to leverage their hard work into financial stability. Without a bank account, it is more difficult and more costly to establish credit or qualify for a loan. A Federal Reserve study found that a bank account was a significant factor - more so than household net worth, income, or education level - in predicting whether an individual holds mortgage loans, automobile loans, and certificates of deposit." (Banking for the Unbanked (PDF))
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Whaddya think? Sherwood for council?
Who thinks @tomsherwood should run for DC Council?
— Draft-Sherwood (@Draft_Sherwood) December 3, 2015
Thought you might be interested: Why trigger warnings are bad, from personal experience
I think the answer for why trigger warnings exist is pretty simple. There is a desire to protect people from harm, even if it's psychological harm....
I'm going to say the one thing that needs to be said about this, but that no one will utter. If you need people to put trigger warnings on everything for you to live your live normally, then there is a place for you to go. It's called a mental hospital, and it's where people go to get stabilized. If you are the kind of person who'll see a dick pic online and then go to the closet and hang yourself, then you aren't healthy enough to be living in the real world....
In creating a world of trigger warnings, you also create a world where people are less able to deal with hardship. We learn how to endure and prepare for certain hardships by reading about them in books or seeing a character overcome them in a movie. It is through encountering the unexpected, that we can become inoculated against it.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
December 12: Students, get ready for the ACT and SAT
This event will feature workshops, question and answer sessions, and giveaways.
The event is being held at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library (901 G St NW).
Get learning!
Categories of learning Kristyna Z. writes about are:
- Take An Online Course
- Learn How To Code
- Learn To Work With Data
- Learn New Languages
- Expand Your Knowledge
- Bonus
Kristyna Z. has created a list including the best of reader recommendations to her list. There is a link to that list.
Sign up for Lit Picks by DC Public Library Foundation
DC Public Library Foundation compiles a list of books each quarter. The curated list is an insider's guide, a look into what the staff are reading and enjoying. Subscribe to Lit Picks for the list along with a discussion of "a variety of zany topics at the intersection of literature, art, technology and pop culture."
Sign up for the free newsletter; previous editions are on the sign-up page.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
TA: Engaging New Voters in 2016, Dec. 10
The session is grounded in Nonprofit Vote's new report, Engaging New Voters: The Impact of Nonprofit Voter Outreach on Client and Community Turnout (the report will be released December 2). According to the organization,
One of the report's key findings is that when nonprofit staff and volunteers help their community members to register to vote or to sign a pledge to vote, those individuals turn out to vote a higher rates than other registered voters, regardless of demographic factors like age, race/ethnicity or income.
TA: Digital trends in 2015 and 2016
If so, register today for the free NetSquared DC December 9 event Digital Trends - Look Back at 2015 & Ahead at 2016.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Apply now for DPR athletic facility permit for spring/summer 2016
Permits are required for athletic use of DPR ball fields and basketball courts. The Spring/Summer season runs from March 21 – September 6, 2016. Notifications will be made during the week of January 18, 2016. More information is on the DPR Athletic Facility Permits page.
Image from Adriano Santi on freeimages.com.
Save the dates for Politics and Prose author events
- Wired To Create: Unraveling The Mysteries Of The Creative Mind by Scott Barry Kaufman And Carolyn Gregoire, Tuesday, January 5, 2016
- The Idealist: Aaron Swartz And The Rise Of Free Culture On The Internet by Justin Peters, Tuesday, January 26, 2016
- Exit Right: The People Who Left The Left And Reshaped The American Century by Daniel Oppenheimer, Sunday, February 7, 2016
- The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington, And A Group Of Extraordinary Men Invented The Government by Fergus Bordewich, Friday, February 19, 2016
- Just Another Southern Town: Mary Church Terrell And The Struggle For Racial Justice In The Nation's Capital by Joan Quigley, Sunday, February 21, 2016
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Saturday, November 28, 2015
#dcfy17 budget requirements resolution on December 1 leg meeting agenda
The good, bad, and ugly of social media
The inspirational:
I will note only briefly, with appreciation, the many people whose outpouring of support has uplifted and touched me the past couple of years. When I lost my job last year, the encouragement and support on social media (and tips and introductions to people who actually offered me jobs) were overwhelming.But that support paled in comparison to the virtual hugs I have received since my lymphoma diagnosis last December. During my treatment, which has included some setbacks I won't repeat here, the digital embrace on Facebook, Twitter and CaringBridge was tremendous. But it went beyond words of encouragement and promises of prayers. People I never or barely met in person, as well as friends of Facebook friends whom I truly didn't know, even digitally, sent me a journalism game, a handmade prayer shawl, a personal note about baseball, headgear when my hair disappeared, and, I'm sure, other gifts I'm not recalling at the moment. A person I've met only digitally shaved his head in support of me and another person undergoing chemotherapy.
And now the bad and ugly:
... I mostly mention the positive extreme to provide the necessary contrast to the primary point of this post: Facebook trolls.Consider other social situations: Political arguments are common, whether at an office holiday party, a meeting of friends in a bar or restaurant or a family gathering. But I can't imagine one of those situations, even in settings that involve lots of drinking, where a stranger would decide to join a conversation that's already under way and take it over, insulting the others in the group and even calling names, without ever making sense.
That happens to me multiple times in a week on Facebook, not just with politics, but politics and cultural issues are the most common settings in my experience. Who, in overhearing a political discussion in a restaurant or at a party where you're mostly or entirely an outsider, would butt in, however certain you were in your position, belittling people to their faces and calling names?
Buttry supports his views with numerous examples of rude, antagonistic, just plain anti-social behavior.
What are your experiences?
Friday, November 27, 2015
Upcoming COW and leg meeting info
Tuesday, December 1, the council will meet for the Committee of the Whole additional meeting at 10:00 am. The Seventeenth Legislative Meeting follows the COW. If you can't make it to the Wilson Building, you can watch it on the DC Council's Watch Hearings page.
December 11: Working Towards Achieving Economic Inclusion in DC, A Call to Action for 2016
Working Towards Achieving Economic Inclusion in #DC, A Call to Action for 2016: https://t.co/4nmxvhJYrM cc: @susiecambria @DCFPI
— CAAB (@CAAB_GreaterDC) November 24, 2015
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Shorenstein Center videos: the intersection of media, public policy, and politics
Smart entertainment for the holiday weekend - browse nearly 200 talks from leading journalists & political thinkers: https://t.co/Yqo7XY8SKL
— Shorenstein Center (@ShorensteinCtr) November 26, 2015
A successful Thanksgiving dessert: Buttermilk Coconut Pie
I will definitely make this again.
I've added the recipe to the Recipes page to make finding in the future easy.
Some thoughts about Thanksgiving
- A Word About Thanksgiving Day by Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji)
- All Hail Thanksgiving, So American a Day by Llewellyn King
- The Economic Importance of Thanksgiving by Ryan Young
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Useful new app from the FDA
The app is free and is available for the iOS and Android platforms.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Holiday closures: Tax Sale Resource Center
Sunday, November 22, 2015
New from WAMU: What's With Washington?
WAMU recently launched What's With Washington?, a new way to tell stories about the Washington area. What's With Washington? relies on user-submitted questions and user-voting to identify the questions which will be investigated by a WAMU reporter.
The three links are:
The first three questions are waiting for your vote.
Gloria Steinem on @kojoshow
What a GREAT program: Gloria Steinem Looks Back On A Life Of Activism And The Open Road https://t.co/A2NPhdwLcM
— Susie Cambria (@susiecambria) November 20, 2015
Saturday, November 21, 2015
#THINKOUTSIDE
What are the ways that you, your organization, your family, your community can think about do your work outside and incorporate the outside into your work. Share your plans and ideas with Washington Parks & People on Twitter, @WashingtonParks.
Friday, November 20, 2015
December 8: CFED Financial Well-Being Summit
The event will be streamed live; more information (agenda, registration link, more) is on the CFED website.
About the book, from the summit registration and more info page:
Through more than 30 essays authored by experts from across a broad range of fields, What It’s Worth: Strengthening the Financial Future of Families, Communities and the Nation will provide a 360-degree view of the financial problems and challenges millions of American households face, the enormous creativity and innovation already happening to increase financial well-being, and how we can implement proven and emerging solutions.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Neighborhood Legal Services Program intake, November and December
- Closed for intake Wednesday, November 25
- Closed for intake from December 21, 2015 - January 1, 2016 except for emergencies. Intakes will re-open Monday, January 4, 2016.
NLSP does intake Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. Intake is available by phone and in person. Call (202) 832-NLSP (6577) or visit one of their three offices:
- 680 Rhode Island Ave NE
- 2811 Pennsylvania Ave SE
- 4609 Polk St NE
More information is on the NLSP website.
Today is the Great American Smokeout
Still smoking and want to quit? Know someone who wants to quit? Cajoling a friend or family member to quit smoking? The American Cancer Society can help.
Visit the ACS smokeout page for links to resources and information that will help people stop smoking.
Thought you might be interested Thursday: Diana Nyad on perserverance
Reporter Amina Elahi's talk with Nyad brought out the important backstory of the recent record-setting swim. There are many useful lessons and an abundance of inspiration in this must-watch talk.
Want to learn more about Nyad and the Cuba-Miami trek? Read Find a Way, available at Politics & Prose and DC Public Library. To whet your appetite (from the book's page on the Politics & Prose website):
Diana carried three poignant messages on her way across this stretch of shark-infested waters, and she spoke them to the crowd in her moment of final triumph:
- Never, ever give up.
- You re never too old to chase your dreams.
- It looks like a solitary sport, but it's a Team.
Millions of people around the world cheered this maverick on, moved by her undeniable tenacity to be the first to make the historic crossing without the aid of a shark cage. At the end of her magnificent journey, after thirty-five years and four crushing failures, the public found hope in Diana's perseverance. They were inspired by her mantra find a way that led her to realize a dream in her sixties that had eluded her as a young champion in peak form.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
November 19: Chat with DPW about cold weather stuff
Join @DCDPW for a live online chat about snow events and volunteer shoveling. Thurs, Nov 19, noon. https://t.co/5IZs9R6N7O
— DC.Gov (@DCGovWeb) November 18, 2015
Ward 7 organization demands continued alcohol advertising ban by WMATA
#dcfy17 budget due in March 2016
This and other important dates are in the DC version, LightBox Collaborative's 2016 Editorial Calendar.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Mayor and CFO sued for spending money in FY 2016
New Taxpayer Lawsuit Challenges DC’s Expenditure of Taxpayer Funds without Congressional Appropriation https://t.co/xOj8vq2P5N #dcfy16
— Susie Cambria (@susiecambria) November 17, 2015
December 7: The ins and outs of blogging
We'll go through everything you need to know to be a fantastic blogger, like how to pick a topic and organize your thoughts. We'll also have plenty of time to answer all your questions.
Register on the GGW website.
Test your knowledge of DC history in Teaching for Change quiz
Take @teachinchange great DC History Quiz & share! https://t.co/RHOfsH9zh5 @DChumanrights @susiecambria @councilofdc @ghostsofdc #all8wards
— DCLanguageImmersion (@DCImmersion) November 16, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
Wards 7 and 8 calendar undergoes facelift
In the meantime, we hope you will continue to use the calendar and submit events.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Ta da: The 2016 DC editorial calendar is out
The DC version, LightBox Collaborative's 2016 Editorial Calendar for nonprofits (businesses and government, you can use it, too!) is here!
Highlights of the DC version are the DC EITC Campaign, hypothermia season, oversight and budget hearings, Child Abuse Prevention Month, the April primary elections, Bike to Work Day, Emancipation Day, Truck Touch, and the annual candlelight vigil for youth victims of homicide. If I missed something, all you have to do is add it. Be sure your addition is in red and bold.
A super huge thank you to LightBox Collaborative for their heavy lift on the original 2016 editorial calendar.
What the heck is #NorthEndShaw?
According to the Borderstan story,
Earlier this week, "a healthy mix of journalists, tastemakers and culture vultures" gathered atop the newly opened Atlantic Plumbing Company building at 8th and V streets NW to raise their glasses and toast the official unveiling of a new neighborhood, "North End of Shaw."
Borderstan is polling the community: Is North End Shaw a valid neighborhood name? Results as of November 13 at 5:00 pm are below.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Another Ward 8 biz bites the dust
So sad... nothing stays open in #Anacostia or area. So sad. #SEDC #AllTalkandNOActionbyDCCouncil @MayorBowser #DCGov https://t.co/raC2st7wao
— Joshua Hicks (@joshuarhicks) November 14, 2015
Why do you read? Share and win!
Learn what 19 authors and public figures have to say about why the read AND share your reasons for reading. Four responses will receive a book from this season's Litographs Book Club recommendations. The winner will have their response Tweeted by @Litographs and @Medium.
Learn more in Why Do You Read?
Friday, November 13, 2015
WAMU program changes
Starting Monday, no more morning traffic reports on @wamu885. Never met @JerryEdwards885, but pleasure to hear him! https://t.co/KNznfblqow
— Martin Austermuhle (@maustermuhle) November 13, 2015
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Thought you might be interested Thursday: A lovely tribute to people with Alzheimer's
There is an accompanying slideshow and write-ups of those featured.
Photo from menschmedia.contently.com/.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
CM Silverman has a new website
At-larege CM Elissa Silverman recently announced she has a new website. Check it out: elissasilverman.com/.
Monday, November 9, 2015
Like data? You're going to love this site.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Congresswoman takes issue with DC's FY 2016 budget
fought back a provision in the District of Columbia Fiscal Year 2016 Budget that listed the U.S. Virgin Islands among 39 countries recognized by the local D.C. Government as tax havens, according to a press release issued by Mrs. Plaskett's office on Thursday.
The "fighting back" involved having Council Chairman Phil Mendelson introduce, and the council pass, an emergency measure to remove the US Virgin Islands from the list of tax havens included in the budget.
This will not have an impact on the FY 2016 budget.
As a member of the committee with oversight over DC, it would have been nice had the congresswoman referred to the council in the proper manner rather than as the DC City Council (see release). And taking issue with the DC government's budget and the role Congress plays was also the opportunity for her to support the city's efforts to get out from under congressional control.
Catch Mo Willems with Kojo Nnamdi Nov. 10
The books are available at DC Public Library and Politics & Prose.
DC fails babies, scores "C" on preterm birth score card
The disparity index measures the racial differences in preterm births.
Preterm births are important; babies born early die more often than full-term babies. And, according to the March of Dimes, premature birth is the "number one killer of babies." When preterm babies live, they "often face serious and lifelong health problems, including breathing problems, jaundice, vision loss, cerebral palsy and intellectual delays." (score card release)
To put DC's grade in perspective, the US received a "C." Maine was first on the list regarding disparities and in the evaluation of city data, Portland, OR received an "A" while Shreveport, LA failed miserably.
November is Prematurity Awareness Month and World Prematurity Day will be observed Tuesday, November 17. Learn more and get involved.
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Anacostia home to WAMU bureau
Stay on top of the project by following the hashtag #FindingAmerica on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Read about previous Localore projects in What's Outside? Public Media 2014.