Metro, Metro, where art thou?

The continuing news about the Metrorail collision, unfortunately, gets worse and worse, with the death toll at 9 people. It's chilling to think about the crash, because even if you weren't on the train, you might have been about to take the train, or know someone who regularly takes the train. That the weather was beautiful (no ice or witheringly hot temperatures to deal with), makes the trains' malfunctions all the more distressing.

As scary as the situation was for people at the collision site yesterday, I empathize a lot with the confused people in the subway station, waiting to find out what to do, what happens next, that sort of thing. Unfortunately, there's a LOT of room for improvement of communication at Metro rail stations to passengers.

The last time I was in the station when there was a problem of some type was a few months ago. Who knew what delayed the trains that morning? There was no announcement from Metro management, of course.

Now, being a longtime Metro passenger, I knew that I could get off the train and use my Smartrip card to take a bus, which I did; this enabled me to be merely a bit early for my appointment, instead of way ahead of time. How many passengers know that they can use the smartrip on the bus as well? Does Metro announce this possibility when there are major system delays? (Answer: Are you kidding?)

Unsurprisingly, the "M" word--maintenance--rears its ugly head. The fact that Metro users take it on the chin financially because there's no dedicated source of funding (other than occasionally begging Congress and local jurisdictions) means that maintenance, too often, gets short shrift. Sadly, I'm not surprised that the NTSB has found that an old train that should have been replaced is part of the reason for the crash.

Finally, can there finally be a real Metro board? You know, comprised of people who regularly USE the system. The fact that the head of the Metro board, Jim Graham (who's had his own recent troubles) doesn't regularly use the system (which, sadly, is not unusual for the Metro board), has insulted Metro passengers by implying that they are not busy people, unlike him, is a real travesty. You can't tell me that this indifference doesn't affect the running of the system, because for people who don't use the system, any problems that come up are mere abstractions, so there is no sense of urgency to repair them.

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It's been a rough couple of weeks in town--the shooting at the Holocaust museum, in Columbia Heights, and now this crash. Ugh. I need to chill to this classic Roy Ayers tune, "DC City," to put me in a better mood.

HIV in DC (or, a woman's worth)

The periodic ritual of hand wringing, head shaking, and teeth gnashing is taking place about the catastrophic rate of HIV infection in Washington, DC. To be fair, the current D.C. government is trying to get back on track in combatting the disease, but has had its hands tied--for instance, until recently, there was a congressional ban on local tax dollars being used to fund needle exchange programs. (Another reason that DC needs real congressional representation, but that's another rant.)

There were glimmers of good news in the gloom--that only one infant was born with HIV in 2007, contrasted with 10 in 2005. Moreover, 70,000 residents were tested for HIV as part of a campaign, compared with 40,000 four years ago.

However, horrifying are the stats on heterosexual sex--according to Donald Blanchon, who runs the Whitman-Walker Clinic, ..."70 percent of them said that did not use condoms..." Sadly, I'm not surprised. While the phrase that the AIDS infection rate is comparable to that of West Africa, we say that as though the attitudes of men in America are different from those in Africa. If we don't deal with what a refusal to use condoms represents--a blatant disregard for one's own life (suicide on the installment plan?), a clinging to the plantation-era myth that one's manhood is based on one's reputed sexual prowess, and disregard for the lives of others--the infection rate will continue to skyrocket.

Interestingly, Washington Post columnist Courtland Milloy mentioned the high rate of infection of the STD chlamydia in DC, which weakens the immune system and makes HIV infection more likely, as a sign of how vulnerable DC's black female population is. I agree with him that any AIDS public service campaign needs to be in-your-face, because, sad to say, we are numbed to the gravity of the situation, and need a visual face slap to wake up.

Of course, provocative public service campaigns urging condom use, increased testing and surveillance, needle exchange programs, will probably prove to be of great help if implemented with gusto. However, to quote Elizabeth Pisani, "The belief newly empowered women would be more likely to refuse sex or use condoms than already empowered men rests on the questionable assumption that women care more about staying alive." While Pisani was speaking of African women, the same could be said of African American women--whether we, though newly empowered (another shaky assumption) care enough about our own survival. What is a woman's worth?

This one's for "Toot"!

So sad to hear that Obama's grandmother (aka "Toot") passed away late yesterday. From what the Senator himself relates, he got much of his practicality and steadfastness from her. What a tribute to her, and to the country, to make sure that her dearest grandson makes it to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in January 2009.

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In ongoing paranoia to make sure that my vote will count, I went to the Maryland board of elections site to find a sample ballot, as the state was too cheap to mail more than one this year. (And none were to be found at the library, either.) At least the website makes a sample easy to obtain, as its Frequently Asked Questions section has a question, Where can I see a sample of my ballot? After clicking it, it has prompts for first name, last name, zip code of registered address, and date of birth, after which you click on the "Find voter registration information" button; a PDF of an appropriate sample ballot will appear, ready to be printed and taken along to the polls for handy reference. (And in my case, to be signed and dated tomorrow, along with the votes filled out. Just in case, the camera phone is coming along, as well.)

The other two local jurisdiction board of election sites, Virginia and DC, don't make it easy to find a sample ballot. (Perhaps considering the problems that DC is having with its early voting, maybe it's just as well.)

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Remember to get your post-voting tall coffee from Starbucks on the 4th--good for staying wired through the upcoming tense night! (Thanks to wisebread.com for this and other good freebie tips!)

Time to get some shut-eye, for the potentially dragging, er, long day and night ahead.

Political season silliness...more polling place shenanigans!

I was under the impression that locally only DC residents were restricted from wearing and carrying election paraphernalia to the polls. But no, Virginia election officials decided to join in the silliness and ban its residents from carrying or wearing campaign paraphernalia (clothing, buttons, stickers) as well. Ugggggghhh!!

Nonetheless, although Maryland residents are allowed to have such items, as it is not considered to be electioneering, I wouldn't--you never know if a poll worker might be able to tamper with your vote, knowing that you plan to vote for ???

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Regardless of your state's polling regulations, make sure to get there on November 4, as part of your own anti-poverty initiative--especially if you're voting for That One!

Dressing the part for the polling place?

Like wildfire, rumors have been spreading--via the radio as well as the Internet--that voters wearing candidate paraphernalia--Obama t-shirts, political buttons--may be turned away from the polls for electioneering. This debate-within-a-debate, to dress up or not, has more legs than a centipede. In fact, the Maryland Board of Elections had to put a "Rumor Control" section on its website in order to address such speculation!

So, in Maryland, voters CAN wear all manner of campaign paraphernalia to, and into, the polling place. However, once you are done voting, you cannot loiter or linger behind the polling place. The vagueness of the election law as written is probably what gave rise to such rumors, as it does not define "electioneering." Also, commentors on the DailyKos website have commented that sometimes they have been hassled for wearing campaign articles to polling places. I wouldn't want to take a chance that a poll worker might find a way to tamper with my vote somehow, after having broadcast my intended choice via my clothing.

Maryland's elections website has also had to inform voters via rumor control that foreclosure does not keep one from voting. (However, such voters will need to update registration before October 14 in order to vote in this year's general election, as that is the deadline to be registered to vote in Maryland.) Folks voting by absentee ballot need to have a request in by mail or fax before October 28.

The last day for Virginia residents to register to vote is the close of business October 6. An application for an absentee must be received by the voter registration office by October 28.

However, DC voters should watch themselves! Not only is the DC board of elections' website woefully vague regarding registration deadline dates (or has buried them deep undercover), according to the ruling, Marlin v. District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics, 236 F. 3d 716 (D.C. Cir. 2001), DC voters CAN be stopped from voting if wearing any kind of campaign paraphernalia. The gentleman at question in the above court case, David Marlin, was a DC resident who went to his polling place to vote wearing his sticker in support of mayor candidate Anthony Williams, but was informed by a poll worker that he "could not cast his ballot while wearing the sticker." He was told that he would not be permitted to vote in the general election if wearing "any sticker, button, emblem, or clothing that showed support for a candidate." Whoa!

Unfortunately for Mr. Marlin, the court ruled in favor of the Board of Elections.

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Skip the drama, vote for Obama, but don't let your clothing do the talking for you!

Bang, Bang?

On one hand, it's gratifying that some gun shops near DC (as there are none in the city proper, nor has there been for decades) are finally verifying whether potential handgun customers are from the District, at least until the DC City Council passes legislation specifying the conditions under DC residents can lawfully own the weapons.

However, why the heightened sense of responsiblity now? The DC handgun ban was in effect for thirty years, as everyone is well aware. Why didn't suburban gunshop owners feel a civic duty to verify customers' residence while the ban was effect, before it was struck down by the Supreme Court? This conscience-come-lately stance is hypocritical, at the very least, if not downright disgusting.

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It's hard to figure out which is more worrisome--the manner in which the DC handgun ban was overturned (the fact that it was DC's law which made it to the Supreme Court suggests that DC is being made an experiment, yet again), or the reasoning underlying much of the public support for overturning the ban. The fact that some of the many groups which filed amici briefs in the case (District of Columbia v. Heller) believe that a person holding a handgun would be able dial 911 with the opposite hand, means that like much of the general public, ostensibly educated people place too much faith in the ability of handguns alone for self defense.

While it is true that under the right circumstances, you can defend yourself adequately with a handgun, there are too many caveats with gun possession to make it a first line of self defense.

For instance, late last year, a gun store in the region was robbed. Sadly and shockingly, such a situation is not that unusual, as many of the guns used in crimes are stolen; however, before that robbery, I was previously unaware that many guns are stolen from gun stores as well as from homes. Such a state of affairs would seem to suggest that if you sense a need to acquire a gun to protect yourself at home, you should take other measures first, such as having an alarm system installed, and using that alarm system; unfortunately, only half of homeowners having such systems actually turn them on, negating the purpose! Of course, other preventive security measures should be used as well, with any thought of acquiring a handgun as a last resort.

In the words of Ice-T's song, the best lethal weapon is your mind.

Green, and red all over...

I finally decided to call the county and order a recycling bin, so that I could have the satisfaction of not contributing so much to the landfill, etc. Thankfully, the container didn't take long to arrive, about a week. However, I was in for a nasty surprise; when I called to find out where the paper that residents recycle goes, not only did the county employee not know, she told me that the only paper that could be recycled were newspapers, glossy magazines, and telephone books. What?!? Of course, I let her know how ridiculous that situation was, as I purchase recycled office paper, and much of the paper that needs to be recycled is office paper. She countered that the county does not have the capacity to process office paper! (One good thing, the county does also recycle plastic, glass, and metal containers, so I suppose I shouldn't grouse too much.)

However, that incapacity leads me to a greater frustration. A number of my colleagues are as disgusted as I am with the waste generated by our office, and similar offices, so I decided to look into recycling options. Now, why did I do that? Every jurisdiction makes recycling difficult for businesses and nonprofits, which would seem to make it impossible for them to reach their recycling goals. For instance, if Prince George's County is unable to recycle office paper from residences because it lacks the capacity, then the county is not equipped to process this material from businesses and nonprofits, which, if anything, generate as much or more of this type of material than residences!

Prince George's County, MD is far from the only jurisdiction that makes it impractical for businesses and nonprofits to recycle. Even progressive Montgomery County, MD requires that interested establishments contact a waste hauler to pick up their recyclables (making recycling an additional expense, on top of fees for having regular trash hauled), and submit an annual report. (More bureaucracy!) Confusingly, all jurisdictions in the Washington area have similar requirements for businesses and nonprofits that wish to recycle, while making it practically effortless for residents to recycle (e.g., supplying free recycling bins, free pickup of recyclables, etc.).

One might think that Washington, DC itself would be keen to motivate busineses and nonprofits to recycle, considering that it's in even more dire landfill straits than its neighbors (and, according to a city employee, may soon be losing a site, as one is in the process of being sold), but you'd be wrong. A business or nonprofit can either go through the dog and pony show of contacting a hauler, or become a "self-hauler" and obtain a sticker so that your business/institution can haul its own recyclables to the recycler. (You also get to pay $24 annually for this privilege!) Argggggghhhh!

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On a brighter green note, the recent gorgeous weather prompted me to take a nice long stroll to the Washington Deli for pizza. This eatery boasts of having "Long Island" style pizza. Well, whether the pizza is authentic New York-style or not, it's some mighty tasty pie! I had the soy cheese variety one day, which came with various toppings and had a nicely charred, smoky crust. Yum! The next day, I tried the white pizza, which was a tad salty, but was a flavorful combination, nonetheless. The crusts are nice and thin, and the sauce well seasoned; apparently, many people agree, judging by the crowds there! When the weather becomes pleasant on a regular basis, I may try one of its various vegetarian sandwiches, that is, if I can tear myself away from the pizza (which may be a challenge, for when you find a place in DC that serves good pizza, you keep going back for more).

This place seems to put green principles into practice, if only to save dough, so to speak. (Perhaps the fact that the headquarters for the Humane Society of the United States is nearby is also influential in this regard.) For instance, the deli seems to eschew excessive packaging and containers, as everyone's pizza is served in thin pizza boxes, even customers who eat at the tables outside. Also absent are those ridiculous napkin holders; in fact, napkins and other accoutrements are kept in flat containers, which may not please the germ-phobic. However, I didn't notice any tiny beasties anywhere in the vicinity of the place--perhaps the natural spiciness of the food kept insects away. (This notion is not as wild as it sounds, as many natural insect repellant formulas contain garlic and chili pepper, or some combination thereof, as people seem to be the only creatures that consume hot peppers, pickled or otherwise.)

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One productive way of re-framing a divisive issue--Thom Hartmann says that America's immigration dilemma is really an "illegal employer problem." To wit:

"Encouraging a rapid increase in the workforce by encouraging companies to hire non-citizens is one of the three most potent tools conservatives since Ronald Reagan have used to convert the American middle class into the American working poor. (The other two are destroying the governmental protections that keep labor unions viable, and ending tariffs while promoting trade deals like NAFTA/WTO/GATT that export manufacturing jobs.)

As David Ricardo pointed out with his "Iron Law of Labor" (published in his 1814 treatise "On Labor") when labor markets are tight, wages go up. When labor markets are awash in workers willing to work at the bottom of the pay scale, unskilled and semi-skilled wages overall will decrease to what Ricardo referred to as "subsistence" levels.

Two years later, in 1816, Ricardo pointed out in his "On Profits" that when the cost of labor goes down, the result usually isn't a decrease in product prices, but, instead, an increase in corporate and CEO profits..

Republicans understand this very, very well, although they never talk about it. Democrats seem not to have read Ricardo, although the average American gets it at a gut level."

'Nuff said.

Remember the Day...

This unofficial start of summer, is a time for remembrance (commencements, and the Memorial Day holiday), to stop and reflect, on the future and the past.

Today is, surprisingly, the first day that a Memorial Day parade has taken place in Washington, D.C. itself, since World War II--today is the day of the first National Memorial Day parade! After World War II ended, folks allowed an official celebration to lapse. Fitting perhaps, now that there is also a World War II Memorial, a place for people to gather to commemorate that military victory, that the celebration has gotten back on track.

A New, Old Tradition

Earlier today was a great day for a parade, and a parade there was in Washington. Today, the first official Emancipation Day celebration in D.C. was the first time the occasion had been celebrated in many years. It got its start when Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Act on April 16, 1862, freeing Washington's slaves some time before the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in other areas. Emancipation Day was celebrated as a holiday for years before it fell out of favor.

What's old is new again.