DC Tenants Coalition — Reviving a DC Legacy

in honor of a traditional DC institution, the modern revival of a Tenants Rights group is NOW forming and organizing!!!

JOIN THE MOVEMENT FOR TENANTS RIGHTS!!!

DC Tenants Coalition is a grass roots group of DC tenants, tenant associations and other concerned persons and groups. It seeks to strengthen tenants rights in the District of Columbia through education, networking and lobbying.

If you’re interested in getting involved and want to help organize for tenants rights, request to join their listserve at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DCTenantsCoalition/

Let them know you heard about it thru Idealist DC!

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For a copy of the “Tenant Survival Guide” and other tenants/tenant association resources, visit the DC Office of the Tenant Advocate

DC Child Care Collective

The DC Child Care Collective is a small all-volunteer group that provides free childcare to progressive groups working for social justice.  We provide childcare as an act of solidarity and prioritize providing this service to groups that are primarily led by low-income women of color.   It is our mission to make childcare that is safe, fun and empowering available to parents working to further social and political change.

Currently, we provide childcare to Empower DC, Women Empowered Against Violence and the Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Research Project.  We would like to make free childcare available to more groups and organizations; to do so we need to build a larger volunteer base.

To achieve this goal we are planning a Volunteer Orientation for September 10^th and 17^th from 7pm-9pm.  We ask volunteers to make a commitment to provide childcare at least 6 times over the course of 6 months and attend additional trainings that we provide.

If you want to support parents in DC working toward social change and if you like spending time with kids (even if you don’t have much experience) we would love to have you volunteer with us. If you are interested, please fill out the volunteer application (attached and available at our website and send it to dckids@gmail.com.

The deadline for applications is September 2^nd, 2008.

We are also trying to get word out to as many folks as possible about this orientation and our work, so please forward this information along to your networks.  By doing this you’ll help us grow, which in the long term means we’ll be able to provide free quality childcare to more organizations in DC.

If you have any questions or would like more information about the DCCC please feel free to email dckids@gmail.com.

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DC Childcare Collective
Childcare as a form of political solidarity!
dcchildcarecollective.org

Girls Rock! DC Camper Showcase — Sat, Aug. 16, 11am-1pm

http://www.girlsrockdc.org/

girls rock! concert flyer

Shakespeare Theatre Company — Free Lunch Series

Shakespeare Theatre Company

Happenings at the Harman

Lunchtime Series

Noon – 1:00pm

Local Foods Movie Night

LOCAL FOODS MOVIE NIGHT with FRESHFARM Markets:
Thursday, Feb 21 from 6PM to 8PM, FRESHFARM Markets is hosting a video night about local food at the Letelier Theater in Georgetown (next to Café Milano on Prospect St., NW). We’ll be showing our own FFM video featuring many of your favorite farmers. Also showing “The True Cost of Food”
and “Fridays at the Farm.”

Admission is $10 per person and includes a glass of wine or apple cider and organic popcorn. Our favorite gelato maker Robb Duncan, will talk about sourcing his ingredients from local farmers and treat you to a sample of Dolcezza gelato! Renee Catacalos of Edible Chesapeake will talk about her passion for the local food movement in our Chesapeake Bay region. Pablo Elliott, Director of the Local Food Project at Airlie, will welcome us to this lovely theater.

Buy tickets NOW by calling Maddy Beckwith at 202 362 8889 or sending an email to info@freshfarmmarkets.org

DC Taxis Update

News Release for Immediate Release
January 16, 2008

Fenty Announces Lower Taxi Rates for Time and Distance Meters

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and DC Taxicab Commission Chair Leon Swain announced the final rules for the new time and distance meters for taxis at the conclusion of a 60-day public comment period.  After considering public comments received during the period that ended January 8, Fenty announced that the flag drop rate would be decreased from the originally proposed $4 to $3 and other charges would be eliminated.  More than 2,000 individuals and organizations commented on the proposed regulations. Fenty announced the changeover from the city’s longstanding taxi zone system to time and distance meters on Oct. 17, 2007.

“I have heard from the residents of the District of Columbia and their primary concern was the initial base fare,” said Fenty.  ”It is essential that residents feel they can afford and will utilize the great service our cabs provide and lowering the base fare to three dollars will allow us to meet the needs of both the passengers and drivers.”

Of the people who commented on the meter rates, 99 percent wanted the rates lowered.  In addition to lowering the flag drop rate, Fenty announced that the additional passenger and rush hour surcharges would be eliminated, another overwhelming sentiment in the public comment responses.  Passengers will now be charged an additional fee of 25 percent during snow emergencies instead of the current 200 percent.  The maximum fare of $18.90 will remain the same for all trips that start and end in the District of Columbia.  

The fare changes will be subject to a 30-day public comment period, however the regulations regarding the types of meters and installation will continue forward as originally proposed. The implementation date of April 6, 2008, for the switch from zones to time and distance meters will remain the same.

Source: dc.gov
(http://dc.gov/mayor/news/release.asp?id=1206&mon=200801)

DC + Social Betterment + Facebook + ?

I recently joined Facebook to stay connected with one of my friends and to shamelessly promote my book (The Creative Activism Guide) and discovered three pretty cool things.

1. Among the many groups you could elect to join as a Facebook member is one called DC Treehugger Happy Hour.

2. There are a bunch of other groups built around certain social or environmental causes.

3. You can participate in online brainstorming sessions.  Look for a group called Jenni. You can sign up, look some of the creative challenges (and ideas) that have been posted, and post your own challenge. Sadly, the posting feature wasn’t working on 11/02.

The View From the Cheap Seats: Great Theater Bargains for Young People

The View From the Cheap Seats: Great Theater Bargains for Young People
By Emily Halonen
Washingtonian.com

Tickets to Shakespeare’s plays in the 1500s and 1600s are said to have cost a penny. Now they cost a lot more, which might be one of the reasons Washington’s theater audiences are missing a younger demographic. In an effort to tame this shrew of a problem, several theaters are starting cheap-ticket initiatives to entice the younger crowd.

read more | digg story

DC Cabs, more suggestions

from: Tina Chen  
to: Adrian.Fenty@dc.gov
date Oct 18, 2007 6:13 PM
subject DC Cab Fares

Dear Mayor Fenty,

I appreciate your action on this issue, it has been long overdue. I have lived and worked in the District for more than 7 years and I have had my share of good and bad experiences with DC Taxicabs.

There are some decent, honest cab drivers out there, I have been lucky enough to meet a few. Unfortunately for them, the dishonest and indecent drivers outnumber them and are not held accountable for their dishonest and indecent acts.

If the DC Taxicab Commission actually did its job and was accountable to the public, they would not find themselves in this situation to begin with. They only have themselves to blame, they should have made the drivers more accountable and punish dishonest behavior accordingly.

Other actions that I think will help individuals feel more confident about riding in taxicabs are:

1. Requiring all taxicab drivers to have a copy of their operating license to be displayed properly and legibly on the back of the front driver and passenger seats so that Passengers in the rear passenger seat can clearly identify their driver. The majority of taxicab drivers display their operating license on the driver/passenger side sun visor. When the visor is not in use, the ID is hidden. Even if the visor is in use, and the ID is not hidden, the ID is often times obscured by other pieces of paper, stains, illegible ink, or just sun damage/poor quality.
2. Require all taxicab drivers to have copies of the “Rights of the Passenger” to be displayed properly and legibly on the back of the front driver and passenger seats. I have noticed that drivers that have this list properly displayed are “usually” the honest, decent drivers who actually care about their passengers.
3. Require all taxicab drivers to announce any and all extra taxes or surcharges BEFORE the start of the trip.
4. Require all taxicabs to have VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION (VID) NUMBERS displayed both on the interior and exterior of their vehicle. Their VID Number should be displayed clearly and legibly. The exterior display should be readable from a 4 feet distance, both day and night. The exterior VID Number must be displayed on the left, right, and posterior (trunk) side of the Vehicle. The VID Number should be displayed on the interior of every passenger door, ideally near the door handle or directly below the windows. Alternatively, the VID Numbers can also be displayed on the back of the front driver and passenger seats, which should also be displaying a copy of their license to operate a taxicab, as well as the “Rights of the Passenger” list.
5. Require the DC Taxicab Commission (DCTC) to file and follow-up on all passenger complaints. The DCTC should be required to provide a case number for each complaint and notify Passengers of what actions have been taken in response to their complaint.
6. Require the DCTC to establish a set of standard procedures mandating appropriate time lines for follow-up action on Passenger complaints.
7. There should be an independent investigatory body set up if the Passenger feels that inadequate action has been taken in response to their complaint by the DCTC.
8. Make it a “Passenger Right” to be able to open the doors at all times, unless the Passenger agrees otherwise. Many taxicab drivers have the child-lock mechanism in their vehicles operating, so that Passengers cannot override the child-lock system and cannot independently unlock their doors. Taxicab drivers must notify the Passenger before the start of every trip if they choose to use the child-lock mechanism and allow the Passenger to have the Right to agree and/or disagree. If the Passenger disagrees and request that the taxicab driver does not use the child-lock mechanism, the taxicab driver must comply to the request.
9. Make it a “Passenger Right” to be able to open/close the windows at all times, unless the Passenger agrees otherwise. See #8.
10. Taxicab drivers who are found to be repeat violators of Passenger Rights and/or DC/Federal Laws should be permanently banned from operating a taxicab in the District of Columbia.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

–Tina Chen

The Washington Glass School

Local Artist Uses Glass To Make A Point About The Environment

Wendy Rieger Reports: http://video.nbc4.com/player/?id=157792

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The Washington Glass School

The Washington Glass School is a unique educational program in the Nation’s Capital area, operating as the sculptural glass education, artistic and community center and resource for the mid-Atlantic region, serving students, artists and the general public.

For Schedule of Classes, click here.

MT. RANIER STUDIO AND CLASSROOMS
Washington Glass School
3700 Otis Street
Mt. Rainier, MD 20712

NEON CLASSES
Marty Kings Fantastic Neon Studio
The Eckington School
111 Quncy Pl. NE
Washington, DC 20002