Ode Street Tribune

fashion show at Rosslyn Spectrum this Friday, 2pm

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 02:33:00 +0000

Hot news just in from Caterina Fox:

The Students of the Art Institute of Washington will beputting on their winter holiday fashion show entitled “FrostyFairytale” at the Rosslyn Spectrum on Friday, December 18, at 2pm. The show hasbeen produced by the school’s Fashion and Retail Management Program’sEvent and Fashion Show Production Class.

The Event and Fashion Show production class started their fallquarter session back in October. They came up with the idea of doing aholiday fashion show - but not just any regular holiday show. Theywanted to produce a show that would benefit the community. So insteadof going out and buying clothes for the fashion show, the studentsteamed up with Goodwill of Greater Washington D.C. They also organizeda clothing drive at their school, which invited their peers toparticipate in the holiday spirit.

The donated clothes were used to select the runway looks. Theresult is a refreshing perspective on fashion – unwanted clothes areupdated and combined to become relevant again. After the show, alldonations will be delivered to Goodwill.

Gossip Boutique ( 566 23rd St S., Arlington) supportedthe show by supplying accessories to complete the runway looks. TheGraham Web Academy will be in charge of hair and make-up.

The concept Frosty Fairytale was not only created to helpproduce a great show, but to create a meaningful experience. Thisseason should be a selfless one – a season of joy, giving, and hope forthe less fortunate. Frosty Fairytale explains that in this frostyholiday season we desire to fulfill someone’s dreams and make their ownfairytale come alive.

Come and join AIW’s Event and Fashion Show Production Class aswe give back the gift of fashion at the Rosslyn Spectrum, 1611 NorthKent Street in Arlington , VA 22209.

Admission is free and clothing donations will be accepted.

This is my kind of fashion show. Unfortunately my day job will prevent me from attending this great fashion show. The Ode Street Tribune would be grateful to anyone who could step up and cover this important neighborhood event.

comment moderation turned on

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 01:34:00 +0000

Apparently spammers have cracked blogger -- I'm starting to get a lot of comment spam. So I've turned comment moderation on. That means you won't see your comments until I approve them. Sorry. I'll try again with comment moderation off sometime in the future.

RAFOM Holiday Party biggest yet

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:47:00 +0000

From Stan Karson, President of our civic association RAFOM:

This past Friday evening, we sponsored the 5th Holiday Party for our lower-income residents at Wilson School. RAFOM, the County Parks and Recreation Department and the 2nd District County Police Team worked together to make the event the best and the largest we have had. At least, 125 people attended, most of them young children. We had an abundance of free food and soft drinks, but the main attraction for the younger guests was the toys, which the Police officers had received from Toys for Tots. Santa was ever present, and the kids had their pictures taken sitting on his lap which were provided them.

Many must be thanked for their effort and time to make this a wonderful experience for all. RAFOM members -- including Patricia Darneille, who helped organize the event, Bob Blakeman, Soo Lee Davis, Steve and Nicole Campbell, Ken Robinson, David Treworgy, Doug Jerger, Stuart Stein, Larry Reed, Leslie Arminski, -- all contributed mightily by obtaining the food from the neighborhood restaurants, handing out the food, setting up and cleaning up, posting the notices at the affordable housing apartments.etc. etc. We owe special thanks to six RAFOM residents who answered our pleas for help that evening: Cathy Crane and Michael Simpson from Prospect House and Jim and Diane Villars, Charles Harvey, and Meli Morcuendo from the Wooster and Mercer Condominium.Carol Hoover from the County Parks and Rec Dept. once again was enormously helpful in so many ways. The Police officers, headed by 2nd District Captain Brian Berke, brought the Santa Claus and the elves, all of whom were greeted with sustained applause form the residents attending.We appreciate very much the restaurants in our area who donated the good food for the occasion. They are Bertucci's, Cafe Assorti, Domino's in Rosslyn, Il Radicchio, Piola's, Santa Fe Cafe and Toscana Grill. Remember their generosity when you head out to patronize Arlington restaurants.

All in all, a most gratifying success story.Our best wishes to you for a very good holiday and a Happy New Year.

Stan Karson

From the RAFOM Yahoo list, reposted with permission.

authentic New Mexican food at Santa Fe Café

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:43:00 +0000

Santa Fe Café at 1500 Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn is a locally owned restaurant serving reasonably priced New Mexican food in a casual, homey dining space. I've had Santa Fe's chicken Quesadillas ($8.95, a starter that could make a light meal) and the Blue-Corn Chicken Enchiladas ($12.75). Both are excellent.

Last week I found on the Santa Fe menu pork chops with chocolate mole. I've had chocolate bars for dinner before, but never chocolate with pork chops. Mole, a type of sauce, is in fact the national dish of Mexico. Moreover, it has impressively cosmopolitan roots reaching back to Islamic cuisine that still contributes to the taste of Indian curries. The dish came with mashed sweet potatoes and a nicely seasoned vegetable mix (onions, peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms). One of the Ode Street Tribune's expert food consultants described the sauce as tasty, but the pork chops a bit dry. I would rate the dish as worth a try, but not one of my favorites. Maybe I've just got low-brow burrito tastes.

I like that Santa Fe Café is a business with a big heart. The restaurant opened in 1988, and four out of five of the original employees are still working there. That says a lot about the way the business is run. Owner Kip Laramee actively supports the Arlington Street People's Assistance Network, both with donations of food and his personal participation in neighborhood events. This past September Santa Fe Café participated in "Farm to Table" Month, which involved preparing dishes with locally grown ingredients. So if you need an extra excuse to walk over to Santa Fe Café and enjoy a great Mexican dinner, know that by eating there you're supporting a vibrant, caring neighborhood.

Santa Fe Café is opens at 7am on weekdays, and serves breakfast and lunch. Dinner is served Tuesday through Saturday up to 9 pm (10 pm on Friday and Saturday). The restaurant is closed on Sundays. Location: 1500 Wilson Blvd, Arlington VA 22009. Phone: (703) 276-0361. All items are available for carry-out and can be delivered through drdelivery.com.

overturned car closes eastbound Rt 50

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:56:00 +0000

About 9:15pm, eastbound Rt 50 coming into Rosslyn was closed due to an overturned car under the Meade St. bridge. I hope that everyone in the car got out safely, but it doesn't look good. Drive carefully!

traffic jam on Rt. 50 through Rosslyn

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:10:00 +0000

Here's Rt. 50, going through Rosslyn this Thursday night at 6:30pm.

Even on a cold windy night, most of these people would be happier if they were biking from work. Go for it!

neighborhood discussion

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 02:53:00 +0000

An Ode Street Tribune reader suggested that the Ode Street Tribune host a neighborhood discussion space. The comments to this post are open for any discussion about neighborhood issues. A link to this post is permanently fixed on the right side of the main Ode Street Tribune page, under the "News You Can Use" heading.

Many opportunities are available across the Internet to discuss a wide range of issues. Please keep posts here relevant to this geographic neighborhood.

While persons in this neighborhood purchase a variety of products and services, please do not use the comments to promote commercial products. Notes of upcoming neighborhood events are fine.

Many adults engage in griping, axe-grinding, insulting, antagonizing, and misery-spreading. Please make here childish posts with a spirit of play, amazement, fun, and enthusiasm.

lights, chili, cheer

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:36:00 +0000

Light Up Rosslyn today signaled the start of the holiday season with the flipping of a large switch to turn on lights lining the tops of buildings in Rosslyn. The event also culminated the collection of winter clothes for Arlington's Street People Assistance Network (A-SPAN) to serve homeless persons in Arlington. The Metropolitan Choir, under the expert leadership of Barry Hemphill, contributed joyful renditions of holiday anthems. The Santa Fe Café, which services authentic New Mexican food right here in Rosslyn, contributed free hot chili and hot cocoa to the event. Not only that, Santa Fe Café owner Kip Laramie was there personally serving the chili. The lights turned on to celebrate Light Up Rosslyn are energy-efficient LED bulbs. Despite some weaknesses in our neighborhood's power grid, we've received no reports of that this event impacted anyone's power supply.

Artful Weekend this weekend at Fort CF Smith

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:07:00 +0000

The Arlington Artists Alliance is holding an art exhibition and sale this weekend at the beautiful Fort CF Smith park off Lorcom Lane in Arlington. The show features 40 Arlington artists. The opening reception is this Friday, 6-8pm. Additional exhibition hours at Saturday, 10am - 5pm and Sunday, 12noon - 4pm. The Stardust Dance Band will play at 1pm on Saturday. Buy holiday gifts made right here in Arlington!

Image: Andrea Schellma's painting, Down near the River. See it at the show.

Yaku restaurant closing

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:44:00 +0000

Yaku restaurant, which is somewhat hidden on Clarendon Blvd near Hollywood Video, will close this January. I've been meaning to review Yaku, but never got around to it. Part of Yaku problem seems to be poor location, i.e. lack of public awareness of its existence. The Ode Street Tribune apologizes for not making a small contribution to addressing Yaku's problem.

A new "rock ‘n’ roll/sushi establishment" will open at Yaku's location. We hope to have an investigative team bring you a full report once this new restaurant opens.

In other news, I had a fine lamb kabob dinner tonight at the Afghan Kabob House.

Romanoke tops Image/Project

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:08:00 +0000

The Arlington Arts Center is currently featuring an exhibit entitled Image/Project. According to the exhibition description, it's "a national survey of photography and video." Guggenheim Fellow Taryn Simon, represented by Gagosian gallery in New York, selected 17 projects from a list of qualified photographic and video art. The Arlington Arts Center website explains:

The show reflects the ways in which contemporary artists tend to approach photography and video. Many of the artists presented here use photography as either a means for documenting or presenting cross-disciplinary projects, or as a tool for inquiry into the way we perceive and live in the world.

Arlington Arts Center has hosted fantastic exhibitions of original, creative art. Image/Project, unfortunately, seems to me about as insipid as the above description of it. Fine art like Sun Xun's Shock of Time -- this show has none of it.

But a trip to the Arlington Arts Center some time before Jan. 16, 2010, would be a worthwhile and enjoyable excursion. First, play awhile on the play ship. Then check out Image/Project. You might enjoy it much more than I did. Go downstairs and see This is My City / Esta Es Mi Ciudad, an exhibition of photographs by students from Arlington and Suchitoto, El Salvador. These photographs seem to me to provide a more wide-ranging perspective on the world that do the works in Image/Project. Most rewarding of all, go upstairs and gaze upon Jill Romanoke's luminous charts.

Jill Romanoke's charts conceptually connect ancient Chinese oracle bones to modern bureaucratic artists such as Hanne Darboven. Romanoke's charts consist of five piece of paper pressed together. Each piece of paper Romanoke associates with a different place, and each has a different design. By stacking the papers, Romanoke makes the designs interact virtually, but also accentuates the physicality of the paper. All the paper she uses is hand-crafted. She mentioned that some of her paper includes ground clam shells, while other paper was placed in a snow bank for weeks as part of the process of making it. Beautifully hung and lit in the Arlington Arts Center, the charts radiate oracularly, but they also insistently, materially trace a specific history.

* * * * *
This is My City / Esta Es Mi Ciudad, Image/Project, and works by Evan Reed & Jill Romanoke are on exhibition at the Arlington Arts Center from Nov. 20, 2009 to Jan. 16, 2010. As always, admission is free.

please conserve water

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:39:00 +0000

Repair crews are still working round the clock to repair a Arlington water main that broke on Monday. Arlington County asks residents to conserve water. You can do this by taking fewer and shorter showers, not doing laundry, flushing the toilet less, not letting the water run, and minimizing the use of water when washing dishes. Arlington water remains safe to drink.

James Bea, who has worked for Arlington County for 24 years, died from electrocution while working on the water main repair site this Wednesday morning. A second Arlington employee was seriously injured. Please join with their family and friends in recognizing this tragic loss. We should also be thankful today and every day for the dangerous work that James Bea and others do so that we have water, power, and clean, attractive buildings.

I cycled by the site of the water main break at the corner of Glebe Rd and Old Glebe Rd this morning about 11:30am. There's still a huge hole in the middle of the road. Traffic on Glebe Rd heading toward Chain Bridge was reduced to one lane. Use extra caution when driving down Glebe Rd.

Update: Water main back in service. Special request to conserve water no longer applies. Some traffic restrictions remain to be resolved.

Rosslyn from airplane

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:39:00 +0000

Photo taken on Friday, Sept. 25, 2009 at 10:21 am from Delta Air Lines Flight 6339 operated by COMAIR INC (on Canadair Regional Jet), taking off from Reagan National and flying north. A Canadair Region Jet has 50 to 76 seats (depending on model). Planes flying over Rosslyn create noise. Encourage people taking flights to take pictures of Rosslyn and send them to the Ode Street Tribune. A little photo-journalism should help the FAA to enforce its rules.

about those reports of a space ship

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:58:00 +0000

The Ode Street Tribune recently sent its crack investigative team to uncover the real story behind persistent reports of a ship, possibly a spaceship, on the ground west of Rosslyn. Have no fear, we are here to inform you that the ship is a play ship. It's Bonifatius Stirnberg's Spielschiff (Play Ship). It was installed on the grounds of the Arlington Arts Center in 2007 in conjunction with Planet Arlington. A plaque at the site explains:

Spielschiff (Play Ship in German) is an interactive play sculpture with parts that can be repositioned, swiveled, peered through, and explored. Children can imagine they command a magical vessel either from the lower level's revolving hull, or in the crow's nest, equipped with kaleidoscopes and a weathervane. Stirnberg recast Spielschiff from molds he used in 1979 to create an identical piece for Aachen, Arlington's German sister city. Here, a medallion on the upper level is cast with the word Arlington on one side, and Oche (Aachen in dialect) on the other, representing the sister-cities relationship.

Like most forms of fun, playing on the Spielschiff involves some danger. A child who fell from the top level through the ladder hole could be seriously hurt. If you bring kids to enjoy this great art, take appropriate care for their safety.

Below is full video coverage of our investigation into the ship reports.

helping the homeless and the hungry

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:31:00 +0000

This month's meeting of our neighborhood civic association RAFOM featured Kathleen Sibert of the Arlington Street People's Assistance Network and Fred Jones of the Arlington Food Assistance Center.

The Arlington Street People's Assistance Network (A-SPAN) has outreach worker Terrence Toussaint (TToussaint@A-SPAN.org 703-663-0247) working in the Rosslyn area. He gets to know homeless persons in the area and seeks to find ways to help them. A-SPAN's bagged meal program hands out meals every night at 6:30 pm at Gateway Park in Rosslyn. On S. Nelson Street, just off Four Mile Run Dr in South Arlington, A-SPAN runs a facility that offers homeless people a mailing address, phone, showers, and laundry facilities. You can help homeless people with acknowledgment of their presence, with friendly conversation, by buying them some food if they want some, and by contacting A-SPAN to let them know about a person's need. A-SPAN number for calling to request assistance for a homeless person is 703 820-HELP (4357).

With the nation-wide economic downturn, A-SPAN's corporate and foundation support has declined, but its individual contributions have increased. You can help A-SPAN with your donations of money, volunteer time, and clothes, blankets, toiletries, and food. See the A-SPAN website for more information about these opportunities. The Help the Homeless Walkathon is this Saturday morning starting at 9am. You can register online for a minimum donation of $25. For a $100 donation, you can attend A-SPAN's Help the Homeless Holiday Gala at the Top of the Town on Thursday, Dec. 10th, 6:30-9pm.

The Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) distributes groceries to people living in Arlington who cannot afford enough food for their basic needs. AFAC distributes food Monday through Saturday from its warehouse in S. Nelson St, next to the A-SPAN facility. It also distributes food at the Clarendon United Methodist Church every Saturday, 9:30 am to 10:30am. Of the food AFAC distributes, 65% is donated by individuals and local businesses, and 35% is purchased. Fred Jones spoke passionately about AFAC's concern to respect the dignity of the persons it serves and to provide them with nutritious, healthful food. One program that helps AFAC to provide persons with fresh vegetables is its Plant A Row for the Hungry Program. It enlists gardeners in producing fresh vegetables for AFAC. That senior citizen who was going on about gardening might have been worth listening to after all.

AFAC serves clients through referrals from Arlington County government agencies, churches, schools, and other social service agencies. Two-thirds of AFAC referrals are through Arlington's Department of Human Services. This past week AFAC served 1,283 families, up from 759 two years ago. Within these hungry families, 39% of the persons served were children. You can help AFAC with donations of money, food, and volunteer time.

Other items discussed at the RAFOM meeting:

A 12-story apartment building with 100-110 housing units has been proposed to be built in the parking lot of the Wakefield Manor Apartments, just off Rt. 50, in the Courthouse Rd., 13th St., N. Troy St. block. Site plan may be submitted to the County this spring, with construction possibly starting in 2011. Meeting attendees discussed concerns about parking availability and stress on water and power infrastructure.
The neighbor sign design depicting Iwo Jima won the neighbor sign voting with 60% of the votes. RAFOM will now work with the County to determine sites for the signs, which will be placed on both sides of Rt. 50.
RAFOM's annual holdiay party for low-income families in the RAFOM neighbor will take place on Dec. 11. The holiday party will feature music, food, Santa and elves, and toys for children. Local restaurants are generously donating food to this event. To help with this happy, fun event, contact Stan Karson at RAFOM.

The next RAFOM meeting will be in February.

your chores are easy

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:48:00 +0000

Don't let household chores get you down. It could be much, much worse. The best way to begin doing housework is by first surfing the web for inspiration. As always, the Ode Street Tribune is here to serve you.

art scene in Rosslyn

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:08:00 +0000

As part of fotoweekDC, the future site of Central Place in the middle of Rosslyn became a screen for photographic and video art every night from Nov. 6 to Nov. 10. This was a spectacular event. The curators made brilliant use of the Rosslyn built scenery. That's right, the beautiful built scenery of downtown Rosslyn. So stop wondering when the construction of Central Place will begin again, and start hoping that Rosslyn BID, in collaboration with the JBG Companies (the developer of Central Place) and Arlington Cultural Affairs, will stage more shows like this.

about 5 min wait to vote in Rosslyn

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:32:00 +0000

At 8am on this sunny fall day, I waited in line about 5 minutes to vote in the Wilson Precinct. The situation in the Rosslyn Precinct next door in the firehouse looked similar. A campaign worker told me that turn out had been very light, but was picking up.

you can feel it

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:14:00 +0000

Signs of time passing. Winter's coming.

notes from Oct. Westmoreland Condo Board meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:34:00 +0000

Some notes from this past Monday's Condo Board meeting:

We are still waiting for Verizon to start installing Fios. No one knows when installation will begin.
The roof repair on 1311 is nearly complete. Most of the repair was done in 2-3 days.
Pruning of tree branches, particularly dead branches over the parking lot of 1301, is underway.
The Board approved re-engagement of auditor. Cost is $2,500 for auditing of annual accounts, $350 for tax return, and $75 administrative fee
A sewer backup in building 1309, along with one earlier this summer in 1307, makes clear the importance of seriously addressing this problem. The Board has decided to hydrojet all the sewer lines. Moreover, this will be done annually. The cost is a few thousand dollars per year. Arlington County has recently highlighted that pouring fats, oils, and grease (FOG) down drains clogs county sewer lines. Pour grease into a can, let it solidify, and then throw out the can. This will decrease the probability of sewer disasters in Westmoreland and across Arlington County.
Westmoreland is still waiting for repair of the parking lot resurfacing. No money has yet been paid for the resurfacing, and no money will be paid until the problems with the resurfacing are fixed.
A resident sought approval to install an exhaust vent. Approval is regularly granting once necessary arrangements have been made with the contractor to make the modification in accordance with condo standards.

Condo Board members Jose Calvo, Emil Tabakov, Valerie Corda, Jennifer Hastings, and Joe Ruland, residents Gretchen S. and Douglas G., and Property Manager Dennis Freeman attended the meeting. That's right, the number of Board members attending was more than twice as great the number of non-Board residents attending. Residents should be grateful for the service of our busy, unpaid Condo Board members. One way to show some appreciation would be to show up for some meetings.

The next regularly scheduled Condo Board meeting is Monday, Nov. 23, at 7pm.

Marine Corps Marathon 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:57:00 +0000

Living in Rosslyn, we're got prime seats for the Marine Corps Marathon. So after a large, leisurely breakfast, walk outside and enjoy the spectacle of more than 20,000 persons running a marathon. The Marine Corps Marathon is the people's marathon. People are incredible.

tasty kabobs at Courthouse

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:03:00 +0000

The Afghan Kabob House is between a post office and a printing shop, across from Wendy's, about 100 yards from the Courthouse Metro. Not exactly a location that screams ethnic authenticity. Moreover, the Kabob House is clean, has a spacious dining space with a cafeteria feel, and is professionally and efficiently run. It offers free wi-fi service. An ethnic dive this isn't.

But the kabobs are magnificent. I had some tender, beautifully spiced, lamb kabobs and a couple of pieces of very tasty chicken breast kabob. Moreover, I got talking to a guy named Dale. He had lived in Afghanistan. He said that this place serves the real thing. It's a lot more convenient to go to Courthouse than to Afghanistan. But I'd say either is worth a trip for kabobs this good.

The kabobs come with Tandoori Nan, an Afghan bread that has a bit more body than its Indian relative. You choose from four kinds of rice (brown rice, curry rice, rice mixed with some spinach, and rice mixed with raisins and shredded carrots). In addition, you get a choice of hummus or salad and a portion of vegetables. I had eggplant and an extra side of cauliflower. Both vegetable dishes had delicious, exotic flavors.

Prices are reasonable. My lamb kabob meal was $10.95, before tax. You can get the boneless chicken breast kabob meal for $9.95. Extra side portions are $2.25 each. You pay for your food and pick it up at the counter, hence there isn't a waiter that you have to tip.

Owner Akbar Madany opened the Kabob House in the spring of 2009. He has thirty-years experience in management for large restaurant chains. He got fed up with being treated like a cog in a corporate machine and decided to strike out on his own. He says he feels quite alone running his own restaurant without corporate support (corporate support is the appealing aspect of the corporate mold). But he's not an owner isolated in a back office. Yesterday night he was behind the counter, taking orders, serving food, supervising his crew, and chatting with customers. He has established the Afghan Kabob House as a highly professional business, serving authentic ethnic food with the personal care of a small business. You don't often find this kind of restaurant.

For a tasty, quick, reasonably priced, healthful meal, go to Afghan Kabob House. Hours: Mon-Thurs, 11am to 10pm, Fri-Sat, 11am-3am, Sun 12pm-9pm. That's right, it's open until 3am on Friday and Saturday, so this is where to go for a late-night kabob run. Call 703 294-9999 for take-out. Delivery and catering also available. Free wi-fi. Address: 2045 Wilson Blvd, Arlington VA 222901.

2009 RAFOM/NRCA Candidates' Forum

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:20:00 +0000

The Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights Civic Association (RAFOM) meeting on Oct. 15, 2009 began with approval of the minutes for last month's meeting. With respect to neighborhood signs, the minutes for last month's meeting record:

RAFOM Vice President Patricia Darneille noted that persons are now voting on the two options. There was a discussion whether people should be required to be RAFOM members in order to vote. It was agreed that voting wouldn't be linked to membership, if technologically practicable.

Careful readers of the Ode Street Tribune will recognize that this record of the September meeting is not quite accurate (compare it to this first-hand, contemporary news report). But that's no big deal. The good news is that voting on the neighborhood signs is now open to all neighborhood residents, without additional conditions. Moreover, the period for voting has been extended to Oct. 24. Neighborhood residents can conveniently vote online here.

The meeting discussed airplane noise. Residents are complaining of noise from airplanes taking off and landing at Reagan National Airport. RAFOM President Stan Karsen reported that new routing of airplanes over the river is being phased in, and airplane noise is expected to lessen by the beginning of next year.

RAFOM and the North Rosslyn Civic Association (NRCA) jointly sponsored a candidates' forum for the upcoming general election. Candidates for seats on the Arlington School Board, the Arlington County Board, and the Virginia House of Delegates gave presentations and answered questions from the audience. Below are links to video of the candidates' presentations and rebuttal statements, where applicable.

Candidate for Arlington County School Board (unopposed):

James S. Lander (video of presentation and discussion, focusing on Wilson School in Rosslyn)

Candidates for a seat on the Arlington County Board:

Candidates for Delegate to the Virginia House of Delegates, 48'th District (includes Rosslyn):

The election is on November 3. Vote!

need for speed at Bike DC

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:04:00 +0000

Bike DC 2009. Rainy, windy, 46 degrees F'ing. These are the days when I prefer to ride fast. Only the anticipation of a good rip like at the Crystal Ride got me out of bed at 6:30 am Saturday morning. While Bike DC is not a race, what's wrong with a little speed? Riding at 25 mph is more fun than riding at 15 mph.

Bike DC put local bike racing legend David "Super Dave" Osborne and his Artemis teammates at the front. They apparently had instructions to keep the pace under 15 mph. Osborne could have ridden the course at 30 mph...on his full-suspension mountain bike. Everyone was also required to stop, in the cold, in the rain, at the rest stop 7 miles into the 25 mile ride. That's no fun. Why not allow riders to motor where conditions are safe for it? Even better, why not have Super Dave lead the ride at, say, 70% of his race effort? Many local cyclists would be thrilled just to try to hang with him at a reasonably challenging pace.

Overall Bike DC was very well organized. Spectators actually were out on road about 8:30 am and cheered the cyclists along. Bike DC went by the Capitol and by the White House. It had a nice climb to the National Cathedral. At that point, I decided that I did not want to stop at a rest stop and I did not want to continue riding so slowly. So I went home and back to bed. I slept from a little after 9am to 11am. Very enjoyable. Sleeping can be more fun than cycling!

Creative Briefs celebrate forthcoming cultural center in Rosslyn

noreply@blogger.com (Douglas Galbi) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:03:00 +0000

On 10/10/09, short creative performances and a lively party celebrated the new cultural center scheduled to open on 10/10/10 in Rosslyn. The cultural center will remake the space of the old Newseum at 1101 Wilson Boulevard.

It was an eclectic, loosely organized evening. Jocelyn Gordon and friends kept the energy up with some great hoop dancing. This past summer, Gordon also led free hoop dancing sessions in Rosslyn's Gateway Park. Kathryn Cornelius and Robin Bell added some edge to the evening with their performance piece, Monuments of Future Nostalgia. Henrik Sundqvist had a nice mural featuring Arlington as a bike-friendly community. I hope that mural will remain in the minds of drivers when they see cyclists.

Jalaika Hasan provided me with some insightful analysis of Dana Lehrer Danze's pottery. Jalaika designs jewelry, homeschools her five children, and is an accomplished chef who is developing her own multicultural cookbook. If Arlington events are attracting persons like Jalaika, no one can doubt that Arlington is an interesting place.

Remy Munasifi was at the event. He was the prime attraction for at least Bob Cannon's kids. Check out Remy's ode to the forthcoming cultural center.