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Saturday, November 7, 2009
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April 16, 2009 - As part of our continuing series called "Conversations", reporter Michael Cottman discusses diversity with Angel Cartagena Jr., who now heads a consulting firm that helps organizations achieve their goals. In 2000, he became the District's first Hispanic appointee to lead an independent agency, the Public Service Commission.
April 16, 2009 - (April 17) RUMBA AT THE WINERY Saving Grace Ballroom hosts Rhumba night at Barrel Oak Winery in Delaplane, Virginia, tomorrow from 6 to 9 pm. The ballroom also offers free "Hustle" classes in White Post, Virginia, Sunday afternoons at 1 o'clock.
(Apr 17-19) THE MUSIC OF DON QUIXOTE The Folger Consort presents an intriguing mix of music and literature with a concert inspired by Cervante's Don Quixote tomorrow through Sunday. Both music and words are inspired by this classic saga of chivalry, with vocalists Rosa Lamoreaux and William Sharp and actor Floyd King as the quixotic Quixote.
(Apr 16-26) FARFAR OASIS Round House Theatre opens FarFar Oasis by Happenstance Theatre Company tonight at 8 and runs through April 26th. Using the Middle Eastern desert as its inspiration, old-time luggage labels become the starting point for tales of great explorers; a collage of Arabiana songs springing from the poetry of Rumi, Ozymandias and the riddle of the sphinx make for an exotic event for ages 12 and up.
(April 18) black rock Black Rock Center for the Arts and Quest: Arts for Everyone point the way to their newest presentation, Road Signs Saturday afternoon at 1. This interactive performance introduces audiences to Deaf culture through poetry, songs, mime and stories, followed by a free creative sign language workshop from 2 to 3:30 pm.
(Apr 20) CRUSH & BLUSH South Korean director Lee Kyoung-Me is on hand to present his film, Crush & Blush at the AFI Silver Theater Monday night at 8. This madcap comedy tells the story of a middle school teacher who suffers from extreme blushing whenever her emotions get out of control - which happens quite a lot. She befriends the daughter of the object of her affection but her crush ends up spinning out of control.
April 16, 2009 - With foreign workers are having trouble getting temporary visas, the owners of seafood processing plants on Maryland's Eastern Shore are looking into using state prisoners for labor. Corrections officials tell The Baltimore Sun that discussions with processors are "very preliminary." Members of the Chesapeake Bay Seafood Industries Association did tour the women's prison in Jessup and the prerelease unit for women in Baltimore this week. Corrections officials toured two crab houses a few weeks ago.
Maryland law would allow inmates to do the work. But the Sun reports there are logistical concerns about transportation, quality control and sanitation. Meanwhile, the Dorchester County Seafood Packers Association is looking for other ways to find employees. It's sponsoring a job fair on Hoopers Island today.
Rebecca Blatt reports...
April 16, 2009 - The family members of a fallen Army Colonel are suing a funeral home in Virginia's Fairfax County over the alleged mistreatment of the veteran's body prior to burial. The family of retired Army Col. Andrew DeGraff will argue that employees at the National Funeral Home left the veteran's body in an unrefrigerated garage during the two months between his death in October and burial at Arlington National Cemetery in January.
David Klatt reports...
April 16, 2009 - A volunteer firefighter who was fired after complaining that Maryland's Montgomery County was ill-prepared for a biological or chemical attack has settled a lawsuit. Lewis German, a former deputy chief with the Bethesda Fire Department, was terminated in February 2002 following his comments in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
Meymo Lyons reports...
April 16, 2009 - The American Cancer society reports more white women in D.C. get breast cancer than anywhere else in the country. And although fewer black women get breast cancer, the death rate among African-Americans in D.C. is nearly double that of whites.
Virginia's arsenal in the fight against breast cancer has just gotten stronger, with the highest-accredited breast center in the entire country. As Stephanie Kaye reports, both high and low-tech care come into play.
April 16, 2009 - A surge in drug-related violence in Mexico finds Commentator Fred Fiske re-thinking his views on illegal substances and thinking back to the early 1970's.
The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WAMU 88.5 or American University.
What do you think?
Go to www.Conversation.WAMU.org and click on "Commentary Forum".
April 16, 2009 - Arguing over the East Dupont Circle Moratorium on new liquor licenses is nothing new to residents in that D.C. neighborhood. The moratorium is 18 years old. But the economic crisis has added a new wrinkle to the debate.
The moratorium doesn't just prevent new liquor licenses. It also prevents existing license holders in the area from expanding their space. Opponents of the moratorium say that the restriction has done its job of preserving the unique feel of the neighborhood and that the time has come for area to move on.
Jonathan Wilson has more...
April 16, 2009 - A little "I told you so" on farm-grown fuels, a forum on the relationship between tax policies and families, and a new union-backed plan for immigration reform debuts today.
Elizabeth Wynn Johnson has details...
April 16, 2009 - State lawmakers in Maryland are watching for potential tax revenues from a bid for a slots parlor in Anne Arundel County. But County Council members say they'll probably delay a vote on the issue again. The rezoning proposal would allow for a slots parlor next to the Arundel Mills Mall. The council was supposed to vote on it earlier this month. But after more than 150 people attended hearings on the issue, the council decided to take a few more weeks before making a decision. Then vote was expected next week, but now council members tell the Washington Post they need more time. They say they're planning to hold more hearings and may introduce amendments.
Chairman Edward Reilly says he doesn't expect the final vote until early June.
Rebecca Blatt reports...
April 16, 2009 - Prince William County has rejected the appointment of a woman to the Convention and Visitors Bureau because she has disagreed with teh county's immigration policy.
County supervisors cited Katherine Gotthardt's blog, on which she wrote last year that the county's crackdown on illegal immigration was ''racism'' and ''ethnic cleansing by definition." Her appointment to the to the Prince William County/Manassas tourism board was defeated 5-3.
Stephanie Kaye has more...
April 16, 2009 - Music and the art's are usually the first classes on the chopping block when schools face budget cuts. But artists and educators say more is lost than gained by sacrificing the arts. Private donations play a part in funding the arts, especially when governments and schools lack resources. But among foundations the arts rank below health, human services and other educational priorities.
Stephanie Kaye reports...
April 16, 2009 - The Washington Convention Center Authority and sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority have won the Guinness World Record for hosting the largest-ever sit-down dinner in the history of conventions worldwide.
Sabri Ben-Achour reports...
April 16, 2009 - Researchers who normally invent medical tools bound for developing countries say many of their simple ideas can be put to use right here at home. One idea is to rethink the wheelchair. Picture the kind you might find in a hospital: Those thin tires, the glossy, square bucket seat. It's a great wheelchair for manuevring around the hospital linoleum, but try taking it outside in the park, or worse, down a dirt road in Guatemala. That problem led Rudy Roy, a non-profit entrepreneur from California, to come up with a chair that looks more like a mountain bike. David Klatt reports...
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