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KLMNO POSTLOCAL Talk to us. Talk to newsmakers. Talk to each other. Join the conversation at
postlocal.com From the roads
Readers responded to the news, posted on the Dr. Gridlock blog, that Virginia will increase speed limits to 70 mphon 680 miles of interstates by the end of the year.
Gas pedal time in Virginia
OnWednesday, Gov. Robert F.McDonnell (R)
announced the change, which will affect interstates in rural or less-populated areas. It includes segments of Interstate 66 from
Fauquier County to Interstate 81 and Interstate 95 fromsouth of Fredericksburg to Ashland and from Prince George County to the North Carolina border. State officials said in a statement that the
change should help shorten commute times and allow traffic “tomove at amore consistent speed.”
getjiggly1: “Speed limits don’tmatter if they aren’t enforced. Inmany areas, speeding by 5mph means you are dangerously slow.”
WashingtonDame: “I can’t even remember the last time I drove in southern or central Virginia, but if the conditions warrant higher speed limits, then they should be implemented. Treating non- urban areas as if they were urban is nonsensical.”
1995hoo: “This is progress for a state that has been very slow to enter the 20th century with respect to highway speed limits. . . . The Dulles Greenway . . . is clearly a road that ought to be considered for a 70-mph speed limit. It’s a better road than large portions of Virginia’s interstates, and it carries less traffic than some portions of the roads recommended for the 70-mph limit.”
slar: “I agree that the Greenway should go up to 70. I’mnot sure I’monboard with 66West because traffic patterns are so variable.”
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MORE DR. GRIDLOCK Read his blog at
washingtonpost.com/drgridlock.
Q&A
Post restaurant criticTomSietsema got into a lively discussion with
PostLocal.com readers Wednesday after his inclusion of the Red Hook Lobster Truck in his Fall 2010 Dining Guide, viewable at washingtonpost. com/diningguide.
Keep on (food) truckin’?
Q: “I think it’s great that youincludeda food
truck andsome casualdining options. It’smuch appreciated, as I cannot affordexpensive restaurants all the time.”
Sietsema: “Yet another reasonI includedthe
truck, the burger joint, etc.: variety! I think readers wouldget boredreading about the same subjects year after year. I knowIwould.”
Q: “Iwas greatly amusedto see yougive theRed
HookLobsterTruck two stars.Unfortunately, I work inSuitlandandsohave little opportunity to sample any foodtrucks.Do yousee the proliferationof foodtrucks as a lasting trendor a passing fad? Is it relatedto the economy?”
Sietsema: “I think foodtrucks arehere to stay,
but Ihope they improve inquality. . . .The economy certainlyplays a role intheproliferation of foodonwheels.For starters, trucksdon’thave to pay rent for a building.”
Q: “Alobster truck?Really?Can’twait for the
SpringDiningGuide andthe reviewofFrank’sHot Dog Stand.Oy.”
Sietsema: “What’swrongwithmixing thingsup
a bit fromyear to year?Foodtrucks are all the rage rightnow; Iwantedto salute the one I think is doingwhat itdoes, best.”
Q: “Having,myself, eateninthepast year at such
DiningGuide establishments asRedHookLobster Truck,BGRandKomi, I can’tunderstandhowyou canrate suchdisparate establishments onthe same scale.”
Sietsema: “Inhanding out stars, I compare like
venueswithlike venues.For example, I ate at a bunchof foodtrucks inthe city and’burbs before selecting the lobstermobile as the best ofwhat I experiencedinterms of foodquality,mostly, but also taking atmosphere (the scene) andservice into consideration.”
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MOREDININGRead andwrite reviews at
washingtonpost.com/restaurants.
Today on
Weekend plans Get them and give suggestions at 1 p.m.
washingtonpost.com/discussions.
THE DAILY QUIZ
Why is a Nestle’s crunch bar one of the “healthiest” candies to eat? (Hint: Check today’s Local Living section)
JOHN KELLY/THE WASHINGTON POST
Metal and plasticWashington Shopping Plates and a Central Charge Service card.
FIVE PONDS PRESS
There is controversy over passages concerning African American soldiers in the CivilWar in “Our Virginia: Past and Present,” a textbook being used in Virginia elementary schools.
remembered a time inWashington when some merchants did something sort of like that. “There is a better system and theD.C. area
used to have it,” wrote Ronald Batleman, who now lives in Winnabow,N.C. It was called the Washington Shopping Plate and it allowed customers to shop on credit at several local department stores. “I used it up untilHecht’s went belly up,”
wrote Maureen Norton. “I am sure many other Washingtonians will remember this wonderful memory!” Wrote Kathy Gambrell: “The accounting for
Internet and the Civil War
R
eaders responded to an article about controversial assertions about the role of African American Confederate soldiers that were included in a Virginia elementary school textbook — and which the author found primarily through Internet research.
blakely1: “If there is a questionable subject, give bothsides of anargument, period.Allowthe childrento think for themselves.”
rhondaonecvoice: “History books and textbooks are subjective and should be scrutinized.However, let’s use this samemagnifying glass equally and fairly.”
blueball: “Iwent toWilliamandMary and learned realhistory.But kids can’t afford that today.They get the second-rate thoughts ofnon-scholars.And the purpose of educationis thwarted.”
patmatthews: “The Internet is filledwithlies. Researchfromyour living roomto someone else’s basement, claiming some formof truth.”
nativedc: “The real story forme isnot this amateurishbook but really thename of the Virginia educationofficial responsible for selecting the textbook andhowthis travesty occurred andwhat is being done to prevent further incidents like this.”
Sky22: “Many online sources are inaccurate or biased,not ‘everything’ is available digitally and evensome adults don’t questionwhat they find online.Many old-school teachers still tell their students to go to the library,whichis one of the fewplaces that takes informationliteracy seriously.”
POINTS EVENTS
EARN 5 POINTS: Find the answer, then go to
washingtonpost.com/postpoints and click on “Quizzes” to enter the correct response.
Reward Yourself! If you’ve been saving your PostPoints for a while, it’s time to browse the online Rewards catalog at
washingtonpost.com/postpoints. You’ll find thousands of products to choose from. Just sign in and click on the Rewards home page.
funfun881: “The problemwiththe Internet for researchis that scholarly journals charge to look at good articles,while those interested in propaganda don’t charge for anything.”
tptbte: “It’s a tool to be used, and youneed to use yourhead aboutwhat you find.Assuming that an organizationwill present all the facts andweneed no clarificationor corroborating evidence is just unbelievable.”
JohnAdams1: “Ifwe lose ourhistory,we lose our identity as a people.”
FROMTHEBLOGS OnWednesday, onherAnswer Sheet blog,Post columnistValerie Strausswrote: “Wehavewitnessed anassault ontraditionally
trained public school teacherswhohave been givenscripts bywhichto teachand evaluation systems that pay themaccording tohowwell their students do ona standardized test.”
GIVEYOURTAKE Should researchfor textbooks be conducted
online? Share your thoughts onthis and other questions
atwashingtonpost.com/yourtake.
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MOREEDUCATIONCOVERAGERead the Answer Sheet and share your thoughts at
washingtonpost.com/education. POINTS & REWARDS
Ford’s Theatre Explore Abraham Lincoln’s incredible story! See
fordstheatre.org.
Kettler Find your new space with Kettler’s easy property locator.See the listings at
kettler.com.
Thomasville Furniture Your home deserves an update from Thomasville. See
thomasvillefurniture.com.
The State Theatre Enjoy terrific live entertainment in Falls Church, VA.See the show line-up at
thestatetheatre.com.
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Not a PostPoints member yet? Log onto
washingtonpost.com/postpoints for more information about this exciting free program.
The
the [Washington Shopping Plate] was done using a paper ledger. Imagine what technology can do for it now!” I did a bit of research. TheWashington Shopping Plate—so called because it was a tiny metal plate embossed with the cardholder’s name and address—was announced in The Washington Post with a full-page ad on Oct. 1, 1950. The headline: “If you have a charge account with any of these six stores watch the mail for your newgroup shopping plate.” The stores were theHecht Co., Jelleff ’s,
Kann’s, Lansburgh’s, RaleighHaberdasher and Woodward & Lothrop. Julius Garfinckel & Co. was added later. “You’ll want to carry your Shopping Plate
with you always,” read the text. “It’s a tiny plate in a simulated leather case, only 11/2
by 21/2
inches flat and easily tucked into any handbag or wallet.” Two years later, another ad appeared in The
Post. This ad was aimed at retailers and invited them to sign on with the Central Charge Service.Merchants who didn’t want the expense of running their own credit departments could use the CCS. WhileWoodies,Hecht’s and the otherWashington Shopping Plate stores were behemoths, the Central Charge card was honored at smaller places. In 1974, rumors spread acrossWashington
retailing that a local department store was thinking of honoring a national credit card. The president ofWoodies said he was “distressed” that national credit cards might supplant the local version, but he conceded that he might be “trying to delay what may or may not be inevitable.” It was inevitable. That year Garfinckel’s
started taking American Express, the first large store in theD.C. area to do so. Of course, today not a single one of those seven department stores remains.
Sign up! Sign up! This seems like the perfect time to remind
you that the District’s Simon Elementary is the school we’re helping this year with the rewards from our Giant and Safeway cards. If you aren’t supporting your child’s school, please designate Simon. For Giant, go
towww.giantfood.com/aplus.
Put in your 12-digit Giant card number and the first three letters of your last name, then enter Abram Simon Elementary School’s identification number: 00265. For Safeway, go
towww.escrip.com and click
on the red check mark that says “Renewyour commitment to Safeway stores.” Search for Simon, or enter the school’s Safeway group ID number: 500025152. If you have any trouble, shoot me an e-mail.
kellyj@washpost.com
A complete list of PostPoints Spots can be found at
washingtonpost.com/postpoints.
JOHN KELLY'S WASHINGTON the credit card herd N
o one need suffer from the heartbreak of loyalty card overload. That was the message I got from readers after last
week’s column on how those retailer “rewards” cards increasingly fill our wallets and encrust our key chains. What readers pointed out is that you don’t
need the plastic card. You just need the bar code and/or the number. A smartphone helps, too. Cheryl Belloli of Clifton uses a free Droid app
called Key Ring. “The phone’s camera acts as a scanner and scans in the barcodes for the loyalty cards,” she wrote. You just scan the barcode from your phone at the store. Jennifer Folsom uses the CardStar App.
“Easy,” she wrote. “It even takesmy local library card!” (That would be Fairfax County.) Don’t have a smartphone? A company called
KeyRingThing.com will put six bar codes on a plastic card that fits in your wallet. The cost is $4.95. Inmy column I scoffed at the idea that
retailers would work together to create a universal card, but many, many readers
Ways to cull Hot topic: Confederate history
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010
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