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KLMNO POSTLOCAL Talk to us. Talk to newsmakers. Talk to each other. Join the conversation at
postlocal.com Focusing on your community
Each week, our photographers bring you scenes from your community. Today, take a look through the lens of Jahi Chikwendiu at a scene from inside the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in Southeast Washington.
JOHN KELLY’S WASHINGTON
A little too much like roughing it
W
ater restrictions lifted! Hurrah! It has been a bad week at our house as far as utilities are concerned. Told to
conserve H20, we watered our most precious
outdoor plants with water from our dehumidifier (ah, the benefits of a damp basement) and didn’t flush the toilets as often as we would have if, say, the Queen of England were coming to visit. Then the power went out. Our neighbor’s tree, a massive red oak, chose Sunday morning to calve like an iceberg, one half of its bifurcated trunk cracking away and laying itself across the street, the power lines stretched underneath like a busted hammock. Water rationed, power out, I was expecting the gas to go next. It wasn’t all bleak: Thank goodness for a fully charged laptop and a neighbor’s unencrypted wi-fi. (And thanks, Pepco, for the quick fix.)
A few follow-ups My Monday column about Washington tour
JAHI CHIKWENDIU/THE WASHINGTON POST
ator who spoke out for the oppressed,” she wrote in a recent e-mail. “So, whenever I go to his study, it makes me think of a lot of things he has done for our country.”
O Among her duties, Ingram dusts, vacuums, maintains and oversees the
home’s contents. Douglass, who once had been a slave, was a famed aboli- tionist, orator and statesman. She has to repeat the process four or five times a week. Ingram, who is
“ 33% 26%
We want your pictures! Got photos of a summer sunset over the Potomac? How about your favorite bag? Send in all those, and more, to our user photo galleries at
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n a March morning before visitors start to arrive, Cathy Ingram moves silently through the artifact-filled rooms of the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, where she has been the curator for the past 10 years. “Frederick Douglass was a fantastic gentleman and a great or-
deaf, finds giving tours to other hearing-impaired people a “rare and spe- cial treat.” As to being hearing impaired, “my deafness does not bother me, nor does it stop me from doing anything,” she wrote. “What bothers me is that whenever someone approaches me and finds
out that I am deaf . . . they are the ones that stop. Not me,” she added. But on this morning, visitors are only an indirect concern as she wipes
off the possessions of a man she says “was a good fighter and made a good fight.”
guides reminded Dan O’Day of tales he heard from a friend who worked aboard one of those hop-on/hop-off tour buses that ply our streets. Dan, of Alexandria, said that, according to her, there is such a thing as a stupid question. She heard them. For example: “Can the wife of the Unknown Soldier be buried in there, too?” and “Which end of the Capitol does the president live in?” Then there’s my favorite: “How do they get all the flags around the Washington Monument to blow in the same direction?” We could tell you, but then we’d have to kill
Q&A
District resident Gillian E. St. Lawrence wrote about her and her husband’s decision to undergo in vitro fertilization and freeze their embryos in Tuesday’s Washington Post. She also took reader questions online.
“High heat is tough, but you don’t need to shovel it.”
Respond to this and other questions at
postlocal.com.
Conversations
On the November ballot, Maryland voters will be asked whether the state should hold a constitutional convention to update or streamline the state government’s core document. Readers debated the issue — and suggested changes — on the Maryland Politics blog.
A constitutional update in Md.?
dnara: “The larger a constitution, the more it’s been corrupted.”
VikingRider: “The Board of Public Works should be abolished, and the comptroller and treasurer positions should be appointed, not elected.”
creation: “We need to stop blaming elected officials for our problems.”
Jackmathias: “The single most pernicious obstacle to freedom in our country is the practice of gerrymandering voting districts, which is enshrined in just about every state constitution.”
skip727: “I ask all Marylanders to at least look at our constitution before the election and ask yourself, ‘Does it need to be reviewed?’ ”
of readers said the Constitution needs to be modernized, according to an online user poll Tuesday evening.
said, “They’ll just make it worse.”
Vote in the poll and tell us what you think about changing the Maryland Constitution at the
Maryland Politics blog at voices.washingtonpost. com/annapolis.
THE DAILY QUIZ
What’s the name of the signature slaw served at Zentan, a Thomas Circle restaurant
owned by chef Susur Lee? (Hint: It’s pictured on the front of Food today.)
EARN 5 POINTS: Find the answer, then go to
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o COURTESY OF CHRIS Time of the sign in Va. A missing road sign in Virginia that frequently
bedevils drivers has also caught the attention of Daily Gripe readers. In this case, it’s a sign on southbound Washington Boulevard, where drivers can head left for Interstate 395 and Arlington Ridge Road or head right toward Clarendon. “The sign toward Clarendon came down in a storm years ago and has never been fixed,” Chris wrote, “resulting in a lot of people cutting over into the right-hand lanes dangerously when they realize they don’t want to get back on 395.”
POINTS EVENTS
Earn Points All Around DC Don’t leave home without your PostPoints membership card! Over 100 merchants in the DC area award PostPoints with your purchase. Check
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“It’s a miracle we haven’t had more accidents,” sumigurl wrote. The Virginia Transportation Department is on the job, spokeswoman Jennifer McCord said. “Getting a permanent sign in place is a priority,” she said, adding that the agency plans to install a new sign as soon as possible.
Read more gripes, learn about fixes that have been made and suggest your own at
washingtonpost.com/dailygripe. POINTS & REWARDS
Betty’s Azalea Ranch Save big on hanging baskets, herbs and vegetables in July. See these specials and more at
bettysazalearanch.com.
Cravens Nursery From pansies to pottery, Cravens has everything you need for a terrific looking yard. See
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Havertys Furniture Trade your PostPoints for a $500 gift card for stunning furniture. See
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Sheehy Auto Stores Don’t pay too much for a used car—check out the Sheehy markdowns first. See
sheehy.com.
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Summer video contest: What are you doing this summer? We want you to show us by
taping and submitting a 30-second video capturing how you’re spending your summer in the metro area. John Kelly is one of the contest judges. Enter at
washingtonpost.com/30-second-summer and win a prize.
Today on
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Putting parenthood ‘on ice’
— reader DC_MAN88, in response to a question posted online about whether residents prefer scorching heat or freezing cold.
Q: Who gets the embryos in the event of a divorce? What happens to them if one or both of you dies? A: Our wills say who gets the embryos if we both die. My parents would inherit them. Personally, we did not address divorce, because after nine years, we don’t see that happening.
With money being such a relative thing, have you set a specific financial goal or mark to know when you’ll be ready? Having enough time is most important to us. Both my husband and I really want to be there for our kids. My husband wants to be able to coach Little League, and we both want very reduced work hours so we never have to look at day care or a nanny. Yes, we have a financial goal in mind that will enable us to do that, but it will take a lot more hard work and probably until age 40-plus to get there.
Needs a fix
Post readers have been telling us about things they want fixed in their communities at our online Daily Gripe feature — and frequently getting results.
Why is adoption not a viable alternative for you and your husband? Actually, if I had not found out about fertility preservation and my husband and I reached our goal of having tons of time to spend with a child, then adoption is exactly what we would consider. We think adoption is one of the most wonderful things a couple can do — especially if they have the time and money to do so.
Hello. I was wondering why you decided to go public with your “personal choice.” Are you trying to draw attention to this as a cause? Thanks!
I wish someone had told me about this when I was even younger, because it has opened up a whole new world for me and my husband.
Read more of this discussion and find other live Q&As at
washingtonpost.com/discussions.
you. As for those “left field” questions from tourists, Dan said he was waiting to enter Mount Vernon while a guide walked down the line, offering to answer questions. Wrote Dan: “The guy in front of me, in a very smart-[aleck] tone, asked, ‘What kind of tree is that?’ Without missing a beat, the guide told him not just what kind of tree it was, but when it was planted, why, and then gave him a quick lecture on all the trees along the path. It was very satisfying.” Last week, I railed against corporations that hide their contact information or make customers navigate a near-endless labyrinth of voicemail options. Many readers suggested
www.gethuman.com, a Web site that offers tips on how to bypass the computers. Silver Spring’s John Sery wondered: “Has
anyone ever gotten a company’s initial recorded message that does not say: ‘Listen carefully, as our menu options have changed’? Do these people have nothing better to do than to change their phone prompts every day?”
Send a Kid to Camp Who donates to Send a Kid to Camp? People
such as Henrietta Hibbs, who with her contribution noted: “Summer camp was one of my happiest memories, and one summer when my parents could not afford the $7 a week, I washed dishes to pay my way and had a ball. It was my first job, and I have never had a better one.”
Camp is a little more expensive these days.
The cost to support a Washington area child at Camp Moss Hollow for a week is $700, but a gift of any amount will help us toward our goal of $500,000. So far, we’ve raised $148,071.44. Say, wouldn’t a nice, juicy tomato taste good right about now? Of course it would. They’re on the menu at Clyde’s and the Old Ebbitt Grill, where if you order a BLT or the local tomato salad today, the proceeds will benefit Camp Moss Hollow. Tell them I sent you. Or make a tax-deductible gift by mailing a check or money order, payable to “Send a Kid to Camp,” to P.O. Box 96237, Washington, D.C. 20090-6237. Or contribute online by going to
www.washingtonpost.com/camp and clicking on the donation link. To use MasterCard or Visa by phone, call 202-334-5100 and follow the instructions on our taped message. Finally, those water restrictions meant that
last Saturday’s Shady Grove Middle School and Magruder High School Leo clubs carwash fundraiser had to be rescheduled. It’s now this Saturday from 1o a.m. to 2 p.m. at Redland Exxon, 17651 Redland Rd., Derwood. Clean your vehicle and help Camp Moss Hollow.
kellyj@washpost.com
WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2010
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