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KLMNO POSTLOCAL Talk to us. Talk to newsmakers. Talk to each other. Join the conversation at
postlocal.com Rally cries
Metrorail broke a 19-year record for Saturday ridership, the day of the Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert rally on the Mall, with 825,437 rides. For the Glenn Beck rally, there were 510,020 rides.
When crowds descend, who pays? Q:
DidMetro fail rallygoers on Saturday? I haven’t heard anything bad aboutMetro’s performance the next day, theMarine Corps Marathon, but then again, that’s a really predictable though big event that they have handled every year. Still —a big rally? In D.C.? Isn’t that pretty common? A:Metro definitely did not do all right Saturday. The transit
authority is supposed to be able to move large crowds around safely and relatively quickly. But what to recommend?Metro did plan, but the size of the Saturday crowd
was well beyond expectations. Once that happened,Metro had trouble adjusting.Metro also planned for Sunday’s marathon crowd. That was more predictable. And the event organizers paid for an early opening and extra service. Like you, I haven’t heard any complaints about the Sunday service. Q:Metro asked whether the organizers wanted to pay for extra train service,
and they did not. Of course not—that shouldn’t be their responsibility. Don’t the extra fares cover the cost?Metro should be eager to run extra trains if they fill them with riders. At least, I think so. . . . The key question is, how many riders does it take to make a train profitable forMetro? Or do they lose money no matter what? A: Every time you rideMetro,Metro loses money. The transit system is subsidized by the region’s taxpayers, many of whom don’t rideMetro. I really doubt the general public would support the idea of boostingMetrorail service everytime there’s a big event in the region, and not asking the event sponsors to pay the extra cost. Q: In light of its financial troubles, I thinkMetro should charge more for big
events. A: IfMetro charged more on days when big events were scheduled, it would
help defray the cost of extra service. ThenMetro wouldn’t have to ask event sponsors whether they wanted to pay. But how big would an event have to be to kick in the higher fares? An inauguration? AMall festival or rally? ANats game?How would you alert riders in advance that they’ll be paying the higher fare?Would it be fair to have all weekend riders pay the higher fare when they’re not all going to the special event? ShouldMetro just eliminate the current three-tier fare system by discarding the “discount” fare (the off-peak fare) and go only with what we now call the peak fare and the peak of the peak fare? This Saturday was really bad, but I doubt we should make long-term changes based on such an unusual day.
De facto parking subsidy?
In less than two months, the amount of money federal workers receive outright for their Metro commute, and that other employees may deduct from their pretax income, is set to decline from $230to $120 monthly. For years, there has been a similar parking benefit at $230, and the mass transit benefit was temporarily raised as part of the stimulus package. Some are pushing Congress to make the increase permanent, reported The Post’s Luke Rosiak, and readers chimed in.
The transportation debate continues
bmp246: The transit benefit and the parking benefit should be the same.Why should parking be twice the benefit amount as transit?
jckdoors:Why should I subsidize these folks?
Razor04: Excuseme jckdoors, but not all of us receive a subsidy.Most of us have to pay our own way and aren’t just handedmoney for our commute everymonth.
yell53: I think this willmake people realize that the fare hike has really affected people in this area. I don’t know what percentage ofMetro riders
are feds, but I think it’s a large number. They did not feel the pain that the fare hike has caused many others who either pay 100 percent out of their own pocket or with pretax dollars. Since I paymy own way, this has resulted in a
20 percent increase inmy expenditures for work transportation. I hope that the limit is brought to the original
level andmaybe then people will lobbyMetro to control costs rather than raising fares.
JOHN KELLY'S WASHINGTON
Taking the battle out of the bands
T
he problemwith any sort of battle is this: Someone has to lose. It’s fine if you’re the winner—sowing your enemy’s fields
with salt, triumphantly stealing away their women—but if you’re the loser, it stinks. And if it’s a Battle of the Bands, that staple of
rock-and-roll adolescence, there are a lotmore losers than winners. This was the bitter equation that Bud
Becker contemplated in late 1965. He had been a teenage DJ in Oneonta, N.Y. In themid-’60s, he was in the Army and stationed at FortMyer. By day, he laid wires for Pentagon speeches. At night and on weekends, he helped promote music events in Northern Virginia for radio personality Jack Alix—“JA the DJ.” That’s how Bud came to decide that the central structure of the teen band performance was flawed. Here is how a Battle of the Bands worked
back then: A single band set up on amakeshift stage at a place like a roller rink or church hall. All of the other bands set up on the floor, beside each other. Each band had lugged its own amps, drums and keyboards. They ringed the audience, each band doing
SUSAN BIDDLE FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
On Saturday, manyMetro trains looked like this one leavingMetro Center as the Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert rally brought many to theMall area.
Hot topic: Local elections
Across the region Tuesday, voters in the District, Maryland and Virginia will cast ballots, choose candidates and decide on issues. All day, night and into Wednesday,
PostLocal.com should be your first stop for the latest local—and national—elections news and information.
On your mark ... Get set ... Vote! Voting today? Polls are open from6 a.m. to 7
p.m. in Virginia and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the District andMaryland. Check
washingtonpost.com/ weather for the latest local conditions before you leave, then head to
PostLocal.comafter you’ve voted.
WHILE THE POLLS ARE OPEN Research local candidates and campaigns with
our Voter’s Guide,
washingtonpost.com/ localelections, so you can cast an informed ballot. We’ll be blogging live all day fromacross the
region with scenes and news fromthe polls. Tell us about your voting experiences and
report any irregularities at the polls by e-mailing us at
tellus@wpost.com. And send us any photos fromthe polls or any time on the campaign trail this campaign season. Follow us all day—and into the night—on
Twitter at@postlocal and on Facebook at
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results, news andmore by visiting
washingtonpost.com/mobile.
Mixed views on marijuana
Adrian Higgins wrote in The Washington Post Magazine about skilled mom- and-pop breeders who have developed hundreds of high-performing cultivated varieties of cannabis and home hobbyists who have grown them to perfection using new techniques and technologies. They chatted about it Monday.
The melting pot Today on
Live chat:Midtermrecap Associate editor Robert G. Kaiser discusses and analyzes the midterm returns at 9 p.m.
live.washingtonpost.com
Fashion Fix:What towear andwhere to find it Janet Bennett Kelly and Holly Thomas will be online at noon to answer your questions about the latest fashions, how to make the runway trends work for you and how to shop wisely.
Prosecution continues case in Levy slaying trial The Crime Scene blog will be updated throughout the day.
washingtonpost.com/crime
Drill into data behind our stories Mine records and research that didn’t make it into print stories to see how you’re affected by news of the day.
http://wapo.st/bVLJYI
Weigh in We’d like to know what you think of this page and our local coverage. E-mail us at
metro@washpost.com.
THE DAILY QUIZ
True or False?: According to David Brown’s story on the care of casualties, medical treatment has improved for soldiers over the nine year course of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
(Hint: Check the Health & Science section for the answer.)
EARN 5 POINTS: Find the answer, then go to
washingtonpost.com/postpoints and click on “Quizzes” to enter the correct response.
Arlington:Obviously,marijuana andits culture has changedaLOTsince the 1970s;whatdidyou findthemost surprisingduring your researchin California?
AdrianHiggins: Iwas surprisedathowopenand respectable itwas, for themostpart.One of the reasons theDutchrelaxedtheir laws is that they felt if youde-mystifiedit, itwouldlose its glamor. Thatmay be the case. . . . Ironically, a lot ofhobby growersdon’twant it legalized.
Thebiggest lobbyist: . . . for continuedillegality is the alcohol industry.
AdrianHiggins: Idon’t know.One interesting theory is that thewine growers ofNorthern Californiawouldget into the act.
Elmhurst,Ill.: If legalizing itwill reduce crime, thenI amall for it. It scaresmewhenIhear anews report fromWisconsinwarninghunters this seasonto be cautious of running intodrugdealers who are growingpot intheNorthwoods.
AdrianHiggins:Yes.Curiously,Wisconsinhas become a statewhere the cartels are supposedly cultivating it.
FallsChurch: Ifmedicalmarijuana becomes legal POINTS EVENTS
Does your fish stick to the frying pan? The Post’s Food & Wine Section recently shared tips for cooking perfect fish, in an e-mail to PostPoints members. You can receive useful weekly tips, too, on topics ranging from food to computers to travel, if you sign up. Here’s how: log on to
washingtonpost.com/postpoints and click My Account Profile to select your areas of interest.
Tips for Cooking Fish POINTS & REWARDS Platinum and Gold members can rack up points when doing business at:
Belfort Furniture: New at Belfort—custom window treatments! Check
belfortfurniture.com for details on this and so much more for your home.
Leisure Fitness: Treadmills, rowing machines, free weights—you name it. Shop here and get the shape you’ve always wanted. See
leisurefitness.com.
The State Theatre: This restored theatre in the Falls Church historic district is a favorite for live music and private events. See
thestatetheatre.com.
intheDistrict,whatdo youthinkwillhappento all the government employeeswho are randomlydrug tested?Asurprisingly largenumber ofpaper- pusher jobs are subject to randomdrug testing.
AdrianHiggins:This is one of theunintended offshoots of legalization. It’s anissue legislatures andcourts are grapplingwith.
It is interesting: It is interesting tonote that law enforcement is one of themost vocal groups in oppositionto legalization.Lawenforcement personnel are conservative bynature.Howmany libertarians go into lawenforcement, Iwonder?
AdrianHiggins:True.But Iwonderhowofficers copewithseeing somuchlawless behavior.Do you become inuredto it?
Reston:Howdo youexpect big businesswill get into the grab adollar fromlegalizationof marijuana?Developandsellhigh-THCvarieties? Smoothsmoking varieties?Flavoredblends?DNA modifiedvarietieswhichare licensedto growers like corncrops?
AdrianHiggins:Like everything else, theywill massproduce it andthenmarket it todeath.
AFTER THE POLLS CLOSE We’ll have live results as they come in from
precincts around the D.C. area and beyond. If results aren’tmaking it in as they should, we’ll tell you why. And of course, reporters will be dispatched
across the area to cover the elections, gather analysis and viewpoints and serve news via articles, blog posts and video. Come get the latest updates and tell us what you think of the results.
WEDNESDAYMORNING CheckWednesday’s paper and visit theWeb
site for reaction to and analysis of the results, video and photos fromthe polls and parties, a look forward at the impact of today’s voting, coverage of late-breaking news and unresolved elections—and to share your opinion on all the results via polls, comments and live Q&A sessions with Post writers.
6 ALL IN ONE PLACE Visit
postlocal.com. COURTESY OF BUD BECKER
Dr. John, left, with concert promoter Bud Becker at the Wheaton Youth Center in 1973. Becker is giving a talk Saturday in Arlington.
its set in turn. One band was declared the winner and awarded $100. The rest went home empty-handed, hoping that their fortunes might be different at the next battle. Bud had a better idea. That winter, he
invited every working teen band in Northern Virginia to ameeting in the parking lot of GiantMusic on SouthWashington Street in Falls Church. TheMalibus were there, and the Gents. So
were the New Delphonics, the Crypt Kickers, Yellow Brick Road, the Hounds of the Baskervilles—all there to hear Bud deliver what he calls his “famous speech.” “I said, ‘You
guys are being taken. This is crazy.What you’re doing is fighting each other for no good reason. . . . Let’s band together. Nomore Battle of the Bands.” In its place, Bud
proposed a single, shared set of equipment up on the stage—what has become known as the “back line.” Each band would get its chance in the spotlight. And he would see to it that each band was paid.
In that frigid parking lot, Bud directed the
bands to assemble—guitarists over here, bass players over there, drummers over there—to work out amongst themselves who would bring which back-line equipment. That’s just one of the stories Bud plans to tell
Saturday at a free panel discussion in Arlington County on “Northern Virginia and the Rise of Rock and Roll” at 3 p.m. at the Artisphere, 1101 Wilson Blvd. It’s organized by obsessive local filmmaker Jeff Krulik. (Visit
www.arlingtonarts.org.) Bud, now 68 and living in Denton,Md., went
on to partner with DJ Barry Richards to promote D.C. area shows at places such as the Wheaton Youth Center and the Alexandria Roller Rink. It was at the roller rink that a gun was
pulled to encourage Black Sabbath to play its contractually agreed-upon second set. It was in Wheaton that someone stole Rod Stewart’s fur coat. Theft was a not uncommon problem,
apparently. One ofmy favorite Bud stories is about what an English roadie said after realizing fans had taken the keyboard pedals fromthe Buckinghams, of “Kind of a Drag” fame. “He said, ‘You know, Bud, these folks would steal the [expletive] out of your [different expletive] if they could get it.’ It’s 40- some years, and I still remember it.”
Time to remember This will be a good weekend for
remembering. The Historical Society of Washington’s annual history conference will be held Friday and Saturday at the Sumner
School, 1201 17th St. NW. I’mon a panel Friday about local newspapers, but the weekend is full of interesting offerings, including sessions on the history of U Street, the design of theMall and what sorts of records researchers can access around town. I’mlooking forward to a sampling of local postcards fromJerry McCoy’s captivating collection. The conference fee is $15; $10 for students
and seniors. Visit
www.historydc.org.
kellyj@washpost.com
A complete list of PostPoints Spots can be found at
washingtonpost.com/postpoints.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2010
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