Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Netherlands Carillon bell-ringing on July 4

On July 4 at 2pm, by the Act of Congress, H.R. res. 261 (1963), the Netherlands Carillon will ring 13 tolls on its largest bell and play Yankee Doodle.  Whistle along to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence.


[video embedded above]

Old Guard's Presidential Salute Battery will fire at Ft. Myer on July 4


From the Public Affairs Office at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall:
Please be advised that Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall will host a special 50-gun “Salute to the Nation” performed by Soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard) Presidential Salute Battery at high noon on the installation’s Summerall Field Sunday, July 4. This cannon fire may cause some car alarms to go off.

We ask that you please pass this information along to the members of your civic association and residents in your neighborhood. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Additionally this event is open to the public. You are invited to view this annual 4th of July tradition. Plan to arrive at Summerall Field no later than 11:45 a.m. to witness the Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Salute Guns Platoon as they render honors to the Nation.

(via RAFOM list) [video embedded above]

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

telephone lines sagging


We have some impressively sagging fiber-optic telephone lines in the neighborhood.  At their lowest point, these lines are roughly ten feet above the ground.  I hope that's high enough.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Ode Street heading downhill?

The Ode Street sign has become titled downward.  Probably not significant.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Whispering Oaks parking lot being renovated

The Whispering Oaks apartment building on N. Oak St. is having its parking lot pavement replaced and drive-in parking bays refurbished (behind the building).  Hence the woodsy path from Ft. Myer Dr. to N. Oak St. is blocked.  The construction work is creating some noise in the neighborhood, but it probably won't last long.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Prison Reform Forum draws crowd

The Prison Reform Forum at the Walter Reed Community Center this evening drew a remarkable crowd of concerned residents.  In the question-and-answer period, a very elderly woman urged compassion and mercy for sex offenders.  A woman who had spent weekends incarcerated in the Arlington County Detention facility for shoplifting spoke about her struggles with alcoholism.  She stated that inmate services have helped her overcome her addition. A highly articulate man explained that he was a Vietnam veteran who suffered from post-tramatic stress syndrome.  Returning from Vietnam as a twenty-year-old with no criminal record, he got into bank robbing and spent over thirty years in the Virginia Department of Corrections.  But with the help of corrections vocational programs and his Baptist faith, he turned his life around.  He now works as a community organizer and is seeking paralegal certification.

The panelists, who came from different organizations and different political affiliations, affirmed the importance of prison reform and spoke about various initiatives.  Scott Richeson of the Virginia Department of Corrections spoke about a new emphasis in the Department of Corrections on prisoner re-entry.  She said that re-entry was being established as a part of prisoners' programs from the day of entry into the system with a new "Thinking for Change" program.  Bill Richardson from Governor McDonnell’s office noted that the Virginia Department of Corrections is the largest state agency.  With acute pressure on the state budget, reforming incarceration to make it less extensive and more appropriately targeted is on the agenda. Helen Trainer of the Legal Aid Justice Center is working on a lawsuit against Virginia's highly restrictive parole policy.  She also spoke about problems with the quality of health care and the treatment of mentally ill prisoners in the Virginia system.  Doug Ierley, a staffer for Senator Jim Webb, spoke about the National Criminal Justice Commission Act that Senator Webb introduced in the Senate in March, 2009.  The Act, which would establish a commission to review comprehensively the criminal justice system, may get passed by August of this year.



Virginia House of Delegates members Charniele Herring, Patrick Hope, and Adam Ebbin sponsored the Prison Reform Forum.  Delegate Herring was not able to attend because she had to present an award to one of her constituents.   Delegates Hope and Ebbin expressed interest in continuing dialogue on criminal justice reform.  The delegate for Rosslyn, Delegate Bob Brink, did not include any questions on prison reform in his survey of priorties.  That survey focuses on fiscal issues, yet the cost of incarceration is a quite major fiscal issue.  If Del. Brink attends the RAFOM annual meeting next year, as he did this year, attendees might ask him about criminal justice reform.

Among 2010 Virginia Assembly legislative highlights are these:
  • A new measure makes "sexting" illegal by placing the same restrictions on profane or threatening language in text messaging as on phone calls or citizens band radio
  • A new fee paid by convicted criminal offenders that funds programs to fight sexual predators was added.[*]
These both seem to me to be redundant, media-driven criminal laws.  Sensational reports on sexting and sexual predators are standard fare in traditional media.  Sadly, even innovative news organizations such as Arlnow have resorted to sensational posts on crime statistics and the grave public danger of flashers.  However, perhaps following the lead of the Ode Street Tribune, Arlnow seems to be shifting towards higher-quality news coverage.

- - - - -
[*] The text of these two points are from delegate news reports to constituents.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

tree injured, fallen limbs obstruct highway

The storm last night blew off the top of a venerable oak tree just outside Arlington Cemetery.  The tree's condition looks critical, but it may have enough remaining branches to survive and regrow more.

Caring for injured trees should be a priority in the neighborhood.  Arlington Urban Forestry Commission member Steve Campbell informed the RAFOM annual meeting that the tree canopy in the Radnor / Ft. Myer Heights is rated at 20%, lower than that for the Ballston / Virginia Sq. area (23%) and far below the over-all Arlington figure (41%).  The injured tree is only slightly outside the Radnor / Ft. Myer Heights boundary.  I hope that this injured tree receives some emergency care. 

The fallen tree limbs obstructed the bike and pedestrian highway leading to the main entrance of Arlington Cemetery.  Because the obstruction is on a curve at the bottom of a hill, it presents a significant traffic hazard.  A local cyclist assumed that it would not be possible to reset the limb, and hence he broke back some of the fallen limbs to lessen the traffic hazard.   But some branches remain, and traffic sight-lines are still somewhat obstructed.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

power work outside 1215 Fort Myer

A secondary line leading out of one of the transformers on the utility pole outside of 1215 Fort Myer melted yesterday, disrupting power to part of the apartment building there.  Dominion Power repaired the lead.  Dominion has already replaced one of the transformer cans atop the pole and is planning to replace the other two.

Power reliability has been a problem in our neighborhood.  This evening at 7:55pm during the thunder storm I experienced a brief, power blip here in the Ode Street Tribune headquarters in my bedroom in Westmoreland Condos.  If you experience any power outages in the neighborhood, please record them in my power outage log.

We've had some power grid work in the area.  Some huge power poles have recently gone up just west of Rosslyn along Rt. 50.  Getting everyone reliable power is a difficult, dangerous job. A lot of under-appreciated workers doing good work is what separates us from being in the heat and dark.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

30'th anniversary of Courthouse Farmers' Market

The Arlington Courthouse Farmers' Market this morning celebrated its 30'th anniversary.   In addition to about 30 vendors of fresh, local food, the Virginia Cooperative Extension had stalls on gardening.  Some slow foods representatives were also there.  But not all fast food is unhealthful.  If you're in a rush, I suggest throwing a handful of mixed nuts into a bowl of organic, plain yogurt.  Tasty, healthful, and fast.

At a much higher level of culinary sophistication, Kip Laramie, the owner of Santa Fe Cafe, gave a walking presentation on cooking with fresh, local food.  He described making pork loins with fresh peach salsa, shitake mushrooms with quinoa, blueberry vinaigrette, paddypan squash, soft-shell crabs with a New Mexican twist, as well as a lot of other tasty-sounding dishes.  Running a restaurant can be a demanding job and a tough business.  Laramie, who has being running Santa Fe Cafe for more than two decades, isn't just a successful small businessperson.  He also obviously has a great love for making good food.


[video embedded above]

Art Scouts form groups at Arlington Arts Center

Art Scouts, a contemporary art exhibition now at the Arlington Arts Center, enlisted six artists each to curate one room/section of the Arlington Arts Center.  The artist-curators were instructed to present other artists who use the same materials or methods as they use.  The idea is that the selected works would provide insight into the artist-curator's work.   Maybe to local art scene cognoscenti they would.  But if you know nothing about the artist-curators, that's a poor viewing angle.

Moreover, having a technological theme may have crimped the artist-curators' presentations.  Some works, while technological appropriate, seem quite dull to a viewer not interested in art technology.  Most artists draw inspiration from a variety of artistic techniques.  Having multiple artist-curators with a common theme is a good idea for an exhibition.  Perhaps a future exhibition might choose a more broadly inspiring theme.

In the midst of these weaknesses,  J.J. McCracken's selection of performance art and installations stands out as artistically coherent and deeply thought-provoking.  Within her group of selected pieces, the exhibition opening on June 18 included live components of Jerry Kaba's Play Date and Ryan Kelley's Fortress of Solitude.   Play Date and Fortress of Solitude provide different perspectives on natural and unnatural worlds -- children playing games in a toxic world, Superman diligently working to build an imaginary fortress.  They show the much different but equally bizarre worlds into which women and men can ensconce themselves.  They depict irrepressible human creativity and its inevitable tie to repetitive work.


[video included above]

The Play Ship amidst the green grounds of the Arlington Arts Center represents a much more appealing vision of humans' future world that do Play Date and Fortress of Solitude.  So after you walk about the rooms of Art Scouts, be sure to enjoy what's outside.

Art Scouts is at the Arlington Arts Center through Aug. 21.

Other art reviews from the Ode Street Tribune:

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Ft. Myer Heights playground renovations under consideration

The RAFOM Annual Meeting this past Monday night brought together many neighborhood residents and important local leaders.  The meeting occurred at Top of the Town, with views unfortunately diminished by fog and rain.  RAFOM Board Members briefly reviewed the past year's development and noted key upcoming matters.  Local officials were welcomed and they offered some brief remarks.  Some highlights:
  • RAFOM Vice-President Patricia Darneille reported that neighborhood signs should be up in a few months
  • RAFOM Board Member Stuart Stein reported that construction on the Clarendon St. side of Rosslyn Commons will begin this fall.  Construction on the 16'th St. side will be deferred, probably until the 2'nd half of 2011.
  • RAFOM Board Member Steve Campbell reported that heavy construction in Hillside Park should be finished in 1-3 weeks.  Renovations of the Ft. Myer Heights Park playground are in the early stage of consideration.  Steve encourages residents to share their views about renovating the playground.  One possibility is moving the playground to the back end of the lower park and extending the basketball court into a full court. I think these moves would damage the charm of the park.  It would make basketball play more serious, and lessen room for playing with dogs and tossing balls in the lower park.  It also might make sunbathers more self conscious. While our current playground isn't lavish, kids don't need lavish toys to have fun.  The last renovation of the park was excellent.  We don't need any further renovation.  Those are my views, which I expressed to Steve.  Other persons who want to share their opinions can send them to Steve at  "mitska at juno dot com".
  • RAFOM President Stan Karson reported that Board Member Soo Lee Davis is now serving in Afghanistan.  I wish her a safe and speedy return home.
  • Our Delegate to the Virginia Assembly Bob Brink attended the meeting.  He requested residents to fill out his State Government Priorities survey.  The survey asks important, practical questions.  It's a good chance to make your priorities known to your elected official.
  • County Board Member Walter Tejada noted that the County got a good price ($107 million versus expected $170 million) for moving forward with the Wakefield High School renovation.  He also discussed Arlington efforts to promote bicycle use, and he encouraged participation in discussing how Arlington will deal with new Virginia requirements for immigration status checks.
  • Capt. David Reiten, who has taken over as our District Two police commander, introduced himself to attendees. 
  • The new commander of the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Colonel Carl R. Coffman, introduced himself to attendees.  He noted that this week is the 250'th anniversary of the Army, so expect some celebration noise coming from Ft. Myer this Friday.
  • Mark Antell, Chair of the Arlington County Civic Federation's Executive Committee, greeted attendees and applauded RAFOM's active and civil participation in Arlington County public affairs.
The featured speaker was Sharon Percy Rockefeller, President and Chief Executive Officer of WETA TV/FM.  Video excerpts from her talk are below.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

MS Ride in memory of Brian Francis


Brian Francis, a young adult who lived for many years in the Courthouse area, died about six years ago of pneumonia while suffering greatly from multiple sclerosis.  He lived with unforgettable good spirit.  This weekend some of his friends participated in the MS Ride and raised nearly $10,000 for the fight against multiple sclerosis. 

Thursday, June 10, 2010

civic assocation annual meeting this Monday at 7pm

Our Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights Civic Association (RAFOM) is having its annual meeting this Monday at 7pm at Top of the Town.  The featured speaker is Sharon Percy Rockefeller, President and CEO of WETA TV/FM.  Come out, socialize with your neighbors, and enjoy the talk, food, drink, and great views of DC.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

threat of rain doesn't dampen salsa

Tonight, and every Wednesday through July 28, is a chance to dance on Rosslyn Plaza.  A dance lesson is offered from 5:30 to 6pm, and then open dancing until 8pm.  By 7pm tonight, the place was shaking to the salsa of Orquesta La Leyenda.  Sarah and Samuel were practicing some moves between sets.  They looked like they were ready for the dance floor.
Orquesta La Leyenda looked like they were having as much fun as the dancers.  As long as it doesn't rain, being outside has to be a nice change from being in a club.

proposals for Artisphere Mezz Gallery due June 15

Anyone who lives, works, studies, or maintains a studio in Arlington is eligible to apply to have an exhibition in the first year of the Artisphere here in Rosslyn.  The deadline is June 15, and the application is quite serious.  Rosslyn has high artistic standards

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Jung Min Lee at the Lee Arts Center

Jung Min Lee's exhibit in the Mini Gallery of the Lee Art Center is well worth a visit.  Lee's drawings, screenprints, and paintings combine abstraction with powerful emotions.  Lee conveys emotions through eyes and bodily postures of chicks, teddy bears, and costumed figures. These are not just happy, cuddly animals, or persons enjoying costume play (cosplay).  Lee's innocent figures show the experience of life's struggles, fears, and heartbreaks. 

One work, entitled "Evolution," shows the development of a check from an egg.  Early on, the chick's eyes are large, but then they shrink.  The final chick in the sequence looks back indignantly.

I think that the masterpiece of the show is "Not Touching It..."  This is a large, graphite and charcoal drawing with soft textures like dandelion fluff.  In the midst of this flowering, pillowy beauty, a chick sits despondently, with one large eye staring out at the viewer.  A dead black chick lies in front.  It's a sad, sad image, but indescribably beautiful in its details.

All the pieces in the show, except for one, are for sale for prices from $150 to $1000.  "Not Touching It...", priced at $900, would easily support another zero or two appended to that price.  The one work not for sale is a wedding gift for one of Lee's friends.  It shows two chicks together in a box in the world as Lee sees it.  I don't doubt that they're glad to have each other.

Jung  Min Lee's exhibition, "Cosplay," is showing at the Lee Arts Center through July 26, 2010.  The Lee Arts Center is part of the Lee Community Center.  It is on Lee Highway, a few blocks past its intersection with N. George Mason Dr.

Images: Jung Min Lee with friends, above hang Lee's works "Acceptance" and "Sister time"; Jung Min Lee's "Evolution" (one part of two piece work); Jung Min Lee's "Not Touching It...," with gallery viewers.  All photos from opening night, June 3.