DCDL

I just saw this message on the Cleveland Park e-mail list:

It appears that our neighborhood theater will soon be no more. I just received a call from a City Paper reporter asking what I knew about the sale of the Uptown to the McLean Bible Church (nothing until he
called). Here’s a link to the church’s website with information about their planned use: http://www.mcleanbible.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=18091

Off the top of my head, I don’t see much of a “regulatory hook” for this, other than the fact that the church will have to get Historic Preservation Review Board approval for any changes to the exterior. I believe the commercial zoning that applies to this area probably permits this use, whether it’s considered “religious” or not. […]

Bruce Beckner
Commissioner ANC3C05

That’s certainly depressing news, much worse than Yenching Palace’s imminent transformation into a Walgreen’s. It will be interesting to see how the Cleveland Park community reacts.

Update (11:03pm): See the comments. It appears the situation is not as dire as initial reports suggested. Is this the City Paper’s idea of a practical joke?

We are pleased to announce that on Thursday, July 26, 6:30-9, our special guest will be Jared Bernstein. He’ll be discussing the new paperback edition of his book “All Together Now: Common Sense for a Fair Economy.”

The evening begins with Happy Hour 6:30-7:30 in the back room of Timberlake’s, 1726 Connecticut Ave NW (Dupont Circle Metro). The book discussion will run 7:30-8:15 with informal discussion and book signing until 9.

Books, supplied by Olsson’s Books, will be available for sale at the event. Light appetizers will be served.

You may have read Mr. Bernstein’s work at the American Prospect and TPMCafe. If not, you will certainly hear his ideas in the upcoming presidential race. Economic fairness, be it in the form of affordable health care, affordable college tuition, Social Security, or tax cuts for the wealthy, underlines a key difference between the two parties.

Mr. Bernstein describes the difference in terms of a conservative belief that Your On Your Own (YOYO) vs. a progressive belief that We’re In This Together (WITT). The difference is hardly theoretical. It means the difference between a society where the rich get richer, and one where society as a whole shares the risk and the benefits.

Barbara Ehrenreich, bestselling author of Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch writes:

“Jared Bernstein is to most economic writers what Red Bull is to a decaf latte. In All Together Now he makes such a rousing case for mutual responsibility and shared risk that you’ll leap out of your chair and into action. Everyone in the sub-billionaire class needs to read this book and send a gift copy to his or her elected officials.”

Biography
Jared Bernstein joined the Economic Policy Institute in 1992. He is the author of the new book, “All Together Now: Common Sense for a Fair Economy.” His areas of research include income inequality and mobility, trends in employment and earnings, low-wage labor markets and poverty, international comparisons, and the analysis of federal and state economic policies. Between 1995 and 1996, he held the post of deputy chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor. He is the co-author of eight editions of the book The State of Working America and has published extensively in popular and academic venues. He holds a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from Columbia University.

Sparked by a Crooked Timber post by Henry Farrell (who did show up at DCDL once), I joined Facebook and set up a group for DC Drinking Liberally. I’m not sure how useful it’ll actually be, but it’s an experiment. So far it’s resulted in reconnecting with a former regular who went to South Korea and has just returned to the United States.

If you’re on Facebook, join the group. If you’re not, the word in the blogosphere is that it’s reached a tipping point, everyone you know is there, and it’s not just for kids anymore, so come on in.

It happens every Thursday night at DCDL. I can half-recall an article I read somewhere, but not where I read it, or who wrote it. Here’s my effort to follow up on some of the conversations we had in the back room of Timberlake’s. Think of it as the foot notes for Thursday evening.

In this week’s Footnotes, Lynne Cheney Gets Medieval on China, A Not-So-Silent War Protest, and a Brief look at when Cindy Sheehan Jumped the Shark.
(more…)

Just heard a clip from these Bush remarks on the radio, delivered with his usual peevish impatience:

And finally, I’m going to spend some time talking about the war on terror and our need to succeed in Iraq. And I’m going to remind the people in the audience today that troop levels will be decided by our commanders on the ground, not by political figures in Washington, D.C., and that we’ve got a plan to lead to victory. And I fully understand that this is a difficult war, and it’s hard on the American people. But I will once again explain the consequences of failure to the American people, and I’ll explain the consequences of success, as well.

Yes, Mr. President, that’s exactly what we need. If you just explain it to us idiots for the thousandth time, maybe it’ll get through our thick heads and we’ll understand the true brilliance and absolute necessity of the Explainer’s mystery plan for victory. Maybe we’ll even be enlightened as to what “victory” means in these circumstances.

Apparently there’s nothing wrong with this war that a good dose of repeated explanation can’t fix.

Here’s the latest from our friends at DC for Democracy:

Finish out the holiday week by joining other DCFD members at the movies! Bring a friend or two!

Michael Moore’s new documentary, Sicko, opened at theaters across the nation last week to amazing reviews. Sicko explores our crumbling health care system and the role of the insurance and pharmaceutical industries.

Come out to see the flim with us this Friday, July 6th for the 7:30pm showing at the Landmark E Street Cinema at 555 11th Street NW. We’ll meet at 7pm sharp to get tickets and seats.

RSVP Today!

SPECIAL OFFER!* Bring along a potential new member and we’ll pay for his or her ticket. If you plan to bring someone, please contact Lynda at lynda.laughlin{at}gmail.com.

*This offer is only available to new members.

See you at the movies!

Lynda
DCFD Secretary