‘R.P. Hobson & wife on ice skates (LOC)’
courtesy of ‘The Library of Congress’

If you were looking forward to doing some ice skating this fall you’re going to have to find somewhere other than the sculpture garden to to it. The NGA website has the following notice:

Due to technical difficulties with the ice-making equipment, we are unable to open the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden ice-skating rink until further notice.

You can take the metro out to Pentagon City for the moment if you’re determined to do some skating; Pentagon Row’s outdoor rink is open for business already. Anyone got any other favorite ice rinks, indoors or out?

3 Chord Comedy, the monthly comedy showcase at the Velvet Lounge has been going on for a while now, and with some success (because they get to keep doing it.)  On December 4th, 3 Chord is going upmarket with their comedy because Rob Cantrell, from Last Comic Standing and Comedy Central, will be headlining.

Accordingly, the ticket for 3 Chord Comedy has doubled in price. To $4. $4 to see a comic you would ordinarily spend 5 times as much to see. Just go, already.

‘Lonely’
courtesy of ‘austrini’

WaPo reports today that the Virginia state police handed out 27 HOV tickets during a crackdown initiative on Thursday, including one $1,000 fourth-time offender citation. If you’re the gambling sort be aware, the fines are based on number of violations in the preceding five years. First time, $150, second time $250. Then $500 then $1000.  If it makes you feel any better the money goes into the State Literary Fund, which, according to the article “provides money for schools.”

Interestingly, it’s a little more involved that that. The Literary Fund is mandated by the Virginia constitution and sets a low-water mark for it – 80 million – and anything above that can be disbursed by the General Assembly for various school purposes. The amount below that is controlled exclusively by the Board of Education, subject to the limitations of law that have been set up over the years. The BoE can make loans and investments with it, but Virginia isn’t obligated to back those loans up with anything beyond what’s in the fund.

The BoE seems to be cautious with how they make those loans; the list of what’s been lent out and what’s on the back burner can be found here and there’s a lot more things deferred than paid out. Also interesting, at least to a gadget nerd like me, is one of the limitations on what a borrower can use these funds for: no “Loose technology equipment” but “Technology infrastructure and built-in equipment” is okay. I wonder if this is why these somewhat silly “electronic classrooms” that have become in vogue over the years are so common – is there a funding disparity for stuff based on whether you screw it into a rack in the closet or not?

WaPo’s DC Wire blog has an item that we’re likely going to hear more about in short order: the LA Times has gotten their hands on a congressional report about the firing of Inspector General Gerald Walpin in June. In it is information about conversations Michelle Rhee had with Walpin last year about Kevin Johnson, who she got engaged to very recently.

The LA Times item leads with the fact that Rhee vouched for Johnson as a “good guy,” but that doesn’t seem likely to burn her much unless she was romantically involved with him at the time and didn’t disclose it. I’d hope my darling wife would speak at least a little positively about me if asked; if the person she’s talking to doesn’t take that connection into account then that’s their bad judgment, not hers.

What seems like a more curious bit is down at the bottom, when it discusses the history of Johnson’s problems with allegations of inappropriate behavior with two volunteers and one student at his charter school, St. Hope Academy. The LA Times says that the report mentions Rhee intervening with a teacher at St Hope who would leave “a few months later,” according to the LA Times, in June 2007.

It’s not all that odd, though, since that timeline puts the interaction before she was identified as our new chancellor on July 12th. At that time Rhee would still have been CEO and President of the organization she started and ran before coming here, The New Teacher Project. The LA Times also doesn’t mention that at that time Rhee was on the St Hope board of directors, making it reasonable for her to be involved in things happening at the school.

The only actual oddity I found was that St Hope’s announcement of Rhee’s coming to DC indicated she would continue to serve on the board. She clearly left – she’s not listed on the 2009-2010 form – but she either resigned very quickly or they jerked up their record-keeping. Her name is not listed on their IRS form 990, which requires listing the names of everyone who who served as a board member for any amount of time between Jul 1 2007 through Jun 30 2008. She does appear on the 2006 form.

I’d say the only issue for Rhee is whether it turns out she’s associating with questionable people, or to be more precise, planning on marrying him. There’s some interesting material in these resignation letters from board members who left St Hope earlier this year, and at least one doesn’t paint a positive picture of Johnson.

‘day295 :: year two’
courtesy of ‘erin*carly’

You can pick up the first edition of the new DC Agenda (formerly Washington Blade) at:

Mr Henry’s, Results Gym (G St), SMYAL, Banana Cafe, Phase One, Remingtons, Freddie’s Beach Bar, MLK Library, Annie’s, Apex, Dupont Italian Kitchen, Fireplace, HRC hq and store, JR’s, KramerBooks, Lambda Rising, Leather Rack, Results Gym (U St), Barrel House Liquor, Crew Club, Whitman-Walker hq, Green Lantern, Halo, Universal Gear, DC Eagle, MCC, Nellie’s, and Town

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Congratulations, DC Agenda, on your first issue!