1) Registration Now Available for the GLBT Economic Development Summit November 15

Join us for the 2008 GLBT Economic Development Summit, Saturday November 15 from 9:00am – 4:00pm at the Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 Thomas Circle, NW. The goal of the summit is to provide information about resources and tools that GLBT business leaders and entrepreneurs can use to ensure that GLBT business leaders and entrepreneurs continue to play an important role in leading the economic and creative development of the city.

Topics to be covered include:

· The future of economic development in DC.

· Doing business with the city: CBE certification and getting on the supply schedule.

· Mastering media relations.

· If you build it will they really come?

· Online marketing 2.0.

· Managing the business of life.

· The opportunity maker: Networking for new business.

Register here, http://newsroom.dc.gov/show.aspx/agency/lgbt/section/2/release/14962

2) Mayor’s Office of GLBT Affairs Releases Fact Sheet About Crime and Public Safety

The Mayor’s Office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs has released a crime and public safety. This fact sheet includes information about crime statistics, an update on some of the crime reduction strategies that are happening as well as information on how individuals can help reduce violent crime in the city.

To view the fact sheet visit, http://newsroom.dc.gov/show.aspx/agency/lgbt/section/2/release/15183

3) Sign Up Now to Receive News & Numbers Economic Development Newsletter

This September the Mayor’s Office of GLBT Affairs will launch News & Numbers a biweekly email brief dedicated to providing GLBT Washington, DC residents and business leaders with information on economic development and business opportunities in the District. If you would like to sign up to receive News and Notes simply sign in at http://dc.gov/registration/dcdocs.asp or email Clarence.Fluker@dc.gov.

* Our City Serves You

4) Election Day is November 4; Do You Know Your Polling Place?

November 4, 2008 is Election Day. Visit the District of Columbia Board of Elections & Ethics website to verify your polling place, http://www.dcboee.org/voter_info/find_pollingplace/ and poll opening and closing times.

5) District of Columbia Arms Public Safety Officers With New Technology

District of Columbia Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, District Chief Technology Officer Vivek Kundra, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy L. Lanier, Fire Department Chief Dennis Rubin, and Office of Unified Communications Director Janice Quintana announced the deployment of 1006 mobile data computers to fire, emergency medical, and police officers in the field.

The deployment represents the latest step in MPD’s ongoing campaign to incorporate technology into its operation and to improve public safety. Law enforcement personnel are now equipped for the first time with mobile technology that will allow them to automatically generate electronic reports. This electronic reporting function will greatly improve the timeliness and accuracy of data. In the future, the Fire Department computers will be equipped with additional software, including patient care data and floor maps of the locations of fire emergencies.

To learn more, visit http://dc.gov/mayor/news/release.asp?id=1400&mon=200810

6) District Residents Can Receive $50 to Plant Trees on Their Property

The District Department of the Environment (DDOE) and Casey Trees are offering $50 rebates to District residents who plant trees on their property. The program also includes a free “Ooze Tube” watering bag to help care for the tree.

The $50 rebate covers all tree species, except for some that are considered invasive or susceptible to pests. Participants must pledge to water and care for the tree for at least two years. Rebates are available until May 31, 2009. Casey Trees will offer guidance on how and where to plant trees to maximize their environmental benefits.

For more information about the program and to download a rebate coupon, please visit: http://www.caseytrees.org/programs/Rebate2008-2009.html

7) Digital Television Coming to the District of Columbia

After February 18, 2009, only broadcasts in Digital Television (DTV) format will be available In the District of Columbia (and the entire USA). If you get your TV service from a cable or satellite provider, or if you have a digital TV and use an antenna or rabbit ears, the switch won't affect you. However, if you have an analog TV and use an antenna or rabbit ears to get your picture, you will need to either buy a digital-to-analog converter box, sign up for cable or satellite service or buy a digital television.

Learn how, and if you are already prepared for the switch here, http://www.oct.dc.gov/information/regulatory/dtv.shtm

SAVE THE DATE: Mayor’s Fall Citywide Job Fair, September 23

The DC Department of Human Resources, in partnership with the D.C. Department of Employment Services, will be hosting Mayor Adrian. Fenty’s Fall 2008 Citywide Job Fair at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center from 10am to 4pm on Tuesday, September 23, 2008.

Help With Utility Bills Under a Single Roof, September 30

Low-income residents of the District of Columbia can apply for discounts and financial assistance on all of their utility bills at a single location. The annual Joint Utility Discount Day (JUDD) will take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center all day Tuesday, September 30. At JUDD, residents can apply for emergency aid with their energy bills, and take advantage of home weatherization services and discounts offered on their electric, natural gas, water and telephone bills. DDOE is currently accepting emergency applicants whose Pepco or Washington Gas service has been disconnected or are out of heating oil. Emergency applicants must bring the disconnection notice, proof of household income, most recent utility bills, and a picture ID. For more information or to schedule an appointment, interested persons should call DDOE’s Energy Hotline at (202) 673-6750.

District Opens Resource Center for Disabled and Elderly

The DC Office on Aging joined with collaborating agencies and private organizations to open the DC Aging and Disability Resource Center (ARDC), at 1134 11th Street NW, a one-stop resource center for the elderly and persons with disabilities. The ADRC will serve as a resource for information and assistance to seniors and persons with disabilities, helping them explore options and benefits available to them. For more information visit, www.adrcdc.org

Shop DC Tax Free August 2 - 10

The District of Columbia will offer its second 2008 Sales Tax Holiday beginning at 12:01 am Saturday, August 2 through midnight Sunday, August 10. The Sales Tax holiday grants an exemption from the 5.75 percent sales tax for school supplies, clothes, shoes, and accessory items. To qualify, each item must cost $100 or less. The sales tax exemption will apply to each eligible item, no matter how many items are on the bill. The exemption also applies to layaway sales if the retailer and customer enter into a layaway agreement during the exemption period or the customer makes final payment on the layaway order during the exemption period.

* Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services
* Deputy Mayor’s Office of Planning and Economic Development
* Department of Employment Services
* Fire/EMS
* MPD – Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit
* Office of Human Services
* Child and Family Services Agency
* Office of Unified Communication
* Office on Aging
* Office of Human Rights
* Homeland Security Emergency Management
* Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration
* Office on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs
* Office on Latino Affairs

Last week, I had the pleasure of working with a nice young school teacher. He was seeking to purchase his first home. Because of the price range, we were looking at a lot of properties that were in less than stellar condition. There was one, however, where as soon as we opened the door, we were hit in the face by a smell so bad we were both wondering if there might be a body decaying inside. I promptly closed the door and we moved on. I have to wonder if the listing agent EVER walked into the house. If the smell of the house turns people off so badly that they can't walk through the front door, you'd better be ready to drop the price low enough to make it worth their while to at least brave what they may find.

As I was watching some of my favorite television shows this week, I was a little disturbed by how REALTORS are portrayed. On one show, "Two and a Half Men", the mother/grandmother is an agent who is portrayed as skulking through the obituaries looking for clients. In another, "Weeds", two real estate agents arrive to "sit Shiva" with the family in hopes of acquiring the listing. While I'm sure there are agents out there who find this to be a great way to get business, I have to say I find it disheartening. Even more so that it's projected as the "norm". Perhaps I'm just naive.

Catching up on some old blog posts, I found one from my friend, Pat Kennedy, in response to another post by TLW. The challenge is to define your life in six words. That's pretty tough, but here's my stab at it: Lived, Loved, Laughed, Cried, Struggled, Succeeded.

Chic Cleveland Park Studio

This chic and comfortable studio is convenient to American University and the University of the District of Columbia. Only 1.1 miles to MetroRail and MetroBus at the front door! Crisp white paint and spotless, neutral carpet over hardwood, this home is move-in ready.

Address:
4301 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
District of Columbia, DC 20016 US

Fact Sheet:
Listing Type: Sale
Property Type: Condo
Architecture Type: Other
Year Built: 1951
Price: $220,000
Interior Size: 360 sq. ft. Bedrooms: 0 room(s)
Bathrooms: 1 room(s)

“New Orleans: Spirit a’ Risen”

Exhibit Opens at Artful Gallery Continues through June 26th

As they say in New Orleans, “Laissez les bons temps rouler! Let the good times roll!” That is exactly what happened last Friday evening when Bedonna Wakeman, Eric Buchanan and Veronica Leandrez debuted their New Orleans-inspired street art at Artful Gallery on Capitol Hill. Bedonna exclaimed that the musicians on her canvases seemed to come alive as Ginny Carr and Henning Hoehne played traditional jazz on keyboards and clarinet. Even when the gallery filled and the temperature started rising, guests were not deterred. Art and music combined to create an authentic New Orleans experience.

Prior to the opening of the show, the artists delivered a talk at the Library of Congress. The artists spoke about their personal experiences living and working in post-Katrina New Orleans, and then each showcased one of their paintings. Bedonna introduced “Boy of Hope,” a simple and elegant black youth holding an impressionist twig in one hand and a bird in the other. Eric described “Topsy Turvy,” a surrealistic portrait. The nude woman in the center of the canvas appears to be celebrating, while many others in the painting are featured upside down or sideways … reflecting a New Orleans that is still topsy turvy. Veronica presented a painting called Oshun Watches Over New Orleans, painted in commemoration of the Louisiana Bicentennial. The painting was exhibited at Barrister's Gallery "Louisiana Purchase Dismantled" Group Exhibit in 2003.

The artists sought to educate Washingtonians about the dire circumstances facing artists in New Orleans. Less than 15 percent of New Orleans’ street artists remain after Katrina as the absence of tourism impedes their ability to make a living. Veronica commented, “The role of the painter as a visual historian captures the facets of culture that are New Orleans heritage-- its character and diversity, its ability to rise above the struggles, and to experience a catharsis of healing arising out of trauma and adversity.”

“We returned to the city with a greater sense of personal responsibility to step more powerfully into the role of the artist as a cultural representative.” Eric spoke with a quiet passion. “After the levees failed, personally I wanted to show the world our culture, show that we are good, hard working people, not just our bad eggs the media kept showing over and over … Every day I find a new reason to love New Orleans more.”

“Being on the street, that’s my life,” says Wakeman. “I feel like an anchor and ambassador for the city. I want to talk to people and get them excited about the music. [after Katrina] I discovered that I lost 90 percent of everything I owned, including most of my finished canvases. I was able to find some canvas and frames to stretch my work out on Royal Street as a statement that the art community had returned.”

If you love New Orleans, you won’t want to miss this show. If you have never been to New Orleans, discover what you’ve been missing. There are approximately 150 paintings on display, ranging in price from $100 to $5000. Private gallery visits can be arranged by calling Artful Gallery at 301-537-8713. Artful Gallery is located at 1349 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002.

The “New Orleans: Spirit a’ Risen” show will be ending on Thursday, June 26th. There will be one final opportunity to meet artists Bedonna Wakeman, Eric Buchanan and Veronica Leandrez when they return to DC for a closing event on June 26th, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. To create an authentic New Orleans experience, Cajun Music by Karen Collins and Fred Feinstein (Squeeze Bayou) will accompany the show’s closing. Cajun-inspired food and drink will be available for all to savor.