DC's Massive Pipeline Project Being Rethought

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Area watersheds.  Image: DC Water

Billions of dollars in spending set aside for a massive pipeline project to keep polluted DC water out of area waters could get delayed and re-channeled to more decentralized infrastructure like rain gardens, rainwater harvesting, trees and rain barrels - that is, if DC's independent water authority gets its way.

The sea change in the city's 20-year timeline for cleaning up area rivers will happen only if DC Water can renegotiate a 2005 federal decree to build the full tunnel system.  That consent decree from the Environmental Protection Agency emerged out of a lawsuit over DC's management of runoff in which several environmental groups were plaintiffs.

A decision on the future flow of the city's $4.6 billion Clean Rivers Project could come in the next week or so, a spokeswoman with the city's water authority, The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, or DC Water, told DCMud this week.

"It might shift to a more green solution, or it might be a hybrid of the two: green and gray," DC Water spokeswoman Pamela Mooring told DCMud.  Green infrastructure, here, refers to infrastructure that absorbs or uses water before it enters the sewer system in the first place.  Gray solutions refer to engineering to deal with runoff after it happens - in this case, a massive tunnel infrastructure project to build underground storage tanks for overflow.

The water authority is making efforts to re-focus the Clean Rivers Project for an eight-year pilot "Low-Impact Development" program.  The proposal could emphasize infrastructure like rain barrels and rain gardens instead of pipes that have been the mainstay of water channelling.  DC Water says that approach - if it proves successful - could render two future pipelines, planned to keep run-off out of the Rock Creek and Potomac waters, obsolete, possibly saving millions of dollars.  It notes that other cities including Kansas City and St. Louis have already experimented with similar versions of green infrastructure.

Blue Plains Treatment Plant. Image: DC Water

DC Water says revising the plan could save rate-payers millions of dollars and slash $120 from the monthly water bill increases forecast by the end of the decade.

Old System, Old Problem

Regardless, consensus holds that the city must do something about its dirty water problem.  About one third of DC's water system was built in the 1800's, before pipe systems separated storm water, or run-off from non-permeable surfaces, from sewage.  That part of the system is called a combined sewer system (CSS), and when heavy rains like those from Hurricane Sandy hit the low-lying city, the CSS can't handle all the water and dumps it - along with sewage - into area watersheds, reducing water oxygen levels and killing wildlife at 53 documented places.

A portion of the pipeline system planned for the Anacostia River is already under construction.  In 2011, DC Water awarded a $330 million contract to a joint proposal from Traylor brothers-Skanska-JayDee (TSJD) to build the first part of the system.  The pipe, 23 feet in diameter, would be laid 100 feet underground and extend 12,500 feet from southwest DC, along the Potomac and under the Anacostia to about RFK Stadium.  Slated for completion in January, 2018, the massive system will hold dirty water from the CSS until it can be piped to the Blue Plains Treatment Plant for processing in dryer weather.  Of the scale of the project, DC Water General Manager George Hawkins called it "absolutely huge." "The machine our teams will use to build these tunnels is the size of a football field," and needs to be assembled underground.

Image: courtesy Mike Bolinder, @AnacostiaRrkper on Twitter

Riparian Repair - "Not a Zero Sum Game"

Although he supports a low-impact development approach, Anacostia Riverkeeper Mike Bolinder said it's an approach that he supports in combination with the full, planned tunnel system.  "In general I love the idea of green infrastructure, but there is a consent decree in place."

Bolinder said yearly sewage overflow into all three DC watersheds amounts to 2.5 billion gallons.

On the money question, Bolinder said the CSS under the city was built in the time of Abraham Lincoln, so it makes sense that replacing it will cost some money.  There is also the cost of maintaining and monitoring the efficacy of low-impact development.  "If they don't maintain rain gardens, they stop retaining stormwater," Bolinder said.  "Then we have the same system that we had beforehand, with a couple of rain gardens."

Washington D.C. real estate development news

JBG's 13th and U Street Project Moving Forward--But Sans Hotel

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JBG launched big plans for a U Street hotel sometime around 2007 that have been percolating ever since.  But now that the hotel idea has been scrapped, plans to build an apartment building on the site have picked up speed and construction may begin as early as next summer.

The hotel idea was tossed out in early 2012. In its place at the corner of 13th and U streets will be a large residential building designed by David M. Schwarz Architects that will hold around 138 units and include ground floor retail. After many months of community meetings, JBG finally submitted a PUD to the Zoning Commission in September; earlier this week, the commission held an initial hearing action and deemed the project ready for a public meeting. That will probably occur in early March 2013.

It’s been a very long road that’s nowhere near done. A first round of meetings earlier in the year with the U Street Neighborhood Association, ANC 1B’s design committee, and the full ANC led to the developers making some substantial adjustments to the eight-story building: its height was lowered to 86 feet, the seventh and eighth floors were set back by 5-6 feet, and plans for a rooftop pool were eliminated in response to neighbors’ concerns about noise.

That was the plan delineated in the PUD. 

Once the basics of the building’s shape and contents were worked out, JBG representatives met with neighborhood groups again to discuss the project’s design elements. Those have also been fully approved by the community, and an initial hearing with the Historic Preservation Review Board is scheduled for next Thursday.

As for design, the project won’t need to incorporate any historic facades; the site is currently home to a bland, low-slung strip that holds a Rite-Aid and a Pizza Hut. “But we do need to design a building that’s in context with the historic neighborhood,” said Leary. The resulting design is a classical-style building that led one zoning commission member to remark on the building’s unusually ‘historicist’ look. That was intentional, explained JBG reps, who said that Schwarz has gone to great lengths to look at precedents in the neighborhood and incorporate them so that the building looks as though it's been there for years.


All of the units—a mix of one- and two-bedrooms—will most likely be rentals and will include 12 affordable units that fulfill the District’s inclusionary zoning requirement. At an average of 970 square feet, the units will be a bit bigger than those typically found in new high-rise buildings. “We’re serving a different market—more of a mature renter-by-choice who wants to stay in place,” said James Nozar, a development manager for JBG.

As far as retail goes, the company hasn’t decided on the exact balance yet. So the only element fully in place is the Rite-Aid, which will return to its corner spot after construction is finished.

Some of the meetings that occurred this year between JBG and the neighborhood were an effort to determine the project’s community benefits package. In the end, the PUD submission contained a general clause that JBG would contribute $600,000 for amenities like streetscape improvements, alternative transportation options such as Capital Bikeshare or Zipcars, establishment of a business improvement district, and school or recreation programs. Exactly how the funding will break down will become clearer once the zoning commission's public hearing occurs.

JBG reps say a mid-2013 groundbreaking is possible, but construction is more likely to begin in the third quarter of next year.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

10 Questions with ... Jim Graham

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From his leadership at the Whitman-Walker clinic through the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, to his days teaching at GW and Georgetown Law, to his work on the City Council, Jim Graham has been one of the most influential - and thanks to his trademark glasses and bow ties, most recognizable - pillars of DC cultural life for going on four decades.

1.  What's a typical weekday for you?

Start emails at about 7:30 AM, work until 8 or 9 PM

2.  What or who is your biggest influence?

Prayer        
         
3.  What neighborhood do you live in?
         
Adams Morgan

4.  What is your biggest DC pet peeve?
         
Gum chewing and ballpoint pen clicking

5.  What is the #1 most played song on your iPod?
       
(1) "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," from "Dreamgirls." (Jennifer Hudson)
(2)  "Jesus Is The Best Thing," Rev. James Cleveland
(3)  "Symphony No. 5," Gustav Mahler

6.  Favorite DC haunt?
         
Ben’s Chili Bowl    
         
7.  What's your favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon?
         
Rest

8.  If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
         
Havana

9.  If you couldn't be a councilman, what would you be?
         
Law professor

10.  Name one thing most people don't know about you.
         
I am a naturalized citizen.

First Look at Parcel N at The Yards

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Parcel N at The Yards. Image: Robert A.M. Stern

New renderings have been released of "Parcel N," one of two new apartment buildings planned for Forest City Washington's The Yards mega-development in DC's Capitol Riverfront neighborhood.

Robert A.M. Stern is the primary design architect on the "Parcel N" project, WDG is the architect of record.  Planning for the building is still in the design stage, although architects said they expect permits for the 340,000 s.f. structure to be secured by May 2013, with a groundbreaking set for August of 2013, according to WDG.

Parcel N at The Yards. Image: Robert A.M. Stern

Forest City broke ground this summer on the other project, "Parcel D", directly catty-corner to Parcel N.  That building is being designed by Shalom Baranes.

The Foundry Lofts, a 170-unit adaptive re-use project and the first residential building in the group, completed last year.  In June Forest City secured funding for an adaptive reuse project called The Lumber Shed, described as the The Yards' "retail centerpiece".  Another adaptive reuse of a century-old building into retail and restaurants, The Boilermaker Shops, is set for opening this spring.

Parcel N at The Yards. Image: Robert A.M. Stern

Plans for parcel N include an 11-story, 325-unit building at 310 Tingey Street with ground floor retail, two courtyards, a rooftop pool, a small green roof, and a LEED target of gold.

Peter Garofalo, architect with Robert A.M. Stern in New York, said the building's design references the area's industrial architectural tradition.  There used to be an old foundry on the site, Garofalo said, but it was torn down in the 1970's.

"What we are striving to do is build a building that references historical essences, but updates them in a playful and modern way and stitches those two vocabularies together..." Garofalo told DCMud.  He said the design features glass on top of a traditional base.  Materials include glass, concrete, and dark metals.

Parcel N at The Yards. Image: Robert A.M. Stern

Garofalo said the building's design also features a zig-zag pattern across the east face of the building.  "That was done so that in the future, when the rest of the parcel is being built out, it will create diagonal views up and down 4th street for those residential units."

Designers anticipate one and two-bedroom units that Garofalo called "standard DC-sized," and don't foresee any micro-units.  "There is some debate about it, but I doubt that is going to be included," he said.

Parcel N at The Yards. Image: Robert A.M. Stern

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Eat Stay Love: LEBANESE TAVERNA

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Q and A with Francisco Beltran and Angel Betancourt
by Beth Herman


Very much a family affair, the revered late 1980's-era Woodley Park Lebanese Taverna, 2641 Connecticut Avenue NW, is one of six restaurants, four cafe's and a market in the industrious Abi-Najm kin's epicurean gallery. Undergoing a complete demolition, Principal Francisco Beltran of Design Republica and project manager Angel Betancourt of Potomac Construction Services reimagined the 165-seat, 4,300 s.f. space. DCMud spoke with Beltran - veteran of more than 100 restaurant designs - and Betancourt about the venue, which reopened in early November.

DCMud: From a general perspective, what did the renovation entail?

Betancourt: It was a total demolition resulting in a more open feeling and contemporary design.

DCMud: Did anything survive the former design?

Betancourt: We did retain the cross-vaulted ceiling, though removed a lot of beams so the ceiling looks higher.

Beltran: The cross-vaults were something the family had invented back in '88, and that became the heart and soul of the restaurant. However previously, they'd had bulkheads that concealed air ducts and crossed the dining room horizontally that connected at points of the cross-vault. When we removed them, the illusion of a much grander ceiling, though it was already at 15.5 feet, was created. Removing the bulkheads gave a lot of verticality to the space as it's very linear and narrow.

DCMud:Was the space reconfigured in any way, and if so for what purposes?

Beltran: The restaurant had taken over an adjacent space in the mid-90s, making it into the private dining room - but it had no connection to the front of the house and people felt they were not dining in the heart of the restaurant. In the new design that space became the kitchen, and the new private dining room was conceived as a part of the main dining room.


DCMud: There appears to be a lot of sumptuous custom mill and tilework.

Beltran: The way we chose to finish the walls, floor surfaces and more was based on the Lebanese tradition of using hardwoods like walnut, much of which is reclaimed wood.Tabletops throughout are reclaimed walnut.

The main floor is assimilated wood plank flooring that's made of porcelain. It provides the illusion of warm hardwoods but is much more durable and non-slip. Custom concrete tile was used on the bar faces, and will be used on the storefront facade later on.

Carpet tiles in the restaurant are recyclable and have an oversized print and more of an antique look, which gave a warmth and character to the main dining room.

DCMud:  The private dining room appears to be swaddled, if you will, for luxury and sound.

Beltran: In that space, we used a floor-to-ceiling striping pattern where we alternated walnut hardwood planks in between 18-inch wide fabric panels, actually Homasote boards with batting, for dimension. We wrapped green tea leaf velvet fabric. All three major walls are encased in wood and velvet panels.

In the other part of the restaurant, we used copper velvet fabric for the banquettes treated with Nanotech stainguarding.

DCMud: Can you speak to the lighting?

Beltran: All lighting is LED. Chandeliers were custom made in Egypt specifically for this project. The chandeliers in the wall that divide the private dining room from the main dining room are Moroccan lanterns that we find in most Lebanese Taverna restaurants.

DCMud: Does the new restaurant resemble any of the others?

Beltran: From the time I first starting working with the family, in 2000, it was clear they didn't want their spaces to look like anything cookie-cutter, or a franchise. Each restaurant is specifically designed and detailed within the community - each has a different look and feel. And it's always a team effort, as the family, chefs and staff are deeply involved. The food, service and friendliness may be the same, but the experience of the surroundings is completely different. And the family treats each restaurant like it's their only one.

DCMud: More like Louis Sullivan's contextual architecture, perhaps.

Beltran: Each speaks the language of its community or neighborhood.

DCMud: You began working for family in the restaurant business when you were 14 years old, something that evolved to later experiences with renowned chefs/restauranteurs Victorio Testa, Roberto Donna and others. Is your hospitality design work a strategic outcome of this?

Beltran: I knew in junior high school I wanted to be an architect. Combining food and design was more of a coincidence, though, when the first architecture firm at which I worked  did a restaurant. I said, 'I know all this,' so it was a natural blending and I never looked back.

DCMud: Is there a particular D.C. building that has impacted you as an architect?

Beltran: It has to be the Holocaust Museum. It's not so much the displays but the actual path through the building - the lighting. It's the way the walls enclose and direct you to experience the space - something very successful, very powerful and moving. I try and do that with my restaurants. I want to tell a story and give a different experience in any point of the restaurant - not just have it be one big open space where you see everything and know what it is. If you sit in different areas, they should evoke different feelings and emotions.

Lilly Ledbetter Requests Your Help For NWLC

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Lilly Ledbetter with NWLC Co-Presidents Marcia Greenberger & Nancy Duff Campbell You know my story: in almost twenty years of managing employees for a major company, I was paid far less than my male counterparts despite doing the same job. When I turned to the legal system for help, my case made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court… where the Court (by a 5-4 vote) dismissed it on a technicality.

But that wasn't the end. Far from it! Joined by the National Women's Law Center (NWLC), I fought to change the law and make it easier for those of us who were the victims of pay discrimination to have our cases heard. And, I was deeply honored that the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was the first major piece of legislation President Barack Obama signed in 2009.
The Center was with me through those tough times. Its lawyers filed an important amicus brief in the courts, testified before Congress, advocated for the legislation, and were leaders of the coalition effort that finally got the bill passed in Congress and signed by President Obama. They were by my side when I needed them, from the Supreme Court to the White House!
Will you stand by the Center's side when it needs you now? Please donate $10 or more to support the Center's work on fair pay and so many other issues vital to women and their families — thanks to a dollar-for-dollar match from the Center's Board and Leadership 35 Committee, your gift will be doubled (to a total of $150,000).
 The Ledbetter Act was a step in the right direction, but we still have so far to go: even in 2012, a woman in the United States of America makes only 77 cents for every dollar paid to her male counterparts doing the same job. This situation simply isn't right, and passing a comprehensive Paycheck Fairness Act is something we MUST do.
I'm not stopping the fight, and neither is the National Women's Law Center. Will you help? Please donate $10 or more to support the Center's work on fair pay and so many other issues vital to women and their families.
I am deeply grateful to the Center staff for all that they've done so far, and I know that they're committed to seeing the struggle through to the end — when we'll win. I hope you'll continue to support the Center's work to expand opportunities for women and their families. Please make a generous donation today — thanks to the dollar-for-dollar match, your gift will go twice as far.
Thank you & click here to donate! Sincerely,

Lilly Ledbetter

Sandra Fluke Asks You to Help The National Women's Law Center

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Sandra Fluke  

The right path isn't always the easy path. I was certainly reminded of that this year! When I spoke before members of Congress last spring, I couldn't have guessed the ugliness that would be thrown at me and other women who stood up for the need to cover contraception and other preventive health services under the new health care law. But we stood together and prevailed — they couldn't shout us down, no matter how hard they tried. Now we need to stand together again. The National Women's Law Center played a key role in advocating for women's preventive health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, just as they've been central to so many other advances over the past forty years, from fair pay to economic justice to educational opportunities for women. Please join me in supporting the Center's work on reproductive health and other issues vital to women and their families. Thanks to a dollar-for-dollar match from the Center's Board and Leadership 35 Committee, your gift made by December 31 will be doubled (to a total of $150,000). The Center's lawyers, policy experts, and advocates stood behind me when I needed them, just as they've stood behind women and their families for the past forty years. But these first four decades were just the beginning, and the Center needs your help in the struggles ahead. Will you join me? Please donate $10 to support the Center's work. Your gift will be doubled! You and I both know that our opponents will be back — the fight for women's reproductive health and economic justice isn't over, not by a long shot. Can we count on you? Please donate $10 or more to support the Center's work on so many issues vital to women and their families. Your gift pledged by December 31, including your monthly recurring gift, will go twice as far. Thank you so much for all you've done. Sincerely,

Sandra Fluke P.S. Please take advantage of this opportunity to double your gift. Your support will build a firm foundation for the years to come.

Reform Immigration For America!

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2012 is nearly over, and what a year it has been. In the same year that we saw devastating levels of deportation and even more families torn apart, we also saw the White House issue administrative relief for DREAMers, and immigrant rights voters reelect the President on a mandate of finally passing immigration reform. The President got the message—and so did Congress. We must seize this moment. Humane, comprehensive reform is just on the horizon and the only way we will ensure that it becomes reality is by holding our leaders in Congress and in the White House accountable. Help build our strength for 2013: Send a holiday greeting card to five friends asking them to join our movement. Ask family and friends to take part in the fight to pass real reform that creates a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented Americans. If we all take action to build our strength, we can make sure that by this time next year we will have the reform we’ve been fighting for. Send a card to your friends and family today! Thank you, and Happy Holidays, Donna De La Cruz
Reform Immigration FOR America P.S. If we each invite one more person to join in, we will increase the power of our movement by over one million people. Send a card today!

Season's Greetings From The Clinton Foundation

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We broke ground on a new soy production facility in Rwanda. 

We have performed 45,000 cataract surgeries in Peru. More than 4,200 new jobs have been created in Colombia as a result of our efforts to help small producers connect with bigger markets. 

In Haiti, we brought together more than 1,600 investors and donors resulting in more than $150 million in investment to spur recovery and economic growth. 

Here in the United States, we've expanded our healthy schools program to 15,000 schools and we're growing our retrofit program to help more businesses and homeowners save energy costs while also combating climate change. 

And that's just the start. Last month, we announced a brand new program – the Clinton Health Matters Initiative – to empower people of all ages across the U.S. to live a healthier lifestyle and to inspire individuals, communities, and corporations to make health and wellness a priority. 

All of these things are making the world a better place, and all of them have been accomplished because of supporters like you. Thank you! 

In the coming year, I hope you'll continue to share your gifts when and where you can, to give new hope to those who need it, and to foster positive change in your own backyard and in regions around the world. 

I wish you and your family a healthy and happy holiday season, and all the best in the coming new year. 

Sincerely,


Bill Clinton

Web Series To Watch: Afro City!!

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Hi all,

I'm recommending that you watch Afro City, a urban web series about four Afrocentric Sista's doing it for themselves in Los Angeles, CA.

I'm so proud of these ladies doing their own thing and not waiting for others to make them stars. I just hope they can keep at it and build a following over time. The actress, Sabrina Alashi, who plays Crystal Monet doesn't know me, but I recall that she was a receptionist at the CBS building when I interned on the Tyra Banks show. I noticed her when she was grilling a security guard about his "weekend" activities one day. Also, fellow Nigerian actress, Bunmi Ayodele plays the role of Ebony is one of the Sista's on the show, so you know I had to shout them out.

But regardless of my connection to the ladies, I know what it takes to do what they are doing and appreciate what they are doing, so I'd like to ask that you encourage them by watching the series.

To watch it on Afrolicious TV, click here

Thanks!!

Beware of Acquaintances Asking For Big Favors

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Beware of people you don't know too well and aren't close to asking you for favors. I was recently shocked when someone I considered a mere acquaintance asked to move into my place when I was away for some time. Our relationship was innocent enough. We had exchanged emails and hung out occassionally in the past, so I didn't think anything of it when I casually mentioned that I was doing some work in another state. I didn't know all this casual acquaintance was hearing was "home available." Considering that she's a married mother of two kids with a huge house, I would never have thought she would think like that. So she responded saying that since I wasn't at home could she use my place? because she and her husband needed extra space to cope with having a place to live and housing her husband's business. I responded to her that my place is not available and she should rethink her situation and use her spacious house especially her basement to do what she needed to do to house her husband's business.

I was baffled that this lady who is a very active member of her church and has so many wealthy "friends" living in mansions and belongs to quite a few cliques had to ask me, an outsider for such serious help. As I was pondering this, I called my close friend and shared the situation with her. She wasted no time in telling me that she also recently had the same encounter where a popular woman who she barely knew and apparently "has so many friends" asked for a loan. She said she was floored that this woman who she hardly knew would not ask all her "friends" and people in her cliques for a loan and ask her of all people.

We discussed that it must be that these women don't want the people who are close to them to know the reality of their situation, so they don't ask for favors from those who are close to them so they don't spread the news about their situation to others and embarrass them, so they target "outsiders," like my friend and I. Another thing is that they may think an outsider is easier to take advantage of with no consequences rather than trying to take advantage of an insider who would broadcast their actions to others in their clique.

As I thought about it I recalled that this happened to my mom many years ago.  My mom who is a very conservative introvert and doesn't ask anyone for anything was taught a very good lesson. When she was in her 40's, a high school "friend" named Funke resurfaced from her past. I believe they met at a party and got reacquainted. This Funke wasn't a model person when they were in school but my mom thought she would have outgrown waywardness. Anyway, within a couple of months, she appeared hat in hand with a great sob story asking my mom for a loan. My mom not knowing any better and ignoring her father's mantra of "Only loan money you can give away," gave it to her.

Soon after that she disappeared and my mom couldn't reach her. My mom was baffled by it, but she let it go as she was unsure of what had happened to the woman. After a couple of years my mom got to hear through someone else they had both gone to high school who was my mother's school daughter  that at an event they both attended she was bragging about how she swindled my mom and that my mom is wealthy, so it's money she can spare and that what can my mom do to her if she doesn't repay it? That was all my mom need to hear and she was about to get a taste of my mom's quiet mom's wrath. Since she was avoiding my mom, my conservative mom went out of character and began making calls to some of the woman's husband's friends who are also my dad's friends who put her in touch with the woman's husband. My mom explained the situation to the woman's husband who was very apologetic and stated that he had no idea of what his wife had done and he would resolve the problem.

This was very embarrassing to the woman and her husband who didn't know his wife had borrowed money and it was even more embarrassing to the husband because his wife's actions speaks to the fact that he can't adequately provide for his wife and family and his friends got to know about it while my mom was trying to contact her through him, which reflected negatively on him. To say he was upset was an understatement. Anyway, the bottom line is that she didn't know my easy going, kind and conservative mother would be able to do something like that.

One day not long after my mom spoke to her husband, she appeared with the money in hand apologizing to my mom and saying that her husband had said that if she wants to remain married to him she must repay my mother the loan so he can save face in front of his friends. My mother collected her money and that was it, but the moral of the story is that this woman targeted my mom because she wasn't in her social circle and she thought she could change a loan into a gift without any consequence. But apparently, she had thought wrong.

So when you are approached by someone you aren't close to about something similar, be wise to their game of targeting you because you are an outsider. I shared this story because someone can learn from it and as I always say, a word is enough for the wise...So be wise and don't let people take advantage of you.

Donate To Heroes at Home!

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Beneficiaries: Spc. Robert LaMarche & Sgt. Ryan Major   Heroes at Home is a program Sears Holdings has created in partnership with Rebuilding Together in response to an urgent need to assist military families facing hardship. Rebuilding Together, the nation’s largest all volunteer home rehabilitation organization, is committed to bringing warmth, safety and accessibility to homeowners who do not have the financial or physical resources to complete home repairs and other necessary improvements.
Volunteers . By providing necessary repairs or adaptations to homes, Sears Holdings strives to improve the lives of military families across America. Heroes at Home is one of the many initiatives through which Sears Holdings acknowledges the sacrifice made by our troops every day in the line of duty, while supporting and honoring those heroes who remain at home. Donate to Rebuilding Together or refer a veteran who may need assistance.
Sears Holdings has a longstanding commitment to those who serve in the military and is privileged to assist the troops and their families through several military programs and initiatives.

Bring In 2013 With Inner Caucus & WHUR!!

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FIRST FRIDAYS DC NEW YEARS EVE GALA! First Fridays has teamed up with Inner Caucus & WHUR to present you the best and most diverse New Year's Eve Party in DC.  Our elegant event, attract equal numbers of singles and couples alike.  You are invited to join us again as we continue our annual new year's eve celebration gala. You are welcome to invite friends and family. 2012---->2013
FIRST FRIDAYS & INNER CAUCUS & WHUR 96.3FM Cordially Invite You To Bring In 2013 At The Luxurious L ' E N F A N T    P L A Z A    H O T E L 
480 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024
(Metro Accessible To The Hotel Lobby From L'enfant Plaza Station) * $10 self-park @ Lower Level of Hotel (take elevator to hotel lobby) 1000+ spaces available* 
**Valet Parking available for slightly higher price** Monday, December 31st, 2012
8:30 p.m. - 3:00 a.m.
F I V E     U N I Q U E     S E T T I N G S Lobby Lounge - Live Jazz Band & Neo Soul ~ Lounge Music by DJ One 

Main Ballroom - R&B, Hip-Hop, Funk by DJ LIFE

Solarium Room - Reggae, Calypso, & Soca by DJ Nemesis Executive Room 70's & 80's Soul (Old School) by DJ Divine Hospitality Lounge - African Beats, Salsa, & Merengue by DJ Chick ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Complimentary: Hors D'oeuvres * Split Bottle of Champagne * Party Favor  (Before Midnight)
-------------------------------------- LIMITED DISCOUNTED ROOM RATES ...$149 (BOOK EARLY) Click Here For Room Reservations 2PM Check-In & 2PM Check-Out For Room Reservations, Please Call 1.800.635.5065 Mon - Fri 8am - 10pm  and Sat - Sun 9am -5pm (Please ASK for the Inner Caucus New Year's Eve Rate)        --------------------------------------  $10 self-park @ Lower Level of Hotel (take elevator to hotel lobby)  Valet Parking also available for more $$ --------------------------------------- For more info email djdivine@soulstewdc.com caucusgala@gmail.com or call 703-407-6830

Wisdom On Borrowing!

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I saw this cartoon and had to laugh... He better learn Mandarin too, to greet him appropriately in his own language.  It reminds me of Proverbs 22: 7 which states,  "The rich rule over the poor and the borrower is servant to the lender."  That's why it's good for people to be content with what they have  and live within their means, even if they have to suffer some inconveniences for a season.  But then again, that's not the "American way," so America can't do that...

Separated Man Seeking A Bed Warmer!?!?

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I recently met a Latina man who said he and his wife of 15 years are separated and getting a divorce. He said they knew within a year that they weren’t right for each other. When I asked how union that is about to unravel came about, he said he was living in the US and went on vacation to visit in cousin in Puerto Rico where he met her. They are from the same Latin American country and it appeared they would get along. He said they fell in “lust” and she was coming to the US to visit him and he was going to Puerto Rico to visit her and that got to be very expensive, so they decided that the cheapest way to keep the relationship going was to get married.


They got married two months after meeting and she got pregnant two months later and had a son. He said their relationship started off rocky but they were determined to work hard at it. He said after the first year it was obvious that they weren’t suited for each other and they thought about going their separate ways, but I guess their youthful naïveté made them think they could work through their very glaring differences, which they tried hard to do. He said during their financially prosperous years they were able to stand each other more, but when the going got tough, they both didn’t want to be together.

So now, 15 years later, they are back at square one where they were after a few months of marriage with both wanting to go their separate way. The only difference is that now they have a lot more physical and psychological baggage in tow and they are now back in circulation looking for people to have relationships with. The good news is that they are both parenting their 15 year old son separately. However, it’s needless to say that what they put themselves through will affect them and their future relationships unless they receive some serious counseling, which I doubt that they will do.

The worse thing about this situation is that the man is back in circulation and looking to hook up with ladies just based on his lust like he did with his about to be ex-wife. He says he believes if two adults like each other they should start sleeping together, so in other words he is looking for a bed warmer to satisfy his sexual urges. I guess that’s to be expected since he is a man with physical sexual needs. However, I would think it’s best for him to reconsider his stance because that’s what got him into this mess in the first place. It appears that he hasn’t learned his lesson that “lust” is not “love” and only true love keeps a relationship together long term.

The bible says in 1st Corinthians 7:9, "But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion." Obviously, this man can't control himself and he is burning with passion and instead of him to look for someone to marry, like many men these days, he is "just looking for a place to put it." Women watch out for men like this as they are only looking for women to warm their beds. They are not looking for relationships and unless you are looking for the same thing, don’t warm their beds. If you do, you will just feel used and you should be glad if that's all you feel by the time they are done with you because if you are not careful you may be left with an unwanted child or even something worse. Let men like this go and visit prostitutes who get paid for their services. If you don’t, you will just be damaged as they go about their escapades.

I’m sharing this story to let people know that if something doesn’t fit, don’t force it. If you force it in the beginning it won’t last long term and at the very you will least incur psychological damage in the process. Their situation also shows that time will always tell if a couple can make a marriage work no matter how “picture perfect” and good they look together or how sexually compatible they are, which are often what many unwise people base their relationships on.

A word is enough for the wise…