A Voice from Philanthropy: The Invisible

May 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By Tamara Copeland
President
Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers

We charge into every day ready to tackle the next challenge. We are virtually on auto-pilot as our cars almost drive us to work or as we automatically walk down the same streets. We never stop for a conversation with the homeless man who is always beside the escalator at the Metro nor do we really notice the message handsomely engraved on the plaque at the corner as we turn toward our offices.

Earlier this week, I suddenly noticed something that I have walked by literally thousands of times. On the wall in the WRAG office is a quilt commemorating the life of Reggie Blaxton, who lived from 1953 until 2001. It is probably about 7’ X 5’. It is colorful, decorated with poignant quotes, a photograph of a stylish man, and assorted memorabilia recognizing his African roots. It is majestic and not easy to overlook, but somehow I had. After more than six years at WRAG, I finally asked, “Who was Reggie Blaxton?”

I assumed that he had died from AIDS because of the vehicle of a quilt to commemorate his life and because of our work with the Washington AIDS Partnership, but I hadn’t taken the time to learn anything about the man. This week I did.

Reggie Blaxton was a founding member of the Washington AIDS Partnership. He was a native Washingtonian who had graduated from DC public schools before going on to college in Maine, then to Oxford, and then to divinity school to become an Episcopal priest. He was the religious affairs advisor to then-Mayor Marion Barry and author of HIV: Dis-ease of the Church, an essay published in the anthology Dangerous Liaisons: Blacks, Gays, & the Struggle for Equality. Reggie Blaxton was one of the people who pushed us to address the problem that took his life.

Every day we walk a little too quickly by important testaments – living and symbolic – to the issues that we are rushing to address. Behind the issue of homelessness is that homeless man at the top of the escalator. I haven’t taken the time to learn his name, share mine, or begin to know his story. I should. I know that the issues surrounding HIV and AIDS became even more moving to me once they were within the context of Reggie Blaxton’s life. Let’s remember to take a moment to read the plaque, to talk with the homeless man, and to ground ourselves in the real people who populate the challenges that we work to address.

Just a thought.

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What sequestration means for nonprofits…Walmart Foundation head nominated to lead OMB…How to fix summer youth programs [News, 3.4.13]

March 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment

LOCAL | Sequestration might have spared some essential services like food stamps and TANF, but that doesn’t mean our region’s low-income, elderly, and disabled residents aren’t going to be hurt by the budget cuts. The Washington Post looks at what the cuts mean for local nonprofits and the people they serve. Here’s an example (WaPo, 3/4):

[Latin American Youth Center head Lori] Kaplan is facing a loss of between $300,000 and $400,000 in federal grant money, she estimates, forcing some tough decisions at the Columbia Heights center that houses homeless teens and offers domestic violence counseling and job training.

“There’s no question we will be hit,” Kaplan said. “It’s just a question of when, and by how much.” As many as a dozen homeless teens seeking shelter may have to be turned away, she said.

PHILANTHROPY | In her new column, WRAG’s president, Tamara Copeland, looks beyond the obvious effects of sequestration - like lost jobs, foreclosures, and increased homelessness – to the more personal and hidden effects on needs like mental health. (Daily, 3/4)

COMMUNITY
- Exciting news: President Obama will nominate the Walmart Foundation’s Sylvia Mathews Burwell to be the new head of the Office of Management and Budget. Congratulations, Sylvia! (NPR, 3/4)

- The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region’s board chair, David Bradt, has been honored with the Outstanding Directors Award from the Washington Business Journal and National Association of Corporate Directors. Congratulations, David! (CFNCR, 3/1)

YOUTH | The District’s summer programs for youth have long been hampered by bad management and poor coordination. The D.C. Alliance for Youth Advocates’ Maggie Riden talks to WAMU about how to fix the system to improve outcomes for the city’s youth. (WAMU, 3/4)

HIV/AIDS | In a potentially game-changing case, a Mississippi toddler who was born infected with HIV appears to have been cured of the virus. (WaPo, 3/4)

LOCAL | Obviously Mother Nature would give us an opportunity to use the term “Snowquester.” It might be March, but I’m just fine with a final (or first) taste of winter before we enjoy the cherry blossoms. I’m not holding my breath for meteorologists to be right for the first time though. We’ll probably get a little drizzle.

EVENT | Georgetown University’s Center for Public & Nonprofit Leadership is hosting an Open House for its Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate Program on March 13th, 2013 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The program helps participants develop leadership skills, learn about practices for leading and managing change, and connect to a global network of nonprofit leaders. [More information and registration]

Sure, it’s blatant product promotion. But Oreo’s “separator machine” videos are awesome. The brand tasked a physicist and two scientists with creating devices that would separate the cookies. Pointless, but nifty!

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Horizon Foundation launches Better Beverage Finder…D.C. neighborhood ranks among the best for arts in the country…State education policies graded [News, 1.8.13]

January 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

HEALTH | The Horizon Foundation leads a group that has launched a project called the Better Beverage Finder, an online database that compares sugar content in hundreds of drinks. The database aims to help parents find alternatives to sugary drinks like soda. The project also features facts that seek to discourage consumption of health drinks. For example (WaPo, 1/8):

[I]f each student in the typical Howard County middle school drank just a single 12-ounce can of soda each day, they would consume approximately 10 tons of sugar over the course of a year.

ARTS | ArtPlace released a report that names 12 communities nationwide that “most successfully combine art, artists and venues for creativity and expression with independent businesses, retail shops and restaurants, and a walkable lifestyle to make vibrant neighborhoods.”

Ranking up there with San Fran’s Mission District, NYC’s Manhattan Valley, and Seattle’s Pike-Pine Corridor is our very own intersection of Adams Morgan, U Street, and Dupont Circle! Check out pages 31-32 in the report to see what makes this neighborhood so unique. Also included in the longer list of top 44 metro areas is Alexandria. (ArtPlace, 1/8)

EDUCATION
- Michelle Rhee’s nonprofit, StudentsFirst, has released a list of grades for education policies across the 50 states and D.C. The District ranks 4th (C+) while Maryland is 17th (D+) and Virginia 38th (D-). The rankings are based on categories including teacher quality, parental involvement, and financial management. (Examiner, 1/8) D.C. was graded well thanks to the IMPACT evaluation system, which Rhee created.

- Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has proposed $336 million in spending for school construction and improvements next year. (WaPo, 1/8)

- Federal complaint details cheating allegations at D.C. public school (WaPo, 1/9)

HIV/AIDS | Whitman-Walker Health has announced that it will open a new health care facility on 14th St. in mid-2014. Executive Director Don Blanchon says:

Whitman-Walker has nearly doubled our patient base over the past six years and we expect growth to continue as more residents access care through the new health reform law…This new facility will enable WWH to meet the health care needs of our community and provide the highest quality care in a 21st Century health care home.

LOCAL
- If you see a helicopter buzzing a few feet over your head, don’t worry – you aren’t about to be abducted as part of some ultra-secret government conspiracy (probably). The National Nuclear Security Administration is just testing D.C. for gamma rays using a specially outfitted helicopter. Which leads me to believe that we could have a real hulk of a problem on our hands. (WaPo, 1/8)

- Our region’s natives and those who have lived here for a while are probably familiar with Randy Lokke, either by reputation or from seeing him around town. Randy, who passed away recently, was a local legend. He rode his bike all over the region and supported high school sports teams.

He was a good luck charm for many of the teams, a cherished community member, an avid volunteer, and the subject of so many wonderful stories. My favorite is the urban legend that Randy wound up on the front page of the Post standing behind Bill Clinton at a press conference. You never knew where he’d pop up. Read more about him here. (Georgetowner, 1/8)

EVENT | Over the last year, a group of WRAG members have been convening as the Convergence Partnership – funders who, as the name suggests, are interested in the ways in which various issues affecting our region converge with each other. The group has been exploring food systems as an intersection of issues like health, obesity, and workforce development.

This Friday and Saturday, WRAG’s Convergence Partnership is excited to co-sponsor an Agricultural Planning Conference that will look at how the next generation of farmers in Montgomery and Frederick counties can be productive and profitable. Read more and register here.

As our country’s infrastructure continues to crumble, the Netherlands is implementing an efficient, effective, inexpensive, and really freakin’ cool new road project – glow in the dark roads. Photo-luminescent powder will line the roads. It charges with sunlight during the day and glows for ten hours in the dark. Plus, snowflake shapes will show up on the road when there is a danger of ice. Amazing stuff!

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VPP invests $2.8 million in Urban Alliance partnership…Milloy: D.C. becoming inaccessible to low-income residents…HIV/AIDS rates up in young black men [News, 11.28.12]

November 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

COMMUNITY | Venture Philanthropy Partners is investing $2.8 million in a partnership with the Urban Alliance to support workforce training and college preparedness for low-income youth in the region. VPP President and CEO Carol Thompson Cole, who is also a WRAG board member, says:

At VPP, our mission is to invest in organizations that can help the most disadvantaged young people in our region reach their full potential and become successful, contributing adults…For the past 16 years, Urban Alliance has been doing just that, enabling kids who might otherwise fall through the cracks gain the skills they need to find good jobs and attend college. We are pleased that this partnership will allow Urban Alliance to expand into the suburbs, where child poverty rates are climbing and where many of our children are now in crisis.

EQUITY | Courtland Milloy has harsh words about the ways in which the District is changing. He calls the city “architecturally restored yet soulless,” laments school boundaries, and says that efforts to make D.C. more walkable are detrimental to low-income residents. His overarching point is that the District is improving for the “haves” at the expense of the “have nots.” (WaPo, 11/28)

I’d be curious to hear your reactions to his column. For me, it’s a mixed bag. He ignores the benefits of making the city more walkable, doesn’t qualify his disdain for architectural development, and glosses over a very valid concern for residents of any economic background – crime. On the positive side, his focus on the equity gap and the importance of job creation are right on point.

HOUSING | Yesterday we heard about granny pods. Today the Post writes about the budding trend of tiny houses. In a Northeast D.C. alley, a company is building 150-200 square foot homes that cost “less than the down payment on a two-bedroom condo in a trendy D.C. neighborhood.” (WaPo, 11/28) The homes come with a personal welcome from the Lollipop Guild.

HIV/AIDS | HIV Infections Rise Among Young Black Men In U.S. (WAMU, 11/28) “While the number of new infections in the U.S. is relatively stable — at about 50,000 people each year — HIV is on the rise in young people under 25.”

GIVING | Somewhat confusingly, the Post published an article explaining Giving Tuesday…today. (WaPo, 11/28) Maxwell Smart might have something to say about the timing.

FOOD | The Montgomery County Council has established a work group, comprised of nonprofits and grocers, to look at ways to redistribute food that would otherwise be thrown away. (Patch, 11/28) Thank you to Adina Dubin Barkinskiy for pointing out this article.

EDUCATION | Ward 8 Raises Questions On DCPS Closures (WAMU, 11/28)

EVENTS
- The Freddie Mac Foundation is partnering with NBC4 and the Council of Governments for an adoption expo on December 1. The free event is for D.C., Maryland, and Virginia residents to learn everything they would need to know about adoption. [More info.]

- The Women’s Collective is holding a rally on World AIDS Day (December 3) called “Getting to Zero in DC: Zero Infections. Zero Deaths. Zero Discrimination.” [More info.]

LOCAL | Ghosts of DC has a cool look at a “castle” that used to sit on Meridian Hill. And while I put “castle” in quotation marks, it really was a castle and it was awesome. (GODC, 11/28)

I was listening to some of Bob Dylan’s B-sides earlier and was reminded that the stuff that didn’t even make the cut for his albums is still fantastic. Series of Dreams is one of the highlights.

Speaking of dreams, I someday plan to explore the galaxy and claim an entire planet or two as my own. So, it’s great that NASA has explained how it might build a warp drive for me. You are all invited to be guests on my planets, where every Thursday will be Pizza Night.

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Largest U.S. nonprofits expect 2012 giving to be flat [News, 10.15.12]

October 15, 2012 By

NONPROFITS | A new analysis from the Chronicle of Philanthropy of fundraising by the 400 largest U.S. nonprofits finds that while giving to these groups increased moderately last year, 2012 giving is expected to be flat. Giving to these large groups is likely indicative of broader trends:

The Philanthropy 400 is a bellwether of giving trends because the charities on the list collect $1 of every $4 donated by individuals, corporations, and foundations.

Accompanying the report is a visualization of where the bulk of philanthropic dollars are going based on the category of the nonprofit. You can click each category on the chart to see the specific organizations. (Chronicle, 10/15)

Related: The Chronicle has also analyzed giving to the hundred largest nonprofits over the last twenty years using a nifty chart. Clicking on the name of a nonprofit highlights that organization’s position in each year of the last two decades. (Chronicle, 10/15)

EDUCATION | DCPS is piloting a new program that uses a computer algorithm to tailor math lessons based on the needs of individual students. “Teach to One” will be tested in Hart Middle School where math proficiency is below thirty percent. DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson says, “If it works like we think it will, it’ll be a game-changer.”  The program is being funded by the CityBridge Foundation, D.C. Public Education Fund, and DCPS central office. (WaPo, 10/15)

If I were a student, I’d devote my free time to hacking the lesson planner so that it recommends five minutes of math followed by forty-five minutes of nap time.

HOUSING | Report: D.C.’s affordable housing needs boost (Examiner, 10/15) “The report calls on the city to mandate that 30 percent of housing units in projects on D.C. land be set aside for families who make less than the region’s median income, which is $107,500 for a family of four. “

HEALTH | Fewer HIV funds for women, youth in big cities including D.C. (WaPo, 10/8)

WORKFORCE | Employment prospects for this year’s college seniors are much more optimistic than they have been for classes of recent years. (WaPo, 10/15)

LOCAL | The Gray administration has unveiled plans for a new $5 million gateway public space at the St. Elizabeths site. (Examiner, 8/15)

What an eventful weekend, locally and nationally. On the bad side, the Nats imploded in a spectacularly terrible way and we lost Arlen Specter, one of the few politicians who championed the integrity of independence over partisan ideology.

On the good side, Robert Griffin III snapped the Redskins’ year-long home losing streak. Oh, and a human being dove from space to the earth, becoming the first skydiver to break the sound barrier, because he wanted to see if it was possible. Amazing. 

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MD gets $123m for health exchange…Growing need for workforce housing across the region…COG wants your ideas for region’s activity centers [News, 8.24.12]

August 24, 2012 By

HEALTH | Maryland has been awarded $123 million in federal funds to set up its health insurance exchange, as mandated by the Affordable Care Act. The exchange is expected to be online by October 2013, and so far Maryland is ahead of most other states in setting up the exchange. (Examiner, 8/23)

HOUSING | In the next 20 years, Fairfax and Montgomery counties are projected to need a huge supply of workforce housing, which in those counties is defined as housing that is affordable to families earning less than approximately $130,000 a year.  (WBJ, 8/24)

COMMUNITY | The Washington Area Women’s Foundation‘s Nicky Goren recently appeared on Comcast Newsmakers to discuss the foundation’s work supporting the region’s women and girls and promote their upcoming 2012 Leadership Luncheon. (WAWF, 8/21)

DISTRICT | The D.C. Department of Human Services has announced a plan to delay scheduled cuts to long-term TANF recipients to review each family’s case individually. (WaPo, 8/21)

REGION | The Council of Governments is looking for public input on how best to use activity centers to guide policy, planning, and investment throughout the Greater Washington region. (Region Forward, 8/22)

HIV/AIDS | The New York Times profiles Mary Fisher, an HIV advocate who delivered a historic speech at the 1992 Republican National Convention. (NY Times, 8/22)

PHILANTHROPY | The Need – and Appetite for – Enhanced Foundation Transparency (Foundation Center, 8/20)

There are probably better ways to spend $175, but I will definitely do this if I’m ever at the top of the CN Tower in Toronto again.

-Rebekah

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White House profiles Washington AIDS Partnership…WRAG releases new giving report…United Way seeks to have greater impact through new policies [News, 7.30.12]

July 30, 2012 By

On its website, the White House profiles the really great work that the Washington AIDS Partnership is doing with its Positive Pathways program. Positive Pathways is supported by the Social Innovation Fund and trains community health workers to identify and connect with out-of-care women living with HIV. From the blog:

During the first eight months of implementation, the Washington AIDS Partnership contacted 2,367 individuals and enrolled 268 people who had been out of care. With additional funding from the Social Innovation Fund, the program aims to enroll 500 more people.

GIVING | Today, WRAG released the latest edition of Our Region, Our Giving. The report looks at local funders’ giving and assets, as well as nonprofits that have received the most funding from our region’s funders and funding trends by issue area. Read the report here.

PHILANTHROPY | The United Way for the National Capital Area has announced a new giving strategy focused on increasing impact by supporting larger, high-performing nonprofits. The change requires nonprofits to raise more than $50,000 annually in order to qualify for funding, and that threshold potentially cuts funding for as many as 200 smaller nonprofits. Though the new policies are controversial, the Nonprofit Roundtable’s Chuck Bean says (WaPo, 7/30):

It’s a good move…It’ll enable them to focus on high-performing organizations. It won’t be without pain.

NONPROFITS | The Capital Area Food Bank has opened up a massive new distribution center – the size of two football fields – that features kitchens, warehouse storage space, and loading docks for trucks to serve more than 700 nonprofits and food pantries. According to the Post, the food bank has seen local need increase from 23 million pounds of food a year at the start of the recession to 33 million now.

The project’s capital campaign was headed by philanthropists Donald E. Graham, J.W. Marriott Jr., and Abe Polin, and construction was launched thanks to a $5 million gift from the Carlyle Group’s Bill Conway. He says (WaPo, 7/29):

I think it’s great…It’s too bad this huge need exists….We’ve got a long way to go, but we’re making progress.

- According to a new survey from the Center for Effective Philanthropy, nonprofits don’t really pay much attention to their funders’ social media. (Chronicle, 7/26)

AGING-HIV/AIDS | With big improvements in drugs and access to care, the HIV/AIDS epidemic is creating a new demographic – aging HIV-positive adults. By 2020, more than half of Americans living with the disease will be over 50. Studies are finding that afflictions that typically affect much older adults are targeting HIV-positive adults in their 50s. (WTOP, 7/27)

EDUCATION | D.C. public and charter schools show gains in math scores (WaPo, 7/26)

YOUTH…| A new study finds that the transition from child to adult is happening later in life than it used to. The “emerging adult” phase now takes place from 18-29. (WTOP, 7/30) Oh good. One way or another, I will have emerged as an adult in five months!

I’m in full Olympics mode, how about you? For example, I’ll probably have an eviction notice on my door when I get home due to all of the screaming I did during the men’s 4×100 swimming relay last night. And also due to all of the cursing I did after we finished second to France.

Oh, and is there anything more majestic than John William’s Olympic Fanfare? It’s so good!

If the games aren’t for you, then maybe you’ll enjoy this interesting PBS video about the evolution of viral videos.

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Updated Kids Count data book released…Prince George’s plans hospital, outpatient centers…Montgomery and Fairfax work together to tackle traffic [News, 7.26.12]

July 26, 2012 By

YOUTH/POVERTY | The latest edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Book report was released yesterday. The Kids Count website has extensive national and local data that you can surf through. Here are the profiles/poverty data from our region:

- District: 29.6% of children are living in poverty across the city, but a massive 48.3% are in poverty in Ward 8 (Press release)
- Maryland: 13% of children are living in poverty (Press release)
- Virginia: 14.6% of children are living in poverty (Press release)

Related: Compare national data with this useful Data Wheel – though it doesn’t include the District. And it puts the Mid-Atlantic in…the South?!

Related: One-third of D.C. kids in poverty, despite improvements (Examiner, 7/26)

HEALTH | At a news conference yesterday, Prince George’s County officials outlined plans for improving the county’s health system. Major components include a new 280-bed hospital, outpatient centers in five communities, and targeted increases in primary care doctors and dentists for specific neighborhoods. (WaPo, 7/26)

HIV/AIDS | Teaching And Testing: DCPS Tackles HIV (WAMU, 7/26) This is an insightful article…if you can make it through the awkward opening.

REGIONALISM | Fairfax and Montgomery officials met yesterday to talk about transportation and traffic issues and potential joint solutions. As the Post’s Dr. Gridlock puts it, “It was a historic first, folks agreed.” (WaPo, 7/26)

VETERANS | Heyman medal finalists at HUD and VA are getting veterans off the streets (WaPo, 7/26)

NONPROFITS
- The IRS has trouble tracking whether nonprofits are paying the taxes they owe (Chronicle, 7/26):

The rules governing unrelated business income taxes are an “ongoing source of confusion,” said Rep. Charles W. Boustany Jr., a Louisiana Republican who chairs the subcommittee, which oversees the IRS.

Remove the words “unrelated business income” and the statement is even truer!

- A Chronicle survey finds that a firm majority of new nonprofit workers want to keep working at nonprofits – even though their salaries aren’t sufficient. (Chronicle, 7/26)

RANKINGS | It’s the darndest thing – D.C. apparently tops a list of cities where employees swear at work. Of course, the unanswered question is why we have that distinction. (WTOP, 7/25) Here’s a great list of alternatives to swear words. I will make an effort to incorporate numbers 19, 25, 33, 43, and 47 into my vocabulary.

TRANSIT | Amtrak has announced a $7 billion dollar plan to turn Union Station into “a modern transportation hub of high speed rail.” (WAMU, 7/26) The plan is unfunded at this point, but we know how that goes.

Thanks goes to Robin for writing The Daily while some of us were in Pittsburgh. As usual, the Forum of Regional Association of Grantmakers’ awesome staff put on a great conference for us – but it’s good to be home!

Here’s something neat for your Thursday afternoon. Jerry Douglas is famous for playing the dobro and he’s contributed to a huge number of famous albums (about 1,600 of them). On his own latest album, he has a cover of Paul Simon’s The Boxer featuring British rockers Mumford and Sons on vocals – and Simon himself on backup. So cool.

See you on Monday!

- Christian

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DC Government agencies graded … Virginia dragging its feet on health care exchange … Maryland communities newly eligible for state grants [News, 7.25.12]

July 25, 2012 By

GOVERNMENT | Mayor Gray released the first round of reviews from the Grade DC Initiative, where residents can grade the performance of various city agencies. Most agencies fare in the B-to-C range. In a gift to D.C. stand-up comedians, the worst faring agency is the DMV, with a C-minus. (WaPo, 7/24)

HEALTH | Virginia is dragging its feet in adopting a health care exchange, as required by the recently upheld Affordable Care Act. Failure to do so could cause federal officials to create the exchange for Virginia, meaning state officials would have much less say in how the exchange is structured. (Connection Newspapers, 7/24)

TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT | The State of Maryland has recently designated a cluster of inner-beltway communities along the Blue Line as “Sustainable Communities.” This means they will be eligible for state grant funds to make their communities more walkable, transit-friendly, and environmentally friendly. Designated communities include Capitol Heights, Fairmont Heights and Seat Pleasant. Previous recipients of this designation include Hyattsville and Laurel. (Gazette, 7/24)

ARTS & CULTURE | Fiesta DC, D.C.’s annual Hispanic Heritage Festival, will be held on Pennsylvania Avenue this September. D.C. Councilmember Jim Graham says that the festival has outgrown its original Mount Pleasant location, but he and others are concerned about the impact of pulling the festival out of the historic center of D.C.’s Hispanic community. (WaPo, 7/24)

HOUSING | As we shared yesterday, the Arlington County Board approved moving forward with a street car on Columbia Pike at its meeting on Monday night. At the same time, they approved the Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Area Plan. ARLnow has an in-depth look at the discussion around adopting the plan, especially how they intend to preserve affordable housing in the area.

HIV/AIDS | Thousands of protesters marched to the White House to call for more resources in the HIV/AIDS fight. 13 people were arrested in front of the White House. (Examiner, 7/24)

Related: “The Normal Heart” raises funds for the Washington AIDS Partnership. (Washington Examiner, 7/24)

Also Related: Jennifer Jue, Program Officer with the Washington AIDS Partnership, shares this cool, interactive look at the AIDS quilt, created by Microsoft Research Connections.

EDUCATION| The Fairfax chapter of the NAACP and an advocacy group called Coalition of The Silence have filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education against Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax County, a science and technology magnet program, claiming that black and Latino students are being shut out of the prestigious high school because of the county school system’s systemic failure to identify gifted minority students starting in early elementary gifted-education programs. Black and Latino students currently comprise 4% of the student body, despite making up  32% of the county’s student population. (WaPo, 7/23)

I don’t know about you, but I can’t help but be a bit unnerved by the extremely sudden and massive melting of Greenland’s ice sheet. When an event is described as a “freak event that surprised scientists,” that’s usually not a good sign. At least we’re having some relatively mild weather here today!

- Robin

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Corporate giving up 4% … Maryland has lost more jobs than any other state … Arlington streetcar moving forward [News, 7.24.12]

July 24, 2012 By

PHILANTHROPY | In a special report from the Chronicle of Philanthropy, giving by major companies nationwide rose by 4% in 2011. However, amid concerns about the economy, most companies are not planning on giving any more in 2012. Among the top ten givers were WRAG members Wal-Mart, ExxonMobil, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Citigroup.

ECONOMY | Maryland has lost more jobs in 2012 than any other state in the country. (Washington Times, 7/23)

Related: Virginia job losses from Federal cuts may be worse than predicted. (WBJ, 7/20)

TRANSIT | Very early this morning, (or late last night, depending on how you see things), the Arlington County Board voted to follow the County staff’s recommendation and approve the streetcar as the preferred mode of transit along Columbia Pike. (ArlNow, 7/24) The street car is linked to Arlington’s Columbia Pike Area Neighborhoods Plan, which would seek to redevelop the area while preserving existing affordable housing. As you might recall, the issue of streetcars vs. articulated buses has become an issue of some controversy. And call me a geek, but the story of the original extent of the region’s streetcar network, and how the region lost their streetcars in the first place, is fascinating.

HIV/AIDS | Lots of great coverage of this issue thanks to the International AIDS Conference being in town, but here’s a highlight: “In 2005, 6 percent of all babies in the United States born with HIV were from Washington, D.C. But there’s been some progress; there hasn’t been a baby born with HIV in the District since 2009 because of better screening and medical advances.” (WAMU, 7/23)

EDUCATION | In David Alpert’s continuing series, he asks, “What could DC do to encourage diversity in schools?” (GGW, 7/23)

POLITICS | In a follow-up to yesterday’s story, the D.C. Housing Authority is trying to figure out how the Gray campaign got their hands on public housing lists in the first place. (WaPo, 7/23)

Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, died yesterday of pancreatic cancer. It’s a great embarrassment that it took the U.S. twenty years longer to send a woman into space than it took the U.S.S.R.

She was 32 when she took her first space flight, almost the same age I am now. Watching her and the succession of women who came after her in my childhood, I always thought I would go into space myself. It seems pretty unlikely at this point. But with the mission to Mars seemingly moving forward, maybe my daughter will make it!

On another note, can those who have seen both Avengers and the Batman movie please weigh in on this controversy? I’m sure Christian will have something to say about it when he gets back.

- Robin

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