Wyclef Jean’s foundation failure offers lessons…District launches senior-focused HIV/AIDS education…MoCo parents lobby for later school start [News, 10.18.12]

October 18, 2012 By

PHILANTHROPY | The demise of Wyclef Jean’s Haiti-focused foundation has taken on an aura of tabloid scandal thanks to some truly bizarre claims made by the singer coupled with huge sums of wasted money. But beneath the drama, Arabella Advisors’ Chris Hobbs – who directs the New Venture Fund - points out that there are philanthropic lessons to be learned about the benefits of fiscal sponsorship (Greater Good, 10/17):

To realize the impact he presumably wanted, Jean could have housed an initiative benefiting Haiti within a fiscal sponsor and lent his name to support it. In doing so, the sponsor would have provided oversight, and the $16 million that Yele largely squandered could have actually benefited Haitians.

Those with varying philanthropic goals, from celebrity social entrepreneurs to institutional foundations, can benefit from a fiscal sponsor. The real payoff comes in more effective and efficient philanthropy across the industry, which in turn yields greater impact.

HIV/AIDS | The District has launched a new program that targets older adults, a demographic that represents 40 percent of the HIV population in the city but doesn’t necessarily consider risks in the way younger people do (WTOP, 10/18):

Some seniors are less comfortable discussing sexually transmitted diseases, yet they’re engaging in the same risky behavior that adolescents do that lead to HIV infection, said Michael Kharfen, who oversees outreach for the Department of Health branch tasked with HIV and AIDS programs.

REGION | When Metro was extended to Capitol Heights three decades ago, the connection to D.C. was expected to spark huge growth in the neighborhood. It didn’t, but hopes are high that a planned WalMart store might have the effect that community members once hoped for with Metro. (WaPo, 10/18)

EDUCATION | A few thousand Montgomery County parents are pushing the county to move the start of the high school day from 7:25am to 8:15am. Research shows that the extra sleep would be beneficial for teens. (Examiner, 10/18)

ECONOMY | Greater Greater Washington is running a five part series on the importance of housing for our region’s economy. The second part was posted today and says, “The region needs more than 700,000 new housing units by 2030.” (GGW, 10/18)

SEQUESTRATION | ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Impact In Maryland Will Be Very Grim, General Assembly Analysts Say (HuffPo, 10/18) “‘The Maryland economy would go into a recession,’ analyst Theresa Tuszynski told lawmakers.”

If you’ve never heard the legend of the Comte de St. Germain, here’s a good primer for you. Was (is) he an immortal alchemist? Or was he a scam artist? Umberto Eco made him a central character in the fantastic novel Foucault’s Pendulum, and he’s rumored to have shown up at various key points in history.

We won’t have a Daily tomorrow, so I hope you all have a great weekend!

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MoCo school funding cuts into other services…Murder rate down 55% since 2000 in the District…Fairfax Board approves transportation plan for Tysons [News, 10.17.12]

October 17, 2012 By

BUDGETS | Montgomery County is facing a 5.2% drop in funding for public safety, transit, and social services due to a law requiring a certain amount of spending on education. The details are wonkish, but worth reading. (WaPo, 10/17)

GIVING | The Gates Foundation has done some reorganizing in 2012. The foundation’s CEO, Jeff Raikes, talks about the changes – and reflects on criticism of the foundation’s U.S. education reform strategy. (Chronicle, 10/17)

CRIME | The murder rate in D.C. has dropped 55% since 2000. The Post has an interactive map that shows the changes, demographic information, and even method of death. (WaPo, 10/17) I searched the database but couldn’t find “Prof. Plum in the conservatory with a candlestick.”

AGING | Here’s an interesting idea – the Bronx has created an “Aging Improvement District” to help improve housing, transit, and health services for seniors. (AARP, 10/10)

HEALTH | Inova Health System is planning to announce a new $250 million cancer center in Fairfax. (WBJ, 10/13)

TRANSIT
- Fairfax Board Approves $2.3B Tysons Corner Transportation Plan (WAMU, 10/17) Did you know that Tysons was originally called Peach Grove? Its name changed after the Civil War when William Tyson, a Marylander (gasp!), purchased a tract of land there.

- Metro was supposed to have wireless service installed across the entire system by this week. The agency couldn’t get its act together, so they were granted an extension by Congress until March of 2013. But that’s not going to happen either, so now they want until December 2015. (WaPo, 10/17) Why does Metro even bother setting expectations for anything?

This is not a prank. It’s all I can muster today because I’m laughing too hard to type anything more.

- Christian

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New report on affordable housing in the District…Dr. Susan Raymond talks to WRAG about innovation in philanthropy…Robert Egger to leave D.C. Central Kitchen [News, 10.10.12]

October 10, 2012 By

HOUSING | The Coalition for Smarter Growth has released a new report on housing called Public Good for Public Land: Making the Most of City Land to Meet Affordable Housing Needs. The report includes detailed housing and demographic data about the District and makes 11 recommendations for how the city should capitalize “on public land redevelopment to provide substantial numbers of affordable homes for moderate, low and very low income households.”

The report was funded by Prince Charitable Trusts, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, the Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation, the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, the MARPAT Foundation, the Share Fund, and Enterprise Community Partners. Cheryl Cort, a principal author of the report, recently spoke to funders during a tour of Langley Park, Maryland, that was sponsored by WRAG’s Affordable Housing Task Force.

Related: DCHA to Close Waiting List for Public Housing (City Paper, 10/3)

- Tenants allege abuses at Langley Park apartments (WaPo, 10/10)

- At 10, DC’s housing trust fund has had a tough childhood (GGW, 10/9) “Ideally, the next ten years of the Housing Production Trust Fund will be easier ones.”

PHILANTHROPY | Last Thursday, Dr. Susan Raymond of Changing Our World spoke at WRAG’s Brightest Minds 2012 colloquium on innovation in philanthropy. If you missed it, she recapped her three big ideas in the video below:

Related: Download Dr. Raymond’s presentation here.

NONPROFITS | Pablo Eisenberg digs into the Independent Sector’s new report on advocacy and takes issue with the report’s suggestion that one organization should be a central voice for the nonprofit sector.

Nonprofits will never share a broad consensus about which issues are most important. The best that nonprofits can accomplish is to strengthen their individual advocacy and lobbying activities and join with other organizations in coalitions that fight for specific policy changes.

He also looks at the report’s key issues and suggests four major alternatives. (Chronicle, 10/9)

FOOD | Jaw dropping statistic of the day: “Supermarkets, restaurants and other nonresidential establishments in Montgomery County throw away 56 million pounds of food a year.”

The Montgomery County Council is looking at ways of using this unused food to help feed the hungry. (WaPo, 10/10) I hope every other county and city in the U.S. is doing the same thing. How can we waste so much?

PEOPLE | On the food front, D.C. Central Kitchen founder and president Robert Egger has announced that he will leave his 25 year post to open a new project in L.A. Under his leadership, D.C. Central Kitchen has served 27 million meals to low-income individuals in our community. Egger leaves behind a tremendously impactful legacy and Los Angeles is truly fortunate to be his next focus. (WBJ, 10/10)

EDUCATION | Examiner columnist Harry Jaffe asks a provocative question: Does D.C. need UDC? He comes on strong by saying that the University of the District of Columbia is “a failed experiment, ” but he follows with some ideas worth considering. (Examiner, 10/10)

LOCAL | Here are some seasonal spooks – haunted buildings on Capitol Hill. (Examiner, 10/10)

For any parents with small children, here’s some hilarious Halloween costume help. Why not dress your kids like famous artists?

And staying in the realm of kids, Disney has released its latest Toy Story short film – Partysaurus Rex. As can be consistently expected from Pixar, the film is hilarious and worth your seven minutes!

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Public Welfare Foundation’s Mary McClymont on legal services…Billionaires convene to discuss philanthropy…Over-reliance on urgent care could cause problems [News, 9.18.12]

September 18, 2012 By

PHILANTHROPY | The concept of “legal services” is a frequently misunderstood one in philanthropy. People hear the term and immediately equate it with crime, but the term actually relates to the civil needs of people living around the poverty line – serious needs related to housing, healthcare, family services, and income security, among other things.

Mary McClymont, president of the Public Welfare Foundation, sat down with Tamara Copeland, WRAG’s president, to debunk misconceptions and explain why legal services are a critically important area for funders to support.

See the full video here and visit the Public Welfare Foundation’s website for more information and resources on legal services.

GIVING | In June, Forbes convened 161 billionaires and near-billionaires for a symposium on philanthropy. My invitation was lost in the mail, but Forbes magazine has just published extensive recaps, interviews, and photos from the event. (Forbes, 9/18)

HEALTH | Since 2008, our region has seen a huge increase in the number of urgent care centers. While the facilities offer quick access to care, their popularity is problematic (WaPo, 9/18):

Some physicians groups warn that the overreliance on the centers can complicate efforts to improve health through better coordination of care.

NONPROFITS | Executive Pay Increased by Median of 3.8% in 2011, Chronicle Survey Finds (Chronicle, 9/17) Which isn’t much better than the 3% rate of inflation.

Related: Here are the top 20 places for raises between 2006 and 2011. Our region led the pack with an average of $10,460. (Atlantic, 9/18) If sequestration happens, we’ll probably lead the list of top 20 places to get laid off. Speaking of which…

SEQUESTRATION | The Washington Post’s Bob Woodward says that we should all be scared out of our minds about the “fiscal cliff” that we’re about to fly off. The bottom line, he says, is that our political leaders in both parties are refusing to cooperate with each other in an unprecedented way. (WTOP, 9/17)

Here’s a relaxing song for a rainy day – a live version of Paul Simon’s Afterlife. And here is a little history quiz to keep you alert.

See you all tomorrow. 

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Promoting a new vision for affordable housing…How Romney and Obama compare on nonprofit issues…District has worst black/white student achievement gap in the country [News, 9.10.12]

September 10, 2012 By

AFFORDABLE HOUSING | As Enterprise Community Partners works on renovations of nearly 400 affordable housing units near H Street, NE, the nonprofit’s local leader, David Bowers, sees the project as an opportunity to highlight a new vision for affordable housing (WaPo, 9/10):

[Enterprise] has grown its focus from just creating and preserving low-income housing to addressing transportation and energy costs for poor and working class residents…In Washington — where real estate near Metro stations fetches a steep premium — Bowers has a goal of preserving 1,000 units within a half-mile walk of transit stations, giving residents easier and more affordable access to job centers.

David Bowers is also a member of WRAG’s Affordable Housing Task Force which has spent the past few months exploring possibilities for philanthropy’s role in supporting affordable housing. We’ll have some exciting developments to share with you soon.

EDUCATION
- The Post takes a look at the student achievement gap both locally and across the country. Among the findings (WaPo, 9/10):

According to 2011 national testing data, the gap between white and black students is wider in Washington, D.C., public schools than in any other urban district…The persistent gap in the District reflects on the questionable nature of some of the “reforms” that have been implemented locally and elsewhere around the country — which too often ignore the outside-of-school influences that affect how well a student does in class.

- The closure of 23 District schools in 2008 ended up costing more than four-times as much as projected. This happened under the previous administration, but the Examiner points out that the Gray administration is on track to close more schools and should keep the cost in mind. (Examiner, 9/10)

- DCPS Aims To Grow Leaders From Within (WAMU, 9/10) Doesn’t it seem like the opposite of “within” should be “without”? That would make no sense in a sentence though. English is confusing.

BUDGETS | The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has a big budget gap for social services programs in FY2013 and their appeals to the state for funding assistance have been denied. (Examiner, 9/10)

NONPROFITS | More election coverage from the Chronicle – how Obama and Romney compare on (some) nonprofit issues. (Chronicle, 9/8)

HEALTH | Opinion: Greater Greater Washington’s Dave Alpert penned a piece for the Post that discusses the importance of putting Prince George’s County’s new hospital near a Metro station (WaPo, 9/8):

A hospital near a Metro station would draw more economic activity to the county and provide accessible health care to more residents, while saving the state countless transportation dollars and minimizing the negative health effects of the pollution produced by those driving to the site.

- Americans spending more on prescription drugs (WTOP, 9/10)

TRANSIT | Finally, we have somebody to properly channel the rage caused by Metro – WMATA Hulk! Some genius is operating a Twitter handle that sees the Incredible Hulk, uh, hulking out over various transit related issues. My favorite so far was tweeted this morning:

HULK DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO SMASHING LOUD CELLPHONE WOMAN ON GREEN LINE. #WMATA

If you’re on Twitter, you should follow WMATA Hulk so he continues to tweet! (Express via GGW, 9/7)

LOCAL | Who knows what will happen over the next few weeks, but for the moment we have a new hometown hero – Robert Griffin III. The Nats are in first place and the Redskins knocked out one of the best teams in the NFL. Strange things are afoot in our region…but it sure feels good! (WaPo, 9/10)

Thanks so much to Rebekah for filling in while I was out.  I haven’t had enough time to filter through the fun things I missed on the internet while I was gone, but here is one that jumped out – a photo essay of the natural beauty in the Pacific Northwest. The shots of the night sky make me utterly resent all of the light pollution we have around here!

- Christian

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Social media and homelessness…Back to school 2012…How Lance Armstrong’s doping charges affect his foundation [News, 8.27.12]

August 27, 2012 By

SOCIAL MEDIA/HOMELESSNESS | A new study finds that free social media tools like Twitter and Facebook are helping to connect homeless individuals to family, friends, jobs, and services. The University of Dayton’s Art Jipson conducted the study and points out (WaPo, 8/27):

We assume that we have nothing in common with people who are different from us — by whatever means we might measure that difference…But a study like this demonstrates that we have more in common than we do in difference.

So, folks, how do we increase internet access for the homeless?

LOCAL | D.C.’s downtown drives city’s population growth (Examiner, 8/27) “More than half of D.C.’s roughly 30,000 new residents over the past decade chose to live in the city’s downtown core as development there boomed….”

EDUCATION | It’s back-to-school week for many of the region’s kids. Prince George’s got an early start last week, but the rest of Maryland and the District start today. Most NoVA schools start after Labor day.

- Back to school time in D.C. and many suburbs (WaPo, 8/27):

- Some schools are getting rid of traditional homework and instead encouraging students to do unstructured activities – like recreational reading. The shift is being met with some skepticism and one educator’s explanation is certainly confusing enough (Examiner, 8/27):

We’re moving away from the repetition of skills…We’re focused on making sure 21st-century learners have the skills they need.

Learn the skills, but don’t repeat them?

YOUTH | Children’s Law Center’s Judith Sandalow illustrates the importance of early-childhood education in preparing kids for school – especially for kids with special needs (HuffPo, 8/25):

Children starting school should have certain cognitive capacity, socio-emotional skills, and verbal abilities…If a child arrives on the first day of kindergarten without these key abilities, even the best teacher in the world will find it difficult, if not impossible, to teach that child.

PHILANTHROPY | Over the weekend, Lance Armstrong lost all of his Tour de France titles over doping charges. He still denies wrong-doing, but there has been a question about how the situation might affect his foundation. Quite positively, it turns out. (Chronicle, 8/27)

Rest in peace, Neil Armstrong. It is hard to think of many others who have inspired our imaginations and strengthened our sense of American pride like Armstrong. Here’s video of his legendary moon landing. I think we are generally jaded by how easy and trivial special effects make things look. But on a clear night, stare at the moon and try to wrap your mind around how truly impressive Amstrong and company’s achievement really was.

For something else fascinating, and regardless of your opinion of Lynyrd Skynyrd, you have to check out this rendition of Sweet Home Alabama. I promise you’ll be amazed.

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Region’s education leaders talk challenges, successes…Meyer Foundation names Janice Thomas as VP for finance and operations…CBO says U.S. is facing a deep recession [News, 8.22.12]

August 22, 2012 By

EDUCATION | Yesterday, WTOP gathered education leaders from most of our region’s jurisdictions to talk about their successes and challenges, both common and unique. It’s worth the time to listen to some of the show’s segments. (WTOP, 8/22)

- Despite their growing popularity and success in the District, charter schools operate as effective “second-class” citizens when it comes to funding and policy decisions. (WaPo, 8/22)

COMMUNITY | Congratulations to Janice Thomas on being named the new vice president for finance and operations at the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation! Janice has been WRAG’s neighbor down the hall at the Consumer Health Foundation for the last three years. While we’ll miss seeing her in the hallway, we’re very excited that she’s moving to another great foundation in our community.

Julie Rogers, Meyer’s President and CEO, has these words of praise for Janice:

We are delighted to welcome Janice to the Meyer Foundation…She brings an uncommon and invaluable combination of skills and experience. Beyond her finance, technology, and human resources background, Janice’s degree in social work gives her an additional perspective on the foundation’s work.

PHILANTHROPY | New Web Site Informs Philanthropists About Nonprofits (Chronicle, 8/21) “The new Web site is called the Giving Library and includes videos from 250 nonprofits hoping to catch the attention of donors who visit the site.”

LOCAL | I mentioned the death of local homeless man Peter Bis – and how it has touched a lot of people – earlier this week. Today, the Post has a nicely-written front page article about him. (WaPo, 8/22)

ECONOMY | The weather is getting pleasant, people are relaxing a little as the summer winds down, and…the United States is evidently facing a deep recession next year, according to the Congressional Budget Office. We already know that massive tax hikes and spending cuts are going to severely hurt our region, but the CBO’s new report says the rest of the country is in grave danger, too, if Congress doesn’t get its act together. (WaPo, 8/22)

HOUSING | From Greater Greater Washington – Long-term home ownership does foster civic engagement (GGW, 8/22)

TRANSIT | Arlington County has released a video that shows the plan for (and benefits of) its new streetcar system. They ignored the “don’t make videos nine minutes long” rule, but it is certainly interesting if you have time to watch.  (ArlNow, 8/22)

Homer Simpson’s “D’oh!” is probably one of the most famous phrases (noises?) in American pop culture. Homer’s voice actor, the hilarious Dan Castellaneta, explains that not only was “D’oh!” originally unscripted, but it actually has roots in one of the greatest comedy teams ever. Trivial, but fascinating!

Also, here’s the first poster for Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln biopic, starring Abraham Lincoln Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln. This is at the top of my must-see list.

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Local nonprofit merger is going well…A detailed look at charitable giving data…Prince George’s County names temporary schools chief [News, 8.20.12]

August 20, 2012 By

NONPROFITS | Last year, District nonprofits N Street Village and Miriam’s House announced that they were merging together. The merge would hopefully alleviate some of the financial stress caused by the recession and increase their capacities to serve the community. Did it work? The Post says yes (WaPo, 8/20):

Nearly one year since the vows, two nonprofit darlings of the District — N Street Village and Miriam’s House —are calling their merger a success.

COMMUNITY | We are absolutely thrilled to introduce you all to the newest member of the WRAG family! The Washington AIDS Partnership’s Jenn Jue and her husband Peter are proud new parents to Marcus Jue. Last week, the little guy entered the world at a healthy 7 pounds and 11 ounces. His parents are both doing great. Congratulations, Jenn and Peter!

GIVING | A new, interactive study from the Chronicle of Philanthropy breaks down individuals’ charitable giving by state, city, and neighborhood. There are some really interesting stories to be told from the data, including (for an election year) giving in red states versus blue ones.

In our region, the Chronicle finds that faith is a primary driver of giving. (Chronicle 8/20)

EDUCATION | Prince George’s County Public Schools have named Alvin Crawley as the temporary schools chief, effective September 4th. Crawley is currently DCPS’ deputy chief of programming for the special education office. (Examiner, 8/20)

LOCAL | Bank of America’s Mid-Atlantic president, Bill Couper, has been with the company for forty years. He looks back over the decades and considers how our region’s economy has changed, particularly for banking. (WaPo, 8/20)

HEALTH | Maryland, D.C. tap outside consultants to adopt changes in health care law (WaPo, 8/20)

FITNESS | Many of you have probably wandered by a park and seen large groups of people contorting their bodies into uncomfortable-looking yoga positions. If you are like me, you laugh at them and keep walking. But apparently outdoor fitness classes are the hot new thing, and the D.C. Council wants to capitalize on the trend by collecting fees. (WAMU, 8/20)

If you’ve ever lived or worked on Capitol Hill, then you’ve probably run into Peter Bis. Though he occasionally biked around, Peter’s regular spot was on a plastic crate under a tree, in front of the Exxon at 2nd and Mass Ave. Though he was homeless, he never asked for anything and always greeted passersby with a countdown to the weekend, a reminder about upcoming holidays, and (my personal favorite) a warning not to go skinny dipping. He was a little crazy, but he was always kind.

Peter passed away from a heart attack last week. My Facebook news feed filled up with my friends’ memories of him. Local news outlets shared stories. Even the national press wrote about his death. It was wonderful to read about how important he was to the community – and how people, particularly the Exxon staff, took care of him as a cherished neighbor. He’ll be sincerely missed.

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Budget cuts could cost region more than 160,000 jobs…MoCo considering affordable housing incentives…GGW argues for centrally hired education committee employees [News, 8.16.12]

August 16, 2012 By

SEQUESTRATION | A little doom and gloom for your Thursday. Sorry! George Mason’s Stephen Fuller has run numbers to see how the looming federal budget cuts would affect the region (WTOP, 8/16):

“[W]e’re looking at the loss of about 65,000 federal jobs in this region and about 96,000 federal contractor jobs.”

Fuller says it could lead to a “devastating recession” in the area. He says a ripple effect could also result in loss of more jobs outside the federal government.

HOUSING | The Montgomery County Council is taking a new look at a law that would “exempt residential developers from paying development taxes…if at least a quarter of the apartments or houses meet affordable-housing guidelines.” Advocates say it encourages affordable housing construction, while critics say that it would cost too much in lost revenue. (Examiner, 8/16)

EDUCATION
- When Kwame “Fully Loaded” Brown resigned from the D.C. Council, his staff members who oversaw the education committee left as well. Greater Greater Washington makes the wise argument that committee staff members should be centrally hired,  rather than tied to politicians. (GGW, 8/15)

- Charter school known for rigor comes to D.C. (WaPo, 8/16)

HEALTH | D.C. submits plan for health-benefits exchange to feds (Wash Times, 8/16)

NONPROFITS | The Chronicle profiles controversial academic Richard Steinberg, who argues in favor of big up-front spending toward long-term growth for nonprofits. Steinberg has an advocate in Dan Pallotta, who spoke at WRAG’s 2009 annual meeting (Chronicle, 8/16):

[Pallotta] argues that nonprofits should operate more like businesses. The public is “illiterate” about the need to invest in fundraising to help an organization grow, he said in an interview, calling Mr. Steinberg “the hero of an unsexy cause.”

BUDGETS | Virginia state employees are getting bonuses after the state ended its fiscal year with a $448.5 million surplus. (WaPo, 8/16)

JOBS | Looking for a new job? Need to get the word out about a job opening? Check out WRAG’s Job Board for positions in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. The board is full of neat opportunities.

You can post an announcement for $60/60 days – and WRAG members can post for free (email Christian).

LOCAL | The release of the audit of Mayor Gray’s 2010 campaign has been delayed indefinitely. (Examiner, 8/16)

Conveniently related: Watchdogs: D.C. Area Governments Need Work On Transparency (WAMU, 8/15)

SHARKS! | So we’ve had sharks in the Potomac on rare occasions, but WTOP felt like it would be a good idea to terrify us by confirming that the monsters are common to the Chesapeake. They even dropped this gem of a line (WTOP, 8/16):

Given the general prevalence of sharks in the bay, it’s unusual that there has never been a shark attack here or anywhere else in Maryland….

Great. I’m moving to Indiana. Or Liechtenstein.

With the 2012 Summer Olympics finished, we can finally start campaigning to have synchronized swimming banned from the next games. Why? Because of this.

Also, in honor of Shark Week and the beasts who will probably eat me next time I swim in the Chesapeake, here’s one of my favorite Jimmy Buffett songs – Fins. 

Rebekah has the Daily tomorrow, so I’ll wish you all a great weekend.

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Getting ready for school: truancy, librarians, math scores and…gambling. [News, 8.15.12]

August 15, 2012 By

EDUCATION | A new report from the District’s Inspector General on the city’s efforts to fight truancy reveals self-defeating tendencies:

D.C. Public Schools sabotaged its efforts to curb truancy by firing attendance counselors and choosing not to track when students were picked up by police…Inspector General Charles Willoughby’s office also said lax policies created inconsistent responses to unexcused absences throughout the system.

Thirty-nine percent of D.C. high schools were chronically truant at last count, meaning they were unexcused and absent for at least 15 days. (Examiner, 8/15)

- According to the Examiner, 57 public schools – including 64 percent of the ones in Ward 5 – won’t have librarians when the school year starts. (Examiner, 8/14) That’s crazy. Good librarians are as important as good teachers. Mrs. McKenna and Brother Marvin made a big difference in my education…even though Brother Marvin gave me detention all the time.

Also, can’t we think outside the box? If funding is the issue, how about setting up a network of volunteers?

- Fairfax County Public Schools will repay the federal government $1 million after an employee lied about having secured matching funds and then forged signatures to try to prove it. This happened twelve years ago, which begs a comment on the bureaucracy of the Justice Department. (Examiner, 8/15)

- Math scores in Northern Virginia dropped considerably last year as the tests got tougher. (WaPo, 8/15)

GAMBLING | The Maryland House (no, not the one on I-95) has given initial approval to gambling expansion in the state. The legalization of table games – and consequential construction of new casinos, including in Prince George’s – could bring as much as $750 million in annual revenue dedicated to education. (Examiner, 8/15)

TRANSIT | Metro is still opening doors. In tunnels. (NBC4, 8/14)

GIVING | Opinion: Pablo Eisenberg considers the Ford Foundation’s recent $500,000 grant to the Washington Post – designated for beefing up coverage on government accountability – and thinks that it “is inappropriate and a waste of money.” (HuffPo, 8/15)

ELECTION | Opinion: Now the Presidential Race Is About Nonprofit Issues (Chronicle, 8/14) The author, Mark Rosenman, labels himself an “activist,” so this is less than an unbiased piece. But he does take a thorough look at how the Ryan Plan would likely affect nonprofits.

One quick tangential thought as we move into full gear toward the election. Tamara and I were talking yesterday about the state of politics, and the art of deceptive campaigning in general. We agreed that it’s important to remember that, despite what 30-second ads want us to believe, political candidates are fighting for the chance to do what they honestly believe is best for the country. We can and should debate policies and outcomes, but it seems disingenuous to accuse either party of simply not caring about – or worse, hating – specific constituencies of people. We should be careful and thoughtful with our political rhetoric.

Greater Greater Washington linked to this great NY Times article from 1964. It offers predictions about the United States in the year 2000, almost all of which were completely wrong. For example, it predicted that we’d have no nurses, waitresses, watch repairmen, or shoes makers, because our entire population would have become white collar and wealthy. Even for 1964, this article is crazy.

Fun note: Two weeks before that article was written, the Beatles made history (surprise) as the first band to take over all of the top five spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

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