Ballou HS Rocks the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Morning Roundup: Black Friday Edition
Photo of the Day: November 27, 2009
Caps Thankful for Varly in 2-0 Win
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You have to give it to the Washington Times -- at least their headlines are amusing. The much-loved newspaper today reports on six Montgomery County residents who were detained for transporting illegal immigrants into the area for work as prostitutes, titling the story, "Four in family among six held in alien sex ring." Alien sex ring? Well, yes, "alien" is the technical term for a non-American, but wouldn't "immigrant" have sufficed?
Cropp Proposes New Funding Source for School Repairs: While Council-member Kathy Patterson awaits a December 5 hearing to determine the fate of a bill she has introduced to fund school modernization in the District by raising certain taxes on businesses, council chair Linda Cropp has proposed an alternative source of funding for the much-needed school repairs, writes the Examiner. Cropp has announced her support for the leasing of excess school space to developers, allowing them to build office and residential units on top of libraries or on portions of school playgrounds. Cropp has often noted that the District's public schools own millions of square feet of space that remains unused, leaving some school operating under their full capacity.
More Questions Raised Over Stadium Financing: According to a new report released by the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, the current stadium financing arrangement may end up costing the District $60 million in lost revenue, reports the Post. The organization -- which has been critical of the stadium financing plan since it was announced last year -- notes that a private-financing agreement being set up with Deutsche Bank and worth $246 million will actually extend the repayment of the stadium bond debt from 19 to 25 years. During this extension, businesses taxed for the stadium's construction will pay $60 million less towards the debt, resulting in a shifting of the stadium's cost to city coffers. Officials in the mayor's office hace disagreed with the assessment. Sound confusing? It did to us. For the economists in the audience, please read the report and let us know what you think.
Jefferson Memorial Site of Stabbing: WTOP may today be victim of some of the shoddiest reporting on a criminal incident ever. In a brief article detailing an alleged stabbing that occurred last night at the Jefferson Memorial, the article notes that, "What was reported Wednesday night as an attack near the memorial may not have been an attack." Then what was it? They don't say. The article continues to report that a man who suffered multiple stab wounds between 7:00 and 7:30 p.m. yesterday told an officer the incident occurred at the memorial, though the article proclaims, "Police tell WTOP the evidence in case is leading the investigation in another direction." Of course, the give no indication what direction that is. So, we have an attack that might not really have been an attack, and an investigation whose direction is unknown. Do we feel better informed?
Briefly Noted: Kaine launches townhall meetings in Roanoke ... Michael Steele's campaign office broken into ... National Geographic to hold bargain sale starting Friday ... District may get defibriillators in all government buildings ... Hearing on District charter schools to be held ... Wal-Mart readies for battle in Maryland ... Controversy over Sursum Corda redevelopment continues.
Picture snapped by Katmere.
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Re: Jefferson Memorial stabbing
I heard on the news this am it was a suicide attempt, not an attack.
Jefferson Memorial Site of Stabbing: WTOP may today be victim of some of the shoddiest reporting on a criminal incident ever
Victim? No, I think their readers are the victims -- I'm pretty sure WTOP are the perpetrators of the shoddy reporting. DCist, "victim" of bad word choice?
"Well, yes, "alien" is the technical term for a non-American, but wouldn't "immigrant" have sufficed?"
No, because as we learned earlier, DCist readers don't like the use of the term "immigrant". Can't we all just get along?
http://www.dcist.com/archives/2005/11/01/morning_roundup_post_halloween_edition.php
I'm surprised that the Alien Sex Ring doesn't involve some sort of "probe."
;)
Dammit, the W. Times stole my band's name.
What is that a picture of?
I think it's a mural that's been painted on that huge ventilation stack for the I-395 tunnel.
Actually, "alien" and "immigrant" are not synonymous.
Alien: An unnaturalized foreign resident of a country.
Immigrant: A person who leaves one country to settle permanently in another.
The proper term for these individuals would most likely be "illegal immigrant" (I don't know their status though -- haven't read the article), but "alien" is proper also.
No, the proper term for these individuals is not "illegal immigrant". Though they may have committed an illegal act of crossing the US border, that does not make them "illegal" individuals. If you jay-walk, rob a bank, drive on the wrong side of the road, then you've committed a crime - but you yourself have not become "illegal" because of that act.
The proper term is "undocumented immigrant".
Kraplana Hrvatska, I always wondered what that thing was. I just knew I always saw the mural when I was wandering around near union station, and that it was a pretty neat mural on an odd looking structure. Thanks!
The Crime is not that they "may have committed an illegal act by crossing the US border"; their crime is that their presence in the US is illegal. They are still in involved in the criminal act as long as their physical presence is still within the US boarder or until they received authorization to be here. So the term illegal immigrant applies. Undocumented immigrant suggests that they have a legitimate legal status.
though the picture looks more like a photo of a painting of the (ventilation stack). s'that what that is? i always thought it was some part of the power grid.
The Crime is not that they "may have committed an illegal act by crossing the US border"; their crime is that their presence in the US is illegal. They are still in involved in the criminal act as long as their physical presence is still within the US boarder or until they received authorization to be here. So the term illegal immigrant applies. Undocumented immigrant suggests that they have a legitimate legal status.
tha photo looks more like a painting. very nice.
ventilation stack huh? thanks. i just assumed is was an arsonal, or toxic dumping ground or something.
i for one would like to get my bone on with said aliens. take me to your leader.
Ah, thanks, Kraplana Hrvatska.
Apparently, that ventilation shaft is also known as the Nixon Memorial.
"Protect" Sursum Corda..??! What a joke of an article in the Post. Let's recap. KSI is going to spend hundreds of millions to totally revitalize what is probably the worst neighborhood in the city. Current renters (not owners -- renters, already heavily subsidized by taxpayers) are going to get $80k each. For nothing. They will also get half the profits from the new project. For nothing. They also get a guarantee from KSI that they will never have to spend more than a third of of their income for housing. Also a total gift.
And the Sursum residents are bitching their heads off. The Post leads with how the deal makes them "leery." Council member Ambrose says "I don't like the deal at all."
WTF..?? WTF..!! The photo of the KSI exec, Richard Knapp said it all. That guy ought to pack his bag, cross the bridge and start scouting out land in Fairfax county.
Golly Robert, maybe the fact that KSI isn't scouting land in Fairfax, despite the fact that they have had to "give" so much away to the Sursum residents, would indicate that they are getting a better deal in D.C. than they would if they went to Fairfax. (In the interest of accuracy, remember that since Sursum Corda is a co-op the residents own it, meaning that this would be a "sale" and not a "gift" and the owners can demand, and enforce via contract, KSI to give them good consideration in return - if KSI doesn't want to "give" all of this in return, they don't have to do the deal with the residents.) KSI is a rational actor and most certainly is not going to "spend hundreds of millions of dollars" without at least a pretty good hunch that they are going to get more than "hundreds of millions of dollars" out of the deal themselves. If you have been following this in the Post, you would have seen that after the Sursum residents initially agreed to make a deal with KSI, other developers indicated that they would be willing to "give" them much more, and KSI increased their "gift" to overcome those competing offers. Developers were begging for the opportunity to develop this land, so shouldn't the Sursum Corda residents take advantage of this bargaining position and get as much as they can in return? I applaud the Council for making sure that more affordable housing doesn't disappear, and that KSI is "giving" as much back to the community as possible, even if their real motivation is probably an attempt to get their hands on some of the money that is going to come out of this deal.
Agreed that they are not merely "undocumented." They are either "Illegal aliens," or, if they are intended immigrants, then probably "Illegal immigrants."
The thing that no one will talk about w/r/t illegal immigration is the fact that for all intents and purposes, the laws on the books may as well be treated as theoretical. The entities that would enforce the laws, on the other hand, all but openly encourage illegal immigration--the laws are CYA measures if the shizz hits the fan.
Honestly. Who, exactly, do you think is going to rebuild New Orleans? Don't kid yourself into thinking it'll be American citizens. They cost way more than anyone's willing to pay.
Re: Jefferson Memorial stabbing
I heard on the news this am it was a suicide attempt, not an attack.
They are basing their reports off of incorrect/insufficient information. If they actually knew the details of the stabbings, they would know that it was IMPOSSIBLE for it to be suicide. However, apparently tourism is more important to these people than the life of a human being. Even if it were a suicide attempt, it does not have to be spread as such when they can't verify it. People commit suicide in their homes daily and nobody hears a word about it, but since it's in D.C. I guess everybody feels that it's ok to disgrace this man in order to maintain their false sense of security and save tourism.
The National Geographic sale is 90% books.