Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Affordable Housing, Cursing, About Arlington
Short post today.
I'm buried in papers to grade for my classes, but I should be out with a better post on Sunday.
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Making Units Affordable in Buckingham
I’ll have more on this story later, but I thought I’d point out a story the Arlington Connection ran Nov. 8. The story attempts to explain how the county is planning to provide housing to lower income Arlingtonians already living in Buckingham. From what I can tell, this is part of the plan to maintain the affordability of about 300 units in the neighborhood.
It stems from the Oct. 24 Arlington County Board meeting—watch the video parts under Item 51 on this page.
I’ll have more on this Sunday, with luck.
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While I’m admitting to cursing (see last Sunday’s post)…Don’t Use the F-, S-, or D-Words:
Because our language isn’t always perfect, my wife and I had lived in fear that we’d be getting calls from our daughter’s kindergarten teachers wondering if maybe we could stop her from saying, “Son of a ---, where’s my blue crayon?” or some other choice phrase. So I thought we’d dodged a bullet given that her teachers at Key Elementary never gave us that call.
Until the other night in the car.
Out of the blue, Hazel told me, “We’re not allowed to use the ‘F-word’ at school.”
Right then, I said it to myself, realizing that she’d probably heard it from me, so I asked, incredulously, “Who did you hear using that word?”
I was hoping she’d say, Lilly, Phoebe, or Caitlin, any of her little friends, but me.
She said, “You’re not allowed to use the ‘S-word’ either.”
I repeated the s-word to myself, then asked, “Where are you hearing all these words?”
She still didn’t answer, and I was beginning to wonder if she was trying to protect someone or was afraid I’d get angry if she blamed me. She finally answered in a sort of vague way that this was merely classroom discussion, a sort of general statement of rules.
“So, yeah, you can’t call people fat, and you’re not allowed to call them stupid.”
“Oooooh! You’re right, you’re not allowed to say that.”
We say a million other things you probably shouldn’t say, I thought as I drove, but we don’t call each other stupid, a treasured Thurston house rule.
“You can’t say dumb, either.”
“That’s a good rule,” I said and was thankful to get out of the car.
++++++++++
About Arlington Premiers
I’ve started writing a bi-weekly column in the Arlington Connection newspaper called “About Arlington” and will feature much of the sort of information found here, but with a wider, Arlington audience. Although it will be a "column," an opinion piece, I'll be trying to get out to events in the county, talking to the people there and reporting what I see. The first piece is an election reaction—see it in the Nov. 15 edition, or on-line.
If you've got ideas for stories or events for me to cover, let me know: callieq@verizon.net
Remember, you can get a copy of the Arlington Connection mailed to you free by calling their phone number: 703-917-6465 and giving your name and address.
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Police Notes for Buckingham (A bad couple of days in Buckingham…)
Nov. 11: Malicious Wounding, 4400 block of N. Pershing Drive. At approximately 2:20 a.m., a man threw a beer bottle at another man who was standing outside of an apartment building. The suspect then fled on foot. The victim was struck in the head by the beer bottle and suffered lacerations. The suspect is described as a white, Hispanic male in his 20’s, 5’4” tall, 150 lbs, with medium-length black hair, wearing blue jeans and a grey short-sleeved shirt.
Nov. 12: Felony hit and run on the 600 block of N. Glebe Road. At approximately 10:30 p.m a driver turning onto northbound N. Glebe Road. struck two pedestrians in the crosswalk then fled the scene. Both victims were transported to a local hospital with injuries and released later that night. A witness observed the license plate of the suspect vehicle and officers were able to locate the driver. Mustapha Kassemi, 43, of Falls Church, was arrested and charged with two counts of Felony Hit and Run. He was released on his own recognizance.
Nov. 12: Stolen auto from the 600 block of N. George Mason Drive, license plates: VA JWP7502. The car is a white Toyota Camry, 1998.
I'm buried in papers to grade for my classes, but I should be out with a better post on Sunday.
++++++++++
Making Units Affordable in Buckingham
I’ll have more on this story later, but I thought I’d point out a story the Arlington Connection ran Nov. 8. The story attempts to explain how the county is planning to provide housing to lower income Arlingtonians already living in Buckingham. From what I can tell, this is part of the plan to maintain the affordability of about 300 units in the neighborhood.
It stems from the Oct. 24 Arlington County Board meeting—watch the video parts under Item 51 on this page.
I’ll have more on this Sunday, with luck.
++++++++++
While I’m admitting to cursing (see last Sunday’s post)…Don’t Use the F-, S-, or D-Words:
Because our language isn’t always perfect, my wife and I had lived in fear that we’d be getting calls from our daughter’s kindergarten teachers wondering if maybe we could stop her from saying, “Son of a ---, where’s my blue crayon?” or some other choice phrase. So I thought we’d dodged a bullet given that her teachers at Key Elementary never gave us that call.
Until the other night in the car.
Out of the blue, Hazel told me, “We’re not allowed to use the ‘F-word’ at school.”
Right then, I said it to myself, realizing that she’d probably heard it from me, so I asked, incredulously, “Who did you hear using that word?”
I was hoping she’d say, Lilly, Phoebe, or Caitlin, any of her little friends, but me.
She said, “You’re not allowed to use the ‘S-word’ either.”
I repeated the s-word to myself, then asked, “Where are you hearing all these words?”
She still didn’t answer, and I was beginning to wonder if she was trying to protect someone or was afraid I’d get angry if she blamed me. She finally answered in a sort of vague way that this was merely classroom discussion, a sort of general statement of rules.
“So, yeah, you can’t call people fat, and you’re not allowed to call them stupid.”
“Oooooh! You’re right, you’re not allowed to say that.”
We say a million other things you probably shouldn’t say, I thought as I drove, but we don’t call each other stupid, a treasured Thurston house rule.
“You can’t say dumb, either.”
“That’s a good rule,” I said and was thankful to get out of the car.
++++++++++
About Arlington Premiers
I’ve started writing a bi-weekly column in the Arlington Connection newspaper called “About Arlington” and will feature much of the sort of information found here, but with a wider, Arlington audience. Although it will be a "column," an opinion piece, I'll be trying to get out to events in the county, talking to the people there and reporting what I see. The first piece is an election reaction—see it in the Nov. 15 edition, or on-line.
If you've got ideas for stories or events for me to cover, let me know: callieq@verizon.net
Remember, you can get a copy of the Arlington Connection mailed to you free by calling their phone number: 703-917-6465 and giving your name and address.
++++++++++
Police Notes for Buckingham (A bad couple of days in Buckingham…)
Nov. 11: Malicious Wounding, 4400 block of N. Pershing Drive. At approximately 2:20 a.m., a man threw a beer bottle at another man who was standing outside of an apartment building. The suspect then fled on foot. The victim was struck in the head by the beer bottle and suffered lacerations. The suspect is described as a white, Hispanic male in his 20’s, 5’4” tall, 150 lbs, with medium-length black hair, wearing blue jeans and a grey short-sleeved shirt.
Nov. 12: Felony hit and run on the 600 block of N. Glebe Road. At approximately 10:30 p.m a driver turning onto northbound N. Glebe Road. struck two pedestrians in the crosswalk then fled the scene. Both victims were transported to a local hospital with injuries and released later that night. A witness observed the license plate of the suspect vehicle and officers were able to locate the driver. Mustapha Kassemi, 43, of Falls Church, was arrested and charged with two counts of Felony Hit and Run. He was released on his own recognizance.
Nov. 12: Stolen auto from the 600 block of N. George Mason Drive, license plates: VA JWP7502. The car is a white Toyota Camry, 1998.
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