C A P I C O S T I A

by Mel Dyer You think Liz Cheney and Mitch McConnell are catching hell from the GOP? Ha! If I said that Donald Trump' s greatest trick is presenting himself, as a fake Jack Kemp - his pretense to populism...pretending to espouse the things that distinguished Kemp, as a Republican ..and as a MAN - would the average American even know who 'Jack Kemp' was? Republicans have never shat on one of their own, the way they totally ghosted Secretary Jack Kemp, the so-called 'Bleeding Heart Conservative', who championed labor and small business, more often than was acceptable by his bloodless, soul-killing party bosses. Conservatives should be working to empower and encourage the maximum participation of their fellow Americans, in free enterprise...in capitalism. To hell, with that rugged individualism garbage! People need this encouragement from their leaders - that's the job - and Sec. Jack Kemp knew the importance of that... Saw the patriotism in it. See him, now. Here...

by Mel Dyer For Gen-Xers, like myself, there is more to backing Vice President Joe Biden for President, than Obama Era nostalgia. College-age supporters of Bernie Sanders don't understand why so many of us are putting our bets on the Gentleman from Delaware. We remember the good, ole days, ..when watching the Old Joe Biden work his magic, in the Senate and on the campaign trail... Looked something like this.

"Alone, before a pack of wild, hungry dogs...", take their measure, stand your ground ..and, if you are House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, rip up a State of the Union speech.  

by Mel Dyer "...With Nigerians being the most educated immigrants in the US , there’s been a swelling of talent in business and professional circles, including some of the world’s biggest companies . It follows a long history of the US as a popular destination for Nigerians seeking tertiary education (economic spending of Nigerian students in the US last year reached $514 million ) with the aim of getting employed in the US and, possibly, resettling there after obtaining green cards. “That path no longer exists but, for me, I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing,” says Aboyeji. One possibility could see an increase in returnees to Nigeria and possibly working remotely for US employers but there’s a more intriguing prospect for Nigeria’s tech ecosystem. “Some of these people can also decide to come and work for high growth African companies,” Aboyeji says. “That could be critical for the ecosystem going forward..." The Donald Trump Administration's speculatively ...

by Mel Dyer A few months ago, a cute vlogger couple went apartment shopping, near Washington. What does this have to do with life, between the Hill and Anacostia? Not a bloody thing. Stories about cute, optimistic couples happen, somewhere else...everywhere, but, here. Nobody wants to come here. Nothing worth sharing with the world happening, over here... Most of the time. Get used to that. Then, look at this video. [You can always send me some current news and prove me wrong, Capicostia.]

by Mel Dyer There is a good reason, why I do not feel DC's Wards Seven and Eight are not ready for statehood. Our River East wards do not presently have sufficient industry and commercial investment to generate enough revenue to adequately support police, EMS, sanitation, public schools and other services, ..on a municipal level.  We are not as ready to be towns or municipalities, as some of the other parts of town, ..like Capitol Hill and Georgetown. Presently, our Capicostia (ANC-7B) neighborhoods are poised to become the prospective 51st State's poorest, most abject districts. How will that go for us, when the folks, downtown, decide we should start shouldering more of our own economic burdens? So, when I read about these so-called 'opportunity zones', I am somewhat hopeful...encouraged. Some would argue any development is good development, for Seven and Eight. The question for us  River Easters, however, is...oppor...

The best way I can describe the house, at 3706 Bangor Street SE  (20020), in Hillcrest, is to say that [Sigh.] ..it's like a plaid shirt, on a CALVIN KLEIN model. Seriously...this must be seen to be believed. You're welcome. https://www.trulia.com/p/dc/washington/3706-bangor-st-se-washington-dc-20020--2090399395

  By Mel Dyer   While I don't spend as much time, there, as I used to, I can't give up hope that my home of over twenty years, FAIRFAX VILLAGE, will soon escape the pessimism that some of us have inflicted upon it, since the early 1970s, ..and return to its pastoral niceness, someday. While I have enjoyed friendships, with a wide variety of people from every corner of the planet, I don't think the Village needs cultural OR economic gentrification to make that happen.   Inflicted? Did I say... yes, ..I did. So, what am I talking about?   In the late 1960s, there used to be an Italian restaurant - a RISTORANTE, with a piazza and bistro tables, with candles on them, at night - literally, a mere couple of blocks, from my condo. Long before I moved here in 1995, lovers, old ones and young ones, used to amuse each other, over candlelight, in that piazza, ..right up the street. What happened? I don't care if the lovers are East Indian, Polish, Jamaic...

  by Mel Dyer   In case you haven't been paying attention, CHARACTERS and panhandlers are hanging around our Shops At Penn Branch, now.   As they gather in number - I saw TWO pretty obnoxious ones, out there, tonight - they will create an environment that attracts criminal opportunists. Soon, the word will get out that it's OPEN SEASON on Branchers, ..as we stop to dig in our pockets, open purses, etc. They will create opportunities for intimidation, purse-snatchings, slightly more violent smash-n-grabs and straight-up ARMED ROBBERY, ..and right in the parking lot! It all starts with a few harmless regulars ( characters, we used to call them) hanging out front and in the lot, hustling a little change, harassing passersby, ogling women, dancing [I've seen it!], prostituting themselves, dealing or consuming drugs and, most importantly, ..distracting Branchers from paying attention to their personal safety.   Popping into the...

[Third Edition] This is a NAYLOR DUPONT EXCLUSIVE... A corporate website, listing local stores, presently available for franchise, solidly confirm that SEVEN ELEVEN will be opening a new store, between Penn Branch Center’s old, broken down escalators and the H&R Block, in a space that will soon be vacated, by Beltway Beauty and Barber Supply - that's just four doors down from the CVS Pharmacy. Several Penn Branch Center merchants have confirmed the same. The new store will be a corporate store, meaning that it is owned by the 7-Eleven corporation - not a family or individual - and is listed as "UC" (under construction), at, "3218 Pennsylvania Ave SE...Washington DC...20020". Everyone in Penn Branch is talking about this, but, no one is reporting it. No one. Furthermore, there's nothing posted at the address, in the window of 3218 Pennsylvania Avenue, announcing the new tenant. Not sure why that is, ..but, this isn't a rumor, anymore. Th...

  Sprawling, spectacular view of new urbanism in 'Near Southeast'. [Wikipedia.org]   Washington, D.C.'s Capitol Riverfront neighborhood - more specifically, the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District or (BID) - truly has a great deal to be proud of. Having taken what was most surely one of the bleakest corridors of the Nation's Capital, one historically blighted by drugs, crime and unemployment, it has created an inspiring example of urban renewal, strategic investment and civic relevance for neighboring areas to follow... And I applaud them for that. However, for D.C.'s W-JLA Channel 7  to present Capitol Riverfront as an example of a development boom in 'Southeast' is more than a little dishonest, intellectually speaking. When W-JLA refers to 'Southeast Washington' in its numerous, exploitative crime stories, it is almost always referring to some troubled cluster of streets - not even an entire neighborhood - th...

[Second Edition] If you're like me, and you've lived on a side street in the burbs, your entire life, this JEWEL in Fairfax Village will be a refreshing change for you. As this condo is right on a major thoroughfare, Alabama Avenue, there'll be no more braving snow, thunderstorms and dark of night to get back and forth from your car to your front door, anymore. There's enough on-street parking, here, to put you a short walk from your door, at any hour of the day or night, ..and (for River East) there's an uncommonly present police presence. Since this is a major thoroughfare that police and EMS services need to use in a crisis, you can also expect an equally reliable public works commitment - means you'll never be waiting very long for snow plows, salt trucks and power restoration, after violent storms. Location amenities? In Fairfax Village, whether you're renting a townhouse or flat, you're surrounded by private homes, ..which only reinforces...

[Second Edition] NAY-LOR...DU-PONT. This is where we are, ..and it's not Anacostia. It's just Southeast for most of us... Juzz Sowfeest for some of us. It's Seven Bee for the politicos, ..as in ANC-7B. It's still Capicostia, ..somewhere in the blogosphere. It's A'not-costia, ..if that helps. I just pulled that out of my...desperation? Stay with me. It's Naylor Dupont, ..and it's always been Naylor Dupont, ..though I doubt that you'll remember all of that, because we wouldn't be having this one-sided conversation, if that worked for you. ANC-7B and Anacostia (or ANC-8A) really are two totally different places, ..culturally, politically and socially, and have been for a very, very long time. It's like those realtors, who refer to the Atlas area of Eighth Street, as Capitol Hill. It's just plain wrong, whether you're doing that intentionally or unintentionally, and if you try telling any Penn Brancher of long-stand...

Must say...I am sorry that the biggest 'Whole Paychecks' (what we resentful peasants call 'Whole Foods Market') won't be going to our future Skyland Town Center, right here in Naylor Dupont. Just the same, I suppose that Tyson's Corner, being so well planned, ..had this coming. Love that bit about it being 'half a Costco'. Read more in the Washington Business Journal.

Whatever you do, don't miss this upcoming event in ANC-7B. Everyone, who's doing anything relevant in our district, will be at the  Hillcrest Bicentennial Celebration Gala!

[Second Edition] I know this street, very well. Right at the edge of the woods and surrounded by the serenity of nature...and look at that pale, sleepy blue! Just imagine the mornings. Literally minutes from shopping and café life on Capitol Hill, ..and it's all yours. You're welcome. 2937 Fort Baker Drive Southeast, Washington, DC For Sale | Trulia.com

So, SHARKS are being fished out of the waters of St. Mary's County. Let's not pretend that we didn't see this coming. Their ancestral cousin, the bullzjit shark has been sighted, as far inland as Capitol Hill, passing bad legislation... And knocking back cocktails at Sonoma. Read about it, anyway. Seriously...like what else have you got to do, in this neighborhood? An Eight-Foot Bull Shark Was Caught In The Potomac River: DCist

[Second Edition] This is a CAPICOSTIA EXCLUSIVE... A corporate website, listing local stores, presently available for franchise, solidly confirm that SEVEN ELEVEN will be opening a new store, between PB Center’s old, broken down escalators and the H&R Block, in a space that will soon be vacated, by Beltway Beauty and Barber Supply - that's just four doors down from the CVS Pharmacy. Several Penn Branch Center merchants have confirmed the same. Furthermore, SEATTLE'S BEST COFFEE will not be moving into that space, as previously scribbled on this blog. In fact, the opening of a Seven Eleven almost guarantees that PBC will NOT be getting a Seattle's Best, Starbucks, Cosi, Peet's or any other proper coffeeshop, in the immediately forseeable future. The new store will be a corporate store, meaning that it is owned by the 7-Eleven corporation - not a family or individual - and is listed as "UC" (under construction), at, "3218 Pennsylvania Av...

Penn Branch has some problems that won't wait, until 2012 [Movie poster for '2012', above]. I predicted trouble on the horizon for Penn Branch, just a few months back. In spite of the fact that the good folk of Penn Branch are working very hard to feed their families and struggling to keep a roof over their heads, I fear a greater struggle may be ahead for us. As Washington, D.C. descends further and further into the dark future of revenue-creating gateway communities rising, east of Anacostia, ..and the emergence of 'Business Improvement Districts' (or BID s), west-of-River, I fear stable-but-static neighborhoods, like Penn Branch, will see the quality of their services (power, police, EMS) go down. Unlike Penn Branch, the BIDs, according to DC.gov 's Business Resources page, "collect a 'self tax' from property owners to provide services and programs to the entire BID...cleanliness, maintenance, safety, promotion, economic development, an...

A picture of the Old West we're not used to seeing (photo from Face2FaceAfrica.com) Pride. This Mexican American of African descent - fourth generation in the U.S. - who has never even been to L.A., has nothing, but, pride,  over here...