Cuba Libre Restaurant: A Cool, Caribbean Escape – In Chinatown
Photos: Mark Taylor/DC Spotlight Newspaper
August 1, 2011
Alex Barron
Restaurant Critic
Bon Appetit
On a sweltering day in the District with the feel of a Caribbean heat wave, stepping into the cool, calm, yet lively Cuba Libre is like taking a mini-vacation. The banner-clad exterior of the Cuban-Fusion restaurant and rum bar at the corner of 9th and H Street in Chinatown isunmistakable. Well-lit signs on the building’s corner echo the 1950s Vegas-Havana feel found [...]
Endeavour’s Final Lift Off: The end of an era, not NASA
June 1, 2011
Adam Arnold
Staff Writer
The Nation
“We’re always going to have some skeptics that don’t think that the money that goes into NASA is money well-spent. But I know the taxpayers get a tremendous return on their money from NASA.”
– Jim Bangerter, Network Director for the Human Space Flight at Goddard Space Flight Center
Is it a lack of interest, the cost or both that led to the demise of the SpaceShuttle Program? [...]
The Death of Osama bin Laden; Finding Meaning and Hope
May 3, 2011
Adam Arnold
Staff Writer
The Nation
Photos: Meredith Rizzo/DC Spotlight Newspaper
A spontaneous gathering of thousands took place in front of the White House on the night of May 1st, and it was not a crowd of politically-divided partisans, but a united group celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden – a man many believed would never be required to pay for crimes against the American people and so many others.By the next day, the crowds had died down. [...]
What Just Happened? Wisconsin Republicans Chisel Away at Unions
April 1, 2011
Adam Arnold
Staff Writer
The Nation
Scott Walker did not give public workers their freedom of contract. Scott Walker is not the source of their freedom of association. Our founding fathers gave us those, and no one but a tyrant can take them away…Power to the people.
– Andrew Large, protester at the rally against Wisconsin union-busting
Residents of the District are accustomed to political showdowns in the nation’s capital, but recently the antics of Wisconsin lawmakers [...]
The Perfect Storm Rages: Foreclosure and Family Life
March 1, 2011
Adam Arnold
Staff Writer
The Nation
“I’m not a criminal,” says Nan Wong. His home, like so many, is currently inforeclosure limbo. “I do care, and I want to make it right. I’m not shying away from what I owe.”
Nantapol Wongkachonkitti – his full name – moved to the DC area from Thailand in 1975. He earned his citizenship, eventually owned his own company and began investing in his family’s future in the US. In 2001, he bought [...]
Conservatives and the Abortion Debate: A strategy for winning in 2012?
February 1, 2011
Adam Arnold
Staff Writer
The Nation
Across the conservative political spectrum in the United States, the results of the 2010 elections are a prelude and springboard to 2012 and the bid to oust President Barack Obama from the White House. The Obama-supported health care bill — its repeal already endorsed by the Republican-led House of Representatives — is helping critics on the Right to bring a plethora of arguments into the fray. Yet, the verdict is still out [...]
WikiLeaks: Journalism or Anarchism?
January 1, 2011
Adam Arnold
Staff Writer
The Nation
In this Internet Age, whether one agrees with his activities or not, as an enigma, Julian Assange – the spokesman for and founder of WikiLeaks.org – cannot easily be disregarded. Depending on one’s perspective, his controversial organization may represent a new era of investigative journalism or a threat to the security of the United States and its allies. Whichever side one takes, WikiLeaks is arguably an internet phenomenon, the impact of which [...]
DECEMBER 2010 – CALENDAR OF EVENTS
December 6, 2010
Adam Arnold
Staff Writer
Calendar of Events
Dec. 2-26: The Nutcracker @ Warner Theater – 13th St. NW (Between 7th St. & 8th St.), Washington. (202)783-4000 (Check www.warnertheater.com for daily schedule)
Dec. 16-19: Handel’s Messiah @ Kennedy Center – 2700 F St. NW, Washington. (202)467-4600 www.kennedy-center.org
Dec. 26-31: Monty Alexander @ Blues Alley – 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington. (202)337-4141 www.bluesalley.com
December Calendar
Wed. 1 Free Energy; Hollerado @ Rock & Roll Hotel – 1353 H St. NE, Washington. (202)388-ROCK (7625) www.rockandrollhoteldc.com
Thu. [...]
DC Elections: A Night to Remember for Democrats
November 4, 2010
Adam Arnold
Staff Writer
Media
(*Photos courtesy of Rachel Lincoln/DC Spotlight) Above: DC Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and Wendy Thompson (Right) discuss the future of the District under a new Republican-led House of Representatives.
On an evening that left Democrats around the nation with little to cheer about, the mood at the Love Nightclub on Okie Street on election night was festive and celebratory. The club hosted the District’s most prominent local political leaders – Mayor-elect Vince Gray, Council [...]
Restore Sanity Rally: Huge Success, Size Grossly Underreported
November 1, 2010
Adam Arnold
Staff Writer
In Case You Missed It
On the National Mall on Saturday, October 30th, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert hosted a crowd whose collective desires, like those of their hosts, were to either “Restore Sanity” to American politics, or to “Keep Fear Alive” – in mocking support of political extremists in the Republican, Democratic and Tea Parties. The tone in the crowd was civil (if sarcastic) and dominated by sign-carrying progressive, Democratic and independent-minded groups [...]
BOOKS TO KNOW TOP 10 LIST – NOVEMBER 2010
October 29, 2010
Adam Arnold
Staff Writer
Books: Top 10 List
From Every End of This Earth: 13 Families and the New Lives They Made in America – Steven V. Roberts Harper, 2009
Writer, Analyst, and George Washington Professor Steven V. Roberts turns his focus, which he fixed on his own family’s immigration story in “My Father’s Houses,” towards immigrant families today. He describes their journeys from Asia, Africa, and elsewhere to the United States, and explains the important roles they fill [...]
Chavous Fights for DC’s kids, Admonishes President Obama
October 27, 2010
Adam Arnold
Staff Writer
The Nation
“Democracy will fail if the people are ignorant,” says Kevin P. Chavous, paraphrasing a Jeffersonian truism. Beyond his long career in Washington, DC politics (including 12 years as a city councilman and a 1998 mayoral run), Chavous now serves as a leading voice in the call for educational reform both locally and nationally. He is working with the Center for Education Reform (CER), the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) and Serving [...]