FLOG - the Friends of White Flint Blog

While many others were fixated on the lead story in the Washington Post’s The Reliable Source blog, which was a book about a possible affair between Robert F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy, I noticed this little piece right below:

MTV Cast’s D.C. Jobs Could Be ‘Real’ Deal

This mansion at 2000 S St. NW in Dupont Circle is temporarily home to the cast of MTV’s reality show “The Real World.” (Marissa Newhall/The Washington Post)

The ” ‘Real’ World”? Hey, maybe! In past seasons, producers of MTV’s venerable reality series set up their young stars in glamorous faux jobs. But sources in the local nonprofit world tell us they’ve gotten inquiries from the just-arrived Washington cast about entry-level jobs of the kind any young D.C. newcomer might end up with … like sidewalk canvassing. Too real? We’ll see. The cast was also filmed stopping by the Human Rights Campaign store in Dupont Circle to buy T-shirts.

Also kinda real: On Monday night, the cast was spotted taking the Red Line — just like real people! — up to White Flint, as one of the guys (the spiky-haired one) did pull-ups on the overhead bar. They ended up at Dave and Buster’s, but only stuck around for 45 minutes of dining and gaming.

  http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/

So, who says there’s nothing to do in White Flint? AND, this shows that we CAN get young people out of their cars and onto Metro for fun in White Flint, if there’s something to do there.

But then, throughout this White Flint planning process, I’ve been known as the guy promoting the “3 F’s”: fun, family and fitness. So maybe I’m too optimistic.

Barnaby Zall

Commissioner John Robinson is one of the most vocal and knowledgeable members of the Montgomery County Planning Board. His second term expired in June, yet he remains on the Board. Here’s a piece from the Washington Post explaining some of the background:

MoCo Quietly Extends Planner’s Term

Never mind that the County Council and its staff knew for four years that there would be a vacancy on the Planning Board on June 15, when Commissioner John Robinson’s second four-year term expired.

And never mind that sometimes in the past, when a commissioner’s term expired and the council did not quickly pick a replacement, the seat sat empty until a successor was named.

This time, the council and Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson quietly came to an agreement to delay picking Robinson’s successor until later this summer, allowing Robinson to stay on as the panel attempts to complete some major pieces of work.

The five-member board is in the midst of discussions about a new growth policy, a new master plan for the western portion of the area near Gaithersburg and a new master plan for the White Flint area, among other weighty and politically volatile topics.

The decision to allow Robinson to stay a bit longer was not publicly announced or formally voted on by the council. It has not sparked any dissent from members, council President Phil Andrews (D-Gaithersburg-Rockville) said.

Robinson, a lawyer at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and an enthusiastic and knowledgeable member of the Planning Board, said Tuesday that he is available to serve until July 20, when he leaves for vacation in China. That means he might be able to inform the debate but not necessarily vote on all the issues, because some might linger past that date.

Hanson and Andrews said they thought it was a good idea to keep Robinson on. “Otherwise we lose the benefit of his expertise,” Andrews said.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2009/06/moco_quietly_extends_planners.html