Washington City Paper: Contents for Mar. 30

A Fair to Remember
Breaking scientific ground isn't easy. Neither is eighth grade.

Cover Story

Thirteen-year-old Noah Ward stands at the edge of the Anacostia River, gazing down into a thick layer of brown sludge. Dense and chunky, it's a coagulated mess of mud and leaves and trash--old plastic motor-oil containers, candy wrappers, the plastic tips from smoked cigars, and a paper cup from Jerry's Subs. The gunk extends a good 3 feet from the shore, effectively blocking Noah from the source of his science-fair experiment: the actual water in the Anacostia.

But Noah is not deterred. He didn't take on this experiment for the annual science fair at Stuart-Hobson Museum Magnet Middle School because he thought it would be easy. "Groundbreaking" is more likely the word he'd use to describe it. No other eighth-grader at Stuart-Hobson--or anyone, as far as Noah knows--has ever attempted such an investigation: an effort to compare the levels of dissolved oxygen in three water sources in the D.C. metropolitan area. Sounds boring at first, and maybe that's what scared off Noah's fellow 13-year-olds. But Noah assures me that the information is vital to determining the health of each of the water sources and its capacity to sustain fish and other underwater life.

"I don't think it's been done before," he says.

Of course, it looks as if it might not be done today, either. Noah stands quietly, peering into the muck. His father, Craig Ward, who also doubles as his assistant and chauffeur, stands next to him, staring blankly into the water. He states the obvious: "This water is going to be hard to sample because it's all full of junk."... Continued

Issue of Mar. 30 - Apr. 5, 2001

News and Features

A Fair to Remember
Breaking scientific ground isn't easy. Neither is eighth grade.
Cover Story By Laura Lang
Home Repo
Homes Not Jails' second try at DIY is built on shaky ground.
The City By Dave Mann
You've Got Hate Mail
Howard University grapples with gay-bashing via cyberspace.
The City By Waris Banks
My Back Pages
The Mail By A. Craig Copetas
Boundary Issues
The Mail By Kurt Vorndran
Extra Point
The Mail By John P. Williams
Kafka's Trial
The Mail By Inna Shapiro

Columns

What Goes Around, Goes Around
Cheap Seats By Dave McKenna
Girls Club
Loose Lips By Jonetta Rose Barras
Feudal Gesture
City Desk By Felix Gillette
Football in Mouth Disease
City Desk By Eric Hoover
Identity Crisis
City Desk By Jason Cherkis

Eats

Movies

You Must Remember This
Film Review By Mark Jenkins
Sugar and Spies
Film Review By Virginia Vitzthum
Say It Isn't So
Film Review By Tricia Olszewski
Tomcats
Film Review By Tricia Olszewski

Music

Down With the Kings
Music Review By William Jelani Cobb

Theater

Andromeda Strain
Theater Review By Trey Graham
Cross Purposes
Theater Review By Bob Mondello

Arts and Events

To Be Real
Books By Garance Franke-Ruta
Verdi Cries
Opera By Joe Banno
The Habit of Perfection
The partnership of the Entertainment Industries Council Inc. and the National Institute on Drug Abuse helps Hollywood get its depictions of drug use exactly right.
Arts By Buzz McClain
The Picture of Cool
Artifacts By Jeff Bagato
Tote Couture
Artifacts By Maori Karmael Holmes