IN THIS ISSUE - The Metro Herald

IN THIS ISSUE . . .
Carroll County
COVER: THE KENNEDY CENTER PRESENTS
PRELUDE 2008—ARTS ACROSS AMERICA . . 1, 12, 14
Africa Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Around the Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–5
Capital Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Health & Wellness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8–9
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10–11
Arts & Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15–17
Potpourri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Sports & Recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Community News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Business News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21, 23
Classified Ads/Bids & Proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21–23
VOLUME XVII, NUMBER 34
Imaging the Politics, Culture, and Events of Our Times
Howard County
Baltimore
Annapolis
Montgomery
County
Loudoun
County
Fauquier
County
Fairfax
County
Prince
William
County
Anne
Arundel County
D.C.
Arlington County
Prince George’s
County
Alexandria
Spotsylvania
County
Stafford
County
Fredericksburg
Charles
County
Westmoreland
County
Richmond
August 22, 2008
n celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the National Cultural Center Act signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower,
and the reopening of the renovated theater named in his
honor, the John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts opens its 38th season
with Prelude 2008: Arts Across America,
over 35 days of performances, August
30-October 5, 2008, highlighting the diversity of the United States. This multidisciplinary program enlists talents from
every region and state in our nation—
American masters, bearers of tradition,
and young innovators developing their
craft.
Arts Across America begins on Saturday, August 30, with the 7th annual Pageto-Stage Festival, during which the
Kennedy Center will host more than 30
D.C. area and national theater companies
in a series of free readings of plays and
musicals through September 1, giving
audiences a look at new works being prepared for premieres in the 2008-2009
theater season.
Arts Across America includes four free
Saturdays of Dancing Under the Stars—
August 30, September 6, 13, and 27—
highlighting Latin, swing, and Cajun
dancing. Dancing Under the Stars also
features D.C. legend, the Godfather of
Go-Go Chuck Brown, at 8p.m. on September 13. The 24th Annual Open House
Arts Festival on September 13, highlights American innovators and artists
carrying on and developing traditions in
the performing arts. Included in Open
House will be a performance featuring
the best of the African-American fraternity and sorority tradition of “stepping.”
Led by the internationally-acclaimed ensemble, Step Afrika!, the step show will
feature nationally-recognized step teams
from across the U.S. Other featured
artists include Dan Zanes and Friends,
Algebra, Raul Midon, Lila Downs, Jake
Shimabukuro, the Nevada Ballet Theatre,
the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, The Suzanne
Farrell Ballet, the NSO, and more.
I
Continued on page 12
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August 22, 2008
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2
Editorial
The world as we know it:
in this moment,
in this minute,
in this hour,
in this day
will not allow any of its citizens to be without an opinion on any or all of the galaxies of
events and actions taking place beneath our
heavens.
If there is one sumptuary social event
reflecting off any and every shining or dull
earth surface hemorrhaging our collective
ubiquitous social thought, it is cultural and
ethnic world violence. It is too expensive to
be ignored and too commonplace to overly
concern us. Violence has become the cream
we take with our morning coffee, the
appetizer before lunch, and the twist of
rossignol on our filet of sole.
It is in vogue today to be able to
pronounce far-away carved up Russian,
African, or old Yugoslavian countries by
their new independent names, and the
thoughtless creative ways the inhabitants
have found to dehumanize each other before,
during, and after the slaughter or warehouse
killings of their less-than-social equals.
Threats of economic or political isolation
by the western economic conglomerates speak
more to these vulture nations’ draconian
insatiable appetite for blood than reason.
We have become
a world of spectators
hypnotized by images of death
and anesthetized to their call for help.
By any definition,
this world in which we live
is a classic case
of the Tyranny of the Weak.
No nation can close
both of its eyes of conscience at night
without sleepwalking,
nor close its ears
without hearing his or her personal requiem
of recoilless chorales
of passive involvement.
In times like these no civilized nation
speaks louder than it snores. No nation
shows more political or military involvement
than its legislative fruit loops. No leader is
more forceful than the on/off switch of his or
her microphone. No resolve is more
permanent than the thud of the door closing
shut as the last member of the leadership
leaves the quiet legislative chambers. No
action is more revealing of our nation’s
leadership than being late for roll call on the
crucial vote of involuntary genocide of
peoples whose names mostly end in vowels.
History will judge our world leaders
more for their seat size than shoe size, more
on the strength of their verbal accomplishments than their staged photo-ops.
Violence is rewarded today by inaction
on the part of our world leaders. Most of
today’s leaders—whether of France, England,
Germany, Japan, or the United States—were
flower children of the sixties. Their resolve
appears to be more akin to the stuff used to
grow flowers before chemical fertilizers than
to a world order based on right.
Civil wars cease to be civil when
genocide becomes an acceptable form of
killing. They become a world problem when
Clorox is associated more with ethnic cleansing for its cultural disinfectant properties
than for its cohesive rationale, religions,
colors, and political brighteners.
The industrial countries, including
China, have almost taken on a circa 1937
Lord Chamberlain persona of walking on
European buffalo chips and calling them
grass. If there is something that history has
taught us it is that when nations are born,
they sow their political oats . . . that growth
is a result of hard work . . . and that expansion is the result of greed.
The world is now able to see through
the barren farm fields of Africa, Hurricane
Katrina and the flooded farm fields of
America’s Midwest, the bloody deserts of the
Middle East, the volcanic ash of Near Asia
and the Philippines, the greed of poor
nations, and the spillage of blood and the discount rates paid for cheap and abridged life
by that nation’s erasers of human dreams and
potential.
This is all made possible
by the four horsemen of the Apocalypse
as they ride backward
recording their namesakes
with their camcorders
as they ride toward
the rest of the world and
that part of themselves
they want us to embrace.
“The mind is its own place, and in itself
can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven!”
—John Milton,
“Paradise Lost”
PDD
THE METRO HERALD
AFRICA UPDATE
August 22, 2008
KENYA EX-GRAFT CZAR URGES AMNESTY
John Githongo had fled after receiving
death threats
K
enya’s former anti-corruption
chief John Githongo has
called for amnesty for those
willing to admit guilt for economic
crimes and corruption cases.
He said Kenya must deal with past
corruption cases or they would continue to haunt the country.
Mr. Githongo, who has been in selfimposed exile for three years, is on his
first visit back to the country.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga welcomed Mr. Githongo home, saying
Kenya needed to deal with its past
transparently.
Mr. Githongo fled to the UK in
2005 saying he feared for his life, after
accusing senior members of the government of “massive looting”.
As the government’s permanent
secretary for ethics and governance, he
exposed the notorious Anglo-Leasing
scandal, which forced the resignation
of several ministers.
The scam involved state contracts
worth more than $1bn (£0.5bn) being
secretly awarded to phantom firms.
Members of the new coalition government that took office this year following post-election violence invited
Mr. Githongo to return home.
Addressing a public forum on fighting graft in the Kenyan capital,
Nairobi, Mr. Githongo said economic
crimes must be resolved quickly and
transparently.
“The temptation to subject eco-
nomic crimes to prolonged processes
and the deliberation of committees not
only delays justice but makes ultimate
accountability less likely,” he said.
Mr. Githongo noted that there was a
myth that corruption does not really
matter as long as the economy is growing.
“If you have high economic growth
[and] a high level of corruption... then
corruption causes political contradictions that leads to the kind of difficulties we had in Kenya at the end of last
year,” he said.
He said that following the violence
which rocked the country after the contested December elections, Kenya is in
a fragile condition.
Earlier this year, the government
and the opposition formed a grand
coalition after post-election violence
threatened to tear the country apart.
The coalition is a temporary instrument in the resolution of the country’s
problems, the former graft investigator
said.
The diffusion of executive powers,
he said, which led to the creation of the
prime minister’s office, is the first of
many important steps the country
needs to take.
Mr. Githongo said the country had
so far failed to address the causes of
the post-election crisis.
“We have swept them under the
carpet with committees and I know
how this happens as I have served in
government,” Mr. Githongo said.
“These issues will not be resolved
over night, it will require a seismic shift.”
Mr. Githongo said a number of
African countries were going through
“a democratic recession”.
Referring to recent elections in
Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe, and the
coup in Mauritania, he said these developments were a formula for the
destabilization of entire parts of the
continent.
UGANDA REJECTS MORE REBEL TALKS
Mr. Kony is thought to want assurances
about the ICC warrants
U
ganda’s government has welcomed the fact that Lord’s Resistance Army rebel leader
Joseph Kony has approached a UN
envoy about the failed peace process.
But Interior Minister Ruhaka Rugunda
told the BBC that more talks were not
an option as negotiations had ended.
In April, Mr. Kony refused to sign a
deal agreed to by his representatives
after nearly two years of talks.
On Monday, UN special envoy
Joachim Chissano said Mr. Kony had
asked for a chance to hold further discussions.
Mr. Chissano, Mozambique’s former president, said he hoped a meeting
would take place in the next one or two
weeks.
Mr. Kony led the LRA in a 20-year
war against government forces in
northern Uganda.
Some two million people have been
displaced during the conflict.
Mr. Kony and his top commanders
are the subjects of arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal
Court (ICC) in The Hague.
It is believed Mr. Kony refused to
sign the peace deal because he wanted
assurances about the ICC warrants.
Mr. Rugunda said peace talks had
been completed and there were no outstanding issues to resolve.
“General Kony should have signed
the peace agreement a few months
ago,” he told the BBC’s Network
Africa program. “He was elusive.”
“The question of talks is not on the
table.
“As you know, the negotiations
were completed and all that has been
remaining is for Joseph Kony to sign.”
The LRA leader is accused of numerous war crimes, including mutilating and abducting civilians and forcing
thousands of children into combat.
In June, senior army officers from
Uganda, southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic Congo agreed on a
plan to launch a joint military operation to crush the LRA, amid reports
that Mr. Kony was once again preparing for war.
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THE METRO HERALD
SEX WORKERS TARGETED IN NIGERIA
I
slamic authorities in the Nigerian
city of Bauchi have reportedly
launched a crackdown on sex
workers identified by the Red Cross in
a census.
The BBC’s Shehu Saulawa in
Bauchi says that the local Sharia commission has begun rounding the women
up. But a commissioner said no arrests
had been made and authorities were
merely “supervising” against illicit acts.
The Red Cross carried out the census amid efforts to tackle the spread of
HIV in the north-eastern state.
Muslim majority Bauchi is governed by the Islamic Sharia law.
After the census had identified 320
women, the local Sharia commission
ordered that they be rounded up, our
correspondent reports from Bauchi.
He says the Sharia commission
seems to have been prompted to act by
the perception that it was unable to enforce a ban on commercial sex workers
in the state.
The Sharia commission normally liaises with the police, he says, but this
time they acted directly, using their own
security force to raid hotels housing an
unknown number of sex workers.
Mustapha Babe, a member of the
Sharia commission in Bauchi, denied
that any women had been detained,
saying the committee responsible for
law and order was only supervising
parts of the city.
L
The Red Cross identified sex workers
amid efforts to tackle HIV
“In every nook and corner and
cranny, illegal acts were being committed contrary to Sharia law,” he said.
“As a result of this, we sent them to
supervise the areas where something
has happened.” Between 75 and 100 of
the 320 women have so far tested positive for HIV.
Several of Nigeria’s Muslim majority northern states introduced Sharia
law starting in 2000, despite opposition from Christians, sparking clashes
and riots between rival groups.
The new laws reintroduced some of
the harsher Islamic penalties which
had been removed under colonial rule.
ZAMBIA’S PRESIDENT DIES IN FRANCE
Z
ambian leader Levy Mwanawasa
has died in a Paris hospital after
suffering a stroke in June. He
was 59. Vice-President Rupiah Banda,
who is expected to take over as acting
leader, made the announcement on state
TV.
President Mwanawasa suffered the
stroke at an African Union summit in
Egypt and was then flown to France,
where he had remained in hospital.
He came to prominence recently for
being one of the African leaders most
critical of the violence in Zimbabwe.
US President George W Bush expressed his condolences to Mr.
Mwanawasa’s family, describing him
as “a champion of democracy in his
own country and throughout Africa”.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy
said Mr. Mwanawasa’s death was “a
great loss for the African continent”.
Former Zambian President Kenneth
Kaunda said he had lost a “personal
friend”. “He was a great leader. People
loved him. We all loved him. He did
great things,” Mr. Kaunda told the BBC.
Mr. Mwanawasa’s health was an
issue during his presidency in 20022008. In April 2006, he suffered a
minor stroke four months before general elections.
“Fellow countrymen, with deep
sorrow and grief, I would like to inform the people of Zambia that our
President Dr Levy Patrick Mwanawasa
died this morning at 1030 hours [0830
GMT],” Reuters news agency quotes
Mr. Banda as saying.
“I also wish to inform the nation
that national mourning starts today and
will be for seven days.”
On Monday, Mr. Banda said that
the president’s health had suddenly deteriorated and he had undergone emergency surgery.
Mr. Mwanawasa was chairman of the
South African Development Community
(Sadc) when he was taken ill in June.
In that role he had been critical of
the controversial election in Zimbabwe
S AFRICA’S
MIGRANTS LEFT
IN THE COLD
Levy Mwanawasa had been in poor
health for several years
and had sympathized with Zimbabwean
opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai
when he withdrew from the run-off because of attacks on his supporters.
Mr. Mwanawasa won a second
term in 2006, having campaigned on
his economic record which won him
acclaim from Western donors.
When he was vice-president in the
1990s he was involved in a near-fatal
road accident which left him with
slurred speech.
Mr. Mwanawasa famously fell out
with his predecessor, Frederick
Chiluba, who had handpicked him to
lead the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy.
He pressed for Mr. Chiluba’s immunity from prosecution to be lifted and the
former president was charged with stealing money during his time in office.
His
critics
accused
Mr.
Mwanawasa of persecuting his political rivals under the guise of fighting
corruption.
He was married and had six children. He had been a practicing lawyer
since 1973.
In his most famous case, he defended former Vice-President Lt-Gen
Christon Tembo and others who were
charged in 1989 with plotting to overthrow Kenneth Kaunda.
ife has not been kind to Gloria
Mahango and her three small
children. Four years ago, her
husband, a Zimbabwean activist, was
killed. The family escaped to South
Africa and settled in a suburb of Johannesburg. But in May they were
forced to flee once more. More than 60
people were killed as South Africans
turned on the foreigners who had been
living among them. It was Gloria’s
South African neighbor who told her
she had to go.
“She went and picked up our laundry and dipped it in muddy water,” Gloria said, sitting outside her white tent.
“She then said: ‘I’m attacking you’
to the Congolese woman, ‘then the
next one will be Gloria and the third
one is Sisay. All these people I want
you out of here.’ So it was a big fight.”
Fearful of her life, Gloria and her
children have—along with thousands
of other foreigners—spent the last two
months sheltering in government
camps. But they were never intended
to be permanent.
In Ramaphosa, to the east of Johannesburg, a Mozambican man was
doused in petrol, set alight and burnt to
death. But locals such as Eva Sephiwe
see the foreigners as the aggressors and
not the victims.
“I cannot say they will be killed,”
she told me, “but the community does
not want to accept them and the community says we won’t allow them to
come back.”
We did manage to find some foreigners left in Ramaphosa. Huddled
around the local police station was a
small group of bedraggled Mozambicans. Sleeping on ragged mattresses
under trees, they said they were scared
to venture into Ramaphosa.
While we were speaking to the
Mozambicans, a South African woman
who worked next door to the police
station called me over.
She said the real roots of the xenophobic attacks had not been addressed.
She said it was the government’s fault
for not addressing the lack of opportunities for the country’s poorest people.
“This is just not human,” she told
me. “Sensible people would go home.
I know it’s bad on the other side, but
sensible people would go home if
you’re not wanted in a society.”
As we were in Ramaphosa, Gloria,
the Zimbabwean woman, called us on
the phone.
We returned to find her weeping outside the camp surrounded by her children and their few belongings. Her tent
had been taken down and she had been
evicted early. Unable to return to Zimbabwe and too scared to go back to her
home in Johannesburg, she was now
stranded by the side of a busy road.
“They say that they were working
on a plan and holding meetings to help
us and that hasn’t happened,” she said.
“They haven’t reintegrated us or
helped us all they’ve done is put me
here on the street with my children.
The government has really treated me
very badly here in South Africa.” That
night Gloria slept in the open with her
children alongside her.
When the other shelters are closed
in Gauteng, more than 2,000 foreigners
will be forced to choose whether to risk
returning to their homes—or to wait
like Gloria, hoping and praying that
their wretched luck is about to change.
3
AROUND THE REGION
August 22, 2008
CELEBRATING THE HOWARD THEATRE AT THE 4TH ANNUAL
DC POETRY FESTIVAL AND CROSSING THE COLOR LINE:
FROM RHYTHM & BLUES TO ROCK & ROLL
O
n August 23, 2008 from
7:30PM-10PM the 4th Annual DC Poetry Festival at the
Carter Barron Amphitheatre located at
16th and Colorado Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC, will celebrate the
Howard Theatre. The show this year
will be headlined by Ayanna Gregory,
a gifited singer/song writer and daughter of world famous comedian Dick
Gregory.
She
combines
r&b,jazz,gospel and the blues into a
powerful message through her music.
There will also, be performances by
Def Poets Tommy Bottoms and
“Breeze.” The Johnny Artis Band will
perform a musical tribute to those
artists who graced the Howard Theatre
stage. We will also offer music from
Steven B & Friends. This show will
be hosted by Joe Gorham from
WHUR-FM. Mr. Gorham is the host of
Joe’s place on WHUR-FM and WHUR
World.
September 12, 2008 will be your
chance to be in the presence of
NAACP Chairman Julian Bond. He
will be presenting “Crossing the Color
Line: From Rhythm & Blues to Rock
& Roll” an in depth look into the significance of black music. This event
will take place at the Carnegie Library
from 6PM-9PM.
These events are free to the public,
however we ask for your donation.
Your donation will help restore the
Historic Howard Theatre. Seating is on
a first come first serve basis.
For more information visit: www.
howardtheatre.org
SMITHSONIAN’S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN
HISTORY AND CULTURE SEEKS “TREASURES”
T
he Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture will host a
daylong program to help Washington,
D.C. area residents identify and preserve items of historical and cultural
significance tucked away in the attics,
closets and basements of their homes.
Presented in collaboration with the
Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community
Museum, the Humanities Council of
Washington, DC and Cultural Tourism
DC, the event will feature classroom
presentations, hands-on activities and
preservation tips.
Up to 300 people can reserve in ad-
vance to bring up to three personal
items to the event for a 20-minute, oneon-one professional consultation with
experts on how to care for the items.
The specialists will serve as reviewers,
not appraisers, and will not determine
items’ monetary values. Objects such
as books, paper and textiles no larger
than a shopping bag (furniture, carpets
and paintings are excluded) can be reviewed. Those wishing to have items
reviewed must make reservations online at rsvpnmaahc.si.edu or by telephone at 888-249-8033. Reservations
are not required for those not wishing a
one-on-one consultation. Additional
PROJECT TO PRESERVE
DC BOUNDARY MARKERS
W
ork is underway by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission on
a project to preserve and rehabilitate the original boundary markers
of Washington, D.C, which were placed along the Virginia and
Maryland borders with D.C. in 1791. Four Virginia local governments, including the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church, and Arlington and Fairfax
counties, have agreed to fund the project by providing matching funds to a
Transportation Enhancement Grant that has been awarded to the D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT). NVRC is working on an agreement with
DDOT, the National Park Service and the Federal Highways Administration,
to administer this project.
“Rehabilitating the boundary stones is a critical historical preservation effort for this region,” said Gerald E. Connolly, Chairman of NVRC. “This
project will ensure continued preservation of the stones and increase public
awareness of their history and importance to Northern Virginia and the Washington region,” he said.
The original Federal District boundary stones were placed in 1791 and
1792 based on work performed by surveyor Andrew Ellicott and astronomer
Benjamin Banneker. Forty sandstone markers were arranged along the original District boundaries, including 14 that delineate the boundary between
Virginia and the Federal District. Thirty-eight of the original stones remain
and six of those are on private property. The stones have received little maintenance over the past 200-plus years and many have been damaged.
The boundary stones are approximately one foot square and stand about
two feet above the ground at one mile intervals. The stones were made of
brown sandstone from quarries located in Stafford County. Inscriptions on
the stones include the year set, magnetic variation at that place and time, distance from the previous corner, and name of the territory and adjoining state
on the appropriate face.
For more information about the NVRC project to preserve the stones, contact Marshall Popkin, NVRC Environmental Planner, 703-642-4641 or
[email protected] .
4
information is available at www.
nmaahc.si.edu.
Free and open to the public, the
event will be held Saturday, September 13, from 9:30a.m. to 3:30p.m., at
the historic True Reformer Building,
1200 U Street, across the street from
the African American Civil War
Memorial near Ben’s Chili Bowl. The
event is the third presentation of the
Museum’s signature program “Save
Our African American Treasures: A
National Collections Initiative of Discovery and Preservation.”
More than 150 people brought family objects to the first “Treasures”
event held in Chicago in January. In
the crowd was Patricia Heaston of
Chicago, who brought a white Pullman
porter cap and a gold-colored pin bearing the image of an African American
woman. She learned that the white
Pullman porter cap was rare (most caps
were black or blue), and its color
meant that its owner had tended to
prominent travelers (perhaps even
presidents) on a private train car. The
image on the pin was that of Madame
C.J. Walker (1867-1919), the first
African American female self-made
millionaire. The pin was probably
given as a prize to successful sales
agents of Walker’s hair-care products.
Nearly 100 people attended the “Treasures” event on July 12 in Los Angeles.
Future events will be held in Atlanta and New York. “Treasures” has
been made possible by a generous
grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. Its $1 million grant
to the museum also supports the predesign and construction of the museum
on the National Mall in Washington,
D.C., scheduled to open in 2015.
For more information about the
museum, visit www.nmaahc.si.edu or
call Smithsonian information at (202)
633-1000, (202) 633-5285 (TTY).
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The Metro Herald!
CITY OF ALEXANDRIA TO HOLD ANNUAL
CAMBODIAN COMMUNITY DAY FESTIVAL
T
he City of Alexandria’s Annual
Cambodian Community Day
Festival is scheduled for Sunday, August 24, from noon to 6p.m.
at Ben Brenman Park, 4800 Brenman
Park Dr. Admission is free and the
event will be held rain or shine.
The theme for the festival is “Discover Cambodia.” Entertainment features the Cambodian Mohoree Music
Ensemble, classical dances, folk
dances, and the Stung Khiev band.
Displays will showcase traditional arts
and crafts, paintings, and souvenirs.
Activities include a cooking show, silk
flower making, a language class and an
arts and crafts exhibition. Cambodian
and other Asian food and beverages
will be available for purchase.
The City’s Department of Recre-
ation, Parks and Cultural Activities,
and the Cambodian Community Day
Committee are cosponsoring the festival. Cambodian Community Day is a
non-profit organization dedicated to the
advocacy, preservation and promotion
of Cambodian culture and heritage.
Limited parking is available at Ben
Brenman Park, and the public is encouraged to take public transit to the
event. For DASH schedule information, call 703-370-DASH or visit
www.dashbus.com. For Metrobus
schedule information, call 202-6377000 or visit www.wmata.com.
For additional information on the
Cambodian Community Day Festival,
call the City’s Special Events Hotline
at 703-883-4686 or visit www.
cambodiancommunityday.org.
BIKE LANES ADDED ON
WESTMORELAND STREET
B
icyclists can now enjoy designated bike lanes on Westmoreland Street
after the Fairfax County Department of Transportation and the Virginia Department of Transportation partnered recently, incorporating
an on-street bike lane as part of a repaving effort.
The .7 mile bike lane was added on Westmoreland Street between Chain
Bridge Road and Kirby Road, increasing the options for bicyclists in the
McLean area. This section is part of a bike route that eventually will extend
to the Arlington County Line.
“We want to provide good, safe connections for bicyclists to get from one
part of the County to another,” said Charlie Strunk, Bicycle Coordinator for
Fairfax County.
“This is yet another example of how working together VDOT and the
County are able to maximize our limited resources, environmentally as well as
financially, to provide safer transportation options for the public,” added
Fatemah Alladoust, VDOT Bicycle & Pedestrian Program Coordinator.
Westmoreland Street provides a vital link between McLean and Arlington
County and links bike lanes on Williamsburg Boulevard, the W & O D trail,
bike routes in the City of Falls Church, and the East Falls Church Metrorail Station. Westmoreland Street is wide enough to add the bike lane without additional work. The narrower segments will feature wider curb lanes and will be
marked with “Share the Road,” signs.
The completion of this project adds another .7 miles to the County’s onroad bike lane program, part of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’
Comprehensive Bicycle Initiative.
For information about Fairfax County’s Bike Program, contact Charlie
Strunk at 703-324-1127, TTY 703-324-1102, or visit www.fairfaxcounty.
gov/fcdot/bike/.
CITY OF ALEXANDRIA HOSTS
FIFTH ANNUAL DOGGIE DAY SWIM
T
reat your pooch to a summertime dip at the City of Alexandria’s Fifth
Annual Doggie Day Swim on Tuesday, September 2, from 4 to
7p.m. at the Old Town Pool, 1609 Cameron St. Admission is $5 per
dog. Following the end of the summer pool season, this annual event provides
dogs with the opportunity to swim and play games in one of the City’s pools.
Treats and toys will be provided. A portion of the proceeds from the event will
benefit the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.
Dog handlers must be 16 years of age or older, and cannot swim or enter
the pool with their dogs. Dogs must be sociable and remain leashed while on
the pool deck. All dogs should wear current vaccination tags or handlers
should provide proof of vaccination. Space is limited to 100 dogs in the pool
area at one time.
For additional information, call the Chinquapin Park Recreation Center at
703-519-2160.
THE METRO HERALD
AROUND THE REGION
August 22, 2008
AUTISM SOCIETY OF AMERICA AND
AMC ENTERTAINMENT® TO HOST
SENSORY FRIENDLY FILMS
GRAND SLAM OFFER AT NATIONAL
MUSEUM OF CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
E
very Saturday from August 23rd through September 13th, the first 50
visitors to the National Museum of Crime & Punishment (NMCP) will receive a free ticket to “Voter Empowerment Night” at Washington Nationals Stadium, taking place Thursday, Sept. 18th, 2008.
NMCP recognizes the ability to reach tourists
and locals alike through the hundreds of visitors daily at the museum. “Our museum,
situated in our nation’s capital, is at the
center of political activity—and there on
the other side of town is the newest
ballpark in the league said Janine Vaccarello, Chief Operating Officer,”
Like our government neighbors, we
want to encourage patrons to register
to vote in this ever-important upcoming
election. We hope by giving museum
patrons a free ticket to this exciting night of
baseball, more Americans will register to vote
and have their voice heard.”
Voter Empowerment Night will allow attendees to enjoy an exciting game
while having easy access to non-partisan voter registration and information for any
state in the nation that they call home. Organizations such as Rock the Vote, Young
Democrats, and Young Republicans will be on-site at the event encouraging attendees to register to vote and learn more about the presidential candidates. For more
information on the event, visit http://voterempowermentnight.wordpress.com/.
The NMCP’s mission is to provide guests of all ages with a memorable insight
into the history of crime, crime fighting and solving, and the consequences of committing a crime in America through a captivating interactive, entertaining, and educational experience. The museum is located on 7th Street NW between E and F Streets
in downtown Washington, D.C. at the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro (Arena exit).
Admission to the NMCP is $17.95 for adults, with a special rate of $14.95 for
law enforcement officers. Admission is $14.95 for children (ages 5-11) and seniors age 60 and older, and free for children under the age of five. The museum is
open weekdays 10am until 6pm September through February, and 9am to
7pm March through August.
ALEXANDRIA CITIZENS ACADEMY
FALL SESSION BEGINS SOON
T
he City of Alexandria invites residents to take part in the fall session of
the Alexandria Citizens Academy, which begins on September 25. The
8-week Academy provides an opportunity for residents to learn about
City government through first-hand experience and gain exposure to the wide
range of government functions, services, activities and issues.
Classes will be held every Thursday from 7:00p.m. to 9:00p.m. The
class size is limited to 15–20 people and is open to City residents over the age
of 18 years and/or owners of businesses located in the City. The majority of
the classes will be held in the Council Workroom at City Hall (301 King
Street), however, a few classes will be held at different locations throughout
the City.
The purpose of the Academy is threefold:
• Create a cadre of informed residents who will be better able to become involved in community activities, will volunteer for Council- appointed
boards, commissions, and task forces or will otherwise become involved
in the City’s governance.
• Provide an opportunity for residents to learn about the City of Alexandria’s government through first-hand experience and gain exposure to the
wide range of government functions, services, activities and issues.
• Obtain feedback from residents regarding governmental programs and
services.
The deadline for applications is September 15. For more information
and/or an application visit www. alexandriava.gov/citizensacademy or call
Elaine Scott, Office of Citizen Assistance, at 703-838-4800.
RECREATION DEPARTMENT HOSTS
POOCH POOL PARTY AT
WHEATON/GLENMONT POOL
T
he Montgomery County Department of Recreation will host its third
annual Pooch Pool Party on Sunday, September 7, from noon to
3p.m., at the Wheaton/ Glenmont Pool, located at 12621 Dalewood
Drive. Owners may bring their dogs to the pool to swim with other dogs. Animal-oriented businesses and animal rescue groups will also have information
tables, and there will be goodie bags for all canine participants.
The Pooch Pool Party is free but pre-registration is required. Owners must
provide proof of a current rabies vaccination before their dogs will be allowed
to enter the party and show written proof of a current dog license. Dog
licenses will be available on-site for purchase, providing owners have written
proof of a current rabies shot. For more information and online registration,
go to www.montgomerycountymd.gov/rec and click on Registration or call
240-777-6820.
THE METRO HERALD
A
MC Entertainment (AMC) and
ASA have teamed up to begin
testing a pilot program to bring
families affected by autism a special
opportunity to enjoy their favorite
films in a safe and accepting environment on a monthly basis. “Sensory
Friendly Films” are premiering across
the country this month with a special
showing of the new animated film Star
Wars: Clone Wars.
Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disability that affects a person’s
ability to communicate and interact
with others. It often comes with sen-
sory challenges, such as hypersensitivity to light or sound, and children or
adults affected by autism may not understand the social boundaries of
movie theatre etiquette, such as not
talking during the film or sitting still
through most of the show.
In order to provide a more accepting and comfortable setting for this
unique audience, the movie auditoriums will have their lights brought up
and the sound turned down. Additionally, audience members are welcome to
get up and dance, walk, shout or
sing—in other words, AMC’s “Silence
is Golden®” policy will not be enforced unless the safety of the audience
is questioned. Tickets are only $6 at the
AMC Hoffman Center 22 in Alexandria, Va. and at the AMC Columbia
Mall 14 in Columbia, Md. They can be
purchased on the day of the event.
Event will take place on Saturday,
August 23 at 10a.m. at the AMC Hoffman Center 22 located at 206 Swamp
Fox Road; Alexandria, VA; and AMC
Columbia Mall 14 located at 10300 Little Patuxent Pkwy.; Columbia, MD.
Sensory Friendly Films are kicking
off across the country on August 23.
Other markets include Austin, Texas;
Cleveland, Ohio; Columbia, S.C.; Indianapolis; Kansas City; Norfolk, Va.;
Phoenix; and San Diego. For a complete list of theatres, visit www.
autism-society.org.
OVER $325,000 RAISED AT ANNUAL CANCER GALA
S
pirits were high at the 27th Annual
Celebration of Life Cancer Gala
held August 7th at the Chesapeake Beach Resort & Spa’s Rod ‘N’
Reel Restaurant. The event raised over
$325,000 in donations for the Calvert
County Unit of the American Cancer
Society. Honorary Chairpersons Pat and
Bob Carpenter could not be more elated
with the response from sponsors,
guests, and over 150 volunteers. All
proceeds from the event contribute to
research, education, and patient services
in the fight against cancer. The generous
attendees enjoyed a memorable evening
of waterside dining, festive drinks, live
music and moonlit dancing. Since the
first Gala held in 1982, combined earnings from this event have reached over
$3.7 million.
Hotel owner and Chesapeake Beach
Mayor, Gerald W. Donovan, says he is,
“absolutely thrilled and delighted by
the wonderful turnout.” Of the 1,300
guests, he exclaims, “A good time was
had by all, and the thunderstorms only
added to the excitement of the event!”
Donovan wants to sincerely express his
gratitude, “to all the folks who attended
and all of the sponsors who participated, it was such a generous outpouring of compassion and action in face of
a truly dreaded disease.”
Various bands provided live entertainment while dance areas were
staged in the ballroom and outside on
the waterfront. Fantastic food, and
amazing ice, fruit and vegetable carvings delighted guests at every turn.
Rod ‘N’ Reel Executive Chef William
Bednar along with Chef Walter Portillo
and Chef Nicholas Alexander prepared
the elaborate spread.
Chef James Parker, winner of the
Food Network Challenge Fantasy Fruit
Sculpture Rematch, was the architect of
the fruit and vegetable sculptures that
adorned the entrée and dessert stations.
The gala menu included fresh seafood
such as Maine lobsters, sushi, and
Mediterranean fare, roasted pig, filet
mignon, barbeque ribs, grilled chicken,
steamship round and desserts galore.
Through all of the fanfare, the task
at hand was never forgotten. Just some
of the important programs donations
contributed to are: I Can Cope, which
provides education for people facing
cancer—either personally, or as a
friend or family caregiver. Look Good
. . . Feel Good, offers woman undergoing cancer treatment help in improving
their self-image. Man to Man, helps
men and their families cope with
prostate cancer by providing education, support, and awareness. Reach to
Recovery, is a program where trained
volunteers support and comfort patients before, during and after breast
cancer treatment. Road to Recovery
provides transportation to and from
treatment facilities. The American
Cancer Society also uses contributions
to offer programs to help educate communities about cancer risks, early detection methods and most importantly,
prevention.
Even if you were unable to attend,
donations can still be made to the
Calvert County Unit of the American
Cancer Society. For more information
visit www.RodNReelCancerGala.
org or call 410.-257-2735 or 301-8558351, Ext. 108.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF LIQUOR CONTROL
OFFERING 2005 VINTAGE BORDEAUX WINES
M
ontgomery County’s Department of Liquor Control
(DLC) is offering 2005 vintage Bordeaux wines in its stores. The
wines are being referred to by industry
experts such as The Wine Spectator and
Robert Parker as, “a record-breaker on
every level” and “world class wine.”
DLC buys Bordeaux vintage wine
“futures” to secure allocations of these
great wines to better serve customers.
As with any futures purchase, this involves risk, since there is no guarantee
that the wines will receive great ratings. However, buying futures does
keep costs down, and allows for purchasing limited quantity wines that
may not be available if the buyer waits
until they are bottled.
“Many of the older Chateaux are difficult to acquire, and so many of the
good opportunities to purchase these
wines involve buying Bordeaux up to
two years before they are bottled,” said
DLC Director George Griffin. “Our risk
paid off, as these wines have been highly
rated by experts in the wine industry.”
Bordeaux Futures are purchased
based on available information on that
growing season, such as general climate and amount of rainfall, the
Chateau history and the price offering.
Most offerings are good for one day
only, and the wines are purchased
through a “negociant,” someone who
has long-standing relationships with
the Chateaux. DLC directly imports
these Bordeaux from France, arranging
for label approval of the wines and purchasing shipping container quantities.
Some of the 2005 wines include:
Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (95 points
Wine Spectator); Chateau Margaux
Margaux (100 points); Chateau Cheval-
Blanc (97 points); Chateau Lalfite
Rothschild (98 points); and Chateau La
Mission-Haut-Brion (97 points).
Many of the wines are available in
limited quantities and quite expensive,
but some are more affordable at less
than $15 a bottle.
For information about specific wine
availability, email diane.wurdeman
@montgomerycountymd.gov.
NOVA COMMUNITY FALL FESTIVAL
O
n Saturday, September 20th, 2008, Northern Virginia Community
College is hosting its first annual Fall Festival at the Alexandria
Campus, located at 3001 N. Beauregard Street. This family-friendly
event will bring community residents, businesses, and civic organizations together for a day filled with fun, food, and activities.
The Fall Festival will take place from 11:00a.m. to 3:00p.m. for exhibitors, vendors, and festival participants. To make this a successful event,
we are inviting you to participate as a sponsor, exhibitor, food vendor, or volunteer. Booths are available FREE of charge and will be on a first come first
serve basis. All exhibitors and vendors will receive one table with two chairs.
Electricity will be available upon request.
Since we are not charging exhibitors or vendors, we encourage your organization to consider sponsoring this event by supporting the Alexandria Helping
Hands Fund. Proceeds received from this fund benefit students who are faced
with unexpected life issues that are not covered by typical financial-aid sources.
All donations received are tax-deductible. If you have any questions about the
Fall Festival or the Alexandria Helping Hands Fund, call 703-933-5076.
5
CAPITAL COMMENTS
August 22, 2008
OBAMA BIDS FOR WESTERN
VOTES AS KEY TO VICTORY
A
mericans have trekked West in
search of riches for more than
150 years and Barack Obama
is doing the same.
Like the country’s original frontier
settlers, the Democratic presidential
hopeful is driven to this Republicanleaning region by a sense of opportunity—and a quest for power.
He desperately wants to win in
GOP rival John McCain’s domain, and
is playing hard in fast-growing
Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico
while watching, likely in vain, for a
potential opening in Arizona—the state
his opponent represents in the Senate.
“This region is very much in play,”
said Brian Sanderoff, a nonpartisan pollster in Albuquerque, N.M. “The fact that
McCain is a westerner from a nearby
state will be offset by the Democratic
mood of the nation, thereby making the
race really competitive in the West.”
Tight polls and constant attention
from both candidates attest to that little
more than two months before the election.
Democrats dominate liberal coastal
states, compete strongly in the swingvoting Midwest and typically cede the
conservative South to Republicans.
They have fiercely competed for the
West in recent presidential elections,
seemingly with little place else to turn to
try to ramp up their electoral vote count.
MAYOR ADRIAN FENTY
DECLARES AUGUST 25
HENRIETTA
VINTON DAVIS DAY
T
he Henrietta Vinton Davis
Memorial Foundation announced that DC Mayor
Adrian Fenty has proclaimed August
25, 2008 “Henrietta Vinton Davis
Day.” The designation provides new
focus on efforts to place a marker at
Miss Davis’ grave in National Harmony Memorial Park located in Landover, Maryland. The Foundation
plans to host a memorial service at the
grave site that day at 10:00A.M.
The decree acknowledges Davis as
the first African American to work at
the DC Recorder of Deeds office beginning in 1878, before Frederick Douglass. The proclamation also recognizes
Miss Davis’ significance as a cultural
icon. She made her debut in her career
as an actor, elocutionist, dramatic reader
and impressionist in Washington, DC
on April 25, 1883 where she was introduced by, Honorable Frederick Douglass, the Recorder of Deeds.
Furthermore, the proclamation acknowledges the success of Miss Davis
as a public speaker. During 1919, a
year remembered for its “Red Summer,” she became a leader of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League
and its “African Redemption” movement headed by Marcus Garvey.
The Livication Tribute at the Grave
of Lady Henrietta Vinton Davis will be
Monday, August 25 commencing at
10:00 AM. The grave is located in National Harmony Memorial Park 7101
Sheriff Rd., Landover, MD. All interested are welcome; volunteers are still
needed. For more information, please
contact Clayton Leboeuf at (202) 2911663 or Nnamdi Azikiwe at 202-4836097 or Mwariama Kamau at 202-2566380.
ABOUT HENRIETTA VINTON DAVIS
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Henrietta Vinton Davis was spent her early
6
They’ve had mixed success.
After decades of GOP dominance in
presidential elections, Democrat Bill
Clinton won Nevada and New Mexico
in back-to-back elections in the 1990s,
though Clinton won Colorado only once
and lost Arizona twice. Democrat Al
Gore won only New Mexico in 2000,
and by a razor-thin margin, and Democrat John Kerry lost all four in 2004.
This year, for reasons both political
and demographic, Obama has focused
on Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico
as top states to try to seize from Republicans in his bid to reach the 270
electoral votes needed to win the
White House. Combined, the three
offer 19 votes.
He has spent all summer pouring
money and manpower into these states
and will accept the party’s nomination
next week at the Democratic National
Convention in Denver. At least for now
the fourth, Arizona, is getting almost
no attention; McCain has a comfortable lead there in polls.
“If Obama’s able to win in these
states it will have more to do with national trends against the Republican
Party manifesting themselves than
with political and demographic
changes on the ground,” said Bob
Loevy, an authority on Western politics
at Colorado College in Colorado
Springs. “That national shift has to be
great enough to upset the historical
pattern of these states tending to vote
Republican
for
president.”
Democrats
argue that a host of
factors are coming
together to give
them their best
chance in years in
the West: a national
malaise about the
past eight years Senator
Barack Obama
under the Republican President Bush, Democratic victories in recent statewide elections, and,
primarily, an influx of new Democraticleaning residents. They include scores
of Hispanics drawn by jobs and land as
well as urban liberals from the coastlines seeking recreation and retirement.
Voter registration numbers reflect
the shifting landscape.
Across the region, Democratic
signups have outpaced Republican
over the past eight years. In Colorado,
Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada,
specifically, Republicans held a
124,000 advantage in party registration
in November 2004. Now, the latest reports in the four states show Democrats with a 73,000 edge.
In part, the boost can be attributed
to the extended and competitive Democratic primaries and the Obama
campaign’s effort to tap into previously unregistered voting pools and the
general public’s sour attitude toward
the Bush-led GOP.
years watching the community activitism of her stepfather George
Alexander Hackett. Hackett was one of
the directors of the Chesapeake Marine
Railway and Drydock Company in Baltimore. The company was founded as a
means to employ African Americans
when white caulkers struck the shipbuilding companies to force an end to
the use of African American caulkers.
For thirty-five years after her debut
performing “Shakespearean delineations”, original plays and dramatic
readings with her own performing
company, and local troupes throughout
the United States, South America and
the Caribbean, Henrietta Vinton Davis
broke new ground as a successful theatrical artisan in the United States. Her
dedication to her craft gained her
recognition as the first African American “woman of the stage.” Ironically,
her debut was at a facility named
Marini’s Hall. The building’s site is
currently occupied by the FBI building. A plaque on the rear wall notes the
location as being where the “Sons of
Temperance” was founded.
As a leader of the African Redemption Movement beginning in 1919,
Davis made use of her acting skills to
promote the aims and objectives of the
UNIA. Her ability to “transport her listeners” to another place with her oratorical skills played a key role in both
attracting members to the organization
and promoting the Black Star Line
Shipping Company. As such, she was
elected to numerous positions including International Organizer, and Third
Assistant President General of the
UNIA, as well as, Vice President of the
Black Star Line. On the maiden voyage of the Black Star Line’s flagship
vessel with a cargo worth upwards of
$5.000.000 to the Caribbean, Davis
was the ranking member of both the
UNIA and the Black Star Line. As the
ship returned to New York, Garvey
proclaimed to a meeting of UNIA
members that Lady Davis was “the
greatest woman of the [African] race
today.”
Although her
career has been
documented
in
books such as
“Shakespeare in
Sable”, “Women in
American Theatre”
“The Cambridge
Guide to Theatre”,
DC Mayor
and The Marcus Adrian Fenty
Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers she remains little known to
this day.
Henrietta Vinton Davis
MCCAIN WEIGHS A
LIEBERMAN SURPRISE
J
ohn McCain is seriously considering choosing a pro-abortionrights running mate despite vocal
resistance from conservatives, with
former Democratic vice presidential
nominee Joseph I. Lieberman (IConn.) very much in the mix, close
McCain advisers say.
Under strong consideration: former
Pennsylvania Republican Gov. Tom
Ridge, and Lieberman, who was Al
Gore’s running mate in 2000.
Multiple GOP sources say that party
officials in Washington and in the states
have been contacted by the McCain campaign in the past two weeks and asked
about the fallout from such a choice. One
person familiar with the calls said the
party was being instructed to prepare for
different candidate prototypes—including one in the mold of Lieberman, who is
an independent but still caucuses with the
Democrats. One obstacle for Lieberman
may be legal. A GOP official said that
since he is not a Republican, Lieberman
may have a challenge being certified on
some state ballots.
But GOP sources say McCain and
his close friend Sen. Lindsey Graham
(R-S.C.) still haven’t given up hope on
making what some believe would be a
game-changing decision by tapping
Lieberman.
Lieberman’s office declined to discuss the topic. “Those questions are
best left to the McCain campaign at
this time,” said Erika Masonhall,
Lieberman’s Senate press secretary.
Ridge also appears to still be on the
short list, GOP sources say. McCain
likes the fact that Ridge is a Vietnam
War hero with a working-class background. Ridge worked in the White
House as Bush’s homeland security adviser before becoming Secretary of
Homeland Security, and could help
McCain with his further reform of the
nation’s intelligence apparatus.
“He’s McCain’s kind of guy,” said a
close friend of the candidate.
McCain, who in the past had said it
would be hard to choose a supporter of
abortion rights, told Steve Hayes of
The Weekly Standard last week that he
would not rule it out.
One source close to the campaign
who is sympathetic to such a plan
sketched out a scenario in which
Lieberman was the choice.
“First, if your instinct is to run on
experience, it doesn’t hurt to have a
vice president who’s got it, too,” said
this source, a conservative.
But more than that, according to this
source, picking Lieberman would dramatically support McCain’s theme that
he puts “country first” above all else.
“It would fit well into the narrative of
his not having any politics in the White
House,” said the source. “No more Dick
Morris, no more Karl Rove—we’re governing here. It’s an easy, natural message
for McCain and it implies a one-term
pledge without actually saying it.”
As for the inevitable blowback
from the right, this person acknowledged the convention would be “a
messy week,” representing a “shock to
the system of a pro-life party.”
But would it be worth it? “The
question is: On Sept. 15 or 25, is he in
better shape or not?” the source asked.
McCain allies are hopeful that the
candidate’s strong statement on abortion Saturday night at Rick Warren’s
California church could assuage any
concerns from the right-to-life community about what a supporter of abortion
rights on the ticket would mean.
“I will be a pro-life president and
this presidency
will have pro-life
policies,” McCain said at Saddleback. “That’s
my commitment;
that’s my commitment to you.”
Others in the
party—including Senator
several veterans John McCain
of
President
Bush’s past campaigns—say such a
choice would be untenable and are
dreading the prospect of what Lieberman, or perhaps even Ridge,would mean
to a base that is already less than enthusiastic about McCain.
“Lieberman would blow things
up,” said the American Conservative
Union’s David Keene. “That would be
like Obama picking some right-winger
that agrees with him on one thing.”
As for the convention, Keene said
Lieberman’s selection would set off
some sort of “protest” among the
party’s rank and file. Tapping Ridge,
Keene said, wouldn’t be as bad, but
would still “overshadow” St. Paul.
Already, one website has begun a petition aimed at dissuading McCain from
tapping a supporter of abortion rights.
“Please keep Senator McCain and
his key advisers in your prayers as he
nears a decision on his VP pick, and
please sign the petition and pass on to
like-minded pro-lifers,” Billy Valentine, a young Republican and former
supporter of Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback’s presidential bid, writes above
the petition on “Catholics for McCain.”
Other Republican regulars, speaking anonymously so as not to anger the
party’s nominee, warn of the consequences.
Another well-placed Republican
official who is in regular contact with
McCain’s campaign predicted a contentious gathering in St. Paul.
“You will not have a unanimous
vote at the convention, that much I can
tell you,” said this source. “There will
be some blowback.”
Many leading conservatives have
strongly pushed back on McCain’s
suggestion that he might choose a prochoice running mate.
For the third day in a row, talk radio
guru Rush Limbaugh castigated the
idea Tuesday on his radio show, saying
the mainstream media—“the drive-by
media,” in his parlance—is enthralled
by the idea.
“The drive-bys are just hoping for
it, because they know the base will totally turn on McCain if this is the case,”
Limbaugh said. “If he picks a prochoice running mate, it’s not going to
be pretty, and the drive-bys know it.”
“The question is how to get the
message to McCain,” he said. “You
don’t get in McCain’s face and say,
‘Don’t do it.’ That’s a dumb thing to do.
[You have to say something like] ‘Sen.
McCain, we know you’re smart … and
we know you don’t want to lose.’”
The answer to what McCain is
thinking could come soon. Republicans
were told that barring a change, McCain plans to appear with his pick at an
arena in Dayton, Ohio, on Aug. 29 —
a week from Friday, and the day after
Barack Obama accepts the Democratic
nomination in a Denver stadium.
Campaign advisers said Obama’s
performance is likely to be so strong they
think it will “scare” Republicans, and
they’re eager to change the conversation
to their own No. 2 the next morning.
Obama is likely to make his pick
this Friday, Saturday or Sunday, according to advisers. But they warned it
could come any time
THE METRO HERALD
August 22, 2008
THE METRO HERALD
7
HEALTH & WELLNESS
August 22, 2008
MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION
DRUG PREMIUMS TO RISE IN 2009
2008 AFRICAN AMERICAN
PROSTATE CANCER DISPARITY SUMMIT
T
he Prostate Health Education
Network, Inc. (PHEN) will
host its fourth annual “African
American Prostate Cancer Disparity
Summit” in Washington, DC on September 25 - 26, 2008. “Since our very
first summit in 2005, this event has
proven highly effective in bringing together members of congress, medical
and research specialists, survivors and
members of industry to address one of
the biggest health crisis in Black
America,” states PHEN president
Thomas Farrington. African American
men die at a rate of 2.4 times that of all
other men from prostate cancer. This is
the largest racial disparity for any type
of cancer.
Because of the overwhelming success of the annual PHEN summits on
Capitol Hill, the 2008 Summit will be
held in conjunction with the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference (ALC). The summit program on Thursday, September
25th will be held in the Rayburn House
Office Building; Friday’s, September
26th, program will be held at the
Washington Convention Center as one
of the ALC “Issue Forums.”
Speakers on Thursday will include
Tavis Smiley, US Senator John Kerry,
US Congressman Gregory Meeks,
President of the American Association
of Cancer Institutes, Dr. Edward Benz,
former major league star and prostate
cancer survivor, Ken Griffey, Sr., and
many others.
The Friday program will use a
“Town Hall Meeting” format to outline
an “action blueprint” to properly address the prostate cancer crisis in Black
America. This blueprint will be presented to the incoming Administration
in 2009. Panelists will include well
recognized leaders in the war on
prostate cancer. The health policy advisers for both Senators Obama and
McCain have been invited.
Both days of the summit will be exciting and educational. All of the sessions will include outstanding speakers
with presentations on topics with the
potential to impact on reducing the
prostate cancer crisis. Attendees will
also have ample opportunities to participate and network with others.
There is no charge to attend the
summit and it is open to the public.
However, attendees must register for
the “Annual Legislative Conference”
to attend the Friday program in the
Washington Convention Center. For
additional information about the summit and how to register, visit www.
ProstateHealthEd.org
RESEARCHERS SAY NUMBERS AREN’T NEEDED TO COUNT
A
nswer this without counting:
Are there more X’s here
XXXXXX, or here XXXXX?
That’s a problem facing people whose
languages don’t include words for
more than one or two. Yet researchers
say children who speak those languages are still able to compare quantities.
“We argue that humans possess an
innate system for enumeration that
doesn’t rely on words,” says Brian
Butterworth of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London.
In an attempt to prove it, Butterworth compared the numerical skills of
children from two indigenous Australian groups whose languages don’t
contain many number words with similar children who speak English.
All the groups performed equally
well, his research team reports in Tuesday’s edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“Basic number and arithmetic skills
are built on a specialized innate system,” Butterworth said in an interview
via e-mail. Using words for exact numbers is “useful but not necessary,” the
researchers concluded.
Co-author Robert Reeve of the University of Melbourne, Australia,
agreed: “Our findings are consistent
with the idea that we have an innate
system for representing quantity ideas
and that the lack of number words in a
language should not prevent us from
completing simple number and computation tasks.”
Edward A. Gibson and colleagues
in the department of brain and cognitive sciences at Massachusetts Institute
of Technology aren’t so sure.
It is a useful research program, but
doesn’t support the conclusion that the
understanding of exact numbers does
not depend on language, Gibson said
in an interview via e-mail.
Butterworth’s tests involved 13
English-speaking children from Melbourne, 20 Warlpiri-speaking children
and 12 who speak Anindilyakwa. All
the children were aged 4 to 7.
Warlpiri number words are limited
to one, two and many, the researchers
said. Anindilyakwa has words for one,
two, three—which sometimes includes
four—and more than three.
The tests:
Sharing. Almost all the children
were able to distribute six and nine
pieces of play dough among three toy
bears. When 7 or 10 pieces were to be
shared, the idea of dividing up the
extra piece was only figured out by a
few of them, and those were older,
non-English speakers.
Memory. Various numbers of tokens were placed on a mat and then
covered. Children were asked to place
the same amount of tokens on their
mats. No differences were found in the
three groups.
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t Narconon Arrowhead, we understand
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and Alcohol Rehabilitation and Education Services Program.
8
Nonverbal addition. Some counters were placed on a mat and covered.
A few seconds later more were placed
down and then slid under the mat. The
children were asked to match the total
number of counters. Several combinations were used including 2+1, 1+4,
4+3 and 4+2. The English speakers got
fewer right, but the difference was not
considered significant.
Cross-modal matching. A block of
wood was tapped with a stick and
some counters were placed on a mat.
Sometimes the number of taps
matched the number of counters,
sometimes not. The children were
asked if the numbers were the same.
No language differences were found.
“Perhaps the most striking result
comes from the cross-modal matching
task, where the child has to put out the
number of counters corresponding to a
sequence of auditory events,” Butterworth said. “This cannot be done using
visual memory, but requires the child
to generate a mental representation that
is abstract enough to serve to represent
both auditory and visual enumeration.”
But Gibson said, “In order to
demonstrate their desired conclusion,
the authors would need to evaluate an
age group across languages with and
without number words, where the participants in the language with number
words can succeed in getting close to
100 percent accuracy on the tasks.
Then the effects of the absence of number words can be evaluated in the population speaking the language that
lacks number words,” they said.
In these tests, however, while all
groups of children had more or less
similar results, none had 100 percent.
It looks like all the children in the
study are using approximate matching
to solve the tasks at hand, a strategy
which does not rely on the use of number words, he said.
Gibson and other researchers have
also studied South American natives
whose languages don’t have number
words.
“In our recent work, we have demonstrated that Piraha speakers achieve high
accuracy on matching tasks, despite
having no count words whatsoever, not
even a word for one,” Gibson said.
T
he average monthly premium
for Medicare’s prescription
drug plan will increase to an
estimated $28 in 2009, three dollars
more than this year’s monthly premium, Medicare officials announced
recently.
That 2009 figure is 37 percent
lower than originally projected when
Medicare’s so-called Part D drug coverage was introduced in 2003, the officials added. The Part D program offers
prescription drug benefits to Medicare
beneficiaries.
“Part D continues to come in under
budget, achieve consistently high satisfaction rates, and with it millions of
Americans are living healthier, better
lives,” Kerry Weems, acting administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare
and Medicaid Services, said during an
afternoon teleconference.
But, he added, “most beneficiaries
will see a premium increase in their
current plan. There will be some significant increases.”
There are three reasons behind the
premium increase, Weems said.
“First, there is a trend in prescription drug cost growth generally—
prices tend to increase because of price
increases for existing drugs, the
growth in the average number of prescriptions per person, and the introduction of new drugs,” he said.
Second, the 2008 premiums were
calculated as part of a demonstration
project that has now expired. This project resulted in premiums being 50
cents less in 2008 than had been projected.
“That change is now reflected in
the 2009 premium,” Weems said.
Third, drug distributors participating in Part D have found coverage for
catastrophic care to be higher than expected. “So they have adjusted their
2009 bids to reflect those higher-thananticipated costs,” Weems said.
There are steps Medicare beneficiaries can take to reduce the impact of
premium increases, Weems added.
In 2009, Medicare beneficiaries
will continue to have access to what’s
known as enhanced drug coverage,
which allows people to pay additional
premiums to cover gaps in their drug
coverage. Some low-income beneficiaries will be able to have their gap coverage at minimal or no cost, Weems
said.
“In addition, 97 percent of people
in stand-alone prescription drug plans
will have access to a 2009 plan with
equal or lower-cost premiums than
their 2008 plan,” Weems said. “Moreover, many Medicare beneficiaries will
have access to a Medicare Advantage
plan that offers lower prescription drug
premiums than a stand-alone plan.”
Currently, 24.4 million Medicare
beneficiaries are enrolled in the Part D
drug plan.
In a related development, Medicare
officials announced Thursday that 10
doctors-group practices participating
in Medicare’s Physician Group Practice Demonstration project showed improved quality of care for patients with
congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease and diabetes.
Based on these improvements, the
10 groups involved in the project are
being paid $16.7 million in incentives
designed to reward health-care
providers for improving results and coordinating the health care needs of
Medicare patients.
“We are paying for better outcomes
and we are getting higher quality and
more value for the Medicare dollar,”
Weems said in a prepared statement.
“And these results show that by working in collaboration with the physician
groups on new and innovative ways to
reimburse for high quality care, we are
on the right track to find a better way
to pay physicians.”
MORE WOMEN ARE HAVING
FEWER CHILDREN, IF AT ALL
M
ore women in their early 40s are childless, and those who are having children are having fewer than ever before, the Census Bureau
said.
In the last 30 years, the number of women age 40 to 44 with no children
has doubled, from 10 percent to 20 percent. And those who are mothers have
an average of 1.9 children each, more than one child fewer than women of the
same age in 1976.
The report, Fertility of American Women: 2006, is the first from the Census Bureau to use data from an annual survey of 76 million women, ages 15
to 50, allowing a state-by-state comparison of fertility patterns. About 4.2 million women participating in the survey, which was conducted from January
through December 2006, had had a child in the previous year. The statistics
could be used by state agencies to provide maternal care services, the report
said.
The survey found that in 2006 women with graduate or professional degrees recorded the most births of all educational levels. About 36 percent of
women who gave birth in the previous 12 months were separated, divorced,
widowed or unmarried.
Unemployed women had about twice as many babies as working women,
although women in the labor force accounted for the majority—57 percent—
of recent births. Only a quarter of all women who had a child over the past
year were living below the poverty level.
Coupled with fertility data collected biannually, the report also revealed
longer term trends, including how second-generation Hispanic women are
having fewer babies than their foreign-born grandmothers and first-generation American mothers.
Differences among states also emerged. California, Nevada, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, New York and New Jersey had a greater percentage of
foreign-born women who became mothers in 2006. A bigger share of women
in the Southeast and Southwest who gave birth in the year prior to the survey
did so in poverty
THE METRO HERALD
HEALTH & WELLNESS
August 22, 2008
TUBERCULOSIS STILL
A MAJOR HEALTH THREAT
HALF OF OVERWEIGHT ADULTS MAY BE HEART-HEALTHY
Y
ou can look great in a swimsuit
and still be a heart attack waiting to happen. And you can
also be overweight and otherwise
healthy. A new study suggests that a
surprising number of overweight people—about half—have normal blood
pressure and cholesterol levels, while
an equally startling number of trim
people suffer from some of the ills associated with obesity.
The first national estimate of its
kind bolsters the argument that you can
be hefty but still healthy, or at least
healthier than has been believed.
The results also show that stereotypes about body size can be misleading, and that even “less voluptuous”
people can have risk factors commonly
associated with obesity, said study author MaryFran Sowers, a University of
Michigan obesity researcher.
“We’re really talking about taking a
look with a very different lens” at
weight and health risks, Sowers said.
In the study, about 51 percent of
overweight adults, or roughly 36 million people nationwide, had mostly
normal levels of blood pressure, cholesterol, blood fats called triglycerides
and blood sugar.
Almost one-third of obese adults,
or nearly 20 million people, also were
in this healthy range, meaning that
none or only one of those measures
was abnormal.
Yet about a fourth of adults in the
recommended-weight range had unhealthy levels of at least two of these
measures. That means some 16 million
of them are at risk for heart problems.
It’s no secret that thin people can
develop heart-related problems and that
fat people often do not. But that mil-
lions defy the stereotypes will come as
a surprise to many people, Sowers said.
Even so, there’s growing debate
about the accuracy of the standard
method of calculating whether someone is overweight. Health officials rely
on the body mass index, a weightheight ratio that does not distinguish
between fat and lean tissue. The limits
of that method were highlighted a few
years ago when it was reported that the
system would put nearly half of NBA
players in the overweight category.
A number of experts say waist size
is a more accurate way of determining
someone’s health risks, and the study
results support that argument.
Dr. Robert Eckel, a former American Heart Association president and
professor of medicine at the University
of Colorado, said the new research
may help dismiss some of the generalizations that are sometimes made about
weight and health.
Study co-author Judith WylieRosett emphasized that the study
shouldn’t send the message “that we
don’t need to worry about weight.”
That’s because half of overweight people do face elevated risks for heart disease, explained Wylie-Rosett, a nutrition researcher at Albert Einstein
College of Medicine in New York.
But, for those without elevated risks,
losing weight “might be important only
from a cosmetic perspective,” she said.
To arrive at the estimates, scientists
analyzed nationally representative
government surveys involving 5,440
people age 20 and over, and extrapolated to calculate nationwide figures.
The new study, appearing in Monday’s Archives of Internal Medicine,
used government surveys from 1999 to
2004 that included lab tests and height
and weight measurements. Participants
reported on habits including smoking
and physical activity.
In all weight categories, risk factors
for heart problems were generally more
common in older people, smokers and
inactive people. Among obese people
who were 50 to 64, just 20 percent were
considered healthy compared with half
of younger obese people.
The results underscore how important exercise is for staying healthy,
even for people of healthy weight,
Wylie-Rosett said.
The authors noted that fat tissue releases hormones and other substances
that affect things like blood vessels,
cholesterol and blood sugar. The results suggest this interaction varies
among overweight and obese people,
the authors said. The results also add to
mounting evidence that thick waists
are linked with heart risks.
Among people of healthy weight in
the study, elevated blood pressure, cholesterol and other factors were more
common for people with larger waists
or potbellies. This often signals internal
fat deposits surrounding abdominal organs, which previous research has
shown can be especially risky.
Similarly, among overweight and
obese adults, those in the “healthy” category tended to have smaller waists
than those with at least two risk factors.
Dr. Lewis Landsberg, a Northwestern University obesity expert, noted that
the research didn’t look at heart disease,
and that not everyone with high risk
factors develops heart problems.
Still, he said, the study shows that
waist measurements can help assess
health
M
ore than 100 years ago Dr.
Robert Koch announced his
discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This is the bacteria
that cause latent (dormant or sleeping)
tuberculosis infections, which can
progress to infectious, active TB.
Old news? Yes. Still news? Yes!
In 2007, TB in the military made
national news when a Sailor aboard the
aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan developed symptoms of TB and was later
diagnosed with the disease.
Bacteria know no borders. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 13,779 people
across the United States were diagnosed with active TB in 2006. About
8.8 million people around the world
developed active TB in 2005, and 1.6
million died, according to the World
Health Organization.
Here is what you need to know
about TB. TB is passed from person to
person through the air. A person with
active TB in the lungs or throat can
cough or sneeze the TB germs into the
air. Others who are exposed to an ill
person for a long period of time
breathe in the TB bacteria. In the military, service members often work and
sleep in close quarters, which can contribute to prolonged exposure to germs
that are spread through the air.
A person who is exposed to TB can
have a skin test or blood test to determine
if latent TB infection is present. The
Navy tested hundreds of people who
may have been exposed to the ill sailor
while on board the USS Ronald Reagan.
The military often uses the TB skin test
before and after deployment or travel in
certain areas of the world. A positive skin
test indicates latent TB infection.
A person with latent TB infection
cannot make others sick, and does not
feel sick. However, medication may be
needed to prevent the latent infection
from progressing to active disease.
People with weakened immune systems, the very young and the elderly
are at higher risk of progressing from
latent TB infection to active TB.
A person with active TB is ill and can
expose others to TB. Symptoms of active TB may include a cough that lasts
more than three weeks, coughing up
blood, chest pain, fatigue, fever, chills,
night sweats, loss of appetite and/or unexplained loss of weight. Active TB usually affects the lungs, but may spread to
the throat, kidneys, spine and other areas
of the body. Tests for TB may start with
a chest X-ray and lab tests on sputum
(spit/spit with mucus in it).
Several medications are available to
treat most TB. However, the germ is becoming resistant to some of the medications. A person with TB may need to be
hospitalized for treatment until he can
no longer spread the infection to others.
If not treated, TB can cause death.
TB is an old disease that has traveled
around the world. Find out if TB is
common where you live or travel.
Know the risk and the symptoms of TB.
Know when and where to be tested in
your local area. The preventive medicine physician, Army public health
nurse or community health nurse is
available to answer questions about TB.
For more information, visit the
CDC at www.cdc.gov or CHPPM at
http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/.
MDS URGED TO END PROSTATE
SCREENING IN ELDERLY MEN
D
octors should stop routine
prostate cancer screening of
men over age 75 because there
is more evidence of harm than benefit,
a federal task force advised on a hotly
debated topic.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task
Force, which made the recommendation
reported finding evidence that the benefits of treatment based on routine screening of this age group “are small to none.”
However, treatment often causes “moderate-to-substantial harms,” including
erectile dysfunction and bladder control
and bowel problems, the task force said.
The new guidance is the first update
by the task force on prostate cancer
screening since 2002. Its last report concluded there was insufficient evidence
to recommend prostate screening for
men of all ages. In recent years, there
has been a growing debate about the
value of the somewhat imprecise PSA
blood test to detect cancer, as well as the
value of treating most prostate cancers.
A positive result from the test must be
confirmed by a biopsy. And even then,
there is no foolproof method of identifying aggressive tumors from slowgrowing ones. A number of experts contend patients are being overtreated.
“The issue of screening for prostate
cancer is frankly an area of medicine
that remains somewhat unsettled,” said
Dr. Durado Brooks, a prostate cancer
specialist for the American Cancer Society. “While it’s clear there is benefit
to a significant number of men, it’s
equally clear that many men end up
being diagnosed and treated for cancers that would likely not have caused
them any significant harm.”
THE METRO HERALD
Most major U.S. medical groups
recommend doctors discuss the potential benefits and known harms of
prostate screening with their patients
and make individual decisions. And
most agree such testing shouldn’t
occur before age 50. The federal task
force, which sets the nation’s primary
care standards, reviewed past research
in reaching its conclusion and “could
not find adequate proof that early detection leads to fewer men dying of the
disease,” task force chairman Dr. Ned
Calonge of Denver said in a statement.
The cancer society’s advice for
screening differs from the task force’s
because it doesn’t set a fixed age to
stop screening, Brooks said. It suggests
that men shouldn’t be offered screening if they aren’t expected to live another 10 years. “That’s because every
75-year-old is not created equal,” said
Brooks. While some have health problems and aren’t likely to live long, others are “very active, very vigorous and
have minimal health issues, and many
of those men are going to live into their
late 80s or 90s,” Brooks said.
Earlier this year, a study found that
older men who already had early-stage
prostate cancer were not taking a big
risk by not treating it right away. The
vast majority were alive 10 years later
without significantly worrying symptoms or had died of other causes.
Prostate cancer treatments are
tough, especially on older men. Some
doctors instead recommend “watchful
waiting” to monitor signs of the disease and treat only if they worsen, but
smaller studies give conflicting views
of the safety of that approach.
9
EDUCATION
August 22, 2008
TO COLLEGE FRESHMEN,
GPS HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE
CLOSE THE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY GAP
FOR COLLEGE-BOUND FOSTER YOUTH
Orphan Foundation of America (OFA)
Care Packages encourage foster students
to succeed at college.
I
t is back-to-school time and many
young people are saying goodbye
to their families and heading off to
college. Others, however, are making
the journey alone: thousands of foster
care teens who have “aged out” of the
system. For many of these youth, education has been the one promising
constant in their lives—and now, at the
threshold of adulthood, it is a struggle
to find financial and emotional support
to sustain their educational and career
goals.
“Care packages, internships, scholarships and other support give these
young people hope,” said Eileen McCaffrey, executive director of the Orphan Foundation of America (OFA), a
Washington D.C.-based, national notfor-profit organization focused on education, mentoring and workforce development for those who have aged
out. “At OFA, we encourage collegebound foster youth to succeed by connecting them with the love and resources of a caring community.”
At any given point, there are more
than 500,000 U.S. children in foster
care. Every year, more than 25,000 of
them age out of the system and face a
challenging world without financial or
family support. Only half of them finish high school and only about 13 percent start college. Of those who do go
to college, half drop out in the first
year. For those involved in OFA’s programs, however, these numbers improve dramatically. More than 65 percent graduate from college within five
years, a rate comparable to their peers.
There are several ways people can
support OFA’s programs and help foster students succeed:
• Fund a Care Package: Three times
a year, OFA sends care packages to
thousands of foster students at colleges, universities and training programs nationwide. Consider donating just $20 to help OFA fill a
CHURCH ATTENDANCE
BOOSTS STUDENT GPAS
I
f you want to boost your
teenager’s grade point average,
take the kid to church. Or, a new
study suggests, find some similar social activity to involve them in.
Researchers found that church attendance has as much effect on a teen’s
GPA as whether the parents earned a
college degree. Students in grades 7 to
12 who went to church weekly also
had lower dropout rates and felt more a
part of their schools.
On average, students whose parents
received a four-year college degree average a GPA .12 higher than those
whose parents completed high school
only. Students who attend religious
services weekly average a GPA .144
higher than those who never attend
services, said Jennifer Glanville, a sociologist at the University of Iowa.
The study does not suggest God is
smiling on the students, per se. Rather,
it identifies several reasons the students do better:
• They have regular contact with
adults from various generations
who serve as role models.
• Their parents are more likely to
communicate with their friends’
parents.
• They develop friendships with
peers who have similar norms and
values.
• They’re more likely to participate
in extracurricular activities.
Those factors account for only half
the predicted effect, Glanville and colleagues say.
“There are two directions you can
go with this research,” she said. “Some
might say this suggests that parents
should have their kids attend places of
10
worship. Or, if we use it to help explain
why religious participation has a positive effect on academics, parents who
aren’t interested in attending church
can consider how to structure their
kids’ time to allow access to the same
beneficial social networks and opportunities religious institutions provide.”
Other studies have shown that regular church-goers breathe easier and live
longer. And kids whose parents go to
church are better behaved and more
well-adjusted. In each of these studies,
the researchers cite the social-network
and psychological benefits of churches.
Glanville and colleagues David
Sikkink and Edwin Hernandez of the
University of Notre Dame analyzed
data from the National Longitudinal
Study of Adolescent Health, a nationally representative sample of 7ththrough 12th-graders that began in
1994. Students from 132 schools in 80
communities participated.
Kids who attended church were
also more likely to have friends with
higher GPAs who skipped school less
often, Glanville said.
The study also showed whether the
teens said religion was important to
them.
“Surprisingly, the importance of religion to teens had very little impact on
their educational outcomes,” Glanville
said. “That suggests that the act of attending church—the structure and the
social aspects associated with it—
could be more important to educational
outcomes than the actual religion.”
Religious-service attendance had
the same effect across all major denominations, the researchers found. The results are detailed in the winter 2008
issue of the Sociological Quarterly.
care package with school supplies,
gift cards and other items college
students appreciate. Encourage
employers to get involved, too,
through funding contributions or
in-kind donations.
• Sponsor a Scholarship: Every
penny from monetary donations
designated for an OFA Sponsored
Scholarship goes directly to the students. Each year, 2,000 hopeful
young people apply for these programs.
• Offer College Internships: Your
workplace could provide an environment for a foster student to gain
real world experience. Internships
give them opportunities they might
never have on their own.
“All of us can do something to help
foster youth achieve their educational
dreams,” added McCaffrey.
Visit www.orphan.org for more information.
Founded in 1981, the Orphan Foundation of America (OFA) is the only
national organization focused solely on
education, mentoring and workforce
development for the 25,000 teens who
age out of the foster care system each
year. OFA awards nearly $17 million
annually in funding, enabling thousands of foster teens to attend college
and specialized training programs. For
more information or to learn how to
help, visit www.orphan.org.
S
tudents entering college this fall
have lived their whole lives in a
digital world—where GPS has
always been available, phones have always had caller ID and tax returns
could always be filed online.
The incoming freshmen, born
mostly in 1990, also grew up knowing
only Jay Leno on “The Tonight Show.”
Those are some of the 60 cultural
landmarks on the Beloit College Mindset List, an annual compilation that offers a glimpse of the world as seen
through the eyes of each incoming
class. This year’s list is being released
soon.
The school started producing the
list in 1998 to remind professors that
references familiar to them might draw
blank stares from their students.
“Watergate used to be a common
reference,” said Ron Nief, the school’s
director of public affairs, who assembles the list. “But a few years ago I
asked some students if they knew what
Watergate was and they said that was
where Monica Lewinsky lived.”
Some entries on this year’s list are
products that have been around for the
lifetimes of the Class of 2012, including karaoke machines, plastic soft
drink bottles, Windows 3.0 and higher
and the Nintendo Game Boy.
Other cultural markers are all but
unknown to them—IBM typewriters,
Roseanne Barr’s tortured version of
the National Anthem, Pee-wee Her-
ALL FAIRFAX READS AT THE LIBRARY
L
ocal residents are invited to
enjoy free events in September as part of All Fairfax
Reads, a one community/one book
project, sponsored by the Fairfax
County Public Library. All Fairfax
Reads encourages adults to read and
discuss the same book. This year’s
selection is the witty and thoughtprovoking novella, The Uncommon
Reader, by Alan Bennett. Here is the
schedule of All Fairfax Reads
events:
THE UNCOMMON READER
BOOK DISCUSSIONS
• September 8, 7:30p.m. at Sherwood Regional Library
• September 11, 7:30p.m. at Reston Regional Library
Residents can participate in either of the above two discussions of
The Uncommon Reader led by facilitator Wendi Kaufman of Johns
Hopkins University.
MONTHLY BOOK GROUP
DISCUSSIONS
• September 17, 7:15p.m. at
Oakton Library
• September 18, 2p.m. at George
Mason Regional Library
• September 22, 10a.m. at Centreville Regional Library
• September 23, 7p.m. at Burke
Centre Library
• September 25, 7:30p.m. at Centreville Regional Library
SPECIAL EVENTS
• September 15, 7:30p.m. at
Pohick Regional Library
The Art of Flower Arranging,
UK Style. The art of flower arranging and the features of an English
garden, presented by floral designer
and horticulturist Bruce Nash.
• September 16, 10:30a.m. at
George Mason Regional Library
All Fairfax Reads Movie. A
screening of the 2006 movie featuring Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II and the events immediately
after the death of Princess Diana.
• September 23, at George Mason
University
Theater of the First Amendment.
George Mason University’s professional theater company in residence
will highlight Bennett’s half-century of plays with a reading of his
works. Visit Fall for the Book for information.
• September 24, 7p.m. at Oakton
Library
Meet Alison Larkin, comedian
and author of The English American, as part of the Fall for the Book
program. Larkin based the novel on
her own experiences as an adopted
English woman who finds her birth
parents in the United States.
For library programs, call the
branch to register two weeks in advance. For locations and phone
numbers, visit www.fairfaxcounty.
gov/library.
All Fairfax Reads is cosponsored
by Barnes & Noble, Borders, Fairfax Library Foundation, Fall for the
Book, Friends of the City of Fairfax
Regional Library, Friends of the Reston Regional Library, George
Mason University and NOVEC.
man’s “Playhouse” and gas-station attendants who fix flat tires or offer to
check under the hood.
The purpose of the Mindset List
goes beyond reminding professors to
update their references, said Tom
McBride, an English professor at Beloit who helps Nief compile the list.
“It also prevents students from
thinking that the way something is now
is the way it’s always been,” he said.
For example, one entry had to be
updated within the past month after the
Green Bay Packers traded quarterback
Brett Favre to the New York Jets after
a 16-year career in Wisconsin. “The
Green Bay Packers (almost) always
had the same quarterback,” reads the
revised No. 46.
That stunned incoming freshman
Ben Zook of Seattle, who said Favre is
one of his generation’s athletic idols,
along with Michael Jordan and Tiger
Woods.
“I mean, for as long as I can remember, Brett Favre was the man
there,” said Zook, 18. “It’s almost
crazy to think he could retire or be with
another team.”
New freshman Dana Wierzbicki,
18, said her favorite item on the list
was the first: “Harry Potter could be a
classmate, playing on their Quidditch
team.”
“I’m a huge Harry Potter fan,” said
Wierzbicki, from Niles, Ill. “I wish it
was sort of true—being on Quidditch
with him would be kind of cool.”
Every time the list comes out,
McBride said, the school hears from
people around the world who say it
makes them feel as though life is passing them by.
“We say join the club. It makes us
feel old, too,” he said.
Time seems to pass more slowly for
kids because they’re doing more things
for the first time, he speculated. But
when a person gets older and does the
same things over and over, the routine
makes time seem to speed up.
When the 2006 list came out,
McBride reassured people by telling
them it was the trends and fashions that
had grown old, not them.
This year, he struck a more philosophical tone.
“It’s easy to be envious of youth,”
he said. “But if you’ve got a certain degree of wisdom and your body hasn’t
fallen apart yet, you may be at the best
time of your life.”
BLACK FACT
On August 22,
1867, the first black
college was
founded in
Tennessee. It was
Fisk University.
Although work on
the school was
started in October
1865, it did not
become
incorporated under
Tennessee law
until this day.
THE METRO HERALD
EDUCATION
August 22, 2008
NUMBER OF ALEXANDRIA SCHOOLS MAKING
ADEQUATE YEARLY PROGRESS INCREASES
P
C
ollege-bound high school students interested in pursuing
undergraduate and graduate
studies in the areas of music, dance,
theater, visual arts, graphic design, and
other related disciplines are encouraged to attend the National Association
for College Admission Counseling’s
(NACAC) Washington, DC Performing and Visual Arts College Fair.
The Washington, DC Performing
and Visual Arts College Fair will be
held on Sunday, November 2, at the
Walter E. Washington Convention
Center from 1:00pm to 3:30pm. Admission is free and open to the public.
While plenty of information is
available for college-bound students
with traditional interests, not as many
resources exist for those who are more
artistically-inclined. NACAC’s Performing and Visual Arts College Fairs
fill a vital need for the growing number
of students pursuing college degrees in
music, theater, art, dance, visual arts,
graphic design and writing. These fairs
offer a unique opportunity to get the
inside scoop on what it takes to obtain
a degree in the arts.
At NACAC’s Performing and Visual Arts College Fairs, students, parents and art institutions take center
stage. These fairs allow college-bound
students interested in the arts to meet
one-on-one with admission representatives from colleges, universities, conservatories, studios, festivals, and
other educational institutions with specialized programs in the visual and
performing arts.
Attendees learn about educational
opportunities, admission and financial
aid, portfolio days, audition and entrance requirements, student life, and
much more.
NACAC will sponsor Performing
and Visual Arts Fairs in 17 locations
throughout the country this fall, including New York; Philadelphia; Los
Angeles; Chicago; Dallas; Atlanta and
Tampa.
For more information, visit www.
nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/Events/
CollegeFairs/ PVA/default.htm
reliminary estimates indicate
that more Alexandria schools
made Adequate Yearly Progress
(AYP) during the 2007-08 school year
than in the previous school year, even as
the required pass rates increased by 4
percent. AYP is determined by the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act.
According to preliminary estimates of
spring Standards of Learning (SOL) test
score information, ten Alexandria
schools will be rated as having made
AYP this year compared to seven last
year. The ten schools are: John Adams,
Charles Barrett, Jefferson-Houston,
Cora Kelly, Lyles-Crouch, Douglas
MacArthur, George Mason, Matthew
Maury, James Polk and Samuel Tucker.
“I am extremely pleased with our
progress,” said Deputy Superintendent
Cathy David. “Our dedicated students,
teachers and administrators work hard
throughout the year to help all students
achieve at their highest potential and
this is one indicator that we are moving
in the right direction. Our goals, however, go far beyond making AYP.”
The bar for AYP is raised each year,
with the goal of 100 percent of students
passing both the English and math
exams by 2014. This year, for English,
77 percent (up from 73 percent last year)
of students in each subgroup needed to
score above the benchmark to make
AYP. For math, 75 percent (up from 71
percent last year) needed to pass.
Public schools in Virginia have two
accountability systems. The state uses
SOL exams to determine accreditation
and the federal government uses the
same exams to assign AYP status. Accreditation is based on combined pass
rates for all students in four subject
areas. AYP is based on pass rates for
seven different subgroups in two subject areas: reading and math. The subgroups are: all students, students with
disabilities, students who have limited
English proficiency (LEP), economically disadvantaged students and certain racial/ethnic groups (African
American, Hispanic and white). This is
why it is possible for a school to be
fully accredited and not make AYP.
More information on these two accountability systems is available on
the Virginia Department of Education
Web site at www.doe.virginia.gov/
under School Report Cards.
Twenty-nine benchmarks must be
met in order for a school to earn AYP
status. Missing even a single benchmark can result in a school not making
AYP. Four of the six Alexandria
schools that fell into this category will
be fully accredited by the state: Patrick
Henry Elementary School, Mount Vernon Community School, William
Ramsay Elementary School and T.C.
Williams High School. The other
schools that did not make AYP are
Francis Hammond and George Washington middle schools. The school division as a whole did not make AYP.
Progress was made in every school,
even if it wasn’t enough to make AYP in
every category. For example, the middle schools show noteworthy gains
when these preliminary pass rates are
compared to last year’s final pass rates
listed on the Virginia Department of Education’s School Report Cards. At
George Washington, pass rates for English increased 19 percent for Hispanic
students and 15 percent for students
with limited English proficiency. At
Hammond, pass rates for students in the
economically disadvantaged subgroup
and the Hispanic subgroup rose 11 percent. At George Washington, pass rates
for math increased 10 percent for black
students and 9 percent for students in
the economically disadvantaged subgroup. At Hammond, math pass rates
rose 9 percent for students in the economically disadvantaged subgroup.
Any school that does not make AYP
is required to create a school improvement plan. Title I schools (Alexandria
elementary schools that have a high
percentage of students who qualify for
reduced-price meals) are subject to additional sanctions under NCLB. If a
Title I school does not make AYP two
TRAINING TOMORROW’S
LEADERS
B
ook Invasion EDU to visit your
school this Fall! Team Invasion
Midwest, LLC and R.E.A.C.H.
Communications, Inc. are launching a
national “Edutainment” tour properly
titled Invasion EDU. Sponsored by
HBCU Connect, LLC, Diversity City
Media, Inc., and Nerjyzed Entertainment, LLC, Invasion EDU is an educational and entertaining program geared
towards taking the average campus experience to the next level.
Invasion EDU is the premiere student development and social networking event for your institution. This program is the only campus activity
rooted in student development theory
and actively involved in the entertainment industry. Through large group
presentations and interactive workshops, Invasion EDU engages students
in conversations about college success
strategies. Leadership development,
diversity of thought, cultural inclusiveness, and positive self-image are the
primary learning objectives of the Invasion EDU experience. The Invasion
EDU/REACH Your City Tour Launch
Party and Reception is scheduled for
Saturday, September 20, 2008 at 6:00
THE METRO HERALD
p.m. at the Franklin H. Williams
Caribbean Cultural Center in New
York City.
“Team Invasion Midwest, LLC and
R.E.A.C.H. Communications, Inc. are
honored to be the leaders in merging
education and hip-hop to provide a positive learning experience for this generation of millennial students. Invasion
EDU integrates cutting-edge live entertainment with interactive learning and
powerful discussion. We look forward
to invading your campus with our ultimate edutainment experience,” said
Joseph Shine, President/CEO of Team
Invasion Midwest, LLC.
Team Invasion Midwest, LLC and
R.E.A.CH. Communications, Inc. has
partnered to facilitate this dynamic and
engaging program. The founding
members of the program bring over 16
years of experience in the areas of
music production, event planning,
print media design, and business management, in addition to over 20 years
of experience in the student development and education fields and in
the performing arts. For more information, visit www.hbcuconnect.com./
invasionedu or call 614-657-7275.
T
he Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) of
Alexandria announces the start of its third program year of training parents—or grandparents
or guardians—to participate more fully in community
and school life for the betterment of their children.
Applications for the 20-week program in leadership
skills, community building, civics, public policy, and
practical democracy action are now being accepted. Up
to 25 students may participate in the 2008-2009 program,
which begins on October 24, 2008 and continues to
April 24, 2009. An October 18, 2008 retreat, focusing
on developing group communications, kicks off the year.
The program is free to class participants. Dinner,
childcare -including for the first time this year an age-appropriate Children’s Leadership Training Institute—and
translation services are all provided at no charge.
Participants engage in learning activities with trained
facilitators, local educators, child advocates, government
leaders, policy makers, media representatives, and participants’ peers.
For more information or to request an application,
please contact Fay Slotnick, Executive Director, at 703739-0233, or email to [email protected]. Visit the
PLTI website at www.plti-alex.org. Online applications
are simple and quick to complete and send.
Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) of
Alexandria operates in cooperation with the Connecticut
Commission on Children and Alexandria City Public
Schools, and in partnership with the City of Alexandria
and Hopkins House.
years in a row, it is designated as a
“Title I Improvement” school and sanctions apply. Those schools must make
AYP for two consecutive years to be removed from Title I Improvement status. Jefferson-Houston and Cora Kelly
fall into this category. Both schools
made AYP this year but will remain in
Title I Improvement status until they
make AYP two years in a row.
Patrick Henry and Mount Vernon
will enter Title I Improvement status
this year. ACPS has submitted a request
to participate in a pilot program that will
allow the school system to provide free
tutoring (Supplemental Educational
Services, or SES) at those schools, as
well as at Cora Kelly. The federal government’s decision is expected in early
August. If the request is approved, parents will be mailed an SES application.
First priority for SES will be given to
the lowest-achieving and most disadvantaged students. If the request to participate in the pilot is denied, parents at
those schools will be offered the choice
to transfer their children to a different
Alexandria school prior to the beginning of school on Sept. 2.
William Ramsay made AYP last
year so it will not be placed in Title I
Improvement status and no sanctions
will apply. It is important to note that
all data is preliminary. Verification is
still in process and scores from the Virginia Alternative Assessment Program
and the Virginia Grade Level Alternative, used for some students who receive special education services, are
still being audited. Although the final
results may vary from the preliminary
estimates, the AYP status of each
school is not expected to change.
A detailed report on the Estimated
AYP Adjusted Pass Rates for the 200708 School Year is available at www.
acps.k12.va.us/mes/sol/index.php.
For more information about AYP
and No Child Left Behind, contact the
Virginia Department of Education at
800-292-3820 or visit www.doe.
virginia.gov/VDOE/src/.
ALEXANDRIA SCHOOLS
WELCOME
NEW ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS
F
ive Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) are
welcoming new administrators as the start of the
2008-09 school nears.
At T.C. Williams High School, Marla Philpot is the
new executive associate principal, replacing Tammy
Ignacio, who now serves as assistant principal at James
K. Polk Elementary School. Ignacio interviewed for an
elementary position because she wants to spend more
time with her family. Philpot comes to ACPS from Northwest High School in Rockville, Md., where she served as
assistant principal and 10th-grade administrator. She previously worked in three school districts in Michigan and
received the Detroit Public Schools Outstanding Educator Award.
Also at T.C. Williams, Kris Feroleto is back as
Academy 2 assistant principal after a year-long leave of
absence.
Melva Holloman is the assistant principal at Douglas
MacArthur Elementary School. She previously served as
a special education coordinator in the ACPS Department
of Student Services. Janeene Selby, previously a preschool teacher at Jefferson-Houston Elementary School,
is the school’s new assistant principal. Linda Wilkoff,
previously a guidance counselor at Charles Barrett Elementary School, is the new assistant principal at Minnie
Howard School.
For more information, contact the ACPS Department
of Information and Outreach at 703-824-6635.
11
2008 KENNEDY CENTER PRELUDE
August 22, 2008
THE KENNEDY CENTER PRESENTS PRELUDE 2008—ARTS ACROSS AMERICA
T
hroughout Arts Across
America, the Kennedy
Center Millennium Stage
will showcase Masters of
Tradition—artists with a
firm connection to their immigrant, ancestral, and cultural roots—from various regions of the U.S. The Millennium Stage will also present two
evenings of NSO American Residency
Commissions, including a concert in
the Terrace Theater on September 23
of world premieres from Nevada, Tennessee, South Dakota, and Kansas, and
a concert of previous commissions
from North Dakota, Arizona, Maine,
and Montana on September 30 on the
Grand Foyer Millennium Stage. In
conjunction with the Center’s Performance Plus program, the Millennium
Stage will host Roadhouse—four, free
evenings at 6p.m. in the Theater Lab
highlighting various forms of American social dance.
Arts Across America will present a
world premiere in the Kennedy Center
Concert Hall on September 7, with a
concert by the 105 Voices of History
National Choir, which will include one
singer from each of the nation’s 105
Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This event is in celebration
of the National HBCU week held annually every September in Washington, D.C.
September 18-20 in the Terrace
Theater, spoken word artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph brings his latest creation,
the break/s—a multimedia history of
hip-hop presented in verse, dance, and
film. Drawing from his own personal
experiences growing up and becoming
an artist during the time of hip-hop
globalization, as well as from Jeff
Chang’s 2005 American Book Award
winning Can’t Stop Won’t Stop—
which follows the creation of hip-hop
as a local, political, and artistic movement, the break/s includes two onstage DJs, as well as documentary
footage by Eli Jacobs-Fantuzzi.
Following his successful run of A
Distant Country Called Youth during
the Kennedy Center’s “Tennessee
Williams Explored” in 2004, Richard
Thomas will return to star in Blanche
and Beyond. Compiled from the personal letters of Tennessee Williams,
this one-man show is directed by Steve
Lawson.
Other Arts Across America events
include a recital by the 2008 Marian
Anderson Award recipient Indira Mahajan; performances by the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marvin
Hamlisch and featuring Arlo Guthrie
and Linda Eder; Kennedy Center Jazz
concerts featuring Preservation Hall
Jazz Band, the Blind Boys of Alabama,
Mos Def, and Kevin Mahogany; the reopening of the newly renovated Eisenhower Theater with Broadway: Three
Generations; and the 5th Anniversary of
the Conservatory Project on October 5,
in the Concert Hall.
ings of plays and musicals. This threeday event gives audiences a look at
new works being prepared for Washington premieres in the 2008-2009 theater season. This year, the Center will
also present national theater companies
known for developing new works, including: Chicago, Illinois’ 500 Clown
Theater; Anchorage, Alaska’s Perseverance Theater; Kentucky’s Actor’s
Theater of Louisville; Florida Stage;
and Utah’s Salt Lake Acting Company.
DANCING UNDER
THE STARS
SAT., AUG. 30; SAT., SEPT. 6, 13,
27; 8:00-9:00p.m., Lessons 9:0011:00p.m., Dancing; South Plaza
Stage; FREE, no tickets required
he Kennedy Center presents
free, outdoor dancing on the
South Plaza and River Terrace,
featuring popular artists and dance orchestras. Professional dance instructors, such as Eileen Torres and Tom
Koerner and Debra Sternberg, will be
on-hand to teach.
Saturday, August 30—The Eric
Felten Jazz Orchestra, led by Arizona
native and trombonist Felten, makes
audiences sway to the sounds of the
Swing Era.
Saturday, September 6—Louisiana’s Savoy-Doucette Cajun Band
plays honed down, hard core Cajun
music laced with an earthy sensuality,
giving old tunes a new life in their
hands.
Saturday, September 13—Following Open House, D.C. legend
Chuck Brown, the Godfather of GoGo, helps audiences get their groove
on with this hypnotically danceable
music rooted in funk and soul, which
Brown created in the early 70s.
Saturday, September 27—Richmond, Virginia’s 8-piece salsa powerhouse Bio Ritmo is rooted in the AfroCuban and Puerto Rican traditions
while layering their music with jazz,
urban, electronic, and global sonic influences.
T
WORLD PREMIERE OF THE
105 VOICES OF HISTORY
NATIONAL CHOIR
SUN., SEPT. 7; Concert Hall; 6pm.;
FREE, no tickets required
his world premiere features the
105 Voices of History National
Choir, including one singer
from each of the nation’s 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities,
presenting an American legacy
T
T
12
★
★
Millennium Stage; 6pm; FREE
hroughout Arts Across America, the Millennium Stage will
host a variety of artists representing a host of disciplines from various regions of the United States. These
Masters of Tradition have a firm connection to their immigrant, ancestral,
and cultural roots, including:
T
★
★
★
★
★
★
Phylicia Rashad, host of “105 Voices of
History” National Choir
★
MILLENNIUM STAGE
★
THE 7th ANNUAL PAGE-TOSTAGE NEW PLAY FESTIVAL
SAT., AUG. 30—MON., SEPT. 1—
Atrium, Millennium Stage Terrace
Gallery, Theater Lab, Terrace Theater,
Family Theater FREE (no tickets required; limited seating.)
he Kennedy Center hosts more
than 25 D.C. area theater companies in a series of free read-
Blind Boys of Alabama
grounded in the African American culture. The conductors for this concert
are Dr. J. Weldon Norris from Howard
University in Washington, D.C., Professor Damon H. Dandridge from Cheney University in Pennsylvania, Carl
W. Haywood from Norfolk State University, and Professor Glynn E. Halsey
from Clark Atlanta University. In addition, HBCU alumnae will perform
solos. This event is in celebration of
National HBCU week held annually
every September in Washington, D.C.
Iowa’s Foot-Notes, performing
Scandinavian and ScandinavianAmerican oldtime dance music
Maryland’s NEA Heritage Awardwinning Apsara Dance Ensemble
with Chum Ngek who have helped
to preserve the elegant and graceful music and dance traditions of
Cambodia
New York’s Monica Jalili and the
artists of NoorSaaz bring to life the
rich history of Iranian culture
through its music and poetry, using
traditional and non-traditional instruments, as well as lyrics in Persian, English and French.
Maine’s Don Roy, the Dean of
Franco-American fiddling, blending the sounds of Quebec, Ireland,
Ontario, and the Maritime
Provinces
Pennsylvania’s Trudy Pitts, a master of the Hammond organ and a
fixture on the Philadelphia jazz
scene
South Carolina’s NEA Heritage
Award-winning Marlena Smalls,
with the Hallelujah Singers, has
taken the Gullah culture of the Sea
Islands and exported it to the
world
Michigan’s NEA Heritage Awardwinning Nadim Dlaikan, Lebanese
nye (reed flute) player, is recog-
★
★
nized nationwide as a premiere
maker of flutes and a master of his
own unique musical traditions
West Virginia’s NEA Heritage
Award-winning Hazel Dickens
haunts audiences with her “high
lonesome” style of bluegrass
singing
Detroit’s legendary sacred steel
player Calvin Cooke and his Trio
bring his unique hybrid of gospel,
blues, soul, and country and western music
Kansas-based tamburitza orchestra
the Bajich Brothers play Serbian
folk songs on these traditional
mandolin-like instruments
While most identified with traditional American old-time music,
Virginia’s Bruce Molsky’s influences range from Appalachia,
Delta blues, and Celtic music
Wyoming’s Bar-J Wranglers transport listeners to the time of the
singing cowboy, delivering harmony, musicianship, and ranch
humor
8TH ANNUAL LOCAL DANCE
COMMISSIONING PROJECT
WORLD PREMIERES
THURS. & FRI.., SEPT. 4-5, 11-12,
18-19; 6p.m.; Millennium Stage;
FREE; (full LDCP press release available)
he Local Dance Commissioning Project was created to foster new works by local choreographers and present them to the
widest possible audience via the Millennium Stage and the internet webcasts.
September 4-5, 2008: Karen
Reedy, originally from New York and
Artistic Director of Karen Reedy
Dance, presents Sleepwalking.
September 11-12, 2008: Originally
from South Carolina, Vincent E.
Thomas, Artistic Director of VTDance,
contemplates acts of humanity in a
multi-layered work, Witness.
September 18-19, 2008: Cassie
Meador, originally from Georgia,
poses the question “What script do we
leave for the future?” in her new work,
Drift.
T
THE 24TH ANNUAL
KENNEDY CENTER OPEN
HOUSE ARTS FESTIVAL:
ARTS ACROSS AMERICA
SAT., SEPT. 13; 12P.M.-8P.M.;
Throughout the building; FREE (some
events may require free tickets)
he 24th annual Kennedy Center Open House Arts Festival:
Arts Across America celebrates
T
Kevin Mahogany
THE METRO HERALD
August 22, 2008
THE METRO HERALD
13
2008 KENNEDY CENTER PRELUDE
August 22, 2008
THE KENNEDY CENTER PRESENTS PRELUDE 2008—ARTS ACROSS AMERICA—Continued
★
tween Texas and Mexico, is characterized by the use of accordion,
drums, and 12-string bass guitar,
traditionally based on polka, waltz,
and bolero rhythms.
The Carolina Chocolate Drops, a
group of young African-American
stringband musicians, come together to play the rich tradition of
fiddle and banjo music of the Carolinas’ piedmont. String band
music was played for “Frolics” (or
Square Dances), breezy, fiddleheavy old-time dance parties
where jigs are rendered with a
bluesy edge and “Dixie” as a lilting lament.
2008 MARIAN ANDERSON
AWARD RECIPIENT
INDIRA MAHAJAN
Mos Def
the Center’s 37th birthday with more
than 30 performances, activities and
events for the whole family presented
throughout the building. Open House:
Arts Across America highlights American innovators and artists carrying on
and developing traditions. Included
will be a performance featuring the
best of the African-American fraternity
and sorority tradition of “stepping.”
Led by the internationally-acclaimed
ensemble, Step Afrika!, the step show
will feature nationally-recognized step
teams from across the U.S. Other featured artists include Dan Zanes and
Friends, Algebra, Raul Midon, Lila
Downs, Jake Shimabukuro, the
Nevada Ballet Theatre, the Aspen
Santa Fe Ballet, The Suzanne Farrell
Ballet, the NSO, and more.
MON., SEPT. 15; Terrace Theater;
7:30pm
he Kennedy Center presents a
recital by soprano Indira Mahajan, the recipient of the 2008
Marian Anderson Award—a grant for
American singers in mid-career. A
1988 Oberlin graduate, she received
further voice training at the New
School’s Mannes College of Music in
New York and the Academia Musicale
Ottorino Respighi in Italy. She has
sung with the New York City Opera
and with several national and international companies. Noted roles include
Musetta in La Boheme, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro. Prior award recipients
include Sylvia McNair, Denyce
Graves, Philip Zawisza, Nancy
Maultsby, Patricia Racette, Michelle
deYoung, Nathan Gunn, Marguerite
Krull, Eric Owens, and Lawrence
Brownlee.
T
ROADHOUSE
MONDAYS DURING SEPTEMBER; SEPT. 8, 15, 22, 29; Theater
Lab; 6-6:30pm dance lesson; 6:307:30pm performance; FREE
n conjunction with the Center’s
Performance Plus program, the
Millennium Stage will host four,
free evenings of Roadhouse highlighting various forms of American social
dance.
I
★
★
★
14
Wisconsin’s Karl & The Country
Dutchmen perform the “Dutchman” style of polka—beer-drinking, good-time dance music, developed by German immigrants in
rural Minnesota and Wisconsin,
distinguished by the thumping
bass sound of the tuba, and the
German concertina.
Legendary Mississippi Delta blues
pianist and NEA Heritage Awardwinner Pinetop Perkins joins
Maryland’s Nighthawks to bring
audiences Chicago blues, roots
rock, rockabilly and soul. Blues
dancing is a modern term used to
describe a family of historical
dances that are associated with
blues music, or the contemporary
dances that draw on their tradition.
San Antonio, Texas’ Mingo Saldivar, National Heritage Awardwinning and Grammy nominated
accordionist, has been dubbed “the
Dancing Cowboy” by his fans.
Conjunto, popular dance music
originating along the border be-
MARC BAMUTHI JOSEPH
IN THE BREAK/S
SEPT. 18-20; Terrace Theater
poken word artist Marc Bamuthi
Joseph brings his latest creation,
the break/s—a multimedia history of hip-hop presented in verse,
dance, and film. Drawing from his personal experiences of becoming an
artist during the globalization of hiphop, and from Jeff Chang’s 2005
American Book Award winning Can’t
Stop Won’t Stop—which follows the
creation of hip-hop as a local, political,
and artistic movement—the break/s includes two live DJs, and documentary
footage by Eli Jacobs-Fantuzzi.
S
NSO AMERICAN RESIDENCY
COMMISSIONS
WORLD PREMIERES, SEPT. 23,
Terrace Theater; PREVIOUS COMMISSIONS, SEPT. 30, Grand Foyer
Millennium Stage; 6pm; FREE, no
tickets required
n 1992 the National Symphony
Orchestra began The American
Residencies project, annually
making a state or a region the focus of
many activities requested by local educational and performance organizations. Thus far, the NSO has been to 14
states. A component of each Residency
is a statewide competitive grant to create a chamber composition that directly represents the state visited. As
I
part of Arts Across America, the Millennium Stage will present two
evenings of commissions:
World Premieres: Stephen Yarborough’s
Dakota
Diary
(South
Dakota);Robert G. Patterson’s Currents (Tennessee); Katherine Ann Murdock’s Unquiet Night (Kansas); and a
new work by Virko Baley (Nevada).
Previous Commissions: Philip
Carlsen’s Maine Traveler’s Advisory
(Maine); David Maslanka’s Blue
Mountain Meadow, Missoula, MT
(Montana); Jay Vosk’s Canyons (Arizona); and Michael Witttgraf’s The
Nature of a Circle: The Cycle of Lewis
and Clark (North Dakota)
RICHARD THOMAS IN
“BLANCHE AND BEYOND”
SEPT. 24-26; Terrace Theater
ompiled from the personal letters of Tennessee Williams,
this one-man show delves into
the life of one of America’s great playwrights. Starring Richard Thomas,
who brought A Distant Country Called
Youth to the Kennedy Center for the
Center’s “Tennessee Williams Explored” in 2004, the play is again directed by Steve Lawson.
C
KENNEDY CENTER JAZZ
SUN., SEPT. 21; Concert Hall; FRI.,
SEPT. 26; KC Jazz Club; SUN.,
SEPT. 28; Concert Hall
he consummate artist: musician, emcee, vocalist, producer,
and actor of stage and screen.,
Mos Def premiered his acoustic project in 2003, and the Mos Def Big Band
in January 2007 drawing from original
compositions and material by Miles
Davis, Beyoncé, James Brown , GilScott Heron., and others. Always bending genres to create his own sound,
Mos Def flows between hip-hop, jazz,
and soul while fronting his orchestra of
savvy musicians. His face as familiar
as his sound, his acting credits include
Be Kind Rewind, 16 Blocks, Something the Lord Made, Lackawanna
Blues, and Top Dog/Underdog.
Award-winning
vocalist
and
Kansas City native Kevin Mahogany
presents his “Kansas City Revue” with
the Godfathers of Groove and Kathy
Kosins, featuring the music of Big Joe
Turner, as well as tunes by or made famous by Charlie Parker, Count Basie,
Jimmy Witherspoon, Joe Williams, and
more, moving through R&B, boogie
woogie, blues, and jazz.
New Orleans’ legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Blind Boys
of Alabama join forces to present
“Down by the Riverside,” combining
jazz and gospel hymns.
T
THE CONSERVATORY
PROJECT 5TH
ANNIVERSARY CONCERT
OCT. 5, 6P.M.; Concert Hall; FREE
he Millennium Stage presents
The Conservatory Project 5th
Anniversary Concert, celebrating the innovative program, inaugurated in May 2004, devoted to young
talent from the nation’s leading music
conservatories. The culminating event
of Arts Across America, The Conservatory Project 5th Anniversary Concert
T
features the young, dynamic trio Time
for Three, and an ensemble orchestra
including one representative musician
from each of the 14 participating conservatories, colleges, and universities
of The Conservatory Project.
NATIONAL SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA
SUN., AUG. 31 AT 8P.M.; West
Lawn, U.S. Capitol; FREE: No tickets
required
mil De Cou, associate conductor, will conduct the National
Symphony’s annual, free
Labor Day weekend concert on the
West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
The program includes traditional
favorites and patriotic selections.
E
Thurs., Sept. 18; Concert Hall
NSO POPS, conducted by Marvin
Hamlisch, features beloved folk
singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Arlo Guthrie a natural-born
storyteller who helped foster a new
commitment among the ‘60s generation to social consciousness and activism.
Sept. 25-27; Concert Hall
NSO POPS, conducted by Marvin
Hamlisch, features vocalist Linda Eder
in a Tribute to Judy Garland.
BROADWAY: THREE
GENERATIONS
OCT. 2-5; Eisenhower Theater
he Eisenhower Theater will reopen its doors after a 17-month
renovation with a production
celebrating three generations of Broadway musicals. Directed by Eric Schaeffer with choreography by Warren
Carlyle, the celebration, Broadway:
Three Generations, will feature
abridged versions of Girl Crazy (first
generation), Fiddler on the Roof (second generation), and Side Show (third
generation).
T
Arts Across America is made possible through the generosity of the
Charles E. Smith Family Foundation.
The Kennedy Center’s Performing
Arts for Everyone (PAFE) initiative is
designed to make the performing arts
accessible, affordable, and available to
everyone. PAFE presents the annual
Kennedy Center Prelude, Open House
Arts Festival, the Millennium Stage,
The Conservatory Project, and the
Holiday Celebration.
For more information on the
Kennedy Center’s Arts Across America, visit www.kennedy-center.org.
PUBLIC INFORMATION: (202)
467-4600 or Toll-Free: (800) 444-1324
During Arts Across America, at
least one artist from every state of the
nation will be featured, including:
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Alaska: Perseverance Theater
Alabama: Blind Boys of Alabama
Arkansas: Glenn Ohrlin
Arizona: Jay Vosk
California: Jeremy Pelt
Colorado: Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
Connecticut: Christian Sands
DC: Chuck Brown
Delaware: Fostina Dixon &
Delaware Youth Jazz Band
Florida: Florida Stage
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Georgia: Algebra
Hawaii: Jake Shimabukuro
Iowa: Foot-Notes
Idaho: Rosalie Sorrels
Illinois: 500 Clown
Indiana: Indiana University
Jacobs School of Music
Kansas: Katherine Anne Murdock
Kentucky: Actors Theater of
Louisville
Louisiana: Preservation Hall Jazz
Band
Massachusetts: Berklee College
of Music
Maryland: Apsara Dance
Ensemble with Master Chum
Ngek
Maine: Philip Carlsen
Michigan: Nadim Dlaikan
Minnesota: Linda Eder
Missouri: Kevin Mahogany
Mississippi: Pinetop Perkins
Montana: David Maslanka
North Carolina: Carolina
Chocolate Drops
North Dakota: Michael Wittgraf
Nebraska: John Walker
New Hampshire: Dan Zanes &
Friends
New Jersey: Joshua Nelson
New Mexico: Aspen Santa Fe
Ballet
Nevada: Nevada Ballet Theatre
New York: Mos Def Big Band
Ohio: Cleveland Institute of
Music
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Stomp
Youth Band
Oregon: Yuqin Wang & Zhengli
Xu
Pennsylvania: Trudy Pitts
Rhode Island: Valerie Tutson
South Carolina: Marlena Smalls
& the Hallelujah Singers
South Dakota: Stephen
Yarborough
Tennessee: Robert G. Patterson
Texas: Mingo Saldivar
Utah: Salt Lake Acting Company
Virginia: Bio Ritmo
Vermont: Donald Knaack
Washington: Greg Pattillo
Wisconsin: Karl & the Country
Dutchmen
West Virginia: Hazel Dickens
Wyoming: Bar J Wranglers
BLACK FACT
On August 22, 1979,
two hundred black
leaders, meeting in
New York, expressed
support for
Andrew Young
and demanded
that blacks be given
a voice in shaping
American
foreign policy.
THE METRO HERALD
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
August 22, 2008
ARETHA FRANKLIN RELEASES
FIRST EVER HOLIDAY ALBUM
Aretha Franklin
D
MI Records, a division of the
leading music branding agency
DMI Music & Media Solutions, announced recently that they will
be releasing, 18-time GRAMMY®
Award winning performer and recording artist, Aretha Franklin’s longawaited holiday album, This Christmas
Aretha, on October 14, 2008.
Featuring classic and contemporary
holiday favorites, Franklin’s first holiday album in her illustrious career, will
take the listener on a journey of
Franklin’s musical evolution, featuring
songs infused with her trademark
gospel, soul, R&B, and classical styles.
It is sure to become a “must-have” addition to the collections of any Aretha
Franklin fan and a staple in countless
homes for many holidays to come.
Known around the world by her first
name, Aretha has achieved global
recognition on an unprecedented scale.
She is one of the most influential and
important voices in the history of pop
music. Her ever-distinctive soulful, tothe-bone vocal style has graced the
music charts for over four decades and
her live performances have touched the
hearts of tens of millions since she
began her musical journey in Detroit as
a gospel-singing child prodigy.
Franklin has earned countless international and national awards as well as accolades and global recognition on an
unprecedented scale including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Kennedy
Center Honor, the American National
Medal of the Arts Award, 18
GRAMMY® Awards including Best
Female R&B Vocal Performance for
eight consecutive years, a GRAMMY
Legend Award, a GRAMMY Lifetime
Achievement Award, and five American
Music Awards. In 1987, she was the
first woman inducted into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame, and in 1979 she received her star on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame. Earlier this year, Franklin was
named “2008 MusiCares® Person of
the Year” by the Recording Academy
and she was presented with the prestigious NAACP Vanguard Award.
Franklin joins the growing list of
major artists who are collaborating
with DMI for upcoming projects.
Founded by Tena Clark, one of the first
female record producers in the music
industry, DMI is home to a talented roster of music and marketing executives.
Clark and Franklin will together produce the upcoming holiday album.
“Tena Clark is a consummate professional, producer in the realm of
music,” says Franklin. “She is musician and track savvy in addition to the
forgoing, she is one of the great lyricists in the business and I am delighted
with this new musical association and
very much appreciate the fact that she
desires to bring the best to the project
on every front.”
“Aretha Franklin is a living legend
who makes an impact on fans worldwide with every performance and
every album,” said Clark. “Having
been privileged to work with Aretha, I
know the passion she brings to every
project, and I am committed to making
her first-ever holiday album a special
experience for her and her fans.”
SANDRA BERNHARD AT THEATER J
T
heater J kicks off the 2008-2009
season with a limited engagement of Sandra Bernhard’s onewoman show, WITHOUT YOU I’M
NOTHING, running September 9-28,
2008. This is first stop on the worldwide 20th anniversary tour of the show
that launched Sandra Bernhard’s career
in 1988. Performances will take place
in the Aaron & Cecile Goldman Theater
at the Washington DCJCC. Tickets,
which range from $45 to $60, are available at boxofficetickets.com or at (800)
494-TIXS. Tickets for patrons 25 and
under are half-price for all shows.
An electrifying fusion of lethal
satire, sly cabaret and sizzling rock ‘n’
roll, Sandra’s brilliant diatribes on the
state of modern culture still burn bright
and smart. Backed by her band, The
Rebellious Jezebels, this comic diva on
Comedy Central’s list of the “100
Greatest Stand-Ups of All Times” also
belts with the force of a true vocalist.
Described by The New York Times as
“a living breathing bonfire,” Sandra
Bernhard has been challenging fans
and critics with her knife-edged humor,
satire and emotive performances.
An accomplished comedienne, actress, singer, and writer, Sandra Bernhard is an artist that defies neat categorization, as she breaks down perceived
boundaries between entertainment, so-
THE METRO HERALD
cial commentary and performance art.
Her live performances include the critically acclaimed Broadway hit I’m Still
Here . . . Damn It! and most recently
Everything Bad and Beautiful, which
toured in the United States and Great
Britain. The original world-wide tour of
Without You I’m Nothing lead to a
Grammy-nominated album and feature
film of the same name. Since she first
appeared in 1983 in Martin Scorsese’
The King of Comedy, Bernhard’s numerous films include Inside Monkey
Zelterland, Hudson Hawk, Truth or Dare
with Madonna, and more recently, Dinner Rush. Her television appearances included a regular role on “Roseanne”
from 1991 to 1996, and guest starring
roles on “Ally McBeal,” “Chicago
Hope” and “Will & Grace.” She has
made noted appearances on “Saturday
Night Live” and “Late Night with David
Letterman,” as well as “The Tonight
Show,” “Rosie O’Donnell,” “The View”
and “Chelsea Lately.” She hosted the
season premier of “MadTV” and in
2001 hosted her own talk show “The
Sandra Bernhard Experience” for A&E
television. Her publications include
Confessions of a Pretty Lady, Love,
Love, and Love, and May I Kiss You on
the Lips, Miss Sandra? Her essays have
also been published in numerous magazines, including The New Yorker.
FIRST ANNUAL “REGGAE SUMMER FEST”
FOR CANCER RESEARCH
T
he National Alliance Foundation, a non-profit network committed to promoting peace and
harmony while raising funds and
awareness of cancer, will partner with
Budweiser to stage the First Annual
Budweiser Reggae Summer Fest for
Cancer Research. The inaugural concert will bring top-flight reggae and
entertainment to RFK Stadium, home
of major league soccer’s D.C. United
team. Budweiser Reggae Summer Fest
for Cancer Research, as it is billed,
hopes to attract thousands of reggae
music lovers to the DC area on Sunday, Sept. 7. Part of the proceeds will
benefit the Jamaican Cancer Society.
“This much-anticipated reggae festival has been artfully planned and is
being launched to raise funds and
awareness of cancer,” said Orville
Dixon, a representative of the National
Alliance Foundation. “Our intention is
to educate the masses about cancer,
while bringing together people through
the universal language of music.”
Headlining the show will be international reggae crooner, Beres Hammond, best known for such hits as
Putting Up Resistance, What One
Dance Can Do and countless other
chart-toppers. Other acts include KyMani Marley, I-Wayne, Turbulence,
Chuck Fender, Prestige, Etana, and
Fire Star.
There will also be a local flavor as
well, as area bands.including STORM,
The I-Ternals, Strykers Posse, New
Kingston Band, Passion Band, Image
Band, and Yawd Lynk will provide
their own familiar sound for this event.
Patrons will enjoy music, food, and
a variety of items from the many vendors who will be exhibiting. Children
12 and under will be admitted free,
while adult admission start at $30.
Limited VIP tickets and general admission tickets are available at Ticketmaster and a number of Caribbean
businesses.
For more information, go to www.
reggaesummerfest.net.
Beres Hammond
Ruth-Ann Brown
HUSH! FOUNDRY GALLERY’S SILENT AUCTION TO BENEFIT
DUKE ELLINGTON SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS
P
urchase prized artwork by
Foundry Gallery artists offered
at very low prices and support
the budding artists at the Duke Ellington School for the Arts and emerging
artists at Foundry Gallery!
From September 3rd through
September 27th, Foundry Gallery will
be holding its first Silent Auction with
portion of proceeds going to Duke
Ellington School for the Arts. Opening
reception will be held Friday, September 5th, from 6pm to 8pm. Closing/Final Bidding reception will be
held September 27th from 6pm to
8pm.
More than 30 works—paintings,
drawing and photographs—are in the
exhibit, which spans a wide range of
styles and subjects. The artwork auctioned at Foundry Gallery can also be
viewed at www.foundrygallery.org/
Auction.html. Participating artists include Amy Barker-Wilson, Shaune
Bazner, Daniel Bell, Jenny Brake, Brett
Davis, Patsy Fleming, Holly Foss,
Mina Oka Hanig, Donna K. McGee,
Debra Naylor, Steve Nordlinger, Ma-
rina Reiter, Ronald Riley, Bobbie Salthouse, Martin Slater, Luba Sterlikova,
Kathryn Wiley, Patricia Zannie.
Here’s how the Silent Auction
works: Artwork will be on exhibit September 3–27. The bids can be placed
anytime prior to 7pm, September 27
when the bidding closes. If the bid has
won, the winner can collect the artwork after 7pm September 27, or anytime noon until 6pm, September 28.
Bids can be placed in person or by calling the Foundry Gallery during opening hours (bids left by message on the
answering machine are not accepted).
Artwork can also be purchased at a
“buy it now” price anytime.
Foundry Gallery is open Wed.
through Sun. from 12 noon until 6
pm. The gallery is located at 1314 18th
Street, NW, just one block east of
Dupont Circle. Parking is available at a
commercial lot on N Street, NW between 17th and 18th Streets
For directions and more information, call Foundry Gallery at 202-4630203. About Foundry: Since 1971
Foundry Gallery has encouraged and
promoted Washington, DC area artists.
Begun by four students of Gene Davis,
who shared studio space in the Duval
Foundry in Georgetown, Foundry offers an alternative gallery experience
to artists. As an artist-run organization
Foundry is free to exhibit a wider
range of work than commercial galleries and to allow artists greater control over the exhibition and sale of
their work. Members are primarily
local artists who pool their resources to
support the gallery. Foundry is a diverse group with different ages and
backgrounds, and who work in diverse
media. As a non-profit organization
Foundry members contribute to the educational mission of the gallery by
planning and implementing events during their contract periods. These events
have ranged from lectures by artists
and performances by invited guests to
workshops for children, adults and
other artists. Artists also contribute to
the functioning of the gallery.
For more information, visit www.
foundry-gallery.org
15
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
August 22, 2008
QUEEN LATIFAH ANNOUNCED AS 2008 HONORARY CHAIR OF
URBANWORLD FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTED BY BET NETWORKS
Queen Latifah
2
008 Slate of Diverse Films Features Special Closing Night
Screening of “The Secret Life Of
Bees” Starring Queen Latifah, Dakota
Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys
and Sophie Okonedo
Festival Sponsors Include HBO,
Time Warner Cable, Grey Goose,
WNBC, Black Enterprise, ESSENCE,
VIBE, Power 105.1, the Directors
Guild of America, AMC Theatres, Fox
Searchlight Pictures and the Weinstein
Company
The Urbanworld Film Festival presented by BET Networks, the largest
international competitive festival of its
kind, recently announced that Academy Award-nominated actress Queen
Latifah will serve as Honorary Chair of
this year’s festival. Dedicated to the
exhibition of independent and mainstream cinema by and about people of
color, Urbanworld also announced it
will screen 85 films at this year’s festival in New York City from September
10-14. All festival screenings will be
held at the AMC Loews 34th Street
Theaters.
This year’s selection showcases
New York-based films and filmmakers
celebrating local artists and communities, as well as a strong representation
of international filmmakers from
around the world. The 2008 slate will
culminate in the special closing night
screening of The Secret Life of Bees,
followed by a Q&A with talent from
the film including Queen Latifah, So-
SUGARLOAF CRAFTS FESTIVAL
AT THE PRINCE WILLIAM
COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS
Pottery Image—Dishes; Rodney Meyer &
Karen Benedict; Willow Creek Pottery;
Waynesboro, PA 17268;
www.willowcreekpottery.com
M
ore than 150 of the nation’s
finest artisans and craft designers will offer unique
crafts, live demonstrations, food,
music and family entertainment during
the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival, Friday,
September 5 through Sunday, September 7, 2008 at the Prince William
County Fairgrounds in Manassas, Virginia.
Now in its 28th year, the Sugarloaf
Crafts Festival in Manassas offers collectors and craft enthusiasts one-of-akind creations in functional and decorative pottery, sculpture, glass, jewelry,
fashion, home décor, furniture and
home accessories, items for the garden,
and photography. The artisans at the
Sugarloaf Crafts Festival are jury-selected based on the superior quality
and craftsmanship of their work, and
are represented in the nation’s finest
galleries.
Festival visitors can do more than
simply purchase items from the exhibitors. The Sugarloaf Crafts Festival in Manassas gives the public the
opportunity to meet the artists and
learn more about the unique qualities
16
of their works. Entertaining and informative live demonstrations from
master craftspeople working in wood,
metal are presented each day during
the Festival. Specialty gourmet will be
also available for sampling and purchase along with a wide variety of
quality concessions.
The Sugarloaf Crafts Festival will
also feature eclectic music and fun
family entertainment. The Festival experience will be accompanied by native aboriginal music from nationallytouring performers Martin and Scott,
and piano standards and renditions of
pop favorites from Bob Geresti. In
the special children’s area, kids can become a part of their favorite fantasy
stories with interactive fairytales narrated by costumed storytellers from
Middle Earth Studios.
The Sugarloaf Crafts Festival will
be held Friday, September 5 and Saturday, September 6 from 10:00a.m.
to 6:00p.m.; Sunday, September 7
from10:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. at the
Prince William County Fairgrounds.
The Fairgrounds are located at 10624
Dumfries Road (VA business 234) in
Manassas, VA.
Adult admission to the Sugarloaf
Crafts Festival is $7 when purchased
online, $8 for adults at the door, free
for children under 12. Admission is
good for all three days, and free parking is available.
For more information about the
Sugarloaf Crafts Festival, directions,
or to purchase discount admission tickets visit www.sugarloafcrafts.com or
call (800) 210-9900.
For over 30 years, the nation’s most
talented artisans have sold their contemporary crafts and fine art at Sugarloaf Craft Festivals, rated as one of the
Top 10 craft experiences in the country. Last year, more than 250,000 visitors purchased over $20 million in
fine arts and crafts directly from the
artists at Sugarloaf festivals.
phie Okonedo (‘Hotel Rwanda’), and
screenwriter/director Gina PrinceBythewood (‘Love & Basketball’).
“These are really exciting times for
the festival,” said Stacy Spikes,
founder of Urbanworld. “On display
we have films of nearly every genre,
created by filmmakers of nearly every
background. This robust selection of
cinema, together with our new partnership with BET Networks, promises to
make this the best Urbanworld yet.”
“We’re thrilled to have hip-hop’s
first lady Queen Latifah sign on as
honorary chair for this year’s festivities,” said Alvin Bowles, Senior Vice
President, Integrated Marketing, BET
Networks. “The exciting lineup of cinematic talent rounds out our mission to
embrace and support the new wave of
filmmakers of color through our partnership with Urbanworld.”
“I am thrilled to be the honorary
chair of the Urbanworld Film Festival
this year,” said Queen Latifah. “It is an
important and exciting festival and the
perfect place to showcase my new film
The Secret Life of Bees.”
EDWARD J. REED’S
SOLO ARTIST EXHIBIT, PRESENCE,
AT THE ART LEAGUE GALLERY
“Presence,” Edward J. Reed’s Solo Exhibit of New Works at The Art League Gallery—
September 5–October 6, 2008—“Failing Light,” oil, 30” x 53”
A
lready a consummate portrait
painter, Edward J. Reed now
strives to capture people in the
context of a greater narrative. He is
increasingly drawn to individuals and
compositions that exhibit a contemplative feel and a broader range of emotions and sense of experiences. “Presence,” Reed’s solo exhibit at The Art
League Gallery, features new works
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OPENS ART AND
WOMEN’S HISTORY EXHIBITION
W
hen Virginia Historical
Society (VHS) Exhibition Designer Andrew
Gladwell met Helen McGehee
Umaña (known professionally as
Helen McGehee) for the first time at
a meeting organized by a mutual
friend, he expected to talk to her
about doing an exhibition based on
her career as a dancer with the
Martha Graham Dance Company.
But Helen McGehee deflected the attention from her work and suggested
Gladwell incorporate art from her
family—three previous generations
of women whose talent is lesser
known. After seeing the wealth of
material Helen had in her personal
collection painted by her greatgrandmother, grandmother, and
mother, Gladwell realized the VHS
could not pass up an opportunity to
open an art exhibition that tells the
story of the family’s creative past.
A Creative Dynasty: Four Generations of Virginia Women, which
opens at the Society on August 16,
2008, is a unique combination of history and art, women’s and family history, and the presentation of fine arts
and performance art. The exhibition
concerns a century of artistic accomplishment by Julia Anne (Morrison)
Blount (1831-1877); her daughter,
Sallie Lee (Blount) Mahood (18641953); her daughter, Helen Gray (Mahood) McGehee (1892-1980); and her
daughter, Helen Gray (McGehee)
Umaña (b. 1921).
“Through the work in this show,
visitors will see how women’s roles
in society have changed,” said Gladwell, exhibition curator. “Each successive generation was afforded opportunities for greater success.”
This exhibit features more than
thirty paintings, portraits, photographs, sculpture, and film clips.
Most of the material has not been
seen for 20 or 30 years, and some of
the art has never been displayed before in public.
Julia Anne Blount took up painting out of necessity to support herself and her daughter after her husband was shot. Sallie Lee Mahood
studied art at the Corcoran School of
Art in Washington, D.C., and in
Paris, and became a successful portrait artist, painting notable Virginians such as Dr. Edward Christian
Glass and George Morgan Jones.
After attending Randolph-Macon
Woman’s College, Helen McGehee
became an accomplished miniaturist
and orchestra musician. Her daughter, Mrs. Umaña (known as Helen
McGehee), was a renowned modern
dancer and choreographer and was a
founding member of the Juilliard
School of Dance, serving on the faculty there from 1951 to 1984.
“My favorite items in this exhibition are the portraits that family
members painted of each other,”
Gladwell said. “It is interesting to
see how the women interpreted their
relatives through art.”
These stories of four generations
of Virginia female artists and examples of their artistic achievements in
painting, the graphic arts, music, and
dance will be presented at the VHS
in A Creative Dynasty: Four Generations of Virginia Women until January 17, 2009. Educators who work
at Virginia schools may visit the
VHS to see the exhibition free of
charge during the month of August,
and the museum is always free to patrons on Sundays.
Helen McGehee, who lives in
Lynchburg, will be at the Society on
September 25th to present a noontime Banner Lecture titled “To Be a
Dancer: Helen McGehee on Modern
Dance.” McGehee will offer the
same advice to the VHS audience in
her talk as she did in a 1960s film
produced by the Martha Graham
Dance Company, saying, “I hope that
each person here will find something
in your life which is as significant for
you as dancing is for me.”
that capture individuals and emotions
within a deeper narrative context.
“I strive to find and create divergent
themes rather than repeating the same
motif in each canvas,” states Reed. “I
feel compelled to explore a range of
emotional stages and struggles. People with character or dignity capture
me, people who inherently project
strong emotions, unexpected emotions.” Reed develops a diverse range
of impacts with his new works, taking
his paintings beyond portraiture.
Reed paints from life, where “their
true personalities emerge. I rarely ask
subjects to stay still. I want them to
move, talk, and relax. This lets me infuse my work with a sense of movement, more accurately revealing the
whole person,” he states.
Reed studied intensively with
Danni Dawson, Robert Liberace, and
Diane Tesler at The Art League
School. He has won numerous other
national and international accolades
for his painting. Among these, American Artist Magazine awarded him its
70th Annual Reader’s Choice Award
for Best Oil in 2007. In its International Portrait Competitions, the Portrait Society of America awarded him
the Best Portfolio Award in 2007 and
an Honors Award in 2006. The Portrait Society of Canada awarded him
Second Place in its 2006 International
Portrait Competition. Artist’s Magazine ranked him a finalist in both the
Still Life and Portrait and Figure Categories of its 23rd Annual Art Competition. His work has been exhibited extensively throughout the regions and is
held widely in private collections.
Reed currently teaches painting at The
Art League School. He received his
J.D. from Harvard Law School and his
A.B. from Bowdoin College in
Brunswick, Maine.
In The Art League Gallery: “Presence”—Exhibit Dates: September 5–
October 6, 2008; Opening Reception:
Thursday, September 11: 6:30–
8:00pm
Mr. Reed will give demonstrations,
painting from a model in the gallery on
the following dates:
• Saturday, September 13, 12:00
noon–3:00pm
• Saturday, September 20, 12:00
noon–3:00pm
• Sunday, October 5, 1:00–4:00pm
New Gallery Hours: Monday–Saturday, 10:00am–6:00pm; Sunday,
12:00 noon–6:00pm; Open every
Thursday evening until 9:00pm.
Exhibitions and events are free and
open to the public.
THE METRO HERALD
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
August 22, 2008
THE CHEETAH GIRLS
HEAD TO INDIA IN LATEST FILM
T
hey’re not a singing group but
they play one on TV—and very
successfully, we might add.
But don’t even begin to get into it
about whether the Cheetah Girls are
friends in real life.
“We’re like sisters!” Adrienne
Bailon declares. “People don’t realize
when we’re not working together we
hang out together. We go on vacations
together.”
As she speaks by phone in a nonstop chatter that would quickly give
away her hometown roots—if her Noo
Yawk accent hadn’t already—Bailon is
busy getting settled in her new home.
“I just moved! Just got an apartment in Beverly Hills! I’m so excited!”
she practically exhales into the phone.
“I’ve been busy decorating and stuff.”
Until recently she had shared a
place in the San Fernando Valley with
fellow Cheetah Girl Kiely Williams.
When Bailon moved out, the third
Cheetah Girl, Sabrina Bryan, moved in.
“Kiely and I actually live together
now,” Bryan says separately. “We all
enjoy hanging out at the house.”
There will be little time for that in
the weeks ahead, however. The third
Cheetah Girls movie, “The Cheetah
Girls One World,” premieres on the
Disney Channel on Friday (8 p.m.
EDT), and there will likely be numerous personal appearances to make after
that. A worldwide concert tour is being
planned for the fall.
After that, who knows?
“We’re growing up and we all have
such huge dreams we want to fulfill.
But I would be on board to do a fourth
movie. Definitely,” Bryan says.
The trio were in their late teens
when they became the Cheetah Girls
for Disney’s 2003 film of the same
name. Bailon and Williams were recruited from R&B-hip-hop group
3LW. Bryan, a singer, actress, dancer,
had appeared on TV shows such as
“The Bold and the Beautiful” and
“Grounded for Life.”
A fourth Cheetah Girl, Disney star
Raven-Symone (“That’s So Raven”),
appeared in the “The Cheetah Girls”
and “The Cheetah Girls 2,” but is now
concentrating on her acting and solo
singing career.
When asked whether they missed
her presence on the latest film (her
character is away at college), Williams
says: “Honestly, we totally did. But
one of the biggest messages we have is
you support your friends whatever they
want to do.”
When they were brought together, the
group’s members figured “The Cheetah
Girls” was likely a one-shot deal.
“I remember Kiely and I would talk
and at the end of the first movie we
were just crying,” Bryan says. “You
make a movie with some people, you
become friends over the process of
making this movie and then ... you go
your own way.”
Instead, the movie was a hit, the
soundtrack album went platinum, a
concert tour grossed more than $25
million and a 2005 holiday album,
“Cheetah-licious Christmas,” was a
success.
When “The Cheetah Girls 2” came
out in 2006, critics treated it about as
harshly as they had the first movie.
“Even by Disney Channel standards, this sequel is weak and shrill
and not at all fun,” said David Cor-
THE METRO HERALD
nelius of the Web site DVDTalk.com.
But tween and teen girls don’t write
film reviews, and they apparently
don’t pay much attention to them. The
movie was a hit, the soundtrack album
went platinum and another album,
“TCG,” was released last year.
“I think definitely our multicultural
background appeals to people,” says
Bailon, who is of Puerto Rican and
Ecuadorean descent.
Based on the series of popular children’s books by Deborah Gregory, the
first film starred the actresses of various racial backgrounds as four teens
dreaming of musical stardom but never
willing to compromise the “one for all,
all for one” spirit that bound them together.
The second film took them to Spain
in search of fame and again tested their
friendship and devotion to one another.
“The Cheetah Girls One World” moves
the scene to India, where once again
they face a challenge: whether to compete against one another for one role in
a movie or hang together.
In real life, the 24-year-old Bailon
says, they’re still hanging together—
and defying stereotypes.
“We’re totally not that catty girl
group,” she says.
ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COMEDY TOUR TO TOP 15TH ANNUAL
FUNNIEST CELEBRITY IN WASHINGTON EVENT
F
or 15 years, the Funniest
Celebrity in Washington Contest has brought together so
many political opposites. Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala, Dennis Kucinich
and Ed Gillespie and so many more
“enemies” have called a truce in the
name of comedy. Only at this annual
fundraiser can Democrats, Republicans and people of all political persuasions grace the stage together.
However, on Wednesday, September 10th at 7pm at the world-famous
DC Improv (1140 Connecticut Ave,
NW), members of the internationallyacclaimed Israeli-Palestinian Comedy
Tour will break new ground for the
show’s 15th anniversary: trying to
solve the never-ending conflict in the
Middle East.
“Some of the best comedy comes
from conflict,” said show producer
Richard Siegel. “And who’s got more
conflict than Israelis and Palestinians?
It’s like ‘The Odd Couple,’ but of Biblical proportions.”
The Tour, the featured act of the
evening, consist of the only partnership between Palestinian and Israeli
standup comedians in the world and
have performed several tours throughout Israel and in East Jerusalem. The
GMU ART AND
VISUAL TECHNOLOGY DEPT.
ANNOUNCES BARRY NEMETT,
“LANGUAGE OF LANDSCAPE:
WORKS FROM ITALY”
four-member troupe consists of Palestinian Ray Hanania, “Second City”
veteran Aaron Freeman (a black Jewish convert), and Israelis Yisrael
Campbell and Charley Warady. While
diplomacy and fighting have not settled the differences between Palestinians and Israelis and Jews and Arabs,
they decided to give stand-up comedy
a try. Hanania and Freeman will represent the group and close the show on
Sept. 10th.
The star-studded competition for
the prestigious “Funniest Celebrity in
Washington” title will feature former
Republican presidential candidate
Mike Huckabee, current Libertarian
presidential nominee Bob Barr, Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA),
David Shuster from MSNBC’s “Hardball,” nationally syndicated radio host
Jim Bohannon and many more.
Individual tickets for the event are
$200, while a VIP package of a table
for eight, seating with a celebrity and
VIP reception passes costs $5,000.
Comedian Brett Leake will deliver a
private show to VIP ticket holders.
Proceeds from the event will benefit VSA arts, an international nonprofit
organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create
a society where people with disabilities
learn through, participate in, and enjoy
the arts. VSA arts provides educators,
parents, and artists with resources and
the tools to support arts programming
in schools and communities. VSA arts
showcases the accomplishments of
artists with disabilities and promotes
increased access to the arts for people
with disabilities. Each year millions of
people participate in VSA arts programs through a nationwide network
of affiliates and in 55 countries around
the world. VSA arts is an affiliate of
the John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts. For more information, visit www.vsarts.org.
For more information about the
Contest and tickets, contact Richard
Siegel at (202) 250-9193 or visit
www.funniestcelebrity.org or www.
dcimprov.com.
THE ONLY PERSON
HE CAN TRUST
IS HIMSELF.
W
hile many artists prefer to work from direct observation,
Barry Nemett finds his images in memory passages from
places that he has seen and remembered. In his current exhibition, “Language of Landscape: Works From Italy,” he paints and
draws landscapes that are often composed of half a dozen panels with
images based on a dozen or more sites from his travels.
“I draw or paint from life, but the places I portray do not exist, at
least not all at once,” said Nemett, the chair of the painting department
at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. “I make them up as
I go.”
“Language of Landscape: Works From Italy” will be on display at
George Mason University’s Fine Arts Gallery from September 2–27,
2008, with the opening reception on Thursday, September 18 from
4:30– 6:00p.m.
“[Nemett’s] images are drawn or painted as if he were standing in
front of these vast panoramas of earth, sky, clouds and buildings, unveiling a universe which, though modeled through observation, is continually changing, in order to point the way toward true transformation,” said
Walter Kravitz, director of the Fine Arts Gallery. “Like Wordsworth’s
description of an original experience which stimulates the art process, but
must be deferred to a more passive state of mind, as ‘emotion recollected
in tranquility’ Nemett’s articulation of memory comes after the fact, contained and stored for future creative sustenance.”
Nemett studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, received his BFA at the Pratt Institute and his MFA at Yale University. He has received many awards, including The Hugh Fraser
Foundation, Ford Foundation Grant and the MICA Trustee Grant for
Excellence in Teaching, Maryland State Arts Council Individual Fellowship Grant. In addition to curating traveling exhibitions, Nemett
has exhibited his work and served as a visiting artist and artist-in-residence at colleges, universities and museums across the United States,
as well as in Japan and France. He is the author of Images, Objects,
and Ideas: Viewing the Visual Arts and the novel Crooked Tracks, and
has published articles in numerous arts journals.
This event is FREE and open to the public. The gallery is open to
the public on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and weekends by appointment. The Fine Arts Gallery is located on the Fairfax campus of
George Mason University at the intersection of Braddock Road and
Route 123. Paid parking is located in the deck adjacent to the mainstage Concert Hall. Visit www.gmu.edu/cfa
OVERTURE FILMS PRESENTS
¨
A MANDEVILLE FILMS, HYDE PARK ENTERTAINMENTAND CRESCENDO PRODUCTION DON CHEADLE GUY PEARCE ”TRAITOR“ SAI¨D TAGHMAOUI
CASTING
MUSIC
NEAL MCDONOUGH ALYY KHAN AND JEFF DANIELS BY DEBORAH AQUILA, C.S.A.AND TRICIA WOOD, C.S.A. BY MARK KILIAN EDITOR BILLY FOX, A.C.E.
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF
ASHOK AMRITRAJSTORYSTEVE MARTIN ARLENE GIBBS KAY LIBERMAN
LAURENCE BENNETT PHOTOGRAPHY
J. MICHAEL MURO PRODUCERS
DAVID HOBERMAN TODDSCREENPLAY
LIEBERMAN DON CHEADLE JEFFREY
SILVER BY STEVE MARTIN AND JEFFREY NACHMANOFF
DIRECTED
BY JEFFREY NACHMANOFF BY JEFFREY NACHMANOFF
PRODUCTION
DESIGNER
PRODUCED
BY
INTENSE VIOLENT SEQUENCES,
THEMATIC MATERIAL AND BRIEF LANGUAGE
WWW.TRAITOR-THEMOVIE.COM
DISTRIBUTED BY OVERTURE FILMS.
© 2008 OVERTURE FILMS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
STARTS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27TH AT THEATRES EVERYWHERE!
NO PASSES ACCEPTED
17
POTPOURRI
August 22, 2008
I
“
t doesn’t matter where you
come from in the world, who
your ancestors are, every single
human being starts out with a story,”
said Diane Macklin, a regional storyteller who will be performing at Colonial Williamsburg’s fourth annual Storytelling Festival, “Spinning Stories/
Spanning Time: A Weekend of Stories
Old and New,” Sept. 19-21.
Macklin and three other storytellers, Rich Knoblich, Ellouise
Schoettler and Kim Weitkamp, bring
their stories to the festival. A professional storyteller and certified educator
for more than 10 years, Macklin’s performance style is influenced by a variety of arts training in dance and theater.
As a writer and actress, she performs
solo, theatrical pieces as well as traditional storytelling programs. She coproduced a storytelling series at Maryland Institute College of Art in
Baltimore and received the Solo Theatrical Performer Fellowship from the
Maryland State Arts Council. Macklin
has led workshops and/or performed
for Discovery Theatre, Smithsonian
African Art Museum, National Public
Radio, National Storytelling Network,
Washington Storytellers Theatre and
Three Apples Storytelling Festival.
Knoblich is author of “Talking
‘bout the Relatives.” Set during visits
with his family up at the old homestead
BLACK FACT
On August 22, 1917,
blues singer,
songwriter and
guitarist John Lee
Hooker was born in
Clarkdale, Mississippi.
Hooker began his 50
years as a musician at
age 14, when he sang
with religious groups
and studied guitar with
Will Moore. By age 73,
Hooker had received
the 1968-69 Best Blues
Album award from
“Jazz and Pop”
magazine, the 1975
Blues Hall of Fame
Award from “Ebony”
magazine and the 1983
Folk Heritage award
from the Smithsonian
Institution.
18
in the mountains, he relates the
shenanigans of believable rustic characters in modern times. Many stories
incorporate members of his family
along with the friends he has made over
the years and are often based on reality
but loaded with plenty of embellishment. Rich has brought home eight ribbons from the West Virginia Liar’s
Contest and judged the contest in 2008.
His creative tall tale writings have been
published in various national and regional magazines. He has performed
at every West Virginia Storytelling Festival and has entertained audiences
throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
Ellouise Schoettler calls herself an
“old-time Southern storyteller” like
those she grew up listening to in her
native North Carolina. Schoettler
blends memory, personal experience,
folklore and myth in stories that reveal
moments in the lives of ordinary people. Schoettler has performed at
Speakeasydc, Washington, D.C.;
Strathmore Arts Center, Bethesda,
Md.; Washington Storytellers Theater,
Washington, D.C.; Lehigh Valley Storytelling Festival, Bethlehem, Pa.,
2007; Rogue Festival, Fresno, Calif.;
and the Levine Museum of the South,
Charlotte, N.C. Since 2003 Schoettler
has been storyteller-in-residence for
the Audubon Naturalist Society, Chevy
Chase, Md., telling environmental and
nature stories in the schools in the
Washington Metro Area. In 2007 she
was awarded a Creative Projects
Award by the Arts and Humanities
Council of Montgomery County, Md.,
for a new Spoken Word work.
Best known for her original
Pitscreek stories, Kim Weitkamp
charms the audience with her warm
storytelling style that moves back and
forth between stand-up comedy and
heart-felt story weaving. Weitkamp’s
performance list as a newcomer includes the historic Lyric Theater in Virginia, the Northeast Storytelling Festival, the Storytelling Festival of the
Carolinas, the Smoky Mountains Festival in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., the Colonial Williamsburg Storytelling Festival
and many others. She holds residencies at Barnes & Noble, the Montgomery County Museum and the
Lewis Miller Art Center. She currently serves as president of the Virginia Storytelling Alliance and is the
Virginia State Representative for the
National Youth Storytelling Showcase.
In addition, guests can enjoy four
Colonial Williamsburg storytellers
who include:
Shel Browder, a journeyman blacksmith in Colonial Williamsburg’s Anderson’s Blacksmith Shop, was born
and raised in Wallace, N.C. He grew
up listening to tales of farmers, loggers
and millworkers told around the coal
stove in his family’s hardware store,
family stories shared on the front porch
of his grandmother’s house and his father’s stories told at the kitchen table.
A member of the local storytelling
group, Weavers of the Word, he has
participated in Telebration and First
Night. In Colonial Williamsburg’s
evening programs, he primarily tells
Scottish stories.
Art Kivel Johnson is a veteran
African American interpreter with Colonial Williamsburg. A well-known interpreter in Williamsburg, he is interested
in historical construction of heroes and
has presented sessions dramatizing history. Johnson’s performance of “The
Jackal and the Dog,” a tale about the
choice between freedom and slavery, is
featured on the Foundation’s Web site.
Sharon S. Rogers believes that storytelling begins not with the teller but
with a willing listener and delights
children of all ages with her “critter
tales.” In addition to a theatrical career that began 20 years ago, she is a
member of the National Storytelling
Network and has participated in workshops with renowned storytellers such
as Donald Davis, Carmen Deedy, Bill
Harley, Bil Lepp, Willie Clafin, Motoko and Kim Weitkamp. She is currently a storyteller for Colonial
Williamsburg’s evening programs.
Tracey Ellis Turner, a native of
Gloucester, Va., is making her third appearance at the Storytelling Festival.
She has toured as a soprano soloist and
a featured dancer, and has participated
as an actress in numerous international
Playwrights Retreats. A director, choreographer and makeup artist for several children’s play, Turner teaches in
the Williamsburg-James City County
public school system and interprets in
Colonial Williamsburg’s evening programs. She is a member of the Virginia
Blackstorytelling Association.
The Storytelling Festival will take
place on the grounds at Bassett Hall,
the Williamsburg home of Colonial
Williamsburg benefactor, John D.
Rockefeller Jr. and his wife Abby. Storytellers can be heard in individual
venues scattered throughout the
grounds.
Guests also can purchase books or
CDs from their favorite storytellers at
the festival. A variety of festival ticket
options are available. For the best
value, book early and save 20 percent
on weekend passes and family packages and 10 percent on individual
event tickets (excluding a wine and
cheese event). A Weekend Pass features day and evening Friday and Saturday programs, and day programs on
Sunday. Passes purchased between
April 21 and Aug. 31 are $75 for
adults and $35 for youth ages 6-17.
Passes purchased after Sept. 1 are $90
for adults and $42 for youth ages 6-17.
Children under 6 are admitted free.
Family Packages for two adults and
up to two youth include day and
evening Friday and Saturday programs, day programs on Sunday. Packages purchased between April 21 and
Aug. 31 are $175. Packages purchased
after Sept. 1 are $210. Some restrictions apply, please call 1-800-HISTORY for more details.
Individual event tickets are available for purchase. Passes for day and
evening programs on Friday are $45
for adult and $20 for youth ages 6-17
when purchased between April 21 and
Aug. 31 and $49 for adults and $22 for
youth ages 6-17 when purchased after
Sept. 1. Passes for day and evening
programs on Saturday only are $65
for adults and $30 for youth ages 6-17
when purchased between April 21 and
Aug. 31 and $71 for adult and $33 for
youth ages 6-17 when purchased after
Sept. 1. Passes for Sunday programs
are $35 for adults and $15 for youth
ages 6-17 when purchased between
April 21 and Aug. 31 and $38 for
adults and $16 for youth ages 6-17
when purchased after Sept. 1. Evening
tickets for Friday and Saturday can
be purchased after Sept. 1 for $20 for
adults and $10 for youth ages 6-17.
A Wine-and-Cheese Storytelling
event is planned 6-8 p.m. Saturday
night for adults only. The program features adult stories and space is limited.
Cost is $35 per person, including a
souvenir Colonial Williamsburg Storytelling Festival wine glass.
Guests staying at one of the Colonial Williamsburg’s hotel properties receive 50 percent off the full purchase
price of Weekend Passes and individual event tickets.
School groups are invited to attend
programs from 10a.m. to 1p.m. on
Friday at a cost of only $10 for teachers and $5 for students. Stories address
portions of the Virginia Standards of
Learning—Oral Literature for grades
four through six.
For more information or to reserve
your tickets, call 1-800-HISTORY or
go to www.history.org/storytelling.
HUD AWARDS $19.3 MILLION IN HIV/AIDS
HOUSING GRANTS TO 18 LOCAL
PROGRAMS NATIONWIDE
T
hey are extremely low-income, living with HIV/AIDS and at high risk
of homelessness. Recently, more than 1,100 persons and their families will find a stable home, and receive the services they need to manage their illnesses, because of $19.3 million in grants awarded by Housing
and Urban Development Secretary Steve Preston.
The grants announced recently are part of HUD’s Housing Opportunities
for Persons with AIDS Program (HOPWA) and will renew support to 18
local programs across the country and the U.S. Virgin Islands (see attached
chart). Housing assistance and related services funded by HOPWA are a vital
part of the comprehensive system of care for those living with HIV/AIDS. A
stable home environment is critical for low-income persons managing complex drug therapies, allowing them to access this support and maintain such
care in a consistent and effective manner. For a summary of the local programs receiving HOPWA grants, visit HUD’s website.
“These grants are quite literally a lifeline for those struggling to find a decent home while trying to manage complex drug therapies,” said Preston.
“Working closely with our local partners, we can offer these families the support they need to concentrate on staying healthy instead of worrying how
they’ll pay next month’s rent.”
Ninety percent of HOPWA funds are distributed by formula to cities and
states based on the number of AIDS cases reported to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. HUD’s formula grants are managed by 121 local and
state jurisdictions, which coordinate AIDS housing efforts with other HUD
and community resources. This year, HUD is making available a record
$300 million in HOPWA funds to help communities provide housing for this
special needs population. These resources are expected to assist an estimated
67,000 households annually.
More information about HUD and its programs is available at
www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.
For information on Federal AIDS programs, go to AIDS.GOV including
links to HOPWA and other HUD programs. HUD’s website for the HOPWA
program is located at www. hud.gov/offices/cpd/aidshousing/
index.cfm or email HOPWA@hud. gov.
THE METRO HERALD
SPORTS & RECREATION
August 22, 2008
SHAQ’S WIFE SAYS
MARRIAGE IS ON THE MEND
Shaq and Shaunie O’Neal
T
he wife of Phoenix Suns center
Shaquille O’Neal said that her
marriage to the NBA star is on
the mend.
During an interview about the
launch of her new video-sharing Web
site, Shaunie O’Neal told The Associated Press that the couple plans to stop
divorce proceedings soon.
“Neither one of us could probably
answer why we were getting one in the
first place,” Shaunie O’Neal said.
Shaquille O’Neal filed for divorce
in Miami-Dade Circuit Court in September 2007, after nearly five years of
marriage.
“Things have been going so great,
that someone actually had to remind us
that ‘Hey, you do remember those papers are still there.’ Literally, it was
days ago,” Shaunie O’Neal said. “So,
we’ve agreed that before we leave
Florida in a few days we’ll make sure
that that’s gone away.”
The couple has six children: four
together, and each had one of their own
before the Dec. 26, 2002, wedding.
“The kids and I kind of learned
about the divorce at the same time,”
Shaunie O’Neal said. “So that was
hard. That was probably the worst part
of the whole thing, was being able to
deal with how hurt the whole kids
were.”
Shaquille O’Neal’s divorce attorney,
Ira Elegant, did not immediately return
a phone message left at his office.
Shaunie O’Neal’s latest venture, a
video-sharing Web site geared to
showcase children and their talents, is
set to formally launch Sept. 1. The site
was created to give families a kidfriendly, safe place to upload and share
videos, she said.
Shaunie O’Neal said she developed
the idea because she wanted to be able
to share her own children’s activities
with her family members.
“I get the complaint of ‘Oh, I wish
I could see that,’” she said. “There was
nowhere I could find that was just safe,
where maybe a slip of the finger would
take us somewhere where I don’t want
the kids to see or hear.”
NFL HALL OF FAMER JOHN RIGGINS
TO HOST USO CASINO NIGHT
WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL
ABOUT USING THE WORD “RETARD”?
Dear editor:
A
lot of people are talking
about the movie Tropic
Thunder that opened in theaters last week. One of the reasons
that it is being talked about is that
the characters use the term “retard”
over and over. They use it the same
way that kids do all the time, to jokingly insult one another. The people
who made the movie, DreamWorks
and Paramount, and many of the
critics who have reviewed it, say
that the term is being used by characters who are dumb and shallow
themselves. You see, we are supposed to get the joke that it is only
the dumb and shallow people who
use a term that means dumb and
shallow. My dad tells me that this is
called “irony.”
So, what’s the big deal? Let me
try to explain. I am a twenty-six
year old man with Down Syndrome.
I am very lucky. Even though I was
born with this intellectual disability,
I do pretty well and have a good
life. I live and work in the community. I count as friends the people I
went to school with and the people I
meet in my job. Every day I get
closer to living a life like yours. I
am a Global Messenger for Special
Olympics and make speeches to
people all over the country. I once
spoke to over 10,000 people at the
Richmond Coliseum. I realize that I
am a voice for other people with in-
tellectual disabilities who cannot
easily speak for themselves. I thank
God that he gave me this chance to
be someone’s voice.
The hardest thing about having
an intellectual disability is the loneliness. We process information
slower than everyone else. So even
normal conversation is a constant
battle for us not to lose touch with
what the rest of you are saying.
Most of the time the words and
thoughts just go too fast for us to
keep up, and when we finally say
something it seems out of place. We
are aware when all the rest of you
stop and just look at us. We are
aware when you look at us and just
say, “unh huh,” and then move on,
talking to each other. You mean no
harm, but you have no idea how
alone we feel even when we are
with you. That is why I love being
a Global Messenger. I work for
days telling my dad what I want to
talk about and he tries to write it
down for me. Then we do it over
and over until we have something
that says what I mean. We wrote
this letter the same way.
So, what’s wrong with “retard”?
I can only tell you what it means to
me and people like me when we
hear it. It means that the rest of you
are excluding us from your group.
We are something that is not like
you and something that none of you
would ever want to be. We are
something outside the “in” group.
We are someone that is not your
kind. I want you to know that it
hurts to be left out here – alone.
Nothing scares me as much as feeling all alone in a world that moves
so much faster than I do. You don’t
mean to make me feel that way. In
fact, like I say in some of my
speeches, “I have always depended
on the kindness of strangers,” and it
works out okay most of the time.
Still, it hurts and scares me when I
am the only person with intellectual
disabilities on the bus and young
people start making “retard” jokes
or references. Please put yourself
on that bus and fill the bus with people who are different from you.
Imagine that they start making jokes
using a term that describes you. It
hurts and it is scary.
Last, I get the joke—the irony—
that only dumb and shallow people
are using a term that means dumb
and shallow. The problem is, it is
only funny if you think a “retard” is
someone dumb and shallow. I am
not those things, but every time the
term is used it tells young people
that it is okay to think of me that
way and to keep me on the outside.
That is why using “retard” is a
big deal to people like me.
Sincerely,
John Franklin Stephens
Special Olympics Virginia athlete
& Global Messenger
OLYMPIC GOLD
MEDALIST GREG
LOUGANIS TO BE
AIDS WALK
GRAND MARSHAL
John Riggins
T
he USO of Metropolitan Washington (USO-Metro) presents its
5th Annual Stars & Stripes, Diamonds & Clubs Casino Night, showcasing an evening of top-notch casino
games, well-known celebrities and
much more, on September 19, 2008, at
7:00pm at the Sheraton National Hotel
(900 South Orme Street, Arlington,
VA). The semi-formal event will feature
an extravaganza of casino games such
as craps, roulette, blackjack, and Texas
hold ‘em, with a spectacular dinner and
dessert buffet, open bar, and a galaxy of
stars to meet and greet.
Former NFL running back John
Riggins will be the Guest Master of
Ceremonies for the evening. Miss
America 2008 Kirsten Haglund will
also be in attendance, along with
model and TV personality Leeann
Tweeden and 2006 World Series of
Poker finalist Rhett Butler. The night
will feature a live performance by
Elvis impersonator Michael Hoover
called “Memories of Elvis.”
Guests will have the opportunity to
participate in silent and live auctions,
and the night’s big casino winner will
win a trip to Las Vegas. All proceeds
from this charity event will support the
area?s active military and will help deliver vital programs and services to our
troops and their families.
To register onlie, visit www.
USOMetroDC.org
The USO of Metropolitan Washington (USO-Metro) is a private, nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to “serving those who serve?and
their families” throughout Maryland,
DC and Northern Virginia. USO-Metro
relies on special event fundraising and
the generosity of private individuals
and corporations to fund its programs.
USO-Metro provides vital human services and programs free of charge to the
military community to enhance their
quality of life.
Subscribe to The Metro Herald!
THE METRO HERALD
W
hitman-Walker Clinic recently announces that fourtime Olympic gold medalist
diver Greg Louganis will be the grand
marshal for the 22nd annual AIDS
Walk on Saturday, Oct. 4.
“It’s an honor to help support an organization like Whitman-Walker
Clinic that does such tremendous work
for people living with HIV/AIDS in
the nation’s capital,” said Louganis.
“The AIDS Walk will not only help
raised needed funds for the Clinic’s
HIV/AIDS services but also helps raise
awareness of the alarming state of the
epidemic in Washington, DC. I hope to
see thousands of area residents at Freedom Plaza on Oct. 4.”
“Greg Louganis is a true American
hero,” said Donald Blanchon, chief executive officer for Whitman-Walker Clinic.
“He is a hero not just for his accomplishments in the sport of diving but for his
courage in disclosing that he is HIV-positive and his work on behalf of those living with HIV. We are deeply honored to
have him as part of this year’s Walk”
This year’s walk will take place
Saturday, Oct. 4, at Freedom Plaza in
downtown DC. Once again, this year’s
walk will include a timed 5K run. This
year, Whitman-Walker Clinic will partner with the Capital Running Company
to manage the timed run.
For more information, call
202-332-WALK or visit www.
aidswalkwashington.org.
19
COMMUNITY NEWS
August 22, 2008
ALEXANDRIA
GENEALOGY MEETING
O
n Tuesday, September 16,
2008, the Mount Vernon Genealogical Society (MVGS)
will meet in room 112 of the Hollin
Hall Senior Center in Alexandria, Virginia. The meeting will start at
1:00p.m. and is free and open to the
public. The meeting will feature a presentation entitled “Genealogical Resources in the Fairfax County Library
Virginia Room” The program will be
presented by Suzanne Levy.
Suzanne Levy has been the Virginia
Room Librarian at the Fairfax City Regional Library since 1981. She is currently a member of the Fairfax Genealogical Society, American Library
Association, Historical Society of Fairfax County (Chairman 2004-2006),
and Historic Fairfax City, Inc.
She has worked as the Cataloger in
the North Carolina Collection in the library at UNC-Chapel Hill; the State
Documents Librarian at the North Carolina State Library; Acquisitions Librarian for the Schomburg Center for
Research in Black Culture, New York
Public Library; and also worked in two
Branch Libraries at NYPL
She holds a B.A. in history from
Michigan State University, and a Master
of Library Science from Pratt Institute.
Additional information about the
meeting and MVGS can be found at
www.MVGenealogy.org/. Any questions about the program should be directed to Harold McClendon at 703360-0920 or [email protected].
POTOMAC CRAFTSMEN
FIBER GALLERY
P
otomac
Craftsmen
Fiber
Gallery announces the opening
of the juried show “How Does
It Feel?” on September 9th, 2008.
This will be a showing of contrasts in
texture: smooth/bumpy, hard/soft, etc.
Jewelry, sculpture, clothing, wall
pieces are some of the items that will
be exhibited. The show will close on
October 5th.
The gallery is located in Studio 18
of the Torpedo Factory Art Center at
105 North Union Street in Old Town
Alexandria on the waterfront. Washington, DC’s first co-operative fiber
gallery has 70 members some of who
are published, teach and have won
awards in the fiber arts genre.
New juried shows are installed
monthly which include original works
in jewelry, scarves, clothing, woven,
knitted or crocheted items, as well as
handmade paper, wall hangings, fiber
sculptures and a variety of other innovative work.
Gallery hours are Monday
through Friday from 10:00am to
4:00pm and weekends from 11:00am
to 5:00pm. Alexandria Art Nights are
the second Thursday of the month
with extended hours until 8:00pm.
Free admission. For more information
visit www.Potomaccraftsmengallery.
com
wide. “We are very thrilled to have
sent over one million dollars to charities”, says Karen Campese, President/CEO of Cars4Charities. According to Campese, “the idea came about
after hearing some charities complaining about how little money they were
receiving from for-profit vehicle donation centers.” “In some cases”, continues Campese “the charities said they
were only getting 5% of the sale price
of the donated vehicle. While I believe
most car donors know that a portion of
their donation will be used to pickup
and sell the car, I am certain they don’t
expect it to be 95%! We guarantee that
the charity will receive a minimum of
65% of the sale price of the donated
vehicle”, says Campese.
Cars4Charities handles the entire
donation process, including providing
the donor with all necessary tax paperwork. Donated vehicles are picked up
free of charge. The proceeds can be
used to help one of over 1,000 charities,
including Autism Speaks, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, American Autoimmune Related Disease Association,
the American Foundation for the Blind,
Prevent Cancer Foundation, Asthma &
Allergy Foundation, National Coalition
for the Homeless, Brain Trauma Foundation, Fund for Peace, Teach for America, United Spinal Association, WomenHeart, and area food banks and
homeless shelters, etc.
Complete details are available at
www.cars4charities.org or 1-866448-3487 (GIVE-4-US).
FAIRFAX
7-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF
SEPT. 11 TO BE
COMMEMORATED
F
CARS4CHARITIES
airfax County will host its seventh 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony immediately following
the morning session of the Board of
Supervisors regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, Sept. 8. The ceremony will begin at approximately
noon at the 9/11 Memorial Grove behind the Government Center, 12000
Government Center Parkway, Fairfax.
The rain site for the ceremony will be
the Forum of the Government Center.
Those attending should gather by
11:45a.m. in the Forum. The Fairfax
Jubil-Aires will perform patriotic music
before and during the ceremony. Refreshments will be served in the Forum
immediately before the ceremony.
The Fairfax County Public Safety
Honor Guard will lead a procession to
the 9/11 Memorial Grove. Board of
Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly, Fire Chief Ronald L. Mastin and
Police Chief Col. David M. Rohrer are
scheduled to deliver remarks reflecting
upon the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
The Fairfax County 9/11 Memorial
Grove Garden, which was unveiled
five years ago, was designed by National Park Service landscape architect
and Fairfax County Tree Commissioner Michael McMahon. For more
information about the ceremony or to
request reasonable ADA accommodations, contact the Office of Public Affairs at 703-324-3187, TTY 711.
CARS4CHARITIES SENDS
ONE MILLION DOLLARS TO
CHARITIES!
CENTREVILLE REGIONAL
LIBRARY TO HOST
DIGITAL BOOKMOBILE
C
ars4Charities has reached a
major milestone. Since its’ beginning in 2003, it has sent
over 1 million dollars to charities.
Cars4Charities is a not for profit organization that processes vehicle donations for over 1,000 charities nation-
20
C
entreville Regional Library, a
branch of the Fairfax County
Public Library, will host the
Digital Bookmobile, a hands-on download experience inside a 74-foot, hightech tractor-trailer, on Sept. 13, 10a.m.
to 5p.m. at Centreville Regional Library
located at 14200 St. Germain Dr., Centreville, VA 20121. Call 703-830-2223
for details. No registration is required.
Readers of all ages are invited to
engage digital downloading through
interactive demonstrations and experience Fairfax County Public Library’s
audiobook and eBook download service at this free event. Library card
holders can also check out and download digital titles any time, anywhere
by visiting www.fairfaxcounty.gov/
library.
The Digital Bookmobile is housed
inside an 18-wheel tractor-trailer. This
74-foot community outreach vehicle is
a high-tech update of the traditional
bookmobile that has served communities for decades. The vehicle is
equipped with broadband Internet-connected PCs, high definition monitors,
premium sound systems, and a variety
of portable media players, all of which
help visitors explore the library’s
download service. Interactive learning
stations give visitors an opportunity to
search the digital media collection, use
supported mobile devices and download and enjoy eBooks and audiobooks
from the library.
Customers can take advantage of
the download service 24/7 when they
visit the library’s Web site. From there,
they can browse the growing collection
of best-selling, new release and classic
titles, and check out a digital title with
a valid library card. Once downloaded,
digital titles can be enjoyed on a computer or transferred to supported mobile devices. Many audio titles can also
be burned to audio CD.
MCCLEAN
MCC BOARD INVITES
RESIDENTS TO 2010
BUDGET MEETINGS
T
he Governing Board of the
McLean Community Center
(MCC) is inviting residents of
Dranesville Small Tax District 1A to a
Finance Committee Meeting of the
Whole, an open work session on the
Center’s FY 2010 budget. The work
session will be held at 7:30p.m. on
Thursday, Sept. 3, at the Center, which
is located at 1234 Ingleside Avenue.
MCC is supported by a real estate
tax paid by Dranesville district residents. Board committees have been
working to develop recommendations
to finance Center programs and events
for FY 2010, which begins July 1,
2009 and ends June 30, 2010. These
recommendations will be presented to
the full Board and interested citizens at
the meeting that will be chaired by the
Board’s Finance Committee.
Residents who wish to speak at the
work session are asked to call 703-7900123, TTY: 711, to have their names
placed on the speakers’ list. Details of
the proposed budget will be available
for inspection at the Center and on
www.mcleancenter.org, beginning on
Monday, August 25. District residents
who have suggestions, comments or
concerns will have an opportunity to
voice them at the work session. In addition, residents who call the Center to
announce their intention to attend the
session will receive a budget package
when they arrive at the meeting.
A Public Hearing on the FY 2010
budget and the regular monthly meeting of the Governing Board will be
held at 7:30p.m. on Wednesday, Sept.
24. Residents who wish to speak at the
public hearing are asked to call 703790-0123/TTY: 711, to have their
names placed on the speakers’ list. Information on Center programs can be
found at www.mcleancenter.org.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
UPCOMING ART EXHIBITION
“NOT YOUR EVERYDAY
SUNDAY PAINTERS”
Y
ellow Barn Studio instructor
and artist Glen Kessler proudly
presents the work of his “Sunday Landscape Painting” class at The
Yellow Barn Gallery, Friday, September 5 through Sunday, September 7,
2008. The Gallery is open from 12pm
to 5pm daily. A reception for the
artists is scheduled for 5 to 7pm, Saturday, September 6, in the gallery.
This event, which is hosted in cooperation with the National Park Service and the Glen Echo Partnership for
Arts and Culture and titled “Not Your
Everyday Sunday Painters,” showcases the class’s outstanding and diverse approaches to rendering local
landscapes. Most of the landscapes depict local scenes, and include Brookside Gardens, the Potomac River,
C&O Canal, Glen Echo Park, and
Avenel Golf Course. The show will
feature nearly 100 paintings and drawings from 13 artists. Featured artists
include Carol Greenwald, Pat Kitchen,
Don Perino, Stacy Canan, Cathy Grubman, Jenna Mahaffie, Kendra Denny,
Amy Gearin, Tom Semmes, Don Srull,
Linda Cohen, Colleen McCormick,
and Glen Kessler.
This exhibition and the artists’ reception are open to the public. For
more information contact the Yellow
Barn Gallery at 301-371-5593 or the
National Park Service, Glen Echo, at
301-492-6229.
LONG BRANCH LIBRARY
PROGRAM SERIES
CELEBRATES VARIOUS
WORLD CULTURES
T
he music, food and culture of
Ethiopia will be showcased at
the first program of the sevenpart series “Long Branch Library Celebrates its Many World Cultures” on
Saturday, September 6 from 1 to
3p.m. The Library is located at 8800
Garland Ave. in Silver Spring.
The free programs, sponsored by
the Friends of the Library, Montgomery County, are designed to facilitate understanding of the many cultures represented by ethnic groups of
people who live in the community and
use the Long Branch Library.
Other programs in the series—all of
which will begin at 2p.m.—will feature
the South American music group
Cantare on October 4 and the Native
American storyteller Joseph Stands
With Many on Saturday, November 8.
Lesole’s Dance Project from South
Africa will perform on Saturday, January 17. Shizumi will introduce
Japanese dance and culture on Saturday, February 7 and the Caribbean
musical group Goombay will perform
on Saturday, April 6. Spilling Ink, an
Indian performance will be featured on
Saturday, May 2.
For more information about the
Ethiopian festival or the cultural series,
contact the library at 240-777-0910.
POTOMAC CONSERVANCY
PRESENTS
VOICES OF THE RIVER:
HONEST MISTAKES
S
unday, September 7, 2008, 23pm—River Center at Lockhouse 8, C&O Canal National
Historical Park, 7906 Riverside Ave.
Cabin John, MD.
Chris and Joylene are the trebly
acoustic half of the pop band The Hon-
est Mistakes. They’ve been playing
music together longer than they’ve
been a couple. They play music rooted
in pop hooks and lyrical trickery. Examples of their music with the band
can be found at www.thebeechfields.
com/artist-hm.html
The River Center is open Saturdays and Sundays from May 3
through October 26 from 10am ‘til
2pm for tours of the lockhouse and interactive exhibits. Inside the River
Center, the Conservancy installed a
new exhibit, “Backyard to the Bay,”
that connects what happens on the land
and the health of the Potomac River
and the Chesapeake Bay. Visitors are
guided by the Potomac Conservancy’s
volunteer docents who lead tours, answer questions and discuss the historical and cultural significance of the
C&O Canal and the Potomac River to
the regional economy and the local
quality of life.
For additional information about
the River Center at Lockhouse 8, visit
www.potomac.org.
WASHINGTON, DC
THE NEW AGING
AND DISABILITY
RESOURCE CENTER
T
he Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) will
assist the District’s elderly and
persons with disabilities in maximizing
their independence and improving
their quality of life by linking people
with a range of quality services. Some
public and private agencies will be collocated at this site. The ADRC provides assistance and information to
seniors and people with disabilities
about their current situation and help
them explore options and benefits
available to them.
Services:
• Care Planning and Outreach
• Caregivers’ Support and Services
• Housing Information and Assistance
• Information, Guidance and Counseling
• In Home Care
• Long Term Care
• Medical Assistance
• Private and Public Services
• Privately Funding Agencies
• Resources for Professionals
• Office on Aging Senior Service
Network
Collaborating Partners: Department
of Health (DOH), DOH Medical Assistance Administration, DC Office on
Aging (DCOA), DCOA Senior Service
Network , Department of Human Services (DHS) Income Maintenance Administration, DHS Adult Protective
Services, Department on Disability
Services, DC Caregivers Institute,
George Washington University Senior
Citizens Health Insurance Counseling,
Department of Mental Health, DC
Center for Independent Living, Office
of Disability Rights, Department of
Employment Services, DC Parks and
Recreation, AARP Long Term Care
Ombudsman, WMATA Metro Assess,
DOH Addiction Prevention and Recovery Administration, Housing and
Community Development, DC Housing Authority.
The Aging and Disability Resource
Center is located at 1134 11th Street
N.W., Washington DC; Phone: 202724-5626, TTY 202-724-8925; Toll
Free: 1-877-919-ADRC (2372), Citywide 311; Fax (202) 724-4979; www.
adrcdc.org
THE METRO HERALD
BUSINESS NEWS/BIDS & PROPOSALS
August 22, 2008
HARRINE FREEMAN FINANCE EXPERT AND AUTHOR FEATURED
IN SEPTEMBER ESSENCE AND BLACKENTERPRISE.COM
E
xpert finance consultant, author, and CEO of H.E. Freeman Enterprises, Harrine Freeman, is currently featured in the
August 2008 online issue of BlackEnterprise.com in the article entitled
“Risky Solutions to Debt Elimination”;
and is also quoted in the upcoming
September Collector’s issue of
Essence Magazine’s ‘Work and
Wealth’ section. Ms. Freeman was
also quoted in the July issue of
Essence, in the same section, in an article entitled “Wealth Building: Surefire Ways to Fix Your Credit”.
Harrine Freeman is the author of
the highly rated and widely praised
self-help book How to Get Out of
Debt: How to Get an ‘A’ Credit Rating
for Free Using the System I’ve Used
Successfully With Thousands of
Clients, published by Adept Publishers. She has presented workshops and
lectures nationwide on personal fi-
BLACK FACT
On August 22, 1989,
Black Panther Party
co-founder Huey P.
Newton was gunned
down by a member of
the Black Guerila
Family drug ring.
nances and credit repair. Her topics
feature credit repair, bankruptcies,
judgments, student loans, delinquent
debts, and repossessions.
Ms. Freeman is also featured
monthly on Washington DC’s Talk
1580 AM as a financial contributor on
the Money Mondays segment hosted
by Todd B. Her experience began by
repairing her own credit when she was
$19,000 in debt, making only $21,000
a year. Since then, she has been debt-
free. In 2000, she began providing
credit repair services to family and
friends. In 2002, she began H.E. Freeman Enterprises, a credit repair and
personal finance business and has
helped thousands of clients.
Visit www.blackenterprise.com/
cms/exclusivesopen.aspx/id/4806 to
view the Black Enterprise article, and
visit www.hefreemanenterprises.
com to find out more about H.E. Freeman Enterprises.
MYSTICS TO HOLD SPORTS &
ENTERTAINMENT CAREER FAIR
T
he Washington Mystics, in partnership with Westwood College,
will hold the organization’s first
sports and entertainment career fair at
Verizon Center on Friday, August 29th
from 3:00p.m.-5:00p.m. Admission to
the career fair is $20 in advance and $30
at the door and includes a ticket to that
night’s game vs. Chicago Sky.
“We are excited to offer this one-ofa kind opportunity for individuals interested in a career in sports,” Mystics
COO Greg Bibb stated. “If someone is
looking to learn more about the sports
industry or wants to meet hiring personnel from sports teams and industry-centric companies, this career fair
is a can’t miss event.”
The Washington Mystics and the
Washington Capitals will be conducting on site interviews for various positions. In addition, various companies
such as the Washington Nationals, the
Washington Wizards, ESPN 980,
Greater Washington Sports Alliance
and Red Zebra Broadcasting will be in
attendance. For more information on
the career fair, call 202-527-7512.
The August 29th game vs. Chicago
marks the return of the team to game
action following the Olympic break.
Tip-off is at 7:00p.m. Individual tickets are currently on sale on www.
ticketmaster.com. Season tickets for
the 2008 season are currently on sale
and can be purchased by calling the
Mystics Sales Office at 1-877-DCHOOP1 or by visiting www.
washingtonmystics.com
THE MARYLAND-NATIONAL CAPITAL PARK
AND PLANNING COMMISSION (M-NCPPC)
hereby invites sealed proposals from interested parties for Proposal No.
P29-102 Janitorial/Housekeeping Services at the Prince George’s
Sports & Learning Complex in accordance with specifications to be
furnished by the Purchasing Division, 6611 Kenilworth Ave., Suite
300 Riverdale, MD 20737. TO BE QUALIFIED, FIRMS MUST
HAVE BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR A MINIMUM OF FIVE YEARS
AND HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH CLEANING FACILITIES OF
THIS SIZE AND NATURE (253,000 sq ft). A MANDATORY preproposal meeting is being held Wednesday September 3, 2008 at 1:00
PM at the Town Hall Meeting Room, Sports & Learning Complex,
8001 Sheriff Road, Landover, MD 20785. Each proposal must be
submitted to the Purchasing Office at the above address. Proposals must
be received before 11:00 AM, Friday, September 26, 2008. Questions
regarding this proposal may be directed to Mechelle T. Myers, CPPB
at (301) 454-1604, TTY (301) 454-1493 or Mechelle.Myers@
mncppc.org. All proposals and associated documents will become the
property of the M-NCPPC and will be considered public information.
The Commission is an E.O.E. with special procurement rules for
Minorities, Females, and the Disabled.
JOB TITLE: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
SPECIALIST SENIOR
POSITION #: 02327
JOB CLOSE DATE: 08-25-2008 AT 5:00 PM
HIRING RANGE: $49,049–$72,438.46
AGENCY WEBSITE:
HTTP://WWW.VDH.VIRGINIA.GOV
Job Description: Performs environmental health duties independently
at the journey level in areas such as food safety, pool safety, respiratory
health, communicable disease investigation, and investigation of general
environmental complaints. Works to reduce risks of injury and disease by
means of inspection, investigation, education, and enforcement.
Minimum Qualifications: Basic knowledge of biology and
epidemiology; ability to interpret complex federal, state and local
environmental health policies, regulations, and laws; skill in
communication, both oral and written in English; ability to deal with the
public and resolve conflict in a regulatory setting; ability to prepare
thorough documentation and reports of regulatory activities; skill as an
educator/trainer teaching environmental health principles. A valid
driver’s license is required. Must provide own transportation. (Mileage
will be reimbursed) Possession of credentials verifying completion of
training in Environmental Health programs such as food, water needed.
Preferred Qualifications: B.S. in Environmental Health or
Biology or related sciences, experience as an EHS in food safety;
certified as a NEHA Registered Environmental Specialist (REHS),
NEHA Certified Professional—Food Safety (CP-FS), and/o Certified
Pool Operator (CPO); bilingual in Spanish.
Special Requirements: A successful criminal record check and
background investigation are required.
Instruction to Applicants: VDH accepts ONLY online applications.
Faxed, mailed, and/or emailed applications will NOT be considered. A
thoroughly completed application, including employment and salary
history, must be submitted to receive consideration.
The Virginia Department of Health
is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
WORK FROM HOME BUSINESS
Are you looking for the perfect business to work from the privacy of
your own home or at your own convenience? Then you have found it!
Requirements—Should be computer literate
Have 2-3 hours’ access to the internet weekly
Must be efficient and dedicated
A response from you might be your greatest turnover to success in
life. If you are interested and need more information, please send
e-mail to: [email protected].
ALL POSITIONS AVAILABLE
Earn Extra Income. We need a part-time employee in our company.
For job position details contact: [email protected].
THE METRO HERALD
21
CLASSIFIED ADS/BIDS & PROPOSALS
August 22, 2008
Only $250 buys a
25-word classified ad in
98 newspapers across Virginia.
Call: The Metro Herald at
703-548-8891
OR
Virginia Press Services at
804-521-7571
to place your ad in the
AD NETWORK CLASSIFIEDS
ADOPTION
A life of warmth, security and love for
your infant. You can help make us a
family. Expenses paid. Please call Lewis
and Cindy @ 1-866-343-0129.
ANNOUNCEMENTS/NOTICES
DIVORCE without Children $95.00,
DIVORCE with Children $95.00. With
FREE name change documents (wife
only) and marital settlement agreement.
Fast, easy and professional. Call 1-888789-0198.
APARTMENTS FOR RENT
Affordable HUD Homes! 4 bd. 2 ba.
Home buy for only $380/mo! 3 bd. 1 ba.
Home only $230/mo! 4% dn, 30 yrs @
8%! For Listings 800-628-5983 ext.
T391.
4 bd. 2 ba. Home only $270/mo! More
1-4 bd. HUD Homes from $199/mo!
Financing Referrals Available! For Listings 800-628-5983 ext. T295.
3 bd. 2 ba. Only $356/mo! (5% dn,
20 yrs @ 8.5% APR) Buy Foreclosure!
Stop Renting! For listings 800-508-8176
ext. 1219.
AUCTIONS
ABSOLUTE AUCTION Trustee’s Foreclosure. New Construction—7,488 sf
home on Poplar Grove Golf Course (#8
Tee Box) AMHERST, VA September
11th at 12:00 noon. www.walker-inc.
com Walker Commercial Services, Inc.
(540) 344-6160. VAAF#549.
PUBLIC AUCTION • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA • SATURDAY •
AUGUST 23, 2008 • 9:00 AM • VIRGINIA TECH • 1425 SOUTH MAIN
STREET, BLACKSBURG, VA 240610310 • VEHICLES • COMPUTER
EQUIPMENT • VARIOUS OFFICE &
HOUSEHOLD ITEMS & MUCH MORE.
www.purch.vt.edu/Surplus/auction.
html.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
ALL CASH CANDY ROUTE. Do you
earn $800 in a day? Your own local
candy route. Includes 30 Machines and
Candy. All for $9,995. 1-888-745-3354.
COMPUTERS
A NEW COMPUTER NOW!!! Brand
Name laptops & desktops. Bad or No
Credit—No Problem. Smallest weekly
payments available. It’s yours NOW—
Call 800-816-2643.
DOGS/PETS FOR SALE
Doberman Pinscher Puppies: Black/
Tan, 10 Weeks, Parents On-site, 2nd
Shots, Healthy, Vet Records. Also two
(2) Red/Tan Females. Born January 08,
CKC Registered. $400.00. Call 540244-7234.
EMPLOYMENT LISTINGS
SECRET SHOPPERS NEEDED—For
Store Evaluations. Get Paid to Shop and
Rate Local Stores, Restaurants & The-
22
aters. Flexible Hours, Training Provided
1-800-585-9024 ext 6976.
$600 WEEKLY POTENTIAL$$$ Helping the government, PT. No Experience. No Selling. Call 1-888-213-5225
Ad Code: T. (Cost).
HELP WANTED
GENERAL
HOST FAMILIES Sought for Foreign
Exchange Students, 15-18 years old.
Has own spending money & insurance.
Call Today! American Intercultural
Student Exchange, 1-800-SIBLING.
www.aise.com.
TRUCK DRIVERS: CDL training. Up to
$20,000 bonus. Accelerate your career
as a soldier. Drive out terrorism by keeping the Army National Guard supplied.
1-800-GO-GUARD.com/truck.
TRUCK DRIVERS
DRIVER CDL TRAINING—CLASS “A”
or CLASS “B.” Local or O-T-R Job
Placement Assistance. Guaranteed
Financing Available. $38-45K 1st Year.
CDS Tractor Trailer Training 1-800-6462374.
Flatbed Drivers—2007 Model Freightliners are Here! Per Diem Pay, Excellent Benefits. Class A-CDL, 22 Years
Old, Good Record. Call Western
Express Today! 866-863-4116.
C&C Trucking Earn More—Be Home
More. Great Pay, Medical, Dental,
Home Weekends, New Equipment,
Family Atmosphere. Class A Drivers Call
Today Toll Free 800-476-8269.
CARHAULER OWNER OPERATORS
WANTED. United Road has opportunities for experienced Carhaul Owner Operators. You must possess a clean
MVR, Clear Criminal Background, pass
DOT Physical & Drug Test. Call John
800-221-5127 Ext. 186.
75 DRIVER TRAINEES NEEDED! NO
CDL? NO PROBLEM! LEARN TO
DRIVE A TRUCK WITH US. FT/PT
CLASSES. GREAT PAY. BENEFITS!
1-800-874-7131.
Drivers: Martini is Hiring Co. Drivers &
O/Os who want: Weekend Home Time &
a Consistent Customer Base. CDL-A &
1 year OTR EXPERIENCE 866-4608464 www.gomartini.com.
DRIVERS: $1000+ WEEKLY Sign-On
Bonus 35-41 cpm Earn over $1000
weekly! Excellent Benefits. Need CDL-A
& 3 months recent OTR. 800-635-8669.
BIG G EXPRESS INC is expanding!
Drivers living in a 50 mile radius of
Roanoke, Waynesboro or Winchester,
VA call today for more information 800684-9140 x2.
Driver—CDL-A. PTL Supports the Red,
White & Blue. Students with CDL Welcome—excellent training. Co. Drivers
Earn up to 46cpm. Owner Operators
Earn 1.42cpm. No Forced Northeast.
Co. Drivers call: 888-PTL-DRIVE O.
Operators call: 888-PTL-DREAM Power
Only call: 888-PTL-DREAM. www.
ptl-inc.com.
Driver—$5K SIGN-ON BONUS for
Experienced Teams: Dry Van & Temp
Control available. O/Os & CDL-A Grads
welcome. Call Covenant (866) 6842519. EOE.
Driver—Home Weekends! Co. Drivers
Up to .42cpm O/Os .90cpm +FSC 1 yr.
T/T Experience, Good MVR, Stable
Work History req. Epes Transport (888)
850-0058 www.epestransport.com.
WANT HOME MOST WEEKENDS
WITH MORE PAY? Heartland’s GREEN
MILE$ program! $.54/mile company
drivers and $1.38 for operators! 12
months OTR required. HEARTLAND
EXPRESS 1-800-441-4953 www.
heartlandexpress.com.
Drivers—Flatbed Drivers: Get Paid
For Your Experience. Regional or OTR,
Dependable Hometime. Class A-CDL
required. Owner Ops Welcome. Boyd
Bros. Transportation 877-800-6105
www.driveforboyd.com.
HOMES FOR RENT
Affordable HUD Homes! 4 bd. 2 ba.
Home buy for only $380/mo! 3 bd. 1 ba.
Home only $230/mo! 4% dn, 30 yrs @
8%! For Listings 800-628-5983 ext.
T294.
4 bd. 2 ba. Home only $270/mo! More
1-4 bd. HUD Homes from $199/mo!
Financing Referrals Available! For Listings 800-628-5983 ext. T295.
3 bd. 2 ba. Only $235/mo! Stop Renting & Own! Foreclosure! (5% dn, 20 yrs
@ 8.5% APR). For Listings 800-5088176 ext. 1225.
Homes from $25,000! Buy Foreclosures! 1-4 Beds! For Listings Call 800508-8176 ext. 1925.
HOMES FOR SALE
4 bd. 2 ba. Home only $270/mo! More
1-4 bd. HUD Homes from $199/mo!
Financing Referrals Available! For Listings 800-628-5983 ext. T295.
5 bd. 2 ba. Foreclosure! Only $45,000!
Bank Owned! For Foreclosure Listings
800-508-8176 ext. 1270.
MOUNTAIN PROPERTY
WATERFRONT PROPERTIES
MOUNTAIN LOG CABIN & 20+
ACRES just $149,900. Sale- Saturday
9/6. Beautifully wooded mountain setting with spectacular new 1800’ log
cabin kit. Enjoy private access to Potomac River & C&O Canal. Close to
town. Perfect for vacation/ retirement.
SAVE $10,000 Guaranteed! Ask how to
pay NO closing costs. Low rate financing. Call now 1-800-888-1262.
5 ACRES RIVERFRONT ON JAMES
RIVER Smithfield area. Beautiful sandy
beaches with over 250’ of frontage. Minutes to Chesapeake bay. Unparalleled
views. Ready to build with utilities,
water, sewer. Only $199,900. Won’t last,
call now: 866-764-5238.x 1919.
NEW CEDAR CHALET. BUILT &
READY FOR FINISHING TOUCHES!
ON 20 ACRE MOUNTAIN TOP W/
STREAM FRONTAGE & LAKE ACCESS. ONLY $159,900 BONUS: FREE
BOAT! Close to historic town. Only onemust see to appreciate! Low rate financing. Call Now 1-800-888-1262.
OUT-OF-STATE REAL ESTATE
STREAMFRONT ACREAGE—FRANKLIN, WV—2.5 hours/ Washington
OPEN/WOODED 400’ ON STREAM
WAS $80,000 NOW $39,000 23 ACRES
OPEN/WOODED 1000’ ON STREAM
WAS $129,000 NOW $69,900. 304-2574123.
PET SUPPLIES
Buy 3 Bed 2 Bath Foreclosure! Only
$23,000! Bank Owned Home! For Listings 800-508-8176 ext. 1910.
All New HAPPY JACK® KENNEL
DIP II controls fleas, ticks, stable flies,
mosquitoes and mange on dogs.
Biodegradable. Concentrated. At Southern States stores. www.happyjackinc.
com.
LAND FOR SALE
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
LAKE ANNA, VA—Steal My Lakefront
Land! Owner must sell! All prices reduced. Lg Water Access $49,900. Direct
Waterfront $199,900. Over 1 mile of
dockable shoreline, underground utilities. Call 888-838-9019.
Lake Gaston VA/NC—350 miles shoreline, FREE Lake Map/Buyers Guide.
Tanglewood Realty, Box 116, Bracey, Virginia 23919. www.TanglewoodRealty.
com 1-800-338-8816.
VIRGINIA MOUNTAINS—Log cabin
shell on 2 private acres near very wide
trout stream in the Galax area and New
River State Park, $139,500. Owner 866789-8535.
Hunters Special—120 acres pristine
woodlands with deer turkey and bear.
Perk and electric for cabin or getaway.
In Alleghany County, VA $199,000. Also
55 acres for $119,000. 540-419-1557.
LOTS AND ACREAGE
3 STATE VIEWS—Private Riverfront
Park 20.2 Acres ONLY $134,900! Flat
Mountaintop setting with open meadows
and large hardwoods. Very private w/
excellent access. Utilities available.
Easy terms. Won’t last at this price! Call
Now! 1-800-888-1262.
MISCELLANEOUS
ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE from
Home. • Medical • Business • Paralegal
• Criminal Justice. Job placement assistance. Computer available. Financial Aid
if qualified. SCHEV certified. Call 866858-2121. www.CenturaOnline.com.
AIRLINES ARE HIRING—Train for high
paying Aviation Maintenance Career.
FAA approved program. Financial aid if
qualified—Job placement assistance.
SCHEV Certified. Call Aviation Institute
of Maintenance (888) 349-5387.
MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE
HOMEOWNERS WANTED! Kayak
Pools looking for Demo homesites to
display new maintenance free Kayak
pools. Save thousands of $$. Unique
opportunity! 100% financing available.
1-877-377-7665.
SKILLED TRADES/CRAFTS
JOB CRAFTERS, INC. NOW HIRING!!!
FIRST CLASS SHIPYARD CRAFTS.
LONG TERM WORK FL, AL, MS, TX, &
VA. OVERTIME & PER DIEM UP TO
$24.00+ PER HOUR. PHONE: 1-800371-7504 OR 251-433-1270. FAX: 251433-0018. EOE.
ACCESS TO JAMES RIVER/SMITHFIELD ONLY $79,900—Extremely
secluded private 5 acre estate property
with water Access to James River and
Chesapeake Bay. Excellent low rate
financing. Won’t last $79,900. Call now
866-764-5238 x 1919.
Smithfield, VA Deepwater Creekfront!
3.9 Acres—$95,000—Wooded estate w/
170’ shoreline. Paved roads, water,
sewer, much more. Free Kayak or
Canoe with Purchase. Call Patty 866764-5238, x1919.
WORK FROM HOME
OPPORTUNITIES
WORK FROM HOME—RECEIVE $5
FOR EVERY LEAD STUFFED WITH
OUR SALES MATERIAL. GUARANTEED! FREE INFORMATION. CALL
TOLL-FREE 1-800-514-5182.
BLACK FACT
On August 22,
1843, a national
convention of
black men washeld
in Buffalo, NY. The
black abolitionist
Henry Highland
Garnett called for
a slave revolt
and a general
strike across
black America.
Frederick Douglass
denounced
the speech.
SALES REP/CLERK
Retail store is currently seeking candidates for position of Sales
Rep/Clerk. Relevant experience in Sales Rep/Clerk required. Send
resume via email to [email protected].
ADORBALE ENGLISH BULLDOGS
FOR GOOD HOME
If you are looking for a well loved, well adjusted English puppy
you have come to the right place. We believe our prices are very
reasonable considering the time and energy that goes into raising
each and every puppy. We offer AKC and other registered shipped
semen for stud services. Our stud services are different prices for
each stud dog. We also have several puppies that are available at
this time. They are all potty trained and ready to go. For more
information, Email me at [email protected].
PAYROLL CLERK NEEDED
We are currently looking for a payroll clerk. Job comes with great
benefits. Applicants should email resumes to Johninc002
@yahoo.com.
THE METRO HERALD
BUSINESS NEWS/BIDS & PROPOSALS
August 22, 2008
IRS SEEKING
APPLICATIONS
FOR NEW VITA
GRANT
T
he Internal Revenue Service is now accepting applications for the first-ever
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
(VITA) matching grant program.
The application period for 2009 is
through Sept. 2, 2008.
The Community VITA grant
program is the first of its kind at
the IRS. In December 2007, Congress appropriated funds to the IRS
to establish and administer a oneyear matching grant program in
consultation with the Taxpayer Advocate Service.
The VITA program offers free
tax help for low-to-moderate income individuals for tax return
preparation.
Under the grant program, the
IRS will award matching grants to
extend services to underserved
populations and hard-to-reach
areas, both urban and non-urban.
The grants will also be used to increase the capacity to file returns
electronically and enhance training of volunteers at VITA sites.
The establishment of the grant
will enable the IRS to offer funding to assist organizations in sustaining the VITA program.
WHO CAN APPLY
Applicants must be any one of
the following:
• A private or public non-profit
organization qualifying for tax
exemption under IRC 501.
• A state or local government
agency.
• A regional, statewide or local
coalition with one lead organization that meets one of the eligibility criteria stated above.
Applicants must also provide
matching funds on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Matching funds consist
of cash, computer hardware and
software and third-party, in-kind
contributions. Funding from other
federal grants cannot be counted as
matching funds
HOW TO APPLY
The period for accepting applications is through Sept. 2, 2008.
Interested applicants may apply at
Grants.gov. Applicants can also
mail a completed application to:
IRS-SPEC; Grant Program Office;
401 West Peachtree Street, NW;
Stop 420-D; Atlanta, GA 30308.
All applications must be received in the Grant Program Office
by 4:00 p.m. EST on Sept. 2,
2008. Copies of Publication 4671,
VITA Grant Program Overview
and Application Package, are
available on IRS.gov. More information, including Frequently
Asked Questions, can be found on
the Partner and Volunteer Resource
Center page on IRS.gov.
Questions about the VITA
Grant program or the application
process should be e-mailed to
[email protected]
or mailed to the Grant Program
Office at the address listed above.
THE METRO HERALD
PART-TIME, WORK FROM HOME
ACCOUNT MANAGERS NEEDED
Cromex Textiles Industry currently has openings for part-time,
work-from-home clerk or account manager and sales
representatives. Job pays $400 per week plus benefits and takes
only a little of your time. Please contact us for more details.
As part of our expansion program a small company is looking for
part-time, work-from-home account managers. Job pays $8000 a
month plus benefits and takes only little of your time. Please
contact us for more details.
Requirements—Should be computer literate
Have 2-3 hours’ access to the internet weekly
Must be efficient and dedicated.
Requirements—Should be computer literate
Have 2-3 hours’ access to the internet weekly
Must be over 19 years of age
Must be efficient and dedicated
If you are interested and need more information, contact Frank
Robinson via Email: [email protected].
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE
COORDINATOR NEEDED
If you are interested and need more information, contact Jennifer
Cornwell, Email: [email protected].
YORKSHIRE PUPPIES
GDCG Company is looking for an Accounts Receivable
Coordinator to join our administrative staff. This position requires
excellent phone and communications skills.
Essential duties and responsibilities include the following:
• Prepare correspondence on accounts, preparing payment
applications, copies of purchase orders and invoices, special
spreadsheets, etc.
• Apply cash and credit card payments to customer accounts
• Prepare accounts receivable credit and debit memos for
approval
Other duties include:
• Open new accounts
• Prepare customer refund requests
• Coordinate paperwork for collection attorneys
In order to demonstrate competency: to perform in this position
successfully an individual should be able to:
• Take ownership of job through a proactive and a customer
service oriented approach
• Interface well with peers and management and be a good
communicator
• Be detail oriented and have good organizational skills
Educational requirements:
• High school graduate with at least five years of related working
experience
For more information, please reply to: [email protected]
CUTE yorkshire, PURE BREED, MALE AND FEMALES
AVAILABLE WITH PICTURES, 9 WEEKS, PRICE $700
(SHIPPING INCLUDED). FOR MORE DETAILS, SEND
EMAIL TO: Katrina Smith at [email protected].
PART-TIME WORK FROM HOME
If you are interested and need more information, contact Michael
J Sloan, Email: [email protected].
As part of our expansion program, a small company is looking for
part-time, work-from-home account managers. Job pays $5000 a
month plus benefits and takes only a little of your time. Please
contact us for more details.
Requirements—Should be computer literate
Have 2-3 hours’ access to the internet weekly
Must be over 19 years of age
Must be efficient and dedicated
If you are interested and need more information, contact Jennifer
Cornwell, email: [email protected].
SALES, MANAGERIAL,
ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE
As part of our expansion program, a small company is looking for
part-time, work-from-home account managers, sales representatives and clerk. Please send e-mail to work_for_us111@
yahoo.com.
PAYMENT COLLECTION POSITION
We are currently looking to fill a Payment Collection Position. Job
comes with great benefits. For more information and to send
resumes, applicants should email Johninc002@yahoo. com.
DOGS FOR SALE
English Bulldog, French Bulldog, English Mastiff, Bull Mastiff,
American Eskimo, Papilon, Boxer, Yorkshire Terrier, Chihuahua
—AKC-registered, along with 1-year health certificate. Price:
$580: [email protected].
PART-TIME ACCOUNT MANAGERS
NEEDED
As part of our expansion program, Millennium Magic LLC is in
need of people to work as part-time account managers, and
payment and sales representatives. It pays a minimum of $3000 a
month plus benefits and takes only little of your time. Please
contact us for more details.
Requirements—Should be computer literate
Have 2-3 hours’ access to the internet weekly
Must be honest and loyal
Must be efficient and dedicated
ADORABLE ENGLISH BULLDOG
PUPPIES FOR SALE
Pure breed, male & female available with pictures. 10 weeks old,
$600 (shipping included). For more details, send email and state
the sex you want (either male or female) to Adrian Cole at
[email protected].
PART TIME WORK!!!
As part of our expansion program, our company is looking for
part-time, work-from-home account managers and sales
representatives. It pays $2500 a month plus benefits and takes only
a little of your time. Please contact us for more details.
Requirements—Should be computer literate
Have 2-3 hours’ access to the internet weekly
Must be over 19 years of age
Must be efficient and dedicated.
If you are interested and need more information, contact Ralph
Cony at [email protected].
23
August 22, 2008
24
THE METRO HERALD