Falls Church News-Press January 28, 2010

A standing-room-only crowd of parents and teachers packed solid the main meeting chamber at the Falls Church City Hall Tuesday to urge the School Board to avoid the deep cuts, as much as 8.6 percent of the total budget, that are being considered due to the steep revenue shortfall facing the jurisdiction.

One of the largest contingents

ever seen at the chamber, with promises of more to come, includ-ed a stream of petitioners that came to the microphone to urge the School Board to pressure the City Council to minimize budget cuts. Joel Block, past president of the Falls Church Education Association, said, “We have to ask for what we want, and we need what we have.”

But faced with a revenue short-fall adding up to more than $10 million below its $68 million bud-

get adopted last spring, the Falls Church City Council, who will be ultimate arbiter of how much the schools will get this spring, began taking painful budget-cutting steps of its own at its meeting Monday night.

The Council approved a plan by City Manager Wyatt Shields to offer early retirement to 58 City employees, including police, to mitigate the number of involun-tary layoffs that are almost certain to come with the adoption of the

Fiscal Year 2011 budget at the end of April.

City Hall is already roiling in controversy, the result of a confi-dential memo that was circulated which was intended, according to City Manager Wyatt Shields, to be a very preliminary assessment of what positions in the City govern-ment might be terminated.

On the early retirement offer, Richard Parker, the City’s HR spe-cialist, said that only about 10 employees can be expected to opt for the plan, as the vast majority of

F.C. ‘Pleased’ With Fairfax Court StayFalls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields said he is pleased the Fairfax Circuit court order has been stayed after the judge postponed the enforcement of the court’s decree prohibiting Falls Church from taking an annual “return on investment” from its water fund. See NewS BriefS, page 7

Locals Rush to Aid Victims of Haiti Quake Local residents, rescue squads and area businesses are doing their part to aid Haiti victims following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake devastation that’s resulted in over 150,000 causalities. See page 19

Helen Thomas: GOP Medical Wrecking Ball

President Obama set a goal to change the way Washington works. That was a far-fetched

dream, to say the least. See page 12

Korean Crime Thriller ‘The Chaser’An expert serial killer film from South Korea and reminder of what a well-made thriller looked like in classic days. See page 26

Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads

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January 28 - February 3, 2010

Inside This Week

Editorial .................6Letters ...............6, 8Community News & Notes .............10-11Comment .......12-15Business News & Notes ..................16Sports ............20-22Calendar ........24-25Roger Ebert ...26-28

Restaurant Spotlight ............................30Comics, Sodoku & Crossword ..........33Classified Ads .....34Business & Services Directory .............35Critter Corner ......36Business Listing .37City Focus .....38-39

Parents, Students, Teachers Urge F.C. School Board Not to Cut $

Index

by Nicholas F. BentonFalls Church News-Press

GEORGE MASON High School Principal Tyrone Byrd (inset: right, with Flippin’ Pizza’s Mike Brumagin) helped serve pizza along with GMHS students at the Flippin’ Pizza on West Broad last Thursday to raise money for Haiti relief efforts. A reported $1,190 was raised. A GMHS student-faculty basketball game with proceeds for Haiti relief is now slated for next Wednesday, Feb. 3. (Photos: Gary Mester)

On City Side, Council OK’s Offer of Early Retirement

Continued on Page 4

P i z z a f o r a C au s e

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 2 | JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2010

JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGE 3FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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the Council’s painful heavy lift-ing lies ahead. Among the tough-est decisions it will face comes to funding the schools, and if Tuesday’s School Board hearing is any indication, it will not be done quietly.

Parents, students and teachers alike urged the School Board to not do the Council’s work for it by volunteering to cut its budget request below what the schools actually need.

Speakers Tuesday included students from George Mason High School and M.E. Henderson Middle School. Mason Senior Jack Western, president of the stu-dent band organization, reported on a petition he’d circulated at the school urging that the at-risk position of band paraprofessional Larry Allen be protected.

Allen’s position was included on a list placed on the School Board’s web site of those most

likely on the chopping block in the budget deliberations. It’s a part-time position, but Allen was named the school system’s “Paraprofessional of the Year” last year for his work in the band programs for students from fourth grade through 12th.

Others also urged the School Board to retain the position of Career College Specialist at the high school currently filled by Judy Bracken. “She has been so instrumental in helping students identify and complete the applica-tion process for their best college options,” the School Board was told.

The School Board made no comments at the hearing, except to encourage participation by the public and to listen to an hour and a half of comments. Other positions and programs being con-sidered for elimination or paring back, as posted on the schools’ web site. The options presented include:

• A seven percent reduction in non-personnel costs,

• A reduction of two staff work days for all employees,

• Possible reductions or elimi-nations of up to 24 staff positions,

• Reductions in employee ben-efits,

• Reductions or changes in instructional programs, including music, art, foreign language and kindergarten,

• Reductions or elimination of extracurricular stipends, including athletics, academics and perform-ing arts,

• Reduction or elimination of tuition assistance programs for staff,

• Implementing student activi-ties fees,

• Increases in student parking fees,

• Transferring the cost of IB and AP exams from schools to families,

• Charging tuition for typical peers to attend the school divi-

sion’s pre-school program. “I have taught in schools where

the kids are just products in a factory, and it’s not what anyone should stand for,” Block said Tuesday.

The School Board will delib-erate through the next month, including with more public hear-ings, and will approve its final budget to forward to the City

Council on March 2.The Council will hold two

Town Hall meetings on the bud-get, one at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13 and a second at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18, both in the Community Center. The Council will craft its budget in March and April, including its transfer to the schools, and take its final vote on April 26.

Much Push-Back Expected Vs. Cuts in School BudgetContinued from Page 1

LOCAL FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 4 | JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2010

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FALLS CHURCH School Superintendent Dr. Lois Berlin is presiding over the most difficult budget process in the F.C. system’s history. (Photo: News-Press)

Contending that Northern Virginia is a beneficiary of nation-al recessions, with an unemploy-ment rate now of only 4.5 percent compared to over 10 percent coun-trywide, the head of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority stressed in a Falls Church talk last week that the continued growth of the region is dependent on maintaining the quality of its educational systems.

Jerry Gordon, president and CEO of the Fairfax EDA, told a luncheon meeting of the Merrifield Business Association at F.C.’s Italian Cafe Thursday that an astonishing 90 percent of busi-ness owners in the region said in a recent survey that the top reason to live and do business here is the quality of the schools.

“The schools provide a qual-ity workforce,” he explained, and stressed in a recent meet-

ing he had with Fairfax School Superintendent Jack Dale that the schools don’t “create a self-ful-filling prophesy” by being willing to cut too much in the current recession-driving budget crisis.

The area also offers the highest median family income in the U.S., and compared with other major business centers, one of the lowest costs of living and doing business.

Gordon noted that of five nationally-prominent corporate headquarters that have relocat-ed recently, four have come to Northern Virginia, and he’s intent-ly negotiating to bring a fifth, Northrup-Grumman, to Fairfax County. The company announced it is moving out of California to this region, but has not yet select-ed a specific location here.

Recently moved to the county have been the CSC, SAIC, Volkswagen and Hilton Worldwide.

By being a “government town,” he said, the Washington D.C.

Region spins off a lot of private business opportunities. “In the cur-rent climate, if you can survive the next couple of years in this region, you will find you’ve been sitting on a gold mine,” he said.

“We will come back faster than the rest of the nation,” he offered, noting that the County will not cut its economic development budget despite the tough times because it recognizing it is key to generating new revenue.

While it is not his job to shake lending capital loose from banks, Gordon said, he noted that there was only one venture capital com-pany in Fairfax County in 1997, and now there are 34.

And while the big corporate heavyweights are moving in, still 90 percent of companies in the county are small businesses with a growing amount of diversity. There are 360 foreign-owned businesses, he said, fromk38 different coun-tries. There are increasing numbers of Hispanic, Asian and women-

owned businesses, as well.In addition to information tech-

nology, government contracting, telecom and banking services, bio-science and bio-technology com-panies are also on the rise in the region, and they will create a lot of spin-off business opportunities, Gordon said. While Fairfax County had 455,000 residents in 1978, it grew to 819,000 by 1990, now it’s over a million, and is expected to add another 250,000 by 2030.

The five years of congestion

in Tysons Corner resulting from the construction of the Metro rail line through the area will not drive people or business away, Gordon said, as it didn’t during the con-struction of the Big Dig in Boston or in other big projects.

But further diversity is needed in the county, he said, because the new administration in the White House is tending to reduce the level of outsourcing of govern-ment services, which may dimin-ish the business activity here.

JERRY GORDON (left), chief of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, chatted with Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth following Gordon’s talk to the Merrifield Business Association at the Italian Cafe in Falls Church last Thursday. (Photo: News-Press)

Fairfax EDA’s Jordan Touts Area’s Economic Prospectsby Nicholas F. BentonFalls Church News-Press

LOCAL JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGE 5FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Falls Church’s BrightFuture, But Only If...

The City of Falls Church has a bright future as a unique, independent jurisdiction, a relevant player in what promises to be one of the most vibrant and progressive regions of the entire nation, and even the globe. But this is conditional on the resolve of some very strong local leadership.

The picture painted last week by Jerry Gordon, chair and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, at a speech in Falls Church, as reported in this edition, centers on the recent decisions by four major U.S. corporations to relocate from California and other loca-tions to Northern Virginia. And a fifth, Northrup Grumman, has already announced it is moving to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, and is being wooed by Gordon and representatives of other jurisdictions.

“We (meaning Northern Virginia-ed.) benefit from national recessions because in tough times, people want to come this way,” Gordon said, add-ing that while double-digit unemployment levels are causing deep crises everywhere else in the U.S., it is only 4.5 percent in Fairfax County. It is also true that the sight of hardhats and heavy earth-moving equipment may be extremely rare right now in most places, the Tysons Corner is being ripped up to make way for the extension of the Metro rail system, and ambitious plans for development around the new stations are moving ahead.

What does all this mean for the tiny City of Falls Church, beset with its revenue shortfall woes exacerbated by the unfortunate court ruling earlier this month to forbid the City from extracting an annual “return on investment” from its water system? From one point of view, the City may appear to be facing its Waterloo (no pun intended). However, in the context of Gordon’s robust vision for the economic growth of the region, the current difficulties facing Falls Church are dwarfed by its future potential for prosperity and the perpetuation of its exemplary school system and quality of life.

From our point of view, the City can proceed toward that latter path to prosperity if, and only if, its local political leaders have the intestinal for-titude to establish the preconditions required for it to happen. Put simply, the City must lay the groundwork with zoning and other legal changes. The City has to wake up to some critical changes it needs to make on matters of density and parking requirements, in particular. It also needs to be ready to wheel and deal on some swaps with the neighboring coun-ties aimed at enhancing its potential for dense development near the two Metro rail stations just beyond its boundaries.

If the City stalls in the traditional “Falls Church ways” on matters of radically modifying parking requisites, altered in the context of a rapid construction of a downtown parking garage, and density, then it is doomed to be absorbed into a larger neighboring jurisdiction in a man-ner that is guaranteed to disappoint every citizen who lives in its borders now. It comes right down to that.

The News-Press is delivered to every household and many businesses in the City of Falls Church (22046), and to many homes and businesses (but not all) in the adjacent 22041, 22042, 22043, 22044 and 22205 zip codes. Its total circulation of 25,500 per issue is greater than any other newspaper in the distribution area, including dailies. For complete advertising information, call us or check out our web site.

Call 532-3267 or visit www.FCNP.com

Editor,I was very disappointed and

slightly outraged by the tone and content of your January 20, 2010 article entitled “F.C’s Balance could Fall Below 0 Without Big Tax Hike.” According to the arti-cle, Vice Mayor Hall Lippman and Councilman Dan Maller are calling for “dramatically” higher taxes. Mr. Maller has the nerve to suggest that any large tax increase can be absorbed by the residents

of Falls Church City due to the (relatively) high median house-hold income.

What planet are these council members living on? Are the citi-zens of Falls Church City an end-less well of money? Is the primary solution to immediately start call-ing for major tax hikes in a weak economy! Perhaps – before raising taxes – they need to look at how the City has been managed under their tenure (to include Mayor

Gardner et al.).I believe it is time for a change

of management. The City’s current elected leadership is not serving the best interests of the citizens.

Mark KayeFalls Church

Editor,In the January 21-27 edition

of the News-Press, Councilman Dan Maller noted, with much hubris and disdain, that with a

Northern Virginia median income of $100,000 a “stiff added tax bite would be affordable.”

Perhaps the Councilman might ponder that with Northern Virginia’s high cost of living many households have very large mort-gages, expensive monthly bills, and are struggling to save for college, retirement, or the next unexpected big bill. It is very possible that many residents of Falls Church City are tired of pay-ing much higher taxes than sur-rounding jurisdictions for fewer and fewer services. And while the

What Planet are F.C. Councilmen Living On?

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7. Make the paper show profit if you can, but above all keep it clean, fearless and fair.

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Vol. XIX, No. 48January 28 - February 3, 2010

A ‘Stiff Bite’ Affordable for Local Taxpayers?

Abraham Lincoln is credited with stating: “I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can

be depended upon to meet any national cri-sis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.” During 16 years on City Council, including as mayor, this summarizes my philosophy of City government. I add this corollary: After giving the people the facts, we should listen carefully to them, and as a rule, do as they ask.

Our citizens are an impressive and diverse group of people, with breathtaking knowl-edge and expertise. Whether as diplomats, chief executives, journalists, advocates, sci-entists, litigators, judges, soldiers, teachers, or physicians, they have life experiences that are second to none. It is an honor to serve them. They deserve respect and civility.

Here are five keys to the City’s future sustainability.

First, the Council needs to heed the peo-ple they represent. When the City’s elected and appointed officials have listened to our citizens, we have always been right. But in recent times, some City Council actions have gone against their wisdom, whether in certain real estate developments or in summarily moving the elections against the weight of citizen opinion and without according the people the right to deter-mine their governmental framework. As bad, citizen dissenters, including our most

revered activists, have been categorized and marginalized.

Second, Falls Church is not an island, and we have a long tradition of mutually beneficial cooperation with our neighboring jurisdictions. I believe firmly in regional-ism and have sought to further it as former chairman of the Metropolitan Washington

Air Quality Committee and as a charter member of the DC Region’s Emergency Preparedness Council. This regional coop-eration has benefitted us all handsomely over the years in improved service, quality of life, and efficiency.

Nowhere have these benefits been greater than in the transportation. As pre-vious chairman of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and now of the Region’s Transportation Planning Board, I have been able to support the Region on major infrastructure improve-

ments, including Rail to Dulles, with more to come, even as I have helped assure that Falls Church is treated fairly. Yet, this tradi-tion of regionalism, too, has recently been ignored, most notably in the City’s preemp-tive strike against Fairfax over water in the form of a lawsuit subsequently thrown out by the courts. Now, we are embroiled in a retaliation lawsuit that has potentially dire consequences for the City.

Third, the relationship between State government and Northern Virginia locali-ties must change, and I have strongly advo-cated for that. Richmond takes millions of dollars of sales and income taxes from Falls Church families and businesses, but returns pennies on the dollar, even as it exerts control over what we can do, and issues unfunded mandates. Meanwhile, the State shifts financial burdens to localities even as Richmond increasingly fails to fund its own obligations and exerts control that prevents us from securing the safety of our citizens through its restrictions on our ability to address highway safety, guns and other critical safety and security matters.

Fourth, the City’s current budget crisis is partly the result of the general financial tur-moil, but also the consequence of manage-ment mistakes and the financial fallout from the failed water litigation. I have advocated a long-term planning citizen advisory body that is now finally in place. And, while we on the Council ask our citizens to support cuts and increased tax rates, we should lead

by example. That is why I opposed the pay increase City Council voted itself on the eve of the financial crisis and refuse to accept it.

Fifth, as Bobby Kennedy said: “Some men see things as they are and ask why. Other men dream dreams of things that never were and ask why not.” Our job is to ask both why and why not. It means preserving and supporting the core services—specifically our schools, emergency and environmental services, and public infrastructure as well as maintaining the uniqueness of our heritage and arts—while constantly looking for better ways to deliver these services. It also means visioning and planning for the future, sup-porting and attracting increased commercial activity and providing the long-term fund-ing for improved infrastructure, such as a transit hub, a parking garage, and light rail or improved bus service. That is why I have opposed the current management’s proposals to all but eliminate the funding for capital projects.

I have been privileged to serve the citi-zens of this city and know that they have the intelligence and commitment to meet any challenge. Listening to them and doing as they ask, applying the values and principles that had successfully governed this City, and searching for better ways to do things, is the surest way to the best future for us all.

5 Keys to Falls Church City’s Future SustainabilityBy David Snyder

Should Falls Church City Public Schools retain the position of music paraprofessional? • Yes

• No

• Don’t know

FCNP On-Line polls are surveys, not scientific polls.

Question of the Week

Log on to www.FCNP.com to cast your vote

Last Week’s Question:Should Fairfax County relocate Graham Road Elementary School?

[WRITE FOR THE PRESS] The News-Press welcomes readers to send in submissions in the form of Letters to the Editor & Guest Commentaries. Letters to the Editor should be no more than 350 words and writers are limited to one appearance every four weeks. Guest Commentaries should be no more than 800 words and are writers are limited to one apperance every four months. Because of space constraints, not all submissions will be published. All submissions to the News-Press should be original, unpublished content. We reserve the right to edit submissions for length, grammar and accuracy. All submissions should include writer’s name, address, phone and e-mail address if available.

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G u e s t C o m m e n ta ry

COMMENT JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGE 7FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

““Citizen dissenters, including our most revered activists, have been categorized and marginalized.”

David Snyder is a member of the Falls Church City Council, currently in his fourth term.

City’s schools are excellent they are now comparable to the schools in nearby Fairfax and Arlington. So the Councilman might remem-ber to always check his assump-tions and I will remember him very well in May.

Helene WolffFalls Church

Editor,It is disheartening that instead

of focusing on the fortuitous visit by the President of the United States to one of Falls Church’s own elementary schools honoring its excellence, your article instead inserts divisive racial politics into an otherwise great moment. The faculty and students at Graham Road Elementary School are doing a great job, so much so, the President decided to use them to represent the success he would like to see at so many other schools. Kudos to Graham Road!

Instead, your article leads with the controversy over the school’s relocation, giving cre-dence to those who misleadingly claim that race was a factor. The choice to relocate Graham Road ES was made so that all its stu-dents, of any race, would have an outstanding school facility, with outdoor fields, tucked away from the traffic-choked, siren-riddled Graham Rd./50 intersection. The new school location, only ½ mile down the road, will be great for ALL the children at Graham Road ES, providing them much needed tools to build on their success. Maybe we should focus on that.

Sonya BreeheyFalls Church

Editor,On my way to work last week, I

passed a shopping cart in the front yard of a neighbor’s house. OK, perhaps it had arrived there the night before by some kids fooling around, but I don’t think so. Slowly, and sadly our Virginia Forest neigh-borhood is deteriorating and not because of the “Great Recession,”

but from laziness and disregard for our neighbors. It doesn’t cost any-thing to be neat and tidy.

Down the street on Poplar is a house for sale over a million dollars and around the corner sits a couch on the curb for days and days. Doesn’t this seem odd? Someone nearby thought this was such a good idea, there is now a dresser on the curb in front of their house.

I’m an anthropologist, so I try and try to figure out human behav-ior. Perhaps our mostly indoor lives have made us less interested in how our homes look from the outside. This could certainly explain the trend toward additions that bear no architectural relation to the original house; it’s all about the inside. The bright green house on the corner has so many additions, front doors, and driveways it’s beginning to look like a pueblo!

The homes around Falls Church are expensive, so why do so many inhabitants take such little care of them? I do not mean this to be a rant and rave. I would like to know what our ordinanc-es, rules, regulations allow and disallow. Then, I am very inter-ested to know if the City does anything proactively about this. If I called and complained I know they would do something, but I’m not sure if a reactive government is the best bang for my tax dollar buck. I would like to request that someone from the City respond to this, and perhaps wonder if other residents are bothered or frus-trated by some of the trends in our neighborhood activities.

We can deny the fact that many of our neighborhoods are degrading (because it’s downright depressing when you think about how expen-sive it is to live here), or we can choose to be respectful of our neigh-bors.

Erica SteinFalls Church

Editor,As I walked outside last

Wednesday morning, I thought what a beautiful day this will be. The newspaper headlines read “Republican wins Kennedy’s seat” and “GOP Victory Upends Senate.” In this solidly Democrat state of Massachusetts, Scott Brown won handily because he ran a clean, charismatic and simple campaign with an old GM pickup truck and he ran as the 41st vote against Obama health care and increased government spending.

On this same day, Senate Democrats proposed a bill that

would allow the federal govern-ment to borrow an additional $1.9 trillion to pay its bills, a record increase that would permit the national debt to reach $14.3 tril-lion. Last year’s budget deficit hit a phenomenal $1.4 trillion, and the current year’s deficit promises to be as high or higher.

Yes sir, the Obama administra-tion has increased our national debt by more than $1.4-trillion in one year tripling our prior highest ever deficit total, a sum of money that not even the Bush administra-tion could spend in his entire eight years of office.

Does anyone remember back on December 16, 2009 when the Democrats in Congress narrowly passed a house bill for an additional $290 billion to increase the amount of debt the U.S. Treasury is allowed

to have? Then on Christmas Eve while “We the People” were focus-ing on the health care bill little did we know that same day the U.S. Senate passed the bill that Congress approved on the 16th however this was done with little fanfare or press coverage.

Does anyone know the total debt that “We the People” owes? The answer is $12.016 trillion. Now this year the Obama admin-istration and Senate Democrats are seeking an increase to the fed-eral government’s borrowing limit by $1.9 trillion lifting the total amount the U.S. government can owe to $14.294 trillion. If this is “Change” that we should believe in then I am horrified to see what “Hope” brings us.

Ed HillegassFalls Church

Drunkenness, 600 blk. Park Ave., January 20, 11:47 a.m., police arrested a male, 43 of NO FIXED ADDRESS, for DIP.

Burglary, Commercial, New Moon, 6619 Wilson Blvd., unknown person(s) broke the front glass door to gain entry into the establishment and stole an undisclosed amount of cash and a Toshiba television.

Incident to the case, the safe and juke box was damaged. Tampering with Auto, 100 blk. W Greenway Blvd., January 21, 11:16 a.m., unknown person(s) removed the left fog light from a vehicle.

Larceny from Vehicle, 200 blk. N Washington St., January 25, 2:30 p.m., police arrested a female, 42, Arlington, VA for stealing a Blackberry cell phone

.Larceny, Purse Snatching, Giant Food, 1230 W Broad St., January 21, 4:58 p.m., unknown person(s) stole vic-tim’s wallet out of the purse. The wallet contained a VA driver’s license, social security card and (3) bank/credit cards.

Larceny from Vehicle, Giant Food, 1230 W Broad St., January 21, 8:30 p.m., unknown person(s) smashed the front

passenger side window of a vehicle and stole a red and blue Estee Lauder tote bag containing an umbrella, medicine, a plan-ner and makeup.

Larceny from Vehicle, 900 blk. W Broad St., January 21, between 5:15 p.m. and 9:20 p.m., unknown person(s) smashed the rear driver’s side window of a vehicle and stole a black Kate Spade purse containing credit cards, driver’s license, government ID cards, and cash.

Larceny from Vehicle, GMHS, 7124 Leesburg Pike, January 21, 9:54 p.m., unknown person(s) shattered the window of a vehicle and stole a Canon Camera.

Larceny, Shoplifting, CVS, 1150 W Broad St., January 21, 10:27 p.m., unknown person(s) entered the establish-ment and stole an undisclosed amount of items. (See FCNP.com for suspects’ descriptions -ed)

Larceny from Vehicle, GMHS, 7124 Leesburg Pike, January 21, 11:26 p.m., unknown person(s) smashed the right front passenger’s side window of a vehicle and stole a purse containing a driver’s license and other personal documents.

Driving under the Influence, 300 blk. Hillwood Ave., January 23, 12:50 a.m., police arrested a male, 33, of Alexandria, VA for DUI.

Driving under the Influence, 6400 blk. Arlington Blvd., January 23, 12:56 a.m., police arrested a male, 30, of Springfield, VA for DUI.

Destruction of Property, 200 blk. W Rosemary Ln., January 23, between 9:00 a.m. and 10:45 a.m., unknown person(s) damaged the sunroof area of a vehicle by walking on top of it.

Assault, Aggravated, 900 blk. Ellison St., January 23, 11:47 p.m., police arrested a male, 33, of Falls Church, VA for Malicious Wounding. Incident to the case, the victim was transported to Fairfax Hospital for treatment.

Larceny, Shoplifting, CVS, 134 W Broad St., January 24, 4:58 p.m., unknown person(s) entered the establishment and attempted to steal $902.74 worth of items.

Burglary, Commercial, Carinas, 400 S Washington St., January 25, 12:28 a.m., unknown person(s) broke the rear window of the door to gain entry into the establishment and stole a cash register containing $250.00, bot-tles of cologne and pieces of jewelry.

Larceny from Building, 200 blk. Garden Ct., between December 31 and January 13, unknown person(s) stole an assortment of checks.

Continued from Page 6

Says Laziness Causes Deterioration Of Neighborhood

Assails Focus Of Coverage of Controversy

N e ws - P r e s sLetters eDItOrtO

tHe

C i t y o f Fa l l s C h u r c h

CRIME REPORT

COMMeNt FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 8 | JANUARY 28 - FEbRUARY 3, 2010

Happy With News of Big GOP Victory

F.C. ‘Pleased’ With Fairfax Court Stay

Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields said in a statement yesterday that he is “pleased the (Fairfax Circuit) court order has been stayed,” after Judge R. Terrence Ney entered a consent order that postpones the enforcement of the court’s Jan. 6 decree prohibit-ing Falls Church from taking an annual “return on investment” from its water fund. The stay is pending the outcome of Falls Church’s appeal of the decision to the Virginia Supreme Court, and the Fairfax Water Authority has dropped its initial opposition to the stay. The rul-ing of the Supreme Court is expected before April 6. Additional counts in the Fairfax Water/Falls Church lawsuit are scheduled to be heard in the Fairfax Circuit Court beginning Feb. 1.

F.C. Assessments Due in Homes Feb. 10

Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields reported Tuesday that a revised schedule for the issuance of annual real estate assessments in the City has been implemented, pushing back the dates when City residents can expect to receive their assessment reports in the mail to Feb. 10 and days thereafter. The assessment report will be avail-able on the City’s web site Feb. 8. Overall, real estate assessments are down 6.6 percent, Shields said, with the deepest drop in the value of commercial properties.

Murray Announces Candidacy Vs. Moran

Alexandria resident Patrick Murray, a retired U.S. Army colonel with 24 years of active service, announced last week that he will run against Democratic Rep. Jim Moran in the 8th District of Virginia this year. Neither his announcement nor his web site indi-cate his party affiliation.

JanMedia Agrees to Print City Calendar

Falls Church’s JanMedia Company has agreed to donate the printing of the Falls Church City Calendar, featuring art contribu-tions from the City’s youth, it was announced at a F.C. Chamber of Commerce social mixer Tuesday. The F.C. City Hall cut the calendar from its budget in a cost-saving move last fall.

F.C. Officials Testify in Richmond

Falls Church City Councilmen Hal Lippman and Lawrence Webb, Police Chief Harry Reitze, and Assistant City Manager Cindy Mester appeared before the Virginia Senate’s Local Government Committee in Richmond on Tuesday to support legislation by Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple proposing that local governments have the authority to prohibit or restrict the possession of firearms in government buildings such as city halls, libraries, and recre-ation centers. The committee voted 9-6 against reporting the bill to the floor of the Senate.

F.C. Offers Parking Fine Waivers

The City of Falls Church Treasurer’s office is offering a one-time waiver for park-ing fine penalties, F.C. officials announced today. Beginning this week, City Treasurer Cathy Kaye’s office will mail courtesy notices to citizens who have unpaid parking tick-ets, advising them they have a 30-day reprieve from penalties if their overdue parking fines are paid by Feb. 26. Citizens who believe that they have delinquent parking fines, and do not get a letter, are advised to contact the Treasurer’s office at 703-248-5046.

Chipotle: Still No F.C. Lease Signed

The Falls Church Economic Development Office’s Becky Witsman confirmed to the News-Press yesterday that the much-anticipated opening of a Chipotle restaurant in the Broaddale Shopping Center still awaits the signing of a lease.

2 Robbed Outside Merrifield Store

Two people were robbed outside a check cashing store in Merrifield last Saturday, Fairfax County police reported. A 60-year-old woman, an employee of Checks Cashed at 2929 Gallows Road, was waiting for her 68-year-old husband to pick her up at 8:30 p.m. When she got into the car, two men ran up and one of them pointed a gun. They pulled the victims out of the car and demanded money. A suspect took personal property from the male victim’s pocket. The suspects fled before they could obtain anything else. The victims did not require medical attention.

www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/ or call 703-222-4664.

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LOCAL JANUARY 28 - FebRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGe 9FALLs CHUrCH NeWS-PReSS | FCNP.COM

F.C.’s Corpus Christi School Hosts Open Houses

Corpus Christi School cam-puses will hold evening open houses on Thursday, Feb. 4 from 6 – 8 p.m. The elementary cam-pus (3301 Glen Carlyn Rd., Falls Church) and early childhood cam-pus (7506 St. Phillips Ct., Falls Church) will both be participating at each location.

The schools’ curriculum cov-ers pre-school through eighth grade, including advanced middle school math and Spanish pro-grams. Year-round daycare, part-time/full-time/all-day preschool, all-day kindergarten and before-and after-school care (K-8) are also offered. Registration for the 2010-11 school year will open to

the public on Tuesday, Feb. 16.Corpus Christi School is a

2009 winner of the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence award. For more information, call 703-820-7450 ext. 10 or visit www.corpus-christischool.org.

Public Invited to Noland Open House

Noland’s Bath & Idea Center (157-A Hillwood Ave., Falls Church) will hold its grand opening today, Thursday, Jan. 28 from 4:30 – 7 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres from Open Kitchen will be served all afternoon. Those inter-ested should RSVP to 703-241-2371 or [email protected]. For more information, call 703-241-2371.

Nearing Last Chance to Register for Lacrosse Clinic

For those interested, this week is the last chance to register for the George C. Marshall High School (7731 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church) Winter Lacrosse Clinic. This all-day clinic is open to girls from all schools ages 8-18. All equipment is provided for free to learn a new sport.

The clinic groups partici-pants by age and skill, including ages 8-12 or 13 and up, with skill levels ranging from begin-ner to intermediate/advanced. All sessions will now run on area teacher workday, Friday, Jan. 29. Space is limited, so those who remain interested are encouraged to register now to save a seat. To

register, e-mail Coach Depaz at [email protected]. For more information, visit www.seen.itgo.com.

Event to Benefit Earthquake Victims in Haiti

The Alliance Française and Doctors Without Borders (DWB) will be hosting a fund-raising event on Monday, Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. All proceeds will go to DWB to benefit victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. The event will be held at Alliance Française (2142 Wyoming Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.).

The benefit will feature a short discussion by Guillaume Debré, U.S. correspondent for TF1 French Television. It will be

followed by a speech by Stanley Lucas, a representative from DWB, about the work being done on the ground and the progress of the relief effort.

A raffle and auction will be held. The minimum requested donation is $25. For more infor-mation, visit www.francedc.org.

Locals Earn Dean’s List, Graduate

Falls Church residents Eleonora Figliuoli, Maya Gueron, Mariah Walker, Irene Foley, Ksenija Kapetanovic, Amy Leinkram, Xi Yan Lu, Victoria Marcos, Irene Morrison-Moncure, Laura Parente, Fiona Balestrieri, Ryan Blackwell, James

N e ws - P r e s s

Community News & Notes

LOCAL FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 10 | JANUARY 28 - FEbRUARY 3, 2010

The News-Press is always on the lookout for photos & items for Community News & Notes, School News & Notes and other sections of the paper. If you graduate, get married, get engaged, get an award, start a club, eat a club, tie your shoes, have a birthday, have a party, host an event

or anything else you think is worth being mentioned in the News-Press, write it up and send it to us! If you have a photo, even better! because of the amount of submissions we receive, we cannot guarantee all submissions will be published, but we’ll try out best!

Community News & Notes: [email protected] | School News & Notes: [email protected] Mail: News & Notes, Falls Church News-Press, 450 West broad St. #321, Falls Church, VA 22046

Send Us Your News & Notes!

“EMbRACiNG tHE DREAM, CELEbRAtiNG OUR bLUES HERitAGE,” presented by the McLean Community Center on Sunday, Jan. 17, brought a diverse crowd together to celebrate the leg-acy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Program participants included: (from left) Dr. Ed Jackson, Jr., executive architect of the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr., National Memorial Project Foundation, inc., Rev. Dr. Robert F. Cheeks, Jr., Pastor of Shiloh baptist Church, McLean, Rev. todd A. brown, pastor of First baptist Church of Chesterbrook, McLean, Julie Rasmussen, executive director of the McLean Community Center, Michael Hill, bandleader of Michael Hill’s blues Mob and John Foust, Dranesville District Supervisor, pose around a rendering of the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Memorial’s Stone of Hope. (Photo: Courtesy Sabrina Anwah)

tWO MEMbERS OF tHE George Mason High School (GMHS) Student Council appeared before the Falls Church City Council Monday night to report that $1,190 was raised for Haiti relief at a student fundraiser held at the Flippin’ Pizza on W. broad Street last Friday night. they also announced a Haiti relief fundraiser will be held on the GMHS campus in the form of a student-faculty basketball game on Wednesday, Feb. 3. Shown here are Rebecca Gomez and Yates Jordan. (Photo: News-Press)

Evans, Jeffrey Hollomon, Paul Norland, Jonathan Oh, Blackmore, Stephanie Delenick, Elena Lepekhina, Roger Beaman, Mayssa Chehata, Alexander Douglas, Liv Elfstrom, Christine Kennedy, Karmen Leun, Karen Morrison, Margaret Person and So-Jung Youn were recently named to the dean’s list at the College of William & Mary for the fall 2009 semester. In order to achieve dean’s list status, a full-time, degree-seeking under-graduate student must take at least 12 credit hours and earn a 3.6 quality point average during the semester.

Shandani Charles of Falls Church, was named to the honors list at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine for the spring semester.

Simone Perez of Falls Church, Class of 2010 at Skidmore College, earned highest honors for the fall semester. Highest honors are awarded for a quality point ratio of 3.670 or more from a possible 4.0.

Pinthip Kaitlin Huynh of Falls Church, was named to the academic honor roll for the fall term at Northfield Mount Hermon School.

Freshman Thomas Hickey of Falls Church made the dean’s list for the fall 2009 semester at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va. Hickey is enrolled in the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business. His brother, junior Edward Hickey of Falls Church, made the dean’s list with first honors, 3.65 or higher, for the fall 2009 semester at University of San Diego’s School of Business Administration.

‘Gals in the Gallery’ Returns With ‘Art of Jewelry’

McLean Project for the Arts (1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean) brings back Gals in the Gallery next Wednesday, Feb. 3 from

7 – 9 p.m. JJ Singh will present “The Art of Jewelry.”

Reservations are limited to 60 people, and there’s a suggested donation of $10. Those interested are asked to RSVP by e-mail to [email protected]. For more infor-mation, call 703-790-1953.

F.C. Rotary Club Hosts Sleep Apnea Discussion Friday

The Falls Church Rotary Club will hold its regular dinner meeting this Friday, Jan. 29 at Harvest Moon Restaurant (7260 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church) at 6:30 p.m. Ed Grandi, executive director of the American Sleep Apnea Association, will speak about the problems and symp-toms of sleep apnea.

Dinner costs $11 and visitors are welcome. For more informa-tion, visit www.fallschurchrotary.org.

Seniors Invited to Annual Chili Lunch & Bingo

Aurora Hills Senior Center (735 18th St. S, Arlington) will host its annual Chili Lunch and Bingo for ages 55 and up this Friday, Jan. 29 from noon – 2 p.m. The center provides the chili lunch and prizes. Advanced con-tributions to the prize table are welcome.

Milton Nelson will entertain at the piano. A $6 pre-registration is required. For more informa-tion, call Julie Albers at 703-228-5722.

D.C. Zoo Hosts Goodbye Party for Giant Panda

After more than four years at the National Zoo, giant panda Tai Shan will say goodbye to Washington and return to China to enter a breeding program Feb. 4. The last day for visitors to see D.C.’s favorite bear will be Wednesday, Feb. 3.

A free farewell bash for Tai

Shan will be held Saturday, Jan. 30 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the National Zoo (3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.). Attendees are invited to write panda goodbye cards for Tai Shan and check out the photo showcase of his journey since he was born at the zoo four years ago.

Those interested are reminded that, at about 1:30 p.m., zoo offi-cials will give Tai Shan a celebra-tory treat in his yard. For more information, call 202-633-4470.

Carver Community Center Hosts Drop-in Gym Session

There will be a free teen/adult drop-in session of Open Gym & Game Room Monday, Feb. 1 at the Carver Community Center (1415 S. Queen St., Arlington) from 7 – 9 p.m. For more infor-mation, call Chris Clarke at 703-228-5706.

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LAST MONDAY, the Arlington-based Metropolitan Chorus, directed by Barry Hemphill, joined others in performing at the Inaugural concert of the 2010 Season at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, home of the New York Philharmonic. Featured soloists included Erica Powell, Cherry Duke, Adam Russell, Mark Watson and Geraint Llyr Owen. (Photo: Courtesy Arupa Gopal)

CELEBRATING THE 100TH Firstfriday, to occur next week, the monthly social mixer of the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce hosted by Art and Frame of F.C. Tuesday included an elegant birthday cake prepared by Kendall’s Cakes and decorated by resident artist Bill Abel. The event was catered by the Arlington Catering Company. (Photo: News-Press)

WASHINGTON – President Obama set a goal to change the way Washington works. That was a far-fetched dream, to say the least, at a time where there is no comity in the country and no move toward political reconciliation.

The Washington scene reflective of the nation is fragmented between nay-saying conservatives who seem against every

thing, and liberals and moderates in search of a mid-dle ground. It seems impossible to find that mythical location.

The divisions are propelled by anger, dissatisfac-tion and undoubtedly some fear of the future. Obama is the fall guy for this, raising Republican hopes of taking back the White House in three years.

The buzz saw of Republican opposition is notable for its solidarity and for its failure to offer serious alternatives. The president cannot be blamed for a lack of trying to find compromises with his oppo-nents but he has found them disinterested in solving problems. Rather, they are single-minded in their goal of denying him any victory.

Their target in the president’s first year was his goal to enact universal health care for all, including the poor, the sick and the maimed.

The health insurance industry, drug companies and medical affiliates poured millions into the hands of Washington’s lobbyists _some of them former members of Congress who know their way around Capitol Hill. Opponents also shelled out big money for television commercials that spread scary false-

GOP Medical Wrecking Ball

Continued on Page 36

Politics, some believe, is the organization of hatreds. The people who try to divide society on the basis of ethnicity we call racists. The people who try to divide it on the basis of religion we call sectarians. The people who try to divide it on the basis of social class we call either populists or elitists.

These two attitudes – populism and elitism – seem different, but they’re really mirror images of one another. They both assume a country fundamen-tally divided. They both describe politics as a class

struggle between the enlightened and the corrupt, the pure and the betrayers.

Both attitudes will always be with us, but

these days populism is in vogue.The Republicans have their populists. Sarah Palin

has been known to divide the country between the real Americans and the cultural elites.

And the Democrats have their populists. Since the defeat in Massachusetts, many Democrats have apparently decided that their party has to mimic the rhetoric of John Edwards’ presidential campaign. They’ve taken to dividing the country into two sup-posedly separate groups – real Americans who live on Main Street and the insidious interests of Wall Street.

It’s easy to see why politicians would be drawn to the populist pose. First, it makes everything so simple. The economic crisis was caused by a complex web of factors, including global imbalances caused by the rise of China. But with the populist narrative, you can just blame Goldman Sachs.

Second, it absolves voters of responsibility for their problems. Over the past few years, many invest-ment bankers behaved like idiots, but so did aver-age Americans, racking up unprecedented levels of personal debt. With the populist narrative, you can accuse the former and absolve the latter.

Third, populism is popular with the ruling class. Ever since I started covering politics, the Democratic ruling class has been driven by one fantasy: That vot-ers will get so furious at people with MBA’s that they will hand power to people with PhDs. The Republican ruling class has been driven by the fantasy that voters will get so furious at people with PhDs that they will hand power to people with MBAs. Members of the ruling class love populism because they think it will help their section of the elite gain power.

So it’s easy to see the seductiveness of populism. Nonetheless, it nearly always fails. The history of

populism, going back to William Jennings Bryan, is generally a history of defeat.

That’s because voters aren’t as stupid as the popu-lists imagine. Voters are capable of holding two ideas in their heads at one time: First, that the rich and the powerful do rig the game in their own favor; and second, that simply bashing the rich and the powerful will still not solve the country’s problems.

Political populists never get that second point. They can’t seem to grasp that a politics based on punishing the elites won’t produce a better-educated work force, more investment, more innovation or any of the other things required for progress and growth.

In fact, this country was built by anti-populists. It was built by people like Alexander Hamilton and Abraham Lincoln who rejected the idea that the national economy is fundamentally divided along class lines. They rejected the zero-sum mentality that is at the heart of populism, the belief that economics is a struggle over finite spoils. Instead, they believed in a united national economy – one interlocking sys-tem of labor, trade and investment.

Hamilton championed capital markets and Lincoln championed banks, not because they loved traders and bankers. They did it because they knew a vibrant capitalist economy would maximize opportunity for poor boys like themselves. They were willing to tol-erate the excesses of traders because they understood that no institution is more likely to channel oppor-tunity to new groups and new people than vigorous financial markets.

In their view, government’s role was not to side with one faction or to wage class war. It was to rouse the energy and industry of people at all levels. It was to enhance competition and make it fair – to make sure than no group, high or low, is able to erect bar-riers that would deprive Americans of an open field and a fair chance. Theirs was a philosophy that cel-ebrated development, mobility and work, wherever those things might be generated.

The populists have an Us versus Them mentality. If they continue their random attacks on enterprise and capital, they will only increase the pervasive feeling of uncertainty, which is now the single biggest factor in holding back investment, job creation and growth. They will end up discrediting good policies (the Obama bank reforms are quite sensible) because they will persuade the country that the government is in the hands of reckless Huey Longs.

They will have traded dynamic optimism, which always wins, for combative divisiveness, which always loses.

The Populist Addiction

DavidBrooksNEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE

HelenThomasHEaRST NEWSpapERS

A Republican won in Massachusetts – and suddenly it’s not clear whether the Senate will confirm Ben Bernanke for a second term as Federal Reserve chairman. That’s not as strange as it sounds: Washington has suddenly noticed public rage over economic policies that bailed out big banks but failed to create jobs. And Bernanke has become a symbol of those policies.

Where do I stand? I deeply admire Bernanke, both as an econo-mist and for his response to the financial crisis. (Full disclosure: before going to the Fed he headed Princeton’s economics depart-ment, and hired me for my current position there.) Yet his critics

have a strong case. In the end, I favor his reappointment, but only because rejecting him could make the Fed’s policies worse, not better.

How did we get to the point where that’s the most I can say?

Bernanke is a superb research economist. And from the spring of 2008 to the spring of 2009 his academic expertise and his policy role meshed perfectly, as he used aggressive, unorthodox tactics to head off a second Great Depression.

Unfortunately, that’s not the whole story. Before the crisis struck, Bernanke was very much a conventional, mainstream Fed official, sharing fully in the institution’s complacency. Worse, after the acute phase of the crisis ended he slipped right back into that mainstream. Once again, the Fed is dangerously complacent – and once again, Bernanke seems to share that complacency.

Consider two issues: financial reform and unemployment.Back in July, Bernanke spoke out against a key reform proposal:

the creation of a new consumer financial protection agency. He urged Congress to maintain the current situation, in which protection of consumers from unfair financial practices is the Fed’s responsibility.

But here’s the thing: During the run-up to the crisis, as financial abuses proliferated, the Fed did nothing. In particular, it ignored warnings about subprime lending. So it was striking that in his testimony Bernanke didn’t acknowledge that failure, didn’t explain why it happened, and gave no reason to believe that the Fed would behave differently in the future. His message boiled down to “We know what we’re doing – trust us.”

As I said, the Fed has returned to a dangerous complacency.And then there’s unemployment. The economy may not have col-

lapsed, but it’s in terrible shape, with job-seekers outnumbering job openings six to one. Nor does Bernanke expect any quick improve-ment: last month, while predicting that unemployment will fall, he conceded that the rate of decline will be “slower than we would like.” So what does he propose doing to create jobs?

Nothing. Bernanke has offered no hint that he feels the need to adopt policies that might bring unemployment down faster. Instead, he has responded to suggestions for further Fed action with boiler-plate about “the anchoring of inflation expectations.” It’s harsh but true to say that he’s acting as if it’s Mission Accomplished now that the big banks have been rescued.

What happened here? My sense is that Bernanke, like so many people who work closely with the financial sector, has ended up seeing the world through bankers’ eyes. The same can be said about Timothy Geithner, the Treasury secretary, and Larry Summers, the Obama administration’s top economist. But they’re not up before the Senate, while Bernanke is.

Given that, why not reject Bernanke? There are other people with the intellectual heft and policy savvy to take on his role: among the possible choices would be my Princeton colleague Alan Blinder, a former Fed vice chairman, and Janet Yellen, the president of the San Francisco Fed.

But – and here comes my defense of a Bernanke reappointment – any good alternative for the position would face a bruising fight in the Senate. And choosing a bad alternative would have truly dire consequences for the economy.

Furthermore, policy decisions at the Fed are made by commit-tee vote. And while Bernanke seems insufficiently concerned about unemployment and too concerned about inflation, many of his col-leagues are worse. Replacing him with someone less established, with less ability to sway the internal discussion, could end up strengthening the hands of the inflation hawks and doing even more damage to job creation.

That’s not a ringing endorsement, but it’s the best I can do.

PaulKrugmanNEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE

Bernanke Conundrum

NATIONAL FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 12 | JANUARY 28 - FEbRUARY 3, 2010

WASHINGTON – He’s The One, all right.The handsome, athletic pol with the comely wife

and two lovely daughters who precipitously rose from the State Legislature to pull us all together.

The fresh face and disarming underdog America’s been waiting for, someone who suffered through his parents’ divorce, watched his mom go on welfare and survived some wayward youthful behavior to become disciplined and successful – a lawyer, a law-maker and a devoted family guy who does dog duty.

Someone who’s always game for a game of pick-up basketball, loves talking sports and even boasts beefcake photos. A pro-choice phenom propelled into higher office by con-

servatives, independents and Democrats, a surprise winner with a magical aura.

The New One is the shimmering vessel that we are pouring all our hopes and dreams into after the grave disappointment of the Last One, Barack Obama.

The only question left is: Why isn’t Scott Brown delivering the State of the Union? He’s the Epic One we want to hear from. All that inexperience can really be put to good use here.

Obama’s Oneness has been one-upped. Why settle for a faux populist when we can have a real one? Why settle for gloomy populism when we can have sunny populism? Why settle for Ivy League cool when we can have Cosmo hot? Why settle for a professor who favors banks, pharmaceutical com-panies and profligate Democrats when we can have an Everyman who favors banks, pharmaceutical companies and profligate Republicans? Why settle for a 48-year-old, 6-foot-1, organic arugula when we can have a 50-year-old, 6-foot-2, double waffle with bacon?

Everyone in Washington now wants to touch the hem of President-elect Brown – known in the British press as “the former nude centrefold” – who has sin-gle-handedly revived the moribund Republican Party. It uncannily recalls the way they once jostled to pig-gyback on the powerful allure of One-Term Obama.

The capital is abuzz. What did Scott say about that? Has anybody checked with Scott? Let’s not make a move without consulting Scott!

One of the most famous political figures of the age, John McCain, was thrilled (and no doubt envious) that

a newbie unknown a week ago made robo-calls for him in his tightening Arizona re-election race.

Before the Senate rejected a debt-reduction com-mission on Tuesday, reporters pressed for Brown’s hypothetical intentions: Would he have voted yes if he had been seated? (Yes, his spokesman told The Politico’s David Rogers.)

The Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, has even christened Brown “41,” usurping Poppy Bush’s nickname. That’s because Brown, the only Republican in the Massachusetts congressional del-egation, gives his party the needed 41st vote to filibuster unmolested. Even some in the Obama White House secretly wonder if the wonder from Wrentham, Mass., is The One. Could he be a more authentic version of their guy, who also swept in as a long-shot outsider only 14 months ago?

Obama is coming across as plastic and hid-den, rather than warm and accessibly all-American. (Brown has even been known to do his daughter’s laundry when she gets too busy.)

Whereas Obama had to force himself to nib-ble French fries and drink beer (instead of his organic Black Forest Berry Honest Tea) during the Pennsylvania primary, Brown truly loves diners, Pepsi, Waffle Houses and the unwashed masses.

David Axelrod, Obama’s senior strategist, praised Brown for his “spectacular” campaign. And Obama aligned himself with the new symbolic force, telling ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that “the same thing that swept Scott Brown into office swept me into office. People are angry and they’re frustrated.”

Even though Brown opposes Obama’s plan to tax big banks, the president tried to wrap himself in Brown populism: “And here in Washington – from their perspective – the only thing that happens is that we bail out the banks.”

Stephanopoulos pointed out the obvious differ-ence between Barry and Scotty, telling the president with the populist mask: “But you’re in charge now.”

At the moment, President-elect Brown is a new blank slate in an old pickup truck. As the president scrambles to freeze some spending and unfreeze his persona, Obama strategists hope that, in some weird way, Brown will help revive the president’s fortunes.

They say that if Brown turns out to be as indepen-dent as Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, he can help the president bypass the conservative troglo-dytes on the Hill and pull out of his slump.

Bringing Sexy Back

Coming out of his State of the Union message, President Obama’s scheduled announcement today to deploy $8 billion in stimulus funds for high-speed rail in 13 major U.S. transportation corridors is good news, even if it is the proverbial “hour late and dollar short.”

Better had it come a year earlier, and a magnitude far greater than what’s now proposed. Rail construction not only creates jobs, it’s a way to beat the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. The mantra is that rail can move a ton of freight 423 miles on a single gallon of fuel.

In fact, rail’s efficiency over every other form of transport is stunning. Some trace the nation’s current epochal eco-nomic crisis to the ill-advised decision by President Eisenhower in the 1950s, influenced by Big Oil, to direct the last

great national infrastructure mobilization to an interstate highway sys-tem, rather than a massive rail construction program.

The inefficiency of truck transport compared to rail is so astonishing that it’s hard to believe that Big Oil could hold so much sway in the mat-ter, and that the country, as a whole, would begin so eagerly to transition to a selfish, suburban consumer culture in that context.

But stimulus efforts now are simply not on a scale sufficient to steer the country back to long-term health. Were the massive public works efforts by FDR in the last Great Depression, which were critical to help set the preconditions for an eventual recovery, matched in the current economic situation, they would dwarf Obama’s entire stimulus package.

The 1930s effort included a huge public relations component, such as putting all the novels of John Steinbeck on film, helping the organization of labor unions, and engaging the entire nation in a push to address the needs of the huge waves of the unemployed and displaced.

Now, all the commentaries around the President’s State of the Union last night define the issues in the context of “Inside Washington” par-tisan bickering and not from the long-term perspective of the nation’s overall direction or, in terms of what’s really going on, a primordial struggle between the haves and the have-nots.

Beneath all the political posturing is the grim reality of class warfare, a fact that becomes much clearer, to some at least, during economic crises.

All the super-rich’s massive resources of cultural suasion are direct-ed to preventing the general public from recognizing the class warfare underpinnings of the national political debate. Their news media, enter-tainment and related tools of social control work overtime to define reality in terms of political parties and other sports competition-like metaphorical substitutions for reality that serve as smoke screens, diver-sions and false flags dissembling the general public’s ability to figure out what’s actually going on.

Were the public to actually figure all this out, the 95 percent who are being systematically screwed by the ruling five percent would represent an overwhelming force for some very basic remedies to society.

Without that, however, things will only get worse, despite efforts by President Obama to take more, if modest stimulus steps. The chief of Elliott Wave International, Robert Prechter, was on national TV Tuesday forecasting that another steep stock market nosedive is on the horizon.

Prechter forecast the market crash of October 1987, and while he uses some exotic tools to make predictions, his call is grounded in “the long-term weakness” of the U.S. economy. Unemployment numbers are an outward manifestation of this, and will only get worse as one-time stimulus efforts to save some state and local jobs dry up.

It is obvious that the budget crises now facing state and local gov-ernments building into this spring will result in a deterioration of core services everywhere, ranging from infrastructure and aid to the needy to education at all levels, and a subsequent explosion of more under and unemployment. Combined with a further drop in commercial real estate values, existing unemployment levels and a huge wad of adjustable mortgage resets coming due, these factors will undercut any impulse toward an improved economic environment.

There’s no solution in the works. Obama’s rail initiative points in the right direction, but without anything like the scale needed.

Nicholas Benton may be e-mailed at [email protected].

An Hour Late,A Dollar Short

NATIONAL JANUARY 28 - FebRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGE 13FALLS CHURCH NeWS-PReSS | FCNP.COM

Nicholas F.bentonFalls ChurCh news-press

MaureenDowdnew YOrK TIMes news serVICe

The more I read about the Tea Party, the more it becomes vividly clear that this is nothing more than a Great Tea Purge of Republican moderates and independent thinkers. It is a brilliant coup by Big Business to co-opt the American government, by using dim-witted fundamentalists and under-educated, under-employed rural folks to carry their water.

Look at the issues:1) Climate Change: Irresponsible members of Big Business do not

want to pay to stop the damage corporations have done to our planet. They want to continue polluting and exploiting our natural resources. The best way to do this is to trick people, by flooding the Internet with fake science, into believing climate change is not man made. The next step is to turn the gov-ernment into a bogeyman, so “the people” will

reduce its power to regulate corporate excess and corruption. 2) Taxes: One of the most irresponsible parts of this “movement” is

that Americans should not have to pay their fair share of taxes. This whole idea that you can get something for nothing is a mirage and the poor families who scream and act the fool at Tea Bag protests are the ones who will be left without basic services if this radical agenda becomes enacted.

Of course, when “the people” become angry over the situation, these titans will spend millions of dollars on propaganda to blame the deteriora-tion of America on liberal morals and government incompetence – even as they starve the government of the resources it needs to effectively do its job.

3) Health Care: The CEO’s have used this gullible Tea Bag crowd to convince a majority of people that the government is inefficient and should stay out of health-care. I guess these “real Americans” are con-tent having potential treatments for their children rejected by faceless insurance company bureaucrats sitting in sterile cubicles with the job of protecting a corporation’s bottom line.

Do these tools realize how they have been tricked by hucksters like for-mer Congressman Dick Armey (R-TX) – who now runs FreedomWorks, an umbrella for Tea Party groups? Armey is a corporate shill who is rob-bing your family of its future. However, too many people think he is on their side because he wears cowboy boots and uses quaint, folksy sayings.

4) Illegal Immigration & Gays: The corporate titans realize that if they ran on a platform of, “We manipulate the system to steal your money and you go broke”, they would not do so well in elections. So, they have developed the cat-with-a-laser technique.

When I want to distract Critter, my cat, I shine a laser on the wall and he runs to attack it. He never actually catches the gosh-darn-red-light, but he always feels like he’s getting close. More importantly, he expends a lot of energy – and then takes a multi-hour slumber.

Tea Baggers – you are the cat and the issues of immigration and gay rights are the laser. You are being distracted, busied on a circular obstacle course and ultimately being put to sleep – even as you feel you are accomplishing something.

I have news for you.You are never going to stop people from crossing the border, as long

as there are better economic opportunities in America. You are never going to stop gay people from dating and mating. No matter how high you build that wall, or how many Constitutional Amendments banning gay marriage you spend millions of dollars to enact. You are essentially wasting your time and money.

They want you focusing on us, so you won’t notice that you can’t afford to send your children to college or that your job has been shipped overseas. Then, when you finally get a job making half as much as you used to bring home, they will praise you for you work ethic and pretend you are the “backbone” of America.

“If you just scrub that toilet a little bit harder, you’ll be an entrepreneur in the opportunity-based society and one day smoke cigars on the country club golf course with Rush Limbaugh,” I can hear the hired PR guns say.

5) Guns & Prayer: Most of the CEO’s don’t really care about these social issues. However, they realize that guns and fundamentalist prayer helps newly disempowered people cope with feelings of low self-esteem and helplessness. You see, if the misery is God’s Plan, and not the result of selfish and destructive economic plans by greedy CEO’s and politicians, the pain is easier to swallow.

The Tea Party crowd must realize that it is being used and exploited by large financial interests. It is time “the people” wake up and grow up, before they permanently drive this country into a destitution ditch.

Just two weeks ago, an earth-quake clocking 7.0 on the Richter scale rocked the tiny island nation of Haiti.

The worst disaster to hit the Caribbean in more than two cen-turies, it is estimated to have taken close to 200,000 lives with anoth-er 1.5 million left homeless amidst the rubble of Port Au Prince’s ruined infrastructure. All this in a country that ranks among the poorest, least developed in the Western Hemisphere.

My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti and the Haitian-American community.

All told, the American people have responded to the disaster with overwhelming generos-ity and compassion, donating hard-earned money and time to help the victims. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Americans have given more than $220 million to major relief groups thus far, with an unprec-edented $22 million donated via cell phone text message alone.

Among the first to respond to the disaster was the International Urban Search and Rescue Team of Fairfax Country. At last report, the team has saved 16 lives and recovered critical medical equip-ment and supplies. They have

continued their rescue efforts, despite that fact that the United Nations called off the official search for survivor’s days ago.

Washington has also been doing its part. The Department of Homeland Security has imple-mented temporary immigration relief measures for Haitians cur-rently in the United States who are unable to return home due to the devastation. Haitian B-1 or B-2 visa holders, for example, may file for an extension of sta-tus for an additional six months. If you or someone you know is in this position, contact the U.S. Department of Citizenship and Immigration or call my district office for more details.

Last week, the House of Representatives passed legis-lation that would allow indi-viduals who donate money to help victims of the quake claim their donations on their 2009 tax returns (rather than having to wait to file in their 2010 tax return). For those who choose to donate by text message, a cell phone bill will count as proof of donation for tax purposes. Congress enacted similar tax provisions for individuals who made charitable contributions to tsunami victims in 2004.

In the weeks ahead, Congress will also be working on legisla-tion to extend a repatriation pro-gram critical for helping evacu-ate the thousands of Americans currently in Haiti. The program has already used up much of its $1 million budget responding to disasters in other countries. The program assists American citizens trying to flee foreign countries because of destitution, illness, war or other crises and includes help with securing and paying for airfare and finding temporary lodging, food, and medical assistance. I am support-ive of efforts to increase funding for this program in light of the extreme situation in Haiti.

Haiti has a tough road ahead. Historically, the country has been mistreated by foreign pow-ers, which has lead to great inter-nal strife. This major natural disaster has crippled a nation which was struggling from these historical injustices. Still, it is my hope that the people of Haiti will be able to rise from the rubble to chart a new destiny for the nation. Thanks to the overwhelming support of the American people and our inter-national allies, they’ve at least got a shot.

Tea Party or Tea Purge?

Congressman Moran’s News CommentaryVirginia’s 8th Congressional District Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives

By James P. Moran

NATIONAL FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 14 | JANUARY 28 - FEbRUARY 3, 2010

Anything but Straight

Wayne Besen

The date for the long-awaited special election for the Mason District School Board seat was announced last Friday by the Fairfax County Circuit Court. The special election to choose a successor to Kaye Kory will be on Tuesday, March 2, 2010, at all regular polling places in Mason District, from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. All registered voters in Mason District are eligible to vote. Information about vot-ing in person or absentee will be available on the Fairfax County Electoral Board Web site, www.fairfaxcounty.gov/eb, or call 703/324-4700.

The Mason District School Board seat has been vacant only since January 12, when incumbent L. Kaye Kory officially submitted her resignation after winning election to the Virginia House of Delegates last November. Speculation about when the resig-nation would be submitted had been swirling for weeks, and the local Democratic and Republican committees had endorsed candidates, anticipating a special election as early as mid-January. School Board positions are classified as non-partisan in Virginia, but most candidates run with a party endorsement. Democrat Sandy Evans will face Republican Samantha Rucker in the March 2 con-test. Sandy is a former journalist and PTA president who has been active on school issues since her children, now in college, were young. She lives in the Falls Church area of Mason District. Samantha Rucker is a lawyer in the State Attorney General’s office, and lives in Annandale.

A potpourri of other activities in Mason District includes the good news that the Higher Horizons Head Start program, based at the Bailey’s Community Center, is a recipient of Early Head Start expansion funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The federal stimulus money was announced by Virginia Governor Tim Kaine in December, and will provide services to an additional 76 pregnant women, infants, and young children under age three. Early Head Start services will provide both home-based and center-based options; 20 new jobs will be created. Higher Horizons is a private non-profit provider of early childhood

services since 1963, and its programs have enabled thousands of Mason District children to enter school fully ready to learn and succeed. For additional information, log on to www.higherhorizons.org.

Congratulations to Master Police Officer Chip Conner, who was selected as the 2009 Mason District Station Officer of the Year. Officer Conner is well-known by Mason District residents as a premier Crime Prevention Officer, who works with Neighborhood Watch and civic organizations to address concerns in the community. Chip joined the Fairfax County Police Department in 1982, and came to the Mason Station in 1991 as a patrol officer. The Ed Smith Award, named in memory of a long-time volunteer with the Mason Station’s Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC), will be pre-sented to Officer Conner on Tuesday, February 2, at 7:30 p.m. during the monthly CAC meeting.

Did your holidays bring you new electronic gifts? And now you need to get rid of the obso-lete ones? The Fairfax County Division of Solid Waste Collection and Recycling will host monthly “Electric Sundays” for residents to recycle televi-sions, computers, monitors and peripheral elec-tronic devices such as printers, scanners, speakers, keyboards, mice (the non-furry kind!) and external drives. Residents also may recycle their fluorescent and CFL bulbs at these events. It’s very easy, and faster than ordering a drive-thru burger! Electric Sundays will run from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 28, April 25, May 23, June 27, August 22, September 26, and November 21 at the I-66 Transfer Station, 4618 West Ox Road in Fairfax, and on Sunday, March 28, July 25, and October 24 at the I-95 Landfill Complex, 9850 Furnace Road in Lorton. The e-waste recycling program is a free service for Fairfax County resi-dents in cooperation with Covanta Energy, Inc., the operator of the county’s waste-to-energy facility.

Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be e-mailed at [email protected].

Hello from Richmond, where the 2010 General Assembly is in full steam! I want to pro-vide a basic view of the Session and introduce the 31st Senatorial District team (your team!) in the Senate.

The 2010 General Assembly Session

Although I have the experi-ence of fifteen sessions, every one is different and this one is definitely the most challenging of my career. Never in my service in the Senate has the budget situ-ation been so dire. According to the Senate Finance Committee, the budget shortfall for the next biennium is $4.3 billion. Throughout this budget process, I am committed to safeguarding the quality of our education, our public safety and those most vul-nerable among us.

Last month, Governor Kaine proposed a balanced budget that already included significant bud-get cuts. Governor McDonnell has rejected that plan, whereby forc-ing an additional $2 billion in cuts ($4.3 billion instead of $2.3 bil-lion). McDonnell’s cuts will mean the elimination of more critical services and thousands of layoffs to public employees, including our teachers and public safety profes-sionals. We still await Governor McDonnell’s detailed plan on how he would make his additional $2 billion in cuts. Your Senate Team in Richmond

I have put together an excel-lent team for the Session. First, Arlene Spinelli is my Legislative Assistant after my long time aide, Janie Burton, retired last sum-mer. She manages the office and my agenda. Originally from New Jersey, she moved to Arlington 32 years ago. She worked in banking for 13 years as vice president of investment banking at what was then American Security Bank (now part of Bank of America). For the 10 years prior to this sum-mer, she has worked part-time for Fairfax County Public Schools as

health liaison. I have known her for almost 20 years as a mem-ber of ABC (Arlingtonians for a Better County) and the Arlington Democrats.

Second, Evette T. Roots is serving as our Intern. She is a third-year Political Science stu-dent at Virginia Commonwealth University after a 14-year career as a real estate broker. Her exten-sive experience includes working with former Senator Robb, in Mary Sue Terry’s campaign, and for the Richmond City Council. As the Intern, she assists with legislative research and constitu-ent services.

Next, Patricia Ann Jennings is back as our Receptionist. She is a native of Danville, but considers herself a “Southwest Virginian.” She is a Virginia public service retiree. Her job is critical as she is the initial interface with visitors and the public.

Finally, this year I am for-tunate to have the extra help of Jaime Areizaga-Soto, Esq. as my Policy Advisor. He is an Arlington resident, a former White House Fellow at the U.S. Treasury Department, a graduate of Stanford Law School, active in the Democratic Party, and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army National Guard. As the Caucus Chair of the Democratic Caucus in the Senate, I coordinate the operations (communications, coordination, and position-mak-ing) of the majority Caucus in the Senate. Jaime supports and advises me on legislation and Caucus-related issues.

If you need to contact any of my team members please feel free to call or email us in Richmond at [email protected] or 804-698-7531. I am confident that my team and I will serve you proudly in Richmond this Session.

Senator Whipple represents the 31st District in the Virginia State Senate. She may be emailed at [email protected].

A Penny for Your Thoughts

News of Greater Falls ChurchBy Supervisor Penny Gross

Corner will integrate Metro rail

and new growth to become a

ANNIVERSARY OF WEBB’S

SENATE VICTORY SHOWS

F.C. CONNECTIONS

Just a year ago, Falls Church

resident James Webb bucked

the Virginia Democratic

establishment to win the party’s

primary and the chance to be

elected a U.S. Senator.

SEE PAGE 4

IT’S GRADUATION TIME

FOR F.C. AREA SCHOOLS

Three more Falls Church area

schools graduated, with seniors

from McLean, Marshall and

George Mason Highs completing

their high school careers last

week.

SEE PAGES 22, 28 AND 36

HELEN THOMAS:

U.S. MUDDLES ALONG

IN MIDEAST

The Bush administration has a

mess on its hands in the Middle

East, due to its inept

policies in Iraq and

Palestine. As the

president continues

to muddle along, Congress and

the American people remain

incredibly mute, marking time.

SEE PAGE 10

1ST THERE WAS BRUCE,

NOW EVAN IS ALMIGHTY

“Evan Almighty,” the sequel

to the Jim Carrey hit “Bruce

Almighty,” hits theaters this

weekend with Steve Carrell

reprising his role from the first

film. Also starring Morgan

Freeman and Wanda Sykes.

SEE PAGE 38

FA L L S CH U R C H,

VI R G I N I A

•

W W W.F C N P.C O M

•FR E E

FO U N D E D

1991•

VO L. XVII

NO. 16

June 21 - 27, 2007

INSIDE THIS WEEK

With Future of Entire Region at Stake, Tysons

‘Smarter Growth’ Forum Tuesday at GMHS160 SENIORS AT Falls Church’s George Mason High School received diplomas and officially graduated at commencement

ceremonies at the D.A.R. Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. last Thursday. Here, photographer Bob Morrison captured

the moment they hurled their caps into the air to celebrate their “jobs well done,” a moment they will all remember for the

rest of their lives. For more photos and coverage of commencement speaker Michael Hoover’s remarks, see inside. (PHOTO:

BOB MORRISON, BONNIE BRIAR PRODUCTIONS LLC)

CAPPING THE HIGH SCHOOL YEARS

Corner will integrate Metro rail

and new growth to become a

ANNIVERSARY OF WEBB’S

SENATE VICTORY SHOWS

F.C. CONNECTIONS

Just a year ago, Falls Church

resident James Webb bucked

the Virginia Democratic

establishment to win the party’s

primary and the chance to be

elected a U.S. Senator.

SEE PAGE 4

IT’S GRADUATION TIME

FOR F.C. AREA SCHOOLS

Three more Falls Church area

schools graduated, with seniors

from McLean, Marshall and

George Mason Highs completing

their high school careers last

week.

SEE PAGES 22, 28 AND 36

HELEN THOMAS:

U.S. MUDDLES ALONG

IN MIDEAST

The Bush administration has a

mess on its hands in the Middle

East, due to its inept

policies in Iraq and

Palestine. As the

president continues

to muddle along, Congress and

the American people remain

incredibly mute, marking time.

SEE PAGE 10

1ST THERE WAS BRUCE,

NOW EVAN IS ALMIGHTY

“Evan Almighty,” the sequel

to the Jim Carrey hit “Bruce

Almighty,” hits theaters this

weekend with Steve Carrell

reprising his role from the first

film. Also starring Morgan

Freeman and Wanda Sykes.

SEE PAGE 38

FA L L S CH U R C H,

VI R G I N I A

•

W W W.F C N P.C O M

•FR E E

FO U N D E D

1991•

VO L. XVII

NO. 16

June 21 - 27, 2007

INSIDE THIS WEEK

With Future of Entire Region at Stake, Tysons

‘Smarter Growth’ Forum Tuesday at GMHS160 SENIORS AT Falls Church’s George Mason High School received diplomas and officially graduated at commencement

ceremonies at the D.A.R. Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. last Thursday. Here, photographer Bob Morrison captured

the moment they hurled their caps into the air to celebrate their “jobs well done,” a moment they will all remember for the

rest of their lives. For more photos and coverage of commencement speaker Michael Hoover’s remarks, see inside. (PHOTO:

BOB MORRISON, BONNIE BRIAR PRODUCTIONS LLC)

CAPPING THE HIGH SCHOOL YEARS

Out of the Area?Subscribe for

$80 a yearor

$40 for 6 months

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!!!

[email protected]

703-532-3267 450 W. Broad St., Falls Church #321

www.fcnp.com

Contact Us at

COMMENT JANUARY 28 - FeBRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGE 15FALLS CHURCH NeWS-PReSS | FCNP.COM

Senator Mary Margaret Whipple’s

Richmond Report

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Business News & Notes

Action Music Comes to Falls Church

Action Music is now located in the rear basement of Shreve McGonegal located at 212-B N. West Street. The music store previously located in Arlington has more than 250 guitars in stock and a revolving stock of used, vintage, and new-old stock instruments. They also carry a large selection of vintage amps, new effects pedals, vintage pedals, vintage speakers and hard-to-find parts. Action Music is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from noon – 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. For more information, call 703-534-4801 or visit www.actionguitar.com.

New Family Photo Studio Opens

Virginia Payne Photography has opened the Falls Church City Gallery and Studio at 105 N. Virginia Ave., Suite 100. Virginia Payne, recently listed by Family Magazine as one of the area’s best baby and children’s photographer, specializes in newborns, babies, children, families and maternity photography in and around Northern Virginia, Maryland and the greater Washington D.C. metro area. For more information, call 703-847-0005 or visit www.virginiapaynephotography.com.

FIRSTfriday Celebrates 100th Event

The 100th FIRSTfriday of Falls Church will take place at various locations on Friday, Feb. 5. The event was created by Tom Gittins of Art and Frame of Falls Church more than eight years ago to highlight local art and artists and to build the local business community. FIRSTfriday events and specials are now offered by dozens of local businesses in Falls Church. For details on FIRSTfriday art exhibits, promotions and special offers, visit www.firstfridayoffallschurch.com.

F.C. Chamber Announces New Sponsors

Atlantic Realty Companies and The Young Group have confirmed their 2010 Partner level support of the Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. Additional sponsors renewing their commitment to the Chamber this year are Gold Sponsor Diener & Associates, CPAs, Silver Sponsors Akridge Real Estate Development, William V. Dougherty, DDS, Needham Mitnick & Pollack, PLC, Original Pancake House and John Rodock/Ober|Kaler Attorneys and Bronze Sponsors Oshinsky Limited Partnership and Falls Church Animal Hospital. The Falls Church Chamber of Commerce’s sponsorship packages provide promotional and event specific benefits year-round. For more information, call 703-532-1050 or e-mail [email protected].

F.C.’s Analysis Group Among Area’s Fastest-Growing Companies

The Analysis Group, LLC, a Falls Church-based veteran-owned business special-izing in novel techniques for research, analysis, and articulation of key Department of Defense issues, was named by Washington SmartCEO magazine as a Future 50 winner for the fourth consecutive year. In partnership with Clifton Gunderson LLP, Washington SmartCEO magazine’s Future 50 program recognizes the 50 fastest-growing compa-nies within the Greater Washington area based on employee and revenue growth. The Analysis Group and the other Future 50 winners will be recognized at the Washington SmartCEO/Clifton Gunderson basketball-themed “Nothing but Net” Future 50 event, scheduled for Jan. 28 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City. For more information, visit www.tag-llc.com.

Nominations for BIE Partner of the Year Now Open

Nominations are open for the 2010 Business In Education Partner of the Year, which recognizes a Falls Church business, individual or nonprofit oganization for its longstanding partnership with the Falls Church City Public Schools. The winner will be announced at the Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce’s 2010 Awards Gala and Silent Auction March 6. Deadline for nominations is Feb. 5. Copies of the nomination form are available at www.fccps.org/bie/poy.htm.

LOCAL FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 16 | JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2010

Business News & Notes is compiled by Sally Cole, Executive Director of Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. She may be e-mailed at [email protected].

Last weekend, one of the more out of the ordinary meetings in recent memory took place out in Berkeley where some 30 people gathered to begin planning for the world’s transition from the indus-trial age to whatever is to come. They were a diverse group, com-ing from all over North America and representing an array of dis-ciplines. Most had grey hair and among them held many advanced degrees and had written stacks of books and papers.

There was, however, a com-mon thread that held them together. Not a person in the room needed to be con-vinced that the world is entering upon a great paradigm shift that will sweep away much of industrial civilization, thoughts of economic growth, and the life-styles that have grown up in the age of ubiqui-tous fossil fuels.

To the agreement of those present, speakers quickly outlined the problem. In a nutshell, the world is dangerously close to “peak everything” – oil, coal, natural gas, water, minerals, soil, phos-phorous, fish, and perhaps the most important of all, the capac-ity of the atmosphere to absorb more carbon without triggering off life-destroying phenomena. Problem two is the financial col-lapse from efforts by too many governments to spend their way out of recession. The final phe-nomenon that will force changes, is that there is no sign that man-kind is about to make the efforts required to stop spewing carbon into the already saturated atmo-sphere. Without at least some moderation, it is likely that the atmosphere eventually will have its revenge by raising global tem-peratures so much that there will be no higher forms of life left.

Absent from the meeting was any representation from our politi-cal leadership who are currently busy:1) denying there is a prob-lem; 2) trying to spend our way out of the recession; or 3) simply overcome by the pace of events and do not want to rock the boat by speaking publicly on such mat-ters before the next election.

The meeting’s organizer, a seven-year old think-tank called the Post Carbon Institute, has no

problem with this, for they know that leaders everywhere will soon enough grasp the message they don’t want to hear. Oil will run short, the financial system will collapse, or the atmosphere will do such terrible things to us, that every last person on earth will understand – our lifestyles are not sustainable and we will soon transition to some other manner of life or die off like so many species before us.

The underlying assumption of all this is that in a few decades mankind is going to be left with dwindling supplies of carbon-based fuels, land that will no longer grow sufficient food for the 7+ billion of us, oceans that

will not supply fish, dwindling water supply, and an atmosphere that is becoming increasing hos-tile to live in.

What sets the Post Carbon Institute’s efforts apart is that, unlike most, they recognize the seriousness and inevitability of the problem and are starting the search for solutions concerning what mankind can do get through a very bad era-to-come with some semblance of humanity and its cultures still intact.

This, of course, may be much more difficult than most real-ize for discussions are under-way about how many people the earth can sustain without fossil fuels and abundant fresh water, and with ravished soil and dead oceans. There are currently about 6.9 billion of us (growing at nearly 80 million a year) of which 50 percent live in cities where not much food is being grown. Some population experts think the earth’s “people carry-ing capacity” in the conditions we are about to encounter will be on the order of 1 or 2 bil-lion. Some pessimists think we should be talking a few hundred million. If this should prove the case, not many of us are going to have descendents a few centuries from now.

As they already have a pretty good idea as to what is about to happen, the Post Carbon folks are starting to look at what it will take to keep some sem-blance of humanity functioning – hence the emphasis on transi-tion. Obviously some things than are now taken completely for granted by many such as food, water, shelter, sanitation, medi-cine, public health will have to change radically.

When cheap artificial fertiliz-ers disappear the amount of food available is going to drop precip-itously as our agricultural land has become dependent on them. The end of cheap liquid fuel for transportation will make urban

and suburban life increasingly difficult.

While some lucky few can migrate closer to what will be left of food supplies, many of the 4 billion or so urban dwellers are going to be caught in that “carrying capac-ity” problem.

So what can a handful of people sit-ting around a room

in California do about all this? The short answer is to begin assembling enough information so that the rest of us can under-stand what is happening – when we come to grasp the magni-tude of the problem – and then to assemble information on how we might transition to and live in a post-carbon world. Many of the people that assembled in California know something about agriculture, ecology, biodiversity – the skills humanity will need to survive after a 200 year binge on fossil fuels.

The next step will be sen-sitizing people to the problem. Currently this is a difficult task as fossil fuels, water, and food are still relatively cheap and abundant. While those who have recently lost their jobs and can-not find work may be starting to realize there is a deeper problem, most still hope that the politi-cians can put things back the way they were. Somewhere in the future, and it may be months, years, or perhaps decades, nearly all of us will realize that life as we have known it is over forever.

Tom Whipple is a retired gov-ernment analyst and has been fol-lowing the peak oil issue for several years.

A Meeting in California

Without some modera-tion, it is likely that

the atmosphere eventually

will have its revenge. ”‘‘

NATIONALFALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM JANUARY 28 - FEbRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGE 17

T h e P e a k O i l C r i s i s

by Tom WhippleFalls Church News-Press

LOCAL FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 18 | JANUARY 28 - FEbRUARY 3, 2010

After 10 years of enduring an antiquated system, recent upgrades to the Mary Riley Styles Library Integrated Library System has made time between bookshelves a whole lot easier for patrons and librarians alike.

“Working with the new sys-tem has made operations much faster than with the old clunker,” said Mary Riley’s head of auto-mation, Lynn Stewart.

Stewart, who’s seen the library computer system evolve over the past 28 years, installed the new, $120,000 system last week, with help from City Hall technicians.

“The new program, Innovative Interfaces, Inc., or Triple-I, as we call it, is more intuitive than the system we’d used for 10 years,” Stewart said.

Employees at Mary Riley have received nine days of train-ing with the new system, with the acquisitions department yet to undergo a separate, three-day

training.Patrons have been “reason-

ably happy with the system’s self-sufficiency,” said Marshall Webster, the head of the refer-ence department. “We anticipated that people might be somewhat startled by the new interface.”

The new online catalog, Encore, “operates much like a Google search,” he said, and is far more user-friendly than before.

“Before, the system was like an old card catalog on steroids,” Marshall joked, noting that the new program allows patrons to type in a simple search of a title or author name, which Encore will recognize to conduct a more refined search.

The page of search results is sleek, sorted by relevance, with options to narrow the search by a number of fields. The item’s due date, hold requests and keywords are displayed in a neat interface, with images of the item’s front cover to the side. By clicking on the cover image, patrons can view the table of contents.

The recent switch also

improves patrons’ access to their own records and their ability to pay fines online, Stewart said. She added the library hopes to have the online payment system active by next week.

Patrons can also view their past checked out items, with the option to tailor the list.

With an ability to send over-due notices immediately upon the due date, Stewart said the new system goes hand in hand with the library’s move to go paperless.

“Before we’d send out a notice two weeks later. Now we can send an e-mail two days before the due date, one on the due date and so on,” she said.

“It’s made life a lot easier for us, too,” Stewart added. The new system allows the librarians to update and change the catalog electronically.

“When the library decided to put all of the travel guides into one section devoted to travel, I had to scan the books individu-ally, changing their call num-bers and updating the computer,”

Stewart said. “That’s completely changed. Now, tasks like that are made with a simple switch on the computer.”

However, she said the main concern is how the public will feel about the new catalog. The library is offering monthly class-es, with sessions throughout the library’s open hours, to train patrons how to maneuver within Encore. Interested patrons can

inquire at or call the library’s Reference Desk. “We recognize the changes may be disorienting, and we’re happy to offer indi-vidual tutoring,” Webster added.

Patrons can access Encore through the Mary Riley Styles web site, www.falls-church.lib.va.us, or directly by visit-ing encore.fallschurchva.gov. The library is located at 120 N. Virginia Ave. in Falls Church.

Mary Riley Styles Gets a Tech-Overby Dean EdwardsFalls Church News-Press

The Falls Church City Library Introduces New, User-Friendly Catalog

THE LIBRARY’S ENCORE SYSTEM allows patrons to easily access and navigate the large catalog from any web browser. (News-Press photo)

In a town hall meeting at the Falls Church Community Center last Saturday, State Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple and State Del. Jim Scott told constituents that they were “very discouraged” going into the “incredibly dif-ficult” budget deliberations in Richmond this month.

They noted that, faced with $4 billion in shortfalls, the new Republican Governor, Bob McDonnell, and his Republican majority in the House are ada-mantly opposed to raising any new taxes to help offset the impact on the expenditure side of the budget ledger.

“Budgets are about balanc-ing revenues and expenditures. We go through that every year. But when revenues are down as badly as they are now, it becomes incredibly difficult when one side involved in that balancing is taken away,” Whipple said.

“Gov. McDonnell says that while he won’t raise any new taxes, he won’t cut the state bud-

get for economic development because that is an investment in the state’s future,” Whipple said. “But there are other pro-grams that involve investments in the state’s future as well, such as the enormous cost sav-ings that derive from funding programs for at-risk four-year-old preschool programs. If these children can read at or above grade level by the third grade, the chances for their entire lives are enormously enhanced, and the results of the investment are immediate. We’re going to be very hard-pressed to hold onto that program,” she said. “But there are lots of ways to look at investments.”

She also made her point by citing the impact of Medicaid waivers that help keep the elderly in their homes, compared to the much higher cost of forcing them into nursing homes. Medicaid waivers that allow for early treat-ment of elderly issues such as routine podiatry care wind up sav-ing the state tens of millions, she said, noting the startling statistic that $43 million in Medicaid was

spent on amputations last year.With unemployment rising in

Virginia and in some parts of the state, as in Martinsville, over 22 percent, the effect of the state budget cuts will be to cost 10s of thousands of jobs, Scott noted. “Instead of reversing the unem-

ployment trend, we’re going backwards,” he said.

Scott said that he “doesn’t hold out much hope” for his pro-posed local option to add a half-cent to the sales tax to relieve local revenue pressures, because of the GOP’s opposition to any

new tax options and the fact that there is no evidence of a ground-well of demand for it coming out of local and regional jurisdic-tions. He noted that having the option would add $80 million in new revenues for Fairfax County alone.

FALLS CHURCH’S RICHMOND REPRESENTATIvES, Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple (left) and Del. Jim Scott, spoke at a Town Hall meeting in the F.C. Community Center last Saturday. (News-Press photo)

Whipple, Scott Paint Grim Picture in F.C. Town Hallby Nicholas F. BentonFalls Church News-Press

Local rescue teams, schools and business are raising money and offering ground-zero aid to Haiti victims following the mag-nitude 7.0 earthquake devasta-tion. The death toll estimate there rose to 150,000, said Haitian Communications Minister Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue Monday.

Fairfax County-based Virginia Task Force 1 (VATF-1), a domes-tic and international disaster response resource sponsored by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, deployed a full-fledged rescue team to Haiti Jan 13. Equipped with approxi-mately 48 tons of equipment and supplies, a team of 72 person-nel, six search and rescue canines, search and technical rescue per-sonnel, physicians, paramedics, structural engineers and others arrived in Port-au-Prince less than 24 hours after the quake hit.

A second VATF-1 search and rescue team of 42 personnel, one canine and additional equipment joined the first squad in Haiti on Jan. 14. Spokesman Dan Schmidt told the News-Press that the teams had rescued 16 people as of Monday.

The rescue work-ers are expected back in Northern Virginia Thursday, Jan. 28, at 4 p.m., when they land at Dulles International Airport. A press release said “those who wish to greet the team may begin arriving 30 minutes prior to landing and follow signage marked ‘Fairfax USAR Haiti Event.’”

Relatives of VATF-1 have asked for privacy, but Schmidt said a family support group pro-vided a teleconference between family members and their loved ones on a daily basis during their time apart.

The White House Press Office announced Wednesday that Rebecca Knerr of Chantilly would be representing her hus-band, Capt. II Joseph Knerr, in First Lady Michelle Obama’s box at the 2010 State of the Union last night. Joseph is the task force leader of VATF-1, having worked as a Fairfax County Firefighter for 15 years. He currently serves as station commander at Fairfax Fire

and Rescue Station 18.Baptist World Alliance (BWA),

headquartered in the City of Falls Church, is overseeing its own BWAid Rescue24 team serv-ing at a clinic in Port-au-Prince, where the squad arrived Jan. 17. The crew is composed of two Hungarian members and five North Carolina members of BWA, many of whom are medically trained, said BWAid Assistant to the Director Lee Hickman.

BWAid Director Paul Montacute, who communicates directly with the team via Skype, said, “They told me it was hor-rendous when they first arrived, and these were experienced rescue workers.” Updates from the team posted on BWA’s Web site report-ed they encountered “immense chaos, confusion and the terrible smell of dead bodies.”

Montacute told the News-Press Tuesday that Rescue24’s second team recently arrived on the island and that a third team is prepar-

ing to ship out. It is not yet clear when Rescue24 team members will return home. They are staying on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince at a base overseen by Global Outreach, a Christian organization that supplies resources to mis-sionaries. So far, the Falls Church BWA has raised over $200,000 for victims.

But local rescue teams aren’t the only domestic efforts reaching those abroad.

George Mason High School (GMHS) created the GMHS Haiti Relief Fund. Students have already raised $1,190, thanks to a fund-raiser held at the Flippin’ Pizza in Falls Church last Thursday.

GMHS student council mem-bers Rebecca Gomez and Yates Jordan announced at this week’s F.C. City Council meeting that donations will also be accepted next Wednesday, Feb. 3 during the student-faculty basketball game.

Raising the stakes, half a dozen teachers, including two women,

from Longfellow Middle School in Falls Church have vowed to shave their heads if students there can raise $8,000 by Feb. 15. The money will be donated to Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everyone), a U.S. health care organization with 29 medical volunteers stationed in Haiti.

Bishop Ireton High School (BIHS) in Alexandria has a sister school in Haiti, the Louverture Cleary school. Area students have been conducting mission trips there for seven years, donating $10,000 to 15,000 on average to the school annually.

“Our students have a personal connection to the kids there – they know these people personally,” said Campus Ministry Director Mary Kelly.

Bishop Ireton’s student club, Haitian Alliance, has already orga-nized fundraising efforts at bas-ketball games, drama club perfor-mances and the school’s upcom-ing Winter Ball, where students

are being asked to forgo a new dress or suit and

make a donation instead.Juniors Sarah Rupp

and Carrie Gillespie, both members of BIHS’ Haitian Alliance, were shocked by the news, having just taken a mis-sions trip to Haiti last Thanksgiving break.

“We’d just been there a few months before, so it was really scary

not knowing if the families we’d worked with were okay or not,” said Gillespie. Rupp said she immediately grew nervous for the orphanage she and others had worked at during their trip.

They’ve learned some children at Louverture Cleary were injured during the earthquake, but that no one was killed. Kelly said the sub-urban school did, however, suffer structural damage.

Rupp and Gillespie rounded up over 4,000 contacts on Facebook, where they spread the word on how to get involved. Aside from monetary donations, the students have been collecting new and used shoes of all sizes. Footwear will be collected through Feb. 15 for Shoes2Share International, a non-profit organization donating foot-wear to Haitian victims.

“The students are on fire to help,” said Kelly, who added that $8,000 has been raised thus far.

Also raising money for Haiti victims is Dogwood Tavern in

Falls Church. Manager Tamara Powell put out a collection jar in the restaurant without any high expectations.

“I thought most people would drop change in, but I was sur-prised when we started seeing bills pile up,” said Powell.

She plans to keep the jar, which has already garnered a couple of hundred dollars, out through Valentine’s Day, after which all of the money will be mailed to the American Red Cross.

“We figured people who come to the restaurant and watch the news may not know how to help. But it’s as simple as opening your pocket and emptying out your loose change into the jar, wheth-er it’s pennies or dollars,” said Powell.

Dogwood Tavern’s sister estab-lishment, Ragtime Restaurant in Arlington, will be hosting a prize raffle this Friday, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. to raise money for Partners in Health (PIH), a medical non-profit organization that aids Haiti. Prize winners will be drawn before the Alan Scott Band takes the stage around 10 p.m., with 100 percent of the proceeds benefitting PIH.

Like Dogwood, Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill on East Broad Street has also chosen the Red Cross as its charitable organiza-tion. General Manager Richard Soto said diners are able to add a donation to their receipts when they pay with a credit card. Cash donations are also accepted. The

Falls Church restaurant has raised over $800 so far from customer donations.

Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do stu-dio in Falls Church is doing its part by partnering with Medical Missionaries President Dr. Gilbert Irwin, a practicing internist in Manassas who’s been working with medical clinics in Haiti for 13 years. Medical Missionaries oversees a clinic in Thomassique, Haiti that serves 85,000 regional residents.

At the advice of Irwin, the martial arts students have each been asked to donate a care pack-age to ship to Haiti, containing bar soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste and a wash cloth. Master Chun Rhee’s goal is to involve his younger stu-dents more by asking for tangible items instead of money.

“We have a lot of kids, so typi-cally parents are the ones who’d be making financial donations. This way, it’s more in touch with something the students can par-ticipate in and understand,” said Rhee.

Locals’ Domestic Efforts Reach Haiti Earthquake Victims Abroadby Natalie BedellFalls Church News-Press

A RESCUE24 TEAM MEMBER for the Falls Church-based Baptist World Alliance treats a wounded child in Haiti following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake. (Photo: Courtesy Lee Hickman)

LOCAL JANUARY 28 - FebRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGE 19FALLS CHURCH NeWS-PReSS | FCNP.COM

They told me it was horrendous when they

first arrived, and these were experienced rescue workers. ”‘‘

more at FCNP.com

From charity yoga classes to businesses collecting care packages, find out how to help these and other local efforts offering assistance to Haiti earthquake victims by visiting www.fcnp.com.

SPORTS FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 20 | JANUARY 28 - FEbRUARY 3, 2010

Cheney, a 6-foot-7 senior and center on the boys basket-ball team, recently announced he will be enrolling in Swarthmore College in the fall to take the floor for the Garnet. It’s the cul-mination of a lengthy basketball career at Mason, one which will end in the coming months.

Cheney joined the Mustangs varsity team his sophomore year as a center, hitting the game-winning shot as time expired in Mason’s Region B, first-round 52-50 victory over Wilson Memorial High School. As a junior, he was named a member of the Second Team All-Bull Run District, a year in which he nearly averaged a double-double.

Cheney will join a blossom-ing Swarthmore program, which competes in the highly lucrative Continental Conference. Coach Lee Wimberly, who is in his 23rd year on the Garnet bench and once coached at Pomona-Pitzer

with current San Antonio Spurs leader Gregg Popovich, first saw Cheney at the Hoop Group Elite Camp, held at Albright College in Reading, Penn. What impressed Wimberly the most was Cheney’s dedication to sports and academ-ics, something the coach pin-points as a trait all Swarthmore athletes hold.

For Cheney, the mix of aca-demics and top-notch basketball made Swarthmore his choice.

“That’s the first thing, the aca-demics,” said Cheney, who plans to enter Swarthmore’s engineer-ing program. “I always wanted to use basketball to get me into a good school. Swarthmore obvi-ously isn’t a basketball power-house, but a great academic insti-tution like this allows you to have a great social life on the side but still pull in the good grades.”

Cheney and Mason still have six Bull Run District games left remaining on their schedule, but having his future all planned out has taken off some of the edge.

“I’m excited,” he said.

Mustang Jordan Cheney bound for Swarthmore

AT 6-FOOT-7, MASON’S Jordan Cheney (center) has dominated the court for the boys team. (Photo: Alex Prewitt/News-Press)

by Alex PrewittFalls Church News-Press

McLean High School’s young varsity ice hockey team beat Woodson High Friday, 8-7, to improve their season record to 5-2. The close win put the Highlanders two points behind division leader, Langley High, in the standings.

Freshman Ajmal Behsudi led the point-scorers for McLean with three goals. Sophomores

Connor Glmartin, Julian Kell and junior Tommy Borman came in with one goal and one assist each. Junior Matt Stewart and sophomore Nick Baker added two goals to the tally, and sopho-mores Maury Winter and Max Alm contributed with one assist each.

The young team’s point lead-

ers for the season thus far include Stewart with 17 points, 10 goals and seven assists; Baker with 15 points, two goals and 13 assists; Gilmartin with 13 points, eight goals and five assists; and Winter with 12 points, six goals and six assists.

McLean takes on Mountain View High this Friday, Jan. 29.

McLean Hockey Wins, 8-7, Vs. Woodson

George Mason High School’s swim team set another milestone at Saturday’s meet versus Freedom High, with six new records, 10 qualifying times posted and 31 personal best times for the swim-mers.

The successes came despite the team as a whole losing 162-120 to the Freedom High Eagles.

New state qualifiers were junior Will Doty in the 200 Free, senior Karen Hamill in the 50 Free and junior Sam Butler and senior Kelley Frank in the 100 Free.

Freshman Julia Estrada set a school record in the 500 Free, as did the boys relay team (fresh-man Lucas Cherry, senior Sam Parker, Doty and Butler) in the 200 Medley and 200 Freestyle.

Next up, the Mustangs face Broad Run High this Saturday, Jan. 30, at the Claude Moore Rec Center pool before moving on to the Dulles District Championships on Feb. 5.

This is the first year for Mason, a single-A school, in the larger Dulles District.

Mason Swimmers Break Records,10 Qualify for State Tournament

MASON STATE QUALIFYING SWIMMERS junior Will Doty (top) and senior Kelley Frank (below). (Photo: Courtesy Brian Doty)

by Dean EdwardsFalls Church News-Press

Falls Church Youth Lacrosse Club (FCYLC) announced the official opening of its registra-tion period for lacrosse teams for 2010 spring season leagues. Team slots are available for ages 5 – 15 for both boys and girls. Registration is available on the FCYLC Web site, www.fclax-club.com.

FCYLC is a 100-percent vol-unteer, non-profit organization dedicated to teaching lacrosse

to boys and girls in and around Falls Church. FCYLC has been in existence for 12 years. All FCYLC head coaches are certi-fied, undergo background checks and are experienced in teaching lacrosse. The club serves the Greater Falls Church area, and its players eventually feed into the George Mason, Falls Church and J.E.B. Stuart High School lacrosse programs. Scholarships are available for children from

families with limited financial resources.

FCYLC enrolled 160 kids and 10 teams in 2009, with team brackets from ages 7 to under 9 (U9), 9 to under 11 (U11) and 11 to under 13 (U13). In 2010, Falls Church Youth Lacrosse is open-ing registration to new teams in an under-7-year-old (U7) coed, non-contact team for youngsters, as well as a new team for boys between 13-15(U15).

The Northern Virginia Youth Lacrosse League (NVYLL) fields over 450 teams in 24 clubs.

Registrations are open through March 11, for the spring season, which begins in March.

Falls Church Lacrosse Announces Spring 2010 League Registration

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SPORTS JANUARY 28 - FebRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGE 21FALLS CHURCH NeWS-PReSS | FCNP.COM

FALLS CHURCH H.S.

The Falls Church High School boys basketball team lost to Hayfield 71-60 on Tuesday, and the girls team fell to Hayfield 71-25, despite 14 points from Cyndi Gordon. The girls defeated Stuart 44-37 last Friday, but the boys lost 66-44. The two teams return this Friday, with the boys at Yorktown at 7:45 p.m. and the girls hosting Yorktown at 7:45 p.m.

The Jaguar girls swim and dive team dominated Stuart 210-95, winning all but one event; but the boys team narrowly lost 164-151. The dive team returns to the pool on Thursday for dis-trict competition, and the swim team starts district competition on Friday with preliminaries at Washington and Lee, with the finals to follow on Saturday.

GEORGE C. MARSHALL H.S.

Behind 18 points from Theresa Hackett, the Marshall High School girls basketball team defeated South Lakes 65-61 on the road on Tuesday; but the boys basketball team lost to South Lakes 66-58, despite 21 points from Will Simonton. The boys basketball team defeated Fairfax 59-54 on Friday behind 35 points and 10 rebounds from Simonton; and the girls lost to Fairfax at home 49-47. The boys host McLean on Friday at 7:30 p.m., and the girls are next back on the court on Friday at McLean for a game at 7:30 p.m.

The swim team had a rough go of it against Madison, with the girls losing 240-75 and the boys falling 205-103. The team is now preparing for the Liberty District meet this Friday and Saturday.

The Marshall gymnastics team finished sixth at an event on Monday with 41.65 points.

J.E.B. StUARt H.S.

The Stuart High School boys basketball team defeated rival Falls Church 66-44 last Friday, steadied by 26 points from Antonio Harris. The team lost to Wakefield on Tuesday 52-38, and returns to the court at 7:45 p.m. this Friday at Edison High.

The Stuart girls basketball team fell to Wakefield 51-31, and Falls Church 44-37. Bianca

Cesaratto had 12 points against Falls Church. The team hosts Edison on Friday at 7:45 p.m.

The Stuart High wrestling team participated at the National District Duals two-day event at Hayfield last weekend. The squad participated in seven matches, with victories against Falls Church 77-0 and Wakefield 39-29. The team is at a tri-meet this Friday at West Potomac High School.

GEORGE MASON H.S.

The Mason High School boys basketball team defeated

Strasburg 59-51 at home on Friday. The Mustangs were led with 16 points from Aaron Young and Michael Wolfe, improving their record to 7-10. The team returns to action Tuesday at Madison at 7:30 p.m.

The girls hoops team host Strasburg at 7:30 p.m.

The swim team had some struggles against Freedom High, with the girls losing 162-120 and the boys falling 156-126.

Despite the lopsided team scores, the squad did set six new

McLean Girls Basketball Take Rotary Cup;Lady Statesmen Beat Seahawks, 65-61

MCLEAN’S GIRLS BASKETBALL claimed the Rotary Cup, beating Langley High, 55-34, its second cup in a row. Pictured above are McLean’s (left to right) Lauren Sutherland, Melissa Wilson, Brit-tany McCray and Caitlin Baker. (Photo: Courtesy Jennifer Baker)

Girls in grades 3 – 11 are invited to register online for the upcoming 2010 Matrix Atheltic Amateur Union (AAU) girls bas-ketball tryouts.

Tryouts will begin in mid-February and run through early March for the spring 2010 AAU season.

There are over 20 volunteer coaches on the Matrix coach-ing staff, virtually all with prior travel, AAU and high school

coaching experience.To see the 2010 Matrix

coaching staff, tryout schedule and to register their children online for tryouts, parents can visit the team’s Web site, www.MatrixBasketball.net.

For details about the Matrix program and other ques-tions, parents can also contact Matrix Basketball President Liz Reed via e-mail at [email protected].

Matrix Girls basketball AAU Plans 2010 Season Tryouts

Continued on Page 22

For the second week in a row, George Mason High School’s var-sity wrestling coach Bryan Harris spent the bus ride back from an event stressing about his team’s fate.

His Mustangs had just com-pleted the Bull Run District Duals at Madison County High School with a 1-4 record, but he was more concerned about the health of sev-eral of his starters.

The day before the Duals, 125-pound wrestler Jackson Thomas had been declared out of the lineup due to a shoulder injury, and the day prior to that Harris had received word that starting 103-pound wrestler John Glover had a concussion and was likely done for the season.

To top it off, starter Alborz Alaeddini had aggravated an old injury at the Duals and his sea-son’s fate was up in the air, too.

“These guys have worked so hard and now their season may be over just when it really matters,” said Coach Harris.

“I know they are disappointed and upset. Everyone on the team is a little shellshocked at the sudden-ness of it. Two weeks ago, the team was flying high and now they are pretty down. We don’t have any-one available to replace them, so we will enter the final week of the regular season and the postseason with holes at those spots,” Harris continued. “We all feel pretty bad for those guys.”

As to the weekend results, there may have been little for

the team as a whole to celebrate, but several individuals stood out, particularly Danny Seidita, Man-uel Veiga-Diaz and Natan Lailari. Performing well at the Duals is important because it is one of the primary methods of seeding entries in the postseason District tournament.

With a perfect 5-0 record against his district competition, Seidita has likely earned himself the number one seed in the up-coming Bull Run District (BRD) Tournament. His victories includ-ed two pins and convincing wins over Clarke’s Ben Genda, who was seventh in the state last year, and Manassas Park’s Victor Cruz, a state qualifier last year.

Veiga-Diaz overcame a 16-13 opening round loss to the state’s third-ranked Rob Wallace of Clarke County to roll through the rest of his competition. Along the way, Veiga-Diaz recorded three pins, including one in 12 seconds over Madison’s Chris McHaney, to solidify a likely number two seed in the BRD tournament.

One of the meet’s surprises was 145-pound wrestler Natan Lailari, who came away 3-2. By many accounts, his weight class was the toughest at the Duals, and Lailari’s efforts will help him get the number three seed at the Districts. Of particular note was Lailari’s win over eighth-ranked Daniel Clement of Rappahannock County.

“Natan has been improving very rapidly lately and it shows in today’s positive results,” Har-

by John PitasSpecial to the News-Press

Mason Wrestling Heads Into District Competition

MASON’S DANNY SEIDITA (TOP) works to pin his Warren County opponent in the Bull Run Districts. (Photo: Courtesy John Pitas)

Continued on Page 22

Sp o rt s R o u n d u p

team records. The Mustangs return to the pool on Saturday at Broad Run High.

MCLEAN H.S.

The McLean High School boys basketball team defeated Jefferson 48-40 on Tuesday, and the girls basketball team won 53-33 behind 11 points from Lauren Sutherland.

The Lady Highlanders beat Langley High, 55-34, Friday night to claim the Rotary Cup for the second consecutive year. Scoring was led by Melissa Waton with all 17 points in the second half.

The McLean swim and dive team had a successful meet against Stone Bridge last Friday, with the boys winning 175-111and the girls 179-107. For the boys, Charlie Putnman, Colin Fitzgibbon, Bill Kim and Ben Southern were all triple winners; and on the girls side, Margaret Harlow and Annie Springsteen each won four events and Katie Yensen won three.

The McLean gymnastics team finished third out of six teams at an event on Monday.

The team scored 110.115 points, while winner Langley scored 136.45.

Individual highlights include Abby Neuberger winning the bars exercise; and Claire Sanders finishing second in the all-around, vault and floor,

and fourth on bars. Next up for the team is the Liberty District Championships on Monday at Stone Bridge.

The wrestling team is getting ready for the Stone Bridge Duals this Saturday at Stone Bridge High.

Hoyas LossesLead to FrustrationIf I had only one word to describe the humbling 17-point loss handed to

the Georgetown Hoyas by the Syracuse Orange on Monday night, it would be this: Frustration.

It was frustrating for the Hoyas watching a 14-0 lead evaporate. It was frustrating that virtually every attempt to puncture the Orange’s 2-3 zone resulted in a turnover. It was frustrating that the few times the Hoyas man-aged to reach the rim with the ball, Syracuse’s Wesley Johnson swatted the shot away.

Simply put, it’s rather frustrating when your biggest rival is a legitimate national title contender. Now the Hoyas have a lot to work on before the Orange visit Washington for their second matchup Feb.18. And it starts with breaking down the 2-3 zone.

This year, perhaps more than any other I can recall, Syracuse features a lineup of long-armed defenders that deny passing lanes with their active, lanky arms. That alone limits the options for a teams trying to move the ball against them, isolating them to the perimeter and forcing them into taking three-pointers rather than higher percentage shots near the hoop. Now add in another degree of difficulty. Every time a pass pushes the ball to a corner or too close to the sidelines, Syracuse defenders will try to double team the ballhandler to force a turnover.

The zone is not known for its ability to force steals. That much is evident from the fact that Syracuse, who runs the 2-3 zone as well as any team in the nation, has only ranked in the top 50 for steal percentage once since 2004 (No. 31 in 2006). This season, they’re No. 2 with a mark of 15.5 percent.

Monday night, Syracuse forced 19 turnovers from Georgetown, and the Hoyas never looked comfortable breaking the zone. Part of that was person-nel. Julian Vaughn has been terrific this season, growing into a solid front-court sidekick for Greg Monroe. But his slow decision-making with the ball on Monday allowed the Orange defenders to swarm him, leading to a pair of turnovers and just two field goal attempts. Freshmen Jerrelle Benimon and Hollis Thompson seemed overmatched off the bench. And Monroe? The big man celebrated nationally for his ability to distribute the basketball to open teammates? He finished with zero assists and six turnovers before fouling out.

The second part of the Hoyas’ ineptitude against the zone was their tentative approach. Georgetown would often set up their three guards in an umbrella around the perimeter of the zone and probe it for openings. You can’t do that against this zone. If you’re slow moving the basketball, if you’re slow making decisions, it allows the defenders to get set and take away driving and passing lanes, or worse, trap the ball handler.

You have to attack this zone. You have to make it move. Make the defenders commit and then have players cutting to fill the area vacated by that defender. You can’t station players on the perimeter and expect to beat Syracuse with lob passes.

I realize I’m no basketball coach, but I sketched this out at a bar with five French fries and a cherry tomato and I can tell you this is the right approach. Don’t believe me? Let’s look at Pittsburgh then.

The Panthers are the only team to top the Orange this season. And they did it at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. Georgetown fans got a glimpse of how the Panthers pulled off their upset when the Hoyas clashed with them a week ago. Pitt’s ball movement is outrageously fast. Their passes are decisive, their drives are aggressive and they force the defense to react to them. This is what kept Georgetown off balance for most of the game. Against Syracuse, Pitt was not precise, with 18 turnovers, but they shot 44.2 percent from the floor and attempted 36 free throws. That last part is key because it usually means the defense was committing those fouls because defenders were out of position. Georgetown toed the foul line just 11 times. And before anyone mentions referee bias, two of the three officials were the same Monday as in Pitt’s upset win.

To be sure, Georgetown received Syracuse’s best effort on Monday, but the Hoyas will have to be much sharper if they hope to win the second half of the series. If they continue to pass the ball around the perimeter and don’t make their defenders move, it’s safe to predict the result will be similarly frustrating.

Mike Hume may be e-mailed at [email protected].

SPORTS JANUARY 28 - FebRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGE 22FALLS CHURCH NeWS-PReSS | FCNP.COM

P i c k i n g Sp l i n t e r sBy Mike Hume

ris said. “Clement is a well-known and highly regarded wrestler and Natan handled him very well. He has positioned himself nicely for the postseason.”

All in all, Harris said he was pleased with the efforts of his charges. Teddy Rueckert, Keiyon Tyler, Ben Tourkin, Alex Castue-ble and Mike Larcamp were 2-3 after the day but Harris said he chose to see the bright side of their efforts.

“Teddy was sick all day so he was not at his best,” he explained. “He will still be the number four seed, and with a little luck, so will the rest of the group. That will put them in a decent position in the tournament. After that, it is up to them to show they can do the job.”

“The mind set changes in the postseason,” Harris added. “Natu-rally, we want every wrestler to win it all, but in reality, the goal is to progress to the next level.

Harris said, “Everyone’s pri-mary concern is to get through the district tournament and advance to the regional tournament, and from

there to the state tournament. Each of these guys had one or two close losses, so with a couple of addi-tional weeks of work, they have a chance to do just that. No one is out of it at this point.”

Mason wraps up its regular season this coming Saturday, Jan.

30 with a home meet in the Mason Pit.

Mason will host Brooke Point, Wakefield, Potomac School and Stafford in a dual meet round robin. It will also be senior recog-nition day. Wrestling starts at 10 a.m.

Continued from Page 21

Roundup

Continued from Page 21

GM Wrestling

MCLEAN’S GYMNASTICS TEAM came in third Monday in a field of six schools, with 110.115 points. Marshall’s team came in last with 41.65. (Photo: Gary Mester)

MASON JUNIOR MIKE LARCAMP at the Bull Run District Dual Meet last week at Madison County. (Photo: Courtesy John Pitas)

FCPS School Board HoldsPublic Budget Forums

The Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) School Board invites the public to attend a spe-cial forum on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 budget. The forum will take place on Saturday, Feb. 6

from 9 a.m. – noon at George C. Marshall High School (7731 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church).

Participants will learn more about the budget, which will be submitted to the board for approv-al on Feb. 4, as well as how to involve the public in the budget process.

Local High School Student Recruited to College Team

Christine Grilliot, a standout athlete at George C. Marshall High School, has committed to play softball at the University of Mary Washington next year. Christine has been recruited as a pitcher for the 2010-2011 season.

As a member of the varsity softball team, she was named All-District 1st team and Marshall’s Most Outstanding Player Award for softball during her sophomore and junior seasons. During the 2009 season, Christine led the Lady Statesmen on the mound and also behind the plate in batting average, RBIs and total hits.

Students Face Faculty inCharity Basketball Game

The students of George Mason High School are challenging their teachers and staff at the yearly basketball game fundraiser. A halftime presentation will explain the game’s benefit, the George Mason High School Haiti Relief Fund. All proceeds go to the fund. Tickets are $3. The game takes place in the Mason “Pit” gymna-sium (7124 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church). The game starts at 7 p.m.

College Student Receives University Scholarship

Jefferson Pham of Falls Church, has been awarded merit scholarships and endowed schol-arships for the 2009-2010 aca-demic year at the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio. Pham will be a pharmacy major.

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GEORGE C. MARSHALL HIGH’S THESPIANS return to the stage this Saturday, Jan. 30, part of the Virginia High School League Liberty District One Act Play Competitions, hosted by the school (7731 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church). The Marshall cast (above) will perform “Tongues” at 4 p.m. Rival McLean High School takes the stage at 2 p.m. Admission is free, and the entire competition runs from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Photo: Courtesy Valerie KaraseK)

SHARMEEN MUSTAFA (seated, left) of Falls Church High School and Mary Hoath (seated, right) of Mt. Vernon High Schools were recipients of $10,000 In Hope Freedom Rings scholarships. The students demonstrated excellent scholarship and activity in their communities. (Photo: Courtesy Jeanine andriCosKy)

LOCAL JANUARY 28 - FebRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGE 23FALLS CHURCH NeWS-PReSS | FCNP.COM

Fa l l s C h u r c hSchool News & Notes

Thursday, January 28

‘The Miser.’ A classic comedy about the problems of investing too much value and time into money, brought to life by one of France’s renowned playwrights, Molière. Clark Street Playhouse (601 S. Clark St., Arlington). Pay-what-you-can for performances through the Saturday matinee. 8 p.m. 703-418-4808. www.washingtonshakespeare.org.

saTurday, January 30

‘Rockapella: Live in Concert.’ This five-man a cappella powerhouse thrilled audiences when they last appeared at the Center. Of “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” fame, Rocka-

pella returns with their welcoming humor, style and artistry; their amazing and innovative “vocal percussion”; and their winning combina-tion of soul, rock, R&B and jazz. George Mason Center for Arts (4400 University Dr., Fairfax). 2 – 8 p.m. Tickets are $42, $34, $21. Youth through grade 12 half price when accompanied by an adult. Charge by phone at 888-945-2468 or visit cfa.gmu.edu.

VHSL One Act Play Competitions. Falls Church area high schools will be competing in the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Liberty District One Act Play competition. All eight district schools will be performing throughout the day, with McLean High School at 2 p.m. and George C. Marshall at 4 p.m. George C. Marshall High School Auditorium (7731 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church). Free. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

sunday, January 31

‘Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan.’ The company blends Asian folklore with modern dance, performing “Moon Water,.” The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (2700 F. St. NW Washington, D.C.). 8 p.m. Tickets range from $22 – 65. 202-467-4600.

MOnday, FEBruary 1

‘Antony and Cleopatra.’ Synetic Theater presents a wordless production of Shakespeare’s geopolitical tale. Shakespeare Theatre Company – Lansburgh Theater (450 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C.). 8 p.m. Tickets range from $45 – 55. 202-547-1122. www.synetictheatre.org.

Community EventsSend community event submissions to the News-Press by e-mail at [email protected]; fax 703-532-3396; or by regular mail to 450 West Broad Street #321, Falls Church, VA 22046. Please include any photos or artwork with submissions. Deadline is Monday at noon for each week’s edition.

&Theater Fine Arts

Thursday, January 28

dialogues in Mexican Photography. Photos from the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City and a selection of five contemporary photographers in Mexico. Cultural Institute of Mexico (2829 16th St. NW Washington, D.C.). Free. 10 a.m. — 4 p.m. 202-728-1628.

noland’s Bath & Idea Center Grand Opening. Don’t miss this red carpet opportunity to welcome Noland’s new Bath & Idea Center. Noland’s (6607 Wilson Blvd., Falls Church) 4:30 — 7 p.m. 703-241-2371 or [email protected].

Rotary Club Meeting. Ed Grandi, Executive Director of the American Sleep Apnea Association, will speak about the problems and symptoms of Sleep Apnea at the Falls Church Rotary Club’s dinner meeting. Harvest Moon Restauarant (7260 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). Dinner is $11. Visitors are welcome. 6:30 p.m.

FrIday, January 29

World Hunger Benefit Concert. Columbia Baptist hosts bluesgrass bands to make some music and raise funds for Columbia’s Spend Yourself for World Hunger Fund.

Performances by King Street Bluegrass Band, Andrew Acosta and the New Old-Time String Band with Speedy Tolliver. Columbia Baptist Church (103 W. Columbia St., Falls Church). Free. 7:30 p.m. www.spend-yourself.org.

saTurday, January 30

Cooking up romance. Men learn how to cook a romantic meal for your sweetheart just in time for Valentine’s Day. Art and Soul Executive Chef Travis Timberlake will be teaching a class. Art and Soul (415 New Jersey Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.). $50. Noon — 2 p.m. 202-393-7777.

sunday, January 31

author discussion & signing. Kyoko Mori will be discussing and signing her new memoir “Yarn: Remembering the Way Home.” Politics and Prose Bookstore (5015 Connecticut Ave. NW Washington, D.C.). Free. 5 p.m.

MOnday, FEBruary 1

Juried arts showcase. The exhibit showcases “wet” or “dry” photos by members of the Multiple Exposures

Gallery. Torpedo Factory Art Center (105 N. Union St., Alexandria). Free. 11 a.m — 5 p.m. 703-838-4565.

Haiti Relief Fundraiser. Come out and do your part to help fund raise for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Haitian music sets the scene for this soiree at the Alliance Francaise. Donations go directly to Doctors Without Borders. Alliance Francaise de Washington (2142 Wyoming Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.). $25 donation. 6:30 p.m. — 8:30 p.m. 202-234-7911.

TuEsday, FEBruary 2

Learning the Craft. Learn to make your own bias binding for your clothes, home decorator projects and quilts. G Street Fabrics Store. Falls Church Sew and Go (6250 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church) Open to the public. 7 — 8:45 p.m. Marjie Curia. 703-256-5610. [email protected].

Navigating Herbs. Learn about growing and using herbs from Jo Sellers, Landscape Design Critic and member of the Herb Society at the Falls Church Garden Club. Falls Church Community Center (223 Little Falls St., Falls Church). Free. 7:30 p.m. 703-248-5077.

WEdnEsday, FEBruary 3

The Art of Jewelry. Part of the “Gals in the Gallery” series, JJ Singh leads this workshop on the art of jewelry. Reservations are limited to 60. McLean Project for the Arts (1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean). Suggested donations $10. 703-790-1950. www.mpaart.org.

GMhs students Vs. Faculty Basketball. The students of George Mason High School (GMHS) challenge their teachers and staff. All proceeds will benefit the George Mason High School Haiti Relief Fund. George Mason High School (7124 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church). $3. 7 p.m. 703-248-5500.

Thursday, FEBruary 4

Open houses. Corpus Christi School, pre-K – 8th grade, and a 2008 Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, invites parents to explore the school’s elementary campus (3301 Glen Carlyn Rd., Falls Church) and early childhood campus (7506 St. Philips Ct., Falls Church). Free. 6 – 8 p.m. 703-820-7450 ext. 10. www.corpuschristischool.org.

CALENDAR FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 24 | JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2010

live_music&nightlife

Calendar SubmissionsBe sure to include time, location, cost of admission, contact person and any other pertinent information. Event listings will be edited for content and space limitations. Please include any photos or artwork with submissions. Deadline is Monday at noon for the current week’s edition.

Email: [email protected]

Fax: 703-342-0347; Attn: FCNP Calendar

Mail: 450 West Broad Street, #321, Falls Church, VA 22046

Planning Ahead...Saturday, Feb. 6 – Young at Heart. The City of Fairfax’s Senior Center hosts its annual

spaghetti dinner fundraiser, open to everyone, including walk-ins. City of Fairfax Senior Center Cafeteria (4401 Sideburn Rd., Fairfax). Pre-purchased tickets are $7 per adult, $6 per student/senior, $5 per child under 10, and free for children under two. Make checks payable to “The Young at Heart.” 703-359-2487.

Saturday, Feb. 6 – Chocolate Lovers Festival. Fairfax’s annual Chocolate Lovers Festival returns this year with a number of fancy treats to sample and purchase from vendors, while viewing art and entertainment where chocolate is the muse. Old Town Fairfax (Main Street and University Drive, Fairfax). 703-385-1561. www.chocolatefestival.net.

It’s not clear yet just how much snow will get dumped on us Saturday, but if you want to get out of the house, but remain in one cozy location where you can pig out on live hoops all day, then the Verizon Center’s basketball

doubleheader is for you. The fun begins when Duke and Georgetown square off in what will undoubtedly be a rousing men’s college game at noon, and continues when the NBA’s Knicks and Wizards tip off at 8 p.m. If you go for both, you’ll naturally have to exit the premises between games, which means you won’t get to see how they change all the logos on the hardwood floor. But you can hang out in the Green Turtle, in the same building, or in Clyde’s, or in a Japanese or Thai restaurant, or Louie’s sports bar, go bowling, or maybe drop into the Regal Cinemas for one of a dozen movie offerings, all options connected inside, without having to go into the snow. Tickets could be a prob-lem for the sold-out Duke-G-town game, but it’s not the best of seasons for either the Knicks or Wizards, so there will plenty of good seats for sale at the ticket office for that one. Good luck on getting home after all that!

What: Basketball DoubleheaderWhen: Saturday, January 30, starting at noonWhere: Verizon Center, 601 F Street NW, Washington, DC

See ticketmaster.com or stubhub.com for tickets

THURSDAY, JAnUARY 28

Songwriters Association of Wash-ington. Bangkok Blues (926 W. Broad St., Falls Church). $5. 7 p.m. 703-534-0095.

1964: The Tribute. Birchmere Music Hall (3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexan-dria). $35. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500.

Charlie Mars. With Danni Rosner. Seated show. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15. 8 p.m. 703-255-1566.

Haiti Aid Concert. Performances by Wes Tucker, Adrian Hardkor, Alex the Red Parez and more. Iota Club and Café (2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). Donations encouraged. 8 p.m. 703-522-8340.

Breakups. With The Scotch Bonnets. Black Cat (1811 14th St. NW, Wash-ington, D.C.). $8. 9 p.m. 202-667-4490.

FRiDAY, JAnUARY 29

Cravin’ Dogs. Bangkok Blues (926 W. Broad St., Falls Church). $7, includes later show. 7 p.m. 703-534-0095.

The Kennedys. With Maura Kennedy’s solo release. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $18. 7 p.m. 703-255-1566.

Shawn Mullins. With Justin Trawick. Birchmere Music Hall (3701 Mt.

Vernon Ave., Alexandria). $35. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500.

Cowboy Mouth. With Junior Brown. 9:30 Club (815 V St. NW, Washington, D.C.). $25. 8 p.m. 202-265-0930.

Ben Sollee. With Carie Rodriguez. Iota Club and Café (2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). $15. 9 p.m. 703-522-8340.

HOMO/SOniC. Alternative/queer dance party. Black Cat (1811 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C.). $10. 9 p.m. 202-667-4490.

King Soul. Bangkok Blues (926 W. Broad St., Falls Church). $7, includes earlier show. 10 p.m. 703-534-0095.

The Loud Tour. Featuring Frayz, Whitefolkz, Dia, Tese Fever, Rated R, E-Skillz, K-Beta and more. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15. 10 p.m. 703-255-1566.

SATURDAY, JAnUARY 30

Jimmy Lee. Bangkok Blues (926 W. Broad St., Falls Church). $7, includes later show. 7 p.m. 703-534-0095.

Suzanne Westenhoefer. Birchmere Music Hall (3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria). $45. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500.

WP Presents Tea Leaf Green. With Elmwood. 9:30 Club (815 V St. NW, Washington, D.C.). $17. 8 p.m. 202-265-0930.

Exit Clov. With Olivia Mancini, Poor But Sexy. Iota Club and Café (2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). $12. 9 p.m. 703-522-8340.

Cryfest Dance Party. The Cure vs. The Smiths music provided by DJs Steve EP, Killa K and Krasty McNasty. Black Cat (1811 14th St. NW, Wash-ington, D.C.). $10. 9 p.m. 202-667-4490.

The Legwarmers. The State The-atre (220 N. Washington St., Falls Church). $16. 9 p.m. 703-237-0300.

Jelly Roll Mortals. Bangkok Blues (926 W. Broad St., Falls Church). $7, includes earlier show. 10 p.m. 703-534-0095.

SUnDAY, JAnUARY 31

Chips For Chips Fundraiser. Bang-kok Blues (926 W. Broad St., Falls Church). Free. 1 – 6 p.m. 703-534-0095.

Blues Jam. With Hot Rods and Old Gas and Hot Roddess Lisa Lim. Bang-kok Blues (926 W. Broad St., Falls Church). Free. 6 p.m. 703-534-0095.

David Sanborn. Birchmere Music Hall (3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria). $45. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500.

Those Darlins. With Pine Hill Haints. Black Cat (1811 14th St. NW, Wash-ington, D.C.). $10. 9 p.m. 202-667-4490.

MOnDAY, FEBRUARY 1

Austin Powers: international Man of Mystery. Monday Movie Night. Ages 18+. The State Theatre (220 N. Washington St., Falls Church). $3. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., movie starts at 7:30 p.m. 703-237-0300.

Dale Watson. With Justin Jones. Iota Club and Café (2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). $15. 8 p.m. 703-522-8340.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2

Josh Rouse. Birchmere Music Hall (3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria). $25. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500.

Girls Rock! with ivy Rose. With Mad Brenda, The Shields Brothers Band. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $10. 8 p.m. 703-255-1566.

Givers. With Deutschmarks. Black Cat (1811 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C.). $10. 9 p.m. 202-667-4490.

WEDnESDAY, FEBRUARY 3

Open Mic night. With special perfor-mance by Todd, Rich and James (of Brother Shamus). Iota Club and Café (2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). Free. 8 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. Special perfor-mance at 9:30 p.m. 703-522-8340.

CALENDAR JANUARY 28 - FebRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGE 25FALLS CHURCH NeWS-PReSS | FCNP.COM

Art Gallery Nuptials“Till Death Do Us Part,”

at the Longview Gallery (1234 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C.). The exhibit runs from Feb. 5 – March 1. The opening reception for this art show will also feature the actual wedding of two well-known D.C. artists, Matt Sesow (www.sesow.com) and Dana Ellyn (www.danaellyn.com).

There’s no telling how crazy this one will get, but you’ll just have to find out. To join in the fun, send an RSVP to [email protected].

Coveted SanctuaryVisiting Artists Program,

at the Torpedo Factory (105 N. Union St., Alexandria). The appli-cation deadline is Feb. 28. For complete details and application forms, visit www.torpedofactory.org/vap.

There is no application fee, but artists will be required to cover the nominal rental fee for studio space.

The juror for this pilot program will be the director of American University’s Katzen Center, Jack Rasmussen. Studio spaces will be

available for one to three months between June 1 – Aug. 31.

With some inside knowledge here, I can tell you applicants better bring their A-game in a big, big way on this one. The Torpedo Factory has set a course to break loose of their somewhat staid reputation. Having been one of the participants in the critique and ideation process, we can only say it’s good to see it all coming to fruition.

Several prime ground-floor studio spaces are being vacated for this period (one of which is right next to the front door), and will be occupied by the selected artists.

The call for applications is going out to just about every art-ist within a several state radi-us. Competition for slots should be tougher than titanium, and Rasmussen is no push over. Anybody thinking this is all about safe decorator art, guess again: the principals involved are digging as hard as they possibly can to find fresh blood, and fresh thinking. This is a fabulous opportunity for any artist.

Neon & StyrofoamJoseph Barbaccia / Craig

Kraft / Judy Southerland in Focus Exhibitions, at the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) (12001 Market St., Suite 103, Reston). The exhibit runs through Feb. 20. The gal-lery is open 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Tuesday – Saturday. For more details, call 703-471-9242 or visit www.restonarts.org.

Barbaccia shows another round of sequin-encrusted Styrofoam shapes. One of the finalists in the 2008 Trawick Prize competi-tion, he’s also coming off a recent solo show at Neptune Gallery in Bethesda.

In general, Barbaccia sculpts Styrofoam shapes, which he cov-ers with sequins secured with stainless steel push pins. The effect reminds one of Judith Leiber’s

whimsical handbags. Mind you, Leiber’s bags are largely kitsch evening wear accessories for the uber-wealthy. Barbaccia is after a more sober, yet quite decorative end-product.

These seven sculptures called “Currents” deal with forms we associate with sea creatures.

A six-tentacle octopus-like form titled “Praise” may be the most successful. The textured pattern design of its sequins gives the finished work a visually seamless covering, allowing us to see beyond the surface decora-tion and tedious work. Only then are we able to take the work in as a unified marriage of form and color.

Neon Artist Craig Kraft is the one responsible for the giant neon “X” sculpture on the facade of the Arlington Arts Center.

Kraft’s three blue neon works here – argon with a mercury kick-

er if you want to be specific – are based on doodles Kraft did while on the phone, or otherwise engaged.

As such, they are nonsensical designs, aside from any subcon-scious reasoning that may have entered the artist’s process.

The largest piece, titled “Unintentional Drawing I,” incorporates words, numbers and quickly scrawled looping shapes. The final work has a graffiti-esque air about it. We linger over the semi-legible words, and find some order in the 1-2-3 notations at the lower right. While the final piece doesn’t have any grand message per se, the entertaining complexity of shapes, vectors, and notations hold the viewer’s attention. In the end, we’re com-fortable letting the central word, “dream,” hold sway.

This piece also has a clear Plexiglas backing that allows the viewer to safely see the flicker-ing business end of this 240,000 volt monster. Like a glass-backed watch, the novice can find just as much entertainment in the seem-ingly abstract workings as the fin-ished facade.

Finally, Judy Southerland is a Corcoran instructor whose work was last seen at McLean Project for the Arts in their 2009 edition of the Strictly Painting biennial. Her print and painting work here continue her figurative depictions.

The Northern Virginia Art Beat is compiled by Kevin Mellema. See www.fcnp.com for photos and more. To e-mail submissions, send them to [email protected].

“TILL DEATH DO US PART,” oil on canvas, by Dana Ellyn, now on display at the Longview Gallery.

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 28 | JANUARY 28 - FEbRUARY 3, 2010

N o rt h e r n Vi r g i n i a

Art Beat

“UNINTENTIONAL DRAWING I,” by neon artist Craig Kraft, uses neon lighting in intricate graffiti-esque patterns which can also be viewed from behind the Plexiglas.

“PRAISE,” ONE OF BARBACCIA’S sea-themed Styrofoam molds, in this case, a six-tentacled octopus-like creature.

Carrie Rodriguez is a bit of a dabbler.Perhaps it was a little bit of an adolescent

backlash from her early years performing classical musical, or as she puts it, “trying to recreate something that was written 300 years ago down to the exact phrasing and bowing dynamics.” Perhaps its a more ingrained aver-sion to staying static, as demonstrated by her

refusal to take part in “nap time” as an elemen-tary school student. Instead of sleeping away the day, she wandered into a nearby classroom where students were learning the violin, her first introduction to the instrument for which she would be celebrated as one of the country/blues scene’s top fiddle players.

“I was so focused on classical violin for the first part of my life, and in that medium, the whole goal is to play it as perfectly as you can,” Rodriguez says. “I think that’s a beautiful

art form, but it was restrictive to me creatively. When I started branching out into other styles, I think that’s when music started becoming really exciting for me.”

Her career blossomed in turn. She was recruited as a sideman from a live show at the South by Southwest Music Festival by Chip Taylor, who originally penned classics “Wild Thing” and “Angel of the Morning.” She later collaborated and toured with country/folk/rock artist Lucinda Williams.

Today that early inclination for new excite-ment is evident in her upcoming release, Love and Circumstance, a collection of cover tunes ranging from songs played by her father and great aunt, Eva Garza, to artists like Townes Van Zandt and her aforementioned touring partner Lucinda Williams.

Exhibiting a wide variety of her influences, Rodriguez puts her own spin on the selections, not content to simply leave them as they were.

“It’s been a matter of taking them and try-ing to make them my own,” Rodriguez says. “I like to play the song enough until I forget that I didn’t write it.”

The album is her third LP, following the release of She Ain’t Me in August of 2008. That record consisted of a collection of co-written songs that all tended to defy genre-specific labels, but were linked by Rodriguez’s smol-dering and easy-to-fall-for vocals and feisty fiddle-playing.

“I’ve done a lot of co-writing, which suits me because I love playing with other musi-cians and I love the back and forth and seeing how someone else does it,” Rodriguez says of her previous work. “ I love adding what I’ve got to what they’ve got and getting something even better. I’d say I’ve done more of that than anything else.”

She continues to embrace the ability to play in various musical circles, even if it may be preventing her from pinning down a sound that she feels is distinctly her own. In fact, she’d be just fine if she never found it.

“I love the process of creating music and I hope I never finally arrive as one thing that is ‘Carrie Rodriguez,’” she says. “I get excited when I find a new arrangement for one of my songs I’ve been playing for five or six years. I hope I’ll be able to do that for the rest of my life. Limiting what I do to a specific sound or genre isn’t quite as exciting to me.”

• Carrie Rodriguez performs at IOTA Club & Cafe Jan. 29. For more on her music and her constantly evolving career, visit www.car-rierodriguez.com.

This week, the FCNP crew cured their musical munchies with these fixes:

Nicholas Benton - White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane

Jody Fellows - Rad Omen by Rad Anthem

Natalie Bedell - Your Love’s A Drug by Leighton Meester

Dean Edwards - Like a Drug by Kylie Minogue

Jan28

Charlie MarsJammin’ Java

8 p.m.227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna

703-255-1566 • jamminjava.com

Carrie RodriguezIota Club & Café

9 p.m.2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington

703-522-8340 • iotaclubandcafe.com

Feb1

Gulley Jimson

QuartetGalaxy Hut

9 p.m.2711 Wilson Blvd., Arlington

703-525-8646 • galaxyhut.com

2Josh Rouse

Birchmere9 p.m.

3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria

703-549-7500 • birchmere.com

by Mike HumeFalls Church News-Press

Thursday

Monday

Carrie rodriguez (Photo: Sarah WilSon)

Tuesday

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT JANUARY 28 - FebRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGE 29FALLS CHURCH NeWS-PReSS | FCNP.COM

Bamian Restaurant in Falls Church offers some of the most traditional Afghan food without diners having to book a flight. The entreés are filled with flavor and a vari-ety of spices, making Bamian the perfect place for guests who are looking to stir up their taste buds.

The elegantly appointed dining area is decorated with chandeliers on the high ceilings and is equipped with a row of closed off seating as well as open seating in the dining room for those who are celebrating a special occasion with friends and family.

Diners should start their meal at Bamian by trying one of its traditional appetizers such as the Mantu ($4.50), a dumpling filled with ground beef and served with spicy chutney sauce. This melt-in-your-mouth traditional-style dumpling will be sure to tickle any guest’s taste buds. The spicy chutney sauce adds an extra kick to the flavor of the ground beef.

Customers looking for variety should aim for the popular Kabob platter ($14.95 lunch, $17.95 dinner). It includes three skewers of meat, which consist of chicken, a ground beef patty and lamb. This dish might seem a bit pricey, but it’s well worth it. With its generous portions large enough to split between people. Other popular kabob entreés include the Kabob Murgh ($10.95 lunch, $12.95 dinner), pieces of boneless chicken marinated in special herbs and spices, and broiled on a skewer.

Kabob platters are prepared only with hilal meat (meat that is permissible to eat according to Islamic Law) and range from boneless chicken to tender lamb. All kabob entreés are served with rice and tradi-tional Afghan bread, made fresh everyday in the kitchen.

Restaurateurs looking for something a little less filling might want to try the Palau ($9.95 lunch, $11.95 dinner). This entrée includes seasoned tender pieces of lamb atop a mound of saffron rice, served with meatball sauce. Bamian also offers variations of this dish with different meats and spices.

Alternatives to meat dishes include the Vegetarian Rice Platter ($10.95 lunch, $12.95 dinner). This combination of sautéed pumpkin, stir-fried spinach and eggplant is served with seasoned rice. It will be sure to satisfy vegetarians and meat eaters alike. Picky eaters should keep in mind that Bamian has something for everyone, including a kids’ menu, complete with burgers and chicken nuggets.

Don’t forget to save room for a little something extra. This writer recommends finishing off the evening with traditional Jelabi ($4.20), a candy-like desert made with wheat flour, sugar, corn oil, egg and coated with honey. This delicate treat will be sure to leave any sweet tooth satisfied and wanting more.

Patrons can come in on weekends and enjoy live music while they dine. This mix of eclectic tones are perfect for those looking to get their energy pumping before a night out on the town.

Diners will be sure to leave Bamian having scored authentic, home cooked Afghan food, right in their back yard.

The restaurant also offers a dance floor and stage ideal for private parties ranging from corporate events to wedding receptions. Live entertainment is also easily accommodated.

— Fizah Malik

Hours: Open Daily 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Restaurant SpotlightBamian Restaurant5634 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VAbamianrestaurant.com • 703-820-7880

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FOOD&DINING FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 30 | JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2010

JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGE 31FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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One of my favorite poker shows on television is Poker After Dark. I remember a great PAD match that featured well-known Danish poker pro Gus Hansen and The Girls – that is, Clonie Gowen, Erica Schoenberg, Vanessa Rousso, J.J. Liu and Beth Shak.

With the blinds at $100/$200, Beth Shak opened for $600 under the gun with A-J offsuit. Erica Schoenberg called from second position with 9c-8c and everyone else folded.

The flop came Q-Q-8 and Shak bet out $1,200. Schoenberg called immediately.

A five hit on the turn and Shak fired out a $2,500 bet. This time, Schoenberg took some time before eventually making the call.

The river card was a nine. Shak quickly shoved $5,000 into the middle. Schoenberg assessed the situation, let out a sigh, and finally folded her hand.

Let’s break down this hand.Shak’s first-position opening

bet of $600 was the standard play.Schoenberg’s second-position

call with 9c-8c wasn’t necessarily a bad play but I would have fold-ed in this situation. Why? Well, first off, she was in bad position. If any of the four remaining play-ers had reraised before the flop, she would have been forced to

fold her hand. Also, deciding to play a hand like 9-8 puts pressure on your reading ability. If the flop comes 10-8-2 or Q-Q-8, you have to decide whether your hand is winnable or not.

I like Shak’s $1,200 bet on the flop. It was aggressive and gave her a chance to win the pot right there if Schoenberg calls with a hand like A-10 or K-J. And it gives her a chance to win the pot with the worst hand, too, if Schoenberg is playing a small pocket pair.

Schoenberg’s $1,200 call was the natural play.

On the turn, Shak really stepped up her playing aggres-sion. Beth’s $2,500 bet was a pure bluff! She probably sensed that Schoenberg had the best hand at the time but also must have realized that Schoenberg wasn’t that strong, either. All in all, that was a good situation to attempt a bluff.

And though I do like Shak’s bet, I probably would have just given up and checked. But Shak’s bet gets the nod because it enabled her to fire the $5,000 third bullet bluff bet on the river.

Schoenberg’s $2,500 call on the turn was standard.

Now, Shak’s $5,000 bet on the river was a great play albeit a bit too risky for my taste. It’s

just so rare to see a player with the courage to bluff three times in one hand.

Beth Shak has guts!I don’t mind Schoenberg’s

fold on the river. She either thought that Shak indeed had bluffed three times, or had a pocket pair higher than eights, or that the nine on the river had improved her hand, or she had three queens.

Over the years, much has been written about the ability to fire the mythical third bullet on a bluff. That, in fact, is one of the traits that separated the late, great poker pro Stu Ungar from the rest of us mere mortals.

Most sane poker pros (me included) are simply too timid to fire the third bullet. It’s tough to do when you just know you’re going to get called. So why risk your chips in a hopeless situa-tion?

Look, this hand wasn’t played during the WSOP Main Event but you still have to give Beth Shak credit for playing so courageous-ly on Poker After Dark.

Firing out three bullets on a bluff – wow!

Learn more about Phil Hellmuth at www.PhilHellmuth.com and www.PokerBrat.com. © 2009 Card Shark Media. All rights reserved.

2006 PradoRey RobleIf, like us, you break with tradition when it comes to drink-

ing sherry with tapas, or if you’re just in the mood to experi-ment, we suggest a bold and lively Spanish red as an alternative. A fine place to start would be with the 2006 PradoRey Roble (about $12 at wine shops), a blend of 95 percent tinto fino

(a tempranillo alias) abetted by dashes of cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

This charmer begins with a heady aroma compounded of mellow leather and roses and segues into a smooth and soft fruit-forward palate with plenty of complexity. Flavors of blackberry, chocolate and a bit of bramble lead off, followed by nuances of plum (John thinks it’s thundercloud plum, but Colette thinks he’s pushing it), vanilla and a faint whiff of coffee. It finishes medium long and medium dry, making it perfect for quaffing with a variety of small plates involving anything from cheeses to red and white meats to sea-food.

The wines of PradoRey come from the Real Sitio de Ventosilla estate in Spain’s Ribera del Duero appellation, where the tem-pranillo grape reigns supreme and goes by its tinto fino handle. Vintage estate bottlings can fetch prices as high as the mid hun-dreds, but for everyday sipping and pairing with tapas, this mod-estly priced gem is just right.

Colette Bancroft is the New York Times’ book editor, and John Bancroft is a freelancer specializing in food, wine and travel.

Poker After Dark with The Girls

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 32 | JANUARY 28 - FEbRUARY 3, 2010

Wine of the Week

By Colette & John BancroftNew York Times

ACROSS1. Clothing lines5. When flowers bloom: Abbr.8. “If ____ broke ...”14. Sector15. Lac contents16. Tenant17. Investigative journalist’s output19. Only planet named after a fig-ure in Greek mythology20. Comparatively noisy21. They’re not wealthy23. San Francisco’s ____ Hill25. Commuter’s choice26. TLC VIP31. Bank holdings: Abbr.36. “The Neverending Story” author Michael37. Ewe said it38. F equivalent39. Medical sch. class40. Sports bar amenity42. R&B singer India.____43. 2006 Owen Wilson title role45. Piggy46. Film composer Nino47. Located48. “Va-va-voom!” recipient50. ____ few rounds52. CPR provider53. Health scare in 2009 news58. Carousing63. Outfielder Minnie64. Scientific name for 53-Across ...

and this puzzle’s theme66. Gridiron play also called a sweep67. Iron ____68. 1930s migrant69. Fly the coop70. Horse course71. John Kerry and others: Abbr.

DOwn1. “That’s a good one!”2. Times on the History Channel3. “Wordplay” star Reagle4. ____-masochist5. React to a slap, perhaps6. Pussy foot?7. Hurry8. Message on a Valentine candy9. Mrs. John Kerry and others10. Straight ____ arrow11. “Ignorance ____ excuse”12. Unaligned: Abbr.13. Julia’s role in “Ocean’s Eleven”18. Longtime Georgia senator Sam22. Gent on a cent24. Bric-a-____26. Flip decision?27. Ho-hum feeling28. Conform29. Raison ____30. “____ say ...”32. Kind of school33. Chocolate substitute34. Shopworn

35. Asparagus piece38. Like some bets41. Lug44. Moves gradually closer48. Actor Linden49. Magazine founder Eric51. “Six ____ ...”53. Disney pirate, 195354. Prevails55. Where the Capitol Bldg. is56. “A Doll’s House” wife57. “This doesn’t look good”59. 2010 y 2011, por ejemplo60. Wisecrack61. Has ____ with62. Pop music’s Bee ____65. “... good witch ____ bad witch?”

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16

17 18 19

20 21 22

23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

36 37 38

39 40 41 42

43 44 45 46

47 48 49

50 51 52

53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62

63 64 65

66 67 68

69 70 71

Across 1. Clothing lines

5. When flowers bloom: Abbr.

8. "If ____ broke ..."

14. Sector

15. Lac contents

16. Tenant

17. Investigative journalist's output

19. Only planet named after a figure in Greek mythology

20. Comparatively noisy

21. They're not wealthy

23. San Francisco's ____ Hill

25. Commuter's choice

26. TLC VIP

31. Bank holdings: Abbr.

36. "The Neverending Story" author Michael

37. Ewe said it

38. F equivalent

© 2010 David Levinson Wilk

crossworD By David Levinson Wilk

V L A S I C A S S A S S I NO O M P A H S T E P O N T OL O U I S A M A Y A L C O T TT I L T C U P W O KS E E P H I J A M F O P

S H I R L E Y B O O T HI N B E D O T S N O T ON O U N S R N S S A T O NA F R O S A G E I E I OW A R R E N B U R G E RE T S L E E I L K A F L

E L E A D O E C U AG R O V E R C L E V E L A N DM A R I N A R A E M E R G EA S B E S T O S D O V E I N

THE QUIGMANS BuDDy Hickerson

Last Thursday’s Solution

SOLUTION TO LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE

Complete the gridso each row, column and 3-by-3 box(in bold borders)contains everydigit, 1 to 9.For strategies onhow to solveSudoku, visitwww.sudoku.org.uk

© 2010 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.

1/31/10

Level: 1 2 3 4

NICK KNACK

© 2010 n.F. Benton

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT JANUARY 28 - FebRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGE 33FALLS CHURCH NeWS-PReSS | FCNP.COM

CrosswordBy David Levinson Wilk

Help Wanted

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For Rent

4 BR HOME with 3 baths in Falls Church City. Available Feb 1. $3,000. 703-863-9998.

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ROOM W/ SHARED BA and kitchen. pool, sauna, 24 hour security, includes utilities, 5 minutes from Tyson’s $600. Call 703-798-4743

Services

BATHTUB AND TILE Reglaz-ing. All Types of Repairs: Dents, Rust, Leaks, Change Color, Re-grout, Recaulk, etc. We Use the Best Equipment! Free Estimates! 703-932-0213;Email [email protected]

CHARLES JENKINS TREE Service - Seasoned firewood delivered by the cord. 703-830-2654; 571-287-1086. Quick ser-vice. Reasonable rates. Licensed & Insured.

CHILD CARE Experienced childcare provider provides quality care for your infant in F.C. home. (703) 241-0605.

HANDYMAN SERVICES: Flat screen TV mounting, Crown Moulding, Carpentry, Rotted Wood repairs, Drywall Repairs, Caulking, Power Washing, Leaky Faucets and Toilets, Disposals, Sump Pumps, Light-ing and minor Electrical and more. Your Handyman LLC, Call Pete: 571-243-6726

HOUSE CLEANING SERVICE Avail-able 7 days a week. Week, biweekly, monthly or one time. Good references in Falls Church City. 10 years experience. For further information call me at 703-901-0596. Senior discount, Ask: Susy.

HOUSE CLEANING SERVICES: Maids, Window Washing, Power Washing, Carpet Steam Cleaning. Great References in Falls Church; Free Estimates. Email [email protected] or call 703-932-0214

Public Notice

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGCITY OF FALLS CHURCH,

VIRGINIA

Resolution (TR10-09) was given first read-ing by City Council on January 11, 2010. Ordinances (TO10-03) and (TO10-04) were given first reading by City Council at the continuation of its meeting on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. All three items were referred to the Planning Commission and other boards and commissions for recom-mendations.

Listed below is the schedule for public hear-ings and action for each item:

(TR10-09) Resolution To Grant A Special Exception For Residential Development Within Mixed Use Projects Under Section 48-90 In A B-2, Central Business District On .64 Acres Of Land Located At 350 South Washington Street [FCHC Wilden]February 1, 2010 - Planning Commis-sion public hearing - 7:45 p.m.; Council ChambersFebruary 16, 2010 - Planning Commis-sion public hearing - 7:45 p.m.; Council ChambersFebruary 22, 2010 – City Council 2nd read-ing & public hearing - 7:30 p.m.; Council Chambers

(TO10-03) Ordinance To Amend Chap-ter 48, Zoning, Of The Code Of The City Of Falls Church, Virginia, By Adding A New Section 48-455(3), Special Excep-tions In The B-1, Limited Business District; Section 48-488(4), Special Exceptions In The B-2, Central Business District; And Section 48-523(3), Special Exceptions In The B-3, General Business District Uses; In Order To Allow By Special Exception, With Approval Criteria, Modifications To The Off-Street Parking And Loading Requirements. February 1, 2010 - Planning Commis-sion public hearing at 7:45 p.m.; Council ChambersFebruary 8, 2010 – City Council sec-ond reading and public hearing; Council Chambers

(TO10-04) Ordinance To Amend Chap-ter 48, Zoning, Of The Code Of The City Of Falls Church, Virginia, By Adding A New Section 48-1142(F) In Order To Provide For An Administrative Site Plan Amendment Process To Allow The Planning Director To Permit, With Approval Criteria, The Con-struction Or Modification Of A Patio Or At-tached Open Deck Or Porch In Site Planned Communities Where Such Features Were Not Shown On The Approved Site Plan.February 1, 2010 - Planning Commission public hearing at 7:45 p.m., in Council ChambersFebruary 8, 2010 – City Council sec-ond reading and public hearing; Council Chambers

All public hearings will be held in the Council Chambers, 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, Virginia. For copies of legislation, contact the City Clerk’s Office at [email protected] or by calling 703-248-5014. The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703 248-5013 (TTY 711).

KATHLEEN CLARKEN BUSCHOWCITY CLERK

PUBLIC NOTICE:The Board of Zoning Appeals of the City of Falls Church, Virginia will hold a public hearing on February 11, 2010 at 7:45 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 300 Park Avenue, for consideration of the following subject:

U1488-08 (MUNIS #20080767) an appli-cation for a Special Use Permit by BB& T Bank for a bank drive-through facility as an accessory use to proposed construction at 1230 W. Broad Street, such accessory use not otherwise permitted by right and as pro-vided by Code Sections 38-23(b)(10) and 38-37(4) [recodified as Sections 48-454(10) and 48-867(4)], on the premises known as Lot 1 Broadwater Estate RPC #51-219-011 of the Falls Church Real Property Map Zoned B-1, Limited Business. The Planning Commission forwarded its recommendation for denial to the Board of Zoning Appeals on September 8, 2009 and the Board of Zoning Appeals had originally scheduled the public hearing for September 17, 2009.

Information on this item is available in the Zoning Division, City Hall, West Wing 301, 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA.

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GETÊTHEÊBESTÊPOSSIBLEÊSETTLEMENTÊWITHINÊIRSÊGUIDELINES

CLASSIFIEDS FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 34 | JANUARY 28 - FEbRUARY 3, 2010

We’re Online!www.fcnp.com

Deadlines: Every Tuesday 2 p.m.

[email protected]

We are pleged to the letter andspirit of Virginia’s policy forachieving equal housing oppor-tunity throughout theCommonwealth. We encourageand support advertising andmarketing programs in whichthere are no barriers to obtain-ing housing because of race,color, religion, national origin,sex, elderliness, familial statusor handicap.All real estate advertised hereinis subject to Virginia’s fairhousing law which makes itillegal to advertise “any prefer-ence, limitation, or discrimina-tion because of race, color, reli-gion, national origin, sex,elderliness, familial status orhandicap or intention to makeany such preference, limitation,or discrimination.”This newspaper will not know-ingly accept advertising for realestate that violates the fairhousing law. Our readers areherby informed that alldwellings advertised in thisnewspaper are available on anequal opportunity basis. Formore information or to file ahousing complaint call theVirginia Fair Housing Office at(804) 367-8530. Toll free call(888) 551-3247. For the hear-ing impaired call (804) 367-9753. Email:[email protected] site:www.fairhousing.vipnet.org

Professional services Professional services

www.Fcnp.com

Ad Already In the Paper?

Get your ad on-line too!

Call today and ask about FCNP

On-Line Advertising.703-532-3267

www.FCNP.com

Benton Potter & Murdock, PC

www.bentonpotter.com

Government contract law, health law, civil litigation,

and all areas of business law.In the City of Falls Church:

703-992-9255In D.C.: 202-416-1660

Benton Potter & Murdock, PC

www.bpmlawyers.com

Government contract law, health law, civil litigation, and all areas of business law.

In the City of Falls Church: 703-992-9255

400 S. Maple Avenue, Suite 210, Falls Church, VA 22046

In D.C.: 202-416-1660

www.bpmlawyers.com

400 S. Maple Avenue, Suite 210, Falls Church, VA 22046

703-532-3267 to advertise!

See all of the Falls Church listings as soon as they hit the market!

RE/MAX Allegiance5100 Leesburg Pike, Suite 200

Alexandria, VA 22302mobile. 703-868-5999office. 703-824-4800

[email protected]

See all of the Falls Church listings as soon as they hit

the market!

www.FallsChurchListingMap.com

other services

Make a Joyful Splash!

Eileen Levywith

Create unique art masterpieces using acrylics, water-based oils, pencils and an innovative

variety of tools and brushes.

Held at 111 Park Avenue Falls Church on Tuesday Evenings

from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pmCost: $90 On-going monthly enrollment

Enroll on-line at www.creativecauldron.org

Or call 571-239-5288

lawn & Garden

Seven BrothersLandscaping Service

703-241-4990

Spring Cleanup, mulching, mowing, edging, trimming.

Tree Service & Snow Removal

Residential & Commercial

NOW ADD COLOR

CALL mARiLyN 703-532-3267

REMODELING & ADDITION, CERAMIC, TILE, FINISHED CARPENTRY, CROWN MOLD-ING, CHAIRS, DECK RAILS, STAIR, WINDOWS, DOORS, CONCRETE, SIDEWALKS,

DRIVEWAYS, BRICK INSTALLED & REPAIRED

Phone # 703-848-8322Cell Number 703-901-2431

THE WIZ LLC PLUMBING SERVICESMASTER PLUMBER

703-268-4228804-428-2907

FALLS CHURCH, VASERVING, VA AND

THE DC METRO AREAIn The Plumbing Biz

Noboday Beats The Wiz!

[email protected]

WWW.fCNp.COm 703-532-3267

www.a-cleaningserviceinc.com

A - Cleaning Service since 1985

703-892-8648

Insured, Bonded and Licenced Independently owned

Commercial & Residential

cleaninG services

5 Rooms deep cleaned only $110•Stretching•Mold Experts •Upholstery• 24 Hour Emergency Water Damage

We Clean the White House!

Mike’s Carpet Cleaning

Call Mike 703-978-2270

home imProvement

Local brick n’ stone mason installing patios, walkways, steps, chimneys, etc. Specializ-ing in repairs. Local references.

Free Estimates.703-698-1390

Licensed InsuredJEFF L. CADLELocal brick n’ stone mason installing patios,

walkways, steps, chimneys, etc. Specializing in repairs. Local references.

Free Estimates. 703-698-1390

Licensed Insured

on-site computer repair• All Major Brands • Certified Technician • Affordable Rates

703-496-7807 www.fastteks.com

Same Day, Evening & WeekendAppointments Available!

Service From

$29.99 Call for details.

“MILLENNIUM, USA PAINTING”Licensed & Insured

Interior • Exterior • Commercial Residential • Industrial

Power Washing • CarpentryWall Paper Removal & InstallationDrywall Finishing • Tile Ceramic

Deck • Fences • Housekeeping Services

703-409-8563 • 703-869-0941

Great ReferencesGreat Prices

Quality Service

[email protected] Piedmont St #3 Arlington VA, 22203

www.millennium-usa-painting.com

20% DiscountNew Customers

Business LogoHENRY HASSAN, MSFM, EA YASMEEN HASSAN JONESTAX ACCOUNTANT – IRS ENROLLED AGENT PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT

SMALL BUSINESS ACCOUNTINGPAYROLL SERVICESNEW BUSINESS FORMATIONINDIVIDUAL AND CORPORATE TAX PREPARATION

703-241-7771www.hassansacctg.com

6404-N SEVEN CORNERS PLACE FALLS CHURCH VA 22044

HENRY HASSAN, MSFM, EATAX ACCOUNTANT – IRS ENROLLED AGENT

YASMEEN HASSAN JONESPRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT

SMALL BUSINESS ACCOUNTINGPAYROLL SERVICES

INDIVIDUAL AND BUSINESSTAX PREPARATION

BUSINESS CONSULTING703-241-7771

www.hassansacctg.com6404-N SEVEN CORNERS PLACE FALLS CHURCH VA 22044

home imProvement

Kitchen &Bathrooms, Finished Basements,Additions. All your carpentry needs we handle everything for you. No need to search for a plumber, electrican or painter. We do it all.

703- 499-7095Licensed & Insured Contractor

MBASSADOROMEMPROVEMENTS, NC.

N.G. PAINTINGResidential & Commercial Interior & Exterior Painting

Plastering & Drywall Repairs Wall Paper RemovalPower Wash Clean

Fully Licensed

5103 10th St. #2 Arlington VA 22204

Cell: (202) 352-1429Office: (703) 312-0032

brick - fieldstoneflagstone - concrete

One of the Oldest Masonry Companies in NOVAOwned & Operated by The Cadle Family since the 1950s

Masonry Specialist, LLC

703-443-2308

For All of Your Masonry Needs Custom Design, Installation, Repairs & Restoration

EP Henry & Belgard PaversPatios, Walkways, Driveways Retaining & Decorative Walls

See our web site for ideas, pictures & coupons:

All Work Guaranteed - Licensed & Fully InsuredClass A License #VA2705087240A

www.masonryspecialist.com

Family OphthalmologyExams, Glasses Prescription

Medicare providerJohn Karickhoff, M.D.

Board Certified313 Park AveFalls Church

(703) 536-2400

Gabriel Lawn Service

703-691-2351Free Estimates

L e a f r e m o v a l • Tr e e S e r v i c e

Need a job?How about a whole new lifestyle?Find out how you can live the life

you've always wanted.For information call

703-408-3663

SHOES REPAIRQuality Work!

Hours:Monday to Saturday • 9am-6pm

Sunday • 10 am-5 pm

114 West Broad Street, Falls Church Va 22046703-237-4558

Purses - Brief Cases - Luggage - Golf BagsMilitary Leather Gear - All Types of Leather Goods!

Repair by expertsOrthopedic Shoes

ServicesRubber

All repairs, plumbing, drywall,

doors, windows, rotted,wood, siding, gutters,

lighting + more FREE estimates, insured

Call Doug (703)556-4276

Handyman Service

www.novahandyman.com

Leaf Removal, Gutter Cleaning,

Mowing, & MulchingFree Estimates

703-627-7723

Sweet Garden Lawn Care

Providing food for you and your guests up to 50 (home or office). Chef Sam preprares Persian, Afghani, Mediterranean, and American foods for your party.

For your function please call(703) 580-7511 cell (703)-477-1780 [email protected]

SAM'S CATERING

food & dininG

JUNK B GONE

703-395-5522www.JBGONE.com

Say Goodbye To Your Junk!Misc. TrashOffice Junk

Appliance Removal

Sofa RemovalGarage CleanoutBasement Junk

you name it...we haul it all

Peter J. Gouvis, CPA

2417 Caron LaneFalls Church, Va 22043

[email protected]

Accounting &

Tax Services

Potomac Land Research Kristin A. Brace

Research ConsultantPhone: 703.864.4150

www.potomaclandresearch.comEmail: [email protected]

PLR specializes in residential and commercial building histories. Contact PLR to discover your property’s history.

Thanks so much, Nick! Would you mind if I made two changes? I'd rather list my website

instead of a fax number. Could you please add www.potomaclandresearch.com instead of my fax information?

And also, I'd like to change my email in the ad from [email protected] to

[email protected]. Thank you!

Also, in the bottom section, there is a typo in "commercial". Please correct from

"commerical" to "commercial". Thanks so much! Kristin

703-534-4202Make Life Worth Framing

artandframeoffallschurch.com

JANUARY 28 - FebRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGE 35FALLS CHURCH NeWS-PReSS | FCNP.COM

hoods about pending health care legislation.

The Obama administration is not blameless. It apparently assumed that no lawmaker would actually vote against the health-care needs of some 47 million people. Wrong.

Obama also can be fairly criti-cized for sending mixed signals about what he wanted in health care reform and seemed to lack strong convictions.

The president naively failed to send a comprehensive health reform proposal to Congress with his strong personal impri-matur. He made the mistake of depending on Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and a flaccid supporter of reform, to carry the ball.

The president, who had served as a state senator in Illinois and then as a member of the U.S. Senate, seemed to approach health care legislation from a parliamen-tary perspective, rather than as a crucial bread-and-butter issue that affects all Americans.

He was eager to slice and dice and cut deals in the Senate to cobble together the votes to pass a very modest bill, instead of rally-ing voters behind his vision. Heat from the electorate will always trump deal-making in Congress. But he didn’t stoke the fires.

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., last year outlined the Republican strategy of unrelenting oppo-sition in the name of scoring political points. DeMint, urging a stonewall opposition to Obama’s health care plan, said: “If we’re able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him.”

Rarely has naked political motivation been so clearly stated.

Republicans should know that their partisanship means they are rejecting medical security that is available in most countries of the world for its citizens. Shame on them!

The president has not dropped his search for bipartisanship, though that quest is an impossible mission.

Obama, trying to find his pop-ulist voice in the wake of the stunning Republican upset victory in the Massachusetts election to replace Sen. Ted Kennedy, is mov-ing on to the critical domestic issues of unemployment and pov-erty.

The president recognizes the fact that the bonanza bailouts for Wall Street have added to the public disenchantment with his handling of the still-sick economy and the continuing hardships.

The question comes to this: Will the Republicans also ignore this national need? And will the voters wise up?

Falls Church News-PressVol IX, No. 47 • February 3, 2000

‘Henenberg Elected District Court Judge’

“The Virginia General Assembly last Thursday, elected Falls Church resident Karen A. Henenberg as a Judge to sit on the 17th Judicial District court. “We have chosen an outstanding Judge,” declared Del. Bob Hull of Falls Church. “I could not be more pleased that we have chosen the first Falls Church Judge for the District. She has a strong background in all areas of the law and legal procedures.” Ms. Henenberg is the first Judge elected from the City of...”

Falls Church News-PressVol lV, No. 46 • February 2, 1995

‘Homeless Shelter Filled to Capacity In Recent Storms’

“Falls Church’s Winter Emergency Homeless Shelter, now tucked into a cor-ner of the second floor of a City-owned office building on Gordons Road, has been booked to the maximum through the snow storms, ice and frigid weather of January. The worst winter, to date, of the last four, has resulted in a concerted effort to keep the shelter open throughout, reports Carol Jackson of the Friend of the Homeless Shelter organization. “We are...”

It is now the time for all g o o d cows to go to the aid of their pasture.* * * * *

T h r o w it up. Pour it up It is now the time for all good cows to go to the aid

10 Years Ago

lazy

dog. The

q u i c k

sly fox

jumped

o v e r

the lazy

d o g .

Now is

the time

for all

g o o d

cows to

come to

the aid

of their

pasture.

Now is

the time

for all

g o o d

cows to

come to

the aid

of their

pasture.

15 Years Ago

Helen Thomas

B A C K I N T H E D AY10 & 15 Years Ago in the News-Press

Continued from Page 12

Lost Cat! PLease heLP us find Milo. as you can see, Milo is a large, orange tabby and is already neutered. Milo’s mom says that “he is very social and likes to walk kids to and from tJ elementary (601 south oak street, Falls Church). this lovely orange kitty hasn’t been home since sunday, Jan. 17. his owners began construction on their house on Monday, Jan. 18 and they think that may have upset him. Unfortunately, Milo is not wearing a collar. If you have any information regarding Milo, please email his owner at [email protected].

Critter Corner

Just because you’re not famousdoesn’t mean your pet can’t be!

Snap a pic of your critter and email it to:[email protected]

OR mail it toCritter Corner c/o

Falls Church News-Press450 W. Broad Street #321

Falls Church, Va 22046

Make Your Pet a Star!

FaLLs ChURCh NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPaGe 36 | JANUARY 28 - FEbRUARY 3, 2010

C r i t t e r C o r n e r

Your Paper Without the Paper

Your Paper Without the Paper

www.fcnp.comSee the News-Press Online Just Like you See it in Print With our NEW E-Issue

n AccountingDiener & Associates, CPA.. . . . . . . . . 241-8807Eric C. Johnson, CPA, PC . . . . . . . . . 538-2394Mark Sullivan, CPA. . . . . . . . . . . 571-214-4511Peter J. Gouvis, CPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . 966-8418Hassans Accounting & Tax Services . 241-7771Hahn & Associates, PC, CPAs. . . . . . 533-3777

n AntiQuES & coLLEctiBLESFalls Church Antique Company . . . . . 241-7074Antique Annex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241-9642

n AttornEySMark F. Werblood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534-9300Janine S. Benton, Esq. . . . . . . . . . . .992-9255

n AutomotivEBeyer Volvo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237-5000 Integrity Tire & Auto Repair . . . . . . . . 639-0700

n BAnkingBurke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co. . . . 519-1634BB&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241-3505TD Bank/www.TDBank.com. . . . . . . . 237-2051Acacia Federal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506-8100

n Book BindingBCR Binders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534-9181

n BuSinESS SErvicESJon Rizalvo, PAYCHEX . . . . 698-6910 x27045

n chiroprActorDr. Solano, solanospine.com . . . . . . 536-4366

n cAtEringSam’s Catering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580-7511

n cLEAning SErvicESPressure Washing/Deck, Siding. . . . . 980-0225 Affordable Carpet Resoration. . . . . . . 978-2270A Cleaning Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 892-8648Maid Brigade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 823-1922Carpets, Ducts, Windows. . . . . . . . . . 823-1922

n computEr SErvicESFast-teks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496-7807

n counSELingCarol S. Miller, LCSW . . . . . . . . . . . . 395-4980Josette Millman, APRN . . . . . . . . . . . 855-0396

n dEntiStSDr. William Dougherty . . . . . . . . . . . 532-3300Dr. Nimisha V. Patel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533-1733

n EQuipmEnt rEntAL/SALEVA Outdoor Power Equipment . . . . . . 207-2000Ace Tool & Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 532-5600

n EyEwEArPoint of View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237-6500

n FLoriStSFalls Church Florist, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 533-1333

n FrAmESArt & Frame of Falls Church . . . . . . . 534-4202

n giFtSStifel & Capra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407-0770

n hAuLingJunk B Gone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395-5522

n hEALth & FitnESSCurves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536-0140Reliv Independent Consultant . . . . . . 408-3663Sacred Well Yoga and Healing . . . . . 989-8316

n homE cArEHuman Touch Home Health . . . . . . . . 531-0540

n homE improvEmEntRam Home Improvement . . . . . . . . . . 641-5892Doug’s Handyman Services . . . . . . . 556-4276Ambassador Home Improvements . . 499-7095FC Heating & Air Service . . . . . . . . . . 534-0630N.G. Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312-0032Millennium, USA Painting . . . . . . . . . 409-8563The Vinyl Touch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793-3111

n inSurAncEState Farm Insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . 237-5105

n LAwn & gArdEnSweet Garden Lawn Care . . . . . . . . . 627-7723Gabriel Lawn Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . 691-2351Seven Brothers Landscaping . . . . . . . 241-4990

n mASonryMasonry Specialist LLC . . . . . . . . . . . 443-2308Jeff L. Cadle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 698-1390

n mASSAgEwww.healthybyintention.com. . . . . . . . 534-1321Sheraton Premiere Women’s Massage 403-9328

n mEdicALDr Gordon Theisz, Family Medicine. . 533-7555The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy. . . . 536-4042

n muSicAcademy of Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 938-8054World Childrens Choir . . . . . . . . . . . . 883-0920Columbia Institute - Fine Arts. . . . . . . 534-2508Foxes Music Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533-7393

n ophthALmoLogyJohn Karickhoff, MD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536-2400

n phArmAcyBroad Street Pharmacy . . . . . . . . . . .533-9013

n pLumBingThe Wiz LLC Plumbing Services 703-268-4228

n rEAL EStAtEMerelyn Kaye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .790-9090x218www.helpfulmortgage.us . . . . . . . . . . 237-0222Casey O’Neal - ReMax . . . . . . . . . . . 824-4196Rosemary Hayes Jones . . . . . . . . . . .790-1990Kim Maller, kimworksforyou.com. . . . .606-2762Leslie Hutchison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .675-2188The Young Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .356-8800Shaun Murphy, Realtor . . . . . . . . . . . 868-5999www.TheJeffersonatBallston.com . . . 741-7562Susan Fauber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395-8741

n rEAL EStAtE SErvicESPotomac Land Research . . . . . . . . . .864-4150

n ShoE rEpAirGlobal Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237-4558

n tAiLorTailor Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534-8886

All numbers have a ‘703’ prefix unless otherwise indicated.

To see your business here, call us at 703-532-3267, fax 703-342-0352 or E-Mail us at [email protected]

Critter Corner

Just because you’re not famousdoesn’t mean your pet can’t be!

Snap a pic of your critter and email it to:[email protected]

OR mail it toCritter Corner c/o

Falls Church News-Press450 W. Broad Street #321

Falls Church, Va 22046

Make Your Pet a Star!

News•Photos•Online Polls•SportsE-Issuu • Twitter • and More

VISIT US ONLINE

Are you smarter than a high

school student?

Probably not, if it’s a George

Mason High School academic

bowler. GMHS is the home of

champion academic athletes. So

far this season their record is

an impressive 20-0, though the

20 wins are just a fraction of

the team’s almost unheard of

success.Here’s a little history straight

from coach Jamie Scharff: In

the last six years, the Mason

High academic team has won

the district championship every

year. Four times in the past six

years, Mason’s team has won

the regional championship —

they finished second the other

two years. Three times in the

last six years the team captured

the state championship, twice

finishing as runner up and once

in fifth place.

While the winning streak has

made the coach very proud of

his kids, Scharff’s not-so-secret

strategy is a simple one — have

smart kids and practice.

Students gather twice a week

NVTA SUPPORTS $ FOR

PARKING GARAGE IN F.C.

The Northern Virginia

Transportation Authority met

at George Mason High School

last week and approved all the

projects submitted by Falls

Church for Phase One of the

region’s massive transportation

plan.SEE PAGE 4

NO. VA. FIGURE SKATERS

LOOK TOWARD ST. PAUL

The senior men’s event at the

2008 Eastern Figure Skating

Championships looked like

a Washington, D.C.-area get

together with skaters from

Fairfax, Alexandria and

Annandale sweeping the medals.

SEE PAGE 19

HELEN THOMAS:

RACE & GENDER PLAY

POLITICAL ROLES

Like it or not, race and gender

will play roles in the choice

of a Democratic

presidential standard

bearer. It can’t be

avoided, even though

the party’s leading candidates

have decided to bury the hatchet.

SEE PAGE 10

LANE, HOLMES & LATIFAH

GO FOR ‘MAD MONEY’

“Mad Money,” the new comedy

directed by “Thelma & Louise”

writer Callie Khouri, follows

three Federal Reserve employees

and their attempt to beat the

system. What could possibly go

wrong?

SEE PAGE 26

FA L L S CH U R C H,

VI R G I N I A

•

W W W.F C N P.C O M

•FR E E

FO U N D E D

1991•

VO L. XVII

NO. 46

J anua r y 17 - 23 , 2008

Unanimous Vote

Moves F.C. Plan

Closer to Reality

INSIDE THIS WEEK

Editorial.................2

Letters...............2, 6

Crime Report ........5

Comment .......10-13

Community News &

Notes .............14-15

Business News &

Notes ..................16

Sports ............18-20

Roger Ebert ...26-28

Press Pass .........29

Calendar ........30-31

Restaurant Spotlight

............................32

Sodoku ...............35

Comics................35

Crossword ..........35

Classified Ads.....38

Business & Services

Directory .............39

Weekly Focus 40-41

Critter Corner......42

Business Listing .43

Preliminary OK for New City

Center Granted by Council

INDEX

The ambitious Falls Church

City Center project received a

critical, unanimous thumbs-up

from the City Council Monday.

All six ordinances and resolu-

tions were passed by 7-0 votes

before a standing-room only

audience in Council chambers

at City Hall.The $317 million project

adding a million square feet of

new development to 8.7 acres of

Falls Church’s downtown com-

mercial area, will now undergo

40 days of review by various

City boards and commissions

and a set of public hearings,

before coming back to the

Council for final approval. The

Council hopes to vote on the

final version by Feb. 25.

The project, which has gone

through a series of modifications

since the original parameters of

a partnership between the City

of Falls Church, its Economic

Development Authority and the

Atlantic Realty Company, was

hammered out last fall.

While building heights

came down on its residential

and office buildings, hotel plans

were expanded to accommodate

a first-class 180-room structure,

with meeting hall and banquet

facilities, and a six-level parking

deck was thrown in. The num-

ber of residential rental units

was scaled down to 412, and

more age-restricted condomini-

ums, up to 134, were added.

Retail was added to cover both

sides of S. Maple bringing the

retail total to 53,000 square feet,

up from 17,000.

These modifications added to

the plans a major Harris Teeter

supermarket and a six-story

THE WASHINGTON CAPITALS’ Mike Green (left) and Alex Ovechkin (right) address a

crowd of students at Williamsburg Middle School in Arlington. The Caps’ stars took time on

Wednesday afternoon to teach the local students the intricacies of the game of hockey, even

participating in a scrimmage with some of the kids. Ovechkin recently signed a 13-year, $124

million contract with the Capitals, the largest ever given to an NHL player. For commentary

on the historic deal, see “Picking Splinters” on page 18. (NEWS-PRESS PHOTO: NATE TAYLOR)

Mason’s ‘Silent’ Scholastic Success

Continued on Page 5

Continued on Page 21

STICKING TOGETHER

www.fcnp.com

Visit

JANUARY 28 - FebRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGE 37FALLS CHURCH NeWS-PReSS | FCNP.COM

for the week of January 28-February 3, 2010

city

JANUARY/

FEBRUARY 2010 Questions or Comments?City of Falls Church, Harry E. Wells Building300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA 22046 • 703-248-5003 (TTY 711)The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of theAmericans with Disabilities Act. This document will be made availablein alternate format upon request. Call 703-248-5003 (TTY 711).

www.fallschurchva.gov - The official site for City of Falls Church news

30 Farmers’ M

arket, 9 a.m.-n

oon

1 Yard Waste, Bundled Brush

a

nd Special Collections

H

oliday Tree Collection

City Council W

ork Session, 7:30 p.m.

Planning Commission, 7:45 p.m.

2 Winter Reading Program

f

or Children Begins (Library); E

nds March 2

E

conomic Development Authority

, 6:30 p.m.

3 General Distric

t Court i

n Session

R

ecreation & Parks Advisory Board, 7 p.m.

A

rchitectural Advisory Board, 7:45 p.m.

The City of Falls Church is offering a one-time waiver for parking fine penalties. The City Treasurer mailed courtesy notices this week to those who have unpaid parking tickets, advising them they have a 30-day reprieve from penalties if they pay their overdue parking fines by Feb. 26, 2010. Those who believe that they have delinquent parking fines and do not get a letter should contact the Treasurer’s Office immediately.

This is the first time the City has offered a parking fine penalty waiver. The waiver program will save citizens any additional collection fees.

The Treasurer’s Office receives and processes all payments for parking fines and penalties. For questions about payment, contact the Treasurer at 703-248-5046 (TTY 711) or e-mail [email protected]. The Treasurer will not be able to abate or change parking tickets. Questions about parking tick-ets should be addressed to the Falls Church Police Department at 703-241-5053 (non-emergency).

City Offers Unpaid Parking Fine Amnesty

Winter Weather Preparedness Tips on City Website

Be prepared for inclement weather this winter. There are simple precautions you can take for a safe winter at home and on the road. Learn about the City’s snow emergency routes, snow removal policy and operating status by visiting www.fallschurchva.gov.

Who Should Be the 2010 Memorial Day Grand Marshal?

The Falls Church City Memorial Day Parade & Festival Committee is seeking nomina-tions for the Grand Marshal of this year’s parade. Please contact Jenny Elmore in the Recreation & Parks Division at 703-248-5077 (TTY 711) or [email protected] with nominations or questions.

2009 Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshal Jessie Thackrey.

The Housing and Human Services Division is offering FREE tax preparation for eligible taxpayers who live or work in the City of Falls Church. If your income was less than $49,000 in 2009, you may qualify for free tax preparation.

Monday – Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. through April 13By appointment only. Call 703 248-5005 (TTY 711).

Documentation required: • Photo identification

• Social Security cards (or Individual Tax Identification Number, ITIN) for the taxpayer, spouse and all dependents

• All wage and earnings statements: W-2, W-2G, 1099INT, 1099DIV forms

• Other income documentation (unemployment or worker’s com-pensation, retirement, pension, Social Security)

• Day Care expenses paid in 2009 and the day care provider’s name, address and federal ID number

• Student loan interest payments, Form 1098-E

• Student tuition and fees, Form 1098-T

• Copy of last year’s (2009) federal and state returns

• Banking information (voided check) for refund deposits

Tax Preparation Help is Free

2010 City Calendar Available at www.fallschurchva.gov

Download the 2010 City Calendar and never miss an important event! The calendar includes City Council and boards and commissions meetings, City events and holi-days, and FY11 Budget dates. It can be found in the News & Announcements scroll and under Popular Topics on the Web site homepage.

The City of Falls Church Human Resources Division is accepting nominations for the 2009 “Employee of the Year” award. If you have observed a general gov-ernment employee whom you feel merits consideration, please nomi-nate him/her for this award.

The criteria used to evaluate nominations are:

• An accomplishment of outstanding worth in advancing and improving public service in the City of Falls Church.

• The nominee must be involved in and identified with the achievement and be a permanent full-time or part-time employee who has successfully completed his/her proba-tionary period of employment. Appointed officials, elected officials and their employees, general managers, and division directors are not eligible.

• There must be tangible results achieved as a result of this performance; results might be higher morale, more effective operations, lower costs, or acts beyond the call of duty.

• The achievement was remarkable or an unusual performance of the nominee’s assigned duties, or above and beyond those duties.

• The achievement occurred between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2009.

Nomination forms are available at City Hall (300 Park Ave.), the Library (120 N. Virginia Ave.), and the Community Center (223 Little Falls St.). Nominations should be submitted by Friday, Feb. 19.

Nominations Sought for Employee of the Year

Police Sergeant E. Lancaster was the 2008 Employee of the Year.

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Scho

ols

School content published in The Schools Focus is written and edited by the Falls Church City Public Schools. For more information, contact the Falls Church City Public Schools Communications Office. Phone: (703) 248-5699 Fax: (703) 248-5613.

BIE Partner of the WeekMike Brumagin Flippin’ Pizza

School involvement: Worked with George Mason High School principal Ty Byrd to raise more than $800 for the GMHS Haiti relief efforts; donated 2010 birthday card coupons to all FCCPS staff.

Why Mike is a BIE partner: “The Falls Church com-munity responded with great generosity to this fund-raiser for Haiti, and we are glad to have been part of the first of many Falls Church events that will raise money for this important cause.”

For more information about sharing your expertise through the BIE Partnership, visit www.fccps.org or contact Marybeth Connelly at [email protected].

Calendar for January 28 - February 4, 2010Testing1/28 Midterm Exams (GM)2/4-8 IB English Oral Exams (GM)January28 End of 2nd Quarter 6:00 p.m. McLean @ Mason (Wrestling) 7:30 p.m. Family Life Education Adv. Committee (CO)29 Professional Day (Schools Closed/Day Care Open)30 10:00 a.m. Mason @ Bull Run District Championship (Scholastic Bowl) (Rappahannock Co.) 10:00 a.m. George Mason Dual Tournament (Wrestling) (GM) 5:45 p.m. Broad Run @ Mason – (Swimming)February1 Professional Day (Schools Closed/Day Care Open) 6:00 p.m. EIP / HEP Tutoring 7:30 p.m. Potomac Falls @ Mason (G Basketball)2 3rd Quarter Ends 7:00 p.m. Potential School Board Work Session 7:30 p.m. Mason @ Madison County (B Basketball)3 7:00 p.m. Faculty vs. Student Basketball Game (GM) (Haiti Relief Fundraiser) 7:30 p.m. Mason @ Madison County (G Basketball) 7:30 p.m. PTSA (GM)4 7:45 p.m. Clarke Co. @ Mason (B Basketball)For more calendar information, visit www.fccps.org/calendar.

(MD) Mt. Daniel School (TJ) Thomas Jefferson Elementary

(MEH) Mary Ellen Henderson Middle

(GM) George Mason High (CO) Central Office

Foundation FootnotesGift expands collection of learning materials for elementary students A generous gift from a private donor will be used to purchase learning materi-als at Mt. Daniel and Thomas Jefferson Elementary Schools. The funding is being shared equally between the two schools to support the Primary Years Program’s (PYP) “Units of Inquiry.”

The Falls Church Education Foundation is a registered 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. For more information visit www.fcedf.org or contact Donna Englander at (703) 538-3381.

FCC-TV Spotlight: Digging To ChinaTune in to Falls Church Community Television (FCC-TV) to watch Digging to China. The show provides a detailed view into the issues surround-ing modern day China and airs on FCC-TV at the following times:

• Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. • Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. • Sunday at 7:00 p.m.

You can now see FCC-TV programming live at www.fcctv.net anywhere in the world! FCC-TV also airs in the greater Falls Church area on Cox Channel 12, Verizon Channel 35 and RCN Channel 2.

www.fccps.org - The official site for Falls Church City Public Schools news

Special Education StudyThe Falls Church City Public Schools conducts regularly scheduled studies for each major program area. The Special Education Study will begin in February 2010. Two parents from the elementary, middle and high school levels are asked to participate in this comprehensive review process. If you are interested in serving on this committee, or desire more information, please contact Elizabeth Mackie, Director of Special Education, 800 W. Broad Street, Suite 203, 703-248-5630, or [email protected].

Like most fathers, Robin Bray takes pride in touting the accom-plishments of his son, John Paul, a 2006 George Mason High School graduate.

“He’s not a doctor or a lawyer, just a shopping cart collector; a simple but necessary job that he found despite the downturn in the economy.”

John Paul, who is autistic, is working in Charlotte, North Carolina and loving every minute of it. “His job is his social life,” Bray said, “and it is hard for me to get him to take time off for a vacation.”

Bray captured John Paul’s work experience in a series of moving photographs that proved to be so inspi-rational, they are being featured by the BBC this month in a slideshow called: “In pictures: His own man.”

To view the images now being seen around the world, visit: www.fccps.org/bbc.

BBC Features GMHS Autistic Graduate

GMHS 2006 alum John Paul Bray. “I’m not autis-tic. I’m a hard working young man.”

The George Mason scholastic bowl team heads for the Bull Run District tournament this week full of confidence; and with good reason. The team swept all 15 of its matches this year without a single loss. Its latest two wins came last week in same-day, back-to-back victories over Madison County and Clarke County.

Heading into the dis-trict tournament Saturday, January 30th, at Rappahannock County High School, the Mustangs are hoping to avenge their 2nd place showing last year; the first year in a decade in which they weren’t district champions.

The team is currently averaging 322 points-per-game; more than 100 points higher than at this point during last year’s season.

Mustang Scholastic Bowl Team Takes Regular Season

The GMHS Scholastic Bowl team. Front row: (l to r) Anuraag Sensharma, Jakob Hand, Mary Ma. Back row: Jonathan Ross, Asher Morse (captain), Ross Wilson and James Scharff (sponsor).

JANUARY 28 - FebRUARY 3, 2010 | PAGE 39FALLS CHURCH NeWS-PReSS | FCNP.COM

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 40 | JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 3, 2010

Merelyn KayeMcEnearney Associates

Home Office 703-241-2577Mobile 703-362-1112

See Photos at www.kayes.come-mail: [email protected]

Falls Church City - Open Sun 1-4

Charming, sun-filled 3 BR, 2 Full Bath Cape Cod on large lotbacking to bike trail. Living Rm, with FP, and Sep Dining Rmhave gleaming HW floors. Addition has large updated kitchenwith granite countertops, breakfast bar, lots of oak cabinets andnewer appliances. Adjoining family Rm has atrium doors leadingto spacious deck overlooking large, treed yard. $599,000 Dir: 7-Corners W on Broad St., R on West St., R on Lincoln to 921.