Product of the Month Mad Hippie Vitamin C Serum Formulated with Vitamin C ,konja root, ferulic and hyaluronic acid, and 4 other actives, this antioxidant blend is purported to: “Brighten, Tighten and Smooth Skin While Reducing Effects of Photoaging!” By leaving out harmful chemicals, parabens, synthetic color and fragrance, Mad Hippie is said to help skin achieve true harmony. Does it do what they say? We used the serum in conjunction with a moisturizer from another vendor for 6 weeks or so. It had some positive affects on older (63 year old) skin in that it did appear to tight and smooth the skin. As for reducing effects of photoaging, it was hard to tell. The user is an old sun worshiper and freckled naturally. Recommendation: It most likely would work more effectively in conjunction with other Mad Hippie products since they are all created to work with each other. Just the name alone would be enough for some of us to pick it up! Price: $33.99 Availability: Select Whole Foods Markets and at madhippie.com. About Mad Hippie: The offer an extensive range of natural, safe skin care products geared to protect the skin from the harmful effects of environmental factors. Their goal is to create safe, effective products on the market utilizing scientifically advanced actives coupled with Mother Nature’s finest antioxidants. All Mad Hippie products are made in the USA and are never tested on animals and are packaged in BPA-Free, recycled and fully recyclable bottles.
Social Media Fails of 2017 We are only a few months in, and there have already been some hilarious and painful social media fails. Listed below are just a few of the many! McDonalds: On March 16th the fast food conglomerate tweeted to its 150,000 plus followers, that Donald Trump was “disgusting” and pointed out his “tiny hands” and wished Barack Obama was back in office. It was later discovered that McDonalds twitter account had been hacked and they were further investigating the incident. Department of Education: On February 12th the Department of Education tweeted a quote by civil rights activist and NAACP founder W.E.B Du Bois. Yet the Department of Education spelled it as W.E.B DeBois. To make matters worse, in their apology they proceeded to tweet, “Our deepest apologizes for the early typo.” Finally, they were able to get their grammar game together and tweeted, “our deepest apologies for the earlier typo.” CNN: On Feb 3 CNN tweeted, “Faith Hill is releasing an album of duets with The Notorious B.I.G, 20 years after his murder,” Faith Hill, a country singer, took the tweet in stride by saying how, “awesome” that would be. Yet, it was actually Faith Evans, who had been married to The Notorious B.I.G, who would be releasing the album. Sean Spicer: We are not totally positive if this tweet by Sean Spicer was his password, but on January 26th he posted “n9y25ah7.” Seems likely, just because it fits under the Twitter password criteria that requires a minimum of six characters. Yahoo Finance: Yahoo Finance was taken by the notorious “b” and “n” keyboard proximity. On January 5th, Yahoo Finance meant to post, “Trump wants a much (b)igger navy: here’s how much it will cost.” Yet the “b” was an…
By Bob Tagert Howell Crim – Wooden Boat Builder, Mechanic & Captain Just like our Business Profile, this month’s Personality Profile is another local guy. Howell Crim grew up in the Hollin Hall area of Alexandria and attended Fort Hunt High School down the GW Parkway. Crim developed his taste for boats at an early age. His best friends family had a summer home in Fairport, Virginia, which is close to Reedville. The friend’s house was on a smaller bay that opened up to the Chesapeake. The boys would spend their days sailing the family’s wooden Lightening and enjoying life. Near the house was Jimmy’s Boat Yard and Marine Railroad (used for hauling boats). Jimmy’s Boat Yard built a bay boat called a “Deadrise”, a traditional fishing boat used on the Chesapeake Bay. While sailing and watching these powerful boats easily navigate the Bay’s waters he found himself saying,”I want to know how to build that boat!” Crim’s first job was around boats and the water. “I got my first W-2 from George Stevens the owner of Belle Haven Marina in Alexandria. “Yeah, I was a Wharf Rat just like Chip Johnston who I had known since kindergarten,” he says. “We would take care of the rental boats, teach people to sail and sometimes go rescue them when they couldn’t get the boat back in.” For those of you who have never visited Belle Haven you are missing Alexandria’s great little secret. Chip pretty much runs the boat rentals today and it is a perfect place to learn to sail or rent a kayak and explore Dyke Marsh. After graduating from Fort Hunt, Crim attended NOVA for a while and then transferred to a college in Maine to study Macrobiology. His interest in school faded and…
EASTER BUNNY The Bible makes no mention of a long-eared, short-tailed creature who delivers decorated eggs to well-behaved children on Easter Sunday; nevertheless, the Easter bunny has become a prominent symbol of Christianity’s most important holiday. The exact origins of this mythical mammal are unclear, but rabbits, known to be prolific procreators, are an ancient symbol of fertility and new life. According to some sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs. Eventually, the custom spread across the U.S. and the fabled rabbit’s Easter morning deliveries expanded to include chocolate and other types of candy and gifts, while decorated baskets replaced nests. Additionally, children often left out carrots for the bunny in case he got hungry from all his hopping. EASTER EGGS Easter is a religious holiday, but some of its customs, such as Easter eggs, are likely linked to pagan traditions. The egg, an ancient symbol of new life, has been associated with pagan festivals celebrating spring. From a Christian perspective, Easter eggs are said to represent Jesus’ emergence from the tomb and resurrection. Decorating eggs for Easter is a tradition that dates back to at least the 13th century, according to some sources. One explanation for this custom is that eggs were formerly a forbidden food during the Lenten season, so people would paint and decorate them to mark the end of the period of penance and fasting, then eat them on Easter as a celebration. Easter egg hunts and egg rolling are two popular egg-related traditions. In the U.S., the White House Easter Egg Roll, a race in which children push…
By Lani Gering The Royal Restaurant….Since 1904 “For over one hundred years, the Royal Restaurant has been the most popular restaurant in Old Town, Alexandria. Originally located next to City Hall at 109 North Royal Street, the family-owned Royal Café became Alexandria’s premier lunch time eatery for the then bustling downtown shopping district during the 1940’s, ‘50’s, and ‘60’s. Everyone in Old Town ate at the Royal Café. Although a family restaurant, the Royal Café was regularly visited by police officers, secretaries and other downtown workers. It became the place where many of the city’s most important political decisions were made as local politicians, attorneys, businessmen and downtown citizens discussed the hot topics of the day over hearty southern-style dinners and rice pudding desserts. The building on North Royal was torn down in 1964 to make room for the city’s urban renewal projects on the block. Undaunted by the uncompensated taking of their prime location, the owners, Richard Kyriacos and his nephew, Charles Euripides, moved “The Royal” to its present location in 1965 and with very hard work and determination made the new Royal Restaurant a success. Now Euripides and family proudly continue the tradition of its fine home style cooking, authentic Greek and Italian fare, and friendly hospitable service. Welcome to the Royal Restaurant.” The above statement – taken from the front of their carry out menu – pretty much sums up what the Royal is all about. It is an old town institution – one of the good kind! We thought maybe it would be fitting to feature a place that goes easy on your wallet during the month of April – you know, tax season and all! The Royal is just that place. The most expensive item on the menu is the 14-ounce Delmonico steak at $21.00…
By Doug Coleman FITZ JOHN PORTER, SCAPEGOAT Fitz John Porter is a hero you have never heard of. In 1861-62, he was what the Union needed – a general officer with more competence than ego. Born in New Hampshire in 1822, he graduated West Point in 1845, just in time for the Mexican War. He fought at Molino Del Ray and was wounded at Chapultepec, coming out of the war a brevet major. He returned to West Point to become an instructor. He served at Fort Leavenworth, earning promotion. In 1857-1858, he was part of the expedition against the Mormons. In the Civil War, he served prominently during McClellan’s Peninsular Campaign, culminating in the Seven Days battles before Richmond. Without going into each battle, the significance of these battles was that Joe Johnson was killed at Seven pines, with the result that Robert E. Lee was put in charge of the army. Things went badly for McClellan, who was forced to retreat. Lee was on the verge of destroying the Federal army. Porter prepared a rear guard to make a stand on a plateau called Malvern Hill on July 1, 1862. He massed artillery on that hill, called in the assistance of three Federal gunboats, and waited for the assault. When the ever-aggressive Lee pushed forward for the coup de grace, Porter’s artillery and well-placed infantry cut the Confederates to bits in three failed frontal assaults. Appreciating how badly he had hurt Lee (one in ten Confederates was a casualty), Porter urged McClellan to resume the offensive and finish it – just exactly what Lee feared as he measured his losses. A spooked McClellan did not take Porter’s advice and Lee was saved, leaving hanging one of the war’s many “what ifs?” The Lee who was not annihilated went on…