©2017 Sarah Becker The Sounds of Silence In 1966 Simon & Garfunkel had a number one song, President Lyndon B. Johnson created the U.S. Department of Transportation, and U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd, Sr. (D-VA) died at his Berryville home. The Byrd machine passed politically from father to son, Johnson appointed the first black U.S. Cabinet member, and U.S. Senator Willis Robertson (D-VA) lost Presidential favor. Virginia’s failure to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown decision, Byrd Sr.’s co-authorship of the Southern Manifesto left many Civil Rights issues unresolved. “We regard the decision of the Supreme Court in the [bundled] school cases as a clear abuse of judicial power,” the Manifesto said. “It climaxes a trend in the Federal Judiciary undertaking to legislate…to encroach upon the reserved rights of the States and the people.” Virginia massively resisted Brown. In Alexandria, in 1966, the subject was integration of the all-white Thomas Jefferson Middle School. If integrated, the re-fashioned school, located at Cameron and N. West Streets, “would draw from nearby census tracts designated as ‘poverty stricken.’” The Rosemont neighborhood protested and the building was torn down. “Alexandria quietly is making plans for a model community-centered facility to replace its least integrated elementary school, Charles Houston,” The Washington Post reported in January 1968. “But present indications are that the new Jefferson-Houston Elementary School [K-5] will be as segregated as the old one.” “The new building is now on the drawing boards and expected to open in 1969,” The Post continued. It could provide an opportunity for the city to redraw attendance boundaries and promote integration, if it chooses…[but]…Alexandria school authorities have no plans to cross the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad tracts that have been the traditional boundary between the city’s Negro district and white, middle-class neighborhoods [like…
By Nancy Bauer STOP STEALING FROM WINERIES WHAT WOULD YOUR MOTHER SAY? The cat, well. Everyone agrees that was the worst. It wasn’t a pet. More of an outside cat, a vineyard cat, if there is such a thing. But it had its peeps: Keswick Vineyards staff, and customers who kept an eye out. Pounce was her name. And then one day, gone. Pffft. Buh-bye kitty. No, not the long slink over the rainbow bridge. Misappropriated. Nabbed. Catnapped. One bright, happy day at the winery, a customer stole Pounce. For real, people? Pounce wasn’t the only goodie customers helped themselves to. “When I was working in the tasting room I remember we had lots of glasses taken,” said Kat Schornberg, whose parents own Keswick Vineyards. “Also corkscrews, wine chilling buckets (we used to be cleared out of those like every weekend!), cutting boards, wine, decorations.” “We started our year with almost 2,000 Riedel [wine glasses] and I now have 180,” Jen Breaux at Breaux Vineyards in Purcellville said. “I’ve had 42 bread knives stolen, 20-something cutting boards, and this past weekend somebody literally was walking out of my grounds with my corn hole boards in their hand and the beanbags, too. “I’m so incredibly dismayed,” she added. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of Northern Virginia, Cindi Causey, co-owner of Potomac Point Vineyards, reports equally ballsy thefts: a painting, a 4-foot by 3-foot tapestry…statues stolen right off the winery’s patio. “We even had a half barrel stolen from the tasting room,” Causey said. “Is this exclusive to Virginia?” Breaux wondered. “Or is this epidemic?” IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT US I asked Donniella Winchell, executive director of the Ohio Wine Producers Association, to pose the issue of customer theft…
By Steve Chaconas Take a Jig Swimming When the FLW Tour brought 160 top professional bass anglers to the Potomac River, anglers wanted to know where and how they fished. Many fished community holes. Most locals already knew swimming a jig is the best way to cover the river’s massive grass beds. The winner was Ranger Mercury pro Tom Monsoor, coming as no surprise as he is credited with developing jig swimming. For more than 40 years he’s tweaked and honed this swimming method of catching bass into a top technique, especially on the Potomac. About 30 years ago, he started to spread the word and the secret was out. Until then, jigs were pitched and flipped. Heavy jigs, heavy hooks, presented with heavy line and heavy rods hauled bass out of heavy cover. Nothing secret about jigs for big bass. Monsoor noted fish liked long distance presentations, but jigs needed to be modified for greater efficiency. A narrower head came through grass easier. Line ties in line with hooks enabled snapping jigs from grass. Replacing heavy flipping hooks, with thinner wire hooks and thinned weed guard, allowed hook sets to stick fish at the end of long casts. A bait-keeping wire secures trailers, but Monsoor still carries Super Glue. Looking at over 30 hook styles and manufacturers, Monsoor decided on 3/0, 4/0 or even 5/0 Yamamoto Sugoi hooks, custom made by Gamakatsu. Heating allows bending hooks to fit his original mold. He says ¼ ounce jigs are the most versatile. Slimmed down swimming jig packages mimic whatever fish are eating, baitfish evading predators or crawfish racing from grass clumps to find sanctuary on the river bottom. Monsoor says contacting grass is the Potomac key! The Wisconsin angler wiggles the jig, threading it through grass…
By F. Lennox Campello There are always pleasant and enriching surprises where one least expects them. Please allow me to use this month’s “Gallery Beat” column to get a little verbose on the touchy-feely side of art. Such a surprise experience happened to me as a few years ago while I was jurying an art show in one of the Carolinas. I found a particularly unique piece of sculpture in a show where it was all alone amongst its brethren assorted media; a seminal piece which tempted me into considering awarding it a Best in Show but ended with a lesser Honorable Mention because I thought that the artist had a lot more to explore in order to push the concept behind the work. He needed to enter the world of electricity and lights, and videos, and then he will be there. I just saw some of that artist’s recent work and he’s there now! At that show, in a place where I had never been, and artists whose work I had never seen, there was also the enriching experience of meeting artists who were truly and deeply enamored of their art. And the shock of awarding a Best in Show to a small work whose merit may be overseen by most, like the flower in a dandelion is seen as a weed in a garden of manicured flowers. And there were memorable and most unexpected images of predatory jacks-in-the-box dressed like harlequins being fed honey. They made me shiver with concern as to their creation seed, like a character in Stephen King’s “Duma Key” reacting to one of Edgar Freemantle’s hypnotic paintings. And green trees everywhere, clean manicured lawns and mailboxes guided by Homeowner’s Association standards. And the unexpected and welcomed surprise of having a rich conversation while being…
By Doug Fabbioli Liquid Diversity! There is a lot of tradition in the wine industry. France is probably the most consistent enforcer of the traditions. Their laws insist that only certain grape varietals are planted in certain areas. We in America are fortunate that we have the right to plant any varieties anywhere we choose. Mother Nature will decide which vines will thrive, and which ones will be more challenging to grow. Some may show promise but don’t develop the flavor. Some may have great flavor, but only produce a small amount of fruit – making it inefficient to grow. We make the choices, but many times Mother Nature feeds us the answers. The great thing about this process is that we can discover varieties that can grow here that would not have been considered in other systems. Viognier, Tannat, Petit Manseng, Albariño and Petit Verdot have all found success in our state because we have the ability to try new things. Virginia has somewhat committed that Viognier is the state grape, but I am hard pressed to find a grower or a winemaker that is all in on this decision. Some other regions have latched onto a certain variety and make that their signature. Oregon has made a strong commitment to Pinot Noir. This has worked well for them but it has its downside as well. There are microclimates in every growing area. Some smaller pockets of land may be great for Cabernet Sauvignon, but the general public will assume that only Pinots can be grown in Oregon. The state is kind of big, and not all sites are the same. Also, wines can go in and out of favor with the American wine public. Fifteen years ago, Rose styled wine was out of style like bell bottoms. Well,…
By Carl Trevison and Stephen Bearce Help Take the Guesswork Out of Choosing Investments Asset allocation is a strategy that can help take the guesswork out of choosing investments for your portfolio. Instead of putting all your eggs in one basket, you spread your eggs (dollars) among a variety of baskets (stocks, bonds, and cash). The baskets can be further divided within each type of investment. Although many investors understand they should invest in a variety of securities, they often stumble when it’s time to choose an asset allocation that’s right for them. The allocation that you choose should be based on how much risk you are willing to assume (risk tolerance), why you are investing (goals), and when you will need to tap your investments (time horizon). However, in some cases, once investors choose their allocation, they are afraid to change it. As you experience changes in your life, it can be appropriate to redistribute your assets. So, when should you change your asset allocation? It is important to maintain balance in your portfolio. Accordingly, you should reevaluate your allocation strategy at least once a year or when you experience a major life change, such as marriage or the birth of a child. It’s not always necessary to make a fundamental change to the allocation, but you should make that evaluation on a regular basis. Sometimes your portfolio might just need a tweak to rebalance assets that have either increased or decreased in value. For example, a booming stock market may mean the value of the stock portion of your portfolio exceeds your original allocation. If that occurs, you may want to consider selling some stocks to bring your portfolio back into line with your initial allocation. Rebalancing is a strategy every investor should consider as a way to…
By Kim Putens “How can I get rid of the fine lines, dark circles, and puffiness around my eyes?” The eye area is the most delicate and where the first signs of aging begin to creep up on us. Most often, it is the area that is most neglected until we see that first wrinkle. The most important thing to realize is that prevention is the best defense against the inevitable aging process. Choosing to use an eye cream at an early age is the best defense against those fine lines creeping in before we’re ready. There are also a few other remedies to weaken the defenses of those fine lines and to address other eye concerns. Aging – When we begin to age, the eye area is the first to show those signs. That is why it is the most important area to take care of. Taking care of our eyes is quite simple – moisturizer. Keeping the eye area moisturized is key to maintaining its elasticity and keeping the crows feet and wrinkles away. Choosing an appropriate moisturizer is important. Too light of a moisturizer won’t be effective and too heavy of a moisturizer will just make your make-up a runny mess. To determine the right weight of a moisturizer, look for a moisturizer that absorbs into the skin just enough to still provide relief and still be a little slick. Furthermore, the right moisturizer must not be too intense. The eye area is the most delicate skin on our face and requires that we take great care to ensure it is treated accordingly. A moisturizer designed specifically for the eye area is the best choice. Choosing any facial moisturizer isn’t appropriate because they often contain too many active ingredients that are too much for the eye…
By Jeff McCord Virginia, a Base for Caribbean Privateers A hundred years before Blackbeard and Captain Kidd sailed Virgin Island waters in the early 1700s, the first Queen Elizabeth backed privateers whose Caribbean successes made later pirates look like petty thieves. With accumulated loot from Spanish ports and ships estimated to total more than 120 million dollars in today’s money, Sir Francis Drake led the pack in the late 1500s. Drake, the son of a commoner farmer, is memorialized by Sir Francis Drake channel, which weaves through British and U.S. Virgin Islands, and “Drake’s Chair,” a mountain top spot on St. Thomas from which the Admiral supposedly watched Spanish Puerto Rico. Few realize, though, that Virginia was first colonized by the English in part to provide a base from which to protect vital Caribbean shipping lanes and support raids by such privateers against Spanish New World fleets and colonies, says James Horn, a College of William and Mary scholar in his book “A Land as God Made It.” It was no coincidence that Privateer Christopher Newport transported the first permanent colonists to Jamestown in 1607. Twenty years earlier, in 1586, Drake himself rescued the first settlers from Sir Walter Raleigh’s fabled colony called “Virginia,” although located on Roanoke Island between North Carolina’s Outer Banks barrier islands and the mainland. Tobacco, indigo, coffee and potatoes from the New World were certainly valuable back in England. But, these fruits of hard, risky farming couldn’t compare with Spanish gold and silver from Mexican and Peruvian mines, pearls from the Spanish Philippines shipped to Panama for transport home, and emeralds mined from what’s now Columbia. Superior British seamanship and naval technology placed these unbelievable spoils within reach for those daring enough to go after them. On just one voyage in 1585-86, Sir Francis Drake’s…
By Ryan Unverzagt Today’s lifestyles seem busier than those of years past. You might find yourself saying, “I don’t have enough time to exercise.” But the reality is everyone has 24 hours in a day, and it’s just a matter of prioritizing your schedule to fit in some daily exercise. I know that getting to the health club is half the battle, but wouldn’t it be nice to know what to do when you finally get there? As a result, you need to find ways to help maximize your time at the gym. There are a few ideas I would like to share to help get you going. Develop a plan of action: Your individual goals will determine a plan of action. Since the majority of us are seeking to lose weight, try to burn at least 500 calories per day through cardiovascular exercise (i.e. treadmill, bike, rower, or elliptical machine) at least five days a week. Two of those days, you should add 10 to 12 resistance training exercises that work the entire body. Perform two sets of 15 to 20 repetitions for each exercise. This will help increase your total energy expenditure. Superset your exercises: Pair up two exercises that work opposing muscle groups. Perform these back-to-back without rest in between. For example, the bench press could be followed by lat pull-down. By doing this, your chest and triceps (bench press) will be getting a break while you’re working your back and biceps (lat pull-down). This will eliminate the time spent resting between sets that work the same muscle group. Add cardio between resistance training sets: This is a great way to keep your heart rate up if you are looking to increase your stamina. Instead of waiting for the next set, add three to five minutes…
By F. Lennox Campello There are always pleasant and enriching surprises where one least expects them. Please allow me to use this month’s “Gallery Beat” column to get a little verbose on the touchy-feely side of art. Such a surprise experience happened to me as a few years ago while I was jurying an art show in one of the Carolinas. I found a particularly unique piece of sculpture in a show where it was all alone amongst its brethren assorted media; a seminal piece which tempted me into considering awarding it a Best in Show but ended with a lesser Honorable Mention because I thought that the artist had a lot more to explore in order to push the concept behind the work. He needed to enter the world of electricity and lights, and videos, and then he will be there. I just saw some of that artist’s recent work and he’s there now! At that show, in a place where I had never been, and artists whose work I had never seen, there was also the enriching experience of meeting artists who were truly and deeply enamored of their art. And the shock of awarding a Best in Show to a small work whose merit may be overseen by most, like the flower in a dandelion is seen as a weed in a garden of manicured flowers. And there were memorable and most unexpected images of predatory jacks-in-the-box dressed like harlequins being fed honey. They made me shiver with concern as to their creation seed, like a character in Stephen King’s “Duma Key” reacting to one of Edgar Freemantle’s hypnotic paintings. And green trees everywhere, clean manicured lawns and mailboxes guided by Homeowner’s Association standards. And the unexpected and welcomed surprise of having a rich conversation while being…