By Kim Putens Oily skin combined with 100% humidity in Washington DC equals havoc. It doesn’t have to reach havoc stage if you follow these simple tips. Tip 1 – Keep oily skin balanced by washing right. Make sure to use the right type of face wash to break down oils but not dry it out. When we see a breakout, our first reaction is to reach for the benzyl peroxide and dry it out. While you may see instant gratification, the problem is your skin will have a complete breakout meltdown shortly thereafter. The reason is the over drying caused by the harsh response makes the skin produce more oils to compensate for the attempt to dry it out. Thus, the skin experiences more and worse breakouts. The best way to combat this is to use a cleanser with at least 2% salicylic acid. The salicylic acid will clean out the pores of the excess oil, but will not dry it out. Tip 2 – Lighten up on your night cream. No matter your skin type, the extreme humidity of summer makes it unnecessary to use heavy moisturizers. The general rule of thumb – if you use a cream in the winter, switch to a lotion. If you typically use a lotion, consider a hydrating serum. And, if your skin is extremely oily, you may not need a lotion at all. Tip 3 – Exfoliate and slough off dead skin cells and clean out pores. Using a physical exfoliation once a week will help to relieve the skin of dead cells and unclog pores. For even better results, follow the exfoliation with a mask. Clay masks are best – particularly during summer months – because the clay works to suck out impurities in the pores that lead to breakouts. …
By Carl Trevison and Stephen Bearce Once you realize how many resources may be available and begin your research on college financial assistance, you could be on your way toward easing some of the anxiety often associated with paying for higher education. According to the College Board’s “Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid 2024,” approximately $257 billion in student aid in the form of grants, Federal Work-Study (FWS), federal loans, and federal tax credits and deductions was awarded to undergraduate and graduate students in 2023 – 2024. During that academic year, undergraduate students received an average of $16,360 per full-time equivalent (FTE) student in financial aid: $11,610 in grants, $3,900 in federal loans, $760 in education tax credits and deductions, and $90 in FWS. 5 Lessons for Seeking Help with College Costs Start planning during the high school years. Look to reposition assets or adjust income in the calendar years before your child’s sophomore year. For example, if the student is applying for financial aid for the 2025-2026 school year, the federal aid application will include income from the 2023 tax year (two years prior). Assume you’re eligible for aid … until you’re told you’re not. There are no specific guidelines or rules of thumb that can accurately predict the aid you and your child may be offered. Because each family’s circumstances are different, keep an open mind as you consider financial aid alternatives. Two forms will be key to your aid application process: the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the College Scholarship Service Financial Aid Profile (CSS Profile). The FAFSA helps you apply for federal aid, and many states use it to determine a resident student’s eligibility for state aid. Many schools use the CSS Profile to collect additional information before awarding their own funds,…
By Doug Fabbioli I like to say that making great wines is a team sport, but I recognize that some of the people that make the difference are not really on the team. At Fabbioli Cellars, we have a team of five to seven people that work the vines. Some help in the kitchen on the weekends, some help with bottling or at other vineyards. But I have learned that there are a lot of other support positions that make a difference as well. When you have a farm, you have a lot of equipment, and unfortunately equipment will occasionally break down. We are constantly repairing and doing maintenance here on the farm, but sometimes you need an expert. Let me introduce you to the people in the parts department. Oftentimes, I find myself diagnosing the problem with the help of the parts person either over the phone or at the counter looking at a parts explosion diagram on a computer screen. If the problem is out in the vineyard we look for help from a horticulturist or extension agent. If we can identify a disease or deficiency in the vineyard in a timely basis, we can address the problem and keep the grapes on track for the season without losing the crop. This season, the person bringing help to our vineyards is Tyler Richards, owner/operator of Skyhound, a drone spraying service. I met Tyler about 2 years ago when he was using his drones for construction surveys and tracking services for hunters. We talked a bit about our vineyard needs and he started to do some research. Last season he started off experimenting with a new drone and a few other growers and myself to help with our fungicide needs. I have a vineyard that we were able to…
By the Gastronomes Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the National Day of France and celebrated on July 14th each year. The French National Day is the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, a major event of the French Revolution. In honor of Bastille Day, we decided to revisit one of our very favorites and Alexandria’s very own, Bastille Brasserie & Bar, for this month’s Dining Out column. Bastille is located at 606 N. Fayette Street in north Old Town. Although there are no views of the Potomac River, there is ample free street parking to help relieve that hassle. The restaurant has a comfortable bar/bistro area as well as two more dining rooms. We were there on a beautiful evening and chose to sit on the large patio adjacent to the Asher Apartments courtyard for some al fresco dining. We weren’t the only ones with that idea. We even met a very cute canine visitor named Ernie. It was also a good night because Bastille had just released their new summer menu. Unfortunately, that meant we couldn’t order their delicious beet salad but there are many new items to enjoy. We will just have to wait for fall to roll around for our beet fix. We are particularly fond of the Prix Fixe menus offered here. There are two three 3-course Prix Fixe Menus available. The Bistro menu is $49 while the Brasserie is $59. Both are excellent values. The choices are numerous as you can see from the photo of the menu. All of the items on the fixed price menus and several other choices are available ala carte. For those of you who are familiar with “Restaurant Week” where eateries offer fixed price menus, you could say that Bastille has “Restaurant…
Best of the Caribbean Yes…you read that headline correctly. This is something that is great to know especially in this day and age with the processing of passport applications taking such a long time. I let mine expire long enough ago to have to totally re-apply and awaiting its arrival, however, if I want to head down to St. John to see our island friends, I just have to make my plane reservations and pack my bag! Only draw back is that I wouldn’t be able to make the trek to one of my very favorite places in the Virgin Islands – the Soggy Dollar on Jost Van Dyke since it is part of the BVI’s. Guy Britton tells us what to expect at these Caribbean Jewels below. – Lani Gering
Photo above courtesy of Chukwudinma Anthony Nsofor (aka Chudi) By Lani Gering I have been wracking my brain trying to remember when I first met Leah. Am thinking that it has been at least 10 years ago when a mutual friend of ours introduced us while we were having cocktails at the same watering hole. At that time, we didn’t really talk about what she did for a living but I do remember being very impressed that she made earrings out of discarded guitar strings. I love people that are creative about repurposing everyday items that would otherwise end up in a landfill. In these last 10 or so years, we see each other fairly often at that same watering hole and, obviously, I found out early on that she indeed makes jewelry for a living. I have been blessed with two pair over the years, both gifts from our mutual friend. The first pair I had were so loved by another good friend that I gave them to her – not sure what I was thinking when I did that since I clearly could have sent her straight to the source but…it made her very happy so it was worth it. My next pair were given to me for my 70th birthday almost 2 years ago and I wore them almost daily until I lost one a few months ago. I kept thinking it would show up but, no such luck. However, I ran into Leah at our “place” a couple of weeks ago and while we were talking over a glass of wine, I told her of the demise. She very matter-of-factly told me to bring her the remaining earring and she would see what she could do to recreate it. Keep in mind that all of her…
Events this month July 12th Let’s Celebrate Alexandria’s 276th Birthday! Oronoco Bay Park (100 Madison Street) Old Town Alexandria 6 pm – 9:45 pm The City of Alexandria will celebrate its 276th and the USA’s 249th birthday on Saturday, July 12th, at Oronoco Bay Park (100 Madison St.). Experience this one-of-a-kind Alexandria event with your family. The evening includes live music, food and drink vendors, and ends with the grand finale — a fireworks display on the Potomac River at 9:30 p.m. Parking will be an issue so make arrangements to get to town early in order to secure a spot! Admission is free. Figure Drawing Bootcamp 2025 at Del Ray Artisans Monday–Friday, July 7–11, 6pm–10pm 2704 Mount Vernon Avenue Del Ray Artisans invites you to our 5-day Figure Drawing Bootcamp to hone your composition, anatomy, mark making, and portraiture skills. Monday–Friday, July 7–11, 6pm–10pm. Cost for one-day pass is $55 Del Ray Artisans member / $65 non-member. The five-day pass is $200 Del Ray Artisans member / $250 non-member. The five-day pass is a $75 discount! Figure Drawing Bootcamp is Alexandria VA. Details at DelRayArtisans.org/figure-drawing-bootcamp Things to do every month: Stroll the King Street Mile Centuries-old architecture, brick-lined streets, cobblestone alleys and a canopy of twinkling lights during the holidays make strolling King Street the #1 thing to do in Alexandria. Explore dozens of independently owned restaurants and boutiques, or take a ride on the free King Street Trolley. Dine on the Waterfront Enjoy stunning views of the Potomac River while you dine al fresco at Alexandria’s waterfront restaurants. There are plenty of riverside restaurants to choose from. Feel free to consult the Restaurant Guide in the Dining Section of this issue. Experience History Where It Happened Alexandria is a city that predates the American Revolution and is steeped in history. Explore outdoor walking tours by Alexandria Colonial…
by ©2025 Sarah Becker In 1821 Mexico declared its independence from Spain and the American Colonization Society established the West African republic of Liberia. General Andrew Jackson was appointed governor of the Florida territory; New York’s Emma Willard started the first female collegiate-level school, and Quaker abolitionist Benjamin Lundy published The Genius of Universal Emancipation. President James Monroe (VA-DR) was again inaugurated President and Secretary of State John Quincy Adams (MA-IR)—retired President John and wife Abigail Adam’s son—delivered America’s Fourth of July address. On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted to draft a declaration of independence. The war-related Declaration was accepted on July 4th and copies were sent to the thirteen colonies for review. The parchment original was signed—in Philadelphia on August 2, 1776. The Declaration of Independence “was the first solemn declaration by a nation of the only legitimate foundation of civil government,” Secretary of State John Quincy Adams said. “It was the cornerstone of a new fabric, destined to cover the surface of the globe. It demolished at a stroke the lawfulness of all governments founded upon conquest…From the day of this declaration the people of North America were no longer the fragment of a distant empire, imploring justice and mercy from an inexorable master in another hemisphere…They were a nation, asserting as of right, and maintaining by war, its own existence.” The United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, in Paris, on September 3, 1783—thus ending the Revolutionary War. “Fifty-six men came forward to sign the Declaration of Independence,” President Ronald Reagan explained in his July 4, 1986, New York Harbor address. “It was noted at the time that they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honors. And that was more than rhetoric; each of those men knew the penalty for high…
By Miriam R. Kramer With record-breaking temperatures sweeping the country at large, take a vacation where you can read near a pool, the beach, or any other cooling body of water. Or you can plant yourself in an armchair in the A/C anywhere and pick up a recent thriller such as King of Ashes, by S.A. Cosby; or The Doorman, by Chris Pavone. S.A. Cosby’s King of Ashes plunges readers into a world of familial loyalty, dangerous debts, and the dark underbelly of seemingly ordinary lives. While undeniably fast-paced and brimming with a visceral energy that evokes classic gangster epics, the novel ultimately struggles under the weight of its own sensationalism, leaving a deflated impression despite its narrative drive. The story centers on Roman Carruthers, a brilliant money manager whose quiet life is upended when his ne’er-do-well brother, Dante, racks up significant drug-dealing debts with local gangsters. When these thugs deliberately cause a car accident that puts his father into a coma, Carruthers comes home from Atlanta to the town of Jefferson Runs near Richmond, VA, to help solve Dante’s problems and protect his family. The looming threat isn’t just to Dante, but to the entire Carruthers family, including his sister Neveah, who diligently runs their family crematorium—a business that unexpectedly becomes entangled in the criminal underworld. Roman is compelled to step out of his carefully constructed, upperly mobile world to protect his loved ones, drawn into a conflict far more brutal and unforgiving than he could have imagined. At the same time, Roman and his family are plagued with memories of their mother, a nurse who mysteriously disappeared when the siblings were in their teens, setting up a family malaise that has affected all of them. While her brothers sort out Dante’s terrible mistake, Neveah finally takes up the…
By Ron Powers In 1994, The Offspring burst onto the scene with their massive radio hit, “Come Out and Play”. It all started with the Los Angeles radio station, KROQ-FM, and from there the song spread around the world and up the charts. It even reached number one on Billboard’s “Modern Rock Tracks” and played a central role in establishing punk rock in the mainstream. From its Middle Eastern inspired lead guitar line to Dexter Holland’s one of a kind vocal delivery, “Come Out and Play” offers aggressive punk energy elevated with a timeless pop sense that sounds as fresh today as it did when it was first released. The song begins with clever percussion that utilizes the hi hat stand itself as a percussive instrument. The stand makes a chime-like sound and blends well with the hi hat cymbals and kick drum creating a charming intro to “Come Out and Play”. After eight measures of intro music, we hear the grainy voice of Jason “Blackball” McLean (friend and fan of The Offspring) say the line, “You gotta keep ’em separated”. This is followed by a full band arrangement highlighting heavily distorted rhythm guitar and a zippy lead guitar repeating the same pattern several times. Next, the rhythm guitar moves to palm muted chords while the lead guitar switches to a clean tone and plucks out the iconic Phrygian scale lead line that gives the music of “Come Out and Play” such a distinct flavor. As the first verse starts rolling, we hear the guitar deliver a syncopated chord progression that supports the top line and mixes with the drum beat to create an exhilarating feeling. Additionally, the power of the guitar is increased with a bass line that follows the chords to produce a tonal combination you can really…
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