Great Falls - Ellington CMS

online at www.connectionnewspapers.com October 18-24, 2017

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Page 10

House Of Delegates Candidates Square Off In DebateNews, Page 3

Great Falls Gym Re-opening Honors Joe CassellaNews, Page 8

Fire Station Opened Its

Doors for A DayNews, Page 4

Kim Kramer of Vienna, a volunteer emergency medical technician with the Great Falls Volunteer Fire Department, gave Gabriel James, 6, of Great Falls a turn to wield a small water hose during the open house.

2 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ October 18-24, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Great Falls Connection ❖ October 18-24, 2017 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

NewsEditor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

By Fallon Forbush

The Connection

There are only three weeksleft until Election Day andthe race for the area’s rep-resentative in the House of

Delegates is heating up.The two candidates vying to represent

District 34, which includes Great Falls,McLean and parts of Vienna, in the VirginiaGeneral Assembly debated at the Great FallsGrange on Thursday evening, Oct. 12. Theevent was hosted by the Great Falls Citi-zens Association, an organization that doesnot endorse candidates but encourages awell-informed community.

Incumbent Democrat Del. KathleenMurphy of McLean was at ease throughoutthe event, prodding the debate moderatorto make sure the debate started promptlyat 7:30 and ended on time. A WashingtonNationals game was scheduled to start at 8o’clock and the debate was scheduled to endat 9 o’clock, and she was determined tocatch the ending.

“I’m a very big baseball fan,” she said,proud to represent several players on theteam who live in the district.

In contrast, events like this were atypicalfor her Republican challenger, CherylBuford of Vienna.

“This is a new experience for me,” Bufordsaid before the debate. Unlike Murphy, shehas not received any organizational en-dorsements.

Though the event ended on time,Murphy’s team lost to the Chicago Cubs 8-9, undoing its chance of competing in theWorld Series.

However, Murphy cannot say she has got-ten everything her way as a member of theminority party in the capitol. Murphy ischief patron of 12 bills this legislative ses-sion, three of which became law.

The first bill was an effort to combatVirginia’s opioid overdose epidemic. Opio-ids are drugs that mimic the properties ofopiates like morphine and codeine, and in-clude illegal drugs like heroin and legal drugslike fentanyl and prescription painkillers.

In February, Gov. Terry McAuliffe signedseveral bipartisan bills into law supportingneedle-exchange programs, increased ac-cess to overdose-reversal drug naloxone,changes to opioid prescription policies andprocesses for providing care to infants ex-posed to opioids in utero.

MURPHY’S BILL required the Board ofPharmacy to develop guidelines for phar-macists in order to provide counseling andinformation to patients who are prescribeddrugs regarding proper disposal of unuseddrugs.

The second bill, passed in March, prohib-its postsecondary schools that are requiredto be certified by the State Council of HigherEducation for Virginia from enrolling stu-dents without first informing them whethertheir credits are transferrable and if theschool is accredited.

The third bill, also passed in March, re-quires each school board in the common-wealth to publicize the actual public-teacherratios of each middle and high school forthe current school year.

Murphy was successful in passing thesethree bills this year because of their bipar-tisan support.

“I have to admit that it’s a challenge be-ing in the minority,” Murphy said during thedebate. “You do learn that you have to goand work together to get things done, andit is a little harder — for sure.”

But it isn’t a problem if she really wantsto get it done.

“I am relentless when I see an issue that Ibelieve we need to address and I go after acomrade on the other side; and so far, I’vebeen very successful,” she said.

However, her legislative scorecard was apoint of attack for her opponent, who didn’tlet nerves get in the way of her performance.

“Over three sessions, she has gotten sevenpieces of legislation passed,” Buford said.“If you go to her website, it doesn’t look allthat much different from my website in thesense that it’s very aspirational in terms ofwhat she will do, what she hopes to do.”

What Buford hopes to do has been en-capsulated into an acronym that she hasused to build her campaign, which she madesure to deliver to the crowd: SERVE. Itstands for: “Shortening your commute, En-

ergizing the commonwealth’s economy,Rebooting our public schools, Vanquishingthe opioid epidemic and Ensuring ourneighborhoods are safe.”

The questions in the debate focused ontransportation, education, economy and theopioid crisis.

Both candidates are focused on increas-ing funding for transportation infrastruc-ture, both telling the crowd that work onthe American Legion Bridge is a priority.

Both candidates are also focused on in-creasing funding for public schools withBuford dead set on changing common-wealth funding formulas so school districtsthat have larger populations of studentswho speak English as a second languagereceive more funding for ESL programs.

Murphy emphasized the need to increaseteacher pay in Fairfax County because sala-ries are not competitive with neighboringcounties, while Buford argued that aboveaverage pension benefits level the playingfield.

“Of course, we want to be generous, butthere is an issue with the pensions that re-ally needs to be resolved,” Buford said.“When you look at the total compensationfor our teachers, it really is relatively thesame with the other districts. The differenceis that it is deferred into the pensions.”

AS FAR AS THE ECONOMY GOES, the

two candidates vastly differ.“We have quite a maze of regulations, so

I would propose that any regulations thatwe pass from the General Assembly has topass an economic analysis first,” saidBuford, whose campaign platform calls forslashing regulations imposed on the busi-ness community, especially smaller busi-nesses.

While Murphy’s view of regulations dif-fers, she was sure to strut her pro-businesspurview.

“I support and have supported cutting redtape on our local, small businesses,” Murphysaid. “I think that it’s got to be easier forsmall businesses to have access to capitalso they can continue to grow. That is one ofthe reasons that I’ve been endorsed by theNorthern Virginia Chamber of Commercebecause I work very hard with them to tryand be helpful to our business communityand to make sure that we’re doing the rightthings to make it a welcoming economy forbusinesses.”

The candidates seemed to agree in ap-proach to handling the opioid epidemic.

“We are losing three Virginians a week tothe opioid epidemic,” Buford said. “That isunconscionable. And we cannot incarcer-ate our way out of the problem.”

Murphy agreed.“We need more funding for mental health

programs, we need more treatment pro-grams and I agree totally that drug addic-tions cannot be cured with prison,” Murphysaid.

ROUND TWOThe candidates will debate again on Mon-

day, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m. at LongfellowMiddle School, which will be hosted by theMcLean Citizens Association.

Short BiosKathleen Murphy, 60, is a native of Chicago who

spent her childhood moving around as amember of a military family. She graduatedfrom high school in Phoenix and earned abachelor’s degree in political science andpsychology. Professionally, she was a writer fora Nickelodeon show called “Beyond Belief”before working as a congressional aide onCapitol Hill for U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson (D-Texas). During the Bill Clinton administration,she was appointed as a congressional liaison atthe U.S. Agency for International Development,later serving as a senior advisor on internationaltrade issues at the Department of Commerce.She is a member of the Finance and thePrivileges and Elections committees and amember of the Virginia Board of VeteransServices.

Cheryl Buford is a native of Topeka, Kansas, whowas raised in a suburb of Kansas City. Sheearned a bachelor’s degree in education and amaster’s degree in family economics, both fromKansas State University. She also has a master’sdegree in public affairs from the University ofTexas LBJ School of Public Affairs.Professionally, she started her career as a homeeconomics teacher in Chicago. After that, shebecame a consultant for government agenciesspecializing in transportation and economicdevelopment. She is vice president of businessdevelopment and marketing for Reston-basedSocial Capital Valuations, LLC. She says she wasrecruited to run for the House of Delegates by JoThoburn, chairwoman of the 10th CongressionalDistrict Republican Committee.

House Of Delegates Candidates Square Off In Debate

Republican Candidate Cheryl Buford, 64 (left), squared off with Demo-crat incumbent Kathleen Murphy, 60 (right) during a debate hosted bythe Great Falls Citizens Association.

Tim Thompson, Dranesville District representative on the 2017 Chamberof Commerce School Bond Committee, spoke before the debate andencouraged the audience to vote yes for the $315 million school bondreferendum that is on the ballot for the Nov. 7 general election.

Photos by Fallon Forbush/The Connection


News

See Week, Page 13

By Fallon Forbush

The Connection

In celebration of Fire Prevention

Week Oct. 8-14, all Fairfax CountyFire and Rescue Department stationshosted open houses on Saturday, Oct.

14, where the public was invited to meettheir local firefighters.

Great Falls Station No. 12 Fire Chief Dou-glas Wessel and his firefighters, paramed-ics and emergency medical technicians wereon site to show off their vehicles and equip-ment and teach children and grownupsalike about fire safety.

“Hopefully, the kids will be less afraid ofit if they ever have to go,” Sarah McMichael,a volunteer EMT with the station, said ofleading children through a tour of one ofthe ambulances. “And we make sure theyknow the number to call for emergencies.”

The National Fire Protection Association,a global nonprofit organization that devel-ops fire, sprinkler and electrical codes andstandards, has a goal of eliminating deathand injuries from fire, electrical and relatedhazards. In that effort, it develops educa-tional programs to inform the public about

the adoption of codes and safety issues.NFPA has advertised Fire Prevention Week

since 1922. This year’s theme was, “Every

Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out!”“If your first exit is blocked, you have a backup

plan,” Wessel said. “Depending on where the

fire is, the second may be safer,” which he saidhe has seen in practice “many times.”

Evacuees could have less than two min-utes to escape to safety after smoke alarmssound, according to the NFPA. Here are thekey messages to the NFPA’s annual cam-paign for preparing an escape plan:

❖ Draw a map of your home with allmembers of your household, marking twoexits from each room and a path to the out-side from each exit.

❖ Practice your home fire drill twice ayear. Conduct one at night and one duringthe day with everyone in your home, andpractice using different ways out.

❖ Teach children how to escape on theirown in case you can’t help them.

❖ Make sure the number of your home isclearly marked and easy for the fire depart-ment to find.

❖ Close doors behind you as you leave— this may slow the spread of smoke, heatand fire.

❖ Once you get outside, stay outside.Never go back inside a burning building.

A “Plan Your Home Fire Escape” mini-lesson can be downloaded from the NFPA’swebsite at www.FirePreventionWeek.org.

Great Falls Author WillDiscuss Early PotomacRiver Valley

The public is invited to hear local historian, Mike High,discuss the early era of the Potomac River, including thefirst European explorers, early colonial settlement, themigrations of the Shawnee, Tuscarora, and PiscatawayIndians, and the building of canals for commerce andtransportation along its banks.

High, a technical researcher and editor by profession,became enamored with the Chesapeake and Ohio Ca-nal in 1990 when he visited Cumberland, Md., 186 milesnorthwest of its start in Georgetown, and saw the stonelocks of the old canal basin. During subsequent biketrips along the trail, he became intrigued by its many

historical and cultural assets, resulting in his research andwriting of “The C&O Canal Companion: A Journey throughPotomac History” (published by The Johns Hopkins Uni-versity Press).

In his lecture, High will explore the early developmentof the Great Falls area in the context of regional and na-tional history, including the challenges of the early Ameri-can frontier, George Washington’s investment in Potomacnavigation, and the construction of the C&O Canal begin-ning in the 1820s. For anyone who has taken a strollthrough Seneca Regional Park or visited the Great FallsNational Park, this is a program not to be missed.

This free event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 28 at SmithChapel — the oldest church building in Great Falls — at11321 Beach Mill Road, starting at 10:30 a.m. with regis-tration and refreshments. High will speak and take ques-tions from 11 a.m. until noon. Pre-registration is recom-mended as seating is limited. To register, go to

www.smithchapelumc.com.

Comment Sought onProposed Fee Increases atGreat Falls Park

The National Park Service proposes increasing en-trance fees at both Great Falls Park, Va. and Great Falls,Md. This proposal also reinstates a reciprocal agreement,which would allow entry to parks on both sides of thePotomac River by presenting a valid pass or receipt pur-chased at either park.

Proposed fees, which would be effective Jan. 1, 2018,are as follows:

Fire Station Opened Its Doors For A Day

Sarah McMichael of McLean and Robin Rauh of Herndon, volunteeremergency medical technicians with the Great Falls Volunteer Fire De-partment, give a tour of one of the station’s ambulances to the Vilporsfamily of Great Falls during the open house. From left: Monica Vilpors,Jonathan Vilpors, 3, EMT Sarah McMichael, EMT Robin Rauh, DavidVilpors, Olivia Vilpors, 1, and Andrea Vilpors, 21.

Tom Styer of Great Falls, a volunteer emergency medical technician withthe Great Falls Volunteer Fire Department, shows Alexa Kondilas, 7, ofGreat Falls how to perform CPR during the open house.

Kim Kramer of Vienna, a volunteer emergency medical technician withthe Great Falls Volunteer Fire Department, gave Joe Kainec, 5, of GreatFalls a turn to wield a small water hose during the open house.

Week in Great Falls


Marjorie Davies Will-iams, born Nov. 9, 1911,died on Oct. 7, 2017, inGreat Falls. She diedpeacefully at home, sur-rounded by family.Marjorie grew up in NewYork City, where sheeventually met and mar-ried Fred Williams.

After Fred’s untimelydeath in 1945, Marjorieworked fulltime, in mul-tiple jobs, while raisingher two daughters: Bar-bara, who grew up to bea schoolteacher; andCarol, who grew up to bea lawyer.

During her career, Marjorie was recruitedto move to D.C. to serve as the administra-tive assistant first to the Deputy AttorneyGeneral of the United States, and later tothe Director of the Administrative Office ofthe U.S. Courts.

Following her retirement in 1980,Marjorie filled her life with her family, worldtravel, and her church. She was an activemember of St. Barnabas in Annandale,where she served a term on the vestry, led

the Women of St.Barnabas, and volun-teered regularly with nu-merous charities. She wasalso tremendously in-volved in the lives of herfour beloved grandchil-dren.

Marjorie is survived bydaughter Barbara Moore(Herman), of Charlotte,N.C.; daughter CarolBernstein, with whomMarjorie lived in GreatFalls; granddaughterSharon Bernstein (John),of Portland, Ore.; grand-daughter Bobbi Bernstein(Donna), of Annandale;

granddaughter Christy Walenczyk (Jeff), ofCharlotte, N.C.; grandson Russell Moore(Courtney), of Richmond; six great-grand-children; and countless friends and admir-ers.

Marjorie will be honored at a memorialservice on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, at 11 a.m.at St. Barnabas Church in Annandale.Marjorie’s family would welcome donationsto the St. Barnabas Memorial Fund or tothe Humane Society.

Marjorie Williams ofGreat Falls Dies at105

Obituary


Opinion

By Stephen R. Ruth

Schar School of Policy and Government

Professor of Public Policy

George Mason University

We should fear Artificial Intelli-gence. Not in the future butnow. Ask Sheryl Sandberg,chief operating officer of

Facebook. She announced that her company,with its over 2 billion users, built software itcannot fully control. “We never intended oranticipated this functionality being used thisway,” Sandberg said, “— and that is on us.”Facebook’s operating systems had al-lowed Russian operatives to createaccounts and ads aimed at influenc-ing the 2016 U.S. presidential elec-tion. The gigantic network seems to have cre-ated systems that are ungovernable.

Facebook’s problem hints at the extremedangers lurking within Artificial Intelligenceas it grows throughout the world. AI Expertsare already talking about a “nightmare sce-nario,” where nations’ AI systems could ignitereal-time conflicts. Consider, hair-trigger AIsystems could eventually control several na-tions’ military responses’ and some error in anyone algorithm could possibly lead to a nuclearcatastrophe.

Between the Facebook case and the night-mare scenario is the immediate problem ofmillions of people losing jobs. Around theglobe, programmable machines — includingrobots, cars and factory robots — are replac-

ing humans in the workplace. Automationthreatens 80 percent of today’s 3.7 milliontransportation jobs, one U.S. government re-port estimated, including truck and school busdrivers, taxi drivers and Uber and Lyft drivers.Another report indicates AI is threatening as-pects of the many different jobs, including callcenter operators, surgeons, farmers, securityguards, retail assistants, fast food workers andjournalists. A 2015 study of robots in 17 coun-tries found that they accounted for over 10percent of the countries’ gross domestic prod-uct growth between 1993 and 2007. Consider,a major supplier for Apple and Samsung cell

phones and computers, China’sFoxconn Technology Group, is plan-ning to automate 60,000 factory jobswith robots, replacing its existing

employees. Meanwhile, Ford’s factory in Co-logne, Germany, not only replaced humanworkers with robots but also on some jobs sta-tions position robots beside human workers —they are called cobots.

But these employment issues, as troublingas they are, cannot compare to the dangersenvisioned by Elon Musk and Stephen Hawk-ing. They are among the dozens of thoughtleaders who signed a letter harshly condemn-ing governments’ increasing reliance on AI formilitary use. Their chief concern is autonomousweapons, another example of AI. The U.S. mili-tary is already developing armaments that donot require humans to operate them. Theseweapons are being created to offer battlefieldsupport for human troops. Autonomous arms

are dramatically easier to develop and mass-produce than nuclear weapons. They will likelyto soon appear on black markets around theworld, certain to be favored by terrorist groups.To quote from the open letter, the new autono-mous weapons would be ideal for dark actionsincluding “assassinations, destabilizing na-tions, subduing populations and selectivelykilling a particular ethnic group.”

There are some economic optimists likeMIT’s Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee,who feel that AI will eventually bring long termprosperity to the world, but even they admitthat finding common ground among, econo-mists, technologists and politicians is daunt-ing. Obviously, it will be very difficult to craftlegislation about AI without more agreementabout its potential effects.

We should definitely be fearful of artificialintelligence, not just because it is clearly des-tined to affect the number of available jobs,including those in middle and even uppermiddle class domains, but because its poten-tial military use can lead to a perilous fu-ture, if not controlled. As the open lettersigned by Musk and Hawking concluded,“Starting a military AI arms race is a badidea, and should be prevented by a ban onoffensive autonomous weapons beyondmeaningful human control.”

The author is director of the InternationalCenter for Applied Studies in InformationTechnology (ICASIT) http://policy-icasit.gmu.edu/

What To Do Against the ‘Nightmare Scenario’?

Commentary

By Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum

State Delegate (D-36)

Just when you think thingsare changing you can beshocked to realize just how

much they stay the same. Politicsin Virginia are a prime example.

For more than a century afterthe Civil War the consistent factorin politics was race baiting. Thethen-called Democrats in theSouth, who later became knownas Dixiecrats and today are the conservativewing of the Republican Party, were successfulwith a variety of laws that disenfranchised Af-rican Americans.

Even with the few African Americans whocould get through the labyrinth of laws thatincluded blank sheet registration forms, lit-eracy tests and poll taxes the scare tactic em-ployed by too many candidates was to suggestthat their opponent was a lover of black people— but using a derogatory term. That fear ofblack people has its roots back to the centu-ries where black people were enslaved andbrutal enforcement and fear were used to keepthem that way.

The Civil War did not resolve the feelingbetween blacks and whites, and slave codeswere replaced with Jim Crow laws that whitescould use to assert supremacy over blackpeople.

For a candidate to take a posi-tion that could be interpreted asbeing favorable to African Ameri-cans would mean almost certaindefeat at the polls. Only SupremeCourt decisions and federal lawslike the Civil Rights Act and theVoting Rights Act created a morelevel political playing field be-tween the races. Continued efforts

to suppress the votes of minorities and to un-necessarily complicate the voting process arestill employed by some trying to maintain astructured society of white supremacy.

More recently those who want to keep orexpand their political power have swept im-migrants — whatever their status — into therealm of those who are to be feared and sup-pressed from participating in the democraticprocess.

Many strive to gain maximum political ad-vantage through whatever means while at thesame time wanting to keep the appearance ofrespect and patriotism. The recent televisionad with scary images and references to fearand the MS 13 gang intends to scare votersinto rejecting a compassionate medical doctorwith an ad that fact checkers have found to beuntruthful.

Another concern from the current campaign

is the suggestion from a white female candi-date for lieutenant governor that her blackmale opponent does not understand the issueswell enough to discuss them “intelligently.” Dis-regarding the excellent academic credentialsof her opponent, her comments had the toneof the past that one observer said seemed moreappropriate for 1957 than 2017.

At the national level, there are daily state-ments and actions that hearken back to theracial climate of the Old South. This year InVirginia, we have a unique opportunity on Nov.7 to make a statement with our votes that wereject the discrimination of the past. It is al-ways important to vote, but it is more impor-tant than ever this year. Despite efforts to ro-manticize the Old South and the Confederacy,we need to learn the truth and understand whywe need to move on.

It is always important to vote, but it ismore important than ever this year.

Shades of the Old SouthCommentary

WriteThe Connection welcomes views on any public

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address and home and business numbers.Letters are routinely edited for libel, grammar,

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Great Falls


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By Colin Stoecker

The Connection

When you ask people who JoeCassella was, they tell youstories of how much morehe was than just a personal

trainer who co-owned Elite Fitness Conceptsin Great Falls.

Casella passed away in 2009 after a battlewith lung cancer at age 40. Many remem-ber him as “the mayor of Great Falls.” Alongwith Scott Ackerman, Joe co-owned thegym in Great Falls that just re-opened itsdoors as Elite Fitness.

New owner of the gym and Ace Physical

Therapy and Sports Medicine Institute,Michael Ercole, dedicated a brand-new spinroom to Joe Cassella’s memory.

“We heard that it went up for sale, andwe’ve done a lot in a year,” said Ercole.

The renovations to the gym have beenmassive, the old blue carpet is gone andshining mirrors and brand new equipmentsmile back at gym-goers as they enter. It isbright and clean.

“We are glad that it stayed a gym,” saidJoe’s younger brother, Frank Cassella, anoptometrist from Leesburg. “I met my wifein the gym. My brother owned a gym onWalker road and moved here, and I wouldstay here for Christmas. I got to see this

place go from an empty room full of boxesto a booming business.”

Despite the new look and management,many of the old employees have stayed withthe gym through the business’s change ofhands.

Chat Grosvenor, 33, is a trainer and worksat the front desk, started working at the gymas a junior in high school. “What’s greatabout this gym is the community, thepeople, they are all easy to talk to. Theyare very caring and it’s a small community.It’s a real family matter, everybody knowseverybody we support each other and it’svery positive,” said Grosvenor.

This positive attitude as a training style

remains along with Joe Cassella’s legacy asmany of the people in attendance Saturdayat the re-opening shared fond memories ofhim. “Joe was a sounding board for mostpeople, and very connected to the GreatFalls community,” said Frank Cassella.

David Lynch, a Great Falls resident andmember of the gym was proud to talk abouthow the gym has positively impacted hishealth. “It’s convenient to the communityhere, they really focus on your physicalneeds. I’ve lost 60 pounds in the last 15months,” said Lynch.

“You could go to Reston, but this placecaters to the needs of the community,”he said.

Great Falls Gym Re-opening Honors Joe Cassella

Margiee Cacciabeve, who works in administration and Frank Cassella atthe re-opening of Elite Fitness in Great Falls. Frank’s brother JoeCassella used to be a co-owner of the gym and trainer before passingaway in 2009 of lung cancer.

Photos by Colin Stoecker/The Connection

Friends and family of past gym owner Joe Cassella gathered for the re-opening of Elite Fitness in Great Falls on Saturday.

New gym owner, Michael Ercole and past ownerScott Ackerman shake hands outside of EliteFitness for the re-opening of the gym in GreatFalls on Saturday.

Elaine Lynch, a marketing professional fromGreat Falls and her husband David Lynch, agym member at the re-opening of Elite FitnessSaturday in Great Falls.

A new spin room was dedicated to the pastowner of the gym, Joe Cassella who died oflung cancer in 2009. The re-opening of EliteFitness took place Saturday in Great Falls.

News


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People

The rhino is an iconicmammal famed —and poached — for itshorn, but in South Af-

rica moves are afoot to beef up itsprotection.

Thanks to a project funded bythe Global Environment Facility(GEF) that began in 2013, rhinosare safer from poaching in SouthAfrica today than they have beenfor a long time.

Great Falls resident Mike Strangis the program manager for a $30million program titled Strengthen-ing Law Enforcement Capabilitiesto Combat Wildlife Crime for Con-servation and Sustainable Use ofSpecies in South Africa (target:Rhinoceros), the program uses thelatest technology to track poach-ers and improve rhino crime scenemanagement.

“The biggest challenge has beenthe consistent and relentless ef-forts of poachers,” said Strang,Great Falls resident and one ofthose leading the UN Environ-ment-GEF rhino enforcementprogramme. “Despite many ar-rests, organized crime syndicates

are continuing their activities. Thetoll on the men and women whofight this scourge is incalculable.”

THE AIM of the project, accord-ing to Strang, is “improved foren-sic technologies and capacity,strengthened data gathering, shar-

Great Falls resident usinggame-changing technologyboosts rhino protection.

Saving Rhinos inSouth Africa

Mike Strang climbing down from a tower near KrugerNational Park during wide area network testing.

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ntributed

Mike Strang at a rhinocrime scene using one ofthe GEF-funded forensictrailers for South Africa’sprotected areas.

See Saving Rhinos, Page 11


Education●Learning●Fun

By Marilyn Campbell

One of the greatest gifts that a par-ent can give a child is a healthyself-esteem. Positive feelings

about oneself can lead to success in a gamutof situations ranging from school to socialcircles, say child development experts.

“Self-esteem plays an important role atall stages of our lives,” said psychologistStacie B. Isenberg, Psy.D. “As adults, it canaffect how one approaches situations andinteracts with other people. When self-es-teem is low, it may, for example, affect workperformance or one’s ability to recognizeand enjoy accomplishments.”

Parents play an essential part in the de-velopment of their child’s self-esteem, ad-vises Cheryl Giacomelli, who teaches psy-chology at Northern Virginia CommunityCollege. “Parents foster self-esteem in manyways including leading by example, beingemotionally available, engaging with theirchildren, and providing a loving and sup-portive environment that allows children tosucceed and fail,” she said.

Parents can model this behavior in every-day tasks. “For example, while helping achild with a math assignment and not un-derstanding the math problem, the parent

Boosting a Child’s Self-Esteem A positive self imageis a lifelong gift.

who says ‘I can’t believe I don’t understandthis, I was always terrible at math” is send-ing a different message than the parent whosays, ‘I’m not sure about this one. Let’s askyour teacher to explain it to us in a differ-ent way,’” said Isenberg. “Parents can ben-efit themselves and their children by learn-ing to describe situations according to thespecific circumstances and resisting puttinga generalized label on the situation or theirbehavior.”

Since children learn by observation, mod-eling healthy relationships and habits is avital component of developing a healthyself-esteem, suggests Giacomelli. “Choosean activity once a day in which you are fullyengaged with your child,” she said. “Thismay sound like common sense, however intoday’s busy world, it’s sometimes difficultto devote all of your attention to one task.This means playing a game or reading abook and ensuring your cell phone is no-where in sight.”

“Experiences that may negatively impactthe development of a strong sense of selfoccur when we do not fully engage withour children, when we do not allow ourchildren to fail, and when we do not ac-knowledge our own faults,” continuedGiacomelli

Avoid harsh criticisms and display expres-sions of love, warmth and affection, advisesJoanne Bagshaw, PhD, LCPC, professor ofpsychology at Montgomery College-Germantown.

“Children’s self-esteem develops based onhow well their parents love them,” she said.“The best thing parents can do is to openlyand unconditionally love and accept theirchild. Parents … can do so verbally, by tell-ing their children often that they love themand by being openly affectionate, with hugs,for example. Parents can also communicatewarmth through their tone of voice, and eyecontact.”

PRAISING CHILDREN is important, butit must be sincere. Even setbacks can offeropportunities for developing a healthy self-esteem, suggests Isenberg. “Children feelgood about themselves when they have re-ceived genuine, positive reinforcement frompeople and situations,” she said. “Praisinga child’s efforts is one of the best thingsparents can reinforce, because a child cancontrol his effort, whereas outcome isn’talways within one’s control.”

One example that Isenberg offers is say-ing something like, “I’m so proud of howhard you studied for that science test. You

spent a lot of time reviewing the materialand were really dedicated to being pre-pared.”

Allowing children to learn to do thingson their own and even experience a setbackwithin a supportive environment may in-crease feelings of confidence and compe-tence, says Jerome Short, Ph.D., associateprofessor of psychology at George MasonUniversity.

“Parents may do too much for childrenor protect them from failure so that chil-dren do not learn to cope with difficult situ-ations and soothe themselves,” he said.“Children should believe that they haveworth for being a unique person.”

Fostering opportunities for positive socialinteraction with their peers can lead to ahealthy self-esteem, says Short. “Childrenwho have close friendships and reciprocalsharing with friends tend to have higherself-esteem,” he said. “Children’s success-ful accomplishment of goals also boosts self-esteem.”

Establishing boundaries and setting lim-its with children can instill a sense of safetyand security, advises Short. “Authoritativeparenting that is high in support and highin structure and expectations contributes tochildren’s positive sense of self,” he said.


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SUNDAY WORSHIP, 7:45 AM & 10:00 AMCHRISTIAN LEARNING ACADEMY (SUN.) 9:00AM-9:45AM

MIDWEEK SERVICES, WED. 7:00 PM

Visit These Houses of Worship

To Highlight Your Faith Community, call Don at 703-778-9420

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From Page 9

People

ing and analysis systems at national level, and en-hanced cooperation structures and mechanisms atinternational level to support law enforcement ef-forts along the whole trafficking chain.”

The project has adapted to the changing techniquesand tactics used by poachers.

“The introduction of hi-tech equipment has provento be the best way to maximize scarce human re-sources in the protected areas where the rhinos roam.The days of just driving around or walking a perim-eter are gone,” said Strang.

Strang is working with partners to introduce sen-sors, the internet of things (IoT), cyber security andLoRa wide area networks to stay ahead of syndicatedcrime networks.

The University of Pretoria’s Veterinary GeneticsLaboratory is the centre for rhino forensic work inthe country.

The GEF project provided some of the funding forhorn DNA analysis from stockpiles and live rhinos,while the Department of Environmental Affairsfunded forensic work related to illegal rhino killings.This enabled the purchase of things like refrigera-tors, forensic kits, and a new laboratory. Most im-portantly, the project enabled the training of addi-tional lab technicians who will be an asset for manyyears to come.

The training of biodiversity investigators and crimescene management experts, the production of train-ing videos, the development of an Advanced Coursefor rangers, the carrying out of prosecutor training,and the setting up of a magistrates’ colloquium, aswell as a regional magistrates’ colloquium (includ-ing South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia andLesotho).

PARTNERING with the Environmental WildlifeTrust (EWT), a local non-governmental organization(and thanks to funding from the United States ofAmerica), enabled the project to increase the num-ber of personnel taking the advanced ranger train-ing course from 500 to 1,400. “Training is nearingcompletion now and, judging from the feedbackwe’ve received, it has been a huge success,” saidStrang.

“The project has also recently partnered with PeaceParks Foundation to focus on another pilot projectwhich uses Smart City technology, long range widearea networks, and Internet of Things protocols andpromises to completely change the way rhinos areprotected,” said Strang.

Visit www.unep.org/stories/story/rhino-love.

Saving Rhinosin South Africa

Photo contributed

Crime Scene Training at actual poachingincident.


Entertainment

Submit entertainment announcementsat www.connectionnewspapers.com/Cal-endar/. The deadline is noon on Friday.

WEDNESDAY/OCT. 18Dining with Dorothy. 12:30 p.m at

Legal Seafoods, Tysons Galleria,2001 International Drive, McLean.This socializing/dining event ishosted by the Shepherd ‘s Center ofOakton-Vienna. [email protected].

Tree Talks. 7-9:30 p.m. at ChurchillRoad Elementary School Cafeteria,7100 Churchill Road, McLean. Topic:“Trees in McLean’s ChangingLandscape–Planting and Protecting.”Visit www.mcleancitizens.org.

FRIDAY/OCT. 20Lunch and Learn. noon at The

Providence Community Center, 3001Vaden Drive. RSVP lecture on thevalue of volunteering. Email CarlyHubicki at [email protected].

Drumming and Drum CircleWorkshop. 3:30-10 p.m. at The OldFirehouse Teen Center, 1440 ChainBridge Road, McLean. Teens can getin the Halloween spirit and spend aFriday night with the Old Firehouse.Only the brave-hearted are invited onthis journey. The night will start witha group dinner $60/$50 MCC districtresidents. Visitwww.mcleancenter.org.

An Evening Service of Song,Scripture and Prayer. HolyComforter will welcome two visitingchoirs from Delaware: ImmanuelChurch on the Green, Newcastle, andSt. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Lewes.Under the direction of ChoirmastersT. J. Thomas and Jack WarrenBurnam, the combined choirs willpresent an evening service of song,scripture, and prayer. This liturgywill be followed by a festivereception.

OCT. 20-22Vienna Theatre Company

Production. Various times at theVienna Community Center, 120Cherry St. SE. Upcoming production“In Living Sound - Back Home!,” liveradio drama directed by PatriciaBoswell Kallman. $14. Visitwww.viennatheatrecompany.org.

Great Falls Studios Tour. 10 a.m.-5p.m. at various venues in Great Falls.A self-guided driving tour of localartists in their personal studios. Thisthree-day event is family-friendly,free, and offers the opportunity tosee art being made in the community.Artists will be available 10 a.m.-5p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday,rain or shine. Visitwww.greatfallsstudios.com.

SATURDAY/OCT. 21Damselwings Art Show. 3-6 p.m. at

the Home of Martha Brettschneider,2203 Abbotsford Drive, Vienna.Exhibit and sale of MarthaBrettschneider’s floral metal printsand notecards. Portion of sales willsupport Metavivor’s breast canceradvocacy. Free. Visit bit.ly/DamselwingsArtShow or call 703-919-4230.

Astronomy Campfire. 6-7 p.m atRiverbend Park, 8700 Potomac HillsSt., Great Falls. Hear tales about theconstellations and make s’mores overthe campfire’s embers. Ages 4 andup. $8. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverbend-park/.

OCT. 21-2218th Century Autumn Market Fair.

11-4:30 p.m at the Claude MooreColonial Farm, 6310 GeorgetownPike, McLean. Learn to dip candlesand watch the blacksmith and rope

maker at work. Children’s games,puppet theater and live music. Meetstaff and volunteers in costume andcharacter. $8; children and seniors:$4; children under 3 free. Visitwww.1771.org.

SUNDAY/OCT. 22Capitol Steps Comedy Troupe. 3

p.m. at Oakton High School, 2900Sutton Road, Vienna. A singing,dancing, satirical show that focuseson politics, proceeds go to theShepherd’s Center of Oakton-Vienna.$35. Visit www.scov.org/fundraiser-tickets or call 703-281-0538.

Bonis Ensemble. 4 p.m. at SaintFrancis Episcopal Church, 9220Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. PlayingMozart, Mahler and Bonis. Visitwww.amadeusconcerts.com.

The Music of Simon andGarfunkel. 7:30 at Jammin’ Java,227 Maple Ave. E. The Music ofSimon & Garfunkel performed byAmericana-folk duo Swearingen andKelli. $20. Visitwww.themusicofsimonandgarfunkel.com.

WEDNESDAY/OCT. 2571st Annual Halloween Parade. 7

p.m. on Maple Avenue, Vienna. Joinfriends and neighbors, ghouls andgoblins for one of Vienna’s traditions:the 71st annual Halloween Parade,hosted by the Vienna BusinessAssociation. Pre-registration isrequired for businesses andorganizations who wish to march inthe parade. No registration neededfor children who want to wearcostumes and walk in the parade;children must be accompanied bytheir mummy or another adult. Visitbit.ly/2huu6L0.

OCT. 27-28Vienna Theatre Company

Production. Various times at theVienna Community Center, 120Cherry St. SE. Upcoming production“In Living Sound - Back Home!,” liveradio drama directed by PatriciaBoswell Kallman. $14. Visitwww.viennatheatrecompany.org.

The Recital on Stage. 7:30 at 1stStage Theatre, 1524 Spring HillRoad, McLean. Premiere of TheRecital with live piano performed byMusicLink, Saturday’s ticket includesaccess to the Post-Performance. $30-50. Call 703-854-1856.

SATURDAY/OCT. 28Arlington Free Clinic Annual

Benefit Gala. 6 p.m.-midnight atRitz-Carlton, Tysons Corner TysonsGalleria, 1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean.

Cocktail reception and silent auction,which includes getaways, art andphotography, sports items, and muchmore. $300. Visitwww.gala.arlingtonfreeclinic.org.

Ellis Paul in Concert. 7:30 p.m. atJammin Java, 227 Maple Ave. E.,Vienna. Ellis Paul with Sophie B.Hawkins in celebration of 25 years oftouring. Visit www.jamminjava.com.

SUNDAY/OCT. 29Pumpkin Carving Lessons. 10 a.m.-

4 p.m at Wildfire, Tysons Galleria, 3rd

floor, Mclean. Executive Chef EdwinAmaya shares his best-kept secretsfor carving pumpkins and EmmaChoi, student representative to RealFood for Kids, will be the specialguest followed by a costume contest.$20.00 per child and a portion of theproceeds will be donated to “RealFood for Kids.” Call 703-442-9110.

Spookappella Halloween Jam. 2p.m. at Jammin Java, 227 Maple Ave.E., Vienna. Cover band rocking R&B,Hip-Hop, Funk, and soul hits of thelast five decades. $10 in advance,$15 at the door. Visitwww.jamminjava.com.

FRIDAY/NOV. 3Scott Miller Concert. 2 p.m. at

Jammin Java, 227 Maple Ave. E.,Vienna. Rock singer/songwriterhighlights his first full album in fouryears, “Ladies Auxiliary.” Visitwww.jamminjava.com.

NOV. 6-JAN. 7Textures Exhibit. Various times at the

Vienna Arts Center, 115 Pleasant St.,NW. Call 703-319-3971 or visitwww.ViennaArtsSociety.org.

WEDNESDAY/NOV. 8Astronomy Lecture. 7:30-9 p.m at

Turner Farm, 925 Springvale Road,Great Falls. Topics may includeplanets, open clusters, double stars,stellar color spectrum, globularclusters and galaxies. After class,view the objects that were discussedthrough the observatory’s telescopes,if weather allows. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/turnerfarm/.

SATURDAY/NOV. 11Fall Bazaar. 10 a.m.-4 p.m at Vienna

Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary,400 Center St., South. The ViennaVolunteer Fire Department Auxiliaryis sponsoring this event with crafts,bake sale, holiday items. [email protected] or call 703-309-3468.

Great FallsStudio Tour

See work by local artistsand tour their studios on theGreat Falls Studios Tour, Oct.20-22, at various venues inGreat Falls. A self-guideddriving tour of local artists intheir personal studios. Thisthree-day event is family-friendly, free, and offers theopportunity to see art beingmade in the community. Art-ists will be available 10a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, Saturdayand Sunday, rain or shine.Visit greatfallsstudios.com.

“Eyeliner” byLinda Jones


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From Page 4

Per Vehicle:❖ Current: $10/vehicle for 3

days. Valid only at park where feewas paid.

❖ Proposed: $15/vehicle for 3days. Valid at both parks.

Per Person (hikers/walkers, bi-cyclists):

❖ Current: $5/person for 3 days.Valid only at park where pass waspurchased.

❖ Proposed: $7/person for 3days. Valid at both parks.

Per Motorcycle:❖ Current: $10/motorcycle for

3 days. Valid only at park where

Week in Great Falls

pass was purchased.❖ Proposed: $10/motorcycle for

3 days. Valid at both parks.Park Annual Pass:❖ Current: $30. Valid at both

parks.❖ Proposed: No change.To comment on the proposal,

visit the following websites:C&O Canal, Great Falls, Md.,

p a r k p l a n n i n g . n p s . g o v /cocanalfees2018

George Washington MemorialParkway (GWMP), Great Falls,VA., parkplanning.nps.gov/greatfallsfees

The public comment period willremain open until Nov. 6, 2017.

Faith Notes are for announcementsand events in the faith community. Sendto [email protected] is Friday at noon.

Trinity United MethodistChurch , 1205 Dolley MadisonBlvd., McLean. Sunday worship ser-vices are at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.Sunday School for young adults fol-lows the 10:30 a.m. worship servicesand for children at 9:30 a.m. YouthGroup for grades 7-12 meets Sun-days at 5 p.m. A 20-minute service ofHoly Communion is held eachWednesday at noon. 703-356-3312or umtrinity.org.

Passages DivorceCare. Forthose experiencing the pain of sepa-ration or divorce, the caring

community at Vienna PresbyterianChurch offers Passages DivorceCare.This 15-week program offers a pathtoward healing. Vienna PresbyterianChurch is located on the corner ofMaple Avenue (Rt. 123) and ParkStreet in Vienna. Cost to cover ma-terials is $20, scholarships available.For more information or to registercall 703-938-9050, go towww.viennapres.org, or send anemail to [email protected].

The S.P.O.T for Youth,Wednesday’s at 7 p.m. A place whereyouth can come together and pray,ask questions about the faith andreceive mentorship. The spot is aministry of First Baptist Church ofVienna, 450 Orchard Street, NWVienna.

Faith Notes


ClassifiedTo Advertise in This Paper, Call by Monday 11:00 am 703-778-9411

WWW.CONNECTIONNEWSPAPERS.COM

ComputersAnnouncements

We pay top $ for STERLING, MEN’S WATCHES,

JEWELRY, COSTUME JEWELRY, FURNITURE, PAINTINGS AND CLOCKS.

Schefer Antiques703-241-0790

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Announcements Announcements

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Announcements

News

The autumn air was filled with joy as chil-dren smiled and laughed at this year’sMclean Community Center Harvest Hap-penings. All of the activities were geared

towards children 3-8 years old. From a speedy babypig to a magician, children could have fun with otherchildren.

Squeals on Wheels, based out of Maryland, hadchildren petting goats, chickens, pigs and alpacas.The Amazing Kevin, a magician from Stafford, hadchildren in stitches after he created the illusion thata child was pouring milk from her finger.

Little ones got to meet Belle from Disney’s Beautyand the Beast in a bright yellow dress. They couldalso paint and make arts and crafts with

Abrakadoodle Inc. a children’s painting class fromFalls Church. An egg race, photo booth and pump-kin patch were also part of the Harvest Happenings.

With McLean Community Center under renovation,the event was held at St. Luke’s School in McLean.

Julie Thatcher, from Fairfax Circle, said this eventconnects people in the community.

Lydia Keffer from McLean says she loves the eventbecause it is inclusive to all people, no matter yourage or ethnicity.

Sue Dorsey from McLean said she is proud to dothe event each year because “she sees the joy in [thechildren’s] faces.”

— Robert Healy

All-day Fun at Harvest Happenings

Sarah Merchak of McLean and her daugh-ter get a glimpse of the Alpaca.

Lydia Keffer of Langley High school cheerson the Egg Race participants.

StephanieLamoreau of Falls

Church waves tochildren as Bellefrom Beauty and

the Beast.

Photos by

Robert Heal

The Connection

Francisco Castillejosand his daughter

Lucy from McLeanpet the goats.


Submit civic/community announcements atConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photos andartwork welcome. Deadline is Thursday at noon, atleast two weeks before event.

WEDNESDAY/OCT. 18McLean Newcomers Luncheon. 11:30 a.m.-

12:30 p.m. at Mylo’s Grill, 6238 Old DominionDrive. Nancy Harvey Steorts, a former Chairmanof the Consumer Product Safety Commission,will discuss “How Safe is Your Home?”. $30.Visit www.McLeanNewcomers.org or [email protected].

Tree Lecture. 7-9:30 p.m. at Churchill RoadElementary School Cafeteria, 7100 ChurchillRoad, McLean. Introduction by Supervisor JohnFoust. Hear from county staff about infilldevelopment and tree protection rules, from theMcLean Trees Foundation on how to plant tobest kinds of trees for your yard, and from localdevelopers in the area. Exhibits. Visitwww.McLeanCitizens.org for more.

FRIDAY/OCT. 20Retailer Job Fair. 1-8 p.m. at Tysons Corner

Center-Fashion Court, 1961 Chain Bridge Road.Tysons Corner Center will be hosting a multi-retailer job fair showcasing over 30 retailers andrestaurants. Come meet the brands, engage withpotential coworkers, and come ready for on-the-spot interviews. [email protected] or call 703-770-1123 for more.

SATURDAY/OCT. 21Incarceration Lecture. 4-6 p.m at Emmaus

United Church of Christ, 900 Maple Ave E.,Vienna. Dr. Vesla M. Weaver, Bloomberg,Associate Professor of Political Science andSociology at Johns Hopkins University, willdiscuss how low-income Black and Latinocommunities experience policing andincarceration. Call 703-938-1555 for more.

SATURDAY/OCT. 28Operation Medicine Cabinet Cleanout. 10

a.m.-2 p.m. at McLean District Station, 1437Balls Hill Road, McLean. Drop off unused orexpired medications at a Fairfax County Policedistrict station. Pills or liquids only, nopressurized canisters or needles. Safe disposal ofunused or expired medications prevents drugabuse and misuse, accidental poisoning, andprotects the environment. Disposal is free,convenient, confidential, and safe. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/stations/ orwww.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html for more.

MONDAY/NOV. 13Community Meeting. 6-8:30 p.m. at the Oakton

High School Cafeteria, 2900 Sutton Road,Vienna. Design Public Hearings on theTransform 66 Outside the Beltway Projectregarding plans for the 22.5 mile corridor fromI-495 to University Boulevard in Gainesville.Visit transform66.org for more.

MONDAY/DEC. 11FCPS Community Conversations. 6:30-8 p.m.

at Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road,Falls Church, Cafeteria (Region 2). FairfaxCounty Public Schools (FCPS) SuperintendentScott S. Brabrand will host CommunityConversations to hear what students, parents,employees, and members of the community arethinking about and what issues are important tothem. Brabrand welcomes citizens to attend andtake part in any of the upcoming sessions thatare convenient for them. Citizens needing atranslator can make a request for servicesonline. Visit www.fcps.edu/news/superintendent-brabrand-schedules-five-community-conversations-fall.

SUPPORT GROUPSAre You A Caregiver? Shepherd’s Center of

Oakton Vienna Caregivers’ SupportGroup takes place first & third Thursday ofeach month. February 2nd and 16th, 2017 from10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Join us at theUnitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax(UUCF) - Program Building, 2709 Hunter MillRd, Oakton, VA. For more info contactfacilitator, Jack Tarr, [email protected].

Bulletin

Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

So I’ve been told mnemonically for years. Butwhen you’re home and automotive-repair chal-lenged as I am, everything is much easier said thandone, especially when the mnemonic device is eas-ier to handle/figure out than whatever tool and/orschematic is necessary/advisable for the at-home/in-driveway repair. (We don’t have a garage,or much of a basement for that matter. It’s more ofa cellar, actually. In fact, I call it “the dug out,” solack of spatial accommodations can exacerbate theproblem).

And that’s sort of how I feel whenever I attempta home/car-owner-type repair. Soon after I organ-ize whatever thoughts and tools I guess I mightneed: within minutes of the initial effort, I will havelikely complicated the repair and will be forced todig myself out, sometimes literally. I’ll spare you thedetails, but suffice to say, I am a man of my wordand that word is disaster. To invoke the great andoften-quoted Dirty Harry: “A man’s got to know hislimitations,” (Magnum Force, 1973), and believeme, I do.

Granted, replacing bulbs in my house, as writ-ten in the final paragraph of last week’s column:“What To ‘Ware,” ranks pretty low on the homeowner’s list of honey-can-you-do?. Nevertheless,challenges do present themselves, especially whenheight and a ladder – or a step stool, with no spot-ter, are involved. And when I’m looking up witharms outstretched attacking the problem: light fix-ture from multiple angles, sometimes, when I placemy hand on the bulb, I begin to lose my orienta-tion and am unsure where’s ‘Righty and where’s‘Lefty.’ And even though I always remember ‘Tightyand ‘Loosey,’ when ‘Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey’doesn’t immediately bring results, I tend to losepatience – and confidence, and slowly retreat tolower ground to reassess.

Unfortunately, there’s no one to call. I mean,when you fail at the most basic and fundamentalresponsibility a home/car owner has, it’s difficult,even for someone with as little ego as me, to admitabject failure. Repairing a toilet, installing light fix-tures and/or ceiling fans; sawing, sanding, measur-ing, leveling and drilling; lifting, balancing and car-rying; and anything else involving plumbing, elec-trifying; and even hammering and screwing in gen-eral, are tasks I don’t mind asking and/or paying for.Having been down this road many times before, Iknow it’s a path that won’t lead to my redemption.

So not wanting to make a bad situation worse,or create a problem where one or two previouslydidn’t exist, I have to employ the simplest of solu-tions. And what’s simpler than “a pithy observationthat contains a general truth:” an aphorism (Dictio-nary. com), an aid to one’s lack of memory andability to perform even the most basic of tasks, par-ticularly as it pertains to a home owner: bulbreplacement.

Not that this inability is at all defensible. It’s not.It’s totally indefensible and one whose defense isnot all explainable by the most offensive of terms:cancer. Which as you regular readers know hasbeen the bane of my existence going back to lateFebruary 2009. That’s when my Internal Medicinedoctor called me at work to share the results of myprevious week’s surgical biopsy. His suggestion wasthat we meet in his office to discuss the results. Ishook my head in disbelief. If he wants to meet mein person, the results must be bad, I thought.Otherwise, he’d just tell me, right? I asked him tohold on as I found a private office for us to talk (meto react) and braced myself. He told me the growthwas malignant and suggested I see an oncologist assoon as possible. An appointment was set for thefollowing Thursday.

Much has changed in my life ever since thatfateful day, but not as it concerns this home/carowner’s inability to handle the most mundanetasks. Might haven actually gotten worse. As for“the cancer,” as “Forrest, Forrest Gump” describedthe cause of his mother’s death, not so bad. I amalive and reasonably well, eight years and nearlytwo months out, six years plus past the end date ofmy original “13 month to two year” prognosis. Ofthat I’m proud. As for the home and car repairdeficiencies, I couldn’t care less. I have to admitthough, it is laughable – and pathetic.

“Righty Tighty,Lefty Loosey”Business Directory

To Advertise Your Business, Call Karen at 703-778-9422WWW.CONNECTIONNEWSPAPERS.COM

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