online at www.connectionnewspapers.com February 14-20, 2018 Opinion, Page 4 v Entertainment, Page 8 v Classifieds, Page 6 Photo by Mercia Hobson/The Connection Reston Teen Shines At Winter Olympics Sports, Page 6 Candidates’ Forums Coming Up News, Page 3 Maker Faire Gets Bigger & Better News, Page 8 Home Life Style Page 2 Bill Steinhart teaches the blacksmith open studio at NoVa Labs in Reston. He reminded his student blacksmiths that Theo Nazz – the Champion of Champions of “Forged in Fire Season 4” – would be at the upcoming Maker Faire NoVa.
Transcript
online at www.connectionnewspapers.com February 14-20, 2018
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Reston Teen Shines At Winter OlympicsSports, Page 6
Candidates’ Forums Coming Up News, Page 3
Maker Faire Gets Bigger & Better
News, Page 8
Home Life StylePage 2
Bill Steinhart teaches the blacksmith open studio at NoVa Labs in Reston. He reminded his student blacksmiths that Theo Nazz – the Champion of Champions of “Forged in Fire Season 4” – would be at the upcoming Maker Faire NoVa.
2 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ February 14-20, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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By Marilyn Campbell
There’s an art to designing a liv-ing room coffee table, says lo-cal interior designer SusanTucker. In fact, when she’s help-
ing a client create a living room space, shepays particular attention to creating a styl-ish and functional table.
“It seems like such a small thing, but whendesigned the right way, a coffee table canbecome the focal point of a room and re-ally make it pop,” she said. “I believe thatthere’s a right way and a wrong way to puttogether a coffee table, but it’s not hard ifyou keep certain things in mind.”
Vary the height and scale so that each itemcan shine on its own. “If everything is thesame height, none of them will be noticed,”said Tucker. “Think a pretty vase of flowersbehind a small porcelain bowl.”
Work to create balance between small andlarge items, says Alexandria, Virginia-baseddesigner Steven Gambit. “For example, asmattering of small knick-knacks can lookcluttered on a coffee table,” he said. “Alongthe same lines, too many large items on acoffee table can be overpowering. Insteadselect a few items and group them togetherby size.”
Change items as the seasons or holidays
change. “As spring approaches, consideradding a small bouquet of fresh or silkspring flowers,” said Tucker. “If you cel-ebrate Easter, consider Easter décor, like abunny or a basket with eggs. I picked upsome elegant Easter items at a local homeaccessories store last spring. One or twosimple items can breathe fresh life in a tabledesign.”
Choose items with colors that are foundin other places in a room’s design. “If you
have a painting with bright colors, for ex-ample, choose one of the colors and findan item in the same color to add to yourcoffee table. If you have throw pillows ininteresting colors, considering using one ofthose colors on your coffee table.”
Consider only decorating one section ofthe coffee table, especially if the table islarge. “It’s a good idea to leave some spacefree, especially if you entertain a lot,” said
Gambit. “Your guests will need a place toput a drink. Don’t feel compelled to fill ev-ery inch of space.”
A serving tray can serve two purposes ona coffee table, says Gambit. “An elegant serv-ing tray can make a dramatic statement ona coffee table, and can give a table somestructure, especially if it’s holding smalleritems,” he said. “If you need to clear thecoffee table quickly, like if you’re entertain-ing, a tray makes it easy.”
Think about what the items on the coffeetable will look from different places in theroom, suggests Tucker. “Stand over yourcoffee table and get a sense of what theobjects look like gazing down at it,” she said.“Sit across the room from it. Can the itemsbe seen fully or are the most appealing partsof an item obstructed? I generally discour-age clients from putting picture frames ona coffee table because you can’t see the mainattraction — the photo — from behind.”
Be practical and sentimental. “Becausepeople tend to gather around coffee tables,don’t put a breakable family heirloom oran expensive pieces on them,” said Gam-bit. “Coffee table books are a good ideabecause they can be topics of conversation.You can use a coffee table to display thingsthat represent a part of your personality,lifestyle or a hobby.”
Using décor to make a table pop.Styling a Coffee Table
Photos courtesy of the Nest Egg
Books add visual interest and canprovide topics of conversationwhen displayed on a coffee table.
Consider placing coffee table itemson a tray, like this one from theNest Egg, says Interior DesignerSusan Tucker.
Reston Connection ❖ February 14-20, 2018 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Thirteen candidateswere certified by theReston AssociationElections Committee
on Monday, Jan. 29 to run for fouropen seats in the 2018 Board ofDirectors election.
During the last week in Febru-ary, there will be two Candidates’Forums. Reston Association (RA)urges its members to come meetthe candidates for the 2018 Boardof Directors Election in this de-bate-style candidates’ forum heldat the Reston Association Head-
quarters, 12001 Sunrise ValleyDrive, Reston.
RA wants members to know theycan pose questions to candidatesat the event or submit their ques-tions in advance [email protected].
Candidates for the At-LargeRace (3-year term, two seats) willparticipate in a forum on Monday,Feb. 26, 2018, 7-9 p.m. At-Largecandidates (3-year term, twoseats) are Derrick Watkins, SridharGanesan, Aaron Webb, Travis G.Johnson, John Pinkman, ColinMeade, and Ven Iyer.
Candidates for the At-Large race(1-year term) and South Lakes
Ven Iyer Derrick Watkins Aaron Webb Andy Sigle John Bowman Travis G. Johnson Colin Meade John Pinkman
Tammi Petrine Ray Wedell Julie Bitzer Sridhar Ganesan David Ballard
Candidates’ Forums Coming Up the Last Week in February
race will participate in a forum onTuesday, Feb. 27. At-Large candi-dates (1-year term) are DavidBallard, Andy Sigle, Ray Wedell,and John Bowman. South LakesDistrict Candidates (3-year term)are Tammi Petrine and Julie Bitzer.
According to the Reston Associa-tion website: The voting period forthe 2018 election is March 5-April2. Paper ballots will be mailed onMarch 5.
Electronic ballots are also avail-able to members. A link to the elec-
tronic ballot will be provided onthe home page of www.reston.orgduring the month-long electionperiod.
The candidates’ unedited state-ments of candidacy can be viewedat reston.org.
Photos courtesy of Reston Association
By Mercia Hobson
The Connection
Supervisor Catherine M. Hudgins(D-Hunter Mill District) andFairfax County’s Department of
Transportation (DOT) hosted an infor-mation meeting on the Proposed Com-prehensive Plan Amendment-PA 2017-III-T1 Sunset Hills Realignment held atSunrise Valley Elementary School Reston,on Jan. 30.
The general location of the subjectproperty was the intersection of HunterMill Road with Crowell Road and SunsetHills Road in the Hunter Mill District. TheCounty of Fairfax Proposed Comprehen-sive Plan Amendment dated Dec. 20,2017, stated that Hunter Mill Road hadexperienced recurring congestion duringthe morning and evening peak hours.
THE REPORT describes a long planninghistory of proposed transportation im-provements and changes to the area sur-rounding the proposed realignment of
Sunset Hills Road. “Improvements near theproposed Plan amendment have been in theFairfax County Comprehensive Plan since1975 when Sunset Hills Road was recom-mended to be realigned north of the cur-rent intersection of Crowell Road andHunter Mill Road.”
According to the County of Fairfax report,analyses had shown that no one alternativewould provide better results than anotherin the future and operational results showedthat in several cases, the volume in the peakdirection exceeded the capacity of the pro-posed improvements. Therefore, therewould still be congestion in the peak hour.The report stated, “Based on the analysesand the community input throughout theevaluation process, a new alternative wasdeveloped.”
Under the Proposed Comprehensive Plan,a New Preferred Proposed Alternative hasbeen recommended. According to theCounty of Fairfax’s Proposed Comprehen-sive Plan Amendment: “The realignment ofSunset Hills Road to the intersection ofCrowell Road and Hunter Mill Road would
provide for the future transportation needsin the area. It would address the forecastedtraffic congestion associated with the closelyspaced intersections of Hunter Mill Roadwith Sunset Hills Road and the Dulles TollRoad Westbound Ramps. The inclusion ofa roundabout at the intersection of CrowellRoad and Hunter Mill Road addresses thecommunity desire to see traffic calmed tothe north of Crowell Road, as well as theneed to adequately handle future traveldemand in the corridor.”
Staff recommended changes to the cur-rent wording in the Comprehensive Plan toreflect the New Proposed Alternative. Staffproposed text referencing the previousplans, Options A, B, and C, be deleted fromthe Proposed Comprehensive Plan Amend-ment and alternative proposed text added.In addition, staff recommended proposedmodifications be made to figures and mapsin the Plan as required.
Given such, the Plan would read, “...Sun-set Hills Road as it terminates at Hunter MillRoad provides for the primary access to theDulles Toll Road for the residential areas
Sunset Hills Realignment Alternative RecommendedBoard of Supervisors Public Hearing scheduled for March 6.
and commercial office areas within theeastern periphery of Reston. To facili-tate this access and provide better spac-ing between intersections, Sunset HillsRoad should be realigned to CrowellRoad to create a four-leg intersection.When Sunset Hills Road is realigned, aroundabout should be considered as theintersection control.
The realigned Sunset Hills Roadshould retain the minor paved trail des-ignation for Sunset Hills Road recom-mended in the Countywide Trails Plan.”According to the County of Fairfax, Plan-ning Staff does recommend this item forPlan Amendment.
THE BOARD of Supervisors will holda Public Hearing on Tuesday, March 6,at 4 p.m. on the Proposed Comprehen-sive Plan Amendment.
For more information, visitfairfaxcounty.gov/planning-zoning/sites/planning- zoning/files/assets/d o c u m e n t s / c o m p p l a n a m e n d /sunsethillsrealignment/2017-iii-t1.pdf.
Fairfax County is offering a Free Car-ing for You, Caring for Me forcaregivers of older adults. Mondays,Feb. 26-March 26, 1-3 p.m. at In-sight Memory Care Center, 3955 PenderDr., Ste. 100, Fairfax. Find out more atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/OlderAdults(under Hot Topics). Call 703-324-7577,
TTY 711.The Fairfax Commission on Ag-
ing meets on Wednesday, Feb. 21,1-3 p.m. at the Mount Vernon Govern-ment Center, Rooms 2 & 3, 2511Parkers Lane, Mount Vernon. The pub-lic is welcome to attend and join in thecomment period that begins each ses-
sion. Find out more atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/familyservices/older-adults/fairfax-area-commission-on-aging. Call 703-324-5403, TTY 711for meeting access needs.
Fairfax County’s Family CaregiverTelephone Support Group meets byphone on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 7-8
p.m. This month’s topic is MaintainingRelationships While Caregiving. Call703-324-5484, TTY 711 to register.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIESThe Northern Virginia Long
Term Care Ombudsman Programneeds volunteer advocates for residents in
nursing homes and assisted living facili-ties. Contact Lisa Callahan at703-324-5861, TTY 711 or [email protected].
Meals on Wheels needs Drivers, Co-ordinators, and Co-coordinators forroutes throughout the county. Applyonline at volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov.
Volunteer Events & Opportunities
4 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ February 14-20, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Opinion
The Pet Connection, a twice-yearlyspecial edition, will publish thelast week of February, and pho-tos and stories of your pets with
you and your family should be submitted byFriday, Feb. 23.
We invite you to send stories about your pets,photos of you and your family with your cats,dogs, llamas, alpacas, ponies, hamsters, snakes,
lizards, frogs, rabbits, or what-ever other creatures share yourlife with you.
Tell us the story of a specialbond between a child and a dog, the story ofhow you came to adopt your pet, or examplesof amazing feats of your creatures.
Do you volunteer at an animal shelter ortherapeutic riding center or take your pet tovisit people in a nursing home? Does your busi-ness have a managing pet? Is your businessabout pets? Have you helped to train an assis-
tance dog? Do you or someone in your familydepend on an assistance dog?
Or take this opportunity to memorialize abeloved pet you have lost.
Just a cute photo is fine too. Our favoritepictures include both pets and humans.
Please tell us a little bit about your creature,identify everyone in the photo, give a briefdescription what is happening in the photo,and include address and phone number (wewill not publish your address or phone num-ber, just your town name).
In a sight too seldom seen inthe State Capitol, GovernorRalph Northam and Speaker
of the House Kirk Cox stood to-gether at the same podium to an-nounce a bipartisan agreement on
criminal jus-tice reform.G o v e r n o rNortham has
agreed to sign a bill on restitutionin criminal cases that when itpassed last year was vetoed byGovernor McAuliffe, and the Re-publicans agreed to pass a bill toraise the threshold for felony lar-ceny from the current $200 to$500 for which many interfaithand social justice groups havebeen forcefully advocating.
While there are details about theagreements that continue to beopen for criticism, they representimportant steps in criminal justice
reform. The Governorintervened in a con-troversial bill on elec-tric energy regulationthat is likely to makethe ultimate outcomemore satisfactory tomultiple stakehold-ers. The original billwas referred to as the“Dominion” bill because it im-pacted Dominion Energy, Ameri-can Electric Power Company andthe electric cooperatives.
After the Governor called to-gether 30 stakeholders and a pro-fessional mediator, a revised billemerged that will keep the elec-tric power companies financiallystable while granting refunds toconsumers with advances in smartmetering, energy conservation anda giant step in moving towards re-newable energy. For critics of anybill that deals with electric energy,take a look at the new bill that hasbeen negotiated; I think there are
very good reasonsconservationists arehappy with the newbill. The critical needfor Metro fundingpresents a challengefor working out a so-lution. There is no de-bate about the impor-tance of Metro; all
business organizations testify to itscritical role in the success of theNorthern Virginia region.
Holding up the process of work-ing out the new funding are legis-lators who continue to want to talkabout reforms of Metro withoutspecific proposals and who are notwilling to make a commitment onfunding. Hopefully the partisanpolitical speeches can be set aside,and serious discussions can be car-ried on by sane heads that will re-sult in a satisfactory compromise.
A bill passed recently that sup-ports a work requirement for re-cipients of Medicaid that was sup-
ported by the Speaker was the firstindication that there may be a pathto an agreement on Medicaid ex-pansion. Such requirements arebecoming common among thestates.
While such a requirement maybe adverse to some people, weneed to do what is needed to movethe program forward for the maxi-mum number of persons who areotherwise qualified. Certainly, theprogram will be revised and im-proved most every year. I share theGovernor’s priority that we makeprogress on expanding health carethis year.
On every issue that comes be-fore the legislature there are mul-tiple points of view and differentinterests. Each has a legitimacy inthe mind of the proponent. Thecontinued challenge that keeps meinterested and excited about leg-islating is the working out of com-plex issues to the best interest ofthe citizenry.
Working It Out
Letters to the Editor
Commentary
See Letters, Page 5
Equity IsImpartial JusticeTo the Editor:
The open letter by the TJ gradu-ates (“An Opportunity to ImproveTJ,” Connection, February 7-8,2018) was well-meaning butbased on tragically false premises.They justify their call for racialquotas (by whatever euphemism)on grounds of being “more equi-table.” But equity is impartial jus-tice, not artificial egalitarianism orracial favoritism. And what aboutsimple honesty?
Pretending that all applicantsare equally accomplished doesn’t
make it so. What could be moreblatantly racist than lowering thebar for certain applicants becauseof their race? The only way to endracism is to stop classifying indi-viduals on the basis of race andtreating them differently accord-ing to such racial classification.
Michael CrawfordGreat Falls
DisappointingLetterTo the Editor:
The letter that 69 graduates ofTJ sent to state Sen. SteveNewman was disappointing (“An
Opportunity to Improve TJ,” Con-nection, Feb. 7-8, 2018). All theydid was repeat what has been saidbefore. A person could expect that69 who had gone through the sys-tem might have put their headstogether and come up with validsuggestions.
Betty StaceyMcLean
FootballScholarshipsTo the Editor:
The National Capital RegionChapter of the National FootballFoundation is accepting nomina-
tions for its 2018 Scholar-Athletebanquet. The Chapter awards five$1,000 scholarships annually todeserving high school seniorscholar athletes who played highschool football. Nominees areevaluated on academic and ath-letic excellence, as well as contri-butions to their school and com-munity. Nomination packets havebeen mailed to each high schoolhead coach in the National Capi-tal Region. Deadline for submis-sion of nomination packets is April6. The 12th Annual Awards Ban-quet will be held on April 22 atthe Army-Navy Club in Arlington.
The National Football Founda
Reston Connection ❖ February 14-20, 2018 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Opinion
By John Lovaas
Reston Impact Producer/Host
In case you haven’t noticed,Reston stream restorationwork is underway again. It is
under way along several streamsand gullies, this time in the LakeAnne area and north Reston aftera several-year period of dormancywhen its principal funding sourcesdried up — so to speak.
This major project, initiated in2008, was intended to restorebadly eroding streams which
threaten ourpaths, roads,structures, andutilities as wellas carrying un-
told tons of sedimentation intoReston lakes.
The project is a partnership ofthe Reston Association and a pri-vate firm, Wetland Studies andSolutions Inc (WSSI). The geniusof this partnership is that througha special bank mechanism, WSSIis tapping funds deposited in thebank by land developers to com-pensate for wetlands they de-stroyed with new constructionelsewhere. I understand that ma-jor chunks of funds came fromdeposits made to compensate forthe construction of a runway atDulles Airport, for example.
In the last three years, fundsbecame available again and newwork was approved by the variousregulatory agencies, including ourown DRB, and subcontracted byWSSI. Work began on several newreaches and has already been com-pleted in four or five, among themHickory Cluster (see photos).
Go to the Reston Associationwebsite (www.reston.org) for de-scriptions work sites and maps.You might want to check out theones in your neighborhood. Byname, they are Wiehle North,Wiehle South, Hickory, BaronCameron, Lake Anne East, LakeAnne West, Buttermilk, Tall Oaks,and Vantage. Taken together, thereaches total about 17,000 linearfeet, just over three miles.
I have found it interesting towatch the progress of stream res-toration — from the painful dig-ging, tearing and tree removal tothe hauling in and laying of hugestones to form new streambanksand pools to slow the flow of run-
off. New, improved bridges arealso built, like the one in HickoryCluster actually designed by a clus-ter resident. Native trees areplanted in abundance along thebanks.
Then, one has to wait for thetrees and grasses to grow, andlastly for the critters who inhabitthe streams to return after the dis-ruption.
To see lovely products ofnature’s healing, check out thestreams in Snakeden and theGlade in south Reston. These re-engineered streams will be a spe-cial Reston legacy for a very longtime.
So, how much does this all thiscost? The answer is a lot! But itcosts you and I nothing in termsof our Reston Association assess-ments because of the special part-nership described above.
RA tells me that WSSI uses an
average cost figure of $1,000 perlinear foot of its restoration model.Thus, the first 9.5 miles cost about$50.16 million (9.5 miles =50,160 linear feet X $1,000 =$50,160,000).
The completed or approved sitesin north Reston to date will costanother $17,058,000. So, the to-tal cost of Stream Restoration sofar is about a cool $67,218,000!As far as I know, since the fundsare external (from a bank wheredevelopers deposit funds to offsettheir destruction of wetlands else-where), RA neither monitors ex-penditures nor judges the reason-ableness of WSSI costs.
While the project indeed repre-sents a very large investment, I forone believe it to have tremendouslong-term value to our communityin controlling erosion and its dam-age, and to the beauty of our wa-tersheds.
Stream Restoration — The Big Money
New bridge over stream at Hickory: Bridge designedby Mr. Youngren, a resident of Hickory Cluster.
View of lower part of the completed restoration atHickory Cluster.
Pho
to
s co
ntributed
Independent
Progressive
Letters to the Editor
From Page 4
tion was founded in 1947 to pro-mote and develop amateur Ameri-can football on all levels. The Na-tional Football Foundation hasmore than 115 chapters nation-wide. The National Capital Region
Chapter has awarded over 65scholarships and honored over230 deserving student-athletes inthe past 10 years.
The National Capital RegionChapter requests and urges partici-pation from all high schools in the
National Capital Region.For additional information, con-
tact your head football coach.Bob Jarrell
Scholarship SelectionCommittee Chairman
NCR Chapter, NFF
6 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ February 14-20, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Sports
By Mercia Hobson
The Connection
After sweeping the 500mraces during December’sU.S. Olympic Team Trials
in Kearns, Utah, Restonspeedskater Maame Biney, 18,made her Olympic debut as amember of Team USA at thePyeongChang 2018 Olympic Win-ter Games. The high school senior,who hails from Ghana and lives inReston with her father KwekuBiney, is the youngest member ofthe U.S. Olympic short-track speedskating team, a medal contender,and the team’s first African-Ameri-
seconds, edged out KIM Alang (KOR) with a time43.724, a .059 second difference.
Biney and U.S. Short Track Coach Anthony Barthellhad devised a plan before the 4 1/2-lap race – pullaway with a strong start and then block South Ko-rean KIM Alang, 22, the crowd favorite. The planworked. Biney held off KIM Alang in the last lap witha great defensive move and with her sprint to finish,Biney advanced.
In the stands, Biney’s father cheered as did Vice Presi-dent Mike Pence who later tweeted, “Congrats to@BineyMaame on advancing in Women’s 500M!@SecondLady & I are rooting for you! Let’sgo#TeamUSA #pyeongchang2018.”
In Tuesday’s Quarterfinal Heat 3, Biney sprintedoff the line and was bumped by Sofia Prosvirnovafrom Russia throwing off her rhythm. Biney finishedfourth out of four with a time of 44.772 seconds.Prosvirnova ranked first with a time of 43.466. Bineyis planning to compete in the 1500m on Saturday,Feb. 17 and depending upon the outcome, may bebringing home more than determination and her in-fectious smile when she returns home to friends andformer classmates in Reston.
Maame Biney, 18of Reston, a mem-
ber of the U.S.Olympic short-
track speedskatingteam posted this
photo of herself onher Instagram
account,biney.biney on
January 26, 2018.“For once I’m notsmiling. Want to
Reston Teen Shines at Winter OlympicsMaame Biney,18, of SouthLakes HighSchool, makesquarterfinals.
Vice President Mike Pence was at the Olympic GamesSaturday and watched Biney compete in her race.Later he tweeted this message.
Tw
eet by Vice Presiden
t M
ike Pen
ce
Maame Biney, 18, ofReston who crossed thefinish line with a time of43.665 seconds advanc-ing to the Quarterfinalsfor the 500m short-trackspeed skating during thePyeongchang 2018 Olym-pic Winter Games pic-tured with Team USAskater Adam Rippon whoposted on his Instagramaccount, “Can we all takea moment to appreciatethis ray of sunshine?”
can female speed skater to qualify.Biney attended South Lakes High School in Reston
until she relocated to Salt Lake City to train with theU.S. short-track team in July 2017. Since then, Bineyhas lived in Utah with a host family who was withBiney’s father at the Olympic trials to cheer her on.
Short-track skaters mass start each heat with fourskaters and must finish in either first or second toplace in their heat to advance. Skaters can reachspeeds of up to 30 miles per hour as they race coun-terclockwise on a 111.2-meter oval course, bump-ing into each other and fighting centrifugal force onthe tight corners. It is that low left bodyline and theirrubber-tipped gloves skimming the ice that makesshort-track speed skating unique.
Hopes and dreams are hinged on a competitionthat – from start to finish – is under a minute. Al-though speed, strategy, and planning are critical,sometimes unexpected events, come into play.
At the Gangneung Ice Arena on Saturday, Feb. 10,19:52 EST, in Heat 5 of the 500-meter short-trackspeed skating race, Biney captured second place be-hind FAN Kexin (CHN) qualifying her for Tuesday’squarterfinals. The Reston teen, with a time of 43.665
Reston Connection ❖ February 14-20, 2018 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.
By KENNETH B. LOURIE
I realize that given the growth and evolu-tion of the world most of us live in, and howbusiness is transacted, there are two words, aphrase actually, whose very existence is threat-ened: “Bill me.” “C.O.D.,” “Cash on delivery”is likely itself on the precipice of extinction, adodo bird if there ever was one. However,since “Money makes the world go ‘round,” –or at least it made the hit musical “Cabaret”go ‘round in 1966, credit and one’s goodname can only stretch the dollar so far. Billshave to paid or else the world doesn’t “go‘round” so far. Moreover, if the money is miss-ing, there’s less to sing about.
Ergo an idea/system was devised wherebypeople/entities to whom you owed moneywould have semi unfettered access to yourmoney – without having to talk to you/askpermission. Once the consumer/”ower” hadsigned an authorization granting such access,the game was on and the money withdrawn(debited) regularly, as agreed to.
Occasionally, financial inducements wereoffered to entice the consumer to subject hismoney/accounts to such plundering. Buteventually, the process became all the rage.Meaning, consumers couldn’t transact busi-ness any other way, and despite any hesita-tions or objections (anger) to the contrary, itwas either debit or die. And though this sys-tem didn’t cause a revolution or become amotto on a license plate, it did change howwe bank, buy and balance.
Within the last few weeks I’ve added twomore automatic monthly debits. Paymentswhich I was given no other realisticchoice/method to pay other than all at once(not happening,) or once a month, automati-cally from my bank. And not that I felt held upby the process, but I did feel as if the highwayawaited if I didn’t pay their way.
So now I have six monthly debits draftingon five different but recurring days, save forholidays and weekends of course. In addition,I have granted additional bank access to retail-ers, service providers, Internet-only compa-nies, Amazon, pharmaceutical warehousesand on and on and on; all of whom have keys– so to speak – to my kingdom, such as it is.
Still, I think I know what’s being debited atany given time, but in the context of and con-junction with, all the other transactions that Ior my wife make, sometimes I don’t know if Ido know, actually, whether my money is com-ing in or going out or finding a new homesomewhere – and one not in this country andlikely irretrievable, or disappearing altogetherwith any other money I may haveaccumulated.
All of those worst case, possibly everydayscenarios, notwithstanding, what can I do? If Idon’t play and in turn, don’t pay, then I amlikely having to fend for myself. I may still haveplenty places to go to, but what am I going todo when I get there? My wallet (unlike GeorgeCostanza’s) isn’t big enough to hold all thecash I’d need to conclude just a few of mytransactions. I don’t like ceding control thisway, but the joke may already be on me: Idon’t have any control. It was taken away along time ago when the first authorization wassigned allowing a second/third party to with-draw money – automatically, and regularly,from the “signee’s” bank account. From thatpoint on, it was, as we say in New England:“Katie bar the door,” meaning: bad news,among a variety of other “unpleasantries.”
Regardless of how I fear all of these com-panies/”withdrawers” having a way into mybank account in order to get my money out,the reality is, there isn’t a damn thing I can doabout it. I just have to pay attention, literally –and figuratively. Otherwise, I’ll be a victim oftheir circumstance.
“AutoMadic”Submit civic/community announcements at
ConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photos andartwork welcome. Deadline is Thursday at noon, atleast two weeks before event.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATIONChild turning 5 years old by Sept.30? If so,
contact your child’s school to makearrangements for kindergarten enrollment. Mostschools begin getting information together nowfor parents of incoming kindergartners, andmany host an orientation or open house. Allkindergarten programs are full-day and locatedin FCPS elementary schools. Check your school’swebpage or contact the school directly forspecific enrollment information and dates oforientationor visit www.fcps.edu/registration/kindergarten-registration.
WEDNESDAY/FEB. 14The Bottom Line. 8 a.m. at Hyatt Regency
Dulles, 2300 Dulles Corner Boulevard, Herndon.What influences whether new businesses willopen or successful companies will relocate to aneighborhood? Transportation strategies play animportant role. But there’s a lot more tobringing new enterprise to the region. Comeexplore the nexus between mobilitymanagement and economic development fromthe “financial” side of the road. Members free,non-members, $35. RSVP to Kelly Woodward [email protected].
Grant Application Deadline. The CommunityInvestment Funds are the signature grant cyclemanaged by the Community Foundation inwhich funds are invested in organizationsserving the Northern Virginia community. Thisyear funding will be provided in four areas offocus: Child and Youth Development, Education,Poverty Relief, and Aging. Visitwww.cfnova.org/for-grant-seekers/community-investment-funds.
Commemorative Bricks Sale Ends. Each yeardozens of individuals leave their mark on Restonthrough a commemorative brick. The bricks arededicated at Founder’s Day - April 14, 2018 -and installed on Lake Anne Plaza. Bricks can bepurchased from the Reston Historic Trust &Museum for a tax-deductible contribution of$100 for a standard-sized brick and $250 for alarge brick. To order, visit the museum, go towww.restonmuseum.org/support, or contactAlexandra Campbell at [email protected] 703-709-7700.
THURSDAY/FEB. 15The MOMS Club of Herndon. 10 a.m. at Trinity
Presbyterian Church, 651 Dravnesville Road,Herndon. All Herndon at-home mothers andchildren (residents of zip codes 20170 and20171) are invited for a presentation fromKingdom Destinations about Disney vacations(parks, restorts, cruises, etc.). For moreinformation, or to RSVP, contact Colleen Steare,Membership VP [email protected].
Building Healthy Relationships. 10 a.m.-noon atDunn Loring Center for Parent Services, 2334Gallows Road, Entrance 1 - Room 100, DunnLoring. Navigating the social world is hard. It canbe extremely difficult for children and teenagerswith disabilities. This workshop, for parents ofmiddle and high school students with disabilities,will provide important information to help yourchild build healthy relationships in the socialworld. Register at http://bit.ly/2nI5uCf.
Community Food Packing. 10-11:30 a.m. atDominion Energy, 3072 Centreville Road,Herndon. Assistance League of Northern Virginiawill hold its next monthly food packing. [email protected] or visit
www.northernvirginia.assistanceleague.org.Social Security: Understanding Your
Benefits. 10:30-11:30 a.m. at Reston CommunityCenter, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston. This hour-long session explains the facets of Social Security(retirement, survivors, and disability benefits),discusses the options for when to claim yourretirement benefits, and covers implications ofworking while collecting benefits. For moreinformation or to register call 703-390-6157 oremail [email protected].
FRIDAY/FEB. 16Application Deadline. Greater Reston Arts
Center (GRACE) invites artists to submit aproposal for new artwork in response to theprompt, “If you could do anything, what wouldthat be?” Five artists will be selected by GuestCurator Don Russell and GRACE AssociateCurator Erica Harrison to participate in the 2018Mary B. Howard Invitational: STRETCH.Selected artists will receive a $250 honorariumand $1,000 for materials. Visit restonarts.org.
Bulletin
8 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ February 14-20, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
By Mercia Hobson
The Connection
Maker Faire NoVa iscoming back biggerand better than
ever. On March 18, 2018, 11a.m.-5 p.m., Makers willpresent what they call, “TheGreatest Show (& Tell) onEarth.” The family-friendlyevent now in its fifth year hasoutgrown the original space; soinstead, the Faire will be atGeorge Mason University inFairfax. Organizers of the eventsaid this year Makers fromNASA, National Air and SpaceMuseum, American Society forNaval Engineers (FLEET), Na-tional Capital Astronomers, andLake Anne (Reston) CardboardBoat Regatta will be on hand aswill George Mason University’sMason Racing, Mathematics inMotion, textile artist AmandaJarvis, Human Powered VehicleCompetition, and Ask a Scien-tist.
Returning makers, with newactivities for this year, includeTheo Nazz – the Champion ofChampions of “Forged in FireSeason 4,” Children’s ScienceCenter, NOVA Labs Learn toSolder, Cardboard Challenge bySouth Lakes High SchoolSTEAM Team, Take Apart, androbotics from area teams orga-nized by Nova Labs Roboticsand NOVA SySTEMic Solutions.
According to the Maker FaireNoVa website, the day-longevent spread over three build-ings on the campus brings to-gether tech enthusiasts, wood-workers, metal workers, autohackers, artists, teachers andmore from all over the North-ern Virginia, the Metro D.C.area and beyond.
HANDS-ON DEMONSTRA-TIONS are part of the day.Maker Faire NoVa asks, “Wantto learn how to build a robot?Program an Arduino? Turnwood to make a bowl? Weld?Blacksmith? Build underwaterremotely operated vehicles(ROV)? Automate your garagedoor? Learn to solder? Fly ormake a drone? Spin yarn fromwool and knit? Recycle glassinto beautiful tables and glasspieces? Or maybe just take-a-part something and learn howit works? You can do it at theMaker Faire NoVa.”
The event is produced byNOVA Labs, a 10,000-square-foot non-profit 501(c)(3) com-munity makerspace in Reston,located at 1916 Isaac NewtonSquare W., Reston. With differ-ent membership levels, NOVALabs supplies the tools and thespace to make ideas a reality.
Organizers want the public toknow volunteers are alwaysneeded at the Maker Faire sinceit is organized and produced byan all-volunteer team fromNOVA Labs.
Volunteers will receive freeadmission, a free Maker FaireNoVa T-Shirt, and access to theFaire before and after publichours. NOVA Labs states stu-dents 12-13 years of age musthave a parent or guardian vol-unteering with the student orbe with an organized group.Volunteers 14 and up may signup on their own. If interestedsign up at signupgenius.com/go/30e094fa4a62da0fa7-maker
Tickets are 50 percent offthrough Feb. 17 and can bepurchased online throughEventbrite.com (search MakerFaire).
Submit entertainment announcementsat www.connectionnewspapers.com/Cal-endar/. The deadline is noon on Friday.
ONGOINGArt Exhibit. Through Feb. 17, various
times at the Greater Reston ArtsCenter, 11900 Market St., Reston.Featuring the work of Paulina Peavy,namesake of “Paulina Peavy: AMessage to Paulina,” the firstexhibition to bring together aselection of Peavy’s works acrossdisciplines including works on paper,paintings, films, texts, and numerousmixed media masks. Visitwww.restonarts.org for more.
Small Business Support Sundays.Visit independent stores andrestaurants, and those that supportsmall businesses at Reston TownCenter, offering specials, discounts,tastings, and localized treats everySunday. VisitSmallBusinessSupportSundays.com.
All-comers’ Group Fun Run atPotomac River Running.Tuesdays and Thursdays. RestonTown Center, 11900 Market St.,Reston. For beginners or competitiverunners, come out for a fun, low-keyrun that is safe and social. Call 703-689-0999 potomacriverrunning.com.
WEDNESDAY/FEB. 14Color Me Happy. 7 p.m. at Reston
Regional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Relax, unwind,and color your cares away in ouradult coloring session. Invite a friend,date or mate to come along! Coloringpages and pencils provided, or bringyour own. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.
THURSDAY/FEB. 15Reston Historic Trust to Host
Program. 7 p.m. at the RestonHistoric Trust & Museum, 1639Washington Plaza N., Reston. OnDiversity — An Exploration of BobSimon’s Goal in Reston 2018. Jointhe Reston Historic Trust & Museumfor an interesting panel discussion.The program will be held in the JoAnn Rose Gallery at RestonCommunity Center Lake Anne and isfree to the public. Seating is limited,so reservations are welcome. Contact703-709-7700 [email protected].
THURSDAY/FEB. 16Great Decisions Series. 2 p.m. at
Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston.Watch the film produced by theForeign Policy Association andparticipate in the roundtablediscussion on current events and U.S.foreign policy options. The topic forthis month is “Russia’s ForeignPolicy”. Discussion materials will beavailable at the Info Desk two weeksbefore the event. Light refreshmentswill be served. Call 703-689-2700 orvisitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.
Application Deadline. GreaterReston Arts Center invites artists tosubmit a proposal for new artwork inresponse to the prompt, “If you coulddo anything, what would that be?”Five artists will be selected by GuestCurator Don Russell and GRACEAssociate Curator Erica Harrison toparticipate in the 2018 Mary B.Howard Invitational: STRETCH.Selected artists will receive a $250honorarium and $1,000 formaterials. Visit restonarts.org.
at ArtSpace Herndon, 750 Center St.,Herndon. Bluegrass String Quintet:Two Ton Twig, honoring a time and
spirit when music was more raw andhonest, the string quintet combinesemotion and depth with theirraucous and carefree attitude. Theresult is both captivating and foot-stompin’ fun. Visitwww.artspaceherndon.org/new-events/2018/2/17/two-ton-twig.
SUNDAY/FEB. 18Piedmont Bluz. 2 p.m. at Reston
Regional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Piedmont BluzAcoustic Duo plays traditionalAfrican American folk music. Theyhelp preserve this music throughworkshops and presentations.Sponsored by the Friends of theReston Regional Library. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.
MONDAY/FEB. 19Children’s Performing Arts Series.
10:30-11:15 a.m. at HerndonCommunity Center, 814 FerndaleAve., Herndon. Rocknoceros. CoachCotton, Williebob, and BoogieWoogie Bennie perform wildlypopular award-winning music for thewhole family. Rocknoceros hasdominated the DC children’s musicscene for many years. Ages 1-10. $4in advance/$5 at the door perperson, per show. Children under theage of one are free. Call 703-787-7300 or visit herndon-va.gov.
TUESDAY/FEB. 20Sam’s Book Club. 7 p.m. at Reston
Regional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Join formerlibrary director Sam Clay as he leadsa lively book discussion. February’stitle is Little Paris Bookshop by NinaGeorge. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.
Live Music. 7:15 p.m. at Amphora’sDiner Deluxe, 1151 Elden St -Herndon. The RestonHerndon FolkClub presents an evening concertstarring guitarist Jim Hurst. $10members, $11 non-members. Ticketsat the door or email
[email protected]. Call 703-435-2402 or visitwww.restonherndonfolkclub.com.
WEDNESDAY/FEB. 21Book Club. 12:15-1:15 p.m. at Scrawl
Books,11911 Freedom Drive, RestonTown Center. Scrawl Books is hostinga lunch-time book club on the 3rdWednesday of each month. The firstbook is Girl Waits with Gun by AmyStewart. Visit scrawlbooks.com orcall 703-966-2111.
Author Discussion. 7 p.m. at ScrawlBooks, 11911 Freedom Drive, RestonTown Center. Scrawl Books is hostinga live video discussion with AmyStewart, the author of Girl Waitswith Gun.
THROUGH FEB. 23Diva Central Dress Drive with
Reston Community Center collectionin building lobbies at Reston TownCenter. The annual Diva CentralDress Drive’ mission is to promoteconfidence and self-esteem byproviding high school students a freeprom dress and other accessories.Donate new or lightly used formaldresses, shoes, jewelry, handbags andaccessories, collected in boxeslocated in building lobbies. Visitrestontowncenter.com.
SUNDAY/FEB. 25Author Event. 4 p.m. at Scrawl Books,
11911 Freedom Drive, Reston TownCenter. Author Dennis Woods will bediscussing his memoir Black FlagJournals. Visitwww.scrawlbooks.com/event/black-flag-journals-dennis-woods
THURSDAY/MARCH 1Opening Reception. 6-8 p.m. at
Signature at Reston Town Center,11850 Freedom Drive, Reston. Thefirst exhibit features artwork by CraigMoran, a DC-based painter known forhis boldly patterned canvases. Freeand open to the public. Visitwww.restonarts.org.
Calendar
Artwork by Craig Moran, a DC-based painter known forhis boldly patterned canvases.
Art ExhibitGreater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) is pleased to announce a new partnership
with Signature, Reston Town Center’s newest luxury apartment building. GRACEwill present a year-round schedule of exhibitions of local artists at Signature’sground floor gallery starting in February 2018, sponsored by Balducci’s Food Lover’sMarket, which will open its newest market in the ground floor of the Signaturebuilding this spring. The first exhibit will open with a reception Thursday, March1, 6-8 p.m. at Signature at Reston Town Center, 11850 Freedom Drive, Reston.Free and open to the public. Call 703-471-9242, ext. 114 or visitwww.restonarts.org.
Amber Saundersheats a brick ofmetal at NoVaLabs in Restonuntil it glows abright yellow-orange color,perfect forgingheat. Saundersenjoysblacksmithingthere with herson, Tyler, 16,and togetherthey will attendMaker FaireNoVa in March.
Maker Faire NoVa isComing Back Bigger & BetterSo what’s your interest?
