County - The Metro Herald

VOLUME XVII, NUMBER 45 

IN THIS ISSUE . . . 

COVER: YES WE CAN—2008 PRESIDENTIAL 

ELECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 10–12 

Africa Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 

Around the Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–5 

Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 

Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 

Community News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 

Arts & Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13–14 

Sports & Recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 

Veterans Day 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 

Business News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-19 

Bids & Proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21–23 

Classified Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 

Imaging the Politics, Culture, and Events of Our Times 

Fauquier 

County 

Carroll County 

Howard County 

Loudoun 


Fairfax 


Prince 

William 


Arlington County 

Richmond 

Baltimore 

Montgomery 


D.C. 

Alexandria 

Spotsylvania 


Stafford 


Fredericksburg 

Annapolis 

Anne 

Arundel County 

Prince George’s 


Westmoreland 


Charles 


November 7, 2008 

YES WE CAN 

FOLLOWING IS 

PRESIDENT-ELECT 

BARACK OBAMA’S 

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH 

If there is anyone out there who 

still doubts that America is a 

place where all things are 

possible; who still wonders if 

the dream of our founders is 

alive in our time; who still 

questions the power of our democracy, 

tonight is your answer. 

It’s the answer told by lines that 

stretched around schools and churches 

in numbers this nation has never seen; 

by people who waited three hours and 

four hours, many for the very first time 

in their lives, because they believed that 

this time must be different; that their voice 

could be that difference. 

It’s the answer spoken by young and 

old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, 

black, white, Latino, Asian, Native 

American, gay, straight, disabled and not 

disabled—Americans who sent a 

message to the world that we have 

never been a collection of Red States 

and Blue States: we are, and 

always will be, the 

United States of America. 

Continued on page 10 

President-elect Barack Obama smiles 

as he gives his acceptance speech at 

Grant Park in Chicago Tuesday night, 


(AP Photo/Morry Gash) 

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THE 

METRO HERALD 

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Editorial 

We know what is right 

Our river of conscience 

is as unearthing 

as it is settling 

it allows us to explore 

the silt 

at the bottom 

of our river 

while peering through 

the light 

at the river’s ceiling 

still clothed in the river’s middle 

and thinking about 

centuries of heartbreak 

to a nation 

and 

her people 

and wondering 

yet knowing 

that 

pain has to go 

somewhere . . . 

Whatever else blacks have given America, the greatest gift of all is conscience. Up until the Civil Rights 

Movement and even through the initial phases of the Movement, in all parts of America, there was this 

river of denial . . . like the Mississippi an embarkation for some and a debarkation for others, depending 

on the directions that one was fleeing. 

It has now gone 

from overt 

to covert . . . 

The river 

is deep. 

America is in the mist of a truthing the truth. Centuries ago, we found that persecution comes with only 

one emotion: madness. And madness always masks logic and temperament. We are not our brother’s 

keepers . . . we keep only that which is kindest to us . . . and that plays the cello strings on the gentleness 

of what we are not and wish we could be. . . . The flame has given way to the ashes at the river’s bottom. 

America will always be 

home to contradictions 

freedom/slavery 

democracy/the lack therein 

speech/denial 

people theory 

government and resources 

blind justice 

with its predeterminations 

education 

opportunities 

jobs 

participation 

opinionation 

and the return 

to conscience . . . 

the river runs deep. 

Somehow, some way, this nation needs to find ways to heal. 

People need to heal 

because history does not. 

We need to move away from allowing the tentacles of prejudice to always obscure the truth; if not, we are 

Name: _________________________________ 

Address: _______________________________ 

_______________________________________ 

_______________________________________ 

Phone (optional): ________________________ 

talking into a 

dead phone 

and the river 

gets deeper . . . 

therefore 

we 

all 

need 

to 

help 

President 

Elect 

Obama 

to 

be 

president 

of 

all 

America 

regardless 

of 

race 

creed 

or 

color. 

PDD 

2 THE METRO HERALD

AFRICA UPDATE 


BANDA SWORN IN AS ZAMBIAN LEADER 

Rupiah Banda has promised to follow in 

the footsteps of his predecessor 

Zambia’s acting head of state, 

Rupiah Banda, has been sworn 

in as president, just two hours 

after officials said he had narrowly 

won Thursday’s election. 

According to final results, Mr. 

Banda beat the main opposition candidate, 

Michael Sata, by 40.1% to 

38.1%. 

Earlier, Mr. Sata rejected the result, 

saying a “bunch of thieves” had stolen 

the vote. His Patriotic Front said it 

would go to court to demand a recount. 

But African regional electoral monitors 

said voting had been free and fair. 

The governing Movement for Multiparty 

Democracy (MMD) said it recognized 

this was a moment of high 

emotion and tension, and urged all 

Zambians to calm down and work for 

unity and peace. 

Security has been stepped up in the 

capital, Lusaka, amid fears of further 

unrest. 

On Saturday evening, riot police 

fired tear gas at Mr. Sata’s supporters, 

who marched through a crowded 

Lusaka slum, setting fire to market 

stalls and throwing stones in the streets. 

Mr. Banda took over from President 

Levy Mwanawasa, who died in 

August having suffered a stroke a few 

months earlier. 

The 71-year-old former diplomat 

and ex-vice-president has promised to 

follow in the footsteps of his predecessor. 

Although Mr. Mwanawasa reined 

in inflation and built up impressive foreign 

reserves, Zambia remains one of 

the world’s poorest countries with 

more than 60% of the population living 

on less than $2 a day. 

Mr. Banda will serve until 2011, 

when Mr. Mwanawasa’s term would 

have ended. 

STONING VICTIM BEGGED FOR MERCY 

Ayoung woman recently stoned 

to death in Somalia first 

pleaded for her life, a witness 

has told the BBC. 

“Don’t kill me, don’t kill me,” she 

said, according to the man who wanted 

to remain anonymous. A few minutes 

later, more than 50 men threw stones. 

Human rights group Amnesty International 

says the victim was a 13-yearold 

girl who had been raped. 

Initial reports had said she was a 

23-year-old woman who had confessed 

to adultery before a Sharia court. 

Numerous eyewitnesses say she 

was forced into a hole, buried up to her 

neck then pelted with stones until she 

died in front of more than 1,000 people 

last week. 

Meanwhile, Islamists in the capital, 

Mogadishu have carried out a public 

flogging. 

Mogadishu is nominally under the 

control of government forces and their 

Ethiopian allies, who face frequent attacks 

by Islamist and nationalist insurgents. 

The BBC’s Mohammed Olad Hassan 

in the city says the flogging was a 

show of strength. He says two men accused 

of helping to kill a man and torture 

his mother, who they accused of 

theft, were each given 39 lashes in the 

north-eastern suburb of Suqa-hola. 

The man who actually killed the alleged 

thief was released, after agreeing 

to pay his family 100 camels in compensation. 

Before the flogging, hundreds 

of Islamist fighters performed a 

military parade. 

Cameras were banned from the 

stoning in Kismayo, but print and radio 

journalists who were allowed to attend 

estimated that the woman, Aisha 

Ibrahim Duhulow, was 23 years old. 

However, Amnesty said it had 

learned she was 13, and that her father 

had said she was raped by three men. 

When the family tried to report the 

rape, the girl was accused of adultery 

and detained, Amnesty said. 

Convicting a girl of 13 for adultery 

would be illegal under Islamic law. 

Ahuman rights activist in the town 

told the BBC on condition of anonymity 

that he had received death threats from 

the Islamic militia, who accuse him of 

spreading false information about the 

incident. He denies having anything to 

do with Amnesty’s report. 

Court authorities have said the 

woman came to them admitting her 

guilt. She was asked several times to 

review her confession but she stressed 

that she wanted Sharia law and the deserved 

punishment to apply, they said. 

But a witness who spoke to the 

BBC’s Today program said she had 

been crying and had to be forced into a 

hole before the stoning, reported to 

have taken place in a football stadium. 

“More than 1,000 people arrived 

there,” he said. “After two hours, the 

Islamic administration in Kismayo 

brought the lady to the place and when 

she came out she said: ‘What do you 

want from me’” 

“They said: ‘We will do what Allah 

has instructed us’. She said: ‘I’m not 

going, I’m not going. Don’t kill me, 

don’t kill me.’ “A few minutes later 

more than 50 men tried to stone her.” 

The witness said people crowding 

round to see the execution said it was 

“awful”. “People were saying this was 

not good for Sharia law, this was not 

good for human rights, this was not 

good for anything.” 

But no one tried to stop the Islamist 

officials, who were armed, the witness 

said. He said one boy was shot in the 

confusion. 

According to Amnesty International, 

nurses were sent to check during 

the stoning whether the victim was 

still alive. They removed her from the 

ground and declared that she was, before 

she was replaced so the stoning 

could continue. 

The port of Kismayo was seized in 

August by a coalition of forces loyal to 

rebel leader Hassan Turki, and al- 

Shabab, the country’s main radical Islamist 

insurgent organization. 

Mr. Turki is on the US list of “financers 

of terrorism”. 

It was the first reported execution 

by stoning in the southern port city 

since Islamist insurgents captured it. 

The BBC had a reporter in the area, 

but he was shot dead in Kismayo in 

June. 

JUBILATION AT OBAMA’S KENYAN HOME 

By Juliet Njeri, BBC News, Kogelo 

It took a few minutes for the historic 

news to register with the residents 

of Kogelo, a small village in 

western Kenya where the father of the 

next US president was born and raised. 

But when the declaration that 

Barack Obama had won the US election 

finally sunk in, loud cheers and ululations 

rang out. 

At least 100 residents had stayed up 

all night in the village center, sheltering 

from a heavy downpour in tents set 

up by the village clinic to watch the results 

on a giant TV screen. 

The sun rose bright and early and a 

few hours later, one of the village elders 

took the microphone to announce 

that Mr. Obama had won the elections 

by an overwhelming majority. 

Although they were thousands of 

miles away from the US, it was still a 

very personal win for them as they truly 

consider Mr. Obama a son of Kogelo. 

“People of Kogelo come and celebrate, 

Obama has won,” rang out on 

the loudspeakers as residents ran from 

their houses to join in the jubilant celebrations. 

Children from the Senator 

Obama-Nyangoma Primary School 

burst out of their classes shouting and 

screaming with joy. 

A prayer of thanksgiving was 

said—what they had prayed for had 

come to pass. About 1.5km from the 

health center, Sarah Onyango, the US 

president-elect’s 86-year old stepgrandmother, 

could not restrain herself 

and darted out of her house singing and 

dancing. “If I laugh too hard, I’ll die,” 

she said. 

This was the first time she had been 

seen since Sunday, when the family announced 

that they would not be receiving 

the media or visitors until the results 

were released. The family had 

been holed up in their heavily guarded 

home watching the elections and results 

in private. But there was nothing 

guarded about the euphoria and celebration 

that broke out after the results 

were announced. 

Crowds of villagers hurriedly broke 

branches off trees and waved them 

wildly in the air as they sang songs of 

praise for their hero. The wild cries 

only died down as they gathered to listen 

to his acceptance speech, with periodic 

shouts and cheers, especially when 

he mentioned his family in Kenya. 

“Yes We Can,” they chanted along 

with him, bursting with pride. People 

kept pouring into the clinic’s compound, 

driving the level of joyful noise 

even higher. 

A section of the crowd rushed out 

of the gate and headed for the Obama 

homestead. As they advanced, the 

gates flew open and finally the crowds 

could congratulate the family. They 

danced around the compound and 

some headed straight for the modest, 

tiled grave of Obama Sr., Mr. Obama’s 

father, paying honor even in death. 

Malik Obama, Mr. Obama’s halfbrother, 

was carried shoulder high by 

The face of Barack Obama is seen on the 

back of a bus in Kisumu, western Kenya, 

the main town in the province where Mr. 

Obama’s father was born (photo by 

Riccardo Gangale/AP) 

the euphoric crowd as they sang: 

“Obama has raised the profile of Kogelo”, 

in the local Luo language. 

Then came the moment that everyone 

had been waiting for as the family 

finally emerged to address large group 

of local and foreign journalists camped 

outside the house. 

Auma Obama made their excuses—after 

receiving the results, they 

had been trying to come to terms with 

what it all meant for them as a family. 

“The shock hasn’t set in that we’re 

the first family,” Mr. Obama’s half sister 

Auma Obama said. “It has been a 

very tough race and we’re very happy 

that he won.” 

Mr. Obama’s step-grandmother announced 

that there was going to be a 

grand feast, and joked that all types of 

food from around the country would be 

available. 

Afew metres away, tied to a tree, 

the bull that will be slaughtered for the 

feast chewed away at the grass, unaware 

of its impending fate. 

He has done us proud, the family 

said, and the joy was evident in their 

wide smiles and easy manner. 

They said they are definitely going 

to visit the president-elect and his family, 

although they had not started making 

plans. Auma said she was looking 

forward to making chapattis—a local 

flatbread—in the White House with 

Michelle Obama. His grandmother 

says that is his favorite food. 

She joked that with her brother’s win, 

every member of the family could add 

the word “first” to their title—first sister, 

first grandmother, first niece. But the 

family said it did not expect to be treated 

differently from any other in Kenya. 

“We’re just a normal family and we 

don’t expect anything. As my grandmother 

always says, Barack is just 

doing a job, a civil service job,” Auma 

said. But it seems the decision is already 

out of their hands. Soon after the 

press conference ended, members of 

Kenya’s state security team ushered 

people out of the compound. 

And just outside the main compound, 

20 teams of technicians from 

the Kenya Power and Lighting Company 

were preparing to lay down 

power lines to the compound. The 

Obama family can expect to have electricity 

installed within a few days, the 

company says. It seems change has 

come not just to the US and the White 

House, but to the simple and sleepy 

village of Kogelo as well. 

About 1.5km from the health center, Sarah Onyango, the US president-elect’s 86-year old 

step-grandmother, could not restrain herself and darted out of her house singing and 

dancing. “If I laugh too hard, I’ll die,” she said. 

NIGERIA 

SPECULATORS’ 

WILD CASH RIDE 

By Andrew Walker, BBC News, Lagos 

The first time Peter Ugochukwu 

heard about shares was when 

his father died in Nigeria. It was 

suddenly revealed he had a portfolio 

worth thousands of dollars, a hidden 

fortune that his family knew nothing 

about. “We found stocks, and bonds, 

and all kinds of things. We realized— 

this is money!” the 33-year-old management 

consultant from Lagos said. 

After this discovery, Mr. Ugochukwu 

(who agreed to talk to the BBC only on 

condition that his real name was not 

used) became one of thousands of Nigerians 

who played the stock market last 

year and won. 

The bubble over-inflated the market 

in Africa’s number one oil exporter. 

The inevitable correction in value led to 

some losing their investments, and 

ended in severe damage to the reputation 

of the exchange in Africa’s most 

populous nation. Nigeria’s banking sector 

has only been open to international 

trade of wholesale debt for a short time, 

and so its exposure to the global credit 

crisis is limited. But last year, just as 

banks were waking up to their problems 

in the US, Nigerian investors rode 

a rapidly expanding stock bubble as the 

value of shares went through the roof. 

Now the bubble has burst and the 

stock values have reduced to a saner 

level, but some people have been 

burned by their experience. 

Asmall number of individual speculators 

like Mr. Ugochukwu borrowed 

thousands of dollars from banks—as 

much as a whole year’s salary for a 

civil servant–to buy what they believed 

would be a sure-fire money-making 

scheme. 

The loans had huge rates of interest, 

as much as 25%. But “naive” investors 

thought it was free money, and the stock 

market would not fail, analysts told the 

BBC. Financial analysts said the Nigerian 

stock market experience was a classic 

example of greed gone too far. The 

boom reached its zenith after banks 

began to rein in the loans they laid out 

to fund the boom. The tightening of 

money available for shares, and analysts’ 

growing concern over the market’s 

over-valuation, ended the boom. 

Then international investors pulled out. 

In the panic of the plunge, the stock 

market experienced a suspicious “technical 

fault” which prevented downward 

trades being reported for over a week. 

Afterward limits were placed on 

how much value a share can lose in a 

single day, but it is not enough to rectify 

the dent in confidence resulting 

from unregulated speculation. The 

market is now being subjected to 

“death by a thousand cuts”, according 

to Mr. Pearson. 

Mr. Ugochukwu said he sold his 

shares close to the top of the market, 

unloading his depreciating stock. 

Individual investors bought a relatively 

small number of shares traded 

on the market, but they were following 

the principles laid down by the markets’ 

largest investors, the big banks 

themselves. More bubbles lie ahead, 

according to Mr. Pearson. “When 

these speculators got out of the stock 

market, they poured their cash into 

property, which is now in the middle of 

a new boom in Nigeria, while house 

prices crash globally.” 

“In the next 12 months the same 

thing that happened to the stock market 

will happen in property,” said Mr. 

Pearson. 

THE METRO HERALD 3

AROUND THE REGION 


On Thursday, October 30, 

2008, the Virginia Historical 

Society (VHS) hosted a lecture 

about, and screening of, the television 

documentary Witness to a Century. 

The one-hour oral history film, a 

collaborative partnership between the 

VHS and the Community Idea Stations 

(WCVE), tells the story of the twentieth 

century in Virginia through the 

eyes of centenarians whose lives 

spanned that entire, tumultuous era. 

Six of the ten 100-year-olds from 

across Virginia who were interviewed 

about their lives were at the Society to 

see the final version of the film for the 

71-YEAR OLD MAN WINS FREE GROCERIES FOR A YEAR 

By Patricia Fenn, 

Special to Metro Herald 

“ 

OVER 600 YEARS OF COMBINED HISTORY AT THE 

VIRGINIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY FOR ONE DAY 

Six of the ten 100-year-olds from across Virginia who were interviewed about their lives 

were at the Society to see the final version of the film for the first time. 

first time. The screening drew hundreds 

of members of the general public. 

The centenarians shared their 600 years 

of combined historical memories about 

the 1918 flu epidemic, segregated 

schools, the introduction of radio and 

TV, the Great Depression, transportation 

changes, and small-town jobs. 

The VHS/WCVE collaboration was 

prompted by the fact that Americans 

are aging in greater numbers than ever 

before (there are more than 65,000 

centenarians in the United States), and 

although enormous changes took place 

in Virginia in the twentieth century, 

there is a lack of public consciousness 

Last Saturday morning, a senior 

citizen from Laurel was presented 

with $100, the first of 52 

weekly checks from a random drawing 

in July for free groceries according to 

the store’s manager. 

Willis Carter, 71, who moved to the 

Park View in Md., three years ago, beat 

out 100,000 other shoppers at the 28 

Bottom Dollar Food Stores in three 

states: Maryland, Virginia and North 

Carolina. Every time Carter used his 

grocery membership card, he was entered 

in the store’s random drawing 

which took place on July 23, according 

to spokeswoman Nidra Dyer from corporate 

Bottom Dollar Foods, a subsidiary 

of Food Lion. 

Carter’s friend who came with him 

but declined to give her name, disclosed, 

“I give him food all the time.” 

She also said Carter was only able to 

afford one meal a day and had lost 

20 lbs since moving to Park View. As 

his circumstances became known, grocery 

workers and shoppers rejoiced at 

Carter’s turn of good fortune. “God is 

good.”, said smiling shopper, Gloria. 

“I’m so happy for him!” said 

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS AT 

COLLINGWOOD LIBRARY & MUSEUM 

ON AMERICANISM 

Home for the Holidays” is back by popular demand. After a successful 

introduction in Fall, 2007, the UCM Friends are making 

the 2008 “Home for the Holidays” bigger and better. From November 

14 through 16, the Friends of UCM will host a fundraising event that 

will transform Collingwood Library and Museum into a winter wonderland of 

creative holiday interiors by local vendors and designers including Helen 

Olivia, Insiders, Longwood Manor, Sande Carter and Two Swans. Several 

local garden clubs will also help to decorate the exterior and interior of the 

home and the new American Legacy Center. 

Not only will these local businesses decorate the historic Collingwood on 

the Potomac, but another 20 vendors will take over the brand new American 

Legacy Center. This newly constructed center is a charming addition to the 

small two-room house, that was enlarged over the years to a colonial palatial 

mansion and has been occupied by George Washingtons overseer, a ferry operator, 

farmers, airline crew members, Intelligence School students and one of 

the better area restaurants. 

This year, the admission cost includes a full schedule of presentations on 

the holidays. Imagine spending an hour with Designer and HGTV Personality 

Yvette Piaggio; UCM Friend and Helen Walutes; Stephanie Kelley from 

Refined Design; Maeva Cosier from Embellishments; Kee Jun, owner of 

Hairtistics; Stephanie Kelley from Refined Design; Vanessa Moore from Unwined; 

Cindy Spak, owner of Greenspace; Leslie and Mario Aleixo from Sew 

Perfect; Vanessa Wheeler from Holly, Woods and Vines; photographer Rick 

Latoff; and designer Karen Gardiner. 

HOURS: Saturday, Nov. 15—10a.m. to 4p.m., $15; Sunday, Nov. 16— 

11a.m. to 3p.m. TICKETS: $15. Tickets are $10 if purchased at local businesses 

and Friends of UCM before the event. Preview Cocktail Party— 

Friday, November 14, 6 to 9p.m., $75 per person Reservations and group 

sales: 703-785-3272. Collingwood Library & Museum on Americanism is located 

at 8301 East Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, VA. Visit www.ucmagency.org 

for complete information on presenters, vendors & garden clubs. 

about the period. 

Testimony from Virginia’s centenarians 

will also be used to produce a 

curriculum guide for use in community 

senior centers. 

“The continuing education component 

of this project is, to me, just as exciting 

as the documentary,” said Dr. 

Charles F. Bryan, Jr., president and 

CEO of the VHS. “As the population 

ages, it has become increasingly clear 

that this age group is underserved by 

educational programs. Bringing Witness 

to a Century into senior centers for 

an interactive educational course will 

directly address this demonstrated demand. 

It will help provide the spark that 

occurs when people see their personal 

history intersect with a larger history.” 

Witness to a Century is scheduled 

to air on WCVE public television on 

Monday, November 10 at 9:00PM, 

and then re-air on Thursday, November 

13 at 10:00PM. 

Funding for the Witness to a Century 

project was provided through a 

Partnership for a Nation of Learners 

grant from the Institute of Museum and 

Library Services and the Corporation 

for Public Broadcasting. 

Mayor Craig Moe of Laurel who made 

welcoming remarks and presented 

Carter with a key to the city. 

Moe said, “I’d better start using my 

Bottom Dollar Food membership card, 

too”, amidst the overhead signs, 

“Watch your step, you might trip over 

our low prices”; and “Shopping here is 

like getting a tax refund”, hung by 

store workers. 

Store Manager Jeff Buckholz, who 

presented the first check, said, “I’m 

happy to see a local shopper win. And 

it’s great to see an actual and deserving 

winner . . . not what looks like those 

unreal people on TV. They seem so 

remote.” 

When asked how he heard about his 

winning, Carter said, “A sweepstakes 

woman from New York City called and 

told me I had won; and then sent a Federal 

Express letter. I didn’t believe it at 

first, until I brought the letter to the 

store, and the store manager said, 

“Yeah, it’s real!” 

Carter’s only other relatives are a 

brother in S.C., three years younger 

than he, and a nephew in Delaware. 

Carter worked at Griffith Consumers 

in Cheverly for 31 years ordering fuel 

oil deliveries. After a heart attack and 

retirement on disability, he moved 

from Alexandria, Va. to Park View. 

Carter beamed as he recalled that 

the nearby Market Inn in Washington, 

D.C., “. . . had the best prime rib I’ve 

ever had”. A soft spoken and modest 

man, Carter said he didn’t think he 

could eat a hundred dollars worth of 

groceries in a week, but went on the 

explain, “I don’t have diabetes, but I 

like pies and cakes and other sweets 

... and that prime rib.” 

Fortunately, the weekly vouchers 

don’t expire if not entirely used but are 

carried over into the next week, until 

they are spent; and are redeemable at 

Food Lion stores as well, according to 

the fine print, said Carter. 

With that, Carter went off to look for 

his friend in the produce aisle and smiled 

as he passed a clerk who was wearing a 

store shirt that said on the back, “I have a 

black belt in food shopping.” 

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR 

2009 SECRETARY OF DEFENSE 

EMPLOYER SUPPORT FREEDOM AWARD 

Employer Support of the Guard 

and Reserve, a Department of 

Defense agency, has opened 

the nomination season for the 2009 

Secretary of Defense Employer Support 

Freedom Award. National Guard 

and Reserve members and their families 

are eligible and encouraged to 

nominate employers who have gone 

above and beyond in their support of 

military employees. Nominations will 

be accepted at www.FreedomAward. 

mil through January 19, 2009. The 


Freedom Award is the highest 

recognition given by the U.S. Government 

to employers for their outstanding 

support of their employees who 

serve in the National Guard and Reserve. 

The 2009 recipients will be announced 

in the spring and honored in 

Washington, D.C. at the 14th annual 


Freedom Award ceremony September 

17, 2009. Recipients of the 2008 Freedom 

Award met with President George 

W. Bush and Deputy Secretary of Defense 

Gordon England. Under Secretary 

of Defense for Personnel and 

Readiness, Dr. David Chu presented the 

awards at a ceremony attended by 

members of Congress and senior government 

and military officials. 

Almost one-half of the U.S. military 

is comprised of the National 

Guard and Reserve. The Department of 

Defense shares these citizen warriors 

with their civilian employers, many of 

whom provide significant support to 

their employees who serve in the National 

Guard and Reserve. 2008 honorees 

ranged from a small family 

owned transportation business in Utah 

to large businesses including Chrysler 

and Dominion Resources to the City of 

Austin, Texas, a public sector employer. 

Past recipients of the Freedom 

Award have provided full salary, continuation 

of benefits, care packages 

and even family support to employees 

fulfilling their military obligation. 

The Freedom Award was instituted 

in 1996 under the auspices of the National 

Committee for Employer Support 

of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) 

to recognize exceptional support from 

the employer community. 

ESGR is a Department of Defense 

agency established in 1972. Its mission 

is to gain and maintain employer support 

for Guard and Reserve service by 

recognizing outstanding support, increasing 

awareness of the law and resolving 

conflicts through mediation. 

For questions regarding the Freedom 

Award nomination process, visit 

www.FreedomAward.mil or contact 

Beth Sherman, ESGR Public Affairs, 

at 703-380-9717. 

BLACK FACT 

On November 7, 

1837, Elijah P. 

Lovejoy was 

murdered by a 

pro-slavery mob 

while defending 

his press in 

Alton, Illinois. 

KAINE AND BOLLING AMONG 

THIS YEAR’S AWARD WINNERS 

HONORED BY THE AMERICAN LUNG 

ASSOCIATION OF VIRGINIA 

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling are among the honorees 

who received service and excellence awards from the American 

Lung Association of Virginia for their work in support of healthy lungs 

and clean air for all Virginians. 

The awards were presented in Richmond at the Lung Association’s Spotlight 

on Excellence: 2008 Volunteer Awards Celebration on Wednesday, October 

22, 2008. 

Lt. Gov. Bolling, who received the Distinguished Service Award for 

Asthma Awareness, is known for his work to improve the quality of health care 

in Virginia. He has led a number of health initiatives, including participation in 

the asthma awareness campaign launched by the National Lieutenant Governors 

Association. Through his “Helping Virginians Breathe Easier” program, 

Bolling distributed asthma action plans, wallet cards, and bookmarks to educate 

people statewide about the dangers of asthma. Asthma affects 412,370 

adults and 152,277 children in Virginia, and Bolling’s educational work can 

help reduce the number of hospital visits due to asthma and reduce the number 

of asthma-related deaths in the state. 

On January 7, 2008, Gov. Tim Kaine proposed legislation for a statewide 

ban on smoking in restaurants, including dining establishments in public and 

private clubs. The governor already had a legacy of supporting smokefree 

policies, having signed an executive order in 2006 that banned smoking in all 

state buildings and vehicles. By proposing legislation for smokefree restaurants 

in Virginia, Kaine lead the Commonwealth to another incremental step 

in the fight for comprehensive smoke-free legislation. In recognition, the 

Lung Association has given Kaine our Distinguished Service Award for Tobacco 

Control. At the Spotlight on Excellence event, the award was accepted 

on Kaine’s behalf by Marty Kilgore, the Executive Director of the Virginia 

Tobacco Settlement Foundation. 

Other Volunteer Award winners include state Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple, 

state Del. Phillip A. Hamilton, and Inova Health System, a not-for-profit 

healthcare system in Northern Virginia. 

For more information, visit www. lungva.org. 

4 THE METRO HERALD

AROUND THE REGION 


GRAND REOPENING FAMILY FESTIVAL 

AT NATIONAL MUSEUM OF 

AMERICAN HISTORY 

The Smithsonian’s National Museum 

of American History reopens 

after two years of architectural 

renovations to shed new light 

on American history, literally and figuratively. 

The museum has been dramatically 

transformed and will engage audiences 

of all ages. Visitors walk into a 

five-story skylit atrium, surrounded by 

artifact displays showcasing the 

breadth of the museum’s three million 

objects from the cultural, social, technological 

and political history of the 

United States. A grand staircase now 

links the museum’s first and second 

floors and six landmark objects located 

in the wings of each of the three exhibition 

floors help orient visitors. New 

galleries such as the Jerome and 

Dorothy Lemelson Hall of Invention, 

presenting “Invention at Play,” join old 

favorites including “The American 

Presidency: A Glorious Burden” and 

“America on the Move.” At the heart 

of the museum, the Star-Spangled Banner—one 

of the most recognized symbols 

of the nation—has been given a 

new state-of-the-art gallery and fresh 

interpretation. The grand reopening 

kicks off a year of new exhibitions and 

programming throughout 2009. 

The museum will officially reopen 

to the public on the morning of Friday, 

Nov. 21, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

A procession of historical characters 

will bring history back to the 

museum, kicking off a three-day festival 

that celebrates the new home of the 

Star-Spangled Banner. Visitors will be 

welcomed to the dramatically transformed 

National Museum of American 

History with musical entertainment, 

refreshments, giveaways and more. 

Official Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony 

Friday, Nov. 21; 8:30-10a.m. 

Museum Director Brent Glass, 

Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne 

Clough and other special guests officially 

reopen the National Museum of 

American History. The first visitors 

will enjoy the sounds of American 

music performed by the Children’s 

Chorus of Washington and the Federal 

City Brass Band. Other entertainment 

includes a 20-minute aerial demonstration 

by the U.S. Army’s Golden 

Knights Parachute Team, the firing of 

an authentic War of 1812 cannon and a 

reading of the Gettysburg Address, a 

copy of which is on temporary loan 

from the White House. Following the 

ribbon-cutting, the museum will welcome 

history back to the National Mall 

as a procession of historical characters 

lead visitors into the building. Free 

seasonal refreshments are available before 

the ceremony. The first 1,814 visitors 

to the ribbon cutting and through 

the museum doors will receive a special 

gift in honor of 1814, the year of 

the Battle of Baltimore when the Star- 

Spangled Banner waving at “dawns 

early light” inspired Francis Scott Key 

to pen his famous lyrics; all visitors 

will be able to take home a first-day 

souvenir (while supplies last). 

Grand Reopening Festival 

Friday, Nov. 21; 10a.m.-7:30p.m. 

Saturday, Nov. 22 and Sunday, 

Nov. 23; 10a.m.-5:30p.m. 

The public is invited to experience 

the newly transformed museum with a 

dynamic schedule of family-friendly activities, 

including musical entertainment, 

living history and various giveaways 

(while supplies last), in addition to the 

museum’s usual exhibition offerings. 

The soundtrack of American history 

will echo through the museum 

during the reopening celebration as 

musical styles of our nation’s past 

come to life. Jazz, blues, Latin, 19thcentury 

string band music, “freedom 

songs” of the Civil Rights Movement 

and military music will fill the museum. 

Performances will rotate and repeat 

throughout the day. Complete 

schedules will be available at the Welcome 

Center on the second floor or the 

Information Desk on the first floor. 

Visitors will have the opportunity 

to meet actors impersonating Mary 

Pickersgill, who made the Star-Spangled 

Banner in 1813, outside of the 

iconic flag’s new gallery. Near the 

Greensboro Lunch Counter display 

visitors may take part in the sit-ins of 

the Civil Rights Movement or move to 

“The Price of Freedom” exhibition to 

listen to letters home from American 

soldiers throughout our nation’s armed 

conflicts. 

Visitors may have their photo taken 

with Dorothy from “The Wizard of 

Oz,” George Washington, Civil War 

soldiers and other historical characters 

in front of the museum’s iconic landmark 

objects, such as Clara Barton’s 

ambulance, the John Bull locomotive 

or Dumbo the elephant. Volunteers will 

be on hand to assist in photography. 

At artifact and destination carts visitors 

will have the opportunity to get 

their hands on history. These carts provide 

a venue where visitors get to be 

the historian and learn about the past. 

Everyday objects can be examined for 

clues about the people who made and 

used them, and visitors can explore the 

experience of various Americans, such 

as soldiers, throughout history. Carts 

vary daily. Check at the Welcome Center 

on the second floor or the Information 

Desk on the first floor for daily 

schedules. 

At staffed kiosks on the third floor, 

visitors will be able to test drive “Smithsonian’s 

History Explorer,” the museum’s 

new gateway to online resources 

for teaching and learning American history 

made possibly by a new partnership 

with Thinkfinity.org, the Verizon 

Foundation’s comprehensive education 

program and online portal. 

Visit americanhistory.si.edu for a 

complete list of exhibitions and reopening 

updates. 

BLACK FACT 

On November 7, 1909, the Knights and 

Ladies of St. Peter Claver was organized in 

Mobile, Alabama, by four Posephite priests 

and three Catholic laymen. 

NATIONAL EXPERTS ON UNIVERSAL DESIGN TO OPEN 

FAIRFAX COUNTY’S REINVENTING YOUR HOME EVENT 

Two nationally renowned experts 

on using universal design 

to make homes accessible, 

safe, comfortable, and attractive as 

people grow older or experience 

changes in physical abilities are slated 

to open Fairfax County’s Reinventing 

Your Home event on Saturday, November 

22. The public is invited to 

attend this free event at the Fairfax 

County Government Center, 12000 

Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, 

Virginia from 8a.m. to 1:30p.m. 

The remainder of the morning will 

feature workshops on practical applications 

of universal design that range 

from large remodeling projects to 

minor and inexpensive upgrades (installing 

“D” shaped handles and improving 

lighting) and repairs. There 

will also be workshops on finding and 

paying for contractors, helpful homebased 

technology, tips on de-cluttering 

and designing “easy to enjoy” gardens. 

Richard Duncan and Leon Harper, 

both project directors and advocates, 

open the event by demonstrating how 

universal design not only allows older 

people to “age in place” but also enables 

people of all ages to open their 

doors to friends and family members for 

whom standard entry ways, bathrooms 

and kitchens often present barriers. 

While architects and advocates in the 

fields of aging and disability have been 

discussing universal design for over 20 

years, the concept has only recently 

gained traction with a wider public. 

“We expect universal design to 

catch on the way “green design” is just 

now catching on,” said Grace Starbird, 

director of the Department of Family 

Services’ Fairfax Area Agency on 

Aging, a leading sponsor of the event. 

“Our hope is that Reinventing Your 

Home will ignite an important conversation 

and lead people to ask for universal 

design when remodeling or upgrading 

their homes,” she added. 

Mr. Duncan is the executive director 

of Housing Works-Universal Design Institute 

in Raleigh, North Carolina. He 

has 25 years’ experience in residential, 

public, and transportation projects using 

universal design. He is extensively published 

and lectures nationally and internationally 

to universities and government 

agencies on the subject. 

Mr. Harper is president of Leon 

Harper and Associates, Inc., Housing 

ALEXANDRIA CITY COUNCIL APPROVES 

BRADDOCK EAST MASTER PLAN 

Consultants. He was president of the 

National Association of Area Agencies 

on Aging, deputy director for the 1981 

White House Conference on Aging, 

and a housing specialist at AARP. Mr. 

Harper has directed a number of universal 

design demonstration house 

projects including a project in Richmond, 

Virginia, that was featured on 

NBC’s “Today Show,” a project with 

the M.I.T. School of Architecture, and 

a recent project with Prince William 

County and Centex Homes. 

Because of anticipated demand, 

pre-registration is required to attend 

this free event. To register and/or request 

ADA reasonable accommodations 

contact: www.fairfaxcounty. 

gov/aaa/reinventhome.htm, or call 

703-324-7746, TTY 703-449-1186. 

Reinventing Your Home follows 

Reinventing Your Neighborhood, an 

event held last April that focused on developing 

neighborhood-based service 

networks. Both events align with the 

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ 

50+ Plan “to ensure a more aging 

friendly Fairfax County.” The plan, 

adopted in October 2007, can be found at 

www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults. 

On October 18, the Alexandria 

City Council unanimously approved 

a master plan amendment 

to the Braddock Metro and 

Northeast Small Area Plans to include 

the Braddock East Master Plan. The 

City Council also approved a rezoning, 

concept development plan and a development 

special use permit for the 

James Bland Redevelopment in Braddock 

East. The Braddock East Master 

Plan comprises nine blocks of public 

housing owned by the Alexandria 

Housing and Redevelopment Authority 

(ARHA). The Braddock East Master 

plan provides a framework to encourage 

and guide the future 

redevelopment of these public housing 

sites into diverse, mixed-income, 

mixed-use, urban and pedestrian-oriented 

residential communities. 

“The approval of the Braddock East 

Plan and James Bland Redevelopment 

represents a landmark decision by the 

City Council to turn a major section of 

Alexandria’s public housing into a 

mixed-income residential community,” 

said Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille. 

“A lot of hard work has been done, 

and many compromises have been 

made by all in the community to ensure 

that the quality of life is enhanced 

for everybody who lives there.” 

The Braddock East Master Plan 

was a collaborative planning process 

between the City, ARHA and the community. 

Earlier this year, City Council 

appointed a diverse advisory group 

composed of neighbors, public housing 

representatives, and other stakeholders, 

who worked together and conducted 

outreach in the community to 

create the plan. The plan addressed 

many concerns regarding the redevelopment 

of the area, including the need 

to continue to provide high quality, affordable 

housing; the need for adequate 

open space, community facilities 

and supportive social services; and the 

opportunity to incorporate new retail, 

office, and hotel space in order to provide 

a vibrant and viable mix of uses. 

City Council also approved the 

James Bland Redevelopment Plan, located 

in the Braddock East Master 

Planning area. The plan proposes the 

redevelopment of 194 old, outdated and 

inadequate public housing units and replacing 

them with 134 new public 

housing units, 159 market-rate town 

homes, and 86 market-rate condominiums. 

Forty-four of the displaced public 

housing units will be replaced at Glebe 

Park in Arlandria, with the City committed 

to finding a suitable site for the 

remaining 16 public housing units elsewhere 

in the City. The redevelopment 

is proposed to be constructed in five 

phases over the next few years, with the 

last phase expected to be completed by 

the end of 2015. The plan was created 

with the intention of developing a diverse, 

mixed-income community, revitalizing 

outmoded public housing, similar 

to the successful, award-winning 

Chatham Square development in Old 

Town. The approved plans also provide 

an appropriate level of density to capitalize 

on the proximity of the James 

Bland development to the Braddock 

Road Metro station. 

The plan addressed a number of 

challenges, such as achieving compatibility 

with historic neighborhoods adjacent 

to James Bland, ensuring adequate 

open space and parking, and creating a 

neighborhood plan in which residents 

of diverse income levels are effectively 

integrated into the development. 

ARHA’s development partner will be 

EYA, which is one of the leading residential 

developers of new urban communities 

in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan 

region. It is envisioned that 

this plan will be financed by the value 

of the James Bland property owned by 

ARHA, combined with federal low-income 

housing tax credits. 

ABraddock Implementation Advisory 

Group will be established to monitor 

the implementation of the Braddock 

Metro Neighborhood Plan and 

Braddock East Master Plan and will 

ensure that ongoing community concerns 

are addressed as the plan moves 

forward. The ARHA Redevelopment 

Work Group, composed of representatives 

from City Council, ARHA, the 

Planning Commission and the City 

Manager, will convene regularly to facilitate 

the successful implementation 

of the Braddock East Master Plan. 

For more information, visit www. 

alexandriava.gov/braddock. 

ARCHITECTURE LECTURE: 

“DESERT MATTERS” 

The Catholic University of America presents Architecture Lecture: 

“Desert Matters” at the Edward M. Crough Center for Architecture 

and Planning in the Koubek Auditorium located at 620 Michigan Avenue, 

NE, Washington, DC. Lecture will take place on Monday, November 

10, 2008 at 5:30pm. 

Ruth Alvardo Pflücker, an architect in Lima, will give the final talk of 

CUA’s Fall 2008 Architecture Lecture Series, which is titled “Contrast—Culture—Context: 

Architecture and Development in the Americas.” Her lecture, 

“Desert Matters,” documents her unique solutions for existing architecture 

that transforms its chaotic environment. 

The lecture series will explore the architecture of Peru and the Americas. 

As the oldest European conquered area in the Americas, Peru has a rich and 

complex heritage. It is a country of contrasts: from historic to modern, native 

to European, coastal desert to rain forest to high mountains, and urban to rural. 

The lectures are free and open to the public and offer AIA Continuing Education 

learning units. For more information, e-mail Temple Washington, associate 

professor of architecture and planning, at washinga@cua.edu. 

THE METRO HERALD 5

EDUCATION 


MCDONALD’S LAUNCHES INAUGURAL 

MCDONALD’S ALL AMERICAN ACHIEVERS PROGRAM 

The Substance Abuse Prevention 

Coalition of Alexandria 

(SAPCA) received a federal 

Drug Free Communities (DFC) grant of 

$602,930 ($120,586 per year for five 

years) that will support the work of the 

coalition to prevent and reduce substance 

abuse among Alexandria’s youth. 

SAPCA is an alliance of more than 

80 members representing parents, 

youth, schools, City of Alexandria 

health and recreation agencies, nonprofit 

groups, businesses, faith communities, 

policymakers and law enforcement 

whose mission is to engage the 

entire community in reducing youth 

substance use and abuse in Alexandria. 

SAPCA was created in 2007 as part of 

the Partnership for a Healthier 

McDonald’s recently unveiled 

a new, in-school achievement 

program, McDonald’s 

All American Achievers, an opportunity 

for teachers nationwide to celebrate 

their top-performing students. 

With the support of “CSI: NY” star 

Hill Harper, McDonald’s will launch 

All American Achievers as an interactive 

program that not only motivates 

7th and 8th graders to excel academically, 

but also encourages character development 

and community service. 

Teachers can find entry materials at 

www.365Black.com. Students are eligible 

to become an All American 

Achiever through submitting an expository 

essay, written by the student and 

submitted by his or her teacher, answering 

questions about the student’s 

academic accomplishments, extracurricular 

activities and community citizenship. 

Teachers score and submit 

the classroom’s essays for consideration. 

A panel of judges, including educators 

and actor and longtime education 

activist Harper, will select the 

Grand Prize winners from the highest 

scoring essays submitted. 

“It’s great to see McDonald’s is 

leading the path and shaping the next 

generation of leaders. We need to keep 

our students encouraged and motivated 

now so they can be prepared for the future,” 

Harper said. 

Essays will be judged by scores submitted 

by teachers, who will assign students 

points for demonstrating McDonald’s 

All American Achiever 

characteristics, such as abiding by school 

rules and having perfect attendance as of 

the date of entry. The judges will select 

the 100 highest scoring essays from 

which they will identify one Grand Prize 

Alexandria (www.alexhealth.org/ 

partnership).Mayor William D. Euille 

is SAPCA’s honorary chair. 

The Substance Abuse Prevention 

Coalition of Alexandria will use the 

funding during the first year to complete 

a comprehensive community assessment 

that seeks to better define the 

local conditions that are contributing to 

youth substance abuse in Alexandria. 

First-year funding will also allow 

SAPCA to develop an action plan with 

intervention strategies for grant years 

two through five and build community 

awareness about youth substance 

abuse among the City’s diverse faithbased, 

business, parent and youth 

groups. The Alexandria Community 

Services Board will serve as the fiscal 

MONTGOMERY COUNTY TEAMS UP 

WITH DIAGEO TO HELP PROMOTE 

RESPONSIBLE DRINKING 

7th grade student essay and one Grand 

Prize 8th grade student essay. 

Entry materials are available to 

teachers nationwide at www.365Black. 

com, and are being sent directly to 

teachers in 19 metropolitan areas, including: 

Atlanta; Baltimore; Birmingham; 

Charlotte; Chicago; Cleveland; 

Dallas; Detroit; Houston; Jackson, 

Miss.; Los Angeles; Miami/Ft. Lauderdale; 

Memphis; Norfolk/Portsmouth, 

Va.; Orlando; Philadelphia; Raleigh/ 

Durham; San Francisco/Oakland/San 

Jose and St. Louis. 

Entries are due December 8. Winners 

will be announced on or about January 

30, 2009, and Grand Prize winners 

will receive a $500 American Express 

gift card and a new laptop computer. 

The remaining 98 finalists will receive 

a $250 gift card. Teachers who submit 

the winning essay will receive $500 to 

purchase supplies for their classroom 

and the winners’ corresponding schools 

each receive a $2,000 check. 

“The All American Achievers program 

gives McDonald’s a unique opportunity 

to celebrate the academic accomplishments 

of youth in the African 

American community, as well as acknowledge 

teachers for the important 

role they have,” said Carol Sagers, Director 

of Marketing, McDonald’s USA. 

For more information about the 

McDonald’s All American Achievers 

program, entry forms and official 

rules, visit www.365Black.com. 

SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION COALITION OF ALEXANDRIA 

AWARDED FEDERAL GRANT 

Montgomery County’s Department of Liquor Control has teamed up 

with the world’s largest premium drinks business, Diageo, to promote 

responsible drinking among its residents through an innovative 

new website, www. DRINKiQ.com. 

As a global resource for all interested parties to share programs with tools designed 

to fight alcohol misuse, DRINKiQ.com helps individuals make responsible 

choices about drinking. A key feature of the site, “The Responsibility Channel” 

link, is an online community where consumers, parents, teachers, 

government officials, retailers and others can post and share videos and programs 

they have found effective in addressing alcohol-related issues. The community 

aspect of DRINKiQ.com is part of what sets the website apart from other 

responsibility sites. It provides visitors with a forum in which they can engage 

in conversation with others who share their interest in responsible drinking. 

“We are looking forward to exposing individuals in Montgomery County 

to some of the unique tools DRINKiQ. com has and to sharing our materials 

with other communities,” said Kathie Durbin, division chief, Licensure, Regulation 

and Education in the County’s Department of Liquor Control. “Our 

Keeping It Safe host responsibility materials are on the site, and that will help 

parents understand that hosting under 21 drinking parties is unsafe, illegal and 

unhealthy.” For more information, call Kathie Durbin at 240-777-1917. 

agent overseeing the grant and staff the 

coordinator position funded through 

the grant. Visit www.alexhealth.org/ 

partnership/sapca.html; e-mail Allen 

Lomax at aclomax@aol.com or Mary- 

Jane Atwater at matwater@aol.com 

or visit www.alexandriava.gov 

VIRGINIA SMP 

PROGRAM NEEDS 

VOLUNTEERS 

The Virginia Association of 

Area Agencies on Aging 

SMP Program utilizes older 

volunteers to educate Medicare 

and Medicaid beneficiaries about 

health care fraud, waste and error. 

SMP is recruiting volunteers to 

help with group education efforts 

and the distribution of health care 

fraud toolkits in Central Virginia 

beginning November. 

Virginia SMP is a grant funded 

program administered by U.S. 

Health & Human Services, Administration 

on Aging. There are 65 SMP 

programs across the nation. Last 

year, the Virginia SMP Program participated 

in over 348 outreach activities 

and community events throughout 

Virginia. The SMP program 

operates a toll-free number (1-800- 

938-8885) in Virginia for anyone 

that would like to confidentially discuss 

questions about Medicare or 

Medicaid billings, services and questions 

about fraud, waste or errors or 

report complaints. 

For more information, contact 

Susan Johnson at the Virginia Association 

of Area Agencies on Aging 

at 804-644-5628 (in Richmond) or 

toll-free at 1-800-938-8885. 

NINE COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES 

LAUNCH HISTORIC ALLIANCE 

Nine colleges and universities 

including Hampton University 

at the National Press Club in 

Washington, D.C., to officially announce 

a new educational partnership—The 

Interlink Alliance. The 

unique alliance will address some of 

the most pressing issues facing these 

and other higher education institutions. 

Members of the alliance have 

pledged to work cooperatively in three 

key areas: faculty development, student 

leadership and an African-American 

male initiative that engages and 

motivates prospective college students 

as early as middle school. 

“There is nothing more important 

to all our institutions than figuring out 

how to reach, retain, educate, graduate 

and facilitate the success of students— 

especially those who continue to be 

underrepresented despite other efforts. 

And we want to make sure that all our 

students have everything they need to 

be competitive at the highest levels,” 

Ohio University President Roderick J. 

McDavis said. “To do that, we must 

give our faculty the tools to be exceptional. 

In addition, our institutions 

must be better at building our infrastructures 

and conducting business.” 

The alliance includes small, 

medium and large institutions, all with 

different characters. 

‘“This alliance is another in a long 

line of partnerships and collaborations 

that Hampton University has engaged in 

for over a century,” said Hampton University 

President Dr. William R. Harvey. 

“All the member institutions bring 

something unique to the table and all of 

us will benefit from the partnership.” 

The Interlink Alliance includes Ohio 

University in Athens, Ohio; Spelman 

College in Atlanta; Hampton University 

in Hampton, Va.; Wilberforce University 

and Central State University in 

Wilberforce, Ohio; Johnson C. Smith 

University in Charlotte, N.C.; North 

Carolina Central University in Durham, 

N.C.; South Carolina State University 

in Orangeburg, S.C.; and Virginia State 

University in Petersburg, Va. 

Although many consortia pair traditionally 

white schools and historically 

black colleges and universities 

HOWARD RANKS NO. 1 BY 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Howard University ranks first 

as the highest producer of 

African-American graduates 

with science and engineering doctoral 

degrees nationally, according to the 

National Science Foundation. 

The report, “Role of HBCUs as 

Baccalaureate-Origin Institutions of 

Black S&E Doctorate Recipients,” examines 

educational trends over the past 

two decades and compares private and 

public schools and Historically Black 

Colleges and Universities (HBCU) 

with non-HBCU institutions to determine 

how many of their students later 

earn doctoral degrees in science and 

engineering fields. 

Howard led the country with 224 

doctoral recipients in science and engineering 

from 1997-2006. HBCUs took 

eight of the top 10 spots. Rounding out 

the leaders were Spelman College (150), 

Hampton University (135), Florida 

Agricultural and Mechanical University 

(100), Morehouse College (99), North 

Carolina A&T University (89), Southern 

(HBCUs), they have tended to focus on 

specific research areas or projects. Or 

they have been recruitment conduits, 

primarily funneling undergraduates 

from HBCUs into post-baccalaureate 

programs at traditionally white institutions. 

The Interlink Alliance core group 

put special emphasis on a peer structure 

that benefits all participating institutions 

and offers collaboration opportunities 

for multiple institutions at once. 

“This agreement represents something 

new in higher education,” Mc- 

Davis said. “Every institution in this 

alliance brings talent, successes and research 

expertise to bear on these challenges. 

We’re only successful if every 

member benefits.” 

Among outcomes members have 

discussed so far are increasing the 

number of students earning graduate 

degrees, increasing campus diversity at 

all institutions, and sponsoring faculty 

and student exchanges that foster 

deeper understanding of cultural perspectives 

on educational policies, laws 

and resources. 

Consortium initiatives include, but 

are not limited to: 

• Initiative for African-American 

males—Establishes partnerships 

with K-12 schools, focusing on 

projects to support access and opportunity 

for African-American 

males to pursue a college education. 

• Faculty development—Integral to 

the consortium is the opportunity 

for faculty training, advancement 

and the pursuit of doctoral degrees. 

• Student leadership development— 

This initiative will pursue a multipronged 

approach to preparing students 

for high-level careers in 

educational institutions, corporations 

and governments in the global 

economy. 

• Research collaboration—This alliance 

will bring researchers together 

from multiple fields, with 

special emphasis on cancer and biomedical 

research. 

• Infrastructure—Member institutions 

will collaborate on infrastructure 

improvement through sharing 

best practices of successful programs, 

services and partnerships. 

University A&M College at Baton 

Rouge (79), Xavier University (73). 

“This is exciting news for Howard 

University,” said Dr. Alvin Thornton, Interim 

Provost and Chief Academic Officer. 

“The STEM disciplines—science, 

technology, engineering and mathematics—are 

assigned a high priority at 

Howard. An important dimension of the 

University’s mission is the preparation 

of African American and other underrepresented 

students for doctoral-level 

graduate study and professional careers 

in the STEM disciplines.” 

Thornton adds, “Significant credit 

goes to our faculty for their student 

mentoring and professional activities, 

and research that facilitates the success 

of our students. We are pleased with 

the contribution that we are able to 

make to our nation in this important 

area of national need.” 

The report underscores the critical 

role HBCUs play in nurturing and producing 

leaders in sciences. 

To read the full report visit http:// 

nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf08319/ 

6 THE METRO HERALD

HEALTH 


FOLIC ACID AND OTHER B VITAMINS WON’T HELP PREVENT CANCER 

Taking folic acid or other B vitamin 

supplements won’t lower 

your risk of cancer, new research 

shows. 

However, the good news is that it 

won’t increase your risk either, according 

to the study, which was published 

in the Nov. 5 issue of the Journal of the 

American Medical Association. 

“In women at risk of cardiovascular 

disease, we found that folic acid, vitamin 

B6 and vitamin B12 had no beneficial 

or harmful effects on the risk of 

invasive cancer or breast cancer,” said 

study author Dr. Shumin Zhang, an associate 

professor of medicine at 

Brigham and Women’s Hospital and 

Harvard Medical School, in Boston. 

Because adequate levels of folic 

acid in women have been proven to 

prevent serious birth defects, the government 

has mandated that folic acid 

be added to cereals and breads since 

January 1998, according to the U.S. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Additionally, about one-third of 

U.S. adults take a daily multi-vitamin 

that contains folic acid, B6 and B12, 

according to the study. Some studies 

have suggested that supplements of 

these nutrients might be protective 

THE OZ. TO DISH OUT HEALTHY 

HOLIDAY DINING TIPS 

Learn to enjoy holiday festivities without the unwanted calories. In 

recognition of Diabetes Awareness Month, The Oz. restaurant is hosting 

a special New Holiday Traditions cooking class on Saturday, 

November 15 from 2:00pm to 5:00pm. Led by Executive Chef Timothy Jones, 

this exceptional class will focus on preparing simple, health-conscious cuisine. 

Participants will learn the secrets of cooking that large holiday meal that 

people talk about for months. Broken down step-by-step, Executive Chef 

Timothy Jones will guide students through a three-course holiday feast. He 

will reveal how to impress friends with healthy cuisine, without sacrificing elegance 

or taste. Learn to tackle a turkey, master mash potatoes, and secure the 

secrets of stuffing! 

A no-pressure environment, participants are welcome to be bystanders or 

to take a hands-on approach to Timothy Jones new cutting-edge cooking 

style. Featuring a Zen-like philosophy, this exceptional class will utilize techniques 

that summon the natural flavors of fresh, local ingredients to create 

healthy-alternative meals. Start a new holiday tradition this year, with healthy, 

delicious food from The Oz. menu. 

Participants will receive free parking, expert recipe cards, an embroidered 

Oz. restaurant cooking apron, discount certificates to The Oz., and an Oz. 

restaurant Wine Key. There is a limit of 12 people per session. 

Price for class is $50 per person. The Oz. at Doubletree Hotel Bethesda is 

located at 8120 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda, Maryland. To register call 

301-664-7300 

For more information about The Oz. at Doubletree Hotel Bethesda, visit 

www.OzBethesda.com. 

against cancer, though results have 

been inconsistent, according to background 

information in the study. 

One study even suggested that such 

supplements might raise the risk of 

cancer. 

To address these concerns, Zhang 

and colleagues reviewed data on 5,442 

women who participated in the 

Women’s Antioxidant and Folic Acid 

Cardiovascular Study. All of the women 

were over 42 years old, and had either 

preexisting cardiac disease or three or 

more risk factors for heart disease. 

The study participants were randomly 

assigned to receive either a supplement 

containing 2.5 milligrams 

(mg) of folic acid, 50 mg of vitamin B6 

and 1 mg of vitamin B12, or a placebo. 

The study lasted 7.3 years, from April 

1998 through July 2005. 

During that time, 379 women developed 

invasive cancer—187 in the 

active treatment group and 192 in the 

placebo group. Of the women who developed 

cancer, 154 developed breast 

cancer—70 in the active treatment 

group and 84 in the placebo group. 

None of these differences were statistically 

significant. 

However, when the researchers 

broke the data down by age, they did 

note what appeared to be a protective 

effect from the supplement treatment 

in women over 65. Zhang said this 

might be because older women generally 

have a higher need for these nutrients. 

But she also said these results 

should be “interpreted with caution,” 

because the study wasn’t designed to 

look at age differences. “It’s something 

that needs further study,” she added. 

Victoria Stevens, strategic director 

of laboratory services for the American 

Cancer Society, agreed. “There was a 

suggestion of a protective effect in 

older women that I think is worth following-up,” 

Stevens said. 

The bottom line, according to 

Stevens, is that “supplements aren’t a 

magic bullet” for cancer prevention. 

“There are really good reasons for 

women to take folic acid, especially if 

they’re planning on having a baby, because 

there’s really conclusive evidence 

that it can reduce birth defects. 

But, for the average woman in terms of 

cancer risk, folic acid and B vitamins 

don’t seem to increase or reduce risk,” 

Zhang said. 

NURTURING PARENTS CAN CUT 

RISK OF AGGRESSION IN GIRLS 

Positive parenting can help ease 

aggression in adolescent girls 

who go through puberty early, 

says a study by researchers at the University 

of Alabama at Birmingham. 

On the other hand, precocious teen 

girls whose parents don’t nurture them, 

communicate with them, or keep track 

of their activities are more likely to be 

display aggressive behavior, they also 

found. 

The study included 330 fifth-grade 

girls (average age 11) and their parents. 

The girls were asked how often 

they engaged in aggressive behavior 

(hitting, teasing, spreading rumors) 

and in delinquency (fighting at school, 

getting injured in a fight, or inflicting 

injuries). 

The girls were also asked about how 

often their mother was affectionate, 

how often they did things together, 

whether their parents had talked to them 

about violence, tobacco and sex, and 

whether they’d started their periods. 

The parents were asked about several 

items, including how much they 

knew about their children’s friends and 

how their child spent their free time. 

One-quarter of the girls in the study 

had matured early—defined as beginning 

their period one year before the 

average age for females of their racial 

and ethnic group. The study found that 

these girls were more likely to be 

delinquent, but not aggressive. 

However, early-maturing girls who 

had low levels of parent nurturing, 

communication and knowledge were 

more likely to be aggressive. 

The findings were published in the 

August issue of the Archives of Pediatrics 

& Adolescent Medicine. 

Parental nurturing may decrease 

girls’ susceptibility to negative peer influence. 

Also, it may help girls cope 

with challenges associated with early 

puberty. By listening to their daughters’ 

difficulties and providing support 

and encouragement, nurturing parents 

can help them develop better coping 

skills and diffuse negative emotions 

that might otherwise manifest as aggression, 

the study authors wrote. 

SURFING VIOLENT WEBSITES 

LINKED TO VIOLENT BEHAVIOR 

Young people exposed to violent 

media are more likely to 

lash out violently themselves, 

new research published in Pediatrics 

shows. 

“Our findings add to the growing 

evidence that violence in the media is 

related to aggressive behavior, including 

seriously violent behavior among 

youths,” Dr. Michele L. Ybarra of Internet 

Solutions for Kids in Santa Ana, 

California and her colleagues report. 

“Reduction in youths’ exposure to 

violent media should be viewed as an 

important aspect of violence prevention.” 

Many studies have examined exposure 

to violent media and violent behavior 

among young people, Ybarra 

and her team note in their report. In 

fact, they point out, the American 

Academy of Pediatrics calls media violence 

“the single most easily remediable 

contributing factor” to youth violence. 

The researchers examined the relationship 

between media violence and 

“seriously violent behavior,” defined 

as shooting or stabbing someone, robbing 

someone, or committing aggravated 

assault or sexual assault, in a survey 

of 1,588 young people 10 to 15 

years old. The average age was 13 

years old and 48 percent were girls. 

Five percent of those surveyed reported 

having engaged in some type of 

seriously violent behavior over the past 

year, while 38 percent said they had 

visited at least one type of violent website. 

With each additional type of violent 

website a study participant reported 

viewing, the likelihood of 

violent behavior increased by 50 percent. 

Young people who said that “many, 

most or all” of the Internet sites they 

frequented featured “real people fighting, 

shooting or killing” were fivetimes 

more likely than their peers who 

didn’t visit violent websites to engage 

in seriously violent behavior. 

The odds of violent behavior also 

rose with the number of types of violent 

media a young person consumed, 

but the effect of violent TV, movies, 

music, games or Internet cartoons was 

much smaller than that of Internet violence 

depicting real people. 

The interactive nature of the Web 

may be behind its apparently more 

powerful influence when compared 

with types of violent media, Ybarra 

and colleagues suggest. 

But the current study doesn’t answer 

the question of whether violent 

media is turning kids violent, whether 

violence-prone youth are more likely 

to seek out violence on the Internet, or 

“more probably,” whether a bit of both 

is going on, the researchers say. 

THE METRO HERALD 7


8 THE METRO HERALD

COMMUNITY NEWS 


ALEXANDRIA 

NOVEMBER GENEALOGY 

MEETING 

On Tuesday, November 18, 

2008, the Mount Vernon Genealogical 

Society (MVGS) 

will meet in room 112 of the Hollin Hall 

Senior Center in Alexandria, Virginia. 

The meeting will start at 1:00p.m. and 

is free and open to the public. The meeting 

will feature a presentation entitled 

“CyberLibraries.” The program will be 

presented by Sandy Clunies. 

This program describes the everexpanding 

sources of millions of pages 

and images of original documents and 

books now available at our fingertips. 

Learn how to locate catalogs and content, 

and then how to download and 

save what you need. 

Sandy Clunies has been certified by 

BCG since 1993 and currently serves 

as President of the National Capital 

Area Chapter of APG and on the APG 

Board of Directors. She specializes in 

colonial American research and is active 

as the registrar in many lineage societies. 

Sandy has served on the faculty 

of both the National Institute on Genealogical 

Research (NIGR) and the 

Institute of Genealogy and Historical 

Research (IGHR) and is a past-President 

of the NIGR Alumni Association. 

She is member of the FGS/NGS 

Records Preservation and Access 

Committee, and has lectured extensively 

at the local, regional, and national 

levels. 

The Hollin Hall Senior Center is located 

4 miles south of Alexandria just 

off Fort Hunt Road at 1500 Shenandoah 

Road in Alexandria, Virginia. 

MVGS is a nonprofit organization 

and has over 260 members residing in 

Alexandria, Fort Belvoir, the counties 

of Fairfax, Prince William, Montgomery, 

and Prince Georges, as well as 

several states. 

Additional information about the 

meeting and MVGS can be found at 

www.MVGenealogy.org/. Any questions 

about the program should be directed 

to Harold McClendon at 703- 

360-0920 or haroldm@erols.com. 

Subscribe to 

The Metro Herald! 

FAIRFAX CHURCH 

LEADERSHIP FAIRFAX 

ALUMNI RECEPTION 

Put on your sombrero and join 

the ELI and LFI classes on 

Thursday, November 13, at 

5:00PM for hors d’oeuvres and margaritas 

at the annual Alumni Reception 

at the CIT complex in Herndon. 

Catch up with your old classmates and 

other LFI graduates and meet our 2009 

class members for a fun (and free) time 

together. 

RSVP by Monday, November 10 

to Frances@leadershipfairfax.org . 

For directions to CIT visit www. 

cit.org/about/directions-hq.html 

WASHINGTON, DC 

ICE RINK AT NATIONAL 

GALLERY OF ART OPENS 

FOR TENTH SEASON 

The National Gallery of Art’s 

ice-skating rink in the Sculpture 

Garden will open to the 

public for the 10th consecutive year on 

Saturday, November 15, and remain 

open through mid-March, weather 

permitting. The ice rink, a popular 

recreational destination in Washington, 

attracts approximately 50,000 visitors 

each season. 

During the opening weekend of 

November 15 and 16, visitors who 

purchase time on the ice or rent skates 

or a locker will receive a coupon for a 

free cup of hot chocolate from the 

Pavilion Café. To entertain the young 

and the young-at-heart, free crayons 

and placemats to color depicting Julius 

Caesar Ibbetson’s watercolor, Skaters 

on the Serpentine in Hyde Park (1786), 

are available at the cash registers inside 

the Café throughout the winter 

season. 

For more information visit www. 

nga.gov. 

Archive issues 

are available at 

www.metroherald.com! 

BLACK FACTS 

On November 7, 1967, 

Carl B. Stokes was 

elected mayor of 

Cleveland, Ohio, and 

Richard G. Hatcher 

was elected mayor of 

Gary, Indiana. Stokes 

was sworn in on 

November 13, and was 

the first black to serve 

as mayor of a major 

American city. 


five newcomers were 

elected to Congress: 

William Gray III (PA); 

Bennett Stewart (IL); 

Melvin Evans 

(Virgin Islands); 

Julian Dixon (CA); and 

George Leland (TX) 

THE METRO HERALD 9

YES WE CAN—2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 


It’s the answer that led those 

who have been told for so long 

by so many to be cynical, and 

fearful, and doubtful of what 

we can achieve to put their 

hands on the arc of history and 

bend it once more toward the hope of 

a better day. 

It’s been a long time coming, but 

tonight, because of what we did on 

this day, in this election, at this defining 

moment, change has come to 

America. 

I just received a very gracious call 

from Senator McCain. He fought long 

and hard in this campaign, and he’s 

fought even longer and harder for the 

country he loves. He has endured sacrifices 

for America that most of us cannot 

begin to imagine, and we are better 

off for the service rendered by this 

brave and selfless leader. I congratulate 

him and Governor Palin for all they 

have achieved, and I look forward to 

working with them to renew this nation’s 

promise in the months ahead. 

I want to thank my partner in this 

journey, a man who campaigned from 

his heart and spoke for the men and 

women he grew up with on the streets 

of Scranton and rode with on that train 

home to Delaware, the Vice Presidentelect 

of the United States, Joe Biden. 

I would not be standing here tonight 

without the unyielding support of my 

best friend for the last sixteen years, the 

rock of our family and the love of my 

life, our nation’s next First Lady, 

Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I 

love you both so much, and you have 

earned the new puppy that’s coming 

with us to the White House. And while 

she’s no longer with us, I know my 

grandmother is watching, along with 

the family that made me who I am. I 

miss them tonight, and know that my 

debt to them is beyond measure. 

To my campaign manager David 

Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, 

and the best campaign team 

ever assembled in the history of politics—you 

made this happen, and I am 

forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed 

to get it done. 

But above all, I will never forget 

who this victory truly belongs to—it 

belongs to you. 

I was never the likeliest candidate 

for this office. We didn’t start with 

much money or many endorsements. 

Our campaign was not hatched in the 

halls of Washington—it began in the 

backyards of Des Moines and the living 

rooms of Concord and the front 

porches of Charleston. 

It was built by working men and 

women who dug into what little savings 

they had to give five dollars and ten dollars 

and twenty dollars to this cause. It 

grew strength from the young people 

who rejected the myth of their generation’s 

apathy; who left their homes and 

their families for jobs that offered little 

pay and less sleep; from the not-soyoung 

people who braved the bitter 

cold and scorching heat to knock on the 

doors of perfect strangers; from the millions 

of Americans who volunteered, 

and organized, and proved that more 

than two centuries later, a government 

of the people, by the people and for the 

people has not perished from this Earth. 

This is your victory. 

I know you didn’t do this just to 

win an election and I know you didn’t 

do it for me. You did it because you 

understand the enormity of the task 

that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate 

tonight, we know the challenges 

that tomorrow will bring are the greatest 

of our lifetime—two wars, a planet 

in peril, the worst financial crisis in a 

century. Even as we stand here 

tonight, we know there are brave 

Americans waking up in the deserts of 

Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan 

to risk their lives for us. There are 

mothers and fathers who will lie 

awake after their children fall asleep 

and wonder how they’ll make the 

mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, 

or save enough for college. There is 

new energy to harness and new jobs to 

be created; new schools to build and 

threats to meet and alliances to repair. 

The road ahead will be long. Our 

climb will be steep. We may not get 

there in one year or even one term, but 

America—I have never been more 

hopeful than I am tonight that we will 

get there. I promise you—we as a 

people will get there. 

There will be setbacks and false 

starts. There are many who won’t agree 

with every decision or policy I make as 

President, and we know that government 

can’t solve every problem. But I 

will always be honest with you about 

the challenges we face. I will listen to 

you, especially when we disagree. And 

above all, I will ask you join in the 

work of remaking this nation the only 

way it’s been done in America for twohundred 

and twenty-one years—block 

by block, brick by brick, calloused 

hand by calloused hand. 

What began twenty-one months 

ago in the depths of winter must not 

end on this autumn night. This victory 

alone is not the change we seek—it is 

only the chance for us to make that 

change. And that cannot happen if we 

go back to the way things were. It cannot 

happen without you. 

So let us summon a new spirit of 

patriotism; of service and responsibility 

where each of us resolves to pitch 

in and work harder and look after not 

only ourselves, but each other. Let us 

remember that if this financial crisis 

taught us anything, it’s that we cannot 

have a thriving Wall Street while Main 

Street suffers—in this country, we rise 

or fall as one nation; as one people. 

Let us resist the temptation to fall 

back on the same partisanship and pettiness 

and immaturity that has poisoned 

our politics for so long. Let us 

remember that it was a man from this 

state who first carried the banner of the 

Republican Party to the White 

House—a party founded on the values 

of self-reliance, individual liberty, and 

national unity. Those are values we all 

share, and while the Democratic Party 

has won a great victory tonight, we do 

so with a measure of humility and determination 

to heal the divides that 

have held back our progress. As Lincoln 

said to a nation far more divided 

than ours, “We are not enemies, but 

friends though passion may have 

strained it must not break our bonds of 

affection.” And to those Americans 

whose support I have yet to earn—I 

may not have won your vote, but I hear 

your voices, I need your help, and I 

will be your President too. 

And to all those watching tonight 

from beyond our shores, from parliaments 

and palaces to those who are 

huddled around radios in the forgotten 

corners of our world—our stories are 

singular, but our destiny is shared, and 

a new dawn of American leadership is 

at hand. To those who would tear this 

world down—we will defeat you. To 

those who seek peace and security— 

we support you. And to all those who 

have wondered if America’s beacon 

still burns as bright—tonight we 

proved once more that the true strength 

of our nation comes not from our the 

might of our arms or the scale of our 

wealth, but from the enduring power 

of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, 

and unyielding hope. 

For that is the true genius of America—that 

America can change. Our 

union can be perfected. And what we 

have already achieved gives us hope 

for what we can and must achieve tomorrow. 

This election had many firsts and 

many stories that will be told for generations. 

But one that’s on my mind 

tonight is about a woman who cast her 

ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the 

millions of others who stood in line to 

make their voice heard in this election 

except for one thing—Ann Nixon 

Cooper is 106 years old. 

She was born just a generation past 

slavery; a time when there were no cars 

on the road or planes in the sky; when 

someone like her couldn’t vote for two 

reasons—because she was a woman 

and because of the color of her skin. 

And tonight, I think about all that 

she’s seen throughout her century in 

America—the heartache and the hope; 

the struggle and the progress; the 

times we were told that we can’t, and 

the people who pressed on with that 

American creed: Yes we can. 

At a time when women’s voices 

were silenced and their hopes dismissed, 

she lived to see them stand up 

and speak out and reach for the ballot. 

Yes we can. 

When there was despair in the dust 

bowl and depression across the land, 

she saw a nation conquer fear itself 

with a New Deal, new jobs and a new 

sense of common purpose. Yes we can. 

When the bombs fell on our harbor 

and tyranny threatened the world, she 

was there to witness a generation rise 

to greatness and a democracy was 

saved. Yes we can. 

She was there for the buses in 

Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, 

a bridge in Selma, and a preacher 

from Atlanta who told a people that 

“We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can. 

Aman touched down on the moon, 

a wall came down in Berlin, a world 

was connected by our own science 

and imagination. And this year, in this 

election, she touched her finger to a 

screen, and cast her vote, because 

after 106 years in America, through 

the best of times and the darkest of 

hours, she knows how America can 

change. Yes we can. 

America, we have come so far. We 

have seen so much. But there is so much 

more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves—if 

our children should live to 

see the next century; if my daughters 

should be so lucky to live as long as Ann 

Nixon Cooper, what change will they 

see What progress will we have made 

This is our chance to answer that 

call. This is our moment. This is our 

time—to put our people back to work 

and open doors of opportunity for our 

kids; to restore prosperity and promote 

the cause of peace; to reclaim the American 

Dream and reaffirm that fundamental 

truth—that out of many, we are one; 

that while we breathe, we hope, and 

where we are met with cynicism, and 

doubt, and those who tell us that we 

can’t, we will respond with that timeless 

creed that sums up the spirit of a people: 

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless 

you, and may God Bless the United 

States of America. 

10 THE METRO HERALD



ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA HAILS 

BARACK OBAMA’S HISTORY-MAKING VICTORY 

With that declaration, Alpha 

Kappa Alpha’s international 

president, Barbara A. McKinzie, 

congratulated President Elect 

Barack Obama on his election as president 

of the United States of America. 

Addressing thousands at a prayer rally 

held at Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist 

Church, and convened by its pastor 

the Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock and the 

Rev. Al Sharpton, McKinzie characterized 

Mr. Obama’s triumph as a “seminal 

moment in history.” 

Speaking on behalf of the organization’s 

225,000 members in 975 chapters 

worldwide, McKinzie noted that 

the Sorority has a special connection 

with Senator Obama. She said that the 

Sorority had honored him with its prestigious 

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Medallion 

of Honor during its Centennial 

Celebration held in July. Named in 

honor of the former first lady and honorary 

member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, 

the award is presented to a global 

leader for recognized humanitarian 

work. She said his achievements make 

him worthy of such a coveted accolade. 

McKinzie said that Obama’s historic 

ascension to the presidency as the 

first African American to hold the office 

is dramatic testimony to how far 

America has come in advancing race 

relations. She said it is a testimony to 

the vision laid by the Rev. Dr. Martin 

Luther King Jr. 

Noting that the “Watch Night Service” 

is being held at the historic site 

where Dr. King and his father once pastored, 

McKinzie invoked King’s 

name and cited the following passage 

from King’s speech in her message. “I 

am an optimist. While it is a bitter fact 

that I am denied equality solely because 

I am black, yet I am not a chattel 

slave. Millions of people have fought 

EUROPEAN LEADERS 

HAIL OBAMA VICTORY 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. 

Mr. Sarkozy says Mr. Obama’s victory “has raised enormous hope” in Europe 

European leaders have hailed the triumph of Democrat Barack Obama 

in the US presidential election. French President Nicolas Sarkozy 

said the victory was “brilliant”, while UK Prime Minister Gordon 

Brown hailed Mr. Obama’s “vision for the future”. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the result was “historic”, while 

the European Commission president called for “a new deal for a new world”. 

Moscow said it was expecting a “fresh approach” in US relations with 

Russia. 

Mr. Obama beat Republican John McCain to become the first black US 

president. 

“At a time when we must face huge challenges together, your election has 

raised enormous hope in France, in Europe and beyond,” Mr. Sarkozy said. 

“France and Europe... will find a new energy to work with America to 

preserve peace and world prosperity,” the French leader acted. 

In London, Mr. Brown said: “The relationship between the United States 

and the United Kingdom is vital to our prosperity and security. 

“Barack Obama ran an inspirational campaign, energizing politics with 

his progressive values and his vision for the future.” 

Mrs Merkel said that the German government was “fully aware of the importance 

and of the worth of our transatlantic partnership”. 

Meanwhile, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said 

the world now needed the EU and US to forge “a new deal” to tackle the continuing 

global financial crisis and other major issues. 

“We need to change the current crisis into a new opportunity. We need a 

new deal for a new world,” Mr. Barroso said. 

In Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said 

“everyone has the right to expect a fresh approach from the United States to 

all the most important problems, including... relations with Russia”. 

With the economy in recession and the US at war on two fronts in Iraq 

and Afghanistan, Mr. Obama faces profound questions that will require quick 

answers, the BBC’s Kevin Connolly says. 

The president-elect though will have at least one asset no other American 

president since John F Kennedy has enjoyed—a huge reservoir of international 

goodwill, our correspondent adds. 

Barbara A. McKinzie 

thousands of battles to enlarge my 

freedom; restricted as it still is, 

progress has been made. This is why I 

remain an optimist, though I am also a 

realist, about the barriers before us.” 

In memory of Dr. King, McKinzie 

exhorted the crowd “to be or become 

optimists and realists as we continue 

the struggle with our leader of change.” 

“We congratulate President Elect 

Obama, First Lady, Michelle and first 

children Malia and Sasha. We praise 

them for their sacrifices, commitment 

and exhibiting grace under fire during 

the past 22 months. 

Your optimism has been our Balm 

in Gilead. Your capacity to appear normal 

when all around was chaos demonstrated 

a divinity that calmed an unlikely 

team across lines of age, gender 

and race. As the world watched, you always 

displayed an ability to first understand, 

then sought to be understood. 

“May this remain your daily garment 

of choice. This is your gift to the 

world and may it be the cornerstone of 

your legacy.” 

McKinzie said the family’s poise 

during the campaign speaks volumes 

about their strength of character, confidence 

in the mission and love for humanity. 

Expressing condolences to the 

family on the loss of Senator Obama’s 

grandmother Madelyn Dunham, she 

said that the family’s courage and composure 

during this period of sadness 

only deepened the world’s admiration 

for the First Family to Be. 

McKinzie proclaimed that January 

20th is only the beginning and put in 

historic context the bigger significance 

of the genesis of this blessed journey. 

“We are instinctively cohesive from 

centuries of oppression and struggle, 

which is a core that binds us one to the 

other. This core has been tested over 

generations and centuries and we welcome 

the present challenge.” 

Reflecting on the long road to victory, 

McKinzie said, “Nearly 150 years 

after slavery, an African American has 

ascended to the most powerful position 

in the world. Against this historic backdrop, 

January 20, 2009 will be forever 

etched in the history books as one of 

the world’s watershed moments.” 

She cited President-Elect Obama’s 

focus on fixing the economy, getting 

people back to work and restoring America 

to its global standing as reasons his 

message captivated the electorate and 

transcended humanity. She said his vow 

to bring change to a nation beleaguered 

and demoralized added to his emphatic 

victory. She said that the ultimate message 

from the election results signals a 

readiness for progressive change. 

McKinzie said that following the 

official swearing in, the Sorority will 

arrange a meeting with the new administration 

to advance its ESP program. 

Introduced in July 2006 when she became 

president, the program focuses 

on economics, entrepreneurship, leadership 

development and improving the 

financial well being of the traditionally 

disadvantaged. She said the Sorority 

programs were necessary due to failed 

leadership policies of the past 30 years 

that have crippled the middle class. 

“Alpha Kappa Alpha programs serve 

its communities by providing the tools 

and resources to empower survival. 

Were achieving success in spite of failed 

leadership policies, which did not support 

the aspirations of the powerless.” 

McKinzie said the Sorority is elated 

that the incoming administration programs 

bolster the middle class and mirror 

the programmatic focus of AKA. 

Borrowing from her ESP theme, McKinzie 

said the prospect of having an administration 

that understands the plight 

of the powerless and supports the mission 

of the Sorority makes her Ecstatic, 

Satisfied and Pleased beyond measure. 

McKinzie said the new president 

will face mounting challenges that cannot 

be reversed quickly. Against these 

realities, she cautioned those who supported 

him to exercise patience and not 

to pin unrealistic expectations on him. 

“Each supporter,” she admonished, 

“should be ready to act responsibly and 

to do all they can to help his progressive 

change movement.” 

“It has taken over three decades for 

America to decline to the depths that it 

currently finds itself. It will take years 

to balance the policies that led to the financial 

malaise, the deterioration of 

America’s respect worldwide, and the 

erosion of an economic position based 

on the foundation of the middle class.” 

While the AKA president vowed to 

support the new president, she said that 

the AKA membership will monitor his 

agenda and respond to any results that 

reflect significant barriers to achieving 

the progressive change program. 

“This is a moment of historic proportion,” 

she marveled. “But we must 

not lose sight of the work that has to be 

done to restore America to its rightful 

leadership position and set it back on a 

course of greatness. Ultimately, that is 

the ‘change we can believe in.’” 

MCCAIN STARTS MAPPING OUT 

A NEW ROLE IN THE SENATE 

Before resting from the grueling presidential race, John McCain began 

discussing with senior aides what role he will play in the Senate now 

that he has promised to work with the man who defeated him for president. 

One obvious focus will be the war in Iraq. After two years spent more 

on the campaign than in the Senate, McCain will return as the ranking Republican 

on the Armed Services Committee. 

That will put the four-term Arizona senator in a position to influence Democrat 

Barack Obama’s plan to set a timetable to withdraw U.S. troops from 

combat in Iraq. 

During the campaign, McCain staunchly opposed setting such a time 

frame, even as the Iraqi government began working with the Bush administration 

to do so. 

But in conceding the presidency to Obama Tuesday night at a Phoenix 

hotel, McCain pledged “to do all in my power to help him lead us through 

the many challenges we face.” 

He allowed that defeat was disappointing but said that starting Wednesday 

“we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving 

again.” 

Aides said they believed McCain would work well with Obama as president 

because much of his best work in the Senate had been done with 

Democrats, including a landmark campaign finance law he crafted with 

Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold and an unsuccessful effort with Massachusetts 

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy to pass comprehensive immigration reform. 

The day after Election Day quickly returned McCain to something much 

closer to normal life. After months of travel on his campaign bus or plane, 

McCain and his wife, Cindy, drove themselves to Starbucks for coffee near 

their Phoenix condominium. 

McCain and his family planned to spend a few days at their vacation compound 

near Sedona, Ariz., to rest from the long contest. 

Friends said that despite his disappointment, McCain also was relieved 

that the demanding campaign was finally over. Aides said he was relaxed 

Tuesday night—at peace with his loss and confident that he had done his best 

in a political climate where a failing economy, an unpopular GOP president 

and two lingering wars set steep odds against a Republican victory. 

“We fought as hard as we could. And though we fell short, the failure is 

mine, not yours,” McCain told supporters Tuesday night. “I don’t know what 

more we could have done to try to win this election. I’ll leave that to others 

to determine.” 

THE METRO HERALD 11


OBAMA SUPPORTERS 

WEEP WITH JOY IN CHICAGO 

Cheering, screaming and weeping with joy, an estimated 50,000 Barack 

Obama supporters welcomed his election Tuesday night in a delirious 

victory celebration in the senator’s hometown. 

Many had crammed into Grant Park to be a part of something that would 

be remembered for generations. 

“I want her to be able to tell her children when history was made, she was 

there,” said Alnita Tillman, 50, who kept her 16-year-old daughter, Raven, out 

of school so they could be at the park by 8a.m., more than 10 hours before the 

gates opened. 

The crowd went wild with joy as the news that Obama would be the nation’s 

first black president flashed across jumbo TV screens in the park where 

Obama was to speak later that night. Many held both hands high up in the air, 

waved American flags, jumped up and down and cheered. 

As Obama left his Hyde Park home in a motorcade, heading for the restivities, 

residents rushed out of their homes and lined the streets to wave, clap 

and cheer. 

The downtown Chicago park—where police fought anti-war protesters 

during the turbulent 1968 Democratic convention—was transformed on an 

unseasonably balmy night by white tents and a stage lined with American 

flags and hung with red, white and blue bunting. 

Lighted windows in the skyscrapers lining the park added to the festive atmosphere, 

spelling out “USA” and “Vote 2008.” 

The crowd erupted in cheers each time an Obama victory was announced 

in another state. 

The rally felt like a cross between an outdoor rock concert and a big family 

outing. Many people wore Obama T-shirts and buttons and ate pizza. By 

9p.m. several babies slept on their mothers’ chests. Other children snoozed in 

strollers. 

In the crowd was Lisa Boon, 42, of Chicago, who said she burst into tears 

earlier in the day pondering what an Obama victory would mean. 

Boon said her father was the cousin of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black 

Chicagoan who was abducted and killed in Mississippi in 1955, purportedly 

for whistling at a white woman. 

“I was thinking of all the things done to Emmett and injustices to black 

people,” she said. “This is amazing, simply amazing.” 

Stephanie Smith, 27, and her husband flew in from Nashville, Tenn., and 

staked out a spot on the sidewalk with folding chairs and a box of doughnuts 

early in the morning. 

Even without tickets, Smith said it would be worth it to be standing in the 

park to hear the words, “Our next President of the United States is Barack 

Obama.” 

OBAMA 

SPENDS 20 

MILLION 

DOLLARS 

ON LATINO 

OUTREACH 

Democratic presidential 

candidate Barack 

Obama spent some 20 

million dollars on a nationwide 

campaign to pursue the support 

of Hispanic voters, his campaign 

announced. The money 

was used to register and ‘mobilize’ 

eligible Latino voters 

through television advertising, 

internet outreach and visits by 

members of Congress to key 

constituencies around the country, 

the Obama campaign said. 

The growing US Hispanic 

community had a significant 

impact on the White House 

race this year, especially in 

several key battleground states 

including Nevada, New Mexico, 

Colorado and Florida. 

An opinion poll last week 

showed that Hispanic voters 

prefer Obama over presumptive 

Republican nominee John 

McCain by a nearly 3-to-1 

margin. Obama beats McCain 

by 66 per cent to 23 per cent 

among registered Hispanic 

voters nationwide, the Pew 

Hispanic Center said. About 9 

million Latinos were eligible to 

vote. 

ELECTION POETRY 

By Patricia Fenn, Special to Metro Herald 


For the past several months, a 

board of advisors has been informally 

planning for a possible 

presidential transition. Among the 

many projects undertaken by the 

transition board have been detailed 

analyses of previous transition efforts, 

policy statements made during the 

campaign, and the workings of federal 

government agencies, and priority positions 

that must be filled by the incoming 

administration. 

With Barack Obama and Joe 

Biden’s election, this planning process 

will now be formally organized as the 

Obama-Biden Transition Project, a 

501(c)(4) organization to ensure a 

smooth transition from one administration 

to the next. The work of this entity 

will be overseen by three cochairs: 

John Podesta, Valerie Jarrett, 

and Pete Rouse. 

The co-chairs will be assisted by an 

advisory board comprised of individuals 

with significant private and public 

Some years back in the youthful excitement of former Governor 

Howard Dean’s Democratic primary campaign for president, thousands 

of volunteers from across the county, including Maryland, 

went to New Hampshire to brave frigid temperatures and curry votes. 

Activist and actor Martin Sheen joined us and the candidate at a getout-the-vote 

rally at Josiah Bartlett Elementary School in Bartlett, N.H. 

Martin Sheen’s character on NBC’s-Emmy awarding TV series of seven 

years, “The West Wing”, carried the name of President Josiah Edward 

‘Jed’ Bartlet. 

In real life, Josiah Bartlett, (November 21, 1729–May 19, 1795) had 

an illustrious career: physician, statesman, representive from N.H., to 

the Continental Congress, signatory of the Declaration of Independence, 

Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Court of Judicare and later governor 

of the state, according to biographical information. 

Sheen said in his preliminary remarks that the school had been trying 

to get him to pay a visit for many years with wonderful letters from students, 

bake sale items from their parents and entreaties from public officials, 

but to no avail until that February, in 2004. 

After Sheen spoke about Dean and took questions and answers, he 

brought the house down with the following patriotic recitation from Rabindranath 

Tagore’s Geetanjali, the Nobel Laureate in literature in 1913 

from India. 

In the aftermath of this close election, it seemed like the right time to 

hear this verse again: 

WHERE THE MIND IS WITHOUT FEAR 

“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high 

Where knowledge is free 

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments 

By narrow domestic walls 

Where words come out from the depth of truth 

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection 

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way 

Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit 

Where the mind is led forward by thee 

Into ever-widening thought and action 

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.” 

PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA AND 

VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN 

ANNOUNCE THEIR TRANSITION LEADERSHIP 

UNITED 

WE 

STAND 

sector experience: Carol Browner, 

William Daley, Christopher Edley, 

Michael Froman, Julius Genachowski, 

Donald Gips, Governor Janet Napolitano, 

Federico Peña, Susan Rice, Sonal 

Shah, Mark Gitenstein, and Ted Kaufman. 

Gitenstein and Kaufman will 

serve as co-chairs of Vice Presidentelect 

Biden’s transition team. 

Supervising the day-to-day activities 

of the transition will be: 

• Chris Lu—Executive Director 

• Dan Pfeiffer—Communications 

Director 

• Stephanie Cutter—Chief 

Spokesperson 

• Cassandra Butts—General Counsel 

• Jim Messina—Personnel Director 

• Patrick Gaspard—Associate Personnel 

Director 

• Christine Varney—Personnel 

Counsel 

• Melody Barnes—Co-Director of 

Agency Review 

• Lisa Brown—Co-Director of 

Agency Review 

• Phil Schiliro—Director of Congressional 

Relations 

• Michael Strautmanis—Director of 

Public Liaison and Intergovernmental 

Affairs 

• Katy Kale—Director of Operations 

• Brad Kiley—Director of Operations 

PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS BY STATE 

VIRGINIA 

Barack Obama (D) 1,724,510 51% 

John McCain (R) 1,603,695 48% 

DRISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 

Barack Obama (D) 210,403 93% 

John McCain (R) 14,821 7% 

MARYLAND 

Barack Obama (D) 1,244,932 60% 

John McCain (R) 795,032 38% 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE RESULTS 

VIRGINIA WINNERS 

District 1 Rob Wittman (R) 189,873 57% 

District 8 Jum Moran (D) 131,631 67% 

District 10 Frank Wolf (R) 166,978 61% 

District 11 Gerald Connolly (D) 90,114 53% 

MARYLAND WINNERS 

District 1 Too close to call 

District 4 Donna Edwards (D) 140,148 83% 

District 5 Steny Hoyer (D) 156,241 70% 

District 6 Roscoe Bartlett (R) 169,214 58% 

District 8 Chris Van Hollen (D) 162,215 75% 

DISTRICT WINNERS 

Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) 196,618 93% 

U.S. SENATE RESULTS 

VIRGINIA 

Mark Warner 2,115,021 64% 

Jim Gilmore ® 1,147,592 35% 

Gail Parker 21,619 1% 

William Redpath (L) 18,475 1% 

DC RESULTS 

AT-LARGE MEMBER OF COUNCIL 

Kwame R. Brown (D) 148,617 48% 

Michael A. Brown (I) 62,023 20% 

COUNCIL MEMBER 

WARD 2 

Jack Evans (D) 18,126 82% 

Christina Culver (R) 3,946 18% 

WARD 4 

Muriel Bowser (D) 26,597 100% 

WARD 7 

Yvette Alexander (D) 26,136 92% 

Jimmy Johnson (I) 2,153 8% 

WARD 8 

Marion Barry (D) 21,876 92% 

Darrell Gaston (I) 1,006 4% 

Yavocka Young (I) 885 4% 

12 THE METRO HERALD

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 


REBECCA TAICHMAN DIRECTS 

“TWELFTH NIGHT” AT SHAKESPEARE 

THEATRE COMPANY 

The Shakespeare Theatre Company 

continues its 2008-2009 

season with Shakespeare’s epically 

romantic “Twelfth Night” directed 

by Rebecca Bayla Taichman at 

Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street 

NW) from December 2, 2008, to January 

4, 2009. One of Shakespeare’s 

greatest comedies, “Twelfth Night” 

ponders love lost and found. A shipwreck 

separates twins Viola and Sebastian, 

but tragedy quickly turns to 

comedy when they wash up in a land 

turned upside-down by love. Taichman 

directs a cast that includes Samantha 

Soule as Viola, Veanne Cox as Olivia, 

Christopher Innvar as Duke Orsino, 

Floyd King as Feste and Ted van Griethuysen 

as Malvolio. The production 

will play at Princeton’s McCarter Theatre 

Center in March 2009. 

“I’ve come to think of “Twelfth 

Night” as a Mozartian comedy,” said 

Rebecca Bayla Taichman. “At the outset, 

Illyria seems like an isolated world 

surrounded by the implacable sea. But 

from the moment Viola washes up on 

its shores, Illyria begins to blossom 

into a wild and wonderfully ridiculous 

playground. The play is full of tremendous 

contradictions, and finding a tone 

that accommodates such opposites will 

be our great challenge. We will be on 

the hunt for how to unearth the play’s 

requiem-sized sadness while detonating 

the humor and hijinks.” 

TIMES: Tuesdays and Wednesdays 

at 7:30p.m. (except December 9, 10 

and 24); Thursdays, Friday and Saturday 

at 8p.m. (except December 25); 

Sundays at 7:30p.m. (except December 

21); Saturdays and Sundays at 2p.m. 

(except December 7); matinee at noon 

on December 31. 

TICKETS: $23.50-$79.75 with 

discounts available for students, seniors 

and members of the military. 

ACCESSIBILITY: Sidney Harman 

Hall is accessible to persons with disabilities, 

offering wheelchair-accessible 

seating and restrooms, audio enhancement, 

and Braille and large print 

programs. 

There will be audio-described performances 

of “Twelfth Night” on 

Thursday, December 18, at 8p.m. and 

Saturday, January 2, at 2p.m. Sign-Interpreted 

performances are and Saturday, 

December 27, at 2p.m. and Tuesday, 

December 30, at 8p.m. 

On Sunday, December 7, at 1p.m., 

members of STC’s Artistic staff, Education 

Department and scholars will 

lead a lively Windows discussion on 

“Twelfth Night.” All are welcome. Call 

202-547-1122 and press 4 or visit 

ShakespeareTheatre.org to reserve a 

space. 

Following the evening performance 

of “Twelfth Night” on Wednesday, 

December 17, all are welcome to Sidney 

Harman Hall for a post-show discussion. 

Those attending the performance 

are guaranteed seats. Additional 

seating is available on a first-come 

basis. Call 202-547-1122 for the approximate 

start time. No reservations 

required. 

On Saturday, January 3, following 

the 2p.m. matinee, STC hosts a 

Classics in Context round table discussion 

about “Twelfth Night” with local 

bloggers, scholars and artists. Pannelists 

include: John Aravosis, Editor 

of AMERICAblog.com; Amanda Maddox, 

Assistant Curator of Photography 

and Media Arts at the Corcoran 

Gallery of Art; and Christopher K. 

Morgan, choreographer and arts facilitator. 

Call 202-547-1122, option 4, or 

visit ShakespeareTheatre.org to reserve 

a space. 

Paid parking is available at the Interpark 

garage located directly beneath 

the Sidney Harman Hall and AARP 

Headquarters block; enter from E or F 

streets between Sixth and Seventh 

streets. Gallery Pl-Chinatown station 

(Red, Yellow and Green Lines): Patrons 

attending performances at Sidney 

Harman Hall should exit using the 

Arena/7th Street exit. Harman Hall is 

visible one block to your left. Judiciary 

Square station (Red Line): Take the F 

Street Exit toward the National Building 

Museum, turn left and walk one 

and one-half blocks along F Street to 

Sixth Street. 

For more information visit www. 

shakespearetheatre.org 

1786 BALL TO HONOR 

GOVERNOR PATRICK HENRY AT 

GADSBY’S TAVERN MUSEUM 

Gadsby’s Tavern Museum invites you to a special evening with 

Governor Patrick Henry at a festive ball on Saturday, November 

22. The celebration takes place in 1786, and Governor Henry 

will first be welcomed at an exclusive pre-ball reception from 7p.m. to 

8p.m. Then, the Governor will attend the ball being held in his honor in 

the historic ballroom. 

The evening will feature a variety of English country dances, live 

music, dessert collation, gaming, and a cash bar. Period costume is optional, 

but “after-five” attire encouraged. Tickets for the special reception 

and ball are $75 each. Tickets for the ball only are for 8p.m. to 11p.m. 

and cost $45 in advance or $50 at the door (if tickets are available). Reservations 

are required and can be made by calling 703-838-4242. Tickets 

can be purchased online at www.gadsbystavern.org. 

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Gadsby’s Tavern was the center 

of social and political life in Alexandria and the new Federal City of 

Washington. The tavern served as the premier gathering place for residents—including 

George Washington—and visitors to eat, drink, learn, 

and influence history. Gadsby’s Tavern Museum is located at 134 North 

Royal Street in the heart of Old Town Alexandria. 

“ 

CHANDRA WILSON STARS IN 

“ACCIDENTAL FRIENDSHIP” 

ON HALLMARK CHANNEL 

Grey’s Anatomy” star 

CHANDRA WILSON 

hopes that her new movie, 

“Accidental Friendship,” which chronicles 

the struggles of a homeless 

woman, will prompt viewers to re-examine 

their preconceived ideas about 

the homeless. The movie premieres on 

Saturday, Nov. 15 (9/8c), on Hallmark 

Channel. 

When Chandra Wilson of “Grey’s 

Anatomy” counts her blessings, a familiar 

old saying sometimes pops into 

her head: “There but for the grace of 

God go I.” 

It’s a thought, Wilson says, that 

keeps her humble, makes her grateful, 

prevents her from judging others who 

are less fortunate. 

“I think we all know, especially 

in today’s economy,” she says, “we’re 

about two paychecks or one disaster or 

one illness away from financial ruin.” 

Wilson poignantly illustrates how 

fragile one’s life can be in “Accidental 

Friendship,” a Hallmark Channel 

movie premiering at 9p.m. ET Saturday, 

Nov. 15. 

She plays Yvonne, a homeless 

woman who gets a helping hand and a 

chance to start anew from a compassionate 

police officer (played by Kathleen 

Munroe). 

It’s a film, based on a true story, 

that Wilson believes could have a profound 

effect on viewers. For some, she 

says, it might awaken a spirit of volunteerism; 

others might be inspired to 

take stock of their own lives. 

But Wilson’s greatest hope is that 

the film prompts viewers to re-examine 

their preconceived ideas and misconceptions 

about the homeless. “We 

could be much more empathic as a society,” 

she says. “The first thing we 

need to remember is, ‘Look, this could 

happen to any of us.’” 

It’s “too easy” a diagnosis, Wilson 

insists, to blame the plight of the 

homeless solely on laziness, addiction 

or mental illness. “Many of these folks 

still have jobs,” she says. “They just 

can’t keep everything above water.” 

Wilson met one such family while 

preparing for her role. “The father still 

had a job, but they couldn’t afford the 

rent any more,” she says. “They 

needed to let that house go while he 

got a couple of paychecks under his 

belt. Then they could move into an 

apartment. Some of these things are really 

planned out.” 

It’s hardly the ideal financial recovery 

plan, to be sure. But it’s unfair to 

that family, Wilson says, for anyone to 

cast judgment. 

Wilson didn’t get the opportunity 

before filming to meet or to spend time 

with the woman whose journey back 

from life on the street is dramatized. 

But she did get to meet Tami Baumann, 

the Los Angeles police officer 

who reached out to Yvonne. “Tami 

spent some time on the set with us and 

that was really cool,” Wilson says. 

In many ways, “Accidental Friendship” 

is as much Baumann’s story as it 

is Yvonne’s. Everyone on the set—particularly 

Munroe, who joined her reallife 

counterpart on a police ride-along 

one evening—was inspired by Baumann. 

“She’s a really passionate individual,” 

Wilson says. “Her heart is out 

there.” 

It’s worth noting, though, that the 

actress didn’t need to look far for insight 

before walking a mile in Yvonne’s 

shoes. As is noted in the film, about 3.5 

million people are likely to experience 

homelessness in a given year. It’s a 

problem that so permeates our society 

that virtually everyone knows someone 

whose home is the street. 

In Wilson’s case, it was a family 

member she knew while she was growing 

up in Houston. “Some people are 

homeless by choice because of stubbornness 

and pride and not being able 

to work with anybody else,” she says. 

“They make a choice to be out on the 

street. They just refuse to function in 

society. It’s kind of a way of rebellion 

and there’s even an element of pride 

about that. And I have an uncle who 

made that choice many years ago.” 

As for Yvonne, she had become so 

complacent in her dire situation that it 

took someone as persistent and persuasive 

as Baumann to prod her into making 

a change. What was heartbreaking 

about Yvonne’s struggles, Wilson says, 

is the way she would “dig her heels in” 

and convince herself that she was satisfied, 

“even though she wasn’t really 

seeing the reality of her life.” 

If “Accidental Friendship” motivates 

even one viewer to reach out to 

help someone in need, Wilson says, all 

of the uncomfortable hours that she 

spent on the set, covered with dirt and 

grime, can be considered time well 

Chandra Wilson 

spent. But Wilson is also convinced 

that every viewer can be inspired by 

Yvonne’s comeback. After all, she 

says, aren’t we all guilty of self-destructive 

complacency from time to 

time 

“A lot of us are kind of paralyzed 

and not getting on with life -– and I’m 

not just talking about those of us who 

have lost everything,” Wilson says. “If 

you truly want your life to get better, 

you have to get out of the complaining 

stage and stop that ‘if only’ way of 

thinking. It’s about what you choose to 

do with your life. You have the power 

to make choices that make your life 

better.” 

THE METRO HERALD 13

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 


Pete Knight 

SOUTH POINT EQUESTRIAN AND EVENT CENTER HOSTS 

THE 2008 BILL PICKETT INVITATIONAL FINALS RODEO 

The Bill Pickett Invitational Finals 

Rodeo, celebrating 25 

years of rodeo entertainment 

across the United States, rides into Las 

Vegas at the South Point Equestrian & 

Event Center, 9777 Las Vegas Blvd 

South, Las Vegas, NV for a second 

consecutive year. The finals will consist 

of two regular performances taking 

place on Saturday, November 22nd 

at 1:30pm and 7:30pm. 

A special “Rodeo for Kidz Sake” 

takes place on Friday, November 21st 

from 10:00am to 12:00am for kindergarten, 

elementary and middle school 

kids from various schools, churches, 

summer camps and other kid organizations. 

This special rodeo was developed 

to educate young people on the 

significant historical roles that African 

Americans played in the Wild West, 

while entertaining them. 

The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo 

tours from January through November 

each year across the country including 

cities of Memphis, Atlanta, Houston, 

Albuquerque, Oakland, Los Angeles 

Denver, Bakersfield, Washington DC, 

St. Louis and Milwaukee. 

Don’t miss this historical, funfilled 

event for a weekend of excitement, 

featuring African-American 

cowboys and cowgirls as they compete 

in seven different rodeo events to be 

crowned the 2008 champions. Featured 

events include Calf Ropin’, 

Bareback Ridin’, Ladies Barrel Racin’, 

Jr. Barrel Racin’, Bull Doggin, Ladies 

Steer Undercoatin’ and Bull Ridin’. 

Founded in 1984 by Lu Vason, the 

Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo is a 

powerful tool that Lu uses in his goal 

of educating people on the Black West 

experiences and of the cultural pride 

associated with all of the contributions 

made by African Americans. “History 

notes that one out of every six cowboys 

was African American; therefore, 

the BPIR is a fitting tribute to Black 

cowboys and cowgirls nationwide,” 

says Vason. 

The BPIR is named after William 

“Bill” Pickett, who was the creator of 

bulldoggin’. Bill Pickett would race on 

his horse to catch a steer, and then leap 

out of his saddle to gram the steer’s 

head and twist it slowly toward the sky. 

He would overpower the animal by 

sinking his teeth into the steer’s upper 

lip. Bull dogging is the only rodeo 

event that is traced back to its inventor. 

Bill Pickett was a star attraction on 

the rodeo and Wild West Circuit for 

more than 15 years, after the turn of the 

century. He was honored posthumously 

40 years after his death in 

1972, with an induction into the National 

Cowboy Hall of Fame. In 1989, 

Bill was inducted into the Professional 

Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), 

and in 1996, he was the first Rodeo 

Athlete inducted into the Black Cowboy 

Walk of Fame in Denver, Colorado. 

Tina Howard 

The Bill Pickett Invitational Finals 

Rodeo offers attendees a unique look 

at some of today’s hottest African- 

American cowboys and cowgirls from 

across the United States as they compete 

to determine who the 2008 champions 

will be. This rodeo represents the 

best-of-the-best cowboys and cowgirls 

who have mastered needed skills to 

compete in the Bill Pickett Invitational 

Finals Rodeo. 

The rodeo is a sport that challenges 

the mental ability and wit, and physical 

stamina of its participants like no other 

sport. Make the rodeo a family weekend 

and enjoy a complete cultural experience 

done Black American style. 

• The special “Rodeo for Kidz Sake” 

on Friday, November 21st from 

10:00am to 12:00am at the South 

Point Equestrian Center in Las 

Vegas. 

• The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo 

on Saturday, November 22nd at 

1:30pm and 7:30pm, at the South 

Point Equestrian Center in Las 

Vegas. 

KEEGAN THEATRE ANNOUNCES 

SEASON KICK-OFF EVENT 

On November 14, 2008, The 

Keegan Theatre will host a 

special event to celebrate the 

triumphant success of both its 2008 

Ireland tour and its recent off-Broadway 

run of Love, Peace, and Robbery. 

The party also kicks off Keegan’s 11th 

anniversary season, which will include 

shows produced in Washington DC at 

Church Street Theater, and in Arlington 

at Theatre on the Run. 

“Keegan enjoyed another recordbreaking 

season last year,” says Mark 

A. Rhea, founder and producing artistic 

director. “We want to celebrate that 

momentum and keep it moving forward 

as we look to 2008-2009.” Keegan 

tripled its box office receipts last 

season, and is expecting to continue 

that growth both with its mainstage 

productions at Church Street and its 

newer Irish works in Arlington. “For a 

week in September, Keegan was performing 

in two places—in two countries!—at 

once: off-Broadway and in 

Ireland with our annual tour,” Rhea 

continues. “It was a humbling and inspiring 

moment for me, as I recognized 

all that this company has accomplished 

over 10 years, how far we’ve come and 

how proud I am of the work we are 

doing. I’m anxious to see what the future 

will bring.” 

Love, Peace and Robbery played 

for 7 performances at 59E59 Theatre 

off-Broadway as part of the 1st Irish 

festival, and was the American premiere 

of the piece. Ron Cohen, critic 

for Backstage NYC reviewed the production, 

calling the show “an engrossing 

90-minute tour of the seamier side 

of the city of Cork… evoked in a barebones 

black-box production involving 

some folding chairs, sensitive direction 

by Kerry Waters Lucas, lighting to 

match by Dan Martin, and three terrific 

actors.” Love, Peace, and Robbery 

will enjoy a local run in Arlington, 

opening November 28 at Theatre on 

the Run. 

Keegan brought One Flew Over the 

Cuckoo’s Nest on the company’s 10th 

annual Irish tour; the production traveled 

to seven different cities, playing to 

packed houses across the country. 

Irish Times critic Patrick Lonergan 

was particularly taken with Mark A. 

Rhea’s portrayal of Randall McMurphy 

in the Keegan production: 

“[Rhea] makes us forget about Jack 

Nicholson’s performance in the 1975 

film adaptation version of the novel. 

Mark A Rhea’s characterisation of Mc- 

Murphy is much more subdued and 

subtle than Nicholson’s, and for that 

reason it seems much more credible 

...” The show received similar praise 

from local critics and Irish audiences 

alike; it opens at the Church Street 

Theater in July 2009. 

“Keegan has accomplished so 

much and built a reputation for quality 

work both in the States and in Ireland,” 

says Virginia Riehl, executive chair of 

Keegan’s Board of Directors. “There 

is not a more exciting time for the 

company than right now, and I think 

the best is yet to come. The growth of 

Keegan—both internally, such as the 

expansion into Virginia and DC and 

the birth of the new island project, and 

externally, in terms of audience growth 

and general awareness-raising—has 

been exponential over the last few 

years. Let’s see what we can do during 

our 11th anniversary season to continue 

that growth and to continue to 

challenge ourselves and bring great 

work to our audiences.” 

The kick-off event will feature a 

slideshow from the Ireland tour, hors 

d’oevres and a cash bar, and a special 

presentation of excerpts from One 

Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Love, 

Peace & Robbery, and Glengarry Glen 

Ross, which opens at Church Street on 

November 28. 

Kick-Off Event is casual-dress on 

Friday, November 14, 2008 from 

7:00 to 11:00pm at Dominion Hills 

Area Recreation Association located at 

6000 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, 

VA. Tickets are $35.00/$25.00 for season 

subscribers. PAY AT THE DOOR: 

Cash, Check, Credit Card payments 

accepted. RSVP only—Limited to first 

100 people. Email RSVPs to: 

emmettdd@msn.com or call: 703- 

841-0943 

STARBUCKS TO HOST “AVANT GRANDE” 

ART EXHIBIT BENEFITING SOL Y SOUL 

Following the success of Starbucks 

partner (employee) art 

exhibits in New York City, San 

Francisco and Chicago, Starbucks is 

pleased to announce the very first 

Washington, D.C. Avant Grande 

event taking place on November 17, 

2008 from 7:00 to 9:30p.m. at the 

House of Sweden located at 2900 K 

Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 

The Starbucks Avant Grande 

event will feature over 40 works of 

original visual art in a variety of mediums 

as well as literary art performances, 

“Spoken Word,” by aspiring 

artists, all of whom are Starbucks partners 

in the Washington, D.C. area. The 

evening will include passed hors 

d’oeuvres and cocktails at a one-of-a 

kind location on the Georgetown waterfront 

overlooking the Potomac. 

For years, Starbucks partners have 

been creating art in many Starbucks 

coffeehouses in the U.S. In 2003, a 

Starbucks partner came up with the 

idea to host an exhibit where fellow 

partners could showcase their art for 

everyone to enjoy, and so the Starbucks 

Avant Grande partner art 

event was born. 

“Starbucks believes our partners 

are at the core of our success. By supporting 

their outside interests—such as 

the visual, literary and performing 

arts—we strive to be not only a workplace, 

but also a place where our partners 

can express themselves through 

their individual passions,” said Mike 

Lenda, Group Marketing Manager for 

Starbucks Coffee Company in the 

Northeast Atlantic Region. 

Admission to the Washington, D.C. 

Avant Grande event is $20.00, and 

100% of all proceeds from ticket sales 

will benefit SOL y SOUL, Arts for Social 

Change, a local non-profit organization 

whose focus is on supporting, 

creating and inspiring artists of varied 

backgrounds and proficiencies to create 

art that speaks to a wide array of issues 

and encourages people to take action. 

Visit www.starbucksavantgrande.com 

for more information. 

14 THE METRO HERALD

SPORTS & RECREATION 


BALLESTEROS’ CONDITION IMPROVING 

Seve Ballesteros 

Seve Ballesteros continues to 

make progress following surgery 

on a cancerous brain tumor. 

The 53-year-old Spanish golf great 

is conscious, breathing unaided and 

able to talk to relatives, La Paz hospital 

said. 

Ballesteros has begun to receive rehabilitation 

treatment in the intensive 

care unit, the hospital added. 

Ballesteros, a five-time major winner, 

underwent a 6 1/2-hour operation 

on Oct. 24 to remove the brain tumor 

and reduce swelling around the brain. 

It was his third operation since being 

admitted 18 days earlier after fainting 

at Madrid’s international airport. 

Ballesteros’ family thanked the 

public for their messages of support. 

“With the help of God, the neurosurgeons 

and their teams . . . we trust 

with an unquestioning faith that Seve 

will come out successfully from this 

hardship,” the family said in a letter on 

Ballesteros’ Web site. 

TRACK AND FIELD ENHANCES 2008-2009 

INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC PROGRAM 

Prince George’s Community 

College will begin offering 

men’s and women’s track and 

field as part of its intercollegiate athletic 

program. Programs will begin 

competing this winter during indoor 

running events and continue with 

outdoor events in spring 2009. In addition, 

cross country will be added in 

fall 2009. Tryouts for the men’s and 

women’s track teams begin Dec. 1. 

“Prince George’s County public 

high schools have a strong tradition 

of excellence in the sport of track 

and field and we look forward to 

continuing that tradition at the community 

college level,” said Jo Ann 

Todaro, program manager of the athletic 

department. 

Christian Parker has been named 

head coach for the women’s program. 

Parker brings 22 years of experience 

from Prince George’s 

County public high schools. Most 

recently, he was head coach at Duval 

High School for seven years. 

Richard Johnson has been selected 

to head the men’s program. 

Johnson has coached at Eleanor Roosevelt, 

Gwynn Park and Bladensburg 

High Schools. He has been the head 

coach at Frederick Douglass High 

School for the past six years. 

“Both coaches bring expertise, 

leadership skills and enthusiasm necessary 

to start a program from the 

ground up,” said Todaro. “We are 

very excited to start this program and 

look forward to great things from the 

coaching staff and our county athletes,” 

she added. 

The track teams expect to compete 

in the first indoor meet on Jan. 

27 followed by an outdoor meet 

scheduled on March 27. For more 

information on the college’s athletic 

programs, visit www.pgcc.edu or 

call (301) 322-0066. 

2010 OLYMPICS COMMITTEE RUNNING DEFICIT 

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics 

remain financially strong, organizers 

said, despite a current 

deficit, rising venue budgets and concerns 

about the global financial crisis. 

The organizing committee’s latest 

financial statement says it ran a deficit 

of $40.5 million in the year ending July 

31, compared to the $51.3 million surplus 

it had in 2006-2007. 

“It’s important to look at that in the 

context of the entire run of the Games, 

the six-year period,” said John 

McLaughlin, the chief financial officer 

for the organizing committee, who 

added the deficit wasn’t a surprise. 

The overall budget for venue construction 

hasn’t increased, the committee 

said. A contingency fund was built 

in to cover overruns. 

McLaughlin said organizers still 

expect the Games to break even. He 

said the deficit comes from organizers 

ramping up spending on staff, technology 

and other planning elements for 

the Winter Games. 

“We’re not asking for any more 

money, we won’t ask for any more 

money,” he said. “From our perspective 

we are going to complete them on 

target and on budget.” 

When organizers first released their 

business plan for the 2010 Olympics 

last year, they said they were making 

their revenue plans on the assumption 

of the “Canadian economy remaining 

relatively strong with no recession 

through Games time.” 

Canadian banks warned a recession 

CITY ANNOUNCES NEW FEES FOR 

YOUTH SPORT PARTICIPANTS 

Effective January 1, 2009, the Department of Recreation, Parks 

and Cultural Activities will be increasing fees as planned in Fee 

Resolution No. 2276, adopted by City Council on May 13, 2008. 

Fee Resolution No. 2276 provided for a $5 increase in registration fees for 

youth sports activities fully operated by the Department of Recreation, 

Parks and Cultural Activities. Fees will increase from $20 to $25 per 

sport, per registrant. The Department will continue to provide scholarships 

to families and children to ensure all interested youth who cannot 

afford the fees may participate at a reduced rate or at no charge. 

The resolution also authorized the Department to charge a $5 field use 

fee per person, per sport, per season for all other youth leagues. This fee 

provides a portion of cost recovery for field maintenance expenses. 

To view the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities 

Fee Schedule, visit www.alexandriava.gov/recreation. For additional 

information regarding Youth Sports programs and Activities, call 703- 

838-4345. www.alexandriava.gov 

was coming as the global credit crunch 

continues. Still, McLaughlin said the 

Games are on solid financial footing— 

79 percent of revenue has already been 

committed or received and organizers 

have surpassed their target for sponsorship. 

Money from ticket sales will start 

coming in next month when the first 

phase of sales ends. Organizers say demand 

is high. 

TOKYO FEARS 

OBAMA 

STRENGTHENS 

CHICAGO 

OLYMPIC BID 

Japanese Olympic officials fear 

the election of Barack Obama 

as U.S. president could make 

his home city of Chicago the favorite 

to host the 2016 Olympic 

Games and harm Tokyo’s bid. 

Tokyo, Chicago, Madrid and Rio de 

Janeiro are the four cities in the running 

to host the 2016 Games. 

“I wonder how IOC members 

will react when Mr. Obama appears 

in a presentation for 

Chicago,” Japanese Olympic Committee 

President Tsunekazu Takeda 

told Japanese media Wednesday. 

The IOC will name the 2016 

host at its general assembly in October 

next year. 

“Mr. Obama is popular and good 

at speeches, so things could get 

tough for Japan,” said senior JOC 

board member Tomiaki Fukuda. 

CHINA LISTED POSSIBLE 

US TROUBLEMAKERS 

The Chinese government, concerned 

about the possibility of 

demonstrations during the Beijing 

Olympics, created a list of nine 

U.S. athletes and one assistant coach it 

thought might cause problems, USA 

Today reported. 

The newspaper obtained an internal 

U.S. Olympic Committee e-mail in 

which a Chinese official expressed 

concern that members of the U.S. team 

might stage some sort of demonstration. 

The list was given to the USOC 

during a meeting July 8 with Shu Xiao, 

minister counselor for cultural affairs 

at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, 

the e-mail said. 

Shu was concerned that some of the 

athletes have been affiliated with Team 

Darfur, an international coalition of athletes 

committed to raising awareness 

about the human rights crisis in Sudan’s 

Darfur region, according to the email. 

The athletes included softball players 

Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza, 

Natasha Watley, Amanda Freed, and 

softball assistant coach Karen Johns; 

soccer player Abby Wambach; cyclist 

Jonathan Page; paralympic basketball 

player Jen Howitt; paralympic wheelchair 

racer Cheri Blauwet; and golfer 

Laura Goodwin. 

Wambach was injured and did not 

compete in the Olympics. Goodwin 

did not compete because golf is not an 

Olympic sport. 

Sun Weide, who was one of the 

spokesmen for the Beijing Organizing 

Committee, told The Associated Press 

that he had resigned his position and 

declined to comment. Much of the 

committee has been dissolved more 

than two months after the Games. 

USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel 

told The Associated Press that the federation 

did not pass on the concerns to 

the athletes because it didn’t want to 

burden them with what it felt was a 

non-issue. 

“We did make clear to the Embassy 

that our athletes would have the same 

right to free speech and free expression, 

consistent with what is set forth 

in the Olympic Charter, that they have 

enjoyed at previous Games,” Seibel 

said. “We made certain those rights 

would in no way be infringed upon or 

compromised.” 

International Olympic Committee 

spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau 

said the IOC was not aware of the list. 

“Any questions on the matter 

should be addressed to the Chinese authorities,” 

she said. 

THE METRO HERALD 15

VETERANS DAY 2008 


LEGGETT UNVEILS FINDINGS OF 

VETERANS STUDY; OUTLINES INITIATIVES 

AIMED AT ASSISTING VETS 

Isiah Leggett 

County Executive Isiah Leggett, 

a combat veteran of the Vietnam 

War, today unveiled a series 

of initiatives aimed at helping address 

the mental health and social 

service needs of Montgomery County 

veterans and their families. Leggett 

made his announcement the Mental 

Health Association of Montgomery 

County’s Annual Legislative Breakfast, 

held in Rockville. 

“As we approach our celebration of 

Veterans Day, it is important that we 

recognize and honor the sacrifices that 

veterans have made for this country,” 

said Leggett. “We should welcome 

them home and at the same time, make 

certain that they are provided with care 

and services due them. With the upcoming 

transfer of the Walter Reed 

Army Medical Center to Bethesda, it is 

important that we work with our community, 

as well as with state and federal 

officials, to ensure we are ready.” 

Leggett today released a report, cosponsored 

by the Community Foundation 

of the National Capital to identify 

the needs of veterans in Montgomery 

County and determine what local governments 

and community-based nonprofit 

organizations can do to complement 

government and national 

nonprofit efforts. Results of the study 

show that the signature wounds and injuries 

of Operation Enduring Freedom 

(OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom 

(OIF)—traumatic brain injury, amputations, 

post traumatic stress disorder 

and depression pose serious treatment 

challenges and typically require not 

only extended and specialized care , 

but also support and assistance for the 

entire family ranging from respite care 

to home modifications. In addition, 

there are few connections between the 

civilian helping organizations and the 

military helping organizations. The 

report is available at www. 

thecommunityfoundation.org. 

When the study concluded, an estimated 

37,000 solders from the National 

Capitol Region had “ever deployed” 

and an estimated 6,000 were 

“currently deployed” to either or both 

Afghanistan and Iraq. There are an 

estimated 18,000 spouses and more 

than 25,000 children in the region. 

Leggett announced the launching of 

a mental health information and referral 

line for veterans and their families. 

The service will be operated by the 

Mental Health Association of Montgomery 

County (MHA) and will begin 

answering calls on November 17. The 

County is providing $40,000 to establish 

the service. 

“While government ramps up its 

programs to meet the complex needs, 

we believe our regions’ communitybased 

nonprofits can help provide critical 

services for our military families, 

especially during these bleak economic 

times,” said Terri Lee Freeman, President 

of the Community Foundation for 

the National Capital Region. 

“We have seen an increase in the 

demand for our services since the first 

local residents were deployed to 

Afghanistan and Iraq,” said Sharon E. 

Friedman, LCSW-C, Executive Director 

at Mental Health Association of 

Montgomery County. “The addition 

of these specialized information and 

referral services is much needed. 

MHA is proud to be a part of the 

County’s efforts to support veterans 

and their families.” 

Leggett has also nominated members 

to his Veterans Commission. The 

Commission will advise the County 

Executive and the County Council on 

actions the County can take to honor 

and assists veterans. Issues that the 

Commission will begin work on immediately 

are to plan and convene a regional 

conference in 2009 aimed at coordinating 

services for veterans across 

the region, design and sponsor an enhanced 

County celebration of Veterans 

Day and to recommend an appropriate 

memorial for County veterans who lost 

their lives in our nation’s wars. 

In addition to these services, Montgomery 

College’s Extended Learning 

Services Office, with primary support 

from the Takoma Park/Silver Spring 

campus, provides information and 

services for Walter Reed Army Medical 

Center (WRAMC) employees and 

Wounded Warriors at WRAMC, including 

on-site classes, advising for 

those classes as well as classes on the 

College’s two three campuses, and life 

planning services. Three quarters of 

the current Montgomery College (MC) 

class at WRAMC are Wounded Warriors 

and many of them enroll at MC 

campuses. 

OP-ED 

Each year, Veterans Day offers 

us a day of reflection and 

recognition of the sacrifices 

our nation’s veterans have made for 

our country. With one of the largest 

populations of veterans and active duty 

service members, Virginia plays a vital 

role in our nation’s defense. It is only 

proper that we honor their service and 

sacrifice with the necessary benefits 

that they have earned and deserve. 

The 110th Congress boasts several 

important achievements for America’s 

veterans and service members, enacting 

landmark new programs in healthcare 

and education and providing unprecedented 

funding levels that 

demonstrate our country’s commitment 

to those who have honorably 

served in our military. 

On my first day in the U.S. Senate 

in 2007, I introduced legislation that 

eighteen months later would be enacted 

into law as the Post-9/11 GI Bill. This 

new program restores a full educational 

OP-ED 

Every Veterans Day we pay tribute 

to our fellow Americans 

who have served in the military. 

With speeches and ceremonies, 

we recognize their courage and valor. 

But justice demands that we also recognize 

that we should have far more 

living veterans than we do. All too 

many of our soldiers have died unnecessarily—because 

they were sent to 

fight for a purpose other than America’s 

freedom. 

The proper purpose of a government 

is to protect its citizens’ lives and 

freedom against the initiation of force 

by criminals at home and aggressors 

abroad. The American government has 

a sacred responsibility to recognize the 

individual value of every one of its citizens’ 

lives, and thus to do everything 

possible to protect the rights of each to 

life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of 

happiness. This absolutely includes 

our soldiers. 

Soldiers are not sacrificial objects; 

they are full-fledged Americans with 

the same moral right as the rest of us to 

the pursuit of their own goals, their 

own dreams, their own happiness. Rational 

soldiers enjoy much of the work 

of military service, take pride in their 

ability to do it superlatively, and gain 

profound satisfaction in protecting the 

freedom of every American, including 

their own freedom. 

Soldiers know that in entering the 

military, they are risking their lives in 

the event of war. But this risk is not, as 

it is often described, a “sacrifice” for a 

“higher cause.” When there is a true 

threat to America, it is a threat to all of 

our lives and loved ones, soldiers included. 

Many become soldiers for precisely 

this reason; it was, for instance, 

the realization of the threat of Islamic 

terrorism after September 11—when 

3,000 innocent Americans were 

slaughtered in cold blood on a random 

WHAT WE OWE OUR SOLDIERS 

Alex Epstein 

Special to The Metro Herald 

TAKING CARE OF THOSE 

WHO HAVE TAKEN CARE OF US 

Senator Jim Webb 

Special to The Metro Herald 

benefit to the members of the ‘new 

greatest generation’ who have honorably 

served our country since 9/11, in a 

manner similar to what the original 

‘greatest generation’ received when 

they returned home from World War II. 

In an effort spurred by our office, 

later joined by fellow Vietnam veteran 

Senator Chuck Hagel and two World 

War II veterans, Senators John Warner 

and Frank Lautenberg, we used a deliberately 

bipartisan approach that 

eventually resulted in 78 Senate cosponsors 

and 303 sponsors in the 

House of Representatives. This new 

educational benefit, which will cover 

the full cost of a public four-year college 

education and provide a monthly 

livingstipend, earned the full national 

endorsement of every major veterans 

organization, including the Veterans of 

Foreign Wars, The American Legion, 

and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of 

America. Over five hundred Members 

of Congress voted for final passage 

of this new program. The President 

signed the new educational benefit 

into law on June 30, 2008. 

Additionally, Congress passed an 

historic $47 billion in additional veterans’ 

healthcare funding for fiscal year 

2009, the largest annual funding level 

ever. This bill will improve and expand 

access to healthcare for thousands of 

veterans, particularly those in rural areas 

who struggle with high gas prices as 

they commute long distances for care. 

Congress also passed an expansive 

benefits package which, in addition to 

needed updates and enhancements for 

our disability compensation system, extends 

critical V.A. home loan programs 

to help veterans afford and stay in their 

own homes. Finally, building upon the 

success of the 2007 Dignified Treatment 

for Wounded Warriors Act, this year we 

enacted the Justin Bailey Mental Health 

Improvement Act, further enhancing 

treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 

and substance abuse problems. 

Tuesday morning—that prompted so 

many to join the military. 

For an American soldier, to fight 

for freedom is not to fight for a “higher 

cause,” separate from or superior to his 

own life—it is to fight for his own life 

and happiness. He is willing to risk his 

life in time of war because he is unwilling 

to live as anything other than a 

free man. He does not want or expect 

to die, but he would rather die than live 

in slavery or perpetual fear. His attitude 

is epitomized by the words of 

John Stark, New Hampshire’s most famous 

soldier in the Revolutionary 

War: “Live free or die.” 

What we owe these men who fight 

so bravely for their and our freedom is 

to send them to war only when that 

freedom is truly threatened, and to 

make every effort to protect their lives 

during war—by providing them with 

the most advantageous weapons, training, 

strategy, and tactics possible. 

Shamefully, America has repeatedly 

failed to meet this obligation. It 

has repeatedly placed soldiers in 

harm’s way when no threat to America 

existed—e.g., to quell tribal conflicts 

in Somalia, Bosnia, and Kosovo. 

America entered World War I, in which 

115,000 soldiers died, with no clear 

self-defense purpose but rather on the 

vague, self-sacrificial grounds that 

“The world must be made safe for 

democracy.” America’s involvement in 

Vietnam, in which 56,000 Americans 

died in a fiasco that American officials 

openly declared a “no-win” war, was 

justified primarily in the name of service 

to the South Vietnamese. And the 

current war in Iraq—which could have 

had a valid purpose as a first step in 

ousting the terrorist-sponsoring, anti- 

American regimes of the Middle 

East—is responsible for thousands of 

unnecessary American deaths in pursuit 

of the sacrificial goal of “civilizing” 

Iraq by enabling Iraqis to select 

any government they wish, no matter 

how anti-American. 

In addition to being sent on ill-conceived, 

“humanitarian” missions, our 

soldiers have been compromised with 

crippling rules of engagement that 

place the lives of civilians in enemy 

territory above their own. In 

Afghanistan we refused to bomb many 

top leaders out of their hideouts for 

fear of civilian casualties; these men 

continue to kill American soldiers. In 

Iraq, our hamstrung soldiers for years 

were prevented from smashing a militarily 

puny insurgency—and to this 

day are being murdered unnecessarily 

at the hands of an undefeated enemy, 

with no end in sight. 

To send soldiers into war without a 

clear self-defense purpose, and without 

providing them every possible protection, 

is a betrayal of their valor and a 

violation of their rights. 

This Veterans Day, we must call for a 

stop to the sacrifice of our soldiers and 

condemn all those who demand it. It is 

only by doing so that we can truly honor 

not only our dead, but also our living: 

American soldiers who have the courage 

to defend their freedom and ours. 

• • • 

Alex Epstein is an analyst at the Ayn 

Rand Center for Individual Rights, focusing 

on business issues. The Ayn 

Rand Center is a division of the Ayn 

Rand Institute and promotes the philosophy 

of Ayn Rand, author of “Atlas 

Shrugged” and “The Fountainhead.” 

Visit us on the web at 

www.metroherald.com 

These important legislative accomplishments 

stand as testament to the 

high priority this Congress has placed 

on our nation’s veterans. As we remember 

those who have served in uniform 

this Veterans’ Day, those of us 

who serve in Washington will remain 

committed to taking care of those who 

have taken care of us. 

• • • 

Senator Jim Webb, former Secretary of 

the Navy, served as a Marine Corps 

rifle platoon and company commander 

in Vietnam. 

16 THE METRO HERALD

BUSINESS NEWS/BIDS & PROPOSALS 


Montgomery County Executive 

Isiah Leggett returned 

recently from a 10-day business 

development mission to Korea and 

China and called the trip a success. 

Joining Leggett on the mission was a 

delegation comprised of nearly twenty 

county business owners and executives, 

as well as County and state economic 

development staff. The purpose of the 

mission was to strengthen existing investment 

and collaborating opportunities 

forged over the past six years with 

Korea, and lay the groundwork for similar, 

strategic business growth opportunities 

in China. 

The mission was an extension of the 

County’s international economic development 

strategy to build and leverage 

partnerships with existing local businesses, 

trade organizations, and government 

agencies to help forge global 

linkages that promote international investments 

in Montgomery County and 

facilitate business opportunities abroad. 

• Encourage Korean and Chinese investment 

in the county’s life sciences, 

bio/pharma, advanced technology, 

hospitality and finance sectors; 

• Tap into strategic commercial and 

partnering opportunities available in 

both countries for existing Montgomery 

County companies; and 

• Strengthen government and commercial 

ties with Korea and China. 

COUNTY STRENGTHENS GLOBAL INVESTMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS OPPORTUNITIES 

KOREA 

A significant result of the Korea 

mission was a commitment to further 

economic partnership between Montgomery 

County and Chungcheongbuk 

Province (Chungbuk), made by Dr. 

Woo-Taik Chung, Governor of Chungbuk, 

during a meeting with Leggett and 

members of the delegation. Chungbuk 

has pledged $2 million in investment 

support for the incubator facility to be 

built as part of the County’s development 

of Site II, along Route 29 in eastern 

Montgomery County, into a major, 

new science and technology park. 

During Montgomery County’s follow-up 

business development mission to 

Korea in 2004, the two sides signed an 

official MOU and agreed to develop and 

implement economic development programs 

with an emphasis on advanced 

technology. As a result, a staff member 

from Chungbuk Province has been 

working at the Montgomery County Department 

of Economic Development on 

a temporary assignment to promote the 

continued exchange of business and cultural 

information, develop a more formal 

business partnering program and 

help facilitate future business development 

missions to Korea, like the one just 

concluded. The growth in these relationships 

has resulted in nearly $10 million 

in direct investment by Korean capital 

in Montgomery County-based firms 

over the past several years. 

Other highlights from the Korea 

trip include: 

• Leggett met with the president of 

the Korea Health Industry Development 

Institute (KHIDI) and signed 

a memorandum of understanding 

which entails exchanging scientific 

and business information, conducting 

educational seminars for businesses 

on regulatory compliance issues 

and related topics, and 

promoting business exchange; the 

Institute is responsible for developing 

strategy for Korea’s life science 

policy, and providing technical assistance 

to biopharmaceutical companies 

to facilitating commercialization, 

technology transfer, and 

regulatory compliance. 

• Montgomery County also held a 

seminar on technology transfer and 

regulatory compliance in partnership 

with the KHIDI; featured 

speakers included Ms. Claire 

Driscoll of NIH, Dr. Chang Ahn of 

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, and Dr. 

Kazem Kazempour of Amarex 

Clinical Research. This seminar 

was attended by 130 Korean biopharmaceutical 

companies. 

• Leggett and members of the delegation 

toured RNL Bio’s lab in Seoul; 

RNL Bio’s U.S. subsidiary, RNL 

Biostar, is a tenant of the Maryland 

Technology Development Center; 

RNL Bio expressed interest in 

building a GMP manufacturing facility 

in Montgomery County and 

the County delegation pledged assistance 

with RNL’s efforts to locate 

and build the manufacturing 

facility here in the County. 

• Leggett led a presentation on the 

biotechnology assets of Montgomery 

County during Bio Korea 2008; other 

featured speakers included Ms. 

Claire Driscoll of NIH, Mr. Patrick 

Burke of Amarex Clinical Research, 

and Dr. Larry Mahan of the Maryland 

Department of Business and Economic 

Development. The presentation 

was attended by thirty Korean 

biopharmaceutical businesses. 

• Leggett also met with several large 

biopharmaceutical companies such 

as SK Chemicals and Green Cross, 

Corporation to discuss short-term 

and long-term projects. 

An increasing number of Korean 

biotechnology companies have established 

a presence in Montgomery 

County over the past few years. 

Bioneer Life Science was the first Korean 

company admitted to the County’s 

THE MARYLAND-NATIONAL CAPITAL PARK 

AND PLANNING COMMISSION (M-NCPPC) 

hereby invites sealed bids from interested parties for IFB B29-139, 

for “Printing Summer Day Camp Booklet 2009” in accordance 

with the scope of services to be furnished by the Purchasing 

Division, 6611 Kenilworth Ave., Suite 300, Riverdale, Maryland 

20737. There is no charge for the bid. Each Bid must be submitted to 

the Purchasing Office at the above address. Bids must be received 

before 11:00 A.M., Tuesday, November 25, 2008. Requests for 

copies of the solicitation and any questions regarding this Bid may be 

directed to Flora Lindsay-Boston, Senior Procurement Specialist, 

at (301) 454-1531, TTY (301) 454-1493. All Bids and associated 

documents will become the property of the Commission and will be 

considered public information. 

The Commission is an E.O.E. with special procurement rules for 

Minorities, Females, and the Disabled. 

incubator program, and there are currently 

three Korean companies— 

Macrogen, RNL Biostar, and Seegene 

—located in the County’s MTDC/ 

Shady Grove Innovation Center. In 

addition, HPI Inc., and Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, 

two other Korean-based 

companies, are located in the County. 

CHINA 

This was the County’s first visit to 

China, an important and rapidly growing 

global economy. The goal was to 

lay the groundwork for similar relationships 

as those built over the years 

with Korea. The six-day visit included 

OPENING OF PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD 

NOTICE OF AMENDMENT TO FAIRFAX COUNTY 

CONSOLIDATED PLAN ANNUAL ACTION PLAN FOR FISCAL 

YEAR (FY) 2009 TO INCORPORATE FUNDING AND ACTIVITIES 

UNDER THE NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION PROGRAM 

OCT. 31, 2008 

TO ALL INTERESTED AGENCIES, GROUPS, AND PERSONS: 

The purpose of this notice is to provide an opportunity for public comment on a proposed amendment to 

the Fairfax County Consolidated Plan One-Year Action Plan for FY 2009 to incorporate funding and 

activities under the new Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) allocated under the federal 

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). The NSP was established under Title III of Division B of 

the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. NSP funds are resources provided by the U.S. Department 

of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to be used for the purpose of assisting in the acquisition, 

rehabilitation, and redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed homes. The provision of this opportunity for 

comment is in accordance with the County’s Citizen Participation Plan for substantive amendments to the 

Consolidated Plan. 

The Consolidated Plan is a requirement of HUD as a condition of receiving CDBG and other federal 

funding. The Plan identifies Fairfax County’s overall needs for affordable and supportive housing, for 

homeless shelters and services, for community and economic development, and for building public and 

private partnerships. The proposed program modifications utilizing NSP funds will have no adverse impact 

on any of the projects and activities already a part of the One-Year Action Plan for FY 2009. 

PROPOSED CHANGES 

USE OF NSP FUNDS: 

Fairfax County is expected to be awarded $2,807,300 under NSP federal allocation formula. On June 30, 

2008 the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a groundbreaking new foreclosure initiative. 

Fairfax County’s three pronged foreclosure initiative consists of the following: 

1. Assistance to homeowners in distress 

2. Assistance to first-time homebuyers purchasing foreclosed properties called the Silver Lining Initiative 

3. Neighborhood preservation efforts 

The Silver Lining Initiative is the primary means by which the County proposes to implement the federal 

NSP funds; this program will be known as “Silver Lining Plus”. 

Of the $2.8 million in NSP funds allocated to Fairfax County less 10 percent or ($280,730) allowed for 

administrative costs, 

• $1,526,570 will be allocated for first-time homeownership shared equity loans to purchase foreclosed 

properties; 

• $1,000,000 will be allocated for non-profits to acquire foreclosed properties for rental housing. 

Silver Lining Plus funds made available to first-time homebuyers will be used for the purchase of 

foreclosed single family homes or townhouses, within the existing program model. A shared equity loan to 

include closing costs for single family homes and townhomes will be available. In return, upon sale or 

transfer of the property, the greater of the principal and the interest or Fairfax County Redevelopment and 

Housing Authority’s (FCRHA’s) share of the equity will be returned to the FCRHA. 

Silver Lining Plus funds provided to non-profits will be available through a rolling application process to 

acquire foreclosed properties for rental housing. All households assisted under the non-profit portion of Silver 

Lining Plus must have incomes at or below 50% AMI. Non-profits will be allowed to purchase foreclosed 

condominiums as well as, single family homes or townhouses. However, support of the District Supervisor will 

be needed to purchase more than one property in any single development, subdivision or neighborhood. 

PUBLIC COMMENTS 

Copies of the amendment will be available for review on Friday, Oct. 31, online at http://www. 

fairfaxcounty.gov/rha and at the Citizen Information Desk located on the lobby level of the Fairfax 

County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, Virginia 22035. Copies 

may be obtained at the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development, 3700 

Pender Drive, Suite 300, Fairfax, Virginia 22030 or 8350 Richmond Highway, Suite 527, Alexandria, 

Virginia, 22309. All of the above mentioned locations are accessible to persons with disabilities. 

For additional information or to write comments, citizens should please contact the Fairfax County 

Department of Housing and Community Development, Attention: Kehinde Powell, Housing 

Community Developer, 3700 Pender Drive, Fairfax, Virginia 22030-6039 (Telephone: 703-246-5117, 

fax 703-246-5115, e-mail: kehinde.powell@fairfaxcounty.gov, TTY: 703-385-3578). Written comments 

should be received at the above Pender Drive building address or e-mail address by Nov. 15, 2008. At its 

regular meeting on Nov. 17, 2008, the Board of Supervisors will take action on the proposed Plan 

amendment and use of NSP funds for submission to HUD by Dec. 1, 2008. 

Fairfax County is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in all 

County programs, services and activities and will provide reasonable 

accommodations upon request. To request special accommodations call 

703-246-5101 or TTY 703-385-3578. Please allow seven working days 

in advance of the event in order to make the necessary arrangements. 

Continued on page 23 

THE METRO HERALD 17

BUSINESS NEWS/CLASSIFIED ADS/BIDS & PROPOSALS 


Only $250 buys a 

25-word classified ad in 

98 newspapers across Virginia. 

Call: The Metro Herald at 

703-548-8891 

OR 

Virginia Press Services at 

804-521-7571 

to place your ad in the 

AD NETWORK CLASSIFIEDS 

AGRICULTURE/CATTLE SALE 

SOUTHSIDE ANGUS FEMALE SALE. 

November 8, 2008 at 12:30 PM. Locust 

Level Farm, Vernon Hill, VA. Contact VA 

Angus Association for information at 

540-337-3001. 

APARTMENTS FOR RENT 

4 bd. 2 ba. Home only $270/mo! More 

1-4 bd. HUD Homes from $199/mo! 

Financing Referrals Available! For Listings 

800-628-5983 ext. T391. 

AUCTIONS 

2 ABSOLUTE AUCTIONS: November 

15. Halifax County—10am: 48 Acres on 

SR 681. South Boston—12pm: 48 Acres 

on US 360, Scottsburg. 800-780-2991. 

www.countsauction.com (VAAF93). 

2,700sf, 4BR, 2.5BA mountaintop 

home & 42 private acres. Barns, 

garage w/ apartment. Cifax Road, Forest, 

VA. Auction: Wednesday, November 

19, noon. www.countsauction. 

com (VAFF93). 

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY 

ALL CASH CANDY ROUTE. Do you 

earn $800 in a day Your own local 

candy route. Includes 30 Machines and 

Candy. All for $9,995. 1-888-745-3354. 

COMPUTERS 

A NEW COMPUTER NOW!!! Brand 

Name laptops & desktops. Bad or No 

Credit—No Problem. Smallest weekly 

payments available. It’s yours NOW— 

Call 800-816-2643. 

EMPLOYMENT LISTINGS 

$600 WEEKLY POTENTIAL $$$ Helping 

the government, PT. No Experience. 

No Selling. Call 1-888-213-5225 Ad 

Code: T. Cost. 

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE 

SAWMILLS FROM ONLY $2,990.00— 

Convert your LOGS TO VALUABLE 

LUMBER with your own Norwood 

portable band sawmill. Log skidders also 

available. www.norwoodsawmills. 

com/300N—FREE information: 1-800- 

578-1363-Ext:300-N. 

HEALTH/FITNESS/WEIGHT LOSS 

WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE Coming 

to Your Area. Cash Awards. Be a 

Member—Lose Unwanted Pounds. Be 

a Sponsor—Earn Extra Income. For 

Information Call Tiger 804-381-5967. 

GENERAL 

HELP WANTED 

Exchange Coordinators Wanted. EF 

Foundation seeks energetic and motivated 

representatives to help find 

homes for international exchange students. 

Commission/travel benefits. Must 

be 25+. 877-216-1293. 

TRUCK DRIVERS 

DRIVER CDL TRAINING—CLASS “A” 

or CLASS “B.” Local or O-T-R Job 

Placement Assistance. Guaranteed 

Financing Available. $38-45K 1st Year. 

CDS Tractor Trailer Training 1-800-646- 

2374. 

Flatbed Drivers—2007 Model Freightliners 

are Here! Per Diem Pay, Excellent 

Benefits. Class A-CDL, 22 Years 

Old, Good Record. Call Western 

Express Today! 866-863-4116. 

Drivers: Want Great Miles and Still Be 

Home Every Weekend Martini is Hiring 

Company Drivers & O/Os with CDL-A & 

1 year OTR EXPERIENCE. 866-460- 

8464. www.gomartini.com. 

DRIVERS: CALL TODAY! Sign-On 

Bonus. 35-41 cpm. Earn over $1000 

weekly. Excellent Benefits. Need CDL-A 

& 3 months recent OTR. 877-258-8782. 

www.meltontruck.com. 

Driver—$5K SIGN-ON BONUS for Experienced 

Teams. Dry Van & Temp 

Control. Solo Lanes also available. 

O/Os & CDL-A Grads welcome. Call 

Covenant (866) 684-2519. EOE. 

75 DRIVER TRAINEES NEEDED! NO 

CDL NO PROBLEM! LEARN TO 

DRIVE A TRUCK WITH US. FT/PT 

CLASSES. GREAT PAY. BENEFITS! 

1-800-874-7131. 

HOMES FOR RENT 

4 bd. 2 ba. Home only $270/mo! More 

1-4 bd. HUD Homes from $199/mo! 

Financing Referrals Available! For Listings 

800-628-5983 ext. T557. 

3 bd. 2 ba. Only $235/mo! Stop Renting 

& Own! Foreclosure! (5% dn, 20 yrs 

@ 8.5% APR). For Listings 800-508- 

8176 ext. 1225. 

HOMES FOR SALE 

4 bed 3 ba. Only $25,000! 3 bed 2 ba. 

Only $12,250! More 1-4 HUD Homes 

from $199/mo! Financing Referrals 

Available! For Listings 800-628-5983 

ext. T295. 

5 bd. 2 ba. Foreclosure! Only $45,000! 

Bank Owned! For Listings 800-508- 

8176 ext. 1270. 

LOTS AND ACREAGE 

Absolute Steal! 4.9 Acres—$74,900 

ACCESS TO JAMES RIVER—Gorgeous 

estate- size building site w/private 

access to historic James River. Abuts 

almost 200 acres of green space! Paved 

roads, water, sewer, more. Must see! 

Call now 866-764-5238, x1919. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE from 

Home. • Medical • Business • Paralegal 

• Criminal Justice. Job placement assistance. 

Computer available. Financial Aid 

if qualified. SCHEV certified. Call 866- 

858-2121. www.CenturaOnline.com. 

AIRLINES ARE HIRING—Train for high 

paying Aviation Maintenance Career. 

FAA approved program. Financial aid if 

qualified—Job placement assistance. 

SCHEV Certified. Call Aviation Institute 

of Maintenance (888) 349-5387. 

STEEL BUILDINGS 

POLE BUILDINGS: 24x24x10 $8,802, 

24x40x10 $10,435, 30x40x10 $11,731, 

40x60x12 $22,882, 60x120x16 $61,500. 

Other sizes available. Painted Steel. 

Fully Erected. www.fettervillesales. 

com 540-476-1720 Licensed in Virginia. 

WATERFRONT HOMES FOR SALE 

2-yr seller buy back guarantee at purchase 

price on brand new 2-bedroom 

villas each with private boat slip from 

$260’s in Hatteras, NC. SlashCreek. 

com or 800-568-9083. 

PETS FOR SALE 

Nice looking Teacup Yorkshire Terrier puppies for sale. 9 weeks, 

male and female available, picture are also available. The two are 

full breed, AKC reg. Price: $650 (shipping included). They are 

ready to go with all their papers. For more details, contact me at: 

Roland.cole120@live.com. 

PAYMENT REPRESENTATIVES NEEDED 

As part of our expansion program, our company is looking for 

Payment Representatives. Job pays $10,000 a month plus benefits 

and takes only a little of your time. Please contact us for more 

details. 

Requirements—Should be computer literate 

Have 2-3 hours’ access to the internet weekly 

Must be over 19 years of age 

Must be efficient and dedicated. 

If you are interested and need more information, email: stanbed88 

@gmail.com. 

WOMEN 

BUSINESS 

OWNERS OF 

MONTGOMERY 

COUNTY FOCUS 

ON CLOSING 

MORE SALES AND 

GETTING MORE 

CLIENTS 


Bhavesh Naik from Sandler 

Sales will be with the 

Women Business Owners of Montgomery 

Country (WBO-MC) to 

share strategies for closing more 

sales and getting more clients— 

even in the midst of today’s uncertain 

economy. 

Naik has over thirteen years of 

experience working in Corporate 

America and was himself once a 

client and a student of the highly-respected 

Sandler Sales Institute. 

(The Sandler Sales Institute is a 

world leader in successful sales and 

sales management techniques.) 

The event will be held at the 

Norbeck Country Club, 17200 

Cashell Rd, Rockville, MD 

20854. It will start at 5:30pm with 

networking, followed by dinner 

and Naik’s presentation where attendees 

will learn how to: 

• Be perceived as a Trusted Advisor 

in helping prospects with 

their next project—not a Killer 

Salesperson. 

• Create a deep emotional bond 

between you and your prospect 

who will respect you too much 

to play games with you. 

• Level the playing field between 

you and the prospect so you can 

prevent price shopping, unpaid 

consulting and game-playing. 

• Get more business at higher 

prices while commanding trust 

and respect from prospective 

customers. 

• Put the exuberance and exhilaration 

you had about your business 

when you started it back in 

your business and keep it alive. 

The cost of this event is $50.00 

for WBO-MC members and 

$60.00 for non-members. 

If you’d like to attend, RSVP at 

wbo@wbo-mc.com or call 301- 

365-1755. The deadline for registration 

is November 13, 2008. 

WBO-MC provides monthly 

opportunities for women business 

owners to exchange information, 

share ideas, and provide support. 

Whether through their dinner series 

or their luncheon meetings, the 

ultimate goal of every WBO-MC 

event is to help women reach their 

full business potential. 

To learn more about WBO-MC, 

visit www.wbo-mc.com. 

WBO will be accepting nonperishable 

food donations for 

Manna Food Center at all 2008-09 

meetings. Please consider bringing 

one or more non-expired items. 

The foods Manna needs the most 

includes: peanut butter, tuna fish, 

canned fruit and vegetables, baby 

formula/baby food, shelf-stable 

milk, cereal and oatmeal, rice, 

canned and dried beans, tomato 

sauce, pasta, macaroni and cheese 

and canned soup. 

18 THE METRO HERALD

BUSINESS NEWS/BIDS & PROPOSALS 


WHEN TURNED DOWN FOR A BUSINESS LOAN, 

TURN TO A BUSINESS GRANT 

If you’ve applied for a business 

loan in the last six months, its a 

strong possibility that you were 

denied—even if you have good credit. 

This is because the current economic 

times have forced banks to be super 

cautious towards all loan applicants, 

even if you appear to be responsible. 

This is even worse news for minorities 

who have always found it difficult 

to obtain business and personal loans 

from financial institutions. In this regard, 

many have turned to business 

grants as a solution. In 2008 alone, 

$360 billion dollars in grant money was 

awarded and more than 25% of that 

COUNTY STRENGTHENS 

GLOBAL INVESTMENT AND 

PARTNERSHIPS 

OPPORTUNITIES 

Continued from page 21 

stops in Shanghai, Suzhou and Beijing. 

During the mission, the county delegation 

met with several key Chinese 

bio/pharma companies seeking a presence 

in the U.S., and visited and promoted 

several Montgomery County 

businesses operating in China, including 

Marriott, Discovery, United States 

Pharmacopeias and Sirnaomics. 

Highlights from the China mission 

include: 

• Leggett met with Governor Li Yiping 

of Pudong New Area, one of the 

fastest growing local economies in 

China and home to the Zhangjiang 

Hi-tech Park, a special area for 

technology-oriented businesses; 

Leggett signed an MOU with 

Pudong New Area to strengthen 

economic cooperation and increase 

prosperity for both Montgomery 

County and Pudong, specifically in 

the field of biotechnology – an industry 

where both regions have established 

leadership positions; 

• Leggett and the delegation visited 

the headquarters of Beijing-based 

JOINN Laboratories, which just announced 

the opening of its first 

U.S. subsidiary—JOINN USA—at 

the County’s new Germantown Innovation 

Center; Leggett congratulated 

top executives of JOINN 

China for their decision to locate in 

Montgomery County and welcomed 

them to the county; 

• Leggett visited several of China’s 

large Science and Technology 

Parks to promote the business benefits 

of Montgomery County to top 

officials at each location: 

—Zizhu Science Park 

— Suzhou Industrial Park 

—Beijing Economic Technological 

Development Area 

—Tianjin Economic Development 

Area 

— Lujiazui Financial District 

The Korea and China business development 

missions follow other recent 

initiatives by the Leggett administration 

to bolster and globally expand 

the County’s diverse, knowledgebased 

industries. 

Archive issues 

are available at 

www.metroherald.com! 

PUBLIC NOTICE 

was given to individuals who wanted to 

start or expand a business. 

Though many grant programs have 

been eliminated or reduced by corporations 

and government agencies, there are 

still plenty of opportunities available. 

For instance, business grants continue 

to be awarded from the Small 

Business Administration, the Department 

of Commerce, the U.S. Agency 

for International Development, the 

U.S. Business and Cooperative Programs, 

and many more. Even companies 

such as Miller Brewing Company, 

Ford Motors, and others are offering 

business grants through various competitions 

and contests. 

The National Institute of Business 

Grants (www.Business-Grants.com) 

is encouraging entrepreneurs and small 

business owners to not give up in their 

efforts to seek financial support, but 

just to redirect their search towards 

business grants. 

FAIRFAX COUNTY 

REDEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING 

AUTHORITY PROPOSED 

REVISIONS TO THE ANNUAL PLAN 

FOR PUBLIC HOUSING AND HOUSING 

CHOICE VOUCHER PROGRAM 

AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT 

The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority 

(FCRHA) invites all interested residents to review and comment on 

the proposed revisions to the Annual Plan for Public Housing and 

Housing Choice Voucher for Fiscal Year 2009 (FCHRA Fiscal 

Year 2010) mandated by the Federal Quality Housing and Work 

Responsibility Act of 1998. Through the updated plan, the FCRHA 

will advise the United States Department of Housing and Urban 

Development (HUD), residents of FCRHA-owned housing, and the 

public of the FCRHA’s mission to serve the needs of low-income and 

very low-income families for Housing Choice Voucher and Public 

Housing assistance and the FCRHA’s strategy to address those needs. 

The Five Year Plan and Annual Plan for Public Housing and 

Housing Choice Voucher Program provides details about the 

FCRHA’s immediate operations, program participants, and programs 

and services for the upcoming fiscal year. The Plan requires the 

FCRHA to examine its existing operations and needs and to design 

long-range and short-range strategies to address those needs. 

The proposed revisions to the Plan are available for public review 

and comment during the period of Nov. 3, 2008, to Dec. 17, 2008. All 

public comments must be postmarked before midnight, December 

17, 2008. The FCRHA will also conduct a public hearing at its Jan. 

22, 2009 meeting. The FCRHA meeting will be held at 4500 

University Plaza, Fairfax, VA at 7 p.m. The proposed revisions for 

FY2009 and the approved FY2008 (FCRHA Fiscal Year 2009) Annual 

Plan are available for review at the FCRHA Website (http://www. 

fairfaxcounty.gov/rha) and at the addresses that follow: 

Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development 

3700 Pender Drive, Suite 300, Fairfax, VA 22030 

703-246-5103 

Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development 

South County Government Center, 8350 Richmond Highway 

Suite 527, Alexandria, VA 22309 

703-704-6760 

Fairfax County Region II, 6245 Leesburg Pike, #300 

Falls Church, VA 22044 

703-533-5701 

Fairfax County Region III (Reston/Herndon Area) 

11484 Washington Plaza, W, #110, Reston, VA 20190 

703-787-4962 

Fairfax County Region IV (Western County) 

12011 Government Center Parkway, #232, Fairfax, VA 22035 

703-324-5285 

If you have any questions concerning the proposed revisions to the 

Plan, please call 703-246-5152. 

This document is available in an alternative format to persons with 

disabilities upon request. Please call 703-246-5101; TTY: 703-385- 

3578. Please allow seven working days for preparation of the material. 

Equal Housing/ 

Equal Opportunity Employer 

ACOUNT REP/SALES REPS/ 

PAYMENT REPS NEEDED 

ABB GROUP INC. is looking for part-time workers for the posts 

of ACCOUNT REP/SALES REPS/PAYMENT REPRESENTA- 

TIVES and Bookkeeping. It pays $2500–$4000 a month plus 

benefits and takes only little of your time. Please contact us for 

more details. 

Requirements—Should be computer literate 

Have 2-3 hours’ access to the internet weekly 


Must be efficient and dedicated. 

If you are interested and need more information, contact email: 

abbjob@gmail.com. 

PART-TIME JOB OFFER 

Our company is looking for part-time workers for the post of 

ACCOUNT MANAGERS/SALES REPS. It pays a good salary 

plus benefits. Please contact us for more details. 

Requirements—Must be comuter literate 

Must have 2-3 hours access to internet weekly 


Must be efficient and dedicated 

If you are interested and need more information, contact Jenny 

Andrea, email: jnny_ndr11@yahoo.com 

MYSTERY SHOPPERS WANTED 

Cole Consulting Firm wants some Mystery Shoppers from 

anywhere in the United States. All applicants would be given a 

Guide to read with all the needed explanations. No application fee. 

Requirements—Must be 18 years of age and above 

Must be able to check email 2-3 times a day 

Must be honest 

For more details: cole.consultinc@live.com 

ACCOUNTING CLERK WANTED 

Account receivable/payable clerk wanted, for more information 

contact: 

dsmithuk01@yahoo.com 

or call 206-339-7637 

ENGLISH BULLDOGS FOR SALE 

CUTE ENGLISH BULLDOGS, PURE BREED, MALE AND 

FEMALES AVAILABLE WITH PICTURES, 10 WEEKS. PRICE 

$600. FOR MORE DETAILS, SEND EMAIL TO ADRIAN 

COLE. AT COLE1063@GMAIL.COM. 

ACCOUNT & PAYMENT 

REPRESENTATIVE NEEDED 

As part of its expansion program, Alexander’s Bead Bazaar Ltd. is 

looking for an account & payment representative. Job pays $3,000 

a month plus benefits and takes only a little of your time. Please 

contact us for more details. 

Requirements—Must be over 21 years of age 

Must be computer literate 

Must be able to access internet 2-3 hours weekly 

Must be efficient and dedicated 

If you are interested and need more information, contact james at: 

sm.james147@gmail.com. 

THE METRO HERALD 19


20 THE METRO HERALD

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