Column: Senior Law Day Teaches How To Avoid Scams
Senior Services of Alexandria
Last June, Senior Services of Alexandria ended our second annual Speaker Series with a discussion about local scams targeting seniors. Ever since, I seem to hear more and more stories from friends and neighbors about someone who has been the victim to this type of predatory behavior. So I guess it shouldn't have come as a surprise when we received one of those "too good to be true" calls at home last Saturday. The recorded message promised that the Affordable Health Care Act entitled anyone over 60 to receive a $3,000 cash food benefit and a free life alert system. All I had to do was "press 1" to get started! Fortunately, I remembered learning that just pressing "1" would send me into a maze of scam artists, waiting for someone to identify themselves as a senior willing to listen to their latest scheme.
Commentary: Help Fight Breast Cancer
Pam Baker’s attention to detail saves lives. As a nurse and quality consultant here at Inova Alexandria Hospital, Pam diligently ensures our staff follow evidence-based guidelines and practices that promote the best outcomes for our patients. She also practices what she preaches: Pam follows guidelines from the American Cancer Society, which recommend that women over 40 get a mammogram every year. Eight years ago, her annual mammogram detected a lump in one of her breasts. “I wasn’t worried about dying of breast cancer. [The lump] was small. Because of my yearly exams, I knew it wasn’t there the year before,” Baker said. Fortunately, her mammogram flagged her breast cancer at an early stage. Baker underwent a mastectomy and hormone treatment at Inova Alexandria Hospital. Today, she’s a survivor.
Costumed Dolls Aid MetroArts
From ballerinas to Barbies.
Alexandria resident Virginia Britton has come up with a creative way to raise funds for the Metropolitan Arts Collaborate (MetroArts), a non-profit organization that she started in June 2012. The mission of MetroArts, which is currently in the process of becoming a 5019(C)(3), is to provide affordable fine arts education to local students. By taking classic Barbies and selling them as transformed, artfully-costumed custom dolls, Britton is using her own fine arts skills to raise money for the budding foundation. Currently, she sells her dolls at the gift store, A Show of Hands. She also takes requests. She will also be selling the dolls at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair at the Masonic Temple on Dec. 7 and 8. As a ballet director, she has designed her fair share of ballet costumes, so she had plenty of doll-sized costumes for different themes.
Carlyle House Hosts Historic Fashion Show
15 models highlight styles from Colonial and Federal periods, 1753 to 1760s.
Living historians modeled 18th-century clothing at an Historic Fashion Show at the Carlyle House on Saturday, Sept. 21 — clothing that would have been worn by society maverick John Carlyle and his family in Old Town Alexandria. This year’s show focused on the Colonial, Federal and Civil War-era (1753 to 1860s), as well as the mid-19th century. “Our goal was to share the history of fashion that the Carlyle family would have been wearing and encountering among their peers,” said Helen Wirka, curator and site specialist at Carlyle House. The Carlyle’s home was the center of Alexandria’s wealth and politics from 1741 to 1780, according to Wirka. John Carlyle was a town founder, surveyor, justice of the peace, and building contractor. He hosted the Bread and Butter Ball, and entertained the likes of George and Martha Washington, Gen. Edward Braddock and five governors at his mansion. He married Sara Fairfax in 1747, and the couple had seven children. After Sara died, he married Sybil West in 1761; and they had three children.
Decorating for Fall
Local designers offer suggestions for bringing the harvest into your home.
The colors of autumn are all around as pumpkins and squash fill produce stands and leaves change from green to orange, red and yellow before falling from their branches. Local designers and tastemakers are unveiling home accents that bring the warm hues of the season into the home. Whether using pillows, throws or flowers, adding the colors and textures of fall requires less effort than one might expect. “Emerald green, orange and turquoise are three of the biggest color trends we’re seeing,” said Marcus Browning of European Country Living in Old Town Alexandria. “Throws and pillows are a given, but you can also tie in traditional and modern accessories with rugs, stained glass lamps with modern or intricate designs.” Small trays provide a canvas for highlighting color and adding functionality to a room, says Marika Meyer of Marika Meyer Interiors in Bethesda, Md. “Color and pattern are in right now,” she said. “I just purchased the C. Wonder (http://www.cwonder.com) navy and white chevron tray for my home. It adds a punch of color and freshness to a room. Preppy is back in a big way, too, offering lots of patterns.”
Style Meets Function
A local designer creates a stylish and functional master bathroom in an Alexandria home.
Once a modest room reserved for bathing, the bathroom has become a showcase for cutting-edge design and luxurious materials. One Alexandria family discovered this when they decided to remodel the long, narrow master bathroom in their colonial home. “Our old fixtures were wearing out,” said homeowner Pat Smith. “Also the bathroom layout was choppy and dark. There was plenty of square feet, but [the space] was inefficient.” The family hired Arlington designer Allie Mann of Case Design/Remodeling Inc. to transform the disjointed, utilitarian space into an oasis with a larger shower and additional areas for storage. “The client’s request for the bathroom remodel was a more open, connected plan,” said Mann. “Before the vanity space didn’t feel connected to the rest of the bathroom … and the [entire] space felt disconnected. The client wanted dual vanities … and a more modern feel.”
Healthy Advice — Free
Alfred Street Baptist Church’s community fair offers screenings, immunizations and seminars.
More than 300 people turned out Sept. 28 for the 2013 Alfred Street Baptist Church Community Health Fair, where free health screenings, immunizations and seminars were offered as part of an effort to increase and promote health awareness.
National Park Service Shutters Mount Vernon Trail Amid Budget Crisis
Parts of trail are barricaded;; parking lots closed/ Park Service Police issue parking tickets.
Woody Guthrie observed "This Land is Your Land." But that apparently does not apply to federal land during a government shutdown.
Board of Architectural Review Has Harsh Words for Waterfront Hotel Concept
Chairman calls the project 'too much, too big.'
Last year, the Board of Architectural Review sent Carr Hospitality back to the drawing board on its proposal to build a 121-room hotel on the waterfront.
Rattanaphone’s 3 Interceptions Lead TC Football Past Woodson
Titans improve to 3-1, Cavaliers drop to 0-4
The T.C. Williams football team is 3-1 for the first time since 2005.
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Military Notes
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Cycling for Charity in Coast-to-Coast Journey
Son and father ride 3,700 miles.
Alexandria Students reflect on their charitable summer bike rides.
SSSAS Field Hockey Coach Celebrates Win No. 500
Marsha Way is in her 35th season as Saints head coach.
Saints off to an 8-0 start in 2013.
Full Disclosure? Forms Plagued By Lack of Information, Absence of Oversight
Fairfax County goes so far as to redact disclosure documents.
Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell is in hot water for taking gifts without disclosing them, and legislators are talking about increasing disclosure requirements for family members. But here in Northern Virginia, personal financial disclosure forms are often incomplete and inconsistent.
Video
- NewsTalk Segment 25 comments
- County Council President Roger Berliner Faces Angry Crowd in Potomac 17 comments