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About:

Lorton Valley Star Newspaper
monthly and on the web
www.LortonValleyStar.com

Covering the greater Lorton, VA area from Fairfax /Franconia Parkway to Prince William Parkway.

Contact Information:

Floyd Harrison,
Publisher, Editor-in-Chief
Lorton Valley Star Communications, LLC

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Lorton Valley Star
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Lorton Valley, VA 22199

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© 2005 Floyd Harrison T/A
Lorton Valley Star Comm.
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Mother's Grieving Heart

On November 10, 2000 Maria's daughter Crystal was killed in a terrible accident. Maria went through what no mother in the world wants or expects to go through.

Go To Site…

To moms who have suffered the loss of a child:

When Maria was faced with the death of her child, all the books she read provided the same answer. This answer was not good enough. She began to write poetry. Her poetry was a way for her to find the answers to the terrible crisis that she could not find in any book. Through writing her poetry, Maria became closer to God and she found during her journey, that God's mercy is a sufficient answer to any crisis or devastating situation.

Those poems are now available in the book, "Crystal, A Mother's Grieving Heart" published by Lorton Valley Star. It is available in Occoquan at the Coffee House of Occoquan and at Attic Treasures. It is also available online from Maria's web site.

Buy the book now…

Copyright © 2003 Maria Carneiro, of Montclair, Prince William County, Virginia, USA

All international rights reserved.

94 Pages
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1994 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.



Catalog Data:

Carneiro, Maria A.
Crystal, A Mother’s Grieving Heart
Original Publication:
A.D. 2005
ISBN 0-9764770-0-9

Grief, Poetry

Library of Congress Number TXu1-189-869

Cover Art:
Michelle Carneiro
Graphics and Layout:
Floyd Harrison




Publisher:
Lorton Valley Star Communications
P.O. Box 1436
Lorton, VA 22199
USA

See Coffee House

See Attic Treasures

What You Can Do!

Richard is sure that adding this feature to your home can halve your need for air-conditioning. “Tar roofs are replaced every five to 10 years. Converting to an Icehouse Roof at replacement time would cost little more.”

You can adopt other strategies from this remarkable passive solar home to increase the energy efficiency of your home.

• 10 inches of Styrofoam insulation in your roof would give you the equivalent of six foot of earth cover.

• You can install ‘barn door hardware’ to super-insulate your doors and windows

• Dedicate a closed foyer or laundry room as an entry vestibule or add a second door to create an airlock

• Limit solar access in summer with awnings and by closing heavy drapes.

• Increase solar access in winter: for example add a south facing window, open drapes during days, fit a storm door to southern doors and leave the solid door open on sunny days.

• Add thermal mass inside where the sun will fall on it on winter days, or in well insulated rooms; for example an aquarium, a dark tiled floor, brick/stone feature or wall

Lower tech solutions include sealing and weather stripping all air leaks, fitting pelmets and insulating drapes to all windows, insulating walls and ceilings, adding a window box greenhouse/heater to a south-facing window, adding radiator reflectors, insulating accessible hot water pipes, add a hot water tank jacket and insulate it with reflective foil, and providing cold air supply to woodfires.

Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases

The Lions Club International Foundation has signed-on as a co-sponsor of the global effort to combat a group of ten neglected tropical diseases by the year 2020. The WHO announced the plans with partners including the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank.
A video http://www.unitingtocombatntds.org/ntd-video/ will be available on the Mason Neck Lions web site. Lions, known as the knights of the blind, have led the way working in Latin America and the Caribbean to eliminate River Blindness and blinding Trachoma. A couple of countries have been able to declare that they are river blindness free through Lions efforts. As well, there are another 8 NTDS targeted for elimination in our region, see www.paho.org/neglecteddiseases/ .
For more information about Mason Neck Lions Club visit http://www.valions.org/mason/ .

Pohick Creek Storm Clean-up

By Joe Chudzik

Four volunteers helped to collect litter from Pohick Creek on a Saturday morning, last month.
Rob Kolb and his son Alex, together with Tom Nally and Joe Chudzik of the Mason Neck Lions Club came out to assist in this environmental project. Alex earned credit for student community service work.
The Mason Neck Citizens Association adopted Pohick Creek under the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation “Adopt-A-Stream Program and agreed to perform a minimum of two clean-ups each year.
A total of ten bags of litter; three tires; a plastic 50-gallon chemical container; and several road signs, with help from the employees of the Noman M. Cole, Jr. Pollution Control Plant.
Hurricane Lee in September 2011 unleashed a tremendous volume of stormwater that rose more than four feet over the Pohick Creek Bridge on Old Colchester Road, overflowing the bridge and roadway depositing silt and debris across a wide floodplain on Mason Neck.
The Mason Neck Lions Club provided clean-up supplies, refreshments and DCR Certificates of Appreciation to the participating volunteers.
The next Pohick Creek clean-up project is scheduled for Saturday, April 7th , 9 a.m. – noon. Please mark your calendars!

Antivirus and Fake Antivirus


by PL Potts, CISSP, CEH

Welcome to February, the shortest month of the year. This year we have an extra day tacked on to the end, which gives me one more day to remind you to keep your antivirus programs updated. If you don’t have an antivirus program installed on your computer, it’s time to get one!
How do antivirus programs work? Most are based on recognizing the code that makes up malicious files such as viruses and Trojans. The program compares the code inside a malicious file to a known database of malware, and if it finds a match the antivirus program attempts to either delete the file, quarantine it to prevent it from affecting the computer, or delete it. Antivirus programs are also programmed to recognize suspicious behavior from a piece of code. If a piece of software tries to connect to the internet without permission for example—which is how most malware tries to get information off your system—it will give you an alert and ask what you want to do.
There are plenty of big names in antivirus software out there—Norton by Symantec, Trend Micro, and McAfee all offer their protection for a fee. If you’re on a budget, that doesn’t mean you can’t add antivirus protection to your machine. AVG, Bitdefender, and Avast! are three examples of free antivirus programs that are available for download. Beware, however, if you see a popup screen on your system that advertises a unknown antivirus program or warns you that “your computer is infected—click here for details”—these are indicators of a class of malicious software called “fake AV”, and usually means your computer is already infected with one of these malicious programs.
Keep in mind antivirus programs alone will not ensure that your computer is safe—it should be one piece of a layered approach for defending your information. Making sure that you do not download and run unknown software is always the first step. Also, make sure that your system is kept updated—many Trojans and viruses take advantage of unpatched Windows systems. Mac users—don’t think that just because you are running a Mac OS that you are immune—there are plenty of bad actors out there who have unleashed viruses for Apple products as well.
Thanks for reading! If you have questions or comments, please send them to me at cybersecuritycorner@gmail.com. You can also follow me on Twitter, @cyberseccorner. Stay safe!

Living In Interesting Times

An old Chinese saying warns us, “May you live in interesting times.” And from here at the Corner, the times look interesting indeed. We’ve certainly seen a lot of history in the first half of 2011; revolutions in the Middle East, a tragic earthquake in Japan, and the royal wedding in the United Kingdom have all captured our attention and kept people worldwide riveted to television screens, computer monitors, and mobile devices for the latest news.
Major world events always provide fodder for email and social network based scams, ranging from simple hoaxes to malicious attachments designed to separate you from your passwords, money, or control of your computer. Within hours of the death of terrorist Usama Bin Laden, scam emails flooded the internet with links alleging to show pictures or video of the scene. Facebook users also saw wall posts titled “See Bin Laden Dead” or “Bin Laden EXECUTION VIDEO! Yes it’s REAL!” with links that if clicked, infected users’ computers with malicious code and spread the spam to members of their friend lists.
Unfortunately, scammers also took advantage of the misery caused by the recent Alabama tornadoes and other natural disasters, not only to spread malware but to take advantage of the generosity of others by posing as charities and relief organizations. If you receive one of these emails, delete it. Don’t click on any links or open any attachments in the email or post. If you are solicited for donations after a crisis, make sure you know who you are dealing with. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers some helpful resources at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/charityfraud to help you figure out whether a charitable organization is real.
Thanks for reading! If you have questions or comments, please send them to me at cybersecuritycorner@gmail.com. You can also follow me on Twitter, @cyberseccorner. Stay safe!

Look for the “S”


by PL Potts, CISSP, CEH

Spring is here at the Corner, and for a lot of folks that means spending time sipping on a cool drink outside at one of our area’s fine coffee houses or outdoor restaurants. At many of these establishments, people take advantage of wireless internet connections to log on to social networking sites to keep in touch with friends and family, or even do a little online shopping. However, those same wireless hot spots are a ripe hunting ground for individuals who want to steal your passwords, financial information, or other personal data. How do you protect yourself? One easy way is to make sure that you are accessing websites that handle sensitive information by using a HTTPS connection. HTTPS stands for “Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure”, and is a means of transmitting data over an encrypted, or scrambled, channel. Regular HTTP—used by most websites that do not handle sensitive information—is sent in the clear and can be easily eavesdropped. In addition, there is no way to know exactly who is sitting behind a HTTP website, making it easy for bad actors to set up fraudulent websites that masquerade as legitimate ones. HTTPS uses a system of trusted authorities that verify secured websites are indeed who they say they are. If you are using HTTPS, an eavesdropper can only see that there is a connection, but is unable to read the actual data. So how do you use HTTPS? Simple. Look at the address bar at the top of your web browser. If the address starts with https://, you are already using it. A small icon that looks like a closed padlock will also appear at the bottom of your browser window. Online banking and shopping sites should always show up as HTTPS. If you are using the Firefox browser, there is an extension available at https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere from the folks at the Electronic Frontier Foundation that will automatically set your browser to use HTTPS connections when they are available. That’s all for this month. If you have questions or comments, please send them to me at cybersecuritycorner@gmail.com. You can also follow me on Twitter, @cyberseccorner. Stay safe!

Password vs. P@$spHrAs3


by PL Potts, CISSP, CEH

How many times a day do you type in a password? Whether you’re banking online or checking your email, you likely have to keep track of several throughout your day. Your passwords help you access social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, access your money, and check emails—which make them very valuable to criminals looking to steal your identity or worse. The problem with passwords is that they have to be hard for the bad guys to figure out, but easy for you to remember.

Instead of passwords, try using a different passphrase for each site. This is a sentence or phrase that is easy for you to remember but would be more difficult for a stranger to guess. For added security, substitute random characters in that phrase with capital letters, numbers, and special characters such as the “at” sign (@).

For example, let’s say you use the word “macaroni” as a password. This is not a strong password, as it is found in the dictionary; there are several hacker tools which use lists of common words to guess account passwords.

Now, consider the phrase “I like macaroni and cheese”. This is stronger, as it is longer and easier to remember, but still contains common words.

A better passphrase would be “1 l1k3 Mac@r0Ni & Ch33ze!”. This passphrase includes capital and lower case letters, special characters, and numbers, yet is still recognizable as an easy-to-remember phrase. The website howsecureismypassword.net estimates a desktop PC would take about 238 nonillion years—that’s 238 followed by 30 zeroes— to crack this passphrase.

The trick is to use phrases that only you know and can remember easily, even with the character substitution. If it’s easy to remember, you’ll be less tempted to write it down on a piece of paper which can be lost or stolen.
Contact the author: cybersecuritycorner@gmail.com

My Phish Collection


by PL Potts, CISSP, CEH

Some people collect baseball cards, others collect coins or stamps. I collect spam emails. I wanted to share a classic example that landed in my inbox a couple of years ago in order to help you recognize this all-too-common threat.
This email is an example of a tactic called “phishing.” Phishing emails are crafted to appear from legitimate sources in order to entice the receiver to either open a link or attached file. Doing either one usually results in malicious code being dropped on the computer that can steal passwords and banking information, allow remote access into the computer, or wreak other types of havoc.

At first glance, this may appear to be a legitimate email from a bank, but a few telltale clues give this one away:
Asking you to validate your online bank account by clicking on a link. Legitimate banks will not send you an unsolicited email asking you to change your passwords or validate your credentials. The link in this case appears to be a Wachovia website, but hidden beneath is the actual domain, which is registered in France and is a known criminal site.

⎯ Grammatical errors and/or misspellings. “This email has being send to all our bank customers…”

⎯ Warnings or threats about failure to comply with the instructions. Again, a legitimate bank will not do this.

This email tries to be particularly cute by claiming to be from the “Wachovia Online Security Team,” asks you to use their new “secure and safe SSL servers,” and even includes a bogus copyright notice.
If you receive a phishing email, do not click any of the links or open the attachments—simply delete it. You can also report the email to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or forward it to the Anti-Phishing Working Group—an independent association dedicated to combating email fraud—at reportphishing@antiphishing.org.

Contact the author: cybersecuritycorner@gmail.com

Mobile Websites

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Fairfax Library
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Description
The Fairfax Library app is the key iOS portal to "Your Library" in Fairfax County. No matter where you are, access to the library is only a touch away on your iOS device. You can search Fairfax County Public Library resources, find information and materials, check your account status, and see what other customers think is "hot." Want to check for available holds so you can swing by on the way home? Need turn-by-turn directions to a particular library location? Check for new books by your favorite author?

With the Fairfax Library app, you can:

● Discover books, movies, CD's, and more in the online catalog.
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● Place holds on items to pick up when they become available.
● Check your account status.
● Renew your material.
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● Have your library card with you all the time with the VisualID feature.

iPhone App Visit Fairfax:
Official Visitors Guide to Fairfax County and Northern Virginia
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/visit-fairfax-official-visitors/id382129736?mt=8

USA Search
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iPhone App
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Quantico Orienteering Club Hosts Successful Event at Meadowood

The Quantico Orienteering Club hosted its annual orienteering event at Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area on Mason Neck. Orienteering is speedy cross-country land navigation using map and compass. For the novice, that means you go from one point to the next, cross country, using just a compass and a map. Courses are normally done on foot. There are also mountain bike, road bike, canoe and cross country skiing variations.
Course setters place control bags at various locations in a mapped area and then indicate on a map where the controls are. Participants visit the controls in sequence and record on an electronic device what time they reached the control. The participant that visits all the controls on the course with the fastest time wins. So, it’s not uncommon to see participants walking, jogging, or even running across meadows and through forests as they navigate from point to point.
The club laid out seven courses at the Meadowood event to allow for participants of all ages and abilities. Course difficulty varied by adding distance and placing controls further from easily found features. The event had 92 starts. A start is counted for one athlete or for a group going together. Best estimation is that the club had about 120 participants at the event. Participants included those experienced in orienteering and novice, first-time participants. Ages varied as well, as this is a fun family activity that gets everyone out in the fresh air and learning a new skill.
Meadowood provided an ideal location for the event, Sunday, December 19, with its varying terrain and extensive trail system.

Resolutions Are Overrated

By Floyd Harrison

Most of us have given up on resolutions because we fail to keep the promise to ourselves. Starting with the most noble intentions we set goals unreasonably high. Often it’s to flat stop our worst custom. Any pattern is usually not changed instantly even if we could lock ourselves away from it. And if that is a psycological addiction there will be mental conflict. Resolutions are seldom solutions and they subject us to cruel self condemnation. Many resolutions made for the new year are carelessly made without much thought. Resolutions are Overrated.
Not to rule out trying for self improvement, we can be positive about it and make life changes more creature friendly. Self esteem is at the root. If your esteem of your self suffers, that’s the first issue to address. The tendency is to resolve the whole big most obvious failing which is probably too deeply rooted to change instantly without an attitude change.
Start with positive affirmation of yourself and begin to consciously insist that doubts are not true. If you believe you can’t do something, that you’re somehow not good enough then there is no hope of success. You are already defeated. Why condem yourself?
If you consciously affirm good and positive things about yourself, you can retrain the subconscious mind to believe the positive things instead of the defeatist self condemnation. Then you have a shot and motivation to overcome can blossom. Did you ever wonder why two people of similar intelligence and training can have such vastly different successes? Why should you be left behind when the only difference is faith? Now, back to those resolutions. Attitude alone may be the underlying needed resolution. Try it. Just go to bed saying positive things.
If goals are reasonable, and partial improvement is considered success then you be can be encouraged that we can improve step wise. You can build rewards into your plan. Don’t make a resolution to improve something you don’t really want to fix. You need to want to please someone else as part of your character.
Start with halving your original goal and then make a plan to meet a part of the goal every day or week. Analyze and address just one facet of the problem. Progress toward that part of the goal gets a reward.
If your goal is to be more positive and happy then dash one negative belief at a time. You can. You are good enough. You are smart enough. There is a way.
If your goal is to lose weight, then half of the goal is to stop gaining weight. Try dropping just one bad habit at a time. Hold the line for one week and treat yourself to some desire. Hold the line for two weeks and your are succeeding. If you can do that, then you are encouraged that your new life style could get you to succeed. Divide and conquer.
If your goal is to quit being critical, you might find that hard as you don’t realize when you are being critical at first. So halve the goal: For everytime you catch your self being negative, say something positive to counter that. Soon you’ll have your brain trained to recognize the difference and catch yourself sooner. Then try turning it around. When you want to criticize, say the positive thing first. Think, I am a positive person. Do you still feel the need to say the negative thing? OK then say another positive thing after that. Then analyze the response coming back to you.
If your goal is to quit cheating on you significant other … half way may not work on that. But you can always replace a bad thing with a worthwhile good activity. There is lots of need for volunteer activity in Lorton. It’s not just for the conscience but also so you can retrain the belief of the subconscious mind.
In short, be good to yourself, believe in yourself, be a positive person, break the big goals down to the root pieces or causes and resolve to correct a smaller goal. It’s still a noble cause and yet much kinder and gentler on yourself. Enjoy your resolutions so that your resolutions won’t be overrated.

Dr. Hugh Ross Presents Universe as Plan

Review by: Floyd Harrison

Dr. Hugh Ross presented his theories of the Universe and how current observations in astronomy support the idea that Creation is a plan not just some mere chance. He was speaking at New Hope Church in Lorton.
Though he professes to be a Christian and his effort is to build faith, his views met with mixed acceptance as his explanations seem to support some evolutionist ideas. He was quized about the length of a day in Genesis. Still, his observations about how impossible our evolution is are quite astounding.
He allows for an old Earth and a long time for our development and justifies this saying that the Hebrew language of scripture had just one word “day” for anything from a literal morning and evening to an indefinite period of time. Yet, vast impossibility and the extreme precision required for our development rules out Darwinian Evolution. And, yes, Ross is aware of Carl Sagan and that even his observations demonstrate order beyond accident.
Dr. Ross says that we live in the perfect time in the history of the Universe and in the best spot to be able to observe the whole of time and space because from our dark vantage point, we can see out to the far edge and back to the first instant and the future. He also said that because of the continuing exponential expansion, future observations will be of the decay of the Universe relative to being able to support life as we know it.
The Bible predicts that there will be a new ‘Heaven’ and a new ‘Earth’. The sciences of Physics and Astronomy show us that this will indeed be necessary. Without faith in the Second Creation, it’s a dismal outlook.
Dr. Ross founded a science-faith think tank called Reasons To Believe. He and his colleagues keep tabs on the frontiers of research to share news of what’s being discovered and how it connects with biblical theology. In this realm, he has written many books, including: The Fingerprint of God, The Creator and the Cosmos, Beyond the Cosmos, The Genesis Question, A Matter of Days, Creation as Science, Why the Universe Is the Way It Is, and More Than a Theory.

Pants Are Overrated: (the overrated series)

Radical Opinions of The Old Grouse

Skirts are unbifurcated garments. That means they are not divided into two leg openings. Unbifurcated garments are practical with advantages over pants. Everyone looks better in them because they obscure bulges and cracks. If you think you don’t look good in an unbifurcated garment, solve the problem, pants are not the solution. Pants are overrated.

Seriously, though pants were invented in the middle east thousands of years ago and were common to people who fought on horses like Knights. Bifurcated garments did not come into general usage until the time of colonizing America and then only for men. Other than in the trade capitals of the world, where European style and American English are now the order of business, everyone else is still wearing unbifurcated garments. In all the World, this country or continent has the most perverse attitude about skirts. But, why?

The most powerful footed armies in history have been clad in armor over short skirts. It was considered manly. Even during the little Ice Age, the Highlanders adopted the pleated wool Kilt. Until the end of the Rennaissance, peasants and Kings alike wore shirts or short dresses. Long garments were only for scholars, clergy, and powerful government officials. To this day, we graduate in gowns, priests officiate and judges rule in robes.

Admittedly pants have advantages for dirty and abrasive work environments. Jeans make sense for cowhands and people pouring molten and caustic substances or for sanitary work environments. These are predominently men’s jobs but, by-the-way, there are also Men’s Unbifurcated Garments or MUGs for work, dress and casual wear. But, let’s look at the advantages of unbifurcated garments for less hostile environments and we’ll just call them all skirts because it’s easier to say.

• Skirts give freedom of movement, you won’t have any ripped out seats.
• Skirts encourage movement because they are more fun to walk or dance in.
• Reduced chaffing from crotch seams on long hikes.
• Possible to change clothes in public using a full skirt.
• Skirts let you answer the call of nature without disrobing.
• Skirts, especially full knee-length ones, help regulate body temperature: The more you move, the more heat is generated in thigh muscles, the more cooling is needed but movement also causes more air to be pumped providing cooling. The secret is keep moving.
• Skirts expose knees to cold telling the brain to stoke-up the fires of metabolism to keep your body warmer so you won’t shiver and the blood flow will adjust to insulate you. The knee joint, however will be warm with blood from the working thigh muscle.
• Skirts encourage back healthy exercise by reminding you to lift with your legs instead bending over straining your back.
• Skirts are more appealing to the opposite gender.
• Skirts are underwear optional; Avoid wedgies or get a thong and get over it.
• Skirts are an easier fit.
• Skirts obscure bulges, sags and cracks. Somebody had to say it.
• Skirts are more comfortable once you’re accustomed to them.
• Skirts represent that you are secure and well poised.
• Skirts, being less common these days, represent an attitude of defiance toward social subjection. They represent freedom.

How can pants beat that? Ok, being fair, if you ride a horse, and a girl has a tight body, then tight riding pants and tall boots are pretty sexy. Apparently, someone told women that the power is in the pants. Actually, it’s in the mind. Plus, blue jeans aren’t really comfortable. They are hot when it’s hot and cold when it’s cold. Cotton holds moisture and doesn’t move it to keep you comfortable. It’s thoughtless degenerate fashion.

Show that you gave some thought to what you put on before you left the house. Rethink for yourself what is appropriate. Women wear men’s pants with pockets they won’t use and carry a purse anyway. What sense does that make? Men’s big decision is which Tee shirt: Shall I be humorous today or advocate some philosophy, sport or hobby? No one is going to notice anyway.

Wanna be noticed? Break out of drab normalcy and wear an unbifurcated garment, enjoy the advantages. By the way, guys, wear a nice shirt. Ladies, quit pretending that pants are hiding something; that’s a lie. Face facts; Don’t lie to your self about your condition. We can all tell if you are out of shape. Wearing the unbifurcated garment will encourage healthy exercise and remind you of your commitment to get in shape. You do have a commitment to modify your lifestyle and get in shape this year don’t you?

It’s true that cold makes arthritic joints stiffer but warming exercise counters that and there is absolutely no danger that cold causes arthritis. The Kilt evolved in the Scottish Highlands where 70 is a hot day a 20 is frequent. We softies make a lot of excuses about cold and dark depression while productive civilizations live on the arctic circle. Speaking of the Kilt, MUGs have additional benefits for men.

• The Kilt or whatever native garb represents pride in native culture.
• The Kilt is not just a skirt but is well designed for modesty of men who don’t learn to sit like the ladies do.
• The Kilt is an example of military uniform which is also formal dress.
• The pricey wool fabric Kilt is a good value and will last much longer than department store duds which become next year’s house work clothes.
• A MUG represents self determination, defiance of tyranny and security.
• A MUG is more accommodating of male anatomy. Again, somebody had to say it.
• A MUG is more fun to wear than anything besides being comfortable.
• A MUG guarantees that you will not be mistaken as a slave to the fashion represented in the Weekend paper sales flyers as if that’s anything to copy.
• A casual MUG is great for taking it easy or sporting activity.
• MUGs are more green. Most MUGs are manufactured in their native lands not in Asian sweat shops. Tartan Kilts are made in the UK or America. Utility Kilts are made in America. If you still think Kilts are cold, a popular brand of work Kilt is made in Sweden and demand outstripped production capability.

Kilts and MUGs come in every material but are heavier than women’s skirts. They aren’t likely to fly in the breeze but so what even if it did, guys have been enjoying girls skirts flying longer than you’ve been alive so it’s just time you can grow up.

But, we were discussing pants. Actually, I can’t remember why we were discussing pants. Your native pride might include lederhosen or those middle eastern garments with pants which haven’t changed in four thousand years. Well, anyone would agree that a suit looks nice on a man. And if you happen to not want to be the distraction at some meeting, pants are a good option. Skirts wouldn’t be such a distraction if more people wore them. Otherwise, I see little reason to prefer pants. When you go clothes shopping you need to dress according to what you want to buy. If you go in pants, you’ll probably end up in more pants.

Skirts are for girls and pants are for men? Which is it ladies? Why are you wearing pants? You approve of everyone wearing what they want to? You see the commercials, when it’s important for the product that a woman look attractive, they are in skirts. I’m tired of the trouser tyranny dress stardard but it’s falling. I’m especially tired of pants on women except the riding breeches. Unbifurcated garments are for strong, secure, self directed people. MUGs are for real men. Kilts are for Celts. There are lots more reasons to prefer unbifurcated garments, some surround health, but how many do you need? Number one: You like it and you can. Pants are Overrated.

I enjoy wearing my Tartan Kilts and Utilikilts frequently. My local source for Utilikilts just moved after two years in Manassas to downtown City of Alexandria on Union Street about a block from King Street and also from Waterfront Park. There you can try one on for yourself.

Green Before Its Time

The Ultimate Solar Home in Lorton, Virginia

a feature report by Sally Ramsden (a center pull out in the February print issue)

Seen from the air, it’s almost invisible. That’s because it is 92% earth covered.

Meet ‘Terra Uchi’, a 3400 square-foot concrete home in Lorton Valley. Instead of a house, from above it looks like a bright green lawn! Literally translated, it’s ‘inside earth’, it means ‘home’ in Japanese. It is pronounced tare-ra oo-chee.
Well lit by skylights, a built-in greenhouse, huge glass panels, and sliding glass doors, ‘Terra Uchi’ is far from dark and dreary. “I set out to prove that underground doesn’t have to be ugly.” says owner-builder-architect Richard Hibbert. “This house was green before ‘Green’ was a word”.

The only home maintenance required is mowing the roof during the warm seasons. Callers might hear a telephone answering machine saying “Please leave a message because I may just be on the roof!”

From inside, we can hear the leaves being blown off the roof, and I’m invited up onto the roof. The outside air is close to freezing; leaves are swirling. The home and gardens sit in a tiny clearing in the woods.

Jennie shows me around her gardens on the roof-top, side-slopes, and at ground level, where her three-tier brick composting system is sited, near to her fruit and vegetable garden, the wood pile and the back door.

Inside ‘Terra Uchi’ though, it’s a comfortable 68°, and feels warmer. This home is quietly heated by design, not by a noisy furnace. Room temperature varies naturally from 66° in winter to 74° in summer.

This home demonstrates ‘Passive Solar Design’, which means the home is warmed, and cooled, by the sun. Passive Solar Design takes advantage of the gradual change in the angle of the sun as it falls on the earth from season to season.
‘Terra Uchi’ was specially sited, for the passive solar advantage, and designed to fit the landscape perfectly. “I looked for a south facing ridge or hill” says Richard “We built it on bare rock, pulling together things I have learned in my prior life as an architect”.

Richard was Chief Architect for Navy Housing, he has consulted with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and privately designed a number of active and passive solar homes for Northern Virginia.

The house is fireproof, all reinforced concrete, 400 tons of it. “Sure, I used a lot of concrete, it’s very stabilizing”. Inside relative humidity is 40% year-round, fresh and dry, never “musty like Grandma’s basement”.

Richard and Jennie Hibbert built the home themselves between 1980 and 1983, with help from high school boys. They’d pre-cast concrete walls flat on the slab, complete with door and window holes.

Once raised and fixed into place, this concrete structure is strong enough to support the earth-covered roof and walls, and probably anything that nature can throw at it.
Hurricane Isabel blew a huge tree right across the roof, causing zero structural damage. This home needs little if any maintenance. While other homes demand exterior handymen, glaziers and painters, this home asks only for a gardener.

“The kids built the roof, as freshmen in college.” The earth-covered roof consists of poured-in-place concrete, 4 inches of Styrofoam insulation, a self repairing waterproof membrane, 6 inches of round gravel, silt trapping cloth, 2 feet of earth, and a lush covering of lawn.

It’s as if the home is 6 feet under. In Lorton Valley, six feet beneath the ground, the soil and bedrock remains a constant temperature of 55° a year round, as a result of solar warming of the earth.

So how does the room temperature in this home get from 55° to average a comfortable 72° year-round?
In Lorton’s chilly winter, Richard’s passive design features take the 55° air and heats it. This heated air rises, collects and concentrates at the apex of the cathedral ceiling. A fan pushes this superheated air, which can be as hot as 86°, down beneath the floor, into a tank-like ‘plenum’.

The floor surface itself is warm and comfortable to touch. Specially placed vents release the hot air, washing all of ‘Terra Uchi’s massive walls with warmth, and keeping the home consistently warm.

Most of the sun-facing south front “wall” of ‘Terra Uchi’ is a single glazed, sealed greenhouse. On hot days, the greenhouse is sheltered from the sun by overhanging eaves. Windows let excess hot air outside.

During the winter the greenhouse stays wonderfully warm by day, but doesn’t freeze at night. Jennie cuts back her annual flowering pots, over-winters them inside, and they re-grow each spring. This greenhouse satisfies Jennie’s fondness for flowers and year-round gardening, and low-cost flowering gardens early each spring.

Deep in winter, the sun angles perfectly through leafless branches, perpendicularly in through the sloping front wall of the greenhouse, passing through the back wall of the greenhouse, and falling right across the back of a deceptively beautiful stone feature wall gracing the dining area.
Because the sunny-side of this foot thick stone-faced concrete ‘Trombe Wall’ is painted matt black, the warmth of the sun falling there penetrates and is stored in the wall, creating a ‘heat bank’. The wall provides ‘thermal mass’.

Do you remember the air being released constantly from the plenum? Some of this sub-floor air is released at floor level into the 5” gap between the Trombe Wall and the back wall of the greenhouse.

The air heats further by direct contact with the hot black wall surface, and begins rising. The rising hot air pulls more air in behind it to be heated. Ultimately this hot air concentrates in the home’s apex, ready to be pumped down into the plenum, re-circulated around the walls to warm them, or reheated as it moves up the Trombe Wall.
After the sun goes down, the Trombe Wall continues to give up its stored heat until it reaches room temperature.”

Back Up Heating
For those dull, sun-less weeks in winter, when the room temperature is at its minimum of 66°, a wood-burning stove may be lit to top up the warmth. On average it burns just seven days a year, because it is rarely needed.
No resistance heating was installed. There’s a backup 5 ton heat pump, also rarely if ever used, because ‘Terra Uchi’ easily creates and conserves her own heat in winter, and even cools herself in summer!

More Passive Solar Heating
Do you see ‘Terra Uchi’s high windows in the photographs? These windows heat the main room in winter, by allowing the low-angle cool-season sun to flood inside. This sun’s warmth is stored by beautiful, and massive, stonefaced feature wall and dark concrete beams. They’re called clerestory windows (pronounced “clear-story”).

How is the heat conserved? Passively!
The cold winter night sky sucks heat from the earth and from most homes. Lorton homes tend to lose most of their warmth through un-insulated ceilings, doors and windows.
Three strategies are used here to protect windows and doors of this amazing home from heat loss.

1. Night Insulation Panels
To protect the clerestory windows above the main room from heat loss to the winter night sky, Richard designed in rotating insulated panels which are easily closed on cold winter nights. Skylights are also fitted with insulating doors. These fixtures prevent heat loss by passive means.

2. Weather Vestibules
Entryways include an airlock, two sets of doors with a turnaround space in between, so that only one door need be opened at a time, and cold air cannot rush straight in.

3. Barn Door Hardware
“Hasn’t that painting moved?” I ask “Oh, the whole wall moves!” Actually, it’s a sliding door that looks exactly like a wall. They’re installed over sliding glass doorways that connect bedrooms to beautiful garden exteriors, effectively insulating to R28.

Turning Off The Passive Solar Heating
As winter moves into spring and summer, the angle of the sun changes until the sun simply stops falling on the Trombe Wall. This passive heating feature turns itself off as effortlessly as it runs all winter.
The steeper summer sun coming through the clerestory windows becomes blocked by the night insulation panels at rest in their open position. The sun ceases falling into the main living room.
‘Terra Uchi’s panels on the clerestory windows can be closed too, on scorching summer days for insulation, this time to keeping heat out. The skylights can be closed at these times too.

Stop Summer Scorching
In summer, hot sun beats down day after day onto at least one side of most roofs. attics, ceilings, windows etc. get hot, our air-conditioners work overtime. What if your roof could be redesigned to self-evacuate all that hot air as soon as it is formed?

Passive Solar Cooling
That doesn’t make sense… or does it? Richard designed a simple self-evacuating ‘Ice-house Roof’ feature for ‘Terra Uchi’s small metal roof area, which successfully eliminates any build up of summer heat. It maintains a 70° to 74° summer room temperature range. This feature is also turned on and off by the suns angle as it changes from season to season.

Affordably Comfortable!
This home saves its owners $2000-$5000 per year. Real estate agents estimate ‘Terra Uchi’s utility bills to be 1/3 to 1/2 of the bills that owners of a conventional home of similar size and location must pay each year. “Much of what we’re doing isn’t being done elsewhere” says Richard.

As a licensed architect in Virginia, Richard loves consulting with homeowners wishing to design and build green homes, or ‘retrofit’ existing homes for greater energy efficiency. He also, passionately, works with homeowners to make homes happier for people with handicaps, or with limited mobility. Having spent time in a wheelchair himself, Richard understands what it takes to refit a home to make it comfortable for the handicapped.

For example, “a dining room can be converted to a bedroom. A garage becomes a ground-floor suite so handicapped members can interface with the rest of the family.” We then build another garage in front of the old one.

Richard and Jennie participate each year in the Annual Metro Washington Solar Home and Building Tour. “People come from far way to see this home” Jennie says. We’ve been part of the solar tour for more than a decade.

The future is not set in concrete! “Possibilities exist to change certain aspects of the home: There’s no reason you can’t do away with the cost of electricity” Richard has designed the home to easily accept addition of photovoltaic panels to provide all the electricity the home needs, and to sell surplus back to the grid.

It wasn’t economical to install such in 1980. Todays solar panels are efficient enough to make adding a photovoltaic system worthwhile. Seen as an investment, this may return around 7% ROI pa.

‘Terra Uchi’ may be offered for sale in the years to come. “We hope to find a family who loves her as much as we do – who appreciates the passive solar, local material and natural harmony features (for example the kitchen fixtures are made from the timber cut to clear the building site), and who will keep up the tradition of the solar home tour.” An ‘Energy Efficient Mortgage’ may be available to purchasers.
Richard Hibbitt can be reached by e-mailing <jhibbert@cox.net>,

For a reprint of this article e-mail: <publisher@LortonValleyStar.com>,

Terra Uchi is for sale!

Choice To Be Green At Home

One person thinks green is alternative fuels, another thinks green is alternative plastic leather products but these approaches also have carbon costs. The only direct solution is solar and wind and hydro which are all solar. But if you burn something or make pleather from petroleum, you’re still responsible for generating heat and carbon dioxide at least.
Even some “offsets” such as biofuels are not without cost. Capturing methane is a good choice. When methane from decaying biomass escapes into the atmosphere it oxidizes releasing heat, water vapor, and carbon dioxide. If it is captured, you get to use the heat and prevent an even greater greenhouse effect in the atmosphere.
Though the value of planting trees has been debated, still their contribution to carbon sequestering is pure and we need the free oxygen green plants release to breathe. In fact, it’s the green biota which makes our planet a living one. Plants are beautiful, beneficial, and everyone can enjoy planting them. It’s the purely green thing nature’s way.
The best things you can do to be green are to make your home more solar efficient, drive a smaller car less miles and plant trees in all the places you can find to plant them. Ideal locations are, a wind break of evergreens to the north of your house and deciduous trees to the south of the house for a seasonal solar control. Separate recyclable refuse from biomass. One more: try to reject buying off-shore made products.
Cutting back on background electrical usage can be significant also. It is estimated the 7% of home electricity usage goes to equipment that is off but plugged in. This amount could be as high as 25% for some homes. If it uses a wall wart power supply, turns on with a remote, or has a clock timer, it is definitely using some power all of the time. Does it feel warm? That’s energy expense. Those old fashioned “instant on” TVs ran the CRT heater filament all the time. Use power strips to plug in cell phone chargers and such devices so you can really switch them off when you don’t actually need them. All of the wasted electricity goes up in heat which may be fine in the winter but in the summer it’s that much more your AC has to remove so that you are spending the energy twice: Once to consume it for nothing and again to remove it. Now, think what else you could do with 15% or more of your $200 dollar electric bill after buying a few outlet strips to turn the background power wasters off. It’s easily an extra dinner out every month or entertainment tickets or whatever your pleasure is. If the power generating companies had a cutback of 7-20% in demand, that’s saving a lot of coal and transmission losses. That could slow down the need to build more generating plants which no one wants in their back yard. Every drop counts.
But, one way or the other, potential energy when converted becomes heat all of which escapes through the atmosphere and is lost to space forever increasing the entropy of the Universe which in turn is running down to become disordered and lifeless. That’s just the rudimentary physics of it.
In short, being an activist at home is a lot more efficient than traveling to a meeting to complain about what someone else should do. Green starts at home whatever your solution. Lead the way, set the example. And let Lorton Valley Star know what your personal method is.

Mistaken Beliefs:

1 Wasted heat collects in the atmosphere.
False; All converted energy becomes heat and it’s all lost to the Universe. Without the sun, the Earth would be as cold as Neptune and all the coal fired steel mills and power plants in the world couldn’t take the chill off. Observe how much more quickly the temperature drops on a clear night than on a cloudy night because the clouds keep surface heat from radiating out to space.

2 Man’s industry causes a majority of the heat and greenhouse gasses released from the surface of the Earth.
False; Although Industry causes most of the pollution; Industry is a minor part of the heat and carbon dioxide released. Heat comes from solar, chemical including life and geothermal. Carbon dioxide comes from chemical including animals and forest fires. Methane comes from decay and fossil fuel deposits. It’s cave and swamp gas.

3 Fuel saving systems can make a large vehicle as fuel efficient as a small vehicle.
False: The most profound influence on the energy consumption of a vehicle is the weight and the acceleration. Diesel locomotives, the original hybrid, use lots of fuel to pull great weights but they are efficient because they don’t start like jackrabbits but rather lumber off burning barely enough to get rolling. Cars are not as efficient because we covet the 0-60 mph rating for entering highways.
By the way efficiency is defined by work accomplished for energy expended; it’s a percentage. The only conversion that is 100% is generating heat from electricity because any other process produces some heat or exhaust which is waste.

4 Running your car heater on low saves on fuel consumption.
False. All of the heat in your standard automobile is a fraction of the waste from generating the propulsion. All of the heat your engine throws off to the outside would literally cook you. There is a hardly noticeable drain to run the electric fan. So crank it up there and enjoy. Future ideas for making cars more efficient include generating electricity from exhaust heat. The discussion changes for fuel-cell powered or electric cars which won’t have much waste heat.

5 Coal burning causes the greatest pollution.
Spent nuclear reactor fuel is dangerously radioactive, doesn’t decay nearly fast enough, can’t be converted with current technology, and has to be stored in containers which are not secure enough and stocked in mountain caves. Which barrel would you prefer in your back yard: Coal ash or nuclear reactor waste?

6 We save money by buying products manufactured off shore.
In the long run we pay for the product, the shipping cost which includes more energy running the cost of all oil up, exporting causes more pollution over the Earth, and it takes jobs out of our own economy. So, who’s paying now?

Do you see how being informed and thinking for yourself instead of thoughtlessly accepting political agendas heralded by journalists can drastically alter your view of the world?

Story of The Fourth Magus

by Noble Johnson
Review by Floyd Harrison

Who is the Fourth Magus; Was he a wise man? Who is The Little Drummer Boy and where did he come from? What other pure hearts surrounded the compound miracle we call Christmas? ‘The Fourth Magus’ audio CD would make an inspiring gift for a thoughtful person this Christmas season.

The first Christmas story in the Gospel of Matthew tells us of three kinds of gifts that were opened before the holy child. How many Magi and shepherds is left to legend along with the Little Drummer Boy. The story of ‘The Fourth Magus’ fills in the origin of our other Christmas traditions. Is he Arteban?

‘The Fourth Magus’ will likely come to take a prominent place among our other holiday traditions as it presents a delightful unification of legends. It gives us the untold story of the Little Drummer Boy. Noble Johnson’s story is sure to bring a blessing of joy to your holiday observance.

This inspirational family time program is written and performed by the consumate story teller Noble Johnson. Lortonites know his daughters, Heather and Rebecca as the local musical group Ceylon which entertained us at the Lorton 4th of July Parade, the Coffee House of Occoquan and Skinifatz. The girls continue in their musical careers. Heather is the Producer, Editor and Sound engineer for the Album.

‘The Fourth Magus’ is available at The Coffee House of Occoquan, The Golden Goose, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church and at the Fort Belvoir General Store and online at http://cdbaby.com/cd/noblejohnson At $12.97 you’ll want more than one.

All answers to the crossword puzzle are used in the Crude Intelligence story and are all derivitives of crude oil refining. Some are raw material for yet other products. This is a small illustration of our dependence.

Across:

2 Synthetic moldable polymer materialS
4 Yellow chemical element, symbol S, of odorous compounds
7 Heavy lubrication used in suspension components
8 Petroleum raw material for solvents, additives & plastics
10 Low smoke solid fuel and reducing agent in smelting iron ore
12 Thick black weather proof sealant
13 Natural gas used for heating and cooking
14 Additive for making high octane gasoline

Down:

1 Binder for road surfacing aggrigate
2 Bottled gas for fuel and torches
3 Thin & dissolve oil based products
4 Cleaning agents in detergents
5 Reduce friction and wear of moving parts
6 Bug killing chemicals
7 Small vehicle motor fuel
9 Wax for sealing and candles
11 Fuel for oil lamps and heaters

Crude Intelligence, Petroleum Puzzle

Gasoline and Diesel Fuel for our vehicles are made from crude oil taken from wells in the Earth but did you know that only 40% of the barrel is made into gasoline? We depend on a wide range of petroleum products for our everyday lives so that even if we could greatly reduce the need for transportation fuel, we would still need oil wells and refineries. The oil companies won’t go broke, neither would we want them to. Here’s what happens to the remainder of the crude.

The many products contained in crude are separated in a process called fractional distilling where longer heavier carbon molecules condense at the bottom of a column and the lighter fluids and gasses condense at the top. This immediately yields basic product range of coke and tar, fuel oils, lubricating oils, diesel fuel, kerosene, gasoline, naptha, liquid gas and cooking gas which is natural gas or methane. Most of these raw products go through additional chemical processes of cracking, reforming, and alteration or alkylation to make the additives and blending that give the products grades and finished qualities such as motor oil weight or gasoline octane. Some fractions are the raw material for yet other products.

The variety of petrochemicals is vast and includes grease, asphalt, petroleum jelly, paraffin wax, many solvents, surfactants for cleaning, benzine, pesticides, jet fuel, home heating oil, sulfur and sulfuric acids, propane and monomers to be polymerized for production of a range of plastics and synthetic fibers. You are probably wearing a petroleum product right now and having a drink from a petroleum plastic bottle while the kids use crayons.

Imagine life without all of these products in cheap abundance. You see it’s not all about energy. You may be upset about the price of gasoline but do you really want to punish the oil companies? It’s gonna cost you one way or another. All of these products help pay for the crude refining process and making the range of products causes the combined process to be more efficient. So to uncouple our economy from foreign oil we need to both drill and conserve on energy use which has the additional benefit of holding down pollution. But, there is no uncoupling our future from the success of the oil companies.

Enjoy the crossword puzzle made of petroleum products.

Nurses, Our Heroes

By Gail Rodriguez, Lorton

Nurses are Dynamic, Powerful, Courageous, Compassionate, Caring, Dedicated, Critical Thinkers and they are devoting their lives to helping others. Nurses are everywhere, they are found in hospitals, long term care facilities, assisted living facilities, dialysis units, high schools, universities, lawyer’s offices, shopping centers, homeless shelters, community settings and wars.
Nurses are walking or have walked among us whether we are at work, grocery shopping, playing with our kids, visiting a theme park, playing sports, driving in traffic, driving our kids to daycare or school and during many other activities of our daily lives. Unfortunately it is during these busy times, situations can develop which require medical attention. It is so comforting to know that nurses are among us and are willing to give a helping hand. In times of crisis, they help save lives, comfort or support with healing hands. Let’s not underestimate their contribution and the vital part they play in our everyday lives and the within the healthcare system.
Everyday, they are stepping up and helping to save lives whether at their place of work or during off duty hours. Nurses have participated in wars, school shootings, traffic accidents, natural disasters, terrorism attacks and have saved lives during many public events just because they were there. They could have walked away but they didn’t.
In the past, nurses have been recognized for their exceptional acts of valor and received awards from the American Red Cross and the American Nurses Association. However, many have not been recognized so if you know of anyone who is a nurse, please make an effort to say “Thank you”.

Court Questions College Breaks

By Gary Bauer

It’s not often that I can report good news from the courts – especially courtrooms in California. But Monday a California appeals court called into a question the legality of a state law that allows illegal aliens to attend college at the same tuition rates as state residents. The California law blatantly contradicted federal law, but worse yet it discriminated against U.S. citizens. Out-of-state students, some of whom challenged the law, had to pay $17,000 more in tuition. Kris Kobach, a University of Missouri law professor and attorney for the plaintiffs, said, “California taxpayers are spending over $100 million dollars a year subsidizing the higher education of illegal aliens who cannot legally work in California.” According to one report, nine other states have similar laws that may now be in jeopardy.
If you are interested in receiving Mr. Bauer’s daily report by e-mail, call 703-671-9700, visit http://www.amvalues.org

Securing the Homeland

A Simple Way to do Your Part

The Coast Guard needs your help! If you recreate or work near the water, America’s Waterway Watch needs your eyes to help secure Virginia’s 5,000 miles of shoreline.  The program provides a way for citizens to report any suspicious activity they witness near bridges, tunnels, power plants and other critical infrastructure. Law enforcement personnel cannot be everywhere to observe what’s going on and that’s where you come in!
Citizens can telephone the National Response Center at 1-800-24-Watch to report any activity that just doesn’t seem right. Examples would include: boaters videotaping or taking photos of waterfront installations, boating or scuba diving near sensitive waterfront locations and unusual night operations. Taking note of people asking odd questions is important too and that helped law enforcement nab one very dangerous individual.

Vigilance is one of our best deterrents against terrorist acts. Become part of our nation’s first line of defense and participate in America’s Waterway Watch!

Not long ago, a tour boat captain in Miami encountered a passenger asking unusual questions about access to bridges and cruise ships. The passenger also took numerous photos with his camera phone. Becoming suspicious, the captain immediately telephoned America’s Waterway Watch. The FBI soon questioned the individual, Sayed Abdul Malike, but released him after confiscating the camera phone. He remained under surveillance though and was tracked to New York were he was arrested for attempting to purchase explosives, which court documents say, was enough to “blow-up a mountain”.

One strength of America’s Waterway Watch, is its simplicity. With just a set of eyes and ears, anyone can help protect our homeland. A local partner in this program is the Coast Guard Auxiliary. They can supply you with decals and wallet cards so you can always keep the National Response Center phone number handy. There is also a brochure that gives examples of what to look for and where. You can call the Auxiliary’s local marine safety officer at 703-690-8341 for a supply of each. Or visit www.AmericasWaterwayWatch.org for all the details.

A man wanting a Kilt needs a retailer who understands. Macy’s and Nordstrom don’t have them yet. If he wants a casual American style Kilt, he needs a merchant selling freedom. Those aren’t available at the Irish and Scottish importers.

You can order the traditional wool-plaid versions if that’s what you need. Wearing one of those says you care enough to pay the price for opulence. But, those are a bit warm for temperate climates and indoor work places.

The trend is toward casual as in everything else and the utility kilt style is the Kilt equivalent of jeans or Kakis made of similar material as work pants and come with a much more modest price tag. That is most of the stock at The Kilted Nation. The first contemporary-kilt boutique in the Washington region, Hutchins’ store is stocked with Sport Kilts for the athletic, AmeriKilts for the budget-minded, and versatile Utilikilts for the most discerning clients.

Sooner or later, someone is going to call it a skirt or ask where your bagpipes are. That’s OK. “You have to be secure about yourself to walk out that door wearing one,” Hutchins said. “Nobody owns just one,” said Kathryn Hutchins, Brad’s wife and the store’s co-owner, “And there’s an instant kinship among the faithful of this all-American hybrid as among Harley owners.”

Generally the notice and comments are approving. Guys are giving up shorts for the style and comfort of the casual kilt. The store was an instant success. A couple of teenagers from a nearby high school bought their first kilts during opening week, raising his hopes for a fad. It’s actually a bit of a Goth thing.

Kilts are knee length, but there is a lot of weight of material in the pleats. The pleats act like a bellows to move air as you walk. They promote healthy exercise because they regulate temperature as you move and encourage correct use of the legs to lift instead of the back for lifting.

They are what is classified as a Male Unbifurcated Garment. MUGs only have one hole for both legs. MUGs aren’t new. Actually, five hundred years ago in Europe, the only two legged garents were worn by Knights and Sailors. Still, outside of the world trade capitals, most cultures have men in skirted garments. The World extremes are India where pants were adopted 2500 B.C. and Scotland where formal black-tie attire is the Kilt. Oh, and North America where the MUG was forgotten in the last hundred years since mother’s dressed their young sons in “dresses” that made them look like girls. Clergy, Scholars and Judges still officiate in long robes as in Midevil times.

The Kilted Nation has a range of prices on easy care casual or utility kilts. The Amerikilt is the low price winner with a self matching sporran. Utilikilts with pockets range from the simple “Original” to the “Workman” to the “Tuxedo-Kilt” which dresses up but still isn’t wool plaid. The wash and wear poly-viscose plaids are actually inexpensive but give the impression of being a casual wool-plaid. The Alpha Kilts are coming too.

Check out The Kilted Nation at http://www.nationkilt.com. Learn more about Utilikilts at http://www.utilikilts.com.
The Kilted Nation also has some ladies things: Mini-Kilts, Erasaids, Sarongs, Jackets and Capes NOW ON THE WEB ONLY. Call 703-330-7072. Sometimes, brad is out vending and enjoying the music and dance at the Scottish and Celtic events so check the web site schedule. Maybe you’d want to see some more real men wearing utility kilts before you buy in. Consider for yourself, visit The Kilted Nation, show your friends, accept the challenge, reveal your Celtic heritage, declare freedom, learn the comfort, enjoy the glances.

Plaque Recognizes Conservation Work

By Joe Chudzik

A Plaque Unveiling Ceremony was held on September 6, 2008 at Mason Neck State Park. The bronze plaque set into a natural stone monument near the Park Visitor Center and Elizabeth Hartwell Environmental Education Center recognizes the contribution by the founder of the Conservation Committee for Mason Neck formed on August 3, 1965. The plaque reads as follows:

“VISION, INITIATIVE AND DECICATION”

“This magnificent area, a nesting place of the American Bald Eagle and home to a variety of other birds and wild-life, was threatened in 1965 with intense development. To preserve this unspoiled, historic and scenic area along the Potomac, citizens formed the Conservation Committee For Mason Neck (1965-1970). The committee spearheaded a vigorous and successful campaign with the help of federal, state, and county authorities. Its successful efforts demon- strate the importance of dedicated ctizen action in achieving environmental goals that set a model for other such undertakings by ordinary citizens around the nation.

In recognition of this hard work we thank the Committee members: Chairman William R. Durland, Vice Chairs Elizabeth Hartwell and Charles Majer, Secretary and Treasurer Joyce Wilkinson, Clive L DuVal II, David B. Cobey, Melvin Siegel, Noman M. Cole, Jr., Albert C. Scartz, James H. Dillard II, and Mrs. George Robinson.

At the ceremony, Jess Lowry, manager, Mason Neck State Park gave an Introduction. Comments were given by: Joyce Wilkinson, former Conservation Committee secretary and treasurer; former Conservation Committee chairman William (Bill) Durland; and Marty McClevey, Outdoor Recreation Planner, Potomac River National Wildlife Refuge Complex.