Come on. Is that beverage worth it?

Choose a designated driver — one that will actually abstain from drinking, not one who just promises to limit drinking to one or two beers.

And if you’re hosting a party, be prepared to let some people stay over if they are too impaired. Let’s put aside the possibility of being sued if you let someone drive drunk from your place and they cause a collision. How would you feel if you made everyone go home only to get a call at work the next day telling you that one of them had died?

Regret like that doesn’t go away for a long time, if ever.

Have the phone numbers of at least two taxi services programmed into your phone and money for a ride. And as tempting as it might be to bet that money on your favorite team, don’t.

If you’re the host, post the numbers to several cab companies on your fridge for guests to use. I’ll make it easy for you. Here’s a list of cab companies in the Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., area:

Yellow Cab of Prince William County (main number): 703-491-2222
Yellow Cab of Prince William County – Stafford Area: 540-659-1200
Yellow Cab of Prince William County – Quantico Area: 703-640-6464
Manassas Cab Company: 703-257-0222
Red Top Cab Company in Arlington: 703-522-3333
Loudoun Yellow Cab: 703-437-9100
Alexandria Yellow Cab: 703-549-2500
Fairfax Yellow Cab: 703-534-1111
Yellow Cab of D.C.: 202-TAXICAB

Print this list and cut it out now… while you’re still sober. Put it in your wallet or tape it to your dashboard as a reminder.

Enjoy the game. Eat until your stomach hurts. Talk sports with your mouth full. Scream at the over-priced big screen HDTV. Help clean up (you know you should). And be safe, not stupid.

– KJ Mushung

As tempting as it'd be to drive one of these after a Super Bowl party, we don't recommend it... at least, not if you've been drinking. That'd be a waste of one seriously fine vehicle. Photo by: Arch Scurlock

Photo by: KJ Mushung

A lit tunnel at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Photo illustration by: KJ Mushung

The Dominion GardenFest of Lights at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is a spectacular and beautiful sight. But it only runs through Monday, Jan. 9. So if you want to go, make the time now.

The lights are on from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. nightly, rain or shine. Each year there is a different theme. This year’s theme is “Nature’s DeLIGHTS.”

Admission costs $11 for adults, $10 for seniors and $7 for children ages 3 to 12. Children under age 3 are admitted free.

The garden is located at 1800 Lakeside Avenue in Richmond.

Photo by: KJ Mushung

Photo by: KJ Mushung

Photo by: KJ Mushung

Photo by: KJ Mushung

Belmont Bay in winter. Photo by: KJ Mushung

By: Stephanie Tipple

While the outdoors may be cold and blustery, if you take one step into Osprey’s Landing in Belmont Bay in Woodbridge you’ll be instantly warmed with their cozy atmosphere, the fireplace and one of their delicious entrees.

The reopened Osprey’s Landing restaurant has seen great success thus far, drawing in customers from all over the county and beyond. Like any good (hungry) journalist would do, I re-visited this local hot spot with my dining companion, local Lake Ridge Bloom pharmacist Amy Forrest, and sampled some of their dishes for to give you all the information you need to know when considering stopping by and eating at their establishment.

Read the rest of this article, visit PotomacLocal.com at

http://potomaclocal.com/2012/01/05/tipple-food-dazzles-at-ospreys/

Dreamstime

According to some theories, the end of the world will occur 21 December 2012 A.D. That gives us a year to plan.

Top 10 Things to Do Before the End of the World

Take a class on surviving the zombie apocalypse.

Sort friends according to “will save” & “will use as a decoy” so you won’t waste time deliberating later.

Eat whatever you want.

Have a musical performance in public that would make Simon Cowell cringe.

Tell your secret crush how you feel.

Tell off that chick in class who thinks she’s all that.

Graduate. Or at least tell your parents you did. How they gonna know?

Gorge on chocolate & watch cartoons without shame.

Even though you can sleep when you’re dead, your exam-exhausted brain wants to take a nap anyway.

Wait. Wasn’t the end of the world supposed to be May 21, 2011, as predicted by Harold Camping?

Quote of the month: “Predicting the end of the world is a bit like alcoholism,” David Richardson told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Once you get started, it’s hard to stop.”

The restaurant has been closed for the past two years, but this fine dining experience is now ready to serve local customers. Osprey’s, a fixture in the Belmont Bay area, serves American food with a French flair – and it’s all about the superb dining experience.

The restaurant’s owners surveyed residents about what foods they’d like to see served at Osprey’s, and the public has spoken, prompting the American food menu with French flair. The clientele, mainly consisting of Belmont Bay residents, and Alexandria, Manassas and Stafford residents have been very supportive over the course of the reopening, coming out in droves for their soft opening – a Sunday Brunch that was held back in October.

Richard Davila, Osprey’s Landing Director of Food and Beverages, has 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry, and this experience has helped him understand the palette and the pricing needs of his customers.

“What we’re trying to do on a daily basis, is to give people a great value for a meal that you’re not going to get at a lot of other places in the area,” said Davila.

The average cost for a meal is about $19 per person.

People come from all over the county for their tuna slider appetizer, and the roasted chicken with mushroom foam is one of Davila’s favorites. Osprey’s Landing is known for their desserts as well, serving up their famous waffle bread pudding and the crème brulee, which has a flavor change every two days.

Osprey’s Landing in Belmont Bay has reopened after being closed for two years. Photo by: Stephanie Tipple

Dreamstime

Press Release

Virginians strongly support the principle of the public’s right to know.

Virginians believe it is important to place public notices in newspapers.

Virginians would read public notices less frequently and with less trust if these appeared only on government websites.

These are the key results of a recent survey, examining the views of 500 adult Virginians about the principle of the public’s right to know and the placement of public notices, conducted by DecideSmart for the Virginia Press Association.

The VPA, a longtime advocate for the public’s right to know, commissioned the survey as an independent method of gauging Virginians’ support of the public’s right to know and their thoughts on the placement of public notices, which for more than 200 years have been published in newspapers.

A public notice is a formal announcement or warning that is legally required to be published as an advertisement in a paid-circulation newspaper. It helps citizens learn about plans and actions that will impact them and their community. Public notices may be published for a variety of reasons, including business and licensing matters, public meetings, zoning, requests for proposals, local government matters and elections.

By publishing notices in newspapers, government serves the public’s right to know and maintains its own transparency. Newspapers are a reliable, accessible form of circulating public notices to the public. In doing so, newspapers provide an archival record of government actions.

Since early September 2011, the VPA has been conducting a campaign, “Keep the Light on Public Notices,” to increase Virginians’ awareness of public notices in newspapers.

Elected officials, however, have proposed taking public notices out of independent newspapers and posting them only on government websites, giving government control over what the public is allowed to know. Instead of reading notices in newspapers that are delivered on a regular schedule, citizens would have to search for notices on websites, a practice that would be even more difficult for those who lack computer access. The principles of the public’s right to know and of government accountability to its citizens would be threatened.

The survey results, outlined below, demonstrate that Virginians are overwhelmingly committed to the principle of their right to know, expect government to act transparently, trust newspapers more than government websites as sources of information and would read public notices much less often if they appeared only on government websites.

Virginians are very committed to the principle of the public’s right to know what their government is doing and planning. Ninety-seven percent of the respondents in the survey said that the principle of the public’s right to know what their government is doing and planning is either very important (79 percent) or somewhat important (18 percent). Only 3 percent of respondents reported that 94 percent it is not so important (2 percent) or not important or not important at all (1 percent) to them. Ninety-four percent of respondents said that keeping the citizenry informed of public notices/legal advertisements in newspapers is an important function of government agencies.

Del. Riley E. Ingram (R-Hopewell), chairman of the House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns, said, “The survey results strongly confirm my experience that Virginians expect the activities of government to be conducted openly, fairly and transparently. Virginians clearly have a deep commitment to the fundamental principles of democratic governance. Newspapers, both daily and weekly, continue to have a prominent role in the maintenance of these principles throughout Virginia’s communities.”

Virginians would read public notices less frequently if these were placed only on government websites. Sixty-three percent of respondents said that they would read public notices much less often (36 percent) or less often (27 percent) if these were placed only on government websites. Only 16 percent of respondents said that they would read public notices much more often (4 percent) or more often (12 percent) if these were placed only on government websites. Seventy-two percent of respondents have not gone to a government website to read a public notice.

Removing public notices and legal advertisements from newspapers would reduce citizens’ public access to the workings of their government and would penalize small business owners across Virginia who depend upon community newspapers for fair access to contracting opportunities.

“I see any move to put all legal notices solely online as yet another impediment to maintaining (and dealing with the consequences of) an informed citizenry,” said Goochland County resident Linda Sasser. “I depend on the weekly Goochland Gazette for information regarding the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission, and other local and state regulatory agencies, their hearings, the public response window and so forth. The information is sometimes difficult to locate, but it is there and available to clip, calendar, consider and respond to.”

Virginians have more trust in public notices placed in newspapers than on government websites.

The survey asked respondents to rate the level of trust and credibility they had in public notices that appeared on government websites and those that appeared in newspapers. Fifty-two percent of respondents gave public notices printed in newspapers one of the two highest ratings on the trust and credibility scale compared to 31 percent of respondents who gave public notices printed on government websites one of the two highest ratings on the same scale.

These results show that Virginians continue to understand that the newspapers serving their communities perform a very important role in providing independent verification and establishing a permanent record of the information that government provides citizens.

NOVA Fortnightly is a VPA award-winning newspaper.

Photo by Traci J. Brooks

By The Sick & Twisted Staff of NOVA Fortnightly

What leftovers?

Let it harden & use it as a doorstop for the provost’s office.

Use it as a cheap holiday present. Your aunt always returns gifts anyway.

Food for Santa instead of cookies & milk.

Bait for rabid reindeer.

Donate it to the Occupy movement.

Save the bones for next year’s Halloween décor.

Lady Gaga needs a new costume.

Bury the bones in your neighbor’s garden & act surprised when they get dug up.

Put it in the vent of your econ class & hope the stench by finals results in a cancellation.

Illustration by Lori Milani

NOVA Alexandria police officer, Lt. John Weinstein, serves food to students Jiyeong Kim and Yejin Hong during a campus barbeque in September. Photo by: KJ Mushung

By Lt. John Weinstein
Commander, District 3

 One of the National Capital Region’s best-kept law enforcement secrets is the high level of capability and professionalism in the NOVA College Police Department. With only 49 sworn officers we may not be large, but we are good. We train extensively, have nationally-recognized subject matter experts in key public service areas, enjoy strong relationships with surrounding jurisdictions and play an active role in training police officers from surrounding jurisdictions.

You might be surprised to know the high level of training a recruit goes through to become a certified Virginia police officer. First, there is the attendance at the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Academy. During a recruit’s 850 hours at the academy, a number which equates to more than a year in a college program, he or she will study Virginia’s criminal code, become proficient with firearms and emergency vehicle operations, learn defensive tactics, criminal investigation, crime scene management and how to deal with everything from hazardous materials to domestic and sexual abuse, terrorism and various special needs individuals. Additionally, all NOVA officers are certified to provide first aid and to use the Automatic External Defibrillator.

Upon graduating the academy, the recruit still undergoes a field training program where he or she is accompanied for two to four months by an experienced and specially trained officer who evaluates the new officer’s job performance. Only when the field evaluator assesses a recruit to be proficient can he or she become a fully certified Virginia law enforcement officer with all the rights and obligations of other police officers in the Commonwealth. Those rights allow us to do things like make arrests and conduct criminal investigations.

Beyond our extensive entry-level training, NOVA police employs highly trained officers with diverse experience. In addition to our current chief, Daniel Dusseau, who has more than 22 years of experience, we have two former chiefs of police, plus officers who have served at various ranks in large and small departments. We have a New York City officer with 30 years of experience, officers with military experience, former corrections officers and dispatchers. Their skill and experience are consistently demonstrated when the department conducts its annual active shooter training and at other times when we train jointly with agencies such as Fairfax County and Alexandria City police departments.

Our officers are widely recognized as subject-matter experts in numerous fields. We have an officer who has a Ph.D., and is nationally recognized as an expert in weapons of mass destruction and international terrorism. We have state-certified firearms, driving and defensive tactics instructors, a bicycle patrol and gang specialists. We speak a total of more than 10 languages.

Our officers are regularly invited to teach at several area police academies which train officers from more than 30 northern Virginia jurisdictions.     

The college can be proud of its police department. Our officers offer a variety of services, such as escorts to vehicles, self-defense training for women and the full range of normal police services. We take our requirement to protect and serve seriously.

If you would like to know more about us or are interested in working with us, give us a call at our college-wide dispatch number: 703-764-5000.

Adam Green, a member of Occupy DC, speaks to a crowd at the evening assembly on Nov 7, 2011. Photo by Dave Gent.

Owen Britton
Staff Reporter

On Wall Street in New York City a man in a dark green hooded sweatshirt festooned with buttons climbs atop a fountain. He’s surrounded by hundreds of likeminded people. Not all of them wear buttons, nor do they belong to any one group. Their common tie: they are all unhappy with economic inequality, the cause that brings them here.

The man’s buttons announce his allegiance to Greenpeace, various anti-war groups and Students for a Democratic Society. He wears shoes made without sweatshop labor and clothes cut from the same ideological cloth. His hair is unkempt and his face unshaven. He’s been here for weeks.

Clap! Clap! Clapclapclap!

The crowd around him turns and mimics: Clap! Clap! Clapclapclap!

“Mic check!” he yells in an artificially deep voice that carries far out over the heads of the crowd, who reply in unison: “Mic check!”

Most of the crowd is wearing normal shoes — Nikes, Adidas, New Balances. Their clothes are from Macy’s and JCPenney. Mostly, they don’t wear buttons and, if they do, they aren’t the same as those belonging to the young man on the fountain.

“We are the 99 percent!” he yells.

“We are the 99 percent!” they boom in return.

They are all here to protest the way our economy works. Most of them are not against capitalism — it’s the only economic system that exists in any meaningful form — but they do want change. They’d like to see things distributed more evenly. They don’t understand why it’s acceptable for anyone to go hungry or cold in a nation with the largest gross domestic product in the world.

“We are tired of being exploited!”

“We are tired of being exploited!”

All across the United States, in over 60 cities and many college campuses, similar groups listen to similar speeches. They’re tired of this and that and fed up with these and those. Changes are proposed, some of them uselessly general, but plenty that could easily be put into effect.

“By the powercrats who rule our nation!”

“By the powercrats who rule our nation!”

Most social movements have leaders. Even if there is no strict organizational structure, there are focal points where a single clear voice breaks through the clamor and, with elegant aplomb, captures not only how the group feels but what ought to be done.

“We are tired of booms and busts!”

“We are tired of booms and busts!”Martin Luther King Jr., spoke for the African-Americans, Vladimir Lenin spoke for the Bolsheviks, Ghandi for the Indians. These men had the symbolic and verbal diction to express the shared feelings of a huge group of people. Which is not to say that they didn’t have to deal with divisions within their movements. On the contrary, they faced stark ideological differences.

“We are tired of foreclosure and fear!”

“We are tired of foreclosure and fear!”

King dealt with the violent beginnings of the Black Panthers and the tendency of the victims of violence to react in kind. Lenin’s Bolsheviks were so divided that as soon as they’d overthrown the post-tsarist provincial government they set about killing each other for several years. These men didn’t lead united people, they led them to the one thing they could agree on.

“We are tired of the rich getting richer!”

“We are tired of the rich getting richer!”

The key, then, seems to be putting a great man in the small section of the Venn diagram that straddles all the circles. So, why doesn’t the occupy movement have such a figure? Is there no powerful speaker who is willing to take up the banner? Is the problem of inequality too complex to solve with a solution that everyone can get behind?

“And the poor getting poorer!”

“And the poor getting poorer!”

Or is it that the ideas are too diverse to grant a mandate to such a leader?

“Hunger! Debt! Pain!”

“Hunger! Debt! Pain!”

The voice of the man on fountain can be heard for blocks, as if he were using a bullhorn. But there are many such voices, many such blocks. As we pull back from Wall Street and see the entire national movement, that voice is just a loud, flashing point among many others, lost in the static.

“Something’s got to change!”

“Something’s got to change!”

Please comment below.PRESS RELEASE

A 32-year-old man was killed on Tuesday, Nov. 8 when the motorcycle he was riding struck a passenger car. The crash occurred on White Granite Drive near the intersection of Chain Bridge Road shortly after 2 p.m.

Darren Frederick Morrell of Valentino Drive in Oakton was operating a 2005 Honda CBR sport bike east on White Granite Drive.

An 85-year-old Oakton man operating a 1995 Pontiac Grand Prix, exited a post office parking lot and attempted to turn left onto White Granite from a service road.

The driver of the Pontiac apparently did not see the motorcycle and turned in front of it. The motorcycle struck the left front wheel and quarter panel of the car. Morrell was ejected from the motorcycle and struck the pavement. He was medevaced to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later. The occupants of the Pontiac were not injured.

Speed and alcohol do not appear to be factors.

No charges have been placed at this time. The crash is still under investigation.