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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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LortonValleyStar.com
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Print deadline is 20th

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703-372-2828 Voice Mail

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Lorton Valley Star
P.O. Box 1436
Lorton Valley, VA 22199

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571-274-7389

© 2005 Floyd Harrison T/A
Lorton Valley Star Comm.
All international rights reserved; No copying in whole or any element is permitted.

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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

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.

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.

Kilts On The Rack Or Not

Men in Northern Virginia are fortunate to be able to buy all sorts of Kilts on the rack in nearby Manassas of all places.
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.

Brad Hutchins, a body builder and information Tech consultant, just celebrated the one year anniversary of The Kilted Nation store near the Manassas VRE station. It’s convenient to be able to try them for size and get a hint of what wearing one out would feel like and come home with a starter outfit.

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.kiltednation.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 at the little second floor store with the blue striped awning at 9415 Main Street. 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, save $15 on an outfit by November 30.

Print coupon & take to TKN. Click to visit.

Slight And Slant On This Old House

Many are asking what’s up with The Old Country Store on Gunston Road because they’ve seen it sit gutted for so long. It’s making progress now after a long County delay being restored to the original house under the second floor roofline.
The frame was jacked up and construction began below grade where it got a proper foundation which it never had. Much of the put back is to be with original material. Of course it would be quicker to tear down the old and throw up a totally new one which would satisfy those with no feeling for the history.

It was home to Plaskets, Wileys, and Sherif Nevitt. Many Mason Neck neighbors remember it from childhood days as Shepherd’s Store or King’s Store where it was the favorite place for penny candy, and others remember the coldest beer and the first gasoline station for miles. It was a community gathering place where you could catch up on the neighbors. As late as 1987 it was The Cracker Barrel.

It fits the description of a house across the road from the original Pohick Church, which foundation marker is still on the grounds of Cranford Church, indicating that it may have been the original vestry house. That would make it quite old and the Victorian features merely home improvements.
Since the mid 1800’s, additions in about eight segments and siding hiding the original clabbords changed the look considerably. A large portico sheltered the gas pump. Recently, lacking maintenance and a slumlord owner allowed the building to suffer significant rot. Plaster walls turned to sand. All of the additions have been removed.

Today, it is the property of Marilyn Breedlove Giampa who’s parents moved to Mason Neck fifty years ago. Her dream to return the old landmark to its glory as a center of local supply and meeting place progresses in spite of challenges. A few naysayers such those who encouraged the demise of Hillbilly Heaven and Lorton Station still complain.

Marilyn hopes to make the corner at the entrance to the pristine Mason Neck a farmer’s market with seasonal agricultural products and kids gardening projects. Before partial demolition, October pumpkin sales and Christmas tree sales again drew neighbors to talk abut the good old days. A Fall party gathering with Skystone Bluegrass Band drew 400 and a flea market that went clear around the house, saw the Prince William Art Society selling art paintings and photos of the house in its most recent form. Construction has made the use of the property unsafe but we are promised that a revived corner is coming.

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.

703-491-3888