Hyattsville Life & Times January 2008 Issue

Belcrest traffic under discussion

by Sarah Nemeth

A

busy stretch of Belcrest Road near East West Highway is now congested by construction trailers, forcing partial lane closure and leaving many residents feeling unsafe negotiating the already bustling zone near the Prince George’s Plaza Metro station.

Residents who traverse the area are concerned that speeding cars mixed with construction, closed lanes and inefficient pedestrian crosswalks could foster danger to drivers and walkers.

“There are a lot of people who walk there and it’s a dangerous, dangerous place,” said Hyattsville resident Christine Hinojosa at a Dec. 10 community meeting hosted by County Councilman Will Campos (D-Dist. 2).

Mid-Cities Financial is building Mosaic apartments just south of the existing WMATA entrance. Adjacent to the residential structure is another building slated for 165,000 square feet of retail

BELCREST TRAFFIC continued on page 16

Vol. 5 No. 1

Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper

January 2008

Charm in a box Hyattsville residents get a taste of the country

by Jessica Wilson

S

ome people like living in Hyattsville for its small town feel. Some go as far as getting their milk delivered by the milkman.

South Mountain Creamery, a family run farm in Middletown, started home deliveries in 2001. Office Manager Abby Brusco said they had 13 homes on their roster and delivered milk, yogurts and buttermilk out of the back of her mom’s Ford Explorer.

Today, they have six trucks on the road five days a week and weekly deliveries reach about 2,200 customers, about 70 in Hyattsville.

They started delivering to the city in the fall of 2003.

Photo: Jessica Wilson

LOOKING BACK AT 2007 SEE PGS. 8&9

Milkman calling! Bill Reid of South Mountain Creamery delivers to Hyattsville and neighboring communities. "It's by far the coolest job I've ever had. Bar none," he said as he made his rounds on a chilly morning last week.

After SMC participated in the Riverdale Farmer’s Market that year, residents inquired how they might get their products throughout the winter.

Residents Scott Wythe with Mark

Ferguson, of the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation, got Hyattsville on the delivery list— not an easy task. They had to find at least 50 residents to sign up. Shortly thereafter, the milkman arrived.

Hyattsville Life & Times PO Box 132 Hyattsville, MD 20781

Parking meters coming to Town Center

CREAMERY continued on page 17

Americana meets Liberty Lane

Burger joint, ice cream parlor make Hyattsville debuts

by Sarah Nemeth

U

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit # 43 Easton, MD 21601

niversity Town Center is coming to life as long-awaited tenants like Five Guys, whose burgers and fries are legendary in Alexandria, Annapolis and several other locales from Florida to Wisconsin, and Three Brothers, whose pizza has long been a favorite with Marylanders, set out their shingles.

But customers who can’t get a spot in the parking garage may have to get take-out, if the City of Hyattsville installs 40-minute parking meters around the new outlets.

The developer has asked for the meters to aid with parking along several roads within the $1.2 billion town center including America Boulevard and Liberty Drive. The proposal includes meters for 50 parking spaces at an estimated total cost of $1,300.

Wythe said since SMC family run, it has a nice non-corporate feel to it.

“They are really willing to work with customers,” he said. “What

by Sarah Nemeth

O

The map above shows the proposed locations of parking meters at UTC.

“[The developer has] spent a lot of money constructing structured parking [and wanted] a time allot-

ment for short-term parking,” said

utlines of new developments are being filled in as the mixed layers of Hyattsville’s place on the town center scene are unveiled.

For Mike Kim, of Five Guys Restaurant, which opened late last year at University Town Center, being shoehorned onto America Blvd. is what being in the burger business is all about.

AMERICANA continued on page 17

PARKING METERS continued on page 18

Included: The January 9, 2008 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter—See Center Section

Hyattsville Life&Times | January 2008

Page 2

Opinion: These foolish games…

by Sarah Nemeth

H

yattsville’s city charter doesn’t stipulate how council representatives are to interface with their constituents.

It doesn’t say how often, if at all, a representative should communicate with his ward’s residents. It doesn’t offer direction on how a council member should leaflet around her neighborhoods. It does not stipulate that they must return citizen e-mails.

But maybe it should.

Otherwise, residents are left to play political roulette when it comes to getting the best representation.

Say I move into Ward 3. Say I don’t like that ward’s representatives to council. Say I move into Ward 4 and get better representation until my council member retires from the dais and someone I find less efficient gets elected.

OK, part of this charade is getting the vote out for the candidate I support. I can do that. But what if they don’t win the election and I’m left with someone who doesn’t return an e-mail I sent her three times in as many weeks?

Not fair.

Even worse, what if I end up being one of the select few who doesn’t receive ward news from my representative? What if there was a small bloc of Ward

2 residents who didn’t receive ward surveys, fliers and other communication from an elected official(s) who peppers the ward’s streets? What if that official advises me to get my ward information from another resident that he also didn’t get the word out to?

Childish.

(I take that back. I like kids.They interact and respond and often show goodwill, even when others don’t).

And city administration shouldn’t have to babysit. I understand and advocate the “hands-off ” approach the city has taken in terms of legislating council/resident interaction beyond attending city council meetings.

I even understand that idea of ignoring the ignoramus.

But an orator said, “Evil prospers when good men do nothing.”

So I think the city charter should be changed to reflect at least a rough sketch of what ward representatives are responsible for regarding their residents.

All members of a ward should be entitled to ward information doled out en masse by a councilman. If you’re representing me, then my taxes go toward paying your (albeit meager) annual stipend.

I don’t think council members should be required to spend a certain amount of time on city affairs. I don’t think they should be forced to report on their intra-ward discourse.

They should, however, be held responsible for deliberately avoiding anyone in their ward for any reason.

Especially when they’re the ones talking about accountability.

Pumpernickel politics

by Michael Martucci

P

olitical candidates are like bread: they come in all shapes, sizes, colors and styles.

Deciding on which one to consume is not a reflection of anything more than our personal taste. However, that taste is in our mouth, not in our bias. When prominent civil rights leader Andrew Young recently spoke of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama he offended some people. He said that “Bill is every bit as black as Barack. He’s probably gone with more black women than Barack.”

In letting this offhand joke slip, Young peeled back the onion, and defined the debate of politics in America. It is true that there is a hard corps of the electorate that would never likely vote for a dark skinned person for president.

Such prejudice might even be more prevalent in local politics.

The statement by Young proves once again that racism exists in politics, in all quarters.

The story was reported upon, but there was a roaring silence, especially in the overly tolerant African-American community. This election cycle offers evidence that we are not yet culturally mature enough to achieve America’s promise. Should anyone care about a candidate’s skin color? Shouldn’t we rather be focused exclusively upon what policies candidates would enact, and how they would lead? Skin pigment is irrelevant!

The statement by Young smacks of schoolyard antics. The Civil

Rights Act passed in the 1960s, but yet sometimes the African-American race is its own worst enemy. African-Americans vote in large numbers for Democrat candidates. There is nothing wrong with that per se.

When a whole group of people categorically eliminate half of their electoral choices out of hand without consideration (Republicans and

Independent candidates, for instance) it begs the question: Who is really prejudiced? Oprah Winfrey’s foray into politics has made people take notice. Would those people be as interested if she were Walter Cronkite? He is someone equally as famed and trusted. Cronkite however, is white. Oprah’s popularity comes from her integrity and her race. Most of Oprah’s influence is only upon her fans. She is bringing large numbers of the public to

events for Obama, who she supports. Whether that translates into support for him, or a detriment to her popularity, remains to be seen.

In that context, race has become a factor. The point is that today in politics anything goes. If you listen to the media, race and gender still have a prominent place at the table. We have not even come close to achieving Martin Luther King’s dream. That is disturbing. We are not only not ignoring race, but we are pointing up and celebrating our different heritages to the detriment of the whole society. We are no longer a true melting pot of Americans. If we don’t get past it, race will haunt our grandchildren’s lives much like it has corrupted the population for the past two centuries. When shopping the bread aisle at any local grocery, you will find white bread, rye bread, pumpernickel and a whole host of others. If we made bread purchases the same way we apply this country’s selective racism, some bread would no longer be on the shelf, from lack of sales.

It is time for Americans to step up beyond their veiled racism and practice what they espouse. Race has no place in American politics, or American life.The sooner we can see people based on their abilities rather than their skin pigment, the sooner society will reach the goal of the Civil Rights Movement— equality for all, without regard for race. That would justify King’s life long mission.

Letter to the Editor

Ideas coming out of ward work The argument has been made by current council members as well as the mayor that our Council system might be too big. If there is a change, it cannot just be a blanket “every ward loses a seat.” Instead, we should look at a totally new system.

One of the problems I see is that the wards are broken up based on an old census that does not include the newly annexed areas. That is unfair to those council members servicing that area as their territory has expanded. Perhaps the council should explore getting rid of the wards all together. Similar to other communities like Berwyn Heights, for example, the council seats are openended. When someone runs for city council, they do so in order to service the entire city rather than just one specific area. Those who get the most votes get on the council. If it turns out that every person happens to be from the old Ward 3 area, then so be it because these people would no longer just service that area. Instead, the entire City would be there concern. Not to say it is not now, but by making this change it would get rid of any notion that it is the case.

Staying with this scenario, the council would be reduced from the current 10 council members to, say, six. That way there would be seven people on the council who would vote on any issue.

The current stipend of under $3,000 per year would increase to $7,500 and the mayor would receive $15,000. This increase would be an

incentive not only for people to run for council, but also to more accurately reflect the time and energy that they put in.

The council members would keep the four-year terms with three of them being up for election every two years. Voting would be held in three areas. One would be in the newly annexed area off of Adelphi Road. One would be in West Hyattsville and one would be in Magruder Park. This would lessen the necessity for having five separate voting areas which come with voting machine rental.

Campaigning would also have to change. With the new campaign laws in effect, it would be imperative that the city provide more access to those running for a seat. The city would provide question-and-answer sessions and documents that would be mailed out to every Hyattsville citizen rather than expecting each council candidate to put out literature to the 14,000 registered voters (maybe more?). That could cost a lot of money. The city would have to air candidate Q&As on TV Channel 71 and would need to provide ample access for print Q&A. Yard signs will be at the discretion of the candidates under the rules in place as far as paying for them. Banning signs all together is probably not a bad idea, but I’m not sure how it can be stopped if someone really wants to do it.

Jim Groves Moderator, H.O.P.E. listserv

(YATTSVILLE

,IFE 4IMES

A community newspaper chronicling the life and times of Hyattsville

Mailing address: PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781 Hyattsville Life & Times is published monthly by Hyattsville Community Newspaper, Inc., a 501c(3) nonprofit corporation.

Interested reporters should send their e-mail addresses to the editor to be reminded of deadlines and receive internal news.

Articles and news submitted may be edited.

The deadline is the last week of the month for the following month’s issue.

Letters to the editor and opinions are encouraged.

For all e-mail correspondence with HL&T: news, features, tips, advertising and business write to hyattsvillelifeandtimes@gmail.com.

To submit articles, letters to the editor, etc. , e-mail Hyattsvillelifeandtimes@gmail.com.

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Sarah Nemeth, Executive Editor 240.354.4832 or betweensundays@gmail.com Ashby Henderson, Photographer Publication Production, Electronic Ink Colleen Aistis Ashley Henderson

Writers/Contribtors John Aquilino Keith Blackburn Bert Kapinus Michael Martucci

Steve Clements Hugh Turley

Board of Directors Christopher Currie Matthew McKnight Tim Hunt Bert Kapinus Sarah Nemeth Circulation: Copies are distributed monthly by U.S. Mail to every address in Hyattsville. Additional copies are distributed to libraries, selected businesses, community centers and churches in the city. Total circulation is 7,500.

HL&T is a member of the National Newspaper Association.

Hyattsville Life&Times | January 2008

Page 3

A skeptic among the faithful

by John Aquilino

T

hey gather the first Sunday of each month precisely at 4 p.m. in St. Jerome’s Church.

They are not all Roman Catholics, but they are all there for the same reason: to be healed. What spiritual, emotional, or physical burden they ask deliverance from is known only to them, the priest who leans closely to hear whispered requests, and God. It’s an intensely private moment in a very public place of worship.

of Sunday Masses, a rosary or two, and other very traditional services in duration. But a “healing” ministry? That, to many Roman Catholics, is something entirely new, because in the charismatic Catholic communities, healing Masses have been around for a while.

The very phrase—“healing ministry”—elicits images of tent revivals where stirring music melds with loud, dramatic, Bible-quoting, and decidedly non-Catholic ministers who stride upon an elevated stage and with an open-hand,

after the Mass ends is not his doing. What healing that takes place is from the Divine, not mortals.

Communion is distributed, then Father Jim Stack concludes the familiar liturgy by bringing to the center of the altar a striking vessel sculpted of gold and other precious metals into a sunburst design topped by a cross. It’s called the monstrance (from the Latin “monstrare” meaning “to show”). At its center is a round glass chamber into which the consecrated Host is placed. The little shrine can be

Taking the seemingly impossible and placing it in the hands of an unseen higher power may be something that humankind has professed for millenniA, but actually standing alone before one’s God is a true challenge to anyone’s faith.

For Roman Catholics, or anyone for that matter, a healing ministry is both a shock and challenge to one’s faith. It’s illogical, not based on science or reason. It is, as the media says, entirely “faith based.”

Taking the seemingly impossible and placing it in the hands of an unseen higher power may be something that humankind has professed for millennia, but actually standing alone before one’s God with no one around save a clergyman and one or two quiet guardians is a true challenge to anyone’s faith. That challenge extends to members of the church hierarchy as well as those among the faithful whose tenure in the church may be, at best, half a century or more

martial-style, palm thrust delivered with force enough to stun an ox, command that the singular soul before them “be healed.” The holy blow delivered to the forehead causes even the strong to stagger backward a step or two, some collapse in the arms of “catchers” to be laid gently upon the carpeted stage.

The scene at St. Jerome’s is quite different. There are no dramatics, nothing theatric. The music is soothing but the fervor of faith is just as intense.

Catholics and non-Catholics alike begin the early evening service with a Mass. A brief homily is delivered where the priest emphasizes that what is about to occur

mesmerizing.

Ushers direct those who come for the Healing Service by twos to either side of the altar step. Father Stack, sometimes accompanied by a deacon or visiting priest, glides to the first who has stepped forward facing the Monstrance. He extends a hand, leans close to catch the meaning of the whispered words, then begins to pray.

Some come for themselves and the afflictions they bear. Some ask deliverance for friends or relatives.

Their reasons are no one’s business but theirs and their Lord and Savior.

A SKEPTIC continued on page 19

News from the ‘Hills’

Civically minded

by Tim Hunt

T

hroughout the past year, the University Hills Civic Association and its members have set an example as to how a community can progress through communication. With regular meetings, newsletters, a Web site and old fashioned word of mouth, the primary focus of the civic association is to disseminate information affecting the neighborhood among neighbors as well as to be an advocate for its residents in the greater community.

With the transition into the City of Hyattsville, residents of University Hills were able to sort through the confusion of new city services, incorrect property tax bills and the like with help from other concerned residents involved with the civic association.

Also, neighbors were able to band together to provide a unified voice against the proposed Landy Project,

16-story apartment buildings behind Northwestern High School, which threaten to over develop the area and overrun its infrastructure.

Please support the University Hills Civic Association as there are more changes coming in 2008 and beyond of which residents need to be aware.

One change that is being proposed could dramatically affect the infrastructure around the neighborhood. Recently, the Maryland Transit Administration held a series of open house meetings concerning the development of the Purple Line which would be a dedicated bus or light rail route connecting Metro stations from New Carrolton to Bethesda while adding new stops along the way.

As the line moves east, it will travel along University Blvd. from Langley Park to the University of Maryland. In all but the least costly of the bus line alternatives, the road-

way would need to be broadened to accommodate the plan.

“We would have to widen some and it could have some impact on the [University Hills community park],” said Michael Madden, project manager with the MTA, referring to the facility which borders University Blvd.

In addition, should the light rail alternative be chosen, the line would have to be tunneled underground because of the incline in the roadway just west of the University of Maryland.

“The light rail alternative can’t make that hill,” Madden said.

To complicate the issue, there is disagreement between the MTA and the university as to whether the line should be routed along Campus Drive or use a more northerly route along Stadium Drive. Accord-

CIVICALLY MINDED continued on page 19

Commentary and opinion on history & politics

Hugh’sNews A History of Thomas Edward Shields

by Hugh Turley

educational psychology. However, Dewey’s educational philosophy ducation mogul Thomas Ed- was man-centered aimed at producward Shields was born in 1862 ing desirable citizens. In response to and raised on a farm near the those who found the meaning of life village of Mendota, Minn. During in this world, Shields offered a phithe Sioux Indian uprising his fam- losophy which aimed at perfecting ily fled to nearby Fort Snelling. As a man in the present life as a means of child he seemed incapable of learn- fitting him for a life hereafter. ing in school and he was labeled a Shields believed an education ab“dullard” and sent home. With the sent of God was a fractured educahelp of a Catholic priest Shields did tion. He thought every subject in learn to read and later graduated in the curriculum should teach stuthe first class from St. Thomas Aqui- dents about God. nas Seminary, now the University of Some of his works include: The St.Thomas, in St. Paul, Minn. Short- Making and Unmaking of a Dullly after his ordination Shields came ard, The Education of Our Girls, to Maryland to study.

Primary Methods, A Philosophy of During the early 1890s Shields Education, and his Catholic Eduwas studying biology and physiol- cational Series of Textbooks for ogy at the University of Johns Hop- the Schools. He also wrote for the kins in Baltimore. On weekends Catholic University Bulletin and he assisted at St. Jerome’s Catholic The Catholic Educational Review.

Church in Hyattsville and lived at His textbooks were enthusiastically the rectory with the pastor. received. In While stay1908, Lucian ing in HyattsJohnston, a ville Shields former pastor began a relaat St. Jerome’s tionship with in Hyattsville, Professor Edwrote that ward A. Pace Shields’ textand Thomas books were J. Shahan at “the first inCatholic Unitelligent efversity which fort to teach first opened religion that for classes on I have seen Nov. 13, 1889. from a CathShahan later olic source.” became the Shields Rector of the founded the university. department Shields of Education completed at Catholic The tomb of Thomas Edward Shields. his Ph.D. in U n i v e r s i t y.

1895.

For He estabseven years he taught biology at the lished a Catholic Sisters College to seminary in St. Paul, until he joined train the sisters who dedicated their the faculty of Catholic University in lives unselfishly to teaching chil1902. dren. He also served on the faculty He moved to 1026 Quincy Street of Trinity College, founded by the in the Brookland area of Northeast Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Washington, D.C. in 1897. The influence of Shields Perhaps due to his experience as on Catholic education was likely a child, he pioneered a system of felt in Hyattsville in 1914 when the education based on the laws of sci- Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur ence. He incorporated the methods began teaching Sunday school at that Christ, the divine teacher, used St. Jerome’s. This same community in the Gospels. He wrote books, of sisters has taught at St. Jerome’s lectured, and published a Catholic School since it first opened with Educational Review with endless three grades on Oct. 26, 1943. energy. Shields emphasized the imBy 1911, Shield’s prevailed upon portance of music and the arts in the Catholic University to purchase 47 curriculum and became one of the acres of land near the university for preeminent Catholic educators in a campus for a sisters college. He the 20th Century. promised he would find the funds Shields was a contemporary of to pay the interest and later pay for educational reformers John Dewey and William James. Both Shields and Dewey attended Johns Hopkins and they shared ideas in common on HUGH'S NEWS continued on page 12

E

|THE PUBLICATION DEADLINE for articles and letters in the February issue is Friday, January 25th. |

Hyattsville Life&Times | January 2008

Page 4

CommunityAnnouncements Hyattsville Community Foundation supports toy drive

The Hyattsville Foundation delivered a grant of $1,500 to the Sonny Frazier Toy Drive. Sgt. Funds from the foundation’s coffers helped organizers put together the annual party for underprivileged children. Some of the proceeds helped purchased presents for 200 children.

ty Foundation at 8181 Professional Place, Landover, Md. 20785. Please indicate that they are to be credited to the Hyattsville Community Foundation.

County artists awards announced

 Marla McLean, Chris Shea and Elizabeth Lundberg Morisette were awarded for their artwork in Wild

Stephen Clements, founder of the Hyattsville Community Foundation, presents a check to Sgt. Suzie Johnson of the Hyattsville Police Department, for the Sonny Frazier Toy Drive.

The Hyattsville Community Foundation, a part of the Prince George’s Community Foundation, meets to receive and distribute funds to Hyattsville nonprofit organizations.

If you would like to donate to the foundation, checks can be mailed to the Prince George’s Communi-

Things, a juried exhibition selected

by Jefferson Pinder, an artist and art professor at the University of Maryland, College Park.

The exhibition was on display during November at the Montpelier Art Center in Laurel.

Greenbelt weaver Elizabeth Lundberg Morisette won the show’s

Center, 6120 Sargent Road, Chillum. Some experience in instructing is preferred but not required.

For information call 301.853.2005. Â

Purchase Award, presented by Steven Newsome, Executive Director of the Prince George’s Arts Council. Her soft wall hanging, Bees Knees, was made of coiled beeswax and fabric and punctuated by the artist’ own knee prints.

Fellow Greenbelt resident Marla McLean was awarded $500 in cash for her installation piece, How to Make a Star, an assemblage of an antique school door on a museum pedestal and festooned with origami paper stars.

Brandywine blacksmith Chris Shea also won a $500 cash award for his pair of hand-forged steel and cast glass: CafÊ Chairs. Also featured for their extraordinary artworks are: quilt maker Patricia Autunrieth; weaver Joyce Keister; Sumi ink artist Linda Lee Uphoff; video artists Charl Ann Brew and Mahwish Chisty; painters Ed Bisese, Michelle Johnson, Fredric A. Roberts and Papisco Kudzi; sculptors Alan Binstock, Melissa Burley and Michael Stark; and mixed media artists Seth Gomoljak and Nancy Salome Sanford.

WILD THINGS—Works in New and Conventional Media That Go Beyond the Expected Exhibition—is a program of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Prince George’s County, Arts and Cultural Heritage Division and partially funded by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.

For more information, call 301.454.1461.

Instructors needed at Rollingcrest-Chillum Community Center

 If you have skills in the areas of SAT preparation, cheerleading, martial arts, sewing, aerobics and tutoring, join the team at Rollingcrest-Chillum Community

JANUARY Beth Torah Congregation, 6700 Adelphi Road, is hosting a series of events this month.

Jan. 11: Find a road map back to a Jewish life in the moving tales of other Jewish people. Journeys to a Jewish Life traces the paths of secular or nominal Jews who have blazed a spiritual trail toward modern Judaism, giving it their own spin. The book tracks their spiritual adventures from alienation to connection along religious detours, with guides who point the way. Paula Ammon will be a guest speaker following services at 8 p.m.

Jan. 25: Michael Herman, chief of staff to Prince Georges County Executive Jack Johnson, will speak at 8:30 p.m. The event is free.

Jan. 26: Lunch and Learn following services at 10:00 a.m. Topic: The Faith Factor! Explore the role that faith should play in the life of our next president. The event is free.

For more information on any of these events, call 301.927.5525 or e-mail bethtorah@starpower.net..

Skate party at Langley Park site

 A winter roller skate party is planned from 1-4 p.m. on Jan.12, at Rollingcrest-Chillum Community Center, 6120 Sargent Road.

The afternoon will be full of music, roller skating and refreshments. Parents are welcome to skate also. The cost is $5/resident, $6/non-resident.

For information call 301.853.2005. Â

FEBRUARY Ward 3 meeting on tap

Representatives and residents of

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Ward 3 will meet at 3 p.m. on Feb. 9 to discuss issues of interest specifically regarding the ward, as well city-wide topics. The meeting will be held at the Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin St. Call or e-mail with your RSVP: Krista Atteberry: 301.699.0847 or e-mail at katteberry@hyattsville.org.

Anthony Patterson:301.864.0143 or e-mail at apatterson@hyattsville. org.

Black History Month poster contest

Art students at Parkdale High School in Riverdale have produced the 2008 Black History Month poster, which honors African American history and its impact on individual lives and the local community. Each year, a county high school is selected to participate in the Black History Month Poster Project, an eight-week art enrichment program coordinated by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

The poster, titled “Yours, Mine, Ours: Shared Visions of African American history in Prince George’s County�, was created by students: Ekenechukwu Ndukwe; Jeanette Bolden; Jelani Armstrong; Andre Carter; Oshane Watson; Brandon Williams; and Tiffani Corley. Parkdale High School painting teacher and artist in residence, Hampton Olfus Jr. provided support and mentoring for the students.The students researched local African American history and family history that is relevant to the theme of the poster. Each student then created a design element that contributed to the overall design of the poster.The concept of the design was the vision of, Ekenechukwu Ndukwe, 16, who interpreted the theme to mean a walk down memory lane. Over 7,000 posters will be distributed during February at MNCPPC Black History Month 2008 events. For information and to pick up a free poster call 301.454.1450.

Hyattsville Life&Times | January 2008

Page 5

City, FOP discuss savings plan

by Sarah Nemeth

T

he City of Hyattsville is considering a request to enroll in a supplemental retirement savings program that would allow police officers to save for their future in a more streamlined way.

Working in conjunction with ICMA-RC, a not-for-profit provider of retirement services, the city would offer its third 457 deferred compensation plan. These plans allow participants to make contributions on a pre-tax basis. Federal and many state income taxes are deferred until assets are withdrawn, usually during retirement when participants are likely to be in a lower tax bracket.

Pat O’Hagan, president of the Hyattsville Police Department’s Fraternal Order of Police, said offering this 457 plan will help boost officer recruitment and lower attrition rates.

“The benefit to FOP members is that the administrative costs are much lower,” O’Hagan said at a Dec. 10 City Council meeting.

“It is one thing added to the overall package. Not that many people are up on a lot of the details… but we would be able to say that we have one of the best in the area, that you’re going to reap the best benefit for your retirement.

“Many places have differed compensation match; we don’t. But of all that don’t, we have one of the best plans going.”

The council, at a Dec. 17 meeting, voted unanimously in favor of directing city staff to negotiate with the FOP and ICMA-RC to establish such a plan. Council members Krista Atteberry (Ward 3) and Carlos Lizanne (Ward 4) were absent.

The council has not yet put the plan to a final vote in order to allow City Attorney Richard Colaresi time to review details he had not received in time for the council’s last meeting of 2007. Mayor William Gardiner said the policy will come back for a vote in January.

All but one sworn Hyattsville police officer are a part of the Local

119, O’Hagan said.

“I don’t know that we’ve ever gone lower than one employee not joining,” O’Hagan said, adding that for civilian officers, membership is more of a social thing with between 50 and 75 percent of them enrolled in the FOP. ICMA-RC’s Blue Line Plan was created specifically for the national FOP organization and is priced to all local lodges as if they were part of the national group. This allows local lodges and their members to participate in a plan at significantly lower costs than they could get based on their own membership or under their jurisdiction’s plan.

Participants in the plan would save 26 percent, said City Treasurer Robert Oliphant.

“It’s a pretty significant benefit,” he said. “That reduction in the cost to the participant is pretty significant in terms of their availability to save money over time.”

Establishing the plan will not cost the city anything, and could offer additional fiscal benefit.

The city is negotiating with ICMA-RC for an extension of the Blue Line Plan pricing to the city’s other 457 plans, should an agreement with the Local 119 and ICMA-RC be reached.

Although the plan could be extended to all city employees—a move that could, in time, save the city on rate costs—the City Council decided to narrow the field to police officers only, sworn and civilian.

O’Hagan, who only represents police officers, is pleased with that decision.

“It’s a pleasant compromise… in that it reads that it be allowed for all police department employees,” he said.

Because he is elected to his position by members of the FOP, O’Hagan said he was not comfortable representing other city employees and the extra time associated with representing all city employees could prove a hindrance.

Historic Hyattsville house turned “Home Sweet Home” for artist

by Krista Atteberry

A

rtist Jeff Moulton describes his “eternal search to find a studio” as a journey that has taken him from small closets to flooded basements, to his remodeled Hyattsville studio adjacent to ‘The Paxton House’ at 6122 42nd Avenue.

In 1998 Moulton and his wife Marsha bought the county-designated historic home - built in 1916 and renovated in the 1940s by former Hyattsville chiropractor Dr. Sharpe—specifically for the studio.

The studio and yard with a pond was featured on the 2005 Hyattsville Preservation Association’s annual house tour.

After the gutting of a small structure next to the main house that used to be half garage and half doctor’s office, Moulton now spends his days creating oil paintings featuring mostly nature settings. Their tabby cat Skeeter checks in regularly during the day on Jeff ’s creative progress.

Moulton’s oil paintings range in size and subject from a 3-by-5-inch still life of a lemon to an 8 by 4-foot painting featuring tropical palm trees.

Moulton finds inspiration for many of his works at local nature habitats such as the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, the National Arboretum and Rock Creek Park. He hikes through these areas and stops and paints smallscale oil studies, which he often brings back to his studio in order to create larger paintings.

He recently won 2nd prize at the Montpellier Cultural Art Center’s Patuxent Art League 17th Annual Open Juried Art Exibition for “Still Life with Orange Bowl,” an oil painting. He has previously won first prize in this competition.

The Sommerville-Manning Gallery in Wilmington, Delaware features his work and serves as his main commercial outlet. His large oil paintings featuring na-

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ture depictions have often been placed in corporate office settings as tranquil decorative pieces.

Moulton remembers “painting all my life, sometimes I’ve painted more, sometimes less.” He said he was “lucky enough to be encouraged” by his parents and says his high school art teacher was very influential.

The 61-year-old was born in Ohio but raised in suburban Philadelphia. He was educated in art at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio for his undergraduate work

and the University of New Mexico for his graduate degree. Before moving to Maryland Moulton spent over 10 years in Pennsylvania as the owner of a framing and art supply store. He has also traveled throughout the Metro region selling sporting goods.

Now a full time artist and historic homeowner with many remodeling projects completed and underway, Moulton is completely at home with his wife Marsha in their historic Hyattsville home with studio.

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Hyattsville Life&Times | January 2008

Page 6

Park fields parched

by Stephanie Davis and Sarah Nemeth

H

yattsville residents and various other organizations use Magruder Park, a 32-acre facility on Hamilton Street, as a place for meetings, games and other activities on a regular basis, and have noticed that the fields aren’t as healthy as they should be. “It doesn’t appear that [there is] a management program in place for all the fields,â€? said Marc Tartaro, president of the Hyattsville/Mount Rainier/Brentwood Boys and Girls Club and Ward 1 councilman. “You would expect that they would be seeded, watered ‌ and fertilized on

a regular basis, and that doesn’t appear to be happening.�

Three years ago there was a change in leadership and a change in how the parks are managed, Tartaro said. “It certainly has been noticeable for probably the last three or four years,� he said. “This was less of an issue in the past because the fields weren’t being used as much, but now they are being used for all the different programs.�

Magruder Park, situated on Hamilton Street at 40th Street, offers a soccer field, a football field —which will reopen in September—and baseball fields. There are also tennis courts and paths, pavilions and pic-

nic tables. The park is home to the Hamilton Street Pool.

There are two groups who hold permits for playing sports on Magruder’s fields: the Hyattsville/ Mount Rainier/Brentwood Boys and Girls Club and St. Jerome’s Catholic Youth Organization, said Joanne Mood, Hyattsville’s director of recreation and the arts. Other organizations, including DeMatha Catholic High School, use the park for orientation and for some of its sports tournaments. “They really need to be maintained in a different way than they have been in the past,� Tartaro said.

The club uses the fields for football, baseball and soccer.

Program ‘leaf’-ing some residents behind

by Sarah Nemeth

I

t’s one of the most popular programs Hyattsville offers.

But residents’ hopes for the city’s leaf collection project plummet as the leaves fall and sometimes sit for weeks on sidewalks before the Public Works Department vacuums them up. “Leaf collection in this city is atrocious and it stays that way year in and year out,� said Ward 5 resident David Marshall at a Dec. 17 City Council meeting. “Mine was supposed to be done Friday [but] it wasn’t done for the last two weeks. Is DPW collecting leaves or are they just telling people they’re collecting leaves and not doing it? Something needs to be done.�

Marshall said leaf collection has been a source of frustration for at least three years.

High winds over the weekend of Dec. 15 left leaves, once collected and deposited in neat heaps at the curb, strewn haplessly around once-clean lawns.

According to City Administrator Elaine Murphy, the leaf collec-

tion schedule has had to be modified due to inclement weather or a need to deploy public works employees elsewhere in the city. “It’s my understanding that we’re not terribly behind in leaf collection,� she said, adding that miscommunication about the collection also happens during weeks when there is a holiday. “There seems to be some disconnect. If leaves get wet or when it’s snowing and frozen they can’t pick up leaves. “There has to be some give and take in terms of the schedule for leaf collection. Depending on climatic changes we don’t know when the leaves are going to fall en masse.�

Councilwoman Nicole Hinds (Ward 5) suggested outsourcing the leaf collection program if the city’s workers are too busy. Communication about the effort between the city and residents has not been effective, she said. “I think it would be effective if we could communicate to the

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community,� Hinds said. “I see a lot of them putting them on the street instead of the sidewalk.�

Residents are to pile leaves on the sidewalk in front of their houses. The city distributes a schedule of when the DPW will collect leaves and updates that plan as dictated by circumstances.

Leaves can also be put in plastic garbage bags and will be collected

by DPW on Wednesdays, Murphy said. There is a limit of 10 bags on Wednesdays.

“It doesn’t appear that [there is] a management program in place for all the fields,. “You would expect that they would be seeded, watered ‌ and fertilized on a regular basis, and that doesn’t appear to be happening.â€?

Marc Tartaro, President Hyattsville/Mount Rainier/Brentwood Boys and Girls Club and Ward 1 councilman David Hiles, whose son is a member of the boys and girls club, said he has seen the park post-abuse. “We’ve had problems with ruts on our playing fields in the past at Magruder Park,� Hiles told the council at a recent meeting, claiming that he had seen deep ruts on the east edge of the park’s main soccer field. “There’s often been some mystery about where the ruts come from. Last spring [we] met with city staff so this kind of thing wouldn’t keep happening.�

He suggested that the city follow practices used at other parks, including the use of blocking posts on paths and circulating policies that are well known about how to use vehicles on the park.

City Administrator Elaine Murphy said two reports of vehicles on the fields in late fall were situations where the HMB club and the Anacostia Watershed Society were on site. “Park Police can drive on the

field and there’s nothing we can do to stop it,� she told Hiles. “There has to be a way for police to get onto the area and make sure it’s safe during hours that are not being used for field use.�

Tom Lopresti, with CYO sports, agrees that the field maintenance is lax. He said that most of the time when the fields need something done he just does it himself. “And even with a little bit of rain the baseball fields will be unplayable,� he said.

On Jan. 15, the city will hold a discussion forum on the redevelopment of Magruder Park.The discussion will include the feasibility of specific amenities.

Hyattsville will solicit conceptual ideas for landscape design along the entry to the park and tie-ins to the Hamilton Street Improvement Program including the area from the park to 38th Avenue.

The event will be held at 7 p.m. at the Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin St.

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Hyattsville Life&Times | January 2008

Page 7

Baltimore Avenue: more parking needed?

by Sarah Nemeth

W

hile commercial and residential development is bursting onto the city scene, Hyattsville is working to determine if a public parking garage on U.S. Route 1 would benefit local business owners and shoppers.

The City Council has given its approval for the city to negotiate with the state, Prince George’s County and the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation regarding the details of a feasibility study on the project. The study will be partially subsidized through a state grant of up to $25,000.

County Councilman William Campos (D-Dist. 2), in conjunction with city and state organizations, has

nancier responsible for financing parking garages in Bethesda and Silver Spring, has expressed an interest in funding the structure should feasibility study point to a need, Frome said.

A consolidated parking location could benefit projects like the coming low-income artist housing and YMCA, as well as public events held at Crossover Church, located at the corner of Jefferson Street and Baltimore Avenue.

According to Frome, the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development is willing to fund construction of a parking garage up to half of the project, matching what the city, Campos’ office and the CDC fund.

The CDC would provide

parking at this facility would not be freE, FROME SAID.

determined the need for a feasibility study that would offer options on possible locations for the garage, said Campos aide Brad Frome at a Dec. 10 City Council meeting.

“Right now I would imagine it would be pretty tough for a retailer to occupy any of the existing spaces that are currently on the Route 1 corridor [without more parking options],” Frome said.

A parking garage would remove from business owners the need to provide parking, though details are not concrete, he said.

“This is what study the is for, to bring in people who know traffic, who know parking … and they tell us where it would make most sense to produce a parking structure,” Frome said.

A small urban-development fi-

What do you think?

We want to hear from you!

To submit articles, letters to the editor, etc., e-mail Hyattsvillelifeandtimes@gmail.com.

$15,000 in kind; the city would provide $10,000; EYA would provide $3,000 in kind and the county would provide $5,000, Mayor William Gardiner said.

Councilwoman Paula Perry (Ward 4) wonders if more beneficiaries should be involved in the financing.

“Because it’s going to benefit HIP and the YMCA if it is in, why aren’t they being asked to contribute to the study?” she asked.

Those entities may be providing surface parking and may not be best to fund a parking feasibility study, Frome said, adding that plans are in the infant stage.

“If [the garage] happens, it wouldn’t be for many, many years,” he said.

A Parking Task Force will be formed for the project but has not yet been defined in terms of membership, Gardiner said.

Stuart Eisenberg, the CDC’s executive director, said getting a healthy cross-section of input on the project is integral to its success.

“I’m all for as much participation from folks who can improve the process and get all points of view.

I think it’s a very valid approach,” he said. “The potential of a parking structure to do good is just as much potential for it to do harm so we want to get as much input as pos-

sible.”

According to city legislation, the need for additional parking along the commercial corridor of Baltimore Avenue has been discussed for many years and it is a key part of the city’s Community Legacy Revitalization Plan.

Horticulture society springs up enriched

by Vicki Kriz

T

hough autumn’s magnificent display of colors has faded and summer’s green is long gone, garden enthusiasts are not hibernating for the winter.

In fact, Victoria Boucher Hille and the members of the Hyattsville Horticulture Society are already thinking about gardening plans for the upcoming year.

Boucher Hille, secretary of the group, said the society was revitalized in the summer of 2006, 90 years after its creation in 1916, when the Hyattsville Preservation Society proposed the formation of a local gardening committee. Hyattsville resident Gwyn Kesler informed the Preservation Society that such a group already existed, but was lying dormant. It was then decided that the society would be renewed with old members joined by new.

Kesler is now the society’s president, with Linda Keenan serving as vice president. The group now has about 24 members and is open to new participants.

“Everyone interested in gardening and ecology is welcome, including beginners,” Boucher Hille said.

The mission of the revitalized society is not only to gather gardening enthusiasts, but to also make positive contributions to the Hyattsville community. The group seeks to help Hyattsville residents with gardening problems and to make Hyattsville

a beautiful and healthy community. It also acts as a forum for where ideas can blossom and locals can learn from experts.

The society has already held several activities to celebrate their renewed vigor. Their first event and fundraiser was a sale of organic soil last spring. Next year, the group hopes to include the sale of mulch in this annual event, Boucher Hille said.

Members also enjoy learning about gardening and ecology and did so during a trip to Washington, D.C.’s Aquatic Garden’s Lotus Festival in September.

Jeff Moulton, society member and vice president for special events, hopes that excursions to Kenilworth Park and the National Arboretum can be planned and a guest speaker program can be established in the near future.

The group is currently planning for the upcoming year and is open to suggestions. A plant and gardening tool exchange, a water conservation initiative, and a gardening-themed newspaper column titled “Miss Floribunda” have been discussed.

Meetings are usually held at 10 a.m. on the third Saturday of every month at the Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin St.Those interested can contact Boucher Hille at 301.277.7129 or at victoria.boucher@gmail.com.

Hyattsville Life&Times | January 2008

Page 8

Looking Back attsville hery friend at Hy for the New feat s ile Sm Y: AR JANU ol.

Elementary Scho

MARCH: Alfredo Ratinoff's sculpt ure of Marco Po is in the garden lo s on the ground s at the Mansion Strathmore. Inse at t: Alfredo Ratin off next to the m ral Aida and a pl uate made by Teod olina Garcia Cabo his first art teac , her. She gave it to him as a gift.

FEBRUARY: Sister Joyce Volpini at St Jerome's Command Central.

Agki, recipient of the APRIL: Rich Maches her ac Te g din an Outst nes Meyer Award for gh Hi a th Ma De e gtim of the Year, is a lon School educator.

MAY: Edelman Hernadez, 23, was killed in Afghanistan on April 11, part of the death toll of soldiers who have served in the mid-east in America’s war on terrorism since September 11, 2001.

JUNE: Award-winning teacher Nora Facchiano retires.

MAY: Mayor W illiam Gardiner re-elect ed in city's biennial electi on.

Hyattsville Life&Times | January 2008

Page 9

…at 2007 JULY: Hyattsville Life & Times anno unces a changing business manager of the guard. Outg Steve Clements (le oing ft) and executive turn over the rein editor Nick Dunt s to Sarah Nemet en h.

AUGUST: Hyattsville Mayor William Gardiner and his captain Stuart Eisenberg lugged their canoe down a ramp and into the murky waters of the Anacostia River for the Anacostia Watershed Society’s 13th Annual Paddlesport Regatta.

SEPTEMBER: Cashier Catherine Alexandria checks out customer Gloria Industrious at GLUT organic grocery store in Mount Rainier.

OCTOBER: Ei ghth-grader Qunicy Baker design of a ch was awarded ildren’s logo first prize fo for the City of r her Hyattsville.

NOVEMBER: A young drumming student of "Baba M" Mahiri Edwards performs at the Gateway EcoArts Festival.

Hope, 1, cold daughter an i sk w o part of a rk : Ellen Bo ck pond as u d ls il H ty DECEMBER ersi ear the Univ lect trash n rt. fo ef p -u n ea volunteer cl

Hyattsville Life&Times | January 2008

Page 10

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HealthCorner Watch your mouth!

by Ronald Grossman, DDS

Y

our lips, teeth and gums are trying to warn you about major health risks. Are you listening?

Bad Breath

Many cases of bad breath do not originate in the mouth. One source is the sinuses. Inflammation of your nasal passages can be caused by allergies or chronic infection. A stuffy nose forces breathing through your mouth.

This dries up saliva that would kill bacteria that cause bad breath.

Postnasal drip occurs when mucus flows down the back of your nose and onto the back of the tongue.

This accumulation feeds bacteria which produce sulphur chemicals that create foul oral odor.

Treatment for this includes gargling with mouthwash before bed, rather than in the morning. At night, less saliva is produced, and the bacteria are not washed away regularly. Gargle for 30 seconds and target the back of your tongue.

Tilt your head back and breathe through your nose. If the odor is still present, you may have a sinus infection. Visit your physician for a diagnosis. Antibiotics or allergy medications may be prescribed.

Cold Sores

Cold sores feel and look bad.

The herpes simplex virus lies dormant in the nervous system until stress, illness or fatigue causes a cold sore. Researchers suspect that when the virus reactivates, it triggers a nerve response in the coronary artery that may lead to clotting.

Large doses of stress can produce a cold sore and, in severe cases, even a heart attack. Stress

relief techniques, such as yoga and meditation, can quell tension and increase immune-system cells.

Bleeding Gums

Gums become infected when plaque, a bacteria-laden film that forms on your teeth after you eat, is allowed to harden at the gumline. Tooth loss and heart disease are risks from gum disease. In a recent Harvard study of more than 52,000 men, those with infected gums were 63 percent more prone to pancreatic cancer that those with inflammation-free mouths.

Researchers blame bacteria that react with digestive chemicals to create conditions for cancer-cell growth.

Sugar is an enemy to the mouth and your pancreas. It worsens gum disease by feeding the plaque. Replace spoonfuls of sugar with an artificial sweetener.

Sensitive Teeth

Your stomach contains digestive juices that break down food.

When the acid escapes into the esophagus to cause heartburn, it can move into the mouth to dissolve the enamel. If the reflux is severe enough to wear on the teeth, it may also be causing more deadly damage. Chronic heartburn can lead to esophageal cancer.

The carbonation in soda weakens the enamel and worsens heartburn. It causes the stomach to expand and can pop the esophageal sphincter – a cork that traps stomach acid inside the stomach. Substitute water for soda and chew sugarless gum to increase saliva, which contains enamel -repairing minerals.

Sunburned Lips

If adequate protection is not

used, skin cancer can develop on the lips.

The lower lip is one of the most common sites for squamouscell carcinoma, a skin cancer once found mainly in older adults that is becoming increasingly common in people under 40. This cancer can spread if it occurs in the mouth.

Smear on a lip balm with an SPF of 30 every time you are outside.

Tongue

Do you feel a bump that did not come from an inadvertent bite? Stick out your tongue and look for a white or red patch, a yellow-gray ulcer with a red halo, or a thickening of tissue. Each can signal oral cancer. Call your dentist for a cancer screening if the bump or patch does not go away within 10 days.

Dark fuzzy patches could be colonies of bacteria stained by coffee, tea or tobacco. Use a tongue scraper daily to remove them and stop further growth.

If your tongue is red, it could be glossitis, a medical term for a painful or swollen tongue. It can be a sign of vitamin deficiency, infection or a food allergy. Smoking and drinking alcohol can cause it.

Visit your dentist for a diagnosis, as supplements, antibiotics or allergy medication may be prescribed to clear it up.

Conscientious oral hygiene and observation—just a few minutes several times each day—can help maintain a healthy mouth and body for life.

Neighborhood Watch needs eyes, ears

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C

rime–or the prevention of it–is at the forefront of many minds in Hyattsville.

A proven crime-prevention method is Neighborhood Watch groups, but local interest in the resident-facilitated program seems to be lacking.

At a Neighborhood Watch informational meeting held by the police department in October, less than 20 residents turned out to learn about the program. No new programs were formed.

Ward 2 has the city’s only active Neighborhood Watch, covering the area bound by 39th Avenue and Liv-

ingston Street to 40th Avenue and Madison Street. The group recently celebrated its second anniversary.

Neighborhood Watch, also called Block Watch, is a national program that aims to deter crime and to raise citizen awareness. Residents work with law-enforcement officials to organize a program appropriate for their neighborhood. “Neighborhood Watch is a great benefit to us,� said Hyattsville Police Sgt. Mark Roski. “Any help we can get goes a long way.�

Neighborhood Watch has been in existence since 1972. Members maintain a visible presence that aims to deter criminals. The organized

groups work to create a greater sense of community, which can help to remove the fear that typically accompanies criminal activity.

As with Ward 2, a Neighborhood Watch group can cover just a single block. The cost to run a program is low and the time commitment limited. Hyattsville police will provide training and guidance to neighbors who are ready to protect their homes and take back their streets.

To start a Neighborhood Watch program in your community, call Roski at 301.985.5081 or visit www.hyattsville.org.

Hyattsville Life&Times | January 2008

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Music and spirits soar at seasonal events

Alvin Jones performs “Oh Come Let Us Adore Him” Dec. 7 at E’s Place at the Crossover Church on Baltimore Avenue.

HUGH'S NEWS continued from page 3

the land itself. He found raising the money was a discouraging task.

During 1914 Shields was touring the country desperately trying to raise money to fund the College for Catholic Sisters. He particularly sought the help of Catholic women of the country to provide for the educators of their children. He was barely able to raise enough money to cover his travel expenses.

Rob Mercer performs songs from his third CD, a Christmas album, at the record’s release party Dec. 7 at Crossover Church.

At the same time, in 1914, Shahan, then rector of Catholic University, had been made a bishop and he announced his plan to build the great basilica. Bishop Shahan planned that the great church would be a gift to the nation from Catholic women and his competing fund raising effort dealt what seemed to be a death blow to Shields’ financing for a Catholic Sisters College. Then, on Good Friday, 1915, as Shields was expecting another rejection, an anonymous woman in New York

gave him a generous donation that secured the central building of the Sisters College.

Later the penniless Shields mortgaged his small house to purchase a pig farm adjacent to the Sister’s College to provide food for the sisters.

The farm eventually became the grounds of Providence Hospital and Carroll Manor Nursing Home.

On Feb. 15, 1921 Shields died. He is buried in a mausoleum near the corner of 8th and Varnum streets, in the District. After the Second Ecume

A bicycle can't stand alone. It is two tired.

Hyattsville Life&Times | January 2008

Page 13

Volunteer Reception Resident Rose Byrne received the Hyattsville Volunteer Service Award at a volunteer reception held at the Hyattsville Municipal Building on Dec. 17.

Byrne translated 685 surveys on the 2005 budget into a format that assists Hyattsville’s elected officials.

Make yourself at home, away

by Brian Katkin

T

he view of the smokestacks spouting from a factory building across the street may not be what you were hoping for. The bed is just wide enough to sleep with no arms or legs hanging off if you sleep in a fetal position. The bathroom only has two bath towels that make it feel like you are sanding yourself down when you dry off.

Instead of settling for the room that never quite meets all your expectations, get your room upgraded.

Upgrades are pretty common in the hotel industry. Here are some tips to making your next stay at a hotel more to your liking without having to ante up the extra cash.

Schmooze the desk

Most hotels often have the front desk attendant check you into your room. If you are searching for an upgrade, be patient and cordial with whoever is helping you. They often are the people who assign you the rooms from what is available.

“Be courteous and don’t be pushy about it,” said Clifton Clark, general manager of the San Jose Marriot, in San Jose, Calif.

A friendly smile, a well-timed compliment or just a pleasant, “Hi, how are you?” can go a long way in currying the favor of the attendant, who may be more inclined to double check to see if there are nicer rooms available.

Of course, being an engaging person does not mean that you are automatically entitled to a room upgrade. Nobody likes to deal with customers who cannot take no for an answer.

“Haggling doesn’t get you anywhere. It may work once in a while, but if it is late in the evening and you just have a front desk person, it just gets everyone upset,” said Vicki Koch, president and owner of West-

mar Tours, a travel agency in Cumberlan

Join the club

Many hotels offer loyalty or reward programs that customers can sign up with upon their stay. After accumulating enough program points, customers are often offered upgrades when available.

“Upgrades are not … always available,” Clark said. “Selling premium rooms at a premium rate is how we make money.”

Business people who frequently travel to a specific part of the country and often stay at the same hotels have the potential to do really well for themselves by joining hotel loyalty programs.

“Anyone that is a member of our program at any level can enter their preferences for room type.”

Clark said. “The hotel usually tries to accommodate their request, like a larger room, away from elevators, a high floor, two double beds, no feather pillows, etc.”

Just thought I’d mention…

Whether you are on a family vacation and it is your daughter’s eighth birthday or you are celebrating your own special day, make mention of it in casual conversation at the front desk. They may try and make your stay a little more enjoyable and celebratory, Clark said.

Look the part

If you’re traveling on a business trip, it never hurts to checkin while wearing your work badge and your freshly dry-cleaned suit. According to Koch, business people on an individual basis tend to be the most successful in getting those upgrades.

Mentioning that

your business is holding their annual convention at the hotel or that your company is having you do business in the area often gets the hotel’s attention and they will want to attract you back to the hotel on your next visit.

“Business travelers that are in our rewards program and have established themselves as frequent travelers, Marriott Gold and Platinum Guests, are the most successful [in getting room upgrades],” Clark said.

Call ahead

A friendly reminder that you are coming to confirm your stay is always a smart travel tip, but it can also reap some nice rewards.

“A local manager or the general manager has the say about any rooms,” Koch said. “So if you are a business person who is going to be traveling into the town many times, I would talk to the managers about a better rate.

Do this before your ar r ival date.”

Letting the hotel know your plans may help them better prepare for your stay and see if anything might be available in advance.

Hyattsville Life&Times | January 2008

Page 14

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How to name a stadium

Athletes speak out about renaming sports facility

by Brian Katkin

S

teve Blake, former University of Maryland men’s basketball star, had just stolen the ball and taken it the length of the court for an easy lay-up right before the half putting the Terrapins up 38-29 against the number one team in the country, the Duke Blue Devils.

By the end of the game, the Terrapins had gutted out an 87-73 win and the 14,600 fans at Cole Field House spilled out onto the court, celebrating a monumental victory over their hated rivals from Durham, N.C. Five years later Cole Field House, formally known as the William P. Cole, Jr. Student Activities Building, still stands where it did on that memorable afternoon on Feb. 17, 2002. Basketball is not longer played there. It is now home to pick-up indoor soccer games, comedy shows, concerts and crab feasts.

Maryland basketball is now played at the 5-year-old Comcast Center.

With its 17,950 person capacity, luxury suites, and banquet hall overlooking the main court, the Comcast Center is now one of the most state of the art college basketball arenas in the country.

But at what cost to the fans and athletes? “When I heard about Maryland getting the Comcast Center, I was really upset,� said Adrienne Dukes, a University of Maryland student who attended Terrapin basketball games at Cole Field House with her father.“Not only were they taking away a place that I pretty much grew up in, it seemed like they were selling out for money.�

College athletics is based on tradition, rivalries and the hallowed ground of legendary stadiums like the Dean Smith Center at the University of North Carolina, the Orange Bowl at the University of Miami and Rupp Arena at the University of Kentucky. Now, colleges and universities appear to be selling those legendary names to corporations looking to pay large amounts of money for the opportunity to get its corporate name in the spotlight.

The Comcast Corporation paid $25 million over 20 years to become the namesake of the University of Maryland’s basketball stadium where the wrestling, gymnastics, volleyball and basketball teams play. All types of corporations are getting in on the newest craze in the business sports world of buying corporate naming rights. The University of Louisville’s football stadium is named Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium after the pizza restaurant, Papa John’s Pizza. “As long as the names remain halfway decent like Comcast Center then I have no problem with it.� said Andrew Schmitt, long snapper for the Terrapins football team. “I do get a little chuckle when I watch Louis-

ville play and they say ‘Welcome to Papa John’s Stadium.’�

Despite the influx of money that corporate naming rights brings to college and university athletic departments, some athletes around the country still like the school-related names of their stadiums. “Playing in our stadium alone is very special because all-in-all it’s a pretty nice facility,� said Casey Quigley, a senior women’s basketball player at George Mason University where the basketball stadium is named the Patriot Center after its mascot. “I guess it does bring a little bit of pride to our team knowing that it is called the Patriot Center. It makes it feel like it’s ours rather than some corporate sponsor’s.�

The University of Maryland recently teamed with Chevy Chase Bank, who paid $20 million for naming rights, and changed the name of the field at the football stadium to Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium. Among the football players, the name change was welcome and looked at as a step in the right direction for bringing in more money for the school’s football program. “While they named it Chevy Chase Field, they kept it Chevy Chase Field at Byrd Stadium,� said Matt Goldberg, a wide receiver on the Terrapins football team. “Most people still refer to the stadium as Byrd as apposed to Chevy Chase. I think this keeps the nostalgic aspect to the stadium. If they changed it from Byrd, I think there would have been some objections.�

Goldberg, a lifelong Maryland football fan, says that playing football at Chevy Chase Field at Byrd Stadium is still special to him and understands the business decision to team with the corporate sponsor. “I would rather see them maintain the original more nostalgic names,�

Goldberg said. “As much as college sports are marketed though, I think that it is essential to the programs to be able to get money needed from these corporations so that they can remain competitive with other schools.�

After having a taste of success during the 2001-2002 football season with the arrival of head coach Ralph Friedgen, which yielded a post-season Orange Bowl appearance, the football team knows that support from corporations can help sustain that success. “I was more excited than disappointed because they were willing to fund the money to expand the stadium which will eventually help Maryland football reach the next level,� Goldberg said.

Schmitt, whose older brother Kyle played at Maryland on that 2001-2002 team and is a former NFL player with the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings, echoed

STADIUM continued on page 15

Hyattsville Life&Times | January 2008

Page 15

Ramblings &Musings

by Bert Kapinus

The name game

T

here have been many changes taking place here in Hyattsville of late that have altered the complexion of the city.

Because of these changes, we may want to change some names which we currently have to reflect the new Hyattsville.

The first change I suggest is that the area currently known as the Historic District be changed to Olde Towne. Olde Towne certainly carries a certain panache that the Historic District does not have. I suspect that saying one lives in Olde Towne would not only enhance the image of one’s home, but also its value. (Why didn’t someone think of this before?) Olde Towne would be in contradistinction to New Town which of course is the area which consists of Kennedy, Longfellow and Madison Streets along Route 1.

Rather than naming the area New Town, it could have a name that

recognize that there is to the west an unincorporated area that is referred to as West Hyattsville, but the portion that is in the incorporated City of Hyattsville should not be referred to as West Hyattsville. It sounds much like just another town such as Takoma Park or Riverdale Park. Therefore, I propose the incorporated section on the west side of Queens Chapel now be referred to as the West Side. It accurately identifies the area and it would do away with the step-child connotation of its current name.

While we are renaming neighborhoods, we now have University Hills included in the city. I suggest that the image of that area could be changed by renaming it University Heights. It strikes me that living on a height conveys a stateliness that is missing from just living on a hill.

While Hamilton Street has served Hyattsville well, I think the stretch of Hamilton Street from 38th Street

The first change I suggest is the Historic District be changed to Olde Towne. Olde Towne certainly carries a certain panache that the Historic District does not have. might more accurately reflects its location like Mad Fellow Square, a combination of Madison and Longfellow Streets. Come to think of it, Mad Fellow Square doesn’t have the zing that you would want. Perhaps we could memorialize one of Hyattsville’s earlier entrepreneurs by naming it Battling Bert Lustine Square. That would capture one’s attention, but I don’t know what it would do for condo sales.

The name Magruder Park could stand to be gussied up a bit. The change would be to rename it the Elysian Fields at Magruder Park. In all honesty, I got the idea from Maryland’s re-naming the football stadium as BB&T Field at Byrd Stadium.

I don’t know whether the people who live on the west side of Queens Chapel Road believe that they live in Hyattsville. I never thought referring to that area as West Hyattsville was right. I

to Ager Road should become RowDayO Drive East. This is the phonetic pronunciation for the rather chic thoroughfare in Beverly Hills known as Rodeo Drive. How about that for an instant image change?

Moving northward toward Prince George’s Plaza: we could tweak Prince George’s Mall by re-naming it East White Flint Mall. In addition to changing its image, I suspect it would cause a rise in the unit price of an item by at least 50 cents. You always have to give up something in order to get something.

If space permitted, I would explain why the area between Toledo Road and East West Highway should be named the Land of Oz. Then again, maybe we should just keep our cherished names. The famous Ukrainian writer Shakespearsky said it best: “A banana by any other name still smells like a banana.”

STADIUM

sound different with the long name but it doesn’t change anything with the players.”

Despite the corporate nature that these stadiums have assumed, athletes and fans still hold the older school-esque names close.

“Places like Cole Field House and Byrd stadium will always be special,” Schmitt said. “The naming of Byrd doesn’t change how we refer to it. It will always be Byrd stadium to the players and the fans.”

continued from page 14 those feelings, recognizing that increased funding is imperative to trying to keep up with other state of the art facilities like Boston College’s Alumni Stadium that resurfaced its field with FieldTurf in 2004.

“If the naming rights help the school and program make money then do it,” Schmitt said. “It will only make us better off. The fans and players might find it corny and

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continued from page 1

space. A 300,000-square-foot office building, a parking garage with 600 spaces and a Marriott Courtyard hotel are also in the works for the site, situated southwest of intersection.

“We want to make sure we have a safe access,” Campos said, adding that the community must bear in mind the cost of development.

“There are a lot of growing pains.

Construction is never pretty.”

Pedestrians can be seen hustling across Belcrest Road as cars coming from Queensbury Road must negotiate a slight curve when traveling north. Cars turning south onto Belcrest from East West Highway do not have much roadway before encountering a crosswalk from the Belcrest Shopping Center.

Immediately after the crosswalk, the right lane is temporarily closed due to construction. Drivers must merge into the left lane between the intersection and the crosswalk.

There are pedestrian crosswalks on Belcrest Road at the East West intersection, between the shopping center and a walkway to the Metro and between the American Red Cross building and the First United Methodist Church closer to Queensbury Road.

Some say a remedy is to add lights and alerts to the crosswalks.

“The only thing that’s going to work here [is] a lighted walk/don’t walk [alert] and an overhead amber light with pedestrian crossing,” said longtime resident Barbara Runion.

She also suggested eliminating the right turn on red option at the Belcrest/East West corner.

Campos suggests that one major component of combating the cumbersome venue is enforcing the traffic laws in the area.

According to Hyattsville Sgt. Gary Blakes, there has been a major increase in traffic since construction has begun.

Police officers are exclusively assigned to the East West Highway

corner. There is a $60 fine for drivers who do not obey to the state’s law requiring them to yield to pedestrians. There is also a $35 fine for pedestrians who do not follow signage and walk in the streets when sidewalks are available, Blakes said.

But for residents who are already unhappy with the unsafe conditions, fining pedestrians trying to safely navigate the area did not sit well.

“You really want to make people mad? They can barely survive,” resident Nina Faye told Blakes at the meeting. “There has been no ad-

equate access to the [Metro] station for pedestrians or cars. We wouldn’t know from morning to night how to get in and out of there.”

Tom Farasi of Mid-Cities Financial said construction trailers have been parked in the lane on Belcrest closest to the development due to a lack of available parking space. Trailers, which are separated from the rest of the road by chain link fence, should be moved before the first quarter of 2009, he said.

The $160-million project will be developed in four phases over

the next two years. It will include 264 luxury apartments, said Jennifer Rademacher, chief operating officer of Miami-based Taylor Development and Land Co., the lead developer of the project.

Lighting the way

by Sarah Nemeth

T

he City of Hyattsville has been battling issues with s t re e t lighting for years and the problem has prompted what some call unsafe conditions around the intersection of Belcrest Road and East West Highway.

Decorative street lamps line Belcrest Road offering a townsy glow but also offering a target to unruly drivers who have literally knocked the lamps out of commission.

And then the lights go out and safety becomes a challenge for motorists and walkers alike, according to some residents.

While pedestrian lighting on Belcrest Road is the responsibility of Prince George’s County, it affects a large portion of Hyattsville residents who frequent the area for shopping and to access the Prince George’s Plaza Metro station.

Brad Frome, aide to County Councilman William Campos (D-Dist. 2), said the lamps were used there because they are more decorative than common, overhead cobra-like streetlights.

But it is possible the lampposts were placed too close to the street, especially near a bend in the road, he said. A curve on Belcrest can make it difficult for drivers to see the black lampposts.

“We’re working to try to get Pepco to take these lights back over…It’s not an easy thing,” Frome told residents at a community meeting at City Hall.

In t h e m e a n time, pedestrians are often in t h e dark walking in a highly trafficked area, said resident Christine Hinojosa.

Campos is on the prowl for a better solution, but said his office is at an impasse for the time being.

“They’re pretty lights,but they’re expensive to replace,” Campos said.

“We’re stuck right now.”

Pedestrian lights being installed on the west side of Belcrest Road at East West Highway will be linked to Pepco’s power line, he said.

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Hyattsville Life&Times | January 2008

CREAMERY

continued from page 1 could have more of a small town feel than that?”

Hyattsville resident and personal chef Neil Wilson agreed and said signing up online is as easy as plum pudding.

“It’s the easiest thing in the world to set up,” he said of making an account on the creamery’s Web site.

Once the account is in place, SMC verifies your address and send an e-mail confirmation of your order and your first delivery date. Just place a cooler on your front porch, and dairy delight will arrive.

Wilson suggests leaving some ice

Page 17 “Their milk is so much better,” said customer Rebecca Gitter, “There is a noticeable difference in the quality of what they sell [versus grocery stores].” she said.

Gitter grew up getting milk delivered to the house.

“We’ve even gone out to the dairy to see it,” she said, adding that it is nice for her kids to see where their food comes from, an experience different for kids who live in the suburbs.

Brusco said aside from the freshness of the products and the ease of ordering online, she thinks customers enjoy the idea that they are supporting a local farm family. “[They] can come out and wit-

in-hand and drove 16 hours one way to visit them,” Brusco said. Her family returned home and never stopped thinking of how they could do something similar.

The creamery was also built in order to sustain the farm’s future, she said.

“My brother and I wanted to raise our families on the home farm and knew that without having a way to direct market our product, the farm would not still be here today,” said Brusco.

The farm tries to be as self sufficient as possible. They are milking around 240 Holstein/Brown Swiss cows and also raise steer.

As for the future, Brusco said SMC

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“Customers can come out and witness our farm for themselves by watching the cows being milked and helping feed the baby calves.”

Abby Brusco South Mountain Creamery packs or ice in the cooler in the warmer months if you will not be home when it is delivered. He orders SMC’s goat’s milk every so often and it’s “to die for.”

Though skim milk is by far their most popular product, SMC delivers a wide variety of fresh items such as eggs, cheeses, yogurt’s, even meats, Brusco said.

Second most delivered item?

Whole chocolate milk.

“It is literally a milkshake in a bottle!” Brusco said.

ness our farm for themselves by watching the cows being milked and by helping to feed the baby calves,” she said.

The inspiration to start a home delivery service from their farm grew from an article the family read in a farm and ranch magazine about 14 years ago, Brusco said. It featured a Michigan farm family processing their own milk and selling it directly to the consumer.

“We actually took the magazine

gets requests for farm raised produce, but she is not sure how much more the delivery trucks can carry.

For now, they are staying focused on farm-raised products, things that cannot be found in a typical grocery store, and on growing their existing delivery routes.

For more information on South Mountain Creamery and home delivery options, visit www.southmountaincreamery.com.

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And that’s why, about once monthly, Kim offers an extended arm to a local school, offering a promotion that is tangible.

He distributes fliers advising customers that during a defined time period on a given day, 20 percent of certain sales proceeds will go directly to an area school.

So while Five Guys benefits, so does the community, he said.

“I love it when families come in and eat with their kids,” Kim said, calling his restaurant an “affordable environment.”

University Town Center is a $1.2 billion mixed-use project that will have over 250,000 square feet of retail and entertainment. Residents are

cently signed a lease with Gifford’s Ice Cream & Candy Co. for a 1,107 square feet store on America Boulevard across from the Royale 14 Movie Theater. It is expected to open in spring, according to a UTC press release.

Gifford’s is the Washington area’s oldest ice cream parlor.

“We see Gifford’s Ice Cream & Candy as a true complement to this community,” said Tim Taylor, vice president of leasing for UTC, in a released statement. “We are committed to a development program that meets the objectives of the area residents, is supported by the neighborhood, and provides a desirable mix of retail and other uses for this prominent project.”

continued from page 1 The homegrown business has been in operation for 20 years, serving up hand-cut French fries from cashiers who try their best to memorize the names of local frequenters. It is located at the corner of America Boulevard and Liberty Lane.

“You get a box of peanuts when you walk in. It’s like a local secret,” Kim said of the chain. “[Customers] love it when you memorize their order. They feel like a rock star.”

And through a few trade tricks, patrons’ health concerns are kept to a dull roar.

The famous fries are cooked in

“I LOVE IT WHEN FAMILIES COME IN AND EAT WITH THEIR KIDS.” MIKE KIM FIVE GUYS RESTAURANT peanut oil with no trans-fat. The bread used for buns also is trans-fat free, said Kim, a Washington, D.C. resident.

While keeping the customers happy is vital to Kim, he is also interested in making his employees— many of whom are on the younger end of the age spectrum—comfortable and successful.

For the high school students, Kim keeps a watchful eye, asking them, at their discretion, to show him their report cards and ensure their studies are getting due attention.

“I think we as managers have a responsibility,” he said.

moving into One Independence Plaza, with its 122 condominiums, and are anticipated to begin moving into the Lofts 22 in late winter. UTC has created a public plaza with art, seating areas, a performance stage and fountains at the heart of the project, just down the road from Five Guys.

Kim hand-picked UTC for his restaurant after a quick Google.com search led him to the area.

Why? Because it’s Hyattsville, with its perks and pitfalls.

“There’s a lot of up and coming,” Kim said. “There’s just not a lot of good food here.”

University Town Center has also re-

Gifford’s will be the 11th restaurant at the 56-acre site, making UTC the largest cluster of restaurants and entertainment in this region of Prince George’s County.

Gifford’s has served President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Goldie Hawn. Founder, John Nash Gifford, an experienced ice cream maker, has crafted flavors like Swiss chocolate and Peppermint Stick and also offers seasonal peach ice cream. All of the ice creams, sorbets, sauces and candies are made daily at a Silver Spring location.

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Page 18

PARKING METERS Continued from page 1

Bakers

City Administrator Elaine Murphy, adding that revenue from the meters would go to the city.

“We believe that the city will recoup its costs within this fiscal year,” she said.

The meters will be monitored in part by the city’s parking enforcement officer and certain UTC personnel who are sworn to issue parking citations, Murphy said.

The City Council on Dec. 17 voted to approve the proposal with two council members dissenting.

Among those in favor of the proposal is Councilman Douglas Dudrow (Ward 1) who has experience working in a retail setting where parking meters were not yet installed.

“Much of the parking was taken up by people who worked there,” Dudrow said of the College Park shopping center where he was once employed. “[Having] parking meters…was the biggest thing that saved us. Meters also move the traffic and stop employees from parking in front of someone else’s business,” he said.

The resolution stipulates that the city will appropriate $30,000 in revenues and expenditures for the acquisition and operation of the meters and for related meter collection equipment. Meter poles will be installed by the UTC developer but paid for by the city, the document reads.

“UTC has several parking garages

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—these are perceived as longer term options,” said UTC spokesperson Catherine Timko. Those who want a dine-in option or movie night, presumably, would park in the garage, while those on quick errands could use the meters. “The meters will provide street parking. You can run in, grab a burger, get coffee, pick up your dry cleaning, buy a cell phone battery and be back on the

road in 15 minutes.”

The meters will operate 24 hours per day, every day of the year. They will run for a minimum time of 4 minutes and a maximum time of 40 minutes, although a final decision on the time cap has not yet been made, Mayor William Gardiner said.

Metered parking will cost five cents for 4 minutes.

The city is looking to contract the collection and maintenance of the meters and these costs are projected to run between $1 and $2 per meter, per month.

Resident David Levy is not in favor of having more parking meters.

“One thing that distinguishes Hyattsville from College Park is that we have very few meters,” he told the council.

“Let’s encourage people to use UTC...without trying to nickeland-dime them with meters.”

Councilman Mark Matulef (Ward 2) voted against the proposal.

“I do know that there’s been a concerted effort and some success in bringing restaurants to that area,” he said. “I’m not sure 40-minute parking would be conducive to those needs.” Matulef said the proposed parking is more conducive to areas where customers are more transient than in a neighborhood.

“We’re trying to encourage people to come there as a destination.

I think I would like to see something that provides…a balance that supports the different types of businesses in that area. It doesn’t sound very friendly.”

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Hyattsville Life&Times | January 2008

Page 19

The BackPage

by Giosue’ Santarelli

Dreams

O

ne of the greatest inventions known to man is the sleep to wake cycle— especially the sleeping part.

Okay, it’s really a marvel of evolution that the gods provide as a mechanism of rest from the pencil pushing, butt kissing, shoe licking, desperate groveling mode that most of us call work. Nowhere can we find a complete culmination of laziness more than when flopping on the mattress long before it is time to do so. Who can blame us? Where else can we close our eyes and live a completely different life?

We are forever young in our dreams. We can touch forbidden things, and perform feats without consequence. All of it is tailored by our own desires. When sleeping, our mind goes where it wants to and there is an assumption that we are not to blame.

This special alternative universe of the subconscious is valuable. We are spoken to from the great beyond, receive premonitions or are given tonight’s winning lottery numbers. (The one who tries to pass off the winning numbers to us inevitably wears broken glasses because they are never correct).

In this mysterious mode we are capable of solving the world’s problems and delivering consequential answers to questions of the age.

Of course there are those out of control experiences where we dream about: falling, losing control of the steering wheel or

the bluebird of happiness pooping on our head.

Another problem with the unconscious state of mind is that we often wake, and after a period of time don’t remember some of the juicier visions. In the morning it is fresh and easy to describe just how somebody’s butt wiggled as we watched them falling off their bicycle into a thorn bush. By the time the day is over though we’ll forget about every detail except the thorny rump twitching.

Even with the loss of dream details there are some things that we consistently commit to our brain permanently. It’s like storing secrets under our mattress.

Thank goodness no one else goes there to find them. Sometimes that recall refuge is seen on our faces as we daydream in front of our work computers. It looks like we’re concentrating on the boss’s important spreadsheet when, in fact, we’re looking in our brain at a completely different spread altogether. It’s even tougher to summon up the good dream material once senility sets in. Ask an elderly person about their dreams and they’ll likely tell you something convoluted. Usually it is about their pacifier, or a story about how they spent a long winter at Mount Vernon. There are only short moments of lucidity for the elderly, but in those times the ultimate memory is from their dreams regarding that special someone’s keester; even if it belongs to Martha Washington.

A SKEPTIC

Continued from page 3 Some shed tears. Some smile faintly, then thank the priest and return to their seats. Some are so filled with the Spirit they collapse.

Gently they are lowered to the rugcovered marble floor. Most have a slight smile; all have a peace about them as for a few moments they enjoy the calm and deep slumber in the Spirit.

Secularists among us can theorize explanations for the collapse.

Skeptics doubt the validity of faith striking down so many and chalk up what they behold as emotional overload at best. But religious history speaks of early Christians daily praying in the belief that God’s love for humankind can heal physical, emotional and spiritual afflictions.

They took quite literally St. James’ admonition to “Pray for one another that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.”

Two millennia later we place our faith in physicians and pharmaceuticals. Faith, like the appendix, has become something of a vestigial part of life for which we have little understanding and little use. Perhaps the limitations of logic and science combined with the loss of faith and true community is the reason why therapy has become so popular. Humans have no explanation for loneliness or why things go wrong, the young and innocent are stricken with dread diseases, war erupts, and loved ones are taken from us. Admittedly we can

take something as simple as living and quite literally screw it up. Perhaps that’s just our nature.

But, at 4 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month, 20 to 30 people gather at a Catholic church at the top of a hill in Hyattsville to seek something different, something calming. They seek what only faith can provide and, while skeptics wonder, they find a moment of solace open to all but sought by only a few.

CIVICALLY MINDED Continued from page 3

ing to Madden, the MTA’s preference is the alignment along Campus Drive with a station on the east side of Adelphi Road at its intersection with University Blvd.

More open house meetings will occur around March or April in all areas affected by the proposed development. In June, public hearings will be held and an Alternatives Analysis and Environmental Impact Statement will be released which shows all alternatives with their costs and impacts.

Madden has also accepted an invitation to speak to the University Hills Civic Association at an upcoming meeting.

The residents of University Hills look forward to a new year of dialogue as there are more changes happening and proposed for their neighborhood and the surrounding community.Through the University Hills Civic Association, neighbors can be assured that their interests are being channeled in the right direction.

In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your Count that votes.

Hyattsville Life&Times | January 2008

Page 20

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