Luminaria
Postponed to
the 25th

12/26/14

Rained out on the 24th, the Luminaria was moved to a windy 25th. But at sunset, right on cue, the wind calmed, and the Luminaria was very nice, thanks to the efforts of the entire Westbriar community.

The Luminaria is a spectacular sight when the weather cooperates, but it is not really the reason for our Civic Association. We will be discussing this after the Holiday Season. Meanwhile all the best to you and yours in the end of year time of reflection.

Not so
Silent Night

12/21/14

I-95 Express Lanes Opening

12/19/14

With the I-95 Express Lanes project ahead of schedule, DOT opened the lanes and new ramps last Sunday, December 14th. The current rush hour HOV rules will be in effect until December 29th when tolling will start, but you will be able to try the lanes out for free in non-peak times before the 29th. These lanes will be similar to the I-495 Express Lanes, and will be free to use for buses, motorcycles, and HOV-3 vehicles. Please remember to use these lanes as an HOV-3 vehicle you will need an EZ-Pass Flex. All commuters should familiarize themselves with the new lanes by viewing this short video. For full details visit HERE.

Tysons Planning
Updates
12/19/14

Upgrading your
Home's Energy
Quotient
12/19/14

Part 2 in Series

by
Ross Shearer

November's early cold snap and last winter's stubborn deep chill are reminders that climate change means increased weather variability and extremes. For those of us with older homes built in the 60s and 70s there are many steps we can take to improve the efficiency of our houses. The benefits are not limited to the financial savings and lowering your GHG emissions. I have taken steps that have improved indoor comfort, indoor humidity is more easily managed year round, the late spring ant invasion is eliminated and attic odors intruding into second floor bedrooms on hot sunny days are no longer present. If you notice these odors, or your basement is cold in the winter and extra humid in the summer, there are specific low cost energy-saving steps you can take to mitigate these problems.

The deep chill last January and February and February's natural gas rate spike motivated some of us on the Town's Community Enhancement Commission to compare our consumption for space heat. Those of us who have invested the most effort in making improvements to the efficiency performance of our house had up to 40% better results than those who had done less. How well did your house perform in the stress test?

The most effective actions I have taken are sealing the basement band-board area with foam, fully enclosing and re-insulating the attic (This step includes rebuilding attic access panels to fit tightly and sealing their framing area on the attic side with foam.) and selecting a very high efficiency replacement gas furnace. Importantly, a blower door test using a thermal camera, allowed me to locate and deal with specific areas of leakage that were hidden from view.

Baning ants by sealing the band-board: If ants enter your house during the spring and summer consider sealing the basement as I describe in the following. There are two basement wall areas to focus on: 1) The gap along the top of the basement wall where the sill board rests atop it, should be air tight. Use foam or caulk to seal it. 2) The second area is the 8 or 10 inch high perimeter known as the rim joists or band-board. Effective sealing of the band board area requires foaming it.

If you are comfortable with home repairs, you can do this on your own by combining the use of 3/4 or 1-inch rigid foam and expanding polyurethane foam that is dispensed from a can such as the Dow product ÒStuffÓ. Caulk is much less effective and fails at closing up large voids.

Here are the steps: Temporarily remove any fiberglass. (If a portion of the fiberglass is blackened, that is an indication of the air movement that you want to block

Presence of spider webs at a location is a strong indicator of outdoor air entry.). Cut pieces from the foam panel (use the pink or blue type, not the crumbly white kind) to fit loosely between the joists and vertically against the band-board. Wearing disposable latex gloves and eye protection and following the directions on the can to first shake well, squirt foam around the perimeter of the band board and any openings such as a crack or void in the band board.

Gently press the precut panel in place and squirt a second bead of foam along the full perimeter of the panel. (See photo.) Keep going until the can is empty, patiently discharging all the canÕs foam contents. Expect one can for about 5 to 6 panels, which should be cut to size in advance of starting a new can of foam.

Foam spills should be allowed to dry and harden overnight before removing. The following day, replace the fiberglass, preferably using new material to replace those that are blackened from air movement. Using large pieces of Styrofoam, a similar approach may be used along the rim board running parallel to the joists. A Web search for Òsealing rim joistsÓ, yields helpful photos. New Energy Star homes built in Vienna use sprayed foam to entirely seal off and insulate the band boards.

Reinsulating the attic: By first removing the old insulation so I could see to block off openings into the second floor ceiling that allowed conditioned air into the attic. I was surprised what I saw open to the attic. There were chases enclosing HVAC return ducts and the furnace flue running as far as the basement, open at the top. The builder had boxed the second floor ducting such that it was also open to the attic and the interiors of second floor walls were not closed off completely. I fit plywood panels to block of these open areas to complete the attic floor thus separating the attic from the living space below. Joints and seams were sealed with foam. This allowed for the installation of new cellulose insulation installed by a contractor. If you want to discuss the details of my experience with me, please contact the Crier for my contact information.

Ross

Remembrance
12/7/14

Did you know that 1942 was the only graduating class at Annapolis that did not launch their covers (hats) in May?

Due to events in Honolulu on this date 73 years ago, the graduation was held 12 days later on December 19.

Power Substation
in the works
12/5/14

The 234,000 volt power lines marching across Westbriar between Fairway and Westwood Drives is the Tysons' extension cord. To meet future demand, a new substation is needed which will draw power from these lines.

Virginia Electric Power Company has just filed a Development Plan with Fairfax County to build and operate a new substation located at the north edge of the Spring Branch woods. The present substation located on Tyco Road will continue to operate.

Rachel Reloaded

by Leon

12/3/14

On a hot summer night in 2003, I was intrigued by the music coming from the open door of Jammin' Java, and strolled inside. A young gal with a guitar on a stool brought me back to the days when I first connected with the genre, through the likes of Karen Carpenter, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell, and perhaps Joan Baez. I bought the album she was offering, and have treasured it since.

Wondering what became of her, I did a few Googles, found out she was still singing, sent a fan letter, and in return got a sweet note saying she remembered her gig at Java well. But the best part is that she included a link to a brand new album, (her fifth) which has not yet been released, but will be at a big concert in San Francisco next month. . I think it's great. Listen, and tell me I am crazy.

"Hello, this is
Microsoft calling....
Your computer has a
Problem and we are
here to help you"
12/1/14

Great! Except that none of it is true. He is not from Microsoft, your computer is fine, and his intention is to harm you.

Nobody from Microsoft, or any legimate company would ever place a call like that. It is a scam. It is a very lucrative scam that is being reported widely on the evening news and in the newspapers. Six Westbriar members have reported it to us in the last month.

If you play along a bit, he will have you hold the Windows key down and press the R key. This will bring up a dialog box, into which he will tell you what to type. This will take you to an error log, which will typically show many low level harmless self-correcting errors that your computer logs daily. This is to gain your trust, and convince you that your computer is malfuctioning.

Then, he will direct you to a web page where you will download software which gives him remote access to your entire computer, so he can "fix things." He will guide you through the steps to marry your computers together. Then, he politely says "Good bye." He will at leisure browse all your communications, banking, and everything else. You shouldn't store your passwords on your computer, but we all do that, and he knows it. He can and will go into your on-line bank accounts and clean them out.

When Microsoft calls,
HANG UP!

A New Burger on Maple
11/22/14

Vienna turned out to welcome the opening of Social Burger, the latest addition to our town's independent burger joints. Located at 350 Maple Ave W, the menu features select aged beef. Plus, Vienna Safety Commission member Tara Voigt is a contributor of secret sauces back in the kitchen. Social Burger has been doing very well in local reviews.

Almost as good as the burgers are facinating videos on their facebook page showing exactly how the furniture was made. And an amazing video of how last New Year was celebrated in the owner's native Taipai.

Fairfax Bond Issue Passes 11/5/14

The Transportation Bond Question passed yesterday. In our Hunter Mill District, 73.3% voted Yes, compared to 71.8% overall in Fairfax County. A number of civic organizations in the greater Vienna and Reston areas, including Westbriar, have been working on trail issues, especially into the Tysons area. Dan Benson, who is the Transportation Advisor at The Trails at Wolftrap HOA, thanks you all for the support.

Bicycles make a lot of sense, especially in an urban area. Compare two commuters going ten miles to work. One exhales perhaps a bathtub-full of CO2 into the atmosphere, over and above what he would exhale at rest. The other is the sole passenger in an SUV which exhales a garage-full of CO2 plus other green house gasses and soot over the same distance. The bicyclist is better for our environment, and is keeping fit. They both the share the roads for the most part. But this is not ideal. Sometimes motorists become impatient behind the slower bicycle. When there is contact, the bicyclist always pays the price. A comprehensive pedestrian and bicycle trail system is a vital part of the Tysons plan.

Green Dot Scam:
Still Going Strong

We have covered this topic before, but this week's Vienna Police Reports shows no let up in this vicious scam. A Westbriar resident on St. Andrews Drive was a target, but fortunately he did not fall for it.

Ring! A telephone caller, who represents himself as being from the IRS, claims you owe back taxes. He directs you to go to a drug store and purchase a Green Dot MoneyPak card, usually for several hundred dollars. Once you do that, he directs you to read the numbers from the card. At that point he has the money, and you have nothing but a hole in your bank account.

A Rite-Aid employee called the police after a customer bought several thousand dollars worth of cards, and was actually talking to the scammer on his cell phone. The responding officer was able to intervene.

No legitimate government or utility company demands payment with these cards. A number of other ruses are used, such as your relative has been arrested in a foreign country and needs to be bailed out of jail. Or, you have won a huge prize. The variations are endless. If you receive any call of this nature, hang up and call the police.

Why do we bother with spelling?

Unlike chess, in spelling the middle game is irrelevant. All that matters is the right choice at the beginning and the end. The middle letters, which must be the correct set of letters, can be completely jumbled and the reader will not be confused. For example:

How can this little known God-given ability of the human brain be exercised to simplify, and perhaps improve, our lives?

Make the Ordinary Come Alive

Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is a way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples, and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and people die. Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand. And make the ordinary come alive for them. The extraordinary will take care of itself.

By William Martin

432 BUS Archive

A great read ...

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