This past weekend I went to San Francisco. When I got out of the cab at my destination I was greeted by none other then Henry Paulson.

Here's a little video I did as the City of Hyattsville waited for hurricane Hanna to downpour in all its glory. Enjoy.

This is a little video clip I shot with my new camera at the D.C. Fishmarket this morning.

Reese Butler is a close personal friend of mine. I created this video for him to help him raise money to save 1-800-SUICIDE from a hostile take over by Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. If people in the Hyattsville area could do their part to keep the line private and confidential, the Hyattsville H4X would greatly apprecitated. Every dollar donated helps three callers in crisis. I think the chance that just 33 cents can save a life is remarkable. Please consider giving them a donation. Thanks! - Chris

As 1-800-SUICIDE marks its tenth anniversary this year, the hotline needs your help. It was founded in 1998 by Reese Butler in memory of his wife, Kristin who had committed suicide. The Kristin Brooks Hope Center has helped almost three million callers connect to help and hope.

As they enter their second decade of service to the public, continued support is needed to ensure that the confidentiality of every caller is protected. Because they are totally privately funded, they need to prove to the government that they are capable of supporting 1-800-SUICIDE to keep control of the line from being taken over by the federal government. The money you donate will not only be used to pay the phone bill that connects about 50,000 callers each month to the Hopeline Network, but will also be used to pay for training of online crisis counselors who will provide the same support via online counseling. This is where the young people of today reach out for help.

The success of 1-800-SUICIDE is based on individuals in crisis knowing that any personal identifiable information is kept strictly confidential. The Hope Center’s volunteer staff and Board remain committed to preserving confidential suicide prevention programs. Your action today assures their sustainability!

The Kristin Brooks Hope Center and its national 1-800-SUICIDE hotline is a great asset to our society – one of those private-sector initiatives called a “point of light.” For reasons of their own, certain officials within the government tried to snuff that light. With your help and support together we can prevent that tragedy from occurring and help the Hopeline achieve success in liberating 1-800-SUICIDE from government control permanently.

Howdy Hyattsville! I know you have missed the Hyattsville H4X podcast and our inane ramblings about life in Prince Georges County, but I've been very busy helping folks to replicate our beloved wiki and podcast for organizations, individuals and other communities. I promise we will get back on the ball soon, but in the mean time, here is a "pod" I uploaded to Current TV (Channel 107 on Coma-cast Cable) that is doing well on their charts. Enjoy.

Here's a video I filmed for the Kristin Brooks Hope Center (1-800-SUICIDE) and the Youth America Hotline 1-877-YOUTHLINE (968-8454) who have created a walkathon to help honor and remember loved ones that have been lost to suicide.  The walk serves to not only pay tribute to their lives, but to also create awareness, to help erase the  negative stigma associated with suicide, and to help try and prevent future suicides. By coming together as a community to show support for families and friends who have lost a loved one, we also stand together in showing that we are not ashamed and that we are dedicated to trying to get more support for our cause.

Hyattsville H4X goes to the theatre to see the history of microbiology in nine scenes of gags, burlesque, drollery and song.

Produced by Active Cultures, the vernacular theatre of Mt. Ranier, Maryland, Petri Dish Circus is a play loosely based off of the classic non-fiction novel Microbe Hunters by Paul Henry de Kruif. Much like the original book first published in 1926 that describes 12 historical milestones in science, Active Cultures reenacts "the daring-do of Louis Pasteur in his Parisian lab, the Scotch fortitude of Ronald Ross as he travels through disease-stricken Africa, and the melancholy saga of Walter Reed as he battles Yellow Jack in Cuba" - all with a healthy dose of humor.

In this episode, we interview Mary Resing, artistic director for Active Cultures, who talks about Microbe Hunters as inspiration for theatre and her whimsical, and slightly pointed, approach to the portrayal of women featured in de Kruif's work. Excerpts from the actual performance are also featured.