Column: Beyond Thanksgiving Day
Happy Thanksgiving Day to you and your family! In previous columns on this date I have presented the historic evidence clearly establishing that the first Thanksgiving celebration took place at Berkeley Plantation in Virginia on Dec. 4, 1619—several years before the Pilgrims ever left England to come to Plymouth Colony.
Editorial: Holidays Are About Giving
So many needs, so many great organizations, give locally where your heart leads you.
The holidays are about giving. They are about children. The holidays are about sharing, about joy, about alleviating suffering for others. The holidays are about being thankful and about faith and appreciation.
Column: Invest in the Young
There is no program or service for which public dollars can be invested that will have a greater return than those invested in the care and education of young children. People who work in early childhood and day care programs have known intuitively and anecdotally for a long time that children in their programs were much more likely to be successful by a number of different measures than were children who did not have access to their programs.
Column: Election Day 2013
Some friends who work on election issues for the Democratic Party have pestered me to stand up and serve as an election officer. The last couple of elections Republican election officers substantially outnumbered Democrats working the polls—not a healthy situation. So, I bit the bullet and signed up.
Column: Cost of Living
As the person primarily responsible for stocking the house with supplies and maintaining miscellaneous inventory, I am frequently in stores (supermarket, drugstore, pet store, etc.) buying the staples (not an office supply reference) our family needs to maintain our lifestyle, such as it is.
Editorial: Shop Locally, Shop in McLean
Small business Saturday isn’t enough; don’t wait until then, and don’t stop after that.
An effort to support locally owned businesses has resulted in the recognition of Small Business Saturday, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year that is Nov. 30. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is known as a dedicated day of national zeal for shopping. Presumably the next day shoppers can focus on local shopping.
Commentary: Library Reorganization Deserves More Work
In September, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors called for the suspension of a major reorganization proposed to our Fairfax County Public Library system. The suspension was requested in order to provide more opportunity for outreach to concerned library employees and patrons so that proposed changes could be explained, evaluated and vetted among stakeholders.
Column: The Nature of Virginia
Governor-elect Terry McAuliffe hit the ground running when the day after his election he announced his transition team and a webpage at which he solicits ideas and suggestions and invites resumes from those who want to work in his administration: http://action.terrymcauliffe.com/page/s/transition.
Editorial: Proof Every Vote Matters
Elections have consequences, including very close races.
Tuesday morning, a full week after an Election Day that included races that were more suspenseful than anticipated (and also many races that were foregone conclusions), we are probably more than a month away from certifying the winner of the Virginia Attorney General race.
It Wasn’t Fun While It Lasted
But it was only a week, and I was able to leave under my own power, assisted by a wheelchair, which is of course standard procedure when leaving a hospital after an admission, so it wasn’t a total loss. It was three months ago today, Friday, August 2nd that I was "ambulanced " to Holy Cross Hospital where I spent the beginning of my seven, first-ever nights in a hospital; pretty fortunate track record for someone my age.
Column: This Spud’s For You
There’s more talk now than ever before, about the possibility of the Washington, D.C. professional football team changing its name.
Editorial: Be Part of Children’s Connection
Call for student artwork and writing; deadline Dec. 6.
During the last week of each year, The Connection devotes its entire issue to the creativity of local students and children.
Letter: In Rust, I Trust
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, I plan to vote for the one person whose demonstrated experience and leadership makes him the only real choice to represent us in the Virginia House of Delegates. That person is Delegate Tom Rust.
Now What?
Results of the election are not known to me as I write this column, but polling suggests that there will be a shift towards the middle of the political spectrum in the Old Dominion this year.
Lake Anne—Light at the End of the Tunnel?
Besides being a charming place to live, Lake Anne Village is Reston’s historic heart, the place where it all began in 1964.