Letter: Tax Cuts for Richest Don’t Help Small Business
Letter: I’m a small business owner/operator and an engineer by trade, so I make my business and economic decisions based largely on facts and numbers.
Column: Never Say Never
Column: “Never say never” is an old admonition that suggests we do not know what the future holds that might predict our future actions.
Editorial: Learning in a Global Community
Students in Fairfax County speak 160 languages.
This week our ongoing series about immigration in Fairfax County takes a look at county schools, and some of the joys and challenges of having a diverse student body that speaks as many as 160 different languages at home.
Letter: What to do About More Reston Traffic Congestion
Letter: What to do? Is it possible that Reston will suffer from too much Transit Oriented Development?
Column: Virginia’s Mixed Holiday Blessings
Column: Virginians are living through this holiday season with mixed blessings.
Column: On the Other Side of the Pond
After the nerve-wracking U.S. election, we breathed a big sigh of relief that the country had not fallen into the hands of Mitt Romney and his Tea Party henchmen.
Letter: A Chunukah Message
Fix the darkness. . . make light.
Letter: The holiday of Chanukah is set to begin.
Viewpoints in Reston: "What are you thankful for?"
Residents of Reston answer the question, "What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving Day?"
Opinion: Embracing Our Diversity
If you can ever find the time to attend a federal naturalization ceremony in Fairfax County for new citizens, do it. It reinvigorates one’s patriotism and reminds us all how lucky we are to be Americans.
Opinion: Celebrating Diversity Through Culture
So, when people from different countries, diverse cultures, and dissimilar values migrate to United States, they try to adjust and adapt to the new culture. But the onus should also be on American people to welcome them, to make them comfortable and feel at home. What do we do to create awareness about different cultures? Unfortunately, I have not seen much effort on the part of the government.
Editorial: Diversity Growing
Tune in to our series on immigration.
This week, the Connection kicks off a series about immigration, diversity and the growing population of foreign-born residents in Fairfax County. County reporter Victoria Ross opens with a story that captures vignettes and statistics of the changing population. It is a topic consistent with the original Thanksgiving story. More than 28 percent of Fairfax County's population is foreign born; that's 317,000 residents.
Viewpoints: Immigrants’ Experiences on Becoming Americans
On Sept. 22 at the Multicultural Festival on Lake Anne Plaza in Reston, 25 people participated in a naturalization ceremony that made them American citizens.
Editorial: Shop Locally, Give Locally
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. 24. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is a day of national zeal for shopping. Presumably the next day shoppers can focus on local shopping.
Letter: Volunteers Make Democracy Work
During my last canvassing on Nov. 5, I met a young female canvasser who truly exhibited outstanding determination in participating in the Get-Out-To-Vote effort of the Obama campaign. I spoke to Natalie Erdossy, and learned that Natalie brought her three very young children along during the canvassing, and that her husband was doing a second tour in Afghanistan with the State Department. She said that she was recruited by her neighbor Ellen Graves and she wanted to do her part. What I find so outstanding is that she was driven by a purpose greater that her immediate personal comfort.
Commentary: Reflections on the Elections
“Oh, no!” many may exclaim at the idea of hearing any more about the elections. But I believe it is instructive for the future to consider what happened and why. As residents of a battleground state, Virginians were inundated with telephone calls, television ads and slick mailers. Interestingly, the guys who spent the most money did not win. Virginia is a state that had just a few years ago elected Republicans to its top three statewide offices, majorities in the House and Senate, and eight of its 11 congressional representatives. Yet President Obama won the state handily. And former Governor Tim Kaine won a seat in the U.S. Senate even though 30 million in outside dollars were spent against him. How can this happen? Some of my thoughts on the question follow.