Column: Peculiar Presence
In the last few months, out of the blue, I have received electronic correspondence from each of my three oldest childhood friends (none of whom have remained adulthood friends, though all three remain of interest to me) commenting on my cancer diagnosis; each having stumbled across one of my cancer columns online, presumably after initiating a Google-type search for yours truly.
Editorial: Interrupting Harassment and Bullying
Empowering bystanders to intervene, students to set boundaries.
With a controversial and much discussed new movie, "Bully," coming out this week, local school districts continue to wrestle with the issue of bullying in the schools.
Letter: Totally Unacceptable
Letter to the Editor
In last week's Connection, Delegate Albo responded to the Editor's piece entitled "Reenacting a Dark History?" dated March 8-14, 2012. In his article [Real Accomplishments for Virginia, Connection, March 15-22], Mr. Albo provided us with news of other legislation the Virginia Assembly had recently passed, citing specifics, which was all very informative.
Letter: No ‘Handwriting on the Wall’
Letter to the Editor
"Gov. Bob McDonnell should read the handwriting on the wall..." [Reference: "Veto Voter ID Bill," Opinion Section, Connection Newspaper, March 15-21, 2012].
Editorial: ‘Practices That Undermine Trust’
Virginia gets a failing grade on ethics rules.
The State Integrity Investigation is "designed to expose practices that undermine trust in state capitols — and spotlight the states that are doing things right."
Column: “Here, There And Everywhere”
The Beatles sang it on their “Revolver” album back in the mid 60s. My wife and I danced to it in the late 70s when we selected it as “first song as husband and wife” – in 1978. And recently we felt it, three years after my stage IV lung cancer diagnosis, as our reaction/assessment to the many similarly diagnosed individuals who’ve shared their lung cancer stories with us. Who knew?
Letter: Real Accomplishments for Virginia
Letter to the Editor
After reading the editorials in this paper, one would think that all the General Assembly did this session was social issues. If this paper was not so preoccupied by politics, it would have written about the following accomplishments of your General Assembly.
Column: “Early Results Show Stable Disease”
There’s five words e-mailed from my oncologist that I can live with (Duh!). Certainly better than the previous nine words e-mailed eight weeks ago regarding my then current CT Scan: “Scan results show progression. We’ll talk more on Friday.”
Editorial: So Hard to Imagine?
Poor families face challenges that officials and many of the rest of us have trouble envisioning.
The Commonwealth of Virginia and even Northern Virginia includes many poor families and individuals. But officials seem to have trouble wrapping their brains around some of the difficulties this can cause.
Column: Look What She Saw—Sort Of
Well there’s five seconds that fellow super-market-shopper won’t have back anytime soon. The question, the curiosity is: will she have nightmares and/or live to regret staring at me so intently that I think I may have seen the whites of her eyes – and it wasn’t even remotely dark?
Richmond Report: Why We Voted Against the Budgets
There has been much written this past week about Democrats voting down the Senate and House budgets. The Washington Post and other writers seem to think that this is the end of the world as we know it.
Editorial: Reenacting a Dark History?
Turning back the clock in Richmond.
Who could have anticipated that our elected officials would take African-American History month and Women's History month so seriously that they would literally try to turn back the clock?
Column: Protecting Residents in Tax, Road Debates
Congress finally has acted to ensure payroll tax relief for 170 million individuals and families through the rest of 2012. This additional tax relief is critical for maintaining the momentum of the economic recovery, and Northern Virginians will realize an average savings of $2,000 per household.
Column: A Raw Deal for Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia is getting a raw deal from Governor McDonnell. While we need transportation investment to support this economic engine of the state, at least $1.5 billion in transportation funds are being diverted to wasteful and unnecessary projects in rural areas. Meanwhile, the state refuses to adequately fund Dulles Rail, leaving Northern Virginia taxpayers and toll payers to foot the lion's share of the bill.
Column: State Shirks Transportation Responsibility
Maybe we should rename our County The Bank of Last Resort.