Letter: Focus On Education
To the Editor
Letter: A Waterfront Parable
To the Editor
Letter: Importance of Compomise
To the Editor
Letter: City Did Not Listen
To the editor
In Defense of My Own Mechanism
So much of what I feel as a cancer survivor comes from the feedback I receive from others. Positive, complimentary, flattering characterizations are crucial to my optimistic outlook. Negative descriptions, reactions, etc., are not. Not to discount honesty, but the emotional divide on which a cancer patient’s self-assessment/attitude teeters is delicate indeed and honesty is sometimes (I said "sometimes") not the best policy. If I’m in the right mood, negativity can be deflected, absorbed even; not a problem. If I’m in the wrong mood, however, the negative can push me into a black hole of emotional despair. Regardless of whether the comment/observation is well-intended, accurate or even prudent under the circumstances, its effect can be deeply felt. Getting back to normal is not impossible and mostly within my control, but if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not have to claw my way out.
Backwards Thinking
Considering that I’ve been cancer-centric now for nearly five years, one would have thought I might have learned and totally embraced an alternative concept: forward living – and less thinking about past causes and their possible current effects. Certainly cancer causes physical manifestations and symptoms that are diagnosable and indicative of trouble. But it’s the unseen effects that in some cases cause as many difficulties. What I am referring to is the mental and emotional toll a terminal diagnosis and short term prognosis can have on the patient’s perspective on life and living, and what’s presumptively thought to be left of it.
Preserve 3-2-1 for Housing
Housing for all income levels near transit supports vibrant communities and job growth, reduces traffic.
In the latest edition of The Herrity Report, Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity proposed "redirecting developers’ $3 per square foot contribution for buying rent-controlled housing units into a trust fund to pay for public school renovation and construction."
A "Scancer" Update
Since you asked, or rather indulged me the past few weeks by wading through my two "Scanticipation" columns anticipating a result, I am happy to finally share that result with you: "Stable and better." These are the exact words e-mailed to me by my oncologist in response to my post-Thanksgiving inquiry about my CT Scan completed on the 27th.
Editorial: Happy Holidays, Safely
SoberRide safety net, 1-800-200-TAXI.
Holiday party season is well under way, along with winter weather advisories. It’s up to individuals to make good decisions about celebrations that involve alcohol and how to handle transportation.
Editorial: Who Will Be Hurt?
Innovations, changes and cuts designed to help the budget should be subject to analysis of how they will affect those on the short end of the economic and digital divide.
As Fairfax County faces a tight budget year and Fairfax County Public Schools consider significant cuts, clearly some changes are going to affect services on the ground. As various proposals emerge, there should be some specific analysis of how changes, innovations and cuts would affect the poorest one-third or so of the county’s residents specifically.
Letter: Time To End TCW's Marching Mandate
Letter to the Editor
One of the most common explanations for why talented Alexandria musicians drop out of band before high school is a little known but antiquated school mandate that in order to participate in T.C. Williams High School band programs students must join the marching band.
Editorial: Holidays Are About Giving in Alexandria
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: "Scanticipation"
When I get CT-Scanned on Wednesday, November 27th, it will be nearly four months since my last diagnostic scan. That occurred during my hospital "staycation" during the first week of August, when I was admitted due to the extremely abnormal fluid buildup in my left lung.
Letter: Value Private Property Rights
I am a member of the Old Dominion Boat Club. I am speaking as a boater and as a riverfront enthusiast. I’m aware that The City of Alexandria is considering taking The Old Dominion Boat Club’s parking lot and boat storage facilities by the process of eminent domain. I would like to register my strong objections to the taking of private waterfront property by the city.
Commentary: Notes from the Past — November 22, 1963
It is now a few minutes before midnight on the day John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. I feel that I must record my feelings on this occasion because I believe that this most tragic act is a horrible example of a most disturbing attitude which has been growing in this Republic.