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online at www.connectionnewspapers.com December 13-19, 2017

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Vienna Youth Volleyball Wins County ChampionshipNews, Page 9

Federal Tax Reform, Bad for Fairfax?News, Page 3

Helping Others in Vienna News, Page 4

From left: Bridgette Beach; Karl Wilkerson, an officer with CHO and Reston resident; Teresa Creighton, Vienna resident and baker; and her son Sam Creighton, 13, who is homeschooled; pictured at Vienna Committee for Helping Others’ Christmas store at Vienna Presbyterian Church Saturday, Dec. 9.

Home for the Holidays

Page 6

Holiday Entertainment

Page 8

2 ❖ Vienna/Oakton Connection ❖ December 13-19, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

The Vienna Area Branch of The Ameri-can Association of University Women(AAUW) will host a free event, Women atthe Helm, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018 at PatrickHenry Library. Refreshments at 10 a.m. Pro-gram at 10:30. Vienna Mayor LaurieDiRocco and Town Council Members CareySienicki and Linda Colbert will share their

experiences of leading the Town of Vienna.AAUW is the nation’s leading voice pro-

moting equity and education for womenand girls. Founded in 1881, AAUW mem-bers examine and take positions on the fun-damental issues of the day — educational,social, economic, and political. Visit vienna-va.aauw.net/.

Women at the Helm toSpeak at Vienna Library

Week in Vienna

Faith Notes are for announcements and eventsin the faith community. Send [email protected]. Deadline isFriday at noon.

During Advent, Christ the King LutheranChurch, 10550 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls, willpresent a series of three midweek Advent pro-grams. The overarching theme of these evenings is“Peace for Our Time.” Each evening’s sub-themewill grow from a Reformation-era hymn. Eachevening’s program begins at 5:45 p.m. with supperfollowed by discussion, worship and the lighting ofthe Advent wreath. All are welcome. Visitwww.gflutheran.org or call 703-759-6068.

❖ Thursday/Dec. 14 – Peace in politics, hymn:“Now to the Holy Spirit Let us Pray” (ELW 743)

❖ Thursday/Dec. 21 – Peace in ourselves, hymn:“From Heaven Above to Earth I Come” (ELW 268)

Living Nativity and Christmas Concert.Friday, Dec. 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at RedeemerLutheran Church, 1545 Chain Bridge Road. Featur-ing the sounds of the season and the excitement oflive animals in the creche. Call 703-909-3424 oremail [email protected] for more.

Christmas Services at St. John’s EpiscopalChurch, 6715 Georgetown Pike, McLean. Call 703-356-4902 or visit www.stjohnsmclean.org.

Sunday, Dec. 17❖ 9 and 11 a.m. – Festival of Lessons and Car-

ols.Christmas Eve, Sunday, Dec. 24❖ 4 p.m. – Family Service of Holy Eucharist with

Christmas Music at 3:30 pm❖ 7 p.m. – Holy Eucharist with Christmas Mu-

sic at 6:30 pm❖ 10 p.m. – Holy Eucharist with Christmas Mu-

sic at 9:30 pmChristmas Day, Monday, Dec. 25❖ 10 a.m. – Holy Eucharist

Passages DivorceCare. For those experienc-ing the pain of separation or divorce, the caringcommunity at Vienna Presbyterian Church offersPassages DivorceCare. This 15-week program of-fers a path toward healing. Vienna PresbyterianChurch is located on the corner of Maple Avenue(Rt. 123) and Park Street in Vienna. Cost to covermaterials is $20, scholarships available. For moreinformation or to register call 703-938-9050, go towww.viennapres.org, or send an email [email protected].

Faith Notes

Vienna/Oakton Connection ❖ December 13-19, 2017 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

“We are emphasizing on page oneopposition to federal tax reform and thatis a position that I simply do not agreewith.”

“Across the nation, local governments aregoing to suffer as a result of this taxpackage.”

— Dranesville Supervisor John Foust

“I’m failing to understand anyone whobelieves this tax bill was built andpredicated on helping low income people.”

— Lee Supervisor Jeff McKay

NewsConnection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

By Ken Moore

Most often, the Fairfax CountyBoard of Supervisors ap-pears unified. But last week,discussion about the pend-

ing tax reform measure in the U.S. Senateand House of Representatives sparked dis-cord.

“My primary concern on the federal pack-age is that we are emphasizing on page oneopposition to federal tax reform and that isa position that I simply do not agree with,”said Braddock Supervisor John Cook.

The board adopted its updated and re-vised strategies and principles for the 115thCongress on Tuesday, Dec. 5, despite objec-tions voiced by Cook and Springfield Su-pervisor Pat Herrity, the two Republicanson the 10-person board.

“The concept of reducing tax rates andeliminating deductions is one needed forthe national economy and I am disap-pointed that despite my requests and Su-pervisor Herrity’s requests, the board is onlylooking at one side of the tax reform issueand that is the elimination of deductions,and not looking at the other side which isthe economic growth potential that comewith the other aspects of it,” Cook said.

MAJOR TAX REFORM packages havepassed both the U.S. Senate and House ofRepresentatives, and a reconciled bill isexpected to affect almost every aspect ofthe economy. The measures differ, but bothincrease the standard deduction and elimi-nate or cap many itemized deductions, in-cluding the deduction for state and localtaxes and the deduction for mortgage in-terest payments.

In Virginia, 1.5 million households claim$16.5 billion in state and local tax deduc-tions, according to U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly(D-11). Connolly said in a release that280,000 households claim this deductionin Fairfax County, for an average deductionof $16,535.

“As a matter of fact, that [federal tax] billwas structured in a way, in my opinion, toexplicitly discriminate against more urbanlocalities across the country which do havehigher assessed values,” said Lee Supervi-sor Jeff McKay, “and in a lot of cases highertax rates because they believe morally thatwe must provide certain services for ourpopulation.”

Page 1 of the Board of Supervisors Strat-egies and Principles for the 115th Congressexpresses concern about changes in taxpolicy:

“Because revenue options for localities inVirginia are extremely limited, the County

opposes actions that impact County revenuesources or programs, including eliminatingor capping federal deductibility for state andlocal taxes, which are used to fund educa-tion, public safety, transportation, infra-structure and human services (current lawallows taxpayers to deduct state and localtaxes paid from their federally taxable in-come, preventing double taxation and al-lowing state and local governments to main-tain authority over the tax structures sup-porting those services).”

JOHN FOUST, Dranesville District super-visor, found Cook’s opinion hard to take.

“I just have to say, I just cannot acceptthat the tax package that is before the fed-eral government is anything but destructiveto local government which is where thingsare actually getting done these days,” Foustsaid.

“To support elimination of the real estatetax deduction as a member of a Board ofSupervisors, the local government, to me isjust unbelievable,” he said. “We absolutelyare going to suffer, not just our local gov-ernment, but, across the nation, local gov-ernments are going to suffer as a result ofthis tax package. We have to do everythingwe can to stop this.”

Herrity countered, “You can’t talk aboutthat piece of it while ignoring the fact you’redoubling the standard deduction and thevalue that brings especially to our low in-come residents.”

“I’m failing to understand anyone whobelieves this tax bill was built and predi-cated on helping low income people,” saidMcKay, chair of the Board’s legislative com-mittee. “I’m surprised I’m hearing it heretoday.

“Over 60 percent of our budget is builton revenue from real estate. To mess withor tinker with our largest source of revenuein any way that can have an effect on whatpeople can sell their property for, whatpeople can afford to buy and what their

bottom line is and how that bottom lineaffects the county’s revenue — to ignorethat would be absurd,” McKay said. “It ab-solutely will have an effect and local gov-ernments across the country see that.”

“I was going to be silent, but I think it ishard to do so,” said Catherine Hudgins,Hunter Mill District supervisor. “The taxpackage really sounds like something thatis going to be very destructive in the longterm.”

“Essentially this is taxing taxes, taxing taxrevenues and doubling taxation,” saidChairman Sharon Bulova.

Cook did not budge.“I have to disagree vehemently with the

statement that the tax bill takes away fromour local tax revenue. It’s absolutely false.It’s absolutely false,” said Cook.

Read Strategies and Principles for the115th Congress here:www.fairfaxcounty.gov/government/legis-lation/2018/adopted-federal-legislative-strategy-and-principles.pdf

LEGISLATIVE PROGRAMWITH A SIDE OF OPTIMISM?

During the same board meeting on Dec.5, supervisors formally adopted the 2018Legislative Program for the General Assem-bly, with a note of optimism based onchanges in the makeup of the House ofDelegates because of last month’s elections.

Dan Storck, Mount Vernon District super-visor, said: “With recent elections we havethe opportunity to change some of the dy-namics, and some of the focus, and someof the results that we get from Richmond.That’s essential for this county, essential forthe wellbeing of residents here and I wouldsay particularly for schools.”

Jeff McKay, chair of the board’s legisla-tive committee and Lee District supervisorreiterated the importance of schools as thecounty’s top priority, citing particular con-cerns about state failure to provide anyfunds for teacher raises in FY17, and very

limited funds in FY18.“Our [state legislative] program features

state support for education as its top prior-ity, and urges the state to fully meet its re-sponsibility to adequately fund K-12,” saidMcKay.

Virginia ranks 11th nationwide in percapita personal income, but 48th in stateand local revenue as a percentage of per-sonal income. Virginia ranks 38th nation-wide in state per pupil funding. State K-12spending per FCPS pupil was $3,267 in FY2016, while Fairfax County provided$10,526.

TRANSPORTATION IS another priority.“In this year’s program, we’ve also el-

evated our WMATA position into its ownpriority statement which encourages theGeneral Assembly to support dedicatedfunding and governance reforms for Wash-ington Metrorail.”

The region will have to work together toaddress Metro’s critical funding needs,McKay said.

On other transportation issues, McKayemphasized the importance of transporta-tion funding that is fair to Northern Virginia.

The Human Services Issues paper, whichaccompanies the legislative program, in-cludes three priorities, according to McKay.“The first is increased state resources forthe Children’s Services Act. The second re-lates to increasing waiver rates and slotsfor those with developmental disabilities.And the third is state support for diversionservices for nonviolent offenders experienc-ing mental health crises; this is in line withthe county’s diversion first initiative.”

Herrity, Springfield District supervisor,was the lone vote against the legislativeprogram this year. The program wasadopted, including the Human Services is-sue paper, on Tuesday, Dec. 5.

Read the legislative priorities here:www.fairfaxcounty.gov/government/legis-lation/2018/adopted-2018-legislative-program.pdf

Read the human services issue paper here:www.fairfaxcounty.gov/government/leg-

islation/2018/adopted-2018-human-ser-vices-issue-paper.pdf

NEW BRIDGE OVERTHE POTOMAC?

The Legislative Program asserts the im-portance of addressing capacity and con-gestion crossing the Potomac River.

“The American Legion Bridge, one of themost heavily used in the region, is also themost congested. .... Since the largest num-ber of vehicles traversing the American Le-gion Bridge travel between Fairfax andMontgomery Counties, the chokepoint cre-ated by this bridge requires long-term so-lutions. … The volume of commuters dem-onstrate that another crossing is essentialto mobility in the area. … It is vital that thecapacity needs across the Potomac River beaddressed, including at the American Le-gion Bridge and Rosslyn Tunnel, to allevi-ate the existing congestion.”

Supervisors split oneffects of eliminatingstate and localtax deductions.

Federal Tax Reform, Bad for Fairfax?

— Braddock Supervisor John Cook


By Colin Stoecker

The Connection

Saturday, Dec. 9, marked the Vienna Com-mittee for Helping Others’ Christmas storeat Vienna Presbyterian Church. Families inneed came from all over to receive gifts do-

nated by local people to ensure that everyone has amerry Christmas.

CHO is a volunteer-led organization that assistsfamilies in need in Vienna, Oakton, Dunn Loring, andMerrifield. They provide help with emergency fi-nances, food aid, clothing, furniture, meals on wheels,and transportation for those requiring their services.

Teresa Creighton, a Vienna resident, chef and baker,and her son, Sam Creighton, 13, were one of thefamilies who came to the church for gifts to helpmake their Christmas better.

“I told my children that Santa comes and bringschildren toys they had on their list and drops themat the church and parents come here to pick themup,” said Creighton.

Currently she and her son are without a home forthe holiday season as they were evicted from theirprevious place of residence, so programs sponsoredby community organizations like CHO are crucial thistime of the year.

“Christmas is financially hard. We take donationsand save up,” said Creighton.

But when saving isn’t enough, it’s up to organiza-tions like CHO to ensure that families like theCreighton’s have a happy holiday season.

Karl Wilkerson, an officer with CHO was at thechurch Saturday to supervise the donations and talkto the recipients.

“We try to help everybody that we can help,” saidWilkerson. “We get pages of people referred fromthe social service organizations in Fairfax county.”

The Creighton family has been receiving assistancefrom CHO for the past two years. They have come todepend on these community outreach programs tohelp them get through a stressful time of the year.

“The joy of seeing my children unwrap the giftsfrom CHO is amazing and something that I look for-ward to. I didn’t know the amount a parent couldsacrifice,” she said.

CHO also assisted the Creightons with theirThanksgiving holiday. They provided a chicken andturkey for their family.

Teresa Creighton prides herself in being a 1950sstyle from-scratch baker as well as an automotivewiz who can fix old cars. “I learned that from mydad and brother,” she said.

For more about CHO visit, cho-va.com/wordpress/.

Helping Others at Vienna Presbyterian

Sam Creighton, 13, who is homeschooled,pictured with a donated bicycle at ViennaCommittee for Helping Others’ Christmasstore at Vienna Presbyterian ChurchSaturday, Dec. 9.

Teresa Creighton, Vienna resident andbaker, speaks to Karl Wilkerson, an officerwith CHO, and Reston resident about whatit means to receive assistance at ViennaCommittee for Helping Others’ Christmasstore at Vienna Presbyterian ChurchSaturday.

News

From left: Bridgette Beach;Karl Wilkerson, an officerwith CHO and Reston resi-

dent; Teresa Creighton,Vienna resident and baker;

and her son Sam Creighton,13, who is homeschooled;

pictured at Vienna Committeefor Helping Others’ Christmas

store at Vienna PresbyterianChurch Saturday, Dec. 9.

Photos by Colin Stoecker/

The Connection


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Police believe six overdose deathslast week, five from opioids inAlexandria, Fairfax Station,McLean, Clifton, and Fairfax,

were caused by a deadly strain of heroin.“In my 20 years in Narcotics, I have never

seen anything like this,” according to Sec-ond Lt. James Cox of the Organized Crimeand Narcotics Division.

According to the Fairfax County PoliceDepartment, “Our detectives believe thereare batches of heroin currently on ourstreets which could be laced with fentanyland carfentanil, synthetic opioids which canbe lethal even in the smallest doses.”

Police won’t know conclusively until labresults are conducted and concluded.

“The opioid crisis is an epidemic affect-ing localities everywhere,” according to LeeDistrict Supervisor Jeff McKay.

“We need to work together to end thistragic addiction by helping those using andtheir families,” he said.

Since the start of 2017, there have been102 fatal overdoses in Fairfax County; 70percent have already been confirmed to beopioid related, according to police.

Symptoms of opioid overdose include: lossof consciousness, nausea or vomiting, pin-point pupils, snore-like gurgling sounds, low,shallow or erratic breathing, bluish, purpleor ashen skin color, and fingernails turningblue or close to black.

“We don’t want to seeanyone else die. Pleasehave a plan in place. Youmay remain anony-mous,” said Cox.

Police urge people tocall 911 if someone hasoverdosed. FairfaxCounty Fire and Rescuepersonnel carry Narcan,a medicine that can re-verse an overdose whenused quickly and cor-rectly.

Narcan is availablewithout a prescription atlocal pharmacy stores inVirginia.

Free training on how to use Narcan isavailable through the Fairfax-Falls ChurchCommunity Services Board.

“If you or someone you know needs helpto overcome drug dependence, please callthe Community Services Board at MerrifieldCenter at 703-573-5679 to help find appro-priate treatment and recovery services,”according to police. “Walk-ins are also wel-come Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.to 5 p.m.”

See www.fairfaxcounty.gov/csb/revive/.

— Ken Moore

Six Overdoses byDeadly Strain of Heroin

Fairfax County offers training onhow to revive possible opioid over-dose victims. Here a trainee learnshow to administer nasal Naloxone,which almost instantly reverses theeffects of an opioid overdose.

A kit used to attempt to revive people who have succumbed to potentialopioid overdose, used in training volunteers.

Contact the Fairfax County Community ServiceBoard at 703-573-5679 or visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/csb/revive for informationon helping families that are dealing with drugdependence and for information on trainings torevive possible opioid overdose victims.

News


FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF VIENNA450 ORCHARD STREET, NW

VIENNA, VA 22180703-938-8525

email: [email protected]

SUNDAY WORSHIP, 7:45 AM & 10:00 AMCHRISTIAN LEARNING ACADEMY (SUN.) 9:00AM-9:45AM

MIDWEEK SERVICES, WED. 7:00 PM

Visit These Houses of Worship

To Highlight Your Faith Community, call Don at 703-778-9420

By John Byrd

There’s something quite satisfying aboutfinally getting exactly what you want af-ter years of anticipation, especially as theholidays roll around.

“I really saw this past Thanksgiving how well ourre-designed home fulfills a whole host of plans,” ac-cording to the couple, speaking of the completelyre-furbished mid-century modern house on LakeBarcroft they recently occupied after extensive re-modeling.

Looking back, the owners’ far-reaching “wish list”was never assured. The couple had been looking fora lakeside house for years, but couldn’t find anythingsuitable for a young family with two children juststarting school.

Then last year the couple hired design consultantRoger Lataille of Sun Design Remodeling. The task:assess the rehabilitation possibilities of a circa 1950’smid-century modern actually situated on the lake.

Sun Design Remodeling had come with a consid-erable resume, having renovated some 30 LakeBarcroft residences. Still, at just over 2,000 squarefeet, the house under consideration seemed too smallfor the decades of occupancy that may lay ahead.

On the other hand, the waterside view was excep-tional, and Sun Design Remodeling offered both anattractive design/build approach and a versatile cre-ative team.

“They wanted a house that would work for themlong into the future,” Lataille recalls. “We saw ourgoal as not only adding usable new space, but en-hancing a classic style.”

The house “begged for a bold visual continuum,”the designer said. For instance, the existing interiorwas formed around a “boxy” floor plan with an en-closed kitchen visually sequestered from the beauti-ful view, and a wall between the living room anddining room.

The contrast between the old plan and the emerg-ing vision was a textbook case of how “space-useexpectations have changed in the American home inthe past 25 years” the designer said.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the couple had also

gradually concluded that the traditional floorplanssuch as the one in the Arlington home the couplehad previously owned wasted too much space. Thefront-facing living room was seldom used; ditto theformal dining room.

TO ACCOMMODATE master suite requirements,Lataille proposed adding a top level addition with alarge master bath and walk-in closet. Truss joistscalibrated to meet new load-bearing requirementsreconcile the challenges of building on a beveled roof.

With the location of the master suite now resolved,the second floor gains re-deployable floor space, gain-ing a washer/dryer closet off the hallway.

Meanwhile, the most compelling feature in theprimary living area is a steel moment frame whichreplaces the old window wall, and provides the ten-sile strength needed to support the new master suite.

By highlighting the elemental drama of woodlandand lake, expansive wall-to-wall glazing invites aninterior design treatment that explores textural sur-faces, period furniture design and contrasting lightsand darks.

Overhead, large-format structural beams wrapped

Proves perfect forholiday entertaining.

After years of search-ing unsuccessfullyfor a suitably-sizedhome on LakeBarcroft, the ownershired Sun Design’sRoger Lataille to helpthem find propertythat could beadapted to theirneeds. Among otherproblems with theexisting house, wallsseparating thekitchen, dining roomand living roommade the first-levelseem boxy, dark anddated.

Long-Anticipated Home Remodel


By removing unneeded walls, theremodeler introduced an “open” floorplan that emphasizes visual continuumand lake-side sightlines. Large formatstructural beams wrapped in walnut-stained pine present a vivid contrast tothe white tongue-and-groove ceiling. Thecenter island surface is waterfallSilestone. The modular track pendantlights over the dining table can be movedas needed.

Photos by

Greg Hadley


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in walnut-stained pinepresent a vivid contrast tothe white tongue-and-groove ceiling. WaterfallSilestone counter surfacesand hardwood flooringneutralize, while the mid-century accents of thestools, chairs and even abright turquoise sectionalin the living room presenteye-catching intimationsof a resurgent Americanstyle.

Morgan Hutchinson,Sun Design’s specialty de-signer, said, “Finding abalance that respects aclassic style and [thecouple’s] personal tasteswas the real nature of theassignment. The designexplores unique rustic el-ements along with a newgeneration of kitchen in-novations. The goal wasto make a statement thatcan last, yet be easilyadapted.”

Sun Design Remodelingfrequently sponsors de-sign and remodeling

Home Remodel

Photo by Greg Hadley

Sun Design Remodeling added atop-level master suite to alakeside home designed in aclassic mid-century modern archi-tectural style, enabling new own-ers to obtain the square footageneeded for their family of four.The 630-square-foot additionaffords a “spot-on” view of thelake.


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A Kitchen for the Ages

When empty nestersMike Rogan andSue Shaffer decided

to move out of the Arlingtonhome where they had lived for27 years, they embarked on atwo-year search for a newabode. They were looking for ahome where they could age inplace and have space for live-in caretakers if needed.

They settled on a McLeanhome and hired Rill Architectsto redesign it, creating an openfloor plan that allowed for en-tertaining. The design team cre-ated a space that connects thekitchen to the family room, din-ing room, rear patio and ga-rage.

The Rogans wanted thekitchen to have an island, mul-tiple workstations, clean lineswith Victorian detailing andenough space for multiplecooks.

The design team incorpo-rated the Rogan’s love of casualand modern. “The paintedwood ceiling and traditionalcasing with an arched pass-

through play off the more con-temporary cabinets and glasstile backsplash, creating both asleek and casual inviting spacefor family gathering and teamcooking,” said Jim Rill.

— Marilyn Campbell

This McLean kitchen byRill Architects includesmaplewood, furniture-style cabinets withbrushed nickel hard-ware, classic millworkand granite countertops.

McLean. Visit www.SunDesignInc.com.seminars as well as tours of re-

cently remodeled homes. Head-quartered in Burke, Sun Designalso maintains an office in

John Byrd ([email protected]) hasbeen writing about home improvementfor 30 years.


Holiday Entertainment

Submit entertainment announcementsat www.connectionnewspapers.com/Cal-endar/. The deadline is noon on Friday.Photos/artwork encouraged.

ONGOINGVienna-Wide Food Drive. Through

Dec. 31, bring food contributions toVienna Town Hall - 127 Center St. S;Vienna Arts Society-115 Pleasant St.NW; Bikes@Vienna-128-A Church St.NW; Caffe Amouri-107 Church St.,NE; Evolution Fitness- 216 DominionRoad, NE; Rexall Drug Store-150Maple Ave. W; Drs. Covel, Stack andHenon- 120 Beulah Road, NE; PatrickHenry Library (co-sponsored bySupervisor Cathy Hudgins) and theVienna Community Center. Girl ScoutTroop 2684 will be helping NEVCAby picking up the food. Sponsored byCommittee for Helping Others. Call703-281-7614 for more.

Textures Exhibit. Through Jan. 7,various times at the Vienna ArtsCenter, 115 Pleasant St., NW. Call703-319-3971 or visitwww.ViennaArtsSociety.org formore.

Great Falls Farmers Market.Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 778 WalkerRoad, Great Falls. Music, vendors,fresh produce, fresh prepared food,delightful bakery, spices from aroundthe world, wild-caught fish, grass-fed, free-range meats, organic-fedpoultry and eggs. [email protected] more.

McLean Farmers Market, Fridays,through Nov. 17, 2017; 8 a.m. tonoon, 1659 Chain Bridge Road,McLean, Master Gardener PlantClinic on site to answer questionsabout plants in your landscape

Free Tai Chi. Every Saturday, from7:55-9 a.m., Introduction andBeginners’ Practice, meet on theoutdoor basketball court locateddirectly behind the Dolley MadisonPublic Library, 1244 Oak Ridge Ave.in McLean Central Park, McLean. Call703-759-9141 or visitwww.FreeTaiChi.org for more.

The Freeman Store & MuseumWednesday through Sunday noon-4p.m. 131 Church St. NE, Vienna. TheFreeman Store & Museum isdedicated to Preserving andpromoting Vienna’s heritage throughthe identification, preservation, andinterpretation of history significantplaces, events, and persons.Historicviennainc.org

Weekly Storytime. Wednesday andSaturday. 11 a.m. Barnes & Noble,7851 L Tysons Corner Center,McLean. Themes and titles vary. Freeadmission.

Bingo Night. Sundays. 4 p.m. FlameRoom, Vienna Volunteer FireDepartment, 400 Center St. S,Vienna. $10. www.vvfd.org/bingo.html.

Gentle Yoga. Thursdays, 6:30 p.m.Emmaus United Church of Christ,900 E Maple Ave. E., Vienna.Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. UnitarianUniversalist Congregation of Fairfax,2709 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton.Gentle Kundalini Yoga, one freeintroductory session, seniordiscounts. Increase flexibility,improve breathing and health, reducestress. Ravi Kaur has 15 yearsexperience teaching yoga. $15 persession. www.edimprovement.org.571-213-3192.

Fishing Rod Rentals 8700 PotomacHills St., Great Falls. Rentalsavailable during visitor center hours.Fishing tackle and live bait areavailable for purchase. Reservationsrequired for group rentals. $6/rental(2 hour max). Valid driver’s licenserequired. Rod/reel combinations areperfect for beginners and children. AVirginia or Maryland freshwaterfishing license is required for those16 years or older. The park does notsell fishing licenses.

www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverbend-park/

Colvin Run Mill open 11 - 4 p.m.daily, closed Tuesday. 10017 ColvinRun Road, Great Falls. FairfaxCounty’s operational 19th centurywater powered gristmill, offersrecreational and educationalactivities for all ages through dailytours, school programs and specialevents. Fees: $7/adult, $6 students16+ with ID, $5 children & seniors.Admission to park is free except forsome special events.

Fundamentals of Watercolors.Mondays 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at The Artsof Great Falls, 756 Walker Road,Great Falls. Artist Lorrie Herman willhelp students get comfortableworking with watercolors andunderstanding this medium. Visitwww.greatfallsart.org for more.

Evening Painting. Tuesdays 6:30 -9:30 p.m. at The Arts of Great Falls,756 Walker Road, Great Falls. JillBanks focuses on oil paintingfundamentals with two sessions eachof still life, landscapes, and portrait/clothed figure from a live model.Visit www.greatfallsart.org for more.

SATURDAY/DEC. 16Breakfast With Santa. 8 a.m.-noon at

the Vienna Volunteer Fire

Department, 400 Center St. S.,Vienna. Pancakes, sausage, bacon,juice and coffee. Visit www.vvfd.orgfor more.

Night In Bethlehem Performance.5-7 p.m. at Andrew Chapel UnitedMethodist Church, 1301 Trap Road,Vienna. Nativity scene with liveanimals. Visitwww.andrewchapelumc.org formore.

Ryan Kinder in Concert. 6:30-8:30p.m. at Jammin Java, 227 Maple Ave.E. $12-$20. All ages. Visitwww.jaminjava.com for more.

SUNDAY/DEC. 17Breakfast Buffet. 8 a.m.-noon, at

Vienna American Legion Post 180,330 Center St., N. Adults $9, children12 and under $3. Get omelets,scrambled eggs, blueberry pancakes,bacon, sausage, hash browns andmore. Call 703-938-6580 for more.

Meet the Yoga Author. 1:30-3 p.m.at Body Grace Yoga, 215 Mill St.,Vienna. Former Vienna resident JulieDunlop will be hosting acollaborative yoga workshop. Dunlopis a James Madison High Schoolalumni, class of 1991. $30. Visitbodygrace.com/events/ for more.

Christmas Caroling Sing-Along. 3-5

p.m. at Historic Pleasant Grove, 8641Lewinsville Road, McLean. Songsfollowed by cookies and hot cider, atthis historic site. Visitwww.HistoricPleasantGrove.org.

Christmas Concert. 4 p.m. at ViennaPresbyterian Church, 124 Park St.NE, Vienna. Glorious Sounds ofChristmas, a Christmas celebrationfor the whole family led by theVienna Presbyterian Sanctuary Choir,the Cathedral Brass, organ, piano,and noted soloists. Call 703-438-0718 for more.

Living Nativity. 5-6 p.m. at Great FallsUnited Methodist Church, 10100Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. Comelisten to the story, sing some carols,pet the animals, enjoy refreshments,and celebrate the holiday. Visitwww.greatfallsumc.org or call 703-759-3705.

MONDAY/DEC. 18McLean Class Sign-up. Various times

at MCC Class Programs Office, 6645Old Dominion Drive. Winter sessionclasses will begin the week of Jan.21. While the center’s InglesideAvenue facility is being renovated,classes are being offered at threelocations: the MCC Class ProgramsOffice, 6645 Old Dominion Drive;

AAUWWomen at the Helm event Saturday, Jan. 13, 10 a.m.at the Patrick Henry Library, 101 Maple Ave. E. ViennaMayor Laurie DiRocco and Town Council MembersCarey Sienicki and Linda Colbert will share theirexperiences of leading the Town of Vienna. For moreinformation visit vienna-va.aauw.net/.

The Old Firehouse Teen Center, 1440Chain Bridge Road; and the MCCDance Program Studio, 1374 ChainBridge Road. Visitwww.mcleancenter.org/ for more.

WEDNESDAY/DEC. 20Timeline Arcade and Ice Cream. 8

a.m.-6 p.m.-noon at The OldFirehouse, 1440 Chain Bridge Road,McLean. Play old-school video gamesand then eat ice cream. $55/45 forMcLean Community Center districtresidents. Call 703-790-0123 or visitwww.mcleancenter.org.

THURSDAY/DEC. 21Bowling and Movie. 8 a.m.-6 p.m.-

noon at The Old Firehouse, 1440Chain Bridge Road, McLean. $65/55for McLean residents. Call 703-790-0123 or visit www.mcleancenter.org.

TUESDAY/DEC. 26Beatrix Potter Tea. noon-1:30 p.m. at

Riverbend Park, 8700 Potomac HillsSt., Great Falls. Learn about thefamous author. Nibble on cupcakesand sip fruit punch or tea whilehearing stories about the bunnyfamily of her creation. Meet a livewhite tale rabbit and learn what wildbunnies do in the winter. Make abunny of your own to take home.Call 703-759-9018 or visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverbend-park/.

WEDNESDAY/DEC. 27Dave and Buster’s arcade. 8 a.m.-6

p.m.-noon at The Old Firehouse,1440 Chain Bridge Road, McLean.Lunch and a $25 game card withunlimited arcade game play areincluded. $70/60 for McLeanresidents. Call 703-790-0123 or visitwww.mcleancenter.org.

THURSDAY/DEC. 28Tubing/Ice Skating Trip. 8 a.m.-6

p.m.-noon at The Old Firehouse,1440 Chain Bridge Road, McLean.Chill out racing down hills on thetubes or gliding on skates. During theday, there is a pizza party. Admissionfor tubing or ice skating and lunchare included in the fee. $55/45 forMcLean residents. Call 703-790-0123or visit www.mcleancenter.org.

FRIDAY/DEC. 29Movie Double Feature. 8 a.m.-6

p.m.-noon at The Old Firehouse,1440 Chain Bridge Road, McLean.Road trip to AMC for two movies.Movie tickets and lunch are includedin the fee. $55/45 for McLeanresidents. Call 703-790-0123 or visitwww.mcleancenter.org.

SATURDAY/JAN. 13Women at the Helm. 10 a.m. at the

Patrick Henry Library, 101 MapleAve. E. Vienna Mayor Laurie DiRoccoand Town Council Members CareySienicki and Linda Colbert will sharetheir experiences of leading the Townof Vienna. Visit vienna-va.aauw.net/.

WEDNESDAY/JAN. 17Art Workshop. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the

Vienna Arts Center, 115 Pleasant St.Artist Jacqueline Saunders is hostinga one day workshop. Call 703-319-3971 or visitwww.ViennaArtsSociety.org formore.

FRIDAY/FEB. 3Lera Lynn in Concert. 7 p.m. at

Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave E,Vienna. Call 703-255-1566 or visitwww.leralynn.com for more.

YogaFormer Vienna residentJulie Dunlop will behosting a collaborativeyoga workshop anddiscussing her book onSunday, Dec. 17 from1:30-3 p.m. at BodyGrace Yoga, 215 MillSt., Vienna. Dunlop is aJames Madison HighSchool alumni, class of1991. $30. Visitbodygrace.com/events/for more.

Photo by John Shearer

Live MusicRyan Kinder is at Jammin’Java, 227 Maple Ave E., Vienna,7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16.Call 703-255-1566 or visitwww.leralynn.com for more.

Live MusicOn Friday, Feb. 3, its Lera Lynnin Concert 7 p.m. at Jammin’Java, 227 Maple Ave E., Vienna.Call 703-255-1566 or visitwww.leralynn.com for more.


Sports

The Vienna Youth middle school girls volleyball team completed an undefeatedseason this fall by winning the NorthernVirginia Travel Volleyball League champi-

onship. VYI finished the regular season with a matchrecord of 7-0, and a set record of 31-4 (5 sets per match).In the league tournament, VYI won 3 straight matches(2-0, 2-0, 2-1) to claim the league championship.

In a tight final against a highly rated local clubteam, VYI split the first two sets, building up to awinner take all third. VYI was down 4 points late inthe third set, and came roaring back behind theirpassing and defense, digging several hard spikes and

putting up a huge block to seal the win.“Our girls never gave up, even when we were way

down in the third, and every single player contrib-uted to the win,” said head coach Rob Garrett. “Wealways focus on the fundamentals in practice – serv-ing, passing, proper footwork and eliminating mis-takes. That’s how we were able to stay in the matchagainst such a powerful club team.”

VYI will hold advanced player clinics and tryoutsthis winter for the spring travel season. There willalso be player development clinics for the springhouse league. For more information on VYI Volley-ball, go to vyivolleyball.org.

VYI volleyball completes a perfect season with a runthrough the end of season tournament.

Vienna Youth VolleyballWins County Championship

Oakton Swim/Dive has had another successfulweek for the 2017-2018 season. The boys’ andgirls’ teams walked away with victories of 187points to 128 points for the boys and 186 pointsto 126 points for the girls at Spring Hill Recre-ation Center.

Last week, Oakton started the season with abang. The boys earned eight region cuts, three ofthem also state cuts, and the girls had 10 regioncuts, two also being state-qualifying swims. Jun-ior Daniel Gyenis, sophomore Leaya Ma, and fresh-man Anthony Grimm, and the 200 medley relaysearned state cuts at Cub Run against Westfield.

Despite the absence of 12 swimmers, usuallytop scorers, for club team invitational meets, theCougars showed their depth and didn’t skip a beat.On the boys’ side, junior Albert Xu and seniorDevin Gardner were double winners in both oftheir individual events, 200 and 500 freestyle forXu and 50 and 100 freestyle for Gardner, leadingthe way to first place wins for all four freestyleevents. Junior Sam Walters had a 5-second dropfrom his lifetime best in the 200 freestyle, in ad-dition to his third place swim. Freshman CarlBlakney earned third place in the 100 butterflywith an impressive time drop as well. The boysfinally ended the meet with first, second, and thirdplace finishes in the 400 freestyle relay.

As for the girls, sophomore Lily Chireix earnedher first victory on the board at her second meet.Oakton was able to take home victories in the 200

medley, 200 freestyle, and 400 freestyle relays overthe Saxons. Juniors Alexus Chua, who swam the200 and 500 freestyle, and Evelyn Pickett, whoswam the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly, filled infor missing teammates and earned first place forboth of their individual events. Freshman LindseyKotarski dropped lifetime bests in both the 200freestyle and 100 breaststroke to contribute to the60-point win over Langley.

With the return of their 12 swimmers, Oaktonis hoping to have yet another successful meet be-fore winter break begins.

Due to the cancellation of all FCPS activities,Oakton Swim/Dive will no longer be swimmingin the Concorde Invitational. The Cougars will nextbe going to Audrey Moore Recreation Center toswim in a tri-meet with Thomas Jefferson HighSchool and Mount Vernon High School at 6 p.m.on Friday, Dec. 15.

In a tight, three-set final,VYI’s middle school travel

volleyball team, coached byRob Garrett and Rob Mooney,

beat the Vienna Elite U14Club team to win the NVTL

county championship.

Photo

contributed

Oakton Swims to 2-0 withWins Against Langley

Photo contributed

Oakton senior Lindsey Katsaros swim-ming the 100 butterfly.


News

The Church of the Good Shepherd, a UnitedMethodist Church in Vienna, will celebrate Christ-mas Eve with four worship services on Sunday,Dec. 24. The community is invited to all servicesat the church, located at 2351 Hunter Mill Road.

The church will hold its regular worship serviceat 10:15 a.m. At 5 p.m. will be the Children’sChristmas Eve Service that includes a giant feltboard. As children come in, pieces of the Nativity

story will be distributed for children to place onthe felt board, said pastor Eric Song. Communionand candlelight Christmas Eve services will be heldat 7 and 10 p.m. (child care provided for the 7p.m. service).

The Church of the Good Shepherd has been cel-ebrating its 50th anniversary in 2017. For moreinformation, visit www.GoodShepherdVA.com orwww.Facebook.com/GoodShepherdVienna.

Church of the Good Shepherd to HoldFour Christmas Eve Services

Vienna ChoralSociety to Performin AnnandaleArtistic and music directorMike Horanski and accompa-nist Melvin Goodwyn help theVienna Choral Society warm-up for their first concert“Surround Sound” Oct. 21 inthe circular sanctuary ofVienna Baptist Church. Theyperform again Saturday, Dec.16 at 4:30 p.m. with a holidayperformance of “Sounds ofthe Season: Rutter’s Gloria”in the Annandale UnitedMethodist Church at 6935Columbia Pike. Guest artistsfor the VCS 30th season pro-gram are the Oakton HighSchool singers and orchestra,Robinson High School bandand the Northern VirginiaYouth Winds. Admission is$25 for adults. Discountsapply to seniors and teenag-ers, who pay $20 each. Kids14 years and younger get infree with a paying ticketholder. Tickets are availableonline atwww.viennachoralsociety.org.

Madrigals and select singers from the James Madison High Schoolchorus and chamber orchestra help the Vienna Choral Society end theirfirst concert Oct. 21 on a positive note with a cheerful Harry Belafonteand Robert Freedman song “Turn the World Around.”

Photo by Marti Moore/The sConnection


Submit civic/community announcements atConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photos andartwork welcome. Deadline is Thursday at noon, atleast two weeks before event.

SOBER-RIDE FOR WINTER HOLIDAYSFree Sober Rides. The annual Holiday

SoberRider program will operate 8 p.m.-4 a.m.each night from Friday, Dec. 15, 2017-Monday,Jan. 1, 2018. area residents age 21 and oldercelebrating with alcohol may download Lyft totheir phones, then enter the code in the app’s“Promo” section to receive their no cost (up to$15) safe transportation home. WRAP’s weeklyHoliday SoberRide promo codes will be postedat 2:00 pm on Dec. 15, Dec. 23 and Dec. 31 onwww.SoberRide.com.

THURSDAY/DEC. 21Caregivers Support Group. 10-11:30 a.m. at

UUCF Unitarian Universalist Congregation ofFairfax - Program Building, 2709 Hunter MillRoad, Oakton. Shepherd’s Center of Oakton-Vienna Caregivers Support Group is held thefirst and third Thursdays of every month, yearround. Call 703-821-6838 or [email protected] for more.

TUESDAY/JAN. 9English as a Second Language Classes. 7-8

p.m. at at St. Mark Christian Formation Center,9972 Vale Road, Vienna. Come help 150+ adultlearners master the English language, preparefor American citizenship, learn to conversefluently in English, improve their writing skills,and integrate into the local community. Call703-980-9380, email [email protected], orvisit www.stmarkesl.org.

THURSDAY/JAN. 11English as a Second Language Classes. 7-8

p.m. at at St. Mark Christian Formation Center,9972 Vale Road, Vienna. Come help 150+ adultlearners master the English language, preparefor American citizenship, learn to conversefluently in English, improve their writing skills,and integrate into the local community. Call703-980-9380, email [email protected], orvisit www.stmarkesl.org.

SUPPORT GROUPSAre You A Caregiver? Shepherd’s Center of

Oakton Vienna Caregivers’ SupportGroup takes place first & third Thursday ofeach month. February 2nd and 16th, 2017 from10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Join us at theUnitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax(UUCF) - Program Building, 2709 Hunter MillRd, Oakton, VA. For more info contactfacilitator, Jack Tarr, [email protected].

Haven of Northern Virginia Support Group.703-941-7000, www.havenofnova.org [email protected].

Virginia Chronic Pain Support Group Meetsfrom 1:30 - 3 p.m. the 2nd Wednesday of eachmonth at Kaplan Center for IntegrativeMedicine, 6829 Elm St., Suite 300, McLean.Group leader, Jodi Brayton, LCSW. 703-532-4892.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDRSVP, a volunteer network for seniors seeking

service opportunities in and around FairfaxCounty, Arlington County and the City ofAlexandria, offers a wide array of opportunitiesfor volunteers 55 and older. RSVP volunteersenjoy flexible schedules, free accident andliability insurance while serving, optionalmileage and meal reimbursement and areinvited to volunteer group projects and socialgatherings. To sign up for an upcomingorientation, email Carly Hubicki [email protected] or call RSVP at703-403- 5360. To learn more about RSVP, visitwww.rsvpnova.org.

Shepherd’s Center of McLean-Arlington-Falls Church, 1205 Dolley Madison Blvd.,McLean continues to have an urgent need fornew volunteers to help area senior citizens getto and from their medical and therapyappointments. To find out more about theShepherd’s Center and how you can volunteer toprovide transportation and other services, callthe Center at 703-506-2199 or e-mail the Centerat [email protected]. The Center’s website iswww.scmafc.org.

Bulletin

Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Five weeks of blissful ignorance. (Speak foryourself. I am.) No 24-hour urine collection.No pre-chemotherapy lab work. No chemo-therapy infusion. No CT scan. No follow-upappointment with my oncologist – or anyother doctor for that matter. No brain MRI. Nofasting. No emailing. No prescription-drugrefilling. No vitals. No weight check. Notaste/eating side effects. No anything. Otherthan pretending and presuming that all is notwrong in my “whirled” (my underlying diagno-sis), life is for the living, and I’m living proof,random though it may be, that an incrediblygrim/surreal prognosis: “13 months to twoyears,” was not all it was cracked up to be.

Forgive me if I unleash my pent-up innerdemons. As a cancer patient, there’s just somuch to worry about; daily, weekly, monthlyand always, that when you get a break/brakein the action, it becomes a moment in time tocelebrate and cherish.

Good things may come in small packages,but great things come in five-week intervals.And though the minor deficits I have as aresult of nearly nine years of chemotherapyhave not dissipated; in the scheme of things, inthe midst of two-fortnights-and-a-half of “une-ncumbrances,” to quote my late father, I am“untethered,” to once again quote my father.This time however, quoting the late, great SidCaesar for a skit he performed (involving “anelephant,” my father always said) on “TheShow of Shows” back in the early 50s.

And so for the next month and change, Iam almost normal (or a reasonable facsimilethereof); other than following my daily anti-cancer, non-Western routine which I have longago assimilated into my dos and don’ts, that is.A routine which, though it can always beenhanced, is a direct result of the advice I’vereceived from my certified Holistic HealthCoach. And despite the fact that I may notexactly be on the straight and narrow – morelike the squiggly and wiggly, I certainly am noton the path I was when my cancer cells acti-vated after I slid into my first PET scan back inearly February 2009, and “lit it up like aChristmas tree,” according to my thoracic sur-geon. An indication/confirmation which led toa surgical biopsy a week or so later which thenled to the last nine years of my life.

Still, it’s been a life worth living and one forwhich I have few regrets. I have lived so farbeyond my original prognosis, it’s not evenfunny; it’s ridiculous. Sure, I’m doing more ofthe right things than I ever did, but hardly am Ithe poster boy for “see what happens whenyou ... .” If I’m the poster boy for anything, it’smore likely “how to maintain and evenincrease your weight while being treated forstage IV, non-small cell lung cancer.”

Not that I won’t savor the moments ahead,but I am mindful, which led to the substanceof this column, of what happens after thissemi-party is over: Jan. 2, 2018 – 24-hoururine collection; Jan. 3, 2018 – pre-chemo-therapy lab work; Jan. 5, 2018 – chemother-apy infusion; Jan. 17, 2018 – CT scan; andfinally, Jan. 26. 2018 – follow-up appointmentwith my oncologist to discuss the results of myscan, and then maybe another emotional hon-eymoon or, God forbid, a nightmare that diag-nosis to date has rarely raised its ugly head.

That possibility roams my head, constantly;compartmentalized – yes; “in the vault” – yes,but unfortunately, “the cancer,” (as “Forrest,Forrest Gump” said) still in my body and,medically speaking, not yet something one canflush out with treatment. But there’s alwayshope.

In the past few years, the FDA hasapproved half-a-dozen new lung cancer drugs,more than during the preceding decade. Idon’t think medical professionals would saythey have lung cancer on the run; they mightsay however, they have it on the trot. Which isgood for me because I can’t run, but I can trot.

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Opinion

The Children’s Health Insurance Pro-gram, CHIP, provides health cover-age to low-income, children withfamily incomes too high to qualify

for Medicaid, up to 200 percent of the federalpoverty level in Virginia, up to $49,200 for afamily of four. In Virginia, coverage under CHIPis called Family Access to Medical InsuranceSecurity (FAMIS) and covers more than 69,000children and pregnant women. More than 8.4million children are covered nationally underCHIP.

Ironically, families with chil-dren covered under FAMIS(note that the S stands for “se-curity”) will receive letters this

week letting them know that their medical in-surance security ends in January unless theU.S. Senate acts to reauthorize (fund) CHIPby the end of the year. The House of Represen-tatives passed a bill to reauthorize CHIP inNovember, funding it mostly through cuts toprograms in the Affordable Care Act.

The letter to Virginia FAMIS participantsreads:

“We are sending you this letter because thesepeople in your family are enrolled in FAMIS orFAMIS MOMS:

“FAMIS and FAMIS MOMS are paid for bystate and federal funds through the Children’sHealth Insurance Program known as CHIP. For

20 years CHIP has had the strong support ofCongress and has been renewed many times.We are hopeful that Congress will once againprovide the funding to continue this program.However, because Congress has not acted yet,we need to let you know that there is a chancethe FAMIS programs may have to shut down.

“If Congress does not act soon, the FAMISprograms will end on Jan. 31, 2018.”

Having tens of thousands of uninsured chil-dren is bad health policy for every Virginian.It’s better for all children in school to have allchildren be able to access health care, bothpreventative care and care when they are sick.

According to a recent publication in the NewEngland Journal of Medicine:

“The body of evidence summarized here in-dicates that coverage expansions significantlyincrease patients’ access to care and use of pre-ventive care, primary care, chronic illness treat-ment, medications, and surgery. These in-creases appear to produce significant, multi-faceted, and nuanced benefits to health.

“Some benefits may manifest in earlier de-tection of disease, some in better medicationadherence and management of chronic condi-tions, and some in the psychological well-be-ing born of knowing one can afford care whenone gets sick. … Some of these changes willultimately help tens of thousands of people livelonger lives.

Save Healthcare for Children Right NowIf U.S. Senate fails to act soon, 69,000 children and pregnant womenin Virginia, more than 8 million nationally, will lose health coverage.

Editorial

“Conversely, the data suggest that policiesreducing coverage will produce significantharms to health, particularly among peoplewith lower incomes and chronic conditions.”

Also, having health coverage leads to greaterfinancial security, and that helps the economy.“There is abundant evidence that having healthinsurance improves financial security,” accord-ing to the same study.

Virginia’s U.S. Senators Mark Warner andTim Kaine have repeatedly called for a vote toreauthorize CHIP.

Yesterday, they said, “Today is a scary dayfor a lot of families in Virginia, and it was com-pletely preventable. We asked SenatorMcConnell multiple times to help us supportthe 66,000 children and 1,100 pregnantwomen in Virginia who receive their healthcare through the CHIP program, but Republi-can leadership still hasn’t brought it forwardfor a vote. There is a bipartisan bill on the table,and it’s critical that we pass it before Congressleaves for the holidays so we can give somepeace of mind to Virginia parents who areworried about whether their children will havehealth insurance in the new year.”

We wish everyone peace of mind in the NewYear.

— Mary Kimm

[email protected]

By Jean Jianos

In Washington, D.C. it is com-mon to see a tourist posing fora photo, trying to create the il-

lusion that they are holding one ofthe monuments in the palm of theirhand. A similar kind of photo wasprominently displayed as a partygag at a birthday party for a friend.

The man celebrating his birth-day was shown in the photo talk-ing with his hands. In the back-ground of the photo was a bikini-clad friend, creating the illusionthat he was cupping her breast inhis hand, in effect groping her.Hilarious, right?

The man being roasted by hisfriends acted sheepishly, but hewas not really embarrassed. Afterall, he was depicted as being incontrol and the dominant figurein the photo.

The female friend who was alsopresent at the party was mortifiedand left the room angry and closeto tears. Overreacting, right? Nosense of humor.

Perhaps another person would have

laughed it off in an attempt to regainequal footing with all the other partyguests, but then none of us would haverecognized this for what it was — oneof “those situations.”

She purposely had not been con-sulted about the use of the photobecause it was suspected shewould object to her body beingused as the brunt of a sexist joke.Her friends, a group of men andwomen, thought she shouldn’tmind too much because she lookedgood in her bikini, but that wasnot our decision to make.

In that moment when the photowas revealed she went from beinga peer to a prop. We were usingsomeone else’s body for our ownentertainment and satisfaction atthe expense of their dignity. Wehad put that other person in a po-sition where they couldn’t objectbefore the fact and would feel bul-lied into not objecting after thefact. There is a right and a wrong.The only matter of perspective iswhether we see it.

Jean Jianos is a local freelance writer.

Armed asFor a War ZoneTo the Editor:

I have followed the gun con-trol correspondence with dis-may. I hope nobody is under themisapprehension that a fewtweaks like better gun purchasechecks, closing some loopholesand clamping down on somefast fire gadgetry – all in them-selves desirable – will somehowmake a significant difference toAmerica’s national disgrace.While every gun death reducedis good, we are still not even inthe right ballpark in dealingwith the scale of the problem.

The reason Britain has negli-gible gun deaths compared toAmerica is that gun ownershipis very low, about 7 percent ofAmerica’s figure, and guns areheavily regulated. As a result,there is no arms race betweenpotential attacker and attackedand no arms race betweencriminal and police.

Most of the recent gun con-trol proposals have been,frankly, marginal fiddling anda sop to our consciences. If en-

acted, they would barely incon-venience the NRA.

Without drastic reduction inthe number of guns – by say 80percent – alongside very tightgun type and use restrictions,we will continue to live in acountry where deer get far bet-ter protection than humans andwhere daily slaughter of chil-dren and adults is normal.

Wringing our hands and pre-tending, almost weekly, that weare still trying to understand thereasons for this global anomaly– gun deaths at 45 times the UK– may make us feel better butit falls way short of solving theproblem. If the number of gunsis not drastically reduced thenwe had better just hunker downand get used to another centuryof this madness.

But please, let’s not wring ourhands and ask why it happens.We know the answer to that. Perhundred people, we have twicethe number of guns in Yemen!We are armed as for a war zone.

Ridley NelsonGreat Falls

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