Ireland’s Embassy Hosts Wild West Irish Tours and Dervish’s Cathy Jordan
Kevin Conmy, deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of Ireland welcomed guests at a reception held on Thursday, Dec. 13 to highlight The Gathering, a community-led initiative that encourages overseas visitors who are Irish-born, Irish-bred or Irish in spirit to join Irish people for family reunions and cultural, sporting and other events during 2013, and which is being promoted by the Springfield-based tour company Wild West Irish Tours.
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra Names President/CEO
The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra (FSO) Board of Directors appointed Debra Harrison as its president/CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2013. Her appointment comes following the unanimous recommendation of the search committee chaired by board member John Lockhart following a four-month national search.
Robinson Grad Is in Sully’s Comedy Show
Sully’s Restaurant is the place to be on Friday, Jan. 4, at 8 p.m., when Robinson Secondary grad Matt Mero joins headlining comedian Rob Maher in an evening of comedy. Sully’s is at 14511 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway in Chantilly; cover charge is $5.
Robinson Boys’ Basketball Finishes Runner-Up at Pohanka Tourney
Rams beat Wilson, South County, lose to Mountain View in final.
The Robinson boys' basketball team lost to Mountain View in the championship game of the Pohanka Chantilly Basketball Classic.
Classified Advertising January 2, 2013
Read the latest ads here!
Happy New Year, Keep in Touch
Reflecting and reinforcing the sense of community.
As local, weekly newspapers, the Connection’s mission is to bring the news you need about your community, to give you the information you need to enjoy the best things in and near your community, to advocate for community good, to call attention to unmet needs, to provide a forum for dialogue on local concerns, and to celebrate and record milestones and events in community and people’s lives. To succeed at any of that, we need your help.
Advice for Seniors on Fitness in the New Year
Suggestions for making and keeping exercise resolutions.
Mary Garner’s New Year’s resolution is to increase the intensity of her workout routine. The 69-year-old retiree plans to seek the advice of a fitness trainer to create a plan to achieve her goal.
The Quest for Youth and Beauty
Spending billions of dollars to improve one’s appearance.
Hiba Hakki reclines on an exam table as a physician picks up a syringe with his latex-gloved hand and points it at her face. He inserts the needle into the flesh around her eyes. She cringes slightly. This is a Botox injection, just one of the cosmetic procedures Hakki undergoes for the sake of beauty.
Lines of My Life
Like most people, I have material, so to speak, that I use repeatedly (ad nauseam, some might say). Most are lines from “The Three Stooges,” “M*A*S*H,” “Star Trek” (the original) and “Seinfeld.” As I entered into the cancer world, I continued to use this material – where/when appropriate, as many of you regular readers know. However, as my time in the cancer conundrum has continued (thank God!) and evolved, I have found myself uttering and muttering à la “Popeye the Sailor Man,” amusing myself, mostly, but always with the best of intentions: my survival. A few examples follow. (My answers are in quotes.)
Coming in From The Cold
A night at Burke United Methodist Church’s hypothermia prevention shelter.
Musa L. gently draped a blanket over his wife, and promised her the new year would be better for both of them. She was sleeping on a foam pallet at the Burke United Methodist Church. Musa and his wife were among nearly 40 homeless adults seeking shelter from the frigid temperatures at the church on Friday, Dec. 21.
Readers of the Pack
What Fairfax County residents read in 2012.
According to Mary Mulrenen, spokesperson for the Fairfax County Public Library, Fairfax County readers selected many of the same fiction and non-fiction favorites that caught the attention of book-lovers nationwide. Dr. Seuss, science-fiction and, once again, lawyers (John Grisham’s 25th legal thriller) topped the charts.
Should Virginia’s Governor Be Able to Run for Reelection?
Longstanding ban on second consecutive term to be reconsidered this year.
Virginia is the only state that limits its governor to a single, four-year term, a vestige of the distrust Americans had for executive power during the American Revolution. Now, more than two centuries later, the commonwealth may finally be ready to ditch the longstanding term limit and allow Virginia’s governor to run for reelection.
Fairfax Rotary Club Awards Global Grant Scholarship
The Rotary Club of Fairfax, a part of Rotary District 7610 in Northern Virginia, recently awarded the Global Grant Scholarship to a young woman from Fairfax City. Sophie McManus learned she was the winner of the competitive scholarship on Nov. 4, nudging out many other young people from the area.
Welcoming Scouts
Willow Springs Elementary holds Girl Scouts Investiture/Rededication Ceremony.
The Willow Springs Elementary School Girl Scouts held an investiture/rededication ceremony on Friday, Dec. 7, 2012 at 7 p.m. in the school’s cafeteria. Investiture welcomes new members into the Girl Scout family for the first time.
Paco Peña 'Flamenco Vivo' at GMU
Flamenco guitar legend appears with The Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company.
Named the “Best Flamenco Guitarist” by America’s Guitar magazine for five consecutive years, Paco Peña brings his troupe of flamenco singers, musicians and dancers to George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax on Friday, Feb. 1, 2013 at 8 p.m. for a tour through the history of flamenco.
Fair Oaks Hospital Receives National Recognition
One Virginia hospital was among The Leapfrog Group’s annual class of “Top Hospitals” announced in Baltimore, Md. on Dec. 4. Inova Fair Oaks Hospital’s management and staffs for the first time completed the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, being transparent on patient safety and achieving the "Top Hospital" award.
Thieves Target Cars in Parks
Detectives are investigating an apparent series of credit card thefts from vehicles parked at area parks. Many of the crimes have taken place at Burke Lake Park, but there were others at Wakefield and South Run Recreation Center. Detectives from the West Springfield Police District Criminal Investigation Section are working collaboratively with the Financial Crimes Unit to apprehend suspects on over two dozen cases; with the most recent six taking place at Burke Lake Park since Thanksgiving.
Touching For Sure, But Not Always
Usually, but not always, when I show for my scheduled post-chemotherapy/post-scan appointment with my oncologist, I am physically examined (touching, feeling). Recently, due to some enhanced computer and facility upgrades, I was shown the actual scans, digitized. However, on more than one occasion over the last 18 months or so, after we discussed the results of my most recent CT Scan – and lab work, no physical exam was performed. Apparently, as I later learned, the good results from my scan sort of trumps any need to feel for physical manifestations.
How the Powerless Access Power
Immigrants make significant gains in influencing political system.
On Election Night Nov. 6, Keisy Chavez’s nerves were frayed. The Fairfax single mom had been campaigning hard for Democrats since the official launch of Latinos for Obama last April.
Instincts…
Forty-five months later, I am still dealing with feelings – as in still living, for which I am amazingly fortunate. However, those feelings seem to sometimes have a mind of their own, and accordingly tend to take over and rewire one’s brain (figuratively speaking).