The weekend is here. That is a phrase that used to mean something, but these days the weekend isn’t as different from the rest of the week.
There’s not as much to do, for one. But more so, it just doesn’t feel as different for those who are working from home. That’s doubly true if you have kids, and the weekend is only a slightly less stressful version of the work week — blending together in a 2020 stew of nonstop activity and frequent anxiety.
News articles and social media chatter are inundated with information and discussion about back-to-school plans for this fall.
Arlington Public Schools has decided that all students will begin the 2020-2021 school year virtually. Teachers have spent much of their summer vacation working to convert their in-class instruction to virtual formats and are “heading back to the classroom” next week for training and final preparations to begin the year.
Fourteen years of school and training is needed to become a physician specializing in infectious disease. Yet when it comes to novel treatment for COVID-19, a former crack addict who has made millions selling pillows has as powerful a voice as a doctor.
The race for a cure presents both opportunities and challenges to how we evaluate novel treatments and we are witnessing how drug approval can go awry during a pandemic. As a doctor, it is frustrating and concerning to see so many Americans place their trust in politicians and entrepreneurs over evidence-based medicine. It leaves me wondering if the role of a physician, and science in general, is devalued.
With clear skies and lower temperatures, the past couple of evenings have been downright pleasant outside. Except for one thing: the “bumper crop of mosquitoes” that swarm those venturing outdoors.
Thanks to heavy rains over the past few weeks, mosquitoes have been out in force.
August 2020 marks the centennial of the ratification of the 19th amendment. As we reflect on the courage and tenacity of the suffragists and women’s rights leaders who secured the right to vote for primarily white women, it’s hard not to question the racism (and the sexism) of the movement.
Some argue it is not fair to judge those who lived in a different time using a modern day lens. Yet, there are several examples of those who took the unpopular positions of demanding equal voting rights and integration. Others argue that the white suffragists made strategic and political decisions to not support Black voting rights in order to secure passage of the 19th amendment. Yet, it took another 45 years after the passage of the 19th amendment to pass the Voting Rights Act, and some organizations continued to restrict their membership to whites only.
My column talks a lot about single-family vs. multi-family homes. But what counts as a family?
The rules that govern who can legally occupy Arlington’s housing have changed to reflect our understanding and acceptance of diverse types of families. But even with significant progress to make our definition of families more inclusive, we have further to go to support the different forms that households take the 21st century.
The countdown to the end of summer is well underway.
Sure, technically fall doesn’t start until Sept. 22, but Labor Day weekend is only three weeks away and the signs heralding fall’s imminent arrival are already here.
Get ready for a data dump. Arlington’s 2020 Profile was recently released and it is full of eye opening statistics.
Overall Arlington is a young, multi-family building community, with prices that continue to soar, as we continue to lose racial diversity. We are also very eco-friendly in our transportation and an incredibly healthy county that is supported by vast community resources.
Peter’s Take is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com
Recent collaborations between local governments and school systems in other localities, including Alexandria, San Francisco, and New York City, offer promising new instructional and childcare examples for Arlington to follow.
In a hastily called meeting before their traditional August break, the Arlington County Board passed an emergency ordinance that prevents groups of four or more from standing closer than six feet to each other in marked public spaces. There was no public discussion or input prior to the surprise announcement.
Under the ordinance, my family could not wait at a traffic light together even if we are wearing face coverings, without the risk of a $600 fine. However, we could walk into a restaurant and sit together without face coverings. Fellow columnist Chris Slatt rightly called it a mess.
A lot of local businesses are hurting during the pandemic.
Any business that relies on people congregating inside is having a tough time — restaurants, gyms, events organizers, etc. The economic hardship has hit ancillary businesses as well: dry cleaners, for example, are struggling due to few people going to offices and formal events.
Progressive Voice is a bi-weekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.
By Cragg Hines
