Opinion
PlottFest not just about canines
PlottFest 2024 will be held at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds Saturday, April 27th from 9 a.m. until 10 p..m. There are many reasons to attend. First, it’s affordable, entertaining, educational, and just plain good family fun — with something for everyone.
Single-use plastics need to be addressed
When I began my role as the French Broad Riverkeeper nearly 20 years ago, I was wide-eyed and eager. I was determined to be the person who would finally clean up the French Broad River. The river's story is similar to that of many American rivers; it was so polluted that the author Wilma Dykeman once wrote, "it was too thick to drink and too thin to plow."
The hamster wheel of human well-being
I’ve become fascinated with studies and lifestyle changes focused on longevity and biohacking. A few recent “revolutionary health and wellness suggestions” made me realize our cave dwelling ancestors already had everything figured out.
Celebrating libraries means ending book bans
I’m no extremist. I like discourse with people who hold opposing viewpoints. You can sway me with sound arguments. I feel enlightened when coming away with a better understanding of why people think the way they do.
Are the ‘deniers’ practicing better science?
I don’t deserve to be called a scientist, but maybe I’m at least a fringe scientist after spending 50 years doing engineering and then medicine.
Enjoying the Madness
It’s March Madness, and as a graduate of North Carolina State University, I am thoroughly enjoying it. We Wolfpack fans haven’t had much to celebrate in the way of basketball for a long time, so watching both the men’s and women’s teams progress to the NCAA Final Four has been quite the exciting experience.
Former public servants send a strong message
We folks over 70 often make mistakes — forgetting and confusing names, places, dates. So when Joe Biden mistook President Sisi of Egypt as the president of Mexico I didn’t worry too much about it. Woops!
Taking time to strengthen my gratitude muscle
Gratitude has become something of a buzz word and because of that, it seems that some people roll their eyes at the concept.
One year later, Canton displays remarkable progress
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
— Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
