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America’s Got Talent and ’Tis the Season to Remember Those Gifts 0
- Culture
- December 23, 2021
A week before Christmas, I attended a performance of The Nutcracker in the Old Opera House Theater in Charles Town, West Virginia. My presence was obligatory. My five-year-old granddaughter and her class of budding ballerinas appeared as dancing Lady Bugs for a brief time on the stage, a part undoubtedly added by the director to
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Peace in the Maddening Maze of Life 0
- Literature
- December 22, 2021
The end of December is always a good time to reminisce and take stock of our lives. This seems especially appropriate as many of us have come through yet another difficult year—rising prices, vaccine mandates, and increased Orwellian censorship to name just a few problems—and don’t have a lot of hope that things will improve.
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No, ‘More People Carrying Guns’ Does Not Tend to ‘Result in More Shootings.’0
- Politics
- December 22, 2021
A couple of months ago, The Atlantic published an article written by staff writer David A. Graham that explores the surge of violence the United States experienced in 2020. Overall the article, which analyzes findings from the FBI’s “Uniform Crime Report,” is quite good. It effectively breaks down what we know and—more importantly—what we don’t
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Reading the Vanishing Volumes While You Still Can 0
- Culture
- December 21, 2021
Reading through online headlines I often see a story entitled, “Demi Moore at 58 Hasn’t Aged Well.” Though I’ve never clicked on that link, I did google “Demi Moore at 58” and thought she looked pretty darn good. Sure, she’s probably gone under the plastic surgeon’s knife a few times—those high cheek bones seem a
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Surviving Suffering Like a Champ 0
- Culture
- December 20, 2021
When a friend challenged me to a reading contest on Goodreads a couple of years ago, I was reluctant. Did I really want my reading selections broadcast on the internet for friends and strangers to see? Despite this qualm, my arm was twisted, and I began recording the books I read, often giving them a
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Taking a Breather From the Culture Wars Via Holiday Romance 0
- Culture
- December 17, 2021
Good grief! What has happened to me? In the past week, I read A Christmas Courtship, by Shelly Shepard Gray, intending to review this romantic holiday novel for the Smoky Mountain News before realizing it would be too late for the holiday shopping season. Not only that, but in some fit
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