Bluegrass and mountain music. American Indian culture. Unparalleled natural beauty. The most-visited national park in the United States. The tallest mountain, deepest gorge, and highest waterfall in the eastern United States, as well as North America’s oldest river. Unique art created by talented artists. Appalachian history dating to before the American Revolution. 

“Alternative facts” was a phrase used by U.S. Counselor to the President, Kellyanne Conway, during a “Meet the Press” interview on January 22, 2017, in which she defended White House Press Secretary  Sean Spicer’s false statement about the attendance numbers of Donald Trump’s  inauguration as President of the United States. When pressed during the interview with Chuck Todd to explain why Spicer would “utter a provable falsehood,” Conway stated that Spicer was giving “alternative facts.” Todd responded, “Look, alternative facts are not facts. They’re falsehoods.” - Wikipedia 

There’s a basic human longing for a sense of place, some part of the world that’s home, a place where you are a part of something that feeds your soul. Find it, feel it, and you’re one of the lucky ones.

The ‘circle of life’ philosophy is not only about procreation and ensuring the long-term existence of a species. It’s also about love, family ties and paying it forward. 

To the Editor: Thank you, Jane Harrison, for setting me straight about my being in the minority of Americans because I think the unborn have rights. It feels good to be a minority for a change.

Americans may wonder what it felt like to be living in Italy or Germany when they were submitting to tyrants. Now we know. 

Earlier this week, I had started writing a column about the progress made in the year since the flooding from Tropical Storm devastated parts of Haywood County. Then, as I started talking to our writers about the stories they were preparing for this week’s edition — one year after the flood — I could tell they had the recovery efforts well covered. 

In May my boys were counting down the days until school ended; now, they are counting down the days until school begins. It’s intriguing what summer vacation can do to a young mind. 

As a pediatrician, I spent many years on hospital call in Haywood County and many long hours in the middle of the night trying to keep a newborn alive. So, I do understand and share the passion and concern expressed in the recently published response to my July 6 column in The Mountaineer about political violence and the reproductive rights of American women.  

Some people consider streamside vegetation a nuisance in need of being cut back. However, it serves a valuable purpose. It decreases pollution, erosion and keeps sunlight from reaching the stream.