The Langston Hughes Project, a multimedia concert highlighting a “jazz poem” written by the late poet, novelist, playwright and social activist, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

The bodhran, a traditional percussion instrument of Ireland, will be the focus of two presentations Thursday, March 19, at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

QUESTION: What are the different grades of meat and what does it mean?

ANSWER: The major grades of meat are: Prime, Choice, Select. These are known as “quality grades” and reflect the tenderness and juiciness of the meat due to marbling (fat content) of the meat.

QUESTION: I have heard a lot about quinoa but I don’t know how to cook it.

ANSWER: Quinoa is often called an “ancient grain” and it is a relative of spinach. It is primarily cultivated in South America and is gluten-free.

To the Editor:

If you are over 65 (and maybe even younger) you will remember a wonderful phenomenon of the good old days. And what was this marvel? The doctor who made house calls!

What a source of comfort he was. As a child, I remember he would examine me, and then sit on the bed holding my hand and uttering soothing words. I bet many of you remember his cheerful bedside manner and the touch of his cool hand on your forehead.

Not every illness or injury is serious enough to warrant being in a hospital. But some are too serious for the poor patient to have to manage to drive to a doctor’s office (particularly in bad weather) and sit in a waiting room for half an hour. 

But what has happened? Now, everything is “call 911” or ”go to Urgent Care.” But a house call? Never!  

Now, 911 is important and can save lives. Urgent Care is a good alternative from having to rush to a hospital. But, they are impersonal. And that’s the key word to describe medicine today.

Which brings an idea to mind. Are there three or four family doctors in Haywood County who would be willing to form a small consortium of “Docs who would make house calls?” Think about it. These few doctors could share patient information and take turns in making house calls. These calls would be made among their own patients, not necessarily the whole county at large. It might inspire other consortiums to be formed.

Not only would it provide a good income for the medical men involved, but would inspire great gratitude and comfort in the hearts of their patients.

And maybe bring back a little of the compassion of the good old days.

My husband and I would immediately become patients of any doctor who was part of this. Wouldn’t you?

JoAnna and Richard Swanson

Waynesville

To the Editor:

Religious folk love to talk about Armageddon and the Apocalypse with almost all major religions predicting some sort of end times. Who knows, maybe there’s some sort of ESP subconsciously telling us that eventually life, as we know it, will cease to exist on this planet. It’s happened before, several times in fact. Scientists tell us that at one point there were no more than a few thousand humans left.

Caught up in our own daily personal survival, we go through our daily routines with no thought to the future, much less the distant future, living for today only.

Environmentalists fuss about CO2 emissions but ignore discussing over-population for fear of bringing the wrath of the religious down on them. But over-population is the most threatening single issue we have on this planet as it requires humans to use up more and more of our natural resources and eventually our resources will be gone entirely.

No one knows for certain when — perhaps in 50 years or so — that the Middle East will eventually give out of oil, which is their only source of riches. Once that happens, they are doomed unless they can come up with some alternative power source such as nuclear power instead of oil. Even then they will not be able to feed their rapidly expanding population.

Egypt’s population alone will almost double at the current birth rate to 140 million by 2050, but with jobs for less than 20 million. The result, along with much of the Middle East and Africa, is people are migrating to Europe and other countries. About 200,000 are expected to head for Italy this year alone.

Much of South America is over-populated with insufficient natural resources. The lack of jobs cause people to migrate to the United States where they can reside until our own resources disappear.

About 95 percent of Venezuela’s money comes from oil, and once that is gone, who knows what will happen?

Unfortunately, we don’t have finite resources either. Eventually, we will use up our underground water and when that happens farmers will be going broke by the thousands followed by national food shortages. Fresh water is our most valuable resource.

As our population grows and we can’t feed everyone, we may have to follow China in their forced abortions and allow only one child per American family. Worldwide, we may see abortions in the billions, perhaps even millions here in the U.S. Lack of fresh water to grow crops and the resulting starvation of millions will give us no other option.

Overpopulation is something that we need to begin discussions on.

Bob Wilson

Franklin

To the Editor:

Political parties have almost destroyed our country. The greed and self-interest of both political parties have consciously eroded the rights granted to us by God and protected by our Constitution. This document is unique in history and guarantees us that the government cannot infringe on the enumerated rights, yet in their unending thirst for power, the two parties have stripped us of many of our “inalienable rights,” leaving us at the mercy of runaway power grabbing political parties.

Our government and the two major parties have been on a binge of spending the futures of coming generations. They have destroyed the respect of our allies and diminished our ability to defend the country from aggressive adversaries.

If we are to take back the country, we must elect a President that is truly unencumbered by special interests and party pressure. Is it time to let the magic of free markets grow our economy and restore the job growth needed to allow all Americans to prosper as a direct result of their efforts. We have the tools of the greatest economic engine in the history of the world.

Accountability and responsibility must protect the allocation of the taxes collected from working Americans. The 10th Amendment of the Constitution is very specific as to the authority of the federal government, assigning all other activities to the states. Not being a constitutional lawyer, even I can understand what our founders meant. Getting back to that division of powers will not be easy, but we must do just that to maximize the value of taxpayer money.

Shrimp on treadmills do not deliver full value to the taxpayers. 

Several departments in our government need to be completely eliminated, lowering the deficit and helping stop the growth of our debt. 

An effective leader does not consider himself, or herself, the smartest person in the room. They surround themselves with qualified subordinates and then listen to them and let them do their jobs.

Would you support a business, non-party-affiliated, candidate for President?

Bruce Gardner

Waynesville

To the Editor:

If we really want to defeat ISIL, restore calm, and some semblance of peace in the Middle East, we would take one third of what we are spending on war in the whole region and spend it on a Marshall Plan (some may remember that is what “won the peace” after World War II) to restore infrastructure, water and renewable power with less emphasis on fossil fuel so people can go about their daily lives and businesses in safety. Our bombing campaign and troops only provide recruiting tools for terrorists and disruption, displacement and death for civilians. So far the only "winners" are the war profiteers who are bankrupting the U.S. financially and morally.  

If ISIL is such a serious threat to the U.S. that it requires a bill to authorize another open-ended use of military force, no such authorization should be granted without a clear plan, the re-instatement of the draft so we have enough troops to achieve it, and putting a 5 percent surtax on those making less than the congressional salary and a 10 percent surtax on those making the same or more (currently $174,000) to pay for the cost of the war. The tax will expire when the war is over. If it really is a national security issue, we all need “some skin in the game,” not just 1 percent of us.

Jane Harrison

Waynesville

Four arrests were made yesterday (March 3) in connection with a Halloween party last fall that allegedly involved underage drinking and resulted in the alleged statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl.

Several Western North Carolina conservationists earned a spot in Wild South’s annual list of nominees for the Roosevelt-Ashe Conservation Awards, an honor that recognizes outstanding work to protect wild places and wild things in the South.

A new invasive plant species is springing up in moist, nutrient-rich soils across eastern North America and has been spotted in six North Carolina counties, including Swain.

January was a record-setting month for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with 351,670 visitors, achieving a lifetime visitation of 500 million — more than any other national park service unit aside from the Blue Ridge Parkway and Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California.

Farmers in Western North Carolina will branch out with new crops and alternative growing methods, thanks to 31 grants totaling $168,000 given out by WNC AgOptions.

Waynesville was named a 2014 Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, keeping running a streak that began in 2008. The designation recognizes a town’s commitment to keeping healthy trees a prominent part of the urban environment. 

The Highlands Annual Chili Cook-off will be from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at the Highlands Community Building.

There will be live music, dancing and, of course, great chili, salsa and cornbread to sample. Prizes will be $100 or more in value and will go to Best All Round Table Decorations, Most Unique Chili, Most Traditional and Hottest. There will also be prizes for Best Salsa and Cornbread.

Tickets cost $25 at the door. 

828.526.2112 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Neil Simon’s comedy hit, “Plaza Suite” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. March 5-7 and at 3 p.m. March 8 in the Feichter Studio at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

The National Coalition Against Censorship announced Anne Wade of Cullowhee as the winner of the 11th annual Youth Free Expression Project Film Contest, which asked teen filmmakers to explore censorship issues of the past, present and future.

Legendary rock group STYX will be performing at 9 p.m. Friday, March 13, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.

To the Editor:

A recent letter suggested that its author does not believe in economic projections. He may not realize “estimates” of future economic outcomes is a vital part of planning that any organization — whether private businesses or governments — would have to do to make wise decisions. Or it may just be that he is not happy that overwhelming data support the basic tenant that any state that expands Medicaid under the present Affordable Care Act is going to reap huge economic benefits for its citizens.  

Not only do both of the studies that he wrote about about (REMI and George Washington University study) show huge economic benefits for North Carolina, but there have been 32 other studies in 26 states that have analyzed the anticipated impact of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion on state and local economies. These studies used at least six different economic impact models, all of which have been examined by experts in the field for accuracy. Every single one of these studies has shown that states that expand Medicaid would reap tens of billions of dollars in economic growth (Gross State Product), tens of thousands of new jobs created both in health care and in other areas, and millions of dollars of increased state revenues (https://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/8522-the-role-of-medicaid-in-state-economies-looking-forward-to-the-aca.pdf).

I could not find a single study that looked at the economics on a state level under the current Affordable Care Act that did not show huge economic benefits to those states that expand Medicaid.  I need someone to show me the studies that show no economic growth for states that expand Medicaid.

Dr. Ed Morris

Franklin

To the Editor:

An earlier letter requires concrete proof of the success of the Affordable Care Act. Those truly interested in facts need to research the impact of expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act in the Republican dominated states of

Arkansas, Arizona and Kentucky, as well as its impact in Washington state. All of these states have experienced a dramatic decrease in the number of uninsured people, vast economic benefits to their health care systems and economic growth. 

North Carolina has 500,000 uninsured citizens and each day this state returns $4.9 million to the federal government. It is unproductive to speculate about future outcomes since no one of us can predict the future. 

What is the current status of North Carolina’s healthcare system resulting from the state’s rejection of the Affordable Care Act? Describing present conditions, avoiding generalizations, speculation and unpredictable future possibilities, the writer needs to provide factual examples demonstratinghow rejecting the ACA is benefitting our state and its citizens. Give us the facts only, please.

Margery Abel 

Franklin

To the Editor:

Thank you, Jackson County Commissioners for your courage in passing a resolution calling on the North Carolina General Assembly to petition Congress for the creation of the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that will end corporate personhood, declare that money is not free speech and that will reverse the 2010 Supreme Court decision on Citizens United vs. the U.S. Board of Elections.

Jackson County joins many organizations in North Carolina and nationwide — locally, the towns of Webster, Forest Hills, Highlands, Franklin and Bryson City, and Asheville — in standing up for the rights of individual citizens versus corporations. For those who might not be familiar with the case of Citizens United vs. the U.S. Board of Elections, the decision basically allowed corporations to be treated as people, which gave them the right to donate as much as they wanted toward the goal of electing a candidate from the political party of their choice — not directly to the candidate (which still is illegal) — but in “independent expenditures” and “electioneering communications.”

One such organization very much in the news these days is Koch Brothers Industries, which has committed almost a billion (yes, billion) dollars toward expenditures of their chosen party during the 2016 election. In my opinion, this totally unbalances elections. Since many voters see only the media advertisements for and against certain candidates, a flood of such advertisements in favor of one person could easily sway voters who have not looked outside the media for facts to assist in their voting decisions.

 So, thank you again, commissioners, for standing up for us.

 Marti Senterfit

Cashiers

By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist

Whether they strut across schoolyards or along the polished halls of a state capital, all bullies are alike. They have to be the boss of everything. They can’t stand anyone who talks back. But they can be beaten.

For now, though, the bullies are on a roll in North Carolina.

A draft plan to revamp the old Drexel furniture factory property in Whittier into an agricultural center will be presented at a community meeting 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, at Smoky Mountain Elementary School.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is working on a plan to guide management at the Cold Mountain Game Land in Haywood County for the next 10 years.

An agritourism guide for Haywood County is looking for new listings to help visitors and locals alike explore everything from pick-your-own berry farms to farm-to-table restaurants.

Smokies rangers are looking for tree-lovers who want to try their hand at science to adopt a tree monitoring plot on the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

A speaker series featuring outdoor adventurers at Western Carolina University will kick off at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, with a presentation by Mark Singleton, executive director of American Whitewater with a headquarters in Sylva. 

The season’s first hike in Friends of the Smokies’ “Classic Hikes of the Smokies” series will explore Smokemont Loop Trail in a 6.2-mile hike led by hiking guide and author Danny Bernstein.

Western Carolina University history department faculty members Sue Abram and Andrew Denson are overseeing a public history project that recently received a $5,000 development grant from the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership.

The impact of successful festivals and events on the economy of the 26 westernmost counties of North Carolina will be the subject of a daylong tourism industry conference from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 21, in the Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center at Western Carolina University.

“Golden Threads,” a dramatic 24-foot art mural created by Doreyl Ammons Cain for the Shindig on the Green in Asheville, is currently seeking donors to make its installment a reality.

Country star Wade Hayes will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Acclaimed bluegrass act Balsam Range will welcome the Snyder Family Band as part of their Winter Concert Series at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at the Colonial Theatre in Canton.

QUESTION: I have lactose intolerance. Is it better for me to buy goat's milk and cheeses than cow's milk and cheeses?

ANSWER: Lactose is the naturally occurring sugar found in milk from mammals whether cow, sheep or goats. Some individuals have lactose intolerance or acquire this as they grow older. Their bodies do not produce enough of the enzyme (lactase) to help digest the lactose so they have gastrointestinal issues like gas, bloating and diarrhea.

To the Editor:

Jackson County Commissioners, I want to congratulate you on the entertaining meeting on Jan. 29 and your resolution to support the “Move to Amend” proposed 28th amendment to the U. S. Constitution. Surely you know of at least some of the organizations that are supporting it and their ultra-radical politics? Don’t you? 

Here’s some of them in case you’re ignorant. There’s Code Pink, the radical feminist group which recently tried to arrest 91-year-old Henry Kissinger for war crimes at a Senate hearing on Thursday, Jan. 29, prompting Sen. John McCain to shout “get out of here you low-life scum” before the capitol police could remove said radicals. 

Then there’s the American Humanist Association who is “Good Without A God.” I wonder how all the good folks in the churches of Jackson County would feel about you aligning yourselves with an organization who is “good without a God?” 

Let’s not forget the Young Democratic Socialists (a division of the Democratic Socialists of America). A former communist friend of mine told me once that a socialist is someone who hasn’t picked up an AK-47 assault rifle to kill capitalists … yet. 

Oh, I know that you’ve heard of GreenPeace, whom many would say is an eco-terrorist group that tries mightily to compete with other nefarious sea dogs in the piracy-on-the-high-seas department.

 Then there’s MoveOn, the organization who is spending $1 million to draft the ultra-radical Sen. Liz Warren of Massachusetts to become our first socialist president in 2017. Last, but certainly not least, is the Rainbow Push Coalition run by Jesse Jackson, whom many would say is one of our country’s top two race hustlers who, after receiving contributions from certain corporations, interestingly enough those corporations don’t get harassed anymore by Jesse.

I could go on (see www.united4thepeople.org) with the racist, radical, socialist, and communist organizations who are supporting the proposed 28th amendment that you affiliated yourself with by passing your resolution last Thursday, but sadly there’s not enough space to print them all. Ultimately, it’s all about the company you keep in this life. For those of you seeking re-election anytime in the next decade or so, how will you defend yourselves to the citizens of Jackson County by your becoming willing, useful idiots to these organizations that want to destroy our republic? 

The French have a saying, “bad companions lead to bad ends.” Aligning yourselves politically with bad companions who are haters of freedom and American exceptionalism is not a ‘return to common sense.’ Thanks for the free entertainment. I look forward to more of it. By the way, which side are you on — ours or the enemies of the republic?

Carl Iobst

Cullowhee

To the Editor:

Ed Morris’s recent letter to this newspaper criticized a letter I had written to The Franklin Press regarding a front page article they published. That article used information from a report titled “The Economic and Employment Costs of Not Expanding Medicaid in North Carolina: A County-Level Analysis” written by a George Washington University (GWU) professor.

It forecast an economic boom for N.C. if N.C. would add an estimated 500,000 N.C. residents to Medicaid under ObamaCare. After reading the report, I felt that article citing the report was opinion, not news, and should have been on that paper’s opinion page.

Morris complained I can’t separate fact from opinion. He apparently believes everything in the report is a fact and challenged me to “report to readers of this newspaper the precise, actual factual information that is wrong in the study…”

That’s a tough challenge since there is very little factual information in the report! Simple things like how many people will use expanded Medicaid, or how much N.C. will receive in federal Medicaid reimbursements are estimates, projections or forecasts, not facts.

Nearly every statement, starting on the first page of the report, is an estimate. The words “estimate,” “estimates,” and “estimated” appear 102 times in the poorly written report, but not everywhere they should have appeared. The “Executive Summary” didn’t even state that the REMI economic model generated the reported estimates.

It was not until page 29 in the “Appendix: Methods and Data Sources” that the report stated “The estimates in this report are based on multiple sources of information and a widely-used regional economic model [REMI] to estimate the economic and employment effects of Medicaid expansion.”

Consider the REMI economic model. It is based on flawed Keynesian economic theory that every dollar spent by government generates a multi-dollar economic impact. The same theory that didn’t work with the nearly $1 trillion Obama “stimulus” program.

This report, and Keynesian theory, ignores that every dollar government spends has been taken out of a taxpayer’s pocket, or added to the national debt, and has a negative economic impact when taken. This is “economic redistribution” at work.

Projections from REMI and other economic models are rarely checked for accuracy. The Congressional Budget Office’s complex economic model projections can be checked. Their short- and long-term forecasts show they are rarely accurate. REMI’s much simpler model should be expected to perform worse.

In January 2013, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services received a report, “A Contrast: Modeling the Macroeconomic Impact of ‘Medicaid Expansion’ in North Carolina,” they had contracted for from the REMI corporation. This corporation programs the REMI economic model and is the true REMI expert. 

The economic estimates from the GMU report are from 80-100 percent higher than the HHS report. The estimates from the same model aren’t reproducible.

Vic Drummond

Franklin

To the Editor:

This Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the 40-day period before Easter, when many Christians abstain from animal foods in remembrance of Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the desert before launching his ministry. 

But meat-free Lent is much more than a symbol of religious devotion to Christ. It helps reduce the risk of chronic disease, environmental degradation, and animal abuse. 

Our supermarket offers a rich array of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives, as well as the more traditional vegetables, fruits, and grains. Entering “vegan recipes” in our favorite Internet search engine offers more products, recipes, and transition tips than we can use.

Weston Madrigal

Waynesville

To the Editor:

On behalf of Dryman’s Chapel United Methodist Church please allow me to express thanks and grateful appreciation for the community and sponsor support we received during our Love Is in the Air 5K Run/Walk to raise funds for MS research. We especially thank our Macon County Sheriff Department, Macon County EMS, the Otto Fire Department, Burt and Deanie Raby and the Addington Bridge neighborhoods for their help and involvement.

We are deeply grateful to Dave Linn for his time, energy and expertise which gave guidance and help to our church members in this effort. He met with us many times to make sure we conducted a responsible race. We thank our runners and walkers who came out to enjoy the beautiful day with us and all those who cheered us on. 

Rev. Janet J. Greene

Franklin

To the Editor:

Have you ever heard the expression “waiting for the other shoe to drop”? I thought of it as I was reading all the recent news and opinions about the U.S. Forest Service studies on wood harvesting in Western North Carolian. I felt there was something not being said. Well, the answer came in a Jan. 29 article by Politico reporter Michael Grunwald.

Grunwald writes about a Nov. 19 memo from the EPA stating the Obama administration is looking to declare forestry products “carbon neutral.” In keeping with Obama’s on-again-off-again position on climate change and his “all-the-above” energy policies, declaring wood products carbon neutral opens the door to massive new exploitation of our forests. Thus the rush to re-evaluate forestry practices across the country. 

But burning trees for energy is not carbon neutral. It is true that a tree soaks up carbon and seals it in the wood, but burning it in a matter of minutes is a sudden rush of carbon. And even if you buy the premise that the gain is neutral, we have already gone over 400 parts per million of CO2 in the air, and we surely don’t need to go any higher.

According to Tim Searchinger, a researcher at Princeton University, burning wood (and other “biomass” sources of energy) is appealing to policy makers but is totally unrealistic. The oft-cited goal of 20 percent energy from biomass by 2050 would require burning every tree in our forests and all our food stocks as well. Searchinger also calculates that just the current policy proposal alone would require a 70 percent increase in American forestry production. 

And do you get the scent of money in all that smoke? Politicians on both sides of the aisle are lining up to support the increased denuding of our woods, and to take big campaign gifts from the people who will profit from it. Chipper mill owners are already increasing production in order to ship our forests to eager energy consumers in Europe, nations willing to make similar declarations of carbon neutrality.

Boyd Holliday

Lake Junaluska

To the Editor:

At first blush the idea of a 200-foot cross seemed kind of cool. It could make Maggie Valley famous for having the tallest cross. 

But I’ve been mulling it around in my head because there’s just something not right. First, having the tallest cross is a vanity thing. Vanity is a sin. You don’t have to build a bigger cross to be closer to God. Look how that Babel tower thing worked out.

Secondly, and more important to me, I absolutely do not want a 200-foot night light blocking out the sky! Nearly everyone in Maggie Valley can see the roller coaster from their front porch. It’s practically over our heads. Now imagine 200 feet up from there is a well-lit cross.

We moved to the country over 15 years ago to get away from noise and light pollution. There’s nothing more beautiful than a sky full of stars on a clear dark night. But in the city you’re likely to forget there are stars.

It’s an urban blight. Appreciate what you have and stop messing it up. Having the world’s tallest cross is a grand idea. But it’s not a good idea.

Larry Wright

Maggie Valley

Bills to get rid of the oil and gas extraction rules developed by the N.C. Mining and Energy Commission have been introduced in both the House and Senate of the N.C. General Assembly, with Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, signing on as a co-sponsor of the House version.

A $30,000 grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation will help the N.C. Wildlife Federation further its mission of conserving and protecting wildlife and their habitats. 

Learn about the Highland Plateau Greenway’s vision to build a public trail to the top of Satulah Mountain at a public meeting held 4 to 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 2, at the Highlands Civic Center.

An annual Wild Game Dinner hosted by the Wildlife Club at Haywood Community College will serve up a meal of home-cooked wild game dishes while raising money for the student group.

The weather is wintry, but spring is just around the corner. Mark your calendar for some of these upcoming springtime events.

A “buy local” directory for wood-related products from Western North Carolina is looking for more businesses, artisans and organizations to add to its listings before launching a searchable database version of the directory later this year.

Haywood Tourism Development Authority is currently looking for volunteer guest travel bloggers to contribute articles to its Homegrown Blog on www.visitncsmokies.com.

Haywood Community College’s Workforce Continuing Education Creative Arts Department will offer an Introduction to Sound Recording/Engineering class on Mondays from March 2 through May 18.

Boojum Brewing Company, Waynesville’s newest (and fourth) brewery, will officially open its downtown taproom at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at 50 North Main Street.

The Galaxy of Stars Series will present the one-man show “Man 1, Bank 0” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.