I attended the hand-eye recount of two precincts at the Buncombe County Board of Elections on Nov. 26, in order to observe the process. I continue to be amazed at the wonderful imagination of the folks in Buncombe County, especially the ones who do not read, nor listen to, the instructions to fill in the […]

I have tended to take health-care coverage by Medicare for granted. However, inaction at this juncture will bring some needed services to an abrupt halt. Without Congressional action, the therapy cap without exceptions for medical need will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2008, and physical therapists and physicians paid under the Medicare Fee Schedule […]

While the holiday season apparently brings out the rush in all of us, there is one place we should never cut corners—with our children. While I am all for a ban of foreign-made toys containing dangerous levels of lead paint, there is something more frightening that I have witnessed recently. Apparently people think that it […]

When a reporter gives money to a politician, he climbs into the politician’s bed no less effectively than if he accepts money from one. It’s a serious breach of journalistic integrity. Whether he gives money or accepts it, he then has a vested personal interest in events he writes about and can no longer be […]

After reading about the river-walk park party in the newspaper, I thought: I am not going to go, [but] because this is Asheville, I am sure many others will join in. It led me to remember our first year here in the area. My husband and I had just arrived on a BMW motorcycle from […]

A landmark study [recently] released by the prestigious World Cancer Research Fund has found a “convincing” link between consumption of red and all processed meats and an elevated risk of colon cancer, as well as a “likely” link with cancers of the lung, stomach, pancreas, esophagus, prostate and uterus. The study was based on 7,000 […]

The inherent wastefulness of eating meat is making its way into the public consciousness. It’s hard to ignore the overwhelming scientific evidence, including the 2006, 390-page United Nations report, Livestock’s Long Shadow. This landmark study noted that raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all forms of transportation combined. Less cited, however, is […]

Over the past few years, politicians, media and radio talk shows, partisans, radicals and ideologists are putting stock in polls. If you seek provision to sustain your agenda, just follow the polls. Somebody somewhere will reinforce your futile hunt for satisfaction. Polls have become verification to insinuate our intent. The variable numbers give direction bolstering […]

On the way to work today, I saw a couple of Hummers. I had my usual reaction of vile disgust at anyone who so obviously favors conspicuous consumption over the more enviro-friendly alternatives. This got me to thinking about the automobile and whether other cars are somehow better. I mean, let’s face it: All cars […]

I am amazed and appalled at not finding Cecil Bothwell’s wonderful writing and Renaissance-man insights in your paper anymore. Has there ever been such a columnist who could write so broadly and knowledgeably about so many subjects? Surely, you must realize this is a mistake. — Anita Fletcher Weaverville

I was touched to view the inspired drawing of a happy turkey roaming free at a sanctuary, gracing the cover of the Holiday Guide [Nov. 20 Xpress]. I was further moved by the poignant words of 6-year-old artist Noah Salzman, who described his creation as “A turkey roaming free, and not for dinner!” Bravo, Noah! […]