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From The Editor
I-64 traffic prompts dreams of public transportation bliss
Linda and I headed east on Saturday with our two grandkids to Busch Gardens. We had some free passes and the grandkids have a lot of free time, so off we went. Fifteen minutes in, as we entered Interstate 64, we realized we were in trouble. No, it wasn’t the kids, but the traffic; it was bumper to bumper.
READ MORERick Gray
Two summers
Two summers ago, I had the good fortune to be cast in two plays at the Virginia Shakespeare Festival. In each case, I had a small, but juicy, role – Brabantio, the angry father in the first act of Othello, and Vincentio, a confused and angry father at the end of The Taming of the Shrew.
READ MORECharlie Todd
Oil, petroleum and WD-40
Oil is that slimy liquid that is sometimes called black gold, and it greases the skids of civilization. Whether we’re buying or selling it, comparing prices, consuming or trying to clean up spills, we’re all in the oil business. It’s the slippery stuff that provides the most accessible, inexpensive, moveable, safe and plentiful energy-efficient product in the world and the oil that we use now comes out of the ground, maybe six miles below the surface. We used to get it from pine trees, whales and other animals.
READ MORERep. Randy Forbes
America's choice
When taken together, these events naturally paint a discouraging picture of America’s future. In the face of these events, there is a tendency for many people across the country to begin to think that America’s best days are behind us. And no matter what the circumstances, there are always those individuals who genuinely do not believe that America is exceptional or great.
READ MOREDr. Robert Owens
Watchmen on the walls bring history to the forefront
As a professor of history, I understand why most people dismiss history as being boring. It’s usually presented as a static jumble of dates, names and events that must be memorized, regurgitated and, with luck, forgotten. I have often marveled at the ability of students who can tell me...
READ MORELt. Pete Hypes
What to do and when to do it
I thought that I would give you a miniature “How to” manual when it comes to some of the fires or problems that may occur in your home. Of course, the best way to never have to use any of these things that I am about to tell you is to never have a fire.
READ MORERise and Shine in the Dogpound
Max is not keen on housecleaning
Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. This weekend’s “to-do” list was to clean the house from top to bottom. Housecleaning is not the most fun thing to do over the weekend, but it must be done and, besides, I kind of consider it a form of exercise.
READ MOREDr. Todd Reynolds
Swimmer’s ear can be prevented
Swimmer’s ear, or otitis externa, can be contracted at any time during the year, but the heat, humidity and extra moisture of summer and pool activities make it more likely to occur in the summertime. Otitis simply means an inflammation of the ear. An inflamed ear canal is called otitis externa.
READ MOREGardening With Gita
Economize when water is short
The three-digit temperatures we had several days in a row not too long ago, plus no rain, drained me out completely. Just watering the most essential took me over an hour each morning, leaving no time or energy to tend to other tasks, such as removing weeds, tidying and deadheading the plants.
READ MOREGena Lashley
Leave a baby to cry? No way
The past five months have gone by in a blur. The birth and my maternity leave are just a memory now. At times I look at the little munchkin and have a hard time remembering her as a newborn. She is full of personality these days, laughing, always smiling and talking to us and just being a little person.
READ MOREAnthony Barnes
Yoga verses traditional exercise
Do you recommend yoga as an alternative to traditional strength training and cardiovascular exercise?
READ MOREJohn Hall
Say it ain’t so
I have been enjoying the development of this summer’s feature, Good Guys in Sport. It has given me an opportunity to more carefully investigate the local sports scene in search of those individuals who are truly “good.” What I have found is that what started out as an eight-week filler may indeed become a permanent summer feature.
READ MOREMost Popular Columns
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Letters To The Editor
Words of Owens, Boisseau inspire
Mr. [Frederic ] Boisseau’s thoughts noted in his Letter to the Editor in the July 21, 2010, issue are right on target and are in line with an overwhelming majority of Americans (though many will not openly admit this for fear of being labeled with a derogatory title such as “conservative,” or even “racist”).
Alex Innes misses the point
I would like to make some points about what Dr. Owens was saying that seems to have been lost on Mr. Innes.
Owens should keep thoughts, words coming
I enjoy reading the words of Dr. Robert Owens in each issue of the Village News. I particularly agreed with his article on A government of fallible men to rule over other fallible men in the May 5, 2010, issue regarding the importance of following our founders and the Constitution. He ended the article with “We must follow the guide of our ancestors for the good of our posterity.”
Dr. Owens the progressive
The year is 2050, Medicare and Social Security are bankrupt, health care for all was repealed years ago, homeless people live on Dr. Owens front porch and Dr. Owens calls on someone to do something about it. Who could he ask? Not the Board of Supervisors – the county went broke after its investments went up in flames from another burst bubble; not the state, either, because they have bigger fish to fry – like keeping I-95 paved. I guess he will ask the feds – gasp! – not the feds!