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Columnists

ANDY PITZER: “Look Mom! No iPhone!”

A very interesting visually recorded interview showed up on my feed the other night. In 1966, several British adolescents were interviewed about their vision of the future (circa year...

FRED FIRST: There And Back Again

RECAP: I would be able to visit southwest Virginia again–home for almost 40 years, and...

SCOT BELLAVIA: Am I Proud to Be an American?

How proud are you to be an American? I posted that question on Facebook a few...

BOB BROWN: “Portraits of the Human Person”

On the night of June 21, 2025, President Donald Trump said all seven B2 Bombers...

BECKY MAUPIN: The After Bedtime Search

Picture this: You manage to get everyone fed and the dinner aftermath cleaned up. Then...

An Encompassing Empathy Brings Miracles

I met a lady in the ER. “You’re Erin’s dad, aren’t you?” For years my children were `Dr. Garvin’s kids’. As they make their...

Ah, The Price of Beauty…

Maria Gunning was born in 1733 to a humble family in central England.  But the family soon moved to a meager rental house...

Put Some Clothes On!

I had to laugh recently when a teenage boy asked me, “Did you see what the girl was wearing?”  Now, one might wonder...

Written in Stone – Bound in Brass?

If you’re ever looking for a challenging and interesting evening, count yourself fortunate if Larry Sabato happens to be giving a lecture in...

What My Mother Knew

Like other adult children with aging parents, my siblings and I were concerned when our mother insisted on remaining independent, refusing to live...

Fear Not Hokies – No One Knows How to Lose Like a New Yorker

I'm a loser.  I know this revelation comes as no surprise to those who read this column on a regular basis, however; in...