I have been intending to write this note for a very long time, probably years. When I read Cranky Hanke’s words in the Asheville Film Festival program—something to the effect of “when I went from being a fan who wrote nasty letters to critics to being a critic who receives nasty letters from fans”—I knew […]

The current brouhaha over public breastfeeding is amazing; I thought we settled this controversy decades ago. Breast milk is the healthiest choice—designed by nature for an infant to get the necessary nutrients—and something we should be encouraging anytime, anywhere. While breastfeeding, mothers should carefully consider what they will feed their children in the future. It’s […]

I began reading with interest the recent letter concerning the breastfeeding incident at Denny’s, until the writer began to list the virtues of breastfeeding the infant and the benefits of bonding and nutrition [“Milk of Human Kindness,” Feb. 25]. In no way do I want to negate the benefits of breastfeeding, but I feel that […]

Due to the recent loss of seven members, the Mountain Area Information Network (MAIN) will need new members on its Board of Directors. MAIN is a nonprofit community network using integrated media technologies to expand the local public sphere and to support: • participatory democracy • citizen access to media • independent journalism • local […]

All right, folks: I have been a member of URTV since its physical beginning. I have labeled cables to become a member and submitted the first series, Attica Cherry—The Anti-Show, and produced over 40 hours of programming at URTV’s studio A. On a personal level, I have watched the progression of events unfold with the […]

A casual visitor or newly arrived resident to Asheville/WNC could get pretty turned around (if not turned off) when reading listings in Mountain Xpress regarding events going on around town. In the Feb. 18 issue’s Weekly Picks section, for example, the Sunday pick told us that the “Asheville Mardi Gras Parade starts … in front […]

How can someone amend the North Carolina Constitution to include discrimination? The N.C. Constitution is meant to protect people’s rights, not take them away. A group of evangelists and some elected officials want an amendment to our state constitution, banning same-sex marriage. There is already a discriminating law forbidding same-sex couples from getting married—why add […]

Given the difficult economic times we’re facing in the near future, I’ve got to say I was glad to learn that Cecil Bothwell is running for Asheville City Council. He’s the kind of practical problem-solver we need right now in our city government. I’ve known Cecil for several years, having met him through my work […]

I would think that listening to your thousands of customers and potential advertisers in the Forest City/Spindale market would be something you would take to heart as it pertains to the distribution of Mountain Xpress [“Come Back, MX,” Feb. 18]. Steve Neely and his wife, Carol, are savvy small-business owners who have the pulse of […]

The tragic attack on a 7-year-old boy in Jackson County brings a chance to underscore other factors that may create danger to children. Tethering dogs is not only an infliction of pain and suffering to the animal, but it also endangers other animals and humans as well. Chained dogs are more likely than their free-roaming […]

I think, with the government giving so much of our money to AIG and the banks and other greedy large and irresponsible companies, that we should just stop paying our taxes. They may put us in jail for doing so, but then we would at least have housing and food and electricity—which many of us […]