If you like art museums with gimmicky or trendy exhibitions, this is not a good time to go to the Fine Arts Museum at Western Carolina University. There are three exhibitions on display, and all offer serious examples of artistic achievement. Norm Schulman’s “The Ruler,” an engobepainted work in salt-glazed porcelain from 1985. The main […]
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A bit older, a bit wiser and still down-home
In a time when the music festival has turned into big business, the Flat Rock Music Festival has slowly but surely built its name around a casual, front-porch feel. For the past 12 years, the festival has built a reputation of providing some of the best music around, with beards and down-home attitudes included at […]
Local knowledge
Laurel Knob, that mammoth dome of granite near Cashiers, isn’t necessarily distinguished within the climbing community by its size or the roughly two dozen routes traversing its face. What sets it apart is the way those routes came to be: first ascents marked by tales of adventure, boldness and ingenuity, the very substance of a […]
Late summer surprises
Right about the time I’m getting sick of summer and longing to feel just a little nip in the air, up pops a pink or white bud, seemingly out of nowhere, to prop up my sagging spirits. This drought and the endless rounds of watering have gotten me down, but the colchicums don’t care if […]
Dirty work, dirty tricks
Nelda Holder’s recent article on immigrant labor (“Two Boys, Two Worlds,” Aug. 22 Xpress) was touching and well-written, but it only scratches the surface. As a Western North Carolina physician whose patients include migrant workers, I see examples every day of both children and adults who are exploited by employers. Every morning, various area residents […]
When the Wolf is at the door
Can you spell cognitive dissonance? That’s what many of us experienced on Sept. 13 at the Madison County commissioners’ meeting. After a spectacular outpouring of evidence against the prudence of approving the various Wolf Ridge development applications for rezoning, they were indeed approved. At that point, many of us experienced a total scrambling of our […]
R.I.P., Big Bro’
When I first read about the wild chickens on Starnes Avenue [“Foraging Ahead,” June 20], I thought what a strange thing to see in the city. About six weeks ago I moved to Starnes, and I can attest that “Big Bro” and his gaggle of hens took a bit of getting used to. Though the […]
Feeling a bit peaked
Are area Peak Fitness members upset that this club is closing? Are you disturbed that we’re being forced to transfer to a facility that is not “similar” (no pool, sauna or jacuzzi)? Are you dismayed that you have to spend more on gas to drive farther from home on a very busy road? Let’s take […]
All this, and Council too?
Sorry to disappoint the Disclaimer, Molton and the liberal fringe on my announced run for Congress, but I won’t be resigning from City Council, my practice, or persisting efforts to get our socialist Council members to come out of the closet. Look for a spirited challenge of Congressman Shuler’s real voting record—without any attached meanness—and […]
Putting The Ellington before the horse
City Council needs to do its job and protect the assets of our city! The Ellington developers look at this project in terms of the return on their investment. Do they live in Asheville? Do they care about Asheville in any way other than monetarily? I’m not opposed to a return on investment, but please—let’s […]
When neighbors need help
Nelda Holder’s story on child labor [“Two Boys, Two Worlds,” Sept. 22] told a moving and disturbing story about two young boys whose lives are desperate enough to leave them open to being exploited in a variety of ways by unethical people. Over the last three years, I have volunteered as an outreach worker with […]
Learning the ways of the WNC wild
Regarding Mr. Jeffrey Q. Smith’s critique [Letters, “Revisiting Those Cats and Snakes,” Sept. 12] of my “Kitties and Copperheads” commentary [Aug. 8], I agree that we were wrong to kill the snakes, and in my summation [I] explained that it was fear itself that challenged us. In doing my research, I learned how comparatively nonlethal […]
We’re all part of this problem
The American democracy is dysfunctional; its nominal leader, George W. Bush, is dysfunctional; and we, the people, are dysfunctional. All organizations and families are influenced by internal dynamics that are as faithful and predictable as the laws of gravity. Each one of us treats other people as we were treated in childhood. And the least […]
Weekly Asheville Disclaimer Page: 09/19/07
• This Week’s Disclaimer Reader Poll
• Mumpower’s patients see light at end of tunnel
• More Drought Fun-Facts
• Kid Care with Arnold
• William Porter Realty
God save the Queens
In the topsy-turvy world of rock ‘n’ roll there is little room for peace. For every peace-love-dope-laden refrain of “Smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love somebody right now” there is a Johnny Rotten spewing “Destroy” into the microphone. Long ago, the leaders of record labels realized that nihilism and manufactured anger […]
A Pinch of this, a dash of that
If variety is the spice of life, the Upstairs Artspace in Tryon has, as Emeril would say, “kicked it up a notch” with three exhibitions, each containing very different kinds of art. The shows have long, descriptive titles, but the work is not the least bit tedious. Don’t Fake Chicken Blood by Margie Labadie. The […]
Gallery Gossip
• A big congratulations to DeWayne Barton for his win at the 22nd annual Indoor/Outdoor Sculpture Celebration exhibition in Broyhill Park in Lenoir earlier this month. His “Sleeping Justice” took the Caldwell Arts Council Merit Award and a $2,000 prize. • If you didn’t live in Asheville in the 1980s, you can get an overview […]
The Wild Gardener
The other night I noticed that not only were the fireflies generally absent, but we also have a distinct shortage of mosquitoes, the large garden spiders, my yearly underground hive of yellow jackets, and even many of the butterflies we typically see. Reign fall: Drought has reduced local appearances by monarch butterflies and many other […]
Peak experience
I am a social hiker. For me, one of the highlights of hiking is meeting friendly and energetic people on the trail. That’s why I love the camaraderie at LeConte Lodge, which perches atop Mount LeConte at 6,593 feet. Reachable only on foot, the lodge is luxurious considering its location. Groups come here for family […]
Mother knows best
In the past century, society’s understanding and use of technology have undergone a profound transformation. Rapid advancements in mechanical, chemical and electronic technologies have fueled unprecedented economic and population growth worldwide. And in recent years, new information, network and media technologies have changed almost every aspect of how we live, work, play, learn and communicate. […]
Parking is such sweet sorrow
In response to the parking issue downtown [mentioned] in your recent article [“Lex Make a Deal,” Sept. 5], I have a few thoughts to share. First of all, building another parking garage downtown is not necessary or even desirable for either the residents of Asheville or our visitors. Especially when the proposed parking garage would […]