I was very happy to hear that Our Socialist Sniffing Councilor, The Mighty Mumpower, would go to work sniffing drugs at the Dead concert (excuse me—Ratdog). I think if he joined forces with the K-9 unit, we would have to hire private contractors to build new prisons just to hold these reefer madmen and women. […]
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Leave the concertgoers alone
In your online article “Buzz-Killer?” [Web news, March 23], you reported that City Council member Dr. Carl Mumpower obtained privileged entry to the recent Bob Weir concert in Asheville and subsequently observed concertgoers exchanging and using illicit drugs. Apparently, it is Dr. Mumpower’s wish that law enforcement should pay particular attention to this breach of […]
Peace takes more than a rally
I am writing in the hopes that you share my opinion so you can help me. My name is Emily Sascha (Ya-sha) Eliot-Gaines, and I am a student at The Learning Community School. I believe that war must come to a stop, and in order to do that, we must do more than just participate […]
Peaceful disappointment
I had been looking forward to the March 24 peace rally in downtown Asheville. Last year, the rally seemed to have drawn … a few hundred people, many there by design, others who had wandered over to the Vance Monument after unexpectedly coming upon the gathering. This year, I brought a friend, a long-time activist […]
WNC food programs endangered
The U.S. House and Senate are currently considering budget resolutions for the 2008 fiscal year that would leave minimal room for growth in federal food programs such as Food Stamps and WIC. These are the cornerstone programs for hungry Americans, and they provide food assistance to millions each year. The budget resolutions begin the process […]
Hanke gives eloquence to empathy
I needn’t remind readers of Ken Hanke’s encyclopedic knowledge of the arts nor of his sparklingly witty eloquence. But I’d like to publicly thank Mr. Hanke for the warm, empathetic heart with which he perceives drama, understands its emotional and spiritual relevance, then vocalizes this in a way that makes us feel not alone in […]
The eyes have it
Wow—anyone who has a set of working eyes has to cringe when they see what is taking place on Reynolds Mountain. Please don’t tell me that horror will be better in 15 years, because I’m alive here and now. OK, so Woodfin residents need a city center so that they don’t need to travel the […]
Here’s healthy evidence
The disclosure that Elizabeth Edwards’ breast cancer had returned has raised national awareness of this dreaded disease that will kill nearly 41,000 American women this year. Fortunately, along with heart disease and other killer diseases, cancer is largely preventable. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 60 percent of all cancer deaths could be […]
North Star Diner
Flavor: Updated American diner with vegetarian options Ambiance: Casual dining in a cavernous space Don’t go looking for a portable metal building when you head to North Star Diner: The restaurant resides in a Weaverville strip mall. The echoing space, still exhibiting remnants of its retail past, conspires with the location to evoke a mall […]
Helpmate
Pictured is Helpmate’s new facility. For nearly 30 years, Helpmate has offered support and hope to victims of domestic violence and their children. Helpmate provides safe, confidential shelter to women and children who are leaving dangerous and potentially lethal living situations. Services are offered free of charge, and include: a 24-hour crisis line, individual and […]
Love makes a family
Time was, the term “nuclear family” brought to mind mommy, daddy and the proverbial 2.5 kids. Of course, in reality, families come in many different configurations, a fact borne out in a photography exhibition hosted at UNCA. All in the family: Photo from the Love Makes a Family exhibit. From left to right, Michael Elsasser […]
Danger! Politically incorrect humor ahead
God save irony. God save Dick Valentine. I interviewed the lead singer of Electric Six via e-mail while his band was tying up a European tour for their third album, Switzerland. Notorious for minting the skeezy, coercively catchy indie hits “Danger! High Voltage” and “Gay Bar,” the Detroit-bred sextet seems to be departing from their […]
Old doesn’t mean irrelevant
Everyone’s saying 50 is the new 30. Does that mean 70 is the new 50? Maybe: As a new show at the Transylvania Arts Council proves, many of the region’s septuagenarian artists are still producing works kindled with skill and creativity. “Summation II,” mixed-media, by Guntram Gersch. Coming of Age—A Celebration features the work of […]
Zen and the art of heavy nymphing
The fly-fishing world, much like my closet, is cluttered with useless crap. Because of that fact, approaching the fly bin at any fly-fishing outfitter is a daunting experience. There are flies to imitate aquatic insects in all stages of their existence, from egg to nymph to bigger nymph to hatching nymph to almost-completely-hatched-nymph to mayfly-with-wet-wings […]
Redefining service
One night a few weeks ago, I drove down Interstate 26 heading toward Columbia, S.C. It was eerie, as I hadn’t made this trip at night in 15 years, since I was a nervous 30-year-old about to enter a world that I’d once vowed never to venture into. This time, however, I was traveling to […]
Prepare now
The quiet life of my 86-year-old parents was shattered when Dad fell at home on Jan. 2 and was hospitalized. Three days later, Mom went bonkers and tried to pull out Dad’s IV tubes so she could take him home, striking a nurse and screaming at the policemen. She was sent to a geriatric psychiatric […]
Loss of secret ballot is hardly fair
In her March 14 letter [“Fair to Workers, So Why Cry Foul?”], Laura Gordon told us that the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800) would “make union organizing more fair for workers.” I beg to differ with that opinion. This legislation deserves to be criticized because it does not support free choice for the employees. […]
To put it simply
It is time to end this immoral and criminal war and put a stop to this war-mongering, arrogant president. No more deaths for our soldiers or for innocent Iraqis.
What goes up must cost money
When we moved to Asheville 10 years ago, one of our great pleasures was to admire the panorama presented by our surrounding mountains. Then, they were green and heavily wooded. Now, the ridgelines are being ripped bare of foliage and McMansions sprout like jagged teeth, mutely asserting the superior status of their owners. It had […]
Have an opinion, and make sure it’s heard
The number of casualties in Iraq reached 3,197 U.S. military as of March 16, [with] an estimated 59,000 to 66,000 Iraqi civilian deaths. The 4-year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq passed on March 19. On March 20, I participated in an anti-war walkout. Many adults I know have opinions of my generation that are […]
Exploitation or tragic realism?
We here at Break of Dawn Productions are very disappointed by the journalism exhibited by Steve Shanafelt [“Culture Watch: Cashing in on the Down-Home Murder Ballad”] for his notice on our film, “A Christmas Family Tragedy.” As a filmmaker, criticism of the film is expected, but we do not take kindly to being called “exploitative” […]