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Into the wilds in style
photo by Jonathan Welch The Subaru Outback is to outdoor devotees what the Crown Vic is to the police department, the pimped-out Honda Civic to Patton Aveune cruisers, or, say, the minivan to the Biltmore Park crowd. The Japanese station wagon just might be the ultimate outdoor vehicle for the 21st century. It gets reasonably […]
Letters to the editor
Quite a slide Your “Slippery Slopes” articles [Nov. 22 Xpress] covering the concerns with the overdevelopment of our beautiful mountains hit on my growing heartbreak as I witness these rapid changes here in Western North Carolina. I have lived in this area for over 23 years now, and I feel such a deep-heart connection to […]
Sliding into home
In September 2004, Buncombe County was declared a federal disaster area in the wake of tropical storms Frances and Ivan. Twelve landslides were reported, and two structures — a home in Starnes Cove and a county fire station — were destroyed by landslides. Fourteen other Western North Carolina counties were also designated disaster areas. At […]
Letters to the editor
Cliffs project sits on planning precipice The Nov. 15 “County Commission Report” [“This Place Was a Dump,” Xpress] exposed a potential problem in our region: a Buncombe County Planning Board that appears to be putting the interests of developers ahead of the community it serves. As a citizen of Swannanoa, I wish to draw public […]
Filling in the frame
Editor’s note: November is National Home Care & Hospice Month. A longer version of this essay won honorable mention in a national competition sponsored by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. A hot summer morning. The mist had burned off; the temperature was rising along with the humidity. I went to Ruby’s house for […]
Impersonation fun in Acapulco
Sure, he’s a Latino Elvis impersonator, but El Vez is more than the sum of his gimmicks. While it’s probably true that your grandkids’ grandkids will still be able to find an Elvis Presley impersonator in Memphis or Vegas, it’s probably also safe to say that the heyday for Elvis impersonators has long since left […]
The good kind of Anger
Scott Nygaard (left) and Darol Anger (right) are truly a dynamic duo. photo by Anne Hamersky Darol Anger is nothing if not ambitious. And adventurous. And curious. He s also fascinated with new musical paths and hybrids that just seem to demand further exploration. Hence his decision to make a record with the all-female classical […]
These cellos ain’t mellow
Rasputina appears to have cornered the market on dark cello rock played in gothy Victorian fashions. There was a time when a cello in a rock arrangement was practically a novelty. A cello may have provided the beating heart of the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby,” and iconoclasts like Eno, Nick Drake, David Bowie and John Cale […]
You can’t beat him with a broomstick
Flamboyant? You bet, but Ric Flair’s larger-than-life ring persona is part of the reason he’s a pro-wrestling legend. (c) 2006 World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Before we start, let’s get something out of the way: Professional wrestling is not real. I know this, you know this, the people in the ring know this, […]
Cartoons
More heart than heel
Your home away from home: Typical accomodations along the Appalachian Trail. photo by Danny Bernstein Is 2007 your year to hike the Appalachian Trail? If you’ve been trying to figure out whether you have the right stuff to walk the 2,175 miles from Georgia to Maine, listen to Leanna Joyner, who through-hiked the AT in […]
A bunch of cut-ups
A zine by any other name: Lo-fi publishing has become high art. In the age of instant messaging, communicating with glue may seem downright archaic. But an exhibit at Asheville Book Works proves the zine, with its hand-pasted collages of images and text, is alive and well. Book Works owner Laurie Corral says that while […]
Cartoons
Between the cake and candles
Let them eat cake: The author, left, and friend Barbara Metz celebrate in style in the Shining Rock Wilderness, 2005. This is the week of the birthday ride. Each year I give myself an adventure in the woods, whether it’s an all-day hike or a mountain-bike trek. Although doing this nurtures both the soul and […]
Steep slope, slippery slope
Room to grow?: The Cliffs at Walnut Cove plans a 126-lot expansion “compatible with the land,” according to planner Don Nickell. photo by Jonathan Welch Historically, more people have brought fortunes to Western North Carolina than have made them here. As a result, the region has been shaped more than most places by outside money […]
Letters to the editor
I’m all ears Jerry Sternberg from time to time mentions me in one of his opinion pieces. He attributes “facts” to my political history that are, 95 percent of the time, untrue. For instance, he implied that I was responsible for the UDO. If only it were so. It would have been a far less […]
A greener City Council agenda
To say that Asheville and the surrounding area is home to a large number of “green”-minded residents would be an understatement. There are plenty of environmentally friendly businesses, and many people either take individual action or donate to environmental organizations. But one local group could do a lot more to protect our environment. I’m talking […]
Kelsey’s bell
I want to write about small things. Not that big things don’t interest me. I’ve had big ideas; I’ve fought in big fights. I’ve struggled to see the big picture and find the important truths. But even when I’m winning, the effort leaves me feeling empty, feeble and unsatisfied. Something happened the other day that […]
Gallery gossip
• As frequently seems to happen here, some of the most interesting recent exhibitions have been found in venues other than the galleries: Hannah Dansie’s work at the Clingman Cafe utilized vintage fabric and stitching as a surface for mysterious images, and Lou Majors showed big, colorful, abstract paintings at Ananda Hair Studio. • OK, […]
The morning after
Those who’ve seen Taylor only in nasty TV spots can have no idea how intelligent he is and how effective he can be as a politician. “You have been sat here too long for any good you have been doing. Depart, and let us have done with you.” Oliver Cromwell delivered those words to the […]