Author: Webmaster
Showing 7876-7896 of 9872 results
Letters to the editor
Cow patties to that! In response to Stewart David’s “Cowed” commentary, Mountain Xpress, Jan. 14: 1) It is disingenuous to cite “two American studies” in support of your argument without stating who did them, when and where [they were done], and who paid for them. Citing unverifiable studies is a favorite tactic of debaters who […]
Arlis Queen put the people back in democracy
Once upon a time, local government felt a lot less need to pay attention to the concerns of its citizens. These days, however, it’s much harder for local leaders to insulate themselves from public scrutiny. At candidate forums and public meetings, people are asking tough questions, demanding accountability — in short, forcing democracy to live […]
The politics of coffee
“I’ve heard some complaints about TransFair, but they are definitely taking steps to protect some of these farmers and their families.” — Mountain City Coffee Roasters’ Randall Sluder On a blustery, gray winter morning in downtown Asheville’s Beanstreets Coffeehouse/Cafe, a chilly patron waiting in line shuffles one step closer to her eagerly awaited daily pick-me-up: […]
Asheville City Council
“This is what bothers me about zoning: It’s so creative.” — Council member Joe Dunn Pack Square Conservancy Director Carol King approached the lectern in the Asheville City Council chamber, shuffled her papers, drew a breath and spoke. “Good morning,” she said softly, with a weary grin. King’s greeting to Council wasn’t far off the […]
Letters to the editor
Xpress, you, um, suck Suck me if I seem to be an unhip prude-ster, but your Jan. 14 cover uses a word that I find offensive. The word “suck” is a common word in every way, and I like to imagine that cultured folks and media can avoid its use. Imagine reading a New York […]
What’s luck got to do with it?
While Americans are busy pinching their post-holiday pennies, hoping for good tax returns and generally lying low this time of year, across the globe, the party’s just getting started. Michi Chin, an international student at A-B Tech, was visiting her family in China recently, during the buildup for her native country’s new-year celebration. Chin’s family […]
Thinking-man’s thrash …
So you won’t admit to your heavy-metal past? Brann Dailor doesn’t buy that attitude — he’s perfectly willing to reveal the contents of his record collection, warts and all. “I don’t know that many musicians or people that we play with [who] aren’t into a humongous range of music,” says Dailor, the drummer for Atlanta-based […]
Quiet riot
Young guitar wizard Derek Trucks, still seemingly a kid himself, is already nurturing a budding drummer at home. Trucks, whose self-named band plays The Orange Peel next week, is a new father. He and his wife, Grammy-nominated blues singer Susan Tedeschi, have a son, Charlie, who turns 2 on March 6. Like any self-respecting toddler, […]
Cartoons
The Wild Gardener Indoors
One of the easiest plants to grow indoors is the Chinese evergreen. The scientific name for these attractive plants is Aglaonema, from the Greek “aglaos” (meaning “bright”) and “nema” (thread). The name is usually thought to refer to the flower’s shining stamens. I’ve asked a number of houseplant experts if they knew the exact derivation […]
Teacher’s Pet
What a curious movie. Teacher’s Pet is different, edgy and subversive — but ultimately pointless and boring. It’s a kids’ movie that kids won’t get, a comedy parents won’t find funny, and a musical with clever Broadway show tunes that no one will ever sing. Plus, it’s got a dog you want to muzzle, and […]
Keeping up with Holly Jones
“I know we’re supposed to be about this — coming together as a community to create something special for everyone.” — Holly Jones Asheville City Council member Holly Jones arrives for our interview wearing shorts, a tank top and a light T-shirt. She looks to be fresh from a workout in the newly refurbished gym […]
Letters to the editor
The real class warfare The present Washington administration feeds on greed and fear. Most rich people in this country no longer have a social conscience, and their sacred mantra is “tax cuts and more tax cuts.” Constant terror-alerts keeps our fear meter elevated, so the Bushies can claim that they are protecting us, and this […]
Cowed
It seems as though our government is trying hard not to track the spread of CJD. Several years ago, I toured the country on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Besides warning the public about the risks of mad cow disease, I urged the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to […]
Take two
Last year was indeed a terrific one for films, making it a merciless assignment to limit my best-of-2003 choices to only 10. But here goes: So good! 1) The Dancer Upstairs. This Latin-paced political thriller/romance is an astonishing directorial debut from actor John Malkovich, and stars heart-melting Spanish actor Javier Bardem. Repeated viewings only enhance […]
Fightin’ side forward
When they’re runnin’ down my country, hossThey’re walkin’ on the fightin’ side of me. … Those scrappy lines socked their way into the Great American Songbook years ago. They’re part of the chorus to a country-music chart-topper that’s as emblematic of a tumultuous time — the tail end of the 1960s, when the Vietnam War […]
Flights of fancy
The Asheville Art Museum’s current show commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ flight at Kitty Hawk is a respectful bow to North Carolina history. But the works that most do justice to the exhibit’s title evince a childlike simplicity. Most of Dream or Nightmare: Images of Air and Space in Contemporary Art takes […]
Cartoons
The Wild Gardener Indoors
According to horticultural tomes, there’s a member of the wide-ranging fig family for just about every conceivable purpose. There are figs for food, figs for fodder, figs that produce natural rubber, and figs whose bark is made into cloth. Banyan trees send down aerial roots that eventually form trunks to help support the enormous canopy, […]
Proof of (after)life
Angela Moore could be your sister, your next-door-neighbor, your mom. And in as matter-of-fact a way as if she were giving you a recipe for butternut-squash casserole, the Marion resident will tell you that a very large, light-infused spirit is perched just behind your body as you sit in a restaurant at the Asheville Mall. […]