Asheville Daily Planet - June, 2011

Walt Disney’s connection to Asheville? Museum reveals its findings • Pg. 4

June 2011

Vol. 7, No. 7

An Independent Newspaper Serving Greater Asheville

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Jennifer Buffett fires up crowd; unveils $270K for area women From Staff Reports More than 900 people gathered on May 23 in Asheville to celebrate women’s philanthropy and to hear a keynote address from philanthropist Jennifer Buffett at the 7th Annual Power of the Purse luncheon.

The event took place at The Crowne Plaza resort in Asheville and included the announcement of $270,000 in grants to nonprofits addressing the needs Jennifer Buffett of women and girls in Western North Carolina made by the Women for Women giving circle.

A challenge grant from the Oliver Family Foundation enabled Power of the Purse to raise an additional $50,000 for the Foundation’s Women’s Fund, bringing the endowment to more than $500,000.

See BUFFETT, Page 7

Hot horns rock city

The Asheville Horns, sounding like a mix of Blood, Sweat and Tears and Santana, perform on May 20 during the first in the 2011 series of monthly Downtown After Five gatherings. Hundreds of people showed up for the gathering on North

Daily Planet Staff Photo

Lexington Avenue, near the I-240 interchange. Performing earlier was the band Bayou Diesel. Most people just listened or swayed to the music, but several danced.

Other features included locally produced craft beers for sale.

There’s gold in them thar hills? Experts offer an intimate look

Daily Planet Staff Photo

Local prospector Doug Emerson demonstrates panning for gold in a creek at Old Fort during the annual North Carolina Gold Festival on June 4.

By JOHN NORTH OLD FORT — Under the blazing sun on June 4, prospector Doug Emerson was in his element, demonstrating the use of a pan and a sluice in searching for gold, during the last day of the two-day annual North Carolina Gold Festival on the Mountain Gateway Museum grounds.

“The snakes outweigh the gold,” he quipped. “I got four snakes — and three (small) pieces of gold.” The snakes were just harmless water snakes, which he released from his dredge. Emerson expressed mild exasperation at his meager production at the festival, despite being positioned in a less-than-promising small creek.

Emerson, who lives behind the nowclosed Lucky Strike Mines near Vein Mountain on the outskirts of Marion in McDowell County, said he prospects for gold for recreation.

“I started back in 1979” as recreation.

“I found I could work it and make some money ... Four or five years ago, we got back in on a small scale, panning, and then I got a dredge.”

“North Carolina gold runs better” than that of many states, averaging between 19 to 21 karats, he said. “Georgia’s got some of the prettiest gold,” averaging 21 to 22plus karats — even to 24 karats.

“Normally, small pieces (of gold) come

up from the top. You can used liquid soap,” such as Jet Dry dishwashing detergent, “when you’re doing real fine stuff.”

He told of buying a dredge with a trailer on which to haul it for $3,000 cash, which normally would cost $10,000 to $12,000.

“I’m not in this to make money,” Emerson told the Daily Planet. “Here, in North Carolina, it’s more recreational” prospecting.

One of his frustrations is that, “in the ‘70s, it was more of a good-ol’ boys’ thing, leaving (beer) cans (and other trash) everywhere” around prospecting sites.

As a result, landowners with rivers or creeks running through their properties are more cautious about letting prospectors work their land. “Now, people say ‘no’” frequently,” even when more environmentally aware prospectors ask for permission to pan or dredge for gold.

What’s more, “Once you come in and start finding gold, people (propertyowners)” get excited and ask prospectors to leave “and they check (for gold) themselves ... Gold’s funny,” especially its effect on people.

In sharing tips on how to get the best results from panning and dredging, Emerson said, “In a river, gold goes to the place of least resistance” — the inside bend.

See GOLD, Page 6

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Asheville Daily Planet — June 2011 — 3

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Museum researchers debunk Walt Disney’s Asheville connection From Staff Reports Contrary to a popular urban legend, there is no evidence that Walt Disney ever lived and worked in Asheville, local historian Joshua P. Warren announced to a gathering of about 30 people on May 12.

The unveiling of the “Walt Disney Mystery” exhibit was made in conjunction with a ribbon-cutting for Warren’s Tourism Center and Free Museum, which opened recently in a former Buncombe County jail and gallows building behind Pack’s Tavern at 4 Marjorie St. in downtown Asheville.

The 1920s grey rock building housing the museum still has barred windows, much to the delight of Warren, a self-proclaimed paranormal investigator, author and entrepreneur. Buncombe Sheriff John Lyerly committed suicide in the building on Jan. 23, 1924.

In unveiling the exhibit, Warren noted that it was rumored locally that, in 1924, a then-unknown Disney at the age of 23 moved to Asheville, where he worked for a few months as a draftsman for the engineering firm of Maj. Thomas A. Cox Jr. in the Jackson Building. Disney supposedly was fired for doodling cartoons on the margins of plats.

The doodling was said to be an early indicator of his amazing career in movies and cartoons. Moreover, Warren said the rumors speculated that, “had it not been for his firing, Walt Disney would have spent his career drawing maps” in Asheville, instead of pursuing a career in cartoons and motion pictures that has impacted the world.

However, “It never happened,” Warren and Museum Chief Historian Vance Pollock announced at the event. Pollock noted that the “Disney plats” they obtained from the Buncombe Register of Deeds Office were

submitted for analysis by an independent art authenticator, who declared that they were “inconclusive.”

Warren, Pollock and other members of the museum’s investigative team spent months of what they termed “exhaustive and laborious research,” poring through records locally and elsewhere, and could find no evidence that Disney ever lived or worked in Asheville.

Museum Chief Historian Vance Pol- Joshua P. Warren addresses the crowd that attended While Cox’s relatives his museum’s exhibit opening and ribbon-cutting. continue to claim that lock explains the Disney exhibit.

Disney had worked — probe of the Disney mystery, they noted that is such a beloved American icon, that if he and was fired — in Asheville, Warren said a reporter for The Asheville Citizen inter- spent time here as a young artist, it would the story has been debunked and it is his viewed Walt Disney “in person” in 1955 in inspire us all. Many swore he was here, but hope that “this will be the definitive investi- Clayton, Ga., and there was no mention of the evidence has always been scant.” gation of the story.” his ever having visited Asheville.

During the ribbon-cutting for the museWarren noted that “I would much rather However, in 1966, the then separate um, to which the Asheville Area Chamber of be telling you that Disney lived here ... It newspapers The Asheville Citizen and The Commerce was invited, Warren said, “This almost seems like the legend is an odd con- Asheville Times ran stories with a sketch is the only museum that displays Asheville’s spiracy from people who wanted him to be about Disney purported time in the city,” most unusual and extreme history ... It’s here.” However, he asserted, the debunking which “had a bunch of people on the band- an attraction that exemplifies what makes shows “we are not afraid to reveal the truth.” wagon,” believing Disney had worked in Asheville so mysterious and interesting.”

Later, Warren asked, rhetorically, “Why the city, Pollock noted.

He added that “some of the content is on the was this urban legend born? What is the In a brief interview, Pollock told The Trinugget of truth in this odd story that gen- bune that his team’s investigation found that spooky side ....”

During the event, Warren gave tours of erations have simply accepted as fact for so “the telegrams (from Walt Disney) were all long?” coming from Hollywood, Calif., by 1924 ... his new museum, signed books and treated Pollock added that he believes the story Walt Disney’s biographical narrative just the crowd to snacks and beverages. Clips may have originated as an innocent “tall- doesn’t leave time for him to have come to from Asheville’s first motion picture, “Conquest of Canaan,” shot in 1921, ran in a loop tale from a father to his children.”

Asheville in 1924.”

The exhibit includes exact, full-size cop“As a native, this is a mystery that has in the museum’s small theater.

The museum, which is open noon to 5 ies of the “Disney plats,” which many be- perplexed me since I was a kid,” Warlieve bear art by Disney’s hand. ren said. “A lot of wonderful people have p.m. daily, also serves as the base for WarAs Warren and Pollock explained their passed through this great town, but Disney ren’s Haunted Asheville ghost tours.

Asheville Daily Planet — June 2011 - 5 The Heart of Downtown Asheville...

‘Sitting on Top of the World’ for the end time

The 8th Annual Montford Music and Arts Festival drew hundreds of people on May 21 in the Montford neighborhood, adjoining and just to the west of North Asheville. Features included live music, crafts, food and fun. Above, the popular local band David Holt and the the Lightning Bolts entertain. Just before 6 p.m., when “The Rapture” was predicted by some religious leaders. For the

Daily Planet Staff Photos

end time, Holt noted that he and his band would be playing the 1930s blues classic, “Sitting on Top of the World.” The band made it through the song without the world ending, as Holt joked — and the crowd laughed — about what proved to be an erroneous prediction. Among the many other performers at the festival was the Asheville-based Leigh Glass Band (below).

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Gold Continued from Page 1 Emerson belongs to the Vein Mountain Recreational Miners Club, based in Marion, and his wife Kathy proudly displays a bezel filled with the first gold her husband obtained using his new dredge at the Lucky Strike mining area.

On a separate note, he pointed out that the Suntrust bank in Graham was built atop a former gold mine. “I went down (to the bank) and asked if I could dig down through their basement,” but was turned down by amused bank officials. “It was kind of funny” for everyone, when he told the bankers of their golden location.

Meanwhile Liz McCormick, owner-manager of The Miners Diner in Marion, caters to the miners, noting, “I’m like Levi.” (Her reference was to Levi Strauss, maker of the famous blue jeans.)

During the California gold rush, “the miners didn’t necessarily make wages,” McCormick said, but the people selling the blue jeans and other necessities” to the miners profited, often tremendously.

In 1992, “I wanted somewhere to make baloney sandwiches,” McCormick quipped, whereupon she found a site near the gold miners. Some enterprising friends moved a small electrical building from the mining area, so that McCormick could open a diner. With pride, she noted that she has expanded twice since opening.

When running the restaurant, “I’m always amazed when some of the miners bring out their ‘brag boxes,’” filled with nuggets of gold, she said.

However, “if you ask them how they did,” prospectors on any particular day will say, “‘Actually, it’s been slow.’”

She likened the situation with miners to that of an angler with a good fishing hole, where the latter does not want anyone else to know about it.

Besides providing meals at her diner, McCormick said she sells products that are handy to gold prospectors and it serves as “the home of the miners club.”

Perhaps the most bizarre items she sells are “buckets of dirt,” taken from the Lucky Strike fields. She charges $10 per bucket. Customers buy the dirt, hoping to find gold and gemstones in it. McCormick noted that her husband, who used to be in commercial mining, was paid $20 per truckload of dirt for many years.

Among the fare at The Miners Diner are appropriately named items, such as Bonanza Burger, Klondyke Dog, Burro Steak, Golden Nuggets (french fries), Golden Rings (onion rings), Sluice Juice (iced tea) and Miners Mud (coffee).

Elsewhere at the festival, mining expert John Dysart was asked by Charlotte architect John Phares why he thinks the price of gold has jumped lately.

“The price of gold hasn’t changed” for years, Dysart replied. “It’s the drop in the value of the U.S. dollar” that is reflected in the jump in gold prices.

In 1992, the last gold mining operation in North Carolina closed, he noted. “Charlotte had 87 gold mines,” at one time. “Literally, the streets of Charlotte are paved with gold,” particularly Trade, Tryon and Church streets, he

This vial holds about $300 worth small nuggets of gold, based on the weekend’s $1,542.40 spot price.

A more experienced panner demonstrates his technique for a beginner (wearing cap). said, pointing out that the foundations of the streets were made from material from the gold mines.

“There’s a honeycomb of tunnels beneath the streets, where a gold mine used to be located,” Dysart said. “Charlotte’s the second largest financial district in the country because of gold,” which has been found in the area for years.

Mike Hargett, whose father was superintendent of Wolverine Mining Co. in Rutherford County, now works for the U.S. government in technology innovation, but has much knowledge and many memories from growing up amid the mining business.

“My family actually owned the property,” Hargett said.

“These mountains are made of what is know as ‘soft rock’ and they don’t hold up tunnels without lots of timbers for support.

“One of the real hazards of our area (of Rutherford) is we had all these pits across the land, which could be dangerous for people. “We’d fill them up with dirt,” every chance they had, he said.

Hargett claimed that “up until 1949, “this area produced more ounces of gold than anywhere else in the world.”

He said it all started in the 1540s, when the Spanish explorers built three forts in the Southeast. “Those forts were temporary garrisons,” set up to protect the area’s goldladen territory on behalf of Spain.However, “Spain lost this area to England.”

“Queen Elizabeth was very adamant about wanting” the gold area, which spanned from Georgia through the Carolinas. The British determined that the area was rich in gold because the settlers “used gold for barter,” while those in other colonies did not, Hargett said.

“Old Fort, in 1775, was the settlement farthest west in North Carolina” and in the American colonies, he said.

“This area was not significant for agriculture,” so when British Gen. George Cornwallis, commander of the southern campaign for the British Army in the American colonies, “was given orders to defeat the Colonial troops, he asked King George III why he wanted the Carolinas,” not seeing much value there.

“The king said he wanted the wine and gold” from the Carolinas. (Hargett said scuppernong wine, produced in the Carolinas’ coastal areas, was extremely popular among the British at the time.)

“This area evolved as a major textile area” in the world, Hargett noted. For those who “weren’t making enough in agricultural operations, that’s when they turned to gold mining,” he said.

“With the tools and techniques available at that time, gold mining was hard,” Hargett said. “In the summer, you’d farm. In the winter, when you couldn’t find something more productive to do, you’d mine for gold” to make money to cover expenses during the cold-weather months.

“California was mined out fairly quickly,” Hargett noted. “It was over in 10 years.” (Wikipedia reported that the California gold rush lasted from 1848 to 1855.) About 80,000 people from around the world crushed into California during the gold rush, Hargett claimed.

At the time when gold was first found at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, Calif., North Carolina was the top gold-producing state in the U.S. Some sources say that many North Carolina prospectors immediately dropped their shovels and moved to California, as gold fever struck Americans hard.

To the contrary, Hargett said that the aformentioned

The use of a Keene four-inch dredge with a triple sleuth was demonstrated by prospector Doug Emerson at the annual North Carolina Gold Festival in Old Fort on June 4.

characterization, while popular, is erroneous. “The mining rights (in North Carolina) were consumed and calibrated,” well before California’s gold rush.

With property, family and other responsibilities, most Tar Heel State prospectors were not in a position to drop their shovels — and their claims — to move West, Hargett contended. “Those small miners wouldn’t have left because they had mineral rights and property.”

Agreeing with Hargett’s assessment, Dysart said North Carolina gold was more pure than California’s, with the former averaging 98 percent pure and the latter, 94 percent.

Hargett noted that his grandfather sold mining rights to wealthy Northerners at a large profit for many years, joking that “that’s the reason we’ve got so many damn Yankees” in North Carolina today.

In 1896, the Alaska gold rush began and a near-repeat of the California gold rush ensued, the two experts said.

Neither Dysart nor Hargett knew of any prospector in North Carolina who is able to make a living from panning or dredging, even with gold selling at more than a whopping $1,500 per ounce. Dysart said one might do better mining for gemstones, noting that nearby Spruce Pine “is the breadbox of America as far as gems and gold go.”

Dysart and Hargett noted that dredging is much faster than panning, but ultimately, even with a dredge, one must pan for gold.

“The guy who made the most money from mining in Alaska was the guy running the store” near the miners, Dysart said. The same was the case in California because, in both cases, a prospector had to begin by buying a “grubstake” — everything needed to mine for gold, he asserted.

On second thought, Dysart said with a laugh, “The guy counting the money was the guy making the most money.”

More seriously, Dysart said, “I think a lot of (North Carolina) miners became moonshiners,” which proved much more profitable for them than prospecting for gold.

People of all ages and genders participated in pannig for gold at the festival.

Asheville Daily Planet — June 2011 - 7

Buffett Continued from Page 1 Proceeds from the endowment are distributed through the Women for Women

Daily Planet photo by JOHN NORTH

Dancer wins Grand National competition Karen Workman (right), a West Coast swing dance instructor from Hendersonville, won the Jack and Jill swing dance competition (where the partner is assigned on the spot) at the Grand National Dance on Memorial Day weekend in Atlanta, Ga. Dancers from around the country compete at the Grand Nationals.

Workman, a past president of the Mountain Shag Club, teaches West Coast Swing with Roger Carr (left)

on Monday nights at the Sports Zone at 2310 Hendersonville Rd. in Arden. The lessons are free, with the beginners’ class starting at 7:30 p.m. and the intermediate starting at 8, followed by open dancing after 8:30. Also of note, a group of six West Coast swing dancers from the Asheville Ballroom recorded a number of first- and second-place finishes at a recent dance competition in Indianapolis.

grant program.

Women for Women, an initiative of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, raises funds to make grants to increase the economic self-sufficiency of women and girls in Western North Carolina.

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Calendar Send us your calendar items

Please submit items to the Calendar of Events by noon on the third Wednesday of each month, via e-mail, at calendar@ashevilledailyplanet. com, or fax to 252-6567, or mail c/o The Daily Planet, P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, N.C. 288148490. Submissions will be accepted and printed at the discretion of the editor, space permitting.

To place an ad for an event, call 252-6565.

Thursday, June 9 BEER TASTING, 6-8 p.m., Highland Brewing’s Tasting Room, Asheville. The professional Women in Building Council of Asheville Home Builders Association will be hosting a beer tasting, tour and silent auction. The event is open to everyone. For tickets, which are $20 in advance and $25 at the door call 299-7001.

MARXISM DISCUSSION, 7 p.m., Firestorm Café and Books, 48 Commerce St., downtown Asheville. The Meaning of Marxism Reading Group will meet to discuss the ideas of Karl Marx. Admission is free.

OLD-TIME MUSIC SHOW, 8 p.m., Broyhill Chapel, Mars Hill College, Mars Hill. Singersongwriter Elaine Purkey will perform as part of MHC’s Blue Ridge Old-Time Music Week. Donations will be accepted for coal miners in Lincoln County, W.Va., where Purkey lives. Admission is free.

CONTRA DANCE, 8 p.m., Bryson Gym, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa. A contra dance is held weekly, preceded by beginner’s lessons at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $6.

Friday, June 10 BOOK-SIGNING, noon-5 p.m., Lake Lure Inn, Lake Lure. Linda Robinson will sign copies of her novel, “When Love Abounds,” the story of a woman exploring herself and her Southern past.

She also will be signing books from 10 a.m. to noon June 11 at Barnes & Noble Bookstorre at the Asheville Mall.

TEA TIME SOCIAL, 6 p.m., Tripps Restaurant, 311 College St., downtown Asheville. The Asheville Tea Party will hold its weekly Tea Time Social. Anyone interested may attend.

CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., Visitors Information Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The group Tuxedo Junction (variety 1940s-’90s) will launch the summer 2011 Music on Main Street outdoor concert series.

Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. No alcoholic beverages or dogs are allowed.

Concessions are available.

Tuxedo Junction will open the Music on Main Street weekly summer series with a free conAdmission is free. cert from 7 to 9 p.m. June 10 in the parking lot adjoining the Visitors Information Center in CONCERT, 7-10 p.m., Pack Square Park, downtown downtown Hendersonville. The local group plays popular music from the 1940s to the ‘90s.

Asheville. The Air National Guard Band will perform in a UNC Asheville. Womansong will headline a ben- p.m. Admission is free. free concert, rain or shine. efit concert, “She Sings, She Drums, She Dances CONCERT, 3 p.m., Lipinsky Auditorium, UNC OLD-TIME MUSIC SHOW, 8 p.m., Broyhill for Womansong.” Members of Asheville’s oldest Asheville. Womansong will headline a benefit Chapel, Mars Hill College, Mars Hill. A free conand largest women’s community chorus will concert, “She Sings, She Drums, She Dances for cert will be performed to conclude MHC’s Blue share the stage with guest artists Wild Bodema, Womansong.” Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 Ridge Old-Time Music Week. the Sue Ford Trio and Asheville Contemporary at the door and $7 for children and students. For COMEDY SHOW, 8 p.m., The Altamont Thetickets, call 686-9101. ater, 18 Church St., downtown Asheville. “Prime Dance Theatre. Proceeds will benefit WomanRibbing,” a political, topical musical satire revue Song and its New Start program, which helps will perform at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturdays, and area women get back on their feet. The show also will be presented at 3 p.m. June 12. Tickets 2:30 p.m. Sundays, through June 18.

WEST COAST SWING CLASSES, 7:30 and 8 are $12 in advance, $15 at the door and $7 for children and students. For tickets, call 686-9101. p.m., Shifters, 2310 Henderonville Rd., Arden.

Free beginners’ lessons for West Coast Swing will CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Baha’i Center, 5 RavenAUTHOR’S PRESENTATION, 7 p.m., Malaprop’s scroft Drive, Asheville Anam Cara will perform in be held at 7:30, followed by intermediate lessons Bookstore/Café, 55 Haywood St., downtown at 8 every Monday. The lessons are free. After the concert. Admission is $12.

Asheville. Kelly McNees will present her debut lessons, an open dance will be held. novel, “The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott.”

CONTRA DANCE, 8 p.m., Grey Eagle, 185 CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., park in front of Hickory Clingman Ave., Asheville. A contra dance is held Tavern, Biltmore Park, Asheville. Tuxedo Junction SHAG LESSONS, 4 p.m., Shifters, 2310 Henwill perform in a free outdoor concert. dersonville Rd., Arden. The Mountain Shag Club weekly. Admission is $6.

CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Lipinsky Auditorium, will offer free shag dancing lessons from 4 to 5 See CALENDAR, Page 9

Monday, June 13

Saturday, June 11

Sunday, June 12

Calendar

Continued from Page 8

Tuesday, June 14 TANGO LESSON/DANCE, 6 p.m., The Boiler Room, Grove House Entertainment Complex, 11 Grove St., downtown Asheville. Tango lessons will precede a dance.

SWING LESSON/DANCE, 6:30 p.m., Club Eleven, Grove House Entertainment Complex, 11 Grove St., downtown Asheville. A lesson will be followed by a dance, with live music.

Wed., June 15 SHAG DANCE, 7-11 p.m., Shifters, 2310 Hendersonville Rd., Arden. The Mountain Shag Club will offer free shag dancing lessons with a DJ. Admission is $5.

Thursday, June 16 CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain. The Swayback Sisters will perform in the Park Rhythms free outdoor weekly summer concert series. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs or blankets. Local vendors will offer food on site. Admission is free.

CONTRA DANCE, 8 p.m., Bryson Gym, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa. A contra dance is held weekly, preceded by beginner’s lessons at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $6.

Friday, June 17 DOWNTOWN AFTER FIVE, 5 p.m., North Lexington Avenue near the I-240 interchange, downtown Asheville. Downtown After Five will feature free live music from The Blue Dogs and The New Familars, as well as refreshments.

Admission is free.

TEA TIME SOCIAL, 6 p.m., Tripps Restaurant, 311 College St., downtown Asheville. The Asheville Tea Party will hold its weekly Tea Time Social. All who are interested are invited to attend.

CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., Visitors Information Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville.

The group Caribbean Cowboys (beach music) will perform in the summer 2011 Music on Main Street outdoor concert series. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. No alcoholic beverages or dogs are allowed. Concessions are available.

Admission is free.

Saturday, June 18 PREPAREDNESS SEMINAR, 8:30 a.m., Haywood Community College, 185 Freedlander Dr., Clyde. William Forstchen, author of “One Second After” and professor of history at Montreat College, will be the featured speaker at the Sensible Mountain Preparedness Seminar. Several other speakers will present discussions, with questionand-answer periods, on subjects such as firestarting, food storage, water purification, retreat design, sanitation, disaster security and neighborhood organization in a disaster. The Haywood County Amateur Radio Club will give a talk and have a demonstration tent set up for those who are interested in learning how to become a ham radio operator. Vendors will be selling supplies, book signings and a barbecue lunch will be offered. The seminar is being sponsored by Carolina Readiness Supply on Depot Street in Waynesville.

Cost is $5 per person and $5 for the barbecue lunch. Drinks and snacks will be available. For more information, or to buy advance tickets, call Carolina Readiness Supply at 456-5310.

AUTHOR’S LUNCHEON/TALK, noon, Gaither Fellowship Hall (for lunch) and adjoining Gaither Chapel(forprogram),MontreatCollege,Montreat.

Sharyn McCrumb, author of “The Devil Amongst the Lawyers,” will discuss her upcoming novel based on the true story behind the famous mountain ballad, the legend of Tom Dooley. For tickets (which are required) to the events, which are $15 for both the luncheon and program, or $10 for the program only, call 669-8012, ext. 3504.

CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., park in front of Hickory Tavern, Biltmore Park, Asheville. The Lazy Birds will perform in a free outdoor concert.

Sunday, June 19 SHAG LESSONS, 4 p.m., Shifters, 2310 Hendersonville Rd., Arden. The Mountain Shag Club will offer free shag dancing lessons from 4 to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Asheville Daily Planet — June 2011 — 9 CONCERT, 6:30 p.m., pavilion adjacent to Maggie Valley Town Hal, downtown Maggie Valley.The Haywood Community Band will present a free concert titled “Rhythmization.”

Monday, June 20 WEST COAST SWING CLASSES, 7:30 and 8 p.m., Shifters, 2310 Hendersonville Rd., Arden.

Free beginners’ lessons for West Coast Swing will be held at 7:30, followed by intermediate lessons at 8 every Monday. The lessons are free. After the lessons, an open dance will be held.

CONTRA DANCE, 8 p.m., Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave., Asheville. A contra dance is held weekly. Admission is $6.

Tuesday, June 21 TANGO LESSON/DANCE, 6 p.m., The Boiler Room, Grove House Entertainment Complex, 11 Grove St., downtown Asheville. Tango lessons will precede a dance.

SWING LESSON/DANCE, 6:30 p.m., Club Eleven, Grove House Entertainment Complex, 11 Grove St., downtown Asheville. A lesson will be followed by a dance, with live music.

Wed., June 22 SHAG DANCE, 7-11 p.m., Shifters, 2310 Hendersonville Rd., Arden. The Mountain Shag Club will offer free shag dancing lessons with a DJ. Admission is $5.

Thursday, June 23 CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain. Firefly will perform in the Park Rhythms free outdoor weekly summer concert series. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs or blankets.

Local vendors will offer food on site. Admission is free.

CONTRA DANCE, 8 p.m., Bryson Gym, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa. A contra dance is held weekly, preceded by beginner’s lessons at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $6.

Friday, June 24 TEA TIME SOCIAL, 6 p.m., Tripps Restaurant, 311 College St., downtown Asheville. The Asheville Tea Party will hold its weekly Tea Time Social. All who are interested are invited to attend.

CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., Visitors Information Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville.

Asheville’s 96.5 House Band (beach and oldies rock) will perform in the summer 2011 Music on Main Street outdoor concert series. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. No alcoholic beverages or dogs are allowed. Concessions are available.

Admission is free.

Saturday, June 25 CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., park in front of Hickory Tavern, Biltmore Park, Asheville. Crocodile Smile will perform in a free outdoor concert.

Sunday, June 26 SHAG LESSONS, 4 p.m., Shifters, 2310 Hendersonville Rd., Arden. The Mountain Shag Club will offer free shag dancing lessons from 4 to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Monday, June 27 WEST COAST SWING CLASSES, 7:30 and 8 p.m., Shifters, 2310 Henderonville Rd., Arden.

Free beginners’ lessons for West Coast Swing will be held at 7:30, followed by intermediate lessons at 8 every Monday. The lessons are free. After the lessons, an open dance will be held.

CONTRA DANCE, 8 p.m., Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave., Asheville. A contra dance is held weekly. Admission is $6.

10 - June 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

Daily Planet’s Opinion The Rapture? Reset for Oct. 21 The Rapture, which was supposed to happen at 6 p.m. May 21, was a no-show and more evidence of the dumbing down of America.

In the aftermath, several humanist groups have demanded an investigation into Harold Camping — for fraud and deceit — claiming he and Family Radio duped “untold numbers people” with his Judgment Day forecast.

Camping, 89, stands accused of using the prediction to capitalize on his followers’ fears, persuading them to open their pocketbooks to spread his doomsday message to the rest of the world, spending more than $100 million on ads.

Conversely, Camping claims that the money is being used wisely to spread the Gospel. However, some of Campings’ followers have revealed that they spent their life savings, contributed significantly or quit

their jobs for the May 21 doomsday campaign. Camping has refused to give them refunds.

Over the past few decades, Camping has made several erroneous predictions for when the world would come to an end. For May 21, he had predicted true believers would be raptured to heaven, while the rest of the world suffers the beginning of Judgment Day. Undeterred, after May 21 came and went with no apocalypse, Camping offered several excuses.

Moreover, he revealed his new conviction that Judgment Day came on the world spiritually and not physically, as he had originally predicted, and that the rapture and apocalypse would happen on the same day – Oct. 21, 2011.

We predict the world will continue and we hope few people will support Camping’s foolishness this time.

An aerotropolis in North Carolina?

CHAPEL HILL — But what about North Carolina airports?

How do our major airports and associated metropolitan areas fit into the concepts for the future of the world’s mega airport cities discussed in the new book, “Aerotropolis: The Way We’ll Live Next” by UNC-Chapel Hill’s John D. Kasarda and Greg Lindsay?

Does any one of our “airport cities” have the potential to be a real “aerotropolis”?

In an earlier column about this book, I promised to try to respond to these questions.

“Aerotropolis” is a word that Kasarda popularized. It describes an airport-city where the airport is hub of a surrounding urban area.

The urban area provides nearly “frictionless” connectivity for the airport’s passengers and freight. The urban area’s business, manufacturing, and brainpower élites thrive on the convenient and speedy global connectivity the airport provides.

Several North Carolina airports have some of the attributes of an aerotropolis.

Charlotte stands out in passenger boarding and ranks as one of the world’s major airports in this category. It is a major hub. Some people in Charlotte assert that this major hub status costs them money because tickets cost more than at non-hub airports.*** But, as Kasarda explains, the time saved is valuable in a just-in-time world, more valuable than the extra money spent on tickets.

Businessmen can leave Charlotte in the morning, have face-to-face meetings with clients during the day, and get home in time to sleep in their own beds. Close to downtown, the airport is minutes from the major offices.

The city’s transportation network makes it convenient for business travelers.

If Charlotte had a stronger freight operation, one that was coordinated with close-by manufacturers and distributors, some people might begin to refer to the city and its airport as an aerotropolis.

Piedmont Triad (Greensboro Winston-Salem High Point) is not even close to Charlotte in passenger boardings, but it already has a much stronger freight operation than Charlotte’s, and it is growing, as FedEx’s operation expands. Kasarda points out that Piedmont Triad is located at a transportation “sweet spot” right in the middle of a network of interstate highways.

D.G. Martin The Global TransPark (GTP) in Kinston is, on paper, an ideal aerotropolis with planned room for nearby just-in-time manufacturing and related business. But just because you build it does not mean that they will come. GTP has lacked the priceless and essential interstate access like that serving Piedmont Triad.

The success of the Research Triangle Park inspired the GTP effort. Kasarda was the idea man. Governor Jim Martin provided the initial political muscle. Quoted in the new book he says, “North Carolina has had success with radical ideas when they were able to hold off the critics long enough to get on their feet…

When I heard Kasarda’s idea, I thought it would be the next one.”

Comparing the Global TransPark to the success of RTP, the new book explains, “But if one venue in the area has the hallmarks of an aerotropolis, it is Research Triangle Park. What distinguished the two, Kasarda understood belatedly, is that the latter was blessed with both highways and growing cities around it (not to mention flights across the country only ten minutes away). RTP may be an economic engine, but its cogs are able to sleep in their own beds at night.”

The strong Raleigh-Durham (RDU) airport’s close relationship with RTP serves both entities in an aerotropolis-type relationship.

No North Carolina airport city is, by itself, an aerotropolis. But if we could combine in one location the Global TransPark plans, the research and related operations that surround RDU, the businesses and talented people of Charlotte, and the sweet spot location of Piedmont Triad, we would have an aerotropolis that would compete with any in the world.

• D.G. Martin hosts UNC-TV’s North Carolina Bookwatch, which airs at 9:30 p.m. Fridays and 5 p.m. Sundays. For more information or to view prior programs visit the webpage at www.unctv.

Letters to the Editor Councilman asks for city to build park’s restrooms

I request that the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority rescind its grant to the Pack Square Conservancy, made for the purpose of constructing a visitor center and restroom facility, and grant the money to the City of Asheville for the same purpose.

The City of Asheville has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to complete construction projects in a timely manner and frequently under estimate.

The Pack Square Conservancy has repeatCecil Bothwell edly demonstrated an astonishing inability to complete projects on time or within anything like original estimates.

The further delay of the long promised restroom facilities, apparently in response to the requests of a small segment of special interests in our community is beyond laughable. I am completely fed up with the Conservancy’s ineptitude and delays.

It is long past time for a thorough and professional audit of the Conservancy books over its entire life, with an accounting to the people of this community for all moneys spent for any purpose and it is also long past time for the City and County to reclaim the park that has been held hostage by a confederacy of dunces for far too long.

The people of Asheville and Buncombe County deserve better.

Thanks for your attention.

CECIL BOTHWELL Member, Asheville City Council Asheville

Silent citizenry urged to voice views to officials

For too long, good citizens have remained silent and permitted their elected officials to enact laws, pass budgets and decide policy.

That silence has been interpreted as agreement, solidarity, approval, and trust. Thus, our public servants have become emboldened and have audaciously assumed their judgment superior over those who elected them.

It is in this climate Jane Bilello that both the Buncombe County School Board and Buncombe County (Board of) Commissioners have adopted an egregious policy that makes it impossible for the ordinary citizen to make useful or positive suggestions, or present constructive ideas or observations that could influence votes on issues BEFORE issues are voted upon.

In so doing, they have extinguished debate, sacked alternative solutions and suppressed citizen participation.

If you are reading this and you are a citizen of Buncombe County, please sign the petitions your neighbors are circulating that urge the members of the Buncombe County Board of Education and Buncombe County Commissioners to change their regular agenda for open meetings by providing for public comments on issues BEFORE they are voted upon.

WE THE PEOPLE will no longer sit mute and be denied legitimate voice in the government we created.

JANE BILELLO Chair, Asheville Tea Party Hendersonville Continued on Page 11

The Candid Conservative

The Bible made your world Most religions are political movements having more to do with the things of man than the things of God. Mysticism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islamism, and socialism offer navigational tools for a dangerous world. They are also shamelessly exploitive.

Africa’s called the “Dark Continent” for a reason. Societies that carry their drinking water in buckets and rely on mysticism may be colorful, but rarely are they healthy or advanced.

Hinduism and misery concentrations in India demonstrate people bridled by a caste system are easy to control – impossible to uplift.

Buddhism’s attraction centers on self-actualization. The pursuit of “nothingness” is an ironic antidote to the corruption, poverty, and disease found where this faith flourishes.

Despots and dogmatists thrive in the Nations of Islam. Everyone else is variously consumed by a faith of oppressive contradictions manifested in Islam’s ground zero – the Middle East.

Devotees of socialism and humanism have skipped God altogether. Unfortunately, worshipping government and self as means to manipulating and robbing our fellow-man offers a proven path to moral bankruptcy and social malaise.

God made all men equal. The same cannot be said for cultures and religions. Having done more to buttress mankind than all others combined, Christianity stands as an imperfect exception among perfect imposters. Per Vishal Mangalwadi, in The Book That Made Your World, that success can be tracked to one source — the Bible.

It’s the Bible that birthed Western civilization

Carl Mumpower

and its incomparable systems of education, science, arts, justice, health, and prosperity that set the standard for the world. Importantly, where these forces existed in other times and places they were rarely dedicated to the needs of the common man.

That is after all the central theme of the Bible — God unconditionally cares for all people, not just the best, brightest, empowered, and funded.

The West got this message because, thanks to the Bible, we had this message.

The sourcebook for the Christian faith was inspired, not dictated, by God. Man and the church have variously edited, misused, and ignored content to impious purpose. Still, Jesus’ model, God’s commandments for living, and the charges of love and accountability prevail.

No other faith can claim a blueprint with a larger or more uplifting footprint.

The 400th anniversary of the King James Bible is a time for both celebration and caution.

The Bible made the West and rightfully challenged the rest. We abandon that roadmap to the world’s peril.

•.

Carl Mumpower, a former member of Asheville City Council, may be contacted at drmumpower@thecandidconservative.com

Letters to the Editor Continued from Page 10

Is Mumpower the ‘Smoky Mountain Limbaugh?’

I read the May (Daily) Planet in my wife’s hospital room. I was humming along in the letters when I came to Carl Mumpower’s “Mother Nature is a conservative.”

I said to my wife, “Baby, I think we’ve got a Smoky Mountain Limbaugh.” Here’s the paragraph that stopped me: “There are no rights in nature, only responsibilities. Nature provides boundless opportunities, but offers no assurances on outcomes.”

“No rights in nature.” Sound familiar?

Sure it does — high school biology. It’s called natural selection. All organisms have the same chance, but individuals that are more “fit” have better potential for survival.

Mumpower is drawing an analogy between nature and American society as he would like it to be. Survival of the fittest.

And we all know who the “fit” ones are in our society. Not poor kids with ambition who believe they can do great things but need an education. Not the single mom crying in frustration over a sick child. Not the small farmer who depends on Cooperative Extension services.

When Mumpower talks about “no assurances on outcomes,” he’s not talking about the privileged people in our society.

They do have assured outcomes. They will be educated and live well. They will never need food stamps or Medicaid. Their children will never need Smart Start. Down through history, privilege has always tilted toward those who already have privilege.

But America is different. America’s greatness is seen not only in the few people who claw their way to success, through

hard work, luck and advanced degrees (even if they’re quickie online Ph.D.s).

No, the greatness of America lies in equality. America was born with this promise and she blossomed in the 20th century. Ordinary people go to college today because of government help. Labor gained a voice through fair labor laws. We no longer fear poverty and ill health in old age because of Social Security and Medicare.

Mumpower writes, “Conservatives — real ones — recognize the important difference between harvesting and pillaging.” This scary-liberal straw man is a Limbaugh leftover of course. But it’s really the way these “real conservatives” think.

It’s not hyperbole or metaphor. In their world, everything since Franklin Roosevelt is “pillaging.”

But ordinary Americans — whether they’re ordinary conservatives, ordinary liberals or ordinary in-betweens — don’t see things that way. They appreciate the safety net that “real conservatives” despise.

Living life with a measure of security, in our definition, is not “pillaging.”

LEE BALLARD Mars Hill

With coming collapse, what will government do?

America’s gold and silver purchases are being subliminally valued, according to its significance in dollars. I use the term subliminally because we tell ourselves we’ll profit from gold’s worth, or endure misfortunes through its prized characteristics.

An ounce of gold’s value is positioned around the dollar remaining intact. Gold’s value will be judged differently if the dollar becomes nonexistent . Paper is not money, instead merely a promise to pay its value.

People are flipping gold’s significances

Asheville Daily Planet — June 2011 — 11

Gold bars then granting it a paper value. The paper value of gold has spurred a buyers market.

If the dollar collapses, the revenue value we currently employ will defeat the principle of owning gold and silver.

Gold’s investment purposes are perpetually entrapped by the dollar. The only way to profit from gold is by selling. If the dollar fails, then you have nothing. Gold then becomes measured by another scale. This is a no-win situation, if you’re a profiteer.

What good is gold and silver? Before our current way of buying, Americans traded.

The financial relationship between producers, sellers and consumers was based on honesty and fair play within exchanging goods. Fairness is achieved by creating a clear understanding for the trade policies.

One’s accountability established their just treatment.

You traded with those who returned a better deal for your offering. Trading consisted of just about anything — furs, livestock, cotton, lumber, labor, gold and silver, and U.S. currency. Money wasn’t always involved, and a handshake formed your reputation. While silver will keep you fed, gold would get you killed. One thing that won’t change much is, the rich will mostly be the suppliers, enabling themselves more wealth.

The gold and silver we’re hoarding will negotiate trade measures. The value within precious metals will be compromised through relationship ethics. The dollar no longer sets the standards for gold and silver. The trade policy established between

the producer or seller and consumer sets the trade standards for gold. Instead of the trade dollar, we’re purchasing with gold or silver while waiting for a new exchange note.

Understand, gold and silver will be only an exchange token, because the dollar’s value system no longer applies. For now, I still posses American currency. I suggest if you have money, spend it while you can for life’s necessities. Invest in guns, ammo, food, water, camping supplies and a Bible, because eventually this is what we’ll be seeking out.

Precious metals retailers will say (Buy! Buy! Buy!), either prophesizing disaster or playing the market. Supplying you with any other strategy would be counterproductive for them. At the end of the day, it’s your call. If the dollar collapses, gold and silver standards will be speculative. We’re buying gold, based on the dollar weakening, then comparing gold’s worth to the weak dollar. This makes buying gold an oxymoron. Without a monetary substance, gold and silver isn’t worth anything.

What will the government’s strategy be toward gold, silver, and hoarded currency, if the Federal Reserve Note ceases to exist?

JERRY SOESBEE Asheville

Despite smears, Tea Party termed true U.S. patriots

Since there is an active attempt by so many to smear the Tea Party with hatefilled rhetoric and outright lies, I feel it necessary, as a proud member of this energetic and patriotic movement to provide you with the facts.

First of all, the Tea Party is not an actual political party, it is rather, a movement of like-minded Americans, Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike, who feel compelled, many after never having been involved in politics their entire lives, to get educated and get involved to try and save our country.

Continued on Page 13

12 - June 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

Guest Commentary Taking it to the limit, one more time Bothwell backed in slamming Ayn Rand’s viewpoint

Regarding the Cecil Bothwell versus Ayn Rand letters that this paper has posted, I’m a liberal-leaning fellow who has carefully read his Ayn Rand, and I would like to make a couple of points that I think are most salient.

First, since this is a nerd’s debate, I will quote from Star Wars’ Obi Wan Kenobi who said, “Only a Sith deals in absolutes.”

Ayn Rand and her followers tend to deal in absolutes, which is unreasonable. They commonly make arguments that imply that because the left favors more government intervention in the economy, then the left are either Stalinists, dupes of Stalinists, or unwitting advocates of beliefs that will lead inevitably to Stalinism.

So the first point is that in reality I, and most leftists I know of, argue for rigorously maintaining a balanced, mixed economy (ala FDR and Keynes), we just think the best balance is more to the left than the economy within which we currently live.

An apt analogy for advocating the mixed economy belief system is a tight rope walker trying to balance the excesses of government on the left and unrestrained free market on the right . . . As he moves through time along the rope, if he falls to the left, he may fall through attempts at perfect socialism, than through Marxist communism and hit the deadly ground of totalitarian fascism. If he falls to the right, he may fall through attempts at perfect capitalism, than corporatism, to the same deadly ground of totalitarian fascism.

Most leftists I know of would say that the Bush regime (elected in part due to “Atlas Shrugged:-toting Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck) was dangerously corporatist, most hideously represented by the way they created and conducted the Iraq war, such that Cheney and other Bush cronies were vastly enriched via their corporate holdings in such entities as Halliburton. For more on this, read “The Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klein.

Why does a leftist ever advocate more government involvement in a mixed economy when it is so well-documented that government, almost by definition, can be repressive? There are many reasons, but I would sum up my reasons as: A market economy only works in terms of private property, but in the reality in which we live some things are too difficult to privatize and must be held in common.

Examples of the commons would be the oceans, the air, crucial finite resources, biodiversity and future generations (where your private genes will meld in time with the common gene pool).

And, when one derives one’s values only from the dictates of the free market, one doesn’t account for the tremendous benefits of reciprocal altruism. Ayn Rand scornfully spoke of focusing on reciprocal altruism as getting ones values from “disaster ethics,” that disasters are rare, and that it’s cowardly to act as if they are not.

I would say to Ayn, “Tell that to anyone who unexpectedly miscalculated their lives such that due to illness, accidents, or simple ineptitude they or their families became impoverished.” I would also say that such a crowd currently consists, chronically, of at least a billion of our fellow humans, and occasionally it consists of virtually all of us.

Additionally, reciprocal altruism is just

Ayn Rand the most obviously difficult to calculate part of the equation of why we should probably impart the sanction of basic dignity to our fellow humans in ensuring they have access to the basic requirements of life (in short: welfare).

The main part of the equation is that humans have such obvious potential value to one another due to the synergetic nature of many forms of human cooperation. Synergy is why multi-cellular organisms exist, and why organisms have sex, and it’s why wolves hunt in packs, bees live in hives, geese fly in a V, and fish swim in schools.

It is why humans build cities, factories, specialized professions, corporations and governments.

My second major point is that I agree with Cecil Bothwell that Ayn Rand was pathologically, morally and intellectually, deficient when it came to understanding the benefits of synergetic cooperation. Since Bothwell’s detractors use Galt’s Atlantis from “Atlas Shrugged” as an example of Randian “cooperation,” I will, too (bear with us, if you haven’t read the book): We humans are so cooperative that it is pretty difficult to conceive of a human so individualistic as to be absolutely uncooperative; such a human would have to be a complete hermit (and probably crazy).

Rand’s pathology isn’t that extreme, but her extreme “individualism” did make her an admirer of Nietzsche. Nietzsche’s individualism made him an elitist who divided humanity into the “supermen” (a tiny minority, of which Napoleon and Pericles were his favorites) and the remaining vast majority who he called “the botched and bungled” or “human sand.”

Nietzsche’s ethos was obviously such that, economically, he would have been a corporatist. Rand didn’t go quite as far Nietzsche in her conception of proper selfishness, and she acknowledged this in “The Fountainhead,” with semi-hero corporatist Gail Wynand, who she is quoted as saying she created as a tribute to Nietzsche.

But Nietzsche is crucial to understanding the dangers of an unfettered capitalist ideology. Because once you are so far out of balance as to advocate for “pure” capitalism, you have already fallen off the tightrope and corporatism is fairly inevitable.

The reason for this is that, psychologically, anyone who is so out of touch with reality as to believe in a pure market economy is likely so because their ego is so big that they think that they will be enough of a “winner” in the marketplace that the need for reciprocal altruism and the profound difficulty of fair interaction with the commons won’t affect them.

Such ego-driven logic is seductively conducive to an irrational elitist Rand /Nietzsche belief about the different “types” of humans, and it’s a tiny step to throwing out cooperative fair play as well; any rational person can imagine that the creeps who ran Enron or Wall Street in the recent collapse were or are seriously turned-on when they read Ayn Rand (thinking of themselves as Atlas-like titans).

An example of this tiny step that Rand’s own fiction is guilty of is a supposedly incorruptible hero, Howard Roark, who, in “The Fountainhead” was apparently indifferent to the fact that the wealth that built his greatest achievement, the Wynand Building, was derived from a corrupt source. Note also that Hitler, the supreme fascist, is linked to Rand on the rightwing side of the tightrope in that he also liked Nietzsche; clearly, like Rand and her characters, Hitler thought of himself as a “superman.”

The “superman” versus “human sand” division is just not reasonable. Does anyone seriously believe that (in 1957 when “Atlas Shrugged” was published) society would have collapsed if, out of the three billion humans on earth, a minuscule couple thousand “Atlas supermen” had left and hidden in a secret “Atlantis?”

Is it really true that the rest of us rely on the largesse of hyper-rare ‘supermen’ to function? Sure, maybe, if one assumes that the remaining billions of us are all nihilistic James Taggerts. But the fact is most people are somewhere between the “Atlas” John Galt (who seemed to be made of cardboard) and the pathetically dim-but-kindand-hardworking “botched and bungled” Eddie Willers.

By the way, the rational mixed economist would say that in the real world, Rand is partially correct; a very competent Dagny Taggert should, hopefully due to her talent and hard work, from the right side of the tightrope, be free to become rich, free to be richer than a mediocre Eddie Willers.

But they should not legally be so arrogant in their wealth and power as to not honor that due to cooperation and economies of scale, they could never have been so rich without the help of millions of humans working together, and that it is morally reprehensible for them to be indifferent to the starvation of a Willers, who helped make them rich, as Dagny (and Rand) explicitly was by leaving him when she went to Atlantis.

Dagny is distressed at the small impoverished scale of the Atlantan enterprise, but she never makes the explicit connection that it’s the — to her essentially irrelevant — Eddie Willers of the world that she would owe the differential in wealth. It’s also important to note that much of such wealth as existed in Atlantis was brought in from the outside economy, including such cooperative intangibles as the accumulated technological, political, and artistic knowledge of all of human history that had been handed to the Atlantans as children.

Rand’s arrogant egotism and its consequent delusional “superman” belief system never gives the extreme synergistic natural value of cooperation it’s due, and that’s a core reason why she, her followers, and the current global economy are actually running on a fundamentally unreasonable subjective ideology that may have us all on the road to fascist perdition.

BEN YOKE Alexander, N.C.

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Asheville Daily Planet — June 2011 — 13

Faith Notes

Thursday, June 9

SPECIAL SERVICE GUESTS, 7.m., Greater Works Church of God in Christ, 297 Haywood St., Asheville. Pastor Otis Ware and Solid Rock Missionary Baptist Church will be the guests.

Friday, June 10

ORDINATION SERVICE, 6:30 p.m., Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 47 Eagle St., downtown Asheville. The ordination service for minister Scott Burgess, pastor-elect for New Bethel Baptist Church, will be held. The service is free and open to the public.

FILM, 7 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, Asheville. The free film “Permaculture: The Growing Edge” will be shown.

Peramaculture is a sustainable system of earth care that offers solutions to many of the planet’s grave environmental problems and a hopeful, proactive vision of change, the church noted.

SPECIAL SERVICE GUESTS, 7.m., Greater Works Church of God in Christ, 297 Haywood St., Asheville. Pastor Gary McDaniel and Brown Temple Church CME will be the guests.

Saturday, June 11

MUSICAL REVUE, 7:30 p.m., Congreation Beth HaTephilia, 43 N. Liberty St., Asheville. Opera Creations will present an original Musical Revue June 11-12. Songs will range from Tin Pan Alley to Stephen Sondheim. Saturday’s show is $25 and includes hors d’ouevres at 5:30 p.m., buffet at 6 p.m. and the show at 7:30. The Sunday show, which will begin at 3 p.m., is $15. For tickets, call 253-4911.

Sunday, June 12

MINISTER’S DEBUT, 11 a.m., WNC Baptist Fellowship Church, 312 Haywood Rd., Asheville Brother Eddie J. Tolbert will preach his initial sermon.

WORKSHOP, 2-4 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. A “TaDa Workshop” will be held, featuring Dr. Glen Walter and Captain Jake Greene. A love offering will be taken.

SEMINAR, 2-5 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, corner of Kanuga and Price roads, Hendersonville. The Academy of Peace is offering “The Power of Listening,” a program for those who are “listening-challenged” in three sessions. The first session was held June 5 and the last session will be held on June 19.

FELLOWSHIP SERVICE, 3:30 p.m., Beulah Chapel FBH Church, 102 S. French Broad Ave., Asheville. An old-time spirituals fellowship service will feature the Rev. Randolph Evans as the special guest.

PASTOR APPRECIATION PROGRAM, 4 p.m., Greater Works Church of God in Christ, 297 Haywood St., Asheville.The church will celebrate its third Pastoral Appreciation Service. Dr. John Grant, pastor of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist, will be the guest speaker.

Monday, June 13

BOOK DISCUSSION, 3 p.m., Unger Hall, Congreation Beth HaTephilia, 43 N. Liberty St., Asheville. The Sisterhood Book Review Club will discuss “Digging to America” by Anne Tyler.

Tuesday, June 14 TRUTH ON TAP, 6 p.m., The Thirsty Monk, Hendersonville Road in Gerber Village, Asheville. The Rev. Chad O’Shea will host a “pub chat” on matters spiritual and otherwise.

Wednesday, June 15 HEALER’S NIGHT, 7 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. A potpourri of mini-sessions will be offered by several of Unity’s healers. The evening may include massages, emotionalfreedomtechniques);myofascialtrigger point therapy; Reiki sessions; omega bodywork; therapeutictouch,amoleculeenhancermachine,or other treatments. The facilitator will be Sue Moll. A love offering to Unity will be taken.

Wednesday, June 22 HEALING WORKSHOP, 7 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. A program titled “The Missing Link to Healing” will be offered by author and healing facilitator Alice McCall. Attendees of the groundbreaking, practical workshop will learn what causes serious health issues and disease and how they can be healed naturally. McCall will explore the mind, emotion, and spiritual connection to the body, as well as diet and nutrition, the importance of sleep and more.

Afterward, there will be a question-and-answer session and a book signing. McCall’s’s book, “Wellness Wisdom,” highlights her personal journey in 2007 with breast cancer.

Friday, June 24 CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. A concert, “Roots & Wings,” with Katie O’Shea and Lytingale will be offered. Accompanied by Joanne Fisher and other friends, Katie and Lyte will perform a variety of solos and duets, including songs from Broadway, pop, jazz standards, classics and originals. Tickets are $12 paid in advance and $15 day-of-show.

Sunday, June 26 BENEFTI CONCERT, 5-7 p.m., Christ United Methodist Church, 81 Garrison Branch Rd., Weaverville. A free outdoor concert will feature Zoe Seed. Also, a free hot dog meal will be served.

Donations will be accepted for school supplies in the North Buncombe School District.

Tuesday, June 28 TRUTH ON TAP, 6 p.m., Mezzaluna restaurant, 226 N. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The Rev. Chad O’Shea will host a “pub chat” on matters spiritual and otherwise.

Wednesday, June 29 CONCERT, 7 p.m., Hominy Valley Singing Grounds, N.C. 151, Candler. The Primitives will perform in concert. Singing will be featured every night through July 4.

LABYRINTH WALK, 7 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. A labyrinth walk will be led by Sam Richardson. Participants will walk one a five-path labyrinth and discover the healing, magical power of this ancient energy pattern, placed on the ground for people to walk. A love offering will be taken.

Letters to the Editor Continued from Page 11 Once you find out the basic principles upon which it is founded, you might begin to realize that you too are the TEA Party.

If you believe that America is a great nation, you are the TEA Party!

If you believe in a strict adherence to our Constitution, you are the TEA Party!

If you believe that our rights are “endowed by our Creator”, you are the TEA Party!

If you believe in the 2nd Amendment as a guarantee of the individual’s right to keep and bear arms and that it has nothing to do with hunting, you are the TEA Party!

If you believe in private property rights and the sovereignty of the individual, you are the TEA Party!

If you believe in smaller, less intrusive federal, state and local government, less

business-killing regulations and lower taxes, you are the TEA Party!

If you believe that government spending at all levels is out of control and that we are on a collision course with economic disaster, you are the TEA Party!

If you believe that it is a parent’s right not the government’s to raise and educate your children, you are the TEA Party!

If you believe in securing our borders, you are the TEA Party!

If you believe in personal responsibility, you are the TEA Party!

As we gear up for what will arguably prove to be the most contentious and vital election in recent history, it is imperative that you educate yourselves on the issues, the candidates and WHO YOU ARE! BETH WALKER Bakersville, N.C.

14 - June 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

When you wish upon a Ringo Starr I’m 25, a singer in a band, and extremely motivated to make a career out of my music. In fact, I’m moving to L.A. this week for that purpose. I’ve been casually dating -- speedily dumping men who’ve gotten attached (not my fault, I make my intentions super-clear). I should be packing now, but I’m a mess.

Last week, I got beyond wasted with our drummer, and we slept together.

He’s a guy I always knew I could fall for, but since relationships aren’t my priority and he had a girlfriend until recently, I never gave him much thought.

The morning after, he gave me a quick platonic hug and made it pretty clear he had no interest in anything more. Now, despite my total career focus, I’m having these weird thoughts — like, if he asked me to stay and be with him, I probably would. I don’t even believe in marriage, but if he proposed now, there’s a good chance I’d say yes! Have I lost my mind?

— Unnerved It takes a rock off the planet Krypton to disable Superman. For you, it’s five Rolling Rocks and a drunken hookup. Suddenly, you’re dreaming of that “most important day of a girl’s life,” which, just hours before, involved pledging to spend the rest of your next five years wedded to Def Jam. While it must seem like aliens came down and swapped out your brain for Mrs. Cleaver’s, it’s possible that the culprit is the release, during sex, of oxytocin, a hormone nicknamed “the hug drug” and “the cuddle

The Advice Goddess Amy Alkon chemical.”

In “Why Women Have Sex,” psychologists Cindy Meston and David Buss explain, “Oxytocin release has been associated with emotional bonding and might explain why some women experience an intense feeling of connectedness with their partners following orgasm.” (“The biochemistry of attachment made me do it!”)

This might explain why it’s hard for many women to have casual sex. In men, testosterone slaps down the oxytocin, making it easier for them to roll over and be on to the next.

But, in a study by psychologist John Townsend, even women with every intention of humping and dumping some guy tended to end up feeling all cuddlywuddly and vulnerable in the morning. But, wait!

That isn’t you. In fact, you’ve left a trail of broken men in your wake. (“Sorry, boys, but they don’t call her Lady Gaga because she was hanging around her hometown making googly eyes at a string of aspiring Sir Gagas.”)

How does a cool customer like you go from wanting to hop the fast track to a Grammy to the fast track to becoming

somebody’s grammy?

Well, for starters, this guy wasn’t some groupie you could flick off like a bug. He was your bandmate, your equal, and a guy you “always knew you could fall for.” And maybe you had fallen for him but shoved your crush behind some amp somewhere because you were leaving and he had a girlfriend.

Now, with big scary life changes looming, maybe it’s tempting to find a reason to stay where you are. You need to decide who’s the boss here — your ambition or your feelings. It can’t be a democracy. One of them has to be queen.

If making it in music is still what you want, just pull yourself up by your bra straps and be that person you were before you rolled the drummer — probably the last person who’d remix “Go west!” into “Or…maybe I’ll just go nest.”

Aisle be embarrassing you

My best buddy’s about to propose to his girlfriend, and he’s running some pretty crazy ideas by me. Basically, he wants to propose big — do something public and outrageous. Am I wrong that this could be a bad idea?

— Crazy Dude’s Bud There are public people and then there are private people, like my boyfriend, who’d react to a surprise birthday party with the enthusiasm he’d have for a surprise prostate exam.

Sometimes, a guy who’s proposing gets so caught up in creating the spectacle of the century that he thinks of everything — everything but how it might go over with

his girlfriend.

Help your buddy out by asking him some questions — whether his girlfriend’s really the propose-apalooza type and whether they’ve at least had a conversation or two that crept up around the subject of marriage.

“Will you marry me?” is one of those questions a guy shouldn’t be asking unless he’s pretty sure he already knows the answer — especially when that answer will come while he’s kneeling in popcorn and beer before his girlfriend and 60,000 people watching on the JumboTron.

It will give him something to tell his grandchildren — as soon as they’re old enough to ask, “Grampy, who’s that crying lady who isn’t Grandma who’s running away from you in the YouTube video?”

• (c) 2010, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or e-mail AdviceAmy@aol. com (www.advicegoddess.com)

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