Asheville Daily Planet - July, 2011

Why do North Carolinians love pirates so much? • Pg. 10

July 2011

Vol. 7, No. 8

An Independent Newspaper Serving Greater Asheville

www.ashevilledailyplanet.com

FREE

WNC touted for leading N.C in renewable energy capacity From Staff Reports Western North Carolina leads the state in renewable energy capacity, speakers noted June 28 during a conference for green businesses in the Haynes Building at A-B Tech’s Enka campus.

In fact, as one program attendee confided afterward, the region has been called “the Saudi Arabia of biomass.”

The speakers cited the WNC’s status in a report from the nonprofit N.C. Sustainable Energy Association’s newly released 2011 North Carolina Clean Energy Data Book, which is billed as the first comprehensive guide to the state’s clean energy economy.

The findings were based on WNC’s strength in capacity for hydroelectric power, solar and wind power. The report also found the 31-county AdvantageWest region ranks highly among the seven economic development regions in the number of energy-efficient homebuilders and in the number of renewable energy systems.

The June 28 program, which lasted 90 minutes and focused on evolving clean energy trends, drew about 40 people.

A short question-and-answer period followed each of the presentations. The event was hosted by the NCSEA and the WNC Clean Energy Economy Project.

See RENEWABLE, Page 15

Tailgate Market makes lively debut

The grand opening of the Montford Tailgate Market on June 22 also featured a band — the Sugarfoot Serenaders of Asheville, billed as offering jazzy variety

Daily Planet Staff Photo

and fun. The band members (from left) are Sparrow Pants, Meshell, Sadye. Dsterloh and drummer Patrick Kukucka. The market is open 2-6 p.m. Wednesdays.

How to survive in a crisis?

Insider tips offered at preparedness seminar

Photo courtesy of Audrey Goforth

Motown era given soulful musical salute

Sidney Barnes (foreground) croons a ballad during “The Music of Motown” show on the Fourth of July at Flat Rock Playhouse’s Music on the Rock concert series. In the background, performing quintessential Motown choreography are singers Zonya Love and Trista Dollison. A review of the performance appears on Page 5.

By JOHN NORTH CLYDE — Whether there is an apocalyptic event striking the nation or world, or weather emergencies and other natural disasters that seem to be on the rise, it is intelligent to be prepared, a number of speakers said during a seminar June 18 at Haywood Community College.

The day-long seminar, titled “Sensible Mountain Preparedness,” drew about 700 “preppers,” as they call themselves. Ironically, a strong thunderstorm blew through the area around mid-afternoon, but the program — in the spirit of the occasion — went on, albeit with a brief flickering of lights, as the crack of thunder outside was audible even inside HCC’s auditorium.

In general, the speakers said everyone should have an emergency kit — also known as a bug-out bag, an emergency plan, a network of friends who are prepared to work together under the aforementioned plan, a dwelling on land that is strategically located for easy defense, equipped to operate off-the-grid and with water running through it, weapons and ammunition, and provisions to survive on during a catastrophe.

Several of the speakers ranked emergency needs — in order — as water, food, shelter and some weapons.

The keynote speaker was Dr. William Forstchen, author of the New York Times bestseller “One Second After” and a history Bill Forstchen professor at Montreat College. Forstchen focused on EMPs (electromagnetic pulses), which can be caused by solar flares or by a terrorist attack. He received a standing ovation after his program, which included a 25-minute talk and 35 minutes of fielding questions from the crowd.

(Besides frequent references to “One Second After” throughout the seminar, one other book also received many positive mentions from the speakers — “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse”

by James Wesley, Rawles.)

See PREPAREDNESS, Page 6

2 —July 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

Asheville Daily Planet — July 2011 — 3

4 - July 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

Preparedness Continued from Page 1 Other seminar speakers included Asheville’s Ryan Croft, who spoke separately on “How Do I Begin?” and “Weapons;” Haywood County’s John Swain, who addressed “Communications” with an emphasis on ham radio operations; “Water” by Engineer775; “Food Storage” by MadMick15; “Sanitation” by Southernprepper1, “Retreat Design” by Engineer775; “Disaster Security” by southernprepper1; and “Neighborhood Security” by Dr. Dan Eichenbaum.

Several of the aforementioned speakers sought to remain anonymous, so they used only their YouTube names.

Out in the lobby, several vendors,including, among others, Carolina Readiness Supply of Waynesville and Old Grouch’s Military Surplus of Clyde, offered an array of items, including camping supplies, tactical gear, freeze dried foods, water purifiers, oil lamps, first-aid kits and more.

On a political note, also present in the lobby with a table were representatives of the Lawful State Citizenship, which held a meeting for interested “preppers” after the seminar at Shoney’s in Clyde. The group claims that North Carolina’s sovereignty, like that of other states, has been overthrown by the federal government. An LSC brochure said the group seeks the lawful reestablishment of the state of North Carolina in “a peaceful, counter-revolution against the congressional revolution of nationalized citizenship.”

The event was organized by Bill and Jan Sterrett at Carolina Readiness Supply.

Forstchen, the keynote speaker gave the first talk, noting that he planned to speak for five or 10 minutes and then “open it up to discussion and questions” for the remainder of his hour-long appearance.

“I can always start and finish with Abraham Lincoln,” he said.

He then quoted from a speech given during what Forstchen termed “the darkest days of the Civil War” in which Lincoln stated, “The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise high with the occasion” Forstchen expressed concern about future generations of Americans, noting that “today, so much of this is not about us, but how well we’ll leave” for those who follow.

Next, he referred to former GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich, with whom he Forstchen has co-written books as “one of the most brilliant persons I’ve worked with in my life. I will say he’s the only candidate talking about the EMP,” which results from an explosion (usually from the detonation of a nuclear weapon) and/or a suddenly fluctuating magnetic field. The resulting rapidly changing electric fields or magnetic fields may couple with electrical/ electronic systems to produce damaging current and voltage surges.

He said Gingrich once told him, “Bill, the problem with the issue of the EMP is there is no (significant) constituency” to which to pitch it for votes.

Forstchen told of Congress recently passing a law, outlawing the ownership of chimpanzees. “That bill got passed after a woman’s face was destroyed” by a chimpanzee.”

After researching the threat of EMPs and conferring with military officials, he told of driving back to Black Mountain at 1 a.m., thinking of the possible grim future for his then-14-year-old daughter. “I burst into tears. And, yes, I poured myself a glass of Scotch.”

Forstchen then asked, “How many of you were living here when the two hurricanes crisscrossed over the area in 2004?”

A number of hands were raised. “I watched my father die,” as a result of the loss of electricity to keep the respirators going. He noted that at least five deaths recently in Joplin, Mo., resulted from the loss of electricity, wherein vital medical equipment failed.

He told of basing the two young girls in his book off his daughter, adding that “most of the characters” in “One Second After” are “real people in Black Mountain. I changed the names so I wouldn’t get sued.”

“The only character I changed was the police chief, who I used as a foil.” He praised Black Mountain’s real police chief for as a true professional.

If an EMP exploded, “90 percent of all Americans would die within a year or two,” he said. In research for his book, Forstchen said he asked experts around Black

Mountain, “What happens to people when their medications run out? So many people said, ‘I don’t know.’ Many people broke into tears.”

Besides his references to EMPs, Forstchen also referred to CNPs, which he termed solar-created events — another threat mentioned in his book.

“The book came out and, much to everyone’s surprise, it became a bestseller.”

With a laugh, he added that, “incidentally, for the Town of Black Mountain, tourism went up.”

Later, he addressed NASA about his book, Forstchen said, adding, “I asked anyone to tell me if they think I’m crazy ... I heard more than one (NASA official) say, ‘This is not a question of if, but when,” insofar as the possibility of an EMP explosion is concerned.

To that end, he said, “North Korea said this week it’s been successful in inventing a nuclear military weapon” and Iran is

saying it “can send a nuclear weapon off a container ship.”

At a scholarly event, Forstchen said he had experts estimating generating capacity, after an EMP event. They projected that “80 percent would still be off-line five years later. Guess who makes the parts” for America’s equipment? China.”

Since China is, to some degree, an adversary of the United States, Forstchen said it would be slow in offering help with spare parts.” He contrasted the scenario to that of the U.S. during World War II, when American manufacturers made most of the spare parts needed domestically. He also pointed out the “just-in-time” manufacturing plan.

“It’s as if we have to go to war with Japan in 1940 — and someone said, “the only problem is we get all of our spare parts from Japan.”

Continued on Page 5

Preparedness Continued from Page 4 “Didn’t (Hurricane) Katrina teach us that sitting on the roof after Katrina with a sign saying, ‘Help me’ is not going to help any more.”

In contrast to the citizenry looking for help from the government, Forstchen said, “In Joplin, Mo., people weren’t sitting in lawn chairs with signs saying, ‘FEMA, I’m here.’ By the way, why is it FEMA is buying up all the food supplies — and it’s not in the news? You’re the answer. It’s ‘We the People.’”

As for preparedness, he said, “Don’t wait for them (the government). It’s us. I think about that every day.”

He completed his 25-minute talk with the following quote from Lincoln: “The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation.”

To Lincoln’s words, Forstchen added, “We’ve been given a legacy that dates back to Lexington ... We owe everything to those who lost their lives” so that Americans today can be free. “We bear that responsibility. Also, that we pass onto the next generation” the legacy.

In a 35-minute question-and-answer that followed, the first questioner addressed him as “Dr. Forstchen,” to which he promptly said, “It’s Bill, please.” The man then asked what his scenario is for “a real post-EMP.” “We’re not sure,” Forstchen replied. He then called on an unidentified man, who was cited as an expert in the field. The man said that “a real Faraday bag is the only way to ensure protection of your (electronic) equipment.” Otherwise, he noted, “Anything solid-state, other than digital watches, won’t work. Your two-way radio will be a crispy critter.”

A woman asked, “How did you approach your research” for “One Second After”?

How did you come about how people would respond” to an EMP attack?

“I’m a military historian,” Forstchen said. As such, he drew upon documented historical accounts of past crises. For instance, he noted, “The Soviets admitted that there was some social breakdown in Leningrad during World War II. There was some cannibalism ... They were putting sawdust into food — 40 percent of food was wood pulp. Those who were able to defend the place were given full rations.”

Others, who were in weak condition, were given limited rations, he said.

Continuing, Forstchen said, “Russia, China fell into brutality within days” of societal collapse.

The author asked, rhetorically, “At what point does a group fragment? It’s not all that big” of a window. To avoid fragmentation, “it requires leadership.”

On Dec. 8, 1941, “people heard a voice of reassurance, gathered around the radio” in homes across America. “Look at what (Sir) Winston Churchill said, after the loss at Dunkirk. He said, ‘We’ll never surrender.’”

In contrast, in America today, when disaster strikes, “Now, there is just total silence.”

Another man asked if Forstchen feared that the government would try to confiscate the goods of the preppers.

“If the authorities tried to take over ...

I hope they’d realize that people who are prepared are actually a resource.”

A man asked, “What is the military going to do if we have an EMP?” “I was at the War College last year,” Forstchen said. “I was the guy raising sociological and moral questions.” He said he asked the group of officers if the military bases in the U.S. could be used as “islands of recovery” for the civilian populace, fol-

Asheville Daily Planet — July 2011 - 5 about this.’ I said, ‘Well, you’d better.’ We’re not talking about Afghanistan ... We’re talking about your neighbor’s baby.”

Someone asked Forstchen about how one gets a community plan in place. “What’s the blueprint?”

“Don’t make me think about that,” Forstchen replied.

“A community plan — isn’t that what we’re doing right now?”

The next speaker, Croft, an Asheville-based preparedness expert, addressed, “How Do I Begin?” He started his presentation by noting that “I’m not going to be much comfort to you.

I’m a wet blanket.

How many of you have a year’s food storage?” A number of hands went up, prompting Croft to assert, “That’s way higher than normal” in American society, but perhaps what he would expect from Carolina Readiness Supply's J.D. Bradley reviews the con- an audience of “preppers.” tents of a grab-and-go bag.

“Our dollar is gone,” Croft said, lowing an EMP attack. noting that the SDRs (Special Drawing “The bureaucratic thing kicked in.” I Rights) are one alternative to replace the noted that “you do know, the food supply dollar and “when that happens, the dollar is going to run down. Let’s say it’s Day is gone. It will be worth 8 cents.” (The 14 and there are a couple thousand people SDRs are supplementary foreign exchange outside the gate. And they’re not trying to reserve assets defined and maintained by get in — they’re holding up their babies, saying, ‘Just take my baby ... Will you take the International Monetary Fund. It is, however, not a currency.) my baby and I’ll go away.’”

“We have a normalcy bias — an aver“One officer said, ‘I don’t want to think

sion to breaking our habits. On a macro level, Croft said there are two strategies in preparedness, including offensive, including politics, legal action and education; and defensive — preparedness, communication and confrontation.

From the federal government’s perspective, Western North Carolina is a top tourism area, making it “one of the nation’s top Tier Five regions, Croft said. “That’s good and bad ... On the good side, they’re not coming for you” in a major nationwide emergency. “On the bad side, they’re not coming for you.” He projected that in such a catastrophe, WNC might get about 100,000 troops and some United Nations Peacekeepers. “If anyone (in WNC) gets any assistance, it’ll be Asheville.”

Therefore, Croft said, “We must have immediate plans to shore up your own household” and be able to help others, too.

“For every one person you feed, it equals 10 people you don’t have to face in violent confrontation.” He said that help to one person equals “giving up one day of your life,” adding that “if you barter well during a crisis, it creates a ripple effect.”

What’s more, Croft said, “If you’re not able to feed other people, you’ll become an immediate, aggressive target.”

He said a lot of crisis preparation consists of lists and that there are many good lists readily available, “so I’ll skip that” and spent the remainder of his presentation reviewing tactical considerations, including housing, food, water and equipment.

For those on medications, he suggested working with one’s physician to store up a year of vital drugs. As for food, if the going gets tough, Croft said, “You can live on (eating) mice. There’s a way to prepare them, so they’re not so bad.”

As for weapons, Croft quoted what he termed the U.S. Marine Corps philosophy on the use of arms, “The purpose of a handgun ... is to get you to a rifle.”

Based on requirements including standardization of type, reliability, accuracy and simplicity, Croft’s recommended rifles as the AR-15, followed by the AK-47. In handguns, he recommended the M1911, followed by the Glock.

6 —July 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

Redistricting plan ripped in Asheville From STAFF REPORTS Mostly opposition was expressed July 7 in Asheville to a controversial congressional redistricting proposal during a six-hour public hearing conducted by North Carolina’s Joint House-Senate Committee at multiple sites around the states, including at A-B Tech’s Ferguson Auditorium in Asheville.

Other area sites included Western North Carolina University in Cullowhee and Appalachian State University in Boone.

The proposed districts shift the central and southeastern part of Buncombe — including most of Asheville — into the 10th District, which is represented by Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry. Maps showing state House and Senate districts will be released July 11, with a public hearing set for July 18.

Between 5 and 6 p.m., an average of about 60 people gathered in Ferguson Auditorium either to speak or listen. Midway through the hearing, committee officials said about 124 people had signed the visitor’s register. Each speaker was limited to five minutes.

Following the hearing, the legislature will collect comments and accept amendments on the maps. It will probably vote on a plan late this summer or fall.

Meanwhile, Democratic leaders have said they will challenge the plan in court in what is expected to be a lengthy process.

Among the many Asheville residents addressing the commission were Montford resident Lael Gray and Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell.

Gray asked the legislature to return all of Buncombe County, including Asheville, to the 11th district. “If you refuse to follow the will of the people, your rampage of bad policy will be short-lived,” she warned, prompting loud applause from the Asheville audience.

Meanwhile, Bothwell, who is running for the Democratic nomination for the seat held by Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, said, “I am here to protest the

TO REPORT AN ERROR

The Asheville Daily Planet strives to be accurate in all articles published. Contact the News Department at news@ashevilledailyplanet.com, (828) 252-6565, or P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, N.C. 28814-8490.

Because of incorrect information provided to the newspaper, the Daily Planet incorrectly specified — in a photo caption in last month’s edition — the dance for which Hendersonville’s Karen Workman (above right) won top honors.

It should have said that she won the Jack and Jill shag dance competition (where one’s partner is assigned on the spot) at the Grand National Dance on Memorial Day weekend in Atlanta, Ga. Workman, a past president of the Mountain Shag Club, teaches West Coast Swing with Roger Carr (above left) on Monday nights at the Bosco’s 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.

exclusion of Asheville from the 11th Congressional District.

“Carving Asheville out of the 11th District is completely irrational. It has been proposed by Republican legislators in Raleigh who apparently believe the world is as flat as the maps they have drawn.”

Bothwell said that Asheville is the economic hub, medical center, legal nexus, banking and business core of an area that is linked together by the French Broad River.

He added, “The Raleigh Republicans can pat themselves on the back, believing that their cookie-cutter tomfoolery is long-deserved payback for past Democratic sins, but what they’re doing is showing us that all they care about is power — not the people of the state. They are exhibiting a cynical attitude toward voters, assuming that we are simply pawns who can be counted on to ignore what goes on in Raleigh and reliably cast our votes in line with past voting patterns.”

In concluding, Bothwell asserted, “I feel that challenging these maps constitutes an absolute obligation to my constituents as an Asheville City Council member.” Bothwell’s speech was greeted with thundering applause from the audience — and some cheering.

At other sites, a number of conservatives and Republicans spoke in favor of the plan, while several African-Americans charged that the redistricting was racist because it concentrated black voters in a few districts, marginalizing them.

Controlling both chambers of the state legislature for the first time in 140 years, the Republican leadership released the maps recently. Under the plan, southeastern Buncombe and much of left-leaning Asheville are placed in the conservative 10th District, which includes Piedmont towns such as Gastonia.

Rep. Tim Moffitt, R-Buncombe, a member of the Joint House and Senate Redistricting Committee, said he opposes the plan because it separates Asheville from its surrounding mountain community.

Write a Letter to the Editor

The Asheville Daily Planet print letters to the editor, preferably less than 150 words in length. All letters must be signed and include a daytime telephone number for confirmation purposes only.

Send your opinions to Asheville Daily Planet, P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, N.C. 28814-8490 or e-mail them to letters@

AshevilleDailyPlanet.com.

Asheville angler catches big ones

Asheville businessman, John Maltry caught several red snappers in the 15- to 20-pound range in mid-June. “Fishing was great and the water was clear,” he wrote to the Daily Planet. The fish were caught 20 miles off the coast of Playa Barqueta in the Chiriquí region of Panama.

Asheville Daily Planet — July 2011 - 7 The Heart of Downtown Asheville...

Photo courtesy of Audrey Goforth

From left are singers Zonya Love, Trista Dollison and Sidney Barnes, backed up by the house band, in “The Music of Motown,” which recently was performed in Flat Rock Playhouse’s Music on the Rock concert series.

‘Music of Motown’ show sizzles like a ‘Heat Wave’

By JOHN NORTH FLAT ROCK — From the opener — “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” — to the show’s end, “The Music of Motown” revue literally had the floorboards shaking and the delighted audience dancing in the aisles during the last performance on July 5 on the Second Stage at Flat Rock Playhouse.

Motown alumnus Sidney Barnes, who noted that Marvin Gaye once sang second baritone in his high school band, variously crooned and wailed the lead with style and grace, shared tidbits of Motown history and his own memories of the iconic record label.

He also showed his natural showmanship by cutting up with backup singers Trista Dollison and Zonya Love — and the crowd..

Barnes, who now lives in the Leicester community of Buncombe County, also played a mean tambourine, effectively accentuating the backbeat.

Dollison and Love added dead-on harmonies and occasionally gave Barnes, 70, a breather by rotating as leads on a number of songs. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, they fancy-stepped, shimmied and undulated like snakes on stage, demonstrating quintessential Motown precision choreography. The women also appeared to get much pleasure from taking turns teasing Barnes, especially about his age.

A seven-piece band backed up the singing trio, swinging and swaying with the music. The talented band members were not just going through the motions, as they appeared to be getting a blast out of playing the music and to share a deep appreciation for it.

“We’re going to bring back musical memories,” Barnes told the packed house of about 100 people at the beginning of the show.

He then said that, “once upon a time in the early ‘60s in Detroit, Mich., a man

Review

named Barry Gordy” was writing hit songs, such as “Reet Petite (The Finest Girl You Ever Want to Meet)” and “To Be Loved,” both sung by soul legend Jackie Wilson.

However, Barnes said that Gordy was told that if he wanted to make big money, he would need to start his own record label.

“So he borrowed $800 from his Daddy and that’s how Motown got started. And one of the first kids who came in (to audition at the new label) was Smokey Robinson.”

Barnes asserted that Robinson’s “very first recording was a million-seller, ‘Shop Around,’ and it got Motown off the ground.”

The trio then launched into what Barnes termed the “second hit” from Motown, “Please Mr. Postman” by the Marvelettes, as Dollison electrified the stage with her stellar lead on the dramatic song.

Next, they sang a medley of Four Tops’ songs, including “It’s the Same Old Song,” “Baby, I Need Your Loving” and “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” after which the crowd applauded so enthusiastically that Dollison felt compelled to gush with wonder, “You guys like The Four Tops!”

Barnes crooned Robinson’s sexy “Ooh, Baby, Baby,” and the audience cheered.

Sensing the spirit around him, he said, “Love is the biggest power in the world.”

Other performances before intermission included a Stevie Wonder medley by Barnes, a stirring rendition of Martha and the Vandellas’ “Jimmy Mack” and The Contours’ “Do You Love Me?” In the second half, the trio began by tackling Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “Mercy, Mercy Me” and then the song that some say was Motown’s greatest, “What’s Going On,” sung movingly by Dollison. The trio finished its Gaye segment

with “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You.” Taking the romantic theme even farther, they sang Mary Wells’ “My Guy,” followed

by The Temptations’ “My Girl,” with much vamping by both of the female singers. The crowd laughed and swayed to these songs.

Next was the Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back,” with a stellar effort by Dollinson, followed by perhaps the best performance of the night — Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s call-and-response “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” featuring Barnes and Love. The duo was so good that the crowd started cheering in the middle of the song.

The show wrapped up with a Supremes medley and a nearly show-stopping version of Martha and the Vandellas’ “Heat Wave”

by Dollison. After receiving a standing ovation, the trio performed The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love” as an encore.

8 - July 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

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, July 7 BOOK DISCUSSION, 7 p.m., Battery Park Book Exchange, Grove Arcade, downtown Asheville.

The inaugural meeting of Book Discussion X will feature a discussion of Kevin Brockmeier’s novel, “The Illumination.” Rob Neufel, book reviewer for the Asheville Citizen-Times, will host the event.

MEDITATION PROGRAM, 7 p.m., Dhyan Mandir, Fairview. Sri Sri Sri Shivabalayogi Maharaj will offer a free meditation . Swamiji is billed as a true Yogi whose mission is to bring people of all faiths into meditiation.

CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain. The Honeycutters 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, July 8 TEA TIME SOCIAL, 6 p.m., Province 620 Restaurant, 620 Hendersonville Rd., Asheville. The Asheville Tea Party will hold its weekly Tea Time Social. Those interested are invited to attend.

FILM, 6:45-8:30 p.m., Sandburg Hall, Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville, 1 Edwin

Place, Asheville. The UU Social Justice Team will present the Summertime Family Movie Night feature, “The Lorax.” The plot tells of the earliest environmentalists, the Lorax, which strive to save the truffula trees from destruction by the OnceLer, who relentlessly aims to capitalize on the trees in this film adaptation of the Dr. Seuss tale.

The 52-minute movie stars Bob Holt and Eddie Albert. After the screening, a discussion will be held. Admission is free.

AUTHOR’S READING, 7 p.m., Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, 55 Haywood St., downtown Asheville. Historian John Milliken Thompson will read from his debut dark Southern mystery, “The Reservoir.”

MEDITATION PROGRAM, 7 p.m., Jubilee Community Church, Wall Street, Asheville. Sri Sri Sri Shivabalayogi Maharaj will offer a free meditation . Swamiji is billed as a true Yogi whose mission is to bring people of all faiths into meditiation.

CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., Visitors Information Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. Tom Brown, One Man Band (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, July 9 STAMP/POSTCARD SHOW, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Comfort Suites, 890 Brevard Rd., Asheville. The Blue Ridge Summer 2011 Stamp & Postcard Show will be held over two days. The show will conclude from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 10.

STORYTELLING CONCERT, 10:30 a.m., Rhino Courtyard, Pack Place, downtown Asheville.

Michael Reno Harrell will perform in the free “Appalachian Mark Twain” in the Stories on Asheville’s Front Porch series.

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

SHINDIG ON THE GREEN, 7-10 p.m., Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville. Shindig on the Green will feature live performances by local bluegrass and old-time music bands.

CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., WNC Agricultural Center, 1301 Fanning Bridge Road, Fletcher. Jackass Flats and Kentucky Head Hunters will perform.

For tickets, which are $7 for adults at the gate and free for age 12 and under, call.894-8846 or visit http://www.ribfests.com or jackass-flats. com.

Thursday, July 14

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.

CONCERT, 8 p.m., Flat Rock Playhouse, 2261 Greenville Hwy., Flat Rock. “The Songs of Joni Mitchell and James Taylor: Unplugged” will be presented as part of the Music on the Rock concert series. For tickets, which are $22, call 693-0731.

AUTHOR’S LUNCHEON TALK, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Homewood mansion, 19 Zillicoa St., off Montford Avenue, Asheville. The Friends of Madison County Library will host its seventh author luncheon. The keynote speaker will be Georgiabased writer, Karen White, author of “Learning to Breathe,” “The Memory of Water” and other books. Her latest book is “The Beach Trees. Proceeds will support the library’s summer reading program. For tickets, which are $35 and include the luncheon, silent auction, book-signing and door prizes, call the library at 649-3741.

CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain. Bayou Diesel 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.

Monday, July 11

Friday, July 15

Sunday, July 10

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.

Tuesday, July 12 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., July 13 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.

NUCLEAR WASTE PROTEST RALLY, 4 p.m., Pritchard Park, downtown Asheville. A “Day of Action on Nuclear Waste” rally will feature speakers and a march to the U.S. Federal Building to rally at Otis and Patten Avenue. The message will be to keep high-level radioactive waste at the nuclear plants, where it is made, instead of shipping it through these mountains.

DOWNTOWN AFTER FIVE, 5:15-9 p.m., North Lexington Avenue, near I-240 overpass, downtown Asheville. Aaron Wood will open and the Jonathan Scale Fourchestra will perform during the gala that features live music and refreshments.

TEA TIME SOCIAL, 6 p.m., Province 620 Restaurant, 620 Hendersonville Rd., Asheville. The Asheville Tea Party will hold its weekly Tea Time Social.Those interested are invited to attend.

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

Special Edition (oldies rock) will perform in the free 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.

See CALENDAR, Page 9

Calendar

Continued from Page 8

Saturday, July 16 HOP YARD TOUR, 9-11 a.m., Mountain Horticultural Crops Reseach Station, 74 Research Drive, off Old Fanning Bridge Road, Mills River.

The event is scheduled to take place regardless of weather and costs $2 per person to see a model hop yard and 10 varieties of hops.

AUTHOR’S PRESENTATION, 5 p.m., Firestorm Café & Books, downtown Asheville. The book “Work, Capitalism, Economics, Resistance” by Criemethnic will be presented. Afterward, a discusion will be held with the contributors.

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

SHINDIG ON THE GREEN, 7-10 p.m., Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville. Shindig on the Green will feature live performances by local bluegrass and old-time music bands.

CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Hayes Center, Blowing Rock. The international touring troupe for the U.S. military, the USO Liberty Bells, will perform a concert of patriotic, big-band, Broadway and World II-era favorites. A portion of the proceeds will benefit USO programs for deployed military service members. For tickets, which are $30 to $50, call 295-9627, or visit www.HayesCenter.org.

Sunday, July 17 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.

ETHICAL MEETING, 2-3:30 p.m., Botanical Gardens Visitor Center, 151 W.T. Weaver Blvd., Asheville. “The YMI — It’s History, Significance and Present Programs” will be presented by Dan Johnson. The YMI Cultural Center is billed as having a rich history, having been built in 1892 and listed on the Historical Register. There will be a discussion period following the presentation.

Monday, July 18 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.

Tuesday, July 19 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., July 20 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, July 21 CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain. The Business 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.

Friday, July 22 TEA TIME SOCIAL, 6 p.m., Province 620 Restaurant, 620 Hendersonville Rd., Asheville. The Asheville Tea Party will hold its weekly Tea Time Social. Those interested are invited to attend.

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

Special Edition (oldies rock) will perform in the free 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.

Asheville Daily Planet — July 2011 — 9

Saturday, July 23 CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., park in front of Hickory Tavern, Biltmore Park, Asheville. Dashboard Blue will perform in a free outdoor concert.

SHINDIG ON THE GREEN, 7-10 p.m., Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville. Shindig on the Green will feature live performances by local bluegrass and old-time music bands.

CONCERT, 8 p.m., Diana Wortham Theatre, Pack Place, Pack Square, downtown Asheville.

The Kate Davis Trio will perform jazz music.

Sunday, July 24 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, July 25 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.

Tuesday, July 26 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.

FILM, 7 p.m., Flat Rock Playhouse, 2261 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock. The Friends of Carl Sandburg in at Connemara is hosting a premiere showing of the life of Carl Sandburg titled “The Day Carl Sandburg Died.” The event will begin with a reception, with the film screening at 8 p.m. A brief question-and-answer session, led by filmmaker Paul Bonesteel, will conclude the evening. For tickets, which are $15 for adults and $10 for students, call 693-0731.

Wed., July 27 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, July 28 CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain.NuevoMontunowillperforminthePark 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.

Friday, July 29 TEA TIME SOCIAL, 6 p.m., Province 620 Restaurant, 620 Hendersonville Rd., Asheville. The Asheville Tea Party will hold its weekly Tea Time Social. Those interested are invited to attend.

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

The Nightcrawlers (classic 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.

Saturday, July 30 MONTE CARLO NIGHT, 6:30-10 p.m., Kenmure Country Club, Flat Rock. The fourth annual Monte Carlo Night fundraiser will benefit the clients of Blue Ridge Literacy Council and Vocational Solutions. It is billed as a night of fun, food (hors d’oeuvres) and gaming (blackjack, craps, poker and roulette). Coats are required, but ties are optional. For tickets, which are $75, call 696-3811.

CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., park in front of Hickory Tavern, Biltmore Park, Asheville. Hank Bones and Jon Crobin will perform what is billed as “hot swing guitar” in a free outdoor concert.

SHINDIG ON THE GREEN, 7-10 p.m., Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville. Shindig on the Green will feature live performances by local bluegrass and old-time music bands.

10 - July 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

Daily Planet’s Opinion Council race needs candidates An election is looming for three of the seven seats open on Asheville City Council and interest, thusfar, appears to be lackluster — to say the least.

As of July 5, only two people have filed for the posts — incumbent Bill Russell and challenger Marc Hunt.

The latter is a long-time chairman of the greenways commission.

Meanwhile, the other two incumbents, Vice Mayor Brownie Newman and Councilman Jan Davis, have said they are unsure whether they will seek re-election. Both have noted that the four-year terms constitute a significant time commitment.

With filing ending July 15 at the Buncombe County Elections Services, it is critically important that qualified citizens step forward and declare their candidacy because the city is facing many tough challenges in the future.

There are two other newcomers expected to file, including Mark Cates, a

small business consultant; and Chris Pelly, president of the Haw Creek Community Association.

The interest level this year is minuscule compared to 2009, when 12 candidates vied for four seats, including the mayor’s office; and 2007, when 15 people sought seats on council.

The recent record appears to have been in 1983, when 22 candidates ran for council seats in Asheville.

Some political observers have sagely suggested that the disinterest may be the result of a poor economy, — and the state General Assembly’s exercising ever-increasing control over local issues, and thereby causing local citizens to feel that council does not wield much power.

In our view, Asheville is the jewel in the crown of North Carolina — and needs the best leadership possible. We encourage interested citizens to file, so that voters have a choice in who leads this eclectic city into the future.

Why North Carolinians love pirates so much CHAPEL HILL — Pirates in North Carolina again?

Yes, we remember Black Beard. Most authorities now agree that the shipwreck we thought was Black Beard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge is just that. The big news about the recovery of the ship’s anchor has us talking about pirates again.

The new “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie, although not as big a hit as its predecessors, brought the world’s attention to pirate mythology again.

At East Carolina University, the Pirates nickname for its athletic teams makes all ECU fans justifiably proud of their pirate heritage. It is the same thing for many North Carolina high schools that have adopted this popular nickname.

But, when we are pushed to explain why we are so enthusiastically romantic about pirates and their mythology, we begin to stutter.

It is difficult to explain why we would want to tie ourselves so closely to a group of ruthless, brutal, selfish thieves. These are not the kinds of people we ordinarily would claim for our own.

We simply do not have a good explanation for our love of pirates.

Three new books might help us as we struggle to understand our identification with pirates.

First, there is “Sir Walter Raleigh: In Life & Legend,” a biography by Mark Nicholls and Penry Williams. As noted in an earlier column, this book teaches us that Sir Walter’s colonizing efforts on our coast were originally intended to be used as a big base to support the business of capturing Spanish ships carrying South American gold to Spain.

Queen Elizabeth authorized and encouraged such privateering. But there was a thin line between privateering and piracy. So you could say, and not be far from the mark, that North Carolina’s close association with pirates began with the earliest European contact with our land.

Second, “The Jefferson Key,” a thriller

by Steve Berry and already a New York Times bestseller, is based on the premise that privateers helped win the Revolutionary War for George Washington by disrupting British commercial shipping. That is at least partially true.

In the book, which is fiction, Washington

D.G. Martin was so grateful for the service of the privateers that he gave several North Carolina families the right to attack and seize the commerce of America’s enemies in perpetuity. These fictional families, led by a complicated man named Quentin Hale, live on posh estates near Bath.

Even more disturbing, when Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and Kennedy tried to limit their perpetual authority to engage in privateering, these North Carolina families arranged for their assassinations.

Thirdly, Michael Parker’s novel, “The Watery Part of the World,” set on the Outer Banks, opens in 1812 when a group of landbased North Carolina pirates seize a grounded schooner carrying Theodosia Burr Alston, daughter of former Vice President Aaron Burr and wife of the governor of South Carolina.

In this story, the pirates butcher most of the crew and passengers. Theodosia survives only to find herself in a community of pirates run by a terroristic dictator. Without apology, these thieves draw to the shore where they will run aground. They attach a lantern to the neck of an old horse and walk it up and down the beach. At night the bobbing light looks like another ship sailing in a safe area. Nags Head gets its name from this activity.

Michael Parker’s fictional land-based pirates on the Outer Banks are as evil and brutal a bunch as you could ever imagine. His book is a wonderful read and a great adventure story. But I hope that the cruelty of our pirate forebears on the Outer Banks is exaggerated.

Put on your eye patches, wear those funny hats, and hold on to your plastic swords - we North Carolinians are going to be pirates to the end.

• 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 Tea Party termed a blip on history’s radar screen

When I read the letter in your June Daily Planet, ”Despite Smears, Tea Party termed true U.S. patriots,” the image that came to mind was the opening of “Gone with the Wind.”

All those boys whooping and jumping over rose bushes, everybody sure that one gentleman could whip 20 yankees. The fervor of a new movement …and ideas that can’t survive.

The letter is a recruiting tool for the Tea Party, and the writer does it well. She lists 10 Tea Party beliefs, using the frame, “If you believe X, you are the Tea Party” – something like Jeff Foxworthy uses in comedy.

As I read down the list, I nodded “yes” on six items, two others got a “yes but,” and two got a “Say what?“ I said, Yes, I love America, I believe in secure borders, personal responsibility, private property, and that the country is on a collision course with economic disaster.

I believe that “our rights are endowed by our Creator” is the spiritual rock of our democracy.

But here the Tea Party goes quirky. The words are everyday English, but the meanings behind the words aren’t everyday.

They’re in-group jargon, “keywords” that are only understood in the context of an ideology.

The words and phrases of their creed have private definitions. For example, I said “yes” to “personal responsibility” because I believe everybody should own up to their mistakes and not blame others. But we’ve all heard Republicans (not necessarily Tea Partiers) using “personal responsibility” as an anti-welfare line.

And the Tea Party’s pet problems have in-group solutions. When the Tea Party talks about “a collision course with economic disaster,” we’ve all seen what that means in Congress. It means absolutely no new revenue of any kind.

And what the heck does this mean: “It’s

the parent’s right — not the government’s — to raise and educate your children”?

Do they envision a society without public schools and child protective services?

Yoiks!

This is where the Tea Party will crash.

The letter-writer’s list shows the movement’s shallowness.

They’re tree-cutters, not forest-planters.

They’re slogan-mongers; they have no coherent plan for a sound national future.

I’m reminded of Rhett Butler’s words as he observed the war euphoria: “It’s hard to win a war with words. All we’ve got is cotton and slaves and arrogance.”

The Tea Party will go the way of so many similar movements before them. The anti-immigrant Know-Nothing movement of the mid-19th century elected mayors and governors across the country in 1854, but then fell apart on the issues of slavery and prohibition.

The Tea Party will drag down the Republicans in 2012, their funding from shadowy billionaires will stop because they’ve served their usefulness, and they will disappear.

They will get a paragraph in history because of the 2010 election.

LEE BALLARD Mars Hill

Eichenbaum condemns bogus Twitter account

Late Tuesday afternoon (June 14), I spoke with Jeff Miller to assure him I had absolutely no knowledge of, nor would I EVER condone such a reprehensible and heinous act (regarding a Twitter account that was launched in his name) as was perpetrated against him.

He indicated to me that he was dropping the matter and asked me to respect his decision.

DR. DAN EICHENBAUM Murphy EDITOR’S NOTE: Eichenbaum finished second to Miller in the race for the Republican nomination to face U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville.

Continued on Page 11

The Candid Conservative

It’s foolish not to be judgmental One of the favorite manipulations of the left is to condemn right thinkers for being judgmental.

That judging others for being judgmental is judgmental seems to escape their keen insight.

That’s because one of the prime missions of the left is to silence oppositional thought.

If they can stop the rest of us from thinking, they can then pretend they’ve got the market cornered on wisdom.

In truth judgment is a normal and necessary component of life. Without making judgments, how would we know when it’s the right time to pull out into traffic?

The “Judge not less you be judged” references in the Bible are about condemnation, not reasoned measurement of right and wrong or good and bad.

The left likes to minimize morality for the same reason thieves like to avoid cops.

Conservative thinkers should resist this corrupt power play.

We can challenge the behavior of our fellow man without condemning him. Conservative doers find the courage to do just that ....

Government is highly addictive Government is addictive. That’s because power, control, and the ability to take from the pockets of others are attractive elixirs.

Without proper constraints, government’s abuse potential is very similar to pain killers.

These meds are notoriously habit forming and

Carl Mumpower once they’ve taken hold they don’t want to let go.

The framers of the Constitution had experienced the pretense of benevolent tyranny and subsequently went to great lengths to restrain their leaders.

That’s why liberals and make-believe conservatives alike seek to sidestep the Constitution – like a drug prescription, it places limits on their addictive behaviors.

All governments are vulnerable to addiction and those pretending to do everything for everyone instead of concentrating on core functions have achieved junkie status.

Wherever there’s addiction there’s also denial. Thus, we see a world of unrestrained governments clueless about their self-destructive nature.

Conservative thinkers resist government’s addictions in all forms .…

•.

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

Letters to the Editor Continued from Page 10

Libs accused of distorting GOP’s record with blacks

Republicans are racists according to many liberals. They think Republicans hate blacks, that is, African-Americans, for the politically correct, at least for now. That is the liberal media and Democrat Party line every time a conservative Republican criticizes President Obama’s policies.

The irony is that the Republican Party was established to end the slavery of blacks. A Republican, Abraham Lincoln, issued the executive order, the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing black slaves. A Republican Congress passed and spearheaded the ratification of the 13th Amendment, ending slavery. Frederick Douglass, the most influential black of his time, campaigned for every Republican presidential candidate until he died in 1895.

The women’s suffrage movement (giving women, including black women, the right to vote in 1920) was led by Republican men. Well, no one is perfect.

The first woman ever elected speaker of a state legislature was Minnie Davenport Craig in 1932, a Republican black woman from North Dakota. The 1940 Republican platform called for the integration of the armed forces; FDR refused.

Republicans appointed the first and only two blacks to the U.S. Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas.

I had dinner with Thomas and his wife and have never been more awe struck of a prominent figure’s integrity and genuine warmth – and I have been fortunate enough to have met a number of world leaders.

Democrats brought totally unfounded vicious charges against Thomas in order to prevent his confirmation to the Supreme Court.

It was Republican President Eisenhower who introduced the Civil Rights Act of 1960 against staunch Democrat opposition.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing major forms of discrimination against blacks and women, had a much bigger percentage of Republicans than Democrats voting for it. The Nixon Administration strictly enforced the Act. On the other hand, Affirmative Action, which is essentially reverse discrimination against whites, is a Democrat construct.

Richard Nixon selected the first black American to be National Teacher of the Year. It was Republican President Gerald Ford who rescinded Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt’s racist executive order authorizing the interment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans. President Reagan appointed the first black cabinet secretary, Samuel Pierce and the first black National Security advisor, Colin Powell.

Republican President Bush I appointed the first black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first black Secretary of State, Colin Powell. Bush also appointed the first black ambassador to the UN, Edward Perkins and the first black Secretary of Education, Rod Paige. Have you noticed a consistent trend?

Bush II nominated the first Hispanic to the Appeals Court. Democrats filibustered his nomination.

Michael Steele was elected the first African-American elected head of a national political party. Guess which one?

When Michele Bachmann, congress-

Asheville Daily Planet — July 2011 — 11

Candidates needed to end fiscal mismanagement woman and potential candidate for president, was asked recently which political columnists and authors she most often reads, she mentioned Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams, two very black economists, who are arguably the two most respected by conservatives.

Over the weekend I listened to newly elected black Republican Congressman Allen West’s speech at the N.C. Republican Convention. Recommend you find it on U-Tube.

Hmmm. Herman Cain, another AfricanAmerican, is a favored candidate of conservative Republicans and those racist Tea Party activists. How can that be?

What most liberals do not seem to understand or notice because of their ideological blindness is that what conservative Republicans and Tea Party activists do not like about our half black president is not the color of his skin, but the red color of his decidedly socialist destructive political agenda. Why does anyone take serious the dominant media talking heads statements about Conservatives, Republicans and Tea Party being racist?

Martin Luther King Jr. is famously remembered for saying he was looking for a world where it is “the content of a man’s character” and his beliefs that count, not the color of his skin or ethnic origin. That is what virtually all conservatives and Republicans believe. On the other hand, Democrat ideology appears to be to divide people into ethnic groups and try to make them feel inferior so they will more readily accept special favors and handouts from their government masters in return for their votes.

JAMES F. DAVIS Asheville

Those who do take part in voting in this self-governing nation we still call “America” might find interesting an online six-minute video clip excerpt from the monetary policy hearing on June 1, featuring committee Chairman Ron Paul and Federal Reserve lawyer Scott Alvarez. Alvarez admits that the Federal Reserve owns no gold, but rather holds gold certificates from 1934.

Then ask yourself whether or not the dismal economic management of America over the last 100 years is not the single most important current national issue which not only affects us all, but our future generations. How can any nation do any good for its people, or anyone on this planet for that matter, if it doesn’t have a sound and transparent financial system?

Shall we continue to travel down the same road we’ve been for nearly a century?

Or shall we finally take a turn for the better?

The people of a self-governing nation deserve the government they elect. While the election system in America has been corrupted by the partisan duopoly, we still have the opportunity to search out those candidates who understand the truth about our financial condition and willing to correct it, and support them in the primaries.

If the people wait until the general election, the political parties will have already selected their favorites among whom the masses can choose to lead this country, all of whom are beholden to the party itself and Wall Street, rather than to the people.

No, I don’t think we humans can or will fix everything in this present world ... but I do think we should try our best to do so!

BERNARD BARUCH CARMAN Asheville Continued on Page 12

12 - July 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

Guest Commentary On the left

Change we need to believe in

The sinking of the global economy has barely begun to sink in.

Numbers representing the dollar losses are so big they have become meaningless to most of us. While we are offered comparisons to the Great Depression, those too become meaningless in the face of our very different circumstances today. We are in uncharted waters and the boat is going down.

The easiest future to imagine is a return to the status quo ante. It is a recent past in which we learned to be comfortable.

Unfortunately, we don’t have the means to go back. The boat really is going down, and we no longer have the tools or the money to build a new one.

Cecil Bothwell Our economy, our entire way of life, was built on cheap and abundant energy. No matter what the price at the pump might be today, cheap, abundant energy is history.

(Look for prices to spike again later this year.)

Sadly, we used the credit card our parents gave us (to buy gas in a pinch) to run up debt on the rest of our purchases as well,

and in the memory bubble of easy credit we bid up prices, imagined we had created real value, and then borrowed against that as well. There wasn’t ever a there there.

As Jimi Hendrix sang it, “Castles, built out of sand, fall into the sea, eventually.”

Well, the wave came in and the wave washed out, the castle dissolved and the boat went down.

We are here on the beach. What to do?

• Cecil Bothwell, a member of Asheville City Council and a self-proclaimed progressive-libertarian, is running for the Democratic nomination for the seat now held by U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, DWaynesville.

Letters to the Editor Continued from Page 11

Gold ownership ban, dollar collapse looming

During an era of frightful panic, Americans are hugely buying both silver and gold. At the same time, nations such as China, Russia and Mexico, are buying gold and silver by the hundreds of tons. At first, Americans were told there’s no real reason to hoard the precious metals. Yet, other nations are seeking gold’s bracing comforts.

Forceful nations throughout the world gather their thoughts toward the petro dollar. What began with Russia, China and India has substantially grown. Lately, France and Japan have joined the allegiance, while Germany is being encouraged to revoke the dollar. If a concurrence transpires, the Federal Reserve Note will be rendered nil.

Most Americas aren’t aware that the dollar, which lines our pockets, also purchases oil worldwide. This course was initiated on, Dec. 27, 1945, when 29 nations led by the USA, formed the International Monastery Fund. The IMF was provided with a fund which guaranteed associate countries that gold would shroud the US dollar.

How did the USA accrue enough gold to insure participating countries trust?

On April, 5 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed Executive Order 6102, forbidding the hording of gold by U.S. citizens. American citizens had 26 days to obey the governments demands to sell their gold or face a $10,000 fine and 10 years in jail. Americans were allowed to personally keep only $100 in gold coins.

(Think: Swiss accounts).

Although FRD died 4/12/1945, the IMF was drafted between 1942-44. The 1933 president that passed E.O. 6102 is the same president that supervised the IMF outline, Franklin D. Roosevelt. The president that took the citizens gold in 1933, also fashioned the gold standard between 1942-44.

Since both events 6102 and the IMF surrounded gold, had Washington, D.C. planned for 12 years to control and scheme world finances through the IMF? NAFTA took 16 years to internationally intertwine. From 1971, it took 40 years to change world economic stability through the gold standard and Federal Reserve Note. It’s obvious American spending both by civilian and leadership rolls have developed into a worldly hate. American

loathing is warranted by those nations that trusted America then, and now.

Since above-ground gold will fit into one Olympic size swimming pool, will physically removing gold from the world market affect its purpose? During the ‘60s, many nations, mainly France, began filling their safes with gold. The petro dollar was losing its appeal. By 1971, international world banks were altering their outlook regarding the gold standard. The same thing is happening today. Reference (“The Nixon Shock”).

Most nations, except America, are fiscally preparing. Our daily media shows say there’s no reason to panic, while other media shows shout, “Buy gold!” Will another Executive Order 6102 with fines and jail time emerge? Will the dollar collapse?

Both appear to be possible, with losing prospects. It currently appears there’s no way Americans can win.

JERRY SOESBEE Asheville

Gas prices cause hurt, while Fed steals savings

The recent article, “What Can Be Done to Lower Gas Prices?” on the RSC website at http://rsc.jordan.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=238652 doesn’t address a major cause of increasing gas prices or prices in general.

We see prices of gasoline, milk, food and even services going up. The major cause of this increase is profligate monetary expansion by the “unelected” Federal Reserve (the Fed).

For each Milton Friedman new dollar they print, a dollar in your pocket becomes worth less.

Oil merchants don’t want to sell their oil for worth less dollars so they increase their prices to keep up with the dollar’s declining value. Consumers see this as a price increase at the pump.

Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize recipient in economic sciences, author, and past leader of the Chicago school of economics, highlights the main reason for inflation to continue in his 1994 book, “Money Mischief, Episodes in Monetary History.”

Friedman notes the relationship between monetary expansion (foisted upon us by monetary easing) and the resulting inflation. Other renowned economists, such as Ludwig von Mises, Frederick Hayek, and even that venerable Maynard Keynes, have written warnings on this subject, according to Friedman.

Friedman proves empirically and mathematically that when the total quantity of money expands at a faster rate than the productivity of the society (or nation), inflation results shortly thereafter. The Fed is stealing the savings of American workers and retirees by depreciating the true purchasing power of their earnings and pensions. People marvel over the dollar amount of their investments going up, but is it really compensating for their buying power going down?

Write your congressmen and demand that they audit of the Fed and put a stop to the printing of baseless currency BEFORE runaway inflation sets in with a vengeance.

GEORGE DANZ Flat Rock

LETTERS The Asheville Daily Planet invites Letters to the Editor of 200 words or less. Please include your name, mailing address, daytime telephone number and e-mail address.

For more information, call (828) 252-6565.

Send mail to: Letters, Asheville Daily Planet P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, NC 28814 Send e-mail to: letters@ashevilledailyplanet.com

ASHEVILLE PET SUPPLY Holistic before it was cool!

Since 1990 NATURAL AND ORGANIC FOODS AND TREATS Wellness, Solid Gold, Wysong, Nature’s Variety, Raw Frozen, EVO, Innova, California Natural

Herbal remedies Flower Essences Homeopathic Remedies WHAT MORE COULD YOUR PET NEED? Toys! Lots of toys!

The fun place to shop for you and your best friend.

ASHEVILLE PET SUPPLY 1451 Merrimon Ave., Asheville (828) 252-2054

PASTORAL APPRECIATION SERVICE, 7.p.m., Brown Temple CME Church, 32 Phifer St., Asheville. Elder Ronald Gates will be the speaker.

CONCERT, 7 p.m., Mars Hill United Methodist Church, 201 S. Main St., Mars Hill. The Living Faith Southern Gospel Quartet will perform, preceded at 6 p.m. by supper.

Shrine — in Srinagar, India — contains one of the biggest mysteries of the world — the tomb of Yuza Asaf, who is supposed to be none other than Jesus Christ.The film explores the research works of national and international experts who are convinced of this fact. According to traditions dating to the 1st century A.D. and several ancient works in Persian, Arabic & Sanskrit, this Yuza Asaf was a prophet to the children of Israel.He survived an attempted crucifixion by his own people and migrated to live in Kashmir. There are architectural, inscriptional, anthropological, archeological and document evidences that, some say, indicate that Yuza Asaf was, indeed, Jesus Christ. He had arrived in Kashmir in the 1st century. The film does not make any claim whatsoever. It merely presents one of the theories put forward by national and international experts that the Rozabal Shrine of Srinagar seems to be the tomb of Jesus Christ. This hypothesis makes the Rozabal Shrine a unique place. Admission is free.

Sunday, July 10

Sunday, July 24

Faith Notes

Friday, July 8

PASTORAL APPRECIATION SERVICE, 7.p.m., Brown Temple CME Church, 32 Phifer St., Asheville. The Rev. Keith Lipsey will be the speaker.

Saturday, July 9

DESTINATION TRANSFORMATION SERVICE, 10 a.m., Unitarian University Church of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, Asheville. Elizabeth Schell, guest speaker, will address “Destination Transformation.”

The service will explore themes of transformation and change through spirit play, song, machines (!), and, of course, humor. The worship experience will be open to ages 8 to 108.

OUTH DRAMA TEAM, 10:45 a.m., Rockwood United Methodist Church, 288 Crabtree Mountain Rd., Canton. The Jumpertown United Methodist Church D12 Drama Team will perform. A meal will follow the service.

CONCERT, 6 p.m., Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, 8 Wildwood Park Drive, Weaverville. The Land of the Sky Boys will perform.

PASTORAL APPRECIATION SERVICE, 7.p.m., Brown Temple CME Church, 32 Phifer St., Asheville. Elder James Stokely will be the speaker.

Wednesday, July 13

QUANTUM TOUCH INTRODUCTION, 7 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. An introductory program, “Quantum Touch: The Power to Heal,” will be presented by Pam Hurst. Quantum Touch will be offered to anyone who chooses. People reportedly have said they havehealedsittingintheaudience.QuantumTouch is done sitting or standing and is a light touch or no touch. It is billed as affecting emotional, physical, spiritual and mental levels. Admission is free, but a love offering will be taken.

Friday, July 15

GAME AND PIZZA NIGHT, 6-8 p.m., Asbury MemorialUnitedMethodistChurch,171Beaverdam Rd., Asheville. Game and Pizza Night will be held at the church. Admission is free.

Saturday, July 16

BENEDICTINE DAY, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Calvary Episcopal Church, 2840 Hendersonville Rd., Fletcher. Benedictine will be led by the Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Canham. Cost is $30. To register, call 683.-6266.

Sunday, July 17

THE BLESSING WAY SERVICE, 10 a.m., Unitarian University Church of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, Asheville. The Rev. Jean Rowe, guest speaker, will addres “May Nothing Evil Cross This Door: The Blessing Way.” What is a blessing? Irish author John O’Donohue says it is a circle of light drawn around a person to protect, heal and strengthen, Rowe reports. A blessing forebrightens one’s way rather than “foreshadowing.” The service will explore how living by blessings can change one’s life.

QUANTUM TOUCH INTRODUCTION, 1:30-4:30 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. David Hiller will lead a program titled, “Now is the Time for Greater Things.” Participants will learn how to give and receive powerful layingon-of-hands healing and prayer.They also will learn howtosynchronizethemindandthehearttocreate miraculous outcomes, Unity noted. Attendees will create a 30-day program to practice this belief in everyday life. Admission is free, but a love offering of $22-$33 is suggested.

Wednesday, July 22

FILM/DISCUSSION, 7 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. Dr. Bob Holt will present a new documentary film,“The Rozabal Tomb of Jesus in Kashmir.” The film was produced by the India’s government Films Division. It was written and directed by Yashendra. The Rozabal

APPRECIATION SERMON, 10 a.m., Unitarian University Church of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, Asheville. The lay-led annual Poetry Sunday will feature the theme“In Appreciation.”The service will be in memory of two UUCA members and former participants in Poetry Sundays — Keith Hearn and Cleve Mathews. This year’s participants will read original or favorite poetry on the theme.

Wednesday, July 27 SEMINAR, 7 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. A seminar, “What Lights You Up?” will be presented by Eric Russ.

IThe seminar involves having an intimate discussion about life and living, exploring the question of “What lights you up?”“Where do your true passions lie?”“What inspires you?”“Excites you?”

“Fascinates and liberates you?”“When is the spark of creativity brightest in you?”“When are you Mozart or Picasso or Shakespeare?”“When are you most resourceful, happy, or enthused about life?”As each person responsd to the various forms of the question, the group will be watching for the lights in that individual’s eyes and energy in his/ her body and giving eedback when the light and energy come to the surface. One’s responses will show sparks of childlike curiosity – or not. “What lights you up” is often not what you would expect, Russ noted. Participants will learn how to “chase the lights” and how to speed up one’s own process of discovery, find a path, and pay more attention to what creates a life of joy and productive possibilities within oneself -- and help others do the same.

Admission is free, but a love offering will be taken.

Saturday, July 30 CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. Award-winning singer/songwriter David Roth will perform in concert. Roth is billed as striking many chords, hearts and minds with his unique songs, offbeat observations, moving stories, sense of the hilarious, and powerful singing and subject matter. As singer, songwriter, recording artist, keynote speaker, workshop leader and instructor, Roth has earned top honors at premier songwriter competitions Kerrville (Texas) and Falcon Ridge (N.Y.) — and taken his music, experience and expertise to a wide variety of venues in this and other countries fulltime for more than two decades.

Saturday, July 31 HUMAN RIGHTS/SUDAN, 10 a.m., Unitarian University Church of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, Asheville. The UUCA’s Human Rights Team of the Social Justice Council will present a lay-led service with guest speaker Abraham Deng. He and members of the Human Rights Team will share the plight of the Sudanese people who have been devastated in every way by 25 years of civil war.

Sunday, Aug. 28 SINGING, 11 a.m., Beaverdam Baptist Church, 399 Beaverdam Rd., Asheville. The Nelsons will be singing at the church’s service. The family trio has earned three Grammy nominations, six Dove Awards and many chart hits. The concert is free,

TO REPORT AN ERROR

The Asheville Daily Planet strives to be accurate in all articles published. Contact the News Department at news@ashevilledailyplanet.com, (828) 252-6565, or P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, N.C. 28814-8490.

Asheville Daily Planet — July 2011 — 13

14 - July 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

Wife’s low sex drive irks hubby I’ve been married for over 20 years, and though my wife and I have a very good relationship, she has a low sex drive and never initiates sex.

She used to make snide remarks about my sex drive, but I pointed out my options (no sex, self-service, her or someone else). She knew I wouldn’t cheat, so rather than let this cause a rift, she said she wanted me to come to her for my sexual needs.

We now average two to three times a week. A couple times a month, we have mutually mind-blowing sex, but other times, she does it just for me. I never get the feeling she really wants me, and it’s deflating when I sense she’d rather do laundry, watch TV, or water the plants.

I’ve tried holding back and waiting for her to make the first move, but that seems like a head game to her and makes her feel something’s wrong. Is there a way to get her more interested?

— Frustrated You poor darling. After 20-plus years of marriage, you only have sex three times a week. And only a couple times a month is it “mind-blowing.”

What’s next on your list of complaints, “There’s a cracked tile in my Aspen ski house”? Or maybe “My Ferrari has a small scratch under the bottom left side of the bumper. If you crawl under the car, it’s very apparent.”

Every month, I get a slew of letters from married people — mostly men — whose spouses haven’t had sex with them in this century.

Of course, it’s got to sting a little to feel you’re competing with houseplants for your wife’s attention (“Not tonight, honey, I have a ficus tree”), but if you look at this another way, you’re writing to complain about how good and healthy your marriage is.

There was no dragging your wife off to years of marriage counseling or therapy weekends. You simply explained your needs, and she set about meeting them.

Sure, sometimes you get the sense that she’s jumping your bones when she’d rather be getting a jump on the week’s laundry, but if she might not always be in the mood for sex, it seems she’s often in the mood to make you happy.

Both men and women are prone to what evolutionary psychologist Donald Symons calls the human tendency “to imagine that other minds are much like our own.” This causes us to project our sexual psychology onto the opposite sex and expect them to think and act as we would.

So, your wife thinks you’re oversexed because you want it more than she does, and you’ve diagnosed her with a “low sex drive.” (Basically, you’re expecting her to make love to you like a wife named Bob.) I suspect that many marriages and relationships that have tanked have done so because of the assumption that male sexual desire and female sexual desire play out the same way. They actually don’t.

Sexual medicine specialist Dr. Rosemary Basson discovered this after she wondered about data suggesting that a third of women were pretty uninterested in sex.

She began to suspect that the problem wasn’t in the women themselves, but in how male sexual response, with its spontaneously occurring lust, was held up as the female sexual norm. This led to couples sitting around waiting for desire to strike the woman like they were waiting for aliens to beam down into their front room.

Basson discovered that in the early stag-

The Advice Goddess Amy Alkon

es of a relationship, or if a woman is away from her partner for days or weeks, she’s more likely to experience the “spontaneous sexual desire” and “conscious sexual hunger” that men typically do. But, once a woman’s in a relationship, the desire for sex may be there, but it often needs to be physically activated.

Basson calls it “triggerable,” meaning that the couple start fooling around, kissing, whatever, and the woman gets aroused, which makes her want to get it on.

Basson’s findings suggest that for many women, initiating sex doesn’t come naturally. So, your “holding back and waiting for her to make the first move” and then getting pouty that she isn’t reading your mind is a particularly bad strategy.

Seeing as she made an effort the last time you told her what you needed, there’s a pretty good chance she’d do it again.

Just tell her you think it’d be really hot if she’d initiate sometimes.

You might also try to appreciate what you have. You two are probably somebody’s parents and you’re still doing it —regularly and even “mind-blowingly” — 20 years in.

You’ve got a lot to be happy about — even if when the wife’s looking for “The Big O,” she’s probably wondering where she left that magazine that always has that really famous black woman on the cover.

Not into thankings ....

Something a guy said the first time we had sex isn’t sitting well with me.

He said “Thank you.” Those aren’t the worst two words in the English language, but hearing them after sex made me feel bad. Sort of used.

We made tentative plans for another date, but I’m wondering if I’ll even hear from him again. What does it mean when a guy uses this sort of courteous closure after sex?

— Disturbed After he thanked you, did he ask very politely how much a second hour would be?

A lot of women get ticked at hearing “thank you” after sex, feeling they’re being seen as service providers.

That’s because you thank somebody who does something FOR you, not when you’ve done something mutual together.

The thing is, getting naked with somebody for the first time doesn’t enhance anybody’s ability to articulate thoughts.

Maybe this guy was at a loss for words, and suddenly, it came back to him, his mother saying, “What do you say when the nice lady gives you a cookie?”

Instead of sitting around dissecting the possibilities, do what you always should when you’re hoping to see some date again: Forget about him until the phone rings and he’s on the other end asking if you give discounts for repeat customers.

• (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)

Asheville Daily Planet — July 2011 — 15

10. Services CLEANING—adependablehousekeeperisavailable andhasanopening.Alsowilldootherfamily-oriented domestic tasks. Call (828) 216-4592.

11. Rentals NORTH ASHEVILLE 2/1 TOWNHOME/APT $495.00 3/1 TOWNHOME/APT $595.00 1/1 TOWNHOME/APT $450.00 ALL UNITS 1 MILE FROM DOWNTOWN OFF OF MERRIMON AVENUE ON BUS LINE. CALL STEVE AT 828-252-4334 WEST ASHEVILLE 2/2 MOBILE HOME. VERY NICE. IN QUIET PARK. ON THE BUS LINE. CLOSE TO DOWNTOWN. $595.00/MO. ACCEPTING SECTION 8. CALL STEVE AT 828-252-4334 BLACK MTN 2/1 APARTMENT WITH HEAT PUMP AND CENTRAL AIR. ALSO WASHER DRYER CONNECTION, IN NICE AREA. $545.00. CALL STEVE AT 828-252-4334 HENDERSONVILLE 1BR/1BA APT $395.00 SPECIAL! PER MONTH THIS UNIT IS CLOSE TO MAIN STREET ON THE BUSLINE. CALL STEVE AT 828-252-4334 ADVERTISE — Call 713-6336 today to place your ad in the Daily Planet to reach our estimated 25,000 readers. Our circulation stretches from Mars Hill to thenorthtoFlatRocktothesouthtoBlackMountain to the east and to Enka-Candler to the west.

Way beyond hip and trendy Asheville Daily Planet

Renewable Continued from Page 1 The speakers included Paul Quinlan, managing director of the NCSEA in Raleigh; and Rich Crawley, manager of market research and spatial analysis for AdvantageWest.

Speaking on behalf of the duo, Quinlan noted that the report was released last week “and what we’re doing now is touring across the state and having discussions and getting input.”

Quinlan reviewed the Health Built Homes and LEED certification programs for energy-efficiency and sustainability. He also said that the state “lacks geothermal resources for utility-scale applications. Geothermal heat pumps are viable in residential and commercial settings.”

The Fontana Dam, which is part of the Tennessee Valley Authority and located in WNC, is — by far — the largest such hydro-electric resource in North Carolina, he said.

As for wind energy, Quinlan said Appalachian State University in Boone has the “largest machine” in the state. He noted there also is a significant wind energy project in Beech Mountain, near Boone.

He said renewable energy revenue streams include the sale of electricity (or cost savings), renewable energy certificates and state and federal tax credits.

Quinlan cited polling results showing that 91 percent of state voters support using solar power to meet “our growing needs for energy and (specifically) electricity.”

Fielding questions after his talk, Quinlan cited Food Lion as “the leader” in North Carolina of any commercial or industrial company in making its supermarkets energy-efficient. In general, he noted that “about two-thirds of (the energy-efficient) projects are occurring in urban, with the rest in rural counties.”

He added that “floor and ceiling insulation wasn’t required in homes built in North Carolina until 1975,” that a relatively large amount of current houses were built before 1970, “especially in Western North Carolina,” and “manufactured homes are typically less-efficient (energy-wise) than

Paul Quinlan (standing) and Rich Crawley (right) speak on June 28. stick-built homes.”

Meanwhile, Crawley said, “Charlotte has maybe 30 solar firms, while Western North Carolina might have eight solar firms, scattered mostly in Asheville, Buncombe” County and the vicinity.

Ampifying on Quinlan’s reference to Food Lion, he said the Salisbury-based grocery chain has “28 out of 31 blue dots” across the state, denoting energy-efficient stores. “They cut their operating costs by a quarter (one-fourth) ... They are now powering (the equivalent of) 336 virtual stores ... No other grocery chain has done this.”

In pointing out another highlight, Crawley said “Buncombe County and Chapel Hill are the two areas that light up bright red on the North Carolina map” as solarenergy leaders. “Asheville, in particular, is one of the most dense solar clusters in North Carolina.”

He also noted that WNC has a number of hydroelectic operations, “but they’re primarily on dams with equipment that is often 50 years or older.”

Regarding WNC’s status as having the largest renewal energy capacity of any region in the state, Crawley said there is much “potential for people to capitalize on, especially for boilers.” To that end, he said biomass system capacity in landfill gas offers tremendous possibilities in WNC. Overall, Crawley said that “the Asheville region is well-positioned to pursue new opportunities in renewable energy technologies.

As he was fielding questions after his talk, Crawley noted that there is “more vertical geothermal (energy potential) in our state than anticipated.”

16 -July 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet