Actor Jeff Daniels makes musical magic
Postmodern Jukebox sizzles
Solar energy’s potential debated
— See Review, Pg. B1
— See Story, Pg. A2
— See Review, Pg. B1
ILLE V E H AS ASHEVILLEʼS GREATEST NEWSPAPER
June 2015
Vol. 11, No. 07
An Independent Newspaper Serving Greater Asheville www.ashevilledailyplanet.com FREE
Duke Energy to replace coal plant with gas
‘With a little help from my friends’
Beyond Coal Campaign touts its effort for change
From Staff Reports Duke Energy Progress on March 19 unveiled a proposal to retire its Asheville Plant, a coal-fired power facility located along Lake Julian in South Asheville. While Duke calls the move a “win-win” for the consumers, the environment and the economy, local environmental groups consider it just “a step in the right direction” and only a “half-measure,” as they had hope for total clean-energy generation via solar power and other alternatives. The announcement includes plans to replace the coal-fired plant with a new, larger natural gas-fired operation. If granted approval from the North Carolina Utilities Commission, the gas-fired plant could potentially produce 650 MW of electricity, almost doubling the coal-fired plant’s 376 MW output. The natural gas originates in the Gulf Coast and will be transported to Asheville via the Transcontinental Pipeline. However, the new natural gas facility will not be operational until the coal-fired plant is entirely demolished, which is expected to take four to five years. Additionally, as a later phase of the project, Duke has committed to building a solar farm on the site of coal ash ponds near the plant. The capacity of the solar farm will be projected once the flat, usable land of the site is calculated. The estimated cost of the project is $1.1 billion, which includes $750 million toward the construction of the new plant and solar farm as well as $320 million for the transmission substation, which serves as a necessary natural gas connector. Plans call for the new plant to have a smaller footprint than the coal facility, and cooling towers would minimize temperature impacts on Lake Jullian, according to Duke. See ENERGY, Page A6
The shoo must go on ....
The Advice Goddess
Amy Alkon
Q: I’ve been dating this guy long distance for six months. He’ll often fail to return texts for an entire day or even a few days. I keep breaking up with him, but he keeps apologizing, acknowledging that he can be “distracted” and then offering convincing excuses or making me feel I’m overreacting. This is getting old. — Annoyed Want to know the answer?
See ADVICE GODDESS, Page A13
Special Photo by Kaye Kuperhand
UNC Asheville’s Reuter Center Singers performed a tribute show, “Good Vibrations,” honoring the Beach Boys and the Beatles on May 1 and 2 at the Reuter Center. Above, the Beatles were portrayed in a brief medley by four “moptopped” RCS members, including (from left) Richard Douglass, Bill Tucker, Richard Jacobs and Bill Kantonen. Their playful act prompted much laughter from the audience. To the left is the RCS’ version of the Beach Boys appearing in a promotional shot for the concert. From left are Bob Dutnell, Sam Bedinger, Bill Tucker (with guitar) and George Trowbridge. The quartet did not perform as a group in the show. Many of the songs in the concert were sung by the entire chorus. Around 400 people attended the two nightly shows — and the May 2 concert culminated in a standing ovation.
After being pulled, ‘The Kite Runner’ deemed OK for Reynold High students From Staff Reports
A controversial book, temporarily pulled from Buncombe County classrooms after a complaint from a parent, will now be allowed back. “The Kite Runner,” a 2003 novel by Khaled Hosseini,was to be used in an honors English class at A.C. Reynolds High School in place of “All Quiet on the Western Front.” The teacher of the class sent home a note informing parents that students could opt out of the assignment if they objected to the content. Lisa Baldwin, parent and former Buncombe School
Board member, filed a formal complaint against the use of “The Kite Runner,” aruging that the book is a “dark and disturbing adult fiction novel set in war-torn Afghanistan and has been frequently challenged by concerned parents for its sexually explicit content,” according to her guest column in the May 17 edition of the Asheville Citizen-Times. “The Kite Runner” tells the story of a wealthy boy in Afghanistan and his best friend, the son of his father’s servant. In one passage, the servant’s son is beaten and raped by an older boy. See ‘KITE RUNNER,’ Page A12
A2 - June 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet
Solar’s possibilities discussed in forum
By JOHN NORTH
john@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com
ENKA — Sparks did not fly and there even was some agreement when an executive of an Asheville-based solar energy company and a local Duke Energy Progress official discussed — separately — the possibilities and limits of solar energy during an April 23 meeting of the Council of Independent Business Owners. About 60 people attended the luncheon in A-B Tech’s Haynes conference center. The three questions each speaker was asked to address included the following: • Is solar energy reliable? • Is solar energy reliable to the point that it could power the energy grid 24/7? • What is the future of solar energy? Speaking first, Brownie Newman, vice president for FLS Energy Co., noted that “North Carolina is a state where we have a regulated utility market. So Duke is our utility in this state... Duke has certainly emerged as the leading utility in the Southeastern United States in being a great partner in” exploring the possibilities of solar energy. FLS Energy was launched in 2006 by three partners in Asheville, Newman noted. “Now FLS has 50 employees (in Asheville) and is the second largest solar developer in the Southeast... It’s been a time of great change in the solar energy since we started.” In the U.S., “California, far and away, is leading the country in solar development” because of what he termed “a convergence of factors... Also, Nevada and Arizona are big.” Newman added, “At the end of 2014, North Carolina had more solar deployed than any state — other than California.” Around 2007-08, he said there was “really a ramp-up in solar installations” — and 94 percent of solar installations in the United States have been built in the last five years. By 2014, about a third of all new energy generation in the nation is coming from solar, Newman noted. What’s more, he said that low-cost natural gas “continues to grow,” while “new coal facilities basically are not coming on line. A lot of this switch-out ... is basically from coal to solar.... “By far, the biggest driver of this change has been the dramatic cost reductions of solar installations over the last five years,” Newman said. Specifically, he cited declining costs of utility-scale solar PPAs (Power Purchase Agreements), wherein solar companies enter into energy-purchasing agreements with utilities. In North Carolina, he said, “it’s a little bit different... For a while, there was a program where utilities were willing to pay a premium for solar-produced power to help the solar program get off the ground. Now, there’s just the market price.” The average sales price to utility in North Carolina is 6.8 cents per megawatt hour. Both the residential and commercial sectors more than doubled their solar installations in 2014 from just two years earlier, Newman said. “The main financial incentive to encourage the growth of the solar — and renewable energy sector in general — is investment credit to lower your tax bill. That 30 percent federal investment credit is projected to expire in 2016. “Then there’s an expectation that there will be a dropoff in (solar installations in) 2017... Perhaps to levels of 2012... 2013 and then expectation are for a rise after that.” Newman said FLS Energy’s first office was in a humble-looking facility in Black Mountain from 2007 to 2009. “We now are located near the French Broad River (at 130 Roberts St.) in Asheville. “About 350 people or so are doing active
Craig DeBrew Brownie Newman construction work for our projects around North Carolina,” Newman said. “When you look at North Carolina, the overwhelming growth of these solar farms are in eastern and central North Carolina. Why? Because the land is flat... and the land is more affordable. There is as much solar being developed in this part of North Carolina than any equivalent place in the United States.” He then showed several of FLS Energy’s projects in the area and noted that, “by 2012, we made a big switch and began focusing more on solar electricity than solar hot water... “A lot of the projects built are in the 5MW size, so we’re able to deal with Duke Energy” in selling back the electricity to the utility. As for the future of solar-battery storage, Newman said, “Yes, but it requires storage — for solar to meet 24/7 needs. The reality is batteries are expensive. The reality now is there are not many places where it’d be costeffective to invest in batteries to generate electricity.” However, he said that will change and batteries will be less expensive in the future. “The main goal would be to use limited power-generating capacity. In many parts of the country, the time people most need energy is 4 to 8 p.m. You could store energy during midday and extend that into late afternoon and early evening, when power demand is biggest,” Newman concluded. The other speaker, Craig DeBrew, the Henderson County-Polk County district manager for Duke Energy Progress, began by noting that, at Duke Energy Renewables, “We have 17 hundred KWs — and 1MW is the amount one Walmart Superstore needs to operate.” He added, “In North Carolina, solar is growing. Of eight projects, three will be owned by
Published monthly by Star Fleet Communications Inc. JOHN NORTH Publisher Phone: (828) 252-6565 • Fax: (828) 252-6567 Mailing address: P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, N.C. 28814-8490 Website: www.ashevilledailyplanet.com E-mail the following departments:
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Duke Energy.” Currently, there are 600 MW of solar capacity in North Carolina, DeBrew said. “When we complete these projects, it will be up to 1,000 KWs. (At least one CIBO members said, “Wow!”) He said the utility was paying $7/watt in 2010, when there were national and state tax credits. However, “in 2015 there’s some uncertainty what will happen,” DeBrew said. “I agree with him (Brownie), that it’s getting to the point that its cost-effective, regardless of subsidies.” He also pointed out that the utility “monitors and adjusts our customer load every four seconds. We have to do it in real time. On the morning of Feb. 20, that’s the day that our customers set a new record for electricity. It was so cold ... down to about 0 degrees. The demand was about 7 percent higher than the Solar Vortex about a year ago from that. “On a sunny day, we get peak output around 1 p.m.,” forming what he termed a “nice bell curve.” On the question of whether solar energy is reliable, DeBrew said, “I guess, but compared to what? A nuclear plant has a 90 percent factor. Fossil plants are in the 60 percent range. If you look at wind, it’s typically in the 30 to 40 percent range.” “If we look at PV (photovoltaic), it’s about an 18 percent capacity factor. So you’ve got roughly 20 percent that’s doing it’s thing — and the other 80 percent that’s not. Is it reliable? I guess it’s reliably intermittent.” In comparing solar’s capabilities to the demand Duke’s customers put on the system, DeBrew said, “By 10 or 11 in the morning, we’re starting to hit high load. By 4 to 6 p.m., that’s when we’re really being taxed on our
system in the summer. In the wintertime, we get hardest hit between 7 and 8 in the morning.” As for how the utility deploys its fleet of generation to meet the demand, DeBrew said, “We have base-load generation, intermediate ... solar and wind... etc. As Brownie mentioned, it (solar) doesn’t do a great job of matching up with our demand peaks. “From 7 to 8 in the morning, that’s when have a cold morning and you’re demand that electricity. There’s not a lot there (with solar) to help us meet our winter peaks.” In the summertime, there’s more solar, but lower demand. On a light note, DeBrew quipped, “As Brownie said, ‘if we could shift winter peak to summer peak,’ it would be terrific.” “In my opinion... hydraulic fracturing is the biggest change that’s lowered natural gas prices,” which, he said raises the question of: “Should I go with natural gas” to power the grid? Regarding the question of whether solar energy could power the electrical grid 24/7, DeBrew said, “I don’t think it can. I don’t think anybody has that expectation.” As for the the future, he said that Duke is “going to continue to invest in solar generation....” Among the “the takeaways” from his presentation, DeBrew reiterated that the price of solar energy systems is going down, clearly,” and that the output from solar is intermittent, especially in the Southeastern U.S., and does not match the demand.
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A4 - June 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet
Asheville in the running for pro basketball team
From Staff Reports
Asheville recently was named one of seven cities that the National Basketball Association’s Charlotte Hornets are evaluating for launching a development team in the so-called D-League. The Hornets, owned by basketball star Michael Jordan, requested a proposal from Asheville’s economic development office, the U.S. Cellular Center and the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission in early May. The request for proposal seeks to gauge interest in placing a minor-league pro basketball team in a North Carolina or South Carolina city for the 2016-17 season. Other North Carolina cities to which the Hornets also sent requests include Fayetteville, Greensboro and Raleigh. The South Carolina cities include Charleston, Columbia and Greenville. Four of the cities on the Hornets’ list — Asheville, Fayetteville, Greenville and Charleston — had teams in the original NBA Development League. All four folded within four years. The Hornets do not have a D-League team and hope to schedule 24 home games for its new team from November to April, as part of a 50-game regular season. “This would allow us to dictate how the team is run, with the same offensive and
defensive sets... and philosophies,” Charlotte General Manager Rich Cho noted. The D-League club would be owned and operated by Hornets Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Charlotte Hornets and operates Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena. The NBDL was formed in 2001 and Asheville was among eight cities in the Southeast to field expansion teams. The Asheville Altitude played at the Civic Center, renamed the U.S. Cellular Center, for four seasons. While the team was successful on the floor, winning the league title in each of its last two seasons in Asheville, the franchise struggled financially. The team lost at least $100,000 in each of the four seasons and saw declining attendance each year before leaving in 2005. During its last season in Asheville (200405), the Altitude drew fewer than 300 fans for nine of 23 home games. Official attendance for the final season was an average of 499 per game. “This is a very exciting time for us,” said Hornets Sports & Entertainment President and Chief Operating Officer Fred Whitfield. “The decision to take steps toward launching our own D-League club is yet another example of our owner’s long-term commitment to our franchise and continues
Asheville rated top U.S. city for retirement
From Staff Reports
Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan has selected Asheville as one of seven potential candidates to host a team he would own in the D-League. to show his willingness to invest in the resources needed to improve our basketball team. A D-League team would also allow us to continue to expand the Hornets brand regionally by having a presence in an additional market.” Under the current D-League structure, 17 of the 18 teams have single-affiliate relationships with an NBA team. Eight are fully owned and operated by their NBA parent team. An additional eight are operated under a “hybrid” affiliation, in which the NBA team funds and manages the basketball operations while local ownership maintains control of the business aspects. The Dallas Mavericks and Texas Legends have a one-to-one relationship by way of Mavericks General Manager Donnie Nelson’s ownership of the Legends. The Hornets are one of 13 NBA teams affiliated with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the lone independent D-League team.
Asheville once again topped a list — this time as the best place to retire in the country. In its list titled “Where Baby Boomers Go to Find Their Best Place to Retire,” Retirements.com — released in late April — Asheville is ranked as number one, followed by Sarasota and Venice, Fla.; Green Valley, Az.; and three South Carolina cities — Beaufort, Charleston and Myrtle Beach. The poll is not scientific. “While most of the ‘Best Places’ lists are either the subjective opinions of the authors or a ranking from various criteria, our list is different,” the website noted in a press release. “Ours is essentially a popularity contest that reflects the opinions of our visitors. It was compiled by calculating the 100 towns that receive the most online visits of the 1,000-plus cities reviewed at Topretirements.com during the last six months of 2014. Some probably made the list this year because they were featured in one of our weekly newsletters.” Asheville has made numerous “best of” lists over the past decade. In February, Asheville was named the “coolest city” in the country, according to the website Matador.
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A6 - June 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet
Energy
Continued from Page A1 “This is an exciting and very unique project,” Lloyd Yates, Duke Energy executive vice president of market solutions and president of the Carolinas Region, said in a press conference at Lake Julian. “It combines customer input with a number of special opportunities to create a project that is a win-win for the environment, the consumers and the economy,” Yates said. However, local environmental groups are arguing that “Duke failed to hear what people wanted.” MountainTrue, Sierra Club, Southern Environmental Law Center and Waterkeeper Alliance issued the following joint statement: “Folks want a bright future that supports clean energy, not a giant gas plant polluting Asheville for another 30 years. North Carolina has the opportunity to be a leader in clean energy generation through aggressive investments in solar power and energy efficiency, and Duke Energy must be a partner in that effort – but moves like this deeply undermine the ability to bring online clean, reliable 21st century energy options that will create good jobs right here at home.” Groundbreaking for the new plant is expected to bring about 800 jobs to the region during the projected 30 months of construction. About 50 new permanent jobs will be generated once the new facility is operational, which is almost half the number of jobs at the current plant. The plan marks the 190th coal plant announced for retirement since the beginning of the Beyond Coal campaign. The environmental groups’ joint statement asserted, “For the last three years the Asheville Beyond Coal Campaign and thousands of individuals have called on Duke Energy to transition our region off of coal. “This has been a struggle to protect our health, our families and our communities. It has required tireless effort to pursue a brighter vision for Asheville. “We can declare victory in securing closure of the plant, for it means an end is in sight for the air, water, and carbon pollution from this plant, but Duke’s announcement to build new gas is inconsistent with the clean energy vision we have called for....
The Beyond Coal Campaign held a protest on Lake Julian in front of the coal-fired plant on Oct. 14, 2012. “North Carolinians deserve clean water and home grown electricity options that invest in local communities and create jobs here in our community. “North Carolina has some of the best potential in the nation to harvest the sun for our power needs but Duke Energy must be a partner in that investment if the state is ever to see the real benefits of clean energy. While the proposed solar farm is a step in the right direction, it falls far short of the investment needed to move the region to a clean energy future. “Additionally, this announcement does nothing to address evidence of unsafe air pollution from the Asheville
Plant; under Duke’s proposal, the plant could continue to emit sulfur dioxide at levels that threaten public health until the coal-burning units are retired. “The retirement of the Asheville Plant is a step in the right direction, but it is a half measure, undermined by continuing reliance on an economically unpredictable and polluting source of power. “Duke can do better, and our community deserves better. We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to fight for clean energy solutions for Western North Carolina,” the statement concluded.
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School dress code on undergarments sparks bra debate From Staff Reports
The new principal of Asheville High School, Joyce Best, made an announcement warning students that the dress code would be more strictly enforced on the school’s P.A. system in mid-May. In the address, Best stated that students “wearing spaghetti strap shirts and no bra” would not be tolerated. Asheville High’s dress code already requires that tank tops have straps at least two inches wide, Best later told local news media, in an attempt to clarify that the spaghetti strap component is JOYCE BEST the real violaAHS Principal tion to which she was referring. “It’s not in our policy that students are required to wear any sort of underwear,” Best told local news media. “In fact, I would have no way of knowing (whether students wear bras) and I don’t want to, as long as they’re following
the guidelines in our dress code.” Best said administrators are constantly dealing with repeat dress code offenders, mostly around tiny tops and too-short shorts. The announcement was intended to be a “last warning,” according to Best, who noted that one student recently came to school in a bathing suit and a sarong. A few photos on Twitter and Facebook surfaced of students wearing bras on their backpacks or outside of their clothes, apparently in protest. School officials said the presence, though, was “minimal” at school on later that week. Others expressed opinions on the matter in the Readers Respond column of the May 17 edition of the Asheville Citizen-Times as follows: • “The school is putting serious spin on what they said,” noted Eithne Lamont. “Students have relayed a completely different message. Additionally, the school has threatened students who speak to the press with suspension.” • “The principal made a call today (May 17) and sent out an email clarifying exactly what she said and she has now changed her policy on bras. She states that ALL students (she didn’t specify boys or girls) cannot go braless,” according to Zoe Howard. • “This is why uniforms make more sense to have proper dress,” Gary Wayne Mize said.
Controversy erupts over photos of visitors to new abortion clinic From Staff Reports
In early May, a Facebook and Reddit user posted photos of a man using a long-lens camera outside Asheville’s new Planned Parenthood clinic, photographing what appears to be almost anyone coming and going. The original photos were then being posted on a pro-life blog. In response, one post on the West Asheville Exchange Facebook page drew more than 650 comments with members naming the invasive photographs harassment and organizing counter protests to the voyeur-style photography. The pro-life blog, run by Meredith Eugene Hunt, displays strings of photos of volunteers, unidentified women and even an electrician working on wiring. The captions include extensive commentary, ranging from the author’s thoughts on “killing children” to speculation over why a volunteer’s backpack might be partially unzipped. The national Planned Parenthood Federation has given the Asheville clinic, which celebrated its opening last week, including an appearance by Planned Parenthood president and pro-choice advocate Cecile Richards, a lot of social media love as well,
hailing the opening as an unusual bright spot for pro-choice progress in the South. In reaction to the less-than-desired social media attention, Hunt argued on her blog that she — apparently associating herself with the unnamed male photographer — was doing more than taking photos of “anyone coming and going;” rather, she claims she was “taking pictures of anything that’s interesting, and of abortion site workers and escorts, and of people who yell at us. “Couples coming for abortion happen to be an important part of the story,” she noted. “I’m not out to ID them or shame them, it’s just people need to see this — what it’s like outside a killing center. I’m usually not even thinking about taking pictures of people coming for abortion. “I take pictures of everything that interests me, even a hawk,” Hunt continued. “On that particular day, I tried to get a picture of a blue jay that was attacking something under the eaves of the Planned Parenthood building. Unfortunately, he was hard to catch. “So, nothing but negatives, soft boos, and inaccuracy for the pro-life guy, and nothing but warm hugs for the largest killer of pre-natal children in the world,” Hunt concluded.
Asheville Daily Planet — June 2015 - A7
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A8 - June 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet
Wedding vows exchanged ‘Star Trek’-style By JOHN NORTH john@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com
Resplendent in their favorite science-fiction uniforms, the captain and a member of the Asheville Star Trek Club exchanged wedding vows on May 23 before a gathering of about 60 people at Jubilee Community Church in downtown Asheville. The bride and groom were Diane Stanton and Richard Heim — and they invited the guests to wear their favorite “Star Trek,” scifi, science, or superhero outfits — and many did — to share in the theme of the wedding and share in their “feeling of awe and adventure of science.” Officiating was the Rev. Howard Hanger, Jubilee’s pastor, who walked in last, wearing a flowing white robe, a burgundy sash, a broad smile — and pointed Vulcan ears, in the style of Star Trek’s Mr. Spock. “Marriage, the final front, this is the voyage of Richard and Diane,” Hanger intoned, imitating the dramatic beginning of the original “Star Trek” series. At one point, Hanger said, “Richard and Diane would like to extend their gratitude to you for your presence at this event establishing their life-merging. I ask that you join me in wishing that they both ‘Live long and prosper’ — a key phrase in Mr. Spock’s signature Vulcan salute on “Star Trek.” Heim, the groom and captain of the club, is a meteorologist for NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has its National Climatic Data Center located nearby at 151 Patton Ave. Heim is considered one of the world’s experts on droughts, several attendees of the wedding noted. As a result of Heim’s weather connection, the turnout included an estimated 12 NOAA employees, including some who wore “Star Trek” uniforms. The ceremony featured science-fiction music mostly, although father of the bride Donald Stanton, dressed as the Phanton of the Opera, sang a surreal version of Elvis Presley’s classic, “Love Me Tender.” Among the often-cosmic readings, maid of honor Debra Stanton read a poem she wrote titled “When Passion Meets Passion” as follows: “When passion meets passion Two positive people Caress and share kisses in bliss “When passion meets passion Excitement explodes Such a jubilant journey is this “When passion meets passion We manifest magic — An awesome awareness arrives “When passion meets passion Drab worlds disappear As we rise to sail up to the skies.” Meanwhile, best person Deni Niethammer told the gathering of how she first joined the Asheville Star Trek Club several years ago — and Heim “quickly became one of my closest friends.” With a laugh, Niethammer noted that she was the proofreader for Heim’s Match.com posting, which read: “I’m a combination of Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci.” “I told him it (the posting) sucks,” Niethammer quipped. However, within an hour of posting the ad, Stanton responded and the couple instantly bonded and have spent the last five years getting to know one another thoroughly. See ‘STAR TREK,’ Page A9
Special Photo by MIKE BIRKLE
Diane Stanton and Richard Heim exchange wedding vows, as the Rev. Howard Hanger presides, wearing a pair of pointed Vulcan ears, a la Mr. Spock. Her scarf resembles the Nebula made by the Hubble. Heim is wearing a “Star Trek” uniform.
‘Star Trek’
Continued from Page A8 The couple dated for two years and then moved in together in Canton, where they have lived for three years, Niethammer noted. Every room in their home is decorated with “Star Trek” memorabilia. “Diane and Richard, I love you both. We wish you a long and prosperous life together,” she concluded in her remarks. During the exchange of vows, the bride and groom — in the spirit of “Star Trek” — each said, “I will make it so,” rather than the traditional “I do.” Hanger then said, “Let these vows sink in and the magic begin.” He added with a smile, “I encourage you to give these rings a twist on a daily basis — just to remind you of what’s important.” As Heim carefully placed a wedding band on Stanton’s finger, Hanger half-joked, “All the way on — we want a good marriage.” The gathering erupted in laughter. As the vows concluded, Hanger said, “I want you to do more than just be here and eat their (wedding) cake.” He asked the attendees to pledge “their love to support them,” to which the gathering responded, “We will!” One person added, “And make it so!” triggering more merriment. At that point, Hanger asserted, “Amen — and oh, yeah!” After a pause, the minister said to the newly married couple, “I’d say you’ve got a relationship that’s truly out of this world.” After the traditional kiss, Heim and Stanton each placed a hand on the other’s head, symbolizing the Vulcan mind meld, made famous by Mr. Spock — and triggering cheers from the attendees. Earlier in the ceremony, Heim gave a lengthy and impassioned address. He first spoke of why the wedding had its unique theme, noting, “The great astronomer Carl Sagan said (that) the very atoms of our bodies were forged in the hearts of stars. We are made of star stuff. Through the magic of carbon and biochemistry and evolution, we are the universe becoming aware of itself. Expressed another way, Eckhart Tolle said (that) you are the universe expressing itself as a human for a little while. This is awesome, almost spiritual! “So we are special, in the cosmological sense. Jesus said (that) we are but children! “Gene Rodenberry, creator of ‘Star Trek,’ built on this idea when he said, ‘I believe in humanity. We are an incredible species. We’re still just a child creature, we’re still being nasty to each other. But we’re growing up, we’re moving into adolescence now. When we fully grow up — we’re going to be something!’ “And that was Gene’s philosophy in ‘Star Trek.’ It was a positive philosophy. He said: • “‘Star Trek’ was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate, but take a special delight in differences, in ideas and differences in life forms. • “‘Star Trek’ speaks to some basic human needs, that there is a tomorrow — it’s not all going to be over in a big flash and a bomb, that the human race is improving, that we have things to be proud of as humans. No, ancient astronauts did not build the pyramids — human beings built them because they’re clever and they work hard. And ‘Star Trek’ is about those things. • “It is important to the typical ‘Star Trek’ fan that there is a tomorrow. They pretty much share the ‘Star Trek’ philosophies about life: the fact that it is wrong to interfere in the evolvement of other peoples, that to be different is not necessarily to be wrong or ugly. “Charles Shaare Murray and Mike Mar-
Asheville Daily Planet — June 2015 - A9
qusee said: ‘In the annals of science fiction, where dystopias rule the imaginative roost, ‘Star Trek’ stood nearly alone in telling us that our future would be better than our past, that our common problems would be solved, that we, as a species, were fundamentally good, and that the universe would reward us for our goodness. “That is why a ‘Star Trek’-science-sciencefiction-superhero them” was featured at the wedding, Heim concluded.
Diane Stanton and Richard Heim perform symbolic Vulcan mind melds on one another after being pronounced husband and wife.
Special photo by MIKE BIRKLE
A10 — June 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet
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Asheville Daily Planet — June 2015 — A11 Advertisement
Muscadines: the heart-healthy superstar It’s North Carolina’s state fruit, it tastes delicious and it’s an emerging nutritional superstar. What is the best kept secret in Heart Health? It’s North Carolina’s native Muscadine grape. Muscadines are among the richest source of antioxidants found in nature and are a leading food source for a potent heart healthy substance called Resveratrol. Resveratrol is an antioxidant that is reported to lower cholesterol levels and the risk of coronary heart disease. Most everyone is aware that blueberries, blackberries and pomegranates are great sources of antioxidants. However, what is not commonly known is that Muscadine grapes have more antioxidants per gram than most any other fruit with three times more antioxidants than blueberries, four times more than blackberries and six times more than pomegranates. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend a healthy diet that includes five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Typical Americans consume only two or three servings of fruit and vegetables a day. A single 1-cup serving of Muscadine grapes would more than double the average person’s antioxidant intake. Muscadine grapes are fat free, high in fiber and they are high in antioxidants, especially ellagic acid and Resveratrol. Ellagic acid has demonstrated ant-carcinogenic properties in the colon, lungs and liver of mice. Evidence continues to mount that drinking wine goes hand in hand with a healthy lifestyle and is a powerful means of preventing heart disease. In 2005, a Harvard team found that the consumption of Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red wine, by overweight lab mice increased energy levels, lowered cholesterol and reduced overall blood sugar. In 2007, a Harvard team found that men with hypertension can lower their risk of heart attack by 30 percent by drinking a glass or two of wine a day. Scientific journals have recently been filled with studies suggesting that Resveratrol could be a treatment for Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other ailments.
Resveratrol in Wine:
Researchers have wondered for years how the French could eat a diet rich in cream, butter and cheese, resulting in a high-fat diet equivalent to the American diet, yet the French have a much lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. France’s heart attack rate is 60 percent lower than that of the United States. The answer is the French custom of drinking red wine with meals. The Copenhagen City Heart Study, published in the British Medical Journal, showed that among more than 13,000 men and women aged 30 – 70 who were tracked for 12 years and consumed wine daily, were 50% less likely to die during the study than consumers of other alcoholic beverages or nondrinkers. It’s important to note that health benefits were greatest with only two or three glasses of wine per day (one for women). Drinking more than a few glasses of wine a day can result in increased health risks.
Mississippi State University recently released a Resveratrol concentration chart documenting that the Muscadine grape is the healthiest grape ever tested with forty times more Resveratrol than any other grape. Based on this study, drinking a single glass of Muscadine wine a day is equivalent in Resveratrol concentrations to drinking 40 glasses of European red wine.
Over the next few months we will discuss the health benefits of Muscadines and Muscadine wine and how the consumption of antioxidants can help prevent heart disease, strokes, signs of aging, certain types of cancers, macular degeneration of the eye. We will also discuss how antioxidants protect mental function, lower cholesterol, reduce inflammation associated with arthritis and promote overall good health. Larry Cagle, Jr. WoodMill Winery, Inc.
WNC FARMERS MARKET Building A
570 Brevard Rd., Asheville, N.C. 28806
— The Winery with Heart! — Visit us at 1350 WoodMill Winery Lane, Vale, NC for Wine Tastings and Tours.
A12 —June 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet
‘Kite Runner’
Continued from Page A1 Baldwin is charging that the honors English teacher’s “opt-out” form was insufficient as it did not “fully disclose the adult themes nor did it ask parents to sign an ‘opt-in’ form/permission slip.” Furthermore, “The teacher did not explain in her letter that there was a homosexual rape scene, that there was cruelty, violence, profanity demeaning to women in the book,” she noted. “It is well-known that ‘opt-out’ forms remains in students’ backpacks or never make it home,” Baldwin stated in her guest column. Additionally, Baldwin noted that she “suggested that the class continue to read the classic, ‘All Quiet on the Western Front,’ comparing and contrasting the World War I soldiers’ experience with that of modern warriors in Afghanistan/Iraq, using appropriate excerpts from ‘The Kite Runner’ and other books.” She said that the principal rejected the com-
promise. However, after reviewing the text, the A.C. Reynolds’ Media/Technology Advisory Committee determined that the material in “The Kite Runner” was, in fact, appropriate for 10th-grade students. As the Daily Planet went to press early May 27, Baldwin had yet to decide whether or not she is happy with the school-based committee’s decision. If she is not, she may appeal, taking the issue to the school board, on which she — until recently — served. In reaction to the controversy, some Reynolds High students have voluntarily created a book club which enables them to read and discuss “The Kite Runner.” Book club member Skye Satz puts it simply: “If they expect you to choose your future, you should be able to choose your own books,” she told local news media.
Griffith Porter, who was in the class preparing to analyze the book this semester, was disappointed when he learned his class would no longer read the book. “I think the level of maturity is definitely there to be able to discuss this kind of content and I think it would have been extremely beneficial to be able to discuss it with a teacher,” he told local news media. Izabella Forero, another student in the honors English class, pointed out that not only are students exposed to adult themes in classic literature (such as “All Quiet on the Western Front”), but also that students not much older than the 10th-graders at Reynolds can fight in Afghanistan: “In two years, we’re adults and we can make the decision to go risk our lives to fight there (Afghanistan). We need to know what the culture is there.”
‘Kite Runner’ ranks 7th on list of 10 most-challenged books in U.S.
The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom receives reports from libraries, schools, and the media on attempts to ban books in communities across the country. The ALA said it compiles lists of challenged books in order to inform the public about censorship efforts that affect libraries and schools. Following are the top 10 most frequently challenged books of 2014: 1. “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” by Sherman Alexie Reasons: anti-family, cultural insensitivity, drugs/alcohol/smoking, gambling, offensive language, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group, violence. Additional reasons: “depictions of bullying”
2. “Persepolis,” by Marjane Satrapi Reasons: gambling, offensive language, political viewpoint. Additional reasons: “politically, racially, and socially offensive,” “graphic depictions” 3. “And Tango Makes Three,” by Justin Richardson
and Peter Parnell Reasons: anti-family, homosexuality, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “promotes the homosexual agenda”
4. “The Bluest Eye,” by Toni Morrison Reasons: sexually explicit, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “contains controversial issues” 5. “It’s Perfectly Normal,” by Robie Harris Reasons: nudity, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group. Additional reasons: “alleges it child pornography” 6. “Saga,” by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples Reasons: anti-Family, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group. 7. “The Kite Runner,” by Khaled Hosseini Reasons: offensive language, unsuited to age group, violence
8. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky Reasons: drugs/ alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “date rape and masturbation” 9. “A Stolen Life,” Jaycee Dugard Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group 10. “Drama,” by Raina Telgemeier Reasons: sexually explicit
Faith Notes Monday, June 1
HYMN SING/LUNCHEON, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., The Billy Graham Training Center@ The Cove, 1 Porters Rd., Asheville. SeniorSalt Impact will feature a “Crusade Journey Hymn Sing.” Attendees will relive great moments and songs from the Rev. Billy Graham’s “crusades.” Also, a buffet-style luncheon will be served. For tickets, which are $29, visit bgtreg@thecove.org or visit www. thecove.org.
Saturday, June 6
YARD/PLANT SALE, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., East Asheville United Methodist Church, 48 Browndale Rd. (across from the VA Hopsital), Asheville. A yard and plant sale will be held. Features will include free coffee. Offered for sale will be sausage biscuits, cinnamon rolls and orange juice. The yard sale — held outside — will include furniture, toys, tools, clothes and household items. The Boy Scouts will have their annual plant sale inside.
Sunday, June 14
HEALING WORKSHOP, 1-4 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. Cynthia Biddle will lead a program titled “Create a Healing Symbol with Prayer.” Reiki uses power symbols to focus and strengthen the practitioner’s healing energy. Biddle is a third-level Reiki healer. Attendees are asked to bring writing materials. Artist materials will be provided. Those with a preferred medium may bring their artist materials. Basic Buddhism CLASS, 3-4:30 p.m., Cloud Cottage, 219 Old Toll Circle, Black Mountain. A year-long class on basic Buddhism — meeting twice a month — will begin June 14. The class will be taught by the Rev. Judith Toy, author, columnist and mindfulness teacher. Students are asked to purchase “The Heart of the Buddha’s Teachings” by Thich Nhat Hanh and read the first three chapters prior to class. Suggested donation
is $10 per class. Drop-ins are accepted.
Wednesday, June 17
Cellular Level Healing WORKSHOP, 7-8:30 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. Alice McCall will lead a workshop titled “Learn About and Experience Cellular Level Healing.” McCall has a successful and proven track record transforming serious health issues, disease, and emotional and mental disorders, according to Unity. The workshop particularly is aimed at those experiencing chronic health issues, facing the prospect of costly prescriptions for Alice McCall the rest of their lives, wanting to prevent health issues and disease and/or facing a daunting health concern. “McCall’s information is life changing – as it works at the mental, emotional, spiritual and body level,” Unity noted. An event highlight will be a cellular level healing facilitation, enabling attendees to experience the transformative process.
Covenant Reformed
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 281 Edgewood Rd. • Asheville, N.C. 28804
828-253-6578
www.covenantreformed.net Wednesday— 7 p.m. Prayer/Bible Study Sunday— 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 11 a.m. Worship • 6 p.m. Worship
Celebration Services 11 AM Sunday
Unity Church of Asheville An Informal Spiritual Center of Practical Christianity for Everyday Living.
Bookstore Meeting Rooms
130 Shelburne Road West Asheville 252-5010 www.unityofasheville.com
Summer Sunday Service • 10 am
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advertising@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com ... or call 252-6565.
Send us your faith notes
Please submit items to the Faith Notes by noon on the third Wednesday of each month, via email, at spirituality@ashevilledailyplanet.com, or fax to 252-6567, or mail c/o The Daily Planet, P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, N.C. 28814-8490. Submissions will be accepted and printed at the discretion of the editor, space permitting. To place an ad for a faith event, call 252-6565.
Unity Center
A Church Family for ONE and ALL Come as you are! Sunday Services Sunday Services 10:00 a.m 9:30am & 11:00am Serving WNC for 60 years
891-8700 / 684-3798
2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd. Mills River 28759 Rev. Chad O’Shea
www.unitync.net
Asheville Daily Planet — June 2015 - A13
Advice Goddess
Continued from Page A1 A: Is there some crater somewhere where all his promises go to die? There is sometimes a good reason your boyfriend can’t return your text for days, like that it’s 790 B.C. and there’s a snowstorm and he’s sending his eunuch with the bum knee over the Alps with a set of stone tablets. When there is no good reason, his acknowledging an error, like by admitting to being “distracted,” is a first step in mending his ways. That is, except when he shows you — repeatedly — that it’s his only step (perhaps because it’s tricky to text you back when his other, more local girlfriend is sitting right next to him). Getting somebody to respect your boundaries starts with appearing to have them. Sure, there are sometimes allowances to be made, like for an all-nighter at work or illness. As a friend of mine once wrote: “Sorry I didn’t respond to your email; I was in a coma.” But a man who cares about you generally acts in ways reflecting that — like by dashing off a text to tell you “sleepy - w/write u in am” or “kidnapped. w/be in touch w/ransom demand.” Instead, this guy gives you yet another apology — which basically translates to “Sorry that it’ll be a few days before I can do this to you again.” To have a caring, attentive man, you’ll need to make room for him in your life. You do this the same way you make room for a new TV: by putting the old broken one out on the curb. It’s tempting to keep believing the excuses, which allows you to believe that you’re loved. Unfortunately, believing you’re loved never plays out like actually being loved. The problem is, in the moment, our emotions are our first responder, and reason — that slacker — burrows under the covers, hoping it won’t get called in to work. Overriding wishful thinking-driven gullibility
takes planning — having a pre-packed set of standards for how you want to be treated and then pulling them out at excuse o’clock and holding them up to how you’re actually being treated. This is how you end up with a boyfriend who keeps his word. Keeps it and puts it on his phone and texts it to you — as opposed to keeping it in a drawer with slightly used chopsticks, old answering machine tapes, and a Ziploc baggie of his sister’s hamster’s ashes.
Meet Joe Blank
I’d really like the guy I’m dating to compliment me more. I know he’s super-attracted to me, but he’s not very complimentary, and it makes me feel that he doesn’t think I’m pretty. How do I get him to compliment me without the awkward “Don’t you think I look hot?” — Insecure
Unfortunately, men tend to do poorly at hinttaking. So, no, you can’t just stand next to the kitchen table in your cute new skirt after laying out Doritos in the shape of a question mark. But because male sexuality is visual, it’s comforting to know that your boyfriend’s looking across a party at you and thinking “I want you” and not “I want you to move over so I can see that hot woman behind you.” And it turns out that complimenting you is actually good for him, too. Research on gratitude by psychologist Sara Algoe suggests that the stock-taking that goes into a person’s expressing appreciation for their partner works as a sort of emotional Post-it note, reminding them of how good they have it. And the appreciation itself tends to leave both partners feeling more bonded and satisfied with the relationship. See ADVICE GODDESS, Page A18
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The Daily Planet is everywhere! Downtown Asheville
Izzy’s Coffehouse Downtown Books Dobra Tea Voltage Records Pack Library (newspaper row) Asheville Civic Center Haywood Hotel/Haywood Street Haywood Hotel/Battery Park Avenue Parking Garage/Battery Park Avenue Federal Courthouse Wall Street Climbing Wall AT&T Building Tupelo Honey Cox Avenue Post Office City Bakery Fine Arts Theatre Hannah Flannagan’s Pack Square Buncombe County Courthouse Over Easy Café Magnolia’s Lawyer’s Building, 29 N. Market St.
North Asheville
Greenlife Grocery/Merrimon Ave. Bob Lawrence Power Equip./Broadway Five Points Restaurant/Broadway St. Eblen Short Stop-Citgo/Broadway St. Citgo/Beaver Lake/Merrimon Ave. Marco’s Pizza/Merrimon Ave. El Chapala/Merrimon Ave. Rite Aid/Merrimon Ave. Ace Hardware/Merrimon Ave. Subway/Merrimon Ave. Urban Burrito/Merrimon Ave. Luella’s BBQ/Merrimon Ave.
Brugger’s Bagels/Merrimon Ave. Express Lanes/Charlotte St.
Montford Reader’s Corner
UNC Asheville Health & Wellness Ctr. Reuter Center New Hall Carmichael Hall Dining Hall Highsmith University Union Rhoades-Robinson Hall Ramsey Library Lipinsky Hall Karpen Hall
River Arts District 12 Bones Restaurant
Weaverville/Woodfin Poppy’s Restaurant El Chapala restaurant IHOP Well-Bred Bakery Laundromat (downtown) General Equipment Rental Bellagio restaurant Nick’s Restaurant
Mars Hill Wagon Wheel Restaurant Original Papa Nick’s Pizza Mars Hill Exxon
West Asheville
East Asheville
Ice Service Station/Haywood Rd. Laundromat near Ingles/Haywood Rd. Isis Restaurant and Music Hall La Piedrita/Haywood Rd. Go Grocery/New Leicester Hwy. El Mariachi restaurant/New Lcstr. Hwy. Leicester Post Office/New Lcstr. Hwy. Shell Station/Patton Ave. Combat Zone/Smoky Park Hwy. Mr. Suave conv. store/Smoky Park Hwy. Yao restaurant/Smoky Park Hwy. El Chapala/Smoky Park Hwy. BP Station, Brevard Rd.
Mr. K’s Used Books River Ridge Shell/Swannanoa Rd. Tobacco Outlet/Tunnel Rd. Oteen Post Office Go Grocery/Tunnel Rd.
Enka/Candler Shell Station Enka Post Office
AVL Hospital District Mission Hospital
Biltmore Village Reza’s Café Katuah Market Ash Pantry Brugger’s Bagels
South Asheville South Forest Post Office Earth Fare Skyland Post Office French Fryz BedTyme Stories Arden Post Office
Swannanoa/Black Mtn. Swanannoa Post Office Amazing Savings/Swannanoa Cherry Street (newspaper row)/Blck Mtn. Kiwanis Thrift Shop/Black Mtn.
Fairview/Reynolds Dickie’s Foods/Fairview Fairview Post Office Kounty Line/Reynolds
Hendersonville/Fletcher Fletcher Post Office Park Ridge Hospital Papas & Beer Hot Dog World
Flat Rock Flat Rock Post Office Hodge’s Tire Service
Waynesville Carolina Readiness Supply
Clyde Old Grouch’s Military Surplus
A14 - June 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet
The Daily Planet’s Opinion
Smoking puts WWC under cloud
W
arren Wilson College in nearby Swannanoa deservedly continues to win national collegiate awards for its environment-related efforts to maintain a gorgeous campus that operates in as “green” a way as possible. The college’s reputation is a source of pride among residents throughout Western North Carolina. However, there is a certain irony in the recent revelation that WWC has one of the highest rates of tobacco use of any American college. WWC’s deadly tradition can be easily observed by anyone wandering around the campus and noticing large numbers of students puffing away in the college’s smoking huts, on the bridge across the road, on the hiking trails and along the walkways. A project by WWC student Katie Pannier presented last year to the
school’s board of trustees indicated that the “30-day tobacco-smoking prevalance at Warren Wilson College (40 percent) far surpasses the national average for full-time college students (12.5 percent) and college-aged nonstudents (25.9 percent).” Further, Pannier recommended that the board provide a supportive environment for new students who want to quit smoking. Of course, WWC officials have made efforts over the past decade to reduce student tobacco use and exposure on campus, but the students have successfully resisted. Given tobacco’s well-documented harmful effects, WWC should finally extinguish its tobacco-friendly culture by making its campus tobacco-free and providing tobaccocessation services. And WWC’s activists should fight Big Tobacco.
Historian probes Hillary’s challenges
CHAPEL HILL — Is it too early to start putting the 2016 presidential election in historical perspective? Maybe. But it is never too early to ask presidential historian and UNC Chapel Hill emeritus history professor William Leuchtenburg to size up today’s presidential politics in light of the experiences of other presidents and presidential candidates. Leuchtenburg recently completed work on a 752-page book, “The American President: From Teddy Roosevelt to Bill Clinton,” scheduled for publication in December by Oxford University Press. Oxford says the book will be “an enthralling account of American presidential actions from the assassination of William McKinley in 1901 to Bill Clinton’s last night in office in January 2001. William Leuchtenburg, one of the great presidential historians of the century, portrays each of the presidents in a chronicle sparkling with anecdote and wit.” That last night of Clinton’s presidency, Leuchtenburg told me the other day, was unfortunate for Bill and will almost certainly be a negative factor for Hillary’s presidential campaign. “You would’ve thought that there would be no more pitfalls, but he managed one on this last night.” Leuchtenburg was referring to Clinton’s lastminute pardoning of Marc Rich, whose wife was a big campaign contributor and frequent overnight guest at the White House. “It was not the brightest moment in Clinton’s career.” It left, Leuchtenburg said, “a sour taste.” “But he did have his bright moments,” Leuchtenburg said. “There are numerous achievements of Bill Clinton’s presidency. But on balance, a good deal of the story of Clinton’s presidency is inevitably about the accusations against him, some of which were unfair. The Whitewater investigation never yielded anything. The suicide of Vince Foster was clearly the result of depression in a man who had been tried beyond his capabilities in Washington, who himself said that he should never have left a successful career in Little Rock. That did not stop accusations that Clinton had deliberately concocted his murder. “There wasn’t a moment when Bill Clinton was not under attack, some brought on himself. But the worst episodes, like Whitewater
D.G. Martin and Vince Foster, were the result of a malignant campaign against him that was carried on for eight years. “The connection of the Clintons with money and greed will surface in the 2016 campaign. “I don’t think that my book or most books about the Clinton presidency are going to be very helpful to Hillary Clinton because there are a number of ways that she doesn’t come out well. I say that as someone who in all likelihood is going to vote for her. But this will be in spite of a number of things that she did during the Clinton presidency.” On the positive side, Leuchtenburg said, “I have no doubt that Hillary Clinton will be well-financed. She seems to be so overwhelmingly the favorite that it’s hard to conceive of any viable candidate that could overtake her in the Democratic primaries. But she is going to be under fire to a far greater degree than most aspirants throughout the next stretch, from now until Election Day.” On her preparation to be president, Leuchtenburg said, “She has established herself as a formidable public figure. She will of course be the first serious woman candidate for the presidency and the typical attack on women and public affairs is that they are not qualified. I would think that Hillary Clinton is unlikely to run into that kind of objection. Anybody saying that would immediately look foolish.” Leuchtenburg’s thoughts should give other Democrats pause. To win presidential elections, a candidate needs more than the votes of people like Leuchtenburg. She has to fire their enthusiasm. The barrage of negative attacks and innuendo facing her over the next 18 months will make that task challenging. • D.G. Martin hosts “North Carolina Bookwatch,” which airs at 9:30 p.m. Fridays and at 5 p.m. Sundays on UNC-TV.
Letters to the Editor
Women deserve better than Hillary’s policy failures
Much “news” lately laments the lower pay earned by women than by men for the same work. In legitimate scientific studies, in which both education and experience of both genders were included, the difference in pay between men and women doing the same job was almost negligible. We expect more of such propaganda in support of Progressives. Hillary (Clinton) is savvy to create this emotional and safe non-issue to run on rather than her experience at the Department of State — a major failure at best. Indeed, how did Hillary help the plight of Muslim females, which she was in a unique position to do? Do we women feel safer now, postHillary? What are her plans for the millions in blood money her Clinton Foundation collected from Arab leaders who still treat women as chattel — or worse? When senator, did her policies create
jobs for women or just move more into government dependency and control? Are there remaining hurdles to American women? Of course, legitimate ones. Fewer barriers to businesses whose jobs move women off welfare, lower taxes, lower debt as our children’s inheritance, human trafficking (forced prostitution), domestic violence, and national security come to mind. We women deserve better. Janet Burhoe-Jones Asheville
Printing presses, clergy equal to power of military
“I hear you that you have written for a parson and a printing press, both material engines in moving the world. A newspaper in South Carolina in the present state of their affairs would be equal to at least two regiments,” wrote Benjamin Rush to Nathanael Greene, September 4, 1781. See LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Page A18
The Candid Conservative
Those deadly Democrats
“After the first blush of sin comes its indifference.” — Henry David Thoreau
W
Carl Mumpower
The Problem
hen it comes to politics, most of us run on habit first and reason second. How else can one explain the large number of conservative thinkers clinging to the wicked wackiness of the Democratic Party? For those ruminating over itchy discomfort and possible exit strategies, may I introduce a little motivation? The party of closet socialism has embraced a lethal platform – The Seven Deadly Sins.
What?
For the Biblically challenged, there are seven sins therein identified as super toxic. Those “deadlies: are Lust, Greed, Sloth, Gluttony, Wrath, Envy, and Pride. It’s an amazing coincidence that the very same seven embody the mission of today’s Democratic Party. That undeclared link reveals why being a conservative and registered Democrat feels increasingly icky. That Ronald Reagan figured out that incompatibility 50 years ago reveals us as slow, not Whistle Blower necessarily stupid. How about a quick analysis of this “sinful” partnership?
Lust
Let’s start with an easy one. Every nameable source of sexual immorality finds a safe haven under the Donkey’s gable. Be it abortion, gender swapping, free birthcontrol, condoms access in public schools or local topless exhibitionism in downtown parks, Democrats are in the background making or letting it happen.
Greed
Easy again. The Democratic Party feeds greed at both ends of the scale. Party funding comes through accrediting the exploitations of crony capitalists. Votes are secured by supporting minorities, government unions and the poor with license to rob us too. Greed’s a factor anytime anyone seeks
to take from the labors of another while avoiding their own accountabilities. They call it “progressive,” but it’s really just oldtime socialism.
Sloth
Democratic politicians understand the gold standard for voter loyalty – the promise of something for nothing. For the same reason it is easier to walk downhill than climb, most humans embrace the seductive notion of acquisition without skin in the game. Review Donkey promises and practices and you’ll find them always helping people sit down versus stand up.
Gluttony
A glutton likes to eat anything and everything – including other people’s property. Democrat politicians recognize that a quick way to make a friend is to embrace the fantasies of those whose eyes are bigger than their tummies. If you keep men hungry for more and make them believe you have the key to the cupboard, you can purchase their devotion. That you will starve the dignity, hope and future of your minions is of no apparent concern.
Wrath
Notice how our country keeps getting angrier and angrier? Much of that malice comes from a growing sense of powerlessness. As America’s systems of governance, finance, religion, education, healthcare and industry are being deconstructed; our sense of control over our own destiny is fading. The Democratic Party extends power by feeding fears and blowing on animosities.
Envy
The Bible tells us a house divided will surely fall. Hastening the toppling is a top priority for the Democratic Party.
See CANDID CONSERVATIVE, Page A17
Asheville Daily Planet — June 2015 — A15
Commentary
Conservatives twist flags, patriotism
A
shopping website opens its display of American flags with this headline: “Flags are a great way to display your Conservative values. Whether it’s a car flag, yard sign or traditional flag, display your values with one of our patriotic flags!” There’s something terribly sad about this. No, many sad things. When a person flies an American flag, the headline says, it shows he or she is patriotic. And it implies that he’s MORE PATRIOTIC than other people. Otherwise, why make the show? That’s the first sadness of the website headline: that flying a flag says anything about a person’s political identity. In fact, 59 percent of Americans fly the flag – far, far more than the number of conservative Republicans. How do we know who is right-wing and who is other-wing? Conservative Republicans are out there making a show of flying the flag, and everybody is supposed to understand they’re unusually patriotic. It’s like saying the brass section of an orchestra, because they make the most noise, loves music more than the other, more subdued, musicians. Conservative Republicans imagine they’re communicating their super-patriotic message to a waiting audience. In fact, polls find that almost ALL Americans consider themselves patriotic. A Pew Research Center survey showed that only 6
Lee Ballard percent of Americans see themselves as less patriotic than other Americans. It would seem that conservative Republicans who display American flags to show something to the world are only showing to other conservative Republicans – a recognition symbol like the Red Strings in North Carolina during the Civil War. Most Americans don’t see conservative Republicans as more patriotic – at least not as they understand patriotism. That’s an important point. Many conservative Republicans DO understand patriotism in a different way from most people. And the dictionary does indeed recognize two meanings of the word “patriot.” The first: “a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion.” This applies to almost all Americans, including conservative Republicans. The second definition: “a person who regards himself or herself as a defender, especially of individual rights, against presumed interference by the federal government.” The “patriots” in the American Revolution fit here. They were rebels and revolutionaries. Many conservative Republicans also go
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under this definition. It’s a constant theme in the words of right-wingers. In April, Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz wrote: “The 2nd Amendment to the Constitution….serve(s) as the ultimate check against governmental tyranny – for the protection of liberty.” (Senator Lindsey Graham quipped, “Well, we tried that once in South Cartoon. I wouldn’t go down that road again.”) This talk of insurrection fits in with regular right-wing messages, such as: “A patriot must always be ready to defend his freedom against his government.” (Ironically, a quote from environmentalist Edward Abbey) This kind of patriotism shouldn’t be called patriotism at all. Real patriots love their country, flaws and all. We’re citizens of a great democracy. We are of one soul around our great flag. When somebody uses the American flag to DIVIDE us, he is not being patriotic. He is a selfish partisan. I still remember the rush I felt in the movie theater on Wallace Air Station in the Philippines many years ago. My family had lived for years in the mountains west of there and had come to feel that was our home. We were on vacation on Lingayen Gulf and decided to go over to Wallace for an American hamburger and shake. We also went to their movie, “True Grit” (John Wayne version). The theater darkened – and suddenly the American flag fluttered on the screen, with the “Star-Spangled Banner.” We were far from America, but it was MY
FLAG. The awful war in Vietnam couldn’t dim the glory of MY COUNTRY! That wonderful flag stood for America’s long history of greatness – welcoming the world’s “tired and poor,” giving our young men to liberate others, helping our conquered enemies find democracy, making faraway disasters our own, greatness upon greatness. Almost all Americans share that beautiful emotion. • Lee Ballard lives in Mars Hill.
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A16 - June 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet
Commentary
N.C. House Republicans engage in spending spree Pete Kaliner is the host of a daily radio talk show on Asheville’s WWNC (570AM) that airs from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. This column features posts from his daily blog. • The following was posted on May 19: orth Carolina House Republicans are proving, once again, that there are plenty of progressive big government folks on their team, too. And they wonder why they get targeted in primaries? The North Carolina House wants to spend $1.1 billion more on state government next year under a draft budget proposal released Monday, which seeks to raise teacher and state employee salaries while setting aside more money for reserves and economic incentives. The two-year plan written by House Republicans would spend almost $22.2 billion in the fiscal year starting July 1, which compares to the $21.1 billion in the current year’s plan finalized last summer by the General Assembly. The first of three committees reviewing the budget approved key sections of the proposal — but barely — Monday evening after many Republicans voted against the finance package within it. Some were unhappy with several tax breaks and extended incentives for particular industries. Take a look at this excerpt from a list of “Pork and Crony Handouts” compiled by Brian Balfour at Civitas:
N
Pete Kaliner • $200,000 for a youth baseball tournament in House Speaker Tim Moore’s district • $5 million expansion in funds for the NC Biotech Center (former Civitas Waste of the Week) • $50,000 for a museum dedicated to the history of the town of Stanley located in Rep. Kelly Hastings’ district • $300,000 increase in funds for grassroots science museums, another Civitas Waste of the Week • $858,000 for the NC Arboretum in Asheville • $800,000 grant to the wasteful Research Triangle Institute for clean energy research • $2.5 million expansion of funds for The Support Center (formerly The Minority Support Center, a previous partner in Moral Monday protests) • $500,000 increase in funding for the Grassroots Art Grants program • $130,000 increase in funding for the NC Museum of Art • $50,000 increase in funding for the Tryon Palace, another former Waste of the Week feature
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Read the rest of the list here, including $146 million in subsidies and tax credits. Even the legislative press corps sees what’s happening: “While $200 million each would go into state reserves for emergencies and for repairing government buildings, House GOP leaders are going on a bit of a post-Great Recession spending spree.” And still... it’s not enough for Democrats: “Rep. Paul Luebke, D-Durham, said the bill didn’t go far enough to address education funding. Democrats have complained about recent GOP tax cuts. “Revenue is needed in order to fund our public schools adequately,” Luebke said.” On the bright side, we see the charade that is the “Main Street Democrats” group. A small group of centrist Democrats who have been working under the banner of Main Street Democrats helped buoy the bill, setting up the intriguing possibility that the measure could pass later this week even if it loses a large chunk of conservative members on the floor. The North Carolina GOP House leadership is (once again) a pretty big disappointment. Hopefully, the Senate plan will be more in line with what conservatives expected they were getting when they voted for Republicans. See KALINER, Page A17
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Candid Conservative
petites for control. If you don’t like the idea of training people to be self-serving, you might want to reconsider affiliation with a political entity dedicated to such. Regardless of one’s party affiliation, a periodic look at platform and principles is important. If you don’t agree with 80 perccent of those positions, you’re saddled to the wrong horse. Perfection isn’t possible, but we should find more smiles than frowns in party actions. Conservative minded Democrats are trying to stand on a shrinking bar of soap. The Republican Party is certainly not perfect. Opportunistic leaders are notorious for countering the manipulative ‘stand for everything’ left with a weak “stand for nothing” right. In the absence of a party of conviction more and more voters are simply going for the party promising the most goodies. Until Republicans start behaving like a compass instead of a wind vane, Democrats will continue to win that fight every time. A final observation centers on nature’s truths. Except in the self-deceiving minds of men, nowhere do we see entitlement, victimization, responsibility avoidance, and postponement as predictors of a good future. Yet these remain the steadfast message of the left. If you like the idea of America as a hyper-regulated bureaucratic welfare state, you
Continued from Page A14 Note how consistently their commentary pits one group against another – black against white, poor against rich, women against men, and on and on. Democrats miss no opportunity to highlight our differences and then falsely portray their party as unifiers. You may recall how Obama’s preelection talk was all about harmony – his walk has been consistently in the opposite direction. His self-described action list for his remaining time in office begins with an “F” and “rhymes with bucket.” Get it?
Pride
Watch liberal commentators up against a competent conservative debater. The minute the left starts losing, they fall back on character assignation, question dodging, distractions, anger and arrogance. That’s false pride and it serves one purpose – to prop up a weak, dishonest or dysfunctional position. Artificial donkey pride predicts their self-destruction for the same reason overeating predicts obesity.
Solutions
Never underestimate the selfishness of those programmed to step over reason for the seductions of comfort. That sums up the way the Democratic Party feeds its ap-
Kaliner
Continued from Page A16 The following was posted on May 19:
Duke ditching coal in Asheville
Duke Energy says it’s shutting down it’s Asheville coal-fired power plant within four to five years. I’m not sure what this means for environmentalists who have made a living protesting the Lake Julian plant. The plan’s major components include retiring the 376-megawatt Asheville coal power plant, investing approximately $750 million to build a 650-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant, and installing solar generation at the site – one of the first combinations of its kind. The plan includes investing approximately $320 million to build a transmission substation near Campobello, S.C., and connect it to the Asheville power plant with a new approximately 40-mile, 230-kiloVolt (kV) transmission line. It also includes upgrading and rebuilding additional electrical infrastructure such as transmission lines and distribution substations. Electricity demand in Duke Energy Progress’ Asheville service area has doubled over the last four decades. The region currently must import about 400 megawatts of power during peak demand periods
to ensure system reliability. The region’s power demand is also forecast to grow by about 15 percent over the next decade. According to the project details, Duke could be running transmission lines through Buncombe, Henderson, and Polk Counties. So, I guess folks will be able to focus their attention to protesting these infrastructure projects. The following was posted on May 19:
Police chief pool too white?
And speaking of protesting, the Rev. Keith Ogden is mad that there are no minorities in the running for Asheville Police Chief. The four finalists are all white. One is a woman. From WLOS-TV: A community leader has pulled out of the committee to help select Asheville’s next police chief, citing he must speak about how none of the four finalists are minorities. Reverend Keith Ogden with Hill Street Baptist Church withdrew from the now 15-member APD Chief selection committee on Monday. He said he was flattered to have been asked to serve, but said he couldn’t agree to sign a confidentiality agreement that panel members were asked to sign. “I do not want that process to constrict
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Asheville Daily Planet — June 2015 — A17
should certainly remain loyal to the party defined by that mission. But please note that ultimately our form of governance boils down to just two options – a big government controlled by a few small minds or a small government controlled by a lot of big minds....
Lately there’s been a rush of Hollywood luminaries bemoaning America’s army of “gun nuts.” The facts and that these celebrity activists operate out of ground zero for nuttiness warrants an Oscar for silliness. Conservative thinkers are well-advised to resist this left-minded assault on our right to self-protect. Antigun campaigners love to cherry-pick statistics – including a favored reference to the much smaller number of firearm deaths in the U.K. versus U.S. That Britain’s violent crime rate is four times ours is conveniently ignored. As is the reality guns in America are used 80 times more often to prevent injury than to produce it. That’s the key failed point of the antigun guys – weapons are about protection – not mayhem. Proof is found not only in the U.K. but right here at home. Cities where gun rights are infringed are far more likely to experience violent crime than where gun rights are upheld. Chicago and D.C. are standout examples. Think the police can protect you? You might ponder the fact that in this country
2.5 times more criminals are killed each year by armed citizens than by all our police officers. Concerned about mass shootings? You should be, but note that with one exception every such event in the U.S. over the past 60 years has taken place in a gun-free zone. In spite of disarming most of its citizens, half of the worst school shootings have gone down in the Eurozone. Colonel Colt was right in suggesting guns are a great equalizer when the weakest are up against strength and an impaired conscience. Each year in America, 200,000 women protect themselves from sexual assault and other harms through the judicious use of a firearm. Our country remains one of the very few in the world that has the right to bear arms built into its guiding Constitution. There’s wisdom in law abiding citizens insisting personal and family safety rests first and foremost in their own hands. The nuttiness is found in those who earn their living flooding the world with violent movies, video games and music and then pretend they’re not programming that creepiness into unwitting lizard brains. Thanks for spending a few minutes with a candid conservative! • Carl Mumpower is a former member of Asheville City Council.
me in any way because of the role that I serve in this community as a pastor and a leader,” Ogden said, who serves on the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance. Ogden said he was asked to serve on the committee two weeks ago, but he’s compelled now to point out that the finalists are all white.
“No Asian, no Latino, no Hispanic, no African-American,” Ogden says. “Considering what’s going on across the nation, Baltimore, Ferguson and even in Asheville with what happened to our former Chief William Anderson.” The four finalists made presentations last night at UNCA.
Tip of the Month
A18—June 2015 — Asheville Daily Planet
Letters to the Editor
Continued from Page A14 As our country fought for it’s independence from Britain, our leaders realized that the printed word and the influence of the clergy were just as powerful and just as effective as soldiers in winning the battle of public opinion and ultimately winning the American Revolutionary War. In the Carolinas, there were many citizens who were undecided on whether to side with the patriots seeking a break from England or to remain loyal to the king and his colonial administration. The citizen militia played a vital role in all battles in
the Carolinas and both sides worked very hard to recruit citizens for their respective militias. Newspapers were an integral part of informing the public from the very birth of our nation. Public opinion remains a vital force in today’s world and newspapers play a vital role in providing information which citizens require to make informed decisions. Thanks for all you do to provide information to the citizens of our region. DON TALLEY Black Mountain
To reduce tension, police should rethink use of force
beyond city limits. Besides, the most commonly enforced laws are state anyway, which means the same people who made the laws are then funding their enforcement, rather than having cities mostly paying to enforce someone else’s (state) laws. Why pay to enforce someone else’s laws? This would also reduce budgetary tension, which is really most of it, between city police and public housing residents. There would be no tension with a force that no longer exists. Alan Ditmore Leicester
Continued from Page A13 Instead of fishing for a compliment in the moment — yicky and humiliating — take advantage of how men like to know they’re making their woman happy and tell him (and remind him, if necessary) that you love hearing it when he thinks you look good. But you might also recognize that he’s been complimenting you, just not in a chatty way. (As you noted, “I know he’s super-attracted to me.”) And sure, there are men out there who’d be far more naturally verbal about their feelings — men who haven’t exactly walked a mile in your stilettos but have a pair that looks a lot like them in size 14 extra-extra-wide.
You don’t need to feel all cuddly and good about confronting somebody; you just need to do it, as opposed to cowering in fear as the Bing! Bing! Bings! of their texted multi-part tantrum come in on your phone. Start encouraging assertiveness in your fiance now, and keep letting him know how much you admire all the steps he takes. He could soon be a man who’s got your back when there’s trouble -- and not just in the corner of his eye as he curls up in a fetal position and whimpers, “Donnnn’t hurrrrt meeee!”
under the bed when you hear the ladder being leaned against your upstairs window).
their life they’ll be taking commentary on. In other words, by picketing a baker who won’t make a cake for a gay wedding, you’re exercising your free speech rights, but it’s way out of line for you to effectively picket somebody’s relationship: “We’re here! We’re queer! And guess what: So are the two of you!” And no, this isn’t justified by your creation of an updated Kinsey scale — one that measures female homosexual desire based on a woman’s choice of footwear and whether she accessorizes with a welding mask. So, instead of trying to drag this woman (by her wallet chain) out of her marriage, turn your attention to a woman who’s single and out. Respect that for your friend, Prince Charming may very well be that dude from the Disney movies, determined as you are to recast him as a soldier of fortune crossed with a lady gym teacher. • (c.) 2015, 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
Advice Goddess
Rise and spine
My fiance is good friends with his exgirlfriend from college. (We’re all in our 30s.) She isn’t a romantic threat, but she’s become a source of stress. Long before I met my boyfriend, they began hanging out at a local bar together twice a week. They still do this, and I go along, but I’ve increasingly found these evenings a draining time-suck. When I don’t want to go, my fiance hangs at home with me. This prompts a tantrum from his ex-girlfriend, complete with a barrage of angry texts. I’ve tried reasoning with her, but she claims that when he was single, he “dragged (her) out constantly” so he still owes her. My boyfriend is a laid-back, nonconfrontational kind of guy and just says she needs to calm down. — No Wonder They Broke Up
They’ve translated the Dead Sea Scrolls, and it turns out they’re actually a 900-page list of everything this “friend” has ever done for your fiance. Okay, when he was single, maybe he “dragged (her) out constantly.” Unless he did this by unchaining her from the wall and yanking her to the bar on a choke collar, it was up to her to decline. Gotta love the notion that her companionship led to some unwritten indentured frienditude contract that he still owes big on. (One person’s friendship is another’s mob extortion scheme.) It’s your fiance’s job to be “reasoning” with his friend, not yours. (You’re marrying the guy, not adopting him and trying to get him into a good preschool.) You excuse his passivity by describing him as a “laid-back, nonconfrontational kind of guy.” Well, there’s laid-back, and there’s confusing onlookers as to whether you’re a person or a paperweight. The thing is, whether somebody gets to abuse you is usually up to you. In other words, your fiance needs to grow a pair (or at least crochet a pair and pop ‘em in) and then get on the phone. Tell him that he needs to tell this woman — calmly and firmly — something like, “You know, lovey, I’ve got a fiancee now, and I can’t be as available as I used to be.” He needs to shut down the abusive text storm the same way, telling her, “Not acceptable. Cut it out,” and then block her number if she keeps up the telephone thuggery. Sure, it’s uncomfortable standing up to a person who’s been treating you badly -- an uncomfortable and necessary part of adult life. It’s how you send the message “Nuh-uh…no more” instead of “Forever your tool.” And here’s a tip:
To boldly no where no no has gone before
I’ve started seeing this wonderful guy. There’s no official commitment yet, but I have no interest in anyone else, including the two guys I was casually seeing from time to time. When they text me to try to hook up, I won’t respond or I’ll say I’m busy, but they don’t seem to be getting the message. Admittedly, in the past, I’ve said “no more” and then caved when I’ve gotten lonely or had a few glasses of wine. Also, how do you say “beat it” without being mean? — Go Away Already! There’s little that tempers a man’s enthusiasm for a late-night shag like responding to his “want 2 hook up?” by texting back, “YES! i’m ovulating & dying 2 have a baby!” But it shouldn’t have to come to this — that is, if you start by actually saying no instead of starting a game of “Guess why I’m not returning your texts!” An ambiguous no — not responding or saying “I’m busy” — is not a no. This is especially true of your ambiguous no, which, in the past, has translated to, “I’m not drunk/lonely enough. Try me later.” Because of this, you may need to repeat even a firm “I’m no longer interested” a few times for these guys to get that you aren’t just confused about what you want or playing hard to get. But in general, the unevasive no eliminates the need to make your point repeatedly, in turn curbing the likelihood of your getting mean on the phone (or, worse, hiding
I’m thinking that maybe progressive cities like Baltimore and Asheville should simply abandon policing and transfer all police funds to affordable housing etc. Then the county, state and feds will be left to police Baltimore, which will not solve the use of force problem, but it will allow the mayor to wash her hands of it while reducing desperation, and the crime it causes. State troopers would not dare abandon city policing for fear of crime spillover
Two Brokeback girls
I’m a butch lesbian with a crush on a (supposedly) straight married lady who’s very tomboyish. She has a number of lesbian friends, and I suspect her husband is in the closet. I keep telling her she’s “culturally gay” (because she dresses “soft butch” — combat boots, cords, etc. — and because of some of her attitudes), but I actually think there’s more to it than that. She insists she’s straight but seems weirdly upset by my comments. — Be Who You Are Why not just say it right out: “There’s the closet. Could you please sit in there for a halfhour and come out ready to leave your husband?” I personally find it tragic when gay people feel they have to “ungay” themselves by living straight, but respecting another person’s privacy means accepting that they get to choose which parts of
Asheville Daily Planet — June 2015 — A19
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A20 — June 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet
Entertainment,
Calendar of Events & Sports
Special Section PULLOUT
B1
Asheville Daily Planet — June 2015
Actor Jeff Daniels sparkles in concert Review
By JOHN NORTH
john@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com
Jeff Daniels and the Ben Daniels Band proved entertaining in concert May 18 at the Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville. Daniels, well-known as an actor, also showed his skills as an accomplished musician and vocalist as well as his masterful songwriting ability that has spanned more than 30 years. More than 400 people attended, according to the show’s sponsors. Daniels won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in HBO’s “The Newroom.” He was a co-star in the comedic film “Dumb and Dumber,” for which the sequel, “Dumb and Dumber To,” is set for release in November. Highlights of the roughly 90-minute concert, which included two sets, were renditions of his smashingly humorous original “Let’s Take Our Pants Off and Relax,” Motown’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and as a finale, a moving duet with his son Ben about their relationship as he was growing up. Daniels’ musical style exhibits originality, spanning Americana, blues, jazz and rock. He has written more than 400 songs. Daniels had invited his son’s band to perform with him on his current tour, blending his style with that of the group. Besides Ben, rhythm guitar and vocals, the band includes Tommy Reifel, bass; George Merkel, lead guitar; Wesley Fritzemeier, drums and man-
Jeff Daniels and the Ben Daniels Band performed May 18 in Asheville. In the photo above, which is from another recent performance, third and second from the right are, respectively, Jeff and his son Ben. dolin; and Amanda Merte, backup vocals. Among the many memorable moments in the concert were the performance two originals: “Go, Henry David,” a knockoff of “Johnny B. Goode” — at least on the chorus, and “Mr. Funny In A World Of Sad,” a moving and funny song, which was a tribute
to David Letterman’s recent departure from CBS’s “The Late Show With David Letterman,” after more than 33 years and 6,000 shows in late-night TV. Daniels had the audience laughing as he introduced the tribute song, noting that he often was intimate with his wife, as the show played on his TV.
Review
“Thanks for all of the good times the three of us had,” he joked, as the crowd cheered. He also deadpanned: “We loved making love to your top 10 list. Daniels also had the crowd laughing to his “Crazy Right Now 50 Shades of Grey,” a playful take-off on the book trilogy and film.
Postmodern Jukebox proves elegant, fun with retro-pop
Scott Bradlee and the Postmodern Jukebox electrified the audience May 19 at The Orange Peel in downtown Asheville. The brash young ensemble, which got its start thanks to YouTube, plays retro versions of relatively current pop music hits in reiminaged ways. The performance drew about 800 fans on a weeknight with an unusual mix of both young and old audience members. In a nutshell, PMJ breaks the rules — and unites generations — by performing pop hits of today in the style of pop hits of the past. For the audience, it’s a fun musical potpourri — and often funny, too. The singers, accompanied by a talented backup band that included a pianist (Bradlee), a guitarist, a bassist, a drummer, a trombonist and a clarinetist, featured dazzling rearrangements of songs, along with stunning vocals, choreography and costumes. A recurring theme echoed by PMJ’s emcee throughout the show was: “If you don’t like what’s on the radio... change the channel.” His reference was to Postmodern Jukebox’s efforts to provide an alternative “channel” via more innovative arrangements of contemporary songs that are autotune heavy. “Remember, you’ve got the power” to change the direction of music, he
Above is a publicity shot of Scott Bradlee and the Postmodern Jukebox, which performed May 19 in Asheville. told the fired-up Asheville audience. Among PMJ’s songs are Iggy Azalea’s standard “Fancy” and Kesha’s “Timber,” changed into a doo-wop delight. The eclectic group also weaves in 1970s soul along with Jewish Klezmer music.
Among the memorable vocalists were Von Smith, swinging and swaying like a teen idol from the early 1960s as he sang Taylor Swift hits, and Ariana Savalas, who channels the spirit of Marilyn Monroe in her singing, choreography and repartée
with the crowd. Other standouts among the vocalists were Morgan James and Maiya Sykes. An unexpected extra in the show was tap-dancer extraordinaire Sarah Reich. For the encore, the group delighted the crowd with its big-band cover of last year’s top hit of the summer, “All About the Bass” by Meagan Trainor. Just before the intermission, Bradlee addressed the crowd, noting enthusiastically, “We’ve got a packed house” — and it was PMJ’s first performance in Asheville and North Carolina. He then told how he started the ensemble with an idea of breaking the rules by rearranging today’s pop music and offering it on a YouTube channel — all from a humble basement in New York City. Bradlee also told the crowd that it was they who enabled PMJ to experience rousing success. “Because of you guys, we’re able to make Postmodern Jukebox an international touring act... So though this may be our first time in Asheville, it won’t be our last time in Asheville!” He then took a selfie of himself from the stage with the cheering crowd in the background. See POSTMODERN, Page B7
B2 - June 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet
The local band Sirius.B will perform at 8 p.m. June 15 on a stage in front of Ramsey Library at UNC Asheville for the 2015 debut of the Concert on the Quad series.
Calendar
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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.
Tuesday, June 2
OBJECTIVISTS’ MEETING/DISCUSSION, 6 p.m., meeting room, North Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave., Asheville. The Asheville Objectivists will learn about and discuss Ayn Rand’s philosophy. Admission is free and open to the public.
Wednesday, June 3
CHEROKEE BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL, noon-11 p.m., Happy Holiday RV Village and Campground, 1553 Wolfetown Rd., Cherokee. The annual Cherokee Bluegrass Festival will be held through June 6. Daily tickets are $40 at the gate. A three-day ticket is $90 in advance (by visiting www.adamsbluegrass.com) or $95 at the gate. CLEAN POWER PLAN LECTURE, 7:15 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville. 1 Edwin Place, Asheville. Britten Cleveland will address “The EPA’s Clean Power Plan and North Carolina.” Cleveland, North Carolina’s Sierra Club organizer, will discuss the Clean Power Plan and what people can do to help the state reduce its carbon pollution. Under the plan, North Carolina is required to develop a strategy to reduce its carbon emissions by 2030. Socializing begins at 7 p.m. FRACKING DOCUMENTARIES, 7-9 p.m., Ferguson Auditorium., A-B Tech, 340 Victoria St., Asheville. “Fracking Stories” will be held. The event will screen six short documentaries that expose the public health and environmental consequences of hydraulic fracturing and the ways that communities are coming together to protect their land and water. Attendees will learn about the issues, talk with community members, and find out how they can help keep fracking out of North Carolina. The Asheville screening is copresented by The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, Appalachian Voices, Clean Water for North Carolina, Working Films, The Mountain Peoples Assembly, and WNC Frack Free. The event is free and open to the public.
Friday, June 5
OUTDOOR CONCERT/DANCE, 7-9 p.m., parking lot of the Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The group Tuxedo Junction, playing a variety of music from the 1940s to the 1990s, will perform for the audience’s listening or dancing pleasure. A classic car show will be held adjoining the show on South Main Street. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. Admission is free. TYLER BOONE OUTDOOR CONCERT, 8 p.m., lawn seating, The Peace Center, Greenville, S.C.
Boone, who has musical roots in punk-metal, will perform in concert. His music now has blues and pop-laced influences. The Tarlatans also will appear.
Saturday, June 6
CITIZENS CLIMATE LOBBY, 12:30-3 p.m., Kairos West Community Center, 742 Haywood Rd., Asheville. The Citizens Climate Lobby will review the REMI report, local congressional members’ bios, appoint a message day organizer, look at the laser talks and plan its lobby meetings for the Washington, D.C., conference June 21-24. BLUE JEAN BALL, 7-11 p.m., along the Swannanoa River, 627 Swannanoa River Rd., Asheville. The Blue Jean Ball fundraiser, with the theme “Bowl Full of Soul,” will feature the Sirens of Soul, the Bread and Jam All-Stars and others. Tickets, which are $75 per person, are available by visiting MANNAFoodBank.org, or calling 299-FOOD. MERLE HAGGARD CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort, Cherokee. Country music star Merle Haggard will perform in concert. For tickets, visit www. ticketmaster.com, or call (800) 745-3000.
Tuesday, June 9
LIBERTARIAN MEETING, 7 p.m., Oakleaf Furniture, 130 Miller St., downtown Waynesville. The Haywood County Libertarian Party meets on the second Tuesday of the month. Open discussion and debate are encouraged with all perspectives and persuasions welcomed, regardless of political or religious affiliation.
Friday, June 12
CONCERT, 5:30-10 p.m., River Arts District, Asheville. RiverLink’s RiverMusic series will make its season debut with performances by Ben Miller Band, Red Dirt Revelators and The Toothe. Gates open at 5. Music starts at 5:30 with the second band playing at 6:45 and the headliner at 8:15. Admission is free. OUTDOOR CONCERT/DANCE, 7-9 p.m., parking lot of the Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The group Dashboard Blue, playing oldies rock and beach music, will perform for the audience’s listening or dancing pleasure. A Corvette show will be held adjoining the show on South Main Street. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. Admission is free.
Saturday, June 13
OUTDOOR FILM SCREENING, 8:30 p.m., parking lot, Wedge Brewing, River Arts District, Asheville. The 1942 classic film, “Casablanca,” starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, will be screened on the side panel of a truck. Attendees are urged to bring a chair or a blanket. Admission is free.
Sunday, June 14
OUTDOOR CONCERT, 4-6 p.m., Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville. Bayou Diesel will perform zydeco music in the Sunday Music in the Park series. Admission is free.
See CALENDAR, Page B3
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Comedian Jerry Seinfeld will perform his show at 7 p.m. June 27 in the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Asheville.
Calendar of Events Continued from Page B2
Sunday, June 14
OUTDOOR FILM SCREENING, 8 p.m., Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville. The film “The Goonies” will be shown in the Movie in the Park series. The screening will be preceded by children’s craft activities at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free.
Monday, June 15
CONCERT ON THE QUAD, 7 p.m., quad, UNC Asheville. Sirius.B, billed as an “absurdist gypsyfolk-funk-punk” ensemble, will perform at UNCA’s Concerts on the Quad. Admission is free.
Tuesday, June 16
JUST ECONOMICS GENERAL MEETING, 6:30 p.m., United Way building, Asheville. Just Economics will host its bimonthly general meeting, where the members and supporters share a meal, talk about some general updates about the group’s work and the community, and then break into committees to strategize and create plans to bring about the organization’s vision of a more just and sustainable local economy. Food will be provided, but anyone able to bring a dish to share is encouraged to do so. Admission is free and open to the public.
Thursday, June 18
CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Scott Concert Hall, Porter Center, Brevard College, Brevard. “Opera’s Greatest Hits” will be performed by BMC’s Janiec Opera Company, joined by maestro Jerome Shannon and the Brevard Festival Orchestra. Ensemble pieces from some of the world’s mostloved operas will be performed.
Friday, June 19
OPERA TALK, 3 p.m., Reuter Center, UNC Asheville. The monthly Opera Talks series will feature Asheville Lyric Opera Director David Craig Starkey and a cast of industry professionals who will guide the audience through their operatic world. Admission is free and open to the public. DOWNTOWN AFTER 5 OUTDOOR CONCERT, 5-9 p.m., North Lexington Avenue near I-240 overpass, downtown Asheville. The headliner is Corey Harris, who will be preceded by the band Zansa. Admission is free. OUTDOOR CONCERT/DANCE, 7-9 p.m., parking lot of the Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The group Southern Crescent will perform a variety of music for the audience’s listening or dancing pleasure. A classic car show will be held adjoining the show on South Main Street. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. Admission is free.
Saturday, June 20
CONCERT, 6 p.m., Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium, Porter Center, Brevard College, Brevard. “Opening Night! With André Watts” will be performed by the Brevard Music Center Orchestra, with internationally acclaimed pianist André Watts and the BMCO’s principal guest conductor, JoAnn Falletta.
Monday, June 22
CONCERT ON THE QUAD, 7 p.m., quad, UNC Asheville. Ulali Project featuring Pura FE will perform at UNCA’s Concerts on the Quad. Admission is free.
See CALENDAR, Page B4
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Asheville Daily Planet — June 2015 — B5
Internationally acclaimed pianist André Watts will perform at 6 p.m. June 20 in Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium at the Porter Center at Brevard College in Brevard.
Calendar Events
Continued from Page B3
Thursday, June 25
CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., The Foundation Performing Arts Center, Isothermal Community College, Spindale. Eleven-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Jamey Johnson will perform in concert. He is “one of the greatest country singers of our time,” according to the Washington Post. Johnson is one of only a few people in the history of country music to win two Song of the Year Awards from both the CMA and ACMs for “Give It Away” and “In Color.” His 2008 album, “That Lonesome Song,” was certified platinum for 1 million in sales, and his 2010 double album, “The Guitar Song,” received a gold certification. For tickets, which are $30 and up, call the Box Office at 286-9990, or visit www.FoundationShows.com.
Friday, June 26
OUTDOOR CONCERT/DANCE, 7-9 p.m., parking lot of the Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The group Emporium will perform oldies rock and beach music for the audience’s listening or dancing pleasure. A Corvette show will be held adjoining the show on South Main Street. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. Admission is free.
Saturday, June 27
SEINFELD SHOW, 7 p.m., Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, U.S. Cellular Center, downtown Asheville. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld will perform. Tickets start at $65 before fees. SHINDIG ON THE GREEN SHOW, 7-10 p.m., Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville. The 49th annual Shindig on the Green series featuring
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traditional music and dancing — and informal jams — will make its 2015 debut. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. Admission is free.
Sunday, June 28
THEATRICAL PRODUCTION, 2:30 p.m., Reuter Center, UNC Asheville. Autumn Players Readers Theatre will perform “The Vanishing Point,” by Beth Ely. Admission is $6. BUSKER PERFORMANCE, 4-6 p.m., Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville. A busker performance featuring Abby the Spoon Lady, Time Crunch and Josh Newton will be offered in the Sunday Music in the Park series. Admission is free.
Monday, June 29
CONCERT ON THE QUAD, 7 p.m., quad, UNC Asheville. The Malpass Brothers will perform at UNCA’s Concerts on the Quad. Admission is free.
Tuesday, June 30
STEEP CANYON RANGERS CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium, Porter Center, Brevard College, Brevard. The Steep Canyon Rangers will perform in concert, accompanied by the Brevard Sinfonia, directed by Ken Lam. The Grammy Award-winning SCR will perform a concert on the lighter side.
See CALENDAR, Page B5
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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.
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The Steep Canyon Rangers will perform a concert — on the lighter side — at 7:30 p.m. June 30 in Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium at the Porter Center at Brevard College in Brevard. The group will be accompanied by the Brevard Sinfonia, directed by Ken Lam.
Calendar
Continued from Page B4
of
Events
Thursday, July 2
ALABAMA CONCERT, 8 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort, Cherokee. The band Alabama will perform in concert. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com, or call (800) 745-3000.
Friday, July 3
OUTDOOR CONCERT/DANCE, 7-9 p.m., parking lot of the Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The group Wishful Thinkin’ will perform oldies rock and beach music for the audience’s listening or dancing pleasure. A classic car show will be held adjoining the show on South Main Street. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. Admission is free. RICKY SKAGGS CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, Franklin. Fourteen-time Grammy Aw ard-winner. Ricky Skaggs will perform in concert. For tickets, which are $25, $30 and $35, visit www.GreatMountain-
Music.com, or call 524-1598.
Saturday, July 4
PATRIOTIC CONCERT/DANCE/FIREWORKS, 7-9 p.m., parking lot of the Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. Asheville’s 96.5 Band will perform a patriotic tribute concert for the audience’s listening or dancing pleasure. Fireworks will be ignited at dusk at Jackson Park and will be visible from the concert. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. Admission is free.
Monday, July 6
CONCERT ON THE QUAD, 7 p.m., quad, UNC Asheville. Stephanies Id will perform at UNCA’s Concerts on the Quad. Admission is free.
Sunday, July 12
OUTDOOR CONCERT, 4-6 p.m., Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville. The local band Lyric will perform soul and rhythm and blues music in the Sunday Music in the Park series. Admission is free.
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B6 - June 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet
Sports Commentary
NFL hard and soft on Brady, Patriots Tank Spencer is the host of a weekly sports talk show, “The Sports Tank,” on Asheville’s News Radio WWNC (570AM) that airs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. Spencer also serves as WWNC’s news anchor, reporter and afternoon producer. This column features posts from his blog. • The following was posted May 12: The NFL came down “hard” on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots for their involvement in DeflateGate. The quotations are necessary because the penalty, in my opinion, should have been more severe. But, it was a statement in comparison to other suspensions handed down by the league. Do you remember the two game wrist slap the league tried to pass for Ray Rice’s little game of punch-out? Tom Brady has been suspended for the first four games of the 2015 regular season. The New England Patriots as a team are fined $1,000,000 and lose their 2016 firstround draft pick and a fourth-round pick in 2017. That’s basically the punishment I expected. The social media discussions of the punishment have been entertaining to watch over the last 20 hours. The reactions range from “the entire New England team should be banned” to “they are just tired of the Pats winning all the time.” Of course, one should not expect rationality on the internet, but it would be a nice change of pace.
Deflated Ball
My biggest issue with the Patriots’ latest cheating scandal is the constant lying about who knew what and why it was being done. FACT: The balls were under inflated for
Sports
Tank Spencer the AFC Championship Game. FACT: The tampering was done after the referees had inspected them. FACT: A Patriots equipment manager was caught on tape taking the balls to the bathroom where no referees were present. FACT: Equipment staff exchanged text messages referring to the deflation of the balls as far back as Week 7 of this past season. FACT: Once the DeflateGate story broke, Tom Brady began feverishly texting and talking on the phone with an equipment manager he hadn’t contacted by phone for at least 6 months. FACT: It is easier to catch and hold a ball that is deflated. Those indisputable facts show that the cheating DID happen, it was going on for SEVERAL games, it DOES impact the outcomes, and it HAS tainted the entire season. If the Patriots played every game with a tampered-with football (which is highly likely), then that means close games could have been decided by the very fact that the turnover rate very well could have been higher. You could deduce that they possibly would have lost the three one-score games they won. That would mean a 9-7 record and they might have missed the playoffs altogether. I would have no problem with vacating the title.
All-Star luncheon to feature Hal McCoy as keynote speaker From Staff Reports The Asheville Tourists will feature National Baseball Hall of Fame Sportswriter Hal McCoy as the keynote speaker for the South Atlantic League All-Star gameday luncheon at noon June 23 at DoubleTree by Hilton Asheville-Biltmore. The luncheon will recognize the South Atlantic League All-Stars, both players and coaches. Catering the event will be Corner Kitchen Restaurant, Corner Kitchen Catering, Chestnut Restaurant, Old Europe Pastries and the DoubleTree by Hilton. While overcoming vision problems that began in 2001, McCoy has continued to cover the game he loves and has done so for half a century. He currently covers the Cincinnati Reds for the Dayton Daily News and FOXSportsOhio.com. A native of Akron, Ohio, McCoy was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003 and has more than 25,000 bylines. Although McCoy has been legally blind since early 2002, he is the longest tenured beat writer in Major League Base-
ball. McCoy covered the Cincinnati Reds during the Big Red Machine’s backto-back World Series Championship runs in 1975 and 1976 as well as the Reds 1990 World Series Championship season. Hal McCoy Through his devotion to the game, McCoy has made lasting impressions on current and former players, managers, coaches, industry peers and millions of baseball fans. Tickets for the reception are $25 per person, or $225 for a table of 10. A limited number of tickets are available to the public and are currently on sale. For tickets to the All-Star Game luncheon, call 258-0428 or visit the Tourists ServPro Box Office at McCormick Field.
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Postmodern
Continued from Page B1 Prior to singing “No Diggity,” Savalas was all sass, playfully noting that she had heard that “Asheville is a very conservative town.” As the crowd laughed, Savalas also said that she learned during her visit to the city that the National Weather Service’s Data Center was based in Asheville. She then quipped, “With the men in the first row, it’s cloudy with a chance of biceps.” In remarks directed to these same men,
Asheville Daily Planet — June 2015 — B7 she added with a sultry look, “If you show me a good time, I might let you show me your ‘thunder from down under.’” Later, before singing “Blank Space,” Savalas appeared on stage in a black micro-minidress with sequins. As the crowd cheered, she teased, “Sorry, please reserve your applause for when my dress comes off.” In a reference to her scanty dress, she joked, “I would have been out here earlier, but I couldn’t find the other half of my dress.” — By John North
Horoscope Aries: June will be a VERY positive month for you, Aries. Any crazy idea you may have will stand a good chance at success this month. Your ruling planet, Mars, will be occupying a favorable position this month. This means you will be able to resolve any task and overcome any problem this month. Prepare for victory!!! Taurus: You will face a set of situations this month that will change your life. A combination of various celestial bodies will bring positive, lifedefining situations to you this month. The Moon will bring you energy this month. Venus will also be helpful when it’s necessary for you. Saturn will bring in some slight negative energy, but will be out-shined by the help you receive from the Moon, Venus, and Pluto. Pluto will provide powerful energetic support that is very much needed. Gemini: Happy Birthday, Gemini! June will be a month unburdened by any major problems. Prepare for a fun, carefree month! The planets are aligned in your favor this month. Just beware the Black Moon as its influence can be very unpredictable. Cancer: June will be an unstable period of your life. You won’t be bored this month, but prepare to faces some challenges that can be interesting. Expect to have low energy due the position of Saturn. Be careful when it comes to your work life this month, too. The Moon will be as strong as ever, though. Yay! This can help turn any problems you have turn to dust. It’s not set in stone that this will happen. Use the Black Moon as your ally this month. Leo: Expect a positive, dynamic, yet unpredictable life stage this month. You will have a lot life strength due the positions of the Sun and Pluto. Uranus and Mercury will bring some negative energy, especially on the love front. Prepare to be kept on your toes. Virgo: Neptune and Venus will bring just enough negativity to you this month that they will keep things interesting. It’s not all bad, though. Mercury will be a beneficial asset that will make sure you have enough life force this month. Libra: You will receive powerful celestial aid this month. Saturn and Venus will help you overcome and protect you from any negative influences. However, Mars will bring some focus on personal relationships. Overall, this month will be exclusively positive, despite some mini-road blocks. Scorpio: June will prove to be a successful month. However, the Moon and Venus will bring destabilization on the love front. At the same time, Mars will bring success in business. Prepare for a balanced month. In one area of your life, things can be negative, but you will find success in another area of your life. Sagittarius: Prepare for a dynamic and outstanding time this month. Expect some inaction from Jupiter, which can allow in some negativity from other planets. Don’t worry, though. Venus will provide some powerful and dynamic energy that will overcome any opponent. Capricorn: June will be a curious time for Capricorns. Mars and the Moon will bring negative emanations, but Mars will stand in the way of these negative waves. All in all, the planets will cancel each other out, leaving things to an absolute value of choice and a heightened dependency of circumstance this month.
Hazel Hopper Aquarius: Expect a peaceful month. Mercury will bring all the energies you will need, especially financially. Saturn will provide a shield against any negative energies coming your way this month. It’s smooth sailing from here! Pisces: Jupiter will bring some negative emanations this month. However, Venus will provide powerful energetic support, especially in the sphere of feelings and emotions. These two powerful planets will influence you this month, but luckily they are not antagonists. So, their influences will affect different areas of your life. • Hazel Hopper lives in Asheville.
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B8 - June 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet