‘Smokey Joe’s Cafe’ percolates with joy — See REVIEW, Pg. B1
Jeff Rose elected BCDP’s chairman
Montreat erupts over oath-signing
— See STORY, Pg. A2
See NEWS, Pg. A4
LLE I V HE AS ASHEVILLEʼS GREATEST NEWSPAPER
May 2017
Vol. 13, No. 06
An Independent Newspaper Serving Greater Asheville
FREE
www.ashevilledailyplanet.com
Apocalypse now?
‘Nice Cliff Jump’ proves a winner
Prepare now as cataclysm looms, preppers forewarned
By JOHN NORTH
john@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com
Special photos by UNC ASHEVILLE
Above and to the left are two of the winnners from UNC Asheville’s Study Abroad Program’s annual international photo contest. They were on display in April in Ramsey Library’s Blowers Gallery. The photo above, titled “Nice Cliff Jump” in France, was shot by Michael Albinger. The photo to the left, titled “From the Inside Looking Out” in Peru, was shot by Caroline Sherrer. The contest encourages student and faculty travelers to create a photographic record and share their overseas experiences upon their return to Asheville. More than 130 UNCA students study aboad as part of university programs each year.
Kapoor challenges Edwards to debate; shift to district system bill clears hurdle From Staff Reports City Council candidate Vijay Kapoor has challenged state Sen. Chuck Edwards, RHendersonville, to hold a public debate with him on the pros and cons of Edwards’ bill to switch Asheville from at-large elections for city council seats to a district system. Meanwhile, Edwards’ bill to split Asheville into six districts cleared its first committee on the night of April 25. Most area legislators — as well as council members — oppose the hotly contested measure. Edwards represents a small portion of South Asheville. Voters in the six districts could vote for only those running in their district. The mayor would still be elected at-large.
WAYNESVILLE — Two speakers warned that there is no time like the present to prepare for possible catastrophes during their speeches at Heritage Life Skills VI Weekend on the evening of April 21 at the Folkmoot Center. “Hundreds” attended the April 21-23 program, making it the best-attended in its history, according to event organizer Jan Starrett, who declined to be more specific. She co-owns, with her husband Bill, Carolina Readiness Supply, which sponsored the weekend program. The event featured about 30 classes in a variety prepper interest areas, ranging from suturing to tactical radio communications. On April 22, the evening’s program included a musical performance by Spencer Two Dogs and a talk focusing on the North Korea crisis by Dr. William Forstchen, a Montreat College history professor who perhaps is best-known as the author of the New York Times bestseller “One Second After.” “Enemies, an EMP (electro-magnetic pulse), economic collapse, natural disasters, even our government” going rogue — all could happen and pose threats to American’s way of life, one of the speakers, SouthernPrepper1, told a crowd of about 200 people in the center’s auditorium. However, those who are prepared will tremendously increase their
Rubbin Hood ....
Q: I grabbed my boyfriend’s phone to look something up, and I found a Google search for local massage places that offer “happy endings.” He says that he and his friends were just goofing off. Am I an idiot to believe him? — Disturbed Chuck Edwards Vijay Kapoor “I neither support the bill, nor do I agree with the manner in which Senator Edwards is proceeding,” Kapoor wrote in a March 26 guest column in the Asheville Citizen-Times. See CHALLENGE, Page A9
His “goofing off” is reminiscent of the “but I was just curious!” web searches that juries hear about — stuff like “Does arsenic have a flavor?” “How much antifreeze does it take to kill a 226.5-pound man?” and “Who’s got the lowest prices on shovels and tarps?” Sure, it’s POSSIBLE that your boyfriend is telling the truth — that he and his bud-
Forrest SouthernGarvin Prepper1 chances of survival, especially in the case of “a grid-down situation,” said SouthernPrepper1. He spoke on the topic of “Protect Your Home” for more than an hour. (SouthernPrepper1 uses only his YouTube name, professes the motto of “Don’t be scared — be prepared” and is based near Pickens, S.C.) Southern1Prepper1 also spoke of the importance of having as many “triggerpullers” of guns in one’s prepper group as possible, as those lacking food and supplies — and morals — inevitably will attack the group and must be repelled. “In a worse-case event, we need every trigger-puller we can get,” he said. “Ladies are just as capable of doing what a guy can do” with a gun. If they (the enemy) take me out, the next one (left) is my wife…. We need to start training you women to be very proficient” with guns. See PREPPERS, Page A9
The Advice Goddess Amy Alkon
dies were searching out massage parlors RIGHT NEARBY! just for a giggle. To determine how likely it actually is, consider that people don’t behave randomly. We’re each driven by a varying combo of personality traits — habitual patterns of thinking, emotion, and behavior that are relatively consistent over time and across situations. For example, an introvert will not suddenly become a party animal (unless we’re talking the taxidermied kind that’s stuck into the “fall leaves” centerpiece).
See ADVICE GODDESS, Page A11
A2 - May 2017 - Asheville Daily Planet
Jeff Rose elected chairman of BCDP
From Staff Reports
BLACK MOUNTAIN — Jeff Rose, a West Asheville resident and software developer, was elected chairman of the Buncombe County Democratic Party during the party’s annual convention on April 8 at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly. The convention drew tabout 600 people, which was the largest turnout in at least the last 20 years, according to Brown Newman, a Democrat and the chairman of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. Rose’s election was unanimous, Newman noted, adding that he was excited to see Rose take the party’s helm, which occurred immediately after the vote. Other officers elected include Denise Marecki, first vice chair, focusing on precinct organization and get-out-the-vote; Catherine Mitchell, second vice chair, focusing on training; Lindsay Furst, third vice chair, focusing on communication; Michael Vavrek, secretary, focusing on party records; and Keith Thomson, treasurer, focusing on finance. Rose replaces Kathy Sinclair, who earlier this year had announced that she would not seek re-election after serving six years as the BCDP chairwoman. A lifelong Democrat, Rose has been highly active with the local party since he moved to Buncombe County in 2015.
For the past year, he has served as the West Asheville Club leader, represented Buncombe as a member of the State Democratic Executive Committee and chaired Precinct 14.3 He also has led efforts to get people to vote across West Asheville, Jeff Rose staffed early voting locations, distributed sample ballots and assisted with coordinating West Asheville’s campaign staging location. During the 2016 Democratic primary, Rose served as a volunteer to the Bernie Sanders campaign and encouraged everyone to participate in the Democratic Party. Rose said he looks forward to expanding the ways his party reaches out to the commmunity and fights for its values. He also said he hopes to strengthen year-round voter registration efforts and ensure the party is organized and effective in every area of the county.
Sheriff to retire, touts possible successor From Staff Reports
After three terms as sheriff of Buncombe County, Van Duncan announced during an April 7 news conference that he will retire when his current term ends in January 2019. In addition, Duncan endorsed Lt. Randy Smart as his successor. However, he added that regardless of who succeeds him, Duncan worries for the safety of a new sheriff. Duncan praised Smart as an “experienced law enforcement officer with high professional standards and integrity.” Duncan, a lifelong Democrat, won his first run for the sheriff’s job in 2006 with support from 59 percent of the vote to defeat then-sheriff Bobby Medford. Medford later was convicted of federal corruption charges related to illegal Van Duncan video gamblng. Duncan, 53, who has won respect among his peers for bringing professionalism to the office, is known for a manner of speech that features a casual mountain accent. He also is known for his candor. His success in his job may account for his decision to stay three terms, after originally only planning to serve two terms. Indeed, in the 2014 election, he won more than 70 percent of the vote. In announcing his impending retirement, Duncan said he thinks the timing is right for someone else to offer their ideas and energy to the job. Also, he noted that, while his health also has been in the back of his mind, that is not the deciding factor. He has multiple sclerosis. Born in Spruce Pine, his family moved to North Wilkesboro when he was 6. The family returned to Mitchell County when he
was in high school, after his father bought a community store there. Duncan decided he wanted to enter law enforcement and graduated from Western Carolina University with a degree in criminal justice. He began working at the Buncombe sheriff’s office under Medford in 2000, later becoming a detective. However, Duncan was fired in 2004, when Medford learned that Duncan might run for sheriff. Duncan also worked at the Weaverville and Asheville police departments, as well as the Biltmore Estate, where he served as chief of company police for six years.
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: News: news@ashevilledailyplanet.com Letters to the Editor: letters@ashevilledailyplanet.com Display Advertising: advertising@ashevilledailyplanet.com Classified line ads: classads@ashevilledailyplanet.com Circulation: circulation@ashevilledailyplanet.com Publisher: publisher@ashevilledailyplanet.com
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Asheville Daily Planet — May 2017 - A3
A4 - May 2017 - Asheville Daily Planet
Councilman keeps seat after voter registration challenge From Staff Reports Elections officials recently affirmed Asheville City Councilman Keith Young’s right to serve on Asheville’s governing body. The Buncombe County Board of Elections voted 3-0 on March 30 against a challenge to Young’s voter registration that, if it had been successful, would have removed him from council. While the officials rejected the challenge, their action failed to address some major questions about a stipulation in a mortgage in which he recently entered. The challenge to Young was raised by semi-retired financial planner Mike Lewis, a city resident. While Young is registered to vote in the East End neighborhood near downtown, his relatively new mortgage requires him to have, as his primary residence, a house outside the adjoining town of Arden. Council members must — by law — live in Asheville. Young works as a deputy to the Clerk of Superior Court. Under oath during the board’s formal quasi-judicial hearing, Lewis said, “I would assume as a deputy of Superior Court and (as) a councilman he would understand the
nature of what he signed. Meanwhile Young testified under oath that he lived at both places, but he remained a primary resident of the Asheville house owned and occupied by his mother Keith Young and father. “Circumstances in my life are not always black and white and my finances being a big part of that,” Young said at the hearing. Afterward, Young declined news media requests for interviews and Lewis said he had no plans to appeal the matter to Superior Court. While Young signed the mortgage on July 29, eight months after taking office, the challenge to his qualification to serve on council first arose on Dec. 30, when anonymous packets — containing the mortgage, Young’s voter registration and a letter pointing to the apparent contradiction — were distributed to the board of elections and the city attorney.
From Staff Reports MONTREAT — Some employees at Montreat College have raised concerns about the school’s new “community life covenant,” a document that spells out expectations for Christian living that include affirming “the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman.” At least a few faculty members have opted to resign rather than sign a form related to the covenant, under which employees are expected to “affirm, support and comply” with faculty and staff handbooks containing the covenant.
Montreat College officials said in midApril that they worked on the covenant for more than two years in a process spanning 13 listening sessions “in which the college listened to and responded to the concerns of faculty, staff and alumni,” according to Adam Caress, the school’s director of communications. Changes were made as a result of those sessions, he said. The covenant refers to the Bibls as “the infallible Word of God and fully authoritative in matters of life and conduct ...” and “sinful attitudes and behaviors.” It also affirms the “worth of every human being from conception to death.”
Required ‘covenant’ signing at Montreat prompts resigations
Judge says council cannot suspend Cherokee chief From Staff Reports
CHEROKEE — A tribal court judge on April 25 blocked a move to suspend the chief of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians pending impeachment proceedings against him. Sharon Tracey Barrett, the temporary associate judge presiding over Cherokee Court, said in a ruling that Principal Chief Patrick Lambert “will not have his powers or Principal Chief authorities suspended Patrick as a result of Tribal Lambert Council’s actions.” Earlier in the month, on April 5, Tribal Council members cast two separate 9-3 votes — to begin impeachment proceedings against Lambert and to suspend him until an impeachment hearing is finisheed. Barrett’s ruling stated that the Tribal Council went beyond its authority — and cited only one section of law — in its move to suspend Lambert.
“Simply put, nothing contained in this provision of law empowers one branch of government, the Tribal Council, to suspend from office the head of another branch of office,” Barrett wrote. In its challenge of Lambert, the Tribal Council — alleging that the chief improperly handled contracts and personnel matters — is pursuing impeachment proceedings against him. Lambert denies the Tribal Council’s allegations. Lambert is contending that his discord with the Tribal Council was sparked by his order for outside audits of the Qualla Housing Authority, which is under a U.S. Department of Justice investigation. With her ruling, Barrett noted that it meant that all three branches of tribal government are now involved in the controversy, but the judge said that she could not avoid her duty to hear and decide the case. “A government crisis is now presented to this court as a result of the actions taken by the Tribal Council today in attempting to suspect the principal chief from office,” Barrett noted.
NCDOT TO HOST COMBINED PUBLIC HEARING MAY 23 REGARDING THE PROPOSED CONVERSION OF THE LIBERTY ROAD (S.R. 1228) GRADE SEPARATION OVER I-40 TO AN INTERCHANGE AND CONSTRUCTION OF A TWO LANE ROADWAY BETWEEN U.S. 19 (SMOKEY PARK HIGHWAY) / N.C. 151 AND MONTE VISTA ROAD (S.R. 1224), PART ON NEW LOCATION IN ASHEVILLE TIP Project No. I-4759
Buncombe County
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will hold an informal, Combined Public Hearing for the proposed conversion of Liberty Road (S.R. 1228) Grade Separation over I-40 to an interchange, and construction of a new roadway between U.S. 19 (Smokey Park Highway) / N.C. 151 and Monte Vista Road (S.R. 1224) in Asheville. The project addresses the lack of connectivity along I-40 between U.S. 19/23 and Wiggins Road by providing an alternate access point to I-40. The informal style public hearing will be held in the Gymnasium at St. Francis Asbury United Methodist Church, located at 725 Asbury Road, in Candler from 4 to 7 p.m. Interested citizens are encouraged to attend at any time during those hours. NCDOT and Consultant staff will be available to provide information on the project, answer questions and receive comments. Please note there will be no formal presentation. A map of the proposed project is available on the NCDOT Public Meetings Website at: http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/ publicmeetings/. Maps of the project alternatives as well as the Environmental Document (an Environmental Assessment) are available for viewing at the following locations: • NCDOT Highway Division 13 55 Orange Street, Asheville, NC 28801 • Land of Sky Regional Council 339 New Leicester Highway, Suite 140, Asheville, NC 28806 * Enka-Candler Library 1404 Sand Hill Road, Candler, NC 28715 Anyone desiring additional information regarding the project may contact Ahmad Al-Sharawneh, NCDOT Project Development Engineer at (919) 707-6010 or by email: aalsharawneh@ncdot. gov. Comments may be submitted until June 23, 2017. NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in this workshop. Anyone requiring special services should contact Ms. Diane Wilson, Senior Public Involvement Officer at (919) 707-6073 or email: pdwilson1@ncdot. gov as early as possible so that arrangements can be made. Aquellas personas que hablan español y no hablan inglés, o tienen limitaciones para leer, hablar o entender inglés, podrían recibir servicios de interpretación si los solicitan antes de la reunión llamando al 1-800-481-6494.
Asheville Daily Planet —May 2017 - A5
After flap over wording, jewelry Buncombe’s jobless rate remains store replaces billboard message lowest in N.C., WNC improves, too
The jewelry store billboard in Asheville that sparked mostly negative reaction around the nation was replaced April 4 with a message that thanks the supporters of a downtown jewelry store. The billboard now says, “Asheville rocks,” with the “o” in the form of a sparkling diamond. “We are sorry if we offended anybody, we did have thousands more supporters than we have people who were offended so we wanted to thank our supporters,” Eva-Michelle Spicer, co-owner of Spicer Greene Jewelers, told the Asheville
Citizen-Times. She the AC-T that the new message “thanks all of Asheville and it’s another play on words, further demonstrating the first one was a play on words.” Spicer Greene Jewelers triggered criticism in March for a billboard that said, “Sometimes, it’s OK to throw rocks at girls....” The billboard, off Patton Avenue near Interstate 240, featured the “rocks” — against a white backdrop — as red, blue, yellow, green, pink and silver gemstones, orbiting around big, black letters.
From Staff Reports
For yet another month, the Buncombe County unemployment rate for February ranked lowest in North Carolina, figures released on April 5 by the state Department of Commerce showed. Buncombe’s 3.9 percent rate was an improvement over its 4.3 percent for January and its 4.4 percent rate for the same month in 2016. Likewise, jobless rates declined in February in every Western North Carolina county
— and the February rates were lower than the previous month and the same month last year. The largest jump in employment in the Asheville metropolitan area (comprising Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson and Madison counties) was in the health care sector, which tallied an increase of 1,400 workers — 3.9 percent — this February over the same month last year. Also lifting the local economy were the leisure and hospitality sector, which added 800 workers — for a 3.1 percent increase — in February over the the same period in 2016.
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A6 - May 2017 - Asheville Daily Planet
Honduran Cuisine
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A quick and satisfying breakfast, lunch or dinner meal. Baleadas are thick flour tortillas folded over a variety of fillings, most typically know for a simple mix of beans, cheese and Honduran-style sour cream known as “mantequilla.”
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Tacos Hondureños
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Not your typical taco. A deep-fried tortilla stuffed with meat, chicken and veggie.
Pupusas
$ 1.50 each
A thick corn stuffed tortilla filled with chopped pork, beans and cheese.
Agua de Horchata • Agua de Tamarindo (Tamarind water) • Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus water)
Outdoor patio opening soon!
Asheville Daily Planet - May 2017 - A7
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A8 - May 2017 - Asheville Daily Planet
“Tapping Into Peace With Faster EFT,” will be held. (EFT is an acronym for Emotional Freedom Technique.) Sarah Cochran will teach how the mind-body connection works and how to use the meridian system to release those bothersome thoughts and feelings. Tapping into one’s powerconsciousness removes “the old self concepts and attitudes so you can get what you want,” the CfSL noted. “Expand, clarify and clear yourself to function at a higher level.” Attendees will learn how to use “Faster EFT” in everyday life
Faith Notes 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.
Tuesday, May 2
SaTSANG, 7-9 p.m., OM Sanctuary, 87 Richmond Hill Drive., Asheville. Jubilee Community’s Life Together series offers a weekly experience (every Tuesday) of Satsang with Laurie Berry Clifford. Attendees are asked to park behind the Oshun Renewal Center and enter through the main entrance to the RiverCane Room. Attendees should then remove their shoes, turn off their cellphones and enter in silence. Folding chairs, cushions and back jacks are provided — or attendees may bring your own. Clifford operates from an understanding that humans are triune beings and they are comprised of three parts: the body, the story and the true self. Her initials, LBC, bring three attributes of the One to mind: love, beauty and compassion. She gives Satsang that flows in the following order: 15-minute silent sitting, guided meditation, group reflection, short break, teaching, closing circle and group blessing. Proceeds from her donation basket help support charities that she cherishes.
Wednesday, May 3
Sacred Insights Message Circle, 6:30- 8:30 p.m., Unity of the Blue Ridge, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Road, Mills River. The monthly Sacred Insights Message Circle will be led by Sandra Sullivan. She works with the Counsel of Ancients and the Counsel of Ages. They deliver a group message as well as personal messages for individuals in the group time permitting. Each message has information for each person. If time permits, a question-and-answer session will be held aterward. Sullivan is billed as “a gifted and talented spiritual intuitive and Tarot reader.” Admission is $15 per person. VOCAL PERFORMANCE, 7-9 p.m., Jubilee Community, 46 Wall St., downtown Asheville. The Jubilee Singers will perform at the same time on May 3, 10, 17 and 24.
Friday, May 12
SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVIE NIGHT, 7 p.m., San-
Sandra Sullivan
Rev. Dan Beckwith
ford Hall Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville. The UUCA will hold its monthly Social Justice Movie Night. A discussion will follow the film screening. Admission is free.
Saturday, May 13
Firewalking Workshop, 5:30 p.m., Unity of the Blue Ridge, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Road, Mills River. A firewalking workshop will be led the Rev. Dan Beckett, who is a certified firewalk instructor. The workshop is intended to help participants to learn how to walk barefoot on hot coals, safely. “Nobody has to walk, but everyone can,” Unity noted. “Whether you walk or witness someone walking, you will be forever changed. These are some of the things firewalkers have said about this uniquely powerful workshop: ‘The words “I can’t” were erased from my vocabulary after I walked’ and ‘The firewalk experience has been a profound, life-altering part of my healing journey.’“ Beckett is billed as an experienced, professionally trained and certified firewalking instructor. With Beckett, the workshop participants will learn everything they need to know to have a safe and profoundly unique experience of deep spiritual empowerment and personal transformation. The firewalk workshop is a sacred ceremony culminating in the opportunity for participants to walk the coals if they choose to. The workshop will consist of preparation activities that include meditation and prayer, group sharing, music, inward exploration as well as thorough instruction and demonstration of firewalking. Beckwith will share his extensive experience and intensive professional training in firewalking instruction. The workshop will last approximately three and a half hours, culminating in the firewalk itself. After the firewalk, we will celebrate and share along with food and fellowship. Preregistration at least three days before the event is required. To register, visit http://abundantpath.com/firewalking
Friday, May 19
TAPPING INTO PEACE, 6-8 p.m., Center for Spiritual Living, 2 Science of Mind Way, West Asheville. A program held every third Friday,
a six-week class on Tuesdays and Thursdays titled “Flower of Life Energetic Boundaries.” The class is intended to “put a nozzle on the hose of your energetic transmission and receiving.” The fee is $125, unless one applies for an early-bird special of $100, if cash is paid by May 23. For more information or to reserve seats, call the Rev. Christy Coma at 891-8700.
Tuesday, May 30
BOOK DISCUSSION, 11:30 a.m., Center for Spiritual Living, 2 Science of Mind Way, West Asheville. The CfSL Book Club will hold its monthly meeting to discuss — “with like-minded individuals” — Pam Grout’s work, “E-Squared: Nine Do-It-Yourself Energy Experiments That Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality.” CfSL noted that the 2013 book is billed as “a lab manual with simple experiments to prove once and for all that reality is malleable, that consciousness trumps matter, and that you shape your life with your mind. Rather than take it on faith, you are invited to conduct nine 48-hour experiments to prove there really is a positive, loving, totally hip force in the universe. Yes, you read that right. It says ‘prove.’” Attendees are urged to bring their lunches. Energetic Boundaries CLASS, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Unity of the Blue Ridge, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Road, Mills River. Sandra Sullivan will teach
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Preppers
Continued from Page A1 Women need “to be just as equipped (as men), with the best gear possible” to help a group survive, SouthernPrepper1 asserted. He said that the “most important prepping matter” is “what you eat— what you put in your body... Get in shape. The better fit you are, the easier it is to teach you. We all have physical abilities, but we all can do better. The biggest prepping thing is taking care of yourself.” SouthernPrepper1 added, “My philosophy here is: stock that food and try to recruit young people... If you’ve got the financial ability, put food back and recruit a strong back.” He then asked, “What is our security mission?” “It’s not to shoot people or have a violent confrontation,” SouthernPrepper1 said. “Show that you mean business, but use force only as a last resort. “In a worst-case situation, you need a warrior mindset. People have a hard-time dealing with this. They’re in denial — or they just don’t know what to do.” He spoke of two approaches to retreat security, including what is called “the grey man,” where one blends in” and does not show his strengths. “Problem is, people may think you’re an easy mark” with that approach, SouthernPrepper1 noted. The black-and-blue approach is a second alternative, where one shows “you’re strong and mean business.” What’s more, SouthernPrepper1 said, “Do not equip the bad guys... If you take the average little street gang, if your items fall into the wrong hands, you will not want to be the guy” who has to face that chal-
Challenge
Continued from Page A1
“The basic question that I have is ‘What is the problem this bill is seeking to solve?’ Is it one of geography, where Senator Edwards believes that the interests of parts of the city are underrepresented? “Or, is it one of ideology, where he is trying to better the chance for someone with his political viewpoints to get elected? It seems to me to be the latter.” Later in his AC-T guest column, Kapoor, who is from South Asheville, noted that his area of the city is experiencing rapid growth “without corresponding infrasturcture investment. Of the 49 parks listed by (the) city, there are only three in South Asheville. There is no community center south of Shiloh. We don’t have any greenways. Just recently, sidewalks have begun to be added to Hendersonville Road.” However, he added, “But just how South Asheville achieves council representation matters and I don’t believe that districts are the solution. First, districts create turf and have the potential pit parts of the city against each other in competition. My experience with this City Hall was they were very responsive to South Asheville concerns... Second, this change will cause unnecessary cost and confusion. The Buncombe County Board of Elections will need to create new ballots and voters will need to learn yet another district boundary. All county taxpayers will be paying more for this if it passes. “Even if certain residents feel that their geographic area (or ideological area) is underrepresented, this district bill is not the solution. The way to solve this problem is to put in the effort to elect a candidate from a broad field of candidates who you feel represents your issues by asking candidates questions,
Asheville Daily Planet — May 2017 - A9
lenge. In a major disaster, he urged surivors to take the following steps: • Account for all of one’s family members. • Notify one’s neighbors of the situation. • Fill up all water containers. • Monitor emergency frequencies and news. • Contact friends with affirmative communication Prior to a cataclysm, he recommended, “Have a written plan, keep people doing something profitable to give them less time to worry, protect children from emotional trauma and protect the emotional wellbeing of aduls “who are tender.” Ultimately in survival, as in real estate, the key is “location, location, location,” SouthernPrepper1 said. “Your location will be the biggest factor in your survival chances.” He noted that the “best way to survive in the suburbs is to form a Community Watch — from there, you’ll find out who’s interested in going a bit further. He also recommended organizing one’s neighborhood in general and starting preplanning. The motto in the suburbs during a major disaster, he said, must be: “You loot, we shoot. Communities do it every day....” As for defense tactics, SouthernPrepper1 said, “If you put every guy and girl as a trigger-puller on your perimeter, that’s a problem. You have to have a reserve force so that you can send them to the problem area. Leave a few people back — and they’re going to go to the problem side.” Meanwhile, the night’s other speaker, Forrest Garvin, addressed “Building Prepper Groups” and said that forming a
getting out the vote in your neighborhood, and electing someone who is committed to working for you and your interests. “This proposed bill limits the field of candidates that anyone in Asheville is able to vote for giving us less opportunity to find a candidate who best represents our concerns, not more. It also creates a situation where City Council members may feel they only need to answer to the constituents who vote for them, rather than working for what is best for all of Asheville’s residents.” Kapoor added that he feels “all residents of Asheville should be able to vote for all members of City Council.” He concluded the column by asserting, “Finally, the manner in which Senator Edwards is pushing this bill is an affront to his stated conservative principles. Simply declaring via a letter that districts will occur is not democratic. This issue needs to be discussed and debated publicly, which is why I am extending an invitation to him to debate the merits of it with me in a public forum in South Asheville. I look forward to hearing from him and hope that you will encourage him to participate.” Meanwhile, City Council on April 11 said the city is preparing to ask voters if they should split Asheville into electoral districts. However, a November voter referendum only would have an impact if Edwards’ bill does not slip through to passage by the legslature earlier. Therefore, Asheville’s fate appears to largely hinge on the political will of Raleigh. Council agreed to proceed after examining a poll on April 11 that indicated that voters support holding a referendum. However, the poll also showed that given the choice, most voters would choose to keep the current at-large system.
prepper group — of one has not already done it — is wise because in the case of a cataclysm, having others around provides “strength in numbers,” “skills you need but don’t have” and the force-multiplier and morale-booster of “loved ones and friends. “And so, if you’re not in a group, you will die” — if a major and prolonged disaster strikes, Garvin said. (Garvin owns the Carolina Survival & Preparedness Academy in Charlotte, created the Carolina Preppers Network, which claims more than 1,600 members in the Carolinas and is part of a two-man team with an Internet radio show on prepping.) “The end goal of everyone is to be in a survival group. If not, you need to change your ways. You’ve got to have a group of people” to be able to survive. Regarding the likelihood of people on their own dying in a major disaster, Garvin asked, “Who disagrees with me there?” No one in the crowd voiced disagreement. “If you’re in a group, it will change your life,” Garvin said. Specifically, he said “it becomes your new family, your friends will change, your activities will change, you will spend more money (plus you will help make the rules and you have to be prepared mentally. We help the less fortunate in our group.” However, he warned that one “must be motivated and, if you’re not motivated to do the work and spend the money, it’s not going to work out for you.” Garvin also urged those looking for a group to join to know what kind of group they are seeking. Prepper groups commonly are based on militia, religion, organization style, group rules, group’s size (“I like a bigger size, with a minimum of 25 men, he said, rather than smaller size”), family members, pets and social. He said he knows of “two (prepper)
groups in the last three months (that) have broken up because of religion.” Regarding his own group, Garvin asserted, “Please don’t hate me. Pets are not allowed at our retreat.” After a pause, he added, “So know what you’re getting into. Know the rules.” Regarding what he then termed “survival groups,” Garvin said. “This is a journey of relationships — seeking out people with whom we trust the lives of our family is a task not taken lightly.” He also addressed the “personal security dilemma,” wherein, “If you don’ talk, no one will hear — and if no one else hears, no one else will know.” Further, Garvin said, “The day you say you want to be in a group, it’s going to take you a couple of years to get into a group or to start a group. He then reviewed a group of things to avoid doing, including don’t be desperate, share too much, be needy, ask too many questions, push friendships or be impatient. Garvin also urged those who know about preppers to say, even jokingly, “‘I’ll just go to your place’” for help if disaster hits. “I’m honest,” Garvin added. “I tell them, ‘If I ever find you (at his place), I’ll shoot you’… Hey, if you have no skills, you absolutely have no value. “If you come to our retreat (in a disaster) and come to the gate and say you need food, we’ll either choose to keep you or send you on your way. Be valuable. No skills equal no value. “If you come (to the gate), we will give you food for a week or two per person, but we’ll tell you to go find a place because if you come back here, it’s not going to be good for you. We’ll be in ‘protect mode’… We have barrels and barrels of deer corn and rice — and people will eat that.”
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A10 — May 2017 - Asheville Daily Planet
The Daily Planet’s Opinion
Asheville to keep its water system (forever, we hope)
W
e are delighted that — at least for now and as favored by most citizens, Asheville — will be allowed to retain local control of its pristine water system instead of having it turned over by an overreaching state General Assembly to a regional body, the Metropolitan Sewerage District. State Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Hendersonville, reportedly has — at least temporarily — decided to stop his effort to force a transfer of the city’s water system to MSD. Instead, McGrady said recently that he is turning his efforts to a broader approach by introducing a bill to bar localities statewide from charging more for water or sewer services outside their borders than inside — unless a state body approves otherwise. In addition, his bill would require that water and sewer revenues be used solely to provide those services. Fortunately, McGrady’s latest effort would only slightly affect Asheville since the city — under a state law enacted years ago just for the “Paris of the South” — already is required to not charge differential water rates for customers inside and outside the city limits — and is prohibited from diverting water revenue to any other use. Following the state Supreme Court’s decision last December to strike down a 2013 law that would transfer the system to the MSD, McGrady said there was another way to make the hand-over happen, but he did not specify how he would overcome the constitutional issues the Supreme Court raised. Conversely, we think Asheville has proven over the years to be a fine shepherd of its water system and that control of our water — so essential to life — needs to remain in local hands.
Small towns, courts and independent thinkers CHAPEL HILL — “I have to vote to break a tie on town council’s votes all the time,” the mayor of a small North Carolina mountain town told a friend. “When they deadlock it is a 3 to 3 vote, with the same people always voting together.” When asked if it were a Democrat versus Republican situation, the mayor explained that political parties have nothing to do with it. “Three of them are Methodist, and the other three are Baptist. They just stick together no matter what the issue.” What denominational preference might have to do with where to put a stoplight, how much to pay the police chief, where to extend water lines, what streets to pave, or the hundreds of small but important decisions his local government has to make, the mayor did not try to explain. Being a Methodist or a Baptist would not seem to matter much, but it did. The loyalty of these town board members to their religious colleagues robs the town of the benefit of the individual and collective experience and wisdom that council members could apply to working out pragmatic approaches to the town’s non-sectarian municipal challenges. Such local government decision-making should not be handicapped by religious doctrine and loyalties. Similarly, a small-town government can often do better if its elected leaders face challenges and work together without regard to political party affiliations. Of course, even in these days of ugly partisan division, both at the national and state level, our two-party political system plays an important and constructive role in government. It fosters accountability, provides leadership pathways for potential public officials and gives the possibility of regular changes in leadership. But, imposing two-party partisan elections and divisions on small local governmental units can be counterproductive. For instance, in making a decision about whether to run for local office, a moderate independent-minded pragmatist might be unwilling to align with either of the two major political parties to get on the ballot. While it is theoretically possible for a registered independent or unaffiliated voter to find a place on the ballot, the complicated petition requirements make it nearly impossible.
D.G. Martin Almost 30 percent of North Carolina voters are registered as independents. Whatever their talents and potential contributions, they are effectively disqualified from serving in any office selected in partisan elections. That is too bad for small local governments. It is now even worse for North Carolina’s courts thanks to our General Assembly’s recent action that makes all judicial elections partisan. Rationalizing their action, legislative leaders explained that voters were entitled to know the political affiliations of candidates for the judiciary. True, the political registration of judicial candidates would always be a matter of public record and be reported to voters during an election. Most judges say they put aside their politics when they put on their judicial robes. They say their decisions are guided by the law, not by their political party affiliations or platforms. Good judgment, wisdom, experience, and the law, not political party, should guide judges presiding over criminal cases, business disputes, divorce and custody issues, and the hundreds of other matters that make their way into our courts. Supporters of the legislature’s actions remind us that politics has always played some role in judicial selection. They are correct. But this history does not make expanding the political role a good thing, at least not for those who would like to keep politics out of the courtroom. If we want to encourage fair-minded, independent-thinking lawyers to consider seeking a judge’s position, why prevent good lawyers who are registered independents? If you, like me, do not have an answer to this question, ask your legislator. • 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
Is it the Mickey Mouse administration running U.S.?
Amidst the chaos, it’s like Goofy trying to call his Mickey Mouse administration to order! That’s my impression of Washington, D.C. these days. HERB STARK Mooresville
Traffic light at post office sought as part of DOT project
If you live in Leicester, have friends or family there or work there or ever drive by the post office, this concerns you. The post office has a petition requesting the Department of Transportation to put a signal light in front of the building. The Leicester Highway is being upgraded from two to four lanes with a 28-foot raised median. This is a safety request, as there have been many, many accidents there over the years and we feel that a light could prevent a death or devastating accident. It is located in a straight-away and cars continuously speed by it. We have requested a light every time there has been a new road meeting and DOT says we don’t need one. Rather than waiting for a serious accident happening, now that it will be a four-lane road, we have decided to send Raleigh a message that we do need a light at the post office. Please contact your friends, family and neighbors and ask them to step into the post office lobby and sign our petition. We need
your help and we will be deeply grateful. Peggy Bennett Leicester
Mumpower accused of lacking conservative values
I was taken aback at Mr. (Carl) Mumpower’s article in the April Daily Planet. Recently elected as the county RNC chairman, he continues the tradition of taxand-spend Republicans. What happened to pledges for smaller government? The unsuccessful drug war may have cost as much as the unsuccessful war on poverty propagated by Democrats, but both phony wars failed us. Although both certainly transferred huge sums of taxpayer money to various special interest groups. The cost in jails, judges, police and ruined lives that the drug war foisted upon society is not measurable, but the money portion is estimated at $1 trillion and that might not include all police and jail costs. Legalization, education, treatment and perhaps some kind of isolation for dangerous addicts would likely cost far less. This type of program would spend money on teachers, schools and therapists rather than guns, police, jails and judges. It would also mitigate the carnage our drug laws cause in Latin America. Mr. Mumpower’s premise that more laws, policing and incarceration will solve the problem is yet another expansion of government reach. See LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Page A12
The Candid Conservative
Land of the free and home of the miserable
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.” — Mahatma Gandhi •
The Problem
H
ave you noticed how many unhappy people there are in Asheville? Stepping into about any place in town and, with a little fake blood and bandages, one could easily craft a crew for the next “Walking Dead” episode. At least, when they’re about to have supper the undead have facial expressions. Not buying it? Walk with me a bit. Next time you circulate, take a little look around. Considering we live in one of the hippest places on the planet, finding a happy person is tougher than it should be. And it really doesn’t matter where you look. The bounty in our locally owned and operated mega-grocery is amazing. Everything to trip the food-fantastic is right there and compared to the world’s standards – affordable as heck. Yet looking into the glazed eyes of most of the shoppers one would think we were stumbling through an empty shelved Soviet grocery choosing between canned beets and cabbage. Lest the hipsters imagine immunity, one of the worst places of all is our bargain trader health food emporium. Maybe it’s something they put in the free coffee, but that place is an epicenter of grumpiness. It’s grumpy in the parking lot, grumpy on
Carl Mumpower the isles and grumpy in the checkout. The only thing not grumpy is the staff. They’re great and clearly have a model for working at being happy. That’s not as silly as it sounds. When it comes to the work world, fuhgeddaboudit. It doesn’t matter whether it’s our hospital, postal, law enforcement, governance, court, school, social service, industrial, media, non-profit or any other system, happy people are about as common as unicorns. Sort of explains why we have to drink so much beer, smoke so much dope, inject so much heroin and slurp up psycho-active meds like M&Ms. Without the temporary escape afforded by altering one’s brain chemistry, Asheville’s peace of mind, heart, body and spirit is in short supply. Might one suggest that the jubilant celebration of our ‘Cesspool of Sin’ designation was a bit short-sighted? And so, for those who might be pondering alternative thinking on misery, I’d like to take a stab at helping. I’ll give you a hint right out of the gate – gluten, peanut butter and lactose intolerance are not going to be on the list. See CANDID CONSERVATIVE, Page A12
Asheville Daily Planet - May 2017 - A11
Commentary
Language theory helps to define Donald Trump
T
his column is about language. It shouldn’t be taken as criticism of President Trump. You’ll see, he appears onstage here only as an inconspicuous prop. If you hear someone say, “Donald Trump is a loose cannon,” your mind does not bring up the image of a ship’s deck with a heavy cannon rolling around with every wave, causing havoc. No, you immediately think, “Donald Trump is an unpredictable, uncontrolled person who is likely to cause damage everywhere he goes.” Because “loose cannon” no longer produces an image in the mind, but instead our mind
Lee Ballard goes straight to a non-figurative meaning, it’s known as a “dead” metaphor, or a cliche. If, on the other hand, you hear, “Donald Trump is a carnival barker,” your mind does produce an image: a man urging people to come into his side show. That mental image means the metaphor is “live.” It’s not a cliche. The speaker has created something new. You
Advice Goddess Continued from Page A1 Research by evolutionary psychologists David Buss and Todd Shackelford found three personality traits that are strong “predictors of susceptibility to infidelity.” One is narcissism — being self-absorbed, admiration-seeking, empathy-deficient, and prone to scheming userhoood. Being low on “conscientiousness” is another — reflected in being disorganized, unreliable and lazy, and lacking self-control. Last, there’s “psychoticism,” which, despite its Bates Motel-like moniker, reflects a con artist-like exploitativeness, impulsivity, and lack of inhibition — not necessarily exhibiting those things while going all stabby on some lady enjoying a shower. Consider whether your boyfriend’s “just Googling for kicks!” claim is odd and uncharacteristic or whether it’s part of a pattern reflecting one or more of the lovely cocktail of traits above. Patterns of behavior predict future patterns of behavior — for example, trying to get you to believe that he only goes to strip clubs for the music and that he really was just working late with his boss, Mr. Camerino, who seems to have developed quite a thing for body glitter.
Caveheart
I’m a woman in my 30s. I love parties and talking to people, and thank God, because I attend networking events for work. My boyfriend, on the other hand, is an introvert, hates talking to strangers, and loathes “shindigs.” How do we balance my longing to go to parties with his desire to stay home? — Party Girl Taking an introvert to a party can be a challenge. On the other hand, if it’s a Fourth of July party, you know where to find him: hiding in the bathtub with the dogs. I actually have personal experience in this area. Like you, I’m an extrovert — which is to say, a party host’s worry isn’t that I won’t have anyone to talk to; it’s that I’ll tackle three people and waterboard them with sangria till they tell me their life story. Also like you, I have a boyfriend who’s an introvert. For him, attending a party is like being shoved into an open grave teeming with live cockroaches — though, compassionately, it also includes an open bar. This isn’t to say introverts are dysfunctional. They’re not. They’re differently functional. Brain imaging research by cognitive scientist Debra L. Johnson and her colleagues found that in introverts,
sensory input from experience led to more blood flow in the brain (amounting to more stimulation). The path it took was longer and twistier than in extroverts and had a different destination: frontal areas we use for inward thinking like planning, remembering, and problem-solving. So, introverts live it up, too; they just do it on the inside. Extroverts’ brain scans revealed a more direct path for stimuli — with blood flowing straight to rear areas of the brain used for sensory processing, like listening and touching. They also have less overall blood flow — translating (in combination with a different neurochemical response) to a need for more social hoo-ha to feel “fed.” Sometimes, you’ll really want your boyfriend there with you at a party — for support, because you enjoy his company, or maybe just to show him off (kind of like a Louis Vuitton handbag with a penis). But understanding that “shindigs” give his brain a beating, consider whether you could sometimes take a friend. When he accompanies you, maybe set a time limit and be understanding if he and the dog retreat to the den. Sure, mingling makes you feel better, but pushing an introvert to do it is akin to forcing an extrovert to spend an entire week with only the cat and a fern. Before long, they’re on with the cable company. Tech support: “What seems to be the problem?” Extrovert: “I’m lonely! Talk to me! Have you ever been arrested? And do you think I should go gluten-free?” • (c.) 2017, 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.
LETTERS The Asheville Daily Planet invites Letters to the Editor of 200 words or less. Please include your name, mailing address, daytime telephone number and e-mail address. For more information, call (828) 252-6565. Send mail to: Letters, Asheville Daily Planet P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, NC 28814 Send e-mail to: letters@ashevilledailyplanet.com
must solve the meaning of the metaphor before you can understand what the speaker is saying about Trump – how his flim-flam promises everything and in the end, delivers nothing. In an episode of “Get Smart,” Max says, “Life is a kumquat.” The humor lay in the metaphor’s having no meaning. The kumquat metaphor wasn’t live or dead; it was nonsense. But if we were to say, “Donald Trump is a kumquat,” the metaphor comes alive. Our minds bring up a round, orange thing the size of a stuffed olive. That’s how metaphors work. A creative person replaces ordinary words with a seemingly unrelated image. Poets love to do this, like Alfred Noyes’ “the moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas.” He could have said, “Clouds gathered under the moon,” but he chose an image. The newly created metaphor is always live. Everybody who hears it must figure out its meaning. But if the metaphor catches on and comes to be used by more and more people, the metaphor dies. Gradually, it comes to belong to the language, like ordinary words, not with a mental image, like happened with “loose cannon.” OK, now let’s see how you’ve mastered the metaphor. I’ll give you a few metaphors, and you tell me if they’re “live,” “dead,” or “meaningless.” • “Donald Trump is a windbag.” The metaphor has to be dead. Who knows what a windbag is, anyway? (It’s the bellows of an organ.) “Windbag” is part of the language without an
image. It’s a dead metaphor, or cliche. • “Donald Trump is a bottle rocket.” This one’s live. An image comes to mind of fireworks shooting up, making a lot of noise and exploding into littering debris. Such is his presidency. • “Donald Trump is a star.” Yes, “star” is a dead metaphor in the celebrity sense. It became an ordinary word long ago. But oh, in a Trump context, “star” hangs there begging for life! When stars lose their light, they become black holes that absorb all energy and light. • “Donald Trump is a ponytail.” Let’s call this one “meaningless” and move on. As a test, I gave several of my friends this metaphor: “Donald Trump is a coconut.” Responses: the world’s biggest nut (this is true of the sea coconut); dangerous (also true – 150 people die annually from falling coconuts); a lot of husk for very little meat; tough exterior and soft, flaky inside. Two said the coconut metaphor had no meaning to them. I saw a protester on TV holding a sign: “Donald Trump is a racial arsonist.” I scratched my head. The guy obviously intended his metaphor to be live or he wouldn’t have made the placard. Hmmm. Language theory is fun, don’t you think? A regular barrel of monkeys but sometimes a can of worms. • Lee Ballard is a linguist whose Ibaloy dictionary-grammar received a 2012 National Book Award in the Philippines. He lives in Mars Hill.
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A12 — May 2017 - Asheville Daily Planet
Letters to the editor
Continued from Page A10 Citing policing in Singapore as an example we should follow is horrific. Death sentences for pot would violate the Constitution, which I am hoping we all still respect. Suggesting we re-fight the Vietnam war and relive the terrible strategies implemented by terrible generals is truly pathetic. What base is he reaching out to? This is not the wisdom I expected from RNC leaders. I’m independent because none of these people represent me. R.L. Sullivan Fairview
Here’s how to increase voter participation in U.S.
I am an unaffiliated voter and I voted during the 2016 presidential election. I was alarmed about the number of people who did not vote. I thought that perhaps several changes need to be made to the way our nation elects our president and vice president of the United States. I believe that the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land.
Candid Conservative
Continued from Page A10
Anger sucks the life out of human beings
Anger is consistently an overlooked source of personal misery. That’s because the upfront payoff – distraction and power – make it seem like a good option when one’s struggling with vulnerable emotions like hurt, fear, loneliness and despair. Unfortunately for anger enthusiasts, and there are a lot of them, this emotion invariably comes packaged with two toxic ingredients – addiction and depression. The more you get angry, the more you get angry. And since it only provides a temporary surge of relief, the more you use it, the sense of underlying powerless grows. That’s makes an angry person a petri dish for depression. If you’re looking to get rid of a case of the miseries, a good place to start is to get rid of your anger. How do you do that? Stop practicing; latch onto the magic elixir of forgiveness; quit pretending you’re an innocent victim; and find something to love besides yourself.
Drugs won’t get you there
Artificial means to boosting flagging brain chemistry come in a close second to anger as a misery accelerator. It really doesn’t matter what drug one pursues, they all end in a dead end. The why is simple. Nature clearly does not want us to live anywhere else but in reality. Why’s that? Because any creature on the planet can tell you ignoring reality ends in extinction. Funny how being at the top of the food chain makes man feel he’s immune from the same accountabilities as the rest of earth’s creatures. In a self-correcting world, anything that gets greedy, careless or arrogant receives comeuppance. Misery is a form of comeuppance. And so, for those who like taking time out with sundry pharmaceuticals, don’t believe the escape is free. Every minute one spends in an artificial happy place comes packaged with a matching moment of misery.
Ventilation doesn’t work
One of the dumbest ideas on how to be happy is the false notion that ventilation will relieve one’s stress. It’s a truism only to the extent that burping cures a stomach ulcer. Sharing negative emotions and thoughts
I believe that several amendments should be made to our Constitution that would encourage our eligible voters to vote during presidential elections. During our presidential election on Nov. 8, 2016, the majority of popular votes by the people did not elect the president and vice president, and a lot of eligible voters did not vote. The current president won the Electoral College, but he lost the popular votes by nearly 3 million votes. The popular votes should have elected the president of the United States; however, our current president won the Electoral College vote by 306 to 232 votes. His opponent had 65 million popular votes and our current president had 62 million popular votes or a difference of 3 million votes. However, 97 million eligible voters did not vote. The problem with people not voting is due to a lack of interest in the candidates and they know that the 538 Electoral College votes will elect the president. The Electoral College was authorized in the U.S. Constitution in the year 1787, when roads and communications were not good. The Constitution provided for the electors from their respective states to vote for the president and
vice president. The party having the greatest number of Electoral College votes shall be president and vice-president. These electors are equal to the number of U.S. senators and representatives by states. I believe that two changes in the U.S. Constitution would encourage voters to participate in presidential election as follows: 1) Eliminate the Electoral College method of electing the president and vice president of the United States and replace this method by people electing the president and vice president by majority of popular votes by party. Our governors, senators, and representatives are elected by popular votes. With our current method of voting by machines, the news organizations know on election night who was elected president. An amendment should be made to the U.S. Constitution to elect the president and vice president by popular votes. Article V of the U. S. Constitution describes how to amend the constitution by the U.S. Congress, which approves an amendment. Then the amendment must be sent to the states for ratification. 2) During our presidential elections there should be two national holidays designated for people to get off work to vote.Elections are an important part of our democracy.
I think that these changes would increase the interest of people voting in presidential elections and an additional benefit would probably be to increase the number of eligible candidates running for elective offices. TERRY GOBLE Lenoir
with others is not an end unto itself. That’s because ventilation is useful only when it’s a foundation for understanding a problem; developing solutions; and implementing a realistic plan of action devoted to solving those problems. Habitual ventilators stew in their own juices. That’s miserable.
Note to managers who still care – a dead giveaway of leadership dysfunction is indifference to the best managerial principle ever – “Questions down – Answers up!” When’s the last time you reached for input from the people closest to the problems?
is usually a by-product of doing good; stress management has much more to do with how you face the stress than what it is; and liberty doesn’t work without responsibility. Oh yes, and one more – it’s not smart to swim in a cesspool of sin…. • Carl Mumpower is a psychologist and former elected official. He is chairman of the Buncombe County Republican Party. He can be reached at drmumpower@aol. com.
Make sure to use a good script
It’s fascinating to watch how many people confuse resistance, rage, selfishness, deviance and diversion as constructive sources of personal identity. That’s especially true when one recognizes that these are the instinctive skill sets of your average two-year-old. In the real world, living as a happy adult requires that we use adult identity-formation skills. A short-list of those includes love, creativity, generosity, productivity, maturity, learning, adaptation, morality, frugality and other similarly constructive activities. Pretending one can get to good places through bad means is naïve and a fast track to misery. It takes a good script to make a good movie.
Symptom chasers
For a view into the work world misery of so many Asheville institutions, note how much energy goes into chasing symptoms over solutions. Ask our firefighters and first responders how tired they are of picking up the same people over and over again. Ask our peace officers about our hyperdysfunctional judicial system’s inability to create timely consequence that impairs repeat behaviors. Ask our hospital employees about being hostages to demanding drug addicts who repeatedly abuse stretched and expensive resources for a mini-vacation. Ask our social service employees who burn themselves out trying to implement foolish policies that sacrifice children and other innocents to the appetites of the unrepentant, self-indulgent and unhinged. Thanks to the “anything goes” public policy paradigms and ‘control everything but individual behavior’ thinking of the left, our community has lost all reasoned connection to the concept of social responsibility. In turn we’ve confused chasing symptoms with progress. That’s like a physician who gives cancer patients painkillers and claims a cure.
Morality matters
Though it’s increasingly popular to pretend that morality is a fluid and subjective matter, history persistently demonstrates it just isn’t so. Man needs a well-designed moral compass and without one we tend to get lost in the land of misery. It’s not for me to tell anyone which compass they should pick up, but I advocate time-tested over new and pretensively improved. For the better part of 2,000 years, Christianity – contrary to the views of those who cherry-pick history – has uplifted more miserable souls than any spiritual faith you can name. We remain free to pick whether we have a moral code, and if we do, which one. But that morality is as much about practiced skill as values – and our choice comes with consequence. Misery is a sign one has not chosen wisely.
Happiness is not a team sport
Crocodiles count on the fact there’s always one wildebeest in the herd who believes he or she is immune from being eaten. Crocodiles respond by eating that wildebeest. In the case of happiness and the human condition, it’s not a good idea to travel with the herd. The leader may be trying to take his followers to safety or he may be hoping the slowpokes will attract the crocodile’s affections. In a fallen world, staying happy is not a natural condition. We all have to work at it. In the midst of misery there are usually more people trying to pull you down than lift you up. A couple of truisms can help. Feeling good
“And the wind cries Mary...” AND the
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Looking for a great part-time job in a fun place? In that case, look no further. If you — or someone you know — is looking for a great opportunity to make some extra cash, Woodfin ABC might be the right place for you. Right now, Woodfin ABC has openings for two part-time positions (hours vary between the two positions). Starting salary is $10 an hour and positions vary between about 30 hours and 10 hours per week. To qualify for this position, you must be at least 21 years of age (kind of obvious, right?), must be able to lift up to 40 pounds and (an absolute must) have an interest in helping the public and your co-workers by providing a great shopping and working environment. No ABC store experience is necessary, but certainly doesn’t hurt. If this sounds like an opportunity you might be interested in, contact store manager Tammy Ballew at 142 Weaverville Road to pick up an application.
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Town of Woodfin Public Works Laborer $13 / hour Full-time
One of the most important jobs in any society is keeping it clean and healthy. The Town of Woodfin is currently looking for applicants for a starting position in Woodfin Public Works. This is a full-time, benefited job offering paid vacation, sick time, health and dental insurance, and a pension through the State of North Carolina’s retirement system. The starting salary for this position is $13 an hour. If you’re looking for a job with a lot of variety, enjoy working outdoors and want to make the world — and Woodfin — a cleaner, better place to live, work and play, then this may be a perfect opportunity. Applications are available for pickup at the Woodfin Town Hall at 90 Elk Mountain Road, Woodfin, N.C. 28804. All applicants must complete a Town of Woodfin applicaton, resumes are not necessary but will be considered if submitted in addition to the application. Inquiries regarding the position can be made to Public Works Director Johnny Brooks at 828.645.7063. This position is open until filled.
Woodfin, North Carolina 28804
4. Employment
Asheville Daily Planet - May 2017 - A15
4. Employment
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MasTec Advanced Technologies is seeking Techs to install, service and upgrade DIRECTV satellite systems. If your mechanically inclined, enjoy working outdoors, and hate having someone over your shoulder, we should talk – Paid training provided! Company vehicle, great health benefits and career growth opportunities. EOE. Three ways to learn more. please go to: http://ejob.bz/ ATS/jb.do?reqGK=1018630, email Lauren.Shaffer@insperity.com or call 832-601-4642.
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Entertainment & Calendar of Events
Special Section PULLOUT
Asheville Daily Planet — May 2017
‘Smokey Joe’s Café:’ It’s ablaze
By JOHN NORTH
Shelley Wright Investigating in the field... Haunted New Orleans, Part 2
john@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com
FLAT ROCK — It’s all about the songs in “Smokey Joe’s Café: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller,” the first large-scale musical production of the 2017 mainstage season at Flat Rock Playhouse. Indeed, the April 22 performance proved to be a fun, spirited and nostalgic trip back to simpler times — mostly the mid-1950s to the mid-’60s. And ultimately, the show evokes the power of music to fire up youthful optimism, despite losses and setbacks. It opened April 21 and will run through May 13. “Smokey Joe’s Café” begins — apropos — with the simplest of sets and setups (singers performing under a streetlamp). Deftly directed by Amy Jones, the twoact, 100-minute revue ended wth a standing ovation from a large, enthusiastic and — predictably — mostly older audience. The production is a revival of FRP’s 2007 production of the Broadway classic featuring the hits of the stellar songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. There is neither a narrative, a story line nor an underlying theme, just a revue format, featuring mostly terrific performances by a talented cast of singers, giving its all on one after another of 39 hits featured in the show. “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” a 1995 Broadway smash, was nominated for seven Tony awards and became the longest-running musical revue in Broadway history. The nine-member cast included Dustin Brayley, Meredith Brayley-Patterson, Wendy Jones, Alfred Jackson, Patrick Clanton, Breanna Bartley, Phillip Brandon, Jared Joseph and Martina Sykes. The cast is a combination of FRP veterans and newcomers. Besides blistering-hot individual vocal performances, the cast excelled at soar-
B1
I Photos courtesy of FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE
From left are Dustin Brayley, Jared Joseph, Wendy Jones and Breanna Bartley in a number from the Flat Rock Playhouse production of “Smokey Joe’s Café.” ing four-part harmonies and eye-popping choreography with smooth, synchronized dance moves in the style of the ‘60s soul groups — and a large helping of humor. An ultra-tight six-member band was led by Music Director Garrett Taylor, who played keyboards. Other band members included Bill Altman, guitar; David Gaines, keyboards; Paul Babelay, drums; Wes Parker, saxophone; and Michael Hines, bass. Choreographing the show superbly was Christopher Kirby. Also outstanding were Ashli Arnold with costumes and Paul Feraldi with props. Dustin Brayley and Breanna Bartley See “SMOKEY JOE’S,” Page B7 perform a song together in the show.
n Part One last month, we experience strange phenomena, find out more about our hotel’s haunted history from an employee who encountered it first-hand and hold a seance to find out who’s haunting Building 5. Mon, 3/13/17 Around 5ish, some lady started screaming in the hallway. I’ve gotta ask about that. Blood curdling screams didn’t seem like proper breakfast conversation for Brennan’s. It was so yummy! Turns out I was the only one who heard the screaming lady. Also, no movement of the planchette. Tues, 3/14/17 - Gentle rocking at 4:58, 5:15 and 6:11 this morning. None of us had a good night’s sleep last night and the beds get harder every night. I had a nightmare but couldn’t remember what it was about. Patty and I stepped into the coolest little vampire shop, “Boutique du Vampyre.” As we made our purchases, the shopkeeper handed us a little slip of paper and told us about a vampire speakeasy inside Fritzel’s, the oldest bar in New Orleans. “Tell them the vampire sent you and they’ll take you into a hidden room.” Patty and I are all about THAT but we’re pretty sure Justin will say, “Oh Hell, no!” I was wrong. “I’m totally on board with that!” And with that, it was off to dinner and then back to our rooms to freshen up and change into something a bit more appropriate. See WRIGHT, Page B7
Outdoor music series unveil season lineups
Asheville’s Downtown After 5
Asheville’s Downtown After 5 will launch its 2017 monthly outdoor music series May 19 on North Lexington Avenue on a temporary stage near the I-240 underpass. The shows run from 5 to 9 p.m. Featured will be the High & Mighty Brass Band, preceded by the Josh Phillips Big Band. Other scheduled dates and performers include: • June 16 - Headliner TBA, preceded by Northside Gentlemen. • July 21 — AVL All-Stars, preceded by the Asheville Rock Academy. • Aug. 18 — Cedric Burnside, preceded by Lyric and The Stump Mutts. • Sept. 15 — Billy Strings & Special Guests, preceded by Whiskey Shivers. DA5 debuted in 1988 as a small event to draw people to downtown Asheville and has since grown significantly, bringing an average of 5,000 per event. It is a production of the Asheville Downtown Association, a nonprofit organization committed to the preservation and improvement of the central business district.
UNCA’s Concerts on the Quad
Music on Main Street series
Rhythm & Brews series
• June 19 – Chatham County Line, a Raleighbased band combining traditional bluegrass harmonies with modern influences, will perform.. • June 26 – Westsound, a quartet billed as providing “lively soul and funk to parties and festivals around Western North Carolina for many years,” will perform. • July 10 – Flood:“Electric Herbie Hancock Tribute,” a group including some of Asheville’s finest jazz musicians, will perform Herbie Hancock’s electric funk of the early 1970s. • July 17 – Southern Culture on the Skids, a trio specializing in “a greasy mix of surf, rockabilly, R&B and country-fried garage with a side of psych,” will perform.
• June 10 — Tuxedo Junction band and Classic Car Show. • June 17 - Horsefly band and Corvette Night. • June 24 - Emporium band and Classic Car Show. • July 1 — Wishful Thinkin’ band and Corvette Night. • July 4 — West Sound / Patriotic Tribute and Fireworks (Special 4th July celebration). • July 8 - Dashboard Blue band and Classic Car Show. • July 15 - Flashback band and Corvette Night. • July 22 — Deano & The Dreamers band and Classic Car Show. • July 29 - A Social Function and Corvette Night. • Aug. 5 - 95.6 House Band and Classic Car Show. • Aug. 12 - Rock and Roll Reunion band and Corvette Night. • Aug. 19 - Tuxedo Junction band and Classic Car Show.
• May 18 — The Get Right Band, a three-piece unit from Asheville that combines styles from funk and rock ‘n’ roll to reggae, will perform. • June 15 — Major and the Monbacks, a six-piece ensemble from Norfolk, Va., will perform. The Monbacks feature a lively horn and powerful rhythm section, enabling it to produce a sound that is billed as merging “a Bealtesesque rock ‘n’ roll sound with the high-energy and horn-laden grit of Southern soul. Think Chicago meets the Grateful Dead meets The Band, with George Harrison sitting in!” • July 20 — The Steel Wheels, a five-piece string band hailing from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and billed as “one of the great Americana acts touring today, will play a brew of original soulful mountain music. Aug. 17 — Come Back Alice, will play a patently unique sound that dubbed Southern gypsy funk — a lively blend of rock, soul, gypsy jazz and funk.
UNC Asheville’s annual Concerts on the Quad outdoor concerts series will return, starting June 19, with four free Monday evening shows, featuring Americana/roots, jazz, funk, rock and soul music. The shows run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and attendees are urged to bring chairs, blankets and picnics to enjoy along with the music. Meals, treats and drinks will be available from concession stands on the quad. Following is the concert schedule:
HENDERSONVILLE — The annual Music on Main Street outdoor concert series will begin June 10 at the Visitor Center parking lot and outdoor stage at 201 S. Main St. in downtown Hendersonville. The concerts (at which many people also dance) run from 7-9 p.m. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free. Pets, alcohol, backpacks and coolers are prohibited. Following are the concert dates and bands:
HENDERSONVILLE — The annual Rhythm & Brews outdoor concert series, held downtown on the third Thursday, will resume from 5 to 9 p.m. May 18 and run through September. The free outdoor shows feature local singer songwriters and opening acts at 5 and 6 p.m., followed by the headliners from 7 to 9 p.m. The shows are held on Main Street, between Caswell and Allen streets. Following are the concert dates and headliners
B2 - May 2017 - Asheville Daily Planet
A tribute show, “The Music of Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison,” will be presented through May 14 at the mainstage at Flat Rock Playhouse in Flat Rock.
Photo from Youtube.com
Calendar
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Wednesday, May 3
“SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE” SHOW, 2 and 7:30 p.m., mainstage, Flat Rock Playhouse, Flat Rock. The musical “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” will be presented through May 14. FRP is reviving the Broadway hit, which is a a musical revue featuring the music of legendary songwriting team Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.”The band will be jumpin’ and the joint will begin to swing until everyone in the historic barn theater is singin’ and dancin’ to the ‘Jailhouse Rock,’” FRP noted. Other familiar Leiber-Stoller tunes in the show include “Stand by Me,” “Hound Dog,” “I Who Have Nothing,” “Stay a While,” “Loving You,” “Fools Fall in Love,” “I’m a Woman,” “Poison Ivy,” “Love Potion #9,” “There Goes My Baby,” “Dance With Me” and “Yakety Yak.” The show runs Wednesday through Sunday. Shows on Wednesdays and Thursdays are at 2 and 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. For tickets, visit FlatRockPlayhouse.org, or call 693-0731.
Thursday, May 4
JOHNNY CASH AND ROY ORBISON TRIBUTE SHOW, 7:30 p.m., Downtown venue of Flat Rock Playhouse, downtown Hendersonville. A tribute show, “The Music of Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison,” will be presented through May 14. The show runs Thursday through Sunday. Thursdays shows are at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. For tickets, visit FlatRockPlayhouse.org, or call 693-0731.
Friday, May 5
French Broad River Festival, 8 a.m., Hot May Campground & Spa, Hot Springs. The 20th Annual French Broad River Festival — running May 5-7 — will celebrates the river with music, outdoor events (including whitewater raft and mountain bike races), food, outdoor gear and prizes and a kids village. Festival gates open 8 a.m. Early bird tickets are available by visiting www.FrenchBroadRiverFestival.com. JAMES TAYLOR/CAROLE KING TRIBUTE SHOW, 7 p.m., Reuter Center, UNC Asheville. The Reuter Center Singers will celebrate the music of James Taylor and Carole King with two performances at 7 p.m. on May 5 and 6. The singers are directed by Chuck Taft and accompanied on the piano by Nora Vetro. Among the songs to be performed are Taylor’s “Carolina in My Mind,” “Fire and Rain” and “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight,” as well as King’s “I Feel the Earth Move,” “So Far Away,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” Both concerts are free and open to the public; donations are welcome. Senior Follies, 7 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, Franklin. The Macon County Senior Follies will be presented. The county is participating in the performing arts category of the North Carolina Senior Games. The senior follies is open to any permanent
resident of Macon County exceeding age 55. The follies is billed by the SMCPA as “a fun and exciting evening of local talent. Enjoy singing, dancing, comedy, poetry, instruments, and more, as the winner of the gold medal and the chance to perform at the state level is announced.” For more information on being a participant, contact the Macon County Recreation Department. For tickets, which are $7, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com/eventdetail. FREE PLANET RADIO CONCERT, 8 p.m., Diana Wortham Theatre, 2 Pack Place, downtown Asheville. The band Free Planet Radio will perform in concert. For tickets, call the box office at 257-4530.
Saturday, May 6
MARCH TO END RAPE/SEXUAL ASSAULT, 10 a.m., Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville. The 2017 Walk-A-Mile: The People’s March to End Rape, Sexual Assault and General Violence will begin following registration at 10 a.m. The annual community fundraiser is held for OUR VOICE, Buncombe County’s sexual assault prevention and support nonprofit. Event highlights will include family-friendly activities and education at the venue before walking through Asheville to take a community stance against rape and sexual assault. Recipes Alive! Cooking Show, 6:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, Franklin. Recipes Alive! Cooking Show is billed as a “one-of-a-kind cooking show (that) is sure to excite, interest and be loads of fun for the experienced chef or for anyone just beginning their exploration of the kitchen. Well-versed cooking experts, restaurant owners and cook book authors each share their tips of the trade and favorite recipes live on stage. With amazing prizes, gift bags for each participant and a few surprises.” For tickets, which are $13, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com/eventdetail. POISON CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, Cherokee. Poison, an American rock band that achieved much commercial success in the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, will perform in concert. For tickets, visit ticketmaster.com. SUSAN WERNER CONCERT, 8 p.m., Diana Wortham Theatre, 2 Pack Place, downtown Asheville. Susan Werner will perform in concert. For tickets, call the DWT box office at 257-4530.
Sunday, May 7
SYMPHONIC SPRING CONCERT, 3 p.m., The Foundation Performing Arts Center, Isothermal Community College, Spindale. The Symphony of Rutherford County will perform its spring concert. JACK HANNA’S INTO THE WILD LIVE, 3 p.m., Niswonger Performing Arts Center, Greeneville, Tenn. Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild Live show will be performed. For tickets, call the box office at (423) 638-1679, or visit www.npacgreeneville.com.
See CALENDAR, Page B3
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Asheville Daily Planet - May 2017 - B3
Nevermore Mystical Arts A paranormal boutique
Springtime is the best time for magic!
• Decor • Books • Candles • Spell Kits and Supplies • Spirit Boards • Tarot Cards • Jewelry • Wands • Journals • Divination
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Open M-F 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. • Sat., Noon-4 p.m.
Photo courtesy of The Peace Center
Rock music icon Steve Winwood will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m. May 9 at The Peace Center in Greenville, S.C.
Calendar of Events Continued from Page B2
Sunday, May 7
SUSAN WERNER CONCERT, 8 p.m., Diana Wortham Theatre, 2 Pack Place, downtown Asheville. Dubbed by National Public Radio as the “Empress of the Unexpected,” singer/songwriter Susan Werner has built a reputation as an artist as changeable as the weather, with “Hayseed,” her newest recording. Paying tribute to American agriculture and to her Iowa farm roots, Werner again keeps her audiences guessing and laughing simultaneously, lending her wry humor and passionate voice to subjects such as farmers’ markets, agrochemicals, climate change, drought, longing for a sense of place, and the movement towards sustainable agriculture. For tickets, call the DWT box office at 257-4530.
Tuesday, May 9
STEVE WINWOOD CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., The Peace Center, Greenville, S.C. Steve Winwood, a rock music icon, will perform in concert. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 and is listed among Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Singers of All Time.” Among his many career highlights was teaming — in 1967 — with guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker to form Blind Faith, which a number of critics dubbed rock’s first “super group.” For tickets, which are $45-$75, visit www.peacecenter.org or call (800) 888-7768.
Wednesday, May 10
CLINT BLACK CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Niswonger Performing Arts Center, Greeneville, Tenn. Clint Black, a singer, songwriter, musician, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor, will perform in concert. He originally was scheduled to perform on April 9, but the concert was rescheduled because he still was suffering the effects of flu. For tickets, call the box office at (423) 638-1679, or visit www.npacgreeneville.com.
Friday, May 11
WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT SPEAKER, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., The Olive Garden, 121 Tunnel Rd., Asheville. Cindy Keehn of Damsel in Defense will be the keynote speaker at the Buncombe County Republican Women’s Club Power Lunch. The mission of Damsel in Defense is to equip, empower and educate women to protect themselves and their families. Damsel in Defense also supports victims of assault and human trafficking. ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN DOCUMENTARY, 7 p.m., Reuter Center, UNC Asheville. “Disturbing the Peace,” the first of two documentaries on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, will be shown. The sponsors are the UNCA Political Sceince Department and two local groups concerned with issues of peace and justice in the region. After the screening, the producer and director of “Disturbing the Peace” will be available for a Skype discussion with the audience. (See May 18 listing for information on the second documentary.) Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.
Saturday, May 12
BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION, 11:30 a.m., Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center, 223 W. State St., Black Mountain. The SVM&HC Book Club will meet to discuss the 2003 work, “Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York,” by Frank X. Walker. All are welcome to attend. Admission is free. OUTDOOR MOVIE, 6:30 p.m., giant outdoor screen on the stage, Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville. The summer Movies in the Park series will begin with “Back to the Future.” Movie-goers are encouraged to bring lawnchairs and blankets. Snacks will be availabe for purchase. Admission is free.
See CALENDAR, Page B5
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B4 - May 2017 - Asheville Daily Planet
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Calendar
Continued from Page B3
Saturday, May 12
CHONDRA PIERCE CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Niswonger Performing Arts Center, Greeneville, Tenn. Chonda Pierce, an Emmy-nominated and best-selling clean comedian often billed as “The Queen of Clean,” will perform. She is the RIAA’s most-awarded female comic in history. For tickets, call the box office at (423) 638-1679, or visit www.npacgreeneville.com. LEE BRICE CONCERT, 9 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, Cherokee. Country music singer-songwriter Lee Brice will perform in concert. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com.
Sunday, May 13
A-B TECH COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY, 2 p.m., U.S. Cellular Center, downtown Asheville. UNC Asheville Chancellor Mary K. Grant will be the keynote speaker for Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College’s spring 2017 commencement.
Friday, May 18
RHYTHM & BREWS CONCERT, 7 p.m., outdoor stage on South Main Street, between Caswell and Alllen streets, downtown Hendersnville. The annual warm-season Rhythm & Brews concert series will feature The Get Right Band from Asheville. The three-piece unit combines styles from funk and rock ‘n’ roll to reggae. At 5 p.m., a local singer-songwriter will perfrom, followed at 6 by an opening act. Admission is free. ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN DOCUMENTARY, 7 p.m., Reuter Center, UNC Asheville. “The Occupation of the American Mind,” the second of two documentaries on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, will be shown. The sponsors are the UNCA Political Sceince Department and two local groups concerned with issues of peace and justice in the region. (See May 18 listing for information on the second documentary.) Following the screening, a panel discussion will be held. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.
Saturday, May 19
UNCA COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY, 9 a.m., University Quad, UNC Asheville. UNCA alumna Ko Barrett, deputy assistant administrator for research for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will be the keynote speaker at the university’s spring commencement ceremony. Barrett will receive an honorary degree, along with three others — artist Stoney Lamar, pediatrician Olson Huff and Cherokee elder Ellen Bird. Admission is free. OUTDOOR MOVIE, 7-10 p.m., Grovemont Square, Grovemont Square, 101 W. Charleston Ave., Swannanoa. The Cinema on the Square series will feature the film “E.T.” Movies begin at sundown, preceded by games, face-painting and hula hoops. Attendees are urged to bring a lawnchair and blankets. Snacks, including pizza, popcorn and bake goods, will be available for purchase. Admission is free. KELLY HALL-TOMKINS CONCERT, 8 p.m., Diana Wortham Theatre, 2 Pack Place, downtown Asheville. Violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins will perform in concert. For tickets, call the DWT box office at 257-4530. “A TUNA CHRISTMAS” SHOW, 8 p.m., mainstage, Flat Rock Playhouse, Flat Rock. The comedy “A Tune Christmas” will be presented through June 3. “A Tuna Christmas” is the second in a series of of comedic plays, each set the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, the “third-smallest” town in the state. Showtimes vary. For tickets of informaton, visit FlatRockPlayhouse.org, or call 693-0731. OLD DOMINION CONCERT, 9 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, Cherokee.
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The country music band Old Dominion (from Nashville) will perform in concert. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com.
Sunday, May 20
TANNAHILL WEAVERS CONCERT, 8 p.m., Diana Wortham Theatre, 2 Pack Place, downtown Asheville. The band Tannahill Weavers will perform in concert. For tickets, call the box office at 257-4530.
Friday, May 22
PUBLIC LECTURE SERIES, 5:30 p.m., LenoirRhyne University, 36 Montford Ave., Asheville. Dr. Liz Colton will address “‘Glocal Diplomacy’ — Asheville in the World” in a public lecture series titled “Diplomacy and Media in a Chaotic World.” Colton is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and former U.S. diplomat in the Middle East. Doors open at 5 p.m. Registration is required. To register, call 407-4263, or visit Asheville.LR.edue. MARSHALL TUCKER BAND CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Niswonger Performing Arts Center, Greeneville, Tenn. The Marshall Tucker Band will perform Southern rock and country rock band. Originally from Spartanburg, S.C., the band’s blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country
Asheville Daily Planet - May 2017 - B5
and gospel helped to establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s. For tickets, call the box office at (423) 638-1679, or visit www.npacgreeneville.com.
Saturday, May 23
POWER OF THE PURSE KEYNOTE SPEECH, noon, Expo Center, Crowne Plaza, Asheville. The annual Power of the Purse luncheon will feature presidential historian and author Doris Kearns Goodwin. She will provide a historical perspective on “Our Wild 2016 Election” and later will field questions from the audience. She has been called “America’s historianin-chief.” Goodwin is the author of six critically acclaimed and New York Times best-selling books, including her most recent, “The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and the Golden Age of Journalism.” Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks Studios has acquired the film and televisions rights to the book. Proceeds from the event will benefit The Women’s Fund, a permanent endowment of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina that supports the unmet needs of women and girls across the region.For tickets, which are $75, visit www.cfwnc.org., or call 828-254-4960.
Friday, May 26
JAMES GREGORY COMEDY SHOW, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, 1028 Georgia Rd., Franklin. James Gregory, billed as “the funniest man in America,” will perform his comedy act. For tickets, which are $17 and $20, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com.
Wednesday, May 31
“THE LION KING” MUSICAL, 7:30 p.m., Peace Center, Greenville, S.C., Disney present “The Lion King,” billed as “the world’s No. 1 musical,” from May 31 through June 25. For tickets, visit PeaceCenter.org, or call (864) 467-3000.
Thursday, June 1
DON HENLEY/PHIL COLLINS TRIBUTE SHOW, 7:30 p.m., Downtown venue of Flat Rock Playhouse, downtown Hendersonville. A tribute show, “The Music of Don Henley and Phil Collins,” will be presented through June 11. The show runs Thursday through Sunday. Thursdays shows are at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. For tickets, visit FlatRockPlayhouse.org, or call 693-0731.
See CALENDAR, Page B6
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Calendar
All proceeds from the event, hosted by Pardee UNC Healthcare, will go to the nonprofit children’s museum Hands On! — A Child’s Gallery. For more information and to sign up, visit www. madmountainmudrun.com.
Friday, June 2
Saturday, June 10
Continued from Page B5
Departure: Journey Tribute Band SHOW, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, 1028 Georgia Rd., Franklin. The Journey tribute band, Departure, will perform in concert. The band, which has been together eight years, is billed by the SMCPA as “the most respected Journey tribute band in the nation. Departure replicates the look, sound and feel of the original 1980s rock super group. The five band members are from the original line-up and have been together from the very beginning.” For tickets, which are $18, visit www. greatmountainmusic.com/eventdetail.
BILLY CURRINGTON CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, Cherokee. Country music singer-songwriter Billy Currington will perform in concert. For tickets, visit www. ticketmaster.com.
Wednesday, June 14
JOHN MULANEY COMEDY SHOW, 7 p.m., Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, downtown Asheville. Comedian John Mulaney will perform on his “Kid Gorgeous” tour. For tickets, visit ticketmaster.com or the U.S. Cellular Center box office, or call (800) 745-3000.
Saturday, June 3
Friday, June 16
Friday, June 9
Thursday, June 29
ASHEVILLE STARS BALL, 6 p.m., Event Center, Crowne Plaza Hotel & Resort, West Asheville. The Asheville All Stars Ball will be held June 3-4, featuring dance competition in pro-am, solos, ballroom, Latin, smooth, rhythm and country events. June 3 will feature pro-am and amateur solos. The June 4th program, which begins at 9 a.m. and runs late into the night, will feature — in the morning — pro-am and amateur events, smooth and ballroom divisions. The June 4 afternoon events include country, rhythm and Latin divisions. A dinner and awards ceremony will be held at 7 p.m., followed at 8:30 p.m. by what is billed as a “professional world-class show” that will be capped by general dancing with live music. For more information, visit www.ashevillestarsball.com. BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION, 11:30 a.m., Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center, 223 W. State St., Black Mountain. The SVM&HC Book Club will meet to discuss Wiley Cash’s 2012 work, “A Land More Kind Than Home.” All are welcome to attend. Admission is free. MUD RUN, noon, Berkeley Park, Hendersonville. The sixth annual Mad Mountain Mud Run, a 3-plusmile race filled with muddy obstacles, will be held.
SOCK HOPS CONCERT,, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, 1028 Georgia Rd., Franklin. The vocal quartet, The Sock Hops, will perform a show titled “Red, White and Doo-Wop.” SMCPA noted, “Let’s kick off Fourth of July weekend with a drive down memory lane as The Sock Hops perform classic songs from all your favorite albums of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s.” The Sock Hops specialize in four-part harmonies. For tickets, which are $18, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com/eventdetail. HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS CONCERT, 9 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, Cherokee. The group Huey Lewis & the News will perform in concert. For tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com. MOUNTAIN VOICES CONCERT, 7 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, 1028 Georgia Rd., Franklin. Mountain Voices, a 55-member chorus, will present music by the decade. The program will include show tunes, Top 40 hits, gospel, and patriot songs from more than 50 years of music. Mountain Voices is under the direction of Beverly Barnett and accompanied by Lorie Meservey. For tickets, which are $12, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com/eventdetail.
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Photos courtesy of FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE
Cast members from FRP’s “Smokey Joe’s Café” are (from left) Patrick Clanton, Breanna Bartley, Dustin Brayley, Meredith Patterson and Alfred Jackson.
Smokey Joe’s
Continued from Page B1 Among the memorable songs performed were “Jailhouse Rock,” “Stand by Me,” “Hound Dog,” “I Who Have Nothing,” “Stay Awhile,” “Loving You,” “Fools Fall in Love,” “I’m a Woman,” “Poison Ivy,” “Love Potion #9,” “There Goes My Baby,” “Dance With Me” and “Yakety Yak.” Often, the songs were acted out by the cast, but strictly self-contained to each song, rather than portraying characters who carry over to the next song. The first act began with, and the second act ended with, the song “Neiborhood.” (Although, the final song of the night — performed more like an encore — was Stand by Me.”) “Neighborhood,” first heard by more than a few people on television’s “Ally Mcbeal,” was originally sung by Vonda Shepard and was not a major hit. However, “Neighborhood” probably most approximates a unifying structure in “Smokey Joe’s Café.” While “Neighborhood” is a relatively bland number, it likely won such a prime spot because of its theme of nostalgia, around which the show revolves. The best song of the first act, arguably, was a blistering rendition of The Drifters’ “On Broadway.” It began dramatically, with four male singers in striking poses with their backs to the audiences, silhoutted. They eventually spin around and the harmonies and choreography are explosive. Also interesting were rendtions of the songs “Trouble” and “Don Juan,” both of which featured empowered women. Along the same line, the women joined forces to sing a fiery “I’m a Woman.” Another fun number putting the focus on a woman was“Teach Me to Shimmy,” with amazing moves — and singing. The second act began with a blast, with “Baby That Is Rock and Roll,” followed by “Yackety Yak” and “Charlie Brown.” However, the standout songs of the second act were — arguably — a rendition of The Drifters’ “There Goes My Baby,” which morphed — as a two-song medley — into “Love Potion No. 9,” and the final song of the show, a rendition of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me.” While the production emphasized Leiber’s and Stoller’s contribution to rock ‘n’ roll, including “Jailhouse Rock,” “Baby, That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Hound Dog,” it also showcased their notable rhythm and blues works, such as “Pearl’s a Singer,” “On Broadway,” “Spanish Harlem” and “Stand By Me.” Indeed, beyond Elvis Presley and other rockers, Leiber and Stoller’s work was recorded by artists as diverse as The Drifters, George Benson and Big Mama Thornton.
Continued from Page B1 What does one wear to a vampire speakeasy tucked away in a hidden room? Black. Black goes with everything. This should satisfy Patty’s craving for a vampire bar. While in the planning stages, we discussed Fangtasia as another option if we wanted the vampire experience “True Blood” style. Patty was dying to go. I told her we should. We have fangs. Actually, our fangs were made for us by the same man who did the fangs for the cast of “True Blood.” “I’ll just look sultry and not talk,” I told her. Mainly, because I haven’t learned how to talk around my teeth yet. I can hear myself now, “Thit Paddy! These ar weel wampires!” Alas, Fangtasia is closed now. The vampire speakeasy was undoubtedly the best way we could possibly have spent our last night in New Orleans. Fritzel’s was packed three deep when we arrived. The door man said something would probably open up in about twenty minutes. “We were told to say the vampire sent us,” Patty said. We were immediately ushered past all of the patrons into a small hallway to a door marked Employees Only. We walked up a long winding set of carpeted stairs to a double door that read “Turn the key and enter.” We stepped into another world of posh, Victorian decor and modern technology. The tiny bar’s drink menu served up some of the most delicious vampire-themed cocktails I’ve ever seen. We sat on a beautiful velvet purple couch by the fireplace drinking in the darkened atmosphere in the smaller of the two sitting rooms. We sat and chatted animatedly and alternately fell silent to listen to the music. Time flew by. Our bartender was great fun, at one point stepping out from behind the bar and engaging us in conversation.
Asheville Daily Planet - May 2017 - B7
“I ain’t afraid of voodoo but I’m afraid of use a good night’s sleep in a comfy bed. alligators!” Then it’s off to Pensacola, Florida for Most of the clientele stuck to their UFO watching and hunting for the Honey Island Swamp Monster. We head to Hodges vampire roles, but one man embraced it. Cemetery in Birmingham, Alabama after He reminded me of a Lestat wannabe, that and then on to Chattanooga, Tennessee like something out of Interview with the for the Suck Creek Giant Death Fish. It’s Vampire. hard being a researcher, but somebody’s I didn’t really take note of him but as he got to do it! was leaving with his entourage of women, • he turned around and walked backwards, Shelley Wright, an Asheville native, is a locking eyes with Patty. I could just hear paranormal investigator. She owns and runs those song lyrics in my head. “I put a spell Nevermore Mystical Arts shop and works on you. Because....you’re miiinnne!” at Wright’s Coin Shop, both in Asheville. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why Wright also is a weekly participant in the you don’t carry catnip around in your “Speaking of Strange” radio show from pocket! 9 p.m. to midnight on most Saturdays on This stems from the lively conversation one of the employees at Voodoo Authentica Asheville’s WWNC-AM (570). and I had regarding catnip. I told her about the unintended consequences of re-filling Write a Letter to the Editor cat toys with catnip before work and not The Asheville Daily Planet print letters washing my hands and how that garnered to the editor, preferably less than 150 all kinds of male attention! She told me words in length. All letters must be about planting catnip and all the invitations signed and include a daytime telephone for dates that stirred up. number for confirmation purposes only. As we left the Potion Lounge, Patty Send your opinions to Asheville Daily reached into her pocket and pulled out Planet, P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, N.C. catnip. 28814-8490 or e-mail them to letters@ In the next installment of Investigating AshevilleDailyPlanet.com. In The Field, I’ll tell you all about the second leg of our Paranormal Tour. Next stop is Myrtles Plantation. My room is supInsurance • Lightning Rods • Fruit Trees posed to be where Chloe, Advice• Nails • Fish Bait • Whiskey • Manure the slave girl, tried to nurse Fly Swatters• Lard • Bibles • Buggy Whips the children that she’d accidentally poisoned back to health. The bed is supposed to shake and candlesticks Work Jeans • Baby Clothes are said to fly through the air! After Patty’s experience Ball Caps • Lingerie with a shaking bed, I’m not Just a a little of everything too keen to experience that without putting on a motion 206 N. Leicester Hwy.• Asheville, N.C. 28806 sickness patch. I could so
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B8 - May 2017 - Asheville Daily Planet