Daily Planet August 2015

County’s top elected official won’t run again — See Story, Pg. A2

Moogfest moves to Durham — See Story, Pg. A4

David Gantt

‘Oklahoma!’ sparked by lighting strike — See Review, Pg. B1

ILLE V E H AS ASHEVILLEʼS GREATEST NEWSPAPER

August 2015

Vol. 11, No. 09

An Independent Newspaper Serving Greater Asheville www.ashevilledailyplanet.com FREE

Chain store ‘invasion’ downtown spurs fight

Kicking out the jams at DA5

By JOHN NORTH

john@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com

An online petition launched on July 20 calls for the city of Asheville to regulate — and place a cap on — the number of national chain and formula stores in downtown.

The keep-downtown-local petition was triggered by the recent announcement that an Anthropologie store soon will be locating at 37 N. Lexington Ave., between a local clothing boutique and Lexington Avenue Brewery.

Anthropologie is a national chain retailer offering women’s high-end apparel. Anthropologie will be downtown’s second chain store. National retailer Urban Outfitters has operated at 15 Haywood St. since 2009.

Within two days of posting the petition on Change.org, it had garnered 500 signatures. Four days in, it reached 1,000. By July 24, the volume of signatures neared 2,000.

As of 3 p.m. July 28, as the Daily Planet was going to press, the petition totaled 2,478 signatures, Rebecca Hecht, who drafted it, told the newspaper. At the current growth rate, she added, “I’d guess we’d have 2,500 by tomorrow (July 29). We plan to turn it in to the city after one full month... around Aug. 20.

“I started the petition by myself. I was encouraged by my landlord (Bob and Ellen Carr and son Alex), who owns Tops for Shoes.

Hecht, who owns Adorn Salon on 58 College St. said she drafted the petition in order to send a message to Anthropologie, property-owners and the city, letting them know what people think of chains and formula stores locating in downtown Asheville — and the possibility of banning or regulating them.

See CHAIN, Page A9

Woman stops dating men, and then....

You recently printed a letter from a woman who had decided to stop dating so she could make better choices about men.

I also decided to do this, though I haven’t had her trouble in sticking to my plan.

The thing is, since I stopped

The Advice Goddess

Amy Alkon

dating, I have been deluged with suitors.

Coincidence?

Or do men sense when you’ve packed away your desperation?

— Crowded Want to know the answer?

See ADVICE GODDESS, Page A2

Special Photo by JIM DONOHOO

Special Photo by STEVE BARKER

The Asheville All Stars (above and left) kept the crowd amped up through their performance during a Downtown After 5 outdoor concert on July 17 in downtown Asheville. This was the third incarnation of the collective, which was comprised of what was billed as Asheville’s “finest and hardest working musicians.” In photo to the left in the foreground is Leeda Jones, who is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the group Lyric.

New downtown cinema aims

to mix popular, obscure films From Staff Reports

Grail Moviehouse will open in downtown Asheville in early 2016 with two new movie screens, but not necessarily showing new films.

The 250-seat, 4,500-square-foot cinema will open at 45 South French Broad Avenue, which also houses the Downtown Market and Hopey & Co. It will screen a mix of new independent films, classics, documentaries, foreign movies and local projects.

The two screens will enable Grail to balance whatever’s popular with more obscure films,

according to Steve White, who is co-owner along with partner Davida Horowitz.

The only downtown cinema currently is the Fine Arts Theatre, which also has two screens.

The Grail will distinguish itself from its competitor by screenings numerous documentaries and foreign films and creating a space where local filmmakers and animators can screen their works.

He also said the Grail will be an affordable place to view films to fill the void left by Cinebarre’s closing last year in West Asheville.

See CINEMA, Page A9

A2 - August 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet TO REPORT AN ERROR

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

Because of a production error, the Daily Planet left out the answer to a question to syndicated columnist Amy Alkon, aka “The Advice Goddess,” in July’s edition of the newspaper. The question and answer are included below. In addition, this month’s Advice Goddess column appears on the front page, with a story jump below.

•

Rise and spine •

Q: My fiance is good friends with his ex-girlfriend from college. (We’re all in our 30s.) She isn’t a romantic threat, but she’s become a source of stress. Long before I met my boyfriend, they began hanging out at a local bar together twice a week. They still do this, and I go along, but I’ve increasingly found these evenings a draining time-suck.

When I don’t want to go, my fiance hangs at home with me. This prompts a tantrum from his ex-girlfriend, complete with a barrage of angry texts. I’ve tried reasoning with her, but she claims that when he was single, he “dragged (her) out constantly” so he still owes her. My boyfriend is a laidback, nonconfrontational kind of guy and just says she needs to calm down.

— No Wonder They Broke Up They’ve translated the Dead Sea Scrolls, and it turns out they’re actually a 900-page list of everything this “friend” has ever done for your fiance.

Okay, when he was single, maybe he “dragged (her) out constantly.” Unless he did this by unchaining her from the wall

Advice Goddess

Continued from Page A1 Men, like all of us, are most attracted to what’s somewhat out of reach. Had Rapunzel been sitting behind an unlocked window on the first floor, she would have been just another chick with a hairbrush.

Value is actually a relative thing. A lack of supply — something being (or seeming) rare and hard to get — tends to increase demand (as in, desirability). Consider the pricing of different sorts of rocks, and why you see Jared ads for expensive diamond rings and not expensive princess-cut gray speckled pebbles: “Just $5,901.76, for this lovely bit of roadside gravel!”

Understanding the value of scarcity can

and yanking her to the bar on a choke collar, it was up to her to decline. Gotta love the notion that her companionship led to some unwritten indentured frienditude contract that he still owes big on. (One person’s friendship is another’s mob extortion scheme.)

It’s your fiance’s job to be “reasoning” with his friend, not yours. (You’re marrying the guy, not adopting him and trying to get him into a good preschool.) You excuse his passivity by describing him as a “laid-back, nonconfrontational kind of guy.” Well, there’s laid-back, and there’s confusing onlookers as to whether you’re a person or a paperweight.

The thing is, whether somebody gets to abuse you is usually up to you. In other words, your fiance needs to grow a pair (or at least crochet a pair and pop ‘em in) and then get on the phone. Tell him that he needs to tell this woman — calmly and firmly — something like, “You know, lovey, I’ve got a fiancee now, and I can’t be as available as I used to be.” He needs to shut down the abusive text storm the same way, telling her, “Not acceptable. Cut it out,” and then block her number if she keeps up the telephone thuggery.

Sure, it’s uncomfortable standing up to a person who’s been treating you badly — an uncomfortable and necessary part of adult life.

It’s how you send the message “Nuh-uh… no more” instead of “Forever your tool.” And here’s a tip: You don’t need to feel all cuddly and good about confronting somebody; you just need to do it, as opposed to cowering in fear as the Bing! Bing! Bings! of their texted multi-part tantrum come in on your phone.

Start encouraging assertiveness in your fiance now, and keep letting him know how much you admire all the steps he takes. He could soon be a man who’s got your back when there’s trouble — and not just in the corner of his eye as he curls up in a fetal position and whimpers, “Donnnn’t hurrrrt meeee!”

help you transform how you act with men — and, in turn, how they treat you. There’s this mistaken notion that you have to feel secure before you can act that way.

Actually, you can simply act more secure — though it won’t feel “natural” at first — and you should find that men respond to you as if you are more secure. Combine that with a mindset of “I hope I like them” instead of “I hope they like me” and you should find yourself coolly considering prospective suitors — as opposed to answering the door to a confused pizza delivery guy with “I cleared a drawer for you. Pick a toothbrush.”

Board chief Gantt says he will not seek re-election

From Staff Reports

Buncombe County’s top elected official, David Gantt, announced during a July 22 press conference, that he will not seek re-election.

Gantt, who is chairman of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, told about 20 fellow officials, friends and others that, after about 20 years in government, we has decided to not seek re-election so that he can spend more time with his family and his business.

His announcement came amid rumors that he would not run — or might even step down immediately.

“I’m not sick,. I’m not mad. There’s not any political issue here — any ethical issue, that I know about,” he said, with a touch of humor.

“I just want to spend more time with my wife, Charise Gantt, of 36 years. I want to spend

more time with my law practice and with my children.”

Gantt, who lives in Asheville, is 58 and will be 60 when his term ends in 2016.

He reviewed his accomplishments in office, which included helpting to push through the area’s first set of David Gantt sweeping land-use regulations over deeply rooted opposition. He also thanked friends and other elected officials.

Among those on hand, three spoke, including Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, Commissioner Ellen Frost and Sheriff Van Duncan.

They praised Gantt for his dedication and vision — and for the respect he showed even to those who strongly opposed him.

16 candidates file in City Council race

From Staff Reports Sixteen candidates have filed to run for three seats up for election on the sevenmember Asheville City Council.

Sleepless in Fallujah

I just broke up with my girlfriend of seven months. We fought constantly, but the sex was amazing. Reviewing my relationships, it seems I have the best sex in the volatile ones — those where we argue all the time and really don’t get along. I’m wondering whether there’s a connection between anger and sex.

— Just Curious Sex can be a form of peacekeeping, since your girlfriend can’t be screaming that you loaded the dishwasher wrong if she’s screaming, “OHGOD!OHGOD!OHGOD!” But is there a thin line between longing and longing to throttle someone? Justin Garcia, an evolutionary biologist at The Kinsey Institute, told me that “in general, relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction seem to correlate.” In other words, when your love life is in the toilet, your sex life is quick to join it for a swim.

That said, Garcia says there’s some evidence for a “subgroup of people who can have very volatile relationships but very passionate sexual lives together.” This seems to have something to do with the body’s response to stress. (Researchers call this stress response “arousal” -- which is cute, because it’s erotic on the level of having a condominium placed on your chest.)

Sex researcher Cindy Meston and evolutionary psychologist David Buss explain in “Why Women Have Sex” that a stressful situation activates a “fight or flight” reaction in the sympathetic nervous system, making your heart race and your blood pressure zoom and leading your brain to release norepinephrine, a brain chemical that, molecularly, is the first cousin of speed.

See ADVICE GODDESS, Page A15

The relatively large field of candidates dwarfs the 2013 field, when only eight people sought four seats that were open.

However, the large field is not unprecedented either, as there were 14 candidates on the 2007 ballot.

The race will include an Oct. 6 primary, which will narrow the field to six candidates, followed by the Nov. 3 general election. The council election — to four-year terms — is, at least officially, nonpartisan.

Not filing was Jonathan Wainscott, who ran unsuccessfully in 2013 and had announced plans earlier this year to seek a council seat. However, the 44-year-old has been arrested four times over a roughly two-month span and did not file by the deadline. He was the only declared candidate not to file.

Wainscott, an East West Asheville neighborhood activist, was arrested July 6 on two counts of misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon and felony breaking and entering with intent to assault. It was the fourth time Wainscott had been arrested in two months. On June 20, he was charged with assault in connection with an incident with one of his tenants.

In May and June, Wainscott was charged twice with violating a March 2 domestic violence protective order involving his wife. He ran unscuessfully for council two years ago in a campaign in which he got into a much-publicized shouting match with Councilman Cecil Bothwell.

The only incumbent running is Vice Mayor Marc Hunt. Councilmen Jan Davis and Chris Pelly decided not to seek reelection.

Not currently serving on council but boasting previous experience are Ken Michalove a former mayor who served as city manager; and Carl Mumpower, a former vice mayor and councilman.

Mumpower, a psychologist, is seeking a seat by advocating the need for diversity of thought on what he calls an all-liberal council. He he says a conservative voice is needed on council to represent citizens with that viewpoint.

See CANDIDATES, Page A9

Asheville Daily Planet — August 2015 - A3

Nothing Says Security Like A Honda Generator • Get Prepared Now Before The Storm Arrives

A4 - August 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet

Hotel Indigo sold for $33M to Texas firm

Go Topless rally planned Aug. 26 in Pritchard Park

From Staff Reports

Hotel Indigo Asheville Downtown recently was sold for about $33 million to Summit Hotel Properties Inc., according to the Austin-based company.

The sale occurred on June 29, with the price listed, according to documents at the Buncombe County Register of Deeds.

Hospitality Lodging Investors, LP, based in York, Penn., had owned the Hotel Indigo.

Daniel Hansen, Summit president and chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement on July 9 that “our team is extremely pleased with the acquisition of the Hotel Indigo centrally located in the vibrant Asheville market.”

He added that the diversity of Asheville’s economy and the “highly desirable” nature of the Asheville market makes the 155-room Indigo “a perfect addition to our portfolio.”

Summit also has entered into a management agreement with Virginia-based Interstate Hotels Resorts, Summit announced.

Summit plans to spend about $400,000 in capital improvements to the Indigo during the next year.

As of mid-July, Summit owned owned 93 hotels, with 11,933 guestrooms in 23 states.

DJs play electronic music during an outdoor performance at Moogfest 2014 near Moog Music’s headquarters on Broadway Street in North Asheville.

After $1.4M loss in ‘14 in Asheville, Moogfest to make move to Durham

From Staff Reports

Moogfest, the multiday electronic music event that was launched four years ago in downtown Asheville by locally based Moog Music, will move to Durham for its next iteration, the firm announced in mid-July.

The event was created to honor the legacy of Moog Music founder Bob Moog and to explore the intersection of art and technology.

The 2014 festival lost $1.4 million.

Moogfest began as just a music festival, but has evolved into a hybrid technology summit and music festival, with workshops and forums about economic development and sound engineering, along with concerts.

Moogfest organizers said that now that it’s more than just a music festival, it needs more than a music city to grow To that end, Durham was chosen because it offers audiences and sponsors interested

in art and technology, according to Emmy Parker, brand and creative director at Moog Music.

“It’s an event that’s totally focused on how technology enhances creativity, and that happens to be what the community of Durham is focused on right now,” she said.

“That city is exploding with technology, innovation, startups and it just makes sense for Moogfest to be there.”

Meanwhile, Asheville officials said they were disappointed about the festival’s exit.

“From an economic development standpoint, I think losing Moog to Durham is a loss to Asheville,” Mayor Esther Manheimer said.

“The folks that put together the newly redesigned Moogfest worked hard to bring people from the tech sector into the event and helped put us on the map for the tech sector, and that was different than any other event,” Manheimer noted.

From Staff Reports The annual Go Topless rally will be held at 1 p.m. Aug. 27 in downtown Asheville’s Pritchard Park.

The Asheville rally is one of a series of rallies across the nation, organized by the Go Topless organization. The rallies are held on the Sunday closest to Women’s Equality Day. “The new-infamous rallies have drawn the ire of local lawmakers for the last four years, drawing anywhere from a dozen to 30 or more topless demonstrators, and hundreds of on-lookers,” Casey Blake wrote in her Answer Woman column in the July 18 edition of the Asheville Citizen-Times.

“Despite the fact that it is and has always been legal to go topless in public in Asheville, rally organizers say it’s important to exercise the right. State lawmakers over the last few years have attempted to pass legislation banning the events to no vail,” Blake noted.

Attendance has been dwindling in recent years, as Blake wrote, to the point where “about a dozen to 30 or more topless women” wearing cutoffs” pose for photos by “600 middle-age men in fanny packs.”

The rally originally were held around the Vance Monument, but was moved last year to Pritchard Park to give the event more visibility.

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Asheville Daily Planet — August 2015 - A5

Dickie’s August Pork Sale Pork so cheap, it’ll make you squeal!

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A6 - August 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet

‘The Kite Runner’ to stay on Buncome reading list From Staff Reports

Following a complaint about the use of the book “The Kite Runner” in an honors English class at Reynolds High School, the Buncombe County school board — unanimously — voted July 2 to retain the novel on the school system’s approved reading list for all county high schools.

The complaint was lodged by former school board member and parent Lisa Baldwin.

A teacher had planned to use “The Kite Runner,” instead of the usual fare, Erich Maria Remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

Prior to the complaint, the teacher had sent notes home with the students, informing the parents of the content of “The Kite Runner” — and letting them know that they could opt out their children from reading the book.

After the complaint was filed, RHS suspended the use of “The Kite Runner” — which was written by Khaled Hosseini — until a review was made of the complaint and the book.

In the interim, the students read an alternative book for the course.

Later, a school-level committee and a district-wide committee recommended keeping “The Kite Runner” on the approved reading list, pending a final decision by the school board.

During the July 2 meeting, school board member Chip Craig said, “Part of it (the book) was very troublesome. It was painful to read, at times. But overall, I’m glad I read it.”

Further, Craig added that the school system policy says the board beleives “professional educators are in the best position to determine whether a particular instructional material is appropriate.”

What’s more, Craig said “The Kite Runner” had been reviewed and its use endorsed by “an impressive list of educators.”

Balwin objected to the language and adult themes of the novel. She also complained that “The Kite Runner” was being used instead of the traditional classic “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

In an email after the July 2 school board verdict, Baldwin said, “This decision is about more than a sexually explicit novel written at a sixth-grade reading level.

“It is about disregard for academic rigor and the proper guardianship of our children. This is not about book-banning or censorship, but judging whether a book is suitable for whole-class instruction. The book has stayed in school libraries, public libraries and bookstores,” which, she previously has said, is fine with her.

Conversely, school board member Amy Churchill said, “I thought one of the things we were trying to teach our students was the ability to think for themselves, handle difficult material and not cave to what people tell them that they should think and believe, but to read something for themselves and make their own decision.”

“The Kite Runner” tells the story of a wealthy boy in Afghanistan and his best friend, who is the son of his father’s servant. The servant’s son is beaten and raped by an older boy.

After the school board’s decision, its attorney Dean Shatley said, “Unless the board decides otherwise, there could not be any challenge to it (‘The Kite Runner’)” at the other high schools.

However, Shatley noted that parents could still opt out their children if they had moral objections to the use of a book in the classroom.

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.

Sunday, Aug. 9

PUBSING, 6-8 p.m., French Broad Brewery, 101-D Fairview Road, Asheville. A pubsing will feature a gospel jam and sing-along. Attendees are urged to bring a snack for a 5:30 p.m. social time, following by the singing at 6.

Sunday, Sept. 13

CONCERT-WORKSHOP, 12:30-3 p.m., Unity of the Blue Ridge, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Road, Mills River. In the first of two days of programs, Charley Thweatt will offer a concert and workshop titled “Love Remains.” The biggest influences on Thweatt’s spiritual path have been Unity, “A Course In Miracles” and seven years of touring with Alan Cohen’s workshops and retreats. He also has been the musical opener for such other luminaries as Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra, Ram Dass and Louise Hay. Thweatt has appeared on national television and radio with his songs, with such titles as “You’re an Angel,” “Take Your Power Back” and “Dancers in Charley Thweatt the Light.”

Monday, Sept. 14

CONCERT-WORKSHOP, 7-9:30 p.m., Unity of the Blue Ridge, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Road, Mills River. Charley Thweatt will offer a workshop titled “The Heart of A Course In Miracles.”

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

To subscribe to the Asheville Daily Planet, send check or money-order to: P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, N.C. 28814-8490 One-year local subscription (Asheville, Buncombe County, N.C., only)..............................$35 One-year out of area subscription (outside of Asheville, Buncombe County, N.C., but inside the United States).........................................................$50 One-year outside U.S. subscription (outside U.S.)..................................................................................$100 Copyright 2011 by Asheville Daily Planet. Advertising copyright 2011. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. The Asheville Daily Planet is available free throughout Western North Carolina. Limit one copy per person. Additional copies may be purchased for $1 per copy, payable at the ADP office in advance. No person may, without prior permission, take more than one copy of each issue.

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Asheville Daily Planet — August 2015 - A7

Jobs sought for public housing tenants

By JOHN NORTH john@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com Members of the Council of Independent Business Owners were urged to offer jobs to residents of Asheville’s public housing during a July 17 CIBO meeting at Chickfil-A in North Asheville.

The plea was made during an update on the state of public housing in Asheville by Gene Bell, director of the Asheville Housing Authority. About 50 people attended the 40-minute meeting that was preceded by an early-morning breakfast..

On a second unrelated matter, a report on the Blue Ridge Parkway zoning overlay district was presented by Jon Creighton, Buncombe County planning director and assistant county manager.

Creighton reviewed requirements by the Parkway on county-owned land adjoining the parkway, particularly in regard to treeplanting.

As for public housing, Bell told CIBO, “About a year ago, we made a decision to get out of the housing business and instead go with (Section 8) vouchers.

“We were getting into dire straits and had

Reform tax code, immigration rule, Ben Carson says From Staff Reports

FLETCHER — The stock market will crash, making the Great Depression “look like a cakewalk,” if action is not taken soon to halt the looming economic collapse of the United States, Dr. Ben Carson, a Republican presidential candidate, said June 30 during a speech here.

He addressed the Faith and Freedom Rally at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center. The event, which drew more than 800 people, was hosted by 11th District U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Glenville.

The U.S. should end illegal immigration, reduce regulation and go to a 10 percent tax rate, based on the the biblical tithe, with no deductions or loopholes, the candidate said.

Also, do not to succumb to political correctness “because that’s how progressives control you,” Carson told the crowd.

Carson is an author, and retired Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon. He was the first surgeon to successfully separate conjoined twins joined at the head.

Huckabee touts Christian values

From Staff Reports

HENDERSONVILLE — America needs to focus on energy and food independence, a powerful military that will command world respect and elect a president who will stand up for Christian values, Mike Huckabee, a Republican presidential candidate, said June 29 during a speech at Harry’s Restaurant here.

Huckabee’s campaign stop was arranged by 11th District U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, RGlenville. The event drew a crowd estimated at several hundred people that packed the restaurant, with an overflow crowd outside.

He lambasted the gay marriage law by saying, “If I’m in the White House, you will not see the rainbow colors posted” on the house.

Huckabee is a former Arkansas governor, Fox News commentator and author.

to lay people off. We weren’t able to keep things up.

“The funding for vouchers has only deteriorated by about 3 percent over the last 10 years,” Bell said.

“We were the first housing authority in the state to go with just vouchers.

Gene Bell The risk is (that) our funding is based just on the vouchers” and, if anything changes in the funding formula, it could go poorly for the county.

“We manage 1,550 units,” Bell said. “We have 3,400 vouchers. Our payout every month is about $600,000 to the community.

“We’ve got real, real culture issues, as y’all know.... This whole thing — this public housing ... the intent was to give people during the Depression somewhere to live, then after the war, to give families somewhere to live... The intent started out to be a good thing. Like a lot of things in

this country, housing is one of those things that went from one extreme to another.

“In 1950, the average medium income was 50 percent, in 1960 it was 41 percent, in 1970 it was 29 percent and in 1990 it was 27 percent. So the income levels have gone down. So if you don’t get the subsidy, it makes it virtually impossible.”

Bell added, “In the ‘50s and ‘60s, public housing in Asheville was segregated. As white people were moving out into home ownership, the disparity has gotten worse...

About 51 percent who receive subsidies are white and 49 percent are black. Nationally, that number is about the same.”

In contrast, Bell pointed to the city of Detroit, where he said 99 percent of all the people who live in public housing are black. “We don’t have that here,” he noted.

“I just wanted you to see that, despite this media perception, that that’s the case.

“So the situation is getting worse and that’s why we went to the voucher system.”

At that point, Bell asserted, “So what would help us the most is if you would consider hiring some of our residents.”

He pointed out that Pisgah View has 234 units, out of which 66 percent of heads of

household do not work. “And there’s no way you can sustain anything over time if people don’t work.”

Further, Bell said, “In my opinion, if you establish a system where you can make more money by not doing anything,” there will be problems. “So if I have one child and I get $200 and two children I get $400, what’s to stop you” from continuing to have children?

He then reiterated that “we’re asking for our residents to be given job opportunities.”

In addition, Bell said, “We have a youth work program (and it costs $1,800 per child) and we’re asking you (CIBO) to consider giving a scholarship for one kid.”

In concluding his talk, Bell asserted, “As we go forward, we need to figure out a way to not lose kids to dropout, crime... We have good people ... and what you see and what you hear is not the rule.

During a question-and-answer period that followed, Bell said that, given that his agency is “looking at over 3,000 people,” then “jobs are No. 1,” followed by “homeownership (as) No. 2. But first things, first, we’ve got to get people employed.”

A8 — August 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet

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Chain

Asheville Daily Planet — August 2015 — A9

Continued from Page A1 Hecht noted that she also launched the Lexington Avenue Merchants Association a number of years ago and “since then, it’s become inactive. We plan to meet up in late August” with a reactivated LAM, “and address this issue — and mainly to hear their concerns,” since its members are “the closest neighbors” to Anthropologie.

“We’d heard rumors about Anthropologie,” she told the Daily Planet in a July 28 telephone interview. “We decided to try to get the word out ­— to educate the public that chains are allowed downtown currently. Because we don’t have many (chain stores), a lot of people think we don’t allow them, but we do.

“We also wanted to kind of get the pulse of Asheville citizens, to see how they feel.

“We’re going to pass along the comments and the signatures to the property owners, Anthropologie and the city leaders (City Council).”

Hecht added, “I also sit on the Downtown Commission. We now have a subcommittee to meet with the commission to research what other cities have done and what sort of ordinances could be put in place (to regulate or limit chain stores in downtown).

“Obviously, we already have chain stores downtown, They’d be grandfathered in.

We’d see how any new ones would contribute to the community....

“I know a lot of people say you can’t tell property-owners what they can or can’t do with their property. But actually we can. You can’t have a strip club... So there are ways you can control it,” referring to national chain stores locating downtown.

As for Anthropologie, Hecht said, “It’s bigger than just the one store And it’s more than just that our stores can’t compete. It’s more that it’ll drive up the price of rent. It may not affect our businesses directly.

“The problem is, they (the big chains) can afford to operate at a loss... We (small independent businesses) can’t afford that.

If a chain were to come in and rent at four

times” the going rate, it would drive up others’ rents.

“I know they (Anthropologie) have sought to buy out other people’s leases. It’s not like they’re innocently looking for a space downtown.

“Since Urban Outfitters came in, they’ve been pretty aggressively looking for a space downtown.

“The great thing about Asheville is that there are appropriate places for these (national chain) businesses to locate in — Biltmore Park, Biltmore Village, the outlet mall and Tunnel Road, where there already are similar types of buysiness.”

For the national chains, “it’s all about franchising, homogenizing downtown,” she lamented.

“The character of downtown (Asheville) is unique, vibrant, independent, diverse, one-ofa-kind. I think it’s OK that we have a small mix (of chains),” Hecht said. “Some cities say 10 is the number — and if one moves out, other chains can apply for that space.”

So is she against all types of chain stores locating downtown?

“It could be written where you have an opportunity to apply for a variance with a regional franchise, where there are owners in Asheville,” such as Kilwin’s and Jimmy John’s. Hecht said those two retail chains, through their owners living locally, are putting money and volunteer effort directly back into the community.

She also distinguished between national franchises, regional franchises and independent businesses, coming down in favor of the regional chains and independents.

Hecht reiterated that she does not favor a ban, but rather a limit on the number of national chains allowed to operate downtown.

“We’re not going to out and out discimrinate against a certain business, but more, ask, does it contribute to the community, to the character of downtown?

While “I think in a lot of ways, this (Anthroplogie and other chains) could benefit me personally in my business, but I don’t see it as the best for the whole of downtown,” Hecht said.

See CHAIN, Page A11

Continued from Page A2 Also running is long-time city employee John Miall, who is now a consultant. Miall ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2013. His last city job was as risk manager.

Other candidates who have filed include Corey Atkins, an attorney; Joe Grady, a real estate specialist; Brian Haynes, Rich Lee, a neighborhood activist; Richard Liston, a former computer science teacher and professional trombonist; a former

university professor; Julie Mayfield, an environmental nonprofit director; and Grant Millin, a management consultant.

Also running are Lavonda Nicole Payne, a long-haul trucker; Holly Shriner, Planning and Zoning Commission member; Lindsey Simerly, an affordable housing advocate; Dee Williams, an Asheville native, community organizer and social justice advocate; and Keith Young, a deputy clerk of Buncombe County Superior Court and a social justice advocate.

Candidates

Cinema

Continued from Page A1 Besides offering the traditional popcorn, candy and drinks, Grail’s owners plan to reach out and purchase concessions from difference local food vendors for snacks, ice cream treats and “maybe” a daily different popcorn flavor, White said.

White, who has lived in Asheville since 2001, said the cinema’s name was inspired by the Asheville Community Theatre’s performance of “Spamalot,” a musical based on the film “Monty Puython and the Holy Grail.”

“We’re big Monty Python fans, and we were trying to come up with a name that sort of captured old classic move theaters, and they always have the single name that’s on the marqee,” he recently told the Ashe-

ville Citizen-Times.

“The final song of that is ‘Find Your Grail’ (about) the whole theme of ‘Go out there and find the thing you’re looking for and go for it.’”

White previously worked as a corporate video consultant since his arrival in Asheville. In 1995, he produced a directed a feature film, “Immortal.”

White said his strategy for success with the cinema is to focus on reaching the “magic number” of people needed to creat a communal viewing experience, while also balancing the budget.

Both of his screens will use digital projectors initially, but White, a film buff, said he owns a 35-mm film projector that he might use for special events.

WWW.BALANCEFORASHEVILLE.COM

A10 — August 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet

The Daily Planet’s Opinion

Big pool of council choices touted

W

hat a wonderful situation it is for our community to have 16 candidates vying for only three seats on Asheville City Council.

The large field of candidates is not unprecedented in Asheville’s recent political history, as there were 14 candidatates on the 2007 ballot.

However, it certainly shows the vitality of citizens here, especially compared to the last councilmanic election, which was in 2013, when there were just eight candidates seeking four seats.

Not only is the field for 2015 unusually sizable, but the quality and diversity of viewpoints and backgrounds of the candidates appear to cover just about every aspect of which one could conceive.

For instance, there are candidates with experience that are seeking seats, including

incumbent Vice Mayor Marc Hunt, along with former mayor Ken Michalove and former vice mayor Carl Mumpower.

Also vying is John Miall, a long-time city employee who now works as a private consulant.

Among the other candidates are at least two social activists and, even, a long-haul trucker.

Again, we think the large pool of candidates is indicative of a healthy and involved citizenry that cares about making a difference on the local level.

The primary will be held Oct. 6 to narrow the field to six candidates, followed by the general election on Nov. 3. The election is, at least in theory, considered nonpartisan.

We hope the electorate turnout will match the enthusiasm of this superb collection of candidates.

‘Buncombe Bob’ out-Trumped ‘The Donald’ CHAPEL HILL — Would North Carolinians ever vote to elect Donald Trump or somebody like him?

We did once.

When we did, we proved that North Carolinians, like voters across America, can be attracted to tough-talking candidates who challenge the establishment, bark out simple solutions to the most complicated problems, inexplicably advocate programs far out of the mainstream, and generally be totally full of bunkum.

This North Carolinian “out-Trumped” Donald Trump and was so full of bunkum that it was part of his nickname, “Buncombe Bob.” U.S. Senator Robert Rice Reynolds came from Buncombe County. An earlier legislator from that county talked so much about Buncombe it came to mean nonsense, and some changed the spelling to “bunkum.” Reynolds served in the Senate for 12 years beginning in 1933 and kept people all over the country entertained and shocked by: 1. Planting a big kiss on Jean Harlow, the famous movie star, right on the Capitol steps.

2. Getting married five times.

3. Snubbing the king and queen of Great Britain.

4. Appearing in Lucky Strike cigarette advertising for a $1,000 payment.

5. At 57, marrying a wealthy 20-year old Washington socialite who often wore the famous “Hope” diamond, owned by her mother.

He was also incredibly audacious in his political actions and viewpoints.

In the years before World War II, he gained the reputation as a number one defender of Hitler and Germany’s aggression in Europe and co-operated with German agents based in the U.S. He published an anti-immigrant, anti-labor, anti-Jewish newsletter that was often sold at pro-Nazi rallies in this country.

He introduced legislation to demand that Great Britain cede Newfoundland, Bermuda, and its Caribbean possessions to the U.S. as a penalty for failing to pay its World War I debts.

When he was first elected to the U.S. Senate, he upset the incumbent Cameron Morrison, the powerful former governor, who had the support of the established political organizations in the state. Buncombe Bob ran on a platform calling for more government programs, more government spending, higher taxes on the

D.G. Martin wealthy, and pro-inflationary policies.

Like Trump, he was not afraid of the political fringes.

In fact, he ran as a liberal against the wealthy Morrison. He mocked Morrison’s living habits, asking crowds at his political rallies, “What do you think he eats? He does not eat cabbage or turnips or ham, nor fatback like you and I do. My friends, think of it, Senator Morrison eats caviar.”

Holding up a jar of caviar, he would continue, “Friends, it pains me to tell you that Cam Morrison eats fish eggs--and Red Russian fish eggs at that and they cost two dollars.

Now let me ask you, do you want a senator who ain’t too high and mighty to eat good ole North Carolina hen eggs or don’t you?”

After his election, his “liberal” image had faded into a “pro-fascist” one, but he continued to swim outside the mainstream.

I learned about North Carolina’s Trump-like politician from “Buncombe Bob: The Life and Times of Robert Rice Reynolds,” by Julian Pleasants and published by UNC Press in 2000.

When I asked Pleasants to comment on the Buncombe Bob-Trump connection, he wrote that they are similar: Both showmen of the first order, with charisma and a love to be in the limelight, and virulently opposed to immigration, especially alien immigrants.

However, Pleasants continued, “Bob Reynolds was quite different since he was a courteous man with a fine sense of humor. Trump is arrogant and aggressive. His recent racial slurs against Mexicans illustrate his attitude toward immigrants. He appears to be without a sense of humor. Both are demagogues who used unrest and fear, in this case immigrants, to improve their political chances.”

Buncombe Bob or Bunkum Trump.

Take your choice.

• 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

Mumpower termed ‘almost right,’ compared to Bothwell

In the July 2015 issue (of the Daily Planet), Page A12, your staff reporter wrote (that) Carl Mumpower compared “lawmakers to drugdealers, wife beaters and thieves and criticized other council members for trying to negotiate with the legislature.”

At least Carl was almost right. ELECTED Cecil Bothwell had implied Billy Graham was the God of War, a fetus in the mother’s womb was a parasite, helped to walk pregnant women to abort it and thought an Alabama clown for children’s functions, bringing topless women to Asheville, was something that really couldn’t be controlled, just looked at and fondled as some photographs proved.

If you remember when Carl ran for the U.S. House, the Asheville Citizen-Times, which had called local businessmen Nazis, had also referred to Carl as “No Power,” while a blog said they hoped his wife threw up while . . ..

Moving here 11 years ago, I see everything is still normal.

Gary Kallback Weaverville

‘America the Beautiful?’

It’s broken, needs work

It is worthy of note that now, mid-2015, “America The Beautiful” is under full assault from within.

With the exception of the corporations and the 1 percent that own or control them — the people, our land, water, air, animals and food are rapidly being degraded, compromised and lost. So, too, our heroes, our nation’s reputation and our children’s future.

The coming national elections may be the first ever with multiple documentaries available on the web which outline in compelling detail, the past and as yet unprosecuted crimes of the “leading” candidates, their families and the very manipulation of the system they hope to act as figurehead for (president). How informative to have available the past history of the Clintons and the Bushes via Carroll Quigley and other hard working investigator’s present and past, such as Norman Dodd on taxexempt foundations in 1953.

See LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Page A15

The Candid Conservative

Vigorously losing our way

“In a time of universal deceit — telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”

— George Orwell

The Problem

W

e live in a curious time where information is everywhere and yet truth grows rare.

The louder things get, the less we hear, and when we do, we’re more likely to embrace comforting soundbites than distressing facts.

Surrounded by frothy deceit it’s easy to become jadedly indifferent to reality, morality and sanity. Thankfully, we still have a good pool of culturists trying to keep their shoes under the right bed. For those wishing to stay on the better side of right and wrong, here are a few dodgeable temptations.

Socialism Works and Capitalism Doesn’t Five decades after his departure, Che Guevara continues to be a darling of the left. His reality as a brutal murderer with the social conscience of Whistle Blower a weasel in a hen house doesn’t matter. That he was a handsome, personable and charismatic devotee of socialism is apparently all that’s necessary to sustain immortality. Having spent time in his communist paradise, allow me to assert there is nothing romantic or sexy about the boot Che and Castro, another guy who should have died young, laid on Cuba.

Socialism needs sexy front men and clever fantasies to keep it alive. That’s because socialism doesn’t work – anywhere. Sure, the illusion can be propped up for a while, but per one of the brightest lights of our time, Winston Churchill, socialism’s outcome of “equal sharing of misery” is inevitable.

Devotees of the socialist mantra like to claim capitalism doesn’t work either. When one explores their evidence, it always tracks to ‘crony capitalism’ having nothing to do with the real deal. This corrupted version of a free market is nothing more than a

Carl Mumpower masked duplication of socialism’s authentic agenda – power, control and opportunity for a select few.

Capitalism – the real kind – retains an unbreakable marriage between opportunity and responsibility. Anyone suggesting otherwise is gaming the system. Capitalism’s opportunities cannot last without matching accountability any more than fire can exist without heat.

Nature’s unrelenting message that “you have to pay to play” sounds the death bell for Socialism before its race to disaster even starts. Precisely because of its sincerity to nature’s call, capitalism has contrastingly uplifted more people than any other social/ economic movement in history. We’re abandoning its magic to our collective peril.

Fighting for Our Freedom

A deception with the sequel longevity of a horror movie is that our military “fights for our freedom.” Though it may be true that’s the agenda of many who join, freedom has little connection to how our young men and women are put to the test.

WW II was arguably America’s last solid effort in fighting for our freedom.

Even in that war, politicians gave in at the end, handed half of Europe over to Stalin, set the stage for a 30+ year cold war and assigned us a tin badge as the world’s policeman.

Korea is an unresolved mess still in active play. Hundreds of thousands were injured and died in Vietnam before Congress quietly capitulated. Iraq and Afghanistan were bipartisan adventures where we went in like enthused teenagers playing a new video game and ran out like sullen delinquents being asked to wash the dishes. In both countries, our troops tore their fingers off doing little more than reshuffling a deck of tragedy.

See CANDID CONSERVATIVE, Page A14

Asheville Daily Planet — August 2015 — A11

Commentary

N.C. GOP legislators corrupted by power

“If we lived in a state where virtue was profitable, common sense would make us saintly. But since we see that avarice, anger, pride and stupidity commonly profit far beyond charity, modesty, justice and thought, perhaps we must stand fast.”

– Sir Thomas More in the play/movie “A Man for All Seasons” by Robert Bolt • es, he’s the same Thomas More who wrote “Utopia” in 1516.

And yes, the Utopians in his novel did have some pretty quirky policies,like universal health care. And other stuff like punishing

Y

Chain

Continued from Page A9

Further, Hecht said, “Data mining (by national chains) causes a surge into a market.... Others feel they need to locate here to be competitive. Same as happened with hotels. We had Indigo and Aloft, which are national hotels. Others, like Hilton, started to see this and they felt like in order to be competitive, (that) they also need to have a location in Asheville.

“To stay competitive, the competitors of Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters will see what’s going on — and feel they need to have stores here, too.”

She also asserted, “I think this will just destroy our community...

Rebecca Hecht I have a friend from Vale, Colo., who said there are no local stores left in Vale.

“It’s the same story on King Street in downtown Charleston, S.C, where there are no salons, barbershops, independently owned clothing boutiques and no independent shoe store.... They (the invasion of chain stores) drove up property prices. Even if you own the building, the property taxes become so expensive” that an independent must sell out and leave. “Also, you just can’t compete with someone who has cheaper products.”

As for whether she wants to keep Asheville just as it is now, Hecht said, “There are things in Asheville that weren’t here 20 years ago. It’s not that I don’t want anything to change. It’s just that I’d like to hang onto our authenticity and identify — the spirit of independence.”

She added, “Business-owners in downtown Asheville are rebels. We work really hard. We are passionate about what we do. And we’re really proud of what we’ve created here.”

Regarding how Hecht sees the battle she is leading against national chains downtown, “I think we have a really good chance of coming up with creative ways to preserve what we have. At least we will have fought the good fight. We’re not going down without a fight.

“We saved it once — the Asheville Mall was going to be (built) downtown,” but that plan was defeated, decades ago.

“My fear is we’ll become homogenized and the appeal will fade,” Hech said. If national chains take over, then “it won’t be as appealing to visit downtown Asheville (any more) — and businesses will close down and we’ll just have a boarded-up downtown, again.”

Lee Ballard adulterers with enslavement.

More was a “political philosopher,” not a dreamer. He was Henry VIII’s right-hand man until he refused to support Henry’s divorce and his taking over as head of the English church. He was executed.

It could be said that all of us are political philosophers. We all have our own ideas about how government should work. For a moment now, I want to do a little dreaming of my own.

What if… what if voters scrutinized candidates like they were hiring a caretaker for their parents?

What if the media sought out a character profile of candidates, not just the woooo scandalous stuff?

What do their neighbors and employees say about them?

Are they fair, generous, humble, slow to judgment, encouraging, flexible, forgiving?

Or are they glad-handing frauds, who love power and thrive on confrontation?

Do they hold grudges?

Are they vengeful, arrogant, heartless, egocentric, quick to anger, self-serving?

And perhaps most important, are they skilled at deception?

! d e r a p e r P e B

Political philosophy aside now, I want to write as a patriot who loves his adopted state and hates what our General Assembly is doing to it.

I’m not talking about Republicans’ conservative political philosophy. No, I’m talking about their actions that show who they really are. And I’m expressing sadness at the short-sightedness of people who vote for them.

All over North Carolina, Republican candidates promised evangelical Christians that they would fight against abortion and gay marriage. Pastors picked up the beat, and evangelicals voted Republican with great zeal.

And once elected, Republicans did indeed pass laws restricting abortion and got a constitutional amendment forbidding gay marriage. They did what they promised.

But then, just as the old saying goes, our conservative Christian Republican legislators gave in to the corrupting tug of absolute power.

To borrow from Winston Churchill: Never have so few lied so much to so many.

Let’s go back to summer 2013 for one example. The 2012 election had increased GOP majorities in the General Assembly. Then in June, the U.S. Supreme Court weakened the federal Voting Rights Act so that prior federal approval wasn’t necessary any more.

Republicans acted right away, passing a Voting Reform Act that requires voter I.D., shortens early voting by a week, ends

same-day registration, ends a successful high school voter registration program, gives polling observers more authority to intervene. The law was obviously designed to inconvenience Democratic constituencies.

So how did Republicans explain their legislation?

The law, they said, aims to end “rampant and widespread undetected voter fraud.”

They really did say that. They’re good at cheating, bad at lying.

Colin Powell, speaking to the North Carolina CEO Forum, reacted like you probably did: “There is no voter fraud….

How can it be [both] widespread and undetectable?” He added: “I want to see policies that encourage every American to vote, not make it harder to vote.”

Indeed, investigation after investigation has found no significant voter fraud.

Iowa’s Republican secretary of state spent $150,000 and found nothing. The Wall Street Journal told of one exhaustive study that found 2,068 cases of alleged voter fraud in the U.S. since 2000, including 10 cases of voter impersonation.

The ideal state government doesn’t need more Christian lawmakers who will vote faithfully on social issues. We need people of real character, who don’t cheat in the electoral process, who tell the truth, who don’t yield to the temptations that come with power.

• Lee Ballard lives in Mars Hill.

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A12 - August 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet

Commentary

Militia mentality to suddenly post a guard for U.S. government Can someone explain the logic — or lack thereof?

Jeff Messer is the host of a daily radio talk show on Asheville’s WPEK (880AM, The Revolution) that airs from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. This column features posts from his daily blog.

• The following was posted on July 24:

O

Jeff Messer

f all the ways to react to the shootings at the recruitment offices in Chattanooga, I have to say that I’m as confused as I am concerned over the sudden patriotic appearance of self-appointed militia types to stand guard over our welltrained military.

First things first: am I wrong to take note that a good many of the 2nd Amendment advocates who we are seeing in photographs, hold those 2nd Amendment rights so near and dear because they are poised for an eventual (sooner than later) uprising against a hostile U.S. hovernment run wild?

Which leads me to the obvious (to me at least) reality that the U.S. military is the strong arm of said U.S. government. So we have people standing guard outside of recruitment offices of a military of a government that they propose to take up arms against?!

Do you see my confusion and concern?

Do they see my concern?

I won’t even get into the fact that many of them were also flag-waving patriots about a decade ago, while steamrolling Dixie Chick CDs in defense of the U.S. government under future convicted War Criminal George W. Bush.

Nor will I spend too much time pondering how many of them — especially here in the South— are also pro-Confederate flag people, who almost lost what little bit of their minds they have, in recent weeks over the loss of a losing side’s emblem that had been hijacked for racial hate purposes.

So, I am not overly surprised that the military have started asking that the armed citizen brigade not come hang around their door, potentially creating chaos and cross fire.

The U.S. Army has taken it a step further, telling their offices to view ANY armed person outside their door as a possible threat. You think?

Now, I think there is some legitimate concern in that area, since, as I noted before, a good number of these folks spend an awful lot of time talking anti-government, which includes the armed forces.

You can’t say you support the troops if you’re prepared to gun them down in some

future delusional occupation scenario.

And you also can’t expect them to warmly welcome you to their offices armed.

Homeland Security has officially declared that Homegrown Domestic Terror is the biggest threat. And the Chattanooga incident was from inside, and from an American citizen using his 2nd Amendment rights to be armed and dangerous. No different that Dylan Roof, James Holmes or John Houser. They were all white guys, which is the ONLY difference from Abdulazeez, the Chatanooga shooter.

But back to the armed citizens brigage: even if their intentions are good, sometimes the actions are just dangerous. As seen in Lancaster, Ohio, where one armed individual nearly killed another when his weapon went off while showing it off.

And, finally, I would like to call into question the lack of logic that would motivate the mostly out of shape gun enthusiasts and part time conspiracy theorists to assume they provide a better line of defense than actual well-trained military persons. The Chattanooga tragedy was a random event. Horrible, yes, but not likely to become common place.

Several states are changing laws to allow soldiers at those offices to have quicker access to their weapons, which will certainly help with peace of mind, if nothing else. Also, the fuller detail of the shooting rampage revealed that at least one of the soldiers did get their weapon and returned fire against the assailant. So clearly, they have access to their weapons to some degree, despite not having them strapped on at all times.

I am sure some of the folks going out to stand a post, have good intentions. I am also sure that some of them don’t get the irony of their diametrically opposed “hate the government/support the troops” stance and how it really doesn’t work that way here in the real world. God knows what it is like in the heads of those who don’t see the wild contradiction in their actions.

But I am quite sure that, if all those folks wanted to stand a post, and hold a weapon in honor and service, the folks inside those recruitment offices would be happy to sit down with them and sign them up officially.

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The following was posted on July 15:

Iran Nuke deal explained so that a simpleton can get it

Maybe there’s hope for GOP ....

So, heads are exploding on the right over the Iran Nuke deal. And they were already frothing without having even read the whole thing. But somehow they were oh-so sure that it was bad. Real bad.

Here’s what we do know: Early Asia Stock markets saw oil drop by about a dollar just on the word of the deal.

And US Oil dropped by $1.21.

Iran was the world’s 5th-largest oil producer before the sanctions. After which, they slipped to 13th. Guess who rose to number 5? Iraq. You know, the nation we broke and bought under Bush.

Iran has 35 million barrels of oil in reserve currently, and the regular production without them is pumping 2.5 million more barrels than is being consumed.

Lower gas and oil prices are certain now that Iran is back on the playing board, and surely that doesn’t sit well with people who like to write big donation check to the right wing, whom need said oily support to keep getting re-elected.

So, the business that this whole deal is worse for is the oil business that lubes out politics. No wonder they are screeching about it.

Now those are downsides for a select few. What are the upsides, and how do we

understand them?

Congress has 60 days to read the thing and vote to overturn it, which is highly unlikely, since the President will Veto it, and they don’t have the gas to overturn said veto.

The document is 109 pages, which means that they have to read a little less than 2 pages a day to meet the 60 day deadline.

Surely they can handle that. Or at least have someone read it to them. Even Mel Tillis could get through the thing in short order.

But let’s really bore down to the essence of the deal.

There’s a great article on Thinkprogress that explains it in terms that a 3 year old can understand. (And note that I am not taking a cheap shot at the 2-year-old mentality in Congress.) They even use Legos. And who doesn’t love Legos?

And here’s the video, which is less than 90 seconds long. I mean, it really is that simple. So, why are there so many political mental midgets trying to make it sound like a convoluted mess? They need to make a mess to stay relevant, I suppose.

The following was posted on July 13:

GOP attempting to bash Moral Monday Movement on claim outside union cash fuels effort

It has been a far quieter year in the Moral Monday movement here in North Carolina, than it was in 2014, which was a tiny bit quieter than the massive uprising in 2013.

See MESSER, Page A14

Asheville Daily Planet — August 2015 — A13

Commentary States’ rights and the Civil War ....

Pete Kaliner is the host of a daily radio talk show on Asheville’s WWNC (570AM) that airs from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. This column features posts from his daily blog.

• The following was posted on July 21: n important point raised in the wake of the 2015 Confederate Flag Banfest is states’ rights.

Proponents of limited government should welcome the chance to discuss the expansion of the federal government at the expense of the states.

And for years, I have always understood that the Union states (and federal government) were trampling the Confederate states.

But now... I am not so sure — thanks to this piece at The Federalist: “When it came to slavery, the Union, not the Confederacy, was the true guardian of state autonomy in the antebellum era. After all, how is it that concerns over the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, a federal law enforced by federal agents (or compelled state agents), could possibly be a states’ rights issue? It is long past time to put the contrary myth to rest, especially when the true doctrine of states’ rights is an important, laudable ideal enshrined in the federal Constitution.”

A

South pushed federal curbs on free states The South’s real concern in the antebellum period was that states and territories in the North and West were passing state laws aimed at undermining the federal fugitive slave laws, and that new states would choose to join

Pete Kaliner the Union as free states. Those jurisdictions wanted to retain the right to determine whether people could be slaves within their state boundaries—as opposed to the federal government making such determinations.

• Moreover, when the Southern states actually seceded, they made it clear that they were furious with the northern states for exercising their states’ rights at the expense of the South’s interests in owning people.

According to a recent Washington Post article by University of Vermont professor James W. Loewen: “[W]hen each state left the Union, its leaders made clear that they were seceding because they were for slavery and against states’ rights. In its ‘Declaration of the Causes Which Impel the State of Texas to Secede From the Federal Union,’ for example, the secession convention of Texas listed the states that had offended the delegates ... Governments there had exercised states’ rights by passing laws that interfered with the federal government’s attempts to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act.” States’ rights are a critical component of the U.S. — not Confederate — system, and as long as the term still holds the false association with the rights of slaveholders, the

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argument against overreaching federal powers will have difficulty gaining the appreciation it deserves. Regardless of the merits of flying Confederate flags, one feeling people should never have when they see the Stars and Bars is a respect for federalism.

I find it to be a very compelling piece.

What do you think?

The following was posted on July 14:

How N.C. media ‘referees’ political fights

Thank goodness WRAL’s Mark Binker has jumped into the political fight between the North Carolina Democratic Party — I mean — the Moral Monday protesters.

Of course, Mr. Binker is merely acting as an umpire here. He’s just calling balls and strikes. He’s a neutral “Fact Checker.”

The North Carolina Republican Party used a news conference in Winston-Salem Monday morning to spotlight what party leaders say is an unseemly connection between labor unions and the “Moral Monday” movement.

“Out-of-state unions are really behind Moral Mondays,” Republican Party Chairman Hasan Harnett told reporters.

• This is not the first time that Republicans have claimed that “outsiders” were responsible for the protests organized by the Moral Monday movement, a coalition of liberal groups led by the NAACP and its North Carolina president, the Rev. William Barber.

See KALINER, Page A14

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A14—August 2015 — Asheville Daily Planet

Candid Conservative

One of the great ironies of current times is the persistent willingness of conservative minded people to contribute to organiza-

tions actively antagonistic to their core values. It’s the social/economic equivalent of stretching your neck to make it easier on the hangman.

No better example exists than our contributions to colleges and universities. To the extent the vast majority of these institutions operate out of a dynamically left-leaning value system, funding one’s old Alma Mata because of what they did for you yesterday is likely not so prudent today. Unless you like the idea of training our young to be Che Guevara fans.

Bedrock charities also merit scrutiny.

Consider the YMCA and YWCA. Both were purposely built upon a Christian foundation. Slowly but surely, over the past few decades, liberals have captured both organizations and quietly killed authentic Christian connection. The YWCA has dropped any such reference in its mission statement and if you search the web sites of either organization you’ll have a tough

time finding any reference to Christianity.

That’s not to say these organizations are not doing some good things. It is to say that the methods and dedications of both have become largely indifferent to the faith that brought them to the dance.

Then there’s the Chamber of Commerce – the strongest supporter of illegal immigration in the country. Per consistent advocacy patterns, the idea of an exploitable, cheap labor pool gives the Chamber goosebumps. That this criminal enterprise is producing a political force of unassimilated immigrants and unscrupulous businesses more dedicated to milking than uplifting America is apparently not a concern.

The sum of it is charity is good, but that doesn’t mean the recipient is. Whether it’s local or national, in today’s rush to the left, a large number of organizations have been kidnapped toward values having absolutely nothing in common with conservatism.

Less you be skeptical, make a specific inquiry of UNC Asheville as to how many

of their faculty are conservatively minded.

If you get an honest answer, it will be a small single digit. When you’re done, give the United Way a call. Ask them how many Christian-affiliated charities receive funding from community donations. You’ll then know why where you give is becoming as important as what you give…

Thanks for spending a few minutes with a candid conservative!

• Do you have information about a source of mischief in our community?

You can safely contact us at 252-8390 or drmumpower@aol.com. We are offering a $500 reward for information on corruption, crime, or other harms you share in confidence and we reveal in print.

Bad things grow in the dark. We have a flashlight – do you have a whistle?

• Carl Mumpower is a former member of Asheville City Council.

Continued from Page A13 In 2013, when protesters first started getting arrested at the General Assembly building, Gov. Pat McCrory and other GOP leaders claimed that most in the crowds were from outside of North Carolina. Those claims were called into question both by surveys of the crowds as well as reviews of the arrest records for those taken into custody during the summer 2013 protests.

In addition to their news conference Monday, Republican leaders launched a website, immoralmondays.com, that draws connections between Moral Mondays and unions.

To back-up the claims on the website, the state GOP offered a white paper that draws on disclosure statements unions file with the U.S. Department of Labor.

You can take a look at the GOP research yourself, and make your own determination whether Action NC is involved with the SEIU as it admittedly provides payroll and human resources contracted work to the tune of $1 million.

But back to the unbiased and neutral “Fact Checker”...

As with any set of political claims, there

is a certain amount of hyperbole involved in the GOP’s claims. For example, it was clear that Harnett was using the word “union” as a pejorative adjective, while there are a good number of people who are proud of their connections to organized labor and would not find a connection between candidates they support and union groups at all problematic.

Well! Thank you, Mr. Binker for alerting the ignorant readers that there is a certain amount of hyperbole in political claims. Had you not helpfully pointed this out, people might have thought otherwise.

Like, when the Moral Monday leaders call the GOP legislature “immoral” or “regressive” or “wanting to take us back” ... oh ... wait ... there has never been such a trigger warning attached to these hyperbolic claims.

Indeed, Moral Mondayers have been calling the lawsuit over voting laws “our Selma.” Political hyperbole? It’s hard to say without Fact Checker to let me know.

Strike one.

Also, Mr. Binker offers no explanation of why the GOP would use the term “union” as a pejorative. He helpfully explains why some folks would have no problem with outof-state unions (specifically, the SEIU) fund-

ing political movements in NC. But there’s no explanation of why conservatives are wary of union influence in state government.

(Hint: it’s about the ability of government unions to elect allies into office and then the force of government to extract concessions).

Here’s some more neutral refereeing...

Action NC is a particular bugaboo for Republicans because the group has ties to Blueprint NC, a liberal group that was involved in a dust-up over plans to criticize Republican office-holders and policies.

WRAL could’ve described the Blueprint NC strategy as “eviscerate, mitigate, litigate, cogitate, and agitate” ... which is exactly how Blueprint NC described it’s strategy.

But, Mr. Binker opted for the more-innocuous “criticize.”

This framing of the narrative is used often by reporters:Democrats merely “criticize.”

Republicans “attack.”

Democrats “take aim” and “respond.”

Republicans... well ... they “attack.”

Strike two.

And finally...

But the documents do not show that the money in question was used to pay Moral Monday protestors or organizers. At best,

the GOP can argue that some $30,000 might have been used for T-shirts, signs and video services and the like, but that’s a far cry from proving that the Moral Monday groups are “paid by unions to fight voter ID in North Carolina” or hire “paid actors to pretend to protest and to get arrested at the legislature.” We give this GOP claim a red light for overstating their case.

If only there were a fact-checking factchecker who could ask some of the protesters if they were compensated somehow for their appearances at the protests. Maybe a free ride? Maybe a hotel room?

Strike three.

Continued from Page A12 A natural course for things, I suppose.

However, the GOP in Raleigh have clearly indicated they want to keep the fight going.

Today we saw two curious new things: A GOP press conference with their lawyers claiming that out-of-state union cash has been fueling the movement, paying people to protest.

Also, a right wing website is making some bold claims, complete with photos of spreadsheets showing money movements, and attacks against the Rev. William Barber, Roy Cooper, and the people who have been arrested trying to be heard in the People’s House in Raleigh.

The website, is also paid for by the N.C. GOP. Why the attack? Especially when things have decreased over the fever pitch of 2013?

Surely something like this will only fire up the base of support for the Moral Monday Movement. At least one can hope.

More arrests have happened this year, taking the total over the 3 years to more than 1,000.

What’s the root of this? Why would the GOP resurrect this fight, when it had seemingly been weakened?

Well, with the Voter ID law trials start-

ing on the federal level, could we be seeing the GOP signalling that they think they are about to lose that fight, and they need to start the vilification of the Moral Monday Movement ahead of that eventuality? I dare say that may be the answer. Otherwise, this seems like folly. Or just a fundraising ploy.

Funnily enough, all the things they are pointing out as “immoral” by their standards are actually issues that are questioning the N.C. GOP morality. Which is IMMORAL! The whole venture seems aimed at scaring the poorer GOP aligned voters, who believe that $1.5 million over 3 years is a huge amount for Unions to contribute to causes that are in step with them, and that $20,000 in 3 years for the Rev. Barber is somehow outrageous. I’m betting he’s taken a massive pay cut to take up the Moral cause.

And, let’s keep in mind that the N.C. GOP are offended by outside money used against them, while having hands, mouths, and pockets open 24/7 for ALEC money and Koch cash.

The money they accuse the Moral Monday Movement of taking in, is chump change compared to how much they would demand and/or have accepted to impose their will, and oppose the Moral Monday Movement.

Smart people won’t fall for this. But they aren’t aiming for the smart people. Keep that in mind too, as you determine your own level of outrage at what they are presenting to you, and trying to peddle as scandal.

Continued from Page A10 For those who really care about the few with the courage to fight for America, action isn’t satisfied with a flag and an “at-a-boy.”

The best way to honor our troops is to use them as intended – to fight for our freedoms – not to police a crazy world or prop up the vanities of opportunistic politicians.

How do you tell the difference between fighting for our freedoms and military adventurism? In the former you fight to win and you don’t stop until you’ve put your enemy down for good. In the latter you bitch slap the opposition and hope they’ll submit. On discovering it will take more you walk away and turn up the rhetoric on our “honored” veterans. It’s a bad lie.

Giving is Always a Good Thing.

Kaliner

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Advice Goddess Continued from Page A2

This helps explain why prolonged activation of the sympathetic nervous system — as in, prolonged stress or anxiety with no physical outlet — can be physically unbearable.

Many who regularly experience this sort of stress-athon take anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax to calm down.

But in Meston’s research on female arousal, some women found sex to be a substitute chill pill (and, depending on the partner, far less tedious than climbing six tall buildings on the StairMaster). Some women even reported that stress makes them feel turned on. Which makes stress sound like it has its sexy points — that is, unless you’re a man, because sympathetic nervous system overarousal is the body’s little erection-killer.

Seeing as this doesn’t seem to be a problem for you, when you’re in one of those boringly healthy relationships, sure, you could pick fights and hope this leads to more exciting sex and not less sex, no sex, or no more girlfriend. Or… you could opt for a more positively energizing activity, like paintball, Super Soaker tag, or an intense pillow fight.

Aerobic exercise and competition both boost testosterone — a libido picker-upper in both men and women. They also increase energy and arousal — and probably more so if you add a little playful goading and teasing to the mix.

But, as Meston and Buss point out, what you should definitely avoid is the advice of many self-help books to “romance” a woman with soothing music, a bubble bath, or a massage.

Remember, you’re trying to get a woman in the mood, not put her in a coma: “Oh, baby, you make me so — wait…are you snoring?”

• (c.) 2015, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or e-mail AdviceAmy@aol.com (advicegoddess.com).

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Letters to Editor

Continued from Page A10 Does it seem curious many of America’s greatest inventors such as Tesla, Walter Russell, Royal Rife, Van Tassel are rarely mentioned or remain unknown — washed out of history as much as possible. Simply put; the significance of their insights, inventions and focus of research was not profitable for corporations….. the Earth, her ecosystem and her children “be damned.”

Asheville Daily Planet — August 2015 — A15 To this day engines that run on water, zero point (over unity) generators, frequency generators for the human body are all suppressed, inventors hushed up or eliminated, work sabotaged.

The value of confronting these historic facts is to remove any illusion of security beyond our own control.

The system is broken and needs love and attention, spirit of intention, constitutional alignment and personal significance.

This is a time when that which was hidden will be revealed, personally, socially and the evolving truth of one Earth, one people, one love, one pulse of life. Namaste.

William Chalk Asheville

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A16 — August 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet

Entertainment,

Calendar of Events & Sports

Special Section PULLOUT

B1

Asheville Daily Planet — August 2015

Sparks fly at ‘Oklahoma!’

“Chicks and ducks and geese better scurry When I take you out in the surrey, When I take you out in the surrey with the fringe on top!

Watch that fringe and see how it flutters When I drive them high steppin’ strutters.

Nosey pokes’ll peek thru’ their shutters and their eyes will pop!”

— “The Surrey With the Fringe on Top” song lyric

By JOHN NORTH

john@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com

WAYNESVILLE — Lightning struck and sparks (literally) flew about an hour before the presentation of the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre's production of the the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical "Oklahoma!" on the night of July 18.

Undeterred, repairs were made and the show went on, albeit with some problems with the lighting system, which did not detract much from an otherwise generally splendid community theater effort that was directed and designed by Steven Lloyd, who also is HART's executive director.

Perhaps fittingly, the announcement of the theater being struck by lightning at the beginning of the show set the stage for the production's own dramatic and musical fireworks that were to come.

Also, in an interesting turnabout, Sandy Boone, who played Curly in HART's 1993 production, was the conductor of a nine-piece orchestra for this iteration of the musical. The full orchestra sounded terrific.

The show, with its large cast, ended with a bang, reprising the songs "Oklahoma!" along with a medley of "People Will Say We're in Love" and "Oh What a Beautiful Morning."

Earlier, the strong second act also included stellar versions of "The Farmer and the Cowman" and "All Er Nuthin.'"

"Oklahoma!" which was the first collaboration of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, also offered some classic first act songs, too, including "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top," "Kansas City" and "I Cain't Say No." The near-sellout turnout of 250 people gave a standing ovation at the end of the show, which included a one and three-quarter-hour first act, a 15-minute intermission and a 45-minute second act. The show’s run, which began July 10, will end Aug. 2. An usher at the show on July 18 said there had been large turnouts for the musical.

The original Broadway production of “Oklahoma!” opened on March 31, 1943, set records and was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize in 1944. The stage show was adapted for an Academy Award-winning film in 1955. “Oklahoma!” remains a staple of American theater today.

This musical, which is widely regarded as the epitome in the development of the “book musical,” fully integrates the songs and dances “into a well-made story with serious dramatic goals that are able to evoke genuine emotions other than laughter,” according to Wikipedia. “In addition, Oklahoma! features musical themes, or motifs, that recur throughout the work to connect the music and story.”

“Oklahoma!” also was the first of five great musicals by the team of Rodgers and Hammersteins, with the others including “South Pacific,” “The King and I,” “Carousel” and “The Sound of Music.”

Among the highlights of HART’s “Oklahoma!” were the amazing rope tricks, singing, dancing and acting of Will Bryant Vickers, who played Will Parker.

Other standouts included the singing and acting of Hunter Henrickson as Curly, Calintha Briggs as Laurey, Luke Hayes as Judd Fry and Emily Warren as Ado Annie Carnes.

A third positive from the show was the 15-minute dream ballet sequence midway through the first act, which featured Laurey’s struggle regarding two men, Curly and Jud. Conversely, the biggest problem with the production was that many of the lines spoken by the actors were unintelligible, based either on their failure to articulate clearly, or because their microphones were not adjusted property.

As Aunt Eller, Allison Stinson looked and acted the part, but just was unable to project her voice sufficiently for her key lines to be clearly audible. Her microphone volume should have been cranked up considerably to make up for that shortcoming.

George Heard as peddler Ali Hakim also suffered the same problem with often being inaudible .

The choreography of “Oklahoma!” is often referred to as clunky, given that the cowboys and farmers are dancing in boots, but it was nonetheless entertaining.

One of musical theater’s most-beloved titles, “Oklahoma!” is derived from Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, "Green Grow the Lilacs." Based in the Oklahoma Territory, outside the town of Claremont in 1907, "Oklahoma!" tells of cowboy Curly

The cast from HART’s production of the classic musical “Oklahoma!” sing a rousing rendition of the title song to close the show,

Special photos courtesy of HART

Curly (Hunter Henrickson) breaks down the romantic resistance of Laurey (Calintha Briggs), wooing her by singing “The Surrey With the Fringe on Top” in HART’s production of “Oklahoma!”

McLain and his romance with farm girl Laurey Williams.

A secondary romance involves cowboy Will Parker and his flirtatious fiance, Ado Annie.

In the program, Lloyd , the show’s director, noted that “‘Oklahoma!’ is one of those shows that keeps coming back and each time it does, you rediscover how good it is.”

Lloyd said he first performed in “Oklahoma!” while in college and then oversaw HART’s 1993 production of it, which was directed by Suzanne Tinsley.

He also noted that the musical was performed more than a decade earlier in Haywood County, with Sandy Boone starring as Curly. “There’s seems to be an ‘Oklahoma!’ for every generation” — as Boone served as music director for the current production. Boone is now retired after many years as Tuscola High band director.

This reviewer has seen the original film that was made of “Oklahoma!” as well as more than a half-dozen different live productions of the musical through the years — and it was evident that Lloyd, as he noted in the program, was heavily influenced in HART’s presentation by the 1997 Trevor Nunn production starring Hugh Jackman.

As with Nunn’s effort, Lloyd’s “Oklahoma!” focused more than the original on the strife between the farmers and the cattlemen and the looming range war over the fences. His production also put more emphasis than the original on the element of danger from Jud — toward both Laurey and Curley.

The remaining 2015 HART shows include “Company,” Aug. 7-Sept. 6; “The Fox on the Fairway,” Sept. 11-Oct. 4; “The Weir,” Oct. 9-Nov. 1; and “A Christmas Carol,” Dec. 10-13. All will be presented only on weekends.

B2 - August 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet

Natalie Cole and Peabo Bryant will perform in concert at 8 p.m. Aug. 7 at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville.

Calendar

of

Events

Send us your calendar items

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

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

Saturday, Aug. 1

LEAF DOWNTOWN, noon-10 p.m., Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville. The two-day LEAF Downtown will make its debut. The festival will conclude on Aug. 2 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Among the bands featured will be Bootsy Collins’ Rubber Band, Red Baraat, Dangermuffin and others. Admission is free.

“SHREK” MUSICAL, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, Franklin.

“Shrek the Broadway Musical” will be performed.

For tickets, which are $12 and $17, visit www.

GreatMountainMusic.com, or call 524-1598.

Monday, Aug. 3

MERLE HAGGARD CONCERT, 8 p.m., The Foundation Performing Arts Center, Isothermal Community College, Spindale. Grammy-winning country music icon Merle Haggard will perform in concert.

For tickets, call the box office at 286-9990.

Tuesday, Aug. 4

FILM SCREENING, 7 p.m., Grace Centre, 495 Cardinal Rd., Mills River. The WNC Film Society will screen “E-Motion.” Admission is $10 by visiting wncfilmsociety.com, or $12 at the door.

Thursday, Aug. 6

PRITCHARD PARK CONCERT SERIES, 6-8 p.m., Pritchard park, downtown Asheville. Molly Rose and Kane Kubed will perform in the HomeGrown in Pritchard outdoor concert series.

PARK RHYTHMS CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain. The Park Rhythms Summer Concert Series will feature a performance by the Michael J. Stevens Quartet, which plays jazz. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. Admission is free.

Friday, Aug. 7

OUTDOOR CONCERT/DANCE, 7-9 p.m., parking lot of the Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The group Horsefly will perform rock and blues music for the audience’s listening or dancing pleasure. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets.

CONCERT, 8 p.m., Biltmore House, Asheville.

Natalie Cole and Peabo Bryson will perform in

the annual outdoor Biltmore Concert Series. For tickets, visit Biltmore.com/concerts.

Saturday, Aug. 8

SOURWOOD FESTIVAL, 9 a.m.-8 p.m., downtown Black Mountain. The 38th Annual Sourwood Festival will be held through Aug. 9, when it runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Features include honeybee demonstrations, arts and crafts, children’s area, speciality items, food, carnival rides, music and dancing. Admission is free.

See CALENDAR, Page B3

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The Charlie Daniels Band will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 8 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts at Franklin.

Calendar of Events Continued from Page B2

Saturday, Aug. 8

TAI CHI WORKOUT, 9:30 a.m., Fletcher Community Park, Fletcher. Tai Chi in the Park will be offered. Everyone is welcome. Admission is free.

OUTDOOR CONCERT/DANCE, 6-8:30 p.m., parking lot, Firehouse Subs, 825 Spartanburg Highway, Hendersonville. The local band Sound Investment will perform music outside for listening or dancing. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free.

CHARLIE DANIELS CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, Franklin. Charlie Daniels will perform in concert.

For tickets, which are $40, $45 and $50, visit www.GreatMountainMusic.com, or call 524-1598.

Sunday, Aug. 9

CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Biltmore House, Asheville. Counting Crowes with Citizen Cope will perform in the annual outdoor Biltmore Concert Series. For tickets, visit Biltmore.com/concerts.

Tuesday, Aug. 11

FILM SCREENING, 7 p.m., Grace Centre, 495 Cardinal Rd., Mills River. The WNC Film Society will screen “An Evening of Shorts.” Admission is $10 by visiting wncfilmsociety.com, or $12 at the door.

LIBERTARIAN MEETING, 7 p.m., Oakleaf Furniture, 130 Miller St., downtown Waynesville. The Haywood County Libertarian Party meets on the second Tuesday of the month. Open discussion and debate are encouraged with all perspectives and persuasions welcomed, regardless of political or religious affiliation.

Thursday, Aug. 13

PRITCHARD PARK CONCERT SERIES, 6-8 p.m., Pritchard park, downtown Asheville. Andrew Scotchie and the River Rats & Chris Rodrigues will perform in the HomeGrown in Pritchard outdoor concert series. Admission is free.

PARK RHYTHMS CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain. The Park Rhythms Summer Concert Series will feature a performance by the Ryan Perry Band, which plays country hits. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. Admission is free.

Friday, Aug. 14

OUTDOOR CONCERT/DANCE, 7-9 p.m., parking lot of the Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The group Tuxedo Junction will perform variety 1940s-’90s music for the audience’s listening or dancing pleasure.

Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. Admission is free.

“DIRTY DANCING” FILM SCREENING, 7-10 p.m., Morse Meadows Park, Lake Lure. The 6th Annual Dirty Dancing Festival will open with an outdoor screening of the classic film, “Dirty Dancing,” which used Lake Lure as a backdrop.

Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. The festival continues all-day on Aug. 15. Admission to the film screening is free.

VILLAGE PEOPLE CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, Franklin.

The group Village People will perform in concert.

For tickets, which are $28 and $32, visit www.

GreatMountainMusic.com, or call 524-1598.

See CALENDAR, Page B4

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Garrison Keillor will perform his “A Prairie Home Companion” show at 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 15 in Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium, at Brevard Music Center in Brevard.

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Sweet Bouquets Florist The group The Village People will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 14 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Calendar

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Continued from Page B3

Events

Saturday, Aug. 15

“DIRTY DANCING” FESTIVAL, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Morse Meadows Park, Lake Lure. The 6th Annual Dirty Dancing Festival will celebrate the classic film, “Dirty Dancing,” which used Lake Lure as a backdrop. Features will include dance lessons, dance competitions, several live bands, watermellon games, a lake lift competition, food, wine and beer vendors, afts and crafts and more. For advance tickets, which are $22 for adults and $12 for children, visit info@dirtydancingfestival.com. Tickets at the door are $27 for adults and $14 for children.

GARRISON KEILLOR SHOW, 7:30 p.m., Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium, Brevard Music Center, Brevard. Garrison Keillor will perform his “A Prairie Home Companion” show.

JAMEY JOHNSON CONCERT, 8 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort, Cherokee. Eleven-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Jamey Johnson will perform in concert. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com, or call (800) 745-3000.

Sunday, Aug. 16

ETHICAL HUMANST SOCIETY MEETING, 2-3:30 p.m., Friends Meet House, 227 Edgewood Rd., Asheville. An address, “Ordinary People Making a Real Difference: A Report From the 100th Assembly of the American Ethical Union,” will be presented by Joy McConnell and Jackie Simms to the Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville. Afterward, there will be an open discussion.

Admission is free.

CONCERT, 6 p.m., Biltmore House, Asheville.

ZZ Top with special guest Blackberry Smoke will perform in the annual outdoor Biltmore Concert Series. For tickets, visit Biltmore.com/concerts.

Tuesday, Aug. 18

FILM SCREENING, 7 p.m., Grace Centre, 495 Cardinal Rd., Mills River. The WNC Film Society will screen “Secrets of War.” General admission is $10 by visiting wncfilmsociety.com, or $12 at the door. However, youngsters ages 12 to 18 will be admitted free.

Thursday, Aug. 20

PRITCHARD PARK CONCERT SERIES, 6-8 p.m., Pritchard park, downtown Asheville.

Jeff Thompson and Abby the Spoon Lady will perform in the HomeGrown in Pritchard outdoor concert series. Admission is free.

PARK RHYTHMS CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain. The Park Rhythms

Summer Concert Series will feature a performance by the Michael J. Stevens Quartet, which plays jazz. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. Admission is free.

See CALENDAR, Page B5

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for Snoopy prizes, trivia, giveaways.

Calendar

of

Continued from Page B4

Events

Friday, Aug. 21

DOWNTOWN AFTER 5 OUTDOOR CONCERT, 5-9 p.m., North Lexington Avenue near I-240 overpass, downtown Asheville. The headliner is the Tony Furtado Band with Brushfire Stankgrass as opener. Admission is free.

CONCERT, 8 p.m., Biltmore House, Asheville.

Chris Tomlin and Mercy Me will perform in the annual outdoor Biltmore Concert Series. For tickets, visit Biltmore.com/concerts.

JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS CONCERT, 9 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort, Cherokee. The Steve Miller Band will perform in concert. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com, or call (800) 745-3000.

Saturday, Aug. 22

BREW FESTIVAL, 3-7 p.m., near the Southern Appalachian Brewery, Locust Street and Bearcat Boulevard, downtown Hendersonville. The Mountain Brew Festval will feature 20 breweries, bands and food trucks. Tickets, which are $35, are available at www.mountainbrewfest.com.

OUTDOOR CONCERT/DANCE, 6-8:30 p.m., parking lot, Firehouse Subs, 825 Spartanburg Highway, Hendersonville. Tom Brown One Man Band will perform music outside for listening or dancing.

Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free.

CONCERT, 8 p.m., Biltmore House, Asheville.

Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers and Blue-

sTraveler will perform in the annual outdoor Biltmore Concert Series. For tickets, visit Biltmore. com/concerts.

Friday, Aug. 28

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CONCERT, 8 p.m., Biltmore House, Asheville.

The Four Tops and The Temptations will perform in the annual outdoor Biltmore Concert Series.

For tickets, visit Biltmore.com/concerts.

Saturday, Aug. 29

CONCERT IN THE PARK, 7-9 p.m., green space in front of Hickory Tavern and Brixx Wood-Fired Pizza, Biltmore Park, Asheville. The band Blue Dragons will perform in the outdoor summer concert series.

Admission is free.

MARTY STUART/CONNIE SMITH CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, Franklin. Marty Stuart and Connie Smith will perform in concert. For tickets, which are $32, $35 and $39, visit www.GreatMountainMusic.com, or call 524-1598.

Thursday, Sept. 3

STEVE MILLER BAND CONCERT, 8 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort, Cherokee. The Steve Miller Band will perform in concert. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com, or call (800) 745-3000.

See CALENDAR, Page B7

The Steve Miller Band (left) will perform in concert at 8 p.m. Sept. 3 in the Event Center at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino in Cherokee.

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B6 - August 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet

Sports Commentary

We do beer, wine, cider, and mead.

Are themed uniforms bad for baseball?

Tank Spencer is the host of a weekly sports talk show, “The Sports Tank,” on Asheville’s News Radio WWNC (570AM) that airs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. Spencer also serves as WWNC’s news anchor, reporter and afternoon producer. This column features posts from his blog.

• The following was posted July 22: Special promotion nights are one of the things that makes a 100-plus game baseball season somewhat bearable.

There are giveaways, fireworks, concerts, and other special attractions night in and night out across this great country.

Does it make it better or worse though, when the teams get involved with special theme-based uniforms?

The answer is somewhere in the middle.

This summer is no exception.

On Thursday, Aug. 6, the Fresno Grizzlies will become the Fresno Tacos as they host the Taco Truck Throwdown. The uniforms are brilliant and maybe should be a permanent change.

On the “FAIL” end of the themed uniform scale, there was Star Wars night at a recent Buffalo Bisons game. The Jedi robe unis are a definite “don’t.”

For even more failure at this game we look to Canada. I know, it’s not surprising Canada could screw up a good thing, but bacon? How do make bacon look bad? Apparently you hold a Bacon Night promotion in Winnipeg.

I’m on the fence about this next attempt.

One half of the brain says “Murica!” But the other half says “burn those things.”

However, then I think… Redneck Night?

In Kansas City? This is gold!

Baseball purists probably hate themed uniform nights, but let’s face facts… they are brilliant. They are a revenue generator (often for a charity) and they are something new to see in one of the most redundant sports on the planet. If only major league teams did more of these. Would you not want to see the Atlanta Braves do a Peach Pit Night where the uniforms are orange and red with a peach pit designed cap?

Well, maybe not. But you get the point.

Have fun! It’s still a game and you gotta spice things up.

SIDE NOTE: The Indiana Pacers unveiled a new themed uniform for the 2015-2016 season this week. Straight off the silver screen: “Hoosiers” unis? Hell, yeah! Next, I want to see the Pistons wear Flint Tropics jersey from “Semi Pro.” Or how about NY Mammoths jerseys for the Yankees on “Bang The Drum Slowly” Night? Or... a Yankees-Mets game with Mammoths on one side and the NY Knights (“The Natural”) on the other. I want more of this!

The 2015 MLB all-star debacle....

The following was posted July 2: Two thousand fifteen could be the year the All-Star fan voting comes to an end, or at least the determining factor for the starting lineup.

Because of the overwhelming response (ballot stuffing) by Kansas City Royals fans, the system has been broken.

In the early days of fan voting this season, the Royals fans had as many as 8

Tank Spencer players in the lead for starting spots.

That has dwindled to five, but that is still way too many.

Yes, the Royals are one of the best TEAMS in baseball, but chock-full-o-allstars they are not.

The biggest farce will be if second baseman Omar Infante is allowed as a starter.

Infante entered Thursday (the last day of fan voting) with a 30,000-vote advantage over the Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve.

Infante is hitting at a “mighty” .230 clip this season. That ranks him 75th in the AL. Infante is not even the best fielder at his position. In fact, he doesn’t rank in the top 10 in any defensive or offensive category.

If the vote stands, I’m hoping the backlash will be such that a rule change is made.

One fan base should not be able to taint the All-Star roster with mediocre or, in Infante’s case, inferior performers.

Maybe the managers of the All-Star teams or the MLB Commissioner should have future veto power over the starting lineup.

The Hornets wheel, deal ahead of draft The following was posted June 25: The Charlotte Hornets are trying to put a winner on floor for the 2015-2016 season.

In the days leading up to the NBA Draft, the Hornets made three trades GM Rich Cho believes will give them a chance to do just that.

The Hornets began the offseason by ending the Lance Stephenson experiment and shipping him to the LA Clippers for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes. All indication are that Hawes was to stay in Charlotte and Barnes would be released or traded.

The later has apparently occurred with the 35 year-old being shipped to Memphis in exchange for 34 year-old point guard Luke Ridnour. The Hornets, then took Ridnour and flipped him to Oklahoma City for 4thyear player Jeremy Lamb.

The Hornets made another splash Wednesday by completing a trade with the Portland Trailblazers. Charlotte sends last year’s 1st round draft choice, Noah Vonleh, to the Blazers along with Gerald Henderson and will get Nicolas Batum.

The biggest concern for the Hornets to address in the offseason is shooting. The team shot 31.8 percent from 3-point range last season, ranking last in the NBA. The team shot just 42 percent overall, which ranked them 29th of 30. Batum, Lamb and Hawes are all 30 percent-plus-3-POINT shooters. Batum has hit 100-plus 3-pointers in each of the last five years.

The starting lineup for the Hornets in 2015-2016 looks like this: PG – Kemba Walker SG – Nicolas Batum SF – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist PF – Al Jefferson C – Cody Zeller Sixth man – Marvin Williams See TANK SPENCER, PAGE B7

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Fabric Fabricby by bythe the the pound pound Fabric pound Fabric by the pound Fabric by the pound Fabric by the pound                                                              

AUTOMOBILE AUTOMOBILE AUTOMOBILE AUTOMOBILE AUTOMOBILE AUTOMOBILE              

                         3049 HENDERSONVILLE HIGHWAY      

   

I-26 Exit 44, North miles I-26 I-26 Exit Exit 13, 13,then then thenNorth North North miles 3 miles I-26 Exit 13, then 3333 miles I-26 Exit 13, then North miles

I-26 I-26 Exit Exit 13, 13, then then North North 33 miles miles

684-0801 684-0801 684-0801

Asheville Daily Planet — August 2015 — B7

Tank Spencer

Calendar

Continued from Page B6 Bench – Mo Williams, Brian Roberts (Point Guards); Jeremy Lamb, Troy Daniels, P.J. Hairston (Shooting Guards); Jason Maxiell, Jeffery Taylor (Small Forwards); Spencer Hawes, Bismack Biyombo (Center-Forwards) With two picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft, that would give the Hornets 17 players. With the NBA roster cap at 12, I think you’ll see Daniels, Maxiell, Taylor, Biyombo, and maybe the 2nd rounder (Int’l

Continued from Page B5

Saturday, Sept. 5

STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, Franklin. Steven Curtis Chapman will perform in concert. For tickets, which are $25, $30 and $35, visit www.GreatMountainMusic.com, or call 524-1598.

Friday, Sept. 11

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS CONCERT, 9 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort, Cherokee. The Doobie Brothers will perform in concert. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster. com, or call (800) 745-3000.

Saturday, Sept. 12

OUTDOOR CONCERT/DANCE, 6-8:30 p.m., parking lot, Firehouse Subs, 825 Spartanburg Highway, Hendersonville. The local band Sound Investment will perform music outside for listening or dancing. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free.

Friday, Sept. 18

DOWNTOWN AFTER 5 OUTDOOR CONCERT, 5-9 p.m., North Lexington Avenue near I-240 overpass, downtown Asheville. The headliner is the Suffers with Holy Ghost Tent Revival as opener. Admission is free.

Saturday, Sept. 26

HONEYBEE RESEARCH CONFERENCE, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Charles Beal Auditorium, Haywood Community College, Clyde. A one-day seminar, “Bees, Fungi and Man: Our Planet in Balance,” will be hosted

by Asheville’s Center for Honeybee Research. The conference will feature nationally known experts and honeybee and fungi resarch. Attendees will examine ecological issues facing the planet, focusing on the relationships between bee health, plant health and human health. Tickets, which are $55, are available at

The Four Tops (bottom) and The Temptations will perform at 8 p.m.

Aug. 28 in the annual outdoor Biltmore Concert Series at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. www.chbr.org/Sept26Event.aspx.

OUTDOOR CONCERT/DANCE, 6-8:30 p.m., parking lot, Firehouse Subs, 825 Spartanburg Highway, Hendersonville. Tom Brown One Man Band will perform music outside for listening or dancing. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free.

CONCERT IN THE PARK, 7-9 p.m., green space in front of Hickory Tavern and Brixx Wood-Fired Pizza, Biltmore Park, Asheville. The band Tuxedo Junction will perform in the outdoor summer concert series.

Admission is free.

Friday, Oct. 23

TONY BENNETT CONCERT, 9 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort, Cherokee. Old-school crooner Tony Bennett will perform in concert. Attendees must be 21 or older.

For tickets, which are $54.25 to $75.75, visit www. ticketmaster.com, or call (800) 745-3000.

player?) left off the roster (released, traded, or shipped to the D-League).

I originally thought Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona or Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky would be the pick at #9. Now, I’m thinking the Hornets may try to target another big man. The consensus seems to be national player of the year Frank Kaminsky, C, Wisconsin. I still believe Johnson would fill a greater need, especially with scrubs like Maxiell and Taylor filling the back-up roles at small forward.

If Kaminsky is the choice, he starts ahead of Zeller every day of the week, twice on Sundays.

B8 - August 2015 - Asheville Daily Planet