AshevilleDailyPlanet December 2012

From Staff ReportsThe possible good and bad outcomes

associated with urban revitalization efforts were explored, using Asheville’s River Arts District as a point of conversation, on Nov. 19 in Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Asheville Boardroom.

The meeting was part of the Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute’s Green Monday series, funded by a grant from Progress Energy, with support from the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and Purplecat Networks.

The topic for the panel discussion, which

included questions and comments from the audience, was “The (un?)Sustainabil-ity of Revitalization in Asheville’s River Arts District.” About 65 people attended, packing the room to a standing-room-only status.

Urban Planner Stephanie Monson Dahl moderated what was billed as “a group of diverse panelists in a conversation about the meaning and impact of tax valuation, the definition of a place through its people, how we do or don’t value the arts, and the impact of human development of the natu-ral environment.

“The panelists will use data and stories

from our own communities or elsewhere to increase the collective understanding of what we can do to make our revitalization efforts more sustainable in the future.

The panelists included Cindy Weeks, Robert Camille and Joe Minicozzi. Also scheduled to serve on the panel was Kitty Love, but she was unable to participate.

Weeks is community investment manag-er of Mountain Housing Opportunities and served as project manager of 372 Depot, which provies 60 units of “affordable hous-ing” and 9,000 square feet of commercial space in the RAD.

Camille is an entrepreneur who is

growing an architectural salvage business, Blue Ridge Surplus. He owns 13 acres in the RAD and is working “to establish his vision of Asheville’s future” there. He is billed as an expert in redevelopment proj-ects and process.

Minicozzi, a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, is the prin-cipal of Urban3, LLC. He is billed as an expert in urban design and redevelopment analytics.

Speaking first, Minicozzi asked, rhetori-cally, “If we didn’t have billboards and instead had (population) density ... what

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A discussion on “Why do we have fluoride in the public water supply and is it good for us or are there risks?” was brought to a boil at times by the anti-fluoridation panelists and some anti-fluoridation audience members during a forum Nov. 12 in UNC Asheville’s Sherrill Center.

The Mountain View Room was packed with about 150 people, many of whom were UNCA students, while oth-ers were from the community outside of the university.

A member of UNCA’s Student Environmental Center that hosted the two-hour event welcomed everyone and emphasized that it was intended as a forum — an op-portunity for both sides to share their thoughts — and not as a debate. He noted that audience members would get an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the four-member panel’s discussion.

However, the comments, especially from the anti-flu-oridation speakers, with the backing of a mostly cheering audience, gave the forum a lively debate atmosphere.

Pro-fluoride panelists included Dr. William Ryals, direc-tor of the dental programs at the Mountain Area Health Education Center in Asheville and the Blue Ridge Health Center in Henderson; and Alma “Gibbie” Harris, health director of the Buncombe County Department of Health.

The anti-fluoride panelists were Dr. Paul Connett, co-author of the book “The Case Against Fluoride” and a professor of chemistry at St. Lawrence University in New York; and Daniel G. Stockin of the Lillie Center for Scientific Research and Development.

The pro-fluoridation panelists said that fluoride has benefitted the public as a cheap, effective way to reduce cavities, but the opponents contended that it is damaging to people, resulting in arthritis, lower IQ, calcification of the tissues — and that it is neither safe nor effective.

Fluoridationforum turnsinto debate

The Flat Rock Playhouse (above and below), the official “state theatre of North Carolina” located in the Vil-lage of Flat Rock in Henderson County, is facing potentially catastrophic financial difficulties.

Good, bad outcomes of RAD revitalization explored

Mayan calendar

Photos courtesy of Flat Rock Playhouse

Flat Rock Playhouse battling to survive

$250K needed soon to survive; $1M sought for stability’s sake

FLAT ROCK — The Flat Rock Playhouse, in dire need of funds, is working to raise $250,000 by the end of December, according to Vincent Marini, producing artistic director.

The theater’s financial problems date back to 2012, when the company lost 17,000 patrons and suffered a financial loss of about $1.3 million.

In 2011, the FRP reduced its losses

to $500,000 for the year and this year it hopes to break even.

For those who want to help, Marini suggested three options, including buying tickets to the holiday program, buy or renew subscriptions for 2013 and, most importantly, make a personal contribution.

Ultimately, Marini said the theater will need to raise $1 million. Reaching

the goal, combined with other positive factors, can stabilize the organization for the next five to 10 years.

The state theater of North Carolina, which is celebrating its 60th anniver-sary this year, has been running at a deficit for the past four seasons, accord-ing to FRP officials.

2 —December 2012 - Asheville Daily Planet

Write a Letter to the EditorThe Asheville Daily Planet print letters to the editor, preferably less than 150 words in length. All letters must be signed and include a daytime telephone number for confirmation purposes only. Send your opinions to Asheville Daily Planet, P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, N.C. 28814-8490 or e-mail them to [email protected].

Tunnel Road’s Kmartclosing; Whole Foods to open in its location

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Whole Foods Market announced Nov. 20 that it will open a second store in the Asheville area in the location of the current Kmart shopping center on Tunnel Road.

The newest store in North Carolina for the natural and organic foods supermarket will occupy about 35,000 square feet of re-tail space where Kmart now is located. Con-struction will begin sometime next summer, and the new store is scheduled to open in fall 2014.

Kmart owner Sears Holdings confirmed recently that the Kmart store would close in late January.

The space occupied by Kmart will be de-molished and replaced with space for two tenants. Other parts of the shopping center will be renovated. Plans also call for regrad-ing part of the parking lot, adding trees and other landscaping, and reducing the size of the center from about 148,000 to 136,000 square feet.

While Whole Foods Market owns the Greenlife Grocery on Merrimon Avenue, its Tunnel Road store will be its first in the Asheville area under the Whole Foods Mar-ket brand. It also will be Whole Foods 11th store in North Carolina.

“We’ve been looking for the right loca-tion in Asheville for quite some time,” Mike Howard, Whole Foods Market South re-gion vice president, said in a press release. “Asheville is a great city with a lot of inter-est in natural and organic food, so we are excited to be adding to our roster of stores in the area and to be bringing a new store to the market.”

Meanwhile, Lyle Darnall, EDENS man-aging director, added, “EDENS is thrilled to partner with Whole Foods Market to create a fun, upbeat community gathering place for Asheville.

“Our vision for this center re-uses some of the existing buildings. We want to cre-ate a sense of warmth and familiarity at the center that naturally fosters meaningful in-teraction among neighbors. Changes in the future, like welcoming Whole Foods, will reflect the values of the Asheville commu-nity: local and unique.”

Whole Foods Market said in an an-nouncement that its new Asheville store will feature “a fresh and enticing selection of natural foods in their purest state, free of artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, and preservatives as well as hydrogenated fats.

“Whole Foods Market offers shoppers the highest quality, best-tasting and fresh-est foods in an inviting setting. Each store is unique and is designed to meet the needs of the neighborhoods where we live and work. Combine the great-tasting food with out-standing customer service and the result is a pleasantly atypical grocery shopping expe-rience,” the company said in a press release.

Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market is the leading natural and or-ganic food retailer.

As America’s first national certified or-ganic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store” by Health magazine.

The company's motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet” captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happi-ness, enhanced shareholder value, commu-nity support and environmental improve-ment, a company press release stated.

Employing more than 73,000 workers, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by FORTUNE magazine for 15 consecutive years.

In fiscal year 2012, the company had sales of $11.7 billion and currently has more than 340 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

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Economic summit panel agrees on innovation issuesFrom Staff Reports

The Fourth Annual AdvantageWest Eco-nomic Summit on Nov. 19 featured a panel discussion in which all four participants favored innovation and expressed the senti-ment that Western North Carolina has an unusually large number of creative people who need to be encouraged to innovate.

Perhaps ironically for a forum focusing on innovation, the summit’s panel members seemed to have no disagreements on any important issues discussed.

Despite moderator D.G. Martin’s best ef-forts to draw out any differences, no contrar-ians were to be found in what was intended as an out-of-the-box discussion on creativity.

The panelists included Mike Adams, president of Moog Music based in Asheville; Anita Brown-Graham, director of the N.C. Institute for Emerging Issues; Mark Erwin, a former U.S. ambassador and head of a Charlotte investment firm; and Dan Gerlach, head of the Golden LEAF Foundation.

“This might be the best-attended summit we’ve had yet,” AdvantageWest Chairman Tom Alexander told the crowd in opening the program, noting that “somewhat north of 325 people registered.” (The Daily Planet counted about 400 people present.)

Prior to the panel discussion, a number of the attendees neworked over a buffet of appetizers and locally produced beers in Pack Place.

Among the panel discussion’s high-lights, Erwin entertained the crowd with his predictions of several transitions that he said already are underway.

He predicted that the post office, paper checks and the printed newspaper — and printed books — are likely to disappear in the next few years.

As the program wound down, Erwin got a positive response when he asked the crowd if it would like to hear some more of his predictions.

With Martin’s acquiesence, Erwin predicted the demise of the residential telephone land line, music delivery “as we know it” and television “as we know it.”

In general, he said that “the things you own are going to decline,” thanks to the ability to download — or store — so much from computers, smartphones and other high-tech devices.

On a more threatening note, Erwin said, “Your privacy — it’s gone ... There are TV cameras everywhere ... The GPS knows where you are” because of cellphones.

In response to Erwin’s predictions, Martin triggered much laughter from the audience when he quipped, “As someone involved in writing a newspaper column and reviews books on TV,” it looks like everything in which he is involved will be disappearing, so Martin might just have to think “about doing something else.”

Earlier, following his initial predictions, Erwin asked if WNC innovators can dream up products and services to replace those that will disappear.

There is a need for rural broadband, or fast Internet access, to keep rural areas com-petitive with larger cities, Gerlach said.

“We want to be a state, not just a success-ful corridor between Raleigh and Charlotte, but across the whole state,” he noted, adding that it is a mistake to confuse innovation with technology.

“The region has a biodiversity unmatched in the rest of the world. There’s money to be made there, if you can show farmers ways to make money. Farmers are some of the most innovative people. They have already had great success with the local foods move-ment,” Gerlach said.

The panel discussion began with Martin asking, “What does innovation mean?”

Adams said it can be “a very personal

thing” and that “it’s not necessarily product-connected.”

However, he asserted that “both the semi-conductor and the iPhone are great examples of innovations.”

With a sheepish look, Martin asked, “What about those of us outside the loop?”

“If you don’t participate (in adopting high-tech devices), you’re not being innova-tive,” Adams told Martin.

In responding to Martin’s question, Brown-Graham told of a Chapel Hill teacher who had two choices for her class — to have it sit inside for lessons or she could send it outside for recess. Instead, the teacher chose a third way, leading her class on a walk around the campus, as the teacher taught her lessons in motion, Brown -Graham said, admiringly.

As illustrated by the example of the teacher, she asserted, “Innovation, more often than not, is born out of an identifi-able need — and then they (the innovators) respond to the need ... Innovation is thinking about what’s next. Real innovation is born out of a perceived need.”

Erwin said the Latin definition of innova-tion includes the words “into” and “new.”

He added, “Probably the best example of innovation was in Mauritius,” an island to the east of Madagascar off the east coast of Africa, which sought — and received — its independence from Great Britain. At that point, Mauritius, Erwin said, was one of the poorest nations in the world.

It is a volcanic island with 1.3 million people — “and they had one product, sugar ... They said, ‘The only natural resource we

have is our people,” so a concentrated effort was made to offer education to everyone.

“They said, ‘We don’t know how we’re going to pay for it (universal education), but ...’ Today, Mauritius is the most prosper-ous country in Africa. It’s a democracy and free-enterprise center — and it has a higher literacy rate than the United States.”

In briefly recounting what the people of Mauritius accomplished, Erwin said, “They looked at the needs of the world and tried (successfully) to fill them.”

Martin, the moderator, asked, “How can you apply this to Western North Carolina?”

In a roundabout response to Martin’s question, Erwin said, “Warsaw, Indiana — a town of 14,000 people. It’s called the ‘ortho-pedic capital of the world.’”

As some in the crowd chuckled, Erwin noted that “if you have any (artificial) body parts,” they likely were made in Warsaw.

“That whole economy is built on an in-

dustry of orthopedic devices” — and Erwim said WNC could follow the same model by specializing —and excelling — in a specific high-demand sector and achieving prosperity.

The last panelist to address the question of defining innovation was Gerlach, who said, “Innovation is doing something new in a way that makes life a little better.

When Martin asked if any panelist had any further comments after hearing the oth-ers discuss innovation, Adams said, “There has to be a market for it ... I think educa-tion plays a big part of that ... We put on a festival recently, called Moogfest” that he said was a tremendous success in attractive innovative musicians and that he was think-ing about expanding it to include venture capitalists and other entrepreneurial types.

“The education system is a big part of that, but you also have to have the financial resources to make it happen,” Adams said.

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D.G. Martin (far right) served as moderator of a discussion involving panelists (from left) Dan Gerlach, Mark Erwin, Anita Brown-Graham and Mike Adams.

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Asheville Daily Planet — December 2012 - 5

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From Staff Reports

Despite a weak economy and unemploy-ment, hovering around 8 percent, President Barack Obama was re-elected president of the United States on Nov. 6, staving off a fierce challenge from Republican Mitt Romney.

Obama carried all the states and districts (among states that allocate electoral votes by district) he had won in the 2008 election except North Carolina, Indiana and Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district.

Obama won the electoral vote, 332 to 206 and the popular vote, 64,916,510-60,493.449.

In the North Carolina gubernatorial race, Re-publican Pat McCrory topped Democratic Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton 55 percent to 43 percent for the post. McCrory’s victory, coupled with the GOP’s continued domination of both houses of the state legislature, gives the Republican’s control of the state’s top levers of power.

U.S. House races affecting the area resulted in victories for Republican Mark Meadows in the 11th District over Democratic challenger Hayden Rogers 57 percent to 43 percent; and for Republican incumbent Patrick McHenry over Democratic challenger Patsy Keever 57 percent to 43 percent.

In the N.C. House District 116 race, GOP incumbent Tim Moffitt beat Democratic chal-lenger Jane Whilden 56 percent to 44 percent.

In a nonbinding referendum on an Asheville water sysem sale or lease, 85.54 percent were against it, while 14.46 percent favored making the change, on which Moffitt is seeking a vote by the legislature.

The Buncombe Coun-ty Board of Commission-ers race resulted in the re-election of David Gantt as chairman, with 62 per-cent of the vote over GOP challenger J.B. Howard.

The two seats in the District 1 commission-ers race went to incum-bent Holly Jones (45 percent) and Brownie Newman (40 percent)

over Republican challenger Don Guge.Meanwhile, the District 3 commissioners

winners were Republicans Joe Belcher (28 per-cent) and David King (26 percent).

In the Buncombe register of deeds race, Democratic incumbent Drew Resisinger topped Republican challenger Pat Cothran 56.76 per-cent to 43.24 percent; while Jeff Foster nipped James H. Coman 50.09 percent to 49.32 per-cent to win the job of Buncombe Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor.

Only one challenger won a seat in the Bun-combe school board races — Amy Churchill, who topped incumbent Steven Weir Sizemore 51.95 percent to 47.8 percent.

Other Buncombe school board winners, all incumbents, include at-large member Paul “Dusty” Pless Jr., 40.57 percent to 39.57 per-cent over challenger Jerry Green; North District member Ann B. Franklin over Brian Feelan, 64.53 percent to 35.24 percent; and Owen Dis-trict member Chip Craig over Dan Hale, 57.76 percent to 41.93 percent.

6 — December 2012 - Asheville Daily Planet

Amy Churchill

At a District 2 Buncombe commissioners candidates debate in Black Mountain before the election are (from left) Ellen Frost, Mike Fryar, Christina Merrill and Carol Peterson.

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Republican Mike Fryar was the top vote-getter (25 percent), followed by Democrat Ellen Frost, who edged Republican Chris-tina Merrill by just 13 votes for the second seat in the District 2 Buncombe County Board of Commissioners race on Nov. 6.

Finishing a close fourth was Democratic incumbent Carol Peterson.

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In the Election Day unofficial count, Mer-rill beat Frost by 87 votes.

Following the canvass, Merrill announced that she will ask for a recount and possibly mount a legal challenge after the canvass yanked her out of the seat she thought she had won.


Asheville Daily Planet —December 2012 — 7

Long-range weather forecast for WNC? Bigger snowFrom Staff Reports

Meteorologist Tom Ross predicted snowfall for Western North Carolina that will be closer to normal this winter during a Long-Range Forecast Seminar on Nov. 8 at A-B Tech’s Fer-guson Auditorium.

Among the questions addressed was: “Are these early season systems a sign of a long and harsh winter season?”

The seminar, which drew about 75 people, was hosted by A-B Tech’s Institute for Climate Education.

Ross began his talk by quipping that, “if you get a 50 percent grade in weather — that’s pretty good.”

He added that “we always hedge our bets in weather forecasting” because so many vari-ables are involved.

Ross then reviewed sources for weather in-formation, including Ray’s Weather, based in Boone, and The Weather Channel.

Ross said Ray’s Weather is a good weather website he likes to use — and that there is “lots of good information” on The Weather Channel, too.

On a lighter note, he said The Farmers’ Al-manac is interesting to read and, ultimately, there is always the wooly worm.

“The wooly worm is a great predictor for what’s already happened,” Ross said. “Wooly worms are good for the chamber of commerce of Banner Elk,” where many people are drawn to its annual Wooly Worm Festival.

Taking a more serious tack, Ross said the Asheville Regional Airport recorded 30 inches of snowfall in 2009-10, 21 inches in 2010-11 and only a “trace” in 2011-12. (Asheville’s av-erage snowfall is 16.2 inches.)

Therefore, the winter of 2011-12 was “the only winter without measurable snowfall at

the Asheville airport since the airport was was opened in the early ‘60s,” Ross noted.

Speaking in more general terms about the area, the meteorolo-gist said that “the Blue Ridge Parkway is often the dividing line be-tween snow and not.” To the south of the parkway, often the pre-cipitation falls as rain, while to the north, it often falls as snow.

At that point, Ross noted that AccuWeather “is calling for above-average snowfall in our area for this winter.” Specifically, he said the service’s prediction is for “much above” nor-mal snowfall for WNC.

“We’ve already seen Hurricane Sandy and then the nor’easter,” the meteorologist said.

After defining an El Niño as bringing cool-er and wetter weather, while La Niña brings warmer and dryer weather, Ross said, “A weak to moderate El Niño” now appears to be im-pacting the area’s weather.

“The mountain area above 4,000 feet will pick up a lot more snow” than lower elevations, he said. (Asheville’s average elevation is 2,165 feet, but many surrounding areas are above 4,000 feet. Boone promotes the campus at Ap-palachian State University at 3,333 feet above sea level.)

“So you’ve got to factor in all of this stuff so you can figure out what’s going on” with the weather, he said.

Other factors affecting the local weather include such phenomena as the Arctic Oscilla-tion, a climate index of the state of the atmo-spheric circulation over the Arctic.

He said that “ocean water covers 70 percent of the earth’s surface, so it’s going to drive our weather.” Ross also noted that the upper air pat-tern “can change really quickly,” also affecting the weather.

Receiving over 90 inches of rain annually, Transylvania County is the wettest county in the state, he said. In contrast, Buncombe Coun-ty, which is 30 miles northeast of Transylvania County, receives the lowest precipitation.

To that end, Ross noted that the area now known as Weaverville was called “Dry Ridge” by the Native Americans because it rained so seldom there.

With the area’s topography, Ross said “low-level cold air is typical.”

He also noted that the warmest winter on record for Asheville was January 1950, when 60.8 degrees was the average temperature.

Ross said Asheville’s 1950 winter was de-scribed as “outrageously warm,” with residents noting the early blooming of flowers.

In contrast, the coldest Asheville winter on record was in January 1977, when 35 degrees was the average temperature for the month.

The coldest January day on record for Asheville was Jan. 21, 1985, when the high was 8 degrees and the low, minus-16 degrees — 41 degrees below normal, Ross said.

The “snowiest” day on record for Asheville was February 1969, when 25.5 inches was re-corded.

“Our weather in the first week of November was more like (that of) Portland, Maine,” Ross said.

As for Asheville’s history of Christmas snowfalls, the meteorologist said the city “tends to get a little snow at Christmas-time.”

Turning to predictions, he said, “Last year, we had one snowday. I predict we’ll have a lot more this year.”

Specifically, Rose said, the area “could get a couple four-inch snow events this year, if enough moisture comes up from the Gulf and the cold air is in place.” He predicted “near or slightly above 15 inches of snow.” With a smile, he paused and noted that his “wish forecast” is for “25 inches-plus” of snow for the area.

Ross also predicted “several icing events ... with high pressure going to our north and mois-ture to come up the spine of the Appalachians.”

During a question-and-answer session after-ward, a man asked, “The Weather Channel has started naming winter storms — is that for real or a gimmick?”

“It’s kind of fun, but it’s a gimmick,” Ross replied with a grin. in addressed about 75 peo-ple

To another man’s question about his predic-tions, Ross said, “Some of this is a crapshoot. Just nothing came together last winer to give us a decent snow.” In a normal Asheville winter, “we get at least a couple of snow events.”

Continuing, Ross asserted, “The jet stream is the driver, going from west to east. It’s like a river of water. That’s why weather-forecasting is so” challenging.

Tom Ross

Write a Letter to the EditorThe Asheville Daily Planet print letters to the editor, preferably less than 150 words in length. All letters must be signed and include a daytime telephone number for confirmation purposes only. Send your opinions to Asheville Daily Planet, P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, N.C. 28814-8490 or e-mail them to [email protected].

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Protein levels? Too highSecond in a series of two articles

From Staff ReportsWhile studies show that those who

consume less than 10 percent protein tend to not to have cancer, Americans tend to consume — on average — nearly double that amount.

Or so said nutrition expert-researcher-health advocate T. Colin Campbell on Oct. 16 in UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium.

Campbell, who addressed “The Great Food Secret” during an hour-long presenta-tion, drew a standing-room-only audience of about 650 people.

“The average protein consumption in the United States is 17 percent ... mostly due to the consumption of animal-based protein ... I’d say the only protein we need is from plants,” he said.

“Since 1839, when protein was discov-ered, it’s been virtually synonymous with nutrition.”

While acknowledging that many people have “heard that high-fat diets increase cholestrol,” Campbell said other effects of animal protein consumption include:

• Intiates Type 1 diabetes• Increases calcium bone loss,• Cow’s milk is a common cause of

childhood allergies• Cow’s milk is associated with cataract

formation, arthritis and digestive disorders.In speaking more generally, Campbell

said that “nutrition therapy is superb for diabetes Type 2 and reduced the ‘meds’ for Type 1.”

He also contended that a whole-food, plant-based diet “prevents, suspends and cures” all cancers, heart diseases, multiple

sclerosis and kidney stones — “and promotes superb physical fitness.”

Further, Campbell said, “The food-based protocol for disease prevention is the same as for treatment” and “the effects produced are rapid, broad and profound ... It’s life-saving. We tend to

dismiss preventive medicine.”After a pause, he added, “You don’t have

to believe me ... Just try it.”He told of a doctor who is famous for

telling those of his new patients, who are diabetics, “to give him all of their ‘meds.’” He then puts them on a whole-food, plant-based diets — and they get better and no longer need “meds.”

“So where does nutrition fit in?” he asked, rhetorically. “It doesn’t,” Campbell said with a note of sadness.

He said nutrition studies suffer from the following:

• Poorly understood by the public.• Research funding hardly exists.• Doctors are not trained in nutrition.

“Med schools — they don’t teach nutrition. They (interested doctors) take it (nutrition classes) as an elective. They don’t get that this is the most important topic of all.”

On the bright side, Campbell said, “I see changes now. I see med schools and doctors — on a grassroots level” — work-ing to learn about nutritition and taking the subject much more seriously.

T. Colin Campbell

Rocky Hollifield, president of the Craggy Mountain Line, stands on the front of a diesel engine near the site of CML’s Woodfin depot on Nov. 24. CML offers train rides on weekends at $10 per person on a 3.5-mile track between its future depot location and the French Broad River.

Asheville Daily Planet — December 2012 — 9


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Israeli peace activisttakes Zionism to taskFrom Staff Reports

Peace activist Mike Peled, author of “The General’s Son: Journal of an Israeli in Palestine,” spoke on Nov. 8 in A-B Tech’s Simpson Auditorium.

His talk, titled “Moving Beyond Zionism: A New Paradigm for the Future of Israel/Palestine,” drew about 70 people.

The talk was sponsored by Western Caro-lians for Peace and Justice in the Mid-East and the Coalition for Peace With Justice.

Peled was born in Jerusalem in 1961 into a well-known Zionist family. His grandfa-ther, Dr. Avraham Katsnelson, was a Zionist leade and a signer of Israel’s Declaration of Independence.

Much of his talk focused on the differ-ence between the image of Israel that it portrays to the world — and the reality that results in the mistreatment of Palestinians.

For instance, he said of the 1948 war between Israel and surrounding Arabs, “in 12 months, this Zionist military managed to conquer 80 percent of the country and 500 cities were completely destroyed.” The war resulted in the exile of nearly 1 million Palestinians, he said.

Peled said the Israeli “narrative” is that “The Arabs attacked, we won and they left. Therefore, there is no moral issue.”

He added, “If we look at the details today, we know the story of the war is untrue and quite ridiculous.”

Peled asserted, “The drums of war began beating when Egypt’s (Gamal Abdel) Nasser kicked out the U.N. Peacekeeping forces and invaded the neutral zone in 1967.

“The Israli generals saw this as a cause for war and demanded a presumptive strike,” he said. After some debate, “the generals prevailed and defeated the Egyp-tians and, at that time, the generals decided — on their own — to take the Gaza, Golan Heights, Sinai and the West Bank ....

“The Egyptian army was not prepared for war and, therefore, we once again had an opportunity to attack and destroy them ... Militarily, there was no threat” to Israel.

Fifteen thousand Egyptian soldiers were killed, along with 700 Israelis — “all in six days,” he noted. “They (the Israelis) had a very well-trained army with an excellent plan of attack.

“After the war, my father said we have an opportunity to solve the Palestinian problem — offer them the West Bank and Gaza.”

Instead, Israel did not solve the Palestin-ian problem “Basically, the conquest was complete and there was ethnic cleansing ... The whole point of the Zionist idea was complete.”

Peled said among Israel’s goals were to “erase Palistine from the map” via “ethnic cleansing to ‘de-Arabize’ the country.”

However, he noted that “Palestine was an Arab country for 1,500 years” before the U.N. forced the creation of modern Israel in its midst.

He said the “notion that today’s Israel is connected with King David” and others before him in the Jewish tradition is bogus. “There’s no historical proof that Kind David ever existed,” Peled said.

What’s more, he said the Israelis recently decided that the ancient city of David was covered by a city of 50,000 people, so the Palistinian city was destroyed and the resi-dents moved away, so that the city could be excavated — and to no avail.

“If anybody talks today about the notion that Israel should ever let Palestine exist — it’s called absurd by the Zionists.”

Despite peace talks through the years, “when the Palistinians agreed to the two-state solution, they gave up 80 percent of their land,” Peled said. “Also, by doing this,

they gave up to the right for the Palestinians ever to return. Israel made no concessions at all. Yet what Arafat did” was the result of pressure, as “his home was sur-rounded by Israeli tanks.”

What’s more, Arafat was later vilified by “the Zionists as a ter-rorist.”

Following in the steps of his father, Gen. Matti Peled, the young Peled, served as a parachutist. He went from a militaristic hawk to a fighter for peace following the loss of his 13-year-old niece, who was killed in 1997 by Palistinian suicide bombers.’

He said he was driven by the tragedy to explore Palestine, its people and their stories.

The main problem now, he said, is “where do we go from here?” There are 6.5 million Israelis and 5.5 million Palistinians “gov-erned by Israel and the problem is it’s not a democracy ... How do two nations share a country?”

He said a popular saying among Israelis is “look at the Arabs of Israel — they don’t even want to leave, they’re doing so well...

“The only way to move forward is to take away the Jewish state in the Middle East.” Instead, he recommended establishing a de-mocracy with equal rights” for all. “There can be a peaceful transfer of power. We’ve seen that elsewhere,” he said, citing South Africa.

Michael Peled


Straight No Chaser sparkleswith playful a cappella style

Daily Planet Staff PhotosStraight No Chaser performed Michael Jackson’s mega-hit “Billie Jean” when it returned to the stage for an encore Nov. 9 at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.

By JOHN [email protected]

CHEROKEE — The snappily dressed 10-man a cappella group Straight No Chaser rolled its vocal dice masterfully during its Nov. 9 concert at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.

SNC let loose with mostly contemporary songs, retooled for snappy a cappella har-monies, along with pinpoint sharp choreog-raphy, blended with a sense of humor and fun ... and a squeeze of musical subversion.

The group, which got its start at Indiana University in 1996, started strong and fin-ished the same way, leaving the crowd on its feet, cheering and begging for more. SNC duly obliged with an ultra-dramatic version of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” for an encore, with one of its singers doing an elec-trifying “moonwalk” across the stage.

The group members wore matching light gray tuxedo jackets and pants, white shirts, skinny black ties and black shoes — and an unusually memorable element for such a

show was dazzling lighting special effects.This group had the crowd laughing and

smiling constantly with its playful chore-ography and jokes between songs. While SNC said it takes its music seriously, it also admitted to knocking itself out to have fun with the show.

Among standout songs performed were a lushly romantic rendition of Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” and a jazzy, bluesy, heartfelt rendition of Blood, Sweat and Tears’ “Hi-Di-Ho.”

On a musically subversive note, SNC especially seemed to enjoy singing part of one song, slipping in a verse and/or chorus of another song, and then finishing the original song for an interesting effect.

Also, SNC used a parody technique of singing the lyrics from a currently popular rock-rap song to a traditional yule melody and, at other times, singing the lyrics from a traditional Christmas song to the melody of a pop song. It was delightfully surreal.

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Holiday Activities Special Section PulloutCalendar

Thursday, Nov. 29“NUTCRACKER” PRODUCTION, 2 and 8

p.m., mainstage, Flat Rock Playhouse, 2661 Greenville Hwy., Flat Rock. FRP will present a version of “The Nutcracker” in a new interpreta-tion of the holiday all-dance classic through Dec. 22. Evening performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and 2 p.m. matinees on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. For tickets, call 693-0731.

LECTURE, 6:30 p.m., Thomas Wolfe Memorial, downtown Asheville. Joanne Mauldin, a Thomas Wolfe scholar, will present a program titled “An Unfound Door: Thomas Wolfe and Race.

LECTURE, 7 p.m., Intercultural Center, Highsmith University Union, UNC Asheville. Ceremonies and ritual of indigenous Native American groups will be discussed by Sharon Oxendine, program director at Mountain Bizworks. The program — free and open to the public — is part of UNCA’s Native American Heritage Month observance.

AUTHOR’S PRESENTATION, 7 p.m., Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, 55 Haywood St., downtown Asheville. Author Jacob Tomsky will present his memoir in the hotel industry, “Heads in Beds.”

STORYTELLING SERIES, 7:30 p.m., Asheville Community Theatre, 35 E. Walnut St., downtown Asheville. The storytelling series “Listen to This” will feature stories and original songs from locals. Tickets are $10.

BLACK MOUNTAIN JAZZ CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W. State St., Black Mountain. A jazz concert will feature pianist Michael Jefry Stevens, vocalist Rockell Scott and guest artists. A donation of $10 is suggested.

UNCA JAZZ CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Lipinsky Au-ditorium, UNC Asheville. Jazz and contemporary music ensembles and the Studio 18 Vocal Jazz Ensemble will perform in concert. The student jazz ensembles — both large and small — will perform under the direction of William Bares, Bri-an Felix and Melodie Galloway. Admission is $5.

SHORT PLAYS, 7:30 p.m., Carriage House Theatre, behind Fernihurst, Asheville campus, A-B Tech, Asheville. A-B Tech and the A-B Tech drama club will present the compendium of short plays, “All in the Timing” through Dec. 1. Admis-sion is $10 for the general public and $3 for A-B Tech studets and staff, and $5 for other students.

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

Friday, Nov. 30BILTMORE VILLAGE DICKENS FESTIVAL, 5-7

p.m., Biltmore Village, Asheville. The Dickens Festival will feature storytellers, carolers and entertainers on the stage and strees. The gala will continue 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Dec. 1 and 1-5 p.m. Dec. 2.

FLETCHER TREE-LIGHTING, 6-7 p.m., Fletcher Community Park, Fletcher. A tree-lighting will be held and attendees are asked to bring food

nonperishable food donations.AUTHOR’S PRESENTATION, 6:30 p.m.,

City Lights Bookstore, 3 E. Jackson St., Sylva. Asheville author Amy Willpoughby-Burle will present her debut collection of short stories, “Out of Nowhere.”

AUTHOR’S PRESENTATION, 7 p.m., Mala-prop’s Bookstore/Café, 55 Haywood St., down-town Asheville. Secular advocate David Niose will present “Non-believer Nation,” his book on the rise of secular Americans.

“CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR PRODUCTION,” 7 p.m., Arden campus, Bitmore Baptist Church, Arden. BBC;s annual Christmas show will be presented. The show also will be presented at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 1. The produc-tion is billed by the BBC as not only offering “the colors, trimmings and wrappings of Christmas, but also offers the true essence of the season. We hope that you recognize that all the colors, traditions and songs…everything we associate with Christmas, is made possible because of that one great event in history — the birth of Jesus Christ.” Tickets are $10 for general admission, $15 for reserved seating and $20 for gold circle seating. Tickets are required for chjildren ages 2 and up. No childcare will be provided and no group discounts are available.

HOLIDAY CHORAL CONCERT, 7 p.m., Arden Presbyterian Church, Arden. The Asheville Choral Society will performed in “A Holiday to Remem-ber” concert, including Rachmaninoff vespers, carols and lullabies rom the Southwest, and a signature sing-along of carols, plus a special per-formance by the Hall Fletcher Elementary School children’s percussion choir. The concert also will be presented at 4 p.m. Dec. 1.

CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, 1028 George Rd., Frank-lin. The Hoppers will perform in what is billed as “a great night of contemporary gospel hits and Christmas favorites.” For tickets, which are $17-$20, visit GreatMountainMusic.com, or call (866) 273-4615.

“INSPECTING CAROL” SHOW, 7:30 p.m., 35below at Asheville Community Theatre, 35 E. Walnut St., downtown Asheville. The show “Inspecting Carol” will be performed through Dec 2. The show is billed as a comedy in which a man asks to audition at a small theater and is mastak-en for an informer for the National Endwoment for the Arts. Everyone caters to the wannabe actor and he is given a role in the current produc-tion, “A Christmas Carol.” Everything goes wrong and hilarity is piled upon hilarity. Peformances are at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays an

at 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. For tickets, which are $12-22, at ashevilletheatreorg.

CHRISTMAS CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Moore Auditorium, Mars Hill College, Mars Hill. MHC will hold its annual Christmas Concert, featur-ing ensembles that include the College Wind Symphony, College Choir and Chamber Singers. Admission is free.

Saturday, Dec. 1OPEN HOUSE, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Governor’s

Western Residence, 45 Patton Mountain Rd., Asheville. A tour of the GWR will be held. The tour also will be offered from noon to 6 p.m. Dec. 2. Admission is free.

HENDERSONVILLE CHRISTMAS PARADE, 10:30 a.m., Main Street from Five Points to Cas-well Street, Hendersonville. Hendersonville will hold its annual traditional hometown Christmas parade, hosted by the Hendersonville Merchants & Business Association.

FARM CHRISTMAS, noon-5 p.m., Historic Johnson Farm, 3345 Haywood Rd., Henderson-ville. Christmas at the Farm will feature holiday music, cookies and cider, house tours, wagon rides and more. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students and free for preschoolers and younger.

WEAVERVILLE CHRISTMAS PARADE, 1 p.m., downtown Weaverille. The annual Weaverville Christmas parade will proceed from North Main Street at Dula Springs Road.

See CALENDAR, Page 12

Send us your calendar itemsPlease submit items to the Calendar of Events by noon on the third Wednesday of each month, via e-mail, at [email protected], 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 an event, call 252-6565.


The annual Dickens Festival will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 30, 11 a.m. 7 p.m. Dec. 1 and 1-5 p.m. Dec. 2 at Biltmore Village in Asheville.

Saturday, Dec. 1READING/BOOK-SIGNING, 2-4 p.m., Barnes

& Noble bookstore, Biltmore Park Town Square, Asheville. Long-time Asheville resident Melva Haggar Dye will visit for a reading from, and book-signing of, her new novel “All That Remains.” Dye and her husband Charles live in Baton Rouge, La., and Lake Lure. She was previ-ously married to the late Frank Haggar, long-time owner of Business Machines Sales & Service in downtown Asheville.

VANCE BIRTHPLACE CHRISTMAS GALA, 4-7 p.m., Reems Creek Road, Weaverville. The Vance Birthplace Christmas will include guided candlelight tours and a look at Christmas in the southern Appalachians during the early 1800s.

DAVID HOLT CONCERT, 7 p.m., Upper An-derson Auditorium, Montreat College, Montreat David Holt and the Lightning Bolts, with dulcimer virtuoso Don Pedi will perform in Shindig on the Green’s annual fundraiser concert. For tickets, which are $10 for the general public, $10 for ages 12 and younger and $15 group rate, call 685-8313 or visit [email protected].

“A CHRISTMAS CAROL” PRODUCTION, 7:30 p.m., The Lab Theatre, Hendersonville Christian School, Hendersonville. Absolute Theatre Com-pany will perform the Charles Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol.” The show will continue at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2-4 and at 3 p.m. Dec. 4.

COMEDY OPEN MIC, 9-11 p.m., Wall Street Coffee House, 62 Wall St., downtown Asheville. A comedy open mic program offers all who are will-ing six minutes to try to make the audience laugh.

Sunday, Dec. 2CONCERT, 3 p.m., The Episcopal Church of

St. John in the Wilderness, Flat Rock. Max Yaxley and his friends will present a concert of jazz, classical and flamenco guitar music. Yaxley, who lives in Brevard, teaches jazz and classical guitar in his studio. He also is an adjunct professor at

UNC Asheville, where he teaches guitar and cello. He has been a featured soloist at the Grove Park Inn Jazz Festival in Asheville and also performed on the concert stage and clubs around the coun-try. A love offering will be accepted at the door with proceeds going to the artists.

CHAMBER CONCERT, 3 p.m., St. Matthias Church, 1 Dundee St., Asheville. The Pyramid Brass Quintet will perform. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.

HOLIDAY CONCERT, 3 p.m., Conference Hall, Blue Ridge Community College, East Flat Rock. The Hendersonville Community Band will perform its “‘Tis the Season” concert. Tickets are $10 for adults and free for students.

WCU HOLIDAY CONCERT, 3 p.m., Bardo Arts Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee.

WCU’s annual holiday concert, “Sounds of the Season,” will be presented.

CONCERT, 4 p.m., Bo Thomas Auditorium, Blue Ridge Community College, East Flat Rock. The Hen-dersonville Symphony Youth Orchestra will perform. Admission is $7 for adults and free for students.

HOLIDAY CONCERT, 4 p.m., Lipinsky Audito-rium, UNC Asheville. The annual UNCA Holiday Concert will offer a wide range of musical groups performing holiday music. Admission is $5.

BENEFIT CONCERT, 4 p.m. First Presbyte-rian Church, 40 Church St., Asheville. A trio of musicians from Pan Harmonia will perform “Baroque Bliss,” a benefit for Room at the Inn, the Asheville women’s shelter. Admission is free, but a donation of $15 a person or $25 per family is suggested.

Monday, Dec. 3HOLIDAY STORIES/MUSIC, 3-5 p.m., Feed

& Seed, 3715 Hendersonville Rd., Fletcher. The annual Feed & Seed Holiday Stories and Music gala will be held. The stories and music are for children ages 10 and older — as well as adults — and will be performed by regional performers. “Little ones are welcome,” the organizers note.d Light refreshments will be available. Admission is free, but a $5 donation is recommended.

WAYNESVILLE CHRISTMAS PARADE, 6 p.m., downtown Waynesville. The annual Waynesville Christmas parad will proceed through downtown Waynesville.

SHORT READINGS VARIETY EVENT, 6:30-8:30 p.m., 10 River Terrace at Murray Street, Asheville. Short readings will be given by Four Way Books authors Cynthia Cruz, Blas Falconer and Victoria Redel. Also performing will be Jenny Allen, a writer and monologist; and Jeremy Bass, a musician and poet. Admission is $10 and includes a complimentary book.

LECTURE, 7 p.m., social hall, Asheville Jewish Community Center, 236 Charlotte St., Asheville. A presentation, “Help Contain Nuclear Weapons in the 21st Century,” will be given by Dr. Ira Hel-fand, billed as an internationally acclaimed expert on the topic. He is co-president of International Physicians or Prevent of Nuclear War. Lehfan will describe the range of dangers posed by nuclear weapons, including worldwide climate disrup-tion that would follow even a limitd or regional nuclear war. He will present concrete steps that can be taken to lessen the risk. At 6:30 p.m., a social and refreshments will be served before the presentation at 7. The event is sponsored by Western N.C. Physicians for Social responsibility.

Tuesday, Dec. 4LECTURE, 7:30 p.m., Reuter Center, UNC

Asheville. He Beom Kim, consult general for the Republic of Korea, will speak. His adress is titled “The Republic of Korea, Its Role and Leadership: The New Economies and Politics of the Asia-Pacific.” Admission is $8 for the general public and free to members of the World Affairs Council and students at UNCA.


Continued from Page 11


Calendar

Jim Brickman will perform in a concert, “On a Winter’s Night, Holiday Piano,” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

HENDERSONVILLE 697-96861911 Four Seasons Blvd.

ASHEVILLE 254-6007960 Patton Ave.


Wednesday, Dec. 5FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS, 6-8 p.m., Lake Julian

Park, off Long Shoal Road, Asheville. The annual Festival of Lights will be held Dec. 5-23. The gala features a walk- or drive-through light show with thousands of lights and more than 50 light displays. The show is for walkers-only 6-8 p.m. Dec. 5-6. It is drive-through 6-9 p.m. Dec. 7-23. Tickets are $5 per car, $15 per 15-passenger van and $20 per bus.

“A CELTIC CHRISTMAS” SHOW, 8 p.m., Play-house Downtown, downtown Hendersonville. The Flat Rock Playhouse will present “A Celtic Christ-mas” through Dec. 22. The showtimes are 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. For tickets, which are $35, call 693-0731 or visi www.flatrockplayhouse.org.CONCERT, 9 p.m., The Grey Eagle, 185 Cling-man Ave., Asheville. American roots traditionalist Tara Nevins, of Donna the Buffalo, will perform. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door-

Thursday, Dec. 6RAD ROAD PLAN MEETING, 4-7 p.m., Dr.

Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livings-ton St., Asheville. A public meeting will be held to give residents a chance to weigh in on the River Arts District Transportation Improvement Plan.The plan is intended to improve 2.2 miles of Lyman Street and Riverside Drive.

CANTON CHRISTMAS PARADE, 6 p.m., downtown Canton. The annual Canton Christmas parade will be held.

“A CHRISTMAS CAROL” PRODUCTION, 7:30 p.m., Asheville Masonic Temple, downtown Asheville. The Montford Park Playes will perform “A Christmas Carol” through Dec.6- 23. Show-times are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays and 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

“THE NUTCRACKER” PRODUCTION, 7:30 p.m., Bardo Arts Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee. Ballet Conservatory will perform “The Nutcracker.” For tickets, which are $10, visit www.wcu.edu/bardoartscenter.

Friday, Dec. 7HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE, 5-8 p.m., Visitors In-

formation Center, 201 S Main St., downtown Hen-dersonville. The VIC will hold a holiday open house, featuring holiday treats. Also, Historic Downtown Hendersonville will hold an Olde-Fashioned Hen-dersonville Christmas, with carolers, entertainment merchants’ open houses and refreshments.

CHRISTMAS CANDLELIGHT STROLL, 6-9 p.m., downtown Weaverville. A Christmas Can-dlelight Stroll will feature luminaries, entertain-ment, horse-and-buggy rides and Santa Claus.

BALLROOM DANCE, 7-9 p.m., Waynesville Recreation Center, Waynesville. A ballroom dance will be held, with admission free for members of the WRC. Tickets are $3 per person for non-members. Attendees are asked to bring a dish or their choice of snacks.

USO SHOW TRIBUTE, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, 1028 George Rd., Franklin. A Christmas show, “Christ-mas Memories: Postcards From the USO,” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7-8 and at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 9. “Take a trip back in time to a Christmas celebration World War II-stye, as the USO brings music, Hollywood stars and comedy across the Atlantic to honor and cheer soldiers during the holiday season,” the SMCPA noted. “Taken from actual USO shows of the period, ‘Christmas Memories’ will remind us all that there is no place like home for the holidays.” The show is performed by The Overlook Theatre Company. For tickets, which are $13, visit GreatMountain-Music.com, or call (866) 273-4615.

“G.I. HOLIDAY JUKEBOX” SHOW, 7:30 p.m., 229 S. Washington St., downtown Henderson-ville. The Hendersonville Little Theatre” will present “G.I. Holiday Jukebox,” a musical revue through Dec. 16. The show is billed as “a stroll back in time to an era of greatness. Great music, great turmoil in the world and, some would say, the greatest generation.” The show will present great musical standards of the 1940s, inter-spersed with well-known holiday classics. The opening-night show, promised to be “a date that will live in infamy,” will be followed by a cham-pagne reception. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15 and at 2 p.m. Dec. 9 and 16.

For tickets, whcih are $20 for adults and $10 for those under age 18, call 692-1082, or visit www.hendersonvillelittletheatre.com.

HOLIDAY FAVORITES CONCERT, 7:30 p.m. Colonial Theatre, Canton. The Blue Ridge Orches-tra will perform “Nutcracker Suite” selections and holiday favorites. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for students. The show also will be presented at 4 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Folk Art Center, Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville.

Saturday, Dec. 8GUIDED BIRD WALK, 9 a.m., Jackson Park,

Hendersonville. A guided bird walk will be hosted by ECO and the Henderson County Bird Club.

FLETCHER CHRISTMAS PARADE, 10:30 a.m., Highway 25 between Old Airport Road and Town Hall, Fletcher. The Town of Fletcher Christmas Parade will be held, featuring floats, musical groups and Santa Claus.

CONNEMARA CHRISTMAS GALA, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, Flat Rock. “Christmas at Connemara” will feature the holiday as the Sandburg celebrated it, with traditional decorations and holiday music. Hot cider and cookies will be served.

CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL, noon-7 p.m., Asheville Civic Center, downtown Asheville. The Asheville Chocolate and Arts Festival will feature free chocolate samples by more than 12 local chocolate and dessert-makers.

CHRISTMAS CONCERT, 3 p.m., Conference Hall, Blue Ridge Community College, East Flat Rock. The Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra will present “A Carolina Christmas,” with the Greenville (S.C.) Chorale. For tickets, which are $35 for adults and $5 for students, call 697-5884.

BLACK MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS PARADE, 4 p.m., downtown Black Mountain. The annual Black Mountain Christmas parade will proceed through downtown.

CIRCLE OF LIGHTS, 5 p.m. or thereabouts, Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain. A Circle of Lights will be held after the Black Mountain Christmas parade.

HOLIDAY DINNER, 7 p.m., Grand Ballroom, Grove Park Inn, Asheville. North Carolina Gov.-Elect Pat McCrory will be the keynote speaker at the 20th Annual Charles Taylor Holiday Dinner. The event will be McCrory’s first public appear-ance in Western North Carolina since sweeping the governor’s race on Nov. 6. The popular holiday gathering is one of the largest sit-down dinners in the state. McCrory will be joined by U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-1oth District; U.S. Rep-Elect Mark Meadows, R--11th District; and many other statewide and local elected officials. Taylor is a former Republican congressman from the 11th District. For tickets for the dinner, which are $50 per person, call Trish Smothers at 243-2187. Reservations are required. Seating will be assigned. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. A free shuttle will begin at 5 p.m. from First Baptist Church of Asheville on Charlotte Street, while parking at GPI will cost $10 per car.

Sunday, Dec. 9HOLIDAY CONCERT, 3 p.m., auditorium,

Asheville High School, 419 McDowell St., Asheville. The Asheville Community Band will perform in a holiday concert. Student will be admitted free when accompanied by someone with a paid admission.

CHRISTMAS CONCERT, 3 p.m., St. Matthias Church, 1 Dundee St., Asheville. The 18-voice

Reynolds-Miller Chorale, accompanied by the St. Matthias String Quarter, will perform. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.

CONCERT, 4 p.m., First Congregational Church, 20 Oak St., Asbeville. The Celebration Singers of Asheville will perform. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.

HOLIDAY FAVORITES CONCERT, 4 p.m., Folk Art Center, Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville. The Blue Ridge Orchestra will perform “Nutcracker Suite” selections and holiday favorites. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for students.

TREE-LIGHTING CEREMONY, 5:30 p.m., Little Laurel Green Playground, entrance to Laurel Park. The YouTheatre Christmas Tour will hold a Little Laurel Green Tree-Lighting Ceremony.

CONCERT, 7 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Con-gregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, Asheville. Michael Reno Harrell will perform. Tickets are $15 for the general public and $10 for students.

Monday, Dec. 10HANDBELL CONCERT, 2 p.m., Fletcher Public Li-

brary, Fletcher. The Blue Ridge Ringers will perform in a handbell concert. Others concerts by the group will be held at 4 p.m. Dec. 16 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Fisher Road, Brevard: and at 2 p.m. Dec. 17 at Henderson County Public Library on Washington Street in Hendersonville.

TAILGATE MARKET, 2-5 p.m., in front of Hubba Hubba Smokehouse, downtown Flat Rock. The Flat Rock Tailgate Market will be held.

WINTER SHOWCASE, 6:30 p.m., mainstae, Flat Rock Playhouse, 2661 Greenville Hwy., Flat Rock. YouTheatre will present is “Rockin’ Around the World Winter Showcase.” Cost is by donation.


Calendar

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Tuesday, Dec. 11CONCERT, 3 p.m., auditorium, Asheville High

School, McDowell Street, Asheville. The Asheville Community Band will perform in concert. Tickets are $8 and free for students with an adult.

Thursday, Dec. 13“NUTCRACKER” PERFORMANCE, 5 and 7:30

p.m., Diana Wortham Auditorium, Pack Place, downtown Asheville. Ballet Conservancy’s “The Nutcracker” will be performed. For tickets, visit www.dwtheatre.com.

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, 1028 George Rd., Franklin. A “Community Christmas Celebration will be held, during which attendees are invited to join friends and family as the center rings ou the sounds of the season with an old-fashioned Christmas carol sing-a-long. For tickets, which are $7, visit GreatMountainMu-sic.com, or call (866) 273-4615.

Friday, Dec. 14ARTS/CRAFTS SHOW, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Blue

Ridge Mall, Hendersonville. An arts and crafts show, sponsored by the Henderson County Craft-ers Association, will be held through Dec. 15.

HOLIDAY CONCERT, 6:30 p.m., Covenant Presbyterian Church, Hendersonville. The Hen-dersonville Children’s Choir Holiday Concert will be held. Admission is $5 for adults and $2.50 for students.

HOLIDAY PIANO CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, 1028 George Rd., Franklin. Jim Brickman will perform “On a Winter’s Night, Holiday Piano.” For tickets, which are $29-$37, visit GreatMountainMusic.com, or call (866) 273-4615.

CHRISTMAS CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., St. James Episcopal Church, Hendersonville. The Carolina Concert Choir’s Christmas Concert will be held. The concert also will be presented at 3 p.m. Dec. 15. Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for students.

Saturday, Dec. 15SANTA’S CHIMNEY PRACTICE, 11 a.m.-2

p.m., Chimney Rock State Park, Chimney Rock. Santa Claus will practice his delivery on 315-foot Chimney Rock.

CHRISTMAS TOUR PERFORMANCE, 2 p.m., Henderson County Library, 301 N. Washington St., Hendersonville. The YouTheatre will perform a celebration of holiday music and merriment from around the world.

CHRISTMAS PARTY/DANCE, 8-11 p.m., Exit 59 off Interstate 26, The Party Place & Event Center, Saluda. The center will conclude its 2012 season with a Christmas party and dance featuring The Out of Towners Band. The group, with its high-en-ergy show, performs Carolina beach music, oldies, blues and holiday favorites. Tickets are $12.50 in advance and $15 at the door. For advance tickets or to reserve a table, call 749-3676.

Sunday, Dec. 16HOLIDAY MUSIC 1-5 p.m., Historic Court-

house, Main Street, downtown Hendersonville. Area schools, churches and other special guests will perform holiday music.

SWANNANOA SOLSTICE GALA, 2 and 7 p.m., Diana Wortham Theatre, Pack Place, downtown Asheville. The Swannanoa Solstice gala will fea-ture Al Petteway, Amy White, Robin Bullock with storytellers, dancers, guest musicians, and em-cee Doug Orr. Admission is $35 for the general public, $30 for students and $15 for children.

CLASSICAL CHRISTMAS CONCERT, 3 p.m., Thomas Wolfe Auditoriu in the U.S. Cellular Cen-ter, downtown Asheville. The Asheville Symphony will perform in “A Classical Christmas” concert.

CHRISTMAS CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., St. james Episcopal Church, Hendersonville. The Carolina Choir Christmas Concert will be presented. The concert also will be presented at 3 p.m. Dec. 17. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students.

Monday, Dec. 17“A CHRISTMAS CAROL” PERFORMANCE,

7:30 p.m., The Foundation Performing Arts Center, Isolthermal Community College, Highway 74-A, 286 ICC Loop Rd., Spindale. Twenty-eight performers will bring Charles Dickens’ fable of redemption to life on a set created by noted designer James Othuse. A full array of traditional Christmas carols is woven into the classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge. The songs themselves are traditional, but musical arrangements — cour-tesy of John Bennett — are contemporary and billed as “exquisitely beautiful.” For tickets, which are $19 and $24 for the general public and $8 for youngsters, visit www.FoundationShows.org.

Thursday, Dec. 20A CAPPELLA CHRISTMAS SHOW, 7:30 p.m.,

Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, 1028 George Rd., Franklin. The Voices of Lee will perform “An A Cappella Christmas.” For tickets, which are $13, visit GreatMountainMusic.com, or call (866) 273-4615.

Friday, Dec. 21WINTER SOLSTICE NIGHT HOKE, 7-9 p.m.,

Hooker Falls parking lot, DuPoint State Recre-

ational Forest, DuPont Road, Hendersonville. For winter solstice night, a hike will be held to Hooker Falls in the darkness of the longest night to quietly welcome the sun as it begins its jour-ney toward the northern hemisphere. The hike on the moderate trail will be held, weather permit-ting. Attendees are urged to bring flashlights, which are to be used sparingly, and a warm drink to toast the winter solstice.

BLUEGRASS CHRISTMAS SHOW, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts,

1028 George Rd., Franklin. Dailey & Vincent will perform in “A Bluegrass Christmas.” For tickets, which are $16-$20, visit GreatMountainMusic.com, or call (866) 273-4615.

Sunday, Jan. 13CONCERT, 7 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Con-

gregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, Asheville. Bill Staines will perform. Tickets are $15 for the general public and $10 for students.

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Thursday, Nov. 29LIVE TELECAST VIEWING, 8 p.m., Congregation

Beth HaTephila, 43 N. Liberty St., Asheville. In the Great Minds-Great Moment Series, a live telecast from New York City, attendees will view presentations on “What Is Jewish Culture” and “Science, Religion and the Search for Meaning.” Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.

Saturday, Dec. 1AGLOW MEETING, 10 a.m., Feed & Seed, 3715 Hen-

dersonville Rd., Fletcher. The Asheville-Hendersonville Aglow meeting’s featured speaker will be Pastor Richard Jennings, of Joy Outreach Fellowship in Pisgah Forest.

RETIREMENT GALA, 6 p.m., Tried Stone Missionary Baptist Church, 10 Carroll Ave., Asheville. A retirement celebration will be held for the Rev. Phyllis Martin, who is pastor of New Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church.

Sunday, Dec. 2CHRISTMAS CONCERT, 2:30 p.m., Trinity Lutheran

Church, St. John’s Plaza on U.S. 25, Fletcher. The Bliss-ings Trio will perform in a Christmas concert.

CONCERT, 3 p.m., St. John in the Wilderness Church, 1905 Greenville Hwy., Flat Rock. Marc Yaxley& Friends will perform jazz, classical, Flamenco and Brazilian guitar music.

CONCERT, 4 p.m., Kenilworth Presbyterian Church, 123 Kenilworth Rd., Asheville. Pianist Kevin Bryant will perform in concert.

HANDEL’S “MESSIAH” CONCERT, 4 p.m., Weaver-ville First Baptist Church, 63 N. Main St., Weaverville. The Weaverville Community Chorus will perform Handel’s “Messiah.”

ADVENT SERVICE, 2 p.m., St. James Episcopal Church, 766 N. Main St., Hendersonville. SJEC will pres-ent “An Advent Service of Lessons & Carols,” featuring The Montreat Scottish Pipes and Drums and the St. James Choir, as well as the seven advent readings. A candlelight reception will follow the service.

BLUE CHRISTMAS SERVICE, 6 p.m., First Baptist Church, 74 Academy St., Canton. A blue Christmas ser-vice will be held to celebrate and cherish loved ones who have died. Guest musician Craig Summers will perform.

HANGING OF THE GREENS, 6:30 p.m., Calvary Baptist Church, 531 Haywood Rd., Asheville. A Hanging of the Greens ceremony will be followed by a tasting party. At-tendees are asked to bring “finger foods” to share.

BENEFIT CONCERT, 6:30 p.m., West Asheville Presbyterian Church, 690 Haywood Rd., Asheville. WAPC will host a benefit concert for Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity. Scheduled artists include Chuck Brodsky, Kellin Watson, Red June, Jamie Laval, Paul Babelay, Amy and Ken Laderoute, Aaron Price, Heartland and an acap-pella group of Erwin High School students. Admission is free, but donations will be collected.

HAPPY FOR THE HOLIDAYS SESSIONS, 7-8:30 p.m., Montford Books & More, 31 Montford Ave., Asheville. At-tendees of the Happy for the Holidays program will learn to stay positive and peaceful regardless of what they may face. The program continues on Sundays through Dec. 16. Features will include guided meditation, talk and discussion with Buddhist teacher Sharon Lovich. Admis-sion is $8 for the general public and $5 for students and senior citizens.

Monday, Dec. 3CHRISTIAN MYSTICS CLASS, 6-7 p.m., Mills River

Presbyterian Church, 10 Presbyterian Church Road, Mills River. MRPC will host the first of two study classes titled “Close Encounters of the Christian Kind: Christian Mys-tics.” The first will explore the life of the medieval mystic Hildegarde von Bingen, a nun, mystic and composer. For details on the second class, see listing under Dec. 10 heading. The classes are free and registration is not required.

Tuesday, Dec. 4RECEPTION/BOOK-SIGNING, 4-6 p.m., Moore Center

Meeting Room, Montreat Conference Center, Montreat. A reception and book-signing will be held for authors Tom Frist of Montreat and Olson Huff of Black Moun-tain, both members of Montreat Presbyterian Church. “Through Fire and Water” is Frist’s sixth book and second novel. The story tells of a Tennessean who goes to Nicaragua in 1980 in an adverturous tale about a man struggling to redeem himself and his family name as he and his adopted country fight for their futures. Huff, a retired pediatrician and health care consultant who is disabled, has written and illustrated “Why the Clown Wouldn’t Smile,” a book for children. It tells the story of a boy and the circus.

PUB CHAT, 6 p.m., Mezzaluna restaurant, 226 N. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The Unity Center in Mills River will hold “Truth on Tap,” a pub chat on matters spiritual and otherwise. A love offering will be taken.

Wednesday, Dec. 5ADVENT SERVICES, 6:30 p.m., Trinity Lutheran

Church, St. John’s Plaza on U.S. 25, Fletcher. Advent services will be held on Wednesdays. The services will be preceded at 5:30 p.m. by a soup supper.

FILM, 7 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. Edgar Cayce expert John Van Auken’s film, “Reincarnation: The Story of Our Souls,” address-es karma, grae, soul memory, soul groups, soulmates and how the whole process of incarning, dyring and reincarnating occurs, as well as how to put an end to the cycle of terrestrial consciousness by awakening to our turer awareness and nature. Afterward, a discus-sion of the film will be held. Admission is free, but a love offering will be taken.

Friday, Dec. 7CONCERT, 11 a.m., Asheville North Seventh-day

Adventist Church, 364 Broadway St., Asheville. Kelly Mowrer will perform.

CHANGING MIND/WORLD PROGRAM, 7 p.m., North Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave., Asheville. The first of two consecutive nightly programs, “Change Your Mind, Change Your World, Part I,” will teach how individuals can find the lasting happiness they seek by learning to change their minds. Leading the program will be American Buddhist nun Gen Kelsang Nyema. For details on the Dec. 8 program, see separate listing on that date. Admission is free.

SEMINAR, 7 p.m., Arden Seventh-day Adventist Church, 35 Airport Rd., Asheville. The “Can I Really Trust God?” seminar series will be held Dec. 7-8. The presenter will be Jeanette Bryson, speaking on “Can I Trust God When Tragedy Strikes?” Bryson is director of the Intensive English Programs at Andrews University in Michigan, and mentors graduate students in the field of international development administration. Admission is free, with gift drawing and child care.

CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 325 N. Broad St., Brevard. The Blue Ridge Sacred Cho-rale will perform in a concert titled “Carols and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest.”

Saturday, Dec. 8WOMEN’S ADVENT REFLECTIONS, 9 a.m., St. Barna-

bus Catholic Church, 109 Crescent Hill Rd., Arden. Mass will be followed by brunch and a presentation by Pastor Fr. Adrian Porra. The program will conclude with Angelus and a scriptural rosary at noon. Attendees are asked to RSVP by Dec. 4 to Marcia Torres by calling 697-1235, or email [email protected].

CHANGING MIND/WORLD PROGRAM, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Girl Scouts HQ, 64 W.T. Weaver Blvd., Asheville. The second of two consecutive nightly programs, “Change Your Mind, Change Your World, Part II” will teach how changing one’s mind can change one’s world. Also featured will be guided meditation and practical ad-vice for daily life. Leading the program will be American Buddhist nun Gen Kelsang Nyema. Admission is $20 for the general public and $10 for students and senior citizens.

Sunday, Dec. 9CANDLELIGHT WALK, 6 p.m., Weaverville United

Methodist Church, 85 N. Main St., Weaverville. The Weaverville Community Church Candlelight Walk will proceed from WUMC to First Presbyterian Church, 30 Alabama Ave.

Monday, Dec. 10CHRISTIAN MYSTICS CLASS, 6-7 p.m., Mills River

Presbyterian Church, 10 Presbyterian Church Road, Mills River. MRPC will host the second of two study classes titled “Close Encounters of the Christian Kind: Christian Mystics.” The class will explore the lives of the medieval mystic Thomas a Kempis, author of “The Imitation of Christ. He was a German priest and wrote sermons, hymns and stories on the lives of saints. The classes are free and registration is not required.

Tuesday, Dec. 11CHRISTMAS PARTY 6 p.m., St. John in the Wilder-

ness Church, 1905 Greenville Hwy., Flat Rock. A Christ-mas Party will be held, with tickets at $12 for individuals and $30 per family. For reservativions, required by Dec. 3, call 693-9783.

Friday, Dec. 14CAROLINA CONCERT CHOIR, 3 p.m., St. James

Episcopal Church, 766 N. Main St., Henderson-ville. The Carolina Concert Choir, accompanied by a harpist, will perform. The concert also will be presented at 3 p.m. Dec. 15.

SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVIE, 7 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, Asheville. For Social Justice Moive Night, the UUCA will screen “I AM,” a film about a man’s personal journey after a bicycle accident, “the nature of humanity” and the “world’s ever-growing addiction to materialism” A discussion will follow. Admission is free.

CHOIR CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., St. James Episco-pal Church, 766 N. Main St., Hendersonville. The Carolina Concert Choir will perform, accompanied by a harpist.

Sunday, Dec. 16SUPPORT GROUP MEETING, 12:30-1:30 p.m.,

Unity Church of Asheville, 130 Shelburne Rd., Asheville. The Chronic Pain Support will meet to share compassion, love and support for those suf-fering from chronic pain of any kind, as well as for family, friends and supporters. Joleen Geruasi, a therapist and counselor, will be the guest speaker.

“THE CHRISTMAS LIGHT” CANTATA, 6 p.m., Weaverville First Baptist Church, 63 N. Main St., Weaverville. “The Christmas Light” cantata will be performed.

Wednesday, Dec. 19SATSANG, 7 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning

Bridge Rd., Mills River. The Rev. Chad O’Shea will lead a satsang. Participants will relax into deep peace with a guided meditation, a bit of discourse and then partici-pate in a discussion of whatever topics are raised. The questions might include: “Are you feeling distressed

by the ‘busy-ness’ of the holidays?” “Do you need to reconnect with your center?” “Do you have questions about your life path?” A love offering will be taken.

Monday, Dec. 24CANDLELIGHT SERVICE, 6:30 p.m., Trinity Lutheran

Church, St. John’s Plaza on U.S. 25, Fletcher. Holy Communion will be celebrated and Christians of all denominations are invited to a Christmas Eve Candle-light Service.

CANDLELIGHT COMMUNION, 7 p.m., Weaverville First Baptist Church, 63 N. Main St., Weaverville. A Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion will be held.

CANDLELIGHTING SERVICE, 7:30 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. A Christmas Eve candlelighting service will be held, intended to enable attendees to experience the beauty and magic of Christmas reflected in the faces of Unity’s spiritual family. Also, the service is a celebration of the Christmas story in scripture with msuic. Childcare will be provided. A love offering will be taken.

Tuesday, Dec. 25CHRISTMAS DAY DINNER, 1-5 p.m., gymnasium,

Immaculata School, 711 N. Buncombe St., Henderson-ville. The Bounty of Bethlehem Christmas Day dinner, financed by donations and served by volunteers, will be held to ensure that “no one needs to be alone on Christ-mas.” A full, made-from-scratch meal will be served to anyone who attends. In addition, Santa Claus will give toys to all children and many coats will be available to keep everyone warm. There is no charge and donations will not be solicited. However, all contributions are accepted.

Monday, Dec. 31NEW YEAR’S EVE SUPPER/SERVICE, 6 p.m., Unity

Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. A New Year’s Eve fellowship potluck supper will be held at 6 p.m., featuring soup, salad, side dishes, bread and dessert. Diners are asked to bring potluck items to share. At 7:30 p.m., a burning-bowl service will be held, providing participants with an opportunity to release the old and make way for the new. Childcare will be provided. A love offering will be taken.

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Faith NotesSend us your faith notesPlease submit items to the Faith Notes by noon on the third Wednesday of each month, via e-mail, at [email protected], or fax to 252-6567, or mail c/o The Daily Planet, P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, N.C. 28814-8490. Sub-missions will be accepted and printed at the dis-cretion of the editor, space permitting. To place an ad for a faith event, call 252-6565.


Are my children eligible forSocial Security?

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# 10

Asheville Daily Planet — December 2012— 17

Fluoridation The forum began with opening comments

from each panelist, with Ryals speaking first. He noted, “What we are actually do-ing is augmenting ... the concentration of fluoride that naturally occurs in water and bringing it up to a level that has been found to be maximally therapeutic as it relates to the prevention of caries, but not to a level that is toxic.”

Ryals added that the fluoridation of public water is “the single most effective way of reducing cavities.”

He also noted that the Centers for Disease Control has proclaimed public water fluo-ridation to be “one of the 10 great public-health achievements of the 20th century.” Ryals said numerous professional organiza-tions, including the American Dental Asso-ciation, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Assocation have endorsed the practice. Moreover, in 2005, the 60th anniversary of the fluoridation of public water was marked, he noted.

“For most cities, every $1 invested in fluoridation saves about $38 in dental costs,” Ryals said.

The second panelist to speak, Harris, also gave her case for fluoridation. “All of the surgeon generals over the years have supported the use of fluoridation in public water,” the Buncombe health director said.

She noted that 63.5 percent of Buncombe residents surveyed said they had visited a dentist in the past year, but “that still leaves out 36.5 percent.”

Harris expressed concern about children suffering tooth decay and a consequent loss of self-esteem resulting in less success later in life.

As did Ryals, she trumpeted the CDC’s declaration that the fluoridation of public water is one of the 10 great accomplisments in public health in the 20th century.

The health director said that, in 1965, Asheville voters backed a plan to fluoridate

the water. In 2011, she said the fluorida-tion level was slightly low-ered for safety reasons.

Harris reiterated that “scientific evi-dence contin-ues to support the public water fluorida-tion as safe and effective.

Fluorida-tion has been

widely used around the nation for more than 60 years and it has been “vetted and confirmed,” she said. (The fluoridation of public waters to prevent tooth decay began in Grand Rapids, Mich., in 1945. The prac-tice has since been adopted by most U.S. communities.)

Fluoridation has been estimated to cost 50 cents per person in Asheville, Harris noted, while reiterating Ryals’ contention that every $1 invested in fluoridation saves $38 in dental costs.

Regarding the ethics of fluoridation of public water, Harris said she agrees with the conclusion that it is ethical and the “greatest benefit of all is to the children,” which she termed the segment of the population least able to help itself.

She said that, currently, 72.4 percent of the U.S. population is covered with fluo-ridation and that that number is likely to increase soon to 79.6 percent.

Next, Connett asserts that “fluoridation is an outdated and risky practice ... We have

to end fluoridation!” Some in the audience cheered.

He cited 10 arguments against fluoride, some of which included the level of fluoride used is not small — 0.7 to 1.2 parts per million; “fluoridation is a very poor medical practice” because “once we put a medicine in the water, we cannot control the dose;” the evidence that fluoride reduces tooth decade “is very weak;” if it works at all, it works on the outside of one’s teeth; and the chemicals used in fluoridation are not pharmaceutical grade.

He said Sweden, widely regarded as a progressive nation, banned fluoridation of public water in the late 1970s.

As for the CDC’s assertion that fluorida-tion of public water was one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century, Connett said the research on which it was based was “not peer-reviewed and the evidence was laughable.”

In conclusion, Con-nett asserted, “Let’s ends this embarrassment now! Let’s end the fluorida-tion in the water now!” He received loud and sustained applause from the audience.

Stockin, the fourth panelist to speak, said, “I’m a nerdy science guy.” He said the chemical used to fluoridate Ashe-ville’s water system is collected from air emissions systems. “They basically turned a negative into a positive ... Discharge from fluorate factories — that’s where your fluoride comes from ... Fluoride-gate is coming.”

Specifically, he said a toxic industrial byproduct of the aluminum and fertilizer industries is the fluoride added to water, toothpastes and salt.

Stockin also charged that “there is a lot of evidence of disproportionate harm to black people” from fluoridation, as, he said, stud-ies show black children ingest “significantly more fluoride” than do their white counter-parts.

Stockin, who won the 2011 Albert Burg-stahler Scientific Integrity Award for his work to end the practice of fluoridation, also noted that “the current surgeon general (Dr. Regina Benjamin), a black woman, has not endorsed fluoridation — it hasn’t happened yet” with her.

“Fluoride is the only thing we add to wa-ter to makes changes in the human body,” he said. “Dental fluorisis (one of the changes) is an outer marker of an inner fluoride over-dose.” He contended that, among American

adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15, 41 percent suffer from dental fluorosis. He also said it may adversely effect brain, bone and endocrine cells, especially in bottle-fed infants.

As a holder of a doctorate in chemistry, Stockin said the claim that fluoridation is a great achievement in public health is deplorable. “As a scientist, I am absolutely appalled at the shoddy science ... perpetrated by the ADA.”

“We are fluoridating water without know-ing what it’s doing to our brains ... This is just cloaked in liability. There is a tsunami of litigation coming toward you. What are you going to do? There is a real opportu-nity here to affect some change.” Stockin received loud applause from the audience.

In further discussion, the panelists agreed that each individual should first research and then form a view on fluoridation.

Ryals closed by saying the key issue is care and access to it, while Harris concurred and asserted, “There is just not enough service available.” To the audience, she said, “You need to look at the full picture. I am more than willing to look; I will listen. I encourage each of you to do the same.”

In a Nov. 26 interview with the Daily Planet, Harris said she did not hear anything at the forum that changed her mind on the benefits of fluoridating the public water system.

“There has been good research done on tooth development on those who can’t and don’t have access to dental service — even if it’s older” research, she said.

Also, Harris said the “majority of the new research” cited by opponents of fluoridation at the forum “was done in other countries,” so she noted that “I’m not sure on the ac-curacy” of those studies.

At the same time, the health director said she agrees with a point made at the begin-

ning of the forum that it is important to be open to new ideas.

While the anti-fluoridation panelists noted that Sweden, much of Europe and various progressive U.S. cities have ended fluoridation, Harris noted that she had read that Portland, Ore., a U.S. city to which Asheville often compares itself, just voted to begin fluoridating its public water supply.

“Again, selection information tells you what you have to watch out for,” she said.

Speaking personally, Harris said, “I drink city water ... I have not seen anything that’s changed my mind” on the continued fluori-dation of the Asheville water supply.

Paul Connett

Continued on Page 1

Dr. William Ryals

Gibbie Harris

D.G. Stockin

CHAPEL HILL — Don’t like my elec-tion answers? You can get different ones almost everywhere you turn.

There are many different answers to the questions we are asking about the Nov. 6 elections.

Why and how did Obama win?Was Romney’s team really surprised that

they lost?Why, when Democrats were making

gains throughout the rest of the country, did they lose so much in North Carolina?

You can get answers anywhere and everywhere. And if you do not like those answers, you can go around the corner and get different ones, maybe more to your liking.

I think Obama’s win was as much a man-date for further change as it was a rejection of the prospect of going back to 2008, to a time of financial crisis and Middle East wars without an end in sight. And, nar-rowly, it was a rejection of the prospect of refighting the battle over health care reform.

Republican consultant Carter Wrenn says that it would be a mistake to pinpoint just one reason for Obama’s win. However, he believes that the Democrats’ organization and modern voter turnout effort was an important trump card.

Along the same lines, Tom Drew, a fund raising consultant for a number of organi-zations, including the National Rifle Asso-ciation, believes the $500 million spent by Republican groups in support of Romney was misdirected. It was used to buy a bar-rage of television ads in the last six weeks of the campaign. These ads were not nearly as effective as the intensive ground game of the Obama campaign which focused on identifying supporters and insuring that they voted.

Although the NRA put together a similar intensive turnout effort in support of Rom-ney, it had some counterproductive results in Wisconsin. Earlier this year the NRA developed a strong get-out-the-vote effort among gun owners’ families that helped defeat the effort to recall Republican Gov-ernor Scott Walker.

The NRA mounted a similar effort in the Nov. 6 election to bring out the gun own-ers’ families again to vote for Romney.

Just as the NRA and the Republicans hoped, a large majority of men who owned guns did vote for Romney. But there was a problem. Many of the gun owners’ wives

didn’t. Upset with Romney’s strident stand on abortion, they voted for Obama.

To illustrate the incredible reach of the Democratic effort, longtime Jim Hunt advisor Gary Pearce tells about an Obama worker in Wilson County. She was told to visit a trailer park “that she had never heard of before” and to find the mobile home where an Obama supporter lived and get that particular person to vote. She did. Another vote for Obama.

He also tells of another North Carolina Obama supporter who got a tweet after the polls closed here asking her to call some-one in Wisconsin, who was an identified Obama supporter who had not yet voted.

What about North Carolina? Why did it buck the pattern of Democratic gains almost everywhere else in the country? Pearce says several factors gave McCrory a special boost that helped him to a big victory.

McCrory came close to winning in 2008, and also had a statewide organization and recognition, no primary opposition, and lots of money.

Meanwhile, Walter Dalton was less well known and got off to a slow start due to Gov. Perdue’s late announcement that she would not run. He had a tough primary contest and very little money to apply to the fall campaign.

Dalton had to carry the burden of the scandals and trials that tarnished prior Democratic administrations. Thus, McCro-ry’s success does not reflect a permanent shift in North Carolina voter preferences.

Pointing out the reelection success of other Democratic statewide candidates, Pearce argues that the state is still competi-tive for both political parties.

Of course, if you do not like my answers you can get a variety of different ones from almost anybody you ask.

•D.G. Martin hosts “North Carolina

Bookwatch,” which airs Fridays at 9:30 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m. on UNC-TV.

For conservatives and others holding a traditional view of America, the Nov. 6 election was a disappointment. A fallen president was given a mulligan on his first four years and another opportunity to confirm his inadequacies. The liberal media was once again successful in transplant-ing their bias into a majority of America’s brains. That success will be short-lived for the same reason selling poisoned moon-shine is a bad. Special-interests groups, the self-serving, and others dedicated to milk-ing America had a good day. They’ll find a dry well is incapable of sustaining even those who’re first in line. The mismatch between Obama’s confidence and his skills will become increasingly apparent. Rom-ney’s competence and measured approach illuminated Obama’s anger and inadequa-cies and gave America an alternative. It wasn’t enough. Nov. 6 was an ending more than a beginning. It’s more important than ever to remember opportunity always hides amidst misery.

On who won ....At the conclusion of WW I, a French

leader suggested the Allies misguided armistice plan didn’t conclude the war – it merely postponed it for twenty-years. Hit-ler was about a week shy of that date when he attacked Poland and triggered WW II. Obama’s win against Romney last week was not really a victory. It was a postpone-ment of accountability and that’s one of the reasons he won. Like a hypnotist, Obama and his leftist colleagues have really only one message – “we can give you opportu-nity without responsibility.” You can fool around and someone else will pay for your birth control or abortion. You can avoid carrying your own weight and someone will feed you. You can live beyond your means and someone will pick up your debt. It’s all a lie, but it recruits mascots. Man-kind’s majority has always chosen security over liberty – even when that security is an illusion. Such is the case with Obama’s election success. He sold a product he can’t deliver. The bill we’ll have to pay anyway will be educational.

On blaming Romney ....Obama’s victory had barely been

declared before conservative commenta-tors started attacking his opponent. Emails like, “Eight Ways Romney Blew It,” were pimped with lots of make-up and very

little substance. Ironically, liberals who had viscously attacked Romney for months became conciliatory. That’s like a Mafia hit man attending the funeral of his victim. The fact is Romney worked his fanny off in this election. He was up against decidedly biased liberal media, a dependency trained culture, a dysfunctional party, and a left-wing propaganda machine with no bound-aries and he still came close to winning. Romney was mature, persistent, and Presi-dential in a tough arena. One thing you can bet on – few of Romney’s critics have run for office. Anyone who has would know better. This gentleman deserves praise, not blame. He wasn’t perfect, but who would have done better? Conservatives who didn’t bother to vote carry the real weight for four more years of an Obama nation.

On saving the GOP ....Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Democrat, the stand

for nothing Republican Party is going through an identity crisis. Celebrate while you can. When the bill comes due for the empty promises your party has made, there are going to be a lot of mad mascots. That doesn’t mean things will swing back to the right. That depends on whether Re-publicans start behaving like Republicans or mini-me Democrats. That requires separating political conservatism from moral and social conservatism. There’s a difference. Each is important, but it is in political conservatism we find unity potential. Political conservatism is simple – it centers on a dedication to small govern-ment, being careful with other people’s money, and America’s historical success equation. What’s that? Liberty, opportu-nity, and responsibility hitched to the same wagon. Want to save the GOP? Stop trying to feed America’s entitlement needs and start standing for something that will help us feed ourselves.

•Carl Mumpower, a former member of

Asheville City Council, may be contacted at [email protected]

CarlMumpower

Daily Planet’s OpinionHold parade after Thanksgiving

Shame on those who organized and sponsored the 66th annual Asheville Holiday Parade for scheduling it on Nov. 17, nearly a week before Thanksgiving.

Based on several accounts, the turn-out was good for the parade on an unseasonably mild morning, which was somewhat bizarre, given that the event’s theme was silver bells and snowflakes. It began at Biltmore Av-enue and Charlotte Street, and pro-ceeded down Biltmore Avenue to Pat-ton Avenue through downtown.

However, it strikes us as ironic that Asheville, where the citizens pride themselves in having a higher (almost artistic) sensibility on many matters, would fall right into the trend leading many Americans — quite justifiably — to lament Thanksgiving’s demo-tion to an increasingly meaningless

speed bump on the way to the fever-pitched Christmas shopping season.

Given current trends, we would not be surprised — in a few years — to see the Ashevile Holiday Parade held in October, or even September.

In fact, why not have the parade on Dec. 26, which would officially ex-tend Christmas shopping to the maxi-mum? (Of course, some people would contend that that is about where things stand in reality now.)

We certainly realize that many American and foreign cities hold their holiday (or Christmas) parades before Thanksgiving, when they are often easier to schedule, but we would like to see the pace-setting, so-called “Par-is of the South” set a good example by reversing this ominous trend.

Otherwise, Asheville will be helping to turn our wonderland into a wasteland.

D.G.Martin

Letters to the EditorTea party movement calledmore needed now than ever

We must keep working to put this coun-try on the path that our founders wanted when they wrote the Constitution.

To do this we must find workers, not just members, for our groups (Tea Party, 9-12-12, liberty, leadership of GOP, etc.) keep writing letters to the editor, answering com-ments on the opinion pages, become guest speakers on radio and TV, finding constitu-tion conservatives who are businesspeople as candidates for 2014 and 2016 for all levels of government.

The re-founding of America is going to be a long process. It must continue starting today. The socialists have been at it for a long time.

We were asleep. We have awakened, but must continue to stay awake ... and hit the ground running now ... by studying what worked for them and USE IT for the good

of the country. NOW!!!!FREMONT V. BROWN IV

Asheville •EDITOR’S NOTE: Brown is the vice

chair of the Asheville Tea Party.

Register of deeds rippedfor overstating changes

An Oct. 26 Asheville Citizen-Times’ letter-writer states: “(Drew) Reisinger brought the ROD office into the Internet age, enabling online access…” — yet con-tradicts that by saying he (the letter-writer) helped Otto DeBruhl “implement their first computerization initiative” in the 1980s,” and called DeBruhl’s office a “well-run if technologically conservative department.”

How, exactly, can computerization in the 1980s be considered “technologically conservative”??

The Candid Conservative Seek opportunity amidst misery


The why and how of Obama’s win

See LETTERS, Page 19

Asheville Daily Planet — December 2012— 19

Letters to the Editor

Americans are in love with luck. And I mean that in a bad way.

As a nation, we seem to have embraced the idea that success in life is as unpredict-able and happenstance as the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago — only in a good way.

We have encouraged a mindset that anything is possible, that everyone has a shot at the gold ring. Who wants to be a millionaire? Who wants to dance with the stars? Who wants to be a survivor or make a killing on Wall Street?

The acclaim given to superstars in sports, entertainment, and religion has had a col-lateral effect on society that is widespread and pernicious. A lot of kids growing up in our superstar society believe that the same success and wealth is readily available to them. That idea tends to devalue education and everyday jobs and puts the focus on talent and luck.

The fact that a kid from public housing has a much better chance of being a heart surgeon than a basketball star is lost, so instead of hitting the books, kids shoot bas-kets for hour upon hour. A few musicians make millions — and a million youngsters pick up guitars thinking that they too are one hit single away from glory.

The fact that study and hard work can let you fashion a satisfying and productive life is set aside. Instant wealth seems possible just around the corner, as near as a winning lottery ticket.

In a world where luck is considered to be more the arbiter of success than work, gam-bling makes perfect sense. Online poker, limos to Harrahs, weekends in Las Vegas and Buncombe County’s former sheriff Bobby Medford’s video poker racketeering are all part of that mindset.

It’s really kind of boggling when you consider the popularity of gambling these days, where everyone knows that the house always, ultimately wins and it’s considered to be great good fun to give more than you can afford to corporations which are richer than you can imagine.

Most states have gotten into the act as well, usually with the pretense that lottery profits go to education. In the process we have gotten a whole lot of folks hooked on Lotto, and many Mom’n’Pop stores hooked on selling tickets.

Think about that. We are essentially

telling youngsters that education isn’t important enough to warrant higher taxes. Instead, we derive a significant portion of funding from enticing their parents to throw away money on games of chance. And far beyond the immediate lesson we teach our children, is the effect on many adults.

Look how luck has infected our politics. Many people, imagining that they too will soon be rich, cast their lot with the the wealthy. They then vote for policies that continue to widen the gap between rich and poor. They complain about tax hikes for the rich, even when there are tax cuts for the poor, unwilling to accept that they are, and will almost to a person, always be among the 95 percent who are relatively poor.

Many insist that our meager social welfare programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Food Stamps are beggaring our country, while exces-sive military spending is clearly the real problem. (We spend more on warfare than the next 14 countries combined.) Not to mention the fact that the great majority of us will happily avail ourselves of many of those programs at some time in the future.

As the funniest Tea Party protest sign I’ve seen framed it: “Keep the Govern-ment out of my Medicare!”

Somehow a collective memory hole swallowed stories of the desperate plight of our geriatric ancestors less than 100 years in our past. Voters have even bought into political viewpoints that teach them that poor immigrants are keeping them down, not their own choices in the voting booth.

Our political choices have created the widest wealth gap in the history of the world. That isn’t in any way a matter of luck. It has resulted from intentional ma-nipulation of government policy by elected officials working for corporate kingpins.

We voted them into office, and you can take that to the bank.

•Cecil Bothwell is author of eight books

and a member of Asheville City Council.

On the leftSuperstars, lotteries, casinos... and kids

CecilBothwell

In 2007, DeBruhl contracted with Cott, the data management company serving the ROD office since at least 1971, to index deed books dating from 1805 “in a format searchable by the public.”

The data originated from microfilm im-ages or hardcopy index books provided by his office. The investment in that work was $159,928.

In 2008, DeBruhl advanced his office to Cott’s new Resolution3 Land Records Management software “providing ease of use for even the novice computer user,” at an investment of $19,770.

In 2009, DeBruhl added another web server and invested $5,000 with a signed

contract to lay the foundation for eRecord-ing.

Buncombe County’s IT department pro-vided the Spanish website, activated credit/debit card acceptance, and added online marriage license applications.

Reisinger has brought nothing new to the office himself. He takes credit for the work of Otto DeBruhl and the IT department.

PeGGy BeNNeTTLeicester

•EDITOR’S NOTE: Bennett is the pro-

gram director of the local nonpartisan group Citizens for Change, which bills itself as working for a better community.


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EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is an edited and consolidated version of a letter that the Daily Planet received around Thanksgiving to “friends” of the Flat Rock Playhouse, regarding efforts to avoid an FRP financial collapse.

•No doubt you’ve heard about the financial

crisis of Flat Rock Playhouse, but I just wanted to make sure that you knew about all the things that are being done to make a difference.

In case you haven’t heard, we are having a benefit concert called “For the Rock” on Dec.11 at 7 p.m. This event was inspired from a Facebook group that Playhouse staff members Katie Mooney and Billy Munoz started called “Save the Playhouse!”

It got so popular and widespread that WLOS News picked it up, as did radio stations and the papers, too. In less than three days, a large community of patriotic Vagabonds raised over $10,000. A team of many, from here AND of the virtual world, has been KICKING it by arranging fund-raisers, benefits, raffles, and press, etc.

Listen to how contagious good spirits are: elon University found out about the FRP benefit concert, so they set up one, too. NyC alums found out both elon and FRP were doing a concert, so they climbed on board and set up their own concert, another past apprentice was looking for a cause to support with their college show-case and (BAM) FRP was it.

A concert promoter from Bonclarken offered his venue to use and Billy hooked him up with Jim Lauderdale (done – Dec. 7th). Don Tomlinson arranged, with his friend in Asheville, a restaurant crawl and I

am trying to match it in Hendersonville (all proceeds go to FRP).

Neela Munoz is working with Lau-ren Rogers Hopkins on a Grinch event. Lauren's sister Stefanie is setting up a "31" event; Bliss Salon is doing a CUT-A-THON for FRP; Home Sweet Home will being hosting a DOG-A-THON; NC Stage wants to do an extra show of Complete Works of William Shakespeare with all proceeds going to FRP. Alyson Gooch donated t-shirt for “Save the Rock,” Chad DiCaprio has designed, manufactured and donated Playhouse Christmas ornaments. Former Apprentice Mary Kathryn Penley, whose family owns Shuck’s Pearls from yonderways has offered anyone who shops online at www.yonderways.com using code frp25, now through the end of the year will receive FRee shipping AND the Playhouse receives 25% of the order.

The day after Thanksgiving, a donor who wishes to remain anonymous bequeathed one-third of his estate upon his death to Flat Rock Playhouse, which totals nearly $200,00 — while this doesn't change our immediate need for $250,000, it does affect the long-term goals of Playhouse

There's even more in the works! All sorts of folks are volunteering, or offering their skills. It’s amazing and inspiring!

Our point is…. the people are rallying. The time is now. Our goal is to save the Playhouse and then to secure its future!

Thank you for your friendship and for your nurturing support of Flat Rock Playhouse.

ShARON STOkES, NEElA MuNOz and lAuREN ROgERS hOPkINS

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In July, 2011, I wrote in the opinion pages of the Daily Planet:

“The Tea Party will go the way of so many similar movements before them. The anti-immigrant Know-Nothing movement of the mid-19th century elected mayors and governors across the country in 1854, but then fell apart on the issues of slavery and prohibition.The Tea Party will drag down the Republicans in 2012, their funding from shadowy billionaires will stop because they’ve served their usefulness, and they will disappear. They will get a paragraph in history because of the 2010 election.”

Well, one part of the prediction certainly happened. The Tea Party dragged down Republicans in 2012. Every day we hear Republican pundits lamenting how the Tea Party forced Mitt Romney to take positions in the GOP primaries that doomed him in the general election and how Tea Party candidates squashed GOP chances of tak-ing the Senate.

“Establishment” Republicans feel their

party needs to move away from Tea Party ideas and toward ideas more associated with mainstream America. Karl Rove’s American Crossroads super-PAC, which until now has only backed Republicans in general election, is thinking of backing “electable” candidates in GOP primaries and opposing “ideologically pure” candi-dates backed by the Tea Party and evan-gelicals.

David Frum, conservative columnist and the George Bush speechwriter who coined the phrase “axis of evil,” showed his an-noyance with the Tea Party when he said that America has “always been filled with oddballs. You would see one in every town, and they knew they were all alone. Now

they can all get together.”But the Tea Party will not go away.

When I said last year that the billionaires would stop their funding, I hadn’t looked closely enough at the billionaires. These people, like Charles and David Koch, are exactly in sync with the Tea Party. The money will flow.

The national coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots said after the election, “We wanted someone who would fight for us. [Instead] what we got was a weak moderate candi-date, hand-picked by the Beltway elites and country-club establishment wing of the Republican Party.”

Establishment Republicans talk about reorienting the party toward more moder-ate ideas, but fact is, they can’t do it. They don’t control the party any more. The Tea Party and evangelicals will continue to nominate whomever they like.

For Democrats like me, that’s a gift that keeps on giving. Republicans will never win the Electoral College with a far-right

message.Tea Party people don’t see this because

they live in a bubble of their own mak-ing. Their information comes mostly from within the movement, so they naturally think that their beliefs are the majority beliefs of America.

But that’s far from the case. Polls show support for the Tea Party only in the low-20 percents, with non-support in the high-60 percents. And as economic recovery grows across the country, federal revenues will rise and deficits will fall, thus taking away the Tea Party’s strongest argument.

The Tea Party Patriots’ coordinator quoted above said that Obama’s re-election means it will take longer from the Tea Par-ty to prevail. I think it’s more likely that continued billionaire funding means it will take longer for the Tea Party to disappear ─ or to become a minority party separate from traditional Republicans.

•Lee Ballard lives in Mars Hill.

Tea party movement? It definitely hurt RomneyLee Ballard

Commentary

By WIllIam STeWaRT Chalk

The date of Dec. 21, 2012 has many hum-ming.

Mystics, saints, wise men and prophets from throughout the ages, science, astronomy and physics all agree that unparallelled changes of a profound nature will set human-ity on a new path.

The coming Age of Aquarius and the closing Age of Pisces are but seasons in our evolution called change.

The popular Mayan calendar is the Long Count version (1 of 17 ), covering over 360,000 years without error. Their date of Dec. 21, 2012 marks the completion of a 25,920-year cycle called “One Galactic Day, or the Great Year” (the complete orbit of our Earth and solar system around the entire galaxy).

Also ending is a lesser cycle of 5,125 years, marking the end of a male-dominated/left brain/fear-based orientation era of growth, i.e., His-story.

On this Galactic Day anniversary, our Earth will align through space with our sun and the center of our entire galaxy. Earth will enter a direct light path from the central sun of Alcione, located in the Pleiades.

In 1961, a subtle light band was discovered coming from the Pleiadian star cluster, called the Photon Belt. Earth entered this heightened energy field in 1987, triggering a 25-year period of biological quickening for all life (including the physical planet).

Our Earth has a heartbeat termed the Schumann Resonance, which is a field of vibration that pulsed consistently at 7.8hz. (also the human Alpha brain rate).

Beginning in mid-1987 this pulse began to increase unexpectedly, projected to peak in January 2013 at 13hz. These two levels of 7.8 (8) and 13 are consistent with the growth pattern discovered by the 16th century Italian mathematician Fibonacci.

All of nature begins with and follows the same growth sequence, which is 0-1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21-34. . . , and so on. The Earth’s shift of resonance implies a new level of growth for the entire planet.

Might this be the foretold 5th dimensional “Heaven on Earth”? Will the harmony of this new time and place be a veil away until those of us with eyes to see vibrate with this new

light of love-centered experience and find ourselves there?

The Hopi and Mayan stories speak of Dec. 21, 2012 as the end of the fourth world and the beginning of the fifth -- an age of ether (space).

For Hopi, this is the time foretold when animals will once again talk with the people, human tribes will respect and honor each other and our Mother Earth. Hopi’s speak of a purging and separation period for those who need that: “The spiritual beings will remain to create one world and one nation under one power, that of The Creator.”

Science and physics concur on the signifi-cance of Dec. 21, 2012, referencing cycle-ending terms and time lines such as Zero Point, the Singularity Point or Infinite Rate of Change Point, Chaos Point, Time Wave Zero, peak solar maximums, and collapsing magnetic fields.

Recent discoveries suggest purpose for all that “junk” DNA, linking portions of our subconscious, intuitive and planning func-tions of the brain. All human cells are ani-mated individually from an external source; proof positive (Dr. Bruce Lipton, cellular biologist)!

Quantum physics now confirms that the

outcome of an event is influenced by the observer of that event.

In our world of symbolism, light is infor-mation. Beings in the dark have less informa-tion, more fear and a slower vibration. Is our present Earth to birth a 5th dimensional self, and would the 3d version remain on as a teaching/healing home for those of like vibra-tion (eye of the needle... most people)?

Multiple futures do and will exist, depend-ing on your beliefs, intentions, expectations and will power (“The Holographic Universe” by Michael Talbot, Page 224).

The conquering forces that have shaped our history and steer our thoughts are at a complete loss if the information handed down in song, myth, legends and scripture are recognized for the knowledge that compelled these sources to endure.

These threads of truth have themselves been spun and diluted, requiring heart-centered discernment. Historical cultural programing is very difficult to self identify and when required, abandoned.

Trust in a loving universe and know that change is both needed and required.

As the bumper sticker clearly states, “Change or prepare to be dragged.”

Trust the gift of life, be kind to all and

you’ll do just fine. Namaste.•

William Stewart Chalk, who owns a home in North Asheville, is a follower of esoteric traditions, a long-time student of the mystery school teachins, a writer and lives with his dog Seal.

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12-21-12: What’s up with that? End of the world?

TO REPORT AN ERRORThe Asheville Daily Planet strives to be ac-curate in all articles published. Contact the News Department at [email protected], (828) 252-6565, or P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, N.C. 28814-8490.

Do men in troubled relationships often seek someone to give them a nudge to get out? I often attract these men, some of whom I suspect just want a backup relationship before splitting with the wife. I happen to be interested in the current man confiding in me about his angry, obsessive wife. I won’t tell him to leave on my account, but I hate to see such a great man putting up with her.

— Catalyst

You’ve gotta give a guy points for an original spin on a tired pickup line: “If I said you have a beautiful body, would you let me sob on your shoulder about my mean wife?”

As a listener, you provide considerable cost savings over the guy with the gray beard, the monocle, and the couch, and it can’t hurt that crying on your shoulder comes with a front row seat to your jigglies. Your presence can also provide a helpful thumb on the “I’m outta here!” side of the scale for a man who lacks a Ouija Board, a Magic 8-Ball, or the guts to make a deci-sion. And while it is possible that some of these men fall for you, it’s also possible that any “I love you! I want you! I have to have you!” a man blurts out is just a bad transla-tion of “Eeek! I’ll be alone, and you’re cute and nice to me. You’ll do.”

It is a bit odd that, the way some women collect Hello Kitty, you collect “Hello, I’m teetering on an angry divorce.” Are you maybe insecure about getting involved with a guy when all you have to offer is you? With a man in a troubled marriage, you start with a competitive advantage — how endearingly sane and reasonable you seem compared to Mrs. Satan. And a man in crisis requires conversational triage — attending to those bleeding out first. (No need to lay your feelings on the line; you can focus on his problems and bond over how you’re the listening postess with the mostest.)

As for the latest man crying out to you from the Trail of Tear-Streaked Kleenex, consider the obvious: A man confiding in you about his “angry, obsessive wife” is a man who is NOT AVAILABLE.

Maybe it’s time you retired from running the Unhappily Married Man Rescue and take a run at the unencumbered. (At the very least, strictly limit the ear-time you give to other women’s leftovers that aren’t quite left.)

You should find that a man has much more to give when he isn’t panicking that his wife will take half of everything he owns, including his man parts she’s got squirreled away in a drawer somewhere.

The way of the nailgunMy boyfriend of four years is a won-

derful man who makes me incredibly happy. He was there for me throughout my breast cancer, making me feel sexy, beautiful, and loved. I’m 43, divorced five years. He’s 41, never married, and his longest relationship was with a train wreck of an alcoholic on house arrest (I know, red flag). Six months ago, he moved in with his dad (45 minutes away) after his dad asked him to help renovate a house he bought to flip. We text daily and sometimes talk on the phone for 10 min-utes, but I only see him every two weeks for a weekend. I’m lonely every day. I miss the day-to-day of coming home to the person who loves you, cooking to-gether, working through life together. Re-alizing the renovation will take more than another two years, I asked him whether he’d ever consider moving in with me. He said he’s already unpacked and it would be a pain to move again. Couples marry and have babies in the time we’ve been

dating! He says they’ll all be divorced in five years and we’ll still be together, which could be true. I just don’t know how to get past wanting more.

— Empty House

Sure, absence makes the heart grow fonder — until it makes the heart yank out its calculator and notice that it’s spent 85 percent of its year sitting next to a dent in the couch.

You’re experiencing an unbreakup -- a breakup where you don’t quite break up. Your boyfriend has managed to get out of your relationship, but without the wrenching breakup conversation or the bummer of no longer having you in his life. And although it’s been six months since he had himself downgraded from boyfriend to biweekly houseguest, you’re still referring to him as a “wonderful man” who makes you “in-credibly happy.” In fact, you can’t help but bubble over with the language of joy: “I’m lonely every day” and “I don’t know how to get past wanting more.”

Wanting the man you love to be around to cook dinner with you isn’t exactly a freakish sexual fetish. Still, he isn’t a bad person if he doesn’t want that -- just a bad person for you.

But, consider that his relocation to Home Sweet Home Depot might stem from some emotional itchiness on his part. Maybe it’s overwhelming when a woman just needs him because she loves him and not because she can’t get to the liquor store herself while wearing her state-supplied ankle jewelry or because she’s too weak to hitchhike to chemo.

Whatever your boyfriend’s problem, it’s making your happiness come a distant second to his dad’s need to reface the cabi-nets. This isn’t entirely his fault. It might be worth it to him to work through his com-mitment heebie-jeebies or whatever, but you can’t just hint at what’s bothering you (asking whether he’d “ever consider moving in”).

You need to tell him flat-out that you’re miserable without somebody there day to day. This tells him he’d better come through, or he’ll lose you. (Spell that out if it needs spelling.) As for your priorities, you emailed me some wise words from your oncologist: “You deserve to be happy. You only get one life, and you worked really hard to keep yours.”

This suggests that the right guy for you will be there for you because you’re there and alive and you want to be with him; you won’t need to dress up as a leaky faucet to get his attention.

•(c) 2012, Amy Alkon, all rights re-

served. Got a problem? Write Amy Al-kon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or e-mail [email protected] (advicegoddess.com). Weekly radio show: blogtalkradio.com/amyalkon

The AdviceGoddessAmy Alkon

The sorrow and the prettyAsheville Daily Planet — December 2012 — 21

RAD

“

His answer was “you’d get four times the tax value,” along with greater density.

Minicizzi noted there are two values on property — “the value of the dirt and the value of the building sitting on top of the dirt.” He also warned of the “law of unintended consequences,” alluding to the tendency for gentrification to occur in an improving area.

Camille said he and his wife moved to Asheville in 1986 and, between them, they “didn’t have two nickels to rub together.”

They lived downtown because it was cheaper then “and it was all we could af-ford.”

As they prospered, “we bought a few buildings” downtown. “We didn’t real-ize what were were doing to it. We were gentrifying it ... .

“I asked, ‘Where’s the next place all these people are going to go?’ I figured the river. So we got (bought) about 13 acres down there ... I really think the people who are making the waterfront a cool place are going to get priced out. I hate it for those people,” Camille said.

Weeks said that, through Mountain Housing Opportunities that she runs, “we started out fixing homes for elderly hom-eowners. Now we’re also doing community investments.”

She added, “I’m from Pittsburgh and was able to watch the transformation of the riverfront there,” which proved helpful for her in the RAD.

At that point, Weeks noted that the Biltmore Station “was really built for the Vanderbilt family. The Asheville Station behind 372 Depot Street (in the RAD) is where most people came into Asheville.”

She spoke of the Glen Rock Depot and Apartments that she developed in the RAD with pride.

She said Glen Rock has 82 “afford-able apartments upstairs,” renting in the range of $350 for a one-bedroom to $650 for a three-bedroom. When it opened, she received 5,000 applications for the 82 apartments, Weeks said, adding that “we’re private and affordable.” She also noted that the downstairs, which is for commercial tenants, “filled up slower.”

Weeks asserted, “It’s important to me for the riverfront to return to its raw and gritty quality, without pricing people out.”

At Glen Rock, she said, “it’s got about every environmental feature you could want on a building.”

However, Weeks expressed concern about “raising taxes, gentrification and all of that ... It’s really difficult to get bank to invest in an area like this.”

Minicozzi then showed some property values of downtown Asheville, with a tax-able average of $2 million per acre, while the RAD would be, perhaps, $375,000 per acre. He noted that there had been an $11 million investment in improvements recent-ly on Depot Street in the RAD.

“A lot of that value is generated by artists in there and investing,” he said. “One of the unique aspects was the presence of so many artists ... They used to be downtown,” until it became too expensive for them.

Camille said, “There are more experi-mental artists out there. They’re just push-ing the envelope” with their work ... I’d like to see what we private sector people can do ... I don’t think it’s the city’s respon-sibility to do something.”

Weeks replied, “What I’ve seen down there is some of the tenants who are artists letting their buildings run down.

“I haven’t seen anyone down there trying to make a killing (financially), with lease

rates. Camille said, “I think that’s exactly

what happened (in) downtown” Asheville. “What we don’t have in RAD is the density

of downtown. It is a natural progression and rents will have to go up.”



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