UPCOMING EVENTS
05/05/14 DINNER WITH PROGRESSIVES
Dinner with Progressives is a social outlet for thoughtful
people in Asheville NC. The gathering includes time to eat
together and then enjoy presentations which focus on solutions for a brighter
future. This happens on the first Monday of the month. Dinner is at 6 PM and
the speaker/program is at 7 PM. This will be at the Green Sage Coffeehouse
and Cafe in south Asheville.
Contact Cheryl at ctorengo@gmail.com
for more information.
05/06/14 NSA SPYING AND THE CONSTITUTION
This will be a presentation by Mark Gibney, professor of
Political Science at UNCA. Time is 7:30 PM and location is the Manheimer Room
at the Reuter Center at UNCA. The development and
expansion of technology and its impact on the culture and society has always
been a problem and presented a conundrum for political power and public policy
– especially in democracies. Most of us have our favorite stories and
inventions where government is “always catching up” or having to adapt to new
technology. What can we make of recent revelations about cell phone data
gathering in the service of national security and what it means
constitutionally? Mark Gibney is the Belk Distinguished Professor at
UNC-Asheville. Gibney recently he served as a juror at the International Film
Festival and Forum on Human Rights in Geneva,
the largest human rights film festival in the world. This event is co-sponsored
by the Department of Political Science, and the Osher Life Long Learning
Institute.
05/06/14 PRIMARY ELECTION DAY
Precincts are open for voting from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM.
TWO RECOMMENDATIONS FROM FELLOW PROGRESSIVES:
District Attorney, District 28: Todd Williams
NC Supreme Court Associate Justice: Robin Hudson
05/06/14 ASHEVILLE
TRANSIT COMMITTEE MEETING
Time is 3:30-5 PM and location is the first floor conference
room in City Hall.
05/07/14 GREEN DRINKS AND SIERRA CLUB MEETING
Join Asheville Green Drinks and the Sierra Club Wednesday
April 2nd at 7 PM for a presentation on “Upcoming NC Legislative Session.”
Sierra Club’s state lobbyist will present a legislative preview of upcoming
issues expected to be addressed by the North Carolina General Assembly in the
short session beginning May 14 including a possible coal ash bill & other
environmental legislation. Free & open to the public. Location:
Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 1
Edwin Pl. on Charlotte
in Asheville.
Contact: Judy Mattox, 828-683-2176
05/07/14 THE SOUL PURPOSE OF ASHEVILLE
An open invitation to all progressive citizens to join in
creating a new conscious mission statement for the Asheville community. Free event. Time is 6 to
8 PM, location is Masonic Temple Main Hall at 80 Broadway in Asheville. RSVP to Facebook: Soul Purpose of Asheville Gathering.
05/08/14 ME2WE LEADERSHIP LUNCHEON
The Center for Diversity Education at UNC Asheville invites
you to lunch in recognition of young adult leaders in our community who have
worked collaboratively on the Me2We summer youth leadership program. The Me2We
program is modeled on the work of ASCORE (Asheville Student Committee on Racial
Equality) which was developed by Stephens-Lee High School students to
desegregate Asheville's movie theatres, lunch counters, libraries and more from
1960 - 1965. Me2We is a collaboration between The City of Asheville Youth
Leadership Academy, I Have a Dream at Pisgah View Apartments, and AVID Summer
Bridge at UNC Asheville to build the social justice leadership skills of the
next generation. The luncheon will be held at the Sherrill Center
in the Mountain View Room on the campus of UNC Asheville. Tickets for the
luncheon are $50.00 ($35.00 tax deductible). Time is 11:45 AM to 1 PM. You may
reserve your spot and pay at the door by emailing dmiles@unca.edu.
05/08/14 LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL FILM AT FINE ARTS THEATER IN ASHEVILLE
The documentary is “My Toxic Backyard” and it is about the
south Asheville
community living around an old CRS Superfund site and the ongoing struggle to
get clean safe drinking water while the old CTS site continues to leak
dangerous toxins into the ground - 20 years after the threat was first reported
to the EPA. The premiere is at 7 PM and there will be more showings on the
upcoming weekend. $7.50 for matinees and $9.75 regular showings.
05/08/14 REGIONAL FORUM ON PUBLIC EDUCATION
Come and show your support for public education at a
Regional Forum. Please wear red. Concerned about Public Education in NC?
Testing? Teacher turnover? Funding for supplies? Come learn about the issues,
hear from those affected, and find out what you can do. Leave inspired and
informed! Time is 6 PM to 7 PM and location is TC Roberson High School.
05/08/14 STOP THE FRACK EVENT IN ASHEVILLE
On May 8th, Stop the Frack Attack and Americans Against
Fracking are asking people around the country to ramp up pressure on EPA
Administrator Gina McCarthy, and ask her to reopen investigations in Parker County
TX, Pavillion WY, and Dimock PA. The EPA shut
down its investigations, despite early evidence linking fracking operations to
groundwater contamination, after being pressured by the oil and gas industry.
Tell McCarthy and the EPA to reopen these investigations in order to protect
the health and quality of life in these communities! Call 888-661-3342 for a
prompt on what to say, and then get automatically connected to the EPA. As part
of the national call in day, these will be a public event held in Pritchard Park
in downtown Asheville,
at noon on May 8th, with street theater, free food, and mobile “phone booths”,
where anyone can call in to the EPA. People will also have the opportunity to
call their state legislators and tell them to stop fracking from coming to NC!
This will reportedly go until 7 PM or so.
05/08/14 LOCAL SCREENING OF “THE PREACHER’S DAUGHTER”
An Asheville
screening of the documentary featuring Anna Jane Joyner and her father is
scheduled to be held Thursday, May 8, at 7 PM at 38 N. French Broad Street (in a new venue
tentatively called “The New Earth” in the former Hairspray building). No further
information.
05/09/14 WNC PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY MEETING
The next WNC PSR monthly meeting will be at a private home
near the VA Hospital. Brown Bag lunch at noon with meeting from 12:30 to 2 PM.
Everyone is welcome. Please go to www.wncpsr.org
for more information, which includes how to get there and other details.
05/10/14 WATER TROUBLES AND WATER SOLUTIONS: WNC WATER IN
CONTEXT
“Water Troubles and Water Solutions: WNC Water in Context:
Managing the Tennessee River Watershed” will be held from 3 to 4:30 PM at Pack
Memorial Library in Lord Auditorium. This is the fifth in a series of free
presentations sponsored by The Wilma Dykeman Legacy and Buncombe County Public
Libraries to address questions about ensuring abundant and affordable water in
WNC over the next fifty years and beyond. Drawing on experts from other
areas of NC, the South, and North America, the
series seeks to anticipate some do’s and don’ts in water management. This
presentation is about the opportunities and difficulties involved in managing
the multi-state watershed of the Tennessee River,
with Gary Springston, the water supply manager of the Tennessee Valley
Authority. Free and open to the public.
05/12/14 MOVE TO AMEND BUNCOMBE COUNTY MEETING
Ginny Lentz will talk about her experience going
door-to-door for the MTA “We the People Listen” campaign. All are welcome. Time
is 7 PM and location is North Asheville Library. Contact Ruth Christie at
ruthachristie@gmail.com.
05/12/14 FOOD POLICY COUNCIL WATER CLUSTER MEETING
The newly formed Water Cluster of the Food Policy Council
will hold its second official meeting to select our priority actions out of the
ideas brainstormed in the forming meeting and the first meeting. We
have identified 25 actions and consolidated them into six categories:
education of the public, investigation, working with the City, working with
other clusters, working with the general public, and events. Come join
our group and help us choose what to work on first to identify policy and
propose innovative solutions to improve local water systems as they relate to
food. Time is 11:30 AM to 1 PM and location is Earthfare at Westgate in the
back room.
05/13/14 SPEAK YOUR PEACE LUNCHEON
The Mediation
Center invites you to our
Speak Your Peace luncheon on Tuesday, May 13, 2014. The luncheon features Brad
Heckman, Chief Executive Officer of the New York
Peace Institute, one of the nation’s largest conflict resolution services.
Brad will discuss how his work establishing the first community mediation
centers in the post-Soviet region has influenced the vision and work of New
York Peace Institute. A Peacemaker of the Year Award will be announced,
and we will acknowledge winners of our Draw Your Peace art contest for youth.
Tickets are $50. For more information, contact Valerie Collins at 251-6089 x
212 or email valeriec@mediatewnc.org.
05/13/14 VETERANS FOR PEACE MEETING
Time is 6:30 PM and location is VFP HQ at the Phil Mechanic
Studios: 109 Roberts Street
in Asheville.
VFP Chapter 099: http://vfpchapter099wnc.blogspot.com/.
05/13/14 CHILD WATCH TOUR
On Tuesday, May 13, the 2014 Child Watch Tour participants
will better understand the transportation challenges faced by many low-wage
working parents as they try to meet their families' basic needs. We will
explore the individual stories and the policy decisions that define our public
transportation systems in Buncombe
County. During the
morning, participants will ride a city bus. At lunch we will hear reports from
the morning, learn about transportation policy, and have a panel discussion
with City and County staff, community volunteers, and advocates. Full day tour
from 8 AM to 1 PM costs $15. Lunch-only option is $10. For information or to
find out how to register online, please contact Jodi Ford at
JodiF@childrenfirstbc.org or Greg Borom at GregB@childrenfirstbc.org or call
828-259-9717.
05/13/14 EAST WEST ASHEVILLE NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE
Updates on neighborhood crime and arrests, short-term rental
zoning changes, ongoing projects and new art. Come meet your neighbors, get
connected to events and get active! RSVP or questions to
eastwestneighborhood@gmail.com. EWANA is the East West Asheville Neighborhood
Association in Asheville, North Carolina. It is a neighborhood within
West Asheville defined as the area between I-240 and the French Broad River.
Neighbors come together as EWANA to meet each other, help each other and take
collective action for a better quality of life in our historic, diverse, and
unique part of town. Time is 7 to 9 PM and location is Hall Fletcher
Auditorium.
05/14/14 WESTERN CAROLINIANS
FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE IN THE MIDDLE EAST MEETING
Time is 9:30 AM and location is Black Mountain Presbyterian
Church. We will be discussing “Zionism Unsettled” (available from Presbyterian
Books online at $10), chapters 1-5. Contact Beth at elizakeiser@aol.com for
more information.
05/14/14 GREEN DRINKS MEETING
Join us Wednesday May 14th at 6 PM at the Green Sage
Coffeehouse and Cafe for a presentation about The Built Environment and Nature.
Richard Louv coined the term “Nature Deficit Disorder” in his bestselling book,
Last Child in the Woods. In our technological age, children and adults alike
are connecting online, not outdoors. According to the research, “direct
exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the
physical and emotional health of children and adults. What can we do to
reconnect our built environment with Nature? Many opportunities exist to
design our homes and landscapes to provide spaces to reconnect. Our
panelists include, Kevin Ward (Southeast Ecological Design), Chuck Marsh
(Useful Plants) and Victoria Schomer (Green Built Environments) each will
provide an overview based on their disciplines as builder/designer,
landscape/permaculture and interior design.
05/15/14 RADIATION TODAY LECTURE AT UNCA
Dr. Perry Sprawls will offer an interesting talk on
radiation in our lives today. There are different types of radiation, and with
the exception of light, it is invisible. That often gives it a mystic
characteristic and a cause for concern because of our natural “fear of the
darkness” and things we cannot see. When we become more familiar with the
radiation in our lives today, knowing its characteristics, where it comes from,
how it is used in modern society, and its effects on the human body, we can make
intelligent decisions and live in harmony with this part of our environment. In
this program we review the different types and sources of radiation, their
benefits to individuals and society, and the actions to minimize risks. Perry
Sprawls is Distinguished Emeritus Professor, Emory University,
Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, with over 50 years of experience
in the use of radiation for medical purposes. Free and open to the public, this
talk is offered in collaboration with the WNC IEEE. Time is 7 to 8 PM and
location is the Reuter
Center at UNCA, Room
102A. Contact Perry at olli@unca.edu for more information.
05/16/14 ENVIRONMENTAL LECTURE AT RIVERLINK
Dr. Frank Kalinowski will address “Environmental Legacies:
Politics, Policy and American National Character” from 3 to 5 PM. He is a
retired professor from Warren
Wilson College
and an author. Location is Riverlink offices at 170 Lyman Street in the River Arts
District in Asheville.
05/16/14 WNC PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY MEETING
The next WNC PSR monthly meeting will be at a private home
near the VA Hospital. Brown Bag lunch at noon with meeting from 12:30 to 2 PM.
Everyone is welcome. Please go to www.wncpsr.org
for more information, which includes how to get there and other details.
05/17/14 GREEN GRANNIES SING FOR THE CLIMATE
Green Grannies Sing for the Climate at Vance Monument
at 5 PM. Google "Singfortheclimate" and come out and sing with us!
This happens on the third Saturday of every month.
05/17/14 CLEAN UP THE FRENCH BROAD
Come out on May 17 to help WNCA and our friends at
Headwaters Outfitters at the 23rd annual spring French Broad River
cleanup. We’ll provide breakfast, lunch and good music! This event is free, but
spaces are limited and a reservation is required. Call Headwaters Outfitters at
(828) 877-3106 for more information and to reserve your spot.
05/18/14 MALCOLM X FESTIVAL IN GREENVILLE SC
Hours are 2 PM to 8 PM and location is Cleveland
Park (East Washington Street & Cleveland Park Drive)
in Greenville SC.
05/19/14 FIRST MORAL MONDAY FOR 2014 IN RALEIGH
No information on buses from Asheville at this time.
05/20/14 AUDUBON SOCIETY MEETING
The mission of the Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society (EMAS) is
to promote an awareness and appreciation of nature, to preserve and protect
wildlife and natural ecosystems, and to encourage responsible environmental
stewardship. EMAS hold meetings at the Reuter Center
(Room 102) on the third Tuesday of the month at 7 PM. The meetings are free and
open to the public. Contact Lew at olli@unca.edu for more information.
05/23/14 GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION TO CLOSE GUANTANAMO
This is the first anniversary of the second time President
Obama promised to close Guantanamo
prison camp. A few individuals have been released in the past year, but more
than 150 prisoners remain - none of whom have been convicted of a crime in a
court of law.
05/30/14 WESTERN CAROLINIANS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE IN THE
MIDDLE EAST MEEING
Time is 3:15 PM and location is Brooks Howell House on
Merrimon in Asheville.
We will discuss the rest of the “Zionism Unsettled” book. Contact Beth at
elizakeiser@aol.com for more information. Contact Beth at elizakeiser@aol.com
for more information.
06/14/14 TRIP TO THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
IN GREENSBORO
This trip departs from the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville Central Office,
165 South French Broad Avenue,
rear parking lot. Boarding the bus will happen at 6:30 AM, leaving at 7 AM. We
will return to Asheville
at 6PM. There will be one stop for breakfast on the road and lunch at Williams
Cafeteria on A&T’s campus for the afternoon meal. $60 Per Person –
transportation and admission only, meals at your expense. May 30, 2014 is the
full payment deadline. This is sponsored by The A&T University Alumni
Association of Asheville. Send Check or Money Order to: A&T Asheville
Alumni Chapter, PO Box 2272,
Asheville, NC 28802. For more information contact:
William Edward Young, Jr., Chapter President at 828.251.2964.
07/24/14 TO 07/27/14 VETERANS FOR PEACE ANNUAL CONVENTION
This will be held at UNCA. More information to follow.
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ONGOING EVENTS
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TUESDAY
Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 5 PM at Pack Square, Vance Monument
WEDNESDAY
Haywood Peace Vigilers have a weekly vigil at 4 PM at
Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville
THURSDAY
Asheville Homeless Network meeting at 1 PM at A-Hope on North Ann Street in
Asheville.
Youth Outright Poetry Night at United Church
of Christ in Asheville at 5 PM
FRIDAY
Women in Black have a weekly vigil at noon at the City Hall
in Hendersonville
Women in Black have a monthly vigil at 5 PM at Vance Monument
in Asheville
(first Friday only)
SATURDAY
Transylvanians for Peace and WNC Physicians for Social
Responsibility have a weekly vigil at noon in front of the courthouse in
Brevard
Third Saturdays – Asheville’s
Green Grannies invites the public to “sing for the climate” at Vance Monument
at 5 PM.
SUNDAY
Youth OUTright meeting from 4 to 6 PM at First
Congregational United Church of Christ at 20 Oak Street in Asheville. Ages 14 - 23 only.
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ACTIONS AND READINGS
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From Veterans for Peace, Chapter 099:
The 2014 International Veterans For Peace Annual Convention
will be in Asheville, NC hosted by VFP Western North Carolina
Chapter 99 from July 23-27, 2014. Volunteers are welcome to participate. For
info contact Gerry Werhan at gwerhan@gmail.com.
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