Peace efforts in Afghanistan

Stop the War statement on the Paris attacks

Stop the War steering committee met on Saturday. This was the statement which it agreed in response to the terrorist attacks:

We wish to express our condemnation at the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday. There can be absolutely no justification for the horrific shooting and bombing of very large numbers of innocent people, in concerts, bars and cafes.  Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.

Terrorism attributed to IS is growing around the world. The main victims of such attacks are the people of the countries wracked by wars. Bombings and shootings of these kinds are all too frequent in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. Just this week, a major bombing in Lebanon killed dozens of people, although this was little reported in the West. The refugees now coming to Europe will be all too familiar with such attacks. 

The British government has been campaigning for a vote in parliament to be able to officially bomb Syria. There is absolutely no evidence that this will do anything but make the situation worse. We should remember that ISIS was created in Iraq, during the U.S. occupation there. The disastrous civil war in Libya followed the bombing of that country by the West, which began with a no fly zone. The only solution can lie in political and negotiated solutions.

The urgent task is how we end these killings, defeat the reactionary force of ISIS and other similar groups, and begin to see the prospect of peace in the Middle East. This can only be done by the Iraqi, Syrian and other peoples of the region themselves. Western military intervention has not only killed or displaced millions, it has also contributed to the endless mutation of terrorist groups like IS while destroying the capacity of the people's of the region to confront such organizations themselves.

Defeating ISIS means firstly cutting its support from some of the most reactionary regimes in the region, including Saudi Arabia. Secondly it means not creating further grievances which help to fuel its support. That means rejecting the idea that bombing and intervention can make things better. We are told that we need to be 'doing something' in the face of these attacks. It is precisely because of what we have been doing in the region that we face this threat.

Stop the War works for a world without terrorism and imperialism, and will continue to campaign for a peaceful solution to the crises in the Middle East.

The response of the Western governments and other major powers has been for more war. President Hollande of France has talked of a ‘pitiless' war against terrorism. The idea that bombing will end terrorism is refuted by the history of the last 14 years. It has already led to an increase in Islamophobia and to attacks on civil liberties which will likely target Muslims above all.

Welcome the refugees

Fall on the Parkway

 Sunrise from Mt. Pisgah

 The rest of theses photos are from Mills River Valley overlook on the BRP.

Last of the fall color. These photos were taken earlier in November 2015.

Pray for the world.

Upcoming events for the week of November 15, 2015

UPCOMING EVENTS

11/15/15 BLACK LIVES MATTER SUNDAY 

At 10 AM, Hill Street Baptist Church of Asheville will host Dr. Karsonya Wise Whitehead as a guest speaker. She is an Associate Professor of Communications and African and African-American Studies at Loyola University in Maryland. Professor Wise Whitehead is an historian who works in the black documentary tradition.  This event is open to the public.

11/15/15 TALK AT UNCA FOR BLACK LIVES MATTER SUNDAY

Dr. Karsonya Wise Whitehead is an Associate Professor of Communications and African and African-American Studies at Loyola University in Maryland. Professor Wise Whitehead is an historian who works in the black documentary tradition.  She will be the guest speaker at an event at UNCA at 4 PM. The location will be the grotto in the Highsmith Building. This event is open to the public.

11/15/15 BUILDING A RADICAL PARTY OF THE LEFT

Red-Green Alliance: Building a Radical Party of the Left: A conversation with Jill Stein and the International Socialist Organization. This will run from 6 to 8 PM and location is the Alumni Hall of Highsmith Student Union at UNCA. A meet-and greet and fund raiser will follow at Block Off Biltmore Bar & Restaurant (39 S Market St, Asheville) starting at 8:30 PM. The UNC–Asheville branch of the International Socialist Organization (ISO) is hosting the Jill Stein campaign for a talk on UNCA campus. Stein was the 2012 Green Party presidential candidate and is running again for 2016. Join the Asheville ISO chapter (Asheville Socialists), local Green Party members, and allied people for a discussion with Jill about the importance of building an alternative party completely independent from the capitalist two-party system. We need systemic change. Speakers include: Jill Stein (Green Party Presidential Candidate), Jacob Cook (an ISO organizer in Asheville), Bruce Dixon (editor of the “Black Agenda Report”) and Jess Burroughs (ISO student organizer).

11/15/15 FILM AT FIRESTORM CAFE

On June 28, 2009, the people of Honduras were preparing to vote in their country's first-ever referendum. However, instead of waking up to ballot boxes they rose to find their streets full of soldiers. The first coup d'état in Central America in three decades. Beginning with the historic moment of the coup, “Resistencia: The Fight for the Aguan Valley” follows three key members of the farmers' resistance over four years as they attempt to implement participatory democracy in their new communities. All while trying to survive the violent reaction of the landlord and the coup regime. Time is 1 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Street in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

11/16/15 PUBLIC INPUT TO NANTAHALA AND PISGAH PLAN REVISION

As a requirement to forest plan revision process, the USDA Forest Service will do evaluations of lands that may be suitable for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System, and identifying rivers for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. These evaluation materials will be available in late October on the Forest Service USDA’s website. Then a public meeting will be held for input from the general public on these evaluations. Time is 6 to 8 PM and location is Mountain View Room, Kimmel Arena, UNCA in Asheville. Meetings are open to the public. Contact Joan at joan@mountaintrue.org for more information.

11/16/15 PUBLIC HEARING ON I-26 CONNECTOR

A Public Hearing will be held on November 16th at the Renaissance Hotel Grand Ballroom, 31 Woodfin Street in Asheville. NCDOT representatives will be available between 4 PM and 6:30 PM for the Pre-Hearing Open House to answer questions and receive comments on the project. The formal public hearing that will then begin at 7 PM with a review of the project, followed by a public comment session. Public comments on the DEIS [Draft Environmental Impact Study] will be received through December 16, 2015. Contact Joan at joan@mountaintrue.org for more information.

11/16/15 MOVE TO AMEND BUNCOMBE COUNTY MEETING

Location is the North Asheville Library at 1030 Merrimon Avenue in Asheville. Time is 7 PM. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Diana at  dianakruk@gmail.com  or 828-275-0680. 

11/16/15 UNITED NATIONS SPEAKER AT UNCA

Mogens Lykketoft, President of the United Nations General Assembly, will give a talk “The United Nations at 70: Reflections of the Past and Prospects for the Future”.  Time is 11 AM and location is the Reuter Center at UNC Asheville. His talk is free and open to the public. Lykketoft of Denmark was elected unanimously in September to serve a one-year term leading the General Assembly, the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the U.N., and the only one in which all 193 member nations have equal representation. The issues facing the U.N. this year include the Syrian refugee crisis, climate change and sustainable development, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In Denmark, Lykketoft has been a leading figure in the Social Democratic Party, serving as Finance Minister, Foreign Minister, and from 2011-2015, as Speaker of the Danish Folketing (parliament). He is an economist by training and a veteran parliamentarian and government minister. Lykketoft comes to UNC Asheville at the invitation of the university’s Carol Belk Distinguished Professor Mark Gibney, a leader in the field of international human rights law, who is also the Raoul Wallenberg Visiting Professor of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at Lund University and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden. For more information, call 828.250.3870.

11/16/15 ASHEVILLE/BUNCOMBE HOUSING SUMMIT

A dynamic conversation about how public and private sectors can work together to meet our housing needs. Hosted by Asheville City Council. Time is 2 to 5 PM. Location is the US Cellular Center Banquet Hall. Keynote speaker is Laura Clark, executive director of Renaissance West Community Initiative. Panel discussions will follow on challenges and opportunities in affordable housing development. Reception to follow. Please RSVP by email to kmorrow@ashevillenc.gov.

11/16/15 FILM AT MARS HILL UNIVERSITY

Screening of “The Homestretch” a documentary about homelessness in Chicago. Showing of the film is sponsored by CAB and the Center for Community Engagement at the university. The public is welcome. This event is part of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week at MHU, Nov. 14-21. Time is 7 to 8 PM and location is Belk Auditorium at Mars Hill University. 

11/17/15 WNC 4 PEACE MEETING

Location is the North Asheville Community Center at 37 E. Larchmont Street in north Asheville. Time is 6 PM. Contact Craig at herbzone@gmail.com for more information. 

11/17/15 PISGAH LEGAL SERVICES AMBASSADOR TRAINING

We will be hosting our next Ambassador Training on Tuesday, Nov. 17th from 11:45 AM to 1 PM to provide our board members, volunteers and supporters with an overview of key information about Pisgah Legal Services' programs, plans and fundraising. Lunch will be served. This will be held at 62 Charlotte Street in Asheville. Ambassador trainings are also a wonderful opportunity for Pisgah Legal staff to hear your insights on how we communicate our messages to the community. We appreciate your participation. Please RSVP to Lindsay at lindsay@pisgahlegal.org or 210.3405 to let us know if you plan to attend and if you would like lunch. 

11/17/15 DEALING WITH HOMELESSNESS IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY

Are you homeless or formerly homeless? Are you worried you might become homeless? If so, please join us to talk about the best ways to help people avoid homelessness, get out of homelessness, and stay safe while they are homeless. Asheville and Buncombe County are beginning to draft a new plan that will set priorities for how the local government and service agencies deal with homelessness. This plan will affect things like which programs get funded, what kind of help is available, and who gets that help. This meeting will happen at AHOPE at 19 North Ann Street in downtown Asheville. Time is 1 PM. Call AHOPE at 828-252-8883 for more information.

11/17/15 FILM AND PANEL DISCUSSION AT MARS HILL UNIVERSITY

NASA (Native American Student Association) will show the film "Smoke Signals" which was a popular film showing Native American people in a non-stereotypical way but sending up the stereotypes often experienced by the people themselves. NASA will continue the conversation in a panel discussion after the film that started during the screening of the film “Reel Injun” in October. This is likely to be a fun and informative event just before Thanksgiving week allowing students to think about the changing narrative of Native People in the US. Time is 7 to 9 PM. Location on campus was not listed on website, so contact alaysiabh@gmail.com for more information. 

11/18/15 GREEN DRINKS

Dive into The Magical World of Moss Gardening with Mossin’ Annie Martin. She is aWestern North Carolina native, educator, landscape designer and farmer. Her presentation will identify recommended species, teach basic propagation and design and install a moss garden – in 45 minute presentation. Check out her website and the latest Mountain Xpress article about her. Mosses are a gardener’s dream. These emerald beauties thrive where nothing else grows and provide year-round delights in all planting zones. Time is 5:30 and location is Twin Leaf Brewery at 144 Coxe Avenue in Asheville. Entrance is the big garage door on Banks Avenue.

11/18/15 NC WARN’S CLIMATE ROADSHOW

The Alliance for Energy Democracy, along with the Earth Team at First Congregational Church of Asheville, Creation Care Alliance of WNC and Transition Asheville will present NC WARN’s Climate Roadshow. Jim Warren, Executive Director of NC WARN will explain their Emergency Climate Response Campaign.  Jim and other NCWARN staff will engage you in a presentation and discussion on this new campaign, updated climate science, and what we can do about it. Participants will leave with more knowledge, hope and sense of power so that they can take effective action against Duke Energy on their climate change indifference. Time is 7 to 9 PM and location is the First Congregational Church Asheville at 20 Oak Street in Asheville. Free and open to the public. Please contact Richard at firepeople@main.nc.us for more information.

11/18/15 CREATION CARE ALLIANCE EVENT

Join Rev. Milly Morrow, Canon for Missional Formation and Rev. Scott Hardin-Nieri, Director of The Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina (CCA) for food, coffee and conversation about youth ministry and creation care. CCA is looking for ways to support youth ministries in WNC and to create collaborative opportunities for youth to integrate their faith life with creation care. There are no strings attached to this event, it is not a fundraiser, nor a pitch for a curriculum. We are hoping to provide space for prayerful conversation about how we work with young people in a time of great ecological and social challenge. Time is 10 to 11:30 AM and location is Kairos West Community Center at 742 Haywood Road in west Asheville. This is a facebook event.

11/18/15 PROGRAM AT MARS HILL UNIVERSITY

Performer Charlie King presents “Ain’t Nobody Gonna Turn Me Around,” a history of the civil rights movement of African Americans from 1955 to 1967. The program will highlight people such as Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer and Ella Baker. This is sponsored by the Social Work Department at Mars Hill University. It will be held from 7:30 to 9 PM at Broyhill Chapel at Mars Hill University.

11/19/15 HOMEWARD BOUND OF WNC TOUR

“Welcome Home Tour” is a tour of Asheville organizations that serve the homeless population. Registration required, free to attend. Time is 11 AM. Call 258-1695 for more information and for instructions on how to register.

11/19/15 WORKSHOP AND LECTURE AT UNCA

Workshop and lecture by Patty Stonefish of Arming Sisters, a non-profit focusing on raising awareness of violence against Native women. Free. Held in the Highsmith Union at UNCA. Time is 8 PM. 

11/19/15 PISGAH LEGAL EVENT

Give Thanks with Pisgah Legal Services and Ehrmann Law Office, P. A. Join us as we celebrate and give thanks with cocktails and inventive and inspiring bites by Table's critically acclaimed chef Jacob Sessoms. This will be held at the Historic Gudger House at 89 Montford Avenue in Asheville. Time is 5:30 to 7 PM. To RSVP contact Betsy Ellis at betsy@pisgahlegal.org or 828.210.3444.

11/19/15 HEALTH CARE SUPPER IN MARION

Join the Health Access Coalition for a Health Care Supper in Marion. As the Affordable Care Act is being implemented in our state, North Carolina lawmakers have blocked the Medicaid program from being expanded. This means that 500,000 working adults remain uninsured in 2015. Join the NC Justice Center's Health Access Coalition for an upcoming conversation event in Marion to discuss the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, how Medicaid expansion would help your community, the online marketplace for purchasing insurance and eligibility for tax credits for individuals and small businesses, including Special Enrollment Period. The event will be held on Thursday, November 19, at the Marion Community Building, located at 191 N. Main Street in Marion. Dinner will be at 5:30 PM, followed by the meeting from 6 to 7:30 PM. Call or email today to reserve a place for you and a friend - Nicole Dozier at nicole@ncjustice.org or (919) 856-2146.

11/19/15 PERSPECTIVES ON POVERTY PANEL DISCUSSION

This is an Asheville Interfaith Conversation, presented by Jubilee! Perspectives on Poverty Panel discussion followed by light refreshments will be held on Thursday, November 19, from 7 to 9 PM. Location is Jubilee! Community Church at 46 Wall Street in Asheville. This panel will feature Mohamed Taha, Imam, Islamic Center of Asheville; James Lee III, Assoc. Min., St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church & Partner, Kairos West; Howard Hanger, Founder, Jubilee Community Church; and Amy Cantrell, Co-founder, Be Loved Community. Asheville Interfaith Conversations welcomes people of all faiths and no faith. The goal is not to solve world problems but to create a respectful event where we can enjoy the rich tapestry of viewpoints, beliefs, and practices found in our community. Questions, please contact Vicki at 252-5335.

11/20/15 EVENT AT MALAPROPS

In Jimmy Guignard's sobering “Pedaling the Sacrifice Zone: Teaching, Writing, and Living Above the Marcellus Shale”, the author, a professor at Pennsylvania's Mansfield University, takes readers on a cycling tour “through the fraught landscape of his family's life in the *sacrifice zone*” of the Marcellus Shale, ground zero of the natural gas industry and fracking. Location is Malaprop’s on Haywood Street in Asheville. Time is 7 PM. Call Malaprops for more information.

11/20/15 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 noon to 2 PM. Everyone is welcome. For more information contact Dr. Terry Clark, Chair, 633-0892 or Dr. Lew Patrie, 299-1242.

11/20/15 CREATION CARE ALLIANCE CONCERT & FUNDRAISER

First Christian Church presents an evening of great acoustic music with The Warren Wilson College Old-Time and Bluegrass Bands. This is a benefit for the Creation Care Alliance. Concert is free, contributions are encouraged. All contributions go directly to Creation Care Alliance. Time is 7 PM and location is First Christian Church at 201 Blue Ridge Road in Black Mountain. Contact Creation Care at creationcare@mountaintrue.org for more information.

11/20/15 FILM SHOWING AT FIRESTORM CAFE & BOOKS

There’s one single industry that’s destroying the planet more than any other. It’s the leading cause of species extinction, ocean “Dead Zones”, water pollution, desertification, deforestation and habitat loss. Asheville Green Grannies presents the powerful movie “Cowspiracy” on Friday, November 20, 2015 at 6:30 PM at Firestorm Café & Books at 610 Haywood Road in Asheville. Free and open to the public. Contact Cathy at cathyfholt@gmail.com for more information.

11/20/15 to 11/22/15 SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS WATCH PROTEST AT FORT BENNING GEORGIA

11/21/15 REMEMBERING TONY BING

Remembering Tony Bing and his endeavors for a just peace in Israel/Palestine. Memorial address will be by Max Carter. Max will speak about his mentor, Tony, and his lively pursuit of peace and justice in Israel/Palestine, challenging us to continue Tony Bing’s exemplary practice of nonviolent peace-building activism. Special tributes from Hashim Badr, Carol Rogoff-Hallstrom, and James Aydelotte. Those gathered will also share stories of Tony Bing. Time is 3 to 5 PM and location is Lenoir-Rhyne University at 36 Montford Avenue in Asheville, on the second floor above the visitor’s center. The memorial is offered with deep gratitude for Tony’s leadership by Just Peace for Israel/Palestine. Please contact jpip.wnc@gmail.com or call 828-319-7652 for more information. 

11/21/15 UNCHAIN ASHEVILLE EVENT

We are organizing an event to raise awareness surrounding the issues and threats small, local, independent businesses in Asheville are currently facing. Our goal is to raise awareness as well as educate the consumer on the street about the value of supporting local businesses. We will be gathering for at our localist celebration at the Asheville Music Hall at 10 AM on November 21. The event happens to coincide with the Asheville Holiday Parade and the location is along the route. After the parade ends, we will have a “jazz funeral processional” style march around the block, passing by the chain locations. We will keep all of our marching on the sidewalks to keep this a free-speech event, eliminating the need to make this a permitted event. In order to find out about training sessions for this event, or if you have any questions about this campaign, contact our director, Franzi Charen, at ashevillegrown@gmail.com.

11/21/15 GREEN GRANNIES SING FOR THE CLIMATE

Green Grannies Sing for the Climate at Pritchard Park at 4 PM. Google "Singfortheclimate" and come out and sing with us! This happens on the third Saturday of every month. 

11/21/15 AIDS MEMORIAL QUILT IN ASHEVILLE

The Renaissance Asheville Hotel is proud to partner with the AIDS Memorial Quilt and the Western North Carolina Aids Project to host this year’s display, November 21 through December 2, 2015. Activist Cleve Jones began The AIDS Memorial Quilt in 1987. The first 1,920 panels were displayed in the nation’s capital during the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987, to highlight the scale of the epidemic. By 2007, the Quilt included more than 46,000 panels representing over 80,000 people, and it continues to grow. It is a memorial to those lost to AIDS, a tool for preventing new HIV infections, and the world’s largest ongoing community art project. This is free and open to the public.

11/21/15 TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

This year, our Asheville observance of the Transgender Day of Remembrance will be held at Pritchard Park. We will be meeting at the Civic Center at 6:30 and marching to the park, where the event will begin at 7 PM. Hot beverages will be provided at the event, and we will be gathering at Kairos West afterwards for recuperation and optional discussions concerning resiliency, with local gender specialists on hand to provide support. If you would like to participate in set up / tear down, or prepare a reading for the event, please message Brynn Estelle or the Tranzmission facebook page. This is a Facebook event.

11/22/15 COMMUNITY DIALOGUE ON RAPE CULTURE

This will be a open and safe space for discussion and conversation on the abuse and rape culture we live in. Byron Ballard will lead the discussion. We will also cover this issue within the pagan community. All cash donations will be handed over to OUR VOICE. Please bring non-perishable food items for The Mother Grove Goddess Temple. Please bring women's sanitary products for The Asheville Period Project. Time is 2 to 4 PM and location is Raven and Crone at 555 Merrimon Avenue in Asheville. This is a facebook event. 

11/22/15 BENEFIT FOR ‘KIDS 4 PEACE’ IN ASHEVILLE

Join award winning whimsical re-percussionist Billy Jonas and the Billy Jonas Band on Sunday, November 22, at 7 PM at the Altamont Theatre at 18 Church Street in Asheville for the release celebration of their new recording ‘habayta (Homeward) New Jewish Songs of Joy and Spirit’. Jonas has appeared at numerous synagogues, Jewish summer camps, community centers and Jewish Day Schools throughout the US. About Kids4Peace: Founded in Jerusalem in 2002, Kids4Peace is an interfaith community of more than 1,800 Israeli, Palestinian and North American youth, families and educators working together for a better future. Through a network of local chapters and international camps, they provide a six-year, year-round educational program for Jewish, Christian & Muslim youth. Activities focus on interfaith dialogue, community-building, leadership development, and nonviolent action. Tickets are $36 and include reception and food. For further information and tickets call 617-501-1983.

11/27/25 JUST PEACE IN ISRAEL/PALESTINE

This meeting will be at 3:15 PM at Brooks-Howell Home on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville. Meet in the media room. Contact Suchi at suchi1025@bellsouth.net for more information.

11/29/15 GREEN GRANNIES LIGHT UP THE NIGHT

And on Sunday evening, November 29, 350.org and the Green Grannies are hosting "Light up the Night: A Vigil for the Paris Climate Talks," gathering at 5 PM in Grove Park, on N. Charlotte St., across from St. Mary's Episcopal Church - hope you can join us!

12/01/15 WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL LECTURE SERIES

“DEAS (ISIS) and PKK – The Regional Struggle for Hegemony: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar," with Ali Demirdas, a member of the international studies faculty at the College of Charleston and a Ph.D. candidate at University of South Carolina. The lectures are sponsored by the WNC chapter of the World Affairs Council, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UNC Asheville, and the university's Department of Political Science. Admission to World Affairs Council presentations at UNC Asheville is $10 for the public; free to members of the World Affairs Council and UNC Asheville students. For more information call 828.251.6140.

12/02/15 WORLD AIDS DAY CELEBRATION IN ASHEVILLE

On Tuesday, December 2, from 7 to 9 PM, World Aids Day will be celebrated, with a fantastic evening of music and poetry focused on remembering the past, celebrating successes, and hope for the future. Location is the Renaissance Hotel in Asheville where the AIDS Memorial Quilt is on display. No further information.

12/03/15 CREATION CARE ALLIANCE MEETING

Creation Care Alliance General Meeting. Time is 5:30 to 7 PM. Location is the First Baptist Church of Asheville at 5 Oak Street in downtown Asheville. Contact Creation Care at creationcare@mountaintrue.org for more information.

12/05/15 CITIZENS CLIMATE LOBBY MEETING

Citizens Climate Lobby meets the first Saturday of each month at Kairos West Community Center, 742 Haywood Road in west Asheville. We are advocating for a Carbon Fee & Dividend, which would impose a fee on fossil fuels at point entry; this fee will be refunded to individuals and families. There is bipartisan support in Congress as this will create jobs and help grow the economy, boosting renewables. Time is 12:30 to 3 PM.  Location is Kairos West Community Center at 742 Haywood Road in west Asheville. For more information contact asheville@citizensclimatelobby.org.

12/05/15 FUNDRAISER FOR BIBLIOWORKS

All proceeds funds libraries and literary programs in Bolivia. There will be music by Cecil Bothwell, food, beer, cider and a silent auction. Cost is $15 at the door, $12 advance, for admission.  This will be held at 67 Biltmore Avenue, across from the French Broad Food Coop. Time is 7 to 9:30 PM. For more information, call 350-0744.

12/06/15 PILGRIMAGE FOR THE PARIS CLIMATE TALKS

People’s Pilgrimage for the Paris Climate Talks will be at 2 PM. Meet at the pavilion at Carrier Park on Amboy Road. It will be a two mile walk starting at the Carrier Park pavilion and ending at French Broad River Park, with stops along the way for music, poetry and prayer. Bring banners and signs. Come at 1 PM to make signs. Some materials will be provided. Sponsored by the Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina. For more information, contact Jane at 828-772-0379 or janelaping@sbcglobal.net. 

12/10/15 JUST ECONOMICS ANNUAL CELEBRATION

Just Economics Annual Celebration. Free, food and entertainment provided, all are welcome. Time is 6 to 9 PM and location is Jubilee! in downtown Asheville. Just Economics works to educate, advocate, and organize for a just and sustainable local economy that works for all in Western North Carolina.  We see ourselves not as people of privilege advocating on behalf of low-income people but rather, people of privilege and low-income people advocating together for a better economic community.  We welcome participation in our work from all members of our community. We are currently focused on living wage jobs, accessible transportation, and affordable housing.

*******************************************

ONGOING EVENTS

*******************************************

TUESDAY

Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 4:30 PM at Pack Square, Vance Monument

Standing up for Racial Justice at Firestorm Cafe & Books at 10 AM

WEDNESDAY

Haywood Peace Vigilers have a weekly vigil at 4 PM at Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville

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. Call 884-3435 to confirm. 

Third Saturdays – Asheville’s Green Grannies invites the public to “sing for the climate” at Pritchard Park 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.

*******************************************

ACTIONS AND READINGS

*******************************************

Outrage at Paris attacks masks our racism

14 NOVEMBER 2015

by Jonathan Cook

An article in the Australian publication New Matilda gets to the real point about last night’s attacks in Paris – one that no one wants to talk about. What westerners feel right now is a powerful and very selective outrage that identifies with the suffering of people “like us”. We mourn the deaths in Paris while not even noticing those killed in Lebanon a day earlier and almost certainly by the same fanatics that launched the attacks in France.

Lots of westerners like to dismiss such observations as “whataboutery”. It is natural, they say, to care more about people we know and who are similar to us. That knee-jerk reaction may be comforting, but it is precisely the problem.

After all, what drives our selective outrage if not selective compassion? But our selective compassion is what got us into this mess in the first place. As Europeans we have always viewed ourselves as fully human, but seen those in the Middle East and much of the rest of the world as slightly less than human, and not quite as deserving of our sympathy. It is such feelings that allowed Europe to colonise, abuse and exploit brown people.

The historic racism that we Europeans are all too ready now to acknowledge, and that we understand fed western colonialism, is not a thing of the past. It still thrives deep in our souls. Where once we felt the white man’s burden, we now feel his outrage. Both depend on the same arrogance, and the same ascription of lesser human qualities to those we see as different from us.

We are still trying to civilise brown people. We still think we have the right to change them, bend them to our will, improve them by force. We still want to lecture them, condemn them, threaten them, overturn their elections, arm their oppressive leaders, plunder their resources.

And after we have destroyed their societies, we expect to be able to shut our borders to them as they make desperate journeys to find some peace, some safety away from the war zones in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and elsewhere we either created directly or supported with our money and arms.

Our racism has not changed. It is alive and creating new justifications for our selective compassion every day.

What has changed is that technological advances have made weapons of death and destruction ever easier and cheaper to acquire. Those we once oppressed with impunity and far from our homes, out of sight, can now find us and give us a taste of our own medicine.

If we want to stop the attacks, and avoid turning our own societies into the oppressive dictatorships we have supported across much of the rest of the globe, then we need to stop interfering, pillaging, manipulating and abusing. And we have to start by refusing to allow ourselves to identify more with the victims in Paris than those in Beirut. If we were really as civilised as we believe, we would understand that both are equally deserving of our compassion.

ARTICLE LINK:

https://newmatilda.com/2015/11/14/paris-attacks-highlight-western-vulnerability-and-our-selective-grief-and-outrage/

************************

The following is not to trivialize the deaths in Paris. After my evening with friends, I spent hours driving, grieving and thinking. But, I have to say this....

The people of the western world are all of a sudden paying attention and saying their hearts are with Paris... But, what of the other attacks in other countries?? The same people are behind those attacks.

These are the big ones of just the last few months:

Sept. 3: An attack in Sana'a, Yemen left 32 dead and 92 wounded

Sept. 3: An attack in Kerawa, Cameroon left over 10 dead and over 100 wounded

Sept. 4: An attack in Al-Suwayda, Syria left 26 people dead and 50 wounded

Sept. 14: An attack in Al-Hasakah, Syria left over 20 people dead and over 70 wounded

Sept. 24: An attack in Maiduguri, Nigeria left 145 people dead and over 150 wounded

Oct. 5: An attack in Baghdad, Iraq left 57 people dead and an uknown number wounded

Oct. 10: An attack in Ankara, Turkey left 102 people dead and 508 wounded

Oct. 10: An attack in N'Djamena, Chad left 38 people dead and 51 wounded

Oct. 14: An attack Maiduguri, Nigeria left all of the 42 people attacked dead

Oct. 23: An attack in Yola, Nigeria left 27 people dead and 96 injured

Oct. 31: An attack in Sinai, Egypt left all of the 224 people dead

Nov. 12(The day before the attacks in Paris): An attack in Beirut, Labanon left 43 people dead and 240 wounded

These attacks are happening CONSTANTLY in the middle east. We cannot seperate them from us. They are all human beings. Their lives matter just as much. That is what the Syrians are fleeing from.

And if you blame these attacks on Islam and not on extremists, you do not understand that all of the attacks I just listed were against other Muslims, NOT anyone else. Islamaphobia is ignorant. - Ace Andrew Amis

************************

Miko Peled Speaks at Veterans for Peace Convention 2015

Quaker quotes on peace

We are a people that follow after those things that make for peace, love, and unity; it is our desire that others’ feet may walk in the same, and do deny and bear our testimony against all strife and wars and contentions. . . . Our weapons are not carnal, but spiritual. - Margaret Fell, 1660

We must start with our own hearts and minds. Wars will stop only when each of us is convinced that war is never the way. The places to begin acquiring the skills and maturity and generosity to avoid or to resolve conflicts are in our own homes, our personal relationships, our schools, our workplaces, and wherever decisions are made.

We must relinquish the desire to own other people, to have power over them, and to force our views on to them. We must own up to our own negative side and not look for scapegoats to blame, punish or exclude. We must resist the urge towards waste and the accumulation of possessions. - Quakers in Aotearoa (New Zealand), 1987

Conflict generally has a negative connotation, but is this right?  It is my belief that early Friends throve on conflict; it brought out the best in them. . . .

In my adolescence I loved Whittier’s hymn “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind” and especially the lines “take from our souls the strain and stress and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of thy peace.” On the other hand, because by genetic inheritance and childhood conditioning I am a thinker and doer, another hymn appealed to me.  This prays “not for ever by still waters would we idly rest and stay, but would strike the living fountain from the rocks along our way.” Conflict indeed, but a healthy diversity of ideas which challenged me to find the balanced path. - Ruth Watson, 1997

We need to have a much deeper concept of peace than the negative assumption that it is simply the absence of war.  Peace is an organic concept, living and creative, and concerned with the relationships between people and between groups of people.  . . .

The biggest threat to the future of humanity is not the atomic bomb, but the provincial mind, the limited outlook, the myopia which prevents us from seeing beyond our own immediate interests.  We can be provincial and myopic, especially, in our attitudes to people who are different from ourselves in color, in religious creed, in political affiliation, in educational opportunities, in abilities.  Acceptance of others is not merely tolerating others.  It is an affirmation of the importance of variety and difference. - William Oats, 1990

It is not our Quakerism, or our pacifism, or our knowledge, or skill, or emotion that overcomes hate and violence.  We shall surely fail if we become proud of our virtue and traditions and become vain in our witness.  We shall fail if we think the power that may move through us is our own.  The power is not ours, it is God’s.  This is the foundation of what we must do in our testimony of peace in this time of war.  The foundation is faith in the power of God’s love to transform us and our society and to bring justice to the poor and oppressed.  Our task is to act, as best we understand what we are led to do, in obedience to that power. - Mary Lord, 2002

Ringing 11 Bells For Peace

Each year, Veterans for Peace chapters across the nation meet in major cities to celebrate and remember the original Armistice Day as was done at the end of World War I, when the world came together in realization that war is so horrible we must end it now.  Fighting ceased in the "war to end all wars" on the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Congress responded to a universal hope among Americans for no more wars by passing a resolution calling for “exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding … inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.” Later, Congress added that November 11th was to be “a day dedicated to the cause of world peace.” 

Link to original article.

"For Everyman" by Jackson Browne

Also "Sing My Songs To Me" on this video. Might have to click through to you tube directly.

Obama's Evil

“The evil that is in the world always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence, if they lack understanding. On the whole, men are more good than bad; that, however, isn't the real point. But they are more or less ignorant, and it is that we call vice or virtue; the most incorrigible vice being that of an ignorance which fancies it knows everything and therefore claims for itself the right to kill.” - Albert Campus: The Plague, Modern Library Edition, p. 120

Obama has bombed seven or eight countries. He has special operations forces in over a hundred country. He did not close Guantanamo. He has sent troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and now Syria. He has helped destroy Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and turned a blind eye to the destruction in Yemen by our ally, Saudi Arabia. Obama has a meeting every Tuesday to decide who to drone bomb to death next. He has said that he is pretty good at killing people. He is correct. 

Obama has restored relations with Cuba and gotten a treaty with Iran over nuclear weapons program, but that is it as far as his foreign policy achievements go.

It is all very sickening. 

Upcoming events for the week of November 8, 2015

UPCOMING EVENTS

11/09/15 RACE IN AMERICAN HISTORY - LECTURE AT AB TECH

Professor David Shi, President Emeritus of Furman University, is going to speak on “A More Perfect Union:  Race in American History”. Sponsored by A-B Tech’s Social Sciences Department, the program is free and open to the public. Professor Shi is a resident of Brevard and also taught history at Furman. He is the author of several books focusing on American cultural history, including the award-winning “The Simple Life: Plain Living and High Thinking in American Culture” and “Facing Facts: Realism in American Thought and Culture, 1850–1920.” Time is 3 PM and location is Sycamore 201 at AB Tech in Asheville.

11/09/15 EXXON LIED ABOUT THE CLIMATE - PROSECUTE EXXON

This has also been called a “March for Corporate Climate Action”. A march and rally to call attention to recent revelations that Exxon (the richest corporation the world has ever known) knew in the 70's that continued fossil fuel extraction would cause climate disruption, that they covered up the evidence to protect their profits. This protest will start at Prichard Park at 2:45 PM and will march to the Exxon station on Merrimon Avenue. There will be a protest at the Exxon Station (which is just north of I-240) until about 5 PM. Protest to raise awareness about Exxon's lies regarding the connection between fossil fuels and climate change. We support a Department of Justice investigation and lawsuit under the RICO statutes, similar to those against tobacco companies. Bring signs, noisemakers, drums, wear costumes if you like, water and $1. We will take a collection to give to the station owner for any business he might lose. Sample Signs: Exxon Knew, Exxon Lied, Prosecute Exxon; Exxon Needs to Pay for Climate Disruption; Investigate Exxon Now; Exxon Blocked Our Clean Energy Future. For more information, contact Steve at 828-777-7816 or earthsun2@gmail.com.

11/09/15 COMMUNITY EDUCATION FORUM

State Senator Terry Van Duyn will host a community forum from 6 to 8 PM on November 9 at Asheville High School auditorium, at 419 McDowell Street in Asheville. Purpose is to discuss the N.C. state of education and share insights from her seat in the state legislature. This is free and open to the public. Guest panelist will include Rep. Brian M. Turner; Buncombe County Schools Superintendent Dr. Tony Baldwin; Asheville City School Superintendent Dr. Pamela Baldwin; and Erwin High’s Brian Gonzales, 2016 Buncombe County Teacher of the Year. No contact information, this is a facebook event.

11/09/15 FILM SCREENING AT UNCA

Join Multicultural Student Programs in the film screening of “Dakota-38”. This film documents one man’s journey to learn the history of the mass execution of 38 Dakota warriors during the US-Dakota War in 1862. Location is Highsmith Union, room 224, at UNCA. Time is 6 PM. Hosted by UNC Asheville Intercultural Center.

11/09/15 PRESENTATION ON ARCHBISHOP ROMERO’S LIFE

Please join the Peace and Justice ministry at Parish of St. Eugene on November 9th for a presentation by Megan Reilly Buser and Esther Chavez as they share details of Archbishop Romero’s life and ministry as well as key moments of his beatification celebration. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Puposas and Salvadorian Street food snacks will be available. Presentation begins at 7 PM - Childcare available. Parish of St. Eugene is at 72 Culvern Street in Asheville. Contact St. Eugene Church for more information.

11/09/15 TRANSITION ASHEVILLE MEETING

Steffi Rausch will tell us about the Citizens' Climate Lobby (a strong coordinated grassroots effort worldwide) that focuses on national policies to address Climate Change by engaging elected officials, the public, and media. Right now it is focusing on a market based solution to climate change that encourages companies to reduce their emissions through a ‘carbon fee and dividend’. Admission to this event is free. Time is 6:30 to 8 PM and location is First Congregational United Church of Christ (Friendship Hall) at 20 Oak Street in downtown Asheville. For more information, contact transitionasheville@gmail.com.

11/10/15 VETERANS FOR PEACE MEETING

Time is 6:30 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Street in west Asheville. 

11/10/15 STEM LECTURE AT UNCA

“The US Health Care System ~ The Only Developed Country Where Maternal Deaths Are On The Rise” is a lecture by Daniel Frayne, MAHEC Division of Family Medicine and Blake Fagan, MAHEC Division of Family Medicine. The STEM lecture series is free and open to the public. Time is 4:30 to 6 PM and location is Reuter Center, room 102, Manheimer Room at UNCA.

11/10/15 “FIGHT FOR 15” RALLY AT ASHEVILLE CITY HALL

The Fight for 15/Raise Up will be having a national day of action for $15 and union rights on November 10. In Asheville, we will have an action at city hall at 8 AM that morning. This is open to the public. Please contact Ben at bcarroll@raiseupfor15.org for more information.

11/10/15 “THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING” FILM AT LENOIR-RHYNE UNIVERSITY

Join us for a documentary directed by Avi Lewis, based on the book by Naomi Klein called “This Changes Everything”. The film focuses on how climate change, which is an urgent problem, is also creating innovative, grassroots campaigns and solutions around the world. This screening is part of the Appalachian New Economy Week, which includes other activities and events celebrating local, sustainable economies emerging around the region.Visit our Facebook page and sign up for AshevilleGrown’s newsletter to get involved. This wouldn't be possible without our sponsors: The New Economy Coalition, Scale Inc., Lenoir-Rhyne University, French Broad Brewery, Scott's Knots, Mountain Xpress, Mountain Bizworks, Accelerating Appalachia, Asheville FM and Ashvegas. Time is 6 to 8 PM and location is Lenoir-Rhyne University at 36 Montford, second floor above the visitor’s center. This is a facebook event. Free and open to the public.

11/10/15 BUILDING BRIDGES POTLUCK AND SILENT AUCTION

Please join us as we celebrate the 93 graduates of Session 46 with a potluck. Also, you can help support Building Bridges by bidding on items in our silent auction during the event. Please bring family, friends, and a dish to share! We will have plates and utensils, but feel free to bring your own. Time is 6:30 PM and location is the Magnolia Building at AB Tech in Asheville.

11/10/15 SHOWING UP FOR RACIAL JUSTICE

Showing up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is a national network of groups educating and organizing white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for racial justice. Asheville SURJ hosts a weekly discussion group on risk-taking, accountability, mutual interest and how to call more white people into racial justice work. Anyone with a passion for working with white people on racial justice is welcome! Time is 10 AM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Street in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

11/11/15 ARMISTICE DAY

Celebrate peace on what is now called Veteran's Day. Please pause, ring a bell, from the heavy church tower to the simple clanging of housewares at this hour, so we can honor those who gave their lives before peace prevailed, and in hopes we will never require such sacrifices eve in the future. Sponsored by WNC 4 Peace, a partnership of peace makers. Ring a bell for the end of all wars.

11/11/15 CIVIL RIGHTS DOCUMENTARY AT UNCA

UNC Asheville’s Center for Diversity Education will screen four documentaries in the series, “Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle.” Screenings take place at 6 PM on four Wednesdays, Sept. 30, Oct. 14 and 28, and Nov. 11 in the Highsmith Union Grotto. Discussions led by Dwight Mullen, Darin Waters, and Sarah Judson after the screening. Free. For more details, email dmiles@unca.edu or call (828) 232-5024.

11/11/15 ‘TO CHANGE EVERYTHING’ TOUR

Climate change, economic crisis, unrest from Baltimore to Brazil: the prevailing order is unsustainable in every way. This international panel of social movement veterans seeks to answer the question “How do we change everything?” Time is 5 to 8 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

11/11/15 BIONEERS EVENT / GREEN DRINKS

The Asheville Bioneers conference (a Resilient Communities Network Event) is taking place at Lenoir-Rhyne University—Asheville (36 Montford Ave, above the AVL Visitor Center) on Friday, November 6, Wednesday, November 11, and Friday, November 13. In partnership with Asheville Green Drinks, the November 11th event will feature a beamed in talk from the national conference by Malik Yakini followed by a panel of local experts and activists. Malik Yakini, Executive Director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, will explore how the current industrial food system that supplies most of our food creates inequities, based in part on the social construct we call “race.”  He will share thoughts on addressing racism, thinking beyond the logic of capitalism and how we might create a more just, sustainable food system.  We will follow this with a local panel discussion and engage our community in conversations about better ways to address these issues locally.  Refreshments will be provided, thanks to Catawba Brewing.  Socializing begins at 5:30.  The programming begins at 6 PM and will run until 7:30 PM.  We will meet in the 2nd floor conference room.

11/11/15 STUDENT PANEL AT UNCA

Multicultural Student Programs Presents “My Culture, Not Your Mascot”. Across the country, athletic teams and schools utilize Native American imagery and culture as mascots. Engage in a dialogue that reflects the national conversation of the cultural implications and historical significance of the utilizing Native American symbols and identities as mascots. Hear the perspective of panelists from the Native American Student Association. This is sponsored by UNCA Intercultural Center. Time is 6 to 8 PM and location is Highsmith Union, room 221, at UNCA. This was a facebook event. Contact dhylton@unca.edu for more information.

11/11/15 JUST PEACE IN ISRAEL/PALESTINE

This meeting will be at 9:30 AM at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church at 117 Montreat Road in Black Mountain. Contact Suchi at suchi1025@bellsouth.net for more information.

11/11/15 MEMBERSHIP MEETING FOR EAGLE/MARKET STREETS

Come on out and learn how you can become a part of or what you can do to help Just Folks Organization of Asheville. Help us keep The Block alive! Time is 5:30 PM and location is Eagle Market Streets Development Corporation at 70 South Market Streets in Asheville. This is a facebook event.

11/11/15 VETERANS DAY BENEFIT CONFERENCE

Tickets to this Whitewater Bluegrass Company concert benefit ABCCM’s programs for homeless veterans. $20/$15 advance. Held at Asheville Event Center at 991 Sweeten Creek Road. Call 259-5326 for more information.

11/12/15 to 11/15/15 PEACE CONFERENCE AT LAKE JUNALUSKA

This will be November 12-15, 2015 at Lake Junaluska. Theme will be “Longing for Peace/Exploring the Heart of God”. Keynote speakers are Rabia Terri Harris, founder of the Muslim Peace Fellowship; Rabbi Or Rose, founding director of the Center for Global Judaism at Hebrew College and Dr. Sam Wells, vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London. Special music by Yuval Ron and Ensemble-- a world-renowned musician, composer, educator, peace activist, and record producer.  The Yuval Ron Ensemble has been actively involved in creating musical bridges between people of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths. They will perform Saturday eve. Registration is $145. Packages which include registration, lodging and meals are available. Register via Lake Junaluska website or call 828-454-6682 for more information. 

11/12/15 FORUM TO END VETERAN HOMELESSNESS

Join us at the Forum on Veteran Homelessness on November 12th, presented by AVL Technologies. We'll feature Jas Boothe, a veteran who experienced homelessness after Hurricane Katrina and now works to end female veteran homelessness. She'll join a panel of local experts on the topic. Your ticket also includes a full meal and is only $25 ($27.37 with service charge).  Time is 5:30 to 8:30 PM and location is Celine and Company at 49 Broadway Avenue in Asheville. Homeward Bound of WNC is organizing this event. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, please contact Beth Russo at 258.1695 ext. 111.

11/12/15 THIRD ANNUAL ROOT BALL FROM GREENWORKS

While we usually encourage you to “get dirty for a great cause,” the GreenWorks Root Ball is an opportunity to celebrate in style. Join us for an evening that will include: silent auction and drink reception, environmental excellence awards dinner, keynote address by Josh Dorfman. Tickets are $45 in advance ($40 for members) and $55 at the door ($50 for members). Contact us for more information and how to order tickets at info@ashevillegreenworks.org. The event will be held in Historic Montford at the MHCC Events Center (Greek Orthodox Church) at 227 Cumberland Avenue in Asheville. Time is 6 to 9 PM.

11/12/15 HENDERSONVILLE GREEN DRINKS

Josh Kelley speaks about public land management. Time is 6 to 8 PM at Taproom at Montes at 2024 Asheville Highway in Hendersonville.  Grab a beer and join like-minded individuals to discuss environmental issues and hear presentations by local environmental leaders. Sponsored by MountainTrue. Contact Joan at joan@mountaintrue.org for more information.

11/12/15 JUST ECONOMICS EVENT

People’s Advocacy and Action Group–Affordable Housing Action Follow Up. All are welcome, dinner provided. Time is 6 to 8 PM and location is the United Way on South French Broad in Asheville. This is in the first floor conference room. Just Economics works to educate, advocate, and organize for a just and sustainable local economy that works for all in Western North Carolina.  We see ourselves not as people of privilege advocating on behalf of low-income people but rather, people of privilege and low-income people advocating together for a better economic community.  We welcome participation in our work from all members of our community. We are currently focused on living wage jobs, accessible transportation, and affordable housing. This will be a quick overview of the Affordable Housing issue in Asheville followed by an Open Space gathering to strategize about actions to create greater access to affordable housing in our community. For more information, contact Amy Cantrell at Just Economics at 828-505-7466.

11/12/15 SURVIVORS ART SHOW BY OUR VOICE

Our VOICE is pleased to announce the 14th Annual “Heart Works - Survivors Arts Show” November 12th from 5:30-8:30 PM at the YMI Cultural Center on South Market Street in downtown Asheville.  The annual arts show is a unique community event that features visual and performance art is created by survivors of sexual assault. Performance starts at 7 PM. Contact Our Voice at 252-0562 for more information. Free and open to the public.

11/12/15 FREE TALK FOR PARENTS OF GIRLS

Are you a parent or guardian of a young girl? Would you like her to feel more confident, self assured, and willing to express herself? Join us Thursday, November 12 at 7 PM in the Dogwood Building at Francine Delany New School on Brevard Road in West Asheville. Anne Heck will be sharing strategies and tools for parents to help their girls discover and connect with her inner strength. This 1-hour program is sponsored by FDNSC and is free and open to parents of girls of any age. This is a facebook event.

11/12/15 SEED SAVING EVENT AT UNCA

This is a two part seed saving workshop, and it is at 5 PM at Highsmith Student Union at UNCA. Second part is on 11/19/15 at 5 PM. Registration is required, contact sec@unca.edu. This is free and open to the public.

11/13/15 BIONEERS EVENT

The Asheville Bioneers conference (a Resilient Communities Network Event) is taking place at Lenoir-Rhyne University—Asheville (36 Montford Ave, above the AVL Visitor Center) on Friday, November 6, Wednesday, November 11, and Friday, November 13. Lenoir-Rhyne University is proud to present the 2015 Asheville Bioneers Conference, a Resilient Communities Network Event on three evenings in November. As we have done during past Bioneers conference the event will weave in “beamed in” speeches from the National 2015 Bioneers Conference and feature discussions with local panels. Network, engage in dialogue, broaden the conversation, and collectively plan some next steps to help WNC move toward a more sustainable future. Time is 5:30 to 10 PM. Location is Lenoir-Rhyne University in the second floor conference room. Topic for this date is climate change.

11/13/15 TAKE BACK THE NARRATIVE - EVENT AT MALAPROPS

Take Back the Narrative showcases creative pieces written by survivors of sexual assault in order to create space for their stories and open up conversation around sexual violence in the community. This event is a collaboration between OurVOICE, Asheville's advocacy and support group for survivors of rape and sexual assault in the city and county, and UNC Asheville's Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program. Location is Malaprop’s on Haywood Street in Asheville. Time is 7 PM. For more information, contact Malaprops. 

11/13/15 COMMUNITY RACE RELATIONS DEBATE

Asheville and area residents are invited to attend a community debate in which four prominent citizens will debate against, and in support of, the following resolution: “RESOLVED: Asheville has disenfranchised its African-American population.” Kickoff event for community debate series is Friday, November 13 at 5:30 PM at Asheville High School. There is no charge for attendance. The three-part debate series will take place on Friday evenings at 5:30 PM in the Asheville High School auditorium, November 13, January 29, and April 8, 2015. Two-person teams will debate substantive issues including race relations, and the organic food/eat-local movements. The first debate features Dr. Dwight Mullen (political science professor) and Dr. Darin Waters (history professor) of UNC-Asheville debating in SUPPORT of the resolution, and Dr. Carl Mumpower (local psychologist) and Dr. Wendell Runion (local radio station owner and evangelist) debating AGAINST the resolution.

11/13/15 SOCIAL JUSTICE FILM AT UU CONGREGATION OF ASHEVILLE

Environmental and social justice film night will be a double feature this night. We will be showing “Our Daily Dose” and “Gaswork” at 7 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, which is on Edwin and Charlotte Streets in Asheville. “Our Daily Dose” addresses the health issues surrounding fluoride use in drinking water, especially in children. Local physician Angela C. Hind, M.D. a molecular toxicology expert, will attend the film to answer questions. “Gaswork” exposes the serious worker safety and chemical hazard issues associated with fracking. There is no charge for viewing the films - Donations are welcome. Contact Charles at mnpopi@charter.net or call 612-860-6628 for more information.

11/13/15 THE ART OF RESILIENCE - EVENT AT YMI

“The Art of Resilience” art opening, book release and poetry reading will feature new works by DeWayne Barton. Barton’s art and poetry focus on justice issues for people and the planet, as well as strategies for creating vibrant, healthy, sustainable communities. The show will also launch Hood Huggers International, Barton’s organization which offers innovative strategies for building support pillars for systemically marginalized neighborhoods, providing a framework for community capacity building while increasing the effectiveness of existing service programs. These strategies incorporate the arts, environmental education and social enterprise. Proceeds from the show will go to support Hood Huggers. Food will be provided by Cooking With Comedy Catering. Time is 7 PM and location is YMI Cultural Center at 39 South Market Street in Asheville. This is a facebook event.

11/13/15 DOWNTOWN COMMISSION MEETING

There is a meeting of the Downtown Commission this Friday, November 13, 2015 at 8:30 AM in the first floor conference room of Asheville City Hall. There will be a public comment portion towards the end of the meeting (usually around 10 AM). Please, come and make your concerns heard about supporting our unique, independent small business culture downtown. We must have more than one or two voices who are bringing this issue forward to the downtown commission, council, and city staff. Please also feel free to attend a City Council meeting on a Tuesday and make your voice heard on the matter. Here is our message: we ask that the Downtown Commission recommend that Asheville City Council place the issue of protecting our unique, vibrant, small business culture on their planning retreat agenda and to recognize this issue as a priority for downtown in the coming year. No contact information.

11/14/15 RAISE UP FOR 15 RALLY

This is a Drive-Through Sit-In Pre-Action Rally. Join local activists preparing for a demonstration of public support for the Raise Up for 15 movement. This meeting will include speakers, distribution of printed materials for participants, and multi-media documentation. Time is 10 AM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Street in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

11/14/15 HARD TO RECYCLE EVENT

Founded in 2011 by Rainbow Recycling, Hard 2 Recycle events are free to the public collections geared to bring awareness to other modes of recycling to our area. Four quarterly held collections to cover the four corners of the County and one central event in Downtown Asheville. Our goal is to educate, collect and divert items that would normally end up in the Landfill i.e Styrofoam, Electronics, Books, Batteries, Cooking Oil and much more. November 14th - Arden NC - 2310 Hendersonville Road, Arden NC 28704 (10 AM to 2 PM). Contact volunteer@ashevillegreenworks.org for more information or to confirm.

11/14/15 STAND FOR PEACE IN ISRAEL/PALESTINE

This will be on Saturday Nov. 14 from 11 AM to 12:30 PM at Vance Monument.

Stand for Peace in Israel/Palestine - End the Occupation! Sponsored by Just Peace for Israel/ Palestine. For more information, contact Suchi at suchi1025@bellsouth.net.

11/14/15 MOUNTAINTRUE URBAN FOREST WORKDAY

Richmond Hill Park invasive plant removal work days. Sponsored by MountainTrue. Richmond Hill Park is at 280 Richmond Hill Drive in Asheville. Time is 9 AM to 1 PM. Contact Joan at joan@mountaintrue.org for more information.

11/15/15 BLACK LIVES MATTER SUNDAY 

At 10 AM, Hill Street Baptist Church of Asheville will host Dr. Karsonya Wise Whitehead as a guest speaker. She is an Associate Professor of Communications and African and African-American Studies at Loyola University in Maryland. Professor Wise Whitehead is an historian who works in the black documentary tradition.  She will also be the guest speaker at an event at UNCA at 4 PM. The location will be the Alumni Hall in the Highsmith Building. These events are open to the public.

11/15/15 FILM AT FIRESTORM CAFE

On June 28, 2009, the people of Honduras were preparing to vote in their country's first-ever referendum. However, instead of waking up to ballot boxes they rose to find their streets full of soldiers. The first coup d'état in Central America in three decades. Beginning with the historic moment of the coup, “Resistencia: The Fight for the Aguan Valley” follows three key members of the farmers' resistance over four years as they attempt to implement participatory democracy in their new communities. All while trying to survive the violent reaction of the landlord and the coup regime. Time is 1 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Street in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

11/15/15 BUILDING A RADICAL PARTY OF THE LEFT

Red-Green Alliance: Building a Radical Party of the Left: A conversation with Jill Stein and the International Socialist Organization. This will run from 6 to 8 PM and location is the Alumni Hall of Highsmith Student Union at UNCA. A meet-and greet and fund raiser will follow at Block Off Biltmore Bar & Restaurant (39 S Market St, Asheville) starting at 8:30 PM. The UNC–Asheville branch of the International Socialist Organization (ISO) is hosting the Jill Stein campaign for a talk on UNCA campus. Stein was the 2012 Green Party presidential candidate and is running again for 2016. Join the Asheville ISO chapter (Asheville Socialists), local Green Party members, and allied people for a discussion with Jill about the importance of building an alternative party completely independent from the capitalist two-party system. We need systemic change. Speakers include: Jill Stein (Green Party Presidential Candidate), Jacob Cook (an ISO organizer in Asheville), Bruce Dixon (editor of the “Black Agenda Report”) and Jess Burroughs (ISO student organizer). Please contact Michael Dennis with questions at mikeldennis@me.com or 717-873-0588.

11/16/15 PUBLIC INPUT TO NANTAHALA AND PISGAH PLAN REVISION

As a requirement to forest plan revision process, the USDA Forest Service will do evaluations of lands that may be suitable for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System, and identifying rivers for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. These evaluation materials will be available in late October on the Forest Service USDA’s website. Then a public meeting will be held for input from the general public on these evaluations. Time is 6 to 8 PM and location is Mountain View Room, Kimmel Arena, UNCA in Asheville. Meetings are open to the public. Contact Joan at joan@mountaintrue.org for more information.

11/16/15 PUBLIC HEARING ON I-26 CONNECTOR

A Public Hearing will be held on November 16th at the Renaissance Hotel Grand Ballroom, 31 Woodfin Street in Asheville. NCDOT representatives will be available between 4 PM and 6:30 PM for the Pre-Hearing Open House to answer questions and receive comments on the project. The formal public hearing that will then begin at 7 PM with a review of the project, followed by a public comment session. Public comments on the DEIS [Draft Environmental Impact Study] will be received through December 16, 2015. Contact Joan at joan@mountaintrue.org for more information.

11/16/15 MOVE TO AMEND BUNCOMBE COUNTY MEETING

Location is the North Asheville Library at 1030 Merrimon Avenue in Asheville. Time is 7 PM. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Diana at  dianakruk@gmail.com  or 828-275-0680. 

11/16/15 UNITED NATIONS SPEAKER AT UNCA

Mogens Lykketoft, President of the United Nations General Assembly, will give a talk “The United Nations at 70: Reflections of the Past and Prospects for the Future”.  Time is 11 AM and location is the Reuter Center at UNC Asheville. His talk is free and open to the public. Lykketoft of Denmark was elected unanimously in September to serve a one-year term leading the General Assembly, the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the U.N., and the only one in which all 193 member nations have equal representation. The issues facing the U.N. this year include the Syrian refugee crisis, climate change and sustainable development, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In Denmark, Lykketoft has been a leading figure in the Social Democratic Party, serving as Finance Minister, Foreign Minister, and from 2011-2015, as Speaker of the Danish Folketing (parliament). He is an economist by training and a veteran parliamentarian and government minister. Lykketoft comes to UNC Asheville at the invitation of the university’s Carol Belk Distinguished Professor Mark Gibney, a leader in the field of international human rights law, who is also the Raoul Wallenberg Visiting Professor of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at Lund University and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden. For more information, call 828.250.3870.

11/17/15 WNC 4 PEACE MEETING

Location is the North Asheville Community Center at 37 E. Larchmont Street in north Asheville. Time is 6 PM. Contact Craig at herbzone@gmail.com for more information. 

11/17/15 PISGAH LEGAL SERVICES AMBASSADOR TRAINING

We will be hosting our next Ambassador Training on Tuesday, Nov. 17th from 11:45 AM to 1 PM to provide our board members, volunteers and supporters with an overview of key information about Pisgah Legal Services' programs, plans and fundraising. Lunch will be served. This will be held at 62 Charlotte Street in Asheville. Ambassador trainings are also a wonderful opportunity for Pisgah Legal staff to hear your insights on how we communicate our messages to the community. We appreciate your participation. Please RSVP to Lindsay at lindsay@pisgahlegal.org or 210.3405 to let us know if you plan to attend and if you would like lunch. 

11/17/15 DEALING WITH HOMELESSNESS IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY

Are you homeless or formerly homeless? Are you worried you might become homeless? If so, please join us to talk about the best ways to help people avoid homelessness, get out of homelessness, and stay safe while they are homeless. Asheville and Buncombe County are beginning to draft a new plan that will set priorities for how the local government and service agencies deal with homelessness. This plan will affect things like which programs get funded, what kind of help is available, and who gets that help. This meeting will happen at AHOPE at 19 North Ann Street in downtown Asheville. Time is 1 PM. Call AHOPE at 828-252-8883 for more information.

11/17/15 ASHEVILLE/BUNCOMBE HOUSING SUMMIT

A dynamic conversation about how public and private sectors can work together to meet our housing needs. Hosted by Asheville City Council. Time is 2 to 5 PM. Location is the US Cellular Center Banquet Hall. Keynote speaker is Laura Clark, executive director of Renaissance West Community Initiative. Panel discussions will follow on challenges and opportunities in affordable housing development. Reception to follow. Please RSVP by email to kmorrow@ashevillenc.gov.

11/18/15 GREEN DRINKS

Dive into The Magical World of Moss Gardening with Mossin’ Annie Martin. She is aWestern North Carolina native, educator, landscape designer and farmer. Her presentation will identify recommended species, teach basic propagation and design and install a moss garden – in 45 minute presentation. Check out her website and the latest Mountain Xpress article about her. Mosses are a gardener’s dream. These emerald beauties thrive where nothing else grows and provide year-round delights in all planting zones. Time is 5:30 and location is Twin Leaf Brewery at 144 Coxe Avenue in Asheville. Entrance is the big garage door on Banks Avenue.

11/18/15 NC WARN’S CLIMATE ROADSHOW

The Alliance for Energy Democracy, along with the Earth Team at First Congregational Church of Asheville, Creation Care Alliance of WNC and Transition Asheville will present NC WARN’s Climate Roadshow. Jim Warren, Executive Director of NC WARN will explain their Emergency Climate Response Campaign.  Jim and other NCWARN staff will engage you in a presentation and discussion on this new campaign, updated climate science, and what we can do about it. Participants will leave with more knowledge, hope and sense of power so that they can take effective action against Duke Energy on their climate change indifference. Time is 7 to 9 PM and location is the First Congregational Church Asheville at 20 Oak Street in Asheville. Free and open to the public. Please contact Richard at firepeople@main.nc.us for more information.

11/18/15 CREATION CARE ALLIANCE EVENT

Join Rev. Milly Morrow, Canon for Missional Formation and Rev. Scott Hardin-Nieri, Director of The Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina (CCA) for food, coffee and conversation about youth ministry and creation care. CCA is looking for ways to support youth ministries in WNC and to create collaborative opportunities for youth to integrate their faith life with creation care. There are no strings attached to this event, it is not a fundraiser, nor a pitch for a curriculum. We are hoping to provide space for prayerful conversation about how we work with young people in a time of great ecological and social challenge. Time is 10 to 11:30 AM and location is Kairos West Community Center at 742 Haywood Road in west Asheville. This is a facebook event.

11/19/15 HOMEWARD BOUND OF WNC TOUR

“Welcome Home Tour” is a tour of Asheville organizations that serve the homeless population. Registration required, free to attend. Time is 11 AM. Call 258-1695 for more information and for instructions on how to register.

11/20/15 EVENT AT MALAPROPS

In Jimmy Guignard's sobering “Pedaling the Sacrifice Zone: Teaching, Writing, and Living Above the Marcellus Shale”, the author, a professor at Pennsylvania's Mansfield University, takes readers on a cycling tour “through the fraught landscape of his family's life in the *sacrifice zone*” of the Marcellus Shale, ground zero of the natural gas industry and fracking. Location is Malaprop’s on Haywood Street in Asheville. Time is 7 PM. Call Malaprops for more information.

11/20/15 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 noon to 2 PM. Everyone is welcome. For more information contact Dr. Terry Clark, Chair, 633-0892 or Dr. Lew Patrie, 299-1242.

11/20/15 CREATION CARE ALLIANCE CONCERT & FUNDRAISER

First Christian Church presents an evening of great acoustic music with The Warren Wilson College Old-Time and Bluegrass Bands. This is a benefit for the Creation Care Alliance. Concert is free, contributions are encouraged. All contributions go directly to Creation Care Alliance. Time is 7 PM and location is First Christian Church at 201 Blue Ridge Road in Black Mountain. Contact Creation Care at creationcare@mountaintrue.org for more information.

11/20/15 to 11/22/15 SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS WATCH PROTEST AT FORT BENNING GEORGIA

11/21/15 REMEMBERING TONY BING

Remembering Tony Bing and his endeavors for a just peace in Israel/Palestine. Memorial address will be by Max Carter. Max will speak about his mentor, Tony, and his lively pursuit of peace and justice in Israel/Palestine, challenging us to continue Tony Bing’s exemplary practice of nonviolent peace-building activism. Special tributes from Hashim Badr, Carol Rogoff-Hallstrom, and James Aydelotte. Those gathered will also share stories of Tony Bing. Time is 3 to 5 PM and location is Lenoir-Rhyne University at 36 Montford Avenue in Asheville, on the second floor above the visitor’s center. The memorial is offered with deep gratitude for Tony’s leadership by Just Peace for Israel/Palestine. Please contact jpip.wnc@gmail.com or call 828-319-7652 for more information. 

11/21/15 UNCHAIN ASHEVILLE EVENT

We are organizing an event to raise awareness surrounding the issues and threats small, local, independent businesses in Asheville are currently facing. Our goal is to raise awareness as well as educate the consumer on the street about the value of supporting local businesses. We will be gathering for at our localist celebration at the Asheville Music Hall at 10 AM on November 21. The event happens to coincide with the Asheville Holiday Parade and the location is along the route. After the parade ends, we will have a “jazz funeral processional” style march around the block, passing by the chain locations. We will keep all of our marching on the sidewalks to keep this a free-speech event, eliminating the need to make this a permitted event. In order to find out about training sessions for this event, or if you have any questions about this campaign, contact our director, Franzi Charen, at ashevillegrown@gmail.com.

11/21/15 GREEN GRANNIES SING FOR THE CLIMATE

Green Grannies Sing for the Climate at Pritchard Park at 4 PM. Google "Singfortheclimate" and come out and sing with us! This happens on the third Saturday of every month. 

11/22/15 BENEFIT FOR ‘KIDS 4 PEACE’ IN ASHEVILLE

Join award winning whimsical re-percussionist Billy Jonas and the Billy Jonas Band on Sunday, November 22, at 7 PM at the Altamont Theatre at 18 Church Street in Asheville for the release celebration of their new recording ‘habayta (Homeward) New Jewish Songs of Joy and Spirit’. Jonas has appeared at numerous synagogues, Jewish summer camps, community centers and Jewish Day Schools throughout the US. About Kids4Peace: Founded in Jerusalem in 2002, Kids4Peace is an interfaith community of more than 1,800 Israeli, Palestinian and North American youth, families and educators working together for a better future. Through a network of local chapters and international camps, they provide a six-year, year-round educational program for Jewish, Christian & Muslim youth. Activities focus on interfaith dialogue, community-building, leadership development, and nonviolent action. Tickets are $36 and include reception and food. For further information and tickets call 617-501-1983.

11/27/25 JUST PEACE IN ISRAEL/PALESTINE

This meeting will be at 3:15 PM at Brooks-Howell Home on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville. Meet in the media room. Contact Suchi at suchi1025@bellsouth.net for more information.

11/29/15 GREEN GRANNIES LIGHT UP THE NIGHT

And on Sunday evening, November 29, 350.org and the Green Grannies are hosting "Light up the Night: A Vigil for the Paris Climate Talks," gathering at 5 PM in Grove Park, on N. Charlotte St., across from St. Mary's Episcopal Church - hope you can join us!

12/01/15 WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL LECTURE SERIES

“DEAS (ISIS) and PKK – The Regional Struggle for Hegemony: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar," with Ali Demirdas, a member of the international studies faculty at the College of Charleston and a Ph.D. candidate at University of South Carolina. The lectures are sponsored by the WNC chapter of the World Affairs Council, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UNC Asheville, and the university's Department of Political Science. Admission to World Affairs Council presentations at UNC Asheville is $10 for the public; free to members of the World Affairs Council and UNC Asheville students. For more information call 828.251.6140.

12/03/15 CREATION CARE ALLIANCE MEETING

Creation Care Alliance General Meeting. Time is 5:30 to 7 PM. Location is the First Baptist Church of Asheville at 5 Oak Street in downtown Asheville. Contact Creation Care at creationcare@mountaintrue.org for more information.

12/05/15 CITIZENS CLIMATE LOBBY MEETING

Citizens Climate Lobby meets the first Saturday of each month at Kairos West Community Center, 742 Haywood Road in west Asheville. We are advocating for a Carbon Fee & Dividend, which would impose a fee on fossil fuels at point entry; this fee will be refunded to individuals and families. There is bipartisan support in Congress as this will create jobs and help grow the economy, boosting renewables. Time is 12:30 to 3 PM.  Location is Kairos West Community Center at 742 Haywood Road in west Asheville. For more information contact asheville@citizensclimatelobby.org.

12/10/15 JUST ECONOMICS ANNUAL CELEBRATION

Just Economics Annual Celebration. Free, food and entertainment provided, all are welcome. Time is 6 to 9 PM and location is Jubilee! in downtown Asheville. Just Economics works to educate, advocate, and organize for a just and sustainable local economy that works for all in Western North Carolina.  We see ourselves not as people of privilege advocating on behalf of low-income people but rather, people of privilege and low-income people advocating together for a better economic community.  We welcome participation in our work from all members of our community. We are currently focused on living wage jobs, accessible transportation, and affordable housing.

*******************************************

ONGOING EVENTS

*******************************************

TUESDAY

Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 4:30 PM at Pack Square, Vance Monument

Showing Up for Racial Justice Meeting at 10 AM at Firestorm Cafe & Books

WEDNESDAY

Haywood Peace Vigilers have a weekly vigil at 4 PM at Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville

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. Call 884-3435 to confirm. 

Third Saturdays – Asheville’s Green Grannies invites the public to “sing for the climate” at Pritchard Park 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.

*******************************************

ACTIONS AND READINGS

*******************************************

Christian Peacemaker Teams Palestine offered this prayer in its October newsletter:

We pray for the families of all of those murdered in Israel and Palestine this dark and bloody month as they navigate the searing pain of grief.

We pray that the bodies of those Palestinians being held by Israel are returned to their families swiftly.

We pray for a just peace.

************************