Upcoming events in the Asheville area this week

UPCOMING EVENTS

01/02/12 BILL OF RIGHTS DEFENSE COMMITTEE
Join us for a talk by George Friday of the Bill of Right Defense Committee.  Federal agencies have used fear and prejudice to undermine what used to be hollowed "freedoms". Since the "Citizen's United" case corporations have become predatory in seeking ways to sap public funds to prop up their economic systems at the cost of libraries, schools, and neighborhoods.  What's the connection and how to regular people make the needed transformation to truly secure communities where everyone is fully seen and valued? Join us to explore.  Location is Firestorm Cafe in downtown Asheville.  George Friday has been Field Organizer for BORDC since Oct 2010, and is a founding Executive Committe member of MTA.  Starting time is 7 PM per email, and 10:15 PM per website.  Call 828-255-8155 to see which one is correct before going (sorry, but I caught this very late and could not straighten out the confusion). 

01/02/12 MOUNTAIN PROTECTORS MEETING
Mountain Protectors meeting starts at 7 PM and will be held at the home of Monica Tilhou at 26 Ivy Street, Asheville.  For more information, contact Mary Olson at maryo@nirs.org or 828-252-8409.

01/04/12 SIERRA CLUB MEETING
Richard Kark will discuss his river canoeing adventures over his lifetime.  Social is at 7 PM and program starts at 7:30 PM.  Location is the Unitarian Church at 1 Edwin Street in Asheville.

01/05/12 VETERANS FOR PEACE MEETING
Time is 6:30 PM and location is VFP HQ at the Phil Mechanic Studios: 109 Roberts Street (the corner of Haywood and Roberts), Asheville. VFP CHAPTER 099: http://vfpchapter099wnc.blogspot.com/

01/06/12 UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST MOVIE NIGHT
The movie “Carbon Nation” will be shown at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Asheville at the corner of Edwin and Charlotte Street.  Time will be 7 PM.  Donations accepted.  Contact David Williams for more information at devwilliams@juno.com.

01/07/12 GREEN PARTY MEETING
The Buncombe County GREEN Party's business meeting is free & open to the public. It will be held from 10AM to noon, upstairs in the Fortune Building, 729 Haywood Rd., West Asheville. Contact Ronald @ 828LUCK180 or Larry @ 828-225-4347 for more information.

01/08/12 ASHEVILLE N.O.W. MEETING

Asheville National Organization of Women group will hold a meeting on January 8, 2012.   We will be meeting the 2nd Sunday in every month (unless otherwise noted) at the beautiful Roof Garden (top floor) of the Battery Park Apts., located at 1 Battle Square in downtown Asheville (right behind the Grove Arcade - in the same building as Havanna's Cuban Restaurant).  If you wish to attend, put in code #0810 at the front door and give the person your name and she will buzz you in. Our meetings are from 3:00pm - 5:00pm. Light refreshments are served. If you have a favorite, bring some to share. Green Tea is always available.  We welcome new supporters who share the Asheville NOW philosophy of seeking greater equality for all. Our meetings are informal, because we like it that way.

01/09/12 PUBLIC MEETING - LICENSING A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN SC
Car pools now being formed to attend and speak at a Public Meeting that will focus on the licensing of two new units at a new site near Gaffney, SC on the Broad River. This would be 60 miles from Asheville.  Contact Laura Sorensen at 545-4443 or Lsredoak@gmail.com for more info or to carpool.  This meeting will be held at Restoration Church International, 1905 North Limestone St., Gaffney, SC.  Time is 7 PM.

01/12/12 TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF GUANTANAMO BAY PRISON
Amnesty International will be holding a protest in DC to mark this horrible anniversary.

01/14/12 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BREAKFAST
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville & Buncombe County announced that Dr. Boyce Watkins will give the keynote address at the 31st annual Prayer Breakfast honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The breakfast will be the highlight of a series of events from Wednesday, Jan. 11 through Monday, Jan. 16, 2012.  The Prayer Breakfast, which will take place at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, January 14, at the Grove Park Inn, is among the largest public celebrations in Western North Carolina, attracting more than 1,000 citizens and distinguished guests to the historic inn each year.  The Prayer Breakfast begins at 8:30 a.m. and includes music by the Asheville Unity & Fellowship Choir, directed by Alaysia Black Hackett. Tickets to the breakfast are $30 for adults, $15 for youth under 18, and $35 for patrons. Tickets and additional information are available by phone at 828-335-6896 or by email at editor@myowneditor.com.

01/15/12 ASHEVILLE ETHICAL SOCIETY MEETING
Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday “Peace and Violence, Two Perspectives into Action – MLK, Jr. and Johann Galtung” will be presented by John Spitzberg at the Sunday, January 15th meeting of the Ethical Society of Asheville, 2:00-3:30 PM, held at the YMI Cultural Center, 39 South Market Street in the Ray Auditorium. Spitzberg is a retired special education teacher, social worker, paramedic and currently is a service provider and volunteer with the homeless population in Asheville, president of the local chapter of Veterans for Peace and a member and former Ethical Action Chair of the Ethical Society of Asheville. Tying in his work and belief system to that of MLK, Jr. Spitzberg will introduce Johann Galtung, a Norwegian man in his 80s who is also known for his work for peace and non-violence.  There will be a discussion period following the presentation. Following the meeting, there will be time for informal conversation. All are welcome!

01/17/12 OCCUPY THE US CONGRESS DAY

01/23/12 BUILDING BRIDGES
“Going Beyond Racism through Understanding and Respect”
This Building Bridges session will last for nine consecutive Mondays, from 1/23/12 to 3/19/12.   It will be held at 121 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, which is the new MAHEC campus.  Time is 7 to 9 PM.  Register at www.buildingbridges-asheville.org or call 828-777-4585.  More information:  Envision by 2020 an Asheville where race is just a part of our "flava" and not the means by which we allocate goods, services and access; where concepts like educational disparities and structural racism in healthcare delivery are a distant memory to our community.  Envision a Western North Carolina where employment opportunities are plentiful to anyone who is skilled or qualified for a position.  Envision a community burgeoning with commissions and councils, entities and enterprises, collectives and corporations joining to collaboratively help with unlearning racism, yet creating awareness of unearned privilege...thereby cultivating harmony among all of our neighbors.  We, at Building Bridges, believe that it is not only possible, but likely that we will restore and reconcile the family, community and global society with dialogue, awareness, justice-making action and mutual accountability.

02/04/12 MARTIN LUTHER KING BREAKFAST - BLACK MOUNTAIN
The Rev. Aubra Love is the keynote speaker for the Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast in Black Mountain, NC on Saturday, February 4, 2012, at Camp Dorothy Walls, AME Conference Center. All are invited and encouraged to attend.  For more information, please contact Tom Cannon, MLK Breakfast Committee (828)778-7166.