Edward DuBose speaks out at the gates of Fort Benning

This is from the protest called "School of Americas Watch" which happens every year at Fort Benning, GA. This speech is from 2014. I was not able to join them this year, but hope to next year.

"Here lies my brother"

"We Gotta Pray"

Happy Holidays to all!

This is a photo that was circulated on Facebook. Beautiful scene here!

Same as it every was - by Michael Franti

"When we all see justice, then we'll all see peace!"

More on the Christmas Truce

Christmas Eve Truce - 100 years ago tonight

Photo came from this website:  Political Blindspot

A century ago tonight, there was a truce on Christmas Eve on the front lines of World War One. This was instituted and done by the men who were there to fight – in spite of the fact that world leaders had completely turned down such a truce. From the website listed above (for the photo) came this report on the Christmas Truce.

Stanley Weintraub, author of “Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce”, describes these events as follows: “[T]he Germans set trees on trench parapets and lit the candles. Then, they began singing carols, and though their language was unfamiliar to their enemies, the tunes were not. After a few trees were shot at, the British became more curious than belligerent and crawled forward to watch and listen. And after a while, they began to sing. By Christmas morning, the “no man’s land” between the trenches was filled with fraternizing soldiers, sharing rations and gifts, singing and (more solemnly) burying their dead between the lines. Soon they were even playing soccer, mostly with improvised balls.”

 War is over. If you want it. And here is a song about this event, from John McCutcheon.

A true holiday spirit here

a kindergartener signs the songs she is singing to her parents - she is doing an outstanding job!  So cute too!

Happy Solstice!

Photo came from Ashvillage email. In the middle of the darkest time, we celebrate the light. And in the middle of the lightest time, we celebrate the dark.

Happy Chanukah!

I am deeply impressed by Jewish Voices for Peace and this video they made for Chanukah 2014.

CHRISTMAS "PEACE" IN THE LAND OF THE HOLY ONE

Printed in the Smoky Mountain News last holiday season. Reprinted with permission from the author, Doug Wingeier.

Some years back I spent the Christmas season in the Land of the Holy One. (It is not the land that is holy, but the One who was born, lived, died, and rose there.) This was one of my several sojourns in Israel/Palestine over the years. My strongest impression at that time (and conditions have only gotten worse since) was of the oppression my Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters--along with their Muslim neighbors--were enduring under the Israeli occupation. I was struck with how similar this was to the Roman oppression of local inhabitants in the time of Jesus.

On Christmas Eve, worshippers, both pilgrims from abroad and local Palestinian Christians, had to pass through checkpoints on the way from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, manned by rude, trigger-happy teenage Israeli soldiers.. Some were barred entrance and turned back. Entering Manger Square, where several choirs from around the world were to sing Christmas music to be broadcast worldwide, we were subjected to frisking, metal detectors, and body searches. Israeli soldiers mingled with the crowd and stood on rooftops ringing the square, Uzis at the ready. A mood of apprehension, fear, and suspicion trumped the joy, peace and love one would expect at this season.

Earlier, I had visited a Palestinian Christian village in the West Bank that featured a home very much like one in Jesus' time. Cows and sheep were housed under the same roof as the family--reminiscent of the time when a baby was born in a stable to a peasant family forced to journey through the winter rains by an imperial edict requiring tax registration. Midway on the road between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, archaelogists were excavating the site of a fourth century Byzantine church, built on the traditional site where Mary and Joseph had paused to rest before continuing on, only to find "no room in the inn." (Excavations complete, the site has since been covered over.)

More recently, the Israelis have erected a huge, forbidding 16-foot wall with armed checkpoints (euphemistically called a "security fence"), separating Palestinians from their farmland, schools, jobs, relatives, medical care, and places of worship. Our Palestinian friends tell us this really puts them in a large prison, with their movements strictly monitored and controlled.

Too many pilgrims go this "holy land" only to see the "places where Jesus walked," and are led by Israeli guides who shield them from meeting the "living stones"--Palestinian Christians whose ancestors were the contemporaries of Jesus who became the first Christians. Many of their villages were demolished by the Israeli military. The homes that survived are now occupied by Jewish immigrants, while their original Palestinian owners still hold the keys, hoping one day to return and claim their rightful property.

Later, I returned to teach a semester at Bethlehem Bible College, where my students were young Palestinian Christians preparing for ministry with their people. One, Ala'e, was from a Muslim family who had accepted Christ as Savior, attended the Nazarene Church in East Jerusalem, and was trying to remain a faithful member of both faith communities. Another, Gabriel, was a talented musician, who had decided not to pursue further education because he "saw no future" for himself there. A third, Jusuf, one day asked me point-blank in class, "Must we forgive our enemies?" A classmate later explained that, as a boy of seven, he had seen his father dragged from their home by Israeli soldiers and shot dead before his eyes.

And then there was Tony Nassar (later married to classmate Nisreen), who took me several times to the farm seven miles south of Bethlehem owned by him and his two brothers--devoted members of the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. Their farm was surrounded on all four sides by Israeli settlements. Each time I went I saw where more of their land had been confiscated by the settlers. They had shot his horse, and blocked the access road to the farm with huge boulders, so that the Nassars had to go several miles out of the way to reach their land. Their olive trees, some centuries old, had been uprooted by Caterpillar bulldozers. Holding deeds and tax receipts from Ottoman, British, and Jordanian governments, they had proof of their ownership, so had already spent thousands of dollars in legal fees and court costs to defend their land, and were determined to hold onto it.

One of the Bible College faculty, Salim Munayer, conducts a ministry called "Muslahala," which brings together Palestinian Christians with Messianic Jews (who do not identify as Christian but accept Jesus as Messiah and Saviour) to hear each other's stories, get to know each other as human beings and fellow believers, gradually overcome their mutual fears and suspicions, and build the kind of relationships that are the only sure basis of a lasting peace in that troubled land.

A growing number of Jews in this country, such as the young people in Jewish Voice for Peace, have lived with Palestinian families in the West Bank, suffered with them the same indignities and persecutions at the hands of Israeli settlers and military, and returned home to tell their synagogues that what they have seen there "violates the Jewish values with which we were raised." They are joining with growing numbers of Christians in a campaign of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) against US corporations like Caterpillar, Motorola, and Northrop Grumman that contribute to the illegal occupation, and products and services originating in the occupied West Bank--like Veolia (bottled water) and SodaStream (home carbonization machines)--similar to the worldwide campaign waged in Nelson Mandela's time against the oppressive apartheid regime in South Africa.

Of course, violence originates from both sides in the turbulent Middle East, so that, in this Christmas season, it is sometimes difficult, above the din, to hear the angels sing "peace on earth, good will to all." But if we wish genuinely and effectively to contribute to peace with justice there, we will listen openly and fairly to all sides; seek to meet, get to know, and hear the stories of Palestinian Christians, the "living stones" (and their Muslim friends and neighbors); let our expenditures be guided by BDS principles; reject both anti-Arab prejudice and anti-Semitism (while at the same time opposing the unjust policies and practices of the Israeli government and settlers), and live in the spirit of this verse from the carol, "O Holy Night":

"Truly he taught us to love one another;

His law is love and his gospel is peace.

Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother.

And in his name all oppression shall cease."

Photos from DC a few years back

Net Neutrality is important

Upcoming events in the Asheville area this week

UPCOMING EVENTS

Please note: Unless there are more events scheduled, I will not be sending out an events calendar until January 4, 2015. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year to everyone. Maybe next year our country will do better in human rights. justice, and with promoting peace instead of wars and conflicts. 

12/16/14 WNC ALLIANCE FOR RETIRED AMERICANS MEETING 

The WNC Alliance for Retired Americans has changed to quarterly meetings.  So the meetings will be the third Tuesday in June, September and December at 10 AM in the Kenilworth Presbyterian Church Parlor at 123 Kenilworth Road in Asheville. The ARA is a statewide organization of retired union members and their friends and families. We are non-partisan and open to everyone who is concerned about the need for jobs which pay a living wage, as well as those issues which affect all of us. FMI contact dick@dickandnorma.com.

12/17/14 #OPFEED THE HOMELESS

Band together to feed and clothe the homeless --- jackets, socks, gloves, blankets and anything of warmth, Feeding the Homeless, Asheville NC on December 17. Time, locations, and details can be mutually agreed upon as a group. Governments frighten us into thinking we need them, but we are moving past the Statist paradigm and rendering them obsolete. There is nothing that the State does that either needs to be done or cannot be done better within the matrix of voluntary action and exchange. This is a Facebook event, no further information.

12/17/14 GREEN DRINKS

A panel discussion by Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity and Mountain Housing Opportunities exploring issues of affordable housing and initiatives to make it healthier, greener and more affordable to live in. Both organizations will present their approach to offering affordable housing in our community as well as the organizations path to making their homes green, energy efficient, healthier and more affordable to live in. They will cover successes, challenges, strategies and initiatives within their own organizations. The panel discussion will be followed by Q&A. Come early for community connections and green drink specials! Socializing starts at 5:30 PM, presentation is at 6 PM. Location is the Green Sage in downtown Asheville.

12/18/14 HOOD TALK

Developing positive energy to restore greater communication and strength throughout our community. Location is the management building at Klondyke Apartments at 500 Montford Avenue in Asheville. Time is 6 PM to 8 PM. 

12/19/14 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 noon to 2 PM. Everyone is welcome. Please go to www.wncpsr.org  for more information, which includes how to get there and other details.

12/20/14 GREEN GRANNIES SING FOR THE CLIMATE

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

12/20/14 WESTERN CAROLINIANS FOR PEACE & JUSTICE IN THE MIDDLE EAST RALLY

Western Carolinians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East will be at Vance Monument, Saturday December 20th from 1-3 PM to promote boycott of Hewlett Packard and SodaStream for their profiting from the occupation of Palestine and to remind people of the situation in Gaza. For more information, contact Suchi at 828-669-2073.

12/28/14 DISPLAY AT ALL SOULS CATHEDRAL

Gaza Pinwheels will be displayed at All Souls Cathedral on December 28 th, recognizing the death of children killed in the war between Gaza and Israel last summer. There will be 520 pinwheels for Palestinian children killed and one pinwheel for the Israeli child killed. The Youth Group at the church will put them in the ground on Saturday, December 27th.

12/29/14 CONNECTION PRACTICE

"A Taste of the Connection Practice" with Cathy Holt. Learn effective, empathic communication skills that can transform relationships by connecting at the heart, helping everyone's needs get met.  Contact: Cathy Holt at cathyfholt@gmail.com or 828-545-9681 for more information. Time is 6:30 PM and location is North Asheville Library on Merrimon Ave. Free and open to all.

01/04/15 PLANNING SESSION FOR ASHEVILLE N.O.W.

A planning session will be held for the 2015 executive committee and any interested members. It will be from 10 AM - 2 PM, with a potluck working lunch and time to relax in a private location after the work is done. This session constitutes our first member meeting of the new year. Please respond to ashevillenow@live.com with your RSVP in order to receive directions to the private location.

01/14/15 WESTERN CAROLINIANS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

This meeting will be at 9:30 AM at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church in Black Mountain.

01/16/15 WESTERN CAROLINIANS FOR PEACE & JUSTICE IN THE MIDDLE EAST EVENT

Rachel Rasmussen will be in Asheville from the first of the year through January 21 when she goes back to the Occupied Palestinian Territory to study Arabic for a week before returning to her work as Christian Peacemaker Team member in Hebron. On Friday January l6, at 7 PM, there will be a conversation with Rachel at the Swannanoa Valley Friends Meeting (137 Center Avenue) in Black Mountain. Donations will be welcomed to support Rachel’s work. Refreshments will be served. All are welcome.

01/17/15 34TH ANNUAL PRAYER BREAKFAST

Celebrate the Legacy: from Dreams to Actions. Duke Professor and award-winning author Dr. Thavolia Glymph will speak at 2015 Breakfast. The 34th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast will be held at 8:30 AM at its new location at the Crowne Plaza resort in Asheville. The Prayer Breakfast is the largest, most diverse event of its kind in Asheville, each year bringing more than a thousand people of all races, faiths, and backgrounds together to recommit to Dr. King’s Dream and ensuring that the community and the society continue taking steps to make it reality, whatever obstacles we find in our path. Tickets for the 2015 Prayer Breakfast are $25 for adults, $35 for patrons, and $15 for children 12 and under. Adult tickets will cost $30 as of Jan. 1, 2015. To order tickets by telephone call 828-335-6896 or 828-281-1624. And to order by email, contact editor@myowneditor.com,  

01/19/15 PEACE MARCH AND RALLY ON MLK DAY

Meet at 11:30 AM at St. James AME Church at 44 Hildebrand Street and MLK Drive in Asheville. At noon, we will march to City-County Plaza. Everyone is invited. More information at mlkasheville.org.

1/24/15 HARD TO RECYCLE EVENT

This will be at Aaron's Rent to Own parking lot at 1298 Patton Avenue in west Asheville. Time is 10 AM to 2 PM. If you have questions, call GreenWorks at 828-254-1776.

01/26/15 BUILDING BRIDGES SESSION STARTS

The Mission of Building Bridges is to enable our community to confront and overcome racism through a continuing process of changing attitudes and hearts through education, consciousness raising, nurturing, and ongoing support. Our goal is to be intentional in respecting diversity within our community. The session runs from January 26 to March 23, 2015. Time is 7 to 9 PM and location is MAHEC at 119 Hendersonville Road in Asheville NC. Cost is $30, and you must register. Go to their website to sign up. More information below.

01/30/15 WESTERN CAROLINIANS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

This meeting will be at 3:15 PM at Brooks-Howell Home on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville. Meet in the media room. 

02/14/15 HISTORIC THOUSANDS MARCH ON JONES STREET (HK on J) 

This is in Raleigh, and there will be more information soon.

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ONGOING EVENTS

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TUESDAY

Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 4:30 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 4 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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TUESDAY EVENING NON VIOLENT COMMUNICATION STUDY GROUP

This Non-Violent Communication Study and Practice Group is facilitated, but peer centric. All activities emphasize peer contribution.

Activities vary week to week, but may include:

*Sharing about and discussing the NVC Paradigm

*Exploring NVC skills and concepts

*"Labbing" NVC situations and sharing experiences and perspectives

*Practicing colloquial/slang NVC ("street giraffe")

*Presentations on core NVC elements by study group members

*Sharing NVC related quotes

Meets weekly at The Little Volcano Yoga Studio (Downtown Asheville - 62 Wall Street). Time is 6:45 to 8:45 PM.

Donations to support the space and facilitator are appreciated (Suggested $5). Snacks and drinks to share are welcome.

You're encouraged to come with:

*Notes, note taking material

*NVC reading material

*Situations and scenarios that have challenged you

*Any quotes you like from NVC related books and materials

*An open mind

For more information, please ask in the Asheville NVC Study Group FB Group or contact CJ O'Reilly (admin@cjoreilly.com).

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BUILDING BRIDGES PROGRAM COMING UP

Winter/Spring Registration is now open.

This seminar is an introduction to the dynamics of racism and is an opportunity to explore how race has impacted our relationships, communities and institutions.  Past participants are welcome. Registration is required and is limited to 90 people. Encourage and recommend individuals as well as organizations that you know to participate in Building Bridges. If you are an alumni of the Building Bridges Seminars, you may apply to become a Co-Facilitator. To apply for a Co-Facilitator position, send an email to info@buildingbridges-ashevillenc.org for more information about Co-Facilitator Trainings. A celebratory pot luck supper will be held for all participants at the ninth meeting. Families are welcome to attend the potluck. You may call (828) 777-4585 for more information. Please go to their website for instructions on how to register.

http://www.buildingbridges-ashevillenc.org

Since 1993, Building Bridges has profoundly impacted people and institutions throughout Western North Carolina. To date, more than 1500 participants have attended the program from: Asheville, Hendersonville, Black Mountain, Lake Junaluska, Franklin, Cherokee, Waynesville, Madison County and Rutherfordton. The program has been hosted at the following churches and schools: New Mount Olive Baptist, Grace Covenant Presbyterian, Hill Street Baptist, Mount Zion Missionary Baptist, All Souls Episcopal, Jubilee!, St. Paul's Methodist, Nazareth First Baptist, Berry Temple United Methodist, Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Temple Beth Ha-Tephila, Central United Methodist Church, Bahaí Faith Center, Reid Community Center, Francis Delaney School, A-B Tech and MAHEC.

BLACK LIVES MATTER - Rally in Asheville NC today

WNC Solidarity March Against Police Violence December 13, 21014

Time lapse video

Time lapse video of human destruction. This is so sad. In Appalachia, over 500 mountains have been destroyed by mountain top removal. And that is only one part of the destruction.

You may say I am a dreamer...

but then, the people who promote wars to solve problems are a fracking nightmare.

In honor of Sam Cooke

Who was murdered 50 years ago today. He wrote an amazing song for us to remember him by, and to hope by..... A Change is Gonna Come.

Silent to be heard!

I will join him in an hour of silence today.

Words of wisdom

“As I have walked among the desperate, rejected, and angry young men, I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems. I have tried to offer them my deepest compassion while maintaining my conviction that social change comes most meaningfully through nonviolent action. But they ask -- and rightly so -- what about Vietnam? They ask if our own nation wasn't using massive doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today -- my own government.” – Martin Luther King, Jr., Beyond Vietnam – A Time to Break Silence, April 4, 1967, Riverside Church, New York City

Standing up for your rights, against all odds

I have to say - I don't think I would do this. If someone with a gun told me to lie on the ground (or any damn thing), I would probably do it so he would not shoot me. But why these cops pulled there guns is beyond my ability to understand. And this man was very brave to stand up for his rights.



Here is more of the story behind this.

Upcoming events in the Asheville area this week

A poster/painter from the protest against police brutality last Saturday.

UPCOMING EVENTS

12/08/14 MOVE TO AMEND BUNCOMBE COUNTY MEETING

The next MABCO meeting is Monday, December 8, at 7 PM at the North Asheville Library on Merrimon Avenue. The focus of this planning meeting will be setting MABCO goals for 2015. Call Ruth at 232-2883 or email ruthachristie@gmail.com for more information.

12/08/14 TRANSITION ASHEVILLE SOCIAL

TA Social: “Tim Ormond and a New Paradigm for Human-Stormwater Ecosystems!” Transition Asheville is presenting a talk by Tim Ormond,of HydroCycle Engineering, who has transformed the landscape and parking lot of Mars Hill's Town Hall from an ordinary "storm-water--run-off-into-the-sewer-system"  situation, into a veritable Garden of Eden! Come hear how he did it, and why he is advocating for a new paradigm for human-stormwater ecosystems. Monday, Dec. 8th, at the Parish Hall of St. Mary's Church, 337 Charlotte St., Asheville, 6:30 to 8 PM. Free, and delicious refreshments served! For more information visit Transition Asheville website.

12/09/14 VETERANS FOR PEACE MEETING

Time is 6:30 PM and location is VFP HQ at the Phil Mechanic Studios: 109 Roberts Street in Asheville. 

12/09/14 HABITAT FOR HUMANITY HOMES 

Please join us on Tuesday, December 9th at 3:30pm. We will celebrate the completion of our first East Valley Habitat neighborhood in Swannanoa (17 houses in total) with the dedication of the final four homes. After a short speaking program, the four homes will be open to tour. In addition to being in a stunningly beautiful Swannanoa location, this Habitat neighborhood is also amazingly diverse. Some families are Buncombe County natives, others were born in Moldova, Jamaica, Colombia, El Salvador, Vietnam, and Guyana but have grown to love Buncombe County and have considered it home for many years. All are thrilled to put down roots in Swannanoa and call this wonderful community home.

12/09/14 ASHEVILLE CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Time is 5 to  7 PM and location is City Hall, Council Chambers, 2nd floor. They will be discussing an anti-fracking resolution.

12/10/14 AFFORDABLE CARE ACT LAB SESSION AT AB TECH

Unsure about how to sign up for insurance under the Affordable Care Act? Come to the Balsam computer lab and sign-up in person. Certified Navigators will be available to answer any questions that come up and can even walk you through each step of enrollment. Location is Balsam 214. Time is 11 AM.

12/10/14 WESTERN CAROLINIANS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

This meeting will be at 9:30 AM at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church in Black Mountain.

12/10/14 HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

12/10/14 GREEN DRINKS

The United Nations Association Western NC Chapter will be presenting in celebration of Human Rights Day 2014. Details to come! Come early for community connections and green drink specials! Socializing from 5:30, presentation at 6 PM. Location is the Green Sage in downtown Asheville. 

12/11/14 UPCYCLE YOUR HOLIDAY FROM TRANSITION ASHEVILLE

Where: Meet at Buncombe County Landfill, continue to Curbside Management Recycling, and finish at Common Ground Upcycle Emporium and Resource Center. What to Expect: Get a visual of the amount of waste we create as a community, rethink purchasing new materials, and get creatively inspired to upcycle. Wear: Warm clothing. We will spend a significant amount of time outside. Bring: Snacks, water. Homemade granola bars will be provided. Free and open to all ages. Registration required. Contact: Rachel Stevens (828) 258-8737 ext. 215 or email rachel@wnca.org for more information including how to register. Time is 10 AM to 1 PM.

12/11/14 OVERVIEW OF STATE BUDGET AND TOOLS TO MAKE AN IMPACT

Give Me 5! Join Us at "Building a Stronger North Carolina – A Call to Action” Thursday, December 11th, 8:30 to 11:00 AM at the AB Tech Enka campus. Hear an overview of the North Carolina State Budget, Economic Forecast, Issues Affecting Your Community and Add Your Voice. UNITED WAY and the NC Budget & Tax Center, a project of the NC Justice Center, are teaming up to share the story of the economy and the NC state budget. Throughout this session, you will have the opportunity to respond and voice your concerns. Here’s a snapshot of what you can expect: information on North Carolina’s economic recovery and how families are faring; overview of the state budget decisions and how the state is addressing the areas of education, income and health; regional and local data on the economy and impacts of policy decisions; tools to make an impact on the issues you care most about. This event is brought to you by United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County, the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, WNC Nonprofit Pathways, the League of Women Voters, Women for Women, and Children First/Communities in Schools in conjunction with United Way of North Carolina and the North Carolina Budget and Tax Center. For more information and instructions on how to register, call 828-255-0696 or email ron.katz@unitedwayabc.org.   

12/11/14 N.O.W. HOLIDAY DROP IN CELEBRATION

You're invited to celebrate the holiday season with a casual, drop-in celebration with the Asheville Chapter of the National Organization for Women on Thursday, December 11, at Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar, in the Grove Arcade, from 6 - 8 PM. Each attendee will receive a special gift of light from us to you, and will have the opportunity to win the seasonal Rosemary tree, a gift of remembrance in honor of the sisterhood of women. 

12/11/14 CLEAN ENERGY FOR WNC

Clean energy information session. Free, held at REI  Asheville, 31 Schenck Parkway in Arden. Time is 7:30 PM. cleanerergyfor.us

12/12/14 UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVIE

If you attended our Poverty Forum, then you saw the trailer for a terrific HBO documentary “Paycheck to Paycheck: The Life and Times of Katrina Gilbert” which illustrates the struggles of the working poor in America. This film will be the featured presentation for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville's Social Justice Movie Night. This event is free, but donations will be accepted to cover screening costs. We hope to see you there! Time is 7 PM and location is the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville at 1 Edwin Place, Asheville.

12/13/14 CHANGE THE COURSE: PEOPLE POWERED STRATEGIES FOR A STABLE CLIMATE

Did you miss the Change the Course training put on by the Rainforest Action Network in October?  AND can’t make the workshop on 11/23?  Transition Asheville is keeping the momentum from our Back-Casting Event and the RAN workshop moving forward for local change.  What kind of a future would you like to see? Would you like to help make that desirable future come to pass by thinking about what we could do–here and now–to make it happen? The workshop is based on the RAN Climate Summits being conducted across the country to involve citizens in their own communities to see what changes can be made close to home, on the community and neighborhood levels, particularly for a Day of Action, hopefully in late January.  We hope to lend support to the RAN Day of Action, identify people who want to host additional presentations, and move forward on actions for local change.  Join us for an afternoon to create and share a vision and strategies to help stabilize the climate! The more people who take part in these workshops, the more ideas, energy and creativity can be brought to bear on the challenges! Time is 1 to 6 PM and location is Lenoir-Rhyne University, Asheville campus. Go to Transition Asheville website for more information.

12/13/14 FOOD FOR THOUGHT: THE SLAM AGAINST HUNGER

Join us for the most thought provoking youth poetry slam of the year as poets ages 12-21 give voice to the issue of hunger in our community. Francine Delany School and Asheville Youth Mission are partnering with us on this benefit for MANNA FOOD BANK. Adults $15, Students and Teachers $10. Please bring food donations. Location is Rainbow Community Auditorium at 60 State Street in west Asheville. Time is 7 PM to 10 PM. This is a Facebook event, and there is a link on the Facebook page to Eventbrite. 

12/13/14 HELP THE HEMLOCKS FROM TRANSITION ASHEVILLE

Be Part of a Major Hemlock Restoration Effort! When: 9 AM -1PM or 1PM - 5 PM. Carpool from Asheville: Morning Session meet at 9 AM at the Southern Research Station (200 W.T. Weaver Boulevard, Asheville, NC 28804). Afternoon Session TBD. What to Expect: We will be planting 18-24′ hemlock saplings with the Forest Service Southern Research Station from 10 AM to 4 PM at DuPont State Forest. You have the chance to choose if you would like to plant in the morning or afternoon. We’ll switch over at lunch. No tree planting experience necessary! Wear: Hiking boots & dress in layers. Winter seems to have already arrived! Bring: Lunch, two liters of water, and shovel & work gloves if you have them. Registration required. Contact: Alexandra Guest (828) 258-8737 ext. 206 or email at  alexandra@wnca.org for more information including how to register.

12/13/14 WNC SOLIDARITY MARCH AGAINST POLICE VIOLENCE

On Saturday Dec 13th, the families of some of the victims of police violence are leading a March on Washington- we are organizing this local march to show our support for them and for all victims and victimized communities and to demand that the police stop killing us! We will meet at 4 PM at St James Episcopal (44 Hildebrand Street in Asheville) and march to Vance. Those who cannot march can meet at 5 PM at Vance Monument. Black Lives Matter! This event is on Facebook.

12/16/14 WNC ALLIANCE FOR RETIRED AMERICANS MEETING 

The WNC Alliance for Retired Americans has changed to quarterly meetings.  So the meetings will be the third Tuesday in June, September and December at 10 AM in the Kenilworth Presbyterian Church Parlor at 123 Kenilworth Road in Asheville. The ARA is a statewide organization of retired union members and their friends and families. We are non-partisan and open to everyone who is concerned about the need for jobs which pay a living wage, as well as those issues which affect all of us. FMI contact dick@dickandnorma.com.

12/17/14 #OPFEED THE HOMELESS

Band together to feed and clothe the homeless --- jackets, socks, gloves, blankets and anything of warmth, Feeding the Homeless, Asheville NC on December 17. Time, locations, and details can be mutually agreed upon as a group. Governments frighten us into thinking we need them, but we are moving past the Statist paradigm and rendering them obsolete. There is nothing that the State does that either needs to be done or cannot be done better within the matrix of voluntary action and exchange. This is a Facebook event, no further information.

12/17/14 GREEN DRINKS

A panel discussion by Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity and Mountain Housing Opportunities exploring issues of affordable housing and initiatives to make it healthier, greener and more affordable to live in. Both organizations will present their approach to offering affordable housing in our community as well as the organizations path to making their homes green, energy efficient, healthier and more affordable to live in. They will cover successes, challenges, strategies and initiatives within their own organizations. The panel discussion will be followed by Q&A. Come early for community connections and green drink specials! Socializing starts at 5:30 PM, presentation is at 6 PM. Location is the Green Sage in downtown Asheville.

12/18/14 HOOD TALK

Developing positive energy to restore greater communication and strength throughout our community. Location is the management building at Klondyke Apartments at 500 Montford Avenue in Asheville. Time is 6 PM to 8 PM. 

12/19/14 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 noon to 2 PM. Everyone is welcome. Please go to www.wncpsr.org  for more information, which includes how to get there and other details.

12/20/14 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. 

12/29/14 CONNECTION PRACTICE

"A Taste of the Connection Practice" with Cathy Holt. Learn effective, empathic communication skills that can transform relationships by connecting at the heart, helping everyone's needs get met.  Contact: Cathy Holt at cathyfholt@gmail.com or 828-545-9681 for more information. Time is 6:30 PM and location is North Asheville Library on Merrimon Ave. Free and open to all.

01/03/15 PLANNING SESSION FOR N.O.W.

A planning session will be held for the 2015 executive committee and any interested members. It will be from 10 AM - 2 PM, with a potluck working lunch and time to relax in a private location after the work is done. This session constitutes our first member meeting of the new year. Please respond to ashevillenow@live.com with your RSVP in order to receive directions.

01/14/15 WESTERN CAROLINIANS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

This meeting will be at 9:30 AM at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church in Black Mountain.

1/15/15 HARD TO RECYCLE EVENT

This will be in the south Buncombe area (Arden) from 10 AM to 2 PM. If you have questions, call GreenWorks at 828-254-1776.

01/26/15 BUILDING BRIDGES SESSION STARTS

The Mission of Building Bridges is to enable our community to confront and overcome racism through a continuing process of changing attitudes and hearts through education, consciousness raising, nurturing, and ongoing support. Our goal is to be intentional in respecting diversity within our community. The session runs from January 26 to March 23, 2015. Time is 7 to 9 PM and location is MAHEC at 119 Hendersonville Road in Asheville NC. Go to their website to sign up.

01/30/15 WESTERN CAROLINIANS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

This meeting will be at 3:15 PM at Brooks-Howell Home on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville. Meet in the media room. 

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ONGOING EVENTS

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TUESDAY

Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 4:30 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.