UPCOMING EVENTS
Special note: Buses are going from Asheville
to Raleigh on 2-8-14 for the Moral March on Raleigh. See listing under
02/08/14.
02/03/14 STEM LECTURE AT UNCA
The STEM Lecture Series is interdisciplinary with a focus on
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This series of lectures is
designed to highlight STEM concepts and connect them to issues of personal
behavior and public policy. On February 3, 2014, Dr. Amy Lanou, will present
“Sifting Through the Hype: Miracle Meal or Dietary Disaster?” These
lectures are held in the Reuter
Center, Room 206, from
4:30-6 p.m. and are free and open to the public.
02/03/14 DINNER WITH PROGRESSIVES
Location is the Green Sage Restaurant in South
Asheville at 1800
Hendersonville Road. Time is 6 to 8 PM. Please
RSVP to Cheryl at ctorengo@gmail.com so that she can give a head count to the
restaurant. Topic is Open Forum! This is a big year, bring your issues,
petitions, questions etc. to the group. Besides the election this year, so
important for NC as well as the US Congress, there are so many other issues to
talk about: getting money out of politics, stop voter suppression, prevent war
with Iran, raise the minimum
wage, defend Social Security, fight against fracking and for our Asheville water, work to
get health care for all and more. Let's talk about your favorite issues
and about the recent State of the Union address.
02/03/14 PROTEST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE
This will be held at the First Presbyterian Church at 40 Church Street in
Asheville. Time
is 6 PM.
02/04/14 GREAT DECISIONS LECTURE SERIES AT UNCA
“Economic statecraft and trade.” America's foreign policy tools are
not limited to sanctions, treaties or military campaigns - they also include
the sales pitch. The logic behind this pitch, or "economic
statecraft," is simple: promote the benefits of democracy and the free
market. In so doing, the U.S.
gains valuable and stable partners, both in business and in diplomacy; with a
focus on Mexico and Latin America. Speaker is Dr. Debra Sabia, Georgia
Southern University. The Great Decisions Program's goal is to discuss, debate,
and learn about International Affairs, National Security, and U.S. Foreign
Policy. Individual lectures are $10 each. Full time students admitted
free of charge. Time is 7:30 PM and location is the Manheimer Room of the Reuter Center
at UNCA.
02/04/14 FREEDOM DAY DOCUMENTARY AT UNCA
Time is 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Highsmith University Union 143
– Grotto. “National Freedom Day” honors the signing by Abraham Lincoln of a
joint House & Senate resolution that later became the 13th Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution. President Lincoln signed the Amendment outlawing slavery on
February 1, 1865. Join us for a documentary and discussion commemorating this
historical event.
02/04/14 BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILM AT UNCA
“The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” Episode One:
The Black Atlantic (1500 - 1800). Time is 6:30
PM to 8:00 PM - Highsmith University Union 114 - Intercultural Center. The
Black Atlantic explores the truly global experiences that created the
African-American people. Beginning a full century before the first documented
“20-and-odd” slaves who arrived at Jamestown,
Virginia, the episode portrays
the earliest Africans, both slave and free, who arrived on these shores. But the
transatlantic slave trade would soon become a vast empire connecting three
continents. Through stories of individuals caught in its web, like a
10-year-old girl named Priscilla who was transported from Sierra Leone to South Carolina in the mid-18th century, we
trace the emergence of plantation slavery in the American South. The late 18th
century saw a global explosion of freedom movements, and The Black Atlantic
examines what that Era of Revolutions - American, French and Haitian - would
mean for African Americans and for slavery in America. Free and open to the
public.
02/04/14 WOMEN’S GROUP AT FIRESTORM CAFÉ & BOOKS
This will be a four week series, starting at 6:30 PM on
February 4 and going until February 25. Come explore the spiritual and creative
gifts we have as individuals and as a group to empower ourselves and one
another. Sponsored by the Asheville
Lesbian Brunch & Social Club. February 4th – Nikki will lead a group on the
art of scripting, the power of the written and spoken word to discover what
those words create and what that can manifest for you in the coming year.
February 11th – Lori will lead a discussion on the challenges and rewards of
emotional intimacy in relationships, including friendship, family and
partnerships. Why do lesbian relationships seem so difficult to maintain? What
can we as a community do to nurture healthy partnerships? February 18th – Amy
will lead a group on gender expectations, expression and identification,
exploring manifestations from childhood through development of our sexuality.
How does patriarchy affect lesbian/bisexual and trans identity and
relationships? How can we help ourselves and one another navigate gender?
February 25th – TBA
02/04/14 ASHEVILLE
TRANSIT MEETING
Time is 3:30 to 5:30 PM and location is 1st floor conference
room at Asheville
City Hall.
02/05/14 SIERRA CLUB MEETING AND GREEN DRINKS
Join Asheville Green Drinks and the Sierra Club Wednesday
February 5th at 7 PM for a presentation on “Biofuels: a fully integrated local
energy system.” Blue Ridge Biofuels will discuss recycling used cooking
oil into biodiesel fuel for vehicles and heating homes. Location is the
Unitarian Congregation, Edwin
Place and Charlotte Street in Asheville. Contact: Judy Mattox, 828-683-2176
02/05/14 EXHIBIT OF SLAVE DEEDS AT UNCA
The opening for the exhibit of the Buncombe County Slave
Deeds will be at the Highsmith Student Union at UNCA on Wednesday, February 5
from 5 to 6:30 PM. The final stop of the year-long tour will be at the Intercultural Center at UNCA. Slave Deeds of Buncombe
County Exhibit will be at the Intercultural
Center at UNC Asheville
from January 20 - February 28, 2014. Free and open to the public.
02/06/14 BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT UNCA – TALK
Talk by Elizabeth Pascoe, Asst Prof of Psychology, titled
“Effects of Discrimination on Health.” Time is 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM, and
location is Carmichael Hall 231 - SMART Classroom. The Good, the Bad, and the
Ugly: Effects of Discrimination on Health - a talk by Elizabeth Pascoe, PhD.
Free and open to the public.
02/08/14 MORAL MARCH ON RALEIGH - H K on J PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY
All Roads Lead to Raleigh
for H K on J 8 on February 8, 2014. In 2014, Raleigh will host the largest people's
assembly yet. Thousands of people from across North
Carolina, and across the United States, will assemble on Jones Street, to
protest the immoral and unconstitutional spirit that has taken over the Peoples
House. Organized by the NC NAACP. On February 8 people from across NC will
gather at Shaw University
on South St.
between Wilmington St.
and Blount St.
at 9:30 AM in downtown Raleigh.
The march to Jones Street
will begin at 10:30 AM after which we will begin the mass people's assembly on
the doorstep of the People's House, the NC General Assembly.
PURCHASE BUS TICKETS FOR THE ‘MORAL MARCH ON RALEIGH’ & PEOPLE’S
ASSEMBLY
The Mountain People’s Assembly is sponsoring buses from Asheville to Raleigh for
the 'Moral March on Raleigh.'
The cost of a bus ticket is sliding scale from $20-$50 (actual cost is $38.40
per seat). Seats must be reserved and purchased by Feb. 5 – there will be NO
money collected the day of the rally.
There are two ways to purchase tickets:
1. Via the Paypal “Donate” Button at www.MountainMoralMonday.org.
In the comments section, indicate the names of the person(s) for whom you are
purchasing tickets. If you cannot fit all the names in the space allowed, send
a message to info@mountainmoralmonday.org.
2. Mail a check – made out to Mountain Voices Alliance, PO Box 8052, Asheville,
NC 28814.
Include a list of how many tickets you are purchasing and the names of
ticketholders.
The buses will begin loading in Asheville at 4 am (leaving
promptly at 4:30 am) in front of 35 Woodfin St. (across from the YMCA) in order
to arrive in Raleigh in time to gather at Shaw University (South St. between
Wilmington St. and Blount St.) at 9:30 am. The march to the NC General Assembly
on Jones Street
begins at 10:30 am. Buses will re-load in Raleigh
between 1:30-2, for an approximate return time of 6 to 7 pm.
If you need to request a scholarship, or if your
organization would like to donate to help cover the cost of the buses and
scholarships, contact asstminister@uuasheville.org. Scholarships will be given
on a first come, first served basis.
02/10/14 ASHEVILLE-BUNCOMBE FOOD POLICY COUNCIL MEETING
Asheville-Buncombe Food Policy Council Meeting of the Whole
will be held at Sherrill
Center (Mountain View
Suite) at UNCA. Join us in celebrating the hard work and progress made over the
past year in supporting a “healthy food friendly” Asheville
and Buncombe County. Learn more about our work and
help us set our priorities for the next year. We want YOUR input. Time is 4 to
6:30 PM. New member orientation at 4 PM. Email us with questions and to
find out how to register at info@abfoodpolicy.com.
02/10/14 PANEL DISCUSSION AT WARREN WILSON
COLLEGE
A panel discussion and book signing featuring five
contributors to “Small Stories, Big Changes,” a book about community
sustainability change-makers, will be held Feb. 10 at 6:30 PM in Canon Lounge
at Warren Wilson College.
Subtitled “An Evening of Personal Empowerment and Community Inspiration,” the
free public event will be moderated by WWC Associate Dean Gary Hawkins. The
panel provides a mix of people who have inspiring stories to tell about
experiences in leading sustainable change in their communities. They include
Gary Phillips, writer, preacher and auctioneer who held the line against real
estate developers in Chatham County, N.C.; Anne Tazewell, coordinator of
statewide efforts to increase the use of more sustainable transportation
technologies; Eric Henry, the force behind Cotton of the Carolinas, which
grows, makes and sells 100 percent Carolina cotton T-shirts; Elaine Chiosso,
Haw River keeper and executive director of the Haw River Assembly; and Lyle
Estill, entrepreneur, blogger and editor of “Small Stories, Big Changes.” For
more information about the event, contact Ellen at querin@warren-wilson.edu or
828-771-3006.
02/11/14 GREAT DECISIONS LECTURE SERIES AT UNCA
“Defense and the rise of new technologies.” From robotic
planes to cyber-weapons to 3D printing and human enhancement, new
"game-changing" technologies are moving from science fiction to
battlefield reality - all during an age of fiscal austerity. But in wrestling
with the new, we can actually learn a great deal from the past. What are the
"killer applications" of the 21st century battlefield, and in turn,
what are the issues that the U.S.
must navigate in adapting to them? Speaker is Maj. Gen. Rick Devereaux, Ret.
USAF, and current consultant. The Great Decisions Program's goal is to discuss,
debate, and learn about International Affairs, National Security, and U.S.
Foreign Policy. Individual lectures are $10 each. Full time students
admitted free of charge. Time is 7:30 PM and location is the Manheimer Room of
the Reuter Center at UNCA.
02/11/14 BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILM AT UNCA
“The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” Episode Two:
The Age of Slavery (1800 - 1860). Time is 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM - Highsmith
University Union 114 - Intercultural Center. The Age of Slavery illustrates how
black lives changed dramatically in the aftermath of the American Revolution.
For free black people in places like Philadelphia,
these years were a time of tremendous opportunity. But for most African
Americans, this era represented a new nadir. King Cotton fueled the rapid
expansion of slavery into new territories, and a Second Middle Passage forcibly
relocated African Americans from the Upper South into the Deep
South. Yet as slavery intensified, so did resistance. From
individual acts to mass rebellions, African Americans demonstrated their
determination to undermine and ultimately eradicate slavery in every state in
the nation. Courageous individuals, such as Harriet Tubman, Richard Allen and
Frederick Douglass, played a crucial role in forcing the issue of slavery to
the forefront of national politics, helping to create the momentum that would
eventually bring the country to war. Free and open to the public.
02/11/14 PUBLIC HEARING ON REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION
The NCDOT PUBLIC HEARING ON REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION
PRIORITIES will be from 4 to 7 PM. Location is Haynes Building at AB Tech in
Enka on Sand Hill Road.
During the 2013 legislative session, the General Assembly passed a bill
overhauling how the state prioritizes and funds transportation projects. There
are now three pots of funding – state, regional, and local – each with a
different set of criteria for determining how projects will be prioritized and
funded. Early this year, NC DOT will be prioritizing those projects in the
state funding pot and, as part of that process, is holding hearings around the
state to hear from citizens what projects they believe are most important.
Included in this statewide category are interstate projects of statewide
significance, including the I-26 Connector. Please attend the hearing and
tell the DOT what you think about transportation generally, where state dollars
ought to be invested, and what you want to see in the I-26 Connector Project
specifically. If you cannot attend, you can still comment here:
http://www.ncdot.gov/strategictransportationinvestments/PublicMeetings.html
(Scroll down to Division 13).
02/12/14 GREEN DRINKS
Join us Wednesday February 12th at 6 PM at the Green Sage
Coffeehouse and Cafe for a Duke Energy Roundtable. The Green Sage Coffeehouse
and Cafe is transitioning into their winter hours. They will close to the
public at 5 PM but will still offer Green Drinks attendees food service until
5:30 PM. Please plan accordingly if you would like to purchase dinner. Thank
you. Presentation is at 6 PM.
02/12/14 WESTERN CAROLINIANS
FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Time is 9:30 AM and location is Black Mountain Presbyterian
Church. Contact Beth at elizakeiser@aol.com for more information.
02/12/14 HEART SPEAK
HeartSpeak: Listening & Speaking from the Heart,
Wednesdays 2/12 – 3/19, from 7-9 PM. Are you feeling concerned about difficult
interactions at home or work? Do you find yourself exchanging angry words, or
withdrawing, even though you long for more harmony and connection? Close
relationships and friendships thrive when we learn to communicate from the
heart. Join me in a warm and intimate setting for six evenings of awareness and
skill building through experiential, small group exercises, one to one
interactions, poetry and music, and group games. You'll receive a HeartSpeak
minibook. Cost: $80, or let's discuss barter. Two people enrolling together
each receive a 10% discount. Please pre-register, as class size will be
limited. Early bird discount: $70 if registered by February 5. Email: cathyfholt@gmail.com
or call 828-545-9681 for more information.
02/13/14 BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILM AT UNCA
“The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” Episode Three:
Into the Fire (1861-1896). Time is 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM - Highsmith University
Union 114 - Intercultural Center. Into the Fire examines the most tumultuous
and consequential period in African-American history: the Civil War and the end
of slavery, and Reconstruction’s thrilling but tragically brief “moment in the
sun.” From the beginning, African Americans were agents of their own liberation
- forcing the Union to confront the issue of
slavery by fleeing the plantations, and taking up arms to serve with honor in
the United States Colored Troops. After Emancipation, African Americans sought
to realize the promise of freedom - rebuilding families shattered by slavery;
demanding economic, political and civil rights; even winning elected office.
Just a few years later, however, an intransigent South mounted a swift and
vicious campaign of terror to restore white supremacy and roll back
African-American rights. Yet the achievements of Reconstruction would remain
very much alive in the collective memory of the African-American community.
Free and open to the public.
02/13/14 A CALL TO ACTION AGAINST CORPORATE RULE
We will present a video of David Cobb, National Spokesperson
for the national grassroots organization, Move to Amend. He will speak on “A
Call to Action Against Corporate Rule”. Sponsored by Move to Amend, Buncombe County
and The Unitarian
Universalist Congregation
Swannanoa Valley,
Social Action Committee. This will be held at the Unitarian Universalist
Congregation at 500 Montreat Road
in Black Mountain. Doors open at 6:30PM, event
starts at 7 PM, questions and answers at 8 PM. Learn about the nationwide
campaign to amend the Constitution to return corporations to their earlier
state when they were not given the rights of citizens, when money wasn’t speech
and Congress could regulate money in politics. For more information call:
Geoffrey at (828) 669-0619 or Susan at (828) 669-1785. Free and open to the
public.
02/14/14 UU SOCIAL JUSTICE FILM
On Friday, February 14th, we are screening the
thought-provoking documentary, "Speciesism: The Movie". Modern farms
are struggling to keep a secret. Most of the animals used for food in the United States
are raised in giant, bizarre factories, hidden deep in remote areas of the
countryside. Speciesism:
The Movie director Mark Devries set out to investigate. The
documentary takes viewers on a sometimes funny, sometimes frightening
adventure, crawling through the bushes that hide these factories, flying in
airplanes above their toxic “manure lagoons,” and coming face-to-face with
their owners. The film is at 7 PM and location is Unitarian Universalist in Asheville. No charge for
the film, donations are welcome. Open to the public.
02/15/14 ANNIVERSARY OF THE DAY THE WORLD SAID NO TO WAR
The February 15, 2003 anti-war protest was a coordinated day
of protests across the world in which more than 10 million people in more than
600 cities expressing opposition to the imminent Iraq War. In remembrance
of this important date, we can reflect on the purpose of protest, and how we
can make our voices heard in the upcoming year.
02/15/14 VAGINA MONOLOGUES AT UNCA
Time is 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM, and location is Carmichael
Humanities Lecture Hall. Come see VDay UNC Asheville's annual performance of
The Vagina Monologues! The award-winning play is based on V-Day
Founder/playwright Eve Ensler's interviews with more than 200 women. With humor
and grace the piece celebrates women's sexuality and strength. Through this
play and the liberation of this one word, countless women throughout the world
have taken control of their bodies and their lives. For more than twelve years,
The Vagina Monologues has given voice to experiences and feelings not
previously exposed in public. Tickets are $5 for students with ID and $7 for
community members. All proceeds will benefit VDay campaigns and SPEAK Up!!! on
campus.
02/18/14 GREAT DECISIONS LECTURE SERIES AT UNCA
“Food security and climate change.” Even as a sixth of the
world's population suffers from chronic hunger, a changing climate threatens to
wreak havoc on already insecure and vulnerable populations. As food and water
become scarce and once fertile land becomes barren, the U.S. finds
itself faced with new challenges in securing the globe. The U.S. is getting
ready, but can it lead the way to climate reform? Speaker is Dr. Amy Knisley of
Warren Wilson College.
The Great Decisions Program's goal is to discuss, debate, and learn about
International Affairs, National Security, and U.S. Foreign Policy. Individual
lectures are $10 each. Full time students admitted free of charge. Time
is 7:30 PM and location is the Manheimer Room of the Reuter Center
at UNCA.
02/18/14 BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILM AT UNCA
“The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” Episode Four:
Making a Way out of No Way (1897-1940). Time is 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM - Highsmith
University Union 114 - Intercultural Center. Making a Way Out of No Way
portrays the Jim Crow era, when African Americans struggled to build their own
worlds within the harsh, narrow confines of segregation. At the turn of the
20th century, a steady stream of African Americans left the South, fleeing the
threat of racial violence, and searching for better opportunities in the North
and the West. Leaders like Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington
and Marcus Garvey organized, offering vastly different strategies to further
black empowerment and equality. Yet successful black institutions and
individuals were always at risk. At the same time, the ascendance of black arts
and culture showed that a community with a strong identity and sense of pride
was taking hold in spite of Jim Crow. “The Harlem Renaissance” would not only
redefine how America
saw African Americans, but how African Americans saw themselves. Free and open
to the public.
02/18/14 VOTING RIGHTS UPDATE
A voting rights update will be held by the League of Women
Voters in Asheville and Buncombe County from 6 PM to 8 PM. Location is Pack
Memorial Library in downtown Asheville. Free and open to the public. For more
information, contact jumpstartthevote@gmail.com.
02/19/14 GREEN DRINKS
Join us Wednesday February 19th at 6 PM at the Green Sage
Coffeehouse and Cafe for a presentation by automotive engineer Dave Erb on
“Powering Forward: Four Commandments, Four Heresies, Three Comments,” a
talk first delivered to the American Solar Energy Society’s 2013 annual
convention. Dave’s presentation is structured to provide a framework within
which to consider sustainable transportation (“Four Commandments”), to dispel
some widely-held myths (“Four Heresies”), and to call environmentalists to
practical, effective action (“Three Comments). The Green Sage Coffeehouse and
Cafe is transitioning into their winter hours. They will close to the public at
5 PM but will still offer Green Drinks attendees food service until 5:30 PM.
Please plan accordingly if you would like to purchase dinner. Thank you. Presentation
is at 6 PM.
02/20/14 BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILM AT UNCA
“Watch n Learn: Four Little Girls”. Time is 6:30 PM to 8:30
PM - Highsmith University Union 143 – Grotto. This fascinating documentary
tells the story of the notorious racial terrorist bombing of Sixteenth Street
Baptist Church,
a historic African American church in Birmingham,
Alabama during the Civil Rights
Movement. Directed by Spike Lee. Free and open to the public.
02/20/14 BUNCOMBE
COUNTY DEMOCRATIC WOMEN
EVENT
At the Buncombe County Democratic Women event, Christopher
Brook (Legal Director, NC ACLU) will be speaking on the ACLU of NC’s marriage
lawsuit as well as their challenge to the voter suppression bill passed by the
NC legislature last year. The event goes from 6 PM-7 PM and will be held at
Democratic Headquarters, located at 920
Old Fairview Road in Asheville. There is a $12 fee if folks want
dinner but no charge if you just want to attend. Open to the public.
02/21/14 WESTERN SWING DANCE BENEFIT FOR PISGAH LEGAL
SERVICES
Kick up your heels for a good cause! For your listening and
dancing pleasure, the Western Wildcats will perform Honky Tonk & Western
Swing music at the Altamont Theatre on Church Street in Asheville. Dance lessons at 6:30 pm; Music
and Dancing 7-10 pm. $10/person. Y'all come! RSVP to Betsy at
betsy@pisgahlegal.org or 210-3444.
02/25/14 BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILM AT UNCA
“The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” Episode Five:
Rise! (1940 – 1968). Time is 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM - Highsmith University Union
114 - Intercultural Center. Rise! examines the long road to civil rights, when
the deep contradictions in American society finally became unsustainable.
Beginning in World War II, African Americans who helped fight fascism abroad
came home to face the same old racial violence. But this time, mass media -
from print to radio and TV - broadcast that injustice to the world, planting
seeds of resistance. And the success of black entrepreneurs and entertainers
fueled African-American hopes and dreams. In December 1955, Rosa Parks refused
to give up her seat to a white man on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama,
heralding the dawn of a new movement of quiet resistance, with the Reverend Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. as its public face. Before long, masses of African
Americans practiced this nonviolent approach at great personal risk to
integrate public schools, lunch counters and more. As the civil rights movement
scored one historic victory after another, non-violence was still all too often
met with violence - until finally, enough was enough. By 1968, Dr. King, the
apostle of non-violence, would be assassinated, unleashing a new call for
“Black Power” across the country. Free and open to the public.
02/25/14 GREAT DECISIONS LECTURE SERIES AT UNCA
“China's
foreign policy.” China
has gone to great lengths to emphasize the ‘peaceful’ nature of its meteoric
rise. Yet few dispute that China
is the dominant regional power in Asia - and in recent years Beijing began to flex its muscles regionally
in order to advance its strategic interests. What does the rapid rise of this
new superpower mean for other countries in the region, and are there potential
points of conflict with the U.S.
as it "pivots" to Asia? Speaker is
Dr. Jim Lenburg of Mars
Hill University
(emeritus) and OLLI board chair. The Great Decisions Program's goal is to
discuss, debate, and learn about International Affairs, National Security, and
U.S. Foreign Policy. Individual lectures are $10 each. Full time students
admitted free of charge. Time is 7:30 PM and location is the Manheimer Room of
the Reuter Center at UNCA.
02/25/14 START UP PROJECT ASHEVILLE
On February 26th from 5 to 7 PM, what are you doing? In
honor of collaboration we've started a new event, Startup Product Asheville.
This hopes to bring together different organizations and networks in the name
of building out our support for entrepreneurs, cultural creatives, geeks and
the creative class in general. Thank you to Asheville Music Hall
for hosting us! We have 4 wonderful speakers lined up and I'm happy to share
them here as many of them have just been confirming today. We will have one
hour of networking and one hour or a little more of program. Robin Cape - will
present the Collider, a collaborative space that will change the
entrepreneurial landscape (like an RTP in the making move); Bradley Waldrop -
will talk about what an Lean Startup Circle is about; Craig McAnsh - signed on
today and hopefully will in part give an update about Mojo, 3d printing and
whats next for Asheville; and David Miller - will give us an update on the
Story Worlding revolution and hopefully we will have some immersive technology
at the event. RSVP here: http://www.meetup.com/StartupProductAsheville/.
02/27/14 BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILM AT UNCA
“The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” Episode Six: A
More Perfect Union (1968 – 2013). Time is 6:30
PM to 8:00 PM - Highsmith University Union 114 - Intercultural Center. After
1968, African Americans set out to build a bright new future on the foundation
of the civil rights movement’s victories, but a growing class disparity
threatened to split the black community in two. As hundreds of African
Americans won political office across the country and the black middle class
made unprecedented progress, larger economic and political forces isolated the
black urban poor in the inner cities, vulnerable to new social ills and an
epidemic of incarceration. Yet African Americans of all backgrounds came
together to support Illinois’ Senator Barack
Obama in his historic campaign for the presidency of the United States.
When he won in 2008, many hoped that America had finally transcended
race and racism. By the time of his second victory, it was clear that many
issues, including true racial equality, remain to be resolved. Now we ask: How
will African Americans help redefine the United States in the years to come?
Free and open to the public.
02/27/14 SINGER/SONGWRITER AT UNCA
Time is 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM - Lipinsky Hall 125 – Auditorium.
Pakistani Soul Singer-Songwriter - Arooj Aftab’s dynamic voice transcends
borders that imprison bodies, minds and spirits. Originally from Pakistan, she
created Rebuild Pakistan to promote a vision of peace and healing. Aftab
skillfully re-imagines indigenous soul with signature cool by paying homage to
classical Pakistani, Sufi, neo-soul and jazz and contemporary world music. UNC
Asheville students $5; Area students $7; Campus community $12, General $20 more
info: aroojaftabmusic.com. Also, there will be a master class from 12:30-1:30
PM at the Humanities Lecture Hall at UNCA. Join Arooj Aftab as she performs
original music, discusses her work with Rebuild Pakistan and shares her
experience as assistant editor and music supervisor for the MTV series, Rebel
Music. Free and open to the public.
02/27/14 MOVIE SHOWING AT FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
The movie, “The 11th Hour” will be shown at 7:00 PM at the
First Congregational Church, 20
Oak Street, in Asheville. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the environment,
blah, blah, blah, melting ice caps. To judge from all the gas-guzzlers still
fouling the air and the plastic bottles clogging the dumps, it appears that the
news that we are killing ourselves and the world with our greed and garbage
hasn’t sunk in. That’s one reason “The 11th Hour” an unnerving, surprisingly
affecting documentary about our environmental calamity, is such essential
viewing. The problem looks overwhelming, literally, as demonstrated by the
images of overflowing landfills and sickeningly polluted bodies of water that
flicker through the movie like damning evidence. “The 11th Hour” attempts to
stave off helplessness, and the nihilism that often follows it, mostly by
appealing to our reason. It is our astonishing capacity for hope that
distinguishes “The 11th Hour” and that speaks so powerfully, in part because it
is this all-too-human quality that may finally force us to fight the good fight
against the damage we have done and continue to do.
03/04/14 STEM LECTURE AT UNCA
The STEM Lecture Series is interdisciplinary with a focus on
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This series of lectures is
designed to highlight STEM concepts and connect them to issues of personal
behavior and public policy. Dr. Kevin Moorhead will present “The Science of
Gardening.” These lectures are held in the Reuter Center,
Room 206, from 4:30-6 p.m. and are free and open to the public.
03/04/14 GREAT DECISIONS LECTURE SERIES AT UNCA
“Turkey.”
A nation at a crossroads, a bridge over an ever-growing chasm between the East
and West. Turkey's first
Prime Minister Kemal Ataturk envisioned a modern, democratic nation-state built
on the ashes of the Ottoman Empire with strong ties to Europe, not the Middle East. But as the clashes between secular and
religious groups and the recent protests in Taksim Square show, the soul of Turkey is still
very much up for grabs. Speaker is Dr. Samer Traboulsi of UNC-Asheville. The
Great Decisions Program's goal is to discuss, debate, and learn about
International Affairs, National Security, and U.S. Foreign Policy. Individual
lectures are $10 each. Full time students admitted free of charge. Time
is 7:30 PM and location is the Manheimer Room of the Reuter Center
at UNCA.
03/05/14 FIGHT FOR SOCIALISM
Capitalism is the exploitation of the masses, with only the
top 1% benefiting. Come listen and discuss why and how socialism works. We need
revolution from below and working class self-emancipation with the 99% taking
control of society to serve its own interest. The economic crisis of 2008 has
been weathered by the capitalist class, and profits are at record highs. This
has only been possible on the backs for the working class, through austerity.
Furthermore, the capitalist class relies on oppression to keep us divided, as
Frederick Douglas said, "they divide each, to conquer both".
Therefore we must stop the war on women, end the new Jim Crow, and fight
against all oppressions. Meet on the bottom floor in the community room at Pack
library. Time is 6 to 8 PM.
03/11/14 GREAT DECISIONS LECTURE SERIES AT UNCA
"Israel."
Modern Israel's
struggles with the Palestinians have turned what was meant as a safe haven for
Jews into the center of a decades-long conflict. The U.S.
has stepped in as Israel's
ally due to the two countries' shared values, providing years of unparalleled
military and diplomatic support. But now those ties are being tested. The Arab
Spring, Iran's nuclear
ambitions, failed peace talks, and Israel's
own decision to give Washington
the cold shoulder have put new strains on the 65-year-old "special
relationship." Speaker is Dr. Heather Hawn of Mars Hill University. The Great Decisions
Program's goal is to discuss, debate, and learn about International Affairs,
National Security, and U.S. Foreign Policy. Individual lectures are $10 each.
Full time students admitted free of charge. Time is 7:30 PM and location
is the Manheimer Room of the Reuter
Center at UNCA.
03/27/14 TO 3/30/14 LAKE JUNALUSKA
PEACE CONFERENCE
More information at http://www.lakejunaluska.com/peace/.
Early registration is $95. The theme and goals for this year are "Faith,
Health, and Peace: Seeking the Basic Right to Good Health for All God's
Children." The 2014 Peace Conference seeks to affirm the basic right to
good health from the perspective of faith traditions, lift up "the leading
causes of life," and explore ways faith communities can combat the causes
of poor health, such as disease, violence, and poverty.
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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 2 PM at Firestorm Cafe
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.
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ACTIONS AND READINGS
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The day the world
said 'No' to war: Looking back on February 15, 2003
Ten years ago today, millions of
people around the world were part of an unprecedented mobilization against war.
On February 15, 2003, record numbers protested U.S.
plans to attack Iraq: up to
30 million people in over 800 cities spanning every continent—including Antarctica, where dozens of research scientists at
McMurdo Station formed a peace symbol in the snow.
Days after the protests, the New
York Times observed: "The huge anti-war demonstrations around the
world this weekend are reminders that there may still be two superpowers on the
planet: the United States
and world public opinion."
At least 80 anti-war events took place in Canada on February 15, ranging from
city-wide marches of tens of thousands, to more modest actions such as
candle-light vigils, banner drops and local pickets of MPs’ offices. The
biggest demonstration by far was in Montreal,
where over 250,000 people completely shut down the downtown streets. Next was Toronto with 80,000 and
then Vancouver with 40,000. Over 18,000 marched in Edmonton,
8,000 in Victoria, 6,000 in Ottawa
and 4,000 in Halifax.
Almost every urban centre -- Calgary, Winnipeg, Quebec City and
St. John’s,
among others -- hosted some kind of protest.
Even more impressive were the demonstrations organized in
much smaller locations across the country; many had little or no tradition of
anti-war activity before February 15. In some communities, these protests were
the first-ever public demonstrations about any issue that anyone could
remember. Participants numbered from a few dozen to hundreds, but often
represented a much higher proportion of the local population than turnout in
larger centres.
Together, the February 15 protests across Canada and Quebec
were the high point
of this country's anti-war movement, just as the protests in other countries
represented the peak of the global movement. In their wake, it became clear
that “world public opinion” had shifted dramatically -- and that millions were
now willing to show their opposition by marching in the streets.
Coordination
"F15," as it came to be known among organizers,
was one in a series of increasingly coordinated global actions against the war,
and demonstrated the speed by which relatively new anti-war groups at the local
level developed into well-connected national and international networks. Those
groups first appeared in the days and weeks after 9/11, but had roots in the
anti-globalization movement. Many of the networks that emerged then still exist
today, and have played a role in facilitating the emergence of subsequent
movements and struggles.
In Canada,
the process of coordinating a cross-country anti-war opposition took longer
than elsewhere, and developed largely independently of more established groups,
such as the Canadian Peace Alliance (CPA), whose focus after the Cold War had
been nuclear disarmament. For example, the most active and organized
campaigners on Iraq were either anti-sanctions activists, who had been
organizing for almost a decade, or newly radicalized anti-war activists, who
had been schooled in anti-globalization struggles.
Kananaskis
Both groups of activists came together at a meeting in Calgary during the mobilization against the G8 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta
in late June 2002. About 70 people met outside the local convergence centre to
discuss building a pan-Canadian response to the looming threat of war in Iraq. Their
first coordinated action took place in a dozen cities on Hiroshima Day in
August, and led to the creation of new local anti-war coalitions -- the
foundation on which the movement would grow.
Over the following weeks, the local coalitions continued to
coordinate actions, attracting bigger numbers as global opposition to the war
began to build. In the process, the CPA
was re-invigorated by the new radicalization, and by 2004 had become the
umbrella organization for subsequent pan-Canadian anti-war mobilizations. At
the end of 2002, the more immediate success of coordination on a national level
raised its possibility internationally.
By early January 2003, there was already a buzz among
activists about February 15. The first public discussions about a coordinated
anti-war action came up in November 2002, during the European Social Forum
(ESF) in Florence, Italy. An intense debate ensued
between those who argued that the war was a distraction for the
anti-globalization movement, and those who argued that war was "the
military face of globalization."
Numerous contributions to the discussion by organized
socialists and anti-capitalists from across Europe
helped win the demand for a Europe-wide day of action against war. The date was
set for February 15, 2003.
But what started as a Europe-wide day of action soon reached
other parts of the world. Many ESF participants attended other global
conferences weeks later, where they made the case for February 15. Two events
were crucial in expanding the coordination: the first-ever Cairo Conference,
which took place in Cairo, Egypt from December 17 to 19, 2002, and the World
Social Forum, which took place in Porto Alegre, Brazil from January 31 to
February 5, 2003. Within days of these events, anti-war activists in the Arab
world and Latin America had endorsed the call
for February 15. As these mobilizations gained their own momentum, they spread
the call elsewhere.
Impact
When the day of action finally happened, the results were
monumental. The mainstream media could no longer ignore the anti-war movement,
and the topic of war was on everyone’s lips. Internationally, the biggest
turnouts were in Rome, London
and Madrid,
where each demonstration numbered in the millions. At least half a million
marched in New York City, with hundreds of
thousands more joining protests in dozens of towns and cities across the United States.
The level of participation in the US
and Britain
was significant, given the role those countries’ governments played in leading
the drive to war. In the Arab world, there was mass opposition to an attack,
but its expression was in many cases stifled by state-led violence and
repression. Where demonstrations did take place, they drew tens of thousands.
Despite the obvious scale of the protests globally, their
impact locally on foreign policy was not immediately apparent. In Canada, for
example, the protests accelerated a crisis that was brewing inside the federal
Liberal caucus, as party members and the wider public flooded Liberal MPs’
offices with phone calls, letters and petitions against the war. The crisis
only became public when backbench Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish
(Mississauga-Erindale, 1993-2006) announced at an anti-war rally that “50 MPs
will cross the floor” if the government decides to back the war.
Quebec
Still, the anti-war movement had no idea whether the crisis
would tip the balance in its favour. Two subsequent events, both of them in Quebec, proved decisive.
The first came exactly one month later: on March 15, 2003, another 250,000
people marched in Montreal,
a repeat of its magnificent February demonstration. The second event took place
over several weeks: the general election in Quebec.
Anti-war sentiment was so widespread in Quebec that during the campaign all party
leaders wore white ribbons for peace and repeatedly declared their opposition
to the war. The Quebec Liberals were poised to defeat the Parti Québécois, but
their victory would have been threatened had the federal Liberals supported the
war. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien was more worried about the wrath of Quebec voters for backing the war than fallout from Washington for sitting
it out. On March 17 -- just days before the first bombs fell on Baghdad -- Chrétien announced to the
House of Commons that Canada
would not join the war. The movement had won its demand.
Legacy
Despite the unprecedented success of the February 15
protests, which helped keep Canada
and other states outside Bush’s “coalition of the willing,” they ultimately
failed to stop the war. The consequences for Iraq have been horrific: 1.2
million Iraqi deaths from war and occupation, on top of 1.5 million Iraqi
deaths after 12 years of sanctions. The country remains deeply divided on
sectarian grounds and its landscape and infrastructure have been completely
devastated. As we mark the anniversary of the protests, we must remember these
facts and remain sober about the movement’s limits, both then and now.
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t also recognize and
celebrate the successes we did achieve. February 15 gave us a glimpse of the
immense potential of mass movements, and trained a generation of activists who,
in many cases, continue to be active on other fronts. The long-term effects of
the protests, especially in the social movements, helped change the political
terrain we operate on today, by raising our expectations about international
solidarity and collective action, and by giving confidence to resistance
movements throughout the region -- from Iraq
to Palestine to Lebanon
to Egypt,
the frontlines of resistance to imperialist war and occupation.
If anything, this is probably the most important effect of
February 15: the developing bonds of solidarity between ordinary people in the
Arab world and those outside it, particularly in countries whose governments
backed the war. According to some activists in the region, those bonds
contributed to emerging struggles that have subsequently developed into
far-reaching revolutionary movements. Our role in this is no doubt small,
perhaps even imperceptible, but it nevertheless shows that, although we didn’t
stop the war, we still helped change the world.
This article was originally published by Socialist.ca.
Check out video
footage below of anti-war protests in Toronto
from 2003 to 2008 -- including coverage of the historic February 15
demonstration. In Toronto
today, there's an event marking the ten-year anniversary of the protests: Celebrating a decade of
resistance: Tens years since the emergence of the "other global superpower"
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I just signed a declaration of peace!
All individuals and organizations, all over the world, are
invited to sign a short statement in support of ending all war, and to join in
the planning of a new movement to be launched on September 21, 2014. This is
the whole statement:
I understand that wars and militarism make us less safe
rather than protect us, that they kill, injure and traumatize adults, children
and infants, severely damage the natural environment, erode civil liberties,
and drain our economies, siphoning resources from life-affirming activities. I
commit to engage in and support nonviolent efforts to end all war and
preparations for war and to create a sustainable and just peace.
To sign this, and to get involved in many different ways, individuals should click here
and organizations here.
To see the case against war explained clearly for anyone who
has doubts, check out the website at
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