Pretty much every man I’ve known in my adult life (and a fair number of women, too) have, at least on some transcendental level, been in love with Emmylou Harris. Even the famously gruff Steve Earle waxed downright soft and mushy when her name came up in an interview I did with him last year. … Read more
Every American schoolchild not born of stubbornly Italian lineage should know that the Vikings beat Christopher Columbus to this continent by more than 500 years. Leif Eriksson heard about this place from his friend Bjarni Herjolfsson, who’d been here in 986. And Leif’s brother-in-law, Thorfin Karlsefni, battled the Indians for three years — long enough … Read more
“To be or not to be? That is the question.” In fact, that is the question — from Shakespeare’s Hamlet — that remains more famous than any other line in literature. And, according to North Carolina Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Lou Rackoff, that legendary question grows even more significant in a new millennium. “[Hamlet] seems … Read more
What if somebody sneaked onto your property early one morning, built a smoky, smelly bonfire out of leftover scraps of insulated wire, and then disappeared before the authorities showed up — leaving you stuck with a hefty fine for illegal open burning? Are you liable for the air pollution, just because the property and the … Read more
Until fairly recently, living to be 100 years old was a rarity. Now, several hundred people in this country reach that milestone every month. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 70,000 Americans presently hold the distinction of being centenarians, up from 37,000 in 1990 — making them the fastest-growing segment of our population. To commemorate … Read more
Short and to the point: That’s the best way to characterize the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ Oct. 10 meeting, which lasted all of 22 minutes. That description could also apply to Chairman Tom Sobol‘s admonition at the beginning of the meeting’s public-comment section — a clear attempt to head off the contentiousness that marked … Read more
At the dawn of the 20th century, Italian educator and physician Maria Montessori introduced to the world her revolutionary pedagogical approach. The Montessori method, as it is now known, helps young children learn and develop initiative and self-reliance through doing by themselves the things that interest them — within strictly defined limits. Montessori schools have … Read more
To get a handle on what the candidates are saying — and for an opportunity to ask your own questions on pertinent issues — check out the following political forums, to be held in the Asheville area in the coming weeks: • Oct. 19: Council of Independent Business Owners “Power Lunch”; noon; Stephens-Lee Community Center; … Read more
A recent commentary titled “CIBO’s plan for improving the air” [R.M. Swicegood, Aug. 9 Xpress] purported to address a topic of widespread local interest. Unfortunately, if there was something in the plan that was really going to help, I couldn’t find it. The CIBO plan for improving the air is not a plan, it’s a … Read more
