A secret Masonic cult of wealthy bankers called the Illuminati has been plotting for centuries to take over the world. And they’re keeping their eye on you from the back of the dollar bill. He sees you: But who, really, is “he”? The All-Seeing Eye that decorates the back of the dollar bill has been … Read more
Among artists, attitudes vary about the creative life and its difficulties. Some artists think things should be done for them that other members of society do not expect. They expend endless energy complaining bitterly that they can’t sell enough work to make a living. They whine that they are misunderstood. Other artists don’t have time … Read more
For most kids, Thanksgiving’s like a big, fun family picnic. For them, it represents the seemingly harmonious reunion of cousins and kinfolk around pumpkin or pecan pie. It even carries subtle humanitarian undertones, what with all that “accepting people of all stripes” and “being thankful for what you have” business — drawn from those cheery … Read more
Boarded-up blues With the frigid onslaught of another Asheville winter opens the latest chapter of a rather depressing local-business trend. In recent memory, at least, our icy winters inevitably freeze out a few arts-minded establishments in their wake. Barring Almost Blue, a mainstay with locals for many years, the casualties this time around were mostly … Read more
“You should exercise a good degree of judgment in determining who are proper objects of charity, and who are not; there are impostors in the world, and on that account many worthy persons have been refused favors when they deserved them: But because there are such, we are not to withhold, with a parsimonious hand, … Read more
As the deadline for deciding where to site a new “destination center” for the Blue Ridge Parkway draws near, there appears to be considerable confusion on the part of both Parkway officials and members of the nonprofit Southern Highland Craft Guild about multiple aspects of the project. After three public meetings at which planners have … Read more
The long-running debate over widening a three-mile stretch of Interstate 240 through West Asheville seems to flare and fade, depending on what ideas are on the table. And now, a proposal by the city’s traffic engineer promises to bring the issue front and center once more. In the face of conflicting traffic projections by the … Read more
In the final meeting of the outgoing Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, unanimous decisions concerning millions of dollars in county funding blew through the chamber like driven snow, passed laughingly and with almost no discussion. There wasn’t even a token snowball fight. But it wasn’t all fun and games on Nov. 16, and for those … Read more
SBA seeks outstanding small businesses The U.S. Small Business Administration wants your help. The agency is seeking nominations of exceptional small businesses and small-business supporters for its annual awards program. The SBA district office in Charlotte will select the 2005 North Carolina winners, who will then attend the SBA national celebration in Washington, D.C., April … Read more
