Mountain Xpress Forums

Oteen Megathread

2009-10-22T22:08:51-05:00

Please tell me (and other people who may be reading the forum) about Oteen. I know it has the VA, and there is/was a video store out there with a cowhide motif. Beyond that, I know nothing of its merits or flaws. I crave enlightenment.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning: Scary?

2009-07-26T21:38:29-05:00

Scary thunderstorms seem to scroll across the TV screen about every 3 days here in WNC..when I first moved here from California ( where we only have earth quakes and huge brush fires that take out thousands of acres and entire towns must evacuate 2 or 3 times a year..)

the warnings scared me..Usually the next day after the warnings..there was usually 2 or 3 folks on the news crying saying things like (

that tree missed me by 2 feet while I was watching Conan

) then they cue up a huge tree that destroyed half a guys house.

.Now I have a monster of a Tulip Popular totally covered by Kudzu.( kudzu is supposed to kill trees and anything that gets in its way..it has plans for world domination).This tree hangs directly over my bed..If a big storm decides to come through east Asheville I most likely will be the first to go..

A strange thing has come over me since I moved to Asheville..I’ve got that weird christian fatalistic thing..

“if it’s my time to go..let it be”

So come on big storm I dare ya.. I double dare ya..you can’t hurt me thunder ,lighting , floods, I’ve got an immortal soul and Jesus is a calling…

metaspam the forums in protest of richey

2009-11-11T20:24:46-05:00

metaspam the forums in protest of richey

North Carolina Beaches.

2009-10-08T22:37:35-05:00

Heading to Sunset Beach this weekend. Do you guys go to NC beaches or are you hoity toity douches?

Spartanburg: Not a WNC neighborhood, more of a state of mind

2009-04-28T11:56:57-05:00

Since Spartanburg comes up regularly on this forum—I’m currently posting from the city, and Piffy has a mysterious background here—I thought I’d start a thread about it. Granted, it’s not part of WNC, and therefore outside of the Xpress’ usual coverage range, but only just.

I’ll start with a claim I can’t really back up: Spartanburg is kinda similar to Asheville, circa 1990. There are pockets of active, thoughtful, progressive people in a sea of conservative, libertarian, Christian-right dominance. As people move here for the cheap cost of living and the nascent creative community, the downtown seems to be slowly turning more progressive, although the county is still decidedly conservative. Spartanburg has a small, but active, chapter of Drinking Liberally.

Downtown in particular is coming along, and although it lacks a decent late night cafe, it does have the Hub City Farmers’ Market (humble, by Asheville standards), the Hub-Bub (a showroom/gallery with four artists in residence from around the region), several not-bad restaurants, a sweet little historic district (Hampton Heights), three great pizza places (Venus Pie, Sonny’s Brick Oven Pizza, Mellow Mushroom) and a soon-to-open brewery/tasting room for regional microbrew RJ Rockers (which I rather like).

There are also six colleges in the area: Wofford, Converse, USC-Upstate, Spartanburg Methodist, Spartanburg Community College and Sherman Chiropractic College. There’s also a new multi-million dollar arts center, The Chapman Center, and a soon-to-be constructed downtown Business School (part of USC-Upstate). The colleges are the major source of theater and dance performances in the city.

Regular public events include: Jazz on the Square (monthly, I think), Art Walk Spartanburg (monthly), Music on Main (weekly live music, like Downtown After 5) and the Hub City Jam (monthly acoustic jam). Open mics are commonplace, as is live music at a variety of venues. There are small, but regular, poetry slams.

That’s the basic map of what I find interesting about the city. Any questions?

Big Sandy Mush

2009-07-23T00:50:54-05:00

I have a friend who owns 17 acres out there and I think it is about as beautiful a place as there is in Western NC.

What does everyone else think?

Buncombe County Spay/Neuter law

2009-03-01T11:38:42-05:00

Wow. Talk about due process. Talk about totalitarianism. This is NOT Liberalism, ‘cause I am a Liberal, and I know. How did this law sneak by us?

I had a dog a while back, gone now to the Rainbow Bridge, as they say, and he was my friend. A City Animal Control officer stopped me one day and told me that I had to buy a $100.00 permit to keep him in an unaltered state. WHAT?!?! Since when? Since our County Commissioners sold out to the HSUS, who believes that no human should have a companion animal, and that domestic animals should be extinct. Read http://www.pelaqitapersians.com/PETA_article.html and see. See also http://bluedogstate.blogspot.com/2006/10/testicle-wars-battle-for-control-of.html

I am a Democrat, and a Liberal Progressive, and find this disturbing at least, and alarming if I think about it. Why and when, and especially how does my dog or cat come under the control of the county when the dog or cat lives with me? More to the point, how can a bunch of commissioners tell me what I am supposed to do with a creature that is considered under law to be my property. When will they come into my home and tell me that I have to be sterilized? Will they tell me I can’t smoke, drink, or will they tell me in what manner I am to conduct myself?

My pets are well cared for, loved, protected, and are not, repeat not allowed to run at large (I used to be an Animal Control Officer), and I am responsible for them. Since they are pure bred, I feel that as I am their human “owner”, I should be able to allow them to breed without interference from any abusive government.

Anyone out there agree?

What’s the most underrated neighborhood?

2009-03-13T13:27:26-05:00

Everyone knows West Asheville and Montford are the established “cool” neighborhoods, but what’s the next up-and-coming hotspot? Is it still the River District? Is it Weaverville?

I’m going to make the argument that it’s the Skyland area around Long Shoals Road, largely because of the Biltmore Park development. (http://www.biltmorepark.com/) That whole area is basically becoming a new downtown, and I’ve been surprised at exactly how much potential the area has.

But that’s just one view. Name your favorite underrated neighborhood!

Waterfall Challenged

2009-07-23T10:15:41-05:00

Six waterfall challenged humans have fallen from local falls since mid June..The Commission on Waterfall Safety have launched an intensive study into what part of

” stay away from the edge of the waterfall”

people don’t understand..

Scientists in India ( we don’t have scientists in America any more) hypothesize there may be a correlation between intense internet posting and the ability to understand spacial relationships..Many of the fallen have stated ” I thought I was up about three feet..”

from the headlines of AC-T

14-year-old injured in waterfall accident

CEDAR MOUNTAIN — A 14-year-old boy suffered head injuries after falling from Triple Falls in DuPont State Forest on Wednesday.

Rescue crews responded about 3:50 p.m. to the falls, said Lt. Chris Holroyd of the Cedar Mountain Fire Department.

The boy, who is from the St. Louis area, fell about 40 feet from the lower falls, Holroyd said. He declined to release the boy’s name.

“I think they were just walking around near the top of the falls and slipped on the rocks,” Holroyd said.

The boy complained of head and neck pain, Holroyd said.

“He was fairly alert and able to tell us his name and age,” Holroyd said. “But he didn’t know where he was or how he got there or what had happened, so we knew there was something wrong.”

The boy was taken by ambulance to Mission Hospital.

Wednesday’s accident is the latest of at least six similar incidents that have occurred since mid-June at area waterfalls. At least 12 people have been killed since 2001 in WNC waterfall accidents.

Oakley

2009-03-10T23:07:24-05:00

I have noticed several neighborhood houses have gotten tagged in the past week or so.