What’s Happening

Save the Date! – Root Ball October 5th, 2019

Mark your calendars now for Asheville GreenWorks’ annual End of Summer Party by the River!

by Ami Worthen

(This story was written for the Buncombe County page in the December 2017 issue of Urban News.)

Leaders from the historically African American neighborhoods of Shiloh, Burton Street, East End and Stumptown are partnering with the Asheville-Buncombe African American Heritage Commission (AAHC) on the installation of historic markers in their neighborhoods.

BY MARIA POPOVA in brainpickings

“The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.”

“In the wholeheartedness of concentration,” the poet Jane Hirshfield wrote in her beautiful inquiry into the effortless effort of creativity, “world and self begin to cohere. With that state comes an enlarging: of what may be known, what may be felt, what may be done.” But concentration is indeed a difficult art, art’s art, and its difficulty lies in the constant conciliation of the dissonance between self and world — a difficulty hardly singular to the particular conditions of our time. Two hundred years before social media, the great French artist Eugène Delacroix lamented the necessary torment of avoiding social distractions in creative work; a century and a half later, Agnes Martin admonished aspiring artists to exercise discernment in the interruptions they allow, or else corrupt the mental, emotional, and spiritual privacy where inspiration arises.                          

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New York, NY, September 10, 2019 … ADL (Anti-Defamation League) and the Aspen Institute today announced the inaugural class of the Civil Society Fellowship: A Partnership of ADL and the Aspen Institute. This new Fellowship, part of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, aims to prepare and engage the next generation of community and civic leaders, activists and problem solvers from across the political spectrum.

A few years ago I happily discovered Dada Maheshvarananda’s work, and later, when I read his book, After Capitalism, it was a further revelation. A broad and ambitious book, it sets out a comprehensive critique of the economic system that’s literally killing planet Earth as it distorts and destroys all life as we know it—call it the Death Ship. After Capitalism offers, as well, an alternative vision, a humane horizon we can begin to see through the soot and the smut, something to move toward as we engage the struggle against the Dark Angel. The book felt urgent when I first encountered it, and I gave it to friends and comrades everywhere. Its message is even more urgent today—the crisis deepens and the approaching catastrophe accelerates.

by Jessica Valenti 

Over the last year, Americans have seen some of the worst measles outbreaks in decades. The once-eradicated disease is now endangering the health and lives of people from New York to Washington, where the governor recently declared a state of emergency.

Money really is a defining factor in any relationship, but poses special challenges when you’re contemplating marrying for a second (or third) time.  In a 2012 study of 4,500 couples, fighting about money early on in a relationship was by far the most accurate predictor of divorce, regardless of income, debt or net worth.[1]  Researchers found that no matter how long the relationship had lasted, if there were monetary disagreements early on, there was a good chance that the overall satisfaction with the relationship would be poor.  So, if money plays such an important role in our relationships, what can we do about it?

The Conversation <us.newsletter@theconversation.com>

One of the major questions of growing older is, “where do I want to live as I age?” For many baby boomers, an important goal is staying independent as long as possible. Many in this generation desire to age in their homes and make their own choices as long as possible.

Living preferences are changing, as are relationship patterns, such as greater numbers of mid- and late-life adults who are single, childless, or live at a distance from adult children. “Senior cohousing communities,” or SCCs, are a form of communal living that integrates common areas and private residences. They promote choice and independence, which are particularly important for the aging baby boom generation.  CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE

In The Conversation: If you’re a parent of a preschooler, you might be wondering how you can help set your child up for success once they enter kindergarten.

By now, you have probably heard of the importance of reading and talking to your child to support their language and literacy skills. You may have even made reading, talking and learning the ABCs part of your daily routine.

But did you know that you can also support your child’s math learning during everyday interactions at home? CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE

In January 2019, the Thomas Wolfe Cabin Master Plan was commissioned by the City of Asheville, in partnership with the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County.

Healthier living, more savings, and a better world for you and yours. Please share any articles you love on the social media site of choice! 

By Gordon Hempton in On Being

A single thunderstorm upended Gordon Hempton’s life. While on a cross-country road trip in his mid-twenties, he decided to pull over in a field to get some rest. As the storm rolled in, he simply laid back, listened, and began to hear things he’d never noticed before: chirping crickets and the way the thunder echoed across the valley.