AltWeeklies Wire
Wal-Mart Encourages Camping in Parking Lotsnew
With its 24/7 operations and expansive parking lots, Wal-Mart apparently realized it could make more friends (and more cents) by letting folks in self-contained campers spend the night (and perhaps spend some money while they're at it) than by chasing them off at the risk of alienating potential customers.
Mountain Xpress |
Cecil Bothwell |
08-19-2004 |
Travel
Businesses Embrace Ancient Art of Feng Shuinew
Customers won't stay and spend money in your store; buyers keep backing out of deals to buy your house; workers in your office complain of headaches and fatigue. Maybe, a friend suggests, it's time to call in a feng shui expert to cure your building's ailing "chi."
Mountain Xpress |
Steve Rasmussen |
08-19-2004 |
Business & Labor
The Sons of Confederate Veterans Face Another Civil Warnew
It's been 139 years since the Civil War ended. But judging by the latest infighting within the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which came to a head at the group's recent national convention in Dalton, Ga., a truce in the long-running cultural war about the meaning of Southern pride may still be generations away.
Mountain Xpress |
Jon Elliston |
08-19-2004 |
Race & Class
Merrybells Grow Well in Shade and on Mountainsnew
These lovely wildflowers are native to the eastern United States, with four species usually grown in gardens. American Indians used merrybells in herbal remedies.
Mountain Xpress |
Peter Loewer |
08-07-2004 |
Gardening
Plantain Weed Takes Sting Out of Bee Stingnew
An herbal medicine specialist says that one of the most widespread "weeds" in the world, plantain, is a first-choice remedy for many skin ailments.
Mountain Xpress |
Corrina Wood |
08-07-2004 |
Science
Stupid Squash Tricksnew
Squash plants are too darn big. The rational solution appears to be cultivating fewer plants, but late-season plant loss can cut productivity disastrously. Here are some simple tricks to help preserve your harvest.
Mountain Xpress |
Cecil Bothwell |
08-03-2004 |
Gardening
A Tale of Two Y'allsnew
The dictionary of Southern dialect is simple, concise and respectful. It stands in contrast to Maureen Duffin-Ward's Suddenly Southern: A Yankee's Guide to Living in Dixie, a breathtaking collection of every cliché and stereotype ever promulgated about the South and Southerners.
Mountain Xpress |
Cindy Burda |
07-23-2004 |
Nonfiction
The Bright Lights Tonightnew
Generally positive review of the band's latest disc, includes conversation with band members, look at their history.
Mountain Xpress |
Marsha Barber |
07-23-2004 |
Reviews
Ansel Adams: Environmentalist As Sentimentalistnew
Professional photographers comment on Ansel Adams' prophetic social agenda and artistic legacy in this review of "Classic Images: From the Ansel Adams Archive" at the Asheville Art Museum.
Mountain Xpress |
Connie Bostic |
07-23-2004 |
Art
Smell? What smell?new
Examining the decisions of a local air quality board in North Carolina reveals statewide problems with influence, laws and enforcement.
Mountain Xpress |
Steve Rasmussen |
07-23-2004 |
Environment
Michael Badnarik: Libertarian presidential candidatenew
Interview with the Libertarian candidate, considered the dark horse winner of his party's nomination
Mountain Xpress |
Cecil Bothwell |
07-23-2004 |
Politics
That Comeback Urgenew
Fame stiffed Urge Overkill, but the band is on the way back up after two decades of up and down.
Mountain Xpress |
Frank Rabey |
07-23-2004 |
Profiles & Interviews
No Rest Area Next 100 Miles: the Blue Ridge Parkwaynew
An art exhibition in Asheville, N.C., highlights the regional roadway with works by well-known painters.
Mountain Xpress |
Marsha Barber |
07-09-2004 |
Art
Mean Girl Does Goodnew

Best known for playing nasty Nellie Oleson in "Little House on the Prairie," Alison Arngrim has become a comedienne and works for charitable causes.
Mountain Xpress |
Melanie McGee |
07-09-2004 |
Performance
Daylilies: Neither Do They Spinnew
Beautiful and edible, weedlike in their tenacity, bearing handsome foliage and available in a wide range of warm colors – what's not to like about daylilies?
Mountain Xpress |
Cecil Bothwell |
07-09-2004 |
Gardening