Diamond, the featured speaker at a Tuesday, May 21, event at Jubilee! from 7-9 p.m., is determined educate and inspire others to remove toxic ingredients from their homes.

Lorre Diamond, Ingredient Investigator

Flipping through the pages of an industry magazine in 2006, Diamond came across disturbing information about a common chemical called a paraben, and referred to on labels as methyl, propyl, butyl, and ethyl paraben.

“Though manufacturers commonly use paraben to inhibit microbial growth and extend the shelf life of products, one article by Amanda Gardener found that parabens had been detected in breast cancer tissue.”

That disturbing bit of news led Diamond to more research. “The problem wasn’t just limited to paraben additives. I found that elegant bottles of beauty and personal care products contain A multitude of toxins and carcinogens in exotic fragrances and creamy textures.”

Diamond calls the series of revelations that followed an “inconvenient truth.”

“ I learned that on labels, words such as organic, natural, dermatologist tested, fragrance free, hypoallergenic, and cruelty free are just marketing. Our system is broken.”

The status quo is bleak as Diamond sees it, though she notes some non-profit action groups are making positive inroads. Nevertheless, labeling laws for personal care products do not exist in the United States. Neither the Cosmetic Fragrance and Toiletry Association, nor the Food and Drug Administration require the beauty industry to be forthright on their labels. Product safety testing remains inadequate. Products placed on the shelf in stores without adequate testing include products targeting women, men, teens, and infants, in an ironic sort of gender equality.

Daily, women use 168 difference ingredients , while men use 85 ingredients , children use 61 ingredients, Diamond’s research shows.

“My intensive research left me angry and confused,” says Diamond. “Every day, I was learning more about toxic chemicals such as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Nitrosamines, so-called “natural” fragrances, 1-4 dioxane, and others.”

For example, in 2006, a team of researchers from the University of California found sunscreen may “do more harm than good once it soaks into the skin, where it actually promotes the harmful compounds it is meant to protect against,” according to the Organic Consumers Association.

The exceptions are those labels on Certified Organic products, says Diamond.

“I began searching in health food stores, on line, through books and trade shows for a product line that would be beneficial, cost-effective, healthy, and void of toxins.”

She also began searching for a better way to work.

“My inconvenient truth made it impossible for me to work in spas or salons with a clear conscious, as I was unwilling to sell and apply their toxic products.”

As a result, Diamond began speaking publicly on the dangers of chemicals and personal care products to as many people and organizations as possible. After a recent study showed hundreds of toxic chemicals in the umbilical cord, she has begun to focus her education on young adults of child bearing as, as well as cancer patients and survivors. Each group has proven susceptibility to synthetic cosmetic ingredients, she notes.

Today, Diamond calls herself an ingredient investigator after the fashion of Christine Hoza Farlow, D.C., author of the book, Dying to Look Good.” She cites Farlow’s text precisely:

“… no one knows the effects of the many different ingredients used in the thousands of different combinations, the effects of using numerous different products, one on top of the other, or the effects of repeated use of ingredients or products over time.”

No one knows, she repeats. Then, she questions.

“No one knows?”

Learn to decipher ingredients on a label, identify the most toxic ingredients in personal care products, and make better, healthier choices to protect your health. Attendees are invited to bring their favorite personal care product for an ingredient check. Cost is $10. The event is Tuesday, May 21, from 7-9 p.m., Jubilee!, 46 Wall Street, Asheville.

“The Equal Rights Amendment is the simple idea women should be included in the constitution,” says Madden.

The informal meeting came as a result of Asheville Rising members expressing interest in addressing the underlying cause of the many problems undermining women’s welfare in matters of health, law, and economics.

A video filmed during International Women’s Day in March features local women’s responses to these issues.

A recognized leader in the Equal Rights Movement for more than 40 years, Madden was invited to meet with the group to share information and create public awareness regarding the current efforts to encourage North Carolina’s ratification of the amendment.

Why ERA? Why now?

The proposed Equal Rights Amendment, first introduced in 1923 by suffragette Alice Paul, states:

Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any
state on account of sex.

This historic piece of proposed legislation is back on the table due to the recent passage of the Madison Amendment, focusing on congressional pay raises. The passage of that amendment took 203 years, suggesting the deadline originally placed on the Equal Rights Amendment – not actually in the wording, but proposed by opponents – was invalid. First ladies such as Patricia Nixon, Betty Ford, and Rosalyn Carter supported ERA in its 1972 failed attempt at ratification. At that time, the bill passed in the U.S. Senate and House, but fell short when only 35 of 38 states ratified.

ERA Reintroduced into U.S. Congress on May 9

Last week, 90 years after ERA was first introduced, a new bill to lift the deadline and place the ratification of ERA back into the national agenda was introduced in both the United States House of Representatives and Senate, the two legislative bodies within the Congressional House, says Madden.

“Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 15 and House Joint Resolution (HJR) 43 were introduced today,” she told Asheville Rising attendees at the Thursday, May 9, meeting, to a smattering of applause. “The text of the legislation and a list of cosponsors are available at www.thomas.gov.”

North Carolina Never Ratified ERA

North Carolina never ratified the Equal Rights Amendment, making it an important state in the current “3 state” push for ratification. Regrettably, no North Carolina members of Congress listed as cosponsors to the bill. To correct this oversight, supporters of the amendment may call Senators Hagan and Burr and their U.S Representative Meadows or McHenry, and urge them to add their names as cosponsors. The toll free number to the U.S. Capitol is 1-877-762-8762.

Without the guarantee of constitutional bedrock, all laws in the United States currently promising equality may be overturned by a single majority vote in state or U.S. legislatures, according to Madden and documentation provided by Ratify ERA-NC.

Equal Rights Protect All Persons

While opponents claim the 14^th amendment guarantees equal rights, in actuality the 14^th amendment does not prohibit sex discrimination in the U.S.  According to Supreme Court Justice Scaglia, cases of discrimination based on race, religion, and national origin are considered with a standard of strict scrutiny by the court system. Those involving gender discrimination are deemed less important, and are held with intermediate or rational scrutiny.

Though women currently comprise more than 50 percent of the population and work force, they are not provided the same constitutional protections as men. In fact, they are explicitly excluded from Constitutional protections. The Right to Vote was granted as an exclusion to this lack of protection, and does not actually provide equal status under the law. Many U.S. states today continue to consider women as legal extensions of their husbands, fathers, or sons.

Madden offers a telling example of what this means in real life in North Carolina.

“On average, a North Carolina woman, working full time, year around, makes 81 cents to every man’s dollar. This affects everything: pensions, if they have them, and social security.”

As a result, women currently constitute three-fourths of elderly individuals in poverty in North Carolina. As parents of baby boomers, and the baby boomers themselves age, the ability to sustain quality of life during age is an issue which looms ahead for many North Carolinians.

Additionally, men would also benefit from the amendment, says Madden, particularly in areas such as family law, military service, and sex discrimination.

“Men file about half of the sex discrimination cases before the U.S. Supreme Court,” she says.

Asheville Rising is the western North Carolina response to the recent One Billion Rising Campaign on February 14 to take action to prevent violence against women. The group is at https://www.facebook.com/groups/333843030062908/.
Ratify ERA-NC can be reached at www.era-nc.org. For national updates on the Equal Rights Amendment, visit www.United4Equality.org.

Sherri L. McLendon, M.A., is a freelance writer from Weaverville specializing in mindfulness approaches to marketing public relations, at http://www.professionalmoneta.com. She is a member of Asheville Rising.

Just 10 days ago, Ask Asheville posted this photo we took to Facebook and it quickly went viral. So much that as of right now, it has reached more that 778,000 people which out of these were only 937 organic and a huge 777,673 viral, 2,536 likes, 217 comments, 62,444 stories created from it, at this moment 51,921 people are talking about it, and 9883 people, businesses and organizations have shared it. AMAZING!!! I believe this holds the public “Going Viral on Facebook” record for the Asheville area easy. Thank you to everyone who read, laughed, liked, commented, and shared it.

Like AskAsheville on Facebook

If you have not been to The Cantina at Biltmore lately, you are missing out on a lot! This place is incredible. They use a lot of produce from Asheville Urban Farms, which is only minutes away from the restaurant, so the freshness is easily and consistently served on your plate. In addition to this, The Cantina has teamed up with MANNA FoodBank with a new program that allows guests to donate one or both of their side dishes, and feed our hungry neighbors in the Asheville & WNC community. What a great program!! In the above photo, you can see Sherrye, the Owner (3rd in line), with a large donation from the restaurant and the folks who donated their sides. In the photo below, a painting by Lynne Harty Photography that she donated to MANNA, and is being auctioned at The Cantina this month. Stop by, check it out and place a bid on this beautiful piece of art. Eat and donate a side while you are at it too. Thank you!

AB Tech's Hamlet

Okay, I’m not embarrassed to admit that I’m not a Hamlet person– or a Shakespeare person at all, really. I’ll be flogged in effigy by many of my peers for saying so, but having been immersed in the Bard during middle school seems to have left me decidedly “meh” on the whole subject.

Still, when I heard that AB Tech was planning to do a steampunk version of the play, my interest was piqued. When I found out that Moog Music was behind the sound design, headed up by the guys who brought us last year’s killer new soundtrack to the original Night of the Living Dead, I knew I had to check it out.

The play itself, under the more than competent direction of Peter Carver, is by far the most entertaining rendition I’ve seen. Carver cast Hayley Karbowski in the lead, an edgy move considering that he made no move to feminize the script nor turn young Hamlet into a more androgynous character. This is simply a chick playing Hamlet as written, and it works. I was a little unsure about Karbowski in the role at first, but as the play went on I realized that she managed to bring to life the character as I’ve always seen him: melodramatic, perhaps a bit emo, but with a sharp wit that makes him likable nonetheless. Allison Stinson is perfectly cast as Gertrude, and Ken Knight actually made me laugh out loud (not an easy thing to to) with his spot-on portrayal of the annoyingly verbose Polonius. Although all of the actors performed well, Alison Tippin impressed me more than anyone else as an intense yet understated Fortinbras.

AB Tech’s Hamlet is performed in a small lecture hall, without much room for elaborate set design. To remedy this, scenes of the Biltmore Estate and grounds are projected onto the walls behind the stage. Scenes of the ghost are expertly projected around the room, adding to the play’s overall eerie vibe, and the play-within-a-play alone, shot as an old black-and-white film, makes the whole thing worth seeing.

The play is driven by an intense and ethereal soundtrack created by Anthony Dorion. He and thereminist Chris Tanfield add live effects to the pre-recorded music, which includes appearances by members of Silver Machine, Space Medicine and Asian Teacher Factory, as well as Syracuse, NY singer-songwriter Mike Davis. The result is an undefinable mix of modern and classical music, the perfect backdrop for this innovative stage production.

AB Tech’s Hamlet runs approximately two and a half hours, with a fifteen-minute intermission, although I have to say it doesn’t feel that long. It’s an easy play to sit through; I did more than once and will likely see another performance before the final night. Tickets are $5 for AB Tech students, $10 for all other students and $15 for the general public– a small price to pay for such a well-done production. See it at Simpson Hall at 7:30 pm, May 1-4. For more information, click on the flyer above.

April Fox is a teacher and freelance writer in Asheville. If you’re interested in more from her warped little head, follow her blog or find her on Facebook.

We are Petitioning to Recognize “Hug A Monster Day” as a Federal Holiday!!

What is a Monster anyway? It is an imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and frightening; so we are talking about fiction here people! Fictional character that we all know and have grown to somewhat love. Now “Hugging Freddy Krueger” may not seem like your ideal event, but it will be so much fun!! I was thinking of hugging Chewbacca actually. In the past, we have accepted and prompted Monsters on Halloween, Mardi Gras and many other occasions. This is our chance to set a day apart for us and them to be at complete peace! As you can see in the flyer above, there were many famous people that recognized the “Monsters” of their time. Here is what this Asheville based group is petitioning…

“Monsters are people too. We monsters at the blog StuffMonstersLike.com are hardworking, tax-paying Americans. But the work of many monsters goes generally unnoticed by the general public. We request dedicating every July 27 to showing appreciation to the monsters in our lives. Hug A Monster Day has a rich history as a non-federal holiday. It is time to give the day, and the monsters it represents, the recognition deserved. American monsters enjoy all the other holidays. But Americans need more holidays, and we believe the best reason to create one would be to recognize the macabre in our lives. On “Hug A Monster Day” people celebrate by hugging their monsters or monster effigies, such as a stuffed Wolfman or a plastic Frankenstein. Please consider making every July 27, Hug A Monster Day.”

Help make this happen by clicking and signing this “Hug A Monster Day” Petition!

It wasn’t so long ago that a person called “Son of a Bistro” appeared on the Asheville Twitter feed, sharing photos of some amazing dessert creations by Chef Ryan Izon. The name of the restaurant was Mother & Son Bistro. Ryan and his family quickly got involved in the community and created baked goods like the Twestival (Twitter Festival) cake a few years ago. As their first public appearance.. Ryan, his girlfriend Catherine, and sister Christine attended the huge social media party that we had at the Grove Park Inn years ago. Ryan also spoke at one of the first “Free Social Media Schools in AVL” at the Downtown Market, and discussed his involvement in the foodie and tech world. One of his favorite spots to hang out was Asheville Pizza & Brewing on Merrimon Avenue in north Asheville.

Ryan Izon was an Entrepreneur! He had his own business, he had a family business, and he was always looking for more opportunity. He helped us with Sociable Influence and worked great with people. His photography included key contributions to the Asheville tattoo scene and festival; as well as Asheville concerts at the Orange Peel and other local venues. His creativity and love for music allowed him to build several amazing custom guitars. His most recent venture.. RCI Guitar Pickups had succeeded to the point where he could go to work full-time on it.

Almost three years ago, Ryan’s sister Christine Izon drowned in a lake in South Carolina on Mother’s Day. This left Mother.. Dawn Izon, Ryan, Christine’s daughter Brianna, and a missing hole in their heart and life. Catherine, Ryan’s wife, became the key to new life and hope as they were married two and a half years ago in Asheville NC. As they were getting Ryan’s health situated, they shut “Mother & Son Bistro” down. Ryan started to work at UNCA and Catherine at Sam’s Club.

Ryan Izon was dealing with a few health complications, and had surgery a few years ago, but it did not go as planned and he ended up fighting to have it corrected. The surgery this past week was meant to be a big turning point for the better, but the surgery was unsuccessful and he passed away on Friday, April 19, 2013.

Who was Ryan Izon to me? He was a true friend in my life. When I was going through life’s transitions years ago, Ryan was someone I could talk to, and he always gave me great advice from his heart. He was a friend to my family, and he treated each of them as if they were his own. The last time I saw him 2 weeks ago, he was sitting at a party with my Mom and my son Gary. Ryan had an incredible sense of humor, and we spent many times laughing over a few brews with Catherine and others. He was a great human being who loved and cared for others. I remember after his sister passed away, he told me.. “I am getting ready to marry the woman I love, my sister is gone, and I have to make sure I take care of Brianna because I am all she has, and she is all that I have left of my sister.” He made an impression on my heart and life that made me a better person and made him a great friend to me. I hope I was the same to him. I realize now I took this surgery for granted, I assumed that it would be successful and we could all live happily ever after. Now we have to live without Ryan. When I first heard the news, my immediate thought was “no, I need to bring him back to life” and I ran myself in circles. Now I am scrambling around trying to find ways to make him live forever, by honoring his life and protecting his memories. I love you Ryan Izon and I am so sorry this happened to you. Please Rest in Peace.

The Memorial Service will be Sunday April 28, 2013 at 5:00 pm at the Blue Ridge Vineyard Church 501 Stone Ridge Blvd Asheville NC 28804.

I heard someone recently say… “there is not a bad place to eat in Biltmore Village” …and this has stuck in my head. I started thinking about it and the great food from Rezaz, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Red Stag Grill, Fig Bistro, Moe’s BBQ, Wayside, and of course… The Cantina at Historic Biltmore Village. Check out this new video…

The Cantina at Biltmore has become one of our main spots for great food, friend meetups, and business meetings. Much of the produce they use comes straight from their local farm, and fresh, delicious food is what they always serve. They have 3 private meeting and event rooms in the venue as well, so the perfect spot for a business luncheon, staff training and.. parties!!!

Lots of great things are happening in Biltmore Village; and The Cantina is definitely one of them. If you are coming out of the Biltmore Estate, go through 2 quick lights and The Cantina at Biltmore is located about 500 feet ahead on your right.

The other day, while running around town, I stopped by this bagel shop to grab a quick bite. I was in “so busy” mode that I tried not to make eye contact with anyone so I could get in and out of there as quickly as possible and head to my next meeting. I ordered, paid, moved to the end of the shop and started tweeting on my smartphone. I semi-looked up for a moment and saw this lady with a bunch of items, putting them in pretty baskets, with a big smile on her face. I thought “who is that, what is she doing and what is that for?” Finally, after wondering several times in-between tweets, I walked over and asked. A warm welcome greeted me with an inspiring story to follow that made my day.  ”Julie” was packing a bunch of Mary Kay cosmetics and beauty supplies for the ladies at Helpmate. She explained to me that it is a project where they match however much others donated at a recent event. I love to hear stuff like this!

We later talked via email and I learned a lot more about Julie, and her involvement with Helpmate of Asheville. Please read: