Looking for something to do this weekend? Come out and join us this Sunday September 13th for Twestival Local! We’ll be at the Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company on Coxe Avenue from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., with plenty of food, beverage, and games!

This year’s cause: ASAP. ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) is a nonprofit organization that works to keep farmers farming and reconnect people with their food. You’ll find plenty of information on their site about the amazing work they do in our community, so be sure to check it and read up!

Find out more at http://asheville.twestival.com/ or if you know enough already go ahead and buy tickets here!

In an interesting article – especially considering all the fuss surrounding the ‘Big Three’ U.S. automotive manufacturers – Cars.com has ranked the top 10 ‘most American’ cars and trucks on the market today. The piece takes vehicles built and bought in the U.S., factors in sales, where the car’s parts are made and whether the car was assembled in the States.

Who’s number one? Well, it ain’t the Ford F150 anymore! In fact, the top ranked car in their American-Made Index is the Toyota Camry – check out more here.

If someone can explain the following article from CNN.com to me, please do. I think I’m reading this right; Iraqi officials killed three wild boars that didn’t have the swine flu to appease zoo visitors? Because there’s been a total of zero reports of the ’swine flu’ in Iraq. Then, the region’s health minister advised an predominantly Islamic population to not eat pork? Because they were going to anyway? And you can’t even catch the swine flu from eating pork. It’s the FLIPPIN’ FLU people!!! ¡ay Dios mío!

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Three wild boars were put to sleep in Iraq on Friday because of swine flu fears, a zoo official said.

The decision to kill the 10-year-old wild boars in Baghdad was a precautionary measure by the government to prevent an outbreak of swine flu, said Adel Musa, the zoo director.

It was done “to break a barrier of fear” zoo visitors had developed in recent days because of the spread of swine flu worldwide, he said.

The animals were tested prior to being put to sleep and found not to carry the virus, Musa said, adding that they were killed humanely.

Iraq had no reported cases of swine flu — known as influenza A (H1N1) — as of Sunday, the World Health Organization said.

The government has allocated $30 million to respond to possible outbreaks, according to the Iraqi ministry of health.

Health officials at border crossings are checking travelers for swine flu symptoms, it said.

The Kurdistan Regional Government, the country’s semiautonomous Kurdish region in the north, which has a large number of wild boars, has banned boar hunting, said Zirian Othman, the region’s health minister.

Othman said residents are being advised not to eat pork. Medical teams have been deployed to the region’s international airports to monitor travelers, especially those from affected countries, he said.

Should the region be affected by the virus, there is enough medication for 75,000 people, Othman said.

Link to original story here.

Since January of this year over 13,000 people in the US have died from from the flu. The swine flu? Nope – the regular flu. Finally, a mainstream media outlet is talking about the facts, and not the hype. CNN posted a story yesterday about the regular old flu -and in the process provided a bit more realistic perspective about the virus and it’s various cousins. Take for example L.A. County, where the CDC has reported 10 cases of the swine flu; They see more than 1,000 deaths a year related to the regular flu. All types of influenza mutate and can only be ‘treated’ – not prevented. By the time the flu season comes around, vaccines for the regular flu are often already outdated and ineffective. And just like swine flu, the regular flu is treated with the same antiviral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza. (PS – can you say marketing scam? Do a little research and you might find some alarming facts about the two drugs.)

Yes, the ‘outbreak’ of swine flu is reason for concern, as is any viral spread. And yes, it’s variation in Mexcio  has caused many illnesses and in some cases death in relatively healthy persons (Note that it’s been found to be a much weaker strand here in the US and in other countries). But the fact is it’s no reason to freak out, and the numbers aren’t anything to panic about either.

People need to grow up. How about you guys pay your taxes and shut the fuck up. Sorry, but come on. Tea bagging? Really?