The poor flowers of the Asheville Global Report

Spring is here: birds are chirping, trees are budding, and yes, flowers are blooming. Amidst all this glory of nature, the Asheville Global Report is struggling to make ends meet. As you revel in the warm weather, the newspaper is holding our Spring Fund Drive and needs you to share a little monetary joy with us. Apparently you hear our pleas for money. As one reader has said in a letter: "While I agree with the validity of most of what I read in Asheville Global Report, I rarely have the desire or the energy to pick up a copy, and when I do, it remains on my desk. The world is not all black and white... there are flowers. But there are no flowers, there is no joy with the darkened pages of AGR. I get the feeling of relentless struggle... strife... with no positive reflection into the joyful part of existence. Too much war!" Yes, most news of this world is daunting. We live in a time of great inequality and injustice. Yet there are flowers growing in the cracks in the pavement of the AGR. The United States is in the throes of a massive civil rights movement for the rights of immigrants. Youth in France have won their battle against job insecurity. People in Nepal and Belarus are fighting bravely against their oppressive governments. Infotainment you will not get from the pages of the Asheville Global Report, but stories of people's struggles, with all their violence and heartbreak and seldom–but thankfully occasional–triumphs you will read. The AGR hears your pleas for news of joy as we strive to provide you with news of the highest caliber. But unbiased, factual news comes at a price. We envision a day when the AGR can pay a global contingent of grassroots journalists and photographers. We envision a day when our fund drives will be full of joy at our successes instead of lamenting our budget constraints. We need you to hear our pleas for funds to keep this paper in operation. Hopefully the articles in the Asheville Global Report about "relentless struggle… strife," bombs and war allow you to appreciate the flowers in your own yard and make them seem all the more beautiful in the global context. Yes, there is too much war but ignorance is not bliss. And neither is not having any money to do something our staff, readers and community believe in. Please donate now with whatever you can. And if you want to see joy, right here in Asheville, then come to our Benefit Art Show on Sat., Apr. 22 at Bobo Gallery, 24 Lexington Ave. from 7 to 10pm. There will be beautiful vintage political posters documenting people's struggles from across the globe and a whole slew of art donated from local artists and craftspeople for you to buy. Make yourself happy; make us happy. Support the AGR.