Love And Hate Mail
Scene softball
You forgot to mention in your plea to Mr. Gore (Editorial, Feb. 15) that you’d probably wind up the afternoon (with Scene staff) with a very friendly game of softball (lots of lobs to be sure). Incidentally, it’s generally a good idea if you’re “mending fences,” that you move back to the state you’re trying to reconcile [with]—instead of Virginia. But then, Virginia is a lot closer to his real home.
Brian Miller
bmiller@interactivesecuritysystems.com
Inspiring thanks
The “Wealth of Knowledge” article is truly inspiring (Feb. 15). Thanks to Jim Ayers for his thoughtful generosity. His actions will no doubt have a positive impact on Decatur County for years to come. He is an example to all of what is good in the world. Thanks to writer Beverly Keel for presenting this inspiring story.
Jim Wallace
jwallace@mail.state.tn.us (Nashville)
Obscure film facts
Are you saying that Jules Dassin was professionally handicapped by his Communist sympathies after his move to France in 1952 (Rififi film review, Feb. 15)? The French director Jean Renoir was a committed Communist, as were most French artists and intellectuals of the period. Picasso’s “Dove of Peace” was a present for Stalin’s 70th birthday. Jean Paul Sartre, perhaps modern France’s most famous intellectual, remained a Stalinist even after Krushchev’s admission of Stalin’s crimes.
In the cultural community of 1950s France, anti-Communists such as Raymond Aron and Albert Camus were lonely figures. The French are still trying to come to grips with this—unlike the American cultural elite, which still treats party membership like a secret handshake.
After he was labeled a Communist (he never denied it) by one of the Hollywood Ten (among whom his name is not found), Dassin wasted no time in moving to France. If he suffered a professional setback by the move (which isn’t obvious), more likely it was the result of an inability to speak French—or perhaps just being an American.
Henry Haile
hhaile@home.com
Massaging a myth
As a professional licensed massage therapist and business owner with over 17 years of experience, I take extreme objection to Mr. Barnham’s latest letter to the editor (“Self-righteous indignation,” Feb. 8). I am sure he did not mean to demean an entire profession with his comment about massage being in the same category as the “alternative lifestyles” he so objects to.
I would be inclined to believe that Mr. Barnham has never had a therapeutic massage (would that imply he is only aware of other-than-legitimate massage therapy?) and that he has no knowledge that state law protects massage therapy as a legitimate, licensed service—with strict educational requirements—and prevents other non-licensed businesses from operating under the heading of massage.
I would like to tell Mr. Barnham that I have many clients (male and female) who are doctors, nurses, lawyers, housewives, shopkeepers, students, and teachers—all of whom believe that massage has greatly improved their health and well-being. Why not come in and see what a real therapeutic massage is like, Mr. Barnham?
You might also find that a great massage would do wonders to improve your attitude.
Dianne Killen, owner and LMT Lasting Impressions Massage Studio
MKillen157@aol.com (Nashville)
Editor’s Note
So much depends upon the red wheelbarrow glazed with rainwater beside the white chickens. —William Carlos Williams
This week we debut a new Web site. The product of months of external demographic study, internal task force debate, and tens of thousands of research and development dollars, it will revolutionize the way you relate to the world. Advertisements begin on the major networks next week.
Actually, the Web site is the product of one very gifted Scene employee named James Hanback Jr. It does radically redo our old Web site. It’s heavy on news and listings. And it looks a helluva lot better too. We ask you to visit it. Often. Click on www.nashvillescene.com.
If you have any suggestions for better offerings we can bring you on the Web, please e-mail James (web@nashvillescene.com) or give me a shout.
—B.D.
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