Love-Hate Mail
Tell Tony no
Giarratana has done nothing but destroy historic buildings and change our skyline for the worse ("The Signature Tower and May Town Center are far from sure things. Is Tony Giarratana's legacy as Nashville's development king up in the air?" Aug. 6)—e.g., taking the iconic L&C Tower out of our skyline.
Why anyone would not speak up before he tore down the Tennessee Theater and the Sudekum Building is beyond me. And FYI, he did not convert the Bennie Dillon Building into lofts. It had already been converted into beautiful lofts five years previous to his buying the building and giving renters the ultimatum of paying his over-inflated prices or get out. He bought the building and claimed to have converted them.
I know he didn't convert them because I had lived there for three years when he quietly went through my apartment several times with his posse, thinking I would never know. But I had a neighbor who informed me each time. When I would ask management about it, of course they denied it.
That is the MO of his management team, and that is his way of doing business. I don't understand why articles whine about his presence here, yet no one will speak up. Just say no to him, then there will be no need to keep putting his "big ideas" in the paper.
J.D. Robertson
Caring about our heritage
I know most of your readers are too young to know what I am talking about. I was one of the people who fought very hard to save the Tennessee Theater and the Sudekum Building from the infamous developer, Tony G. When the ruling came in favor of Mr. G, I realized that at that time Nashville did not care much for its heritage.
The Sudekum was built in the 1930s. It was an Art Deco marvel. The theater was intended to be part of the project, but The Great Depression stopped it. In 1952 the movie house finally was built. It was glorious. It was one of the last movie palaces ever built in this country. It should have been preserved as an icon. Instead, Mr. G saw it all as only property. And the city went along.
Matthew
Nashville
I blame city government
This was a well-balanced article describing in truthful terms Tony G.'s strengths and weaknesses. I too remember that beautiful Tennessee Theater from when I was a young kid. There is, however, equal blame to go around—Tony G. was allowed by an unsophisticated Metro Planning Commission and ultimately Metro Council to destroy that landmark.
When it comes right down to it, he did Belle Meade Town Center much more correctly because he did reuse the facade of the old theater, and it absolutely enhances the street view. With developers as a rule, there is ego involved, and that is not necessarily a bad thing as ego can often drive vision. It is when greed and ego mix that negative results occur.
Truthfully, Nashville is no better or worse than many other cities when it comes to preserving the city's historic buildings. Again, I blame city government as much as the developers for what happened over the last two decades.
Mayor Dean at least gives the appearance of having his head on straight and not flip-flopping, regardless of which side of development issues he comes down on.
Jeff
Nashville
Over there
Thanks for the coverage. Once that beautiful land is gone, it's gone forever. The developer pockets his money, and all of us are poorer. Why does Europe have great views even after thousands of years? They understand the value of preserving the green countryside.
Susan Sinclair
Nashville
Rising costs
According to Jeff Woods, Jim Cooper is more than a little responsible for delaying the vote on health care until after the August break. Good for him! The congressional budget office estimates that the House health bill would increase the deficit by $239 billion over the next 10 years, and then it really starts getting into serious money.
A billion here, a billion there, and sooner or later you're talking real money, as Bunker Hunt said. These estimates are probably conservative. Remember in 1967 ways and means estimates for Medicare for 1990 were $12 billion. When 1990 came, the real figure was $110 billion.
Jim Cooper did the right thing to get Congress to slow down and not just cram this bill through the system. Health care is about 1/7 of the economy and much too important to get wrong in light of the deficits already coming down the road.
Greg Grafelman
Nashville
Laughing matter
I just wanted to write and compliment the good taste and great sense of humor demonstrated in the write-up of the Jim Rose Circus in last week's Critics' Picks. (July 30). Making sure to include the line from their press release, "...Not since Christians were fed to the lions has there been a show this funny," was absolutely hilarious.
Here are a few other phrases you can use in the future that are just as funny: "more fun than sending Jews to the gas chambers," or "as funny as lynching a black man," or how about "better than shooting a homosexual?" There's nothing quite like homicide and hatred to tickle the old funny bone.
Anonymous
Comments (1)
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Hype and Funny Money - 7/18/2001 We interupt this transmission of Love and Hate leaks to bring you an important note of encouragement! "Hate is not a family value." Now an important message about privacy and the internet. I want to warn you...This isn't what you might think. It is more propaganda. As an 'obcessed writer' I need to write. I am motivated and inspired by the events of my life, yet, you won't find the usual maundering here, unless of course the internet at large starts paying 8-bit metal bands to translate whatever it is they are screaming about...Creating and perpetrating internet fraud and other small crimes? Not to worry this bothersome sometimes annoying phase is temporary, I think? They are not noisey, just opinionated. Violating and infringing upon copy-right law is not a joke. This is a joke. "As nothing original originates here, and is intented to be nothing more than entertainment; Nobody important lives here. I have no life." This stuff is not my invention, generally speaking these events are conjured by others...WHO? Is all this just a figment of my imagination? All these characters online are, ficticious, any resemblance to anyone real; alive or deceased, is purely coinsidental. What does that mean? Because of the diversity of internet veination the possibilities for all this are endless. Basically, I am motivated to make more friends than slush. Is it possible to meet 4,000 friends in less than one day... This concept is flawed. Be real, being 'blessed' by all intensive purposes is just as cool as being 'bullied' not to mention cool whatever that is... Is anyone on the internet of this Earth? Who else feels as though the internet is a rip off and hates it? As a writer I investigate different opportunities in order to secure my investments.B.S. you are a spamer. Money is an issue but, not the focus of my message. In the nineties we became no stranger to this sort of criminal, their legacy continues. Anyone with the need for power control and dominance is totally and unequivicably sickening. At the pit of my stomach is an apathy for this particular situation. Do not give them any money if you can help it. Not to mention all the pop-ups, cookies, and movie trailers, at the worst they are annoying. Our privacy has been mutilated and more! Why do these people insist upon maintaining a continuous line on perpetrating these crimes? I ask because I want to understand; why do you think it a novelty to destroy a persons credit or even worse? Drive a friend to the movies. What are you gonna do? The problem: I cannot say why the problem persists only that these inividuals are vaccant, a vacuole of ethical principles...They are for the most part unrestrained and free to commit this crime seemingly at their leisure, which is, in my opinion how easy it is for them...And unfortunately how ignorant they see all the rest of us; those who have no interest in using the technology for criminal activity. There is nothing right about the activities of these persons, they gloat at their intellect when it wasn't even invented by them. At this point they are nothing more than 'scripters'. I do not want to participate in their sport because there's not anything I want to know so bad that I have to steal the information to get it. This is a public site, I know, I would be more amiable if I was receiving an appropriate salary. I would be less inspiring to them though which is the reality of their unscrupulous nature. My advice to all who read this ban television and radio stations as a means to receive information...Examine, if you will, the time you spend on the internet. Do you just hate yourself or what? Other Missions: 1.Boycott the multi-media complex as a source for entertainment/information. 2. Go outside and get some fresh air. 3.Pursue your online projects, whatever, they might be, provided it involves legal activities. 4.Maintain and update these endeavors whatever it might involve, as it changes, we'll call it a quiet evolvolution. 5. Flyby Earth once every great while so we may be reminded what you really look like. The first step toward this is to unplug your computer, television, game, radio,and flush all your medication secondly, avoid reading any material published by any corporate entities. Do this as a favor to yourself unleash your personal power and contribute to the world at large...You remember a thing called humanity. Walk in the light of your humanity without a cell phone in your ear. Free youself. How stupid is that idea really! Be well and behave but only on a good day or when ever you want to. And remember when you break a nail texting there is always fix-a-flat. Bye. next week...Paper pulp and detergent don't mix.
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