Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Phillips Great Moments in the Opposition of Sharia Law
Posted by Betsy Phillips on Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 7:48 AM
- "Today, Murfreesboro ... tomorrow, the Tri-State Area!"
Alas, the task the mosque opponents have set before them is enormous. They need to somehow prove that Muslim Tennesseans are less boring and ordinary than any other group of religious Tennesseans and that they, unlike every other religious group in the state, are not prone to fractures and disagreements and differences in opinion; instead, they all march in evil, nefarious lock-step.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Politics 'I've Got Haslam Right Where I Want Him,' McWherter Declares
Posted by Jeff Woods on Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 2:06 PM
In addition, McWherter said it’s a clever strategic decision by his campaign not to run TV ads, and it’s not bothering him at all that Democrats are running to Haslam’s campaign like rats deserting a sinking ship. McWherter talked with reporters after giving a snoozer of a speech to the Nashville Rotary Club. Here are excerpts from the Q&A:
Media Kershaw's Death in The Times
Posted by Bruce Barry on Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 11:55 AM
Although The Tennessean ran a brief notice on the man's death several days ago, a New York Times obituary over the weekend fleshes out some of the bizarre details of the life of Jack Kershaw, who created the ridiculous equestrian statue of Confederate general and KKK founder Nathan Bedford Forrest that sits alongside I-65 south of the city, and who represented James Earl Ray in an attempt to overturn his conviction for the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
As the Times reports, Kershaw's death at age 96 was first announced by the League of the South, a loopy Alabama-based group of Confederacy nostalgics whose stated purpose is to "organise [sic] the Southern people so that they might effectively pursue independence and self-government." The League describes Kershaw as "a renaissance man, non conforming in both dress and content." I guess they're entitled to their point of view.
Curiously, an article on the Tennessean website that appears under a Dickson Herald banner blatantly plagiarizes the League of the South obituary. Perhaps what we're looking at is a paid death announcement placed by the League, but the website gives no hint of that or otherwise credits the source.
In representing Ray in the late 1970s, Kershaw pursued a Ray-as-conspiracy-dupe theory, arguing that Ray thought he was just obtaining a weapon for gun-smuggling purposes. According to the Times obit, Kershaw and Ray had a falling-out over Kershaw's suggestion that Ray take a lie-detector test as part of a magazine interview.
A native of Missouri, Kershaw grew up in Tennessee, played football for and graduated from Vanderbilt, and went on to earn a law degree at what was then known as the Nashville Y.M.C.A. Night Law School (now the Nashville School of Law). David Ribar wrote about Kershaw and his hideous statue in a Scene piece titled "Monumental Failure" back in July 1998.
McCissack Park: A Review
Posted by Betsy Phillips on Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 10:50 AM
- The front end of the park.
Location: Behind Swett's
Size of Park: Small, but not tiny.
Crowds: Very light
Approximate Age of Patrons: From 36 on down
Topics of Conversation: Whether the random steps in the middle of the park were once home to a drinking fountain
Stray Dogs Seen: None
Types of Vehicles in Parking Lots: Only street parking
Perceived Safety: Medium
Number of Gunshots Heard: None
Dog Friendliness: Fine
Number of pitbulls sighted: None
Accessibility: Eh, not bad if you aren't in a wheelchair. Maybe a little difficult if you are.
Incorporation of Local History: None. Sorry, McCissack. You were cool enough for a park to be named after you, but not cool enough for the park to tell anyone why.
Recommended Patrons: Kids and Swett's customers who want to enjoy the nice weather
Breaking News Nashville Only 16th Most Social Media-Savvy, but Guess Who Tweets the Least?
Posted by Tracy Moore on Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 9:45 AM
- Don't get your twitters in a wad over Twitter.
The study actually only looked at how many Twitter accounts, users and followers there are by city, and then how much companies use social media across industry. And we all know that's the true marker of a city's intelligent grasp of technology, right? Advertising firms, banks and newspapers use social media the most. IT people are most likely to be found on Twitter. The people who use it the least? Funeral homes. But breathe easy, because they've got way more friends on Facebook than people who work at zoos.
Somehow I don't blame the funeral-home industry for not embracing the relentless drone of utterances. And yet I think we can all agree that these folks, more than perhaps anyone else, should be the people ruling Twitter. Who better to encapsulate a Zen-like truth in 140 characters or less than someone constantly reminded of their own mortality?
Friday, September 24, 2010
Hargrove Department of Health Files Notice of Charges Against Dr. Asa Andrew
Posted by Brantley Hargrove on Fri, Sep 24, 2010 at 5:07 PM
The complaint alleges Andrew, a licensed chiropractor, "advertised and provided services outside the scope of practice for a chiropractic physician." It goes on to say that since 2007, he has also published a book and appeared on a regular radio show "without disclosing the fact that he was a chiropractic physician and purported to provide medical advice, misleading the public about his true qualifications or lack thereof."
Pending a Nov. 4 public hearing before the board, Andrew could be penalized $21,000, the complaint says. The board will also discuss whether it should suspend or revoke his license.
If you've read the cover story, none of this is surprising. In fact, to find evidence of this, just tune into his radio show, Dr. Asa On Call, weeknights on WLAC-AM, or read his book, Empowering Your Health. He dishes medical advice as a matter of course, but you'll never hear that he isn't, in fact, a medical doctor. But former employees interviewed by the Scene for the story also allege he runs his clinic, The Center for Natural Medicine, like any other medical clinic, and that employees are actively discouraged from discussing his credentials with inquisitive patients.
Update: As of 7:28 p.m., Sept. 24, Andrew's website, www.drasa.com is offline.
Update: The site is back online, though it appears as if some of the supplements have been removed, along with some of the product descriptions discussed in the story that claim the supplements help with the symptoms of Parkinson's and other incurable diseases.
Politics Vegas Sequel to Nashville Tea Party Con Canceled
Posted by Brantley Hargrove on Fri, Sep 24, 2010 at 11:14 AM
Judson Phillips, the Nashville defense attorney who specializes in drunk-driving cases and is the founder of Tea Party Nation, has been accused by other Tea Party members of co-opting the movement for personal financial gain. Although this time it seems he is distancing himself and TPN, at least outwardly, from the conference. The darling of feverish teabaggers, Sharron Angle — the hilariously media-averse Republican Senate candidate who told Fox News' Carl Cameron that she sticks with conservative media outlets because she wants reporters to "ask the questions we want to answer so that they report the news the way we want it to be reported" — was slated to be a keynote speaker. But Talking Points Memo says she may have been advised to bow out by local tea party leaders.
Media Powerful? Or Plagiarized?
Posted by Bruce Barry on Fri, Sep 24, 2010 at 10:16 AM
The Tennessean editorializes today on the matter of don't-ask-don't-tell in a powerful way, with an image and a simple question:
It may be compelling, but it isn't original. Here's an editorial cartoon by Chan Lowe at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel back in the spring of 2009:
Around Town Dean Talks About Capital Spending, Taxes, Fairgrounds, Etc.
Posted by Jeff Woods on Fri, Sep 24, 2010 at 8:19 AM
For the rest of the show, go here.
Politics Tennessee Democrats Doing Their Part to Surrender U.S. House to GOP
Posted by Jeff Woods on Fri, Sep 24, 2010 at 8:07 AM
Tennessee's 6th District
Moderate Democrat Bart Gordon is retiring after 16 terms and there's no Democrat capable of holding this Middle Tennessee district that tilts strongly Republican at the top of the ticket. Diane Black, a very conservative state representative and registered nurse, is heavily favored over Democrat Brett Carter, an Iraq War veteran. Black could become a leading voice in the immigration debate in 2011.
Tennessee's 8th District
Democrats have represented this district located between Nashville and Memphis for 96 of the past 100 years, since 1988 by Rep. John Tanner. But when the centrist House veteran decided to retire this year, the district became a prime takeover target for the Republicans. It's become increasingly Republican: Favorite son Al Gore barely carried it in 2000. Democrat Roy Herron, a conservative state senator with the backing of the center-right congressional Blue Dog Caucus, has a fighting chance. But polls show Republican Stephen Fincher, a 37-year-old farmer from Frog Jump, in the lead. Fincher is a staunch social conservative whose grandmother formed a singing ministry that
he joined at age 9.
