Sorry Barack Obama. But no person or persons were more affected and made more news than the American family in 2008, rocked by the worst recession since the Great Depression and probably the worst of all time when it comes to the loss of wealth.
Layoffs, home foreclosures, plummeting home values and the loss of wealth in 401ks and other investments in the stock market made the U.S. family most at risk and most at the top of newscasts and on front pages for the massive amount of hurt being endured.
These people will continue to be the major news makers well into the new year as Obama will be unable to really affect this economic downturn. At best, most stock analysts do not see the stock market improving until past the middle of 2009 at the earliest. Some see 2010 as a lost year, too. The same can be said for home valuee. Real estate is the centerpiece of most families' assets.
While it has suffered most, the American household has been the foundation for any real hope for the future -- as families cut back on spending, parents search for new and additional jobs and home mortgage holders seek to hold the sheriff at bay.
So here's to the American family on this New Year's Even. I offer admiration and prayers for patience, as this economy refuses to improve for a long time to come.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Protest brings out 100 people in Nashville in call for Israel, Hamas to lay down their arms
Despite a cold day and uncertainty of how Nashvillians would react to a visible Arab presence, 100 people gathered early this afternoon at the foot of the hill upon which the state Capitol building sits to call for Israel and Hamas to lay down their weapons.
The peaceful gathering drew many honking horns of approval from drivers.
Why Nashville?
Why not.
The message was clear. Both sides need to seek peace and send no more rockets, jets or a ground offensive into each other's territory. And the large turnout came after only two days of advertising the event.
A Jewish, Metro Nashville resident stopped to show support for the cause of peace and a call for both sides to lay down their arms. A local rabbi and some members of his congregation stopped by early in the protest for peace, WSMV Channel 4 reported.
Jews and Arabs can agree and find common ground.
The world believes the same. And from the unlikeliest place of Nashville, just hours before New Year's Eve, a strong statement went out for peace on Earth, goodwill to all.
That provides hope for a better 2009.
Saturday, Sunday: Rise and fall of Tennessean
To kick off the New Year with a bang, the final two installments of my series on the rise and fall of The Tennessean will run this weekend.
I realize everyone is busy with partying tonight and watching bowl games tomorrow to read about how Nashville's largest newspaper fell from credibility and as a source of community leadership.
So the surprising last two installments of The Tennessean series will run Saturday and Sunday along with reader comments.
See you then. And thanks to the many readers who have followed it so far. The series is for you. You deserve to know the full story of one of Nashville's prominent institutions ... at least it once was prominent.
I realize everyone is busy with partying tonight and watching bowl games tomorrow to read about how Nashville's largest newspaper fell from credibility and as a source of community leadership.
So the surprising last two installments of The Tennessean series will run Saturday and Sunday along with reader comments.
See you then. And thanks to the many readers who have followed it so far. The series is for you. You deserve to know the full story of one of Nashville's prominent institutions ... at least it once was prominent.
Tennesean of the Year: The Rev. Enoch Fuzz
If you think the Rev. Enoch Fuzz is simply organizing a one-time, inaugural charity ball for Nashville to recognize the inauguration of President Barack Obama, then you don't know the most courageous voice in Tennessee.
Rev. Fuzz is re-creating the Tennessee political landscape -- and perhaps even the national one -- with his four prominent organizers of different ideologies and 44 community hosts for the event Jan. 20 at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel. This desperately needed effort is not being crafted toward any ideology or party, but a unified agenda of action across racial, political, ethnic, religious and class lines.
The Ball is just the beginning for the brave, new coalition to make a statement and difference for the voiceless in our land.
It is ironic in the shadow of this new group's creation that several events locally and nationally have emerged at the same time to show the great need for a unified coalition of the willing.
* Tennessee Republican leader Chip Saltsman shocked the nation and Tennesseans with his "Barack the Magic Negro" CD sent to members of the Republican National Committee as a Christmas gift. Saltsman thought it would help his campaign to be elected chairman of the RNC. Instead, it has again revealed the GOP's Achilles heel among minority voters and the cause of tolerance.
* Early voting begins Friday on a Nashville referndum to make English the only language for government operations. The ballot is a direct slap to the faces of immigrants here, legal or not. And nationally, Nashville could become the only major city to adopt such a backward step. Such a law would devastate the city's image.
Fuzz on a personal basis is preparing to come out against the referendum and encourage other African-American pastors and church goers to do the same. African-Americans make up a quarter of Nashville's population. And their relations with Hispanics in particular here have been mostly negative. Hispanics are seen as taking jobs from blacks and not deserving of the fruits from the Civil Rights Movement. Hate and fear for any reason is wrong.
* Budget cuts begin here in January and in other statehouses across the country that will target the most vulnerable, beginning with the working poor state workers and the barely surviving recipients of TennCare.
* In Illinois, corrupt Chicago politics have resulted in Obama's Senate seat being put up for sale by the governor, who now has chosen despite the scandal to appoint a person to fill the vacancy.
* In Washington, Wall Street fat cats and the Big 3 automakers have been rescued ahead of any help yet for middle class and lower income families beset by layoffs and home foreclosures.
How do all these things tie back to Fuzz? They connect with a hunger for hope in every household, that business and politics as usual will no longer triumph. People are hurting more than in their lifetimes. They are losing jobs of 15 years or more. They are losing their homes and their dignity. They are tired of being fed hate that all the bad and ills are someone else's fault.
The wrong lies with our leaders.
Fuzz's coalition of the willing is gathering for its first effort -- to hold the biggest inaugural ball outside of Washington, D.C. After that historic event, however, its work will not be over. It will only have begun.
Thank God for hearing our prayers and people such as Enoch Fuzz.
To meet and talk with Rev. Fuzz and other members of the coalition of the willing, go to www.volunteernashville.com for ticket information. All purchases are tax deductible.
Inaction and politics as usual amid a crisis across several fronts are not.
Rev. Fuzz is re-creating the Tennessee political landscape -- and perhaps even the national one -- with his four prominent organizers of different ideologies and 44 community hosts for the event Jan. 20 at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel. This desperately needed effort is not being crafted toward any ideology or party, but a unified agenda of action across racial, political, ethnic, religious and class lines.
The Ball is just the beginning for the brave, new coalition to make a statement and difference for the voiceless in our land.
It is ironic in the shadow of this new group's creation that several events locally and nationally have emerged at the same time to show the great need for a unified coalition of the willing.
* Tennessee Republican leader Chip Saltsman shocked the nation and Tennesseans with his "Barack the Magic Negro" CD sent to members of the Republican National Committee as a Christmas gift. Saltsman thought it would help his campaign to be elected chairman of the RNC. Instead, it has again revealed the GOP's Achilles heel among minority voters and the cause of tolerance.
* Early voting begins Friday on a Nashville referndum to make English the only language for government operations. The ballot is a direct slap to the faces of immigrants here, legal or not. And nationally, Nashville could become the only major city to adopt such a backward step. Such a law would devastate the city's image.
Fuzz on a personal basis is preparing to come out against the referendum and encourage other African-American pastors and church goers to do the same. African-Americans make up a quarter of Nashville's population. And their relations with Hispanics in particular here have been mostly negative. Hispanics are seen as taking jobs from blacks and not deserving of the fruits from the Civil Rights Movement. Hate and fear for any reason is wrong.
* Budget cuts begin here in January and in other statehouses across the country that will target the most vulnerable, beginning with the working poor state workers and the barely surviving recipients of TennCare.
* In Illinois, corrupt Chicago politics have resulted in Obama's Senate seat being put up for sale by the governor, who now has chosen despite the scandal to appoint a person to fill the vacancy.
* In Washington, Wall Street fat cats and the Big 3 automakers have been rescued ahead of any help yet for middle class and lower income families beset by layoffs and home foreclosures.
How do all these things tie back to Fuzz? They connect with a hunger for hope in every household, that business and politics as usual will no longer triumph. People are hurting more than in their lifetimes. They are losing jobs of 15 years or more. They are losing their homes and their dignity. They are tired of being fed hate that all the bad and ills are someone else's fault.
The wrong lies with our leaders.
Fuzz's coalition of the willing is gathering for its first effort -- to hold the biggest inaugural ball outside of Washington, D.C. After that historic event, however, its work will not be over. It will only have begun.
Thank God for hearing our prayers and people such as Enoch Fuzz.
To meet and talk with Rev. Fuzz and other members of the coalition of the willing, go to www.volunteernashville.com for ticket information. All purchases are tax deductible.
Inaction and politics as usual amid a crisis across several fronts are not.
Nashvillian of the Year -- Father Joe Pat Breen
Singlehandedly during an economic downturn, the Rev. Joe Pat Breen raised $2 million to open and maintain a church dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe on Nolensville Road.
He pulled of this miracle while still shepherding nearby St. Edward Catholic Church. He could not speak but a few words of Spanish, but he was dedicated to the Hispanic people in Tennessee as if he were an anchor on Univision.
In a concluding feat earlier this month, he beat the bishop of the diocese to a donation of $221,000 to pay off the final debt on the church, which now belongs to the Hispanic people and Our Lady's pastor, Father Fernando Garcia, and its administrator, John Martinez.
Despite no media coverage, that miracle earlier this month was most newsworthy. Somewhere and some time, the supposed mainstream media decided readers and viewers no longer wanted to read and see stories of hope amid a troubled world. Thank God literally for the Internet.
The church already is the largest by congregants in the state of Tennessee. There is nothing else like it in the South, where feelings are hard toward Hispanics.
Most of all, the church belongs to Our Lady and her power and the people she appeared to north of Mexico almost five centuries ago.
He pulled of this miracle while still shepherding nearby St. Edward Catholic Church. He could not speak but a few words of Spanish, but he was dedicated to the Hispanic people in Tennessee as if he were an anchor on Univision.
In a concluding feat earlier this month, he beat the bishop of the diocese to a donation of $221,000 to pay off the final debt on the church, which now belongs to the Hispanic people and Our Lady's pastor, Father Fernando Garcia, and its administrator, John Martinez.
Despite no media coverage, that miracle earlier this month was most newsworthy. Somewhere and some time, the supposed mainstream media decided readers and viewers no longer wanted to read and see stories of hope amid a troubled world. Thank God literally for the Internet.
The church already is the largest by congregants in the state of Tennessee. There is nothing else like it in the South, where feelings are hard toward Hispanics.
Most of all, the church belongs to Our Lady and her power and the people she appeared to north of Mexico almost five centuries ago.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tennesseans and Americans of the Year -- 2008
I've always found the choices by the supposed mainstream news media of the people who are the models of news makers and heroes for society to be a tad bizarre and narrow.
The real news makers and heroes that should be recognized are those often without titles. They're simply armed with the willingness to make a difference. As Nelson Mandela has said, "Our greatest fear is that we are not powerful. Our greatest fear is that we are more powerful than we believe.
So with apologies to President-elect Obama, celebrities and university presidents, the real heroes in 2008 are the real people among us. So as we approach this last day of 2008, I'll recognize these people locally and nationally in the following posts for us to point out to our children as those human beings most worth emulating.
The real news makers and heroes that should be recognized are those often without titles. They're simply armed with the willingness to make a difference. As Nelson Mandela has said, "Our greatest fear is that we are not powerful. Our greatest fear is that we are more powerful than we believe.
So with apologies to President-elect Obama, celebrities and university presidents, the real heroes in 2008 are the real people among us. So as we approach this last day of 2008, I'll recognize these people locally and nationally in the following posts for us to point out to our children as those human beings most worth emulating.
New York's fat tax is way for states, communities to help balance budgets in tough economy
When I was a political columnist for The Tennessean, which seems to be a phrase I use much too often in my posts, I won first place for humorous commentary from the Society of Professional Journalists (Southeastern states) for a column about Tennessee's need to enact a "fat tax" to balance its budget.
I used myself as an example, pointing out that I was carrying the equivalent of a five-year-old child underneath my chin and down to my feet. Interstate highway weigh stations for trucks could be used for people, with a tax beginning at 20 pounds overweight and working its way up to jumbo size and the cost of small home mortgage.
The same reason is embraced with cigarette or sin taxes. We hope the levy will discourage damaging activity of nicotine or alcohol. The fat tax would work the same.
Well, lo and behold, New York State is proposing my idea, this time on sugared sodas. The reasoning is that discouraging soda use will help reduce obesity, particularly among children. And of course, government gets another foothold into our lives and habits with this new revenue source.
Here is how The Daily News describes the controversy:
State Health Commissioner Richard Daines has become the point man for one of the more controversial of Gov. David Paterson's revenue-generating budget proposals: The so-called "fat tax" - an 18 percent levy on sugary drinks like non-diet soda.
Daines, a Spitzer administration holdover who generally keeps a fairly low profile, has recorded a YouTube manifesto in defense of the tax, which the administration insists is really more about health care policy than making money off soda-drinking New Yorkers.
The point, according to Daines, is to disincentivize sugary drinks, which research shows are the top culprit in the childhood obesity epidemic, and encourage people to return to 1970s-era levels of consumption of other, less fattening beverages like milk and water.
The side benefits, according to Daines, include the fact that cutting down on soda saves money for consumers and whittling the state's collective waistline could save money for taxpayers in the form of fewer obesity-related health problems that need to be treated - particularly for Medicaid recipients.
I like the fat tax since I now weigh more than 80 pounds less than when I wrote the fat tax column. That's because of the fabulous yet dangerous chemo diet, which I've been on for more than three years because of leukemia.
Obesity is a growing problem across this nation. Buffets and the still low prices for food encourage over indulging. Lifestyle choices by children to sit on the sofa after school instead of going outside to exercise has made obesity an epidemic and even diabetes more common.
The problem with such taxes is that they're not applied to the resulting health problems that government budgets must pay for. Instead, all the revenue is dumped in the general fund, paying for pork barrel projects that help only a few at the expense of the many. The size of government simply grows, instead of growing more effective.
Take for instance in Tennessee. The state, along with all the others in the Union, receives a big check of more than $150 million each year from a gigantic tobacco industry settlement. The money should go to the state's Medicaid program, TennCare, and the resulting health problems it must cover for program recipients. Instead, the settlement money goes into the general fund, to be spent on nothing associated with the ills of smoking.
Can lawamkers be trusted in New York and elsewhere to use fat tax revenue correctly. No. Obviously. Will people still spend on sugared sodas. Of course.
Still, any kind of deterrent to obesity is a plus in our society. I'd put locks on Big Macs if possible, until a person weighs themselves at the front counter. If he or she is more than 20 pounds overweight, then they have to pay a fee for the key to the lock.
That may sound ridiculous. But it is even more insane for America to eat itself out of health simply because it can. Tax, baby, tax.
I used myself as an example, pointing out that I was carrying the equivalent of a five-year-old child underneath my chin and down to my feet. Interstate highway weigh stations for trucks could be used for people, with a tax beginning at 20 pounds overweight and working its way up to jumbo size and the cost of small home mortgage.
The same reason is embraced with cigarette or sin taxes. We hope the levy will discourage damaging activity of nicotine or alcohol. The fat tax would work the same.
Well, lo and behold, New York State is proposing my idea, this time on sugared sodas. The reasoning is that discouraging soda use will help reduce obesity, particularly among children. And of course, government gets another foothold into our lives and habits with this new revenue source.
Here is how The Daily News describes the controversy:
State Health Commissioner Richard Daines has become the point man for one of the more controversial of Gov. David Paterson's revenue-generating budget proposals: The so-called "fat tax" - an 18 percent levy on sugary drinks like non-diet soda.
Daines, a Spitzer administration holdover who generally keeps a fairly low profile, has recorded a YouTube manifesto in defense of the tax, which the administration insists is really more about health care policy than making money off soda-drinking New Yorkers.
The point, according to Daines, is to disincentivize sugary drinks, which research shows are the top culprit in the childhood obesity epidemic, and encourage people to return to 1970s-era levels of consumption of other, less fattening beverages like milk and water.
The side benefits, according to Daines, include the fact that cutting down on soda saves money for consumers and whittling the state's collective waistline could save money for taxpayers in the form of fewer obesity-related health problems that need to be treated - particularly for Medicaid recipients.
I like the fat tax since I now weigh more than 80 pounds less than when I wrote the fat tax column. That's because of the fabulous yet dangerous chemo diet, which I've been on for more than three years because of leukemia.
Obesity is a growing problem across this nation. Buffets and the still low prices for food encourage over indulging. Lifestyle choices by children to sit on the sofa after school instead of going outside to exercise has made obesity an epidemic and even diabetes more common.
The problem with such taxes is that they're not applied to the resulting health problems that government budgets must pay for. Instead, all the revenue is dumped in the general fund, paying for pork barrel projects that help only a few at the expense of the many. The size of government simply grows, instead of growing more effective.
Take for instance in Tennessee. The state, along with all the others in the Union, receives a big check of more than $150 million each year from a gigantic tobacco industry settlement. The money should go to the state's Medicaid program, TennCare, and the resulting health problems it must cover for program recipients. Instead, the settlement money goes into the general fund, to be spent on nothing associated with the ills of smoking.
Can lawamkers be trusted in New York and elsewhere to use fat tax revenue correctly. No. Obviously. Will people still spend on sugared sodas. Of course.
Still, any kind of deterrent to obesity is a plus in our society. I'd put locks on Big Macs if possible, until a person weighs themselves at the front counter. If he or she is more than 20 pounds overweight, then they have to pay a fee for the key to the lock.
That may sound ridiculous. But it is even more insane for America to eat itself out of health simply because it can. Tax, baby, tax.
For tickets to Inaugural Charity Ball, go to www,volunteernashville.com; change allows for immediate updating to meet growing demand
Please go to www.volunteernashville.com for ticket information and ordering for the Music City Inaugural Charity Ball Jan. 20 at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel.
We had to change to this website because it can be updated more readily.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
See you at the Ball. It will be a night you won't forget.
We had to change to this website because it can be updated more readily.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
See you at the Ball. It will be a night you won't forget.
Part III: The rise and fall of The Tennessean
The greatest loss for The Tennessean has not been in circulation numbers, lower than required profits or even credibility in various communities.
The one factor that has hurt the quality of the product the most has been the loss of experience and institutional knowledge among its staff -- sliced and diced to the bottom line first by layoffs, buyouts and just plain frustration by good journalists who chose to leave for greener and much less stressful pastures.
The list is quite long and sadly impressive, and I sure don't include myself on it. Columnists are always replaceable like the sanitizer in the toilet bowl:
* Shelia Wissner, investigative reporter, who quit out of frustration with management. She crunched the numbers on then Mayor Bredesen's foolheaded Dell deal and still The Tennessean editorially endorsed this real loser for taxpayers. Then Dell took all the manufacturing jobs in Nashville and moved them. Now workers here just pack boxes and there has been little high-tech ripple effect as promised.
* Neal Scarborough, sports editor, who left for greener pastures after not being allowed to hire his own NFL writer. The African-American journalist has risen meteorically professionally since then. So there is justice in the world.
* Mike Sherman, my immediate editor and friend, who left to become sports editor at The Daily Oklahoman newspaper, family owned. He manages a staff of more than 40 people with a budget of $1 million. He has taken his department to new heights with convergence with the local CBS affiliate and the creation of a video element to all the sports coverage. I am most proud of him, as are his bosses. The Tennessean still refuses to embrace convergence with NewsChannel 5 in Nashville. It's The Tennessean's loss.
* Jeff Legwold and Laura Frank: She was named one of the top Gannett employees of the quarter century for her investigative reporting work. She is a fine person, too. She and Legwold, the paper's NFL reporter, married and had children. They decided to go to the Rocky Mountain News, where he got a job covering the Broncos. She works there, too. Now the fate the newspaper there rests with local efforts to rescue it. Say a prayer for these two good people and the the other good journalists at The News.
* Shelia Burke: She rose up the reporting ranks from being a clerk to become an excellent and compassionate journalist in covering social issues and those touching law enforcement. She also left out of frustration with management.
* Ray Waddle, religion writer extraordinaire, who left with his wife, a former Tennessean reporter, to concentrate on book writing. The couple since moved to Ivy League country, where Waddle has gotten a job with an institution there. His desk area was legendary in the newsroom. It had more paper and books strewn about it as if a hurricane had just hit. Tour guides always avoided our pod of reporters. Ray always ate one can of tuna for lunch and adored his late, great father, mailing him a postcard every day. He was a Sooner fan and graduate of OU but got his divinity degree from Vandy. His column still appears each week in The Tennessean.
* Wendi Thomas: Another African-American manager with promise and talent left for Memphis Commercial-Appeal where she continues as a very popular columnist. She turned down the Baltimore Sun for a columnist job there.
* Corwin Thomas: Another African-American journalist with talent and promise, left for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. I tried to get him into column writing at his request but was blocked by a managing editor at the newspaper after she reviewed our prototypes. He was a great guy besides a good journalist in his 20s.
* Brian Lewis: Another African-American journalist with talent, promise and brains. He was a graduate of the Notre Dame University. His parents are college professors. He wanted to make the jump to editorial and column writing, goals I encouraged him to pursue. He was that good and in his late 20s. He was told by the editor whoshallgonameless that he first had to serve a stint on the copy desk. So Lewis left to become assistant editorial page editor in Springfield, Mo.
* Denise Williams: Another African-American journalist with talent, brains and experience. She was a copy editor, but her way to advancement was blocked because she was most honest in the wrong she saw in the newsroom. She left for the Virginian-Pilot, which grabbed up Bill Choyke, who was the best line editor I've ever had to make my copy better. I miss you Bill and Denise.
* A host of former Nashville Banner reporters : They regularly beat The Tennessean in scoops and writing quality. That's what underdogs do. Passion drives them. About a dozen came to The Tennessean after the Banner closed. Boy, these folks knew hot to hustle and give a damn. The only prominent ones remaining are Leon Alligood, Ms. Cheap and Larry McCormack. The three are all good people and journalists.
* Lynette Pillow: Another African-American journalist of talent, brains and devotion who could never seem to get advanced from clerk duties to reporting, for which she had the college degree. Even the availability of a diversity reporter training program at the Freedom Forum in Nashville was not used by management. I actively tried to help her advance, which did not help her cause due to my unpopularity. She was one of the 23 laid-off recently by The Tennessean.
* Two journalists of Hispanic descent: Bill Bradley was a talented sports editor who left for Sacramento. He is a bigwig in the organization representing sports editors around the country. He is an innovator and a joy to work with and for. Fernando Pizzaro, city editor, married Diane Notthingham, the night editor, and they left to have a family and live happily ever after at the Gannett newspaper in Hawaii. It's great when good people find each other.
* Terry Quillen: Op-Ed page editor and passionate advocate for her beliefs, she remains a giant fan of the great John Seigenthaler. She took a buyout. And with her went at least 25 years of professional experience and institutional knowledge. I always like Terry even though my arrogance had to be tough for her and others to take.
* Sandra Roberts: Long-time editorial page editor, who I did not appreciate enough working for, when I was a political columnist. But a lot of others did. A good person and boss and a fighter for TennCare and choice. She had to hold her nose in being forced to endorse some Bredesen deals she knew were wrong. But she left with head unbowed and a readership and TennCare recipients who now miss her skills and passion for justice. Sure, we disagreed on some things, and I proceeded wrongly around her at times. But she supported me with great passion when I came down with leukemia. Place her up there with Ida B. Wells when it comes to Tennessee's great journalists. And like Ashley Judd,, she is a Kentucky Wildcat fan. Only the best when it came to Sandra.
* Ellen Dahnke: Cancer claimed her life while I was sick with leukemia. We reconciled around our illnesses, and I came to appreciate her passion -- for education and choice. She was with The Tennessean for three decades. Even though she did not leave on her own, her loss still is felt the same. I pray for her soul every day. God must have a hell of an editorial page staff in heaven.
* Frank Ritter: Former Tennessean city editor in the Seigenthaler heyday was a columnist and keeper of institutional knowledge during my time at the newspaper. He gave conservative readers some outlet, but his column was not as regular as others. He still believed in social progress but told me that liberals had abandoned too many of the principles that brought a better day. He said some of them then degraded him for speaking that truth and other facts. This great man of faith also overcame personal challenges. I miss him and his wisdom.
* Jon Yates and Trine Tsouderos: Jon was the Rick Bragg of the newspaper. He now is with The Chicago Tribune. He once offered to go to the Iowa Caucuses for free for The Tennessean, because he went to school there and Al Gore was running for president in 2000. The same managing editor who blocked Corwin Thomas' advancement laughed at Jon's request. Then she came out of a news meeting in which everyone thought Jon's suggestion was great. So she asked him to go to Iowa. He rightly refused. Trine was a most beautiful person inside and out. And a helluva writer and dogged questioner. She married Jon and they now have one child with another on the way.
She wrote for People magazine out of Chicago. Her low point was when the editorwhoseshallbenameless mispronounced her last name before the whole newsroom in a meeting. He did the same with a very talented page designer and artist with the surname of Phonetip. If you don't even know how to pronounce the last names of your staff, how are you supposed to have the credibility to lead them?
* Emily Hefner: One of many talented interns turned reporter who left The Tennessean. She grew frustrated and went to a larger newspaper to pursue her career. She would have stayed here, but she could see that too many good people and editors were leaving, and the bad ones remained in control.
* Larry Woody/Chris Low: This racing columnist and NASCAR expert for The Tennessean is sorely missed. Chris Low, who covered UT, has gone on to a bigger audience in covering the Southeast Conference, the best collection of football teams in the nation.
* Cathy Straight: Another African-American journalist of brains and skills who had a strong sense of integrity about her as a managing editor. She was being groomed by Gannett for advancement but then jumped to Knight-Ridder and its editor program. Last I heard, she was with one of the two big newspapers in Minnesota, still leading with integrity and honesty.
* Anita Wadwhani/Bill Synder: They were the last of the very dedicated writers covering TennCare. Bill Snyder was the best and very detail oriented. And the suffering people of this state sure needed him. Anita left for another job to spend more time with her family and also earn more money with more respect. She once was denied a promotion because the editorwhoshallbenameless considered her to be too young, although she was in her 30s with a proven track record of journalistic excellence. She was very serious in how she approached her craft, and it showed in her copy.
* Dave Green: Some people may object fiercely to his inclusion on this list. But the second in command was a great journalist who knew how to write and prosecute a story. He was very skeptical of then Mayor Bredesen's big deals. Once when Mark Ippolito -- the city hall reporter who went on to the AJC -- wrote a critical story about one aspect of the Titans' deal, the editorwhosahallgonameless brought Bredesen into the newsroom and into his office on deadline to spin the story to the staff assembled. It was a disgrace, and Dave had to sit there and take it, as he did many other times with other issues. Still, Dave had his faults.
One time, I wrote a column that teased Bredesen and his family. One bit of the satire dealt with Andrea Conte, who called and complained to the editorwhoshallbenameless about what I wrote. He stormed out of his office to my desk and we had it out quite loudly in front of the newsroom. It all ended with the instigator telling me and my immediate boss that he and Green should always read my column if Conte and Bredesen are mentioned, or their son who had reached adult age. My immediate boss and I did not give Dave up. He had actually read and approved the column before publication. So he still owes us for the crap we took.
* Ted Power/Craig Moon: Ted should be the top editor or publisher of The Tennessean now if there was a concern for readers and the treatment of employees. Ted was one of the originators of the successful Williamson A.M. edition of The Tennessean, which was purposely separated from any control of the downtown newsroom to prevent this new form of reader-friendly journalism from being corrupted. That was the decision of Craig Moon, the great publisher of The Tennessean back in 1996.
That's also when I met Ted, who was the night editor responsible for reconciling the miscommunication between editors during the day. Ted also was a sort of Pygmalion project professionally and personally. Moon groomed him for advancement in Gannett, where now he is publisher in Reno and raking in a 35 percent profit. His wife, Kathy, was a marketing executive at the newspaper. And she saw Ted as a potential catch, if she could teach him to wear socks with shoes and improve his wardrobe. He did, and they are married with three fabulous children. All three of these folks are really good people who bring credit and hope to our profession.
You may not remember all these names, but I sure do as do the colleagues they touched with their excellence, passion and goodness in their hearts and actions. Yes, there are journalists who needed to go. They were dead wood and not carrying their weight. Certainly, columnists such as myself are an extra compared to the need for simple, good reporting. Opinion can come later.
This list is not meant to be conclusive. There are some names I have forgotten. Please send their names in and I'll include them in this post and in a separate post.
Good luck and God's prayers to all of them for their distinguished service to our craft and most of all to readers.
The one factor that has hurt the quality of the product the most has been the loss of experience and institutional knowledge among its staff -- sliced and diced to the bottom line first by layoffs, buyouts and just plain frustration by good journalists who chose to leave for greener and much less stressful pastures.
The list is quite long and sadly impressive, and I sure don't include myself on it. Columnists are always replaceable like the sanitizer in the toilet bowl:
* Shelia Wissner, investigative reporter, who quit out of frustration with management. She crunched the numbers on then Mayor Bredesen's foolheaded Dell deal and still The Tennessean editorially endorsed this real loser for taxpayers. Then Dell took all the manufacturing jobs in Nashville and moved them. Now workers here just pack boxes and there has been little high-tech ripple effect as promised.
* Neal Scarborough, sports editor, who left for greener pastures after not being allowed to hire his own NFL writer. The African-American journalist has risen meteorically professionally since then. So there is justice in the world.
* Mike Sherman, my immediate editor and friend, who left to become sports editor at The Daily Oklahoman newspaper, family owned. He manages a staff of more than 40 people with a budget of $1 million. He has taken his department to new heights with convergence with the local CBS affiliate and the creation of a video element to all the sports coverage. I am most proud of him, as are his bosses. The Tennessean still refuses to embrace convergence with NewsChannel 5 in Nashville. It's The Tennessean's loss.
* Jeff Legwold and Laura Frank: She was named one of the top Gannett employees of the quarter century for her investigative reporting work. She is a fine person, too. She and Legwold, the paper's NFL reporter, married and had children. They decided to go to the Rocky Mountain News, where he got a job covering the Broncos. She works there, too. Now the fate the newspaper there rests with local efforts to rescue it. Say a prayer for these two good people and the the other good journalists at The News.
* Shelia Burke: She rose up the reporting ranks from being a clerk to become an excellent and compassionate journalist in covering social issues and those touching law enforcement. She also left out of frustration with management.
* Ray Waddle, religion writer extraordinaire, who left with his wife, a former Tennessean reporter, to concentrate on book writing. The couple since moved to Ivy League country, where Waddle has gotten a job with an institution there. His desk area was legendary in the newsroom. It had more paper and books strewn about it as if a hurricane had just hit. Tour guides always avoided our pod of reporters. Ray always ate one can of tuna for lunch and adored his late, great father, mailing him a postcard every day. He was a Sooner fan and graduate of OU but got his divinity degree from Vandy. His column still appears each week in The Tennessean.
* Wendi Thomas: Another African-American manager with promise and talent left for Memphis Commercial-Appeal where she continues as a very popular columnist. She turned down the Baltimore Sun for a columnist job there.
* Corwin Thomas: Another African-American journalist with talent and promise, left for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. I tried to get him into column writing at his request but was blocked by a managing editor at the newspaper after she reviewed our prototypes. He was a great guy besides a good journalist in his 20s.
* Brian Lewis: Another African-American journalist with talent, promise and brains. He was a graduate of the Notre Dame University. His parents are college professors. He wanted to make the jump to editorial and column writing, goals I encouraged him to pursue. He was that good and in his late 20s. He was told by the editor whoshallgonameless that he first had to serve a stint on the copy desk. So Lewis left to become assistant editorial page editor in Springfield, Mo.
* Denise Williams: Another African-American journalist with talent, brains and experience. She was a copy editor, but her way to advancement was blocked because she was most honest in the wrong she saw in the newsroom. She left for the Virginian-Pilot, which grabbed up Bill Choyke, who was the best line editor I've ever had to make my copy better. I miss you Bill and Denise.
* A host of former Nashville Banner reporters : They regularly beat The Tennessean in scoops and writing quality. That's what underdogs do. Passion drives them. About a dozen came to The Tennessean after the Banner closed. Boy, these folks knew hot to hustle and give a damn. The only prominent ones remaining are Leon Alligood, Ms. Cheap and Larry McCormack. The three are all good people and journalists.
* Lynette Pillow: Another African-American journalist of talent, brains and devotion who could never seem to get advanced from clerk duties to reporting, for which she had the college degree. Even the availability of a diversity reporter training program at the Freedom Forum in Nashville was not used by management. I actively tried to help her advance, which did not help her cause due to my unpopularity. She was one of the 23 laid-off recently by The Tennessean.
* Two journalists of Hispanic descent: Bill Bradley was a talented sports editor who left for Sacramento. He is a bigwig in the organization representing sports editors around the country. He is an innovator and a joy to work with and for. Fernando Pizzaro, city editor, married Diane Notthingham, the night editor, and they left to have a family and live happily ever after at the Gannett newspaper in Hawaii. It's great when good people find each other.
* Terry Quillen: Op-Ed page editor and passionate advocate for her beliefs, she remains a giant fan of the great John Seigenthaler. She took a buyout. And with her went at least 25 years of professional experience and institutional knowledge. I always like Terry even though my arrogance had to be tough for her and others to take.
* Sandra Roberts: Long-time editorial page editor, who I did not appreciate enough working for, when I was a political columnist. But a lot of others did. A good person and boss and a fighter for TennCare and choice. She had to hold her nose in being forced to endorse some Bredesen deals she knew were wrong. But she left with head unbowed and a readership and TennCare recipients who now miss her skills and passion for justice. Sure, we disagreed on some things, and I proceeded wrongly around her at times. But she supported me with great passion when I came down with leukemia. Place her up there with Ida B. Wells when it comes to Tennessee's great journalists. And like Ashley Judd,, she is a Kentucky Wildcat fan. Only the best when it came to Sandra.
* Ellen Dahnke: Cancer claimed her life while I was sick with leukemia. We reconciled around our illnesses, and I came to appreciate her passion -- for education and choice. She was with The Tennessean for three decades. Even though she did not leave on her own, her loss still is felt the same. I pray for her soul every day. God must have a hell of an editorial page staff in heaven.
* Frank Ritter: Former Tennessean city editor in the Seigenthaler heyday was a columnist and keeper of institutional knowledge during my time at the newspaper. He gave conservative readers some outlet, but his column was not as regular as others. He still believed in social progress but told me that liberals had abandoned too many of the principles that brought a better day. He said some of them then degraded him for speaking that truth and other facts. This great man of faith also overcame personal challenges. I miss him and his wisdom.
* Jon Yates and Trine Tsouderos: Jon was the Rick Bragg of the newspaper. He now is with The Chicago Tribune. He once offered to go to the Iowa Caucuses for free for The Tennessean, because he went to school there and Al Gore was running for president in 2000. The same managing editor who blocked Corwin Thomas' advancement laughed at Jon's request. Then she came out of a news meeting in which everyone thought Jon's suggestion was great. So she asked him to go to Iowa. He rightly refused. Trine was a most beautiful person inside and out. And a helluva writer and dogged questioner. She married Jon and they now have one child with another on the way.
She wrote for People magazine out of Chicago. Her low point was when the editorwhoseshallbenameless mispronounced her last name before the whole newsroom in a meeting. He did the same with a very talented page designer and artist with the surname of Phonetip. If you don't even know how to pronounce the last names of your staff, how are you supposed to have the credibility to lead them?
* Emily Hefner: One of many talented interns turned reporter who left The Tennessean. She grew frustrated and went to a larger newspaper to pursue her career. She would have stayed here, but she could see that too many good people and editors were leaving, and the bad ones remained in control.
* Larry Woody/Chris Low: This racing columnist and NASCAR expert for The Tennessean is sorely missed. Chris Low, who covered UT, has gone on to a bigger audience in covering the Southeast Conference, the best collection of football teams in the nation.
* Cathy Straight: Another African-American journalist of brains and skills who had a strong sense of integrity about her as a managing editor. She was being groomed by Gannett for advancement but then jumped to Knight-Ridder and its editor program. Last I heard, she was with one of the two big newspapers in Minnesota, still leading with integrity and honesty.
* Anita Wadwhani/Bill Synder: They were the last of the very dedicated writers covering TennCare. Bill Snyder was the best and very detail oriented. And the suffering people of this state sure needed him. Anita left for another job to spend more time with her family and also earn more money with more respect. She once was denied a promotion because the editorwhoshallbenameless considered her to be too young, although she was in her 30s with a proven track record of journalistic excellence. She was very serious in how she approached her craft, and it showed in her copy.
* Dave Green: Some people may object fiercely to his inclusion on this list. But the second in command was a great journalist who knew how to write and prosecute a story. He was very skeptical of then Mayor Bredesen's big deals. Once when Mark Ippolito -- the city hall reporter who went on to the AJC -- wrote a critical story about one aspect of the Titans' deal, the editorwhosahallgonameless brought Bredesen into the newsroom and into his office on deadline to spin the story to the staff assembled. It was a disgrace, and Dave had to sit there and take it, as he did many other times with other issues. Still, Dave had his faults.
One time, I wrote a column that teased Bredesen and his family. One bit of the satire dealt with Andrea Conte, who called and complained to the editorwhoshallbenameless about what I wrote. He stormed out of his office to my desk and we had it out quite loudly in front of the newsroom. It all ended with the instigator telling me and my immediate boss that he and Green should always read my column if Conte and Bredesen are mentioned, or their son who had reached adult age. My immediate boss and I did not give Dave up. He had actually read and approved the column before publication. So he still owes us for the crap we took.
* Ted Power/Craig Moon: Ted should be the top editor or publisher of The Tennessean now if there was a concern for readers and the treatment of employees. Ted was one of the originators of the successful Williamson A.M. edition of The Tennessean, which was purposely separated from any control of the downtown newsroom to prevent this new form of reader-friendly journalism from being corrupted. That was the decision of Craig Moon, the great publisher of The Tennessean back in 1996.
That's also when I met Ted, who was the night editor responsible for reconciling the miscommunication between editors during the day. Ted also was a sort of Pygmalion project professionally and personally. Moon groomed him for advancement in Gannett, where now he is publisher in Reno and raking in a 35 percent profit. His wife, Kathy, was a marketing executive at the newspaper. And she saw Ted as a potential catch, if she could teach him to wear socks with shoes and improve his wardrobe. He did, and they are married with three fabulous children. All three of these folks are really good people who bring credit and hope to our profession.
You may not remember all these names, but I sure do as do the colleagues they touched with their excellence, passion and goodness in their hearts and actions. Yes, there are journalists who needed to go. They were dead wood and not carrying their weight. Certainly, columnists such as myself are an extra compared to the need for simple, good reporting. Opinion can come later.
This list is not meant to be conclusive. There are some names I have forgotten. Please send their names in and I'll include them in this post and in a separate post.
Good luck and God's prayers to all of them for their distinguished service to our craft and most of all to readers.
New highs in reader numbers
For Monday, Dec. 29, 2008, from Feedburner, here are the reader stats:
166 views
8 clicks
39 Subscribers
17 Reach
All these numbers represent new highs. Thank you again, readers.
166 views
8 clicks
39 Subscribers
17 Reach
All these numbers represent new highs. Thank you again, readers.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Addendum to Tennessean series: Biitersweet to miss the business and people but not treatment
Here is another poignant comment from a former Gannett colleague well aware of conditions at The Tennessean with its employees:
Tim,
I'm a former "Gannetteer" and worked for the Clarksville, TN Leaf-Chronicle as a reporter for 10 years. I used to read your column often and I am sorry about your situation. I'm glad you're making the most of it.
I've heard the horror stories at the Tennessean and worked with some of the staff editors, writers and photographers on special projects. It's a bitter sweet fate that I'm not in the newspaper business anymore.
I do miss the people and heartbeat of the newsroom. but I do not miss the hours, low pay and ridiculous demands placed on those who have remained. Then there's the massive layoffs.
I knew it was getting bad but I had no idea it would go this far.
I hate to see my comrades be raked over the coals, especially those who love the newspaper business, but it is a sign of the times.
Gannett stock was at $7.50 a share today (it was about $85 a share in Dec. 2005). I'll be lucky if I still have my contributed funds in my 401K after Gannett stock runs dry.
Take Care,
CE
Tim,
I'm a former "Gannetteer" and worked for the Clarksville, TN Leaf-Chronicle as a reporter for 10 years. I used to read your column often and I am sorry about your situation. I'm glad you're making the most of it.
I've heard the horror stories at the Tennessean and worked with some of the staff editors, writers and photographers on special projects. It's a bitter sweet fate that I'm not in the newspaper business anymore.
I do miss the people and heartbeat of the newsroom. but I do not miss the hours, low pay and ridiculous demands placed on those who have remained. Then there's the massive layoffs.
I knew it was getting bad but I had no idea it would go this far.
I hate to see my comrades be raked over the coals, especially those who love the newspaper business, but it is a sign of the times.
Gannett stock was at $7.50 a share today (it was about $85 a share in Dec. 2005). I'll be lucky if I still have my contributed funds in my 401K after Gannett stock runs dry.
Take Care,
CE
News of Music City Inaugural Ball spreading
ABC News and its Memphis affiliate are spreading the word to the nation about the Music City Inaugural Charity Ball slated for Jan. 20 to set an example to America about how to come together behind Barack Obama's presidency and the crisis of these economic times.
Organizer, the Rev. Enoch Fuzz, has set the theme for the event as one of unity and self-empowerment, quoting the inaugural speech of President John F. Kennedy: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."
Here is what the Memphis ABC-TV affiliate ran:
Nashville, TN - For the first time in history, Music City will host it's own Presidential Inaugural Ball.
Set for the night of January 20 at the Maxwell House Hotel, organizers said Music City's version will be the largest inaugural ball outside Washington DC.
The Reverend Enoch Fuzz came up with the idea and quickly sought the help of other religious leaders in the Nashville community, including Dr. Charles McGowan.
A broad array of musicians and celebrities will be in attendance including Gospel music legend Dr. Bobby Jones and bluegrass/country singers Sharon and Ricky Skaggs.
The ball will be held at the Maxwell House Hotel, beginning at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 20.
Tickets are available online at www.wecannashville.com.
Reverend Fuzz said the ball is intended to bring people of Nashville together, regardless of race, religion or politics.
Organizer, the Rev. Enoch Fuzz, has set the theme for the event as one of unity and self-empowerment, quoting the inaugural speech of President John F. Kennedy: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."
Here is what the Memphis ABC-TV affiliate ran:
Nashville, TN - For the first time in history, Music City will host it's own Presidential Inaugural Ball.
Set for the night of January 20 at the Maxwell House Hotel, organizers said Music City's version will be the largest inaugural ball outside Washington DC.
The Reverend Enoch Fuzz came up with the idea and quickly sought the help of other religious leaders in the Nashville community, including Dr. Charles McGowan.
A broad array of musicians and celebrities will be in attendance including Gospel music legend Dr. Bobby Jones and bluegrass/country singers Sharon and Ricky Skaggs.
The ball will be held at the Maxwell House Hotel, beginning at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 20.
Tickets are available online at www.wecannashville.com.
Reverend Fuzz said the ball is intended to bring people of Nashville together, regardless of race, religion or politics.
Addendum to Tennessean series: Lesson learned from the good fight and passed on to daughter
I got the following e-mail comment from a former colleague, who like many of us have used the difficult lessons learned at The Tennessean to make our lives more meaningful:
Al Cleveland has left a new comment on your post "'We few, we happy few' grew to too many at gathering...":
My apologies for the lateness of this comment. I have been out of town and did not hear of the events at The Tennessean until tonight.
I was asked recently by my in-laws if I missed the hectic life that I left upon retirement from the newspaper in October of 2007.
I answered honestly. Yes, I miss it every day. It had been the best vocation I had ever been associated with and I miss it dearly. These were the best people I ever worked with in my life. I only regret I could not go full-time into the profession.
Ms. Sandra Roberts gave me the best advice when I told her of my retirement plans: There is life outside the newsroom. Go make something of it.
It's a challenge, but that is good advice for all of us. I still miss the smell of ink and the rumble of the presses at 10 p.m. But I confess that I have mostly moved on. Time does heal wounds.
Good luck to all of you out there. You are always in my thoughts and prayers.
One of the worst/best moments of my post-Tennessean career came quite recently during a employee evaluation.
I was downgraded a number of points for "asking too many questions."
I wear that charge with pride...and I used it as a lesson for my young daughter.
She will not be a sheep...thanks to my Tennessean family (and that includes Duzak!)
Into the breech...
Al Cleveland has left a new comment on your post "'We few, we happy few' grew to too many at gathering...":
My apologies for the lateness of this comment. I have been out of town and did not hear of the events at The Tennessean until tonight.
I was asked recently by my in-laws if I missed the hectic life that I left upon retirement from the newspaper in October of 2007.
I answered honestly. Yes, I miss it every day. It had been the best vocation I had ever been associated with and I miss it dearly. These were the best people I ever worked with in my life. I only regret I could not go full-time into the profession.
Ms. Sandra Roberts gave me the best advice when I told her of my retirement plans: There is life outside the newsroom. Go make something of it.
It's a challenge, but that is good advice for all of us. I still miss the smell of ink and the rumble of the presses at 10 p.m. But I confess that I have mostly moved on. Time does heal wounds.
Good luck to all of you out there. You are always in my thoughts and prayers.
One of the worst/best moments of my post-Tennessean career came quite recently during a employee evaluation.
I was downgraded a number of points for "asking too many questions."
I wear that charge with pride...and I used it as a lesson for my young daughter.
She will not be a sheep...thanks to my Tennessean family (and that includes Duzak!)
Into the breech...
FYI on reader numbers
Feedburner reports the following numbers for www.politicalsalsa.com for Sunday, Dec. 28, 2008:
110 views
11 clicks
Thank you to all of you who took time to read my stuff. It is very appreciated and humbling. Your patronage will make me work harder.
110 views
11 clicks
Thank you to all of you who took time to read my stuff. It is very appreciated and humbling. Your patronage will make me work harder.
America to distintegrate into civil war by 2010
A Russian economist predicts that the United States ultimately will be split into five different countries, and controlled by foreign powers that own all of its debt.
That news from CNBC on the surface is very laughable. But once you consider how much debt this nation is going to have to create to pay for an economic stimulus plan for you and me, besides bail out states and municipalities, then the prediction may not be that far fetched.
How large of deficits can this nation run up until someone calls our bills due? China already owns more than $1 trillion in U.S. debt. China may buy up a mega billions of dollars of MUNI bonds that some cities default upon in the new year.
Tennessee will be in a Northeast country of what used to be the United States, according to the economist. That should be interesting collection considering that Tennessee voted overwhelmingly for McCain, while the rest of the state voted for Obama. There may be a civil war within a civil war.
Old times may not be so forgotten after all.
That news from CNBC on the surface is very laughable. But once you consider how much debt this nation is going to have to create to pay for an economic stimulus plan for you and me, besides bail out states and municipalities, then the prediction may not be that far fetched.
How large of deficits can this nation run up until someone calls our bills due? China already owns more than $1 trillion in U.S. debt. China may buy up a mega billions of dollars of MUNI bonds that some cities default upon in the new year.
Tennessee will be in a Northeast country of what used to be the United States, according to the economist. That should be interesting collection considering that Tennessee voted overwhelmingly for McCain, while the rest of the state voted for Obama. There may be a civil war within a civil war.
Old times may not be so forgotten after all.
Consenus on Wall Street: No one knows what the hell is going to happen to financial markets in '09
The consensus on Wall Street on this first full day back from the Christmas holidays is that no one really knows when and if the stock market is going to recover in the new year.
But if forced to make a guess, most analysts are Bears at least through the first half of 2009 or longer.
The only way to make money in the stock market in the new year will be to invest in a select group of individual stocks that you are not going to find in any mutual fund or from any stock broker or financial planner. And don't listen to crazy man Jim Cramer, who still should not be forgiven or listened to after his whopping mistake last September.
If you are going to make money for sure in the markets in 2009, then you will have to watch CNBC 12 hours a day and get a rabbit's foot the size of a Volkswagen.
So that's why you should get your money in cash or keep it there. Keep earning a little in return instead of losing a lot more in the market.
But if forced to make a guess, most analysts are Bears at least through the first half of 2009 or longer.
The only way to make money in the stock market in the new year will be to invest in a select group of individual stocks that you are not going to find in any mutual fund or from any stock broker or financial planner. And don't listen to crazy man Jim Cramer, who still should not be forgiven or listened to after his whopping mistake last September.
If you are going to make money for sure in the markets in 2009, then you will have to watch CNBC 12 hours a day and get a rabbit's foot the size of a Volkswagen.
So that's why you should get your money in cash or keep it there. Keep earning a little in return instead of losing a lot more in the market.
Far fewer members of the GOP are like Chip the Stupid Republican with his racist, Obama CD
The most compassionate and effective advocate for children most at risk -- and already in very serious trouble with the law -- was chairman of the Warren County(TN) Republican Party.
Linda Gilbert worked among and championed children who had committed the worst criminal offenses and were incarcerated at the state's most secure detention facility north of Chattanooga. I visited her there earlier this decade, and she moved about the boys who had committed adult crimes without fear.
Her husband was a member of the professional staff. But she blazed her own path. She got the boys to write essays for the late Sir John Templeton's "Essays of Life" competition. And one boy, Terrence McLaurine, won the entire national contest and had his essay published. He wrote of what he had learned since being a murderer at 12 years of age in a Nashville drug deal gone bad.
McLaurine -- shockingly tried as an adult in Nashville -- reconciled with the family of his victim, all thanks to Gilbert and his transformation. The family pleaded with the state parole board for the youngster not to be sent on to adult prison after he turned 18. The board turned them down.
That did not deter Gilbert. She got uniforms so they boys could learn team and unity skills on the football field. And she raised money for a scoreboard so these youngsters could finally play at a place called "Home". For some of them, that was the first decent. disciplined home they ever had.
I lost track of Terrence because of my leukemia. He even had cooperated with a meeting I arranged with children at risk to gangs at a Metro school. I thought he could lend credibility to the message of just say "no" to organized criminal activity.
Unfortunately, I was not notified of Terrence's scheduled appearance so I could moderate the session. And Terrence said some things that detention center staff at a Nashville facility saw as negative about the center and purported gang activity there. So Terrence's effectiveness as a speaker to young people could not be used to influence the parole board.
I still feel bad about that. And I've lost track of Gilbert's heroics also. But no matter when or where, they still deserve to be recognized as inspiration to the rest of us to get involved.
And when someone as prominent as Tennessee Republican Chip Saltsman casts all the GOP under a racist pall, light must be sought. And it is there you'll find a lot of Republicans such as Linda Gilbert.
Linda Gilbert worked among and championed children who had committed the worst criminal offenses and were incarcerated at the state's most secure detention facility north of Chattanooga. I visited her there earlier this decade, and she moved about the boys who had committed adult crimes without fear.
Her husband was a member of the professional staff. But she blazed her own path. She got the boys to write essays for the late Sir John Templeton's "Essays of Life" competition. And one boy, Terrence McLaurine, won the entire national contest and had his essay published. He wrote of what he had learned since being a murderer at 12 years of age in a Nashville drug deal gone bad.
McLaurine -- shockingly tried as an adult in Nashville -- reconciled with the family of his victim, all thanks to Gilbert and his transformation. The family pleaded with the state parole board for the youngster not to be sent on to adult prison after he turned 18. The board turned them down.
That did not deter Gilbert. She got uniforms so they boys could learn team and unity skills on the football field. And she raised money for a scoreboard so these youngsters could finally play at a place called "Home". For some of them, that was the first decent. disciplined home they ever had.
I lost track of Terrence because of my leukemia. He even had cooperated with a meeting I arranged with children at risk to gangs at a Metro school. I thought he could lend credibility to the message of just say "no" to organized criminal activity.
Unfortunately, I was not notified of Terrence's scheduled appearance so I could moderate the session. And Terrence said some things that detention center staff at a Nashville facility saw as negative about the center and purported gang activity there. So Terrence's effectiveness as a speaker to young people could not be used to influence the parole board.
I still feel bad about that. And I've lost track of Gilbert's heroics also. But no matter when or where, they still deserve to be recognized as inspiration to the rest of us to get involved.
And when someone as prominent as Tennessee Republican Chip Saltsman casts all the GOP under a racist pall, light must be sought. And it is there you'll find a lot of Republicans such as Linda Gilbert.
PART II: The Rise and Fall of The Tennessean
The following name and number explain why The Tennessean will never rise to the status it once held in credibility and community leadership.
Kate Marymount. She is the new head of the news side at corporate Gannett. She replaced Phil Currie this past month.
Twenty-one percent. That is the profit margin for The Tennessean, reported at the end of September last year and revealed this fall by the powerful web site, www.gannettblog.blogspot.com. That figure is kind of low for Metros, considering that Ted Power's Reno Gazette makes a more respectable 35 percent profit.
Ted used to be general manager of Williamson A.M. in Franklin, TN, and along with then Tennessean publisher Craig Moon, turned it into a journalism and advertising powerhouse. The bureau now is only a shadow of what it once was.
Ted was long hoped to be the successor to the editor who shall go nameless at 1100 Broadway. Instead he was shipped out to Lousiana as a publisher before taking the big step to Reno and greener pastures. He is a very good man and journalist, just like Moon.
PROTECTING THE POWERFUL. INCOMPETENT
Marymount -- now in charge of "information center content" -- comes from the Phil Currie School of News, which means people such as Mark Silverman, Ellen Leifeld and the former Tennessean who shall go nameless get promoted and feted and never are turned out of their jobs without golden parachutes, no matter how big of a mess they make or how poorly they treat their employees.
I have to give Currie some credit, though. He helped get me out of Utica, N.Y., at my request. And he got me into The Tennessean as a columnist. I just was too stupid to know about the mess I was getting into, even though a friend tried to warn me.
Currie loved Silverman -- who used to be at Corporate where I met him twice -- and Leifeld and the editor who shall go nameless. He propped them up. He got them annual President's rings, until they performed so badly that such a feat was no longer possible. And he kept the business side at Corporate and people such as Moon at bay from making any real and needed change in the news product. The business side sure knew what needed to be changed, beginning with personnel.
Silverman at Corporate was known as the "Evil Twin". That meant that there could be a gracious Silverman on ocassion. More often, the evil one reigned, and he had his boot on the neck of his subordinate editors and some employees and did some editors at other newspapers dirty in grading their Generation X, News 2000 or other reader-oriented projects.
I met Silverman at Corporate once when I was one of 12 supervisors of the year in Gannett as an editorial page editor at the Observer-Dispatch. I was my boss' right hand man, his eye in the newsroom and his compiler of contest entries for Corporate. I also was his crusader in the community. Rick Jensen is the best journalist I ever worked for. But he could never get promoted as an editor beyond an 81,000 circulation publication. What an injustice!
We the supervisors of the year in 1995 were feted at the big house of Neuharth, and then schooled on busting unions and employee morale. My first time there was as part of middle management training. It meant we were being groomed to rise further up the ladder in Gannett and further away from addressing reader needs. I attended as an editorial page editor.
AWARDS REALLY MEAN LITTLE
I've won most of Gannett's big awards. My project on race relations at the Observer-Dispatch snatched the coveted $4,000 public service award. The project was featured on the back cover of E&P magazine. I was hot.
Then I came to The Tennessean, where I decided not to play ball with the newsroom establishment when it came to conservative readers, kissing Phil Bredesen's ass and not kissing the ass of the editor who shall go nameless. But I also learned that The Tennessean was not representing the interests of liberal readers well, either. Actually, readers of all persuasions were of little interest at all.
That was all right, at least for me personally, although I protested the above wrongs in the newsroom -- to Moon, to Power and in my column.
My writing still won top awards from non-Gannett competitions -- three consecutive national education reporting citations from the Education Writers Association(large newspaper competition). Pitiful me beat out writers for The New York Times and Washington Post in covering the fates of minority and poor children.
I won two consecutive awards for commentary at large newspapers from the Casey Journalism Center at the University of Maryland. Again, I beat out the big time writers.
I won two awards for columns from the Religion Communicators Council in New York City. Faith has always been a big topic in my commentary.
The biggest one for me was being selected for the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Publisher Craig Moon nominated me, which made the award that much sweeter. It was his way of thumbing his nose at the newsroom and my way of showing that a column was not supposed to be used for celebrity but for public service and getting off your ass and into the community to the people.
So I did well for myself, even getting into the White House twice to interview George W. Bush. I was considered a turncoat for doing that. But Bush helped me get a civil rights order against Metro Nashville public schools for the unfair and inadequate education of immigrant children. Al Gore's staff wouldn't lift a finger, even though his campaign office was located right in Nashville.
So I didn't cheer like too many staffers did in the newsroom on election night 2000 when it was prematurely announced that Gore had won Florida.
And I did myself well until I contracted leukemia. Even though I wrote from my hospital bed, my job would ultimately be eliminated by Silverman and Leifeld in August 2007.
Que sera sera.
FACTORS FOR FAILURE
It can be said that readers really lost little with my fall. There was no flurry of protests or submission of petitions demanding me back. The Women in Black did not take to the bridge over the railroad tracks next to Union Station. In fact, the paper hired a good entertainment columnist to replace Brad Schmitt. Journalists always magnify their importance beyond reality. I am no different.
Still, the newspaper has continued to decline. It's not because of my absence. It's because of the failures of the editor who shall go nameless, Silverman and Leifeld. Despite protest to the contrary from some readers of this blog, I still believe E.J. Mitchell put out a compelling front page and distinguished himself by taking on Bredesen.
One problem was the newspaper's incredibly poor penetration rate in a growing market. Another was how its politics got into news coverage and in the decisions on the play of stories. Readers are not stupid. And ad rates stayed too damn high. Alernatives through the Internet besides print competition locally ate into Tennessean profits and circulation.
But the profit still is large enough that Gannett will never sell this paper to local investors who actually might care about Middle Tennessee. And that's the only way the newspaper can improve.
Marymount's succession to higher office protects Silverman and Leifeld. Moon does what he can as a member of the Gannett operating committee. But corporate politics still rule, until things get so bad for the company that it has change on the fly. That won't happen soon. It has too much cash on hand and too many smaller newspapers it can sell to stave off a day of reckoning any time soon.
So I wish The Tennessean well for the sake of my friends and colleagues still there, who labor on bravely and dilligently despite the management that leads them. The Photo Department is a notable, positive exception in peformance and management. I want my colleagues to keep their jobs. A lot of other employees at a lot of non-media companies face the same challenge and fates, too. May God help them all.
DESERTING THE FIRST AMENDMENT
It's just that newspapers have always told the public that they're better than your usual capitalistic enterprise. They defend the First Amendment, although it is actually our men and women in uniform who lay down their lives for that amendment and the others in the Constitution. They take an oath to do so. I've never met a journalist who did the same.
There are more specific things I could write about Leifeld's and Silverman's wrongs as managers. But what's the point. Their jobs are safe. They're not going anywhere. Liz Murray Garrigan when she was with the Nashville Scene did a great job of chronicling the wrongs. I can do no better than she.
So, Nashville, middle Tennessee and the journalism world, what you've got at The Tennessean is not going to change.
That's too bad for the employees whose jobs will continue to be at risk, readers wanting a good and interesting product and communities needing leadership from the kind of institution Jefferson promised would keep us free -- by keeping us fully informed.
Kate Marymount. She is the new head of the news side at corporate Gannett. She replaced Phil Currie this past month.
Twenty-one percent. That is the profit margin for The Tennessean, reported at the end of September last year and revealed this fall by the powerful web site, www.gannettblog.blogspot.com. That figure is kind of low for Metros, considering that Ted Power's Reno Gazette makes a more respectable 35 percent profit.
Ted used to be general manager of Williamson A.M. in Franklin, TN, and along with then Tennessean publisher Craig Moon, turned it into a journalism and advertising powerhouse. The bureau now is only a shadow of what it once was.
Ted was long hoped to be the successor to the editor who shall go nameless at 1100 Broadway. Instead he was shipped out to Lousiana as a publisher before taking the big step to Reno and greener pastures. He is a very good man and journalist, just like Moon.
PROTECTING THE POWERFUL. INCOMPETENT
Marymount -- now in charge of "information center content" -- comes from the Phil Currie School of News, which means people such as Mark Silverman, Ellen Leifeld and the former Tennessean who shall go nameless get promoted and feted and never are turned out of their jobs without golden parachutes, no matter how big of a mess they make or how poorly they treat their employees.
I have to give Currie some credit, though. He helped get me out of Utica, N.Y., at my request. And he got me into The Tennessean as a columnist. I just was too stupid to know about the mess I was getting into, even though a friend tried to warn me.
Currie loved Silverman -- who used to be at Corporate where I met him twice -- and Leifeld and the editor who shall go nameless. He propped them up. He got them annual President's rings, until they performed so badly that such a feat was no longer possible. And he kept the business side at Corporate and people such as Moon at bay from making any real and needed change in the news product. The business side sure knew what needed to be changed, beginning with personnel.
Silverman at Corporate was known as the "Evil Twin". That meant that there could be a gracious Silverman on ocassion. More often, the evil one reigned, and he had his boot on the neck of his subordinate editors and some employees and did some editors at other newspapers dirty in grading their Generation X, News 2000 or other reader-oriented projects.
I met Silverman at Corporate once when I was one of 12 supervisors of the year in Gannett as an editorial page editor at the Observer-Dispatch. I was my boss' right hand man, his eye in the newsroom and his compiler of contest entries for Corporate. I also was his crusader in the community. Rick Jensen is the best journalist I ever worked for. But he could never get promoted as an editor beyond an 81,000 circulation publication. What an injustice!
We the supervisors of the year in 1995 were feted at the big house of Neuharth, and then schooled on busting unions and employee morale. My first time there was as part of middle management training. It meant we were being groomed to rise further up the ladder in Gannett and further away from addressing reader needs. I attended as an editorial page editor.
AWARDS REALLY MEAN LITTLE
I've won most of Gannett's big awards. My project on race relations at the Observer-Dispatch snatched the coveted $4,000 public service award. The project was featured on the back cover of E&P magazine. I was hot.
Then I came to The Tennessean, where I decided not to play ball with the newsroom establishment when it came to conservative readers, kissing Phil Bredesen's ass and not kissing the ass of the editor who shall go nameless. But I also learned that The Tennessean was not representing the interests of liberal readers well, either. Actually, readers of all persuasions were of little interest at all.
That was all right, at least for me personally, although I protested the above wrongs in the newsroom -- to Moon, to Power and in my column.
My writing still won top awards from non-Gannett competitions -- three consecutive national education reporting citations from the Education Writers Association(large newspaper competition). Pitiful me beat out writers for The New York Times and Washington Post in covering the fates of minority and poor children.
I won two consecutive awards for commentary at large newspapers from the Casey Journalism Center at the University of Maryland. Again, I beat out the big time writers.
I won two awards for columns from the Religion Communicators Council in New York City. Faith has always been a big topic in my commentary.
The biggest one for me was being selected for the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Publisher Craig Moon nominated me, which made the award that much sweeter. It was his way of thumbing his nose at the newsroom and my way of showing that a column was not supposed to be used for celebrity but for public service and getting off your ass and into the community to the people.
So I did well for myself, even getting into the White House twice to interview George W. Bush. I was considered a turncoat for doing that. But Bush helped me get a civil rights order against Metro Nashville public schools for the unfair and inadequate education of immigrant children. Al Gore's staff wouldn't lift a finger, even though his campaign office was located right in Nashville.
So I didn't cheer like too many staffers did in the newsroom on election night 2000 when it was prematurely announced that Gore had won Florida.
And I did myself well until I contracted leukemia. Even though I wrote from my hospital bed, my job would ultimately be eliminated by Silverman and Leifeld in August 2007.
Que sera sera.
FACTORS FOR FAILURE
It can be said that readers really lost little with my fall. There was no flurry of protests or submission of petitions demanding me back. The Women in Black did not take to the bridge over the railroad tracks next to Union Station. In fact, the paper hired a good entertainment columnist to replace Brad Schmitt. Journalists always magnify their importance beyond reality. I am no different.
Still, the newspaper has continued to decline. It's not because of my absence. It's because of the failures of the editor who shall go nameless, Silverman and Leifeld. Despite protest to the contrary from some readers of this blog, I still believe E.J. Mitchell put out a compelling front page and distinguished himself by taking on Bredesen.
One problem was the newspaper's incredibly poor penetration rate in a growing market. Another was how its politics got into news coverage and in the decisions on the play of stories. Readers are not stupid. And ad rates stayed too damn high. Alernatives through the Internet besides print competition locally ate into Tennessean profits and circulation.
But the profit still is large enough that Gannett will never sell this paper to local investors who actually might care about Middle Tennessee. And that's the only way the newspaper can improve.
Marymount's succession to higher office protects Silverman and Leifeld. Moon does what he can as a member of the Gannett operating committee. But corporate politics still rule, until things get so bad for the company that it has change on the fly. That won't happen soon. It has too much cash on hand and too many smaller newspapers it can sell to stave off a day of reckoning any time soon.
So I wish The Tennessean well for the sake of my friends and colleagues still there, who labor on bravely and dilligently despite the management that leads them. The Photo Department is a notable, positive exception in peformance and management. I want my colleagues to keep their jobs. A lot of other employees at a lot of non-media companies face the same challenge and fates, too. May God help them all.
DESERTING THE FIRST AMENDMENT
It's just that newspapers have always told the public that they're better than your usual capitalistic enterprise. They defend the First Amendment, although it is actually our men and women in uniform who lay down their lives for that amendment and the others in the Constitution. They take an oath to do so. I've never met a journalist who did the same.
There are more specific things I could write about Leifeld's and Silverman's wrongs as managers. But what's the point. Their jobs are safe. They're not going anywhere. Liz Murray Garrigan when she was with the Nashville Scene did a great job of chronicling the wrongs. I can do no better than she.
So, Nashville, middle Tennessee and the journalism world, what you've got at The Tennessean is not going to change.
That's too bad for the employees whose jobs will continue to be at risk, readers wanting a good and interesting product and communities needing leadership from the kind of institution Jefferson promised would keep us free -- by keeping us fully informed.
When Joe speaks up, I listen and research
My good friend Joe -- who is the epitome of a great manager of people and profits in Cool Springs -- told me the other day that he disagreed with the conclusion I had about Habitat for Humanity and its efforts in Davidson County for affordable housing.
When I noted the controversy about Habitat only locating developments in poor neighborhoods in north Nashville, he pointed out what he called a beautiful development in Antioch near Harding Place and I-24. That's south Nashville.
I promised Joe I would get out to the development and backtrack in my conclusion if necessary.
Unfortunately, several of the homes were struck by fire over the weekend, and it breaks your heart. I'm still going to get out there and take some pictures for the blog. Then I'll write about how Habitat fits in what should be an active public policy intiative by Nashville government to address the crushing need for affordable housing.
So stay tuned.
When I noted the controversy about Habitat only locating developments in poor neighborhoods in north Nashville, he pointed out what he called a beautiful development in Antioch near Harding Place and I-24. That's south Nashville.
I promised Joe I would get out to the development and backtrack in my conclusion if necessary.
Unfortunately, several of the homes were struck by fire over the weekend, and it breaks your heart. I'm still going to get out there and take some pictures for the blog. Then I'll write about how Habitat fits in what should be an active public policy intiative by Nashville government to address the crushing need for affordable housing.
So stay tuned.
Homeless will get into heaven ahead of many of us
I came across two homeless men soaking in the sun this morning on the curb of the parking lot for Germantown Cleaners on Jefferson Street in north Nashville.
I always smile and look the homeless in their eyes. And they warm up to me because they see my large wooden Rosary that I pray every day.
So the men felt confident and comfortable enough to speak to me. One asked me if I was a Catholic. I answered "yes". And he made the sign of the cross.
The other fella grudgingly asked me if I could give them something to help. I had only seven dollars in my pocket, but I readily gave it to them and apologized that I did not have more. They were grateful and not one bit threatening. And I apologized to them for Nashville authorities rousting the homeless and driving them like cattle.
They appreciated my recognition of their plight and said they were just trying to survive. I told them to "endure" and then included them in my petitions of my Rosary.
Then one of the men summoned the courage to ask me if he could have the Rosary. He wanted a symbol of Emmanuel, God is with us. I had to tell him "no". The Rosary belonged to my mother. Anything tied to her is an icon to me.
But I am going to start carrying Rosaries with me to hand out if asked in the future. The homeless also need God. And to be honest, they'll get into heaven ahead of all of us, just as Christ said the tax collectors and prostitutes of his day would enter eternal glory ahead of those of us who considered themselves righteous.
Yes, putting Rosaries in the hands of the homeless is a good idea. The advocacy of Our Lady would give them great power, even against a Catholic mayor of Nashville seemingly intent on driving these people out of Music City.
I always smile and look the homeless in their eyes. And they warm up to me because they see my large wooden Rosary that I pray every day.
So the men felt confident and comfortable enough to speak to me. One asked me if I was a Catholic. I answered "yes". And he made the sign of the cross.
The other fella grudgingly asked me if I could give them something to help. I had only seven dollars in my pocket, but I readily gave it to them and apologized that I did not have more. They were grateful and not one bit threatening. And I apologized to them for Nashville authorities rousting the homeless and driving them like cattle.
They appreciated my recognition of their plight and said they were just trying to survive. I told them to "endure" and then included them in my petitions of my Rosary.
Then one of the men summoned the courage to ask me if he could have the Rosary. He wanted a symbol of Emmanuel, God is with us. I had to tell him "no". The Rosary belonged to my mother. Anything tied to her is an icon to me.
But I am going to start carrying Rosaries with me to hand out if asked in the future. The homeless also need God. And to be honest, they'll get into heaven ahead of all of us, just as Christ said the tax collectors and prostitutes of his day would enter eternal glory ahead of those of us who considered themselves righteous.
Yes, putting Rosaries in the hands of the homeless is a good idea. The advocacy of Our Lady would give them great power, even against a Catholic mayor of Nashville seemingly intent on driving these people out of Music City.
God answers prayers; good news from a good man
I got the following e-mail today from a Williamson County friend and reader about his changing fortunes in our difficult economy.
Take hope from what he writes and proof that God indeed does answer prayers.
We must pray hard for each other and offer one another hope. I was at the Election Commission this morning changing my voter registration to Davidson County. I overheard a man on the phone replying with surprise to the news that the person on the other end had just been laid off. Look for a lot of layoffs in the coming days and weeks, particularly in the retail and services sector.
But each single victory must be celebrated in this onoing war. Here is what my friend writes:
Man, you have been busy with the blog.
Christmas Eve was tough for my wife with suddenly too much time to think about things.Christmas Day gives her a brief respite being with her sisters and parents who are all in good health.The drive home brings on more suffering and I don't respond very kindly this time. The unknown of the future creeps back in.
I had been a finalist for a weekend position tracking air freight and mail deliveries for a new logistics company in Nashville.The decision should have been made last Monday but wasn't settled until Friday after Christmas.Yes, I got the job and could start the next day on Saturday!
The pay is not that great but it allows me to keep doing what I do during the week while I wait for business to pick up again. Of course, at 1:30 AM Saturday morning I am stricken with the dreaded stomach virus. Can you believe it? It is brutal. Not wanting to call in sick on my first day, I drag myself into the shower and drive out near the airport to meet the operations manager.
I explain to him how much I was looking forward to starting but I did not want to make him sick. I think it impressed him because we had a really good first day Sunday.
There is hope!
I know I keep saying this, but your blog continues to inspire me. Your picture in front of your paintings is great. There is such life in your eyes.
God Bless.
Take hope from what he writes and proof that God indeed does answer prayers.
We must pray hard for each other and offer one another hope. I was at the Election Commission this morning changing my voter registration to Davidson County. I overheard a man on the phone replying with surprise to the news that the person on the other end had just been laid off. Look for a lot of layoffs in the coming days and weeks, particularly in the retail and services sector.
But each single victory must be celebrated in this onoing war. Here is what my friend writes:
Man, you have been busy with the blog.
Christmas Eve was tough for my wife with suddenly too much time to think about things.Christmas Day gives her a brief respite being with her sisters and parents who are all in good health.The drive home brings on more suffering and I don't respond very kindly this time. The unknown of the future creeps back in.
I had been a finalist for a weekend position tracking air freight and mail deliveries for a new logistics company in Nashville.The decision should have been made last Monday but wasn't settled until Friday after Christmas.Yes, I got the job and could start the next day on Saturday!
The pay is not that great but it allows me to keep doing what I do during the week while I wait for business to pick up again. Of course, at 1:30 AM Saturday morning I am stricken with the dreaded stomach virus. Can you believe it? It is brutal. Not wanting to call in sick on my first day, I drag myself into the shower and drive out near the airport to meet the operations manager.
I explain to him how much I was looking forward to starting but I did not want to make him sick. I think it impressed him because we had a really good first day Sunday.
There is hope!
I know I keep saying this, but your blog continues to inspire me. Your picture in front of your paintings is great. There is such life in your eyes.
God Bless.
A Chicago area school discovers secret to greater participation in parent-teacher conferences
The New York Times reports that a Chicago suburban school district serving working class families has discovered a way to dramatically boost attendance at teacher-parent conferences.
The secret to success is the inclusion of students, even in leading the conference between the adults in their school and home lives. Since there are many immigrants in the school district, the inclusion of students makes good sense. The children are more comfortable with English.
They already help momma and daddy with translation in the community. And if the parents are from Mexico, they are not used to associating with teachers. Mexico is a very class-oriented society. And children there may only go through the 6th grade to school.
To read more, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/education/28conferences.html?_r=1&em
The secret to success is the inclusion of students, even in leading the conference between the adults in their school and home lives. Since there are many immigrants in the school district, the inclusion of students makes good sense. The children are more comfortable with English.
They already help momma and daddy with translation in the community. And if the parents are from Mexico, they are not used to associating with teachers. Mexico is a very class-oriented society. And children there may only go through the 6th grade to school.
To read more, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/education/28conferences.html?_r=1&em
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Part II: The rise and fall of The Tennessean
The following name and number explain why The Tennessean will never rise to the status it once held in credibility and community leadership.
Kate Marymount. She is the new head of the news side at corporate Gannett. She replaced Phil Currie this past month.
Twenty-one percent. That is the profit margin for The Tennessean, reported at the end of September last year and revealed this fall by the powerful web site, www.gannettblog.blogspot.com. That figure is kind of low for Metros, considering that Ted Power's Reno Gazette makes a more respectable 35 percent profit.
Ted used to be general manager of Williamson A.M. in Franklin, TN, and along with then Tennessean publisher Craig Moon, turned it into a journalism and advertising powerhouse. The bureau now is only a shadow of what it once was.
Ted was long hoped to be the successor to the editor who shall go nameless at 1100 Broadway. Instead he was shipped out to Lousiana as a publisher before taking the big step to Reno and greener pastures. He is a very good man and journalist, just like Moon.
Marymount -- now in charge of "information center content" -- comes from the Phil Currie School of News, which means people such as Mark Silverman, Ellen Leifeld and the former Tennessean who shall go nameless get promoted and feted and never are turned out of their jobs without golden parachutes, no matter how big of a mess they make or how poorly they treat their employees.
I have to give Currie some credit, though. He helped get me out of Utica, N.Y., at my request. And he got me into The Tennessean as a columnist. I just was too stupid to know about the mess I was getting into, even though a friend tried to warn me.
Currie loved Silverman -- who used to be at Corporate where I met him twice -- and Leifeld and the editor who shall go nameless. He propped them up. He got them annual President's rings, until they performed so badly that such a feat was no longer possible. And he kept the business side at Corporate and people such as Moon at bay from making any real and needed change in the news product. The business side sure knew what needed to be changed, beginning with personnel.
Silverman at Corporate was known as the "Evil Twin". That meant that there could be a gracious Silverman on ocassion. More often, the evil one reigned, and he had his boot on the neck of his subordinate editors and some employees and did some editors at other newspapers dirty in grading their Generation X, News 2000 or other reader-oriented projects.
I met Silverman at Corporate once when I was one of 12 supervisors of the year in Gannett as an editorial page editor at the Observer-Dispatch. I was my boss' right hand man, his eye in the newsroom and his compiler of contest entries for Corporate. I also was his crusader in the community. Rick Jensen is the best journalist I ever worked for. But he could never get promoted as an editor beyond an 81,000 circulation publication. What an injustice!
We the supervisors of the year in 1995 were feted at the big house of Neuharth, and then schooled on busting unions and employee morale. My first time there was as part of middle management training. It meant we were being groomed to rise further up the ladder in Gannett and further away from addressing reader needs. I attended as an editorial page editor.
I've won most of Gannett's big awards. My project on race relations at the Observer-Dispatch snatched the coveted $4,000 public service award. The project was featured on the back cover of E&P magazine. I was hot.
Then I came to The Tennessean, where I decided not to play ball with the newsroom establishment when it came to conservative readers, kissing Phil Bredesen's ass and not kissing the ass of the editor who shall go nameless. But I also learned that The Tennessean was not representing the interests of liberal readers well, either. Actually, readers of all persuasions were of little interest at all.
That was all right, at least for me personally, although I protested the above wrongs in the newsroom -- to Moon, to Power and in my column.
My writing still won top awards from non-Gannett competitions -- three consecutive national education reporting citations from the Education Writers Association(large newspaper competition). Pitiful me beat out writers for The New York Times and Washington Post in covering the fates of minority and poor children.
I won two consecutive awards for commentary at large newspapers from the Casey Journalism Center at the University of Maryland. Again, I beat out the big time writers.
I won two awards for columns from the Religion Communicators Council in New York City. Faith has always been a big topic in my commentary.
The biggest one for me was being selected for the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Publisher Craig Moon nominated me, which made the award that much sweeter. It was his way of thumbing his nose at the newsroom and my way of showing that a column was not supposed to be used for celebrity but for public service and getting off your ass and into the community to the people.
So I did well for myself, even getting into the White House twice to interview George W. Bush. I was considered a turncoat for doing that. But Bush helped me get a civil rights order against Metro Nashville public schools for the unfair and inadequate education of immigrant children. Al Gore's staff wouldn't lift a finger, even though his campaign office was located right in Nashville.
So I didn't cheer like too many staffers did in the newsroom on election night 2000 when it was prematurely announced that Gore had won Florida.
And I did myself well until I contracted leukemia. Even though I wrote from my hospital bed, my job would ultimately be eliminated by Silverman and Leifeld in August 2007.
Que sera sera.
It can be said that readers really lost little with my fall. There was no flurry of protests or submission of petitions demanding me back. The Women in Black did not take to the bridge over the railroad tracks next to Union Station. In fact, the paper hired a good entertainment columnist to replace Brad Schmitt. Journalists always magnify their importance beyond reality. I am no different.
Still, the newspaper has continued to decline. It's not because of my absence. It's because of the failures of the editor who shall go nameless, Silverman and Leifeld. Despite protest to the contrary from some readers of this blog, I still believe E.J. Mitchell put out a compelling front page and distinguished himself by taking on Bredesen.
One problem was the newspaper's incredibly poor penetration rate in a growing market. Another was how its politics got into news coverage and in the decisions on the play of stories. Readers are not stupid. And ad rates stayed too damn high. Alernatives through the Internet besides print competition locally ate into Tennessean profits and circulation.
But the profit still is large enough that Gannett will never sell this paper to local investors who actually might care about Middle Tennessee. And that's the only way the newspaper can improve.
Marymount's succession to higher office protects Silverman and Leifeld. Moon does what he can as a member of the Gannett operating committee. But corporate politics still rule, until things get so bad for the company that it has change on the fly. That won't happen soon. It has too much cash on hand and too many smaller newspapers it can sell to stave off a day of reckoning any time soon.
So I wish The Tennessean well for the sake of my friends and colleagues still there, who labor on bravely and dilligently despite the management that leads them. The Photo Department is a notable, positive exception in peformance and management. I want my colleagues to keep their jobs. A lot of other employees at a lot of non-media companies face the same challenge and fates, too. May God help them all.
It's just that newspapers have always told the public that they're better than your usual capitalistic enterprise. They defend the First Amendment, although it is actually our men and women in uniform who lay down their lives for that amendment and the others in the Constitution. They take an oath to do so. I've never met a journalist who did the same.
There are more specific things I could write about Leifeld's and Silverman's wrongs as managers. But what's the point. Their jobs are safe. They're not going anywhere. Liz Murray Garrigan when she was with the Nashville Scene did a great job of chronicling the wrongs. I can do no better than she.
So, Nashville, middle Tennessee and the journalism world, what you've got at The Tennessean is not going to change. That's too bad for the employees whose jobs will continue to be at risk, readers wanting a good and interesting product and communities needing leadership from the kind of institution Jefferson promised would keep us free -- by keeping us fully informed.
Kate Marymount. She is the new head of the news side at corporate Gannett. She replaced Phil Currie this past month.
Twenty-one percent. That is the profit margin for The Tennessean, reported at the end of September last year and revealed this fall by the powerful web site, www.gannettblog.blogspot.com. That figure is kind of low for Metros, considering that Ted Power's Reno Gazette makes a more respectable 35 percent profit.
Ted used to be general manager of Williamson A.M. in Franklin, TN, and along with then Tennessean publisher Craig Moon, turned it into a journalism and advertising powerhouse. The bureau now is only a shadow of what it once was.
Ted was long hoped to be the successor to the editor who shall go nameless at 1100 Broadway. Instead he was shipped out to Lousiana as a publisher before taking the big step to Reno and greener pastures. He is a very good man and journalist, just like Moon.
Marymount -- now in charge of "information center content" -- comes from the Phil Currie School of News, which means people such as Mark Silverman, Ellen Leifeld and the former Tennessean who shall go nameless get promoted and feted and never are turned out of their jobs without golden parachutes, no matter how big of a mess they make or how poorly they treat their employees.
I have to give Currie some credit, though. He helped get me out of Utica, N.Y., at my request. And he got me into The Tennessean as a columnist. I just was too stupid to know about the mess I was getting into, even though a friend tried to warn me.
Currie loved Silverman -- who used to be at Corporate where I met him twice -- and Leifeld and the editor who shall go nameless. He propped them up. He got them annual President's rings, until they performed so badly that such a feat was no longer possible. And he kept the business side at Corporate and people such as Moon at bay from making any real and needed change in the news product. The business side sure knew what needed to be changed, beginning with personnel.
Silverman at Corporate was known as the "Evil Twin". That meant that there could be a gracious Silverman on ocassion. More often, the evil one reigned, and he had his boot on the neck of his subordinate editors and some employees and did some editors at other newspapers dirty in grading their Generation X, News 2000 or other reader-oriented projects.
I met Silverman at Corporate once when I was one of 12 supervisors of the year in Gannett as an editorial page editor at the Observer-Dispatch. I was my boss' right hand man, his eye in the newsroom and his compiler of contest entries for Corporate. I also was his crusader in the community. Rick Jensen is the best journalist I ever worked for. But he could never get promoted as an editor beyond an 81,000 circulation publication. What an injustice!
We the supervisors of the year in 1995 were feted at the big house of Neuharth, and then schooled on busting unions and employee morale. My first time there was as part of middle management training. It meant we were being groomed to rise further up the ladder in Gannett and further away from addressing reader needs. I attended as an editorial page editor.
I've won most of Gannett's big awards. My project on race relations at the Observer-Dispatch snatched the coveted $4,000 public service award. The project was featured on the back cover of E&P magazine. I was hot.
Then I came to The Tennessean, where I decided not to play ball with the newsroom establishment when it came to conservative readers, kissing Phil Bredesen's ass and not kissing the ass of the editor who shall go nameless. But I also learned that The Tennessean was not representing the interests of liberal readers well, either. Actually, readers of all persuasions were of little interest at all.
That was all right, at least for me personally, although I protested the above wrongs in the newsroom -- to Moon, to Power and in my column.
My writing still won top awards from non-Gannett competitions -- three consecutive national education reporting citations from the Education Writers Association(large newspaper competition). Pitiful me beat out writers for The New York Times and Washington Post in covering the fates of minority and poor children.
I won two consecutive awards for commentary at large newspapers from the Casey Journalism Center at the University of Maryland. Again, I beat out the big time writers.
I won two awards for columns from the Religion Communicators Council in New York City. Faith has always been a big topic in my commentary.
The biggest one for me was being selected for the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Publisher Craig Moon nominated me, which made the award that much sweeter. It was his way of thumbing his nose at the newsroom and my way of showing that a column was not supposed to be used for celebrity but for public service and getting off your ass and into the community to the people.
So I did well for myself, even getting into the White House twice to interview George W. Bush. I was considered a turncoat for doing that. But Bush helped me get a civil rights order against Metro Nashville public schools for the unfair and inadequate education of immigrant children. Al Gore's staff wouldn't lift a finger, even though his campaign office was located right in Nashville.
So I didn't cheer like too many staffers did in the newsroom on election night 2000 when it was prematurely announced that Gore had won Florida.
And I did myself well until I contracted leukemia. Even though I wrote from my hospital bed, my job would ultimately be eliminated by Silverman and Leifeld in August 2007.
Que sera sera.
It can be said that readers really lost little with my fall. There was no flurry of protests or submission of petitions demanding me back. The Women in Black did not take to the bridge over the railroad tracks next to Union Station. In fact, the paper hired a good entertainment columnist to replace Brad Schmitt. Journalists always magnify their importance beyond reality. I am no different.
Still, the newspaper has continued to decline. It's not because of my absence. It's because of the failures of the editor who shall go nameless, Silverman and Leifeld. Despite protest to the contrary from some readers of this blog, I still believe E.J. Mitchell put out a compelling front page and distinguished himself by taking on Bredesen.
One problem was the newspaper's incredibly poor penetration rate in a growing market. Another was how its politics got into news coverage and in the decisions on the play of stories. Readers are not stupid. And ad rates stayed too damn high. Alernatives through the Internet besides print competition locally ate into Tennessean profits and circulation.
But the profit still is large enough that Gannett will never sell this paper to local investors who actually might care about Middle Tennessee. And that's the only way the newspaper can improve.
Marymount's succession to higher office protects Silverman and Leifeld. Moon does what he can as a member of the Gannett operating committee. But corporate politics still rule, until things get so bad for the company that it has change on the fly. That won't happen soon. It has too much cash on hand and too many smaller newspapers it can sell to stave off a day of reckoning any time soon.
So I wish The Tennessean well for the sake of my friends and colleagues still there, who labor on bravely and dilligently despite the management that leads them. The Photo Department is a notable, positive exception in peformance and management. I want my colleagues to keep their jobs. A lot of other employees at a lot of non-media companies face the same challenge and fates, too. May God help them all.
It's just that newspapers have always told the public that they're better than your usual capitalistic enterprise. They defend the First Amendment, although it is actually our men and women in uniform who lay down their lives for that amendment and the others in the Constitution. They take an oath to do so. I've never met a journalist who did the same.
There are more specific things I could write about Leifeld's and Silverman's wrongs as managers. But what's the point. Their jobs are safe. They're not going anywhere. Liz Murray Garrigan when she was with the Nashville Scene did a great job of chronicling the wrongs. I can do no better than she.
So, Nashville, middle Tennessee and the journalism world, what you've got at The Tennessean is not going to change. That's too bad for the employees whose jobs will continue to be at risk, readers wanting a good and interesting product and communities needing leadership from the kind of institution Jefferson promised would keep us free -- by keeping us fully informed.
Yes, I watch 'The Sound of Music'; whadda want to make of it, huh? It's manly and very human, too
Some men may not feel that they can admit to watching The Sound of Music each time it comes on at Christmastime and Eastertide.
By stereotype, we males have to admit to preferring to kill and skin a moose like Sarah Palin than watching a nun and a bunch of children frolic about the Austrian Alps in darling clothes made from old drapes.
But hell, I watch it. And I'm watching it right now as I write this post. It's manly to watch The Sound of Music. More importantly, it is human, even if all the story is not actually true(thank you for spoiling it all, New York Times).
And Julie Andrews has always been a fox, if that word is still used to describe beauty inside and out.
The songs and lyrics are eternal, as is the desire of man and woman to be free of evil like Nazism and Communism. The love is pure, not faked or frantic in gyrated gestures or vulgarity. It makes you feel good and hopeful.
So watch with pride, all ye men of the world. The movie actually is man at his best, because of a great woman.
By stereotype, we males have to admit to preferring to kill and skin a moose like Sarah Palin than watching a nun and a bunch of children frolic about the Austrian Alps in darling clothes made from old drapes.
But hell, I watch it. And I'm watching it right now as I write this post. It's manly to watch The Sound of Music. More importantly, it is human, even if all the story is not actually true(thank you for spoiling it all, New York Times).
And Julie Andrews has always been a fox, if that word is still used to describe beauty inside and out.
The songs and lyrics are eternal, as is the desire of man and woman to be free of evil like Nazism and Communism. The love is pure, not faked or frantic in gyrated gestures or vulgarity. It makes you feel good and hopeful.
So watch with pride, all ye men of the world. The movie actually is man at his best, because of a great woman.
UAW pulls an AIG with its posh golf course
Not to be outdone by bailed-out Wall Street fatcats, the UAW continues to operate a posh golf course and center that has lost mega millions in dollars in union member dues.
The story only reaffirms the outrage among most Americans who demanded that the Big 3 automakers not be bailed out without major concessions from union employees. The Bush administration caved in, however.
The investment house AIG outraged Americans when it continued to grant luxury retreats to sales people as rewards and incentives despite being bailed out by taxpayers. That was another Bush administration cave in to Wall Street and Congressional Democrats.
Here is how FOXNEWS reports it:
The United Auto Workers may be out of the hole now that President Bush has approved a $17 billion bailout of the U.S. auto industry, but the union isn't out of the bunker just yet.
Even as the industry struggles with massive losses, the UAW brass continue to own and operate a $33 million lakeside retreat in Michigan, complete with a $6.4 million designer golf course. And it's costing them millions each year.
The UAW, known more for its strikes than its slices, hosts seminars and junkets at the Walter and May Reuther Family Education Center in Onaway, Mich., which is nestled on "1,000 heavily forested acres" on Michigan's Black Lake, according to its Web site.
But the Black Lake club and retreat, which are among the union's biggest fixed assets, have lost $23 million in the past five years alone, a heavy albatross around the union's neck as it tries to manage a multibillion-dollar pension plan crisis.
The story only reaffirms the outrage among most Americans who demanded that the Big 3 automakers not be bailed out without major concessions from union employees. The Bush administration caved in, however.
The investment house AIG outraged Americans when it continued to grant luxury retreats to sales people as rewards and incentives despite being bailed out by taxpayers. That was another Bush administration cave in to Wall Street and Congressional Democrats.
Here is how FOXNEWS reports it:
The United Auto Workers may be out of the hole now that President Bush has approved a $17 billion bailout of the U.S. auto industry, but the union isn't out of the bunker just yet.
Even as the industry struggles with massive losses, the UAW brass continue to own and operate a $33 million lakeside retreat in Michigan, complete with a $6.4 million designer golf course. And it's costing them millions each year.
The UAW, known more for its strikes than its slices, hosts seminars and junkets at the Walter and May Reuther Family Education Center in Onaway, Mich., which is nestled on "1,000 heavily forested acres" on Michigan's Black Lake, according to its Web site.
But the Black Lake club and retreat, which are among the union's biggest fixed assets, have lost $23 million in the past five years alone, a heavy albatross around the union's neck as it tries to manage a multibillion-dollar pension plan crisis.
Saltsman hits big time in New York Times; Gingrich says he should be disqualified for top GOP post
Chip the Stupid Republican made the big time yesterday, making it to the pages of The New York Times and drawing the ire of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Worse, Saltsman again uncovered the GOP's Achilles Heel, race. Here is how The New York Times shockingly analyzed it:
The dispute illustrates a larger Republican challenge in the months ahead: how to oppose the first black president without seeming antiblack. There are no black Republicans in Congress, and a party spokesman could name only 2 blacks among the 168 members of the national committee. Katon Dawson, the chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, resigned from an all-white country club in preparing for his campaign to be party chairman.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/us/politics/28rnc.html?_r=1
Gingrich said Salstman should be disqualified from running for chairman of the RNC.
The CD Saltsman sent out to his friends (gee, you gotta fear what he sends to his enemies) included a Rush Limbaugh Show song "Barack the Magic Negro". Even though the song is written and sung by a black man, it still does not excuse the song's incredibly bad taste. Some people will do anything to impress Limbaugh, who is on the political extreme.
Saltsman has decided to join him there. Perhaps he can get a job as a sidekick to Limbaugh, because no major campaign or national party will ever touch him again.
Worse, Saltsman again uncovered the GOP's Achilles Heel, race. Here is how The New York Times shockingly analyzed it:
The dispute illustrates a larger Republican challenge in the months ahead: how to oppose the first black president without seeming antiblack. There are no black Republicans in Congress, and a party spokesman could name only 2 blacks among the 168 members of the national committee. Katon Dawson, the chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, resigned from an all-white country club in preparing for his campaign to be party chairman.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/us/politics/28rnc.html?_r=1
Gingrich said Salstman should be disqualified from running for chairman of the RNC.
The CD Saltsman sent out to his friends (gee, you gotta fear what he sends to his enemies) included a Rush Limbaugh Show song "Barack the Magic Negro". Even though the song is written and sung by a black man, it still does not excuse the song's incredibly bad taste. Some people will do anything to impress Limbaugh, who is on the political extreme.
Saltsman has decided to join him there. Perhaps he can get a job as a sidekick to Limbaugh, because no major campaign or national party will ever touch him again.
The year ahead for Nashville will be a tragic one
Nashville, the Athens of the South, faces the kind of future in 2009 that should result in the change of its nickname to the Rome of the South -- as in Rome is burning.
Here is a list of the problems faced:
SCHOOLS: After already cutting $1 million from the budget of a school district about to be under state control for failing to meet No Child Left Behind Act standards, Metro Nashville/Davidson County Schools now must cut an additional $4 million from the budget. The first round of cuts avoided eliminating jobs. This next one will take away the jobs of the working poor -- from janitors to support staff. Teachers should not be affected because of the No Child problem. The General Assembly returns to session in January and must cut $1 billion from the current budget. That will mean less local aid from the states for schools. So Metro will have to cut more and/or raise property taxes. Then, teachers could be in danger. I sure hope I am wrong about this prediction.
PRO HOCKEY: The NHL Predators have not been able to attract an average game crowd of 14,000 people its owners say they need to make a go of it in Music City. So they can move the team if they want after this season. They may be forced to, because a large share of the team is in a federal bankruptcy court available to the highest bidder to pay off debtors. A man from Canada with a lot of money -- who originally failed to move the team last year -- is in on the bidding. A bad economy locally and the cool and peristent Canadian may well spell doom for the team staying here and will increase the already $6 million annual cost of operating the Sommet Center. By the way, then Mayor Bredesen said the arena would be making a profit after the first year of operation. That was more than 10 years and many millions of dollars ago.
PRO FOOTBALL: The Titans take about $5 million off the top of the annual budget before anything else is funded, including schools and police. And owner Bud Adams has contractural authority to demand $170 million in improvements to aging LP Field, which is a decade old. You can be sure Adams will ask for the money soon because his team just finished with the best record in the AFC. Afterall, they can't be expected to play in a dump and fans will need a better place to watch the team next year, particularly after ticket prices are hiked.
A NEW CONVENTION CENTER: If the city were not facing enough new expenses, the mayor wants to build a convention center costing more than $600 million. He'll have to use some bonds to fund at least part of the construction. And with the MUNI bond market about to collapse, Metro would have to pay an exorbitant interest rate on its notes to investors. We're talking about north of 6 percent. And who knows how tough the rating houses will be on any municipals bonds after the collapse. Metro may be hard pressed to get any rating grade close to an A. And that will raise the interest rate needed to sell the bonds. Taxpayers are required annually to pay that interest rate out of the budget. LP Field bonds require $4 million annually.
ENGLISH ONLY: Nashville faces the inheritance of a very negative national image if voters approve an English Only referendum for all government operations on Jan. 22. With the economy declining, and bigotry against Hispanics at an all-time high in the South, passage of the referendum looks frighteningly good. I'll be voting against it as a Nashville voter and will be speaking to African-American congregations to ask that they work to defeat the referendum. But it probably won't be enough, even with a promised media blitz by anti-English Only forces. I sure hope I am wrong in my prediction. But ignorance is hard to fight over only three weeks.
There are more items I could add to the list. But these are enough to frighten anyone about the kind of future Nashville faces in the new year.
Here is a list of the problems faced:
SCHOOLS: After already cutting $1 million from the budget of a school district about to be under state control for failing to meet No Child Left Behind Act standards, Metro Nashville/Davidson County Schools now must cut an additional $4 million from the budget. The first round of cuts avoided eliminating jobs. This next one will take away the jobs of the working poor -- from janitors to support staff. Teachers should not be affected because of the No Child problem. The General Assembly returns to session in January and must cut $1 billion from the current budget. That will mean less local aid from the states for schools. So Metro will have to cut more and/or raise property taxes. Then, teachers could be in danger. I sure hope I am wrong about this prediction.
PRO HOCKEY: The NHL Predators have not been able to attract an average game crowd of 14,000 people its owners say they need to make a go of it in Music City. So they can move the team if they want after this season. They may be forced to, because a large share of the team is in a federal bankruptcy court available to the highest bidder to pay off debtors. A man from Canada with a lot of money -- who originally failed to move the team last year -- is in on the bidding. A bad economy locally and the cool and peristent Canadian may well spell doom for the team staying here and will increase the already $6 million annual cost of operating the Sommet Center. By the way, then Mayor Bredesen said the arena would be making a profit after the first year of operation. That was more than 10 years and many millions of dollars ago.
PRO FOOTBALL: The Titans take about $5 million off the top of the annual budget before anything else is funded, including schools and police. And owner Bud Adams has contractural authority to demand $170 million in improvements to aging LP Field, which is a decade old. You can be sure Adams will ask for the money soon because his team just finished with the best record in the AFC. Afterall, they can't be expected to play in a dump and fans will need a better place to watch the team next year, particularly after ticket prices are hiked.
A NEW CONVENTION CENTER: If the city were not facing enough new expenses, the mayor wants to build a convention center costing more than $600 million. He'll have to use some bonds to fund at least part of the construction. And with the MUNI bond market about to collapse, Metro would have to pay an exorbitant interest rate on its notes to investors. We're talking about north of 6 percent. And who knows how tough the rating houses will be on any municipals bonds after the collapse. Metro may be hard pressed to get any rating grade close to an A. And that will raise the interest rate needed to sell the bonds. Taxpayers are required annually to pay that interest rate out of the budget. LP Field bonds require $4 million annually.
ENGLISH ONLY: Nashville faces the inheritance of a very negative national image if voters approve an English Only referendum for all government operations on Jan. 22. With the economy declining, and bigotry against Hispanics at an all-time high in the South, passage of the referendum looks frighteningly good. I'll be voting against it as a Nashville voter and will be speaking to African-American congregations to ask that they work to defeat the referendum. But it probably won't be enough, even with a promised media blitz by anti-English Only forces. I sure hope I am wrong in my prediction. But ignorance is hard to fight over only three weeks.
There are more items I could add to the list. But these are enough to frighten anyone about the kind of future Nashville faces in the new year.
Why blog? Because it's there, and I love to write
A reader responding to the first part of my series on the fall of The Tennessean as an institution of credibility and community leadership asks why there are no responses to my blog posts. And thus, why continue doing the blog?
Good question.
I love to write. I do the blog for the love of writing and the people I write about. Plus, I am committed to neither political extreme. I find good in Republicans and Democrats. I don't believe in the increase in bias appearing in news reporting and the punditry and cable networks.
Of any success with the blog, the only thing I can really point out is the case of the torture of Juana Villegas DeLaPaz by Nashville authorities for illegally passing a vehicle under the heinous 287g deportation program.
She was shackled by wrist and ankle before and after delivering her fourth American child and not allowed to express her milk for the child. She instead was sent in intense pain back to her jail cell and was released at 2 a.m. in the morning.
The New York Times did a sizable Sunday piece with picture about the story I broke in July 2008. The Boston Globe editorialized about it. The Daily Kos picked it up. A Google search will show a lot of websites recognized the brutality in the case and published my series of accounts.
So other than that, I can't really point to anything the blog has done to make a difference.
But I still continue it, for the 37 subscribers and 12 reach(whatever that means) that are daily registered on Feedburner. The site only gets 25 hits each two and a half hours from across the nation, Canada and Sweden. That's not a lot.
Yes, my efforts probably are futile. I'm certainly no Jim Hopkins and www.gannettblog.blogspot.com. But I'm wasting no one's time or money except my own.
So pray for me or pity me. Either will do fine.
Good question.
I love to write. I do the blog for the love of writing and the people I write about. Plus, I am committed to neither political extreme. I find good in Republicans and Democrats. I don't believe in the increase in bias appearing in news reporting and the punditry and cable networks.
Of any success with the blog, the only thing I can really point out is the case of the torture of Juana Villegas DeLaPaz by Nashville authorities for illegally passing a vehicle under the heinous 287g deportation program.
She was shackled by wrist and ankle before and after delivering her fourth American child and not allowed to express her milk for the child. She instead was sent in intense pain back to her jail cell and was released at 2 a.m. in the morning.
The New York Times did a sizable Sunday piece with picture about the story I broke in July 2008. The Boston Globe editorialized about it. The Daily Kos picked it up. A Google search will show a lot of websites recognized the brutality in the case and published my series of accounts.
So other than that, I can't really point to anything the blog has done to make a difference.
But I still continue it, for the 37 subscribers and 12 reach(whatever that means) that are daily registered on Feedburner. The site only gets 25 hits each two and a half hours from across the nation, Canada and Sweden. That's not a lot.
Yes, my efforts probably are futile. I'm certainly no Jim Hopkins and www.gannettblog.blogspot.com. But I'm wasting no one's time or money except my own.
So pray for me or pity me. Either will do fine.
Hatin' on E.J: Is there another reason for all the negativity aimed at former Tennessean editor?
The first part of my series on The Tennessean's fall as an institution of credibility and community leadership has elicited some heat against E.J. Mitchell, who led the newsroom before the current officeholder.
As I answered in the comment section, Mitchell never treated me ill, nor did any of his decisions affect me negatively. It was to the contrary. After I contracted leukemia, Mitchell was most supportive, and even read the riot act to the human resources department for me. I'll take that kind of leader any day. And it gives him distinction in my career experiences of three decades at six different newspapers.
So I've got to wonder if all these long-time Gannett employees who are responding have something else against Mitchell than beyond his leadership skills. I can take any leader as long as they produce a better product, which Mitchell did on the front page. And then he was going to let Brad Schmitt go. Gee, two out of two ain't bad.
So what did this African-American editor do that was so wrong?
Can you think of anything that a strong-willed, very vocal, non-Obama like editor who has dark black skin might do to piss off members of newsrooms that are mostly white with long-term employees who are part of the entrenchment that plagues modern-day newspaper journalism?
Can you think of why the same journalists would not complain about the lack of a black journalism legacy at The Tennessean, despite Nashville having a 25% African-American population and two historic black universities?
Gee, I can't think of a thing.
As I answered in the comment section, Mitchell never treated me ill, nor did any of his decisions affect me negatively. It was to the contrary. After I contracted leukemia, Mitchell was most supportive, and even read the riot act to the human resources department for me. I'll take that kind of leader any day. And it gives him distinction in my career experiences of three decades at six different newspapers.
So I've got to wonder if all these long-time Gannett employees who are responding have something else against Mitchell than beyond his leadership skills. I can take any leader as long as they produce a better product, which Mitchell did on the front page. And then he was going to let Brad Schmitt go. Gee, two out of two ain't bad.
So what did this African-American editor do that was so wrong?
Can you think of anything that a strong-willed, very vocal, non-Obama like editor who has dark black skin might do to piss off members of newsrooms that are mostly white with long-term employees who are part of the entrenchment that plagues modern-day newspaper journalism?
Can you think of why the same journalists would not complain about the lack of a black journalism legacy at The Tennessean, despite Nashville having a 25% African-American population and two historic black universities?
Gee, I can't think of a thing.
Who I am in pictures -- good, bad and ugly
The one thing I have hated about being a print columnist is that a picture often is demanded with one's writing. I've made it a point NOT to add a picture to this blog. What I look like should not matter. What I write and who I write about should.
But at the reunion of Tennessean ex-patriates and some current employees who were nice enough to show up and lend their support to those recently laid off, one colleague did not even recognize me.
The problem is the diet I've been on the past three years. Now the chemo diet beats the hell out of SouthBeach. The only drawback is that you can die from it. Still, I've lost about 100 pounds on chemo and have kept it off while exercising almost three hours a day.
So I've decided to provide, this one time, a photo montage of before and after.
In order of appearance:
* Me, today, in front of one of my passions, painting.
* My hero and best friend -- my mother. She got me into political writing. We talked every day, no matter where my career took me. Momma decided to break my heart and go to heaven in June.
I was going to bring her to Tennessee to live and had purchased her a condo. She was going to go out with me on tour as a columnist for the many speeches I gave to civic and political groups. I would speak, then turn the floor over to her and let her tell everyone how full of shit I was. Then I had to get that damn leuekmia. My guilt over this is unrelenting.
Mom hated Bush, and I told Alberto Gonzales as much during our one-one-one interview on Oct. 14, 2005. But I told the AG that she really liked him. He roared in laughter and sent her an autographed picture. She liked that. And I loved that about her.
* My first trip to the White House, May 2001, with education writers from across the country. That ocassion was four months before 9/11 and four years before my leukemia. The president was plagued by his allergies that day. But he made an effective case for the best thing he ever did in office: passage of the No Child Left Behind Act.
* My favorite task as a columnist, speaking to students and taking them on tour of the newspaper. These young people visited in 2005 from SantaFe School in Fayette County. Their teacher, Tim Morrison, became a good friend besides a reader. That happened a lot with me and readers, and I was a better journalist for it.
* Making presentation to students in south Ohio and Houston on immigration as an issue in the 2008 presidential race for the sensational Vanderbilt Virtual School.
* An appearance on NewsChannel 5's Inside Politics.
* Interview in Oval Office with President Bush on his birthday, July 8, 2004, for Hispanic magazine, circulation 280,000 nationally. I also interviewed John Kerry one-on-one in Los Angeles for the same issue. Not in the picture are adviser Karen Hughes and Barney the dog. Both also were sitting on one of the sofas. I was 100 pounds heavier back then and Bush was 80 points higher in the polls.
How to tell who is homeless on warm winter day
I've been fortunate to be around the homeless in downtown Nashville and north Nashville for a month now, and it has been a real learning and spiritual experience.
Take for instance the past several warm winter days.
It's easy to tell the homeless person in Bicentennial Mall compared to the visitor or tourist.
The tourist or local visitor is in short sleeves and even shorts.
The homeless person still has his or her coat on, along with layers of clothing.
Aren't they hot? I don't think so. I believe there is a chill to the bones that never leaves, no matter the shift in temperature. And there also is a chill in how you are treated as a pariah, particularly in Nashville by its authorities. Finally, there is no safe place you could leave your extra clothing or any other possession.
So that's how you tell who is homeless on a warm, winter day.
Take for instance the past several warm winter days.
It's easy to tell the homeless person in Bicentennial Mall compared to the visitor or tourist.
The tourist or local visitor is in short sleeves and even shorts.
The homeless person still has his or her coat on, along with layers of clothing.
Aren't they hot? I don't think so. I believe there is a chill to the bones that never leaves, no matter the shift in temperature. And there also is a chill in how you are treated as a pariah, particularly in Nashville by its authorities. Finally, there is no safe place you could leave your extra clothing or any other possession.
So that's how you tell who is homeless on a warm, winter day.
Here is why this downturn will be worst ever
The 86-year-old aunt of a friend of mine spoke of the Great Depression this way: "We had nothing going into it and we had nothing coming out it."
And based on that truth for many Americans back then, the current economic downturn will easily surpass the Great Depression when it comes to the loss of wealth among Americans and loss of confidence in the future.
A lot of Americans who now are losing their jobs, houses and hopes have a lot of things. They were successful economically and initially. Now they're not, because of cruel greed on Wall Street and sometimes in their personal lack of action to save more than spend.
During the Great Depression, many Americans still lived on farms and were able to support and survive off the land. Farmers in Indiana were dumping milk instead if selling it because the price was so poor at the market. It didn't pay to transport it there.
Now, the coming collapse of some MUNIs will be wipe out a new segment of wealth in the United States, this time mostly with the elderly depending on tax free income. Cities and all levels of government are operating under massive deficits and must cut spending somewhere. Debt payments to faceless investors instead of vocal constituents is the easier choice.
The value of homes will continue to decline for another two years. These homes often are the primary asset in many households.
More money of regular households is dangerously in the stock market, where these folks have little experience and too much dependence on brokers and financial analysts who make their money first in getting regular people to invest and then stay in the market.
Then there is the presence of a 24-hour media, which can go anywhere and anytime to show the human misery of this Depression. The psychological impact is devastating.
So the Great Depression of 2008-2011 will be the worst in American history, for these factors and more.
And based on that truth for many Americans back then, the current economic downturn will easily surpass the Great Depression when it comes to the loss of wealth among Americans and loss of confidence in the future.
A lot of Americans who now are losing their jobs, houses and hopes have a lot of things. They were successful economically and initially. Now they're not, because of cruel greed on Wall Street and sometimes in their personal lack of action to save more than spend.
During the Great Depression, many Americans still lived on farms and were able to support and survive off the land. Farmers in Indiana were dumping milk instead if selling it because the price was so poor at the market. It didn't pay to transport it there.
Now, the coming collapse of some MUNIs will be wipe out a new segment of wealth in the United States, this time mostly with the elderly depending on tax free income. Cities and all levels of government are operating under massive deficits and must cut spending somewhere. Debt payments to faceless investors instead of vocal constituents is the easier choice.
The value of homes will continue to decline for another two years. These homes often are the primary asset in many households.
More money of regular households is dangerously in the stock market, where these folks have little experience and too much dependence on brokers and financial analysts who make their money first in getting regular people to invest and then stay in the market.
Then there is the presence of a 24-hour media, which can go anywhere and anytime to show the human misery of this Depression. The psychological impact is devastating.
So the Great Depression of 2008-2011 will be the worst in American history, for these factors and more.
Part I: The Rise and the Fall of The Tennessean
When I was hired from the Observer-Dispatch newspaper in upstate New York to be a columnist for The Tennessean, it was seen by my colleagues as a step up to a major daily, Metro newspaper.
Except one.
Bobbi Bowman, now with an executive with the American Society of Newspaper Editors, and formerly Corporate Gannett (owner of The Tennessean), took me aside. She was managing editor of the Observer-Dispatch after former gigs at The Washington Post and other big newspapers.
And she shocked me by telling me I might want to rethink my decisions about going from a 52,000 Sunday circulation newspaper to one with five times the readership.
She told me that things were not as rosy on the outside as they appeared at The Tennessean, most specifically with the man who was the top editor of the place in 1996.
I listened politely. I told her I had thought out the decision and liked from an outsider's view what I saw at The Tennessean during my interview. And so we parted as friends.
And over the next 10 years at The Tennessean, I learned how sound of advice my friend and colleague gave me, particularly with the person in charge.
I won't name the editor. He doesn't deserve his name used in my blog. I'll just say he was the person who followed John Seigenthaler and preceded E.J. Mitchell, both editors of distinction and real leaders who produced a solid, interesting product.
For this series, I'll call the editor TEASBBEJM, pronounced (TEA-A-SHA-BEE-GEM).
From talking with friends and colleagues on the Tennessean operating committee and the newsroom, it is agreed TEASBBEJM is the person who ruined The Tennessean, which once had 214 employees in its newsroom after the folding of the Nashville Banner. Now those numbers have fallen below 100 and will continue to decline in 2009. (One reader has written in to say the newsroom has more than 100 employees. But since it was an anonymous contribution, I did not post it. I can't post comments that state purported facts without identity and thus credibility. Gotta abide by journalism rules.)
But TEASBBEJM frittered away that advantage with a leadership of serving his faults firsts. His strengths disappeared. And so did The Tennessean's distinction as a leader and a quality product for both conservative and liberal readers.
TEASBBEJM and I constantly clashed, even publicly in the newsroom. He was a bully. But worse, he did not care about readers, nor was he interested in meeting and talking with them. He governed from an Ivory Tower and an office that had an automatic closing mechanism he could engage by simply hitting a button on his desk.
One of the funniest stories about that kind of mental deficiency was when famed exercise-iologist Richard Simmons came the newsroom. In vain, he knocked on TEASSBEJM's door to try and get him to come out and get a hug and encouragement to lose some of his substantial girth.
But the editor would not open his door. And neither would he open that door to readers or even some staff members who desperately wanted the newspaper to change for the better. To anyone who disagreed with him, he'd pull marketing survey results out of his mental holster like Matt Dillon did with a gun on Gunsmoke. Marketing surveys are the weakness of Gannett, done for every newspaper to tell editors what readers should want, not what they really need.
Gannett could have saved many millions of dollars by simply having its editors go out into their community and simply asking real people. They're not stupid. But editors believe they are. And now they are rightly harvesting a bitter fruit of declining circulation and ad sales. But the people being hurt at the newspapers are the rank and file, not the editors and publishers who continue to make the wrong decisions.
There certainly are exceptions to this generalization. Craig Moon was an outstanding publisher of The Tennessean. He allowed me to be a political writer when TEASSABEJM refused. Sadly for us, Moon left for greener and less frustrating pastures of Corporate and now USA Today, which still flourishes despite the downturn nationally for all newspapers.
Moon was treated with incredible disrespect by TEASBBEJM. I witnessed it first hand. And TEASBBEJM was able to get away with it and stymie change because of his buddies on the newsside at Corporate. Moon in turn was supported by the business side.
One would have thought such a setup would protect the journalistic side from abuse from the business side. But it was the exact opposite at The Tennessean. It was the executives on the business side on the operating committee who had spoken to readers and knew that change was needed in the product, desperately so. They were better journalists on the whole than those in the newsroom.
A former operating committee member told me the story of a golf tournament hosted for advertisers and other dignitaries by the newspaper. He was part of the group that included TEASBBEJM. The advertisers took him aside and asked him a question: "Why do they let the guy who writes the newspaper's wine column be the Editor?" The operating committee member had no answer.
In his series on The Tennessean, Scene writer Wily Stern tried to pin The Tennessean's problems on then managing editor Dave Green. He had Sonny Rawls, a former Tennessean writer and Pulitzer Prize winner in Philadelphia, call me and set up a get together lunch and interview. I agreed, even though Rawls had never contacted me once in years of my writing a column.
At O'Charley's in Brentwood, the guy tried to get me to answer that Green was the problem. Green had turned down Rawls' request to be sports editor at the newspaper. I refused. I put the blame on TEASBBJEM, which was the truth that Stern still missed in his series.
Finally, Rawls acknowledged that TEASBBJEM had been the newsroom tattle tell for Seigenthaler. And they all laughed at him.
But the bigger joke was that Seigenthaler choice him to be editor. No one is laughing now.
Now journalists I've spoke with acknowledge that TEASBBEJM was a good editor in the beginning. But he lost interest and tried to be a Seigenthaler by supporting anything and anyone who would make Nashville into a major league sports city while he lived out of the county in affluent Brentwood. That's why his lips were always puckered for then mayor and now Gov. Phil Bredesen's ass.
And so the newspaper suffered in quality and in serving the readers. You've seen the rest. TEASBBEJM's buddy is editor of the newspaper and another is the publisher. And they are driving the newspaper into the ground just as he did.
I feel really bad for my friends and colleagues who still remain at the newspaper. They are suffering greatly in trying to pursue their profession with excellence while paying bills at home. Yet they constantly work under the fear of losing their jobs.
My friend and colleague in New York tried to warn me. But I had to learn the hard way, as have the good readers of what now is a most unworthy publication that allowed TEASBBEJM to literally destroy its future.
Except one.
Bobbi Bowman, now with an executive with the American Society of Newspaper Editors, and formerly Corporate Gannett (owner of The Tennessean), took me aside. She was managing editor of the Observer-Dispatch after former gigs at The Washington Post and other big newspapers.
And she shocked me by telling me I might want to rethink my decisions about going from a 52,000 Sunday circulation newspaper to one with five times the readership.
She told me that things were not as rosy on the outside as they appeared at The Tennessean, most specifically with the man who was the top editor of the place in 1996.
I listened politely. I told her I had thought out the decision and liked from an outsider's view what I saw at The Tennessean during my interview. And so we parted as friends.
And over the next 10 years at The Tennessean, I learned how sound of advice my friend and colleague gave me, particularly with the person in charge.
I won't name the editor. He doesn't deserve his name used in my blog. I'll just say he was the person who followed John Seigenthaler and preceded E.J. Mitchell, both editors of distinction and real leaders who produced a solid, interesting product.
For this series, I'll call the editor TEASBBEJM, pronounced (TEA-A-SHA-BEE-GEM).
From talking with friends and colleagues on the Tennessean operating committee and the newsroom, it is agreed TEASBBEJM is the person who ruined The Tennessean, which once had 214 employees in its newsroom after the folding of the Nashville Banner. Now those numbers have fallen below 100 and will continue to decline in 2009. (One reader has written in to say the newsroom has more than 100 employees. But since it was an anonymous contribution, I did not post it. I can't post comments that state purported facts without identity and thus credibility. Gotta abide by journalism rules.)
But TEASBBEJM frittered away that advantage with a leadership of serving his faults firsts. His strengths disappeared. And so did The Tennessean's distinction as a leader and a quality product for both conservative and liberal readers.
TEASBBEJM and I constantly clashed, even publicly in the newsroom. He was a bully. But worse, he did not care about readers, nor was he interested in meeting and talking with them. He governed from an Ivory Tower and an office that had an automatic closing mechanism he could engage by simply hitting a button on his desk.
One of the funniest stories about that kind of mental deficiency was when famed exercise-iologist Richard Simmons came the newsroom. In vain, he knocked on TEASSBEJM's door to try and get him to come out and get a hug and encouragement to lose some of his substantial girth.
But the editor would not open his door. And neither would he open that door to readers or even some staff members who desperately wanted the newspaper to change for the better. To anyone who disagreed with him, he'd pull marketing survey results out of his mental holster like Matt Dillon did with a gun on Gunsmoke. Marketing surveys are the weakness of Gannett, done for every newspaper to tell editors what readers should want, not what they really need.
Gannett could have saved many millions of dollars by simply having its editors go out into their community and simply asking real people. They're not stupid. But editors believe they are. And now they are rightly harvesting a bitter fruit of declining circulation and ad sales. But the people being hurt at the newspapers are the rank and file, not the editors and publishers who continue to make the wrong decisions.
There certainly are exceptions to this generalization. Craig Moon was an outstanding publisher of The Tennessean. He allowed me to be a political writer when TEASSABEJM refused. Sadly for us, Moon left for greener and less frustrating pastures of Corporate and now USA Today, which still flourishes despite the downturn nationally for all newspapers.
Moon was treated with incredible disrespect by TEASBBEJM. I witnessed it first hand. And TEASBBEJM was able to get away with it and stymie change because of his buddies on the newsside at Corporate. Moon in turn was supported by the business side.
One would have thought such a setup would protect the journalistic side from abuse from the business side. But it was the exact opposite at The Tennessean. It was the executives on the business side on the operating committee who had spoken to readers and knew that change was needed in the product, desperately so. They were better journalists on the whole than those in the newsroom.
A former operating committee member told me the story of a golf tournament hosted for advertisers and other dignitaries by the newspaper. He was part of the group that included TEASBBEJM. The advertisers took him aside and asked him a question: "Why do they let the guy who writes the newspaper's wine column be the Editor?" The operating committee member had no answer.
In his series on The Tennessean, Scene writer Wily Stern tried to pin The Tennessean's problems on then managing editor Dave Green. He had Sonny Rawls, a former Tennessean writer and Pulitzer Prize winner in Philadelphia, call me and set up a get together lunch and interview. I agreed, even though Rawls had never contacted me once in years of my writing a column.
At O'Charley's in Brentwood, the guy tried to get me to answer that Green was the problem. Green had turned down Rawls' request to be sports editor at the newspaper. I refused. I put the blame on TEASBBJEM, which was the truth that Stern still missed in his series.
Finally, Rawls acknowledged that TEASBBJEM had been the newsroom tattle tell for Seigenthaler. And they all laughed at him.
But the bigger joke was that Seigenthaler choice him to be editor. No one is laughing now.
Now journalists I've spoke with acknowledge that TEASBBEJM was a good editor in the beginning. But he lost interest and tried to be a Seigenthaler by supporting anything and anyone who would make Nashville into a major league sports city while he lived out of the county in affluent Brentwood. That's why his lips were always puckered for then mayor and now Gov. Phil Bredesen's ass.
And so the newspaper suffered in quality and in serving the readers. You've seen the rest. TEASBBEJM's buddy is editor of the newspaper and another is the publisher. And they are driving the newspaper into the ground just as he did.
I feel really bad for my friends and colleagues who still remain at the newspaper. They are suffering greatly in trying to pursue their profession with excellence while paying bills at home. Yet they constantly work under the fear of losing their jobs.
My friend and colleague in New York tried to warn me. But I had to learn the hard way, as have the good readers of what now is a most unworthy publication that allowed TEASBBEJM to literally destroy its future.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Here's advice on ordering inaugural ball tickets
A caller today rightly needed some help in ordering tickets for the Music City Charity Inaugural Ball slated Jan. 20 at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel.
First, go to www.newhope-foundation.org
You'll see a yellow oval inviting you to order tickets.
PayPal will be the organization that takes your order.
Make the $100 tax deductible payment per ticket cost to the New Hope Foundation.
Your order will be recorded by the website and listed when updated.
Your ticket will be waiting for you at the Ball.
Good luck and see you there.
First, go to www.newhope-foundation.org
You'll see a yellow oval inviting you to order tickets.
PayPal will be the organization that takes your order.
Make the $100 tax deductible payment per ticket cost to the New Hope Foundation.
Your order will be recorded by the website and listed when updated.
Your ticket will be waiting for you at the Ball.
Good luck and see you there.
Unofficial Nashville Cricket Club provides glimpse into all the good diversity brings to America
I am privileged to be neighbors with some good men and their families from India.
They're living and working in Nashville as computer software professionals on a project for a local company, maintaining the pulse measuring America's economic strength. That's because while our children love video games, they're not all that interested in the engineering and mathematics behind the technology.
So this nation needs these men and my neighbors, who spend some of their free time playing Cricket at the Bicentennial Mall amphitheater. Back at their apartment units, the smells emanating on each floor are tantalizing. The kindness and intellect from these good people is inspiring, as is their nation which rightly has become an economic superpower.
British rule brutalized India's citizens. Poverty associated with such a large population following independence sobered India's citizens, including Mother Teresa. An unstable Pakistan, which continues to hide Osama bin Laden, still threatens India's citizens.
But the new millennium has delivered a rising standard of living built upon the brain power of India's citizens.
Meanwhile, Nashville and America continue to be the beneficiaries of the world's diversity, just as we are in each Olympics. And these men are keeping this nation in the economic superpower game while lifting their own into it.
Chip the Magic Republican may have lost his big chance at RNC's top post with racist CD mailing
NewsChannel 5 reports tonight that Tennessee Republican notable Chip Saltsman is losing favor and face with GOP leaders across the country and regular Tennesseans for his Christmas gift CD of a racist song about President-elect Barack Obama.
Saltsman wants to be chairman of the Republican National Committee and thought the CD that contained the Rush Limbaugh song "Barack the Magic Negro" would impress fellow GOP operatives and make them laugh as well.
The joke has ended up on him.
Chip the Stupid Republican is backed by Tennessee GOP giant Dr. Bill Frist. The former Senate Majority Leader has not commented about the foolish act on the part of his protege. But others are. And Saltsman appears sacked in his quest to lead the GOP nationally and further into oblivion.
Saltsman wants to be chairman of the Republican National Committee and thought the CD that contained the Rush Limbaugh song "Barack the Magic Negro" would impress fellow GOP operatives and make them laugh as well.
The joke has ended up on him.
Chip the Stupid Republican is backed by Tennessee GOP giant Dr. Bill Frist. The former Senate Majority Leader has not commented about the foolish act on the part of his protege. But others are. And Saltsman appears sacked in his quest to lead the GOP nationally and further into oblivion.
Peace on Earth ends quickly after Christmas
Israeli jets killed at least 155 people in retaliation for rocketing by Hamas, a car bombing killed 28 in Baghdad, Pakistani troops have mobilized in rising tensions with India and more worries emerged here as senior citizen bond holders realized their savings are in jeopardy.
Peace on Earth is so fleeting after Christmas. The world just seems to grow more dangerous. Perhaps it is a reminder that there really is not supposed to any heaven on Earth, no matter how much we try to make it so with all the things we buy ourselves and each other.
The terrible events also remind us that Peace on Earth should be our prayer every day, not just on Christmas. As the late Pope Paul VI always reminded us, if you want peace, work for justice. That the responsibility of our leaders nationally and globally, and ours in our communities and neighborhoods and households.
For all the souls touched negatively today, let us offer our prayers and support. While we may never reach it, Peace on Earth must always be our goal.
Peace on Earth is so fleeting after Christmas. The world just seems to grow more dangerous. Perhaps it is a reminder that there really is not supposed to any heaven on Earth, no matter how much we try to make it so with all the things we buy ourselves and each other.
The terrible events also remind us that Peace on Earth should be our prayer every day, not just on Christmas. As the late Pope Paul VI always reminded us, if you want peace, work for justice. That the responsibility of our leaders nationally and globally, and ours in our communities and neighborhoods and households.
For all the souls touched negatively today, let us offer our prayers and support. While we may never reach it, Peace on Earth must always be our goal.
Postal service, workers need some competition
Nothing angers me more than poor service to the customer, particularly the taxpayer.
And the U.S. Postal Service in the past several days has shown itself to be an institution -- like The Tennessean -- to be more interested in serving itself first.
I tried to mail some important legal papers on Christmas Eve here in downtown Nashville. I walked about a mile to the post office, and it had closed at noon. It had only been open for three and a half hours. Yet I'm sure employees got paid for a full day.
Now I'm not a Scrooge, and so I forgave that. Yet the day after Christmas, I returned to the same post office and it had closed at noon again, for another three and a half hour day. Now that went too far.
If you are branch of the federal government supported by the taxpayers, then you stay open a full day and work a full day. If you don't want to, then take a holiday or sick day. The Postal Service sure doesn't hesitate to raise stamp prices. The place pays well and workers get a lot of holidays. Good for them and their union.
But for goodness sakes, please put in a full day when you're supposed to, just like the people who are paying your salaries.
Now I know this post -- just like what I write about The Tennessean -- won't change these entrenched institutions dedicated to first serving self. That's why new and aggressive competition is needed. Surely there is some entity that could make things run for less than the current stamp price and fewer holidays and a tad lower wages.
Competition is the only thing that ensures the people are served first and best, as it should be.
And the U.S. Postal Service in the past several days has shown itself to be an institution -- like The Tennessean -- to be more interested in serving itself first.
I tried to mail some important legal papers on Christmas Eve here in downtown Nashville. I walked about a mile to the post office, and it had closed at noon. It had only been open for three and a half hours. Yet I'm sure employees got paid for a full day.
Now I'm not a Scrooge, and so I forgave that. Yet the day after Christmas, I returned to the same post office and it had closed at noon again, for another three and a half hour day. Now that went too far.
If you are branch of the federal government supported by the taxpayers, then you stay open a full day and work a full day. If you don't want to, then take a holiday or sick day. The Postal Service sure doesn't hesitate to raise stamp prices. The place pays well and workers get a lot of holidays. Good for them and their union.
But for goodness sakes, please put in a full day when you're supposed to, just like the people who are paying your salaries.
Now I know this post -- just like what I write about The Tennessean -- won't change these entrenched institutions dedicated to first serving self. That's why new and aggressive competition is needed. Surely there is some entity that could make things run for less than the current stamp price and fewer holidays and a tad lower wages.
Competition is the only thing that ensures the people are served first and best, as it should be.
Don't take off from exercise for a head cold
That's the surprising conclusion from a story in today's New York Times for all you exercise enthusiasts out there like me.
In fact, two studies when colds were at the worst for subjects intentionally infected with the rhino virus versus those who were not showed both groups exercised at the same capacity. And the symptoms of the colds did not worsen in those infected.
Wow. And that's good news. I hate to take a day off from exercise. But if you have a fever and muscle aches, you might want to take the day off.
Here is the fascinating story: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/25/health/nutrition/25best.html?_r=1&em
In fact, two studies when colds were at the worst for subjects intentionally infected with the rhino virus versus those who were not showed both groups exercised at the same capacity. And the symptoms of the colds did not worsen in those infected.
Wow. And that's good news. I hate to take a day off from exercise. But if you have a fever and muscle aches, you might want to take the day off.
Here is the fascinating story: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/25/health/nutrition/25best.html?_r=1&em
'Where was The Tennessean?' I'll answer tomorrow
After yesterday's press conference unveiling an exciting new coalition of the willing in Nashville, Dr. Charles McGowan -- one of the movers behind the effort -- asked "where was The Tennessean?"
A lot of people have asked that question over the years -- be they conservatives, liberal or of no ideology at all.
The Tennessean -- primarily in its newsroom -- has operated as an institution to be served first, not to serve. And its interest in any cause that rises from the people is quite limited. It sees the world from its ivory tower and has little interest to mix with the people below, no matter how much good they are doing or innocent of wrongdoing.
So the absence of The Tennessean yesterday at the press conference about the Music City Charity Inaugural Ball was to be expected, and I told Dr. McGowan so.
How and why The Tennessean got that way will be among the matters I'll cover in my series of posts, "The Rise and the Fall of The Tennessean".
Look for the first entry tomorrow.
A lot of people have asked that question over the years -- be they conservatives, liberal or of no ideology at all.
The Tennessean -- primarily in its newsroom -- has operated as an institution to be served first, not to serve. And its interest in any cause that rises from the people is quite limited. It sees the world from its ivory tower and has little interest to mix with the people below, no matter how much good they are doing or innocent of wrongdoing.
So the absence of The Tennessean yesterday at the press conference about the Music City Charity Inaugural Ball was to be expected, and I told Dr. McGowan so.
How and why The Tennessean got that way will be among the matters I'll cover in my series of posts, "The Rise and the Fall of The Tennessean".
Look for the first entry tomorrow.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Saltsman should be ashamed of himself for passing along stupid CD as gift to his GOP buddies
Tennessee Republican mover and shaker Chip Saltsman has made a real ass out of himself by sending out a stupid Rush Limbaugh-originated song about "Barack the Magic Negro" to his GOP buddies with equally closed minds as a Christmas gift.
WSMV Channel 4 reports that Saltsman told CNN that the CD was simply political satire and intended to be a joke. Saltsman wants to be chairman of the Republican National Committee. And with the poor showing that the party's presidential candidate had among African-Americans and Hispanics on Nov. 4, Saltsman would be the perfect chairman to continue the alienation of this nation's people of color from the Grand Old Party.
Saltsman should have listened to GOP statesman Colin Powell, who recently and courageously spoke out and said his party needed to distance itself from the extremists such as Limbaugh if it would add to its ranks of supporters.
Saltsman, however, with his stupid act shows he would continue to distance the party from African-Americans and Hispanics, dooming the GOP to more election days defeats of massive proportions. The joke is on him.
Republican leaders -- including Dr. Bill Frist of Nashville -- would do their party well by distancing themselves from Saltsman, who has shot himself in the foot while making an ass of himself.
WSMV Channel 4 reports that Saltsman told CNN that the CD was simply political satire and intended to be a joke. Saltsman wants to be chairman of the Republican National Committee. And with the poor showing that the party's presidential candidate had among African-Americans and Hispanics on Nov. 4, Saltsman would be the perfect chairman to continue the alienation of this nation's people of color from the Grand Old Party.
Saltsman should have listened to GOP statesman Colin Powell, who recently and courageously spoke out and said his party needed to distance itself from the extremists such as Limbaugh if it would add to its ranks of supporters.
Saltsman, however, with his stupid act shows he would continue to distance the party from African-Americans and Hispanics, dooming the GOP to more election days defeats of massive proportions. The joke is on him.
Republican leaders -- including Dr. Bill Frist of Nashville -- would do their party well by distancing themselves from Saltsman, who has shot himself in the foot while making an ass of himself.
Dear Political Mijo: What will be the Bush legacy?
(Publisher's note: Mijo, which in Spanish means "dear one", is a rascally black cat with an intense interest in politics. He, however, views the current affairs arena with the independence and skepticism that makes all felines so fascinating and frustrating at the same time. He writes in the form of responses to letters he receives asking for his opinion.)
Dear Political Mijo,
As far as cats, what has been GW Bush's legacy in their lives and in their advancement politically and socially?
Signed,
Calico Curious in California
Dear Triple C,
"Bush" and "legacy" should be oxymoronic terms, you know like airline food, government effectiveness and senator and Larry "Is that your foot in the stall next to me or are you glad to see me? Craig. The guy is disgusting. Arrrrggghh! (Hairball coughed up.)
Ah, that's better. Let's run down the statistics.
The Bush's had a black cat named India Ink in the White House. What a terrible name! No wonder no one ever heard of the poor thing.
To its credit, the cat did nothing when Bush fell to the ground after losing consciousness from choking on pretzels while watching TV. Gee, the poor guy overtaxed himself, like walking and chewing gum at the same time. How did he ever manage to get us into the Iraq war?
During this potential crisis in the Executive Branch, India Ink simply trotted over to the Lincoln Bedroom to get the Gideon Bible for the swearing in of Dick Cheney. Yet lo and behold, those damn dogs, Barnie and Barf Face, had summoned the president back to life with tongues they had just removed from their own behinds or each other's. Who knows with dogs? They're so uncivilized.
During his eight years in office, cats widened their lead as the No. 1 pet in American households. But it was with no help from Bush. Unfortunately and most seriously, the economic downturn has forced some households to take their pets to animal shelters. People can't afford to feed them anymore or take them to the Vet. So we've lost a lot of brothers and sisters from this depression.
I'll let history judge the guy. But from my perspective, I wouldn't cough up a hairball for him. Instead, I'd buy him another bag of pretzels.
PM
Dear Political Mijo,
As far as cats, what has been GW Bush's legacy in their lives and in their advancement politically and socially?
Signed,
Calico Curious in California
Dear Triple C,
"Bush" and "legacy" should be oxymoronic terms, you know like airline food, government effectiveness and senator and Larry "Is that your foot in the stall next to me or are you glad to see me? Craig. The guy is disgusting. Arrrrggghh! (Hairball coughed up.)
Ah, that's better. Let's run down the statistics.
The Bush's had a black cat named India Ink in the White House. What a terrible name! No wonder no one ever heard of the poor thing.
To its credit, the cat did nothing when Bush fell to the ground after losing consciousness from choking on pretzels while watching TV. Gee, the poor guy overtaxed himself, like walking and chewing gum at the same time. How did he ever manage to get us into the Iraq war?
During this potential crisis in the Executive Branch, India Ink simply trotted over to the Lincoln Bedroom to get the Gideon Bible for the swearing in of Dick Cheney. Yet lo and behold, those damn dogs, Barnie and Barf Face, had summoned the president back to life with tongues they had just removed from their own behinds or each other's. Who knows with dogs? They're so uncivilized.
During his eight years in office, cats widened their lead as the No. 1 pet in American households. But it was with no help from Bush. Unfortunately and most seriously, the economic downturn has forced some households to take their pets to animal shelters. People can't afford to feed them anymore or take them to the Vet. So we've lost a lot of brothers and sisters from this depression.
I'll let history judge the guy. But from my perspective, I wouldn't cough up a hairball for him. Instead, I'd buy him another bag of pretzels.
PM
The coming calamity: Cities defaulting on bonds
If you believe the mess on Wall Street was bad, then you'll be down right terrified if predictions come true that many U.S. municipalities will be defaulting on their bonds sold to investors -- mostly the elderly and affluent.
Municipal bonds, or MUNIs, are bond sold by cities to finance infrastructure projects – such as the construction of schools, other public buildings, sewers, etc. The bonds usually are 30-year notes, paying tax free interest. The city backs the MUNIs with its ability to tax its citizenry. Most bonds with a high rating AAA or AA pay from 4 to 5 percent in interest on a monthly basis.
So what's the problem?
Cities and states are sinking under growing budget deficits as people no longer buy as much and thus pay less in sales taxes for government operations. Homes are being foreclosed upon, meaning no one is paying property taxes. Next year, one in 10 Americans will be behind in their mortgage payments. That will be a record high.
The state of California will be out of money by February. Tennessee must cut $1 billion from its current budget. That will mean the local share of tax revenues that states deliver to counties will be severely cut. Local governments will be forced to raise taxes or cut services or both. And people being laid off and losing their homes are not going to be able to pay those higher taxes.
So the result is that bonds backed by the power of municipalities to tax their citizenry are not going to be safe places to have one's money invested. Some cities will not be able to make the interest payments on the bonds to investors. And the ripple effect will be Tsunami-like.
The U.S. government will not have the means to bail out these municipalities since it will be delivering economic stimulus checks to the American people. Perhaps the only hope will be the Chinese, who already own more than $1 trillion in our nation's debt. They might want to buy your city. And you might want to sell it to them.
Conversely for investors, MUNIs have been one of the safest and most rewarding places to put money. They have ensured that the wealthy stay wealthy. And they've attracted a diverse group of the monied from Suze Orman to Teresa Heinz Kerry. The loss of wealth in this nation from MUNI defaults will be staggering.
The fall of some MUNIs will send shockwaves throughout the economy and make this depression one to rival the great one of the 1930s.
Municipal bonds, or MUNIs, are bond sold by cities to finance infrastructure projects – such as the construction of schools, other public buildings, sewers, etc. The bonds usually are 30-year notes, paying tax free interest. The city backs the MUNIs with its ability to tax its citizenry. Most bonds with a high rating AAA or AA pay from 4 to 5 percent in interest on a monthly basis.
So what's the problem?
Cities and states are sinking under growing budget deficits as people no longer buy as much and thus pay less in sales taxes for government operations. Homes are being foreclosed upon, meaning no one is paying property taxes. Next year, one in 10 Americans will be behind in their mortgage payments. That will be a record high.
The state of California will be out of money by February. Tennessee must cut $1 billion from its current budget. That will mean the local share of tax revenues that states deliver to counties will be severely cut. Local governments will be forced to raise taxes or cut services or both. And people being laid off and losing their homes are not going to be able to pay those higher taxes.
So the result is that bonds backed by the power of municipalities to tax their citizenry are not going to be safe places to have one's money invested. Some cities will not be able to make the interest payments on the bonds to investors. And the ripple effect will be Tsunami-like.
The U.S. government will not have the means to bail out these municipalities since it will be delivering economic stimulus checks to the American people. Perhaps the only hope will be the Chinese, who already own more than $1 trillion in our nation's debt. They might want to buy your city. And you might want to sell it to them.
Conversely for investors, MUNIs have been one of the safest and most rewarding places to put money. They have ensured that the wealthy stay wealthy. And they've attracted a diverse group of the monied from Suze Orman to Teresa Heinz Kerry. The loss of wealth in this nation from MUNI defaults will be staggering.
The fall of some MUNIs will send shockwaves throughout the economy and make this depression one to rival the great one of the 1930s.
In the words of JFK, ask what you can do for your country; theme of Music City Inaugural Ball emerges at press conference unveiling event
Before the cameras of the Big 3 TV stations today here, two of the primary organizers of the Music City Charity Inaugural Ball crafted a message and picture of uncommon unity and service first as the themes for this gathering expected to be the largest outside of Nashville celebrating President Obama's entrance into office.
The Rev. Charles McGowan -- a longtime leading shepherd here and leader of a 250-strong member group that joins diverse congregations toward a common cause -- cited unity as the theme and Obama as "our" president to encourage all political sides, races and ethnicities to join together for the difficult road here and across the country economically and politically. McGowan did not support Obama in the general election but does now.
"I have not come across one person who has uttered a negative word about this event," McGowan said.
The Rev. Enoch Fuzz -- a longtime leading shepherd here who has formed coalitions with white and black pastors for a common cause including Rev. McGowan and to bring the Rev. Billy Graham Crusade here -- cited JFK's inaugural speech. It asked Americans not to ask what their country could do for them, but ask what they could do for their country. Fuzz supported Obama's candidacy.
"We face that same challenge now, what we can do for our country," Fuzz said. "We will have a suggestion box at the Ball for solutions to the problems here and across the country."
McGowan and Fuzz are two of the primary organizers, along with Sharon White-Skaggs, a superstar entertainer and wife of 10-time Grammy winner and Bluegrass performer Ricky Skaggs. Both will perform at the ball, along with a long list of Gospel and country music entertainers. The Skaggs did not support Obama in the general election but do now as president.
Along with these organizers, 44 hosts of all races, ethnicities, religions and politics from Music City will offer their support and title to the effort that will also benefit 21 local charities making a difference in people's lives.
Fuzz said the gathering would be the largest outside of Washington, D.C. He expects at least 750 people to attend. Six hundred tickets have been purchased so far. The ballroom can hold 1,000. Go to www.newhope-foundation.org for information on purchasing tickets. The tax deductible price is $100 each.
He hopes the national media will come and do live spots from the celebration on the night of Jan. 20 from the massive ballroom of the Maxwell House Millennium Hotel.
Look to this blog for more updates and be a part of history, which includes the introduction of a new dance called "The Obama Slide". Or you can contact me at timchavez787@yahoo.com. I am directing media relations for the event.
The Rev. Charles McGowan -- a longtime leading shepherd here and leader of a 250-strong member group that joins diverse congregations toward a common cause -- cited unity as the theme and Obama as "our" president to encourage all political sides, races and ethnicities to join together for the difficult road here and across the country economically and politically. McGowan did not support Obama in the general election but does now.
"I have not come across one person who has uttered a negative word about this event," McGowan said.
The Rev. Enoch Fuzz -- a longtime leading shepherd here who has formed coalitions with white and black pastors for a common cause including Rev. McGowan and to bring the Rev. Billy Graham Crusade here -- cited JFK's inaugural speech. It asked Americans not to ask what their country could do for them, but ask what they could do for their country. Fuzz supported Obama's candidacy.
"We face that same challenge now, what we can do for our country," Fuzz said. "We will have a suggestion box at the Ball for solutions to the problems here and across the country."
McGowan and Fuzz are two of the primary organizers, along with Sharon White-Skaggs, a superstar entertainer and wife of 10-time Grammy winner and Bluegrass performer Ricky Skaggs. Both will perform at the ball, along with a long list of Gospel and country music entertainers. The Skaggs did not support Obama in the general election but do now as president.
Along with these organizers, 44 hosts of all races, ethnicities, religions and politics from Music City will offer their support and title to the effort that will also benefit 21 local charities making a difference in people's lives.
Fuzz said the gathering would be the largest outside of Washington, D.C. He expects at least 750 people to attend. Six hundred tickets have been purchased so far. The ballroom can hold 1,000. Go to www.newhope-foundation.org for information on purchasing tickets. The tax deductible price is $100 each.
He hopes the national media will come and do live spots from the celebration on the night of Jan. 20 from the massive ballroom of the Maxwell House Millennium Hotel.
Look to this blog for more updates and be a part of history, which includes the introduction of a new dance called "The Obama Slide". Or you can contact me at timchavez787@yahoo.com. I am directing media relations for the event.
Is drinking inside a car not moving an offense?
I was walking past the Municipal Auditorium and inside a parked were two fellas at quitting time enjoying a couple of beers and life a tad loudly.
I did a double take but decided to mind my own business since the car was not engaged. Yet ironically, a city bus passed the the car with a giant ad on it warning drunk drivers that they'll lose it if they booze it.
Now I did not know enough about the law to have challenged the two men or walk across the street to the police HQ. But I am going to Google the topic to get an answer. Because if those guys decided to drive, then I'd be somehow or somewhat responsible ... conscience wise.
If you know the answer to my question, please let me know. Too many good and innocent people have died simply because someone started drinking while they were in their car.
I did a double take but decided to mind my own business since the car was not engaged. Yet ironically, a city bus passed the the car with a giant ad on it warning drunk drivers that they'll lose it if they booze it.
Now I did not know enough about the law to have challenged the two men or walk across the street to the police HQ. But I am going to Google the topic to get an answer. Because if those guys decided to drive, then I'd be somehow or somewhat responsible ... conscience wise.
If you know the answer to my question, please let me know. Too many good and innocent people have died simply because someone started drinking while they were in their car.
The best Christmas gift is in enjoying the moment
Residents of Tennessee and Nashville received their Christmas gift the day after the holiday with spring-like temperatures. And Bicentennial Mall from end to end was a place of loving and living life for the beautiful moment, just as God wants us to.
On the west end were two twin boys in their teens, with little sister tagging along, throwing a lacrosse ball between their sticks on the concrete circle of Tennessee's three stars denoting regions of the state.
On the east end were 10 Indian young men, using the amphitheater as a Cricket field complete with paddle and tennis ball. One Ruthian smash brought applause from the 11 of us on hand to watch their play.
In between were small dogs and big dogs -- the minature ones not cooperating with the tug of the leash by their supposed masters and the big animals frightened by every stranger. Dogs are so strange.
I got to complete my daily two and a half hours of vigorous exercise. I usually end each second workout of the day with a challenge. Yesterday, it was a half-mile sprint. Yes, I was actually sprinting at 50 like I did when I was 20. Today, it was the usual -- taking the steps on the run on the giant ascending to the state Capitol. Why do I do the steps? Just as with Everest ... because they are there.
For the moment amid God's gift of a warm winter day, we the people of Tennessee and Nashville were simply enjoying life, getting away from what may be grim realities awaiting at home due to the economy or their health.
I could not tell on this day who had cancer(in remission) such as me, or who had just lost their job, or who would have his or her home forclosed upon after the first of the next month.
On this afternoon, it was mandated that we leave life's grim realities behind -- if only for a few hours. And we were required to celebrate life, lest we lose this important reminder about what is the very best of it.
On the west end were two twin boys in their teens, with little sister tagging along, throwing a lacrosse ball between their sticks on the concrete circle of Tennessee's three stars denoting regions of the state.
On the east end were 10 Indian young men, using the amphitheater as a Cricket field complete with paddle and tennis ball. One Ruthian smash brought applause from the 11 of us on hand to watch their play.
In between were small dogs and big dogs -- the minature ones not cooperating with the tug of the leash by their supposed masters and the big animals frightened by every stranger. Dogs are so strange.
I got to complete my daily two and a half hours of vigorous exercise. I usually end each second workout of the day with a challenge. Yesterday, it was a half-mile sprint. Yes, I was actually sprinting at 50 like I did when I was 20. Today, it was the usual -- taking the steps on the run on the giant ascending to the state Capitol. Why do I do the steps? Just as with Everest ... because they are there.
For the moment amid God's gift of a warm winter day, we the people of Tennessee and Nashville were simply enjoying life, getting away from what may be grim realities awaiting at home due to the economy or their health.
I could not tell on this day who had cancer(in remission) such as me, or who had just lost their job, or who would have his or her home forclosed upon after the first of the next month.
On this afternoon, it was mandated that we leave life's grim realities behind -- if only for a few hours. And we were required to celebrate life, lest we lose this important reminder about what is the very best of it.
The true story is not the one in 'Sound of Music'
Sunday, Americans watching ABC-TV will fall in love again with the von Trapp family and its singing in the airing of "The Sound of Music".
But The New York Times spoils our fun and the myth with a family profile for Christmas that shows the movie does not match the family story. And a lot of the family resents it while still making money from all the fame.
The family ski lodge, however, will advertise during the movie.
To read the myth busting profile, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/25/business/25vontrapp.html?em
But The New York Times spoils our fun and the myth with a family profile for Christmas that shows the movie does not match the family story. And a lot of the family resents it while still making money from all the fame.
The family ski lodge, however, will advertise during the movie.
To read the myth busting profile, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/25/business/25vontrapp.html?em
Getting back to the real world; saying goodbye to Christmas season, dealing with mounting woes
Unlike most people, I am most anxious for Christmas to be gone after Christmas Eve and early Christmas morning.
I like to laugh and have fun more than the average person. But when it is time to get serious and deal with reality, I get stone sober real fast. And the reality again facing us today in Tennessee and this nation is frightening and devastating in so many lives around us.
If you don't see it, or have ignored mounting layoff announcements, budget cuts and home foreclosures, then you are purposely unaware. The amount of stress and human worry is mounting in America. We must be about alleviating some of that doom or else.
That's why today's coalition of the willing press conference in Nashville is so important to me in really creating change.
More than President Obama, this group -- supporting a charity inaugural ball here Jam. 20 across racial, political and class lines -- can be about a new way of approaching this post-Christmas reality with a unity that overcomes the existing divisions of the dispirited.
We can and must make a difference in all lives of all colors of all classes feeling the same woe in one form of another.
Goodbye Christmas 2008. You were wonderful. But it time to get back to reality and healing the hurting -- whose numbers and woe continue to frighteningly grow with each desperate day.
I like to laugh and have fun more than the average person. But when it is time to get serious and deal with reality, I get stone sober real fast. And the reality again facing us today in Tennessee and this nation is frightening and devastating in so many lives around us.
If you don't see it, or have ignored mounting layoff announcements, budget cuts and home foreclosures, then you are purposely unaware. The amount of stress and human worry is mounting in America. We must be about alleviating some of that doom or else.
That's why today's coalition of the willing press conference in Nashville is so important to me in really creating change.
More than President Obama, this group -- supporting a charity inaugural ball here Jam. 20 across racial, political and class lines -- can be about a new way of approaching this post-Christmas reality with a unity that overcomes the existing divisions of the dispirited.
We can and must make a difference in all lives of all colors of all classes feeling the same woe in one form of another.
Goodbye Christmas 2008. You were wonderful. But it time to get back to reality and healing the hurting -- whose numbers and woe continue to frighteningly grow with each desperate day.
New coalition of the willing unveiled today in Nashville! Inaugural Ball hopefully just the start
A brave, new coalition of the willing across racial, political and ethnic lines will be unveiled at a 1 p.m. press conference today at the Millennium Maxwell Hotel in Nashville to salute the inauguration of President Barack Obama and his call for new cooperation on the local level to make a difference.
Hopefully and expected, the ball will be just the first of several matters of community concern and action taken by the organizers and its 44 hosts of the event during the new year. One thing is certain, the people involved are very busy people and do not waste their time on things that do not send the right message for the moment and the long term.
And that is the history of the event's primary organizer and coalition builder, the Rev. Enoch Fuzz, who has been a mentor and courageous voice for me and the community of the concerned for the past decade and more. Fuzz will convene and host today's press conference. I am humbled to be one of the 44 hosts, some of who will be on hand at today's gathering.
The news media and the public are encouraged to attend to learn more about the ball and the coalition and how to purchase tickets to attend the Music City inauguration event slated for Jan. 20. Tickets proceeds will benefit several local efforts that do much good for those needing a champion.
And this initial event hopefully will be the first of several for this brave, new coalition of the actively concerned and willing for a better Nashville, Ternnessee and nation.
Hopefully and expected, the ball will be just the first of several matters of community concern and action taken by the organizers and its 44 hosts of the event during the new year. One thing is certain, the people involved are very busy people and do not waste their time on things that do not send the right message for the moment and the long term.
And that is the history of the event's primary organizer and coalition builder, the Rev. Enoch Fuzz, who has been a mentor and courageous voice for me and the community of the concerned for the past decade and more. Fuzz will convene and host today's press conference. I am humbled to be one of the 44 hosts, some of who will be on hand at today's gathering.
The news media and the public are encouraged to attend to learn more about the ball and the coalition and how to purchase tickets to attend the Music City inauguration event slated for Jan. 20. Tickets proceeds will benefit several local efforts that do much good for those needing a champion.
And this initial event hopefully will be the first of several for this brave, new coalition of the actively concerned and willing for a better Nashville, Ternnessee and nation.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Saying 'goodbye' to VHS says a lot about one's age
I remember the emergence of the VCR -- something kids today take so easily for granted.
It was 1981, and the choice was between BETA with the better picture and VHS which was cheaper and probably would win more popular use. So I wrongly and embarrassingly went with BETA, which by the end of the decade had mostly been phased out in the marketplace. TV stations still use it.
Now, The Los Angeles Times reports that VHS is on its last leg. Its end is near after a 30-year run. And I feel so much older, watching one technology give way to another and become an item for a museum instead of a living room.
Here is what The Times says:
Pop culture is finally hitting the eject button on the VHS tape, the once-ubiquitous home-video format that will finish this month as a creaky ghost of Christmas past.
After three decades of steady if unspectacular service, the spinning wheels of the home-entertainment stalwart are slowing to a halt at retail outlets. On a crisp Friday morning in October, the final truckload of VHS tapes rolled out of a Palm Harbor, Fla., warehouse run by Ryan J. Kugler, the last major supplier of the tapes.
"It's dead, this is it, this is the last Christmas, without a doubt," said Kugler, 34, a Burbank businessman. "I was the last one buying VHS and the last one selling it, and I'm done. Anything left in warehouse we'll just give away or throw away."
It was 1981, and the choice was between BETA with the better picture and VHS which was cheaper and probably would win more popular use. So I wrongly and embarrassingly went with BETA, which by the end of the decade had mostly been phased out in the marketplace. TV stations still use it.
Now, The Los Angeles Times reports that VHS is on its last leg. Its end is near after a 30-year run. And I feel so much older, watching one technology give way to another and become an item for a museum instead of a living room.
Here is what The Times says:
Pop culture is finally hitting the eject button on the VHS tape, the once-ubiquitous home-video format that will finish this month as a creaky ghost of Christmas past.
After three decades of steady if unspectacular service, the spinning wheels of the home-entertainment stalwart are slowing to a halt at retail outlets. On a crisp Friday morning in October, the final truckload of VHS tapes rolled out of a Palm Harbor, Fla., warehouse run by Ryan J. Kugler, the last major supplier of the tapes.
"It's dead, this is it, this is the last Christmas, without a doubt," said Kugler, 34, a Burbank businessman. "I was the last one buying VHS and the last one selling it, and I'm done. Anything left in warehouse we'll just give away or throw away."
In discussing the need for hope, 'endure' may be better word to use to encourage people to fight
At this time of year, the word "hope" gets thrown around more than manure on a spring garden.
And sometimes it must sound like bullshit to people who are hurting. It may not be that helpful to keep being told the same word over and over.
I was talking with my intellectual cousin Salvador the other day, and we came up with a better word for ourselves and others searching for better and more fulfilling times.
Endure.
"Endure" means dragging yourself out of the bed every morning because you are supposed to, because others are expecting you to. I learned that in fighting leukemia, because I knew that God was watching and demanded I fight for the life he and my wonderful mother gave me.
"Endure" means accepting each disappointment as a punch in a long fight, or an obstacle in a long race. What doesn't keep you down or stop you altogether does really make you stronger. And that hurdle you put behind you will be remembered later as a turning point -- when things get better. And they will.
"Endure" means keeping the faith, the same faith that got your mom and dad and grandparents through a Great Depression and World War when there was no social safety net or guarantee that good would triumph over evil. But it did then, and it will now, as long we keep the faith built by the generations before us to a most a loving and giving God.
So when the word "hope" is aimed at you again, let it pass and substitute "endure" for it. You will endure the current difficulties, and the tough times now will be the foundation for your resurrection and more.
And sometimes it must sound like bullshit to people who are hurting. It may not be that helpful to keep being told the same word over and over.
I was talking with my intellectual cousin Salvador the other day, and we came up with a better word for ourselves and others searching for better and more fulfilling times.
Endure.
"Endure" means dragging yourself out of the bed every morning because you are supposed to, because others are expecting you to. I learned that in fighting leukemia, because I knew that God was watching and demanded I fight for the life he and my wonderful mother gave me.
"Endure" means accepting each disappointment as a punch in a long fight, or an obstacle in a long race. What doesn't keep you down or stop you altogether does really make you stronger. And that hurdle you put behind you will be remembered later as a turning point -- when things get better. And they will.
"Endure" means keeping the faith, the same faith that got your mom and dad and grandparents through a Great Depression and World War when there was no social safety net or guarantee that good would triumph over evil. But it did then, and it will now, as long we keep the faith built by the generations before us to a most a loving and giving God.
So when the word "hope" is aimed at you again, let it pass and substitute "endure" for it. You will endure the current difficulties, and the tough times now will be the foundation for your resurrection and more.
'It's A Wonderful Life' is more than a sweet story; it's about affordable housing and social justice
It is easy to get caught up in the sweet ending of "It's a Wonderful Life" at this time of year and the belief that every angel gets his or her wings every time a bell rings.
There is much more to this Frank Capra classic and Jimmy Stewart tour-de-force.
It's about suicide and personal frustration and anger.
It is about dreams too long deferred.
It's about bigtory toward immigrants -- in this movie it is about Italians.
But more than these points, it is about social justice and what creates a progressive city and better people. The Bailey Building and Loan had the mission of building affordable, clean and safe housing for the people who did most of the living and dying in Bedford Falls. It was that mission that kept the city from becoming Pottersville, with all corruption and cancer at its core.
But during the Bush administration, this nation completely abandoned the cause of affordable housing. And during the same years in Nashville -- a supposedly progressive city -- leaders here have been about building and maintaining new homes for pro sports teams and symphonies. Working people in need be damned.
Yet Nashville or any city can't wait any longer on George Bailey's quest. Working Americans are being thrown out of their homes as more home mortgages are foreclosed upon. And they really have no place affordable, safe and clean to go.
Here, the Rev. Bill Barnes, long-time crusader for affordable housing and social justice, has been asking for $15,000 to fund research about the depth and breadth of the affordable housing problem. It is enormous. But city leaders don't want to fund the research because then they'll have to do something about it. They're not good at addressing the needs of the people doing most of the living and dying here. The schools are about to be taken over by the state under authority provided by the No Child Left Behind Act.
The only affordable housing plan here is Habitat for Humanity. While nice, it does not begin to address the need. And Habitat will only build in poor neighborhoods, already beset by enormous social problems including traffic.
Good, clean and affordable housing affects everything in a city for most of the people. It sure does affect a child's ability to learn in the classroom. Ask any teacher.
I've spent nights in housing projects where gunfire breaks up the stillness of the night, and can break through brick into a child's bedroom. That's why no child sleeps against the outside in poor, crime-ridden neighborhoods. That's why few of these children get enough rest, along with their good mommas.
While Nashville and other U.S. cities could not be moved by the needs of the poor and the supposed morality of their leadership, the problem of a lack of affordable housing now has reached higher up the economic ladder to the middle class. If you don't do something now, it will cost you at the ballot box ... finally.
So the challenge for us is to challenge our leaders to finally come up with affordable housing plans for our communities, and if needed, fund research first to determine the depth and breadth of the problem.
Further failure to act will only raise the stakes. And there won't be a George Bailey and an angel named Clarence to save the day and the future of your community.
There is much more to this Frank Capra classic and Jimmy Stewart tour-de-force.
It's about suicide and personal frustration and anger.
It is about dreams too long deferred.
It's about bigtory toward immigrants -- in this movie it is about Italians.
But more than these points, it is about social justice and what creates a progressive city and better people. The Bailey Building and Loan had the mission of building affordable, clean and safe housing for the people who did most of the living and dying in Bedford Falls. It was that mission that kept the city from becoming Pottersville, with all corruption and cancer at its core.
But during the Bush administration, this nation completely abandoned the cause of affordable housing. And during the same years in Nashville -- a supposedly progressive city -- leaders here have been about building and maintaining new homes for pro sports teams and symphonies. Working people in need be damned.
Yet Nashville or any city can't wait any longer on George Bailey's quest. Working Americans are being thrown out of their homes as more home mortgages are foreclosed upon. And they really have no place affordable, safe and clean to go.
Here, the Rev. Bill Barnes, long-time crusader for affordable housing and social justice, has been asking for $15,000 to fund research about the depth and breadth of the affordable housing problem. It is enormous. But city leaders don't want to fund the research because then they'll have to do something about it. They're not good at addressing the needs of the people doing most of the living and dying here. The schools are about to be taken over by the state under authority provided by the No Child Left Behind Act.
The only affordable housing plan here is Habitat for Humanity. While nice, it does not begin to address the need. And Habitat will only build in poor neighborhoods, already beset by enormous social problems including traffic.
Good, clean and affordable housing affects everything in a city for most of the people. It sure does affect a child's ability to learn in the classroom. Ask any teacher.
I've spent nights in housing projects where gunfire breaks up the stillness of the night, and can break through brick into a child's bedroom. That's why no child sleeps against the outside in poor, crime-ridden neighborhoods. That's why few of these children get enough rest, along with their good mommas.
While Nashville and other U.S. cities could not be moved by the needs of the poor and the supposed morality of their leadership, the problem of a lack of affordable housing now has reached higher up the economic ladder to the middle class. If you don't do something now, it will cost you at the ballot box ... finally.
So the challenge for us is to challenge our leaders to finally come up with affordable housing plans for our communities, and if needed, fund research first to determine the depth and breadth of the problem.
Further failure to act will only raise the stakes. And there won't be a George Bailey and an angel named Clarence to save the day and the future of your community.
Another e-mail from friend fighting the good fight
I got another e-mail from my friend and reader fighting the good fight against the depressed economy for his family and himself. He is an inspiration and is in my prayers.
Seek out these good people among you. They are there. Offer them support and encouragement. Most of all, offer them your prayers. Here is my friend's e-mail, which is most gracious to me, more than I deserve.
But that is the kind of good and decent man my friend is and why he more than deserves help:
Wow. Imagine my initial shock when I saw my email to you posted on your blog! It just serves to add to the sense of empowerment I get from reading your blog every day.
You are fighting battles on all fronts, and you keep championing your faith in God. You also write about topics that make me think, which is very helpful right now (therapeutic). It is Christmas Eve morning and I am sitting here listening to the rainfall, which is helping my two boys sleep later than normal.
I know, due to the holidays falling in the middle of the week, I will not generate any income for two weeks. The job search has signs of hope, only to find out companies are paying 75% of the normal rate for a simple dispatcher position.
Your blog keeps me grounded, to continually see what is really important. I have always believed, but never lived my life like a believer. Then it hit me last winter in Sunday school class - we must seek the light every day. I have been given so much, but I must do much more to see God's glory.
However, this is easier said than done! I am rambling now, but I wanted to check in and send some good wishes your way.
Seek out these good people among you. They are there. Offer them support and encouragement. Most of all, offer them your prayers. Here is my friend's e-mail, which is most gracious to me, more than I deserve.
But that is the kind of good and decent man my friend is and why he more than deserves help:
Wow. Imagine my initial shock when I saw my email to you posted on your blog! It just serves to add to the sense of empowerment I get from reading your blog every day.
You are fighting battles on all fronts, and you keep championing your faith in God. You also write about topics that make me think, which is very helpful right now (therapeutic). It is Christmas Eve morning and I am sitting here listening to the rainfall, which is helping my two boys sleep later than normal.
I know, due to the holidays falling in the middle of the week, I will not generate any income for two weeks. The job search has signs of hope, only to find out companies are paying 75% of the normal rate for a simple dispatcher position.
Your blog keeps me grounded, to continually see what is really important. I have always believed, but never lived my life like a believer. Then it hit me last winter in Sunday school class - we must seek the light every day. I have been given so much, but I must do much more to see God's glory.
However, this is easier said than done! I am rambling now, but I wanted to check in and send some good wishes your way.
A Christmas Eve of concern and giving; new economic stimilus program off to roaring start
Last night's Christmas Eve Mass at St. Edward Catholic Church featured a fanstastic choir -- of which I was a small part -- and a great liturgy.
But the most moving part of the night was an update on the church's economic stimilus plan aimed at its households beset by the depressed economy, layoffs and Christmas buying stress.
Father Joseph Patrick Breen, my mentor and maker of the miracle at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, told the congregation that checks had been written so far for the families of children at the church-run school for more than $121,000.
That represented a $250 check for each of the 486 children. Families with multiple children in the school received multiple checks to help them through the Christmas season, layoffs and other concerns.
One of the more inspiring things to come from the effort is that some families have decided to pass their checks on to folks more in need, Father Breen said.
It is most evident that every church should be looking at establishing and running such a program. Government takes its time when it comes to the people. Wall Street fatcats already have been served, and served quite well.
So church or any place of worship is a natural place to look for help and provide it.
At St. Edward, new hope has arisen in keeping with the Christmas story and economic times. Encourage your church's leadership to do the same.
But the most moving part of the night was an update on the church's economic stimilus plan aimed at its households beset by the depressed economy, layoffs and Christmas buying stress.
Father Joseph Patrick Breen, my mentor and maker of the miracle at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, told the congregation that checks had been written so far for the families of children at the church-run school for more than $121,000.
That represented a $250 check for each of the 486 children. Families with multiple children in the school received multiple checks to help them through the Christmas season, layoffs and other concerns.
One of the more inspiring things to come from the effort is that some families have decided to pass their checks on to folks more in need, Father Breen said.
It is most evident that every church should be looking at establishing and running such a program. Government takes its time when it comes to the people. Wall Street fatcats already have been served, and served quite well.
So church or any place of worship is a natural place to look for help and provide it.
At St. Edward, new hope has arisen in keeping with the Christmas story and economic times. Encourage your church's leadership to do the same.
Press conference on Music City Inauguaration Ball set for tomorrow; media and public invited to attend; It's about much more than one event
Tomorrow's press conference about the ever-growing Inaugural bash in Music City for President Barack Obama will be about much than the single event slated for Jan. 20 at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel.
The 1 p.m. availability at the hotel is about the creation of a coalition of the willing, first to come together to celebrate our oneness behind a new president but the construction of a coalition of the willing across racial, ethnic, political and faith lines to do important work in Nashville -- particularly for those folks who need assistance of any kind.
The Rev. Enoch Fuzz, my mentor and the force behind this event, will be on hand to lead the press conference that will include some of the 44 hosts from throughout the community, including myself.
Spread the word and come out yourself to learn about the event and this coalition that will most certainly make a difference in Nashville's positive future.
The 1 p.m. availability at the hotel is about the creation of a coalition of the willing, first to come together to celebrate our oneness behind a new president but the construction of a coalition of the willing across racial, ethnic, political and faith lines to do important work in Nashville -- particularly for those folks who need assistance of any kind.
The Rev. Enoch Fuzz, my mentor and the force behind this event, will be on hand to lead the press conference that will include some of the 44 hosts from throughout the community, including myself.
Spread the word and come out yourself to learn about the event and this coalition that will most certainly make a difference in Nashville's positive future.
A Christmas message from healing hearts
~~~~~~~~~The Thought That Counted~~~~~ ~~~
My husband and I raised four sons. Their ages today range
from 28 to 39. We tried to teach them early on that gift giving was
not about the price but ever so much the thought.
Many hours were spent in their younger years creating
construction paper greeting cards and homemade gifts. Smiles pass my
lips when I reflect on the closed doors in our house...A child
yelling "Mom, Dad, Don't come in yet!" Oh, the excitement I heard in
their voices. The love I felt, from their young souls. The spirited
twinkle in their eyes when their creation was presented. Our house
was adorned with many of these gifts. Pencil, crayon, and painted
drawings were framed and hung. Clay sculptures and pots, cute
pillows and such, an art gallery it was to me. Stick reindeers,
beaded ornaments, and a very special red paper Santa dressed our
tree. A tin can Pilgrim was a sight to see. I have in my possession
to this day boxes of these priceless treasures.
Of all the heartfelt moments experiencing their love of
giving, one is forever branded in my mind...
The year was 1990, as was tradition in our home we exchanged
our personal gifts to each other on Christmas Eve. Santa would
provide the Christmas morn. Our second to the oldest son Ben was
16. He was short on cash this year. When it came his turn to pass
out gifts he rose and said, "I want all of you to stand and form a
line oldest to youngest." He then proceeded down the line. Each of
us were hugged and told, "Merry Christmas I love you." His sad eyes
misted with the wish of his heart. Though not having a gift to hand
us he chose, "The Thought That Counted." Ben had chosen, the gift of
love.
With tears streaming down my checks I remember looking at my
precious son and saying, "That is the best Christmas present anyone
could ever receive."
Ben was born on Christmas Eve
12-24-74 A blessed gift to his family
LCPL Benjamin H. Gearheart died
8-27-97 A gift to his country (in a military training accident)
Happy Birthday Ben
From the bottom of our hearts we thank you again this Christmas for
giving us all, "The Thought That Counted."
Love and Miss you, Mom, Dad, Frank, Jeremy, and Brad
12-24-08
My husband and I raised four sons. Their ages today range
from 28 to 39. We tried to teach them early on that gift giving was
not about the price but ever so much the thought.
Many hours were spent in their younger years creating
construction paper greeting cards and homemade gifts. Smiles pass my
lips when I reflect on the closed doors in our house...A child
yelling "Mom, Dad, Don't come in yet!" Oh, the excitement I heard in
their voices. The love I felt, from their young souls. The spirited
twinkle in their eyes when their creation was presented. Our house
was adorned with many of these gifts. Pencil, crayon, and painted
drawings were framed and hung. Clay sculptures and pots, cute
pillows and such, an art gallery it was to me. Stick reindeers,
beaded ornaments, and a very special red paper Santa dressed our
tree. A tin can Pilgrim was a sight to see. I have in my possession
to this day boxes of these priceless treasures.
Of all the heartfelt moments experiencing their love of
giving, one is forever branded in my mind...
The year was 1990, as was tradition in our home we exchanged
our personal gifts to each other on Christmas Eve. Santa would
provide the Christmas morn. Our second to the oldest son Ben was
16. He was short on cash this year. When it came his turn to pass
out gifts he rose and said, "I want all of you to stand and form a
line oldest to youngest." He then proceeded down the line. Each of
us were hugged and told, "Merry Christmas I love you." His sad eyes
misted with the wish of his heart. Though not having a gift to hand
us he chose, "The Thought That Counted." Ben had chosen, the gift of
love.
With tears streaming down my checks I remember looking at my
precious son and saying, "That is the best Christmas present anyone
could ever receive."
Ben was born on Christmas Eve
12-24-74 A blessed gift to his family
LCPL Benjamin H. Gearheart died
8-27-97 A gift to his country (in a military training accident)
Happy Birthday Ben
From the bottom of our hearts we thank you again this Christmas for
giving us all, "The Thought That Counted."
Love and Miss you, Mom, Dad, Frank, Jeremy, and Brad
12-24-08
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Where Christmas Eve is not Silent Night
For the first time in my life, I've heard police sirens on Christmas Eve.
The difference this year is where I am -- in north Nashville -- signaling that "Peace of Earth, Good Will to All" is a promise not realized by everyone. That's the tragic truth, particularly here, in one of the most impoverished and crime-ridden areas in Music City.
Yet it is here, if Christ were to be born tonight in 2008, that his precious presence would be beheld. He was born into poverty for a reason, to send us a message that we should care if "Peace on Earth, Good Will to All" is not available to all people.
Do we really? Does it hurt that most of the people here are African-Americans, despite the election of the first black president?
You see, the people who live here desire the promise of this night more than anyone in Nashville or its suburbs. I know. I've talked with them, worked with them, prayed with them, laughed with them and wept with them. Now I live among them. And it is the greatest blessing of my life.
But for various reasons, the good people here have been denied the promise of Christmas Eve. Yet they still shop, work, pay property taxes and make sure their children are asleep by 8 tonight so that Santa won't catch them awake.
There are a lot of good girls and boys who live in this area of Nashville. They have to be, or they won't survive to be teens. Becoming college-educated, professional adults remains mostly a cruel dream despite a state lottery for college scholarships.
The schools are so bad here that the children cannot qualify for the scholarships to get into college. Yet people here spend more of their income than more affluent Tennesseans on the lottery to just buy a piece of hope, the possibility of "Peace on Earth, Good Will to All."
Parents here are heroic, ignoring the sirens on this night and every other to still fight and scrap to raise the best children possible.
So on Christmas Eve here in north Nashville, the repeated soundings of sirens are accepted but still resisted in the continuing pursuit here for the promise of this night 2,000 years ago.
Yet ... do we really care?
The difference this year is where I am -- in north Nashville -- signaling that "Peace of Earth, Good Will to All" is a promise not realized by everyone. That's the tragic truth, particularly here, in one of the most impoverished and crime-ridden areas in Music City.
Yet it is here, if Christ were to be born tonight in 2008, that his precious presence would be beheld. He was born into poverty for a reason, to send us a message that we should care if "Peace on Earth, Good Will to All" is not available to all people.
Do we really? Does it hurt that most of the people here are African-Americans, despite the election of the first black president?
You see, the people who live here desire the promise of this night more than anyone in Nashville or its suburbs. I know. I've talked with them, worked with them, prayed with them, laughed with them and wept with them. Now I live among them. And it is the greatest blessing of my life.
But for various reasons, the good people here have been denied the promise of Christmas Eve. Yet they still shop, work, pay property taxes and make sure their children are asleep by 8 tonight so that Santa won't catch them awake.
There are a lot of good girls and boys who live in this area of Nashville. They have to be, or they won't survive to be teens. Becoming college-educated, professional adults remains mostly a cruel dream despite a state lottery for college scholarships.
The schools are so bad here that the children cannot qualify for the scholarships to get into college. Yet people here spend more of their income than more affluent Tennesseans on the lottery to just buy a piece of hope, the possibility of "Peace on Earth, Good Will to All."
Parents here are heroic, ignoring the sirens on this night and every other to still fight and scrap to raise the best children possible.
So on Christmas Eve here in north Nashville, the repeated soundings of sirens are accepted but still resisted in the continuing pursuit here for the promise of this night 2,000 years ago.
Yet ... do we really care?
Home for the holidays with TennCare court ruling
Thoughts of family, home and holidays come easily to many of us.
But if you've had something go terribly wrong with your body as I have had, if you've lost your job at the worst possible time as I have had, and if you've wondered how you are going survive financially and medically as I have, then those kind of warm and fuzzy thoughts are quite elusive.
And our government -- which is supposed to represent our values that include such thoughtful values -- should be expected to ensure that people who need nursing care to stay at home and live with family and within their means should be able to do so.
That's conservative, protecting basic humanity of the strong looking out for the weak, like God giving us his only son so WE could be reconciled to Him for wrongs WE committed.
A court ruling this week temporarily allows 20 human beings in Tennessee to still continue to receive nursing health care and stay home with family and life there instead of being carted off to a nursing home to surely die.
The state, during this holiday season, however, continues to argue that government cannot afford to support the values of home, family and the holidays. Like Scrooge raging and asking about the availability of poor houses for the indigent including children, the state continues to try and deny a place for disabled Tennesseans to be home for holidays and every day after that.
The bottom line moral question to this situation is unavoidable: If government that represents our values cannot afford to support home, family and the holidays for the least among us, then what do our tax dollars support that is so much more important?
Roads? Per diem pay for legislators taking out-of-session trips to vacation/conference spots? Corporate welfare giveaways for companies that make no guarantee how long they'll stay here or how many Tennesseans they'll actually employ? State-run golf courses for retired governors to play free? A political mega mall under the governor's mansion?
The list goes on and so does the heartache of those whose bodies have already been broken through no to little fault of their own. Meanwhile, the governor, who has an opinion about everything about whether Obama should stand inside a Walmart to meet real people to whether he was on short lists to be the next vice president, stays damningly silent.
For what reason and for who will he go to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
The General Assembly returns early next month. The 20 who have been temporarily saved should be joined by another thousand Tennesseans still remaining at risk and their families under terrible stress. A government that does not represent the people values -- including the most dear ones of family, home and holidays -- is an affront to simple right and wrong.
Use the break provided by the holidays to speak up for these values and the people who cannot begin to take them for granted.
Sure, money is tight for everyone. But when we start deserting one group of people, we set ourselves up for the same doom. Budget cuts -- to protect the list of sorry priorities cited above -- will ultimately reach our community, our schools and our family's welfare.
Who will be left to speak up for us then? That's why we must speak up now, for people we may not know, but whose values are equally important to us. As Ben Franklin said at another moment of crisis: "We can either hang together or hang separately."
But if you've had something go terribly wrong with your body as I have had, if you've lost your job at the worst possible time as I have had, and if you've wondered how you are going survive financially and medically as I have, then those kind of warm and fuzzy thoughts are quite elusive.
And our government -- which is supposed to represent our values that include such thoughtful values -- should be expected to ensure that people who need nursing care to stay at home and live with family and within their means should be able to do so.
That's conservative, protecting basic humanity of the strong looking out for the weak, like God giving us his only son so WE could be reconciled to Him for wrongs WE committed.
A court ruling this week temporarily allows 20 human beings in Tennessee to still continue to receive nursing health care and stay home with family and life there instead of being carted off to a nursing home to surely die.
The state, during this holiday season, however, continues to argue that government cannot afford to support the values of home, family and the holidays. Like Scrooge raging and asking about the availability of poor houses for the indigent including children, the state continues to try and deny a place for disabled Tennesseans to be home for holidays and every day after that.
The bottom line moral question to this situation is unavoidable: If government that represents our values cannot afford to support home, family and the holidays for the least among us, then what do our tax dollars support that is so much more important?
Roads? Per diem pay for legislators taking out-of-session trips to vacation/conference spots? Corporate welfare giveaways for companies that make no guarantee how long they'll stay here or how many Tennesseans they'll actually employ? State-run golf courses for retired governors to play free? A political mega mall under the governor's mansion?
The list goes on and so does the heartache of those whose bodies have already been broken through no to little fault of their own. Meanwhile, the governor, who has an opinion about everything about whether Obama should stand inside a Walmart to meet real people to whether he was on short lists to be the next vice president, stays damningly silent.
For what reason and for who will he go to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
The General Assembly returns early next month. The 20 who have been temporarily saved should be joined by another thousand Tennesseans still remaining at risk and their families under terrible stress. A government that does not represent the people values -- including the most dear ones of family, home and holidays -- is an affront to simple right and wrong.
Use the break provided by the holidays to speak up for these values and the people who cannot begin to take them for granted.
Sure, money is tight for everyone. But when we start deserting one group of people, we set ourselves up for the same doom. Budget cuts -- to protect the list of sorry priorities cited above -- will ultimately reach our community, our schools and our family's welfare.
Who will be left to speak up for us then? That's why we must speak up now, for people we may not know, but whose values are equally important to us. As Ben Franklin said at another moment of crisis: "We can either hang together or hang separately."
Kudos to "The Athens of the South'; Nashville ranks 19th for most literate cities in the United States
Rankings of 71 American cities released today by Central Connecticut State University(CCSU) placed Nashville as the 19th most literate city in the nation -- a most impressive ranking considering the poor condition of its schools and poor quality of its print journalism.
CCSU and John Miller, its president and author of the study, deserve a lot of credit for compiling these findings. Literacy determines the direction and progress of a community. Literacy attracts the best jobs and highest quality of life. Literacy empowers the least among us.
The university said: "This study focuses on six key indicators of literacy: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources."
Nashville's highest ranking was 17th most literate in 2005. Memphis ranked 58th in the 2008 research. No other Tennessee city was listed in the rankings.
Nashville finished way ahead of some impressive big citie -- including New York City, Chicago, Indianapolis, Charlotte, San Diego, Jasksonville, Dallas and Los Angeles.
Here's the top 10 literacy list:
1. Minneapolis and Seattle (tie)
3. Washington, D.C.
4. St. Paul
5. San Francisco
6. Atlanta
7. Denver
8. Boston
9. St. Louis
10. Cincinnati and Portland, Ore. (tie)
CCSU and John Miller, its president and author of the study, deserve a lot of credit for compiling these findings. Literacy determines the direction and progress of a community. Literacy attracts the best jobs and highest quality of life. Literacy empowers the least among us.
The university said: "This study focuses on six key indicators of literacy: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources."
Nashville's highest ranking was 17th most literate in 2005. Memphis ranked 58th in the 2008 research. No other Tennessee city was listed in the rankings.
Nashville finished way ahead of some impressive big citie -- including New York City, Chicago, Indianapolis, Charlotte, San Diego, Jasksonville, Dallas and Los Angeles.
Here's the top 10 literacy list:
1. Minneapolis and Seattle (tie)
3. Washington, D.C.
4. St. Paul
5. San Francisco
6. Atlanta
7. Denver
8. Boston
9. St. Louis
10. Cincinnati and Portland, Ore. (tie)
Don't let rush take your mind off gift for Christ
The world, nation and Tennessee are rushing around in the last few hours before Christmas Eve to buy things people probably don't need and food that probably won't be fully eaten.
Meanwhile, we've taken little time to consider what we need to give to the creator of our celebration: Jesus Christ.
For a possibility of what you might give, consider this English hymn and the final verse of "In the Bleak Midwinter". After "Silent Night", it is my favorite carol:
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my heart.
Meanwhile, we've taken little time to consider what we need to give to the creator of our celebration: Jesus Christ.
For a possibility of what you might give, consider this English hymn and the final verse of "In the Bleak Midwinter". After "Silent Night", it is my favorite carol:
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my heart.
Vlad' and 'Bam set new high bar for manhood
In a vote on the Drudge Report, tyrant Vladamir Putin buried Barack Obama in a vote on the deliciousness of their upper bodies shown in pictures on the website.
Of course, readers of the site are more conservative. And it doesn't say much for them that they'd vote for a former KGB chief compared to the new leader of the Free World.
Yet, truly, I think Obama has the better upper body. But of course, I supported him for president, when it came to only considering his intellect, not his pecs.
For all men, however, the challenge has been sent forth. If you're gorging on holiday goodies the next few days and will pig yourself out tomorrow with food and booze, you're falling behind a new world order.
After looking at the website vote, I immediately headed to the gym downstairs to work on the weights and stair-stepping machine. I work out everyday anyway, but these guys are really setting the bar high.
Great bods matter -- to women and now to leaders of this Earth's greater powers. Get physical and off the couch or else.
Of course, readers of the site are more conservative. And it doesn't say much for them that they'd vote for a former KGB chief compared to the new leader of the Free World.
Yet, truly, I think Obama has the better upper body. But of course, I supported him for president, when it came to only considering his intellect, not his pecs.
For all men, however, the challenge has been sent forth. If you're gorging on holiday goodies the next few days and will pig yourself out tomorrow with food and booze, you're falling behind a new world order.
After looking at the website vote, I immediately headed to the gym downstairs to work on the weights and stair-stepping machine. I work out everyday anyway, but these guys are really setting the bar high.
Great bods matter -- to women and now to leaders of this Earth's greater powers. Get physical and off the couch or else.
Merry Christmas 2008! Supposed objective news media looks real bad in political quote awards
A lot of my conservative and independent political friends claim the supposed mainstream and objective news media actively covered and campaigned to elect Sen. Barack Obama.
The following list cited by the Drudge Report adds fuel to the fire:
ALEXANDRIA, VA. --- The Media Research Center today announced its Best Notable Quotables of 2008: The 21st Annual Awards for the Year’s Worst Reporting, and MSNBC’s Chris Matthews “won” the dubious honor of Quote of the Year for gushing over a Barack Obama speech back in February: “I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don’t have that too often….And that is an objective assessment.”
Top runner-up for Quote of the Year went to Reuters for this ridiculous post-election headline: “Media bias largely unseen in U.S. presidential race.”
MRC President Brent Bozell: “Year after year, the liberal media outdo themselves in providing conservatives the sheer joy of laughing at their own words. The year of the Obama Paparazzi was no different, as they salivated over their savior and did everything in their power to crush conservatives. And we wonder why Americans don’t trust the media.”
This year’s winners were selected by a panel of 44 judges, consisting of radio talk show hosts, magazine editors, columnists, editorial writers, and media observers. Judges this year include columnist Cal Thomas, radio host Neal Boortz, economist Walter Williams, American Spectator editor R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr., and former National Review publisher William A. Rusher. To read all the award-winning quotes, along with audio and video clips of the broadcast quotes, please visit www.MRC.org.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MRC’s 2008 AWARDS:
The Obamagasm Award
"Some princes are born in palaces. Some are born in mangers. But a few are born in the imagination, out of scraps of history and hope." — Time’s Nancy Gibbs in the November 17 cover story.
Half-Baked Alaska Award for Pummeling Palin
"The fact of the matter is, the comparison between her [Sarah Palin] and Hillary Clinton is the comparison between an igloo and the Empire State Building!" — MSNBC’s Chris Matthews on Hardball, October 14.
The Irrelevant Reverend Wright Award
"To see his [Jeremiah Wright’s] career completely destroyed by three 20-second soundbites, all of the work he has done, his entire legacy gone down the drain, has been absolutely devastating to me — to him, sorry....We are still a racist country." — Washington Post writer Sally Quinn on PBS’s Charlie Rose, April 30.
From Camelot to Obamalot Award
"Today, the audacity of hope had its rendezvous with destiny....Obama is now an adopted son of Camelot. His candidacy blessed not just by the Lion of the Senate, patriarch of the clan, but by JFK’s daughter." — David Wright on ABC’s Nightline January 28.
The Crush Rush Award for Loathing Limbaugh
Author/humorist P.J. O’Rourke: "It’s the twilight of the radio loud-mouth, you know? I knew it from the moment the fat guy [Rush Limbaugh] refused to share his drugs...."
Host Bill Maher: "You mean the OxyContin that he was on?...Why couldn’t he have croaked from it instead of Heath Ledger?" — HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, February 8.
Politics of Meaninglessness Award for the Silliest Analysis
"Not doing it [fighting global warming] will be catastrophic. We’ll be eight degrees hotter in ten, not ten but 30 or 40 years, and basically none of the crops will grow. Most of the people will have died and the rest of us will be cannibals." — CNN founder Ted Turner on PBS’s Charlie Rose, April 1.
Madness of King George Award
"When somebody asks you, sir, about the cooked books and faked threats you foisted on a sincere and frightened nation; when somebody asks you, sir, about your gallant, noble, self-abnegating sacrifice of your golf game so as to soothe the families of the war dead; this advice, Mr. Bush: Shut the hell up! Good night and good luck." — MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann in a "Special Comment" on Countdown, May 14.
Barbra Streisand Political IQ Award for Celebrity Vapidity
"If you have a few hundred followers, and you let some of them molest children, they call you a cult leader. If you have a billion, they call you ‘Pope.’ It’s like, if you can’t pay your mortgage, you’re a deadbeat. But if you can’t pay a million mortgages, you’re Bear Stearns and we bail you out. And that is who the Catholic Church is: the Bear Stearns of organized pedophilia." — Bill Maher on HBO’s Real Time, April 11.
Admitting the Obvious Award
“When NBC News first assigned me to the Barack Obama campaign, I must confess my knees quaked a bit....I wondered if I was up to the job. I wondered if I could do the campaign justice.”
— NBC reporter Lee Cowan in an article for NBC’s “The Peacock” advertising supplement, March 23-29.
The following list cited by the Drudge Report adds fuel to the fire:
ALEXANDRIA, VA. --- The Media Research Center today announced its Best Notable Quotables of 2008: The 21st Annual Awards for the Year’s Worst Reporting, and MSNBC’s Chris Matthews “won” the dubious honor of Quote of the Year for gushing over a Barack Obama speech back in February: “I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don’t have that too often….And that is an objective assessment.”
Top runner-up for Quote of the Year went to Reuters for this ridiculous post-election headline: “Media bias largely unseen in U.S. presidential race.”
MRC President Brent Bozell: “Year after year, the liberal media outdo themselves in providing conservatives the sheer joy of laughing at their own words. The year of the Obama Paparazzi was no different, as they salivated over their savior and did everything in their power to crush conservatives. And we wonder why Americans don’t trust the media.”
This year’s winners were selected by a panel of 44 judges, consisting of radio talk show hosts, magazine editors, columnists, editorial writers, and media observers. Judges this year include columnist Cal Thomas, radio host Neal Boortz, economist Walter Williams, American Spectator editor R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr., and former National Review publisher William A. Rusher. To read all the award-winning quotes, along with audio and video clips of the broadcast quotes, please visit www.MRC.org.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MRC’s 2008 AWARDS:
The Obamagasm Award
"Some princes are born in palaces. Some are born in mangers. But a few are born in the imagination, out of scraps of history and hope." — Time’s Nancy Gibbs in the November 17 cover story.
Half-Baked Alaska Award for Pummeling Palin
"The fact of the matter is, the comparison between her [Sarah Palin] and Hillary Clinton is the comparison between an igloo and the Empire State Building!" — MSNBC’s Chris Matthews on Hardball, October 14.
The Irrelevant Reverend Wright Award
"To see his [Jeremiah Wright’s] career completely destroyed by three 20-second soundbites, all of the work he has done, his entire legacy gone down the drain, has been absolutely devastating to me — to him, sorry....We are still a racist country." — Washington Post writer Sally Quinn on PBS’s Charlie Rose, April 30.
From Camelot to Obamalot Award
"Today, the audacity of hope had its rendezvous with destiny....Obama is now an adopted son of Camelot. His candidacy blessed not just by the Lion of the Senate, patriarch of the clan, but by JFK’s daughter." — David Wright on ABC’s Nightline January 28.
The Crush Rush Award for Loathing Limbaugh
Author/humorist P.J. O’Rourke: "It’s the twilight of the radio loud-mouth, you know? I knew it from the moment the fat guy [Rush Limbaugh] refused to share his drugs...."
Host Bill Maher: "You mean the OxyContin that he was on?...Why couldn’t he have croaked from it instead of Heath Ledger?" — HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, February 8.
Politics of Meaninglessness Award for the Silliest Analysis
"Not doing it [fighting global warming] will be catastrophic. We’ll be eight degrees hotter in ten, not ten but 30 or 40 years, and basically none of the crops will grow. Most of the people will have died and the rest of us will be cannibals." — CNN founder Ted Turner on PBS’s Charlie Rose, April 1.
Madness of King George Award
"When somebody asks you, sir, about the cooked books and faked threats you foisted on a sincere and frightened nation; when somebody asks you, sir, about your gallant, noble, self-abnegating sacrifice of your golf game so as to soothe the families of the war dead; this advice, Mr. Bush: Shut the hell up! Good night and good luck." — MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann in a "Special Comment" on Countdown, May 14.
Barbra Streisand Political IQ Award for Celebrity Vapidity
"If you have a few hundred followers, and you let some of them molest children, they call you a cult leader. If you have a billion, they call you ‘Pope.’ It’s like, if you can’t pay your mortgage, you’re a deadbeat. But if you can’t pay a million mortgages, you’re Bear Stearns and we bail you out. And that is who the Catholic Church is: the Bear Stearns of organized pedophilia." — Bill Maher on HBO’s Real Time, April 11.
Admitting the Obvious Award
“When NBC News first assigned me to the Barack Obama campaign, I must confess my knees quaked a bit....I wondered if I was up to the job. I wondered if I could do the campaign justice.”
— NBC reporter Lee Cowan in an article for NBC’s “The Peacock” advertising supplement, March 23-29.
Merry Christmas 2008! Don't fret over crowded pews; Christ came to save everyone, every day
Yes, the church pews are going to be crowded with people you've seldom or never seen during the year.
Or you may be one of the good folks finally making it to church after failing to summon the energy or find the time on Sundays.
No matter. Simply rejoice. Christ is born! For everyone.
Some people will be talking too loud. Some people will take up too much room. Some people will be coughing without putting their hands over their mouths. Some people won't know all the responses to the prayers.
But they will have known enough to come to church to worship the baby in the manger. And the pastor does not fret over a collection basket filled to the brim.
God so loved the world that He gave it his only son, so whoever would believe in Him would have eternal life.
That promise includes people who come to church only on Christmas and few Sundays in between.
Or you may be one of the good folks finally making it to church after failing to summon the energy or find the time on Sundays.
No matter. Simply rejoice. Christ is born! For everyone.
Some people will be talking too loud. Some people will take up too much room. Some people will be coughing without putting their hands over their mouths. Some people won't know all the responses to the prayers.
But they will have known enough to come to church to worship the baby in the manger. And the pastor does not fret over a collection basket filled to the brim.
God so loved the world that He gave it his only son, so whoever would believe in Him would have eternal life.
That promise includes people who come to church only on Christmas and few Sundays in between.
Merry Christmas 2008! Another sad chapter in greedy American history along the Mexican border
Avoiding The New York Times excellent profile today on poet Jack Spicer and loneliness, news arises this Christmas season that Mexicans are coming to the rescue of Americans and our depressed economy by crossing the border in record numbers with cash in their hands and buying in their hearts.
Where is Lou Dobbs' outrage when you need it? Lou is on holiday vacation filling his face with goodies harvested and/or manufactured by undocumented human beings. The guy just doesn't get it ... on purpose to make a profit and name for himself. Scrooge has some stiff competition but not his own show on CNN.
Here is what The Times reports today:
TUCSON — Mexican shoppers with fists full of cash and long Christmas lists are pouring across the border into hotels, restaurants and shopping malls here, providing an economic boost in a downward spiraling economy.
A clerk at a J. C. Penney store in Tucson rang up a purchase for Cecilia Rivera, left, on a shopping trip from Hermosillo, Mexico. Tucson’s economy depends on shoppers from south of the border.
The families, mostly middle- and upper-income, are traveling hundreds of miles to take advantage of a much wider selection of products at substantially lower prices than can be found in their hometowns in the Mexican states of Sonora and Sinaloa — even after the recent 30 percent devaluation of the Mexican peso against the dollar.
For many, it is a long journey by car that includes multiple searches at Mexican police roadblocks, followed by a huge traffic jam at the border crossing in Nogales, where delays of two hours or longer to enter the United States are common. But even with the exasperation, Mexican shoppers said it was still worth making the trip.
“We can find everything we want and it’s much cheaper,” said Aurelia Peralta, a 38-year-old homemaker from Hermosillo, a city of 700,000 about 200 miles south of Tucson. Pointing to the Guitar Hero World Tour display model her teenage son was playing, she said popular Christmas gifts cost twice as much in Hermosillo.
Mexicans have always boosted this nation's economy throughout all its history. And when people who look like me did not help enough, lands of great wealth were stolen in unjust wars that even Abraham Lincoln opposed. But Dobbs won't tell you that or a lot of other stuff about how much this nation has taken from Mexicans over the centuries and how much this nation depends on them now.
This Christmas season is just another sad chapter for a nation filled with people such as Dobbs in deep, damning denial. God help them, and Baby Jesus save them.
Where is Lou Dobbs' outrage when you need it? Lou is on holiday vacation filling his face with goodies harvested and/or manufactured by undocumented human beings. The guy just doesn't get it ... on purpose to make a profit and name for himself. Scrooge has some stiff competition but not his own show on CNN.
Here is what The Times reports today:
TUCSON — Mexican shoppers with fists full of cash and long Christmas lists are pouring across the border into hotels, restaurants and shopping malls here, providing an economic boost in a downward spiraling economy.
A clerk at a J. C. Penney store in Tucson rang up a purchase for Cecilia Rivera, left, on a shopping trip from Hermosillo, Mexico. Tucson’s economy depends on shoppers from south of the border.
The families, mostly middle- and upper-income, are traveling hundreds of miles to take advantage of a much wider selection of products at substantially lower prices than can be found in their hometowns in the Mexican states of Sonora and Sinaloa — even after the recent 30 percent devaluation of the Mexican peso against the dollar.
For many, it is a long journey by car that includes multiple searches at Mexican police roadblocks, followed by a huge traffic jam at the border crossing in Nogales, where delays of two hours or longer to enter the United States are common. But even with the exasperation, Mexican shoppers said it was still worth making the trip.
“We can find everything we want and it’s much cheaper,” said Aurelia Peralta, a 38-year-old homemaker from Hermosillo, a city of 700,000 about 200 miles south of Tucson. Pointing to the Guitar Hero World Tour display model her teenage son was playing, she said popular Christmas gifts cost twice as much in Hermosillo.
Mexicans have always boosted this nation's economy throughout all its history. And when people who look like me did not help enough, lands of great wealth were stolen in unjust wars that even Abraham Lincoln opposed. But Dobbs won't tell you that or a lot of other stuff about how much this nation has taken from Mexicans over the centuries and how much this nation depends on them now.
This Christmas season is just another sad chapter for a nation filled with people such as Dobbs in deep, damning denial. God help them, and Baby Jesus save them.
Merry Christmas 2008! Not all Christianity the same for people who claim to be believers
In communicating with a fellow believer yesterday, I learned again that not all Christianity is the same -- for which I apologize ... specifically for it and myself.
Not all Christianity is tolerant beyond the plank in its own eye, and I have fallen victim to that wrong in my writing here and in my life.
Not all Christianity is tolerant of different approaches to living that still seek the common good and God's greater glory, and I have fallen victim to that wrong in what I have written here, failed to write and in how I've lived all my life.
Not all Christianity views the child born "this day in Bethlehem" as a forgiving and most compassionate God, and I have been too much of a judge in my writing here, in what I have failed to write and in how I've lived my life.
There is more that I could here and should list. But the point should be obvious to most of us, if not the believer who is the motivating reminder of the need for me to write this post.
As a matter of fact, the single person who has been the most help to me the past two months -- and "savior" for appropriate use of the term of this season -- probably would not pass muster under the fellow believer's type of faith.
She has been partnered to the same man for the past 20 years in a loving, giving relationship that has everything a good marriage should ... except the actual wedding certificate. She has lived more actual life -- tough and knock down, drag out -- than the believer of this post who views the Internet as a toy instead of the threat that it too often can be to marriages that start out fresh and clean and in churches.
I've never asked the person who has been the most help to me about her faith. I can see it in her actions and kindness -- from the loving embrace of her grandchild to helping someone such as me.
So for the believer, I realize this post won't mean a thing. There is nothing more entrenched -- like an incumbent politician -- than a long-time Christian ... sometimes.
Awake, Jerusalem, awake! Your savior is here! But don't look for a judge on high, but a baby in a manger -- born to a woman who initially was a single mother and in a place only fit for animals.
O, Jerusalem! Please wake up and take heed ... adore and understand! Your savior lives and forgives!
Amen. Gloria, in excelsis Deo! Amen.
Not all Christianity is tolerant beyond the plank in its own eye, and I have fallen victim to that wrong in my writing here and in my life.
Not all Christianity is tolerant of different approaches to living that still seek the common good and God's greater glory, and I have fallen victim to that wrong in what I have written here, failed to write and in how I've lived all my life.
Not all Christianity views the child born "this day in Bethlehem" as a forgiving and most compassionate God, and I have been too much of a judge in my writing here, in what I have failed to write and in how I've lived my life.
There is more that I could here and should list. But the point should be obvious to most of us, if not the believer who is the motivating reminder of the need for me to write this post.
As a matter of fact, the single person who has been the most help to me the past two months -- and "savior" for appropriate use of the term of this season -- probably would not pass muster under the fellow believer's type of faith.
She has been partnered to the same man for the past 20 years in a loving, giving relationship that has everything a good marriage should ... except the actual wedding certificate. She has lived more actual life -- tough and knock down, drag out -- than the believer of this post who views the Internet as a toy instead of the threat that it too often can be to marriages that start out fresh and clean and in churches.
I've never asked the person who has been the most help to me about her faith. I can see it in her actions and kindness -- from the loving embrace of her grandchild to helping someone such as me.
So for the believer, I realize this post won't mean a thing. There is nothing more entrenched -- like an incumbent politician -- than a long-time Christian ... sometimes.
Awake, Jerusalem, awake! Your savior is here! But don't look for a judge on high, but a baby in a manger -- born to a woman who initially was a single mother and in a place only fit for animals.
O, Jerusalem! Please wake up and take heed ... adore and understand! Your savior lives and forgives!
Amen. Gloria, in excelsis Deo! Amen.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Searching for the Christmas Miracle, Part II
Sometimes, the Christmas Miracle we seek is nothing we could have imagined.
A year ago, I lived in the most affluent city in Tennessee, home to NFL and NHL stars besides Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
On Christmas Eve 2008, I shop and walk and pray in one of the most impoverished, crime-ridden parts of Nashville. I live right on its border. And I could not feel more blessed.
The people I have met here, the fight they continue and the dreams they still possess have lifted me like no others before. I have come across heroics that seem to never make it into the news media. But these acts, these miracles are there, if we would only go and see -- like the shepherds did at the manger.
Diversity is more than about people. It is about the experiences in our lives and who we are open to, and who our lives have been sheltered from.
I have been freed from my self-imprisonment. And in these good people, I have found God.
O, Come, O, Come, Emmanuel!
A year ago, I lived in the most affluent city in Tennessee, home to NFL and NHL stars besides Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
On Christmas Eve 2008, I shop and walk and pray in one of the most impoverished, crime-ridden parts of Nashville. I live right on its border. And I could not feel more blessed.
The people I have met here, the fight they continue and the dreams they still possess have lifted me like no others before. I have come across heroics that seem to never make it into the news media. But these acts, these miracles are there, if we would only go and see -- like the shepherds did at the manger.
Diversity is more than about people. It is about the experiences in our lives and who we are open to, and who our lives have been sheltered from.
I have been freed from my self-imprisonment. And in these good people, I have found God.
O, Come, O, Come, Emmanuel!
So many channels yet few classic Xmas movies
Channel surfing for a good, solid and classic Christmas movie has proved most fruitless this season.
I'm sure we need to follow more cheating husbands and wives or listen to another pundit discuss hir or her unique and compelling view of the world. But it would be nice to see The Bells of St. Mary's or Scrooge with Albert Finney or even The Miracle on 34th Street for more than an odd day at an odd moment or for 24 hours on Christmas Day.
Please, TV programmers, spread these good stories around the tube during all the season. Or maybe it's time to quit patronizing these channels and stick exclusively to DVDs.
I'm sure we need to follow more cheating husbands and wives or listen to another pundit discuss hir or her unique and compelling view of the world. But it would be nice to see The Bells of St. Mary's or Scrooge with Albert Finney or even The Miracle on 34th Street for more than an odd day at an odd moment or for 24 hours on Christmas Day.
Please, TV programmers, spread these good stories around the tube during all the season. Or maybe it's time to quit patronizing these channels and stick exclusively to DVDs.
Shopping at Walmart made more moral, maybe
The New York Times reports today that Walmart has reached a $640 million settlement with employees involving wage and hour and other workplace abuses dating back to the year 2000. Some employees were not even allowed to take meal breaks. Outrageous.
The world's largest retailer has recently been making amends for its wrongs in various workplace wrongs' settlements for mega-millions of dollars.
I shop at Walmart due to low prices. But I do so with a some of my conscience held at bay. I know it can offer low prices because it buys from the Chinese, who are not known for human rights let alone labor rights. I know store employees are not paid a lot and only recently got health care coverage.
The settlement of the lawsuits helps. Another big lawsuit remains unsettled, yet Walmart says it is new and more moral in how it treats its employees. I sure hope so. I'm not a believer, however, in trusting corporations. Employees I question about working for the company are positive in their responses.
But it still is a struggle for me to shop at Walmart. More strides must be made for worker salaries and benefits and in disconnecting from China's sweatshops.
Thankfully, the corporation has decided to temporarily halt the building of new mega centers across the country. And Memphians were the last to turn back one of Walmart's huge developments.
If it were not for a bad economy, Walmart sales would not be as strong and rightly so. And I would stay completely away and encourage others to do likewise.
The world's largest retailer has recently been making amends for its wrongs in various workplace wrongs' settlements for mega-millions of dollars.
I shop at Walmart due to low prices. But I do so with a some of my conscience held at bay. I know it can offer low prices because it buys from the Chinese, who are not known for human rights let alone labor rights. I know store employees are not paid a lot and only recently got health care coverage.
The settlement of the lawsuits helps. Another big lawsuit remains unsettled, yet Walmart says it is new and more moral in how it treats its employees. I sure hope so. I'm not a believer, however, in trusting corporations. Employees I question about working for the company are positive in their responses.
But it still is a struggle for me to shop at Walmart. More strides must be made for worker salaries and benefits and in disconnecting from China's sweatshops.
Thankfully, the corporation has decided to temporarily halt the building of new mega centers across the country. And Memphians were the last to turn back one of Walmart's huge developments.
If it were not for a bad economy, Walmart sales would not be as strong and rightly so. And I would stay completely away and encourage others to do likewise.
For the family of Spc. Tyler Cates and all the Gold Star loved ones, my condolences and prayers
MT. JULIET -- I was driving West on state Highway 70 today and crossed a bridge named in honor of Marine Spc. Tyler Cates, who gave his life in the Iraq War.
This time of year was Tyler's favorite. As a Marine based in Seattle, he would dress in the Marines' best and stand outside of the largest toy store at a mall and press the cause for Toys for Tots and the children he would ultimately never have.
After only a few days in Iraq, Cates was killed.
In her son's honor, Patricia Shaw has taken up the Toys for Tots cause. She is a fighter, and you have to be when you lose your son. My condolences at this time of year go out to her, her family and all the families who have lost their loved ones in Iraq, Afghanistan and the war on terror.
I know too many of these good people, such as Mike and Molly Morel of Martin, Tn, Pam Creager of Memphis, Eva Savage and Ginger Ford.
Your sacrifice allows us to celebrate Christmas. Your sacrifice has provided us the freedom to amass the wealth to buy all the things under the tree.
Thank you for your continuing sacrifice, particularly at this most difficult time of year. May God bless and keep you and reassure you of a most joyous reunion one day in heaven.
This time of year was Tyler's favorite. As a Marine based in Seattle, he would dress in the Marines' best and stand outside of the largest toy store at a mall and press the cause for Toys for Tots and the children he would ultimately never have.
After only a few days in Iraq, Cates was killed.
In her son's honor, Patricia Shaw has taken up the Toys for Tots cause. She is a fighter, and you have to be when you lose your son. My condolences at this time of year go out to her, her family and all the families who have lost their loved ones in Iraq, Afghanistan and the war on terror.
I know too many of these good people, such as Mike and Molly Morel of Martin, Tn, Pam Creager of Memphis, Eva Savage and Ginger Ford.
Your sacrifice allows us to celebrate Christmas. Your sacrifice has provided us the freedom to amass the wealth to buy all the things under the tree.
Thank you for your continuing sacrifice, particularly at this most difficult time of year. May God bless and keep you and reassure you of a most joyous reunion one day in heaven.
Being alone at Christmas: Don't knock it, try it
The romanticized version of Christmas dictates that an adult person of dating age should have someone special in his or her life, or face utter doom and depression.
Bullshit and Ho, Ho, Ho.
I'll be spending my first Christmas alone without any family in my life. And I'm excited and happy about it. Turner Classic Movies be damned!
No, I've not been sipping the egg nog early. I've just learned a few things in the School of Semi-Hard Knocks and been given a refresher course by a close friend who knows what it's like to be down and out of romantic love during the Christmas season.
Here's the bottom line: You have to learn to like yourself, and stand being around yourself, before going after anyone to be with you and fulfill the supposed Christmas ideal. (Of course and with great respect, I exclude widows and widowers from coming under any conclusion presented in this blog post. My condolences and prayers go out to them, particularly at this time of year.)
My friend tells me that you can be very alone on Christmas and still technically be with someone in a marriage. Wow! That sounds like a real Nightmare at Christmas.
The romanticized version of Christmas is not real, at least for a lot of people. And if you can't stand being alone at Christmas, go to church, sing in the choir, go to the rescue mission to help serve food, visit a nursing home or just walk downtown and hug a homeless person. I've done so. And you'd be surprised at how good you feel.
So turn off the radio or the TV. Quit crying for yourself. Don't get drunk. Consider your good fortune in being in a world that God so loved that He gave it His only son. And whoever believed in His son would have eternal life.
That's what the day is all about anyway, not the closing scene of White Christmas or any other movie trying to sell more of a myth than reality.
Bullshit and Ho, Ho, Ho.
I'll be spending my first Christmas alone without any family in my life. And I'm excited and happy about it. Turner Classic Movies be damned!
No, I've not been sipping the egg nog early. I've just learned a few things in the School of Semi-Hard Knocks and been given a refresher course by a close friend who knows what it's like to be down and out of romantic love during the Christmas season.
Here's the bottom line: You have to learn to like yourself, and stand being around yourself, before going after anyone to be with you and fulfill the supposed Christmas ideal. (Of course and with great respect, I exclude widows and widowers from coming under any conclusion presented in this blog post. My condolences and prayers go out to them, particularly at this time of year.)
My friend tells me that you can be very alone on Christmas and still technically be with someone in a marriage. Wow! That sounds like a real Nightmare at Christmas.
The romanticized version of Christmas is not real, at least for a lot of people. And if you can't stand being alone at Christmas, go to church, sing in the choir, go to the rescue mission to help serve food, visit a nursing home or just walk downtown and hug a homeless person. I've done so. And you'd be surprised at how good you feel.
So turn off the radio or the TV. Quit crying for yourself. Don't get drunk. Consider your good fortune in being in a world that God so loved that He gave it His only son. And whoever believed in His son would have eternal life.
That's what the day is all about anyway, not the closing scene of White Christmas or any other movie trying to sell more of a myth than reality.
Thank you, good people, for reading my blog
Traffic on my blog has doubled the past 30 days. Now my numbers were small to begin with, so a doubling of traffic should be taken with limited impression.
Still, I really appreciate anyone who takes any time to read what I write. And I believe more people are coming to the blog because it offers two things missing in the supposed mainstream news media: faith as a personal virtue and hope amid a troubling world.
So I'll keep bringing you more of these blog posts, along with financial advice to avoid so many of the self-serving hypocrites on television.
My life has been in a lot of turmoil during this reader upswing. So maybe some new readers find a kinship, since their lives may be difficult, too. My faith has gotten me through this time. And my faith has instilled a deep sense of hope inside me that things will get better as long as I stay obedient to God's will and reject that of the world.
No matter. I just really appreciate the good people who have chosen to join my blog. Send me your ideas and comments and perspective on life. So go on and hope. Endure. And triumph. With God, not despite Him.
Still, I really appreciate anyone who takes any time to read what I write. And I believe more people are coming to the blog because it offers two things missing in the supposed mainstream news media: faith as a personal virtue and hope amid a troubling world.
So I'll keep bringing you more of these blog posts, along with financial advice to avoid so many of the self-serving hypocrites on television.
My life has been in a lot of turmoil during this reader upswing. So maybe some new readers find a kinship, since their lives may be difficult, too. My faith has gotten me through this time. And my faith has instilled a deep sense of hope inside me that things will get better as long as I stay obedient to God's will and reject that of the world.
No matter. I just really appreciate the good people who have chosen to join my blog. Send me your ideas and comments and perspective on life. So go on and hope. Endure. And triumph. With God, not despite Him.
Holy Arnold Schwarzenegger! Two of top leaders of the world look much better than their policies
While I'm not really into them, the shirtless photos of President-elected Barack Obama and Russian PM Vladimir Putin are quite impressive. These guys are ripped. They could star in their own action hero movies.
Go to www.drudgereport.com to behold these polished pols.
One can only hope that their public policy decisions will be as impressive as their bodies.
Go to www.drudgereport.com to behold these polished pols.
One can only hope that their public policy decisions will be as impressive as their bodies.
Searching for the Christmas Miracle and finding it
I was walking downtown yesterday afternoon as I like to do daily, often praying the Rosary or looking out for a homeless person and smiling at him or her to let them know that not everyone sees them as a threat and cancer upon society.
I came to the southeast corner of an intersection, for a four-lane road I thought was one way. Some are downtown. So I looked north and there was no traffic coming. Even though the light said "don't walk", I thought I'd save myself a few seconds in life and bolt across.
So I prepared to step off when something pulled me back and made me look south. There was a pickup truck that would have plastered me on the road.
I shook. It was NOT a one way road after all. And I almost killed myself. Then I looked across the street and looked uo. Just one block away was the Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows Catholic Church. It has been my privilege to worship there and pass it regularly saying the Rosary.
She saved me, once more. Why she sees me as worth her time is beyond my understanding. But I remain devoted to her.
Was that my Christmas Miracle? I believe so, as I believe Our Lady of Guadalupe interceded to save my life as I lay dying from leukemia more than two years ago in Vanderbilt Medical Center. The doctors could not figure out how to save me. She did.
Will your Christmas Miracle be this obvious? I don't know. For me, it is a miracle to be alive each day. I can't wait for the day to begin. I just have to learn how to wait on the traffic lights to change.
It is up to us to recognize the miracles in our lives ... be they still having a job in a bad economy, still having your health, or your children having their health, having a close relationship with a loving God, a loving spouse or a host of other things that one should never take for granted.
The miracle most of society seeks this season is one of universal goodwill and the hope that it will pass on to other months and seasons of the year. It never does. And this Christmas season, the spirit has not seemed as widespread. There is more fear in the air and more concern for self preservation.
All those things are understandable. But it is the Christmas spirit of caring for one another's fate that will get us through the next two years of economic woe. We are going to have to be our brothers and sisters' keepers. Indignities and tragedies we never believed possible are going to happen in our communities. We must be ready help pick up the pieces and commence the healing.
I have gotten a lot of response to a blog post about a local church that dedicated $100,000 to provide economic stimulus checks to its parishioners needing help with their homes mortgages, medical bills and other mounting debt. The response has mostly been that more churches should do as much.
It's time to quit building massive structures of worship and additions to existing ones to impress and serve ourselves. Christ was not born in a mega-church with big TV screens and other technological gizmos. He was born into poverty and in a manger.
It is in present-day mangers and poverty -- or the threat of it -- that we will find Christ and the miracles tied to His season. Seek them out, and happiness will be yours.
I came to the southeast corner of an intersection, for a four-lane road I thought was one way. Some are downtown. So I looked north and there was no traffic coming. Even though the light said "don't walk", I thought I'd save myself a few seconds in life and bolt across.
So I prepared to step off when something pulled me back and made me look south. There was a pickup truck that would have plastered me on the road.
I shook. It was NOT a one way road after all. And I almost killed myself. Then I looked across the street and looked uo. Just one block away was the Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows Catholic Church. It has been my privilege to worship there and pass it regularly saying the Rosary.
She saved me, once more. Why she sees me as worth her time is beyond my understanding. But I remain devoted to her.
Was that my Christmas Miracle? I believe so, as I believe Our Lady of Guadalupe interceded to save my life as I lay dying from leukemia more than two years ago in Vanderbilt Medical Center. The doctors could not figure out how to save me. She did.
Will your Christmas Miracle be this obvious? I don't know. For me, it is a miracle to be alive each day. I can't wait for the day to begin. I just have to learn how to wait on the traffic lights to change.
It is up to us to recognize the miracles in our lives ... be they still having a job in a bad economy, still having your health, or your children having their health, having a close relationship with a loving God, a loving spouse or a host of other things that one should never take for granted.
The miracle most of society seeks this season is one of universal goodwill and the hope that it will pass on to other months and seasons of the year. It never does. And this Christmas season, the spirit has not seemed as widespread. There is more fear in the air and more concern for self preservation.
All those things are understandable. But it is the Christmas spirit of caring for one another's fate that will get us through the next two years of economic woe. We are going to have to be our brothers and sisters' keepers. Indignities and tragedies we never believed possible are going to happen in our communities. We must be ready help pick up the pieces and commence the healing.
I have gotten a lot of response to a blog post about a local church that dedicated $100,000 to provide economic stimulus checks to its parishioners needing help with their homes mortgages, medical bills and other mounting debt. The response has mostly been that more churches should do as much.
It's time to quit building massive structures of worship and additions to existing ones to impress and serve ourselves. Christ was not born in a mega-church with big TV screens and other technological gizmos. He was born into poverty and in a manger.
It is in present-day mangers and poverty -- or the threat of it -- that we will find Christ and the miracles tied to His season. Seek them out, and happiness will be yours.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Following St. Augustine's advice and coming home
The great thinker of the Church once said: "To sing once is to pray twice".
And so tonight, I embark, or re-embark, on making my prayer double-strength, jumbo-sized -- thank you, St. Augustine. I've decided to join the choir for Christmas and perhaps many Sundays afterward.
I used to love to sing, more specifically cantor -- as a twenty and thirtysomething in churches from Oklahoma to New York State. From folk music to traditional hymns, there was no praise left unsung. And I was the more blessed for it.
Somehow, and for some reason, I drifted away from praying twice. To be really honest, I know the reason. It was more important for me to hear praise about myself as I pursued a professional career from newsrooms across this nation to the White House.
I should have been giving all the credit and glory to God.
Yet in his mercy, God has allowed me this most generous opportunity to come back home, like the Prodigal Son. This time, I won't let him down, and myself as well.
And so tonight, I embark, or re-embark, on making my prayer double-strength, jumbo-sized -- thank you, St. Augustine. I've decided to join the choir for Christmas and perhaps many Sundays afterward.
I used to love to sing, more specifically cantor -- as a twenty and thirtysomething in churches from Oklahoma to New York State. From folk music to traditional hymns, there was no praise left unsung. And I was the more blessed for it.
Somehow, and for some reason, I drifted away from praying twice. To be really honest, I know the reason. It was more important for me to hear praise about myself as I pursued a professional career from newsrooms across this nation to the White House.
I should have been giving all the credit and glory to God.
Yet in his mercy, God has allowed me this most generous opportunity to come back home, like the Prodigal Son. This time, I won't let him down, and myself as well.
A different side of homelessness: human and pet
Perhaps my new surroundings have made me more attuned, but I have noticed more of the homeless with pets this holiday season.
Yes, we as a society fret more over the welfare of animals versus humans, even children in foster care.
And yes, we as supposed believers might more respond to a plea for help from a homeless person with a pet than a homeless person without.
If there is a moral to this holiday story, and one for all seasons, perhaps it is that the homeless feel so beaten down and driven out that they'll employ whatever prop necessary to get help.
Or more likely, maybe it is only a pet -- in all its innocence and unconditional acceptance -- that has any love left for these people in society who have found fewer smiles and donations.
That truth is something for Nashville leaders to consider as they continue to crack down on the homeless and a nation that increasingly has no room left in the inn.
Yes, we as a society fret more over the welfare of animals versus humans, even children in foster care.
And yes, we as supposed believers might more respond to a plea for help from a homeless person with a pet than a homeless person without.
If there is a moral to this holiday story, and one for all seasons, perhaps it is that the homeless feel so beaten down and driven out that they'll employ whatever prop necessary to get help.
Or more likely, maybe it is only a pet -- in all its innocence and unconditional acceptance -- that has any love left for these people in society who have found fewer smiles and donations.
That truth is something for Nashville leaders to consider as they continue to crack down on the homeless and a nation that increasingly has no room left in the inn.
Toyota records first loss ever -- underscoring just how bad economic times are going to get
Today's stunning corporate news from Tokyo has left financial markets here reeling in a week when they were expected to drift mindlessly in a narrow range of light trading.
The report from Toyota simply underscores what President-elect Obama has been trying to tell us: things are going to get a lot worse economically here and around the world. And that is going to promote instability, domestically and abroad.
Now what Obama has to decide is if he needs to give away the fiscal bank in an economic stimilus plan that will alleviate some suffering in every American household but not fix an economy now destined for decline through 2010.
And the declining economic situation demands answers from each of us if we want to save our investment portfolios. If you're still in the stock market, you're putting your entire fortune at risk.
Here is what The New York Times reported this afternoon about Toyota:
On Monday, Toyota said it expected an operating loss in its auto operations of 150 billion yen, or $1.7 billion, for the fiscal year ending March 31. That would be the company’s first annual operating loss since 1938, a year after the company was founded, and a huge reversal from the 2.3 trillion yen, or $28 billion, in operating profit earned last year.
Analysts said Toyota’s downward revision, its second in two months, showed that the worst financial crisis since the Depression was threatening not just the Big Three but also even relatively healthy automakers in Japan, South Korea and Europe. Many other companies will also soon be reporting losses.
The report from Toyota simply underscores what President-elect Obama has been trying to tell us: things are going to get a lot worse economically here and around the world. And that is going to promote instability, domestically and abroad.
Now what Obama has to decide is if he needs to give away the fiscal bank in an economic stimilus plan that will alleviate some suffering in every American household but not fix an economy now destined for decline through 2010.
And the declining economic situation demands answers from each of us if we want to save our investment portfolios. If you're still in the stock market, you're putting your entire fortune at risk.
Here is what The New York Times reported this afternoon about Toyota:
On Monday, Toyota said it expected an operating loss in its auto operations of 150 billion yen, or $1.7 billion, for the fiscal year ending March 31. That would be the company’s first annual operating loss since 1938, a year after the company was founded, and a huge reversal from the 2.3 trillion yen, or $28 billion, in operating profit earned last year.
Analysts said Toyota’s downward revision, its second in two months, showed that the worst financial crisis since the Depression was threatening not just the Big Three but also even relatively healthy automakers in Japan, South Korea and Europe. Many other companies will also soon be reporting losses.
New study on diabetic diet makes eating tastier
As a type-2 diabetic, juggling one's diet between desire and demand is difficult.
You take your blood sugar rating four times a day, and try to keep your blood sugar level below a rating of 140. Yet most food we've been raised on contain too many sugars and carbs, diabetes aggravators. So you're always searching for a way to eat right while still trying to keep your diet tasty and satisfying. And you make sure to exercise each day.
New hope as emerged today from The New York Times, which reports that beans and nuts -- two of my favorite foods -- do more to keep your blood sugar down compared to a high-fiber, brown grain approach. This news affects so many people, particularly our children who are getting diabetes in epidemic proportions.
My diabetes came from the steroids I've had to take for three years to keep my body's organs from deteriorating from all the chemo. My doctor says it looks like my diabetes will end when my chemo does. And that, by the grace of God, will be soon.
The New York Times reported:
Beans and nuts are among foods that only modestly increase blood glucose levels; scientists describe these foods as having a low glycemic index. The new study, which lasted six months, is one of the largest and longest to assess the impact of foods with a low-glycemic index, researchers said.
Participants on the low-glycemic diet also saw significant improvements in cholesterol after six months, with increases in HDL, the so-called “good” cholesterol associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, the study found.
“That’s an important issue today, because there’s a double whammy for people who are diabetic," said Dr. David J. A. Jenkins, lead author of the report and a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto. "If they’re men, they have twice the risk of heart disease, and if they’re women, they have four times the risk. If you can hit the heart disease to which they’re particularly vulnerable, you may have something useful."
“Pharmaceuticals used to control Type 2 diabetes have not shown the expected benefits in terms of reducing cardiovascular disease,” he added.
The study was published on Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
You take your blood sugar rating four times a day, and try to keep your blood sugar level below a rating of 140. Yet most food we've been raised on contain too many sugars and carbs, diabetes aggravators. So you're always searching for a way to eat right while still trying to keep your diet tasty and satisfying. And you make sure to exercise each day.
New hope as emerged today from The New York Times, which reports that beans and nuts -- two of my favorite foods -- do more to keep your blood sugar down compared to a high-fiber, brown grain approach. This news affects so many people, particularly our children who are getting diabetes in epidemic proportions.
My diabetes came from the steroids I've had to take for three years to keep my body's organs from deteriorating from all the chemo. My doctor says it looks like my diabetes will end when my chemo does. And that, by the grace of God, will be soon.
The New York Times reported:
Beans and nuts are among foods that only modestly increase blood glucose levels; scientists describe these foods as having a low glycemic index. The new study, which lasted six months, is one of the largest and longest to assess the impact of foods with a low-glycemic index, researchers said.
Participants on the low-glycemic diet also saw significant improvements in cholesterol after six months, with increases in HDL, the so-called “good” cholesterol associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, the study found.
“That’s an important issue today, because there’s a double whammy for people who are diabetic," said Dr. David J. A. Jenkins, lead author of the report and a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto. "If they’re men, they have twice the risk of heart disease, and if they’re women, they have four times the risk. If you can hit the heart disease to which they’re particularly vulnerable, you may have something useful."
“Pharmaceuticals used to control Type 2 diabetes have not shown the expected benefits in terms of reducing cardiovascular disease,” he added.
The study was published on Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The Rise and Fall of The Tennessean: A look inside a once proud place with the help of colleagues
A reader of this blog recently sent in a comment saying that I was not qualified to work for The Tennessean. That was the person's way of responding to my criticism of the once proud institution.
I agree with the comment. According to The Tennessean's woeful standards now, I am not qualified to work there. I could not work to the lower shortcuts demanded by managers and the top editor and publisher. I could not stand working and seeing my colleagues bust their butts and break their hearts in trying to maintain the kind of quality that used to predominate The Tennessean.
They, along with readers, deserve so much better.
Still, I wish The Tennessean well. I hope it succeeds -- not for its bonus-baby executives -- but the hard-working folks there who have families to support and excellence in craft to pursue.
Yet as every media outlet tries to get every bit of information and mostly dirt on any other celebrity, institution or even church, the shoe deserves to be put on the other foot. The Tennessean also is an institution worthy of independent examination for the public good.
A few years ago, Wily Stern of the Nashville Scene did a most thorough examination of the failures at The Tennessean through its leadership. He won an award for his work from the National Press Club.
However, he was wrong in some of his conclusions about where the problem was in leadership at the newspaper. Granted and to his credit, he did try and contact me for an interview to give my opinion. I was, however, denied permission to speak with him. That order was forwarded to me from the top through my immediate editor.
Again, Stern deserves credit, because he even tried to get me to read a copy of his writing before publication for accuracy. We were at the Scene's party for its readers' best competition, in which I was named "favorite columnist". I still treasure that award.
I had to decline Stern's request despite his admirable insistence. He really wanted to get the piece right. And it was no secret that the top editor and I did not see eye to eye on things and had some public and angry exchanges in the newsroom. Meanwhile, the publisher and non-newsroom department heads and I got along really well. We talked often. And we agreed on desperately needed changes at the newspaper.
But that's the past, and I'm most happy to have it behind me. But there is a troubling present that affects not only laid off journalists but readers looking for leadership and relevance from a newspaper in their communities.
That's what this post heralds. Through interviews with colleagues, including a former members of The Tennessean operating committee, and my own personal experiences of more than 10 years from Corporate Gannett to Nashville, I will be providing installments on the whys behind the decline in The Tennessean as a good and informative read, watchdog and a community leader.
I won't be writing out of any anger. God's love cannot abide if you keep anger inside your soul. But I just believe in the people's right to know, even if the media that often cites that right really wants to hide its failures and spin the truth.
At least on this blog, that shameful dodge no longer will be allowed.
Stay tuned for Installment No. 1.
I agree with the comment. According to The Tennessean's woeful standards now, I am not qualified to work there. I could not work to the lower shortcuts demanded by managers and the top editor and publisher. I could not stand working and seeing my colleagues bust their butts and break their hearts in trying to maintain the kind of quality that used to predominate The Tennessean.
They, along with readers, deserve so much better.
Still, I wish The Tennessean well. I hope it succeeds -- not for its bonus-baby executives -- but the hard-working folks there who have families to support and excellence in craft to pursue.
Yet as every media outlet tries to get every bit of information and mostly dirt on any other celebrity, institution or even church, the shoe deserves to be put on the other foot. The Tennessean also is an institution worthy of independent examination for the public good.
A few years ago, Wily Stern of the Nashville Scene did a most thorough examination of the failures at The Tennessean through its leadership. He won an award for his work from the National Press Club.
However, he was wrong in some of his conclusions about where the problem was in leadership at the newspaper. Granted and to his credit, he did try and contact me for an interview to give my opinion. I was, however, denied permission to speak with him. That order was forwarded to me from the top through my immediate editor.
Again, Stern deserves credit, because he even tried to get me to read a copy of his writing before publication for accuracy. We were at the Scene's party for its readers' best competition, in which I was named "favorite columnist". I still treasure that award.
I had to decline Stern's request despite his admirable insistence. He really wanted to get the piece right. And it was no secret that the top editor and I did not see eye to eye on things and had some public and angry exchanges in the newsroom. Meanwhile, the publisher and non-newsroom department heads and I got along really well. We talked often. And we agreed on desperately needed changes at the newspaper.
But that's the past, and I'm most happy to have it behind me. But there is a troubling present that affects not only laid off journalists but readers looking for leadership and relevance from a newspaper in their communities.
That's what this post heralds. Through interviews with colleagues, including a former members of The Tennessean operating committee, and my own personal experiences of more than 10 years from Corporate Gannett to Nashville, I will be providing installments on the whys behind the decline in The Tennessean as a good and informative read, watchdog and a community leader.
I won't be writing out of any anger. God's love cannot abide if you keep anger inside your soul. But I just believe in the people's right to know, even if the media that often cites that right really wants to hide its failures and spin the truth.
At least on this blog, that shameful dodge no longer will be allowed.
Stay tuned for Installment No. 1.
Don't look to market for any direction for rest of 2008; low volume and fear will keep indices mixed
If you're looking for direction from the financial markets to make a decision on whether to stay or get out of mututal funds, individual stocks or whatever, the remainder of the trading year will provide you no answers.
The Dow and other indices will trade narrowly at best, with few dramatic swings we've become used to during 2008. Traders are on holiday break, or just too damned tired to trying to figure out the non-figurable ... at the moment.
For me personally, I'd be out of the market and in cash. Why go through all the stress of timing a bottom or the beginning of a rally? Quit watching CNBC and take a walk or talk to a friend in need.
So take a break the next two weeks. But get ready for a dramatic renewal of the rat races among a lot of Wall Streets rats when it comes to where to put your money.
Next year is going to be the worst economic one in memory, and the market will reflect it. Get out the antacids if you decide to place your fortunes on Wall Street.
The Dow and other indices will trade narrowly at best, with few dramatic swings we've become used to during 2008. Traders are on holiday break, or just too damned tired to trying to figure out the non-figurable ... at the moment.
For me personally, I'd be out of the market and in cash. Why go through all the stress of timing a bottom or the beginning of a rally? Quit watching CNBC and take a walk or talk to a friend in need.
So take a break the next two weeks. But get ready for a dramatic renewal of the rat races among a lot of Wall Streets rats when it comes to where to put your money.
Next year is going to be the worst economic one in memory, and the market will reflect it. Get out the antacids if you decide to place your fortunes on Wall Street.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Tennessean's editor still thinks readers are stupid
I don't fully read the Sunday columns written by Tennessean editor Mark Silverman, because I hate to see readers I learned to love during my 10 years as a columnist treated with such disrespect.
Today, Silverman tried to convince readers that there is no connection between the editorial board and the news decisions made in the newspaper.
Yet consider that Silverman sits on the editorial board and makes all the decisions in the news meeting. It would be as if executives of the Big 3 automakers testified to Congress asking for bailout then were allowed to vote on it.
I've lost count of the number of Tennesseans, including former members of The Tennessean operating committee, who know better. For years, current editorial board page Dwight Lewis served on the editorial board, served as a news editor and helped make news page decisions and finally wrote his own opinion column.
During one of the few unfortunate times I had to meet Silverman face to face, he noted to me that Lewis wrote two columns a week and performed other functions for the newspaper. Lewis had to serve as an editor because The Tennessean has had trouble keeping black journalists.
So don't believe Silverman. You know better. And you should let him know that you do.
Today, Silverman tried to convince readers that there is no connection between the editorial board and the news decisions made in the newspaper.
Yet consider that Silverman sits on the editorial board and makes all the decisions in the news meeting. It would be as if executives of the Big 3 automakers testified to Congress asking for bailout then were allowed to vote on it.
I've lost count of the number of Tennesseans, including former members of The Tennessean operating committee, who know better. For years, current editorial board page Dwight Lewis served on the editorial board, served as a news editor and helped make news page decisions and finally wrote his own opinion column.
During one of the few unfortunate times I had to meet Silverman face to face, he noted to me that Lewis wrote two columns a week and performed other functions for the newspaper. Lewis had to serve as an editor because The Tennessean has had trouble keeping black journalists.
So don't believe Silverman. You know better. And you should let him know that you do.
Nashville inaugural ball press conference set Friday for historic event no one will forget
Organizers and primary participants in the Nashville inaugural ball for President Barack Obama will hold a press conference at 1 p.m., Friday at the Maxwell House Hotel to speak about this unprecedented gathering of Tennesseans across political, racial, ethnic and income lines.
My mentor and organizer, the Rev. Enoch Fuzz, will lead the press conference that will include three of the four primary event hosts and many of the 44 ceremonial hosts including myself.
Fuzz is noted for building coalitions of the willing in Nashville and across Tennessee is his role as a courageous religious and community leader. But the ball will be his most profound and largest event yet, with hopes of using it as a springboard to address issues long overlooked in Nashville.
The key is bringing different people together to find common ground. And there is more common ground than we'd ever believe, particularly as this nation endures a horrible economy and families see destruction at their doorsteps.
The press conference also will provide information on how to buy tickets to the ball and be part of this historic event.
My mentor and organizer, the Rev. Enoch Fuzz, will lead the press conference that will include three of the four primary event hosts and many of the 44 ceremonial hosts including myself.
Fuzz is noted for building coalitions of the willing in Nashville and across Tennessee is his role as a courageous religious and community leader. But the ball will be his most profound and largest event yet, with hopes of using it as a springboard to address issues long overlooked in Nashville.
The key is bringing different people together to find common ground. And there is more common ground than we'd ever believe, particularly as this nation endures a horrible economy and families see destruction at their doorsteps.
The press conference also will provide information on how to buy tickets to the ball and be part of this historic event.
Titans produce a product that no one will deny
I've never been to a Titans game due to the virtual robbery of public dollars in making the deal to bring the NFL team here and the even more spending that will be required to keep the team here.
Still, I've loved the NFL since being a child. A worshipped the Dallas Cowboys. As an adult, I got into fantasy football. The only NFL game I've attended was in the old Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, watching Dan Marino throw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Mark Clayton.
But today, I made it a point to take in the magic of the big business that is the NFL by walking to LP Field against the flow of 67,000 people -- after the Titans had finished demolishing the Steelers 31-14 on a very crisp Sunday before Christmas.
First, all the Steeler fans who descended on Nashville were very complimentary of Music City. Second, Titans' fans even in victory were most gracious. Class act, indeed. And they are smart football fans, too. They know the Steelers may well be back here for the AFC Championship game.
Closer to the stadium and in the parking lot, the stream of humanity had been reduced to puddles of people cooking from the back of their vehicles, or what's called tailgating. They were enjoying the moment in a festival atmosphere. And Steeler and Titan fans mingled and hoisted a cold one to another. Gee, if the UN could operate as effectively.
By 3:50 p.m., the crowd had thinned out enough around the stadium for a homeless man to feel safe enough to look through the trash receptacles on the north side of LP Field for aluminum cans. I looked at him, and he flinched. So I immediately shifted my eyes another direction so he could resume his act of survival.
By 4 p.m., city workers were pulling up the metal rails separating the four lanes on one bridge for fans to walk to and from the game.
By 4:05 p.m. on the downtown side of the Cumberland River, police and a few of us thought we had just witnessed a hit and run. A fan had fallen to the street, leaving a bleeding gash on the side of his head and a set of broken glasses. A group of us quickly surrounded him and the police came over. He was all right and walked away. I followed at a distance to make sure he still was all right.
Truly, the NFL puts on a great show. And Jeff Fisher puts a great team on the field every year, despite his handicap of a cheap owner. The Steeler fans have the advantage of being loyal to the classiest team in the league. The Rooney family truly is loyal to their city and its progress.
The same cannot be claimed about Titans's owner Bud Adams. He'll soon be demanding $170 million in contractural improvements to an aging LP Field. NFL owners always ask for more money when their teams have posted sensational seasons. The Titans have had a great one.
But it's obvious the buyers of this product are most satisfied. You can't say that about much anymore in America -- from newspapers to stock portfolios to automobiles. So go ahead and ask for the money now, Bud. You'll get it, no matter how many schoolchildren and neighborhoods must suffer.
The NFL is just too exciting to be denied.
Still, I've loved the NFL since being a child. A worshipped the Dallas Cowboys. As an adult, I got into fantasy football. The only NFL game I've attended was in the old Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, watching Dan Marino throw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Mark Clayton.
But today, I made it a point to take in the magic of the big business that is the NFL by walking to LP Field against the flow of 67,000 people -- after the Titans had finished demolishing the Steelers 31-14 on a very crisp Sunday before Christmas.
First, all the Steeler fans who descended on Nashville were very complimentary of Music City. Second, Titans' fans even in victory were most gracious. Class act, indeed. And they are smart football fans, too. They know the Steelers may well be back here for the AFC Championship game.
Closer to the stadium and in the parking lot, the stream of humanity had been reduced to puddles of people cooking from the back of their vehicles, or what's called tailgating. They were enjoying the moment in a festival atmosphere. And Steeler and Titan fans mingled and hoisted a cold one to another. Gee, if the UN could operate as effectively.
By 3:50 p.m., the crowd had thinned out enough around the stadium for a homeless man to feel safe enough to look through the trash receptacles on the north side of LP Field for aluminum cans. I looked at him, and he flinched. So I immediately shifted my eyes another direction so he could resume his act of survival.
By 4 p.m., city workers were pulling up the metal rails separating the four lanes on one bridge for fans to walk to and from the game.
By 4:05 p.m. on the downtown side of the Cumberland River, police and a few of us thought we had just witnessed a hit and run. A fan had fallen to the street, leaving a bleeding gash on the side of his head and a set of broken glasses. A group of us quickly surrounded him and the police came over. He was all right and walked away. I followed at a distance to make sure he still was all right.
Truly, the NFL puts on a great show. And Jeff Fisher puts a great team on the field every year, despite his handicap of a cheap owner. The Steeler fans have the advantage of being loyal to the classiest team in the league. The Rooney family truly is loyal to their city and its progress.
The same cannot be claimed about Titans's owner Bud Adams. He'll soon be demanding $170 million in contractural improvements to an aging LP Field. NFL owners always ask for more money when their teams have posted sensational seasons. The Titans have had a great one.
But it's obvious the buyers of this product are most satisfied. You can't say that about much anymore in America -- from newspapers to stock portfolios to automobiles. So go ahead and ask for the money now, Bud. You'll get it, no matter how many schoolchildren and neighborhoods must suffer.
The NFL is just too exciting to be denied.
Romantic love at Christmas can hurt but still hope
Yes, the story of Christmas is about love -- how God so loved the world that He gave it his only son, that whoever would believe in Him, would have eternal life.
Christmas, however, also stirs feelings of tbe deep, romantic kind, and songs like Karen Carpenter's "Merry Christmas Darling" can leave the heart and eyes weeping.
But a friend of mine from New York recently reminded me, "always hope" when it comes to love. And so I do. And the movie, "Love Actually", is a testament to that truth. It is a British production revolving around a series of relationships and life's cruelties and rewards.
The cast os headed by Hugh Grant, a single prime minister of England who finds himself falling from a commoner, a woman from the "dodgy" side of London. There is the widower who just lost the love of his life and now he must guide his stepson through his first love at the age of 10. There is the threat of infidelity in a 14-year marriage, and unrequited love.
My favorite relationship is that between a British writer Jamie and his housekeeper, Arelia. They cannot communicate, since he only speak English and she Portuguese. Yet somehow, the universal language of love triumphs.
In your loneliness during this season, you can turn off the radio and avoid the songs of the late great Karen Carpenter. Or you can instead reach out to embrace the world and all its possibilities. And hope.
Christmas, however, also stirs feelings of tbe deep, romantic kind, and songs like Karen Carpenter's "Merry Christmas Darling" can leave the heart and eyes weeping.
But a friend of mine from New York recently reminded me, "always hope" when it comes to love. And so I do. And the movie, "Love Actually", is a testament to that truth. It is a British production revolving around a series of relationships and life's cruelties and rewards.
The cast os headed by Hugh Grant, a single prime minister of England who finds himself falling from a commoner, a woman from the "dodgy" side of London. There is the widower who just lost the love of his life and now he must guide his stepson through his first love at the age of 10. There is the threat of infidelity in a 14-year marriage, and unrequited love.
My favorite relationship is that between a British writer Jamie and his housekeeper, Arelia. They cannot communicate, since he only speak English and she Portuguese. Yet somehow, the universal language of love triumphs.
In your loneliness during this season, you can turn off the radio and avoid the songs of the late great Karen Carpenter. Or you can instead reach out to embrace the world and all its possibilities. And hope.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
A child's surprising gift to Jesus, and one woman and her faith on a cold, dark morning in Nashville
The woman, whom I learned later was 81 years of age, groaned as she brought her luggage carrier containing all her life's possessions to a stop at a bus stop bench at the corner of Monroe and Rosa L. Parks in a most impoverished part of Nashville.
It was 6 in the morning, a cold one and still dark. But the lady stood there fearlessly, as if she owned the corner. Then she did something very strange. She produced a large plastic bag and started picking up all beer and liquor bottles that littered the area. along with fast food wrappers and other things people thought were proper for a makeshift landfill of human disregard for right and wrong.
Yet the woman continued without asking me or anyone else for help. It was her responsibility, to a community she once knew and prayed would return to once people again learned to care.
I came out of the Kroger's and started to the corner where the bus stop stood. But the lady had already dragged the bag weighing more than 30 pounds partly toward the trash receptacles at the store. So as I carried it the rest of the way, this mysterious lady treated me to the folllowing story of her faith and resilence when most people would have given up and cowered in fear:
"What is Christmas," the very young girl asked her all-knowing mother.
"It's Jesus birthday, mom replied.
"So we need to get him some presents," the little girl said as she gazed at the living room Christmas tree.
A few minutes later, she emerged with a box poorly wrapped. And the little girl put the package under the tree.
Mom was intrigued. So as if she was the child instead of the mother, she tried to peak through gaps in the wrapping to see what her daughter could have possibly selected for Jesus.
Finally, she opened the package. And the box was empty.
She asked her daughter "where is the present?"
"It's there," the little girl said. "It's love."
Yes, indeed. Love. The meaning of this season and all those after.
Another woman with me who had also exited the Kroger's kept reminding the 81-year-old to be careful, in this world and community that no longer was the way it should be.
She answered with an unmistakable statement of faith: "I pray. I pray all the time. God is with me."
Indeed. Emmanuel ... God is with us.
How have we forgotten amid our rush to buy presents and secure the surface things of joy?
This 81-year-old lady had not. And no longer will I.
It was 6 in the morning, a cold one and still dark. But the lady stood there fearlessly, as if she owned the corner. Then she did something very strange. She produced a large plastic bag and started picking up all beer and liquor bottles that littered the area. along with fast food wrappers and other things people thought were proper for a makeshift landfill of human disregard for right and wrong.
Yet the woman continued without asking me or anyone else for help. It was her responsibility, to a community she once knew and prayed would return to once people again learned to care.
I came out of the Kroger's and started to the corner where the bus stop stood. But the lady had already dragged the bag weighing more than 30 pounds partly toward the trash receptacles at the store. So as I carried it the rest of the way, this mysterious lady treated me to the folllowing story of her faith and resilence when most people would have given up and cowered in fear:
"What is Christmas," the very young girl asked her all-knowing mother.
"It's Jesus birthday, mom replied.
"So we need to get him some presents," the little girl said as she gazed at the living room Christmas tree.
A few minutes later, she emerged with a box poorly wrapped. And the little girl put the package under the tree.
Mom was intrigued. So as if she was the child instead of the mother, she tried to peak through gaps in the wrapping to see what her daughter could have possibly selected for Jesus.
Finally, she opened the package. And the box was empty.
She asked her daughter "where is the present?"
"It's there," the little girl said. "It's love."
Yes, indeed. Love. The meaning of this season and all those after.
Another woman with me who had also exited the Kroger's kept reminding the 81-year-old to be careful, in this world and community that no longer was the way it should be.
She answered with an unmistakable statement of faith: "I pray. I pray all the time. God is with me."
Indeed. Emmanuel ... God is with us.
How have we forgotten amid our rush to buy presents and secure the surface things of joy?
This 81-year-old lady had not. And no longer will I.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Waiting on a brave, new world of journalism
Talk and speculation continues to spread about the unveiling of a brave, new journalism presence in Nasvhille.
Such an electronic, print effort would be of a great public service, and hopefully profitable. Just because The Tennessean couldn't pull it off means nothing. It just didn't have the quality of product.
Most certainly, there are enough former Tennessean newsroom folks to fill three staffs of a brave, new venture. And they'd work free lance, so no benefits needed.
I can only encourage the principals in this venture the very best and good fortune. And I hope the same for Nashville readers, who also deserve their luck to change with the local print news media.
Give me a call. I can help in more ways than you'd ever imagine, professionally and financially.
Such an electronic, print effort would be of a great public service, and hopefully profitable. Just because The Tennessean couldn't pull it off means nothing. It just didn't have the quality of product.
Most certainly, there are enough former Tennessean newsroom folks to fill three staffs of a brave, new venture. And they'd work free lance, so no benefits needed.
I can only encourage the principals in this venture the very best and good fortune. And I hope the same for Nashville readers, who also deserve their luck to change with the local print news media.
Give me a call. I can help in more ways than you'd ever imagine, professionally and financially.
UAW can't have it both ways on bailout; a lot of laid off workers would have loved reduced wages
I really respect the hell out of the UAW and most every other organized labor group representing hard-working Americans. The gains all of us have realized like a 40-hour work week to benefits from health care to sick leave are due to union member getting their heads bashed in on picket lines and even losing their lives.
Give organized labor the respect it deserves.
But keeping its members employed should be the priority. And while I hate President Bush for even getting involved in the damn bailout in the first place, something must be done about wages with the Big 3 automakers that make them uncompetitive. And lets kick out the current executives while we're at it, no matter of they're only working for a buck.
I hope the UAW will use the time between now to President Obama's ascendancy to consider a counter offer on reduced wages. Don't give in to everything. But please realize that the American public is mostly against a bailout. And I know a lot of former journalists, including myself, who would have loved to have been given an offer of reduced wages to stay on the job.
Fight when necessary. But please realize that the war will be lost without some significant wage concessions.
Give organized labor the respect it deserves.
But keeping its members employed should be the priority. And while I hate President Bush for even getting involved in the damn bailout in the first place, something must be done about wages with the Big 3 automakers that make them uncompetitive. And lets kick out the current executives while we're at it, no matter of they're only working for a buck.
I hope the UAW will use the time between now to President Obama's ascendancy to consider a counter offer on reduced wages. Don't give in to everything. But please realize that the American public is mostly against a bailout. And I know a lot of former journalists, including myself, who would have loved to have been given an offer of reduced wages to stay on the job.
Fight when necessary. But please realize that the war will be lost without some significant wage concessions.
Nashville inaugural ball continues to grow in clout; press conference will be held next Tuesday
Momentum continues to behind a Nashville inaugural ball and celebration -- dedicated to diversity of race, politics, ideoology and commmunty -- scheduled for the same day President Barack Obama's swearing into office.
As announced yesterday, Nashville religious leader the Reverend Dr. Charles McGowan, president of the Operation Andrew Group and retired pastor of the Belle Meade area, Christ Presbyterian Church, will serve as one of four primary hosts of the event.
Dr. McGowan is one of the most prominent clergy in Middle Tennessee. He also brings the clout of the Belle Meade section of Nashville, home to former Vice President Al Gore and other Tennesseans of distinguished accomplishment.
Dr. McGowan will be joined in primary host duties by Nashville business leader Ms. Carol Jenkins who served on President Bush's Small Business Advisory Council, superstar Country artist and grammy winner Sharon White-Skaggs and the Rev. Fuzz, pastor of Corinthian Baptist Church and my mentor.
"Nashville is about to experience a truly unique and historic American evening in more ways than anyone anticipated," Fuzz said.
A press conferene about the event will be held Tuesday.
As announced yesterday, Nashville religious leader the Reverend Dr. Charles McGowan, president of the Operation Andrew Group and retired pastor of the Belle Meade area, Christ Presbyterian Church, will serve as one of four primary hosts of the event.
Dr. McGowan is one of the most prominent clergy in Middle Tennessee. He also brings the clout of the Belle Meade section of Nashville, home to former Vice President Al Gore and other Tennesseans of distinguished accomplishment.
Dr. McGowan will be joined in primary host duties by Nashville business leader Ms. Carol Jenkins who served on President Bush's Small Business Advisory Council, superstar Country artist and grammy winner Sharon White-Skaggs and the Rev. Fuzz, pastor of Corinthian Baptist Church and my mentor.
"Nashville is about to experience a truly unique and historic American evening in more ways than anyone anticipated," Fuzz said.
A press conferene about the event will be held Tuesday.
Dressing to your age and magnificence of weather; can a man 50 get away with muscle shirt?
None of us expected it less than a week before Christmas.
But the weather got warmer in Nashville today, unseasonably so, surging into the low '70s and leaving most workers straggling back to the job from lunch much overdressed and unimpressed that the rest of the day would be spent inside.
I was lucky. I had no such job to hurry to. But still had one major problem: how to dress.
No, my mother did show me how to put on the left sock first, then the right and so on with the pants and sleeves on the shirt. Somehow, the underwear already was on.
I'm writing about the following cultural and social question:
What does a 50-year-old man put on in terms of recreational attire to walk and run. And what if the 50-year-old man doesn't look close to 50. He has a head-full of hair. Most of all, he is very physically fit and 100 pounds less than three years ago. He doesn't go to buffets or like fried foods. His intake of bread is limited to a flour tortilla now and then. He loves a lot of fruit and vegetables.
Then there's this big problem: I don't know a thing about fashion. So when I go into the clothing section of a store, I feel so out of place, like an honest man on Wall Street.
This morning. I needed undershirts to put under my dress shirts for my suits that I wear out in the community to make a difference. But in front of me in the store were two different sets of undershirts. One was the traditional T. The other was the kind Michael Jordan markets; it clings to the upper body like a basketball jersey or a muscle shirt.
Now three years ago, there would not have been a choice. I was too fat. But since then, I've maintained a very low body weight -- not only to survive but because it makes me feel better. As I like to sell people, the South Beach Diet may work well but it doesn't compare to the Chemo Diet. And there's only one drawback to it; it can kill you.
Yet today, I was alive, and gloriously so amid a magnficient day. Yet even though I made the choice between the two different styles of undershirts, I still was faced with the dilemma of how to address for run and walk. I got out the shorts, the socks and then ... the shirt. It was the Michael Jordan shirt, and I had to admit that I did not look half bad in it.
I've had a muscular upper body since I was lifting weights for high school football one spring and also taking steroids to address inflammation in the nsasal passages from allergies. Who knew back then that steriods produced big upper bodies?
But like I wrote, it didn't matter until I got leuekmia three years ago then shed what amounted to an entire 'nother person from my body.
With the muscle shirt on, I have to admit I felt a hooker on Dickerson Aveneue or SNL's famous "Fred Garvin, male prostitute".
"This is too much skin," I scolded myself. "What if people start upchucking their lunches?"
A group of kids getting out of school early for the Christmas break whistled at me. But they'll shout at anything for attention. Me, too.
I felt like a Viagara commercial. I don't take it, nor have I had the occasion to use it for quite a long time. So I don't have the warning about an erection lasting 36 hours tatooed on my crotch; it's lithographed. Seriously, if I had an erection lasting 36 hours, I wouldn't call a doctor. I'd call the local, high-priced restaurant to serve as a coat stand. Money is money, particularly in a depressed economy.
Everyone around me was in sweaters and coats. And there was me, Mr. Flesh, frololicking in the fresh air. But I perserved. No one threw up their lunches. The police did not arrest me for indency.
Actually, the air felt great on more exposed skin. And vigor pulsing through my veins and mind made me feel so young.
Will I continue to wear the athletic/muscle tank top in public? Probably not. Still, it was good to try it once and find yourself looking as if you loved life and life loved you.
But the weather got warmer in Nashville today, unseasonably so, surging into the low '70s and leaving most workers straggling back to the job from lunch much overdressed and unimpressed that the rest of the day would be spent inside.
I was lucky. I had no such job to hurry to. But still had one major problem: how to dress.
No, my mother did show me how to put on the left sock first, then the right and so on with the pants and sleeves on the shirt. Somehow, the underwear already was on.
I'm writing about the following cultural and social question:
What does a 50-year-old man put on in terms of recreational attire to walk and run. And what if the 50-year-old man doesn't look close to 50. He has a head-full of hair. Most of all, he is very physically fit and 100 pounds less than three years ago. He doesn't go to buffets or like fried foods. His intake of bread is limited to a flour tortilla now and then. He loves a lot of fruit and vegetables.
Then there's this big problem: I don't know a thing about fashion. So when I go into the clothing section of a store, I feel so out of place, like an honest man on Wall Street.
This morning. I needed undershirts to put under my dress shirts for my suits that I wear out in the community to make a difference. But in front of me in the store were two different sets of undershirts. One was the traditional T. The other was the kind Michael Jordan markets; it clings to the upper body like a basketball jersey or a muscle shirt.
Now three years ago, there would not have been a choice. I was too fat. But since then, I've maintained a very low body weight -- not only to survive but because it makes me feel better. As I like to sell people, the South Beach Diet may work well but it doesn't compare to the Chemo Diet. And there's only one drawback to it; it can kill you.
Yet today, I was alive, and gloriously so amid a magnficient day. Yet even though I made the choice between the two different styles of undershirts, I still was faced with the dilemma of how to address for run and walk. I got out the shorts, the socks and then ... the shirt. It was the Michael Jordan shirt, and I had to admit that I did not look half bad in it.
I've had a muscular upper body since I was lifting weights for high school football one spring and also taking steroids to address inflammation in the nsasal passages from allergies. Who knew back then that steriods produced big upper bodies?
But like I wrote, it didn't matter until I got leuekmia three years ago then shed what amounted to an entire 'nother person from my body.
With the muscle shirt on, I have to admit I felt a hooker on Dickerson Aveneue or SNL's famous "Fred Garvin, male prostitute".
"This is too much skin," I scolded myself. "What if people start upchucking their lunches?"
A group of kids getting out of school early for the Christmas break whistled at me. But they'll shout at anything for attention. Me, too.
I felt like a Viagara commercial. I don't take it, nor have I had the occasion to use it for quite a long time. So I don't have the warning about an erection lasting 36 hours tatooed on my crotch; it's lithographed. Seriously, if I had an erection lasting 36 hours, I wouldn't call a doctor. I'd call the local, high-priced restaurant to serve as a coat stand. Money is money, particularly in a depressed economy.
Everyone around me was in sweaters and coats. And there was me, Mr. Flesh, frololicking in the fresh air. But I perserved. No one threw up their lunches. The police did not arrest me for indency.
Actually, the air felt great on more exposed skin. And vigor pulsing through my veins and mind made me feel so young.
Will I continue to wear the athletic/muscle tank top in public? Probably not. Still, it was good to try it once and find yourself looking as if you loved life and life loved you.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
'We few, we happy few' grew to too many at gathering of former Tennessean journalists
These words from Shakespeare's Henvy V came to heart and mind this evening in a gathering near West End for former Tennssean newsroom employees who have been forced from or chose to leave their profession of passion and purpose.
Their presence in such large numbers provided proof to the incredible brain drain of talent and experience that has gripped the newspaper in just a few years.
They knew Nashville before it major league; it was just a major force in entertaining a nation with music and maintaining a safe place to raise families.
They knew Nashville before all the outsiders came in to plunder her plenty with their big deals; it already was the Athens of the South, a place where mind mattered over matter and material possession first.
The list could go on. And you don't have to be a journalist to appreciate how the inexplicability of this situation has been re-summoned in workplaces across Tennessee and the country. The hurt, though well covered, still is there.
The hugs and toasting of glasses this evening were testament to all that has been lost, not only to good journalism in Nashville but readers who depended on our craft pursued along lines of excellence.
O, how the few, the happy few, became too many.
Their presence in such large numbers provided proof to the incredible brain drain of talent and experience that has gripped the newspaper in just a few years.
They knew Nashville before it major league; it was just a major force in entertaining a nation with music and maintaining a safe place to raise families.
They knew Nashville before all the outsiders came in to plunder her plenty with their big deals; it already was the Athens of the South, a place where mind mattered over matter and material possession first.
The list could go on. And you don't have to be a journalist to appreciate how the inexplicability of this situation has been re-summoned in workplaces across Tennessee and the country. The hurt, though well covered, still is there.
The hugs and toasting of glasses this evening were testament to all that has been lost, not only to good journalism in Nashville but readers who depended on our craft pursued along lines of excellence.
O, how the few, the happy few, became too many.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
'As long as we have we'
I was getting my moptop hair cut this morning at Fantastic Sam's by a nice lady and mother of three from Fairview.
It is a small, out of place community in the largely affuent Williamson County(TN), prominently inhabited by country music stars, pro football and hockey athletes and big-bonus sales people and corporate executives.
Still, even here as in other parts of the country, Christmas is going to be tight this year, more uncomfortable than in memory.
How many presents do you buy your children when not as many consumers are buying goods from your employer; or your salary and hours have been cut; or you're going to lose your job?
Where do you put presents when there is no house to put a tree in? Home foreclosures continue to skyrocket.
So this Christmas season has not been one of great joy for many American and Tennessee adults who happen to be parents of children with lots of wishes for Santa. And these worries will not be resolved with an extra job or a goose that lays the Golden egg from the local msll pet store.
The defining characteristic of Christmas 2008 will be attitude, and how we Americans as families choose to celebrate that union more than what's under or not under the tree.
"This could be the closest Christmas of all," the stylist said as she wreslted with my cow lick. "We'll find out what really matters."
Yes, what matters is each other, magnificently displayed in Dr. Suess's How the Gringh Stole Christmas. Remember, there will always be a reason to celebrate "as long as we have we".
It is a small, out of place community in the largely affuent Williamson County(TN), prominently inhabited by country music stars, pro football and hockey athletes and big-bonus sales people and corporate executives.
Still, even here as in other parts of the country, Christmas is going to be tight this year, more uncomfortable than in memory.
How many presents do you buy your children when not as many consumers are buying goods from your employer; or your salary and hours have been cut; or you're going to lose your job?
Where do you put presents when there is no house to put a tree in? Home foreclosures continue to skyrocket.
So this Christmas season has not been one of great joy for many American and Tennessee adults who happen to be parents of children with lots of wishes for Santa. And these worries will not be resolved with an extra job or a goose that lays the Golden egg from the local msll pet store.
The defining characteristic of Christmas 2008 will be attitude, and how we Americans as families choose to celebrate that union more than what's under or not under the tree.
"This could be the closest Christmas of all," the stylist said as she wreslted with my cow lick. "We'll find out what really matters."
Yes, what matters is each other, magnificently displayed in Dr. Suess's How the Gringh Stole Christmas. Remember, there will always be a reason to celebrate "as long as we have we".
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
A world turned upside down ... value of trusts at Yale and Harvard drop mega billions of dollars over past several months ... but I'm ahead
I could not believe my eyes in reading tonight's New York Times' story that Yale University has lost 25% of its massive endowment fund the past four months. Harvard has lost 22%.
These places are supposed to be center of American intelligentsia, our future leaders. Yet they've allowed themselves to be taken financially, probably by many of their own graduates now working on Wall Street.
Yet back here in Nashville inside a studio apartment -- and without an active professional title to my name -- and my less formidable investments are up for the year. So go figure. Who have these men and women of Yale and Harvard -- with heavy dinner party schedules and themselves to impress -- been listening to concerning investing?
Dave Ramsey?
Experts for The NYTIMES say the losses are not set in stone, meaning they could get worse. And officials now are talking about budget cuts.
Here is an excerpt of what The Times reported: " ... the value of Yale’s marketable securities alone had declined 13.4 percent for the first four months of the university’s fiscal year, ending in October, and that it had since fallen further. Taking into account such illiquid assets as real estate and private equity ... the endowment, which is led by David Swensen, was down 25 percent, and the school is now anticipating it will be down that much for its full fiscal year.
Earlier this month, Harvard University said its $36.9 billion endowment had lost 22 percent of its value during the four months ending on Oct. 31 and that it expected the total decline for the full fiscal year to be as much as 30 percent.
Now I don't bring up my good fortune financially compared to them to brag on myself ... well, maybe just a little. I write about it to prove to you out there that you are smart enough to invest your own money, without stockbrokers or nosy family members.
I thought independent financial advisers were the people to listen to. But the guy I hired after a free dinner gave me so much bad financial advice, that I had to fire him. Sadly for him, however, is that he took his own advice, too, admitting to his own portfolio losses of more than 20 percent.
He insisted the Dow would never fall below 10,000, which I told him he was dead wrong about and turned down any of his advice tied to that uninformed contention. I got out above 12,000.
Most of all, I told him growth mutual funds were sucker bets, created to just make up front fees for the investment bureaucracy.
Still, this financial adviser couldn't quit selling. He wanted me to get into commercial property investment, or what are called REITS. I turned him down on that, too. 60 Minutes last Sunday said such holdings are preparing to tank along with this nation's nearly $5 trillion in personal credit card debt.
Firing him was one of the best financial decisions I've ever made, next to prospering with 100 percent investment in Gannett stock during the 2001 market downturn. Now I wouldn't touch that virus of a stock and company, despite its high dividend.
Believe it or not, but most of us are the smart enough to invest correctly -- but without greed. You must do as I have, however: watch CNBC from 5 in the morning to 8 at night. Listen to the analysts and bigwigs over months and months, with the exception of CNBC entertainers Jim Cramer and Larry Kudlow, and see who continues to be right in the market's performance.
Don't let the need for greed take you over. Take your losses if you believe the market will further decline from now through 2009. Reinvest lower after more poor souls lose money.
Then realize that the only person who can best invest your money is you, educated on what is going on and not overtaken by greed. It ultimately makes poor people of us all.
These places are supposed to be center of American intelligentsia, our future leaders. Yet they've allowed themselves to be taken financially, probably by many of their own graduates now working on Wall Street.
Yet back here in Nashville inside a studio apartment -- and without an active professional title to my name -- and my less formidable investments are up for the year. So go figure. Who have these men and women of Yale and Harvard -- with heavy dinner party schedules and themselves to impress -- been listening to concerning investing?
Dave Ramsey?
Experts for The NYTIMES say the losses are not set in stone, meaning they could get worse. And officials now are talking about budget cuts.
Here is an excerpt of what The Times reported: " ... the value of Yale’s marketable securities alone had declined 13.4 percent for the first four months of the university’s fiscal year, ending in October, and that it had since fallen further. Taking into account such illiquid assets as real estate and private equity ... the endowment, which is led by David Swensen, was down 25 percent, and the school is now anticipating it will be down that much for its full fiscal year.
Earlier this month, Harvard University said its $36.9 billion endowment had lost 22 percent of its value during the four months ending on Oct. 31 and that it expected the total decline for the full fiscal year to be as much as 30 percent.
Now I don't bring up my good fortune financially compared to them to brag on myself ... well, maybe just a little. I write about it to prove to you out there that you are smart enough to invest your own money, without stockbrokers or nosy family members.
I thought independent financial advisers were the people to listen to. But the guy I hired after a free dinner gave me so much bad financial advice, that I had to fire him. Sadly for him, however, is that he took his own advice, too, admitting to his own portfolio losses of more than 20 percent.
He insisted the Dow would never fall below 10,000, which I told him he was dead wrong about and turned down any of his advice tied to that uninformed contention. I got out above 12,000.
Most of all, I told him growth mutual funds were sucker bets, created to just make up front fees for the investment bureaucracy.
Still, this financial adviser couldn't quit selling. He wanted me to get into commercial property investment, or what are called REITS. I turned him down on that, too. 60 Minutes last Sunday said such holdings are preparing to tank along with this nation's nearly $5 trillion in personal credit card debt.
Firing him was one of the best financial decisions I've ever made, next to prospering with 100 percent investment in Gannett stock during the 2001 market downturn. Now I wouldn't touch that virus of a stock and company, despite its high dividend.
Believe it or not, but most of us are the smart enough to invest correctly -- but without greed. You must do as I have, however: watch CNBC from 5 in the morning to 8 at night. Listen to the analysts and bigwigs over months and months, with the exception of CNBC entertainers Jim Cramer and Larry Kudlow, and see who continues to be right in the market's performance.
Don't let the need for greed take you over. Take your losses if you believe the market will further decline from now through 2009. Reinvest lower after more poor souls lose money.
Then realize that the only person who can best invest your money is you, educated on what is going on and not overtaken by greed. It ultimately makes poor people of us all.
Nashville church begins $100,000 economic stimulus program to families with home mortgages
Not content to wait on Washington D.C., a Nashville church is planning to issue economic stimulus checks to struggling families trying to still afford their home mortgages, children's clothing and groceries amid the demanding holiday season.
One in 10 American homes are behind in mortgage payments, a record since such numbers were first kept in 1979.
The local church wants to stay unidentified to allow the program to work out its kinks. The scope of the program will be worth more than $100,000. But the program and the leadership behind it obviously is geared to what is happening in households around Middle Tennessee -- and why churches should be involved in such heroics.
A new study shows more Americans are going to church as times getting harder. So adversity can be a great teacher. Charity to our brothers and sisters in the pews with us can put that teaching into important action.
It has been said that charity should begin at home. If your place of worship does not feel like home, then you need to find another place to worship -- to help each other in the toughest of times.
One in 10 American homes are behind in mortgage payments, a record since such numbers were first kept in 1979.
The local church wants to stay unidentified to allow the program to work out its kinks. The scope of the program will be worth more than $100,000. But the program and the leadership behind it obviously is geared to what is happening in households around Middle Tennessee -- and why churches should be involved in such heroics.
A new study shows more Americans are going to church as times getting harder. So adversity can be a great teacher. Charity to our brothers and sisters in the pews with us can put that teaching into important action.
It has been said that charity should begin at home. If your place of worship does not feel like home, then you need to find another place to worship -- to help each other in the toughest of times.
Why do Democrats hate cats so much?
(Publisher's note: the following blog post is a continuing feature that provides the kind of change that President-elect Barack Obama has only promised. "Political Mijo"(Mee-Ho -- Spanish for "dear one") is penned by an actual cat, who has his claws hooked into political TV 24/7. Through letters from readers including other felines, he offers his writing to promote needed diversity to national news media coverage and opinion.)
Dear Political Mijo,
I saw on the TV yesterday that the Bidens have purchased a stinky, whining and carpet-pooping German Shepherd puppy for their vice-presidential household. While I can't blame VP Biden for needing a friend since Sen. Clinton will be taking the lead on foreign policy as secretary of state(he'll just go to funerals, the first being for his own political usefulness), a Chia pet would have been more appropriate for him considering his hair plug history.
With Obama picking a puppy for his girls in the White House, cats have been shut out of this administration of change. What in the hell do Democrats have against cats?
Signed,
Litter-Box Livid
Dear Liver-Box Livid,
Boy, are you pissed! And rightly so. This continuing bigotry against cats in the halls of power has left me so depressed that I'm going to have to go out and splurge shop on cat toys.
I have nothing against German Shepherds. Shepherd's Pie with big chunks of barkingly good meat is one of favorites. But puppies -- though cute to very few Americans -- are just too messy for historic places that belong to the taxpayers.
Democrats are making a big mistake, as usual. Our numbers in American households are growing because we're low maintenance and don't each as much as dogs. We're going to prosper in a tough economy. Dogs are destined for buffets.
But get over it for now, my partner in the struggle. Never use the litter box angry.
Signed,
PM
Dear Political Mijo,
I saw on the TV yesterday that the Bidens have purchased a stinky, whining and carpet-pooping German Shepherd puppy for their vice-presidential household. While I can't blame VP Biden for needing a friend since Sen. Clinton will be taking the lead on foreign policy as secretary of state(he'll just go to funerals, the first being for his own political usefulness), a Chia pet would have been more appropriate for him considering his hair plug history.
With Obama picking a puppy for his girls in the White House, cats have been shut out of this administration of change. What in the hell do Democrats have against cats?
Signed,
Litter-Box Livid
Dear Liver-Box Livid,
Boy, are you pissed! And rightly so. This continuing bigotry against cats in the halls of power has left me so depressed that I'm going to have to go out and splurge shop on cat toys.
I have nothing against German Shepherds. Shepherd's Pie with big chunks of barkingly good meat is one of favorites. But puppies -- though cute to very few Americans -- are just too messy for historic places that belong to the taxpayers.
Democrats are making a big mistake, as usual. Our numbers in American households are growing because we're low maintenance and don't each as much as dogs. We're going to prosper in a tough economy. Dogs are destined for buffets.
But get over it for now, my partner in the struggle. Never use the litter box angry.
Signed,
PM
A beautiful message from a reader who is healing; God be with you, others in the struggle of our lives
The truth I have learned as of late is that the kindest people usually are those who have had the unkindness things done or happen to them.
Now, and for the next two years, a lot of unkindness will be dished out by the economy like staggering body and head blows in a prize fight.
We must endure and keep standing. And the following e-mail from a reader of this blog proves my point about the true source of inspiring kindness and lasting stamina:
As tears fill my eyes I must thank you for praying for my wife in your post Nighttime is loneliest time for people losing heart
I am a self-employed consultant to the Transportation industry and have lost 80% of my income with the current economic conditions since September. God has humbled me.
Every day becomes a struggle with the ever present cloud of financial worry. My wife is the one who puts all the burdens on herself and her sleepless nights are tough.
Working part time as a realtor she puts all the pressure on herself. But we will be fine. We moved to Nashville from Atlanta to be near my wife's family six years ago.
We have our church and Sunday school class. I am finally seeing glimmers of hope after weeks of hopelessness. I talk to customers every day about their fear of losing their jobs. No one is immune to these conditions.
I feel such guilt that you are praying for us after all you are going through. I am grateful I have discovered your blog. I was a faithful reader of your columns and your voice of reason.
If you ever, ever need a ride, a chore done, anything (I'm not quite sure to how to convey this) please call. You are in our prayers.
Good sir, you have already helped me more than you know with your most kind e-mail. You remain in my prayers and more.
Now, and for the next two years, a lot of unkindness will be dished out by the economy like staggering body and head blows in a prize fight.
We must endure and keep standing. And the following e-mail from a reader of this blog proves my point about the true source of inspiring kindness and lasting stamina:
As tears fill my eyes I must thank you for praying for my wife in your post Nighttime is loneliest time for people losing heart
I am a self-employed consultant to the Transportation industry and have lost 80% of my income with the current economic conditions since September. God has humbled me.
Every day becomes a struggle with the ever present cloud of financial worry. My wife is the one who puts all the burdens on herself and her sleepless nights are tough.
Working part time as a realtor she puts all the pressure on herself. But we will be fine. We moved to Nashville from Atlanta to be near my wife's family six years ago.
We have our church and Sunday school class. I am finally seeing glimmers of hope after weeks of hopelessness. I talk to customers every day about their fear of losing their jobs. No one is immune to these conditions.
I feel such guilt that you are praying for us after all you are going through. I am grateful I have discovered your blog. I was a faithful reader of your columns and your voice of reason.
If you ever, ever need a ride, a chore done, anything (I'm not quite sure to how to convey this) please call. You are in our prayers.
Good sir, you have already helped me more than you know with your most kind e-mail. You remain in my prayers and more.
Being around death and disease in the season of light: All is not lost but so wonderfully gained
It has been my privilege to be around death three times during the season of light and joy. Also, it was in such a season that I learned three years ago that I was to die from leukemia.
The world does not stop for us. Everyone outside of our hospital rooms and bedrooms continue to rush around to meet the needs of their jobs, families and Christmas shopping lists.
It is hard not to feel quite lonely, most envious. But as caregiver, son, friend and patient, the season of hope means more to us than anyone on the outside. We no longer rush around. We no longer gaze upon shopping lists that only seem to grow. We are forced to face the moment of our mortality, and best of all, the reason for the season.
Scripture tells us that God so loved the world that He gave it His only begotten son so that whoever would believe would have eternal life.
And it is that life we cling to and celebrate amid the season of light.
I've been with some extraordinary people in the days and last moments of their lives.
"Mrs. Nutter" -- as I only called her out of deep respect -- was a woman who rose above her very humble east Tennessee beginnings to help raise the lives of children in the classroom and her own at home. Brain cancer slowly ate away at her life inside the Hospice Care facility in Nashville, which is a place of such blessing and comfort. Known to few on that busy outside, but the great Amy Grant often sneaks in to sing. And Mrs. Nutter told me that she felt she was listening to an angel. Now she does.
Ben Blumberg was a WWII fighter ace, who fought the Nazis with daring fearlessness because of the utter evil they represented to all people, including his own. I did not get to know him until the last years of his life, when he exchanged the airwars over Europe for the battles in Metro Nashville classrooms. An engineer by training for GE, he donated countless hours to keep donated computers going in the classrooms of then Metro teachers Charlene Grinder and Deborah Diaz. He never took a time, just a new sense of knowing he continued to make a huge difference in this world. Who can ask for anything more?
My father Natalio Gonzalez Chavez and I were never that close while we lived. But as he died over three weeks from cancer, we were close as could be. I cared for him as he did for me when I was an infant. I cleaned him, I fed him and I told him repeatedly that I loved him. He returned the words and affection, and in his final days his faith: "Don't cry for me, Timmy. I'm going home." You made it Dad, you made it. Well done!
And so those of us who seemingly live in darkness during the season of light to the outside world are in no such place. It is most bright and warm where we are, in anticipation of even greater reward in Heaven to come.
The world does not stop for us. Everyone outside of our hospital rooms and bedrooms continue to rush around to meet the needs of their jobs, families and Christmas shopping lists.
It is hard not to feel quite lonely, most envious. But as caregiver, son, friend and patient, the season of hope means more to us than anyone on the outside. We no longer rush around. We no longer gaze upon shopping lists that only seem to grow. We are forced to face the moment of our mortality, and best of all, the reason for the season.
Scripture tells us that God so loved the world that He gave it His only begotten son so that whoever would believe would have eternal life.
And it is that life we cling to and celebrate amid the season of light.
I've been with some extraordinary people in the days and last moments of their lives.
"Mrs. Nutter" -- as I only called her out of deep respect -- was a woman who rose above her very humble east Tennessee beginnings to help raise the lives of children in the classroom and her own at home. Brain cancer slowly ate away at her life inside the Hospice Care facility in Nashville, which is a place of such blessing and comfort. Known to few on that busy outside, but the great Amy Grant often sneaks in to sing. And Mrs. Nutter told me that she felt she was listening to an angel. Now she does.
Ben Blumberg was a WWII fighter ace, who fought the Nazis with daring fearlessness because of the utter evil they represented to all people, including his own. I did not get to know him until the last years of his life, when he exchanged the airwars over Europe for the battles in Metro Nashville classrooms. An engineer by training for GE, he donated countless hours to keep donated computers going in the classrooms of then Metro teachers Charlene Grinder and Deborah Diaz. He never took a time, just a new sense of knowing he continued to make a huge difference in this world. Who can ask for anything more?
My father Natalio Gonzalez Chavez and I were never that close while we lived. But as he died over three weeks from cancer, we were close as could be. I cared for him as he did for me when I was an infant. I cleaned him, I fed him and I told him repeatedly that I loved him. He returned the words and affection, and in his final days his faith: "Don't cry for me, Timmy. I'm going home." You made it Dad, you made it. Well done!
And so those of us who seemingly live in darkness during the season of light to the outside world are in no such place. It is most bright and warm where we are, in anticipation of even greater reward in Heaven to come.
Investing a state heavily in auto industry not always best thing, as Mississippi, Memphis now know from disappointing Toyota announcement
The Memphis Commercial-Appeals gave a warning to economic development officials at the state Capitol in Nashville that putting so many of the state's economic eggs in the auto industry basket is not wise.
The city has been disappointed by a recent announcement connected to car manufacturers outside of the begging Big 3 automakers:
OXFORD, Miss. -- Toyota will delay work at its planned Blue Springs, Miss., plant until the worldwide economic slowdown improves and buyers return to its showrooms, the company said Monday.
Toyota had planned to build the hybrid Prius at the plant under construction in Blue Springs, northwest of Tupelo, beginning in late 2009 or 2010. The company will finish construction, which is about 90 percent complete, but will not go further -- such as installing production equipment -- until economic conditions improve, Toyota said in a statement.
Work progresses at the new Toyota plant under construction south of Blue Springs, Miss., but the automaker has put plans for starting production at the plant on hold.
"Due to the uncertainty of the market, it is impossible to say at this time when production will begin," the company statement said.
About 100 people who had already been hired will keep their jobs.
Would Volkswagen do the same to Tennessee in Chattanooga with its yet to be constructed auto plant? As Gov. Sarah Palin says, "you betcha."
The city has been disappointed by a recent announcement connected to car manufacturers outside of the begging Big 3 automakers:
OXFORD, Miss. -- Toyota will delay work at its planned Blue Springs, Miss., plant until the worldwide economic slowdown improves and buyers return to its showrooms, the company said Monday.
Toyota had planned to build the hybrid Prius at the plant under construction in Blue Springs, northwest of Tupelo, beginning in late 2009 or 2010. The company will finish construction, which is about 90 percent complete, but will not go further -- such as installing production equipment -- until economic conditions improve, Toyota said in a statement.
Work progresses at the new Toyota plant under construction south of Blue Springs, Miss., but the automaker has put plans for starting production at the plant on hold.
"Due to the uncertainty of the market, it is impossible to say at this time when production will begin," the company statement said.
About 100 people who had already been hired will keep their jobs.
Would Volkswagen do the same to Tennessee in Chattanooga with its yet to be constructed auto plant? As Gov. Sarah Palin says, "you betcha."
When it comes to why bad things happen to good people, 'The Juggler of Notre Dame' outperforms Dickens' true classic, 'A Christmas Carol'
For the economic hard times facing this nation and world besides continuing tragedies of terrorism and weather, the movie, "The Juggler of Notre Dame", is much more meaningful for this season than Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol.
Now I realize that's a heady statement. But the story of the personal, burden-laden circus juggler dates back to a story that made the rounds in 12th Century France. It is heartbreaking yet restoring in the end. And it is about a man who no longer hoped, compared to Ebeneezer Scrooge who had plenty of belief is his ability to make himself more wealthy to the detriment of others.
I won't spoil more of the story for you. I saw the movie first 24 years ago, produced by the Paulist Press. Little did I know then how much the movie would speak to me now and my life. The movie, which can be ordered off the Web, is a blessing for this season.
And a reason to still believe in God's love in this and every season.
Now I realize that's a heady statement. But the story of the personal, burden-laden circus juggler dates back to a story that made the rounds in 12th Century France. It is heartbreaking yet restoring in the end. And it is about a man who no longer hoped, compared to Ebeneezer Scrooge who had plenty of belief is his ability to make himself more wealthy to the detriment of others.
I won't spoil more of the story for you. I saw the movie first 24 years ago, produced by the Paulist Press. Little did I know then how much the movie would speak to me now and my life. The movie, which can be ordered off the Web, is a blessing for this season.
And a reason to still believe in God's love in this and every season.
Success of Gannett's new move in Detroit will bring demise to its newspapers in Nashville, nation
While Detroit's automakers are about to make out like bandits at the bailout backdoor to the West Wing of the White House, its newspapers will announce plans today to act as paupers and only deliver a product to homes three days week.
The shocking success of this move will show readers that a newspaper in general no longer is a daily necessity as watchdog over government, or there to tell you the location of road construction that day in your commute. And the financial benefit from this cowardice will soon be demanded at other Gannett Co., Inc. newspapers, such as the one in Nashville.
And that means more people lose their jobs. Talk has the next round of layoffs in February 2009.
"It's 10 o'clock, do you know where your Tennessean is? Do you care, particularly in a down economy?
You won't -- after the Detroit newspapers show the profit makers of our industry led by Gannett that doing less for readers and their communities while demanding even more profits serves its stock price first and well.
The shocking success of this move will show readers that a newspaper in general no longer is a daily necessity as watchdog over government, or there to tell you the location of road construction that day in your commute. And the financial benefit from this cowardice will soon be demanded at other Gannett Co., Inc. newspapers, such as the one in Nashville.
And that means more people lose their jobs. Talk has the next round of layoffs in February 2009.
"It's 10 o'clock, do you know where your Tennessean is? Do you care, particularly in a down economy?
You won't -- after the Detroit newspapers show the profit makers of our industry led by Gannett that doing less for readers and their communities while demanding even more profits serves its stock price first and well.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Ricky and Sharon White-Skaggs commit to Music City Obama extravaganza; Kennedy Center honoree Dr. Bobby Jones to serve as emcee
The Rev. Enoch Fuzz has pulled off another miracle of coalition-building by recruiting three major headliners for a Nashville and Music City inaugural gala to celebrate the presidency of change of Barack Obama on the evening of Jan. 20, 2009.
Country music icon and 10-time Grammy winner Ricky Skaggs will help entertain the gathering that will be emceed by the Dr. Bobby Jones, 2007 Kennedy Center honoree and Gospel music legend.
Sharon White-Skaggs -- who is part of the famous entertainers The Whites -- will serve as co-chair of the event with Fuzz. She and Skaggs married in 1982 and their families still perform often together. Ricky and Sharon-White Skaggs won the Country Music Duo of the Year Award in 1987.
"We did not support President Obama, but he's our president now," Fuzz quoted White- Skaggs as saying. "It's a wonderful event, and I'm telling everyone about it."
Please read more about the event on the blog post below.
Country music icon and 10-time Grammy winner Ricky Skaggs will help entertain the gathering that will be emceed by the Dr. Bobby Jones, 2007 Kennedy Center honoree and Gospel music legend.
Sharon White-Skaggs -- who is part of the famous entertainers The Whites -- will serve as co-chair of the event with Fuzz. She and Skaggs married in 1982 and their families still perform often together. Ricky and Sharon-White Skaggs won the Country Music Duo of the Year Award in 1987.
"We did not support President Obama, but he's our president now," Fuzz quoted White- Skaggs as saying. "It's a wonderful event, and I'm telling everyone about it."
Please read more about the event on the blog post below.
The Rev. Enoch Fuzz remains master of bringing sides together for common cause, celebration
My mentor, the Rev. Enoch Fuzz, is the master of building coalitions across races, politics and faiths to do the incredible
And he has set up quite a celebration of diversity in Nashville to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama and the need for people locally to work together.
Fuzz took some tough criticism a few years ago for working with white ministers to bring the Rev. Billy Graham to Nashville for a final crusade. But he stood to his sturdy principles. And now, a lot of his critics have seen he was right, despite Graham's lack of vocal support for the Civil Rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s.
The pastor of Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church has quite a diverse group assembled below to celebrate Obama's election. And I am proud and humbled to serve as one of the 44 hosts recruited.
Here is his press release:
The Music City
USA President Inauguration Day Ball
Tuesday January 20, 2009
7:00pm
Millennium Maxwell House Hotel
Rosa Parks Blvd.
Nashville, Tennessee
On the morning of January 20, 2009 Barack Obama will take the oath of office as America's 44th president.
Listings number hundreds of traditional events in and around the nation's capital in honor of the new president on Inauguration Day.
But outside the overcrowded nation's capitol in Nashville, Tennessee, a "Host Committee of 44" people are supporting The Music City "USA President's Inaugural Day Ball".
The Nashville Inaugural Ball is spearheaded by longtime Nashville pastor, the Reverend Enoch Fuzz. The "Host Committee of 44" consist of some of the community's most notable persons including:
Davidson County Sheriff Darren Hall, Vice Mayor Diane Neighbors, Gospel Music Icon Dr. Bobby Jones, Criminal Court Judge Monty Watkins, Award winning newspaper journalist Tim Chavez, Metro Parks Director Roy Wilson, attorney Linda Jones, Metro School Board Members; Karen Johnson and Mark North, acting Schools Director Chris Henson, Metro Council At Large Member Megan Barry, the Reverend Edwin Sanders, Rev. Dr. ray Richardson and former Dean of TSU School of Engineering Dr Ed Isibor.
And some who did not vote for Obama -- but feel it is now in the best interest of our city and nation to work together and hopes for the new president to have success -- include several former Metro Council members, business owners and community volunteers.
Successful Nashville business owner, Carol Jenkins of Priority Hospice and the New Hope Foundation has signed on her company as a major sponsor of the event. Jenkins who served on President Bush's Small Business Advisory Council volunteered her company's support when asked to serve on the Host Committee of 44 saying:
"I feel this is an effective way to create positive opportunities in our community."
The proceeds from the Music City USA President's Inaugural Ball will be donated to twenty one selected nonprofit community organizations and programs. Some of the groups that will recieve $1,000 or more are:
Northwest YMCA, Maplewood HS, Whites Creek HS, the Inner City Boy Scouts, the College Trust Fund, AT&T Community Network Tennessee, the First Response Center, Faith Family Clinic, several little league ball clubs, some academic tutoring programs, job mentoring, and faith based programs are also included.
Ticket Invitations to attend the formal attire event are $100 per person and can be purchased online starting December 22, 2008. Those attending the Music City Ball will dine on awesome Southern food, dance to the music of DJs and live bands, be entertained with stand up comedy acts, and stay abreast of all the official Washington, D.C .,Inaugural Ball activities by way of 10-foot television screens in the grand ballrooms at the elegant Millennium Maxwell House Hotel.
Many at the Nashville Celebration may seem closer to the Obamas than those in D.C. The event organizers estimate that near 200 invitations to the Nashville Ball have been requested as word got out about the event and expects it will be sold out one week after tickets go on sale December 23.
Stay tuned for invitation information.
And he has set up quite a celebration of diversity in Nashville to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama and the need for people locally to work together.
Fuzz took some tough criticism a few years ago for working with white ministers to bring the Rev. Billy Graham to Nashville for a final crusade. But he stood to his sturdy principles. And now, a lot of his critics have seen he was right, despite Graham's lack of vocal support for the Civil Rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s.
The pastor of Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church has quite a diverse group assembled below to celebrate Obama's election. And I am proud and humbled to serve as one of the 44 hosts recruited.
Here is his press release:
The Music City
USA President Inauguration Day Ball
Tuesday January 20, 2009
7:00pm
Millennium Maxwell House Hotel
Rosa Parks Blvd.
Nashville, Tennessee
On the morning of January 20, 2009 Barack Obama will take the oath of office as America's 44th president.
Listings number hundreds of traditional events in and around the nation's capital in honor of the new president on Inauguration Day.
But outside the overcrowded nation's capitol in Nashville, Tennessee, a "Host Committee of 44" people are supporting The Music City "USA President's Inaugural Day Ball".
The Nashville Inaugural Ball is spearheaded by longtime Nashville pastor, the Reverend Enoch Fuzz. The "Host Committee of 44" consist of some of the community's most notable persons including:
Davidson County Sheriff Darren Hall, Vice Mayor Diane Neighbors, Gospel Music Icon Dr. Bobby Jones, Criminal Court Judge Monty Watkins, Award winning newspaper journalist Tim Chavez, Metro Parks Director Roy Wilson, attorney Linda Jones, Metro School Board Members; Karen Johnson and Mark North, acting Schools Director Chris Henson, Metro Council At Large Member Megan Barry, the Reverend Edwin Sanders, Rev. Dr. ray Richardson and former Dean of TSU School of Engineering Dr Ed Isibor.
And some who did not vote for Obama -- but feel it is now in the best interest of our city and nation to work together and hopes for the new president to have success -- include several former Metro Council members, business owners and community volunteers.
Successful Nashville business owner, Carol Jenkins of Priority Hospice and the New Hope Foundation has signed on her company as a major sponsor of the event. Jenkins who served on President Bush's Small Business Advisory Council volunteered her company's support when asked to serve on the Host Committee of 44 saying:
"I feel this is an effective way to create positive opportunities in our community."
The proceeds from the Music City USA President's Inaugural Ball will be donated to twenty one selected nonprofit community organizations and programs. Some of the groups that will recieve $1,000 or more are:
Northwest YMCA, Maplewood HS, Whites Creek HS, the Inner City Boy Scouts, the College Trust Fund, AT&T Community Network Tennessee, the First Response Center, Faith Family Clinic, several little league ball clubs, some academic tutoring programs, job mentoring, and faith based programs are also included.
Ticket Invitations to attend the formal attire event are $100 per person and can be purchased online starting December 22, 2008. Those attending the Music City Ball will dine on awesome Southern food, dance to the music of DJs and live bands, be entertained with stand up comedy acts, and stay abreast of all the official Washington, D.C .,Inaugural Ball activities by way of 10-foot television screens in the grand ballrooms at the elegant Millennium Maxwell House Hotel.
Many at the Nashville Celebration may seem closer to the Obamas than those in D.C. The event organizers estimate that near 200 invitations to the Nashville Ball have been requested as word got out about the event and expects it will be sold out one week after tickets go on sale December 23.
Stay tuned for invitation information.
Who is your money safe with in the stock market? Only you, investing the research and the time
The alleged Ponzi scheme by Bernard Madoff of investors around the world continues to be the talk of Wall Street and financial markets around the world.
And the lesson from what has amounted to the wiping out of massive personal fortunes is that the only person you can trust when it comes to investing in the stock market is yourself. Brokers, financial advisers and big celebrity financial names are no replacement for your judgment. They make sure to get their cut from your investment. Then, what happenes to your money is of no concern.
The bottom of this post provides a definition of a Ponzo scheme.
Here is what The Wall Street Journal reported about the fallout:
New potential victims emerged of Wall Street veteran Bernard Madoff's alleged giant Ponzi scheme, with international banks, hedge funds and wealthy private investors among those sorting out what could amount to tens of billions of dollars in losses.
New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon, GMAC LLC Chairman J. Ezra Merkin and former Philadelphia Eagles owner Norman Braman were among the dozens of seemingly sophisticated investors who placed money on what could prove to be history's largest financial scam.
Several hedge funds, which are you used to wiping out other people, also have recorded massive losses.
So what is one to do? Watch the hell out of CNBC, Bloomberg News or Fox Financial on a daily basis. Learn which analysts to trust over several months while watching the markets' trajectory. I did, and I got out of the stock market above 12,000.
You are smart enough to do the same, too. Trust yourself, not these people.
Here is the definition of a Ponzi scheme from the SEC:
Ponzi schemes are a type of illegal pyramid scheme named for Charles Ponzi, who duped thousands of New England residents into investing in a postage stamp speculation scheme back in the 1920s. Ponzi thought he could take advantage of differences between U.S. and foreign currencies used to buy and sell international mail coupons. Ponzi told investors that he could provide a 40% return in just 90 days compared with 5% for bank savings accounts. Ponzi was deluged with funds from investors, taking in $1 million during one three-hour period—and this was 1921! Though a few early investors were paid off to make the scheme look legitimate, an investigation found that Ponzi had only purchased about $30 worth of the international mail coupons.
Decades later, the Ponzi scheme continues to work on the "rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul" principle, as money from new investors is used to pay off earlier investors until the whole scheme collapses. For more information, please read pyramid schemes in our Fast Answers databank.
And the lesson from what has amounted to the wiping out of massive personal fortunes is that the only person you can trust when it comes to investing in the stock market is yourself. Brokers, financial advisers and big celebrity financial names are no replacement for your judgment. They make sure to get their cut from your investment. Then, what happenes to your money is of no concern.
The bottom of this post provides a definition of a Ponzo scheme.
Here is what The Wall Street Journal reported about the fallout:
New potential victims emerged of Wall Street veteran Bernard Madoff's alleged giant Ponzi scheme, with international banks, hedge funds and wealthy private investors among those sorting out what could amount to tens of billions of dollars in losses.
New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon, GMAC LLC Chairman J. Ezra Merkin and former Philadelphia Eagles owner Norman Braman were among the dozens of seemingly sophisticated investors who placed money on what could prove to be history's largest financial scam.
Several hedge funds, which are you used to wiping out other people, also have recorded massive losses.
So what is one to do? Watch the hell out of CNBC, Bloomberg News or Fox Financial on a daily basis. Learn which analysts to trust over several months while watching the markets' trajectory. I did, and I got out of the stock market above 12,000.
You are smart enough to do the same, too. Trust yourself, not these people.
Here is the definition of a Ponzi scheme from the SEC:
Ponzi schemes are a type of illegal pyramid scheme named for Charles Ponzi, who duped thousands of New England residents into investing in a postage stamp speculation scheme back in the 1920s. Ponzi thought he could take advantage of differences between U.S. and foreign currencies used to buy and sell international mail coupons. Ponzi told investors that he could provide a 40% return in just 90 days compared with 5% for bank savings accounts. Ponzi was deluged with funds from investors, taking in $1 million during one three-hour period—and this was 1921! Though a few early investors were paid off to make the scheme look legitimate, an investigation found that Ponzi had only purchased about $30 worth of the international mail coupons.
Decades later, the Ponzi scheme continues to work on the "rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul" principle, as money from new investors is used to pay off earlier investors until the whole scheme collapses. For more information, please read pyramid schemes in our Fast Answers databank.
Rep. Barney Frank is an arrogant asshole
If you watched the 60 Minutes profile piece last night on U.S. Rep. Barney Frank as the architect of the bailout of Wall Street fatcats, then you left nauseated at how arrogant of an asshole he is with his way or the highway approach to a republic formm of government.
Frank's sexuality and shenanigans used to be the way he got headlines. Now it is in promoting socialism at the backwards' expense of the little people. The most telling point of his attempt to intimidate interviewer Leslie Stahl was his admission that banks still are not lending despite the bailout -- and they can't be forced to.
Stahl was aghast that the legislation could not have been written to force the banks to lend the money. But Frank the Asshole would hear nothing of Stahl's common sense and questioning on several occasions.
There is another consequence to Frank's failure as lawmaker and leader. With the Big 3 automakers now going to the White House for $15 billion in loans, why could the banks under the TARP bailout simply loaned their own money to the car manufacturers if these Detroit's finest were such a worthy credit risk?
Because they're not. And they are willing to provide any guarantee to the promises made to Congress. And the UAW refused to negotiate to reach a deal with Congress, knowing that the White House would cave in.
Frank's sexuality means nothing to me, as neither should any lawmaker's -- be it hetero, homosexual, asexual or with Japanese plastic robots that are the current craze over there.
Frank simply is an asshole in a leadership position, which seems to be the norm for Congress, the newspaper industry, Wall Street and so many other sectors of capitalism. Pity the people who suffer because of these arrogant men and women.
Frank's sexuality and shenanigans used to be the way he got headlines. Now it is in promoting socialism at the backwards' expense of the little people. The most telling point of his attempt to intimidate interviewer Leslie Stahl was his admission that banks still are not lending despite the bailout -- and they can't be forced to.
Stahl was aghast that the legislation could not have been written to force the banks to lend the money. But Frank the Asshole would hear nothing of Stahl's common sense and questioning on several occasions.
There is another consequence to Frank's failure as lawmaker and leader. With the Big 3 automakers now going to the White House for $15 billion in loans, why could the banks under the TARP bailout simply loaned their own money to the car manufacturers if these Detroit's finest were such a worthy credit risk?
Because they're not. And they are willing to provide any guarantee to the promises made to Congress. And the UAW refused to negotiate to reach a deal with Congress, knowing that the White House would cave in.
Frank's sexuality means nothing to me, as neither should any lawmaker's -- be it hetero, homosexual, asexual or with Japanese plastic robots that are the current craze over there.
Frank simply is an asshole in a leadership position, which seems to be the norm for Congress, the newspaper industry, Wall Street and so many other sectors of capitalism. Pity the people who suffer because of these arrogant men and women.
Plan for Metro school cuts due today for $3 million shortfall; someone or some thing should contact Washington D.C., and civil rights attorney locally
WSMV Channel 4 reports this morning that the school board is to receive a report from the district administration today on how it will cut $3 million in education spending for the ongoing school year.
Such a request is an outrage, for a school district soon to be under state control for woefully failing to meet No Child Left Behind Act standards and city that has made it a $22-plus million priority to first fund pro sports and an arena that loses money despite having an NHL team.
So this is the supposed Athens of the South?
I also question the legality. WSMV reports that teacher numbers are not supposed to be in the layoff. But if they are, can that be legally done with the school district failing to meet federal mandates for the fair education of all children? You must have adequate teacher numbers to catch kids up.
That matter may be a question some intrepid reporter or parents might ask the Civil Rights division of the U.S. Department of Education or a very good civil rights attorney locally. More cuts are going to come, particularly when the General Assembly and governor reduce at least a $1 billion budget deficit.
The local share of state aid must be cut in 2009, which will undermine schools and raise property taxes. Teachers numbers in Metro and in school districts across the state will be negatively affected.
So someone or some organization should soon talk to an attorney and find the right judge to issue a temporary restraining order until authorities further up the ladder here and in Washington, D.C., can decide the matter in the best interests of the children -- not politicians.
Such a request is an outrage, for a school district soon to be under state control for woefully failing to meet No Child Left Behind Act standards and city that has made it a $22-plus million priority to first fund pro sports and an arena that loses money despite having an NHL team.
So this is the supposed Athens of the South?
I also question the legality. WSMV reports that teacher numbers are not supposed to be in the layoff. But if they are, can that be legally done with the school district failing to meet federal mandates for the fair education of all children? You must have adequate teacher numbers to catch kids up.
That matter may be a question some intrepid reporter or parents might ask the Civil Rights division of the U.S. Department of Education or a very good civil rights attorney locally. More cuts are going to come, particularly when the General Assembly and governor reduce at least a $1 billion budget deficit.
The local share of state aid must be cut in 2009, which will undermine schools and raise property taxes. Teachers numbers in Metro and in school districts across the state will be negatively affected.
So someone or some organization should soon talk to an attorney and find the right judge to issue a temporary restraining order until authorities further up the ladder here and in Washington, D.C., can decide the matter in the best interests of the children -- not politicians.
Finding God's people in most difficult enviroment; these are the souls George Bailey championed
It has been an extraordinary blessing in my life to now live among those without what we take for granted on a daily basis.
Last Saturday morning when it was 25 degrees outside, and I walked a couple of miles in north Nashville to the local Kroger for groceries. Exercise is good to fight my leukemia from returning and killing me most swiftly.
I also love being among regular people, those without stuffy titles or many possessions. Those characteristics don't define a good person, which should be the designation sought by a people of God in a city such as Nashville with more than 1,000 places of worship.
And so there, amid the cold, I noticed a world few of us take note of or watch on TV and read about in the newspaper.
Maybe it is out of fear. Or maybe it is a way we can avoid responsibility to mommas and daddies with families in need. So on freezing mornings, you'd see:
Working people waiting at the bus stop, patiently freezing for a ride to work or the doctor or to drop children at daycare, with no protection from the elements.
Homeless people trying to keep warm yet knowing they're not allowed to go into any store for simple warmth.
Me, dressed in a black stocking cap and black sweats, resembling a typical homeless or poor person and getting treated with no smiles and no respect. I am automatically a threat to all the "good" people. Or it doesn't help that I have the facial hair of the Frito Bandito or Bill Richardson's uglier brother.
It is this world at 7 a.m. in 25-degree cold that most of the toughest living occurs in Nashville and in any community. And these are the kind of people that they mythical George Bailey cared most about in the movie, "It's A Wonderful Life". He wanted to put these good folks in affordable housing in safe neighborhoods, not the Pottersvilles of present-day Nashville.
So God has placed me closer to His people of the Gospels, and the people that George Baily championed in Bedford Falls.
Blessed be the Lord!
Last Saturday morning when it was 25 degrees outside, and I walked a couple of miles in north Nashville to the local Kroger for groceries. Exercise is good to fight my leukemia from returning and killing me most swiftly.
I also love being among regular people, those without stuffy titles or many possessions. Those characteristics don't define a good person, which should be the designation sought by a people of God in a city such as Nashville with more than 1,000 places of worship.
And so there, amid the cold, I noticed a world few of us take note of or watch on TV and read about in the newspaper.
Maybe it is out of fear. Or maybe it is a way we can avoid responsibility to mommas and daddies with families in need. So on freezing mornings, you'd see:
Working people waiting at the bus stop, patiently freezing for a ride to work or the doctor or to drop children at daycare, with no protection from the elements.
Homeless people trying to keep warm yet knowing they're not allowed to go into any store for simple warmth.
Me, dressed in a black stocking cap and black sweats, resembling a typical homeless or poor person and getting treated with no smiles and no respect. I am automatically a threat to all the "good" people. Or it doesn't help that I have the facial hair of the Frito Bandito or Bill Richardson's uglier brother.
It is this world at 7 a.m. in 25-degree cold that most of the toughest living occurs in Nashville and in any community. And these are the kind of people that they mythical George Bailey cared most about in the movie, "It's A Wonderful Life". He wanted to put these good folks in affordable housing in safe neighborhoods, not the Pottersvilles of present-day Nashville.
So God has placed me closer to His people of the Gospels, and the people that George Baily championed in Bedford Falls.
Blessed be the Lord!
Nighttime is loneliest time for people losing heart, losing jobs and enduring change in today's world
You may have noticed that a lot of my blog posts come late at night when normal people are sleeping.
I'll readily admit I'm never been a normal person for good and bad. It has always been tough for me to turn off the brain. And when I was a Tennessean columnist, it was more out of excitement about a new angle to surprise readers or a new way to bring different people together for a common political or humanitarian cause that kept me awake plotting and writing.
Now it is because my life is in change, needed change. And my young kitty cat has found it tough to get used to a studio apartment compared to the roomier confines of a 3,000-square-foot Brentwood home. So I walk the long apartment halls with his favorite string to tire him out and address his vampire hours.
But I chose divorce out of necessity. Besides, a woman is the person who makes a house a home. A man can and should come and go. It is less dangerous for him, too, in the outside world.
Yet I have been privileged and most saddened to meet people on my journey who don't sleep at night because they have lost a job and are trying to figure out how much of a Christmas to provide their children and how much they can really hope for when it comes to an adequately paying employment future.
I really wish I could help them to allow them to sleep. I wish the economy and executives were more forgiving and skillful. I wish these good folks had put aside more money in better times. But hindsight is always easier and most unfair. I wish there was a magic wand to make it better for these people who have worked and provided all their lives, only to have the rug pulled out from under them.
There is one church that is working on a way to provide more sleep-filled nights, and I'll be working with the effort to give relief in body and soul to some Middle Tennessean families. I'll post about this needed effort when the church is ready.
So my sleepless night posts are conducted with a much lighter and blessed heart. Pray for this growing number of Tennesseans and Americans longing for sleep, and once under, a better world to wake to.
I'll readily admit I'm never been a normal person for good and bad. It has always been tough for me to turn off the brain. And when I was a Tennessean columnist, it was more out of excitement about a new angle to surprise readers or a new way to bring different people together for a common political or humanitarian cause that kept me awake plotting and writing.
Now it is because my life is in change, needed change. And my young kitty cat has found it tough to get used to a studio apartment compared to the roomier confines of a 3,000-square-foot Brentwood home. So I walk the long apartment halls with his favorite string to tire him out and address his vampire hours.
But I chose divorce out of necessity. Besides, a woman is the person who makes a house a home. A man can and should come and go. It is less dangerous for him, too, in the outside world.
Yet I have been privileged and most saddened to meet people on my journey who don't sleep at night because they have lost a job and are trying to figure out how much of a Christmas to provide their children and how much they can really hope for when it comes to an adequately paying employment future.
I really wish I could help them to allow them to sleep. I wish the economy and executives were more forgiving and skillful. I wish these good folks had put aside more money in better times. But hindsight is always easier and most unfair. I wish there was a magic wand to make it better for these people who have worked and provided all their lives, only to have the rug pulled out from under them.
There is one church that is working on a way to provide more sleep-filled nights, and I'll be working with the effort to give relief in body and soul to some Middle Tennessean families. I'll post about this needed effort when the church is ready.
So my sleepless night posts are conducted with a much lighter and blessed heart. Pray for this growing number of Tennesseans and Americans longing for sleep, and once under, a better world to wake to.
Why the Obama camp should be very worried: Gov. Blagojevich has hired R. Kelly's lawyer
Neither O.J. getting off his murder case nor Sen. Larry Craighead avoiding prosecution and Senate censure compares to the wonders the new attorney for Illinois Gov. Blagojevich did for entertainer R. Kelly.
Despite video showing the entertainer apparently with underage females, the entertainer beat a 25-page indictment. And now the same attorney has been hired to keep Gov. B out of jail despite damning federal transcripts of him apparently selling the Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama.
The big worry in the Obama camp is that Gov. B's fantastic atorney will help him turn state's evidence for federal prosecutors to nab further big fish, including some principals on the Obama side. Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., and new Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel are two the most cited fish.
While Obama himself is apparently not involved in the case, he is tarnnished by a Chicago and Illinois politics he came from -- that among many things -- helped get JFK elected president under highly questionable circumstances in 1960. Richard Nixon was urged by associates to challenge the alleged wrongdoing, but he declined, saying he did not want to drag the nation through it.
Stay tuned. Chicago and Illinois remain a political soap opera. And if R. Kelly could avoid jail time, Gov. B may do a lot of singing about Obama aides to do the same.
Despite video showing the entertainer apparently with underage females, the entertainer beat a 25-page indictment. And now the same attorney has been hired to keep Gov. B out of jail despite damning federal transcripts of him apparently selling the Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama.
The big worry in the Obama camp is that Gov. B's fantastic atorney will help him turn state's evidence for federal prosecutors to nab further big fish, including some principals on the Obama side. Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., and new Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel are two the most cited fish.
While Obama himself is apparently not involved in the case, he is tarnnished by a Chicago and Illinois politics he came from -- that among many things -- helped get JFK elected president under highly questionable circumstances in 1960. Richard Nixon was urged by associates to challenge the alleged wrongdoing, but he declined, saying he did not want to drag the nation through it.
Stay tuned. Chicago and Illinois remain a political soap opera. And if R. Kelly could avoid jail time, Gov. B may do a lot of singing about Obama aides to do the same.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Texans' fans aren't celebrating Fisher's bad call; they're joyous because they hate Bud Adams
Jeff Fisher deserves a bad call once and awhile. He makes so few. He is the most solid head coach in the NFL.
The joy in Houston over the victory against the Titans is due to the universal disdain of Tennessee owner Bud Adams, who held Houston hostage for years over his demands for more public spending on a new stadium.
Taxpayers and city officials said no to then-Oilers, and Adams left for greener pastures and someone willing to give him everything, Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen.
Anyone who questions Fisher's decision is a fool. The guy is the best coach in the NFL and most tenured. Adams, however, is one of the worst NFL owners. Houston celebrated his fall and loss of face more than beating the Titans.
The joy in Houston over the victory against the Titans is due to the universal disdain of Tennessee owner Bud Adams, who held Houston hostage for years over his demands for more public spending on a new stadium.
Taxpayers and city officials said no to then-Oilers, and Adams left for greener pastures and someone willing to give him everything, Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen.
Anyone who questions Fisher's decision is a fool. The guy is the best coach in the NFL and most tenured. Adams, however, is one of the worst NFL owners. Houston celebrated his fall and loss of face more than beating the Titans.
The second wave of mortgage meltdown will soon hit; it will add more misery than subprime loans
CBS's 60 Minutes reports tonight some shocking news: a second wave of mortgage meltdowns will hit next year and peak in 2010 -- throwing many more families out of their homes.
The result will be the kind of near Depression more economists are increasingly predicting and a Dow of 4000 to 5000.
60 Minutes called these loan instruments Option Adjustable Rate Mortgages and ALTAES(my guess on the spelling). These mortgages offer teaser, low loan rates of 3 to 5 percent, then reset after two to three years at a higher rate. People are even defaulting on the teaser rates. And of course, these loans were bundled and sold as securities on Wall Street.
This next wave of defaults is going to devastate the economy. And people's lives. This is going to be an incredible tragedy.
It will take three, four to five years for 8 million American families to lose their homes. And the commercial real estate markets and credit card debt problem will hit next.
It is a time bomb effect. One in 10 Americans is behind on their mortgages, the highest rate since such numbers were first kept in 1979, 60 Minutes reported.
Sobering and devastating news and projections. Greed hurts so many. If you missed the 60 Minutes report, be glad. Although I am not at risk financially, it still made me feel sick for the fates of so many Americans and their children.
The result will be the kind of near Depression more economists are increasingly predicting and a Dow of 4000 to 5000.
60 Minutes called these loan instruments Option Adjustable Rate Mortgages and ALTAES(my guess on the spelling). These mortgages offer teaser, low loan rates of 3 to 5 percent, then reset after two to three years at a higher rate. People are even defaulting on the teaser rates. And of course, these loans were bundled and sold as securities on Wall Street.
This next wave of defaults is going to devastate the economy. And people's lives. This is going to be an incredible tragedy.
It will take three, four to five years for 8 million American families to lose their homes. And the commercial real estate markets and credit card debt problem will hit next.
It is a time bomb effect. One in 10 Americans is behind on their mortgages, the highest rate since such numbers were first kept in 1979, 60 Minutes reported.
Sobering and devastating news and projections. Greed hurts so many. If you missed the 60 Minutes report, be glad. Although I am not at risk financially, it still made me feel sick for the fates of so many Americans and their children.
Iraqi reporter throws shoes at the president
An Iraqi reporter incredibly threw his two shoes at President Bush during a Baghdad press conference with Iraq's PM, leaving everyone stunned as the reporter tried to show Bush the ultimate insult in his society.
The president nimbly avoided the shoes that were thrown on a direct line. His face did not show any shock.
Hard feelings are understandable over the invasion and subsequent lack of real progress in the country. But the press from any country must show respect for the highest office in our land. Just thank goodness it wasn't Keith Olbermann.
The president nimbly avoided the shoes that were thrown on a direct line. His face did not show any shock.
Hard feelings are understandable over the invasion and subsequent lack of real progress in the country. But the press from any country must show respect for the highest office in our land. Just thank goodness it wasn't Keith Olbermann.
Proclaiming God's greatness through one holy man and a series of mountaintop experiences
I did not intend to go to St. Edward Catholic Church.
I was just going to walk a few blocks to Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows and attend mass without connecting with full emotions. I've had too much of that lately. My body was tired with chemo this week and playing Santa yesterday.
But God would not let me sleep, though I prayed for it. So I was drawn to 8 a.m. Mass this morning at St. Edward in south Nashville. And I asked the greatest man I've ever known if I could have a minute to say something to the congregation.
Now as you my good and very few readers have known the past week, I've not been the most inspirational person. I've been really down and it has scared some people. I apologize for that. I've thought I had the answer, like returning to my home where I grew up and my parents are buried. But I've been proven wrong at least for the moment. Again.
This truth I do know for sure: God again has chosen to rescue me in my brokenness though I certainly do NOT deserve it. And then the miracle happened, Friday night at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church just a few blocks away from St. Edward. It just proved to me the power of hope.
So I went to St. Edward today to spread the Good News, give glory to God and testify to the greatness in the person named Father Joseph Patrick Breen.
But I set up my presentation in reminding the congregation of the goodness in suffering, which we all endure in some way, or know friends and loved ones who do.
I got leukemia at 47 years of age this week. I almost died two years ago over 12 days in Vanderbilt Medical Center. I'm now 50 and still on chemo.
I lost my job -- my passion of 14 years. It was simply taken away from me by people who did not know me nor the good people such as you that it was such a joy to serve by writing about your heroics in your families, in your communities and serving your country in the military, hospitals and non-profits.
My cat of 18 years -- who sensed every down moment in my life and sat on my lap purring and giving nuclear nosies -- died in my arms.
My mother decided to break my heart and go to heaven in June.
And I had to leave home by choice and file for divorce from an emotionally abusive marriage.
But I told the congregation not to feel sorry for me, not one bit. Suffering in God and toward His will is glorious. And I feel like Dr. King -- the greatest American of all time -- when he told a packed church the night before his assassination that he was fearing no man, that his soul was full and that he had been to the mountaintop and seen the promised land.
That is me, but with no merit of being in even the same post with the great Dr. King.
And then I told the congregation of El Milagro de Nashville, The Miracle of Nashville, and how Father Breen produced a check for $221,000 on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe before thousands of believers. And he gave the check to Bishop Choby and proclaimed Our Lady's to be free, liberated from debt and now dedicated to the mission of lifting up the people Our Lady appeared to north of Mexico City almost 500 years ago.
I ended by telling the congregation that I would follow Father Breen to the gates of Hell in his defense, but there would be no need. For this holy man has secured his place in heaven with this miracle and so many others. And he does have another prepared, and I hope to be involved with it with my full heart and beliefs.
Ultimately, I told the congregation, I have always found God in following in the shadow of Father Breen. How blessed I have been.
I love him, I will defend him and I will praise his name in giving glory to God he and I love forever and ever. Amen.
I was just going to walk a few blocks to Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows and attend mass without connecting with full emotions. I've had too much of that lately. My body was tired with chemo this week and playing Santa yesterday.
But God would not let me sleep, though I prayed for it. So I was drawn to 8 a.m. Mass this morning at St. Edward in south Nashville. And I asked the greatest man I've ever known if I could have a minute to say something to the congregation.
Now as you my good and very few readers have known the past week, I've not been the most inspirational person. I've been really down and it has scared some people. I apologize for that. I've thought I had the answer, like returning to my home where I grew up and my parents are buried. But I've been proven wrong at least for the moment. Again.
This truth I do know for sure: God again has chosen to rescue me in my brokenness though I certainly do NOT deserve it. And then the miracle happened, Friday night at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church just a few blocks away from St. Edward. It just proved to me the power of hope.
So I went to St. Edward today to spread the Good News, give glory to God and testify to the greatness in the person named Father Joseph Patrick Breen.
But I set up my presentation in reminding the congregation of the goodness in suffering, which we all endure in some way, or know friends and loved ones who do.
I got leukemia at 47 years of age this week. I almost died two years ago over 12 days in Vanderbilt Medical Center. I'm now 50 and still on chemo.
I lost my job -- my passion of 14 years. It was simply taken away from me by people who did not know me nor the good people such as you that it was such a joy to serve by writing about your heroics in your families, in your communities and serving your country in the military, hospitals and non-profits.
My cat of 18 years -- who sensed every down moment in my life and sat on my lap purring and giving nuclear nosies -- died in my arms.
My mother decided to break my heart and go to heaven in June.
And I had to leave home by choice and file for divorce from an emotionally abusive marriage.
But I told the congregation not to feel sorry for me, not one bit. Suffering in God and toward His will is glorious. And I feel like Dr. King -- the greatest American of all time -- when he told a packed church the night before his assassination that he was fearing no man, that his soul was full and that he had been to the mountaintop and seen the promised land.
That is me, but with no merit of being in even the same post with the great Dr. King.
And then I told the congregation of El Milagro de Nashville, The Miracle of Nashville, and how Father Breen produced a check for $221,000 on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe before thousands of believers. And he gave the check to Bishop Choby and proclaimed Our Lady's to be free, liberated from debt and now dedicated to the mission of lifting up the people Our Lady appeared to north of Mexico City almost 500 years ago.
I ended by telling the congregation that I would follow Father Breen to the gates of Hell in his defense, but there would be no need. For this holy man has secured his place in heaven with this miracle and so many others. And he does have another prepared, and I hope to be involved with it with my full heart and beliefs.
Ultimately, I told the congregation, I have always found God in following in the shadow of Father Breen. How blessed I have been.
I love him, I will defend him and I will praise his name in giving glory to God he and I love forever and ever. Amen.
A shout out to an American hero and shipmates
My nephew Victor Chavez is an American hero, and his service in the U.S. Navy provides my freedom to write.
The guy has already won a chest full of metals running helping to run his ship's engineering department. He saved his ship during a cyclone at sea. He was on the British ship boarded by the Iranians.
He is tough on his men to make them better but also to denote the hardened eccentricity(that's the kindest word possible) for a man destined to be the most important person on board -- a chief petty officer.
A year ago, he married a beautiful and tough woman whose father served in Chiang Kai-Shek's army that tried to keep China free after WWII from the mass murderous Mao.
Unlike me as a journalist, Victor took an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. I never did. Neither did any other journalist. But we use the First Amendment like we fought for it with our very lives. We never did.
Yes, some journalists have died in every war, the great Ernie Pyle in WWII, and many journalists in the Iraq war. But in general, most journalists are alive, well and safe -- thanks to my nephew and his shipmates.
Victor, you have my deep gratitude and admiration. So do your parents and your wife, Janice. Keep fighting the good fight, along with your men and women. And I'll keep praying for your and their safe return home.
The guy has already won a chest full of metals running helping to run his ship's engineering department. He saved his ship during a cyclone at sea. He was on the British ship boarded by the Iranians.
He is tough on his men to make them better but also to denote the hardened eccentricity(that's the kindest word possible) for a man destined to be the most important person on board -- a chief petty officer.
A year ago, he married a beautiful and tough woman whose father served in Chiang Kai-Shek's army that tried to keep China free after WWII from the mass murderous Mao.
Unlike me as a journalist, Victor took an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. I never did. Neither did any other journalist. But we use the First Amendment like we fought for it with our very lives. We never did.
Yes, some journalists have died in every war, the great Ernie Pyle in WWII, and many journalists in the Iraq war. But in general, most journalists are alive, well and safe -- thanks to my nephew and his shipmates.
Victor, you have my deep gratitude and admiration. So do your parents and your wife, Janice. Keep fighting the good fight, along with your men and women. And I'll keep praying for your and their safe return home.
NewsChannel 5 in best position to take Press lead role for print and video journalism in Tennessee
A recent recommendation to the Pultizer Prize committee asked that simply all journalism -- TV, print and Internet -- be awarded the most coveted award in journalism.
But the same dinosaurs who have brought the nation the decline in the print Press will reject that honest and needed recommendation. But in an increasing number of media markets around the nation, it is television news that is public watchdog and most credible source of information.
That truth is particularly the case in Middle Tennessee and in Nashville, and most specifically with NewsChannel 5. From Phil Williams' reports (he is the best journalist in Tennessee), to a host of other reporters who break other big stories while the other news stations are following the police scanner, to the superior community-based programs produced by the great Cherilyn Crowe, the CBS affiliate is far and above the best journalism machine in the Midstate.
CNN recently unveiled its print product to newspapers and other media. It has the name to replace AP in some media outlets, and at a lower price. NewsChannel 5 has the same credibility here.
And there are a lot of former Tennessean journalists such as myself who would be willing to work on a contract basis to help NewsChannel 5 serve the public even more. Remember, Williams is a former print journalist, too. Larry Britton on Channel 4 is a former Banner reporter.
Some of us are not too ugly to appear on TV or write a blog for the station's web presence. And we have all our sources built over 12 or more years. We can feed breaking news and enterprise packages. I'd love to host a local media show to explain to the public why things were covered by the media a certain way, the decision making process or lack thereof involved and what issues or angles need to be covered.
I'm a former editor and columnist. I've been in Tennessean news meetings and editorial board meetings. I've been to Corporate Gannett twice to be made into something bigger. I know what makes the media here go and what makes it falter. And readers really want to know, at least from questions they ask me at the grocery store, mall and church.
For now, I am most grateful to NewsChannel 5 for the superior source of information it is and the public, watchdog service it provides. Amid adversity such as with The Tennessean layoffs, there is rich opportunity. More Tennessean and Gannett layoffs are expected in February.
I hope the station considers this friendly advice, not for myself, but the public it so richly serves.
But the same dinosaurs who have brought the nation the decline in the print Press will reject that honest and needed recommendation. But in an increasing number of media markets around the nation, it is television news that is public watchdog and most credible source of information.
That truth is particularly the case in Middle Tennessee and in Nashville, and most specifically with NewsChannel 5. From Phil Williams' reports (he is the best journalist in Tennessee), to a host of other reporters who break other big stories while the other news stations are following the police scanner, to the superior community-based programs produced by the great Cherilyn Crowe, the CBS affiliate is far and above the best journalism machine in the Midstate.
CNN recently unveiled its print product to newspapers and other media. It has the name to replace AP in some media outlets, and at a lower price. NewsChannel 5 has the same credibility here.
And there are a lot of former Tennessean journalists such as myself who would be willing to work on a contract basis to help NewsChannel 5 serve the public even more. Remember, Williams is a former print journalist, too. Larry Britton on Channel 4 is a former Banner reporter.
Some of us are not too ugly to appear on TV or write a blog for the station's web presence. And we have all our sources built over 12 or more years. We can feed breaking news and enterprise packages. I'd love to host a local media show to explain to the public why things were covered by the media a certain way, the decision making process or lack thereof involved and what issues or angles need to be covered.
I'm a former editor and columnist. I've been in Tennessean news meetings and editorial board meetings. I've been to Corporate Gannett twice to be made into something bigger. I know what makes the media here go and what makes it falter. And readers really want to know, at least from questions they ask me at the grocery store, mall and church.
For now, I am most grateful to NewsChannel 5 for the superior source of information it is and the public, watchdog service it provides. Amid adversity such as with The Tennessean layoffs, there is rich opportunity. More Tennessean and Gannett layoffs are expected in February.
I hope the station considers this friendly advice, not for myself, but the public it so richly serves.
There's very little future in electronic cars
A new report concludes that electric cars are not the economic and environmental future, and the French President who commissioned it has spiked the report out of political correctness, reports the Financial Times.
The report by a leading scientist there make hogwash out of all the congressional testimony here by the Big 3 automakers and all the political dog and pony shows by governors in front of hybrid vehicles.
The FT reported this truth:
Indeed, Mr Sarkozy’s own government commissioned months ago one of France’s leading energy experts – Jean Syrota, the former French energy industry regulator – to draw up a report to analyse all the options for building cleaner and more efficient mass-market cars by 2030. The 129-page report was completed in September to coincide with the Paris motor show. But the government has continued to sit on it and seems reluctant to ever publish it.
Yet all those who have managed to glimpse at the document agree that it makes interesting reading. It concludes that there is not much future in the much vaunted developed of all electric-powered cars. Instead, it suggests that the traditional combustion engine powered by petrol, diesel, ethanol or new biofuels still offers the most realistic prospect of developing cleaner vehicles.
Carbon emissions and fuel consumption could be cut by 30-40 per cent simply by improving the performance and efficiency of traditional engines and limiting the top speed to about 170km/hr.
Even that is well above the average top speed restriction in Europe, with the notable exception of Germany. New so-called “stop and start” mechanisms can produce further 10 per cent reductions that can rise to 25-30 per cent in cities. Enhancements in car electronics as well as the development of more energy efficient tyres, such as Michelin’s new “energy saver” technology, are also expected to help reduce consumption and pollution.
Interesting.
The report by a leading scientist there make hogwash out of all the congressional testimony here by the Big 3 automakers and all the political dog and pony shows by governors in front of hybrid vehicles.
The FT reported this truth:
Indeed, Mr Sarkozy’s own government commissioned months ago one of France’s leading energy experts – Jean Syrota, the former French energy industry regulator – to draw up a report to analyse all the options for building cleaner and more efficient mass-market cars by 2030. The 129-page report was completed in September to coincide with the Paris motor show. But the government has continued to sit on it and seems reluctant to ever publish it.
Yet all those who have managed to glimpse at the document agree that it makes interesting reading. It concludes that there is not much future in the much vaunted developed of all electric-powered cars. Instead, it suggests that the traditional combustion engine powered by petrol, diesel, ethanol or new biofuels still offers the most realistic prospect of developing cleaner vehicles.
Carbon emissions and fuel consumption could be cut by 30-40 per cent simply by improving the performance and efficiency of traditional engines and limiting the top speed to about 170km/hr.
Even that is well above the average top speed restriction in Europe, with the notable exception of Germany. New so-called “stop and start” mechanisms can produce further 10 per cent reductions that can rise to 25-30 per cent in cities. Enhancements in car electronics as well as the development of more energy efficient tyres, such as Michelin’s new “energy saver” technology, are also expected to help reduce consumption and pollution.
Interesting.
UAW takes offensive on Sen. Corker of Tennessee; White House will help bail out Big 3 automakers
The UAW released video of Tennessee U.S. Sen. Bob Corker effusively praising GM and its innovations in a visit to the automaker's Spring Hill, TN, plant earlier this year or late last year.
The videot that also aired locally is most damning and paints Corker -- who has led the charge nationally against the bailout -- as a gigantic hypocrite. And he was vigorously for supporting with little question the $750 billion bailout of Wall Street fatcats which has not turned around the financial market nor loosed the credit ones. He is the 23rd richest man in Congress. Think there is any conflict of interest?
Corker has blamed the UAW for the failure of his compromise bailout. But it seems Corker should apologize to the nation for vigorously backing GM in one moment locally and now damning it and its workers and auto dealers nationally.
Why does it seem that all politicians betray?
The videot that also aired locally is most damning and paints Corker -- who has led the charge nationally against the bailout -- as a gigantic hypocrite. And he was vigorously for supporting with little question the $750 billion bailout of Wall Street fatcats which has not turned around the financial market nor loosed the credit ones. He is the 23rd richest man in Congress. Think there is any conflict of interest?
Corker has blamed the UAW for the failure of his compromise bailout. But it seems Corker should apologize to the nation for vigorously backing GM in one moment locally and now damning it and its workers and auto dealers nationally.
Why does it seem that all politicians betray?
Prof who predicted current economic difficulties has new projections of unbelievably tough times
Nouriel Roubini is the economic Nostradamus of his day.
The NYU professor predicted the current economic difficulties. Now in Fortune magazine, he has again assessed global economic factors and come up with a forecast that is far worse than I even suspected.
Dow 4000
Breadlines
An increasingly bad 2009.
A very weak recovery if at all in 2010 and 2011.
Home values crashing another 15%.
Yes, the next two to three years are going to be as damn close to a Depression as this nation has come since 1932. Get ready for all the pain if you can. And get out of the stock market now.
You can read more here at:
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fortune/0812/gallery.market_gurus.fortune/index.html
The NYU professor predicted the current economic difficulties. Now in Fortune magazine, he has again assessed global economic factors and come up with a forecast that is far worse than I even suspected.
Dow 4000
Breadlines
An increasingly bad 2009.
A very weak recovery if at all in 2010 and 2011.
Home values crashing another 15%.
Yes, the next two to three years are going to be as damn close to a Depression as this nation has come since 1932. Get ready for all the pain if you can. And get out of the stock market now.
You can read more here at:
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fortune/0812/gallery.market_gurus.fortune/index.html
Stupidity of EnglishOnly referendum shows in Christmastime; would Jose Feliciano be silenced?
One of the modern mainstays of the Christmas season in its wonderful music featured 24 hours a day on the FISH 94FM is Jose Feliciano's "Feliz Navidad, I want to wish you a merry Christmas."
Yet with upcoming,Jan. 22nd embarrassing and unnecessary vote to make English the official language of Metro Nashville government, even this mainstay's future is in doubt here. Would a city employee or office be required to turn off the radio with this bilingual song when Jose sings "Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Felix Navidad, prospero ano y felicidad!
What did he say that was so threatening? "I want to wish you a Merry Christmas, I want to wish you a merry Christmas, I want to wish a Merry Christmas and prosperous and happy New Year!"
Yep, that's the threat the song or any different language represents to people and elected officials on the extreme. And that's the kind of thing that the demented and politically motivated Councilman Eric Crafton would demand in enforcement.
Don't buy into the silliness and backwardness of this referendum; vote no on Jan. 22. And then city offices will be able to let all the Christmas music on during the season of supposed good will to all.
Yet with upcoming,Jan. 22nd embarrassing and unnecessary vote to make English the official language of Metro Nashville government, even this mainstay's future is in doubt here. Would a city employee or office be required to turn off the radio with this bilingual song when Jose sings "Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Felix Navidad, prospero ano y felicidad!
What did he say that was so threatening? "I want to wish you a Merry Christmas, I want to wish you a merry Christmas, I want to wish a Merry Christmas and prosperous and happy New Year!"
Yep, that's the threat the song or any different language represents to people and elected officials on the extreme. And that's the kind of thing that the demented and politically motivated Councilman Eric Crafton would demand in enforcement.
Don't buy into the silliness and backwardness of this referendum; vote no on Jan. 22. And then city offices will be able to let all the Christmas music on during the season of supposed good will to all.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The tamale holds power in Hispanic politics, family
Tonight's New York Times features a profile of a Broadway-like show running in LA called "Too Many Tamales". It is an insight into Latino family culture in the mad search for a lost wedding ring.
But the article misses the larger cultural and political significance of this culinary delight -- that when made right -- is kind of the meat and potatoes of Mexican food.
Preparation begins days before for devouring in Hispanic homes on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. My cousin in Topeka began making the masa today. That is the off-white corn breading around the inside of meat or sweets like raisins, nuts and other nothings. That makes the tamale a food for all three meals.
But the tamale becomes the source of dispute in some families. Since they are so hard to make, there can be an allowance set on how many one member can have. And there have definite allowances placed on how many a family member can take home and freeze for future good heating.
If the person wanting to receive has not helped in either the mixing of masa or the pasting of it on the corn shuck, they usually are not seen as worthy as receiving more than a dozen of tamales to take home. So some hard feelings can be made between family members remembered until next Christmas.
But no more damage was done to relationships with Hispanics that unleashed by then President Gerald Ford in the 1976 race in San Antonio. Instead of taking off the corn shuck from the tamale, he bit into it. That showed Hispanic voters that he had no knowledge of their culture. And it didn't help him that he said singer Vikki Carr was his favorite Mexican dish.
While the LA show will bring a lot of laughs, the tamale in Hispanic households is very serious business at Christmas and a way to commit political suicide during a campaign.
But the article misses the larger cultural and political significance of this culinary delight -- that when made right -- is kind of the meat and potatoes of Mexican food.
Preparation begins days before for devouring in Hispanic homes on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. My cousin in Topeka began making the masa today. That is the off-white corn breading around the inside of meat or sweets like raisins, nuts and other nothings. That makes the tamale a food for all three meals.
But the tamale becomes the source of dispute in some families. Since they are so hard to make, there can be an allowance set on how many one member can have. And there have definite allowances placed on how many a family member can take home and freeze for future good heating.
If the person wanting to receive has not helped in either the mixing of masa or the pasting of it on the corn shuck, they usually are not seen as worthy as receiving more than a dozen of tamales to take home. So some hard feelings can be made between family members remembered until next Christmas.
But no more damage was done to relationships with Hispanics that unleashed by then President Gerald Ford in the 1976 race in San Antonio. Instead of taking off the corn shuck from the tamale, he bit into it. That showed Hispanic voters that he had no knowledge of their culture. And it didn't help him that he said singer Vikki Carr was his favorite Mexican dish.
While the LA show will bring a lot of laughs, the tamale in Hispanic households is very serious business at Christmas and a way to commit political suicide during a campaign.
NYT reports Iraq reconstruction to be a $100 billion failure according to federal report
The New York Times tonight cites a federal report showing reconstruction of Iraq to be a $100 billion failure with economic activity only restored to what it was when Saddam Hussein reigned.
And yes, while there is less violence and no Saddam Hussein in Iraq, general media reporting of Iraq shows a country with less electricity during the day and less fresh water.
The report breaks down overall spending at $117 billion, with $50 billion from U.S. taxpayers. That figure is not related to the more than $500 billion that has been spent on the war and policing itself, along with more than 4,000 American lives and 100,000 Iraqi lives lost. It is quite a tragedy.
The Times reports:
BAGHDAD — An unpublished 513-page federal history of the American-led reconstruction of Iraq depicts an effort crippled before the invasion by Pentagon planners who were hostile to the idea of rebuilding a foreign country, and then molded into a $100 billion failure by bureaucratic turf wars, spiraling violence and ignorance of the basic elements of Iraqi society and infrastructure.
The history, the first official account of its kind, is circulating in draft form here and in Washington among a tight circle of technical reviewers, policy experts and senior officials. It also concludes that when the reconstruction began to lag — particularly in the critical area of rebuilding the Iraqi police and army — the Pentagon simply put out inflated measures of progress to cover up the failures.
In one passage, for example, former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell is quoted as saying that in the months after the 2003 invasion, the Defense Department “kept inventing numbers of Iraqi security forces — the number would jump 20,000 a week! ‘We now have 80,000, we now have 100,000, we now have 120,000.’ ”
And it is upon these points that many but not all liberals and conservatives believe the Bush administration's rebuilding of Iraq after the fall of Saddam has not only been a failure for the people over there but the taxpayers over here.
And yes, while there is less violence and no Saddam Hussein in Iraq, general media reporting of Iraq shows a country with less electricity during the day and less fresh water.
The report breaks down overall spending at $117 billion, with $50 billion from U.S. taxpayers. That figure is not related to the more than $500 billion that has been spent on the war and policing itself, along with more than 4,000 American lives and 100,000 Iraqi lives lost. It is quite a tragedy.
The Times reports:
BAGHDAD — An unpublished 513-page federal history of the American-led reconstruction of Iraq depicts an effort crippled before the invasion by Pentagon planners who were hostile to the idea of rebuilding a foreign country, and then molded into a $100 billion failure by bureaucratic turf wars, spiraling violence and ignorance of the basic elements of Iraqi society and infrastructure.
The history, the first official account of its kind, is circulating in draft form here and in Washington among a tight circle of technical reviewers, policy experts and senior officials. It also concludes that when the reconstruction began to lag — particularly in the critical area of rebuilding the Iraqi police and army — the Pentagon simply put out inflated measures of progress to cover up the failures.
In one passage, for example, former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell is quoted as saying that in the months after the 2003 invasion, the Defense Department “kept inventing numbers of Iraqi security forces — the number would jump 20,000 a week! ‘We now have 80,000, we now have 100,000, we now have 120,000.’ ”
And it is upon these points that many but not all liberals and conservatives believe the Bush administration's rebuilding of Iraq after the fall of Saddam has not only been a failure for the people over there but the taxpayers over here.
In a year of change, Heisman winner Bradford brings new sense of pride to Cherokee Nation
It has been a great tragedy in this nation's sports history that American Indian athletes -- with the exception of its greatest athlete Jim Thorpe -- have not taken their talents from youth into college education and professional careers.
Perhaps that troubling note will be rewritten with tonight's winning of the college football Heisman Trophy by OU quarterback Sam Bradford, part Cherokee Indian. Like Barack Obama, part African-American, there is goodness and perhaps greatness in change.
While Bradford may have been late to embrace his heritage such as myself, he is nonetheless a new role model for young people who desperately need to see someone advance and prosper according to the greatness of their skills and the greatness of their people.
Boomer Sooner!
Perhaps that troubling note will be rewritten with tonight's winning of the college football Heisman Trophy by OU quarterback Sam Bradford, part Cherokee Indian. Like Barack Obama, part African-American, there is goodness and perhaps greatness in change.
While Bradford may have been late to embrace his heritage such as myself, he is nonetheless a new role model for young people who desperately need to see someone advance and prosper according to the greatness of their skills and the greatness of their people.
Boomer Sooner!
Confession time: I love the movie "Red Dawn"
When it comes to a movie I love such as "The Replacements" or Mel Gibson's epic "Braveheart", I'll watch it over and over when it comes on the tube.
Yeah, these movies are guy flicks where real men act real manly. But a good movie is eternal.
When it comes to political cinema, I love "The Candidate" with Robert Redford and one of its sleeper, alter egos, "Red Dawn".
I'm watching it tonight as I write, and it is classic conservative theater. And the young actors assembled went on to decent careers -- Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen and Leah Thompson.
You don't have to agree with the premise of the cinema to enjoy it just the purity of it. Red Dawn is an eager tale about freedom and the supposed threat to it from the Russians, Cubans and Nicaraguans. While its premise did not prove true historically, the movie still was -- in the 1980s -- like ABC-TV's nuclear tale about the aftermath of nuclear war in Kansas some classic political stuff for its time.
These movies are great to watch over and over.
Yeah, these movies are guy flicks where real men act real manly. But a good movie is eternal.
When it comes to political cinema, I love "The Candidate" with Robert Redford and one of its sleeper, alter egos, "Red Dawn".
I'm watching it tonight as I write, and it is classic conservative theater. And the young actors assembled went on to decent careers -- Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen and Leah Thompson.
You don't have to agree with the premise of the cinema to enjoy it just the purity of it. Red Dawn is an eager tale about freedom and the supposed threat to it from the Russians, Cubans and Nicaraguans. While its premise did not prove true historically, the movie still was -- in the 1980s -- like ABC-TV's nuclear tale about the aftermath of nuclear war in Kansas some classic political stuff for its time.
These movies are great to watch over and over.
Tips to all you Santas out there: take Tic-Tacs
As a Santa with a dozen appearances under my belt, I feel free during this holiday season to offer some musts for the man who would represent the jolly old fat man.
And these musts are not for you, but for the sake of the children. Remember, Christmas is for them. So put on your tough reindeer skin and read the following list on how to better yourself:
* Watch your breath: There is nothing worse for a child already a bit uneasy about approaching a crazily dressed man with a beard than a mouth that wreaks of old sweat socks. Today, I took at least 10 Tic-Tacs during my one-hour performance. Children deserve a Santa with breath that doesn't smell of reindeer runoff.
* Keep it down: The really loud "ho, ho, hos" are great for the entrance and exit, but tone it down during the performance for the little ones who already are skittish. They are going to want someone more quiet and gentle sounding. Every child deserves a chance to have fun.
* Don't force a picture: A lot of parents want a picture with Santa, no matter what and no matter how many tears dripping off the child's face. There's a better way. Get up and walk away. Let mom or dad sit down with the child on Santa's seat. Then once the child is content and smiling again, sneak up behind the family and put your hands on the top of the chair or throne for a great picture with smiles on everyone. The child need never know you were there.
These recommendations are the big three when it comes to mastering a successful Santa show. Then just be yourself if you are a merry person who loves children. If you're not, please, please, find something else to do during the holidays. The children deserve someone who cares and whose breath won't melt candy canes.
And these musts are not for you, but for the sake of the children. Remember, Christmas is for them. So put on your tough reindeer skin and read the following list on how to better yourself:
* Watch your breath: There is nothing worse for a child already a bit uneasy about approaching a crazily dressed man with a beard than a mouth that wreaks of old sweat socks. Today, I took at least 10 Tic-Tacs during my one-hour performance. Children deserve a Santa with breath that doesn't smell of reindeer runoff.
* Keep it down: The really loud "ho, ho, hos" are great for the entrance and exit, but tone it down during the performance for the little ones who already are skittish. They are going to want someone more quiet and gentle sounding. Every child deserves a chance to have fun.
* Don't force a picture: A lot of parents want a picture with Santa, no matter what and no matter how many tears dripping off the child's face. There's a better way. Get up and walk away. Let mom or dad sit down with the child on Santa's seat. Then once the child is content and smiling again, sneak up behind the family and put your hands on the top of the chair or throne for a great picture with smiles on everyone. The child need never know you were there.
These recommendations are the big three when it comes to mastering a successful Santa show. Then just be yourself if you are a merry person who loves children. If you're not, please, please, find something else to do during the holidays. The children deserve someone who cares and whose breath won't melt candy canes.
Playing Santa again is a dream come true
Next to losing my mother, the biggest hurt from my past three years with leukemia came each Christmastime.
It was then I could not play Santa Claus to children across Middle Tennessee, but especially one group of young innocents -- multiples of twins and triplets.
I played Santa four straight years for that group. And I had the best time. Children are a joy unto God, and to even men with fake beards. They also were most especially precious to me, because I do not have my own children. So Christmas was always empty, except when I could be amid the laughter and wishes of these youngsters who still believed Santa hung the Moon, and I could pretend they were my own.
So today was a day of resurrection for me. Yes, I know -- wrong season. But I got to play Santa again for the first time in four years. And so the tears of the past Yuletides have now been wiped cleaned.
I wish words could describe how special it is to play the greatest figure in the world. But they can't. Christmas is a feeling. And with children, it is source of such innocence and wonder that so many of we adults lose so quickly and refuse to accept again.
As Santa, you sit there and listen, and they give you their fresh perspective on life. It is invigorating. It is as if you are young again, awaiting what will be under the tree early Christmas morning.
So the above pictures are really no justice to show the joy I felt today. And the hugs of the children have begun the healing of a lot of wounds from the past three years. Momma would be proud.
Today's Tennessean front page is testament to how wrong Nashville, state went under Bredesen
Look at today's front page of The Tennessean and weep.
It is representative of a high price paid by the good people in Nashville and Tennessee for a man who governs as more of a myth than a leader of actual competence because of a fawning news media and an enriched chamber of commerce.
As for the 500 jobs Bredesen is bringing to Clarksville, the same number will be eventually lost in Nashville the next two years because of a Metro Nashville Davidson County budget dedicated during his years to pro sports and its billionaires -- like Bud Adams and Michael Dell -- and away from the needs of the people.
Ol' Bud is smiling on the front page today because he soon will call in his contract chip for $170 million in improvements to aging LP Field. A winning team gives an owner more power in forcing his way on taxpayers. And Bredesen negotiated the contract to bring Bud here, along with $5 million that comes off the top of the budget each year for the Titans.
The Dell deal was another disaster. Even before the deal went before the Council, The Tennessean's great investigative reporter Shelia Wissner showed that all the Bredesen giveaways -- for what was supposed to be a manufacturing plant -- to be a loser for taxpayers over 40 years. Yet The Tennessean still endorsed the deal. And Dell took away the manufacturing from the Nashville facility. It now is a box packing plant, paying a lot lower wages.
With the recent VW plant announcement, Bredesen gave away $600 million in tax giveaways for jobs not dedicated to Tennesseans. Alabamans and Georgians will get them, too. And for every giveaway, a regular taxpayer has to make up the difference, because Tennessee is facing a $1 billion budget deficit for the current year.
Just wait and see how many state jobs Bredesen cuts because he preferred to get elected than do the right fiscal thing and push a state income tax.
Bredesen giveth and Bredesen taketh away ... too damn frequently.
It is representative of a high price paid by the good people in Nashville and Tennessee for a man who governs as more of a myth than a leader of actual competence because of a fawning news media and an enriched chamber of commerce.
As for the 500 jobs Bredesen is bringing to Clarksville, the same number will be eventually lost in Nashville the next two years because of a Metro Nashville Davidson County budget dedicated during his years to pro sports and its billionaires -- like Bud Adams and Michael Dell -- and away from the needs of the people.
Ol' Bud is smiling on the front page today because he soon will call in his contract chip for $170 million in improvements to aging LP Field. A winning team gives an owner more power in forcing his way on taxpayers. And Bredesen negotiated the contract to bring Bud here, along with $5 million that comes off the top of the budget each year for the Titans.
The Dell deal was another disaster. Even before the deal went before the Council, The Tennessean's great investigative reporter Shelia Wissner showed that all the Bredesen giveaways -- for what was supposed to be a manufacturing plant -- to be a loser for taxpayers over 40 years. Yet The Tennessean still endorsed the deal. And Dell took away the manufacturing from the Nashville facility. It now is a box packing plant, paying a lot lower wages.
With the recent VW plant announcement, Bredesen gave away $600 million in tax giveaways for jobs not dedicated to Tennesseans. Alabamans and Georgians will get them, too. And for every giveaway, a regular taxpayer has to make up the difference, because Tennessee is facing a $1 billion budget deficit for the current year.
Just wait and see how many state jobs Bredesen cuts because he preferred to get elected than do the right fiscal thing and push a state income tax.
Bredesen giveth and Bredesen taketh away ... too damn frequently.
Predators slashing ticket prices to attract fans; Nashville taxpayers will end up biggest losers
My post earlier this week foretold that the Nashville Predators are feeling the heat from crowds that are not enough to support the team under its contract with the city.
If the NHL team does not average crowds of 14,000 this season, it has the power to move. And it will, probably to Canada. Crowds here are nowhere close to the needed number. And the economic downturn will hit here longer than in other places around the country and North America.
So the team is slashing ticket prices and adding freebies to bring out families. Other NHL teams are doing the same. But those consumers already are cutting back in their budgets just on Christmas. NHL hockey does not even enter into the spending picture. And some families are even losing jobs.
NHL hockey is an extravagance that Nashville should never have courted in the first place and built a new arena that loses mega millions of dollars each year.
The exact numbers are these, all thanks to now governor but then Mayor Phil Bredesen:
* $20 million fee for the NHL team;
* $5 million annually for costs of an arena built for an NHL team that Bredesen promised would be making a profit after the first couple of years. Now, it loses $5 million a year, is deteriorating and requiring spending for repairs and will lose even more money since the Predators will no longer be a tentant when they bolt. Remember, pro sports is a business, first.
So if your city somewhere in the United States or Canada needs a hockey team, there's one in Nashville that is hurting and hoping for better days. And there are taxpayers who have paid dearly for an extragavance while teachers, police and city workers will soon have to lose their jobs because of economic hard times and foolish public policy.
If the NHL team does not average crowds of 14,000 this season, it has the power to move. And it will, probably to Canada. Crowds here are nowhere close to the needed number. And the economic downturn will hit here longer than in other places around the country and North America.
So the team is slashing ticket prices and adding freebies to bring out families. Other NHL teams are doing the same. But those consumers already are cutting back in their budgets just on Christmas. NHL hockey does not even enter into the spending picture. And some families are even losing jobs.
NHL hockey is an extravagance that Nashville should never have courted in the first place and built a new arena that loses mega millions of dollars each year.
The exact numbers are these, all thanks to now governor but then Mayor Phil Bredesen:
* $20 million fee for the NHL team;
* $5 million annually for costs of an arena built for an NHL team that Bredesen promised would be making a profit after the first couple of years. Now, it loses $5 million a year, is deteriorating and requiring spending for repairs and will lose even more money since the Predators will no longer be a tentant when they bolt. Remember, pro sports is a business, first.
So if your city somewhere in the United States or Canada needs a hockey team, there's one in Nashville that is hurting and hoping for better days. And there are taxpayers who have paid dearly for an extragavance while teachers, police and city workers will soon have to lose their jobs because of economic hard times and foolish public policy.
The stock market is getting scarier by the day; get your money out now and into money market funds
A friend of mine I've been encouraging to get out of stock growth mutual funds thankfully finally wrote me and asked about safe harbor.
The friend has heard the same reports as I have ... Dow 5,000 or 4,000. And each day brings new layoffs and the first two quarters of 2009 will bring the worst financial reports for corporations.
Still, all the talking experts on CNBC and other financial cable networks love to use the phrase "bottoming process". That's what the market supposedly is in. That's bullshit. They want you to put your money in the market or keep it in there because that is how they make their money.
To my friend, I am recommending money market funds, which the Treasury Department is guaranteeing. Get back into the market next summer and remake the money you lost.
But please, don't lose any more. Because the market is heading down, big time.
The friend has heard the same reports as I have ... Dow 5,000 or 4,000. And each day brings new layoffs and the first two quarters of 2009 will bring the worst financial reports for corporations.
Still, all the talking experts on CNBC and other financial cable networks love to use the phrase "bottoming process". That's what the market supposedly is in. That's bullshit. They want you to put your money in the market or keep it in there because that is how they make their money.
To my friend, I am recommending money market funds, which the Treasury Department is guaranteeing. Get back into the market next summer and remake the money you lost.
But please, don't lose any more. Because the market is heading down, big time.
Friday, December 12, 2008
El Milagro de Nashville! The Miracle of Nashville! $221,000 debt of Our Lady's paid off with one check; congregation erupts in cheers, praise
With the words "Este es todos", Father Joseph Patrick Breen tonight told the congregation of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church that its $221,000 debt has now been paid off because of a generous donor.
In a little more than one year, Breen has raised $1.5 million in a bad economy to pay for the church, and now turn it over to the Hispanic people of Nashville. The congregation erupted upon hearing the news, and Bishop David Choby was moved to tears. Father Fernando Garcia, pastor of Our Lady's and seated to the right of the bishop in the picture below, embraced Breen.
"It is yours" means that the church now belongs under the direction of the Hispanic people of Nashville and is officially recognized as a self-sustaining congregation by the diocese.
The news, coming on the feast of Our Lady, sent a powerful message of God's greatness and the power given to Our Lady by her son.
The church has the largest congregation in Tennessee of more than 5,000 believers. They filled the church 10 deep behind the pews in some places for the mass. Father Breen was kind enough after the mass in meeting with me to give my late mother some of the credit in making this miracle moment happen.
Sadly, no TV news media was on hand to record the heroic and joyous moment. One can only guess if the print press was there. It continues to be the most credible criticism of the news media that it does not care about positive news. And so it went with tonight's miracle.
The congregation of mostly working poor Hispanics has contributed $100,000 to the securing of their church. Yet the media will not report this fact. It portrays Hispanics as takers, being gang members; or Hispanics are ignored when it comes to portraying patriots, workers or voters.
No wonder Nashville is home to the heinous 287 deportation program destroying Hispanic families and shackling pregnant women before and after labor. It also home to a Jan. 22 referendum that would foolishly make English the langugage of business for Nashville government.
Despite these gross and inexcusable failings of morality and good journalism by the media, this miracle moment must not be lost. The media, Councilman Eric Crafton and Sheriff Daron Hall cannot prevail against these good people. Our Lady is here to protect and safe, just she was north of Mexico City on Dec. 12, 1531.
And so in keeping with the Advent season and its hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel", we proclaim with even more faith that "God is indeed with us".
Blessed be the Lord!
Sunrise on the Cumberland River and being alive
I love watching downtowns wake up. In Detroit and the Big Apple, I made it a point to rise early and get out on the streets and watch how a big city begins its day.
This morning, I tried Nashville and was most impressed with those things created by man but more by that created by God.
At 6:45 a.m., only a few people are making the slow, dogged walk to work.
By 7 a.m., automobiles arrive in greater numbers. Those from the Cumberland Plateau communities this morning had a couple of inches of show on them.
By 7:15, the homeless men make their way up the hill from the river to the bus station near the state Capitol. They keep to themselves, bothering no one. They and their colleagues need not be rousted by public policy.
By 7:30, the city is alive. The heartbeat is full.
Yet the greatest sight is at 7 a.m.; that's when the sun rises on the Cumberland River, reminding you of how good it is to be alive today no matter the chill of the weather or the challenges in life.
Nashville is a beautiful place waking up in the morning. She is clean and most attractive.
This morning, I tried Nashville and was most impressed with those things created by man but more by that created by God.
At 6:45 a.m., only a few people are making the slow, dogged walk to work.
By 7 a.m., automobiles arrive in greater numbers. Those from the Cumberland Plateau communities this morning had a couple of inches of show on them.
By 7:15, the homeless men make their way up the hill from the river to the bus station near the state Capitol. They keep to themselves, bothering no one. They and their colleagues need not be rousted by public policy.
By 7:30, the city is alive. The heartbeat is full.
Yet the greatest sight is at 7 a.m.; that's when the sun rises on the Cumberland River, reminding you of how good it is to be alive today no matter the chill of the weather or the challenges in life.
Nashville is a beautiful place waking up in the morning. She is clean and most attractive.
Predators are in prime position to leave soon
More than I read the sports agate for scores, I watch for the attendance at each local Predators' game.
The team needs average attendance of 14,000 for each home game. and that is not an unreasonable demand. But the agate has been showing few dates with 14,000 officially paid in the stands. And that means the Predators can bolt.
The banktupcy filing by one the new principles of the team has put a substantial share of the team up to the highest bidder. And a rich fella from Canada has expressed interest in that share and moving the Predators north.
The economy in Tennessee continues to decline. People are not buying as much, putting the state into a %1 billion budget crisis. And property taxes will be rising on the homes of Predators' fans. Hockey games are going to continue to decline to the bottom of the spending list.
I wish it were not so. I really respect the devotion of fans to the team. And the team is filled with a bunch of great guys. But the NHL like all pro sports is a business first, even if owners have to break a city's hearts and move on.
The team needs average attendance of 14,000 for each home game. and that is not an unreasonable demand. But the agate has been showing few dates with 14,000 officially paid in the stands. And that means the Predators can bolt.
The banktupcy filing by one the new principles of the team has put a substantial share of the team up to the highest bidder. And a rich fella from Canada has expressed interest in that share and moving the Predators north.
The economy in Tennessee continues to decline. People are not buying as much, putting the state into a %1 billion budget crisis. And property taxes will be rising on the homes of Predators' fans. Hockey games are going to continue to decline to the bottom of the spending list.
I wish it were not so. I really respect the devotion of fans to the team. And the team is filled with a bunch of great guys. But the NHL like all pro sports is a business first, even if owners have to break a city's hearts and move on.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is not just a Mexican saint
By the devotion extended her, one might believe that Our Lady of Guadalupe -- whose feast day we celebrate today -- is only a Mexican saint.
While she did appear in Mexico on Dec. 12, 1531, to an Indian named Juan Diego, she voiced her concern for all people and to bring peace to a land savaged by violence from all sides.
The Aztecs annually butched hundreds of thousands in their games. The Spanish conquered the land and killed their share. So Our Lady appeared to bridge the violent divide between those people of European heritage and those of Indian heritage.
Does this need sound familiar here in the United States, as Americans rightly fear a different people who speak a different language. And immigrants fear reprisal for the color of their skin and their language skills.
So Our Lady is here to help us to bridge this gap, because both sides are devoted to God. And isn't that what life is all about? Amen. Es Verdad.
While she did appear in Mexico on Dec. 12, 1531, to an Indian named Juan Diego, she voiced her concern for all people and to bring peace to a land savaged by violence from all sides.
The Aztecs annually butched hundreds of thousands in their games. The Spanish conquered the land and killed their share. So Our Lady appeared to bridge the violent divide between those people of European heritage and those of Indian heritage.
Does this need sound familiar here in the United States, as Americans rightly fear a different people who speak a different language. And immigrants fear reprisal for the color of their skin and their language skills.
So Our Lady is here to help us to bridge this gap, because both sides are devoted to God. And isn't that what life is all about? Amen. Es Verdad.
The people win! Bailout dead in U.S. Senate: Corker comes out the hero of the moment
The American people should congratulate themselves for finally stopping the bailout frenzy before Congress. That announcement was made last night by angry Senate Democrats who could not come up with enough numbers to stop a GOP fillibuster.
U.S. Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee emerged as the hero of the American people on this issue. Yet he tried to get a compromise. He said the obstabcle was the UAW, refusing to cut their wages to those paid to foriegn automaker workers.
Wall Street is expected to plummet today. And economists now are predicting a 20 percent decline in January for the stock market. It now may too late to get your money out of mutual funds.
U.S. Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee emerged as the hero of the American people on this issue. Yet he tried to get a compromise. He said the obstabcle was the UAW, refusing to cut their wages to those paid to foriegn automaker workers.
Wall Street is expected to plummet today. And economists now are predicting a 20 percent decline in January for the stock market. It now may too late to get your money out of mutual funds.
Don't doubt school director candidates; sometimes the best canidate is one who never got the chance
It may be easy for some critics of the candidates for school director of Metro Nashville public schools to downplay their credentials, but it remains a truth in all professions that some people just need a chance to prove themselves.
That certainly was the case when I was trying to write on politics. And a Gannett newspaper in upstate New York took a chance on me and believed column clips from inside a TV magazine were good enough.
I am most appreciative of Gannett and the publisher and editor there who hired me. And I hope I proved their decision a wise one. And from there, I came to Nashville to be a columnist in 1996 and won national, non Gannett writing awards from the University of Maryland's Casey Center(twice), Education Writers Association in D.C(three times), Religion Communicators Conncil in NY, NY(twice) and the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.
So give the school director candidates a chance. You may be surprised.
That certainly was the case when I was trying to write on politics. And a Gannett newspaper in upstate New York took a chance on me and believed column clips from inside a TV magazine were good enough.
I am most appreciative of Gannett and the publisher and editor there who hired me. And I hope I proved their decision a wise one. And from there, I came to Nashville to be a columnist in 1996 and won national, non Gannett writing awards from the University of Maryland's Casey Center(twice), Education Writers Association in D.C(three times), Religion Communicators Conncil in NY, NY(twice) and the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.
So give the school director candidates a chance. You may be surprised.
Finger-lickin' good? KFC employees bathed in kitchen; crusty or orginal recipe?
Great people work at fastfood restaurants. These are unappreciated jobs.
But what a trio of KFC employees did recently has got to make one wonder about stopping by the Colonel's eatery and ordering anything that you're going to put in your month.
The female employees bathed in the kitchen sink at one KFC outlet. A picture of them wet afterward has been making it around the web and into the imaginations of my many American men.
But the incident just reinforces worries people already have out about eating out. Perhaps it is time to eat more at home, just to be sure your eating pre-bathed chicken.
But what a trio of KFC employees did recently has got to make one wonder about stopping by the Colonel's eatery and ordering anything that you're going to put in your month.
The female employees bathed in the kitchen sink at one KFC outlet. A picture of them wet afterward has been making it around the web and into the imaginations of my many American men.
But the incident just reinforces worries people already have out about eating out. Perhaps it is time to eat more at home, just to be sure your eating pre-bathed chicken.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Corker becoming national figure in bailout battle
Tennessee senator Bob Corker has become a media and political darling of the moment with his lead role in trying to reach a compromise agreement on bailing out the Big 3 automakers.
Without such a compromise, which the White House is not participating in as usual, the automakers will not get anything out of Congress this year due to GOP opposition that is principled and correct.
Corker was a big dealmaker as mayor of Chattanooga, TN, and quite progressive in rebuilding the city and its image and constructing affordable housing. He also is the 23rd richest member of Congress.
Here is what The New York Times says, featuring Corker in its top website presence: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/business/12auto.html?_r=1&hp
Without such a compromise, which the White House is not participating in as usual, the automakers will not get anything out of Congress this year due to GOP opposition that is principled and correct.
Corker was a big dealmaker as mayor of Chattanooga, TN, and quite progressive in rebuilding the city and its image and constructing affordable housing. He also is the 23rd richest member of Congress.
Here is what The New York Times says, featuring Corker in its top website presence: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/business/12auto.html?_r=1&hp
Powell speaks the tough truth to Rush Limbaugh
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell let Rush Limbaugh and conservatives have it on CNN for their intolerance and told them they won't be winning many elections in the 21st century without a shift in perspetive.
Here is how his interview to be aired this Sunday was reported by CNN and carried on the Drudge Report:
Powell: GOP 'polarization' backfired in election
Posted: 07:01 PM ET
Powell says the GOP tried to use 'polarization for political advantage.'
(CNN) — The Republican party must stop "shouting at the world" and start listening to minority groups if it is to win elections in the 21st century, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday.
In an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria for Sunday's "GPS" program, President Bush's former secretary of state said his party's attempt "to use polarization for political advantage" backfired last mont
Here is how his interview to be aired this Sunday was reported by CNN and carried on the Drudge Report:
Powell: GOP 'polarization' backfired in election
Posted: 07:01 PM ET
Powell says the GOP tried to use 'polarization for political advantage.'
(CNN) — The Republican party must stop "shouting at the world" and start listening to minority groups if it is to win elections in the 21st century, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday.
In an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria for Sunday's "GPS" program, President Bush's former secretary of state said his party's attempt "to use polarization for political advantage" backfired last mont