March 30, 2005
Happy National Pulse Day
...The day that, on this particular year, is two days before April Fool's but remains twice as awesome.
We hope you've had a chance to enjoy the shocking revelations concerning Ron Littlefoot, Alien Coulter and the roaches in the Blue Cross men's restroom.
If not, that sucks. But we love you anyway.
Do you love us? Check yes or no.
Posted by mesh at 04:48 PM | TrackBack
March 29, 2005
Johnnie Cochran dead at 67
Read about it here.
Posted by colrus at 08:33 PM | TrackBack
In Wednesday's Issue of the Pulse
-An exclusive look inside Chattanooga's real power structure.
-Who's really behind the mayoral candidates?
-What is Ann Coulter's secret plan to exploit outlying neighbohoods?
-What brought Dan Johnson and Ron Littlefield together?
-How did Littlefield originally find out about rumored push-polling?
-Who really writes John Wolfe's political pamphlets?
...And much more!
Posted by mesh at 01:34 PM | TrackBack
"The Sheer Indecency of the Thing"
Christopher Hitchens offers some strong words on the Terri Schiavo case. I still haven't settled my thoughts on the matter (Paul Jaussen, a University of Washington graduate student and an old friend, has offered an insightful contrary view) but, like Hitch, I am increasingly struck by the ghoulish morbidity of Schiavo's life-supporters. And I sympathize with his rejection of the macabre fascination:
Meanwhile, the rest of us also have lives to live. And I hope and believe that we shall say, as politely and compassionately as we can, that we do not intend to pass our remaining days listening to any hysteria from the morbid and the superstitious. It is an abuse of our courts and our Constitution to have judges and congressmen and governors bullied by those who believe in resurrection but not in physical death.
What I simply can't understand about this case is how my fellow Christians can spend so much time leering over a deathbed, fighting against an event that our creeds assure us is not victorious. My intuition is that our ethics have been eclipsed by the science of preserving physical endurance, the end-of-life technology that draws out death like some magic ring. (I wouldn't mind Ryan Davidson's thoughts on this.) We treat death like an assignation to be postponed, rather than an evil to be boldly confronted.
I was looking at some T. S. Eliot this morning, and ran across these lines from "The Journey of the Magi":
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.
Should we all not be glad of another death -- especially when the only alternative is to linger, immortal but insensible, like some awful modern vampire?
Posted by mesh at 12:40 PM | TrackBack
I'm Gonna Cry...
Though not very pertinent to usual Pulse Blog fare, I felt it was important to mention that this will be released on April 12. The happiness I am currently experiencing is immeasurable.
-Bill
Posted by pulseblogger at 11:14 AM | TrackBack
March 28, 2005
Have No Fear...
...new posts will soon appear.
(We've been busy...)
Posted by pulseblogger at 09:22 AM | TrackBack
March 24, 2005
Henry Davenport footage desperately needed
This was just posted as a comment on Bill's blog. Sounds great. Please help if you can.
REACHING OUT TO FRIENDS OF HENRY DAVENPORT:
ESPN is putting together a Henry Davenport feature to air within the women's NCAA tournament coverage of the Sweet 16 on ESPN. We need pictures and video of Henry!! Please contact me if you have pictures or video and would like to share it for this tribute to a great fan of women's basketball.
Thanks!
Julie Fitzpatrick
ESPN
julie.m.fitzpatrick@espn.com
Posted by pulseblogger at 09:34 AM | TrackBack
March 23, 2005
A couple of stupid stories.
Because we can:
"Obviously we don't want anyone driving under the influence anywhere in the airport area, especially on the tarmac."
Smell the Lord.
(Thanks Kel...)
Posted by pulseblogger at 04:36 PM | TrackBack
When Talking Points Run Amok
In a visit to the Air America Radio site after reading this story (humorous, to say the least...though I'm leery of stories on Drudge until I actually see them elsewhere) about an upcoming behind-the-scenes HBO documentary on the radio network, I stumbled upon this post.
It's Not About Terri Schiavo
Laura Flanders tells us what this circus is really about: The life of our GOP-ruled Congress; Political posturing for Christian voters; Performing compassion when the administration is "only-and-all about profits;" Tom Delay attempting to cover up his corruption; Diverting attention from Iraq; Sending Americans out to war to kill and be killed while making a spectacle of a brain-dead woman to promote the GOP "culture of life" facade. "Plastic pathos, sure, and for-profit compassion there's plenty -- but, actual honest-to-your-god empathy? You tell me."
Are you sure, Laura? Couldn't the whole case simply be about the fact that nobody has proof that she actually wanted to die -- and nothing more than that? Or are you just desperately trying to fill air time?
Jeesh. And everybody ELSE is overreacting? Uh Huh.
-Bill
Posted by pulseblogger at 12:28 PM | TrackBack
Thoughts on Terry Schiavo
In watching -- and how could you avoid it -- the constant coverage of the Terry Schiavo situation. There are a few thoughts that I just can't shake. These are my thoughts, I should add, and do not represent (as far as I'm aware of) those of any other Pulsers, as nobody else in the office has sat down to discuss the case at all.
1. Michael Schiavo failed to mention that Terry wanted to die for seven years.
2. In this country we afford criminals a trial where their convictions have to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt based on enough evidence to convince a jury. In this case, we have almost no evidence that Terri wanted to die -- certainly not enough to remove the aspect of reasonable doubt. Terry may very well have wanted to die. Unfortunately, it can't be proven.
3. Terry has never had an M.R.I.
4. Michael says he loves his wife -- but not enough to divorce her before leaving her for another woman. Again, Michael could be 100% accurate when he says that Terri wanted to die, but his actions over more than a decade -- including having an affair -- erode his credibility. The same credibility that we're supposed to use as the foundation in believing when he expresses Terri's supposed wishes. Terri's parents want him to divorce her so they take care of her. He refuses.
5. While Terri is in a dreadful mental state, she is otherwise physically healthy -- just like people who are born severly retarded. It is illegal to kill these people, and one of the last major groups of people to say it was legal were the Nazis.
6. Other than a feeding tube, Terri needs no other equipment to live.
7. Doctors are spilt on whether or not she can be rehabilitated, again, bringing up that pesky reasonable doubt aspect.
8. It is illegal to starve animals in Florida.
9. Nobody REALLY knows if Terri can feel pain. Nobody can REALLY assess her quality of life. And, again, nobody REALLY knows if she wants to die. Because, unfortunately, Terry can't tell us.
Posted by colrus at 09:34 AM | TrackBack
Yes, but can you promote a high school reunion via a political e-mail account? Huh? CAN YA?!?
Dumb move, Fred.
Posted by pulseblogger at 09:06 AM | TrackBack
March 22, 2005
In Wednesday's Issue of the Pulse
-We offer an extended preview of the AEC's Conference on Southern Literature.
-Bailes moonlights as a war-protesting Scout leader.
-Bill isn't impressed by Ron's RiverCity perceptions.
-Katy analyzes Justin Cox's wardrobe from head to toe.
-Children of Eden are taken to task for their Miltonic sexism.
-Max endures the bloodiest wedding ever.
-Brent Sanders creates our coolest cover... ever?
...And much more!
Posted by mesh at 05:50 PM | TrackBack
New PulseCast coming soon.
The boys at Lazy Bear Productions are currently producing Lazy Bear's "Radio for the Deaf," The Pulse Blog's newest PulseCast.
"Radio for the Deaf" will be a 30-minute comedy show.
That's all they'll tell us.
Check back soon for humorous hilarities.
Posted by pulseblogger at 09:26 AM | TrackBack
March 21, 2005
Monday's Required Reading: The World According to Garff
A noteworthy Updike piece in the latest New Yorker, with extended commentary on Joakim Garff's new biography of Kierkegaard. Heady stuff, a bit loquacious for a Monday night (a time when my preferred words are "Pow!" and "Bam!"), but very worthwhile for the old New Englander's thoughts on the "scandal" of radical existentialist Christianity. Updike doesn't seem to be much of a fan: "A generation before Nietzsche, God was pronounced dead as a practical matter; theism so severely preached was hard to distinguish from atheism."
But the chief reaction the article summons from me is deeper sympathy for Kierkegaard, a man whose arguments for radical decisions and divisions were sparked by a tremendous self-disgust. The piece leads to fascinating, highly personal questions: Does Christianity, a religion practiced in these parts with a languid acceptance, require full separation from human connections? Does any call to transcendence (artistic or spiritual) require a move away from people?
You can see such a move slowly happening in Kierkegaard (ironic, considering his hatred for abstraction), as he divorced himself from a doting fiance:
For nearly a year he had been going through the motions, dining with her and her parents, arranging meetings and outings, sending letters and gifts. His executors returned her letters, which she burned, but twenty-six of his survive. These letters, according to Garff, show a marked improvement in Kierkegaard’s literary art—too much so. “For by virtue of their indisputably aesthetic qualities, the letters make it clear that their author was to become not a husband but a writer.”
In his mind, was it such a great shift from a writer to a martyr?
Well, that was a lot of words. Sorry. We'll be back to RiverCity jokes tomorrow.
Posted by mesh at 06:52 PM | TrackBack
March 18, 2005
Bring back the Shamrock Shake!
In honor of yesterday's holiday, yes, let's do it.
(Link courtesy of my buddy in L.A., Jeff Carter.)
Posted by colrus at 09:45 AM | TrackBack
March 17, 2005
An Onion Parody That In No Way Reminds Us of Certain Chattanooga Public Figures
Well, okay, maybe a little bit. Actually, a lot. All right, fine: the parallels are uncanny.
We would have posted this an hour ago, but we were too busy laughing.
Happy St. Pat's, everybody. Drive safely. Don't build anything.
Posted by mesh at 05:17 PM | TrackBack
The Revenge of Chief Chattamoc
Have at you, Slate! You have offended the dearly-held honor of Scrappy, our anthropomorphic Railroad Bird! What has UTC done to you that you should insult it so?
"So confused is Chattanooga's self-image that for nearly a century the school has snatched aimlessly from a grotesque mascot grab bag filled to the brim with half-realized creatures, ethnic stereotypes, and footwear."
So what's wrong with footwear?
We are now convinced that the Mocs will rise from this insult to achieve sweet victory over Wake Forest tonight.
(Did any of us pick UTC in our office pool? Well, no. But we're confident anyway.)
Posted by mesh at 02:58 PM | TrackBack
Ha, Ha! Stupid Sherman!
The Trust for Public Land is purchasing 36.1 acres of Billy Goat Hill, the East Chattanooga promentory that Sherman's troops marched upon in 1863, thinking they had reached Missionary Ridge. Surprisingly, Sherman did not immediately burn the hill down.
Posted by mesh at 12:59 PM | TrackBack
Eric Nichols shoots more money into Rick Warren's pockets.
As predicted, there are now over 800 stories on Google referencing Ashley Smith's use of "The Purpose Driven Life" while being held hostage by quadruple murderer Eric Nichols.
The Pulse Blog has officially started a pool.
Which will come first?:
Ashley Smith's book about the ordeal?
or
"The Purpose Driven Hostage Handbook"?
Posted by pulseblogger at 01:31 AM | TrackBack
Signal Mountain folks soon to be more drunk with...well...just more drunk.
Man, if this goes through, folks from Signal may never leave the mountain again...
Posted by pulseblogger at 01:15 AM | TrackBack
March 16, 2005
The Pulse Goes Gawker
Yep. That's right. That big ol' NYC blog has referenced our little ol' paper.
(wipes tear...)
Posted by pulseblogger at 04:15 PM | TrackBack
Ann Coulter Needs to Get Eaten Alive by Lord Voldemort
As I search for information on the mayoral race, I keep forgetting that there's another Ann Coulter that people hate even more than the Chattanooga one.
Posted by mesh at 02:50 PM | TrackBack
Pretty Girls are Everywhere. When You See Them, I'll Be There
Among the songs that you will not find on Josh's Pulsecast: "Seasons in the Sun," Jacques Brel's "impossibly maudlin" bit of doggerel that has been covered by The Kingston Trio, Terry Jacks and, improbably, Nirvana. In today's Slate, James Sullivan has an amusing analysis of the song's badness:
The singer addresses his friend, his father, and his lover as he prepares to die of unspecified causes—assuming, that is, that "too much wine and too much song" isn't a diagnosis.
Is the song stuck in your head yet? You're welcome.
Posted by mesh at 02:22 PM | TrackBack
March 15, 2005
Joshua Daniels' PulseCast Now Available on The Pulse Blog
WUTC's Joshua Daniels has made history today as the first contributor to The Pulse Blog's "PulseCasts" section, which can be found to the right. Right now, Josh's weekly show is available in mp3 format for download or as streaming audio for those of you with faster connections. Josh's show -- and all other planned PulseCasts -- will soon be available as PodCasts, via iPodder, for use on your portable audio device. Check back often for more audio fun!
Posted by pulseblogger at 09:55 PM | TrackBack
Not in Wednesday's Issue of the Pulse, Even Though We Said It Would Be
-Detailed coverage of the Zoning Appeals Board's sending the Coolidge Hotel back to the North Shore Review Committee.
(We know, you were so looking forward to that. Don't cry. It's going to be OK.)
Posted by mesh at 04:15 PM | TrackBack
In Wednesday's Issue of the Pulse
-Buddhism and the art of Chattanooga maintenance.
-WGOW's Jeff Styles takes on the Star Watch, and Times Free Press carriers feel caught in the middle.
-The Mayoral Mudpuddle: Updates on what Ann and Ron have stepped in this week.
-Hubie and Fletch, the governor's favorite artists.
-Extended coverage of this week's new music releases.
-Rosemary marinated New Zealand lamb -- with racin'.
-Cigna: The Business of Draconian Ascetics.
...and much more!
Posted by mesh at 04:09 PM | TrackBack
This Is, At Least, How We'd Like to Imagine It
Firefighters Have Tense Moments In Saving Most Of Apartment Building
JERRY: Hey, Ralphie, hurry it up! This thing's taking off up here and we got a kink in the forward lay! Get that hose straightened out!
(RALPHIE does not move)
JERRY: Hey, moron, what are ya, deaf? I need more pressure up here! Move your ass!
RALPHIE: Stop yelling at me.
JERRY: What? The hell you talkin'?
RALPHIE: Stop yelling. You're always yelling at me. (Mimicking) "Ralphie, there's a three-alarm here! Ralphie, there's a four-alarm there! Ralphie, stop eating that doughnut and fix the reverse lay! Ralphie, I can't do anything by myself and I'm all scared of the big fire with its hot flames and spooky smoke so I'm going to scream my head off at you like a GREAT BIG BABY!"
JERRY: I don't act that way. Go to hell.
RALPHIE: You go to hell.
JERRY: Douchebag.
RALPHIE: Asshat.
(They stare at each other, seething. Smoke comes up from their heads. Which sort of makes sense, considering that they are in a fire. Finally, JERRY chuckles)
JERRY: You know, I always thought the phrase "asshat" was really funny. I mean, what would a hat made of ass look like?
RALPHIE (Also starting to grin): I know... And, for that matter, is it a hat made of ass, or an ass made of hat? Can you imagine somebody's buttocks that looked like one of those big cowboy things, whaddya call 'em?
JERRY: Stetsons.
RALPHIE: Yeah, that. That'd be funny.
JERRY: Could be, could be.
(They stare at each other again)
JERRY: Listen, Ralphie, I'll try not to yell so much. It just gets a little intense out here sometimes.
RALPHIE: Hey, that's big of ya. Thanks. And I'm sorry about the "great big baby" crack.
JERRY: No problem, buddy. Now, you wanna straighten out that hose kink? We're running out of water up front.
RALPHIE: What's the magic word?
JERRY: Please.
RALPHIE: My pleasure.
(He walks to the hose)
END
Posted by mesh at 10:54 AM | TrackBack
Headlines That, In Retrospect, Suggest Unfortunate Images of Toddlers Purchasing Marlboro Lights
This is, I admit, an obscure category of headline, but Chattanoogan.com has filled the need:
Rep. Cohen Calls For Cigarette Tax For Pre-K
Posted by mesh at 10:32 AM | TrackBack
March 14, 2005
AOL IM users, please read :(
This is something to stop and think about if you are user of AOL's instant messaging program.
Posted by pulseblogger at 08:59 AM | TrackBack
March 11, 2005
Ann Coulter doesn't have a shot in Alton Park...
...against the Ron Littlefield cannonball!
Posted by pulseblogger at 02:14 PM | TrackBack
When Simple Disagreement Reaches Hysteria...
As we reported earlier, the city's Zoning Appeals Board sent the imaginary Coolidge Hotel, Chattanooga's favorite divisive hot potato, back to the North Shore Review Committee for consideration. And from all appearances, it looks like "this illegal and immoral project" will most likely NOT be built in its originally-planned location.
While people coming together to speak out against something they are opposed to is a great thing, too much of a great thing can be, well, not so great.
Fil Manley, who runs the anti-Coolidge Hotel website, ILoveCoolidgePark.com, seems to have taken a hard, crazed turn since we first met as guests on WGOW. That day, Fil was calm, polite, engaging and stated his points in a well-thought-out manner. He wanted to see the hotel get built -- even at the originally-planned location -- but had some concerns about the specific measurements of the hotel and how they related to the adjacent Walnut Street Bridge. Since then, he has gotten more and more vocal against the project, and has, it seems, lost a little bit of perspective.
Shortly before the zoning appeal, Manley posted a letter on Chattanoogan.com in which he states:
"The thousands of dollars we have spent on legal defense could have been spent on a much worthier cause. How many homeless people could we have fed for the money we've had to waste fighting this battle? How many school books could we have bought for poor children? How many battered mothers could we have sheltered for this money?"
The rationale behind the above passage is exactly why I have been in SUPPORT of the hotel from day one. At first, it was a playful support. But now, I am vehemently in support of it.
Fil has placed the organziation's crusade against the hotel ABOVE the real, pressing and more important (as he admits) needs of the other causes he mentioned. They didn't HAVE to spend the money and time to protest the hotel. They CHOSE to.
It's especially sad to read these comments when the mayor and the developer have already been talking about a resolution. The developer already recognizes the animosity towards his project, and will most likely not build it there due to business reasons. Not philosophical or aesthetic ones like the protestors are arguing. PUBLIC and PRIVATE people are talking TO each other to RESOLVE the matter, not talking ABOUT each other in order to GET WHAT THEY WANT, which is why it is obvious why Ron Littlefield is on the side of the protesters and why Manley, later in the same letter, asks for people to vote for him. Littlefield's long-established style of talking ABOUT other people to get what he wants is convenient to their cause.
Manley says that "a vote for Ann Coulter is a vote for the River City company and the greedy few who pull the puppet strings from behind the scenes."
If Manley thinks that there aren't people pulling Littlefield's strings -- Manley is one, himself -- and that Littlefield isn't also greedy, he's talking crazier than I thought.
RiverCity's greed is equated with money. Littlefield's greed is obviously set in his desire for power.
If Littlefield is going to have this kind of animosity about a project that is being resolved through calm, non-political means, how is he EVER going to work with the so-called "corrupt puppet masters" once in office? Why will they ever stop to consider his opinion on anything?
People get sick of bullies before they get sick of rich folks, and I am just about sick of all of it.
May the glorious former floorcoverings building rot in non-view-obstructing glory forever.
Posted by colrus at 11:35 AM | TrackBack
Great Moments in Chattanooga Opinion Writing
"In my days when teachers could paddle students without having to worry if the ACLU was going to sue their rears off, it meant something to the kids... And at one time, before the 70's, we were the #1 country in education. We have became lax, lazy and mundane in nature. If natural selection were applied to education our poor systems would have been eaten years ago. In Japan for instance you misbehave in class... you get caned, which IS abuse. It doesn't just leave whelps... it cuts into the flesh. But they are doing A LOT better than us, sad to say."
Any school discipline that leaves whelps is probably quite sufficient.
Posted by mesh at 08:54 AM | TrackBack
March 10, 2005
Things are More Moderner Than Before
Introducing the new City of Chattanooga homepage... the most spectacular Web site design of 1996!
Posted by mesh at 11:00 AM | TrackBack
O, Cruel Truth
In which we learn that Nashville kids don't take criticism very well:
''All the negativity toward the players (bothered us),'' Harpeth senior Paul Ivey told The Tennessean in late October. ''Like saying we were losers and that we'd never amount to anything. Stuff like we weren't athletic enough to basically play with any team in our region.''
The Indians finished 0-10 this season...
Posted by mesh at 10:16 AM | TrackBack
March 09, 2005
Would the Sponsor Explain This to Me While Wearing Something Edible?
Interstate 24 billboards, beware: Nashville lawmakers are looking to stop stores selling sex toys from advertising themselves as "love shops" instead of "adult bookstores." (This isn't what we meant by this week's cover headline but, depending on the circumstances, I suppose this could count as an attempt to "silence your college professor.")
The reclassification bill was sponsored by Sen. Charlotte Burks, a Democrat from Monterey. The Associated Press, that defender of a lady's honor, reported that questions on the Senate floor "made Burks blush":
"Would the sponsor explain to me what ... the definition of adult novelties would be, what risque gifts would be and marital aids?" said Sen. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis.
"I've never been in one of these stores," Burks said.
(Link via Pith in the Wind)
Posted by mesh at 03:20 PM | TrackBack
North Shore Review Committee Gets to Discuss the Meaning of "Shall" Again
The city's Zoning Appeals Board sent the Coolidge Hotel, Chattanooga's favorite governmental hot potato, back to the North Shore Review Committee this morning -- with Appeals Board members offering some pointed criticism for the committee's failure to address the hotel's compliance with C-7 zoning guidelines.
Ron Littlefield was pleased: "It went as I hoped that it would." Allen McCallie, the Miller & Martin attourney for hotel developer Bill Young, didn't mind either, saying that the search for an alternate site is ongoing: "We continue to see no need to have this meeting take place."
Board Chairman James A. Wilson also got in a good-natured dig against Fil Manley, the vocal Walnut Street Bridge defender who appeared earlier this year on a WTCI debate. "I want to know who told him that the Board of Zoning Appeals was a rubber stamp," Wilson said. "I tried to call in (to WTCI) for 15 minutes. It's probably best that I didn't get through."
Look for more detailed coverage in next Wednesday's Pulse, including a heated sidewalk debate between McCallie and hotel opponents that featured disagreement over the virtues of McDonald's.
Posted by mesh at 01:25 PM | TrackBack
March 08, 2005
Coming Soon to The Pulse Blog: PulseCasts
You will soon be able to download podcasts -- or as we like to call them, "PulseCasts" -- directly from The Pulse Blog and onto your portable audio device.
The first scheduled PulseCast will be a weekly, hour-long music program from WUTC 88.1 FM's, Joshua Daniels.
We are also sketching out details for other news- and entertainment-based PulseCasts, as well.
Check back for more details.
Posted by pulseblogger at 02:10 PM | TrackBack
Great Moments in Chattanooga Opinion Writing
"Remember how the Democratic Party, under its greatest President, won World War II. It is the greatness of the Democratic Party and all the Party has done for people that Conservatives hate and are trying to rescind."
The Republican Party: They wanted us to lose World War II.
Posted by mesh at 02:09 PM | TrackBack
In Wednesday's Issue of the Pulse
-The Nashville GOP wants your college professor to shut up.
-Ann and Ron battle for Danfans.
-Our newest arts reviewer: a six-year-old girl.
-Kurt celebrates the independence of Greg Beck.
-A new, improved CD review page.
-The two funniest Chattanooga filmmakers you've never heard of.
-Katy's feet are naked.
...and much more!
Posted by mesh at 01:51 PM | TrackBack
Meanwhile, at RiverCity Co...
"Quick! Burn the records! Hide the bodies! Somebody grab Corker's bong! Take the concubines out through the fire escape! Dan Johnson's coming!"
Posted by mesh at 11:08 AM | TrackBack
March 07, 2005
Who's House? Dunno...Never Met him...
(from Nooga.com)
It seems that Mocs fans pulled a "Pulse" this weekend, confusing "whose" with "who's" on their T-shirts as we once did ON THE COVER OF OUR PAPER.
Ugh. Embarrassing.
Grammar aside, it was great to see so many fans at the roundhouse as the Mocs earned their first NCAA Championship trip since 1997.
Sweet...
Posted by pulseblogger at 11:37 AM | TrackBack
Look! No Sign!
This picture was taken last Friday night at dusk.
Apparently, The Pulse Blog has made quite an impact in its oh-so-short life.
Posted by pulseblogger at 09:28 AM | TrackBack
March 04, 2005
From Weekly World News: Letters to the Editor
This is one of my favorite letters to the editor from the Weekly World News website.
Rat Man
Man wants surgery to become a rat
I work with a man who has spoken to many highly respected Polish physicians and notable psychiatrists in his effort to fulfill his rodent dreams. He has always felt like he didn't belong in the body God gave him, and would like to undergo the surgery required to become a rat. He wanted you to know about this because no one has taken him seriously and he feels that transsexuals and transgender get all the attention and respect. He feels that there are many others like him, but would like some publicity and validation so that others suffering from the same condition won't continue to feel the shame that he has felt for so long.
He has many physical characteristics of the animal he would like to become. He has long yellowed teeth, gnaws on his food in a similar manner to a rat, and has an extraordinary amount of body hair which he preens.
We hope that you can give this matter the attention it deserves in your paper.
-Karen
Editor's Note: We at the Weekly World News understand and empathize with your co-worker's frustration. Much like a rat in a cage, there are those among us who feel limited in our current situations. Best of luck to your co-worker.
Posted by zcooper at 03:08 PM | TrackBack
Say What You Will About the Tenets of Urban Planning, Dude -- At Least It's an Ethos
I've been mildly confused by the attacks on Ann Coulter in recent weeks for being "an urban planner with ties to downtown developers." (Those were the exact words of a Johnson TV ad, if I'm not mistaken.) Well, the "ties to downtown developers" part made sense; it was another RiverCity Co. slam, a suggestion of corruption and inside baseball. But what's so bad about being an urban planner? I've always associated planners with civic revitalization efforts, with the kind of partnerships that create positive change.
Ah, but I wasn't alive in the '60s. Today in Slate, a fantastic Witold Rybczynski feature on the rise of landscape archetecture remembers a time when urban planning went very, very sour:
During the post-World War II period, landscape architecture's pre-eminence in urbanism was challenged by the new "scientific" profession of city planning. Riding the coattails of the growing popular faith in technology and progress, planners took control, relegating landscape architects to the sidelines. But during the '60s and '70s, the planners stumbled—badly. Their formulations turned out to be misguided and resulted in such debacles as urban freeways, public housing projects, and urban renewal. The planning profession never recovered from these failures and retreated to the bureaucratic thickets of zoning legislation, environmental impact studies, and community participation.
I'm not sure this last sentence is entirely fair; the most successful and enduring planners, I would argue, have adapted themselves to work more as arbitrators than social engineers. They coordinate the visions of landscapers, businessmen and city government to create less utopian projects. But the rest of this analysis is enlightening, if only to better understand public perception: when the boomer generation hears "urban planner," it thinks less of the 21st Century Waterfront and more of the Golden Gateway highway interchange and the HUD housing projects on the West Side.
Or maybe not. Maybe people just hate big convention centers and big aquariums, and don't see a connection between those projects and their daily lives.
Whatev. The Rybczynski essay is still worth reading, if only for the pictures highlighting postmodern park design. If Chattanooga could use the Wheland foundry site the way that Germans reclaimed a steelworks to create Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park, we'd have the coolest city ever.
Posted by mesh at 11:15 AM | TrackBack
March 03, 2005
Today's Helpful Product Link
In case you need your bung mixed.
...and who doesn't?
Posted by pulseblogger at 02:13 PM | TrackBack
Look! A Sign!
(Photo by David Andrews)
It looks like the rules are not in effect during campaign season, eh Ron?
Posted by pulseblogger at 02:00 PM | TrackBack
But Which One is Bought and Sold by RiverCity Co., That's the Real Question
In case you thought Chattanooga's newspaper battles were feisty, check this out: The owner of Knoxville's MetroPulse ends up on a blog comment thread, where he calls a writer for something called the Halls Shopper News "a mean spirited gossip columnist with a mulititude of axes to grind." You go, Brian Conley! The Halls Shopper News ain't got shit on you!
Posted by mesh at 01:23 PM | TrackBack
March 02, 2005
Hath Not a Lobster Eyes?
This from the story of Bubba, a 22-pound lobster donated to a Ripley's aquarium. Prepare youself for thoughts about the deadly sins of crustaceans, and a truly wretched pun. Trust us, this is a painful one. You may not want to read it.
Although his business is to sell seafood, Wholey says Bubba was never bound to be boiled and buttered. And he's become a little philosophical after seeing the lobster, which could be twice his 54 years.
"I don't think you could eat something that big. ... What range of emotions does a lobster have? Greed? Lust? Love? I'm just going to give him to the zoo and hope he lives another 100 years," Wholey said.
"If you sat down and ate this thing, wouldn't that be a bit shellfish?"
Posted by mesh at 12:36 PM | TrackBack
The Boys Are Back in Town: The Morning After
Megathanks to everybody who followed our LiveBlogging coverage last night. Looking back, it's all a bit of a blur (the Choo-Choo makes a mean White Russian), but I know I was incredibly lucky last night: arriving at Johnson's headquarters before his concession, having enough of an uneasy vibe to stick around the Read House when he wouldn't come down, and driving to Littlefield's warehouse about 90 seconds before Dan did. I've never seen a room in Chattanooga rocking as hard as Littlefield's headquarters was last night; it was like the Indianapolis Colts offices five minutes after drafting Peyton Manning.
Dozens of questions linger after the Johnson coup: How long had Littlefield known that Johnson was offering support? Were their tandem attacks over the last two weeks orchestrated? (In such a case, the airy cheer at Johnson's headquarters begins to make sense.) How many of Johnson's voters can Coulter reasonably hope to steal? A third would be enough, but is that a pipe dream? What, exactly, do Johnson and Littlefield fear in the RiverCity Company? Are people sacrificing cattle in the RiverCity back rooms? Will Littlefield ever explain his objections to the "monster" that is RiverCity? Will Coulter ever make a serious case for the integrity of public-private partnerships? Was last night's public-public partnership a resurrection of the "good ol' boy network," or a last-ditch effort to battle the established scion of city power brokers? What is the political structure that supports Littlefield? Will we ever hear about an issue facing the city, like, ever again?
I have to stop. I'm a little verklempt. Talk amongst yourselves.
Posted by mesh at 11:40 AM | TrackBack
Who says church isn't a fashion show?
This might be one of the worst ideas EVER.
Posted by pulseblogger at 11:19 AM | TrackBack
Funny Talk Radio Moment This Morning
June Griffin is featured in this week's Pulse in the first of a series about outspoken folks, called "Gadflies." During a call into The Morning Press, the following exchange transpired.
Jeff Styles: The Pulse treated you pretty fairly. Have you had a chance to see the interview?
June Griffin: No, I haven't. I was at the interview.
...I dunno. Maybe it's just us. But it sounded pretty funny at the time.
Posted by colrus at 09:18 AM | TrackBack
March 01, 2005
City Election: The Latest Numbers
The unofficial final results are in. Click below to the see the results...
(The results are listed, top to bottom: candidate, votes, percent of the vote.)
Continue reading "City Election: The Latest Numbers"
Posted by pulseblogger at 09:53 PM | TrackBack
City Election LiveBlogging: The latest from the Littlefield, Coulter and Johnson camps
Bill Colrus, 11:00 p.m.: This concludes tonight's LiveBlogging session. Aaron and I would like to thank you for sticking with our little experiment, and we can't wait (OK...maybe we can...) to do it all over again for the run-off. Check back in with us in the morning for more on tonight's election. Thank you and good night.
Aaron Mesh, Chattanooga Choo-Choo, 10:54 p.m.: The Roosevelt Room is nearly empty when I return. Holiday Inn employees are stripping the Coulter bumper stickers from the tablecloths as the miserable melodies of Jack Johnson waft over the overhead speakers. The few Coulter supporters who didn't head home after she spoke have now taken seats in the adjacent bar. One of them, who asks to be identified only as "Liz," says she's feeling "amazingly fabulous" and isn't worried about the Johnson coup. "We are going to be able to get so many of Johnson's voters," she says. "We have the best campaign, and the best candidate. We're going to take home the trophy in six weeks."
Back in the Roosevelt Room, a man named Aleq Boyle, a Southside resident who attended both Coulter and Johnson's parties ("I have a lot of Republican friends," he explains) finds me typing and wants to know if I'm a reporter. "Want to know what's going to happen next?" he asks. "The Republicans are going to support a Democrat they see as authentically blue collar. They won't vote for one who's richer than they are. It's an envy thing. It's kind of a disappointment to me." He says Coulter's only shot is if she got 45 percent of tonight's vote. I tell him she received 42 percent. "She'll lose," he says, shakes my hand, and walks out into the night.
Aaron Mesh, Hughes Supply Company, 10:15 p.m.: If the crowd at the Read House was loud, the supporters here are beside themselves. When Dan Johnson walks into Ron Littlefield's headquarters, he's greeted with clapping, hollering, and pounding on desks. Littlefield wraps him in an embrace. Over the din, I can just read Ron's lips: "Thank you so much," he says. Johnson is followed by more than half of the supporters from his party, some still with eyes red from crying. They are met by a literal reception line, with Littlefield and his staff shaking all their hands. Littlefield bends down to Johnson's granddaughter, dressed in a frilly red frock, and hands her one of his campaign buttons.
The two new allies stand in the center of the room. Littlefield welcomes his former opponent into the fold: "Dan has some ideas that I wish I had had first, and could say first. Now we can say them together." Johnson says that partnering campaigns won't be hard: "We do have a common goal. And that's to bring the light of day to the transactions of River City Company." No one mentions Ann Coulter by name, but Littlefield gets a last dig in: "I would hate to be in the other camp looking at a coalition like this coalition." This gets nearly as loud a cheer as Johnson's arrival.
Aaron Mesh, The Read House, 9:46 p.m.: Dan Johnson arrives to concede. "I got in this race because I thought I could make a difference," he says. ("You did!" someone yells.) He thanks his campaign managers and supporters. But then his speech takes a shift. "Ron Littlefield and I have had our differences," he says, "but with him, you see what you get. That's more than I can say for others in this campaign." He talks about how "we all knew things were going on" at RiverCity Company, and says that he and Littlefield have brought the deeper story to light. "From here," he announces,"I am going down to Ron's headquarters and endorsing him." The crowd roars.
Bill Colrus, 9:39 p.m.: The twenty minutes or so that the Chattablogs server was down was, unfortunately, the most exciting moment of the night so far -- other than the District One race, where Linda Bennett currently holds a 68 vote lead over John Lively with 92.9 percent of the votes counted thusfar. Stay tuned...
Aaron Mesh, The Read House, 9:33 p.m.: The Chattablogs server has crashed, which means you may be reading this post a bit late. But here at the other crash site, Dan Johnson still hasn't arrived in the Terrace Room. I make a call to an acquantence at the Choo-Choo, who says that Ann Coulter has just arrived to speak to her supporters. She's told them that now, with two candidates in the race, they must reach out to Johnson supporters. My friend describes the scene: "They're just cheering and clapping, cheering and clapping."
Aaron Mesh, The Read House, 9:16 p.m.: Even with Dan Johnson holding to a lackluster 20 percent, the mood in the Terrace Room is cheery: determinedly, arrationally cheery. This might be due to the fine supply of food; there are piles of sugar cookies and beef shish-kabobs on the tables. I ask a campaign volunteer how he's feeling. He directs me to campaign co-chair Marie Chinery. How's she feeling? "Great," she grins. Even with her candidate's numbers well behind the two leaders? Her smile freezes. "You'll need to talk to (Gary) Mac. He's in charge of our public relations," she says. "Yes, I still feel great."
Aaron Mesh, Hughes Supply Company, 8:43 p.m.: The mood here improves when one of the three televisions in the room's center media bank shows Littlefield at 35 percent, within shooting distance of Coulter's 42 and far enough ahead of Johnson to make a runoff increasingly likely. Ron Littlefield is taking questions from television reporters. A Fox 61 correspondent asks him what he'll do if he wins outright. He laughs, a little skeptically. "I have an opportunity to go to Israel this Saturday. If I win, I'll go. We have a sister city there." He heads back to the televisions, and a woman gives him a shoulder squeeze. "I'm just interested in watching the details," he tells me. He says he's still uncertain about the outcome -- he doesn't know what precincts have reported -- but he expects a runoff. "I've been through a runoff before. I've won a runoff before. So I know what we have to do." Out of the corner of my eye, I see WGOW's Kevin West leave the headquarters. "I better go get Dan (Johnson)," he says, "'cause he's getting beat so bad he won't be around too long." That sounds like a good idea. I'm off to the Read House.
Aaron Mesh, Hughes Supply Company, 8:33 p.m.: Littlefield is holding his party in an east downtown warehouse that also serves as his headquarters. There are red, white and black balloons hung across the room. But with Coulter showing more than 40 percent of the early vote, the mood is mostly dark. The wireless access is down here, as well; even a Littlefield staffer is having a hard time getting online. "You think she'll get 50 percent," an associate asks. "I don't think she'll get 40. She's going to go down as the night goes on. There are precincts where...in Hixson she doesn't have a chance. If they've already reported, we're in trouble."
Bill Colrus, 8:07 p.m.: Still no results into us yet, though with less than 30 percent of the city now expected to have voted, it shouldn't take too long to count the ballots.
Aaron Mesh, Chattanooga Choo-Choo, 8:00 p.m.: The posters are up in the ballroom here, and cheery jazz is playing. A bright red banner in front of the podium reads "Now is the Time," and that what Coulter's supporters are hoping. Jeff Olingy, the Coulter campaign manager, stands alone at the room's entrance; approached, he says that he has "no idea" how tonight will go. Even as he says this, he's approached by George Mason, who is wearing a Coulter sticker on his sweater (everyone's sporting these here.) "Hope we can finish this off tonight," Mason says. "That's what we're all hoping," says Olingy. I'm off to Littlefield's headquarters, where there are very different hopes.
Aaron Mesh, Chattanooga Choo-Choo, 7:44 p.m.: Ann Coulter has not yet arrived in the Roosevelt Room; a staffer says she's in her Holiday Inn room, and her brother is checking to see when she'll trek downstairs. Meanwhile, talk here is of low voter turnout. The staffer running the projector says that cold weather must have kept people from the polls. I ask how low the numbers are: 25 percent of registered voters? (That would be five percent less than projected.) He turns to a fellow worker. "What do you think, 25 percent?" She shrugs. "Probably not even that," she says. She throws her hands up. "Pathetic."
Aaron Mesh, Chattanooga Choo-Choo, 7:01 p.m.: The Coulter campaign's celebration is slated to start first, at 7:30; hotel workers are placing food platters in the Roosevelt Room, and Coulter campaign associates are hanging a large poster portrait of their candidate. Another worker is connecting a projector to the Tennessee elections Website showing the 74 precincts trickling in. I'm seated at a table in the Choo-Choo bar; at the next table, a group of four 30-something Coulter staffers are drinking beers and poring over early results. "North Chattanooga had the largest turnout: 230," a man says. "East Brainerd was big, too. That's Littlefield and Johnson." They order another round of beers.
Posted by pulseblogger at 09:50 PM | TrackBack
Election Liveblogging: T-Minus Two Hours
My first updates from the "victory" parties of Dan Johnson, Ron Littlefield and Ann Coulter should start appearing here between 7 and 8 p.m. Pulse editor Bill Colrus will be checking election numbers from our offices, and those results will join my observations in providing the most up-to-the-minute election coverage anywhere. That's the plan, anyway. We'll see how it goes. Chattanooga Wi-Fi access, don't fail us now.
Posted by mesh at 05:00 PM | TrackBack
The Power Structure Strikes Again
It's snowing. A lot. Damn you, Ken Hays!
(Raises head to air, shakes fist.)
Posted by mesh at 10:09 AM | TrackBack
"Good Leadership"?
In Monday's Free Press section of the Times Free Press' editorial pages, the lead editorial endorsed Ron Littlefield for mayor, citing that, with Littlefield, Chattanooga "will have good leadership."
The editorial directly under it on the same page is entitled, "Eminent domain abuse," and makes the case that the Supreme Court should be working "to restore the original, limited, constitutional scope of 'public use' and halt the abuse of public domain."
The two editorials are amusing if you think back to January, when Mr. Littlefield stated that he was "strongly and unwaveringly opposed" to the hotel at Coolidge Park and that he would use "whatever means necessary - from negotiation and land swap to the power of eminent domain - to make sure that the hotel, if built, will be at a different and less sensitive location."
It seems that Littlefield believes that the city's current employment and education woes are directly tied to the imaginary hotel, as he has repeatedly dwelled upon it as a -- if not the -- chief issue in the campaign.
But the fun doesn't end there...
Littlefield, who attended yet another anti-Coolidge Hotel protest on Saturday, has publicly blamed Ann Coulter and RiverCity for the proposed development, while at the same time ignoring the fact that Mayor Corker and hotel developer Bill Young have been working on a compromise, something that Littlefield seems to have no interest in.
Young, who told TFP staff writer Mike O'Neal that he is "tired of even thinking about the project anymore," went into further detail in a scathing letter directed at Littlefield in Sunday's Letters to the Editor section:
"As the developer of the Coolidge Hotel, I have been amused lately to hear Mr. Ron Littlefield's repeated allegations regarding Ann Coulter's involvement in the development and approval of this project.
While I would love to share the credit for my idea, I regret to inform you, Mr. Littlefield, that you are wrong.
I know that it's hard to believe that a private individual acquired property, initiated plans, presented them to the appropriate review committee and had them approved without the assistance of any government or public private entities.
However, that is not the case in this instance.
Perhaps it's time to move on and address more substantive issues in the campaign."
Though the campaigns of all three mayoral candidates have gotten nasty in recent days, Littlefield's campaign has been nasty since day one. BEFORE day one, for that matter. But it doesn't seem to have hurt him too badly. The very last letter on the same Letters page is entitled "Littlefield runs a positive race" and thanks Ron Littlefield "for running a positive race when others went negative."
What?
Posted by pulseblogger at 09:34 AM | TrackBack
In Wednesday's issue of The Pulse.
-Is Wal-Mart killing Winn Dixie?
-Last-minute mayoral mudslinging.
-Our first installment in the series, "Gadflies," takes a look at Rhea rabble rouser June Griffin.
-Ruth Cartlidge talks with WSMC's departing development director, Diana Fish.
-An interview with saxmaster Karl Denson.
-Angela gets stalked at Lowe's
-Max gets creeped out by Krystal "Chicks."
...and much more.
Posted by colrus at 01:49 AM | TrackBack
The Pulse Blog liveblogs the 2005 Chattanooga City Elections
This evening, right here at The Pulse Blog, The Pulse's city editor, Aaron Mesh, will be posting updates from the campaign headquarters of each of the three leading mayoral candidates: Ron Littlefield, Ann Coulter and Dan Johnson.
To the best of our knowledge, nothing has ever been liveblogged in Chattanooga before, certainly not a mayoral election, and we are excited to be able to bring you coverage you simply won't be able to get anywhere else.
We will do our best to post updates as soon as possible, but bear with us as Aaron is but one bearded man who smokes a lot.
Posted by colrus at 01:41 AM | TrackBack
The Pulse Blog is now open
Following in the footsteps of several other Alt Weeklies, The Pulse now has a blog. Be sure to check back often to read, well, what isn't in our paper or on our website. What that is, exactly, we're not sure. But we'll figure it out as we go...
Posted by colrus at 01:33 AM | TrackBack