Archive for August, 2008
Nashville wouldn’t be the same without Hatch Show Print
We are especially lucky that Hatch Show Print didn’t go out of business somewhere along the way:
After years of financial struggle, Hatch Show Print is booming. CNN hired the business — whose designers handcraft posters using wood or metal blocks in much the same way printers did for hundreds of years— to design and create nearly all of its promotional materials for its presidential election coverage. Belmont University will hand out Hatch Show Print posters to everyone who attends the upcoming presidential debate on the college campus.
Clients from Nike to Neil Young have been ordering posters from the shop. The Ryman Auditorium continues to offer a Hatch Show poster to all its artists to go with each show and be sold to concertgoers. Hatch Show has been doing the Ryman’s posters since at least the 1920s, and its vintage designs have become an integral part of Nashville’s image.
Hatch Show Print is uniquely Nashville, and I’m thrilled to see that the nation is increasingly taking notice. I’m all for technology and everything that digital advances allow us to do, but sometimes there’s no replacing authentic, old-fashioned artistry. I applaud Gaylord Entertainment and the Country Music Foundation for recognizing this treasure in our midst and for preserving it.
Tags: cnn, country music foundation, gaylord entertainment, hatch show print, nashville, the tennessean
So far, so good: Vanderbilt beats Miami, Ohio
Vanderbilt capitalized on great performances from quarterback Chris Nickson and defensive back D.J. Moore to defeat Miami of Ohio 34-13 last night. Anyone who roots for the Commodores, who were an underdog by as much as four points coming into the game, had to breathe a sigh of relief to see Vanderbilt notch a road win to open the season. Coach Bobby Johnson agreed:
It feels great to come away with a win. I felt like we had a few mistakes but they were all first game mistakes and I think we can fix them and move forward.
Though its overall talent level has vastly improved in seven seasons under Coach Johnson, as usual Vanderbilt’s margin of error is razor thin. With games against South Carolina, Ole Miss, Auburn, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee and Wake Forest on the schedule, the Commodores can’t afford to squander any opportunities to register in the win column. Thank goodness they did last night. Go Dores!
Tags: bobby johnson, chris nickson, college football, d.j. moore, miami ohio, miami redhawks, miami university, sec, southeastern conference, vanderbilt, vanderbilt commodores, vanderbilt university
Things I learned at the Nashville Geek Breakfast
Another fourth Thursday, another fun Nashville Geek Breakfast. Here are a few things I didn’t know before I darkened the door at Noshville this morning:
- Marcus owns what appeared to be a vintage “Yo! MTV Raps” T-shirt. (Wow.)
- Mitch is a new dad. (Congrats!)
- Jackson’s Statzen made TechCrunch’s top 150 out of 1,000 competing startups. (Nice work.)
- Chuck and I run in the same online circles, but not in the same direction, until now.
- Paul’s resume is better suited for a Twitter update than a resume, or so he claims.
- One way to make the trip from Alabama to Tennessee is via Arkansas, Ireland and Los Angeles. (Welcome, Ben.)
- BarCamp Nashville’s Web site is up and running. (Go register.)
Check out the photos from today’s breakfast. It was good to see everyone. See y’all next time.
Tags: geek breakfast, nashville, nashville geeks, noshville delicatessen, technology
Is English Only the new black?
The LPGA is getting into the intolerance act by requiring its golfers to communicate only in English. It may or may not have the intended effect:
Effectively what the LPGA is doing by implementing this policy is buying a lawsuit. Because it will be challenged and it will take forever to wind through the court system. The players who are challenging the ruling will probably receive an injunction which allows them to continue on tour until the policy runs the course in the legal system. After every court ruling the same headlines will recur, the same issues will be discussed, and the same bad publicity will ensue. Eventually, after six or seven years, the LPGA’s policy will be deemed legal or illegal. (See Martin, Casey). Is this contentious path really worth it to the LPGA?
Predictably, the LPGA is already backpedaling from their public relations mess. Noting that their attorney’s vetted the proposal before it was announced. Which is always the refuge of the idiots. Because the LPGA’s policy may very well be legal. The LPGA’s true issue isn’t with the legality of the proposed policy, but with the public reaction to that policy. Just because something is legal doesn’t mean it’s smart.
I originally picked the headline for this post as a parody of the tired fashion expression, “pink is the new black.” The idea had nothing to do with race, but then I realized the unintended pun I had created by using the word “black.” (All of my funniest puns are unplanned.) Maybe there’s truth in that play on words, though: Is racism being replaced by cultural discrimination? It’s starting to seem that way.
Tags: discrimination, english only, immigration, intolerance, LPGA, nashville, politics, racism
Intolerance must not be silenced
So say the backers of English Only:
Attorneys supporting English Only will file a lawsuit in Chancery Court this afternoon challenging the Davidson County Election Commission’s vote to keep the charter amendment off the November ballot. Jonathan Crisp, an English Only supporter, said attorney Jim Roberts planned to file today and would seek an expedited ruling so the proposed charter amendment could still appear on the Nov. 4 ballot … Crisp vowed to take the legal challenge to the Tennessee Supreme Court if necessary.
Imagine what English Only supporters might accomplish if they directed their time, energy and money toward positive outcomes, such as outreach to immigrants regarding the benefits of learning English and developing ways that make it easier for them to do so. What a novel concept: Welcoming people to our community rather than kicking them in the teeth for having the gall to choose to live in Nashville.
Tags: english only, eric crafton, immigration, intolerance, jon crisp, nashville, politics
Zeppos lives among us
I thought this news about new Vanderbilt University Chancellor Nick Zeppos was refreshing:
A university spokesperson confirms to Rex that Zeppos has opted to stay at the home in Cherokee Park where he and his family have lived since 1989, when he came to Vanderbilt as a law professor. He will use Braeburn, the Belle Meade mansion that VU renovated at a cost of $6 million during the tenure of Chancellor Gordon Gee, for ceremonial and entertainment purposes only.
There is one small difference in how Zeppos and Bredesen have each chosen to live. The Zeppos’ property is appraised for taxes at a $527,000 — a modest sum for the home of a man occupying such an august position. Bredesen’s Chickering Drive home and surrounding land holdings, on the other hand, have a total tax-appraised value of nearly $12.3 million.
I think it’s admirable that Zeppos has lived in the same house for nearly 20 years. Since it’s in Cherokee Park,his home likely isn’t a McMansion. I find it encouraging that someone working in such a visible capacity is choosing to live in a modest home (albeit one that has appreciated considerably while Zeppos has owned it). It also means that we’re neighbors, since I live on the side of Sylvan Park closest to his neighborhood.
I don’t fault Governor Bredesen for choosing to live in his more expensive home, either, though: Keep in mind that Bredesen is voluntarily accepting only $1 as salary during his time as governor (not that he would need the money). I’m sure Zeppos is still taking full paychecks from Vanderbilt, though they may pale in comparison to the $1.1 million that former Chancellor Gordon Gee reportedly received.
Tags: cherokee park, nashville, nick zeppos, phil bredesen, vanderbilt, vanderbilt university
Sonora, dog biscuit connoisseur
Our dog Sonora, who is about 17 months old, is one of the sweetest and most tender dogs I’ve ever been around. We named her after the heroine in the film Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken. Like that character, Sonora can be shy and tentative, but her hesitation belies a kindness and a depth to her personality that defies description. We’re lucky to have her and her sister as part of our pack, even if she acts a little strange (above) whenever I give her a dog biscuit. She usually hides while she eats it so her sister, Layla, a rambunctious sweetheart named after Muhammad Ali’s prize-fighting daughter, doesn’t come after it. Good call, Sonora.
Tags: dog biscuit, dogs, miscellaneous, pets, sonora, wild hearts can't be broken
English Only off the ballot, for now
It may be a technicality, and it may be short-lived, but anything that makes English Only less likely to become law is a good thing, in my opinion:
[Metro legal director Sue] Cain’s Monday ruling said petition-driven charter amendments can only be submitted every two years. Cain’s ruling interprets the word “submitted” to mean when the voters weigh in on the proposed charter amendment. Davidson County voters approved the charter amendment requiring voter approval for property tax increases on Nov. 7, 2006. The English Only amendment proposal would be on the Nov. 4 ballot, which according to Cain means it falls short of the two-year waiting period by three days.
Maybe this will buy time for a stronger opposition to what I think is shortsighted and intolerant legislation that will do little else beyond serving as a lightning rod, and maybe it will energize an apathetic electorate. I’m not really sure, but I’m glad that, at least for now, this wrongheaded amendment will not be on the ballot this November.
Tags: election, english only, eric crafton, immigration, intolerance, nashville, nashville post, politics
