august 2013 murfreesboro pulse

MURFREESBORO

Middle Tennessee’s Source for Art, Entertainment and Culture News

THE STOP HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLDVideo from July 4 DUI checkpoint in Murfreesboro sets off

national search-and-seizure and civil rights debateONLINE AT:

BOROPULSE.COM

MTSU kicks off fi rst C-USA season Aug. 29page 25

WannaBeatles release album of original work page 14

Inside the historicBlack Cat Tavern page 26

SPORTS MUSIC LaPALABRA

Vol. 8, Issue 8August 2013

FREETake one,or more!

Enjoy a frozen treat! page 18

Auto art at the Frist page 30

Psychic intuitions

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HELLO MURFREESBORO! HOW’S LIFE?If you ever feel like you don’t love your life, take a nap.

I'm willing to bet that will solve most of your issues.If you’re well rested, focused and clear-headed, and

still don’t like your life, I’m afraid there are deeper prob-lems than lack of rest. But more often than not, whether you are 4 or 40, much of your frustration can probably be traced back to lack of sleep and energy. The feeling that you will never get caught up, or that you’ll never im-press so and so, or that you're just drained, sore, and stuff ain't right may be gone once you wake up from a rest.

If you are on deadline, and simply do not have time for a nap, take 10 minutes to refl ect, focus and breathe. If you are on an even tighter deadline, and really have some serious goals that you are determined to make happen NOW, take 10 seconds.

Even 10 seconds of silence can do wonders for focus and energy sometimes. Of course, eat right, get some sun, exercise, take in some art . . . listen to what your body is telling you. You may just need some water or juice, or protein, or sleep, or perhaps there’s tension in a particular muscle. Let it go, breathe it out. Confi rm your goals are your own, and go get them!

I feel we present to you another variety-packed edition of the Pulse. You will fi nd a little ice cream talk, a little Constitution talk. A little bit of this and that.

We got your movie release dates, we got your toma-to pie recipe. We got a little black cat cave in Spanish, the WannaBeatles, and Woodstock Recovery. There are some pets up for adoption, plus fantasy football drafting tips, videogame reviews and 5K listings, album reviews and Art Deco autos. I like it all, and if I like it, well, you should too! Haha.

Tell me about your interests. What groups are you involved in? What issues in local life do you feel are important? Who should we feature? Which local hole-in-the-wall is especially excellent?

Live your life, be true to yourself. Pursue what you want. It’s sometimes ironic, but often true, that whenever an insult or criticism is hurled, it usually applies to the one giving it, more so than its intended target. If you’re the target, do calmly consider what is being said, but if you are living your life in an honest and genuine way, you have nothing to worry about. You won’t make everyone happy, so just forget about it!

Support live music, support local agriculture, love your neighbor . . . I suppose that's about it. Over and out.

Peace,Bracken Mayo Editor in Chief

Copyright © 2013, The Murfreesboro Pulse, 116-E N. Walnut St., Murfreesboro, TN 37130. Proudly owned, operated and published the first Thursday of each month by the Mayo family; printed by Franklin Web Printing Co. The Murfreesboro Pulse is a free publication funded by our advertisers. Views expressed in the Pulse do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. ISSN: 1940-378XP

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To carry The Pulse at your business, or submit letters, stories and photography: [email protected] North Walnut St., Murfreesboro, TN 37130(615) 796-6248

CONTENTSEVENTS4

COMMUNITY EVENTSLiteracy Day; Siegel High Band Pancake Breakfast

LIVING6

The Stop Heard 'Round the WorldDUI checkpoint video starts national search-and-seizure debate.

8 Poppaclutch Bike NightRiders of all sorts of bikes converge on the third

Thursday of each month at Coconut Bay Cafe.

SOUNDS0 AUGUST CONCERTS

qJohnaroo

Johnny Guitar's students perform at the Avenue on Aug. 17.

wAlbum Reviews

The Secret Commonwealth, Chase Perryman and the People Familiar with the Situation

eIgnite Purple Light Nights

Nightclub to raise awareness for domestic violence victims.

rA Ticket to WriteThe WannaBeatles exercise their right to write their own tunes,

while still pledging allegiance to the Fab.

FOODy

Tomato Pie RecipeHere's an idea: bake up those fresh tomatoes in a pie.

Coffee TalkNuance celebrates the subtlties of the lightly-roasted bean.

iCool Summer TreatsWhere to go for ice cream, frozen yogurt and shaved ice.

MOVIESp

ReviewsPacific Rim; Red 2

aLiving Room CinemaInstitutions

sVideogamesCompany of Heroes 2, Marvel Heroes

THEATERd

Onstage in August Elvis Has Left the Building; Alice in Wonderland Jr.; MLT's annual awards ceremony

PET OF THE MONTH If you're looking for an animal companion, PAWS has Oren the domestic shorthair cat, and lots of other pets in need of a home.

SPORTSf

Prepare for Fantasy The Train recommends taking RBs with first two draft picks.

gBlue Raiders Kick Off Inaugural C-USA SeasonPublic invited to fan day to meet the team on Sunday, Aug. 11.

OPINIONSh

La Palabra Inside the Black Cat Cave

jPhil Valentine

It's a wonder Detroit made it this long.

kYou're Not Going to Believe ThisImagine if we believed in the good of humanity.

lRecover RutherfordReady for change

ART;

Sensuous Steel Shows Artful Autos at the FristMoxie's Pocket Gallery hosts work from Attic School.

Publisher/Editor in Chief: Bracken Mayo

Art Director: Sarah L. Mayo

Ad Rep: Don Clark

Copy Editors: Steve Morley, Kelda Sturgis

Music Editor: Jessica Pace

Contributors: Marissa Albertson, Gloria Christy, Nader Hobballah, Zach Maxfield, Robert Nelson, Cameron Parrish, Elizabeth Scott, Jay Spight, Frank Shepard, Christy Simmons, Andrea Stockard, Justin Stokes, Norbert Thiemann, Phil Valentine

Sign up to receive our weekly digital newsletter at BoroPulse.com/Newsletter

23DEAR READERS:

COVER STORY 6

16

Send event information to [email protected]

4 * AUGUST 2013 * BOROPULSE.COM

THROUGH AUG. 2 BOUNCEU OF MURFREES-BORO’S “AMAZING ANIMAL CAMP”BounceU of Murfreesboro (1222 Park Ave.) hosts “Amazing Animal Camp” July 29-Aug. 2 from 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Snowbird will be there on Friday (Aug. 2)! Early drop-off, half-day rates, sibling discounts, and extended care available. For more information, call (615) 893-8386, e-mail [email protected] or visit bounceu.com/murfreesboro.

AUG. 2 MAIN STREET’S FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE CONCERT SERIESCome out and enjoy the Dirty Proper with Trembling Knees fronted by Tony “Plum” How-ells at Main Street’s Friday Night Live Concert Series on Fri., Aug. 2, from 6:30–9:30 p.m. at the Murfreesboro Public Square. Bring your lawn chair! Admission is free. For more infor-mation, call (615) 895-1887 or visit downtownmurfreesboro.com.

AUG. 2LASCASSAS BALL CLUB FUNDRAISERThe Lascassas-Milton Lions Club, the Lascas-sas Volunteer Fire Department and the Lascas-sas Ball Club will hold a fundraiser Fri., Aug. 2, for new or repair to the old lights in the field at Lascassas Ball Park. This is the first Lascas-sas Summer Jam Fundraiser featuring music, inflatables, food and more. Doors open at 5 p.m. with music featuring The Van Lears begin-ning at 6 p.m. For more information, call (615) 669-7355 or visit the Lascassas Volunteer Fire Department Facebook page.

AUG. 3SPOOKY STORIES IN THE MAN-SION“A Night of Spooky Stories in the Mansion” will take place in the parlors of Oaklands Mansion (900 N. Maney Ave.) Aug. 3 from 6–8 p.m. with best-selling author Denise Daisy and an evening opening of “Whispers of the Past: A Museum’s Secrets Explored” exhibit. Admis-sion is $5 per person for the reading with reservations required; guests should arrive no later than 6 p.m. for the reading. The exhibit is an excellent opportunity to walk through the past and see the evolution of fashions and home essentials from the families who lived, worked and entertained at Oaklands. For more information, call (615) 893-0022 or visit oaklandsmuseum.org.

AUG. 3 UNITED WAY LITERACY DAYJoin the community for a walk from Central Magnet School (701 E. Main St.) to the Civic Plaza (100 W. Vine St.) to promote the impor-tance of literacy. After the walk, vendors will provide children’s activities and information on various literacy topics. Registration starts at 8 a.m. at Central Magnet School and the walk will begin at 9 a.m. T-shirts available for walkers on a first come, first served basis. For more information, visit uwrutherford.org.

AUG. 8, 15, 22, & 29 LADIES CRAFT CLASSES AT OAKLANDS HISTORIC HOUSE MUSEUMCraft classes for ladies ages 16 and up will be held Thursdays in August from 10 a.m.–Noon at Oaklands Historic House Museum (900 N. Maney Ave.). Each class will introduce a craft to beginners and allow those proficient to enjoy the gathering with other crafters. For cost and reservations, contact [email protected]. For more information, call (615) 893-0022 or visit oaklandsmuseum.org.

AUG. 10TAILGATE PARTY AND CHILI COOK-OFFHippie Hill hosts a chili cook-off on Sat., Aug. 10, beginning at 2 p.m. Everyone who attends will be given an official ballot, and will vote on their favorite creation. The competition is open to chili of all types, and organizers say “variety will help muddle people’s thoughts on who to vote for.” The event will also include live music by the Happy Goat Band and Who Shot Lizzy. For more information or to register, visit hippiehilltn.com or call (615) 796-3697. Hippie Hill is located at 8627 Burks Hollow Rd., Christiana.

AUG. 11MTSU FAN DAYAlumni, fans and friends: Come out for fun for the whole family at Fan Day! Meet MTSU players, get posters, schedules and other freebies from 2–4 p.m. inside Murphy Center on the MTSU campus.

AUG. 14“DISCOVERING YOUR LEADER-SHIP STRENGTHS” FOR RUTH-ERFORDCABLE MEMBERSRutherfordCABLE and sponsor Deloitte will offer a special leadership event for RutherfordCABLE members Aug. 14 from 5:30–7 p.m. at MTSU’s Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building, Room 106. Dr. Deana Raffo, Ed. D, MTSU, will pres-ent “Discovering Your Leadership Strengths”, an interactive presentation on leadership and personality styles. RutherfordCABLE is a unique and diverse group of business- and civic-minded professionals of all ages, ethnicities and religions who are driven by the desire to help connect women and opportunity. For more information on the organization, visit RutherfordCABLE.org.

AUG. 16MUSIC AT THE MILLThe Springs, a multi-award winning country/Southern-rock band, provide a fun and exciting show at Gregory Mill Park (390 Enon Springs Rd., Smyrna) Aug. 16 at 6:30 p.m. Enjoy free music, food vendors and inflatables. Admis-sion is free. For more information, call Smyrna Parks and Recreation at (615) 459-9773 or visit townofsmyrna.org.

AUG. 16CANNONSBURGH CONCERT SERIESHave fun at the Cannonsburgh Concert Series Aug. 16 at Cannonsburgh Village (312 S. Front St.) from 7–9 p.m. in the pavilion. Admission is free. For more information, call (615) 890-0355.

AUG. 17 & 31HALLOWED GROUND: A LAN-TERN TOUR OF THE STONES RIVER NATIONAL CEMETERYSpend an hour walking through the cemetery

by lantern light at Stones River National Battlefield (1563 N. Thompson Ln.) at 6:45 p.m. while hearing the stories of soldiers and civilians telling stories of the terrible cost of the Civil War. For more information, call (615) 893-9501.

AUG. 17PIGSKIN PRE-GAME STOCKYARD PARTYHave fun at the official kickoff party of football benefiting the Alumni Legacy Scholarship at Floyd Stadium Aug. 17 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person and aged 12 and under are admitted free. Ticket includes food pro-vided by Carrabba’s Italian Grill, tours of the football stadium, door prizes and more. Meet MTSU players and talk with coaches. RSVP to the Office of Alumni Relations at (800) 533-6878 or visit mtalumni.com.

AUG. 20RIM ALUMNI: WELCOME RE-CEPTION FOR KEN PAULSON AND BEVERLY KEELJoin in the welcome for MTSU’s Ken Paulson as the new Dean of Mass Communications and Beverly Keel as the new chair of the Record-ing Industry department in Nashville’s BMI lobby at 6 p.m. For more information, RSVP to [email protected].

AUG. 20, 27 & SEPT. 3DEATH CAFÉ COMING TO MURFREESBORODeath Café allows participants to speak of death with the goal of helping people make the most of their “(finite) lives”. Death Café allows a safe and encouraging environment free from any ideology or conclusions about life, death or the afterlife. Possible topics include: feel-ings about death, the physiology of death, the philosophy of death and the spiritual aspects of death. The event, held over a three-week pe-riod, will be held at Unity of Murfreesboro (130 S. Cannon Ave.) from 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. The suggested love offering to cover expenses is $10 per session or $25 for all three sessions. Bring your own lunch; dessert and beverages will be provided. Register by contacting (615) 907-6033 or [email protected].

compiled by ANDREA STOCKARD

EVENTS

AUG. 3–4CONFEDERATE INFANTRY AND ARTILLERY PROGRAMSWatch infantry and artillery demonstrations as a ranger tells the story of one of the bloodiest and most pivotal phases of the Battle of Stones River at Stones River Battlefield (1563 N. Thompson Ln.). Admission is free. For more information, call (615) 893-9501 or visit nps.gov/stri.


AUG. 21–3175TH ANNUAL TENNESSEE WALKING HORSE NATIONAL CELEBRATIONThe Tennessee Walking Horse premier event showcases the breed’s World Grand Cham-pion and some 20 World Champions at Celebration Show Grounds (1110 Evans St.). Admission charged. For more information, call (931) 684-5915 or visit twhnc.com.

AUG. 21 & 2223RD ANNUAL MIDDLE TENNESSEE NURSERY TRADE SHOWMore than 125 exhibitors with products and services await horticultural professionals at the MTSU (MTNA) Trade Show Aug. 21–22 at the Embassy Suites (1200 Conference Center Blvd). Conveniently located in the “Cradle of the Plant Kingdom,” this two-day event showcases booths filled with products, equipment and services available to help industry professionals make their businesses more profitable. This year’s trade show is geared toward landscapers, garden centers and other industry specialists with exhibitors from many different states. Advance registra-tion is required by Aug. 15; lunch is included. Visit mtna.com to register. For more informa-tion, contact the Middle Tennessee Nursery Association at [email protected] or (931) 507-7322.

AUG. 222013 UNITED WAY CAMPAIGN KICK-OFF!United Way’s 2013 Campaign kick-off, in conjunction with the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Middle Tennessee State University, offers an exciting morning at Jeff Hendrix Stadium Club, MTSU, Aug. 22 from 7:30–9 a.m. The 2013 campaign goal will be announced as well as the pacesetter campaigns that ran prior to the kick-off. For more information, call (615) 893-7303 or visit uwrutherford.org/Home.aspx.

AUGUST 23 & 30RUTHERFORD’S GOT TALENTPresented by The Rutherford County Govern-ment, Rutherford’s Got Talent hosts audi-tions at Central Magnet School (701 E. Main St.) from 5–9:30 p.m., Aug. 23 and 30. If you have an act that requires set-up (band instruments, gymnastic mats, etc.), you must

audition between 7:30–9:30 p.m. Deadline to register is Aug. 17. Registration Fee is $20 for an individual and $50 for a group. To regis-ter, visit uwrutherford.org and click “events.”

AUG. 24SIEGEL HIGH SCHOOL BAND 11TH ANNUAL PANCAKE BREAKFASTThe Siegel High School Band Boosters will be holding their 11th Annual Pancake Break-fast and Silent Auction on Sat., Aug. 24, from 8–10:30 a.m. in the Siegel High cafeteria (3300 Siegel Rd.). Proceeds will go towards the cost of equip-ment for the award-winning instrumentalists and color guard, as well as help with travel costs, music, and other expenses. Enjoy a great breakfast, find an auction item that you may want to bid on, and listen to some great music from the Siegel High marching band! If you are interested in making a donation, getting printed vouchers, being a sponsor or helping in other ways, contact (615) 202-0185 or [email protected].

AUG. 24 & 25MURFREESBORO NEW HOME AND REMODELING SHOWThe New Home & Remodeling Show at Embassy Suites (1200 Conference Center Blvd.) Sat., Aug. 24, from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 25, from 10 a.m.–5 p.m., highlights the latest in construction trends and remodeling techniques for any home improvement project. Show attendees can meet industry experts one-on-one and com-pare exhibitors to find the right home expert. There will be professional demonstrations, classes to attend and access to the industry’s finest professionals to answer all remodeling & building questions! Admission is $9 for adults, $7 for seniors and free for children 12 and under. For more information, visit associationevent.com/NHRS/Murfreesboro.

AUG. 30–SEPT. 7COWBOY MOUNTED SHOOTING & EASTERN US CHAMPIONSHIPSCowboy Mounted Shooting Association is the fastest growing equestrian sport in the Nation. Mounted contestants compete at Tennessee Miller Coliseum (304-B West Thompson Ln.) in this timed, fast-action event using two .45 caliber single-action revolvers, each loaded with five rounds of specially prepared blank ammunition. The Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association (or “C.M.S.A.”) has a variety of levels of com-petition for everyone, ranging from novice levels to the seasoned professional. For more information, call (615) 494-8879 or visit cowboymountedshooting.com.

LIVING

MURFREESBORO DUI

CHECKPOINT VIDEO SETS

OFF NATIONAL SEARCH-

AND-SEIZURE DEBATE.

STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO


On the evening of Independence Day, 2013, Murfreesboro motorist Chris Kalbaugh entered a DUI checkpoint on Rutherford Boulevard, set up and publi-cized by the Tennessee Highway Patrol

and the Rutherford County Sheriff ’s Depart-ment, but not before turning on his camera.

What he captured went viral immediately, gaining millions of views within the fi rst two days of being posted to YouTube, and spark-ing a national debate on what exactly is a “reasonable search.”

During the stop, Rutherford County Sher-iff ’s Deputy A.J. Ross approached Kalbaugh’s window, which was cracked a few inches, and asked him to roll it down further.

“This is fi ne,” Kalbaugh said. “I can hear you.”

Taken aback, Ross replied “This is fi ne?” with surprise, and proceeded to ask the mo-torist how old he was.

“Is that a required question?” Kalbaugh asked.

Now visibly upset, Ross tells him it is, tries to open the car door and shouts at the driver to pull over and shut it down.

The incident continued with a search of Kalbaugh’s person and throughout the car, with the key fi nd being the camera, which was still recording.

“Yes, the kid wanted this to happen, and egged it on, but, the cops knew what they were doing was wrong. Why else would he say ‘uh oh’ and turn the camera when he saw it. Police do not have the authority to search your car without consent or reasonable suspicion,” Todd Kennedy commented after viewing the video online.

Offi cers said that a K9 had a “hit” on the car, signifying to them that something illegal

AND-SEIZURE DEBATE.

was in the vehicle, but Kalbaugh’s video shows the dog doesn’t bark at the car until he was brought over and signaled by an offi cer tapping on the window.

“Intentionally giving the dog an alert sig-nal is crooked,” Kennedy continued.

The comments on the video kept arriving in the days following the incident, coming in from all over the nation:

“The guy intentionally didn’t roll down his window all the way to show what the reaction would be. He was respectful saying ‘yes sir’ and ‘no sir’. . . . The point is that we aren’t innocent until proven guilty anymore. We’re guilty until proven innocent. Our rights are being taken away for a false sense of safety, and one day it’s going to be too late.”

— Lindsey Clanton McCreery“While this offi cer was getting his kicks

on harassing this kid, real crimes were being committed. Yank this jackass off the force and make him push a pencil.” — Becky Tatum

“That cop did the exact same thing to me months ago.” — Ethan Christison

“Sounds like one more way to become a police state! I think DUI checkpoints should be illegal.” — Jessica Brandon

“This was a ‘sobriety’ checkpoint. This young man was not pulled over for some-thing he did or did not do. I commend him for knowing his rights and having the cour-age to stand up for them. I am a law-abiding citizen. I respect, appreciate, and am thankful for law enforcement, but do believe in this ‘check’ they abused his and their rights. Clearly, this young man was not under the infl uence,” commented Carla Elam Maye.

Others make the observation that checkpoints don’t even seem to yield very good results for catching DUI offenders in the fi rst place.

Offi cers have long staged these check-

points, supposedly only to verify the sobriety of drivers. But according to statistics on that specifi c checkpoint released by law enforce-ment, out of the 250 vehicles that passed through the checkpoint that July 4 evening, one DUI charge was fi led; 32 other citations were issued, for child restraint, light law, driver’s license and various other violations.

“Meanwhile, 45 drunk drivers knew about the checkpoint and took the roads around the checkpoint. They’re a joke,” said Ruther-ford County Libertarians Communications Director Axl E. David. The group seized upon the opportunity the video provided to enter into a variety of dialogues related to personal freedoms, and generally promote libertarian ideals. “It makes me sick to my stomach,” David said of the incident.

His fellow libertarian, Timothy Meredith, says these checkpoints aren’t about prevent-ing accidents as much as they are about col-lecting money and government power.

“A very legal and substantially more effective route is ‘saturation patrols,’ basically identifying troublesome areas in town and patrolling them heavier during times prone to drinking (events, holidays, etc). The FBI actually used Ten-nessee as a case study, the fact is if you really want to save lives and stop drunk driving, DUI checkpoints are a horrible solution,” Meredith, the chairman of the Rutherford County Lib-ertarians, said. “It is truly mind-boggling the people who see these statistics and still defend DUI checkpoints. Our own FBI agency tells us that these DUI checkpoints are worthless for preventing/catching drunk driving and people still defend them? Our money would have been better spent having six offi cers patrol areas known for having a problem with drunk driv-ing, which the FBI again proved in its studies. ‘Please master, put the chains on!’”

Many other drivers seem to agree.

“Can anyone honestly say that 0.4% is a successful tool at combating drunk drivers?” — Jesse Overbey

“It appears to have been a revenue check-point, not a DUI checkpoint.” — Paul Hugenberg III

“It’s about authority, control, and money. Even if the activity exacerbates the advertised objective, it reinforces who is in authority and control, and transfers money from you to them.” — Richard Hartman.

“They might get more DUI if the place of the checkpoint wasn’t posted knowledge. People know to avoid the area.” — Anastasia Rigsby McLean.

“It’s much easier to write a mass of citations if you just stop everybody and fi sh for viola-tions. This isn’t about protecting or serving anyone, and it’s been this way for too long.” — Travis Baker

Still some side with the cops, and tell oth-ers to respect authority.

“I am getting so sick of seeing this video posted. That little smartass kid deserves to be locked up just for being such a disrespectful little ass. No respect for authority whatsoever.” -Forrest Dykes

“They should of taken him out of his car and whipped his ass, probably would of done him some good.” — John Bayne

It would seem, though, perusing the Internet comments on the subject, that those individu-als are in the minority, and many making those points are government agents themselves.

“The driver did absolutely nothing wrong. The police overstepped the boundaries of the law. End of story.” — Drew Lewis

“Offi cers just use their authority to boss people around, they have this cocky attitude to people. Our offi cers are supposed to protect! This here is not protecting . . . Murfreesboro is really bad for this.” — Christina Milam

Others point out that many offi cers are

AND-SEIZURE DEBATE.

STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO

points, supposedly only to verify the sobriety points, supposedly only to verify the sobriety “Can anyone honestly say that 0.4% is a

successful tool at combating drunk drivers?” successful tool at combating drunk drivers?”

THE STOP HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD


decent people, truly trying to serve their community, and Ross’s actions in this video shouldn’t speak for every member of local law enforcement.

“He wasn’t drunk or high. Just because you have a badge doesn’t mean that you can act all high and mighty and get away with it. Yes, some cops in Murfreesboro are very respectful and amazing at what they do, but there are way too many cops these days going too far to bring people into jail just so they can meet their quota at the end of the month. The cop in this case had abso-lutely no right to do what he did,” said Dean Hornsby. “We as Americans have rights in the Constitution, and I don’t care who you

are, but you deserve those rights. You are innocent until proven guilty. The cop had no right to search his car. He didn’t do anything except state his rights. All this kid was trying to do is show everyone how corrupt Ruther-ford County’s legal system is, and I think that makes him a hero,” said Horsby. “These cops are getting away with way too much.”

Others say if the law wants to charge someone with a DUI, they may not need to look any further than Ross.

“I’ve seen A.J. Ross get drunk and go get on his motorcycle and ride off multiple times,” said someone in the service industry in Murfreesboro.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

AND THE BILL OF RIGHTS SAYS . . .THE RUTHERFORD COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE posted a video taken from a Tennessee Highway Patrol dashcam showing Ross and Kalbaugh engaging in a discussion on the Constitution.

According to Ross: “The Constitution says when you come through here, if I ask you questions, and you refuse to do what I’m asking you to do, guess what, you’re going to obey what I’m asking you to do. Listen to what I’m saying!”

Um, no it doesn’t say that.To review, let’s go over just the fi rst 10 Amendments of the United States Con-

stitution, otherwise known as the Bill of Rights.

1Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or

of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

2A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed

3No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the con-sent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

4The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no War-

rants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affi rmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

5No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising

in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

6In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime

shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be con-fronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

7In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a

jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than ac-cording to the rules of the common law.

8Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fi nes imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments infl icted.

9The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

0The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohib-ited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Let’s not pretend that Mr. Kalbaugh is Rodney King, or a Jewish family in Nazi Germany, or a Kurd in Hussein’s Iraq, or

. . . pick your individual throughout history who has really been brutal-ized by government agents.

The “violation of his rights” he experienced was minor. There was no physical beating of the driver, not an extreme amount of damage done to his property (other than some scratches in the paint on the hood of the car from where the K9 jumped and clawed), but viewers across the country spoke out, saying Kalbaugh was “bullied,” “intimidated” and had his constitutional rights violated.

And, just as sheriff’s deputies do not let all “minor” violations go, the freedom-loving people of American should not let this “minor” incident go.

A week after the incident, Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold released a statement saying “Deputy A.J. Ross did not violate the civil rights of a driver . . . he did his job,” despite acknowledging that his department was fl ooded was calls, visits and complaints regarding the incident, the offi ce shut down its Facebook page due to the bombardment of comments, with Arnold even receiving threats against him and his family.

I hope that gave him a little indication that yes, something is wrong with that way of do-ing the business of serving and protecting.

In the hundreds of thousands of com-ments fl oating around about the video, not many make the case that drinking and driving should be allowed. Most agree that is danger-ous and stupid. But the logic that “my family member was killed by a drunk driver; let’s randomly search people’s cars” is fl awed.

And having 6 to 8 offi cers at a roadblock all night, stopping 250 people to make 1 DUI arrest (and purchasing advertising featuring a re-write of a Johnny Cash tune trying to intimidate people into respecting their “authoritah” [as Cartman would say]), is not a wise use of resources.

People will be rude and disrespectful at times. (The offi cer and the driver were both kind of jerks, really. The driver, to make a entertaining video; Ross . . . well, because he likes to be in control and wield power, prob-ably.) But going through his stuff had nothing to do with him being drunk or not.

I think the Constitution is a great idea. I would love to live in a world where the Constitution is actually observed. The Bill of Rights is beautiful, one of the most special documents in the history of our nation, one of

the most special nations in the history of the world, as legend has it.

But I am telling you now, with certainty and sadness, we do not live in that world.

Instead of protection from excessive punishment, there’s indefi nite detention, the Patriot Act, military tribunals, enhanced in-terrogation. Instead of due process, there’s a bunch of weird, complicated clauses bur-ied in each year’s passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, granting more and more power to the executive branch.

Did all of those in the Occupy movement have the right to peaceably assemble?

There are no states’ rights anymore. The federal government thinks it’s sovereign to the states, and that the endless stream of policies and decrees coming out of Washing-ton must be followed by everyone in the U.S.

What’s up with the NSA having unrestrict-ed access to everyone’s e-mails, texts, call records, search records?!

There is usually freedom of religion, but some in Murfreesboro still try and block that.

And there is defi nitely no right to bear arms. Do you think Ross would have observed Kalbaugh’s Second Amendment rights if he had a trunk full of pistols? I can hear the exchange now:

Ross: “Why are you bearing so many arms?”Kalbaugh: “For purposes of starting a

militia.”Ross: “Well, roll right on. Have a nice night.”Um, no. There is no Second Amendment

freedom any more. Tell me where you have the right to bear arms.

And what if the First Amendment were treated as the second is? You can have

freedom of the press . . . as long as you undergo a background check,

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

WHY WE MAY AS WELL JUST ROLL DOWN THE WINDOW, AND THROW THE BILL OF RIGHTS OUT OF IT

COMMENTARY BY BRACKEN MAYO


LIVING

The third Thursday of the month during the warmer portion of the year

means its time to hop on the bike and ride, and go to a little summer party outside.

The parking lot of Coconut Bay Cafe, near Stones River Mall, is packed with motor-cycles and bike enthusiasts checking out and discussing one another's rides at the monthly Poppaclutch Motor-cycle Club Bike Night.

The participants in this event do not discriminate; American, Asian and European bikes can be seen in the same place, and whether you prefer a Hog or a crotch rock-et, a souped-up racing bike or an old moped, it's all about having fun.

The next bike night will be Thursday, Aug. 15, at Coconut Bay Cafe, 210 Stones River Mall Blvd. DJ vs. Drumz, or DJ Cliffy D and Jason

"Kidd Sonic" Peterson, plan to kick out the jams once again.

"Cliffy D and Kidd Sonic are tearing it up. I am so happy to be part of this event!" attendee Jacob Perkins said at July's bike night.

For more information on the gathering, like Poppaclutch Motorcycle Club, Coconut Bay Cafe and DJ vs. Drumz on Facebook.

BIKE NIGHTCoconut Bay’s monthly celebration of cycles continues.

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ROLL DOWN THE WINDOW CONTINUED register your press, take a government test, pay a government fee and carry a government permit.

So in the context of all that, yeah, what does it matter? Someone’s car got searched, unreasonably, or whatever. An officer yelled at a driver.

“But we live in a different age. There’re terrorists and boogeymen out there! They want to overthrow the government and the American way of life,” say some.

I won’t go so far as to side with them and say it needs to be overthrown, but I will say that the U.S. Federal Government does need to be disassembled until there is not much left other than the Bill of Rights, an adequate national defense system, our beautiful national parks and some reasonable envi-ronmental requirements to keep certain people from absolutely destroying the land for the rest of us.

Everyone has their own interpretation of the Con-stitution, some more strict than others. I’d say, though, the video did document an unreasonable search. One of the best elements of the video is pointing out the twisted logic of the K9 search: law enforcement needs probable cause to execute a search; a trained K9’s sig-nal counts as probable cause; officers can tell the K9 to hit wherever they want; therefore law enforcement can give itself probable cause any time it wants to.

The video also pointed out the continuation of the unfortunate pattern of government officials just mak-ing it up as they go, and forgetting they work for the people, not the other way around.

And as the whole country is watching and debating

our local sheriff’s department, know this: our county commissioners have recently voted to raise property taxes primarily to hire 11 more Rutherford County Sheriff’s officers and give government employees raises. I wish it were a joke. Complaining and debat-ing online may feel good and like you’re getting involved, but any change will not happen until people can unite and vote out the power-hungry, money-grabbing, self-serving jokers at all levels of govern-ment, and vote in someone, anyone, who cares about freedom more than controlling other people.

I do not want my property taxes going up so our corrupt sheriff’s department can have more henchmen.

I’ve felt inspired for a long while. But Chris Kalbaugh’s video made a lot of other people pay attention, and that is encouraging. Really, Kalbaugh may have more in common with a superhero than a victim. It seems he’s standing up, as did Superman, for “Truth, justice and the American way.” He rattled the cage a little, he pursued controversy, but who can blame an aspiring filmmaker for that?

So thanks to him, thanks to Bradley Manning and thanks to Edward Snowden for doing their part to swing the pendulum away from the military-indus-trial complex/police state that our beloved land of freedom is becoming, and taking a stand for liberty.

Thanks also to everyone who puts themselves in all sorts of unpleasant situations to serve and protect. You are heroes too.

Stand up for freedom, and live every moment like you are on camera.

STOP HEARD ROUND THE WORLD CONTINUED But nearly a week after the video was made, the

sheriff ’s office released a statement saying it did not plan to seek any disciplinary action against Ross.

In a report after his investigation of the encounter, Lt. Nathan Pagel of the Office of Professional Respon-sibility stated, “I can find no evidence of violations of any state or federal law, rights violations or violations of the RCSO Standard Operating Procedure.”

Business as usual, evidently.“He didn’t violate anybody’s rights,” Sheriff Arnold

said. “He did his job.”Whether this will prove a wise career move on the

young sheriff ’s part remains to be seen.“Mr. Arnold just said the officer did nothing wrong.

So I guess that’s that. What’s the point of having a constitution?” Jared Dorothy said.

The next election for Rutherford County Sher-

iff will be held in August 2014 (and by the way, Arnold is facing an unrelated lawsuit filed the day before the DUI checkpoint video, in which a former sheriff ’s office employee claims he was fired “in retaliation for confirming to Sheriff Arnold that he was running for the political office of sheriff ” in the 2014 election).

“I will definitely be basing my vote in the Rutherford County Sheriff election on what happens with this,” Johnny Questbrooks said of the checkpoint video.

While this one particular video may or may not change any policies or personnel with the local sheriff ’s office, it has demonstrated that with the rise of YouTube, smart phones and affordable recorders, it is becoming easier and easier to share encounters with the world, and that one ordinary citizen can have incredible power to sway public opinion.

“Always keep the camera rolling,” Kalbaugh said.

THURS, 8/1BUNGANUT PIG

Granny LowJOZOARA

Rik Gracia MAYDAY BREWERY

Hey Chuck!

FRI, 8/2BUNGANUT PIG

Nathan Thomas BandFANATICS

LaFever BandIGNITE LOUNGE

DJ Gina SuttonPUBLIC SQUARE

Dirty Proper, Trembling Knees

THE BOROSCRMA Radio Benefit: Langoliers, Josephene, Wild Fron, Unkle Skunkle

WILLIE’S WET SPOTTempted

SAT, 8/3BUNGANUT PIG

Karl & the UndertonesFANATICS

Ivan LaFeverGEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR

Mesa ProjectMAIN STREET LIVE

The Hillbilly Casino, Country Punks, The Pat Travers Band

THE BORONew Wave Rebellion, Smacked By Smiley, Lilak Sunset

WILLIE’S WET SPOTZach Robbins & Rolling Thunder

MON, 8/5THE BORO

Warmachine, Rahji Gahler, Our Lady

TUES, 8/6BUNGANUT PIG

CJ Vaughn Trio

WED, 8/73 BROTHERS

Ryan Coleman’sWriters’ Night

BUNGANUT PIGJulie Gribble Duo

ROOSTER’S BBQ Writers Night with Mike Short & Lindsay Jurek

WILLIE’S WET SPOTShane & Lenny


Martin Rodriguez Trio

JOZOARARik Gracia


RecklessFANATICS

John SalawayLIQUID SMOKE

The Saul Zonana ExperienceMAIN STREET LIVE

Thank You Scientist, The Tea Club, Ocean Architecture, Trigger Digit

MAYDAY BREWERYThe Harmaleighs

THE BOROOcean Architecture, Thank You Scientist

WILLIE’S WET SPOTThe Road Dogs


Zone StatusFANATICS

Markey Blues BandFLY CULTURAL ARTS CENTER

Cash Kings (Johnny Cash tribute)

GEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR Money Wrench

HIPPIE HILLHappy Goat Band, Who Shot Lizzy

JOZOARASlice Of American Pie

MAIN STREET LIVEMize & the Drive

MAYDAY BREWERYSam Pace & The Gilded Grit

THE BOROTuscarora

WILLIE’S WET SPOTCJ Vaughn Trio


Delyn Christian

WED, 8/143 BROTHERS

Ryan Coleman’s Writers’ Night

BUNGANUT PIGLiberty Valance

ROOSTER’S BBQWriters Night with Mike Short & Lindsay Jurek

THE BOROUncle Don Clark, Jonny Gowow, Blue Matches, Lucid Dimension



Scattered PiecesJOZOARA

Rik GraciaTHE BORO

Tall Dark Stranger, Guiltless Cult, Holiness Movement, Freebase Masons


Far CryFANATICS

Zone StatusGREGORY MILL PARK

The SpringsMAYDAY BREWERY

The Granny Whites THE BORO

Ian C. Parker, The Swiftlets, Likes of Us, Dr. Gonzo, Iraconji

WILLIE’S WET SPOTNoise Pollution


Dennis the MenaceFANATICS

Jonathan GowerGEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR

Phoenix RisingMAYDAY BREWERY

Mize & the DriveTHE AVENUE

JohnarooTHE BORO

Tod Nichols, LSD, Redstone, Plow’d, Intent City

WILLIE’S WET SPOTEvil Twin

SUN, 8/18THE BORO

Will Leggett, Alias, Northfield, Static Revival


CJ Vaughn Trio

WED, 8/213 BROTHERS


BUNGANUT PIGFranklin & Farris

ROOSTER’S BBQ Writers Night with Mike Short & Lindsay Jurek


THURS, 8/22ARTS CENTER OF CANNON COUNTY

Sixty Four Beatles RevueBUNGANUT PIG

Box Of Angry RoostersJOZOARA

Rik Gracia


Gravel Road Gypsies MAYDAY BREWERY

Lindsey Neff, Candace Brown

FANATICSJunkbox

WILLIE’S WET SPOTGreez Monkeez


Casual ExchangeFANATICS

Keg BellyGEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR

Citizen RejectsMAYDAY BREWERY

Thelma & the Sleaze, Red Wine Hangover, Blackfoot Gypsies, Static Revival

WILLIE’S WET SPOT Gypsy Rose


Martin Rodriguez

WED, 8/283 BROTHERS


BUNGANUT PIGFranklin & Farris

GEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR Mesa Project




Charleyhorse JOZOARA

Rik Gracia


The Boro BandFANATICS

Paul FMMAYDAY BREWERY

The Steam Boars THE BORO

Agents of AthensWILLIE’S WET SPOT

My July


BacklitFANATICS

Top ShelfGEORGIA’S SPORTS BAR

Mesa ProjectMAYDAY BREWERY

Uberphonics THE BORO

Worried MindsWILLIE’S WET SPOT

Shoot For Tuesday

WED, 9/43 BROTHERS



View Concert Listings Online:

SOUNDS

Send your show listings to [email protected]

AUGUST CONCERTSBOROSTOCKAUG, 14–18 @ THE BORO BAR & GRILL

Borostock kicks off at The Boro on Aug. 14 and will continue on through Sunday, Aug. 18, with lots of local favorites, but opening night will be one of the best with folk songwriter Uncle Don Clark, seasoned pianist Jonny Gowow, Nashville female-led indie punk band BLUE MATCHES and metal rockers Lucid Dimension.

PULSE PICKIF YOU GO:3 Brothers114 N. Church St.410-3096

Arts Center of Cannon County1424 John Bragg Hwy., Woodbury563-2787

Bunganut Pig1602 W. Northfield Blvd.893-7860

Cajun Cove at Four Corners Marina4027 LaVergne Couchville Pk.641-6002

Fairways Golf & Grill 127 SE Broad St.962-7853

Fanatics 1850 Old Fort Pkwy.494-3995

Fly Cultural Arts Center 204 S. Main St., Shelbyville(931) 684-8359

Georgia's Sports Bar577 S. Lowry St. , Smyrna 267-0295

Gregory Mill Park390 Enon Springs Road, Smyrna, 459-9773

Hippie Hill8627 Burks Hollow Rd.(615) 796-3697

Ignite810 NW Broad St. 962-8352

JoZoara536 N. Thompson Ln.962-7175

Liquid Smoke#2 Public Square217-7822

Main St. Live527 W. Main St.439-6135

Mayday Brewery521 Old Salem Hwy.479-9722

Rooster's Lonestar BBQ223 W. Main St.867-1836

The Avenue2615 Medical Center Pkwy.893-4207

The Boro Bar & Grill1211 Greenland Dr.895-4800

The Pour House2404 Halls Hill Pike 603-7978

Wall Street121 N. Maple St. 867-9090

Willie’s Wet Spot1208 S. Lowry St., Smyrna 355-0010


DIRTY PROPER AUG., 2 @ MURFREESBORO PUBLIC SQUARE

Providing the entertainment at August’s free First Friday concert on the Square are Trembling Knees along with Dirty Proper, the duo of Natalie Aulvin and Trey Call. Dirty Proper is fresh off the release of Just Feel Love, and a recent tour of the U.K. Playing 12 shows in 17 days in pubs and clubs from Swansea to London, exposing their music to a whole new audience. Bring the family for this evening of music and community.

PULSE PICK


story by ELIZABETH SCOTT

JOHNNY GUITAR’S FIFTH ANNUAL live music event featuring its students is coming up on Sat., Aug. 17. Johnnaroo will be held at Cen-tral Park in the Avenue from 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

Some new kids will be joining many return-ing performers from last year at the event. This year will feature four bands, all of whom have been practicing for six or more weeks.

Johnnaroo is the “highlight of the year,” said Terri Fitzgerald, co-owner of Johnny Guitar’s.

The students who participate in Johnnaroo work hard to learn their music from start to fi n-ish. No music stands are used during the show. The youngest participant this year is 7 years old; Aiden Eisinga will actually be coming back this year for a second time on drums.

While previous Johnnaroo years have held themes, this year will also be unique in content.

All lead or co-lead singers this year are female, which is something that has never happened before.“The girls are going to rule the bands this year,” Terri said.This year, thanks in part to sponsor BombShells Hair Studio, T-shirts are being made for the

fi rst time, and participants also get a CD recording and a DVD photo album of Johnnaroo 2013.Bob and Terri Fitzgerald do not make a lot of money from this event, they say, but it gets the

kids comfortable playing music and playing in front of people.“I love doing this; it’s fantastic,” Terri said.Anyone interested in music lessons can contact Johnny Guitar’s at (615) 896-5151. The

Avenue is located at 2615 Medical Center Pkwy., Murfreesboro.

FROM THE LESSON ROOM TO THE AVENUE Johnny Guitar’s students rock at fi fth annual Johnaroo

Chelsea Lawson

Joey Onkst


The Secret Commonwealth, longtime fi xtures on the Murfreesboro music scene—particularly for their tra-ditional St. Patty’s Day show at The Boro—have been playing music in some lineup or another since 1993. Now, the lineup consists of Troy Guinn, Rob Campbell, Uncle Don Clark and Franko Hashiguchi, and they just released Last Call, a 13-track LP.

Produced to a polish at Stu-Stu-Studio and Paradox Productions by Seth Timbs, Brian Carter and Jeremy Dickens collectively, Last Call is a musical book of folk tales alive with poetry, love, tragedy, wartime and ad-venture, beginning with “Man Overboard,” a twittering Celtic ditty penned by Seth Timbs, followed by “The Lion’s Breath,” on which Guinn’s vocals spin out gold, glowing, pristine and resonant, like a more rustic Neil Diamond. It’s an old, dusty folk ballad.

“Til Jamie Comes Hame” is a traditional narrative ballad for any fan of musical storytelling from “Geor-die” to “Hurricane”; it’s percussive and swept through with Franko Hashiguchi’s whistle. “Dubhachas (I’ll Dream of Times Like This)” is fl owery, sparkling, sugary and wistful; “Springtime Unknown” soars and Malin Timbs’ vocals are smoother than caramel in the ghost-story-like “In the Old Ruins.”

“Field of Bannockburn” is a battle tale abuzz with bagpipes from Julian Gomez, sweeping with Rebecca Mogey’s fi ddle and kicking with Rob Campbell’s looming snare. But “One Shot,” written and sung by Don Clark, is perfection, piercing through a thick Southern darkness with his banjo picking as he sings: Well this ol’ world is like a graveyard/And it hurts me in my heart/Hurts me in my heart/One shot, just one shot/I can set down my heavy load.

Ditto for the Halloweenish fright tale “Scarecrow Walking”: Daddy’s coat and Uncle’s britches/An old owl’s nest and a bale of straw/Floppy hat, rope suspenders/A pumpkin’s face and a devil’s claw.

The record fi nishes with “All These Years,” a bitter-sweet tune, more Southern folk than Celtic folk, with an uplifting farewell.

Find more on TSC at tscband.com.

THE SECRET COMMONWEALTHLast Call

Chase Perryman and the People Familiar With the Situ-ation (who include bass player Nathan Donaldson, lead guitarist and organ player Daniel Shearon and drummer Cory Flippo) have a blues and classic-rock-infused new EP, Vol. I. The release, which dropped in June, is rife with Memphis-blues riffi ng that drips like a leaking culvert.

“Killing Kind” opens the EP as a love song in Motown time with hammering piano by Nate Strasser and com-plementary backing harmonies. Cue another bleating riff on “How to Love You,” whose meandering melodia and unhurried tempo conjure a sultry heat not unlike the heavy, summer fi lm plastered over Nashville bar hangers.

“Pistol” betrays Southern-rock roots as Perryman insists You’re too much woman for me in something some-where between an emphatic cry and a twangy snarl that suggests a mash-up of Bob Seger and Skynyrd.

Then it’s back to barfl y blues on “Why They Call Me” with another catchy, downcast guitar part wrap-ping around a dark, shadowy bass line.

The record fi nishes with Perryman singing The world’s a bitter place/I know we’re all a selfi sh race/I know the ones we love, we hurt the most/Because they’re the ones we can’t replace on “Inertia Postponed,” though the album’s fi rst half—which wouldn’t sound out of place in a Broadway bar—is most effective. And that’s a good thing.

This is a good record, and maybe someday the guys will get the robotic jet skis they say they’re after. For more on the band, visit getfamiliarmusic.com.

CHASE PERRYMAN AND THE PEOPLE FAMILIAR WITH THE SITUATIONVol. I

A CLASSICRATINGS: OUTSTANDING

AVERAGE BELOW AVERAGE AVOID AT ALL COSTS DEAD

Bands: Send your albums and promotional materials to

The Murfreesboro Pulse, 116-E North Walnut St., Murfreesboro, TN 37130.

We’re working hard to promote good music in Middle Tennessee.

by JESSICA PACEALBUM REVIEWS


Love1 Events will present a community event on Friday, Aug. 2, to raise funds for the cause against domestic violence.

Rutherford County’s newest upscale lounge, Ignite Murfreesboro (810 N.W. Broad St., Jackson Heights Shopping Center), is host-ing a night of dance music, drink specials and raffl e giveaways for a great cause.

This charity event, sponsored by Walk In Closet boutique, Lotus Energy Drink and DJ GINA SUTTON, has also received support from local businesses Denim Divas, Revived Vinyl, Gold’s Gym, Eclips Barbershop & Salon, Brown Bag Studio, Icon Tattoo, Mary Kay, Nerium International, Graphic-FX and Wings & Things.

A suggested donation of $10 at the door for Purple Light Nights will enter guests in these raffl es. Ad-ditional tickets are available for $1 each. Guests are encouraged to wear purple to the event, and the venue will offer a free drink to those who participate (must be 21).

Purple Light Nights events happen in communi-ties all across America. Residents, businesses and agencies hang purple lights (purple being the color associated with the cause against domestic vio-lence) in their windows, in their lobbies and on their

downtown streets during Domestic Violence Aware-ness Month (October) as a way of showing support for those affected by domestic violence.

Purple Light Nights Nashville is sponsored by Go Purple USA, a Tennessee-based nonprofi t organi-zation whose mission is to mobilize and encourage communities across America to come together to take a stand against domestic violence. Its objec-tive in Middle Tennessee is to work with government agencies, police, local domestic violence shelters and advocacy groups, businesses, residents and churches throughout Middle Tennessee. Funds raised will help support the effort against domestic violence in our community.

For more information about Go Purple USA and Purple Light Nights, visit gopurpleusa.org, call (615) 715-7834 or e-mail [email protected].

Scan Here to view a video of Murfreesboro band Rajhi Gahler’s song “Toxic Mindset.”Be on the lookout for more videos from Hoy Poloy in the Pulse and on BoroPulse.com.Bands, if you are in need of mobile recording and video services, fi nd out what the Hoy Poloy can do for you. Find Hoy Poloy Productions on Facebook and Hoy Poloy noise on YouTube.

LOCAL MUSIC VIDEO

Ignite the Lights for Domestic Violence Victims

ANOTHER BONNAROO is well behind us here in Middle Tennessee. Many, though, would contend that this year’s event wasn’t just another Bonnaroo. Amid all the hip-ness, hoo-hah and bands-of-the-moment, the festival’s biggest news was the appearance of former Beatle Paul McCartney. Even now, a half-century since The Beatles began to shake the very foundations of popular music and culture, earthlings of all ages and creeds still pledge allegiance to the Fabs. Those who are musically inclined may wave the Beatle ban-ner by purposely emulating aspects of their sound (and there are many ways to accom-plish that, given the scope of the group’s inno-vations). Others have taken to the tribute trail, wielding everything from Vox amps, wigs and Liverpudlian accents in an attempt to quench a seemingly endless Beatle thirst.

Nashville’s own The WannaBeatles, though, are treading upon the Abbey Road less taken among tribute bands. They have a fervent local following and are fast becom-ing established throughout the Southeast, based on their winning way with the rep-ertoire of the Fab Four, but they’ve recently released an album of all-original songs, titled We’re Still Rockin’. It may seem an unusual move for a band built around cover tunes, but The WannaBeatles were a bit dif-ferent even from the beginning.

As an initially nameless band in 2007, entertaining diners at Mexicali Grill in Cool Springs (a location that inspired the comic pseudonyms Juan, Pablo, Jorge and . . . wait for it . . . Gringo), the quartet began to do more than simply serve refried Beatles. Dennis Scott, the band’s leader and resident funnyman, began adding song parodies, Ed Sullivan impersonations and schtick that engaged and delighted the crowd. Meanwhile, Scott’s bandmates brought their distinct skills and personalities to the stage. For instance, hyper-jovial guitarist Bryan Cumming could whip out a sax or trumpet when called for, and Cuban-born drummer David Toledo (besides playing the meanest version of the Fabs’ Latin-inspired “I Feel Fine” you’ll likely ever hear) had the vocal chops to sing soar-ing McCartney-penned melodies. Classically

trained keyboardist and composer Nathan Burbank, who came along a bit later, ably cov-ered left-hand bass on the keys, but actually began teaching himself to play bass guitar—a more dynamic and sonically superior alterna-tive when the band tackles basic, four-piece Beatles arrangements.

Though hardly a slouch himself, Toledo (a music instructor by day) raves about the collective potential he recognized early on in Scott and Cumming, who are both songwrit-ers and experienced producers. “Dennis is a Grammy winner and Bryan is amazing with his gifts, so I started thinking, ‘Why are we spending all this time just re-creating the songs that we grew up with? What did The Beatles do? They created music! So that’s what we do,” he says in reference to the band’s own creative efforts, now made available on We’re Still Rockin’.

“The new album,” says Scott, “bridges the gap between our continuing desire to play the Beatles music we love, and follow in their steps as songwriters and creators.”

Adds Cumming, “Our mentors, as we call them, are loaded with these complexities—their music is their music, but it didn’t happen in a vacuum. It came out of their infl uences. And so we’re coming out of them and we’re happy to reveal these infl uences, and for us, The Beatles are just one infl uence.” (To hear samples from We’re Still Rockin’, go to thewan-nabeatles.com and click on the “merchandise” tab, or check out the video on the Pulse’s web version of this story.)

“I don’t want to sound presumptuous,”

begins keyboardist Burbank, “but what if John and Paul were still together, writing in a band? We can’t experience that, because they’re not. The WannaBeatles are a second chance for baby boomers to experience a band writing its own music in a collaborative way.” Not surprisingly, though, the boomer-aged band—just like its namesake—has admirers ranging across generations. As Cumming recalls it, it was a 5-year-old fan who really drove home the broad appeal of what he and his mates were doing. “A few years ago we had a little girl come up and dance with us, and Dennis said, ‘You can win a free T-shirt if you name the four Beatles.’” Scott picks up the thread: “And she thought about it for a second and then she said, ‘David, Dennis, Nathan and Bryan.’” Says Toledo, laughing, ‘The house came down!’”

Despite the innocent charm of that mo-ment, though, Cumming remembers it as be-ing “a revelation, because it was so accidental and natural, but it made me realize, gosh, here

we are at this time in history and this 5-year-old girl will come listen to the Beatles’ songs and listen to our songs and it’s all the same thing to her! It’s all one piece of cloth woven with threads of music. What naturally came out of The Beatles,” he continues, “is what I hope naturally comes out of us, which is great music that connects with all generations.” The Beatles, affi rms the grey-haired musician, “set the dream in motion that you can be a band, you can be creative, you can have a lot of fun doing this and you can create great songs. So, we’re continuing the dream.”

A Ticket to WriteLOCAL BAND THE WANNABEATLES

CREATE ALL-ORIGINAL NEW ALBUMstory by STEVE MORLEY

SOUNDS


WHAT: The WannaBeatlesWHEN: Thursday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m.

WHERE: Capitol Theater110 W. Main St., Lebanon, TN

PRICE: $20

ONLINE: thewannabeatles.com

IF YOU GO:

(From left) Bryan Cumming, David Toledo,

Dennis Scott and Nathan Burbank have put Beatles

tunes on hold briefl y to lay down a collection

of their own songs.

The WannaBeatles performing at the

Avenue in Murfreesboro

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Ido not consider myself an expert on coffee. On the contrary, I consider myself very ignorant

of the art of making coffee, and my desire to learn about one of my favorite beverages spawned this column. Having shared that, I also may be one of the only regular coffee columnists in the Middle Tennessee area, and I would very much like to do this properly. As someone who writes a column called “Coffee Talk,” I’m interested in other people’s thoughts on local coffee and the merchants who sell it. I’ve heard several accusations against local coffee shops being “Starbucks clones,” fi nding a repetition of similar fl avors that others deem “variety.” You’ll hear some critics share sentiments such as “Real coffee doesn’t have a bunch of syrups” or “Flavored coffee is garbage.” I would con-sider this a tenet of “coffee purism.”

For the record, I like all kinds of coffee. I’m not partial to one brand or blend. I’ll happily drink coffee with sugar, cream, honey, syrup or nothing at all. I don’t believe in limiting my-self in terms of taste, and I don’t think con-sumers should have to either.

With that in mind, I do feel that subtlety is something more people should look for in

their coffee. Sean Hand, owner of Nuance Coffee and Tea and

the newest kid on the block, considers himself a “roaster of specialty grade coffees and purveyor of luxury loose-leaf teas.” The mission statement

of Nuance is to “bring fl avor back to a world of over-roasted coffee, with lighter roasting

techniques, and educate coffee and tea lovers worldwide.”

So, how does the coffee stack up? We sampled two blends from Mr. Hand; his Peru blend (Cajamarca region) and his Costa Rica blend (Central Valley). I gave both 4/5 Puls-es, with both offering their own subtleties. The Peru offered a faint sharpness (almost a tangy quality), while the Costa Rica pos-sessed its own bitter, nutty quality. Over the two, I preferred the Costa Rica blend.

I look forward to additional products that Nuance Coffee and Tea will bring to Ruther-

ford County, and I’m excited to see what the future brings for the business.

I’ve already had the pleasure of sampling the

coffee stout beer Nuance teamed up with May-day to make, which is my favorite beer so far.

Online ordering is available at nuance-coffeeandtea.com. You

can also fi nd them on Facebook.

Fresh, local tomatoes, like the ones above from Happy Harvest CSA, are a must for this recipe.

FOOD

The “Nuance” Editioncolumn by JUSTIN STOKES

I’m not partial to one brand or blend. I’ll happily drink coffee with sugar, cream, honey, syrup or nothing at all. I don’t

people should look for in

ford County, and I’m excited to see what the future brings for the business.

I’ve already had the pleasure of sampling the

coffee stout beer Nuance teamed up with May-

can also fi nd them on Facebook.

COFFEE TALKTALK

Tomato Cheddar PieRecipe and Photos by CHRISTY SIMMONS

INGREDIENTS: 2 lbs of fresh tomatoes (heirlooms have the best fl avor)

3 cups of freshly grated sharp ched-dar (I use a mixture of yellow and white)

4 oz softened cream cheese

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil1/3 cup mayo

Salt and fresh ground pepper

1 egg, beaten

Your favorite savory pie crust recipe or a refrigerated store bought crust

DIRECTIONS: CORE and slice tomatoes into ¼ inch slices.

LAY tomatoes on a cookie sheet cov-ered in a double layer of paper towels.

SPRINKLE with salt and cover with

another double layer of paper towels.

LET stand for 30 minutes to drain the moisture out of the tomatoes.

WHISK together the cream cheese, mayo, basil and salt and pepper to taste.

PLACE crust into pie plate and crimp edges.

BRUSH bottom and sides of crust with beaten egg.

SPRINKLE crust with ½ cup of cheese.

LAYER tomatoes over cheese, overlap-ping slightly.

SPREAD half of cream cheese mixture over tomatoes. Continue layering in this manner and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

BAKE in a 425-degree oven for 30–40 minutes. Tent with foil if crust gets too dark.

REMOVE from oven and let rest for 1–2 hours or it will be too soupy to cut. Best served lukewarm.

I serve this with a simple green salad.

ADAPTED FROM BON APPETIT


Fairways Golf & Grill offers pizzas, burgers, wings and more, plus fun on

its spectacular golfing simulator.

FOOD

If you want to take someone special for a frozen treat before the summer is out, there are plenty of options in Murfrees-boro. Your new favorite place may be

just around the corner.Since the Avenue was built a few years

back, that area has seen a number of frozen boutiques spring up. Locations of Maggie Moo’s and Sweet Cece’s keep the (Better Bat-ter) ice cream and (Cheesecake Bliss) yogurt fl owing at the Avenue, with Marble Slab, named for the marble slab behind the counter where ingredients are mixed into the ice cream, is a popular spot just down the street, with a nice aroma of waffl e cones baking and lots of colors and choices.

Of course, there are two locations to try some of the original 31 fl avors from the clas-sic Baskin-Robbins.

While over near MTSU, Aspen Leaf is all

about the fruit, with toppings such as kiwi and berries, plus a nice watermelon sorbet.

And although the tone of the Pulse can be a little anti-corporate, and local-fi rst, McDon-ald’s deserves some recognition as the winner of the “You Can Take Your Family Out for Ice Cream With the Change in Your Car Floor” award. McDonald’s now offers its soft-serve cone for 59 cents, or get it dipped in chocolate for 99 cents.

Also, a few shaved ice trucks are out there keeping the streets of Murfreesboro chill and colorful.

If all this is a little too much, take a little trip back to a simpler time at Reeves-Sain Drug Store’s old-fashioned milkshake and soda counter.

Let the Pulse know what your favorite spot is, and remember to, every now and then, stop and have some ice cream.

WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOT FOR A FROZEN TREAT IN THE ‘BORO?

Marble Slab for coffee ice cream with hot fudge & Heath!— Donna Jean ‘Schaw’ Groff

Baskin Robbins will al-ways be my fi rst love!— Rawda Assi

Chocolate Frosty from Wendy’s to dip my fries in!— Krystal Leigh Whitehair

Reeves Sain for milk shakes, Aspen Leaf for frozen yogurt and Marble Slab for ice cream.— Wizzard Curtis

Funky Munky Hawaiian Shaved Ice! The bright pink food truck! BEST shaved ice in town!— Amy Melton Rockett

ICE CREAM, FROZEN YOGURT, SHAVED ICE AND MORE

IN THE ‘BOROstory by BRACKEN MAYO | photos by CHRISTY SIMMONS

Cool Treats

The Marble Slab staff is happy to mix in some sprinkles (or brownies, nuts, candy, coconut, whatever you like) into your ice cream on its marble slab.

So many colors, so many flavors.

What’s your choice?

The first Sweet CeCe's opened in Nashville in 2008 and has been spreading sweet treats ever since.


FROZEN TREAT ROUNDUPASPEN LEAF2136 Middle Tennessee Blvd.

BASKIN-ROBBINS2170 Old Fort Pkwy.,1723 Memoriamorial Blvd.

CULVER’S2411 Medical Center Pkwy., 2993 S. Rutherford Blvd.

DAIRY QUEEN510 Cason Lane, 1735 Memorial Blvd., 2910 S. Rutherford Blvd., 1804 Old Fort Pkwy.

FUNKY MUNKY HAWAIIAN SHAVED ICEVaries, call (615) 2000-ICE for today’s location

KARIN’S KUSTARD & HAMBURGERS470 S. Lowry St., Smyrna

KONA ICEVaries, call (615) 971-0092 for today’s location

MAGGIE MOO’S2615 Medical Center Pkwy.

MARBLE SLAB452 N. Thompson Lane

McDONALD’S106 SE Broad St., 2595 Old Fort Pkwy, 2180 Old Fort Pkwy., 1716 S. Rutherford Blvd., 2900 S Rutherford Blvd., 2485 S. Church St., 1706 Memorial Blvd., 3371 Memorial Blvd., 2674 New Salem Hwy.

SNO-BALL EXPRESSOld Fort Pkwy. in the Toys ’R’ Us parking lot

SWEET CECE’S2615 Medical Center Parkway

REEVES-SAIN1801 Memorial Blvd.

SONIC DRIVE-IN2630 S. Church St., 1311 NW Broad St., 1918 Memorial Blvd., 215 Cason Ln., 1650 Middle Ten-nessee Blvd., 1889 Almaville Rd, Smyrna.; 791 Nissan Dr. Smyr-na.; 799 Team Dr., Smyrna; 5210 Murfreesboro Rd, La Vergne

STEAK AND SHAKE2091 Old Fort Pkwy.

WENDY’S1315 Memorial Blvd., 1845 Old Fort Pkwy., 1905 S. Church St.

(Left) Maggie Moo's. (Above) Catch the Kona Ice truck at an area ball game, school, event or chuch, (right) kids love the big col-orful truck with the Flavorwave spouts.

Aspen Leaf, near the intersection of Tennessee Bou-levard and Main Street, is loaded with fruit toppings, and has an excellent watermelon sorbet.


The word “kaiju” has become synonymous with a genre of monster movies that never took off in theaters stateside but neverthe-less developed a following greater than cult yet still fell short of the mainstream. Every child since the ’70s (maybe earlier) is familiar with the kaiju poster-monster Godzilla, and not because of the abominable 2000 reboot. Though Hollywood has its one great giant ape, the much-beloved Japanese genre in which humongous beasts topple skyscrap-ers has not yet been done justice by the U.S. studio industry. . . that is, until Pacifi c Rim.

In 2020, 7 years into the Kaiju Wars, the world has banded together against a single enemy, creating (what else?) giant mecha (robots) called Jaegers to do battle against the monstrous creatures coming through a portal in the depths of the Pacifi c Ocean. In perfunctory sci-fi , save-the-world fashion, a

ragtag group of misfi ts are assembled, in this case by the excellent Idris Elba (The Wire) as Stacker Pentecost. Sons of Anarchy’s Charlie Hunnam ably carries the lead as Raleigh, an ace Jaeger pilot who lost his brother in battle. Rinko Kikuchi (The Brothers Bloom’s mostly

mute Bang Bang) is another perfectly cast character, the strong and vulnerable Mako, Raleigh’s co-pilot (or vice versa). Charlie Day brings a toned-down version of his It’s Al-ways Sunny . . . persona and some pitch-per-fect levity as the Kaiju-obsessed Dr. Newton Geiszler. The rest of the cast is equally worth mentioning, all at the top of their game for what is essentially just a boilerplate summer blockcorn popbuster, albeit an awesome one where robots and monsters punch each other.But amidst all the punching, there is a beating heart beneath the movie’s cliché-ridden, explosiony veneer. Del Toro is one of the few directors today (J.J. Abrams and Joss Whedon included) who understands that for the action to be good, there must be something at stake, and the genesis of stakes is in story and character. (Also in keeping the cuts to a minimum so we can tell wtf is going on.) Guillermo del Toro may be the master at this; at making a fantasy world, no matter how ridiculous, feel real. Looking at his fi lmography, to say that Pacifi c Rim is his most ridiculous yet, is quite a thing. It’s also his most fun.

— JAY SPIGHT

A CLASSICRATINGS: OUTSTANDING AVERAGE BELOW AVERAGE AVOID AT ALL COSTS DEAD

MOVIES

I’m a big fan of humility in movies. I feel it adds to the charm of the movie when you’re given an honest picture of what you’re getting into. It lets you have more fun with the fi lm while in the theater.

That was kind of the appeal of RED 2. The sequel to the 2010 Bruce Willis action vehicle sees Willis reprise his role as Frank Moses, the “retired, extremely dangerous” CIA agent who has now begun to enjoy domesticated life with his girlfriend, Sarah Ross (Parker). When his best friend, Marvin Boggs (Malkov-ich), resurfaces to tell Moses of a leaked docu-ment that associates them with Cold War-era secret project “Nightshade,” which may be one of the deadliest secrets of the last few decades, Moses and company are pulled back into the world of silent kills, doublecrossers and cover-ups that defi ne black operations.

This movie has a great cast, great action, and a pretty healthy amount of black humor

for a summer movie. But there are several elements that could have been smoothed over. This movie touts itself as being based on a comic book, “which from what I understand, the comic is nothing like the movie.” It has

these animated transitions, which, much like those in the Guy Richie fi lm Revolver, don’t really fi t the story that well. There are also one or two scenes in the fi lm where you may fi nd the music selection doesn’t really fi t what the fi lm could have been.

My biggest problem with the fi lm was with the last 20 minutes, which feel extremely rushed. Without giving anything away, the resolution of the fi lm seemed to “settle.”

Still, it’s a fun movie, and you should know exactly what you’re getting into. It surpasses the original at certain points, and ultimately, it’s worth a view.

— JUSTIN STOKES

RED 2

Starring: Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lee Byung-hun, Anthony Hopkins, Helen MirrenDirected by Dean ParisotRated PG-13

PACIFIC RIM

Starring Charlie Hunnam, Charlie Day, Idris ElbaDirected by Guillermo del ToroRated PG-13

MOVIESMOVIESMOVIESREVIEWSMOVIES AUGUST RELEASESPlaying this month:

AUG. 1: 2 Guns

AUG. 7: Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters

AUG. 9: Planes

AUG. 16: Kick-Ass 2

AUG. 23: You're Next


Mental institutions have long been an alluring backdrop for many fi lm scripts. Here are

two in which the characters actually de-sired to be placed within those asylum walls. These movies truly set the bar for the genre.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) is directed by Milos For-man, and stars Jack Nicholson. This iconic fi lm rallies an ensemble cast of epic proportions. A prisoner wishing to skirt work detail opts for a stay at the mental institution. His rebellious spirit eventually leads him to champion the cause of his mental brethren. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is often refer-enced, and is an absolute must-see for everyone and their sisters.

Shock Corridor (1963) is directed by Samuel Fuller, and stars Peter Breck. A journalist seeking fast fame decides to infi ltrate the asylum to reveal its conditions. Instead, the pro-vocative place eventually takes hold of his psyche. This was shot at the height of Fuller’s surreal fi lmmaking, a period during which he was pushing all the boundaries. It cost him here at home for a time, careerwise, but he became a darling to the French, and then to fi lm buffs of future generations.

Institutions

LIVING ROOM CINEMA column by NORBERT THIEMANN

facebook.com/livingroomcinema


COMPANY OF HEROES 2

Back in 2006, Company of Heroes smashed into the real-time strat-egy (RTS) scene with a slick presentation, wonderful physics and environmental effects, and great gameplay that made it an instant classic and one of the best RTS games ever made. After seven years of expansion, and a failed free-to-play attempt, the offi cial sequel, Company of Heroes 2, has arrived with a bang.

Where the original explored the all-too-familiar Western Eu-ropean angle of World War II, pitting the Americans against the Germans, COH2 goes for the far more oppressive and unforgiving Eastern front, pitting the Soviets against the Germans. It was the most destructive and violent front of World War II, and COH2 does a good job of refl ecting that with great audiovisual presentation. The soundtrack is bombastic during battles, yet haunting and cold during the game’s quieter moments. The animations are wonder-ful, with individual units rubbing their hands together for warmth during the winter maps. The units themselves have a lot to talk about, and hearing their conversations, frustrations and jokes on and off the battlefi eld gives life to the world.

The campaign follows the viewpoint of a Soviet soldier, who slowly becomes more and more distraught over the crimes he sees his fellow countrymen committing in the name of the motherland. The fi rst thing I noticed was how closely the campaign follows the Russian campaign of the fi rst Call of Duty, from starting off being bombarded at the docks in Stalingrad to fi nally reaching and taking the Reichstag in Berlin. The campaign does a good job of keeping you engaged from mission to mission, with varying tactics, environmental effects, and different objectives to achieve. Some of the missions offer surprisingly tense moments for an RTS, such as hunting down a creeping Tiger tank or assassinating

well-guarded offi cers with a limited number of units, so props for that. The writing and acting does come off heavy-handed at times, but it does manage to deliver a fairly well-done character story in a game about massing units and throwing them at the enemy, so more props for that. The wonderful cover system is back and is as good as ever, and the destructible environments are lovely to be-hold—many missions allow you to plot your own path by blowing up gates, walls and trees—so even more props for creativity. New to the mix is the weather system, involving snow and the bliz-zards. Certain missions will have you trying to navigate a blizzard while keeping your forces from freezing to death. Overall, I found the campaign satisfying, but there could have been a few more missions added to the campaign. In fact, I feel like the scope could have been larger to incorporate much more of the front, but con-sidering the story the developers wanted to tell, I can understand.

Thankfully, some of that emptiness is satisfi ed with the game’s “Theater of War” mode. Here, playing either as the Soviets or the Germans, you can engage in a series of early war scenarios in either co-op, solo or A.I. battles. From desperately trying to defend a rail station to capturing and holding victory

points, there is a wide variety of missions to play. The mode is a fun addition, and a nice add-on, especially if you are not ready or have no desire to engage in the online multiplayer section.

The multiplayer gives you three main options: auto-match vs. players to fi ght against real opponents, auto-match vs. A.I. to pit you and players against computer opponents, and custom games, where you can create your own match however you wish. All around, the multiplayer is fast, frantic and very demanding; I found myself losing more often than not.

Fortunately, the game is very accessible, with a tutorial section ti-tled “Tactics” where you can learn the basics of the game. To add to this accessibility is one of the most vast leveling and customization systems I have ever dealt with in an RTS. “Army Customization” allows you to select the commanders you can use on the battlefi eld, intelligence bulletins that give bonuses, and an army painter where you can change the color and pattern of your army. As long as you fi nish the match, win or lose, you gain experience that unlocks new commanders and bulletins. This defi nitely eases the sting of losing, and gives purpose to stay in matches until the end.

I had a very good time with Company of Heroes 2. The “The-ater of War” makes up for some of that scope I wanted. Add with a hectic but fun multiplayer and a massive leveling and customization system, the game is a must-buy for any fan of RTS or World War II games.

MARVEL HEROES

Marvel Heroes is a free-to-play online roleplaying game set in the Marvel Universe that came out recently, and as a Marvel fan I decided to give it a shot. After selecting one of a limited set of Marvel characters as your starting hero, you are treated to a very well-done intro cinematic that sets the tone of the game. You get comfortable with the controls, learn the basics, and sit back and watch as your favorite supervillains break out of prison. The entire design has a classic Diablo II feel, which is not surprising, since one of the lead designers for that game worked on Marvel Heroes. Considering that Diablo II: Lord of Destruction is one of

my favorite games of all time, I was looking forward to this game. Unfortunately, things went south very quickly after the prologue.

Despite what were a couple of hours of decent entertain-ment, the fi rst thing I noticed about Marvel Heroes was just how damned expensive it is. The characters, the costumes, pretty much everything has a price tag on it. I understand a game cannot be completely “free-to-play,” but some of these characters cost as much as an entirely new game. I love Spiderman. I wanted to play Spiderman in this game, but paying $20 for the web-slinger, are you kidding me? You cannot even try out these heroes beforehand. What if Spiderman actually turned out to be boring? I have seen footage of the Iron Man character, and it was mundane to say the least, and that guy costs $20 as well! Spiderman and Iron Man are among the most popular heroes, so they are among the most expensive, which tells you a lot about what Marvel and the design-ers intend Marvel Heroes to be: not some vehicle where quality will deliver profi t, but a pure moneymaker based on a name brand.

To be fair, though, you can unlock most of these characters, and costumes, in game, but that involves having to grind through the biggest issue of Marvel Heroes, its design. I can handle having to be online to play the game, but what I cannot handle is the inexpli-cably boring gameplay that comes with having players enter what amounts to a free-for-all mosh pit, where there are dozens of play-ers all vying to kill the random bad guys that pop up. “Thanks guys for taking away the challenge with help I did not ask for.”

Additionally, seeing half a dozen of the same superheroes running around takes away the meaning of playing that hero yourself. “Oh look, there are three other Spidermen around me.” The boss fi ghts are the most egregious example of this terrible design. I remember fi ghting Rhino and Venom while a hurricane of other players descended on them. There was no strategy, no tactics, no tension, just a straight up beatdown. However, some notable fi ghts such as against the Green Goblin—in the prologue, of all places—were actually pretty good. The dungeon sections are better, though, since you can solo them or have a small group accompany you, which helps maintain some level of challenge.

To call Marvel Heroes a Diablo game with a Marvel paint job would be doing a disservice to Diablo. Marvel Heroes has potential; I will not deny it that. However, that potential is squandered with a disastrous design more intent on siphoning your wallet rather than giving you fun.

UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention that Spiderman is no longer $20, closer to $15 actually, and many prices have been lowered across the board recently according to marvelheroes.com.

GAMESGAMESGAMESGAMESREVIEWSGAMESBY NADER HOBBALLAH


THEATER

ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING

ALICE IN WONDERLAND JR.6:30 p.m. Aug. 9, 10, 12–17, 19–24; 2 p.m. Aug. 11, 18 and 25Murfreesboro Center for the Arts110 W. College St.boroarts.org

ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING7:30 p.m. Aug. 16, 17, 19–24,26–31 2 p.m., Aug. 18 and 25The Arts Center of Cannon County1424 John Bragg Hwy.artscenterofcc.com

MLT AWARDS SHOWAug. 10Murfreesboro Little Theatre702 Ewing Blvd.mltarts.com

OREN IS THE NAME and I am a male orange and white domestic shorthair. I am about two years and six months old and I’ve been at PAWS since January 2013. I am so handsome and I'd really love to be adopted into a loving forever home. Since I have been here more than 30 days, you get a discount!

Rutherford County PAWS is located at 285 John Rice Blvd. For more on pets up for adoption, call (615) 898-7740 or visit petharbor.com.

PET OF THE MONTH:

OrenSingle White Feline

ONSTAGE IN AUGUST

The Train Daddy is back once again with the pain daddy, and ready to give you, the good people of Murfreesboro, sports in a unique way. Any-

one who has read my article knows that I love sports and that football is my specialty.

With the return of football just around the corner, it’s that time of the year when millions begin to prepare for fantasy football, a game almost as popular as the game it shadows. An estimated 30-35 million Americans play the game. As the dust settles from last season, it’s a fresh start. This article is dedicated to giving you insight on how the Train Daddy preps

for a season of fantasy football. Heck, I said I would give you an article on fantasy football last issue. Well, let’s break it down.

Before we get into this, let me give you people who don’t have a clue how fantasy football is played a quick explanation. The two most popular styles of the game are a basic, standard league and PPR (points per reception). I will explain the most common, a standard league: Typically there are 10 or 12 members in a league and a draft (live or online) where you select individual NFL players in a spe-cifi c order; each member of the league has a set amount of roster spots and, as the spots are fi lled, they create a lineup using all these positions: QB, RB, WR, TE, a kicker and a defense. The season starts on NFL week 1, and each week you go head to head with another member of your league, and the winner is decided by total points scored. At the end of the season there is a playoff where, typically, the top four seeds face off, and ultimately one team stands alone as the winner!

After doing some research on the game I was a little surprised at some of the numbers I found. The Fantasy Sports Trade Association research group did a study showing the race of an average fantasy player is 93

percent white, 2.3 percent Latino, 1.6 percent black, and 1.1 percent Asian. The majority of these 30-35 million players were male (87 percent), the average age being around 33 years old. Let’s not let President Obama or today’s media get hold of these numbers; they might cry out racial profi ling and put a civil rights suit on the game of fantasy football. OK, I won't get any further into it, but if you are as sick as I am with main-stream media and this never-ending topic, then you understand.

Anyhow, now you should have a better understanding of who plays fantasy football. This year 6 million players are projected to be female, a stat that the NFL is salivating over. Anything to add clientele. The NFL embraces these fans, and why not?; reportedly, the fantasy player watches three more hours of foot-

ball a week than the average fan; it’s all about the Benjamins, baby!

So why all the hype? Why do people play fantasy football? For me and my friends that answer is simple: We all love football, we love competi-tion, it’s a way to stay current with old friends . . . and who doesn’t get a little excited when money is involved? For my league, 12 people play for a $50 buy-in. Money makes it excit-ing but the recognition of winning is priceless. Here is a little recognition for the top three from last season in the Mafi a: the champion, Slobber Knocker, runner-up Big Bad Blaston and third place winner Ginja Ninjas. I also told my good friend Courtney, the lone female in the Mafi a and the most dedicated Steelers fan I know, that I would give her a shout-out; she did fi nish in fourth last season, and is con-fi dent going into a new 2013 season. Even though any Steelers fan is a dirty towel swinger, dedication to a team represents a true fan, and as ignorant as Steeler fans, Raider fans, Jet fans or Raven fans can be, these kinds of loyal fans, well, they are what make the NFL great. Loyalty is a rare quality.

Here are some potential fantasy names for your team. A great name is very important. Dirty Sanchez, Wanna See My TD’s, Romo Sexual, 4th and Dong, Romo Witten His Pants, Titsberg Feelers, Two Girls one Kaep. OK, so that’s my list of names, a good name is the start to a good season.

A lot of people say it is 70 percent luck/30 percent skill. Well, they’re wrong; it’s more like 55 percent luck/45 percent skill. There is a reason

the same people in my league typically have success. First, I am assuming that you are football-knowledgeable, you know players, their teams and which position they play. That has to be second nature. So, prior to the draft, study not for endless hours, but get online, look at the overall Top 200 board, then look at all the Top 50 boards of each individual posi-tion. Learn them. The day before your real draft, do a couple of mock drafts online. They’re free. This help you not freak out during the real draft.

Create scenarios prior to the real draft of who you would take with a top pick or what you would do if you drew the last pick. Strategy changes quickly at that point. My philosophy, which has always served me well, is this: In a standard league I always take the top two running backs with my fi rst- and second-round picks. Quality running backs are gone quickly, and I always seem to fi nd a solid quarterback around the fourth or fi fth round. (This game plan would not, however, be the case in a PPR league.) One of my last tips for suc-cess is to be one of the most active members when it comes to waivers and adding or dropping players. The more transactions you make the bet-ter, as it keeps you on your toes.

Sorry if this was one of my less exciting articles; I guess talking fantasy isn’t near as fun as playing it. Look for my article next month: everything NFL, and everything Ten-nessee Titans. Next month will be the opener to the 2013 season! Train’s out the station!


SPORTS

PREPARE FOR FANTASY 2013

SPORTS TALKcolumn by Z-TRAIN

[email protected]

Rashard Mendenhall will be carrying the rock down in Arizona this season.

The Train says plan on using your fi rst two draft picks (in a non-PPR league) on running backs, like Darren Sproles, perhaps.

Ray Rice

IT’S FOOTBALL TIME IN MIDDLE Ten-nessee, and the MTSU Blue Raiders are set to begin the 2013 campaign. MTSU will join Conference USA this season, and will kick off the action on Thursday, Aug. 29, against Western Carolina in Murfreesboro.

The Blue Raiders fi nished the 2012 season 8-4, and quarterback Logan Kilgore is now a senior with a great deal of experi-ence under his belt; he threw for over 2,000 yards in both the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

MTSU and Head Coach Rick Stockstill invite the public to some of the team’s practices leading up to the 2013 season.

Additionally, on Sunday, Aug. 11, the Blue Raiders present Fan Day from 2–4 p.m. on the main fl oor of the Murphy Center. The whole

family can meet MTSU players and coaches, and get posters, schedules and other free-bies from MTSU and Blue Raider sponsors. Autographs, infl atables, free hot dogs and drinks, and loads of fun will be on hand as the Blue Raider family gets ready for the 2013 football season. Fans will also be able to purchase the 2013 Blackout shirts and other Blue Raider gear, game and season tickets and get information on joining the Blue Raider Athletic Association.

Then, on Saturday, Aug. 17, the MTSU Offi ce of Alumni Relations will host the annual Pigskin Pre-Game Stockyard Party in Floyd Stadium. This event will begin at 6:30 p.m. and all proceeds benefi t the Alumni Legacy

Scholarship, awarded to children or grandchildren of MTSU alumni. Tours of the stadium and a meet-and-greet with coaches and players will be part of attendees’ activities. To register or for more infor-mation, visit mtalumni.com.


LAST MONTH, at the S.A.V.E the Night 5K, held July 27 at Gateway Island Park, Eric James led the fi eld with a 5k time of 18:17.Katie Ann Bass led the ladies completing the course in 20:44.

UPCOMING RACES THIS MONTH:

Smyrna Parks 5K and 1 Mile Dash for Cash 5KSaturday, Aug. 3 at 7:30 a.m.; mile at 8:30 a.m. Family Fun Run to followSharp Springs Recreation Area, Smyrna$20 Registration fee covers both 5K and mileRegister at active.com

Fenton Payne & Fred 5KSaturday, Aug. 105K at 7 a.m.; Kid’s Fun Run at 8 a.m.Starting at the MTSU Campus, Murfreesboro$35–5K; $25–Kid’s Fun RunBenefi ting the Blue Raider

Athletic Association, Primary Care & Hope Clinic and Special Kids.fpfrun.com, or register at Fleet Feet Murfreesboro

Titans Back to Football 5KSaturday, Aug. 105K at 7:30 a.m. Half mile fun run at 9 a.m.; $60—Includes a Titans home game ticketnfl runseries.com/titans

Run Because You Love It!Saturday, Aug. 175K at 8 a.m. 1-mile Fun Run at 9 a.m.Stonewall Farms, Milton(615) 423-4573 or [email protected]

Howl at the Moon 5KFriday, Aug. 23, 8 p.m.Veteran’s Memorial Park, La Vergne; $25Run a 5K under a full moonlavergnetn.gov or (615) 793-3224

Run for the Feast 5KSaturday, Aug. 24, 7 a.m.Saint Rose Catholic School, 1601 N. Tennessee Blvd.$40 – 5K; $15 – 1-Mile Kids Fun Run; Free pancake breakfast for all participants

Try Boro Kids TriathlonSaturday, Aug. 24Sports*Com, MurfreesboroJunior Division (7 to 10 years old): 100 yard swim, 2.4 mile bike, 0.5 mile runSenior Division (11 to 14 years old): 200 yard swim, 4.8 mile bike, 1 mile run, $25, tryborokidstri.org

Bruce Gilley Run For Him5K and 10K RunSaturday, Aug. 31, 7:30 a.m.Belle Aire Baptist Church, 1307 Rutherford Blvd.$30 – 5K; $35 – 10KBennefi tting the Bruce Gilley Memorial Foundationrunforhim.org

BLUE RAIDERS KICK OFF 2013 SEASON AT HOME

Practices Open to the Public Include:

FRI., AUG. 2 2:50–5 p.m.

SAT, AUG. 3: 3:20–5:45 p.m.

SUN., AUG. 4 3:40–5:45 p.m.

MON., AUG. 5 10:35 a.m.–2:35 p.m.

TUES., AUG. 6 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

WED., AUG. 7 9–10:40 a.m. 7:45–9:10 p.m.

THURS., AUG. 8 3:20–5:20 p.m.

FRI., AUG. 9: 9–11:10 a.m.; 7:50–9:15 p.m.

SAT., AUG. 10 6:20 p.m. (Scrimmage)

TUES., AUG. 13 4–6:05 p.m.

THURS., AUG. 15 4–6:30 p.m.

2013 MTSU FOOTBALL SCHEDULETHURSDAY, AUG. 29Western Carolina, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 7@ North Carolina, 11:30 a.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 14Memphis, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 21@ Florida Atlantic, 11 a.m.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 27@ BYU, 8 p.m.

SATURDAY, OCT. 5East Carolina, 11 a.m.

SATURDAY, OCT 12@North Texas

THURSDAY, OCT. 24Marshall, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, NOV. 2@UAB, Noon

SATURDAY, NOV. 9FIU, 3 p.m.

SATURDAY, NOV. 23@ Southern Miss, 2:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, NOV. 30UTEP

For tickets and more information on the Blue

Raiders, visit goblueraiders.com or

follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter @MTAthleticsfor continued updates.

VS. C-USA FOE WESTERN CAROLINA

Practices Practices Practices Open to the Open to the Open to the Public Include:Public Include:

FRI., AUG. 2 FRI., AUG. 2 2:50–5 p.m.2:50–5 p.m.

SAT, AUG. SAT, AUG. 3: 3:20–5:45 p.m.3: 3:20–5:45 p.m.3: 3:20–5:45 p.m.

Last year's Pigskin Pre-game Stockyard Party Blue Raider QB Logan Kilgore

LOCAL ROAD RACES HELD EVERY SATURDAY THIS AUGUSTLOCAL ROAD RACES HELD EVERY SATURDAY THIS AUGUSTRUN STRONG

La PALABRAUna columna del idioma español por

CAMERON PARRISH

OPINIONS


IN ENGLISH:

IT’S AN OBSCURE LANDMARK, but one that harkens back to an era that is both dark and fascinating all at once. The Black Cat Tavern operated as a popular nightclub on the outskirts of Murfreesboro in the period during and after prohibition. It is best described as a cave to which a man-made entrance was added, creating an enclosed space. It con-sisted of three rooms which included a dance hall, a dining room and a kitchen in addition to the natural cave area with an underground stream. Situated alongside a major highway but hidden by dense foliage, it remains virtu-ally invisible to the average passerby.

Little can be confi rmed regarding details of this establishment’s history, although enough rumors and second-hand stories exist to indicate it was a place that your mama would have probably told you not to go. That didn’t discourage those back in the ’20 from hanging out at the underground jazz joint that some have termed a “speakeasy.” It’s even believed that Jean Faircloth MacArthur, the 2nd wife of American general Douglas MacArthur, of WWII fame, partied here on occasion.

Overwhelmed with curiosity to learn more about the Black Cat, we decided to take a small expedition to this underground hideaway and see for ourselves. Arriving at the location, we cautiously slipped through the bars that block the entrance. We then examined each room of the dank edifi ce with our fl ashlights, clearing away a jungle of cobwebs as we made our way through. I’ll be the fi rst to confess that the Black Cat is a little spooky. It’s not a place that I recommend going for a night out.

But the tavern wasn’t always such an eerie place. The walls were once covered in cedar planks, and heat was provided by a set of fi replaces which surely provided a warm ambiance during its heyday. It’s easy to imagine this place as a fun underground venue for nightlife.

We’ve all got romantic ideas about this era that are given to us by pop culture. But in reality it was still a relatively dark period in American history. Poverty and disease were rampant. At the local hospital, women were often given scopolamine, tied to tables and left to hallucinate for days before giving birth. Sexy times, eh? The Black Cat Tavern was nothing fancy. It was basically just a hole in the ground where people went to get drunk. But still it represents a part of American cul-

ture. Even the darker elements of our past in my opinion should not be forgotten.

The property is currently managed by the Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Depart-ment and is closed to the public. Safety and adequate funding are likely the reasons that Black Cat has remained a low priority for historic preservation. The collapsed fl oors and broken beer bottles left by previous visi-tors make it a hazardous hangout.

Many fascinating monuments to American cultural history such as this are lost either through urban development or simply being allowed to deteriorate. Some remain hidden because they represent dark and uncomfort-able periods in the past, while others are simply hazardous and inaccessible.

With enough encouragement from others who are aware of its historical signifi cance, I think a gradual restoration of the Black Cat site might be feasible. It’s certainly worth a call to city offi cials at the Murfreesboro Depart-ment of Parks and Recreation to express your support for the idea of preserving this old-time venue. What you do you think?

EN ESPANOL:

Es un monumento obscuro, pero uno que evoca una época que es oscuro y fascinante tambien. La Taberna del Gato Negro fun-cionaba como un popular club nocturno en las afueras de Murfreesboro en el período durante y después de la época de prohibición de alcohol. Se describe como una cueva, al que

se construyó una entrada artifi cial a propósito de hacer un espacio cerrado. Consistía de tres áreas que incluyen un salón de baile, un com-edor y una cocina, además de la zona de cueva natural con una corriente subterránea. Está situado junto a una carretera importante pero ocultos por el denso follaje, es prácticamente invisible para los transeúntes.

Muy poco puede ser confi rmado con res-peto a detalles sobre la historia del estableci-miento. Sin embargo hay bastante rumores y historias de segunda mano que indican que era un lugar que tu mamá probablemente habría dicho que no vaya.

Esto no desalentó a aquellos en los años 20 de andar en el club del jazz subterránea que algunos han llamado una “speakeasy”. Algu-nos creen que quizás hasta que Jean Faircloth MacArthur, la 2da esposa del general America-no Douglas MacArthur (de la segunda guerra mundial ) se divertía aquí de vez en cuando.

Abrumado con curiosidad para aprender más sobre el Gato Negro, decidimos tomar una pequeña expedición a este escondite sub-terráneo y ver por nosotros mismos. Al llegar a la ubicación entramos con cautela a través

de las barras que bloquean la entrada. Luego examinamos cada habitación del edifi cio húmedo con nuestras linternas, quitando una jungla de telarañas como hicimos nuestro camino. Seré el primero en confesar que el Gato Negro es un poco espeluznante. No es un lugar que recomiendo ir para salir de noche con amigos.

Pero la taberna no fue siempre un lugar tan inquietante. Las paredes estaban cubiertas de una vez en planchas de cedro y calor fue proporcionada por un conjunto de chimeneas que seguramente proporcionan un ambiente cálido durante su apogeo. Es fácil imaginar este sitio como un divertido lugar subterráneo para la vida nocturna.

Todos tenemos imagines románticas sobre esta época dado lo que vemos en la cultura popular. Pero en realidad era todavía un período relativamente oscuro en la historia estadounidense. La pobreza y la enfermedad eran rampantes. En el hospital local mujeres a menudo recibieron escopolamina, atada a las tablas y dejado a alucinar durante los días antes de dar a luz. Tiempos románticos ¿no crees? La taberna del Gato Negro no fue un lugar fi no. Básicamente era sólo un agujero en el suelo donde la gente fue a emborracharse. Haber dicho eso todavía se representa una parte de la cultura americana. Incluso los elementos más oscuros de nuestro pasado en mi opinión no deben ser olvidados.

Hoy en día la propiedad está adminis-trado por el Murfreesboro Departamento de Parques y Recreación aunque está cerrado al público. Seguridad y fi nanciación adecuada son probablemente las razones por las que Black Cat ha mantenido una baja prioridad para la preservación histórica. Los pisos se derrumbó y botellas de cerveza rotas hacen que sea un lugar peligroso.

Muchos monumentos fascinantes a la his-toria cultural americana como esto, se pierden a través del desarrollo urbano o simplemente se permiten deteriorarse. Unos permanecen escondidos porque representan períodos oscu-ros e incómodos en el pasado y los otros son simplemente arriesgados e inaccesibles.

Con sufi ciente estímulo de personas que son conscientes de su signifi cado histórico, creo que una restauración gradual del Black Cat podría ser posible. Sin duda vale la pena una llamada a los funcionarios de la ciudad en el Departa-mento de parques y recreación de Murfreesboro para expresar su apoyo a la idea de preservar este local antaño. ¿Qué opinas tú?

Inside the Black Cat Tavern

Dentro la Taberna del Gato Negro

se construyó una entrada artifi cial a propósito

Boulders have been pushed into the

former main entrance to the Black Cat,

but, like any proper undergounrd

speakeasy, it had a back door.

It’s a Wonder Detroit Made It This Long

You wanna hear some-thing hysterical? Ed Schultz and the rest of the talking heads over

at BSNBC are blaming Repub-licans for the bankruptcy of Detroit. Here’s their rationale. Republicans outsourced jobs, cut public services and attacked the unions. Actually, Ed, it was the unions who caused the outsourcing with their unrea-sonable demands, which led to Detroit’s population dropping in half since 1950–which led to fewer taxpayers, thus less gov-ernment services.

The problems plaguing Detroit are obvious. They killed the proverbial goose that laid the golden egg. Let’s face it. Detroit automakers made some stupid mistakes over the years. They scoffed at the Japanese and European imports in the ’70s thinking they were invin-cible. Bad design coupled with horribly built cars led to a steep decline in American-made automo-biles. The unions convinced their membership that the car companies existed to provide them a job. In fact, they came to be-lieve that it was their job, not the company’s.

In the meantime, the Democrat machine took over Detroit politics. The last Republican mayor was in the late ’50s. Since 1970 there’s been just one Republican on the city council. For the last 50 years Detroit has been a one-party town. Guess what? The party’s over.

In typical fashion, the liberals who have run Detroit for the last half-century demon-ized the rich and exploited the poor. Inflated wages and unreasonable pensions drove industry south or completely out of the coun-try. The city instituted a wage tax, on top of the state and federal income taxes, in 1962. Detroit also tacks on an extra corporate tax. You couldn’t ask for a less hospitable place for business. Couple the high taxes with artifi-

cially inflated union wages and it’s a wonder Detroit lasted this long without going broke.

I was reading a newspaper report that said nearly $6 billion of Detroit’s $20 billion debt is due to health insurance obligations to retired city employees. The article lamented that Detroit may push those people off on the Obamacare exchanges. Now, understand that these ex-employees are eligible for Medicare at age 65. That means that $6 billion is for people who are retired but not yet at retirement age. Here’s a thought. Go back to work!

That’s symptomatic of the problem. Too many sweetheart union deals were negotiated. The companies that made that mistake either closed down or moved but the city was stuck. At this point all bets should be off. I hate it for those folks who thought they could retire at 45 and live off the taxpayers, but the bulk of the taxpayers are gone.

Which leads to the next point. It never occurred to these liberals when they were waging class warfare that once they ran the rich people off, there would be no money left to pay for city services. They may still have

700,000, residents, but those who stayed behind are disproportionately poor and disproportionately un-

employed. If Detroit is ever going to come back they’re going to have to eliminate

the city wage and corporate taxes. They’re going to have to welcome rich folks back with open arms instead of demonizing them.

Now that Michigan is a right-to-work state, there’s hope. The unions that ran industry away in the first place need to be dissolved, and good old-fashioned capitalism needs to be reintroduced to Detroit. The moochers and looters have run the city into the ground. The producers are what built it and they can rebuild it, but in order for that to happen those running the city have to stop listening to the likes of Ed Schultz. Or all hope is lost.

Phil Valentine is an author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host with West-wood One. For more of his commentary and articles, visit philvalentine.com.

Too many sweetheart union deals were negotiated . . . I hate it for those folks who thought they

could retire at 45 and live off the taxpayers, but the bulk

of the taxpayers are gone.

VIEWS OF A CONSERVATIVEcolumn byPHIL VALENTINE philvalentine.com

“

”BOROPULSE.COM * AUGUST 2013 * 27


IT SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE that believ-ing in oneself is a key to success. We’re all familiar with the “Famous Failures,” right? You know, Thomas Edison, Michael Jordan, Walt Disney, Eminem, The Beatles, Abe Lincoln and Einstein, and all they had to overcome in order to achieve success? If they had stopped believing in themselves, we wouldn’t know their names. Belief in one’s faculties can be that push we need to look the chal-lenges in the eye and muster the courage to overcome them. I believe we have everything we need to realize our best self. It’s not the easy path.

Cynicism is a much easier way out, and there’s plenty of evidence to reinforce a negative view of ourselves. But I think all that evidence exists because of the prevalence of a negative view of humanity. The evidence doesn’t ne-gate the truth that humanity is good, it actually confi rms it as proof of what happens when we don’t believe in ourselves. Negativity is a self-fulfi lling prophecy.

Think of the world as “good.” Not in contrast to “bad,” but as a stand-alone descriptor. Like the kettle is black, we are good. Literally, it’s all good. This is what the ancient Hebrew scriptures illustrated: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” That same passage tells another story reproaching the use of “good” as a comparison to evil. Whether you believe in God or not, we all stand to gain by seeing ourselves as good. When we are occasionally less than good, it is an anomaly, an exception, a betrayal of who we really are—good. When we guard against seeing ourselves and the world through the knowledge of good and evil, we strengthen our im-munity against the infections of suspicion, fear and envy. We are empowered to accomplish our greatness.

This is a game changer. Imagine a society that learned to see life through this lens and did so for a hundred generations. Sadly, the opposite happened. I believe we’re reaping what we’ve sown. If everyone believed our default moral condition was good, and I mean really believed it, it would change everything. It lays out before us an expecta-tion for goodness (not a “should” but a self-evident truth). It shifts our focus off fi ghting our fi ctitious badness (an endless waste of energy), to accomplishing our highest good. Here are three tips for changing this old habit:

1 DITCH THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGEIt’s okay to acknowledge the inherent tension between good and evil, but eventually we learn that a higher good transcends its apparent competition with evil. It is a mys-tery, but this good prevails even when it loses, but only if we have fi xed our eyes on it. These are the moments when the Famous Failures were tempted to quit. By remaining fi xed on the good, they made their experience align with reality instead of the other way around. We can all see that “free will” is not an accurate depiction of the human condi-tion. We are not entirely “free” to do everything we want. No parent ever sets out to yell at his/her children. No one

ever leaves the house intending to have a fender-bender. No one ever means to get addicted. No one ever knowingly marries the wrong person. It’s clear that these mistakes are not expressions of our true selves. Sometimes, our own brain chemical imbalance makes us do base things, buts it’s not who we really are. Mistakes are things that we all would like to avoid. But they happen. Don’t waste time shaming yourself or internalizing self-hatred.

Sometimes we turn our own disappointment into anger toward the very people we just hurt! It can get ugly, which only brings more shame, which makes it even more diffi cult to concede. Through unfl inching loyalty to our own goodness, we’re equipped to bounce back quickly, to forgive ourselves, to exercise moderation (next time), to mature, and actually benefi t from the whole thing. It’s important we remain undaunted in our belief in ourselves, especially when our goodness is not immediately apparent (i.e. have faith). Whoever said, “If your eye causes you to sin, cast it out,” lost faith in the human capacity to learn from mistakes. On the contrary, whoever said the follow-ing believed in humanity: You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. People light a lamp and put it on a stand so that it gives light to everyone in the house; they don’t put it under a bowl. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds.

2 DON’T APOLOGIZE FOR BEING HUMANWe didn’t ask to be here. We didn’t ask for this confl icted existence. We’re doing the best we can. We are tempted to “should” on ourselves. But life is art—everything it is what it is. It’s not subject to judgment. It is perfectly imperfect. There

is no ideal person that you “should” be. Perfect love removes all fear of punishment. Step out from under all judgment. We’re not under anyone’s microscope. Our journey is nobody’s business. This also makes us a much better friend to others. We grow in grace for others at the same rate we grow in grace for ourselves.

3 DON’T LIE TO YOURSELFThings are what they seem. Guard against creating nar-ratives to cushion the harsh absurdity of reality. Tensions, resistance, opposition, pain, even death, are all part of this hard life. Every day, we’re either going to live to see the next one, or we’re not. Get comfortable with that. Don’t shrink back from diffi culty, challenges, poverty, sickness, even death. And by all means, stop looking for (and creat-ing) the “whys” behind life’s events. Sometimes there are obvious causes to the effects, but when there’s not, don’t create narratives that assign blame or ascribe superstitious meaning. As we mature, there is a diminishing need to tell ourselves stories that prop up our fragile joy.

In summary, when we see everything as good, and art, we are more likely to engage life more authentically and manifest who we really are.

Ready. Go.

OPINIONS

ever leaves the house intending to have a fender-bender. No one ever means to get addicted. No one ever knowingly marries the wrong person. It’s clear that these mistakes are not expressions of our true selves. Sometimes, our own brain chemical imbalance makes us do base things, buts it’s not who we really are. Mistakes are things that we all would like to avoid. But they happen. Don’t waste time shaming yourself or internalizing self-hatred.

anger toward the very people we just hurt! It can get ugly, which only brings more shame, which makes it even more diffi cult to concede. Through unfl inching loyalty to our own goodness, we’re equipped to bounce back quickly, to forgive ourselves, to exercise moderation (next time), to mature, and actually benefi t from the whole thing. It’s important we remain undaunted in our belief in ourselves, especially when our goodness is not immediately apparent (i.e. have faith). Whoever said, “If your eye causes you to sin, cast it out,” lost faith in the human capacity to learn from mistakes. On the contrary, whoever said the follow-ing believed in humanity:

is no ideal person that you “should” be. Perfect love removes all fear of punishment. Step out from under all judgment. We’re not under anyone’s microscope. Our journey is nobody’s business. This also makes us a much better friend to others. We grow in grace for others at the same rate we grow in grace for ourselves.

3Things are what they seem. Guard against creating nar-ratives to cushion the harsh absurdity of reality. Tensions, resistance, opposition, pain, even death, are all part of this hard life. Every day, we’re either going to live to see the next one, or we’re not. Get comfortable with that. Don’t shrink back from diffi culty, challenges, poverty, sickness, even death. And by all means, stop looking for (and creat-ing) the “whys” behind life’s events. Sometimes there are obvious causes to the effects, but when there’s not, don’t create narratives that assign blame or ascribe superstitious meaning. As we mature, there is a diminishing need to tell ourselves stories that prop up our fragile joy.

we are more likely to engage life more authentically and manifest who we really are.

You’re Not Going to Believe This

“. . . stop looking for (and creating) the 'whys'

behind life’s events. Sometimes there are obvious causes to the

effects, but when there’s not, don’t create narratives

that assign blame.”

column by FRANK SHEPARD | [email protected]

column by GLORIA CHRISTY

STEP 7: WE HUMBLY ASKED HIM TO REMOVE OUR SHORTCOMINGS

It was 1983—30 years ago. I had wandered through the woods alongside a river bank. There under a scorching August sun with my head in my hands, I sat alone crouched and weeping. Some-how, the space between recognition and willing-ness to change fi lled me with fear. Like a powerful invisible force, my fear triggered a heightened sense that I must control the situation—do better and things will get better. I can fi x this!

Within six weeks, there had been an impreg-nable net of evil over our family sowing seeds of derision and destruction. My husband’s lifestyle had been reckless, yet up until now it was hidden from plain view from family and friends. For so long, my dreams and future had been linked to him. My tearful eyes were an expression of loss, grief and abandonment. With no place to hide, I was beginning to realize the irrevocable magnitude of my situation. There were unseen forces facilitating every thought and action. In my 10 years of marriage, I had pretended that they were not affecting me, but now they were too strong to ignore, and they were set to destroy my family’s existence. My invisible mask of well-being was torn away. I could not minimize or sustain the delusional dream any longer by simply pretend-ing that things were normal. While a blazing August sun beat down on my head, I sobbed and sobbed helplessly until I felt faint and weak. With determined resolve, I thought, “I will just love him more. My love for him will conquer the evil that is destroying our love. I will do whatever it takes to save our little family!”

Only now, 30 years later, I am able to ac-knowledge that my resolve was audacious and irrational, a symptom of my shortcomings—char-acter defects that had sabotaged my life. In those days, my self-determination and self-suffi ciency was my greatest enemy. Being trapped by my own self-will, how could I work on anyone else? Seeing the need for change and allowing the change to occur in my life was a transitional mo-ment that led to healing. Accepting God’s help in this transitional moment allowed Him to begin to transform my mind and way of thinking. That’s the ultimate surrender! In 1983, I came to the point where I said, “I don’t want to live like this anymore.” I just wasn’t sure how to do it. The good news was I didn’t have to do it! If you fi nd yourself there, you are ready for real change.

In another August—1969, nestled in the

Catskills—the Woodstock Music & Arts Fair, the iconic event of the hippie counterculture, was an expression of a resolve for change from the America’s youth. It was a frightening time of chaos, a shaking of American’s sensibilities politically, culturally and socially. Against a tur-bulent background of a country going wild—the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, racial violence, the Cold War, and of course, the Vietnam War—emerged some of the most thought-driven music ever recorded and Woodstock.

Promoters Michael Land, John Roberts, Joel Rosenman and Artie Kornfeld billed the Wood-stock Music & Art Fair as a music festival, “An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music.” It was held at Max Yasgur’s 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills, near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, N.Y., 43 miles southwest of

the town of Woodstock, from Aug. 15–17, 1969. During the sometimes rainy weekend, 32 acts performed outdoors in front of an estimated 400,000-plus concert-goers. Some of the most famous of the day performed at Woodstock, including Richie Ha-vens, Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. It is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in popular music history. Roll-

ing Stone listed it as one of the 50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll.

“We were ready to rock out and we waited and waited and fi nally it was our turn . . . there were a half million people asleep. These people were out. It was sort of like a painting of a Dante scene, just bodies from hell, all intertwined and asleep, covered with mud. And this is the moment I will never forget as long as I live: a quarter-mile away in the darkness, on the other edge of this bowl, there was some guy fl icking his Bic, and in the night I hear, ‘Don’t worry about it John. We’re with you.’ I played the rest of the show for that guy.”

— John Fogerty recalling Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 3:30 a.m. start time at Woodstock.

Children of the 1960s, emboldened with self-determination, believed we could change the world with our mesmerizing, bewitching mantras in song. Just like the ghostly masses on a darkened hillside at Woodstock at 3:30 a.m., we fi nd ourselves bewildered and exhausted, beset by our own shortcomings and inadequa-cies, unable to change anything ourselves.

From heaven in the midst of the drenched and exhausted, a single Light encourages us and declares, “Do not fear! I am with you! Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen

you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Celebrate Recovery is that safe-place where people can remove the mask of denial and be open and honest. If you are interested in fi nally dealing with the pain of your past, there are people who will stand with you as the truth becomes a way of life. In Celebrate Recovery, where anonymity and confi dentiality are basic requirements, one can address life’s hurts, habits and hang-ups utilizing biblical truths. One can

fi nd change in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the one and only Higher Power. There are now three Celebrate Recovery meetings in Murfreesboro, one every Monday at North Bou-levard Church of Christ, 1112 Rutherford Blvd. at 7 p.m.; one every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Belle Aire Baptist Church, 1307 Rutherford Blvd.; and another every Thursday at 7 p.m. at New Vision Baptist Church, 1750 Thompson Lane. For more information about the ministry call Tom Christy at (615) 896-6288.


ing StoneChanged the History of Rock and Roll.

waited and fi nally it was our turn . . . there were a half million people asleep. These people were outjust bodies from hell, all intertwined and asleep, covered with mud. And this is the moment I will never forget as long as I live: a quarter-mile away in the darkness, on the other edge of this bowl, there was some guy fl icking his Bic, and in the night I hear, ‘Don’t worry about it John. We’re with you.’ I played the rest of the show for that guy.”

Revival’s 3:30 a.m. start time at Woodstock.

self-determination, believed we could change the world with our mesmerizing, bewitching mantras in song. Just like the ghostly masses on a darkened hillside at Woodstock at 3:30 a.m., we fi nd ourselves bewildered and exhausted, beset by our own shortcomings and inadequa-cies, unable to change anything ourselves.

and exhausted, a single Light encourages us and declares, “Do not fear! I am with you! Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen

you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

people can remove the mask of denial and be open and honest. If you are interested in fi nally dealing with the pain of your past, there are people who will stand with you as the truth becomes a way of life. In Celebrate Recovery, where anonymity and confi dentiality are basic requirements, one can address life’s hurts, habits and hang-ups utilizing biblical truths. One can

fi nd change in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the one and only Higher Power. There are now three Celebrate Recovery meetings in Murfreesboro, one every Monday at North Bou-levard Church of Christ, 1112 Rutherford Blvd. at 7 p.m.; one every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Belle Aire Baptist Church, 1307 Rutherford Blvd.; and another every Thursday at 7 p.m. at New Vision Baptist Church, 1750 Thompson Lane. For more information about the ministry call Tom Christy at (615) 896-6288.

Catskills—the Woodstock Music & Arts Fair, the iconic event of the hippie counterculture, was an expression of a resolve for change from the America’s youth. It was a frightening time of chaos, a shaking of American’s sensibilities politically, culturally and socially. Against a tur-bulent background of a country going wild—the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, racial violence, the Cold War, and of course, the Vietnam War—emerged some of the most thought-driven music ever recorded and Woodstock.

Rosenman and Artie Kornfeld billed the Wood-stock Music & Art Fair as a music festival, “An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music.” It was held at Max Yasgur’s 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills, near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, N.Y., 43 miles southwest of

RECOVER RUTHERFORD

Ready for Change


YOU NEED NOT REMIND ME that the Murfreesboro Pulse keeps tabs on the heart of the ’Boro. But does not the life blood that pulsates through this town, fl ow up the highway to Nashville, via the main artery—the 24? We are one Tennessean body with many members.

I never notice billboards—ever—but one day as the ebb and fl ow of life took me along this main highway, my eyes alerted my brain of a wonderful sight, and the red, white and blue blood cells started vrooming their circuit at record speeds!

What had caught the eyes’ attention was a splendid billboard displaying the curvaceous contours of a crimson automobile, circa 1930. It was an advert for Sensuous Steel Art Deco Automobiles, and a couple of stunning motorcycles that make the most pricey 2013 Harley look dowdy by comparison. All 16 are parked and shining brilliantly now at The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, located at 919 Broadway in downtown Nashville. Tickets for this one are $10 for adults, $7 for students, with 18 and under free! The motors won’t be wheeled away until Sept. 15.

I’m tellin’ you, if you want to see some serious steel that the likes of Fred Astaire, Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn used to drive, then, the Frist is the hub you need to tap on over to. Mount-ing such exquisite machines in the former Nashville central post offi ce, built in 1933 and a masterpiece of Art Deco architecture, was a stroke of genius. The very cars that could have been parked in front 80 years ago are now inside.

If you don’t go now, you’ll wish you had.Learn more about the exhibit at fristcenter.org.

—ROBERT NELSON

ART

WORK BY STUDENTS OF THE ATTIC SCHOOL OF ART are on display this month in the Pocket Gallery of Moxie Art Supply. Participating artists include Carol Berning, Mary Ann Carlton, Pam Mack, Patti Miller, Joyce Ann Okonek, Martha Osborne, Susan Truex and Tina Whitfi eld. Moxie is located at 316 N. Maple St.

IN THE POCKET GALLERY

ARTDECO AUTOS AT THE FRIST

"Sensuous Steel" features 20 vehicles from the 1930s and '40s from automakers who allowed elegance, art and luxury to trump economy and effi ciency.

august 2013 murfreesboro pulse

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