december 2012 murfreesboro pulse

BOROPULSE.COM * DECEMBER 2012 * 3

ALRIGHT, LET’S TALK ABOUT TAXES.It is great spin and rhetoric on Obama’s part to

pitch raising taxes on the highest income bracket as “cutting taxes on the middle class.” Anyone against decreasing the tax rate for the rich, clearly must be against the poor and the middle class.

I love (...hate really) the arguments circulating Facebook containing the phrase “Taxes are the lowest in history". Um, no, that is blatently false, unless the new defi nition of “history” is in actuality just “the past 90 years in the U.S”. Cut taxes for everyone! Crazy.

It was a solid seaon, but there will be no bowl game for the Blue Raiders, and the athletic department ain’t happy about it. Coach Stockstill somehow said of his team “they did what they had to do on the football fi eld,” just 24 hours after a 45-0 loss to Arkansas State . . . in a game where a win would have been what they had to do to earn a bowl spot. That’s the kind of short-term memory a coach needs though; no matter what happened in the past, it’s all about the future!

I can respect that you and the athletic director are pround of your team, and rightfully so. It’s your job to stand up for MTSU. But bowl games are becoming the “participation medal” of college sports. Giving every-one a reward diminishes the value of that award, and the bowl system is watered down plenty as it is.

It’s hard for a lot of football fans to even utter the words Beef O’Brady's Bowl, Belk Bowl, GoDaddy.com Bowl, Capital One Bowl, Little Ceasars Pizza Bowl or Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl with a straight face.

Why not let my 3-year-old name them? He could come up with more serious bowl game names then the existing ones. How about the Buzz Lightyear Bowl? Oh, I know, the Bush Hog Bowl, the Splish Splash Splosh Bowl, the Bread with Honey Bowl and the Chainsaw Bowl. There you go, they are renamed.

So, what do you want for Christmas? Why do I always have so much trouble with that one? On one hand, I’m very content and happy with the possessions I have, just want peace on earth, and am so pleased with the opportunity to observe the sunshine each day, hear the songs of the birds, my health and family, how could I ask for more? On the other hand, I want it all and I want it now! Diamonds, a new computer, a new phone, a new bass guitar and cabinet, berry bushes, a motorcycle, a helicopter, a new wardrobe, honey bees, pecans, chocolate, coffee, Champagne, meats, chees-es, jams and jellies, an iPad, a shotgun, a huge TV, a tractor, a new car! (in Price is Right announcer voice), a vacation, a roller coaster; I want a golf simulator! (Check out the one at Fairways; that thing is cool!)

It’s the classic balance of Buddhism and capitalism, if such a thing is possible. The balance of contentment and greed. Socks will be fi ne.

Readers, please, as always, if you enjoy The Pulse, support our advertisers. The magazine, website and e-mail newsletter continue to be our gift to you, but the No. 1 favor you can do for the operation is to visit those who advertise with us and tell them thanks for advertis-ing and that you noticed.

Well, enjoy your month; go see the Christmas parade, hear a concert, watch a movie, attend the theater, run in the Frosty Fun Run, spend time with your people.Peace,Bracken Mayo Editor in Chief

DEAR READERS:

Copyright © 2012, 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

CONTENTS

Publisher/Editor in Chief: Bracken Mayo

Art Director: Sarah L. Mayo

Advertising Reps: Don Clark, Barbara Adell, Orrin McCullough

Copy Editor: Cindy Phiffer

Music Editor: Jessica Pace Contributing Writers: Terri DeLong, Ryan Egly, Bryce Harmon, Jason Johnson, Miss Daisy King, Robert Lawrence, Tony Lehew, Zach Maxfield, Cameron Parrish, Frank Shepard, Jacob Spaulding, Jay Spight, Andrea Stockard, Justin Stokes, Norbert Thiemann, Phil Valentine, Jordan Williams

13

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OPINIONS

4 The All-Seeing Eye of Christmas

Santa, Jesus, Big Brother, Sauron are watching.

5 Phil Valentine

Obamacare consequences hard to predict.

6 Gagflex

Goodbye 2012, and your Gangnam Style.

8 La Palabara

Some bizarre European Christmas traditions.

0 Eye on the Media

Covering all of the candidates.

q Living Green

The end of climate denial.

LIVING

w Leaving a Legacy of Love

Sherry Sunday-Booth shares story of her soulmate.

e�COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Music in the Wild, Inspire Bowling, Davis Dinner.

r Gardening

The time to plant fruit trees is now.

t Read to Succeed Book Review

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris Get Strong with Tri-Fit A look at plyometrics, triceps press down.

y The Season of Giving

Helping others is a gift to yourself.

u Colton Dixon: Grand Marshall of

2012 Christmas Parade Santa's coming down Main Street on Dec. 9.

i Local Business Holiday Gift Guide

And a chance to win them all!!

SOUNDS

s MTSU's New Record Label finds Match

Signs Copper into Steel as first artist. Fix Your Mix The order of the effects.

d CONCERT LISTINGS

f Album Reviews

The Kingston Springs, The Hardin Draw, Eric Zarychi & The Persuasion, Lines in the Sky

FOOD

j Holiday Recipes from Miss Daisy

Tennessee cook book author shares tasty treats. Coffee Talk Tasting some different brews for you.ART

k Local Shop Offers Courthouse Ornament

MTSU's O'Connor exhibits "Inevitable".

l Dia de los Muertos

Blue Agave staff all decked out for holiday.

THEATER

z It's a Wonderful Life at the Center

Out Front offers The Eight for the holiday season.

MOVIES

x Reviews

Life of Pi, Skyfall, Wreck-It Ralph, Paranormal Activity 4

c Living Room Cinema

On Religion

SPORTS

v Z-Train

Santa, playoffs, Viagra and the Manning boys Run Strong Run for the kids with Frosty at upcoming fun run.

COVER STORY

17

31

★HOLIDAY

GIFT GUIDE AND GIVEAWAY

Enter to win great gifts from our

favorite local shops.page 18

4 * DECEMBER 2012 * BOROPULSE.COM

The mixed traditions of Christmas—Santa and Jesus—have this in common: They’re both

watching us and “coming to town.” You better watch out, and you better not cry or pout. There

are lists being kept, in both cases, of who’s naughty and nice. They both are omnipresent—they see you when you’re sleeping and awake, and omniscient—they know if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!

• Proverbs 15.3: “The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.”• Job 31.4: “Does he not see my way and count my every step?”• Hebrews 4.13: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncov-ered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”• Proverbs 5.21: “For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths.”• Jeremiah 16.17: “My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.”

I wonder how this is supposed to make me feel. I guess if it were for protection it might be comforting, but we know that bad shit hap-pens to everyone regardless of their religious devotion; even the Bible teaches that (Matt. 5.45, Zech. 10.1). I used to take comfort in the thought of an omnipresent overseer because, as a child of God, He just adored me that much and enjoyed watching my every move, like a divine stalker.

But that’s not why He’s watching, is it? I’ve heard preachers do their darndest to recast this score-keeping, thought-policing, all-seeing-eye image, but it’s just too Biblical. The general public didn’t just pull this image out of their ass. It reminds me of Orwell’s Big Brother or Tolkein’s the Eye of Sauron or the Patriot Act—always under surveillance. Is this supposed to be a deterrent to sin?

We are all aware that “thou shalt nots” don’t work, right? They actually produce the opposite behavior. The power of taboo plays on human nature as an enticement rather than a deterrent. It sparks our curiosity. In addition, our minds don’t process negatives effectively. If I said, “Do not think of a pink elephant” you, of course, would immediately think of one.

So the notion that we constrain our behav-ior (and thoughts) to please an omniscient be-ing (whether Santa or God) is a vicious cycle of guilt and shame. Ironically, it is human virtue that causes people to reject this notion. Motivated by a desire for honesty, maturity and independence, a person could violently rebel against this type of moral dictatorship. I recently met a waitress with a tattoo across her chest that read, “Not all who wander are lost.” The tattoo itself is a way of rebelling against the moral dictator, but the quote reaf-firms the sentiment, “You cannot judge me.”

Jesus tells an interesting story in Matthew, chapter 21. A man had two sons. He went to

the first and said, “Go work in the vineyard.” The son refused. The father gave the same command to the second son, who answered, “Sure, I’d be glad to,” but he never went. Turns out the first son actually did the work. Jesus asks his audience, “Which of the two sons did what the father asked?”

Perhaps the honest son knew his limita-tions and knew that saying yes was a promise he might not be able to keep. Rather than put himself on the hook, he cut himself some slack. He eliminated any expectation that he would do or be what was expected of him. Does a realistic, self-accepting environ-ment like this produce better results than an expectant, obligatory atmosphere? Maybe, but I think the right answer is “who cares?” The very question starts to put performance-measuring handcuffs on our protagonist. One way to interpret the parable is that we can be a son or daughter who says no and yet does the father’s will. I take this to include athe-ists. Personally, I like a God who doesn’t give much credence to lip service or mind service (what one believes), but rather actions. We recognize trees by their fruit.

Judgment is like yeast; it only takes a little bit to completely change the effect. I think one has to ask the question, “Does God accept me just as I am or not?” Perhaps you’ve heard preachers include the addendum, “. . . but loves you too much to leave you there.” This is how quick and sneaky judgment is: Our pride just can’t stomach the injustice of a universe that is free of judgment. What might it feel like to shed the yoke of performing for the all-seeing, judgmental eye? What if one embraces “I am what I am” and stops apologizing for being human? What if I see myself as a work of art—neither right nor wrong, good nor bad? I’m doing my best but really, it’s nobody’s business. I refuse to acknowledge any unso-licited judgment of my performance. Whether it’s Santa, or God, or a neighbor—whoever is watching my every move needs to get a life. I am not under your microscope. And as an act of my freedom and the assurance of yours, I refuse to judge you for judging me.

The All-Seeing Eye of ChristmasWhether it’s Santa,

or God, or a neighbor—whoever is watching my every move needs to get

a life. I am not under your microscope.

“

”

OPINION


Obamacare Consequences Hard to Predict

This coming year we’ll see a scramble to come up with health insurance exchanges in time for them to go into effect by law on

Jan. 1, 2014. Those familiar with the process say the federal government will likely burn through its $1 billion set-up budget and will have to start cannibalizing other parts of the Health and Human Services Depart-ment to pay for it.

So far 16 states have said they will not set up their own systems leaving the federal government to do it. The message they’re sending is they don’t want any part of Obam-acare. However, those states’ citizens will still be impacted by the law, only now the federal government will be calling the shots. These states would also point out that the federal government will also be footing the bill, but I wouldn’t count on that. If the Su-preme Court says the feds have the right to imple-ment Obamacare then you can bet they’ll be sending the states the bill.

On the other hand, states that have opted for the state exchanges argue they will be more in control of how the program is implemented thus having a say-so in its cost. Could be, but even if the states control their own exchanges you can bet the heavy hand of the federal gov-ernment will be dictating who they cover.

It’s crazy. We’re going to take a system that was working for the vast majority of citizens and throw it out the window in favor of a system that supposedly helps the relative few who are uninsured. The conse-quences are incalculable.

As Nancy Pelosi said at the time, we had to pass the bill to find out what was in it. Even now no one is sure what exactly it entails. To think that we’re going to plow head-long into this without fully under-standing it is mindboggling.

We need only look to the United Kingdom to see how socialized medicine is working

out. Ambulance stacking is a regular occur-rence. This government-induced phenom-enon is caused by a government mandate in the UK that patients can’t spend more than four hours in the ER. Subsequently, ambu-lances stack up outside waiting to be admit-ted to the ER, many spending four or five hours in the ambulance. That doesn’t count the time they waited for an ambulance, many times well over an hour.

Ambulance stacking is the symptom. The problem is a lack of doctors who will agree to treat patients outside of regular work-ing hours in hospitals. This is commonly known as being “on call” in the trade and the socialist system gives little incentive for extra work.

So now the same geniuses who created this whole mess have devised a cure—virtual office visits. Yes, indeed, in an effort to save about $5

billion the health secretary is planning on Skype visits instead of real visits for millions of UK citizens. That’s just one idea to close

a $32 billion deficit in the country’s health program.

Of course, no matter who runs the ex-changes in the United States, Bloombergian mandates will surely follow. The govern-ment—state or federal—will claim a vested interest in your health from a cost stand-point and will begin taking away anything and everything they deem unhealthy. Too few protested when they banned smoking so now that door has been swung wide open to anything and everything they want to ban.

The speed at which this all has happened has caused us to take a collective big gulp across the country. Except for you folks in New York. Mayor Bloomberg has already banned that.

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.

It’s crazy. We’re going to take a system that was working for the vast majority of

citizens and throw it out the window in favor of a system that supposedly helps the

relative few who are uninsured.

VIEWS OF A CONSERVATIVEcolumn byPHIL VALENTINE philvalentine.com

“

”


OPINIONS

Goodbye, 2012. You were an odd year, but you still had some memorable mo-

ments. Here are 10 bits that, for better or worse, we are casting off into a murky past.

1The Dissolving Republican Party

The 2012 presidential election should go down as the election that broke the Repub-lican Party. The Republican tent is getting smaller every year, and they can no longer rely on disgruntled white men to give them the White House. Their best shot was Mitt Romney, and that in itself is an indictment of where they stand. It’s time for the Republican Party to have an all out enema to purge the far-right candidates just so we can have at least two working parties.

2The Perfect StormI’ve never been in a hurricane, but by judg-

ing the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, it’s hard to imagine even Patrick Swayze trying to ride that one out, Point Break style. Much of the coast was hammered and millions of people were without power. Unfortunately, much of the Jersey Shore will never be the same. Fortu-nately, the show that comes to everyone’s mind when they read Jersey Shore was cancelled by the garbage factory that is MTV.

3Science Still RocksThe Large Hadron Collider

discovered two particles, one which is possibly the HIGGS BOSON PARTICLE. I am much too stupid to explain the im-

portance, so find somebody smarter than me and they’ll tell you why this is

really cool. Also, we have a fancy new robot on Mars that has the po-tential to make discoveries that could possibly blow the minds of anyone who hasn’t burn out their last brain cell watching Hoarders marathons.

4Death of an Ambassador

Libyan Ambassador, CHRISTOPHER STEVENS, was the first American Ambassador to

die in a violent assault since 1979. It’s a horrible story made worse by conspiracy theorists.

5The OlympicsThe London Olympics was strange to

say the least. Some people ran, some people jumped, and others did athleticky things. I mostly remember the bizarre opening cer-emony which was directed by Danny Boyle.

It was like taking mushrooms in a nursing home for orphans. It doesn’t make sense, but neither did the ceremony.

6More Israel and PalestineThe war between peoples who have more

in common than they would ever admit con-tinues to be waged over unfertile chunks of land and ancient superstitions. As of this writing, the fighting has stopped, or at

least temporarily halted by our interference.

7Theater ShootingA lunatic asshole by the name of JAMES

HOLMES shot and killed 12 people and wounded 58 others who came to see the midnight showing of the latest Batman movie in Colorado. Of course, he did have the right to buy an assault rifle and all the ammunition his crazy brain thought that he might need. Thank goodness for that.

8Derek Dooley It was an odd

three years for Derek Dooley. He taught us the prop-er technique for taking showers, he gave the media lectures on German military strategy, and he taught UT fans how to lose in agonizing ways.

9Gangnam Style I barely know what this

is, but it probably doesn’t matter because I doubt we’ll be seeing this much in 2013.

10The EndI’m not sure the

Mayan’s actually made the prediction that the world would end in 2012, and I don’t think it matters. Bored people who enjoy pseudo-science love to ramble on about

the Mayan predictions, and how brilliant they were. I’ll take the word of one of my favorite astronomy professors, Chuck Higgins, over the Mayans any day of the week. Goodbye, crazy prediction. I am sure you‘ll find a home in the skulls of other bored and crazy people.

GAGFLEXcolumn by JASON JOHNSON

[email protected]

Goodbye, 2012oodbye, 2012. You were an

The Dissolving Republican

3discovered two particles, one which is possibly the

much too stupid to explain the im-portance, so find somebody smarter

than me and they’ll tell you why this is

gave the media lectures


IN ENGLISH:

CHRISTMAS IS CELEBRATED differently in almost every country where it’s observed. So I’m leading you on a holiday journey to explore some Christmas traditions in other countries that we might want to adopt here in the U.S. . . . and one slightly racist tradition that is prob-ably not a good idea to import.

SPAINWe begin our journey in my beloved Spain with a tradition that sounds like it was inspired by Mr. Hanky the Christmas Poo from South Park. How-ever, this tradition predates Mr. Hanky by several centuries. It’s known as the Tió de Nadal (a.k.a. "Caga tió”) which literally means “shitting log”. In this tradition a hollow log with a face painted on it is placed near the fi replace and gradually fi lled (fed) with treats and goodies beginning on Dec. 8. On Christmas Day, the log is ordered to defecate and beat with a stick while participants sing songs encouraging the log to poop. The goodies then fall out for everyone to share. Yum!

GERMANY, AUSTRIA, HUNGARYNext we travel to the heart of Europe to look at a custom that American parents might want to adopt. While Santa is universally recognized as a good (holy) man who brings Christmas gifts to the good boys and girls, in the Alpine countries they have a Christmas demon called the Krampus who serves as Santa’s enforcer. The Krampus is a terrifying crea-ture from Germanic folklore that snatches up the bad kids on the night before Santa’s arrival and carries them away to devour them for his own Christmas feast. Forget coal in your stocking. Act like a punk and Kram-pus eats you. No more behavior problems.

NETHERLANDSAs we arrive in the Netherlands, we are introduced to Zwarte Piete. Zwarte Piete (Black Pete) is the name of Santa’s helper in the Netherlands. Ac-cording to Dutch Christmas tradition, Sinterklaas is accompanied by Pete who is always depicted as having a black face, bright red lips and curly hair while dressed in servant’s clothing. According to the story, rather than descend into the chimney himself to deliver presents, Santa relies on Pete to do his dirty work. But be careful when you address this with the Dutch. Nothing will anger them more than to accuse their Santa of owning slaves. But I’ll let you be the judge.

SPAINWe’ve already covered one Spanish tradition on this journey. But Spain is worth visiting more than once and this custom is too funny to ignore. When is the last time you looked at a nativity scene and saw someone defecating in the background? I’m not talking about “living” nativity scenes like the one at your church. That’s just gross. I’m referring to a caganer. A caganer is a fi gurine included in miniaturized representations of the nativity. Fortunately, the pooping fi gurine is usually placed far away from the baby Jesus. Typically, these elaborate depictions include the entire town of

Bethlehem and the cagan-er is in a location that offers him privacy. Caganers of famous people are very popular these days.

SWEDENThe fi nal leg of our holiday venture takes us to Sweden. Here, what began originally as an act of vandalism in the town of Galve has become one of the coolest Yuletide traditions I have encountered. In 1966, the people of Galve erected a gigantic goat made of straw in the town’s main plaza. ‘Twas the night before Christmas when a group of mis-chievous individuals set the goat ablaze, destroy-ing it. Every Christmas season the town constructs another goat and every year the schemes to burn it down before Christmas become more elaborate. The goat has survived the Christmas season only 10 times since 1966. Will they successfully burn the goat again this year?

I hope you enjoyed our little xmaspedition and invite others to read. Merry Christmas to all and have a Happy New Year!

IN ESPAÑOL:

NAVIDAD SE CELEBRA DE FORMA dife-rente en casi todos los países que he estudiado. Así que me dirijo en un viaje a explorar algunas tradi-ciones de la Navidad en otros países que nosotros podríamos querer adoptar aquí en los EE. UU. . . . y una tradición un poco racista que probablemente no es una buena idea para importar.

ESPAÑAIniciamos el viaje en mi querida España, con una tradición que suena como si fue inspirado por el Sr. Hanky la Poo de Navidad del programa South Park. Sin embargo, esta tradición es anterior al Sr.Hanky. Es conocido como el Tío de Nadal (alias “Caga tió”) que signifi ca literalmente “shitting log”. En esta tradición un hueco de registro con un rostro pintado se encuentra cerca de la chimenea y gradualmente se llena (“dar de comer”) con regalos y golosinas comenzando en 8 diciem-bre. El Día de Navidad el registro es ordenado a defecar y lo golpean con un palo, mientras que los participantes cantan canciones alentar el registro a “cagar”. Entonces los regalitos caen para compar-tir con todos. Yum!

ALEMANIA, AUSTRIA, HUNGRÍAA continuación nos desplazamos hasta el corazón

de Europa a mirar una costumbre que los padres es-tadounidenses quizásdeseen adoptar. Mientras que Papa Noel es universalmente reconocido como un buen hombre (Santo) que trae regalos de Navidad a los buenos niños y niñas, en los países alpinos hay un demonio de Navidad llamado elKrampus que sirve como verdugo de Papa Noel. El Krampus es

una criatura terrorífi ca del folclore germánico que arrebata a los niños malos en la noche antes de la llegada de Santa Claus y se los lleva para devorarlos para su fi esta de Navidad. Olvídate del carbón en su calcetín. Si te comportas mal Krampus te comerá y punto. No más problemas de comportamiento.

HOLANDAA llegar a Holanda conocemos a Zwarte Piete. Zwarte Pete (Pedro Negro) es el nombre de ayudante de Papa Noel alias Sinterklaas. Según la tradición de la Navidad holandesa, Sinterklaas es acompañado por Pete que siempre se representa con cara negra, labios rojos brillantes y pelo rizado mientras y vestido con ropa de de súbdito. Según la historia, en lugar de descender a la chimenea a sí mismo para entregar regalos, Sinterklaas ordena a Pedro Negro para hacer su trabajo sucio. Pero ten cuidado cuando menciones ese tema con los holandeses. Nada les enfada más que acusar a Sinterklaas de poseer esclavos. Pero les dejo que sean losjueces.

ESPAÑAHemos cubierto ya una tradición española en este viaje. Pero España vale la pena ser visitada más que una vez y esta costumbre es demasiado graciosa para no hacer una mención. ¿Cuándo fue la última vez que usted miró un Belén y vio a alguien cagando en los alrededores? No hablo de Belenes “vivos” como el que tiene su iglesia. Sino me refi ero a un caganer.Elcaganer es una estatuilla incluida en representa-ciones miniaturizadas de la Natividad. Por suerte la estatuilla es, por lo general, colocada lejos del bebé Jesús. Típicamente estos arreglos detallados incluyen la ciudad entera de Belén y el caganer está ubicado en un lugar que le ofrece la intimidad. Los Caganers de gente famosa son muy populares estos días.

SUECIAEl tramo fi nal de nuestra aventura nos lleva a Suecia. Aquí lo que originalmente comenzó como un acto de vandalismo en la ciudad de Galve ha convertido en una de las mejores tradiciones de la Navidad que he encontrado. En 1966 el pueblo de Galve erigió una cabra gigante de paja en la plaza principal de la ciudad. En la noche buena, un grupo de individuos traviesos incendiaron la cabra, destruyéndola. Cada temporada de Navidad la ciudad construye otra cabra y cada año los planes para quemarla antes de Navidad salen más elaborados. La cabra ha sobrevivido hasta la Navidad sólo diez veces desde 1966. Se quemará la cabra exitosamente este año?

Espero que te haya gustado nuestra xmaspedi-tion e inviten a otros a leerla. Feliz Navidad a todos y un feliz año nuevo!

La PALABRAUna columna del idioma español por

CAMERON PARRISH

Christmas Traditions You’ve Never Heard Of

Tradiciones de na Navidad que No Conoces

(Left) Krampus spreads Christmas terror. (Here) Santa and his Zwarte Pietes.

OPINION

BELIEVE IT OR NOT,there were actually more than two candidates in the 2012 U.S. presidential election.

However, if you were only to get your informa-tion from mainstream cable news or corporate daily newspapers, one may not realize that. Many children are brought up to believe that in this country, you have a choice between Republicans and Democrats. And that’s the way it is.

“Who are you voting for,” one 15-year-old prod-uct of the Rutherford County schools asked a voter.

“Gary Johnson,” the voter replied.“No, I mean for president. Between Obama and

Romney,” the youngster said.“He is running for president. There are actually

more than two people you can vote for.”“Oh.”He is not alone in his surprise that voters do

indeed have choices beyond the two dominant parties.

In the 2012 presidential election, Jill Stein of the Green Party, Virgil Goode of the Constitution Party, Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party joined the more famous Republican and Democrat on Ten-nessee’s ballot.

Yet even some voters who tried to educate themselves on the election did not see some of these names until the voting machine.

“It’s fair to say that democracy is under lock-down,” Stein says. “Media have been working very hard to suppress knowledge that there are alternative candidates out there . . . The state of our media is emblematic of the state of our democracy—it’s bought and paid for.”

Timothy Meredith, organizer of the Ruther-ford County Libertarians, agrees that Johnson and other candidates do not receive the cover-

age they deserve, but also says that voters must take respon-sibility to educate themselves about the candidates and issues facing the country.

“I certainly don’t think the media did a good job at all in covering Gary Johnson. They should have covered him being stonewalled out of the debates,” Meredith says. “People do need to be more aware of third party candidates and not be apathetic to giving them their votes.

“Another big underlying issue is the lack of participation in primaries/caucuses by both citi-zens and the media. For exam-ple, Ron Paul won many of the state conventions and primaries, but was not even covered in the media. The actions at the RNC, which many would consider fraud, were not covered. These were actions that quite liter-ally were not allowing Ron Paul delegates to speak his name on microphones, not allowing Ron Paul merchandise such as shirts/signs (inside and outside), performed teleprompted “rules changes” votes in which a seemingly majority at the convention said ‘no’. There are videos on YouTube of his support-ers being arrested, beaten, spit on, and many other atrocious actions in state after state. Ron Paul is certainly one of the guiding figures for libertarians, more so than even Gary Johnson. But veering back on course, I wish voters were more educated, not just about the presidential races, but also about the Congressional races where it matters even more.”

Breaking from the na-tional trend, though, was The Chattanooga Times Free Press, whose Free Press editorial page went against the mainstream grain to actually endorse Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico and author of Seven Principles of Good Government.

“The Republican Party nominee has failed to demon-strate a consistent commitment to conservative principles. As a result of his failure to provide clear methods for reducing the size and scope of the federal government, unwillingness to address structural flaws with entitlement programs, reliance on government to intervene in issues best left to families and individuals, and sporadic support of the Constitution and America’s founding principles, Mitt Romney is too flawed to

earn the Free Press‘ endorsement,” stated the editorial. “As a result, the Free Press editorial page endorses Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson for President of the United States . . . Johnson understands that government spending, unsustainable bailouts and stimulus schemes only lead to more unem-ployment, a higher national debt, a weakened dollar and a less stable economy.

“(Some) claim that it is wise to vote for the lesser of two evils. The problem with that, how-ever, is that voting for evil only leads to more evil. A vote is an affirmation that a candidate is on the right track, but Barack Obama and Mitt Romney clearly aren’t when it comes to limiting government, promoting individual liberty and protecting free market economic principles.”

This piece was met with some criticism from those saying Johnson did not have a legitimate shot at winning, but with some applause as well from others.

“Good for you! I think this sets a coura-geous precedent for others to step out, speak up and not settle for the lesser of two evils. An editorial decision like this can really begin to broaden and deepen the discussion about what principles and values are important to us, what meaningful policy differences should matter, and bring into sharp focus just how limited, superficial and short-sighted our political dis-course really has been,” commented Times Free Press reader Chris Brooks.

A difficult conundrum for non-Republicans and -Democrats is that it is necessary to receive some media coverage in order to reach large numbers of voters with one’s ideas, but in turn it is necessary to build a following in order to garner media coverage.

“The perpetual chicken-and-egg questions for news outlets like USA Today is how much attention should be paid to candidates who have little chance of winning the election but whose chances of garnering more support could rise with increased press coverage,” wrote Elia Powers in a piece for the American Journalism Review, “The Lonely Life of a Third-Party Presidential Candidate.”

The piece did point out that USA Today gave Johnson and Stein more credence than many other organizations did, allowing them to respond to questions from the presidential debates (between only Obama and Romney onstage) on the editorial page.

“I’m sympathetic to [candidates’] concern that they can’t become major candidates with-out coverage, but it’s not our job to help them become major candidates,” USA Today Politics Editor Paul Singer says.

In addition to USA Today opening its edito-rial page for the debate questions, Powers also cited Democracy Now!, an advertising-free website and video news hour, and C-SPAN, the non-profit Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, which aired a third-party presidential debate in late October, as other examples of quality coverage of multiple candidates.

Still, when many pre-election public opinion polls only include and gauge interest in Obama and Romney, the results will naturally exclude the names of Jill Stein, Virgil Goode, Gary Johnson and Rocky Anderson.

And while the Republicans and the Demo-crats will continue attack one another, sling mud and engage in heated cable television de-bates, when taken in the context of the widely ranging views of the Green Party, the Libertar-ian Party, the Pacifist Party, the Raza Unida Party, the Prohibition Party, the Socialist Work-ers Party and the Pirate Party (it’s legit, look it up; come to find out, I share a lot of views with the Pirate Party), to many, the words of former alternative-party candidate (and segregation enthusiast) George Wallace ring true, “There’s not a dime’s worth of difference between the Republicans and Democrats.”

Johnson said before Election Day 2012, it didn’t matter if Romney or Obama were elected; either way, the American people get the same result: “continued unsustainable spending.”


Covering All The CandidatesMany media act like there are only two choices.by BRACKEN MAYO

EYE ON THE MEDIA:TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT THE DISSEMINATION

OF INFORMATION

OPINIONS

Gary Johnson

Jill Stein

THE 2012 ELECTION COVERED MANY issues, but the environment certainly wasn’t one of them. My personal favorite was when the two candidates argued over which one of them would be a stronger supporter of the oil industry. Still, the differences between the two on issues such as environmental protection and climate change were correctly inferred on election night. No one even slightly concerned for the health of the planet or it’s suitability for sustaining life had a real choice—at least not in the lesser-of-two-evils style of politics (ever heard of Jill Stein?). With President Obama’s dramatic victory comes an environ-mental and climate mandate. It is up to the voters to hold him to it.

A 2012 study by Yale University found that 77 percent of Americans believe climate change should be a “very high priority” for the presi-dent and congress.

Climate change is a major issue in nearly every country on earth. In no other land are deniers of science given such a voice, and at such high levels of government. An IOP Science article published in October of 2012 found that US newspapers dwarf the coverage of other nations regarding climate denial. The discussion here has at least changed, from flat-out denial to an “it’s a natural cycle” argument. Deniers in this county, unaware and seemingly unin-terested in the global or scientific dialog, imply a conspiracy on an impossible scale. No, the global community and scientific consensus are not in league against a particular political fac-tion in our county. And no, snow in November doesn’t change anything.

To even begin to understand how such untenable beliefs become the cornerstone of a political platform, one has to address the psy-chology behind climate denial. The solutions to address climate change, which involve regula-

tion, limiting consumption and the corporate influence in the political process, stand in direct opposition to the core beliefs of climate deniers. What should be an objective discus-sion quickly turns into a question of character and ideology (For an excellent article on the topic, I would refer you to Naomi Klein’s Nation article "Capitalism vs. the Climate".). In fact, the most reliable predictor as to whether someone acknowledges man’s influence on the climate is not their education level or socioeconomic posi-tion, but rather how they feel about contentious social issues such as abortion and gay marriage.

The problem is that climate change is not an issue that one has the right not to believe in, just as one can’t deny the population census. Climate change is the defini-tion of a collective problem, and we’d better start thinking about it collectively while we

still have the chance to make a difference.On Nov. 14, President Obama announced that

addressing climate change will be a responsi-bility of his second term. He said, “I am a firm believer that climate change is real, and that it is impacted by human behavior and carbon emis-sions” and “we’ve got an obligation to future generations to do something about it”. Frankly, it is embarrassing that the president must couch the first statement in the language of belief. In the US, we lost any credible claim to the ‘I had no idea’ argument in 1988 when NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen testified on anthropogenic climate change before Congress. And we just experienced Sandy, which inspired New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to endorse President Obama (The title of the November edition of Bloomberg Business Review read “It’s Global Warming, Stupid.”) The president’s speech is quite a departure from anything during his first term. He is listening. Now is the time to speak louder than ever before, and while we still have the chance to. Let the president know that the Keystone pipeline has no place in America’s energy future. Let him know that a cost-neutral, fee and dividend solution is the only way to meaningfully address America’s carbon foot-print, and transition to a sustainable economy.

LIVINGGREEN

column by RYAN EGLY [email protected]

THE END OF CLIMATE DENIALThe U.S. is the loudest

source of climate change denial.


CLIMATE SCEPTICISM IN THE PRINT MEDIA


A Legacy of Love

In the September 2009 is-sue, The Pulse ran a story on Bryan Booth. The story was of his struggle with

Squamous Cell Carcinoma. This is a particularly aggressive form of cancer and spreads rapidly. Bryan had a malignant tumor in his throat which had to removed. Along with the tumor most of his tongue and part of his jaw had to be taken. He was only given a 25 percent chance of survival and was told that if he did, he would never talk again or be able to eat normally.

But Bryan did survive the surgery and he did talk again. According to his wife Sherry Sunday-Booth, he was talking the day after surgery.

“I got to the hospital late because of traffi c and I started apologizing when I came into the room. Bryan said ‘That’s okay, honey.’ I was surprised I didn’t just faint right there. I asked him to say it again and when he did, I said, excuse me, went out into the hallway and called his parents. When I told them he spoke to me, they were ecstatic.”

Sherry went on to say, “He had a purpose, as ar-rogant and stubborn as my husband could appear, he had the kindest heart of anyone I have ever known, and he wanted to make sure that no one could call him a quitter. He fought with everything he had; no one could say he just gave up.”

After the surgery, Bryan and his family went back to leading as normal a life as possible. He now had to use a feeding tube and had to learn to talk again. But despite these obstacles, he went back to the life he was used to. As his condition improved, he was able to return to work and pursue his passion for theatre and music. Bryan was an accomplished pianist and recorded a CD of music to help offset some of his medical expenses. Bryan also directed several well received plays during this time. He relearned to talk without the use of most of his tongue and eventually even sang again. I had heard Bryan sing prior to surgery and Bryan had a great voice. The fi rst time he sang after the surgery, I was also there; he sang “Halle-lujah” by Jeff Buckley. It was an amazing moment and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

The Sunday-Booth family was able to maintain a normal life together for almost two years before

the cancer returned. Although he won battle after battle against all odds, Bryan fi nally succumbed to cancer in July of 2012. The rest of this story is about his fi nal days and the aftermath of his life.

Bryan Booth married Sherry Sunday on April 16, 2010. In typical Bryan fashion of not doing things the conventional way, he decided to take her name as well as her taking his, and became known as Bryan Sunday-Booth. Sherry was a di-vorced mother of three adolescent children when they met. Even though Bryan was sick for a great deal of their relationship, he was far more than a step-father to the children; he was, by their own words, “Co-Dad”. Bryan and Sherry were blessed with a grandchild, whom Bryan doted on.

“When we would come home and the baby was there, he would just disappear with him. He would spend hours sitting in the bedroom play-ing with him or just holding him and watching television,” Sherry said.

When the cancer returned, it spread to Bryan’s kidneys and lungs.

“The doctors didn’t give him a time frame. From past experiences, he had taught them bet-ter than that,” Sherry said.

Despite aggressive treatment, the cancer even-tually spread into his brain, and then the doctors told Sherry he had no more than three months to live. Bryan went into the Middle Tennessee Medi-cal Center on July 16 for what would be the last time. His body was frail and his gallant struggle was nearing its end. After several days in ICU, the nursing staff informed Sherry that there was no

hope for improvement. Sherry made the decision to turn off life support. After Bryan’s parents were informed of the decision, Sherry went out front of the hospital, looked up in the sky and said, “Okay, I know he’s got to go but, you got to do me one thing—I want the world to know. I want the world to know that an amazing event is happening. I want a blaze of glory; I want the light to shine down. I want him taken out in the most beautiful and brilliant light ever.

“Early on the morning of July 20, 2012, there came the most amazing storm. Lightning lit up the sky, thunder shook the ground and a driving rain fell,” Sherry said. In the midst of this majestic storm, Bryan Sunday-Booth, with his wife and his family around him, quietly drew his last breath, laid down his earthly burdens and went to meet whatever awaits us on the other side. His passing was trum-peted by a raging storm, while those that he loved most were gathered at his side. Sherry got her wish.

There was a memorial held for Bryan at The Center for the Arts. It was a shared idea of Bryan and Sherry that arose from a memorial service held at The Murfreesboro Little Theatre for fellow actor Jerry Bailey. As was the case with Jerry, they wanted this gathering to be of a celebration of his life and not a mourning of his death. Over 200 people attended this celebration and although there were tears, it was a happy event. There were several displays of the keepsakes and memories of Bryan’s life. In the theater, a fi lm put together

by Nanette Araujo showed numerous clips of Bryan as an actor and a director. There were many humorous and dramatic moments of him on stage and several clips of him singing. After watching the movie, many of Bryan’s family and friends shared stories and memories of him with the crowd. Afterwards, they all congregated in the gallery and fellowshipped.

There is a large community theater scene in the Murfreesboro area, split over several venues and it is fi lled with creative and passionate actors. People with that kind of drive and passion are bound to confl ict with other passionate people, that is just part of theater. But when death or sickness befalls a fellow thespian, there is a fam-ily bond among these people that is undeniable. People that haven’t seen or talked to each other in a long time pick up old friendships like they had just seen them yesterday. Center For The Arts, Murfreesboro Little Theatre and Out Front On Main, who are in direct competition on a weekly basis, all contributed to this memorial. Sherry said Bryan would have been proud of that.

Life is harder for Sherry now. Other than the loss of income, she lost her husband and her best friend. The tears come almost instantly when she talks of it.

“It hasn’t gotten any easier yet . . . my soul mate is gone . . . If I have anything to share with others it would be this: choose your battles, and don’t let the small stuff bother you. Concentrate more on the love and the legacy you leave behind. Treasure your loved ones and know them well. Every day is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present. Make sure you talk to them and tell them that you love them every day, Bryan did that.”

Bryan Sunday-Booth was a prolifi c writer, and wrote the “Love Letter to Cancer” to the left which now graces the wall of several area hospitals.

Sherry Sunday-Booth remembers her husbandby TONY LEHEW

LIVINGSHORTLY BEFORE HIS DEATH, Bryan wrote a poem for Sherry that he never got to fi nish. The idea came from a movie that both Sherry and Bryan cherished. The movie was called What Dreams May Come and is about a man who dies and goes to heaven. The bond between his wife and him is so strong that when she paints a picture of a purple tree, it appears in his heaven. This is that poem:

Paint for me a purple treeHigh upon a hillAnd there I’ll sit and wait for youUntil all time stands stillI’m not sure where I’m goingBut I know where I have beenI’ve been with you foreverAnd I’ll be with you again

A LETTER TO CANCER, BY BRYAN BOOTHThere are so many things that I want to say to you, so many that I need to say. You have come into my life and altered it in the radical way that only those closest to a person can manage. You have forced me to reevaluate my life, my priorities, and my emotions. You have made me more self-aware; and for that, I thank you.

You have brought my family closer together. For many years now, we have been treading water; we have let the disagreements and ideological differences become the unspoken walls between us. We have let these walls close us off from each other and from the tapestries of blood and time that will always unite us. Yet, with a single word, a single appearance, you have ground those walls to dust . . . So, cancer, for giving me my family back, I thank you.

You have shown me that it is acceptable to rely on others, that I am permitted to be weak in my own way and at my own time. You have given me the strength to depend upon those I love, and because I have fi nally taken that step, you have unlocked the door to show me what real love is. I can see it so much more clearly than I ever could before. You have given me the love of my life, and you have taught me to revel in her strength. For teaching me these early lessons in those parts of love I have always overlooked, I thank you.

You have shown me how many true friends I have. Over the past month, I have been awed and humbled by the amount of love and support that I have received from friends I have never even met. My relationships with those I have met have deepened, have sweetened, have strengthened into unbreakable bonds. I have seen parts of my friends that otherwise would have remained hidden until the next time of crisis. I have been overwhelmed by generosity and concern and kindness, and for this, I thank you . . . My life is mine; it is not yours. Nor will it ever be.

Farewell, Cancer. I will be free of you, and, though I will bathe in the echoes of your passing for many years to come, you will not be missed.


compiled by ANDREA STOCKARD

Send event information to [email protected]

Homeschool Holiday Tour Home school students are in-vited to visit Oaklands Mansion (900 North Maney Ave.) for

the holidays for the Home School Holiday Tour at 10 a.m. Children will make a period craft or ornament to take home. After mak-ing their craft, guests are invited to tour the elegant Oaklands Mansion where children will learn about Victorian holiday cus-toms such as the cobweb room and Saint Nicholas. Admission is $5 per person for both children and adults. Reservations are required and space is limited. Admission is $5 per person. For more information, please call (615) 893-0022 or visit oaklands-museum.org.

Alive Hospice’s Grief Dur-ing the Holidays Seminar Alive Hospice’s Grief During the Holidays seminar will be

held on Dec. 6, from 6–7:30 p.m., at First Presbyterian Church (210 N. Spring St.). Admission is free; registration is re-quired. Reservations may be made online at alivegriefsupportservices.eventbrite.org or by calling (615) 907-1677. This free seminar will provide an overview of the grieving process, tips and strategies for coping with grief during the holiday season and a time of remembrance. Interviews with an Alive Hospice grief counselor about the seminar and holiday grief may be arranged in advance by con-tacting Jared Porter at (615) 346-8358 or [email protected]. For more information, please visit alivehospice.org.

Christmas Cheer in the MTSU KitchenThe Student Dietetic Associa-tion at MTSU is inviting the

community to enjoy a festive, treat-making experience without the muss and fuss in the kitchen. Participants can bake Christ-mas cookies and make holiday crafts from 3–6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, in Room 107, the kitchen lab classroom, of the Ellington Human Sciences Building. The Student Dietetic Association will provide all the cooking ingredients and crafts materials to give this holiday season a personal touch and create a bonding experience for par-ents and kids. For tickets or more informa-tion, contact MarLea Teeple at [email protected].

Accounting CPE Day features Tax, Auditing, Ethics TopicsThe fourth annual Department

of Accounting CPE Day at Middle Ten-nessee State University will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 4:55 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, in the Business and Aerospace Building’s State Farm Lecture Hall. The conference’s continuing professional education seminars will include presentations on accounting and financial reporting, auditing, taxation and ethics. Sessions include “Financial Accounting Standards,” “Corporate Sus-tainability Reporting,” “Fraud and Liabil-ity Update,” “Tennessee State Specific Ethics,” and many others. Participants can earn up to eight hours of CPE credit. For more information, visit mtsu.edu/accountingor call (615) 898-5306.

Dance Company Presents “The Nutcracker” Ballet and Story TimeDance Theatre of Tennessee

is proud to present The Nutcracker ballet and story time on Friday, Dec. 7, at 4 p.m. at Linebaugh Public Library. The Nut-cracker has charmed generations; high-lighted by Tchaikovsky’s brilliant score, the irresistible story of young Clara, a special gift and her fanciful dream to a world of sugary confection. The Nutcracker ballet and story time is free and open to the public. Feel free to have your kids wear their tutu, princess or favorite dance cos-tume and have a magical afternoon. Actual Nutcracker performances will be held on Dec. 15 and 16 at MTSU’s Tucker Theater. Tickets are available at dancetheatretn.org or calling (615) 391-5500.

Music in the WildThe Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park will host another music-filled evening

as local artists perform. Free for all ages on Saturday, Dec. 8, Carolina Story will

perform from 6:30–8:30 p.m. Carolina Story consists of husband/wife duo, Ben & Emily Roberts, whose unique sound is rooted in Folk/Americana/Old Country/Roots Music. Their voices blend to create one voice and their harmonies will leave you wanting more. With captivating vocals, acoustic guitars, har-monicas, a kick drum and tambourines, they bring a full sound for just a duo. Enjoy deli-cious bird-friendly coffee and the company of friends at Music in the Wild. For more information, contact Rachel Singer at (615) 217-3017 or [email protected].

13th Annual Granville Country ChristmasThe 13th Annual Granville Country Christmas will be on

Dec. 8 in the historic town of Granville, where Christmas is celebrated in a grand fashion. This year’s event is entitled “Winter Wonderland” and will be from 10 a.m.–8 p.m. One of the new features will be sto-rybook reading of Liz Bennett’s, resident

of Murfreesboro and retired educator of Rutherford County School System, new book “Roadie, The Big Red Mule”. At the Granville Museum (169 Clover St., Gran-ville) there will be a “Santa’s Workship” for children from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. where children will create gifts for their parents as well as having the opportunity to purchase gifts from 50 cents to $5. At 2 p.m., the Granville Christmas Parade will occur fol-lowed by a special visit of Santa at Granville Museum from 2:30–3:30 p.m. Country Christmas will also feature the Christmas Train ride for children as well as numerous other rides. For more information, please call (931) 653-4151 or visit granvilletn.com.

Davis Dinner, Speaker and Tour at Oaklands Historic House MuseumIn commemoration of the

150th Anniversary of Confederate Presi-dent Jefferson Davis’s visit to Oaklands, you are invited to dinner in Maney Hall (900 North Maney Ave.) where you will hear about the visit and then be treated to a special evening tour of Oaklands Mansion. For more information, please call (615) 893-0022 or visit oaklands-museum.org.

Sounds of ChristmasGet in the holiday spirit with Murfreesboro Symphony’s Sounds of Christmas at First

United Methodist Church (265 West Thompson Ln.). The orchestra will join forc-es with the Murfreesboro Symphony Chorus and tenor, Stephen Smith, to present traditional holiday favorites that everyone will love. Admission is charged. For more information, please call (615) 898-1862 or visit murfreesborosymphony.com.

150th Anniversary Pro-grams at Stones River National BattlefieldPark rangers and volunteers

will present a variety of talks, walks, and battlefield tours that will tell the story of one of the bloodiest and most important battles of the Civil War at Stones River Battlefield (1563 North Thompson Ln.). At 11 a.m.–“They Retreated in Great Con-fusion”, 1 p.m.–The Approaching Thunder and 2 p.m.–Battlefield Caravan Tour. For more information, please call (615) 893-9501 or visit nps.gov/stri/planyourvisit/cw150park.htm.

COMMUNITY

EVENTS

DEC.6

DEC.6

DEC.7

DEC.13

DEC.14

DEC.26

DEC.8

DEC.8

DEC.6

DEC.6

Free Carriage Rides on The SquareEach Friday through Christmas, car-riage rides are offered on the Mur-freesboro Public Square at no charge from 5:30–9:30 p.m. Just look for the horsey pulling the white sleigh

Inspire Bowling Charity Event Inspire Bowling Team presents its

First Inspire Bowling Charity Event Dec. 8, at 2 p.m., at the Smyrna Bowling Center (95 Weakley Ln. Smyrna); regis-tration begins at 1 p.m. Entry is $20 and will cover shoes and 2 games of 9 pin no tap. There will be giveaways dur-ing bowling and a raffle at the end. For more info, check out facebook.com/inspirebowlingteam, visit inspirebowling.com or email [email protected]. Inspire Bowling Team’s focus is helping and providing financial needs for children and families who have lost one or both parents.

DEC.8


by TERRI DELONG

EVERY SPRING I PLANT my little garden in a square patch of soil in my backyard. It’s a lot of work, the digging and planting, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love vegetables and grow-ing my own is very satisfying. I also love fruit but, besides strawberries and tomatoes, most fruits grow on trees or bushes. Planting fruit trees and bushes is rewarding for so many reasons. They can live for decades, even generations, often becoming family heirlooms. They provide you with scrumptious organic fruit every year. And, like all trees, they are good for the environment by fi lter-ing the air and conditioning the soil.

I realized that if I wanted to grow my own fruit, I had to take the leap and plant some food outside of my little garden patch. A few years ago I planted a couple of pear trees in my front yard and half a dozen blueberry bushes in the backyard. I’m so glad I did! It only took a couple of hours to get everything in the ground, but less time than it took to plant the vegetable garden. Many people hesitate to get involved in such a long-term project, but planting and taking care of fruit trees and bushes is much less work than you’d imagine. There are defi nitely some rules you’ll need to follow to get your tree off to a good start, but after the initial plant-ing, taking care of your fruit tree will involve very little of your time.

The fi rst thing you’ll want to do is research which fruits will do well

within your planting zone. Fruit trees require a certain amount of “chill hours”. (Murfreesboro is considered zone 6, but other parts of Tennessee are in zone 7.) Most fruit trees are not self-pollinating, except for peach trees, so you’ll need to plant two trees of the same fruit, but different vari-ety. (Say, if you really want to plant a Honeycrisp apple tree, make sure you plant a different variety of apple as well, such as a Pink Lady or Graven-stein.) You’ll also want to decide what size of fruit tree is best for you. Most fruit trees are available in three sizes. Standard fruit trees can grow as tall as 30 feet. These full-sized trees require a lot of space and are very diffi cult to harvest. On the other end of the spectrum are dwarf trees. They only get about 8 feet tall, but they don’t produce a lot of fruit. I planted semi-dwarf trees which grow to ap-proximately 15 feet tall. Semi-dwarf trees are very productive, giving you hundreds of fruit per season.

It’s very important to select the proper site before you plant your fruit trees. Keep in mind that this place will be your tree’s permanent home. You’ll want to scout out a place in your yard that has good drainage and gets a good deal of sun. You don’t want to plant the trees too close together or too close to a building or electrical wires. Your trees are small now, but re-member they’ll get bigger with time. Once you have decided where you’re going to plant your trees, now it’s time to start digging!

The most common mistake people make is digging too small a hole for their new tree. You’ll want to dig the

hole twice the size of the root ball. If you order your trees online, you’ll most likely be receiving bare-root trees. In this case, dig the hole twice the size of the root circumference. This will ensure there is plenty of loose soil for the roots to grow into easily. Set your tree down into your super-sized hole, making sure the graft line of the tree is 3 inches above the ground. Shovel half of the dirt back in and then water thor-oughly. After the water has drained, fi ll the hole with the rest of the dirt and fi rm gently with your foot. Give your tree another good soaking and then cover with at least 2 inches of mulch. Piece of cake!

All of the hard work is done, but don’t just forget about your new trees. You’ll have to give them a little TLC for the fi rst couple of years if you want them to really fl ourish. The most important thing your trees will need is water. For the fi rst year, please make sure you water them thoroughly every two weeks and even weekly during hot spells. After the fi rst year, just make sure you water them during dry spells. You’ll also want to do some annual winter prun-ing. I’d advise you to read up a little on pruning before you make the fi rst cut, though. Pruning is a little tricky at fi rst. You’ll also want to feed them in the spring with an organic fertil-izer formulated for fruit trees.

Now all you have to do is wait. Some fruit trees start bearing after only one year, but others can take up to fi ve years. Don’t worry. After biting into your fi rst home-grown peach, pear, apple or plum, you’ll know it was well worth the wait!

’Tis the Season to Plant a Fruit TreeLIVING | Gardening


Holidays on Iceby David Sedaris

If you remember Crumpet from “The Santaland Diaries” or the clueless Thaddeus Bristol and his critique of a children’s Christmas play, prepare for another shot of the holidays—Da-vid Sedaris style. Published three years after the original, the expanded version adds six more stories to an already cheeky look at Christmas. Readers already familiar with Sedaris can look forward to even more irreverent holiday humor in addi-tion to his classics. Readers new to Sedaris will encounter him at his hilarious best—times two.

Holidays is not a mix-and-match affair, simply taking stories from several different beloved books. The publishers have added six new stories to complement six old ones. Since the holidays are times spent with family and old friends, read-ers who revisit this gem can wax nostalgic with classic Sedaris as Crumpet the Elf working in Macy’s Santaland. And who has not shivered with horror at the families who give of themselves (literally) in “Christmas Means Giving”? However, Sedaris’s wit is not all sharp edges. When his sister Lisa rescues a co-worker from an abusive boyfriend by bringing her to Christmas dinner, Sedaris shows us that a true Christmas spirit is found in the most unlikely places.

The next shot of Holidays gifts us with new vistas. First, readers are treated to an international Christmas. In “Jesus Shaves,” Sedaris tries to explain The Easter Bunny—in French. We also learn the cultural ramifi cations of “Saint Nicholas” in the Netherlands from “Six to Eight Black Men.” In “Let

It Snow,” locked out of their house on a cold winter day, the Sedaris children once again teach us that giving is not about material possessions. Perhaps, it is about taking care of the people who need it most, even if that person is our mother. The last story treats us to the internal politics of the barnyard as the animals engage in a not-so-secret Santa party between a turkey and a cow. In these additional stories, Sedaris has

not lost his ability to simultaneously amuse and challenge us.In true Sedaris style, the last story ends as abruptly as

the fi rst one began. Maybe it’s Sedaris’s witty cynicism that causes us to laugh at the folly of the holidays. Maybe. But the reason we return to Holidays on Ice is his discerning critique of our culture. Sedaris pokes fun at our polite, Hallmark card society, exposing its faults in a manner that would make Jane Austen proud. If simple humor was the only draw, Holidays would be aban-doned among the detritus of Christmas presents returned, or worse, re-gifted. Sedaris also shows us that the true Christmas spirit can be found in the kindness of elves at Macy’s, and that anyone is capable of it—even a turkey. Sedaris gives his readers a double shot of humor liberally sprinkled with cultural critique and human insight. And for those who wish another shot of Sedaris, the audio book version (read by the author) is readily available. So, listen responsibly.

Robert Lawrence is an instructor at Middle Tennessee State University, where he teaches Freshman English and reads obsessively in his spare time.Read To Succeed is the community collaborative created to promote literacy in Rutherford County. The objective of this partnership between schools, area agencies, and businesses is to support local programming and raise awareness about the importance of literacy. For more information and to fi nd out how you can make a difference in Rutherford County’s literacy rates, visit readtosucceed.org. The opinions expressed in this book review are not necessarily representative of Read To Succeed, but simply intended to promote the joy of reading.

by ROBERT LAWRENCE

If you are hitting a stalemate in your training or just getting tired of the same old mundane lifts, plyometrics are a good way to mix up the intensity of your workouts. Plyometrics are quick explosive movements that develop lower body power by activating the large muscles of the lower body: glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps. A plyometric exercise is a triple extension movement, meaning extension at the ankle, knee and hip. Strength coaches love these exercises because they mimic sports movements such as running, jumping, cutting and deceleration. So, if you are an aspiring athlete or still holding on to those glory days, plyometrics are for you. If you are neither of these, a quick plyometric exercise can keep the heart rate up and can be implemented in a super set with a upper body or lower body exercise to give a cardio effect along with strength benefi ts.

Some good technique pointers for this exercise are to start the movement with a hip hinge. You want to get your shoulders over your toes and then explosively jump up and land softly on the box in the same position you started your jump in. When you stretch the muscles of the hamstring and hips you store elastic energy like a rubber band and by jumping you release that energy, thus producing an explosive movement. Intensify this exercise by increasing the size of the box, by explosive jumping or by jumping on one leg.

Another exercise to throw into your lifting program is a triceps press down. This is an assistant exercise, meaning it should be used to help with the big lifts like bench and shoulder press. It also gives some isolated work to the triceps to get those big guns.

For athletes, especially those who play sports that involve over-the-head throwing activities, a triceps press down can be used to help increase the muscles involved in throwing.

Just like every other exercise you do it should be done with great technique. Guys, put your ego aside, and don’t butcher this exercise by trying to load it with too much weight losing good posture. Stand with the shoulders back; you can stand with your feet split to help give you better balance.

To begin, the elbow joint needs to be at a 90-degree angle. Next, fully extend the elbow and split the handles of the rope. Triceps press down can be combined with a curl to add a little push/pull into the workout and the intensity can be increased by adding weight, changing the tempo of the exercise or by performing a burn out.

For more on how Tri-Fit can help you with your personal fi tness goals, call (615) 663-2352.

BURN THOSE EXTRA HOLIDAY CALORIES

READ TOSUCCEEDBOOK REVIEW

Use plyometrics to develop the lower body, triceps press downs for the guns by JORDAN WILLIAMS


by TONY LEHEW

The Christmas season has rolled around again, and this time of year, I start thinking

about what this season really means to me. Somewhere between Black Friday and the credit card bills in February, there should be some sign of that special feeling this season is supposed to represent. Sure, like most of us, I have family and friends that give me sense of purpose, but I have that feeling all year round for them. No, what I’m talking about is that milk of human kindness feeling, giving something back to say thanks to God for the millions of blessings he bestows upon me every year.

I may not be sure how I’m going to find that extra goodness in myself this year, but I can tell how I found it for about a decade. In the late ’90s, I went through a rough spot in my life. I had just turned thirty and up to that point, I thought I was superman. No matter what happened, I was tough enough to take it. Well, anybody who has had some real setbacks in their life can tell you—that just ain’t true. I won’t bore you with all the details but I had some setbacks at work, some family health problems, I thought for a few weeks I could possibly lose my house and other stresses I still have trouble talking about today. To make matters worse, some of the people that I thought I could count on in those days decided not have much to do with me. I fell into a depression and had no idea what to do with my-self. I was angry all the time, drank too much and was a general pain to be around. Maybe that’s why no one wanted to hang out with me. Then one morning, I woke up and decided I didn’t like who I was becoming. I wasn’t going to let my problems get the best of me, so I tried to fix it.

At first, I had no idea what to do to make myself happier. All the things that were wrong seemed beyond my control and that was a situation I was not used to. Now this is not a story about religion and you don’t have to believe what I say next, but I have no doubt—God spoke to me. Like a clear train whistle in the night, a voice in my head said, “There are only two things in this entire world that you have to do and that is be good to yourself and be good to others.” Yeah, it sounds simple, but it’s very true and I took it to heart. With that information, I began to change my life; I started playing softball, picked up my guitar again, started writing poems and songs and just generally kept myself moving. Being active and productive helped me turn the corner, and before long, I was getting back to my old self again.

That took care of being good to me, but what about being good to others? Then I remembered some-thing; when I was in my early 20s, one Christmas I helped the local Toys for Tots chapter, Miles of Dimes, give out toys at one of their Christmas parties. It was a thing we did through work, so I used it as a way to kill the day, but I had a great feeling when I left that day. So now I thought I should go back, not to help myself, but to help others.

The lady that founded and ran the program, Rose Yost, had been doing this every Christmas since the early ’80s. So, I started volunteering and did so, every year for the next eight years. Over time, Rose began to rely on me to help coordinate many as-pects of this party. A Christmas party for kids is how she wanted it, and it was an awesome sight to behold. We averaged about 2,000 children every year and with their parents there also, the crowd was about the size of a high school football game. The event was moved from venue to venue, like the Agricultural enter, the National Guard Armory and finally settling into the rec center at MTSU. With a small army of volunteers and the help of the Murfreesboro Fire Department, there were a lot of logistics that had to be sorted out. Rose could be a harsh taskmaster from time to time, and I was certainly stubborn in my own right so we butted heads often but, every year the event was a bigger

success. She was then and still is an inspiration to me.

The real pay-off was the day of the giveaway. I would walk through the crowd, listen to the kids sing Christ-mas songs along with the volunteers and see the excitement on their faces. There is no way you could do that without it putting a smile on your own face. Often times, I would see someone I knew and knowing that this program was helping them have a better Christmas made it all the better. When all the toys were given out, the mess cleaned up and the volunteers gone home, I had a good feeling that lasted me well into the next year—a feeling that I had given something back and maybe earned my keep on God’s little blue planet.

When Rose retired, she found someone to hand the program off to, and they are still doing it the same way today. I went to a few of their meetings and helped them in a small way to get set up, but it wasn’t the same for me; I just felt out of place. I decided to give it up and let someone else have that good feeling.

At Rose’s retirement party, I got up and said a few words about how much it helped me. I estimated that during her time, she had helped over 50,000 children have a better Christ-mas. And of that 50,000, I was able to help about 20,000 myself. That’s the gift she gave to me that will stay with me for the rest of my days.

After her retirement, I gradually lost track of Rose and she passed away a few years back. I had inten-tions to go see her because I knew she was in bad health. I found out about her passing at work and had to hide my sadness. I felt guilty for not spending more time with her. But Rose had plenty of family around her and died with the satisfaction of having given so much to so many. She taught me the true meaning of giving and selflessness. Her lessons helped bring me out of a depression that threatened to consume me and gave me a new idea about Christmas that is still with me today. I don’t find my special holiday feeling through Toys for Tots anymore; I have passed that on to others. But with those lessons Rose taught me, I do somehow find it every year, and I hope you find yours too. Merry Christmas.

The Season of GivingLIVING | Commentary


Each year the Rutherford County Christmas Parade never fails to bring smiles and joy to hun-dreds of Middle Tennessee resi-dents as it meanders throughout

the heart of Murfreesboro. With candy, music, decked out fl oats from various organizations in the community, and friends and family, who could ask for more?

Parade Coordinator Angela Walker has spent at least 15 years working with the Rutherford County Christmas Parade.

“My favorite part is just having fun and seeing all the different groups come together to build their fl oats. It is a great way to get the Christmas season started off right, and it is nice to see the community out together in one place and enjoying themselves,” says Walker.

The Murfreesboro Christ-mas Parade is defi nitely known for its enthusiastic and supportive community as well as its wild and exciting themes. This year’s theme will be the hit Christmas melody, “Jingle Bell Rock”.

“Last year the theme was ‘Bicentennial’ in celebration of Murfreesboro’s history,” says Walker. “In the past we have had people such as the President of MTSU Dr. Mcphee, [as the Grand Marshall], because we wanted to honor and show thanks to MTSU for everything they do for our community and for allowing us to use their campus to stage fl oats and organize everything. We have represented Stones River, Oaklands Historic House Mu-seum and more.”

This year’s Rutherford County Christmas Parade Grand Marshall will be no other than Murfreesboro native Colton Dixon, for-mer American Idol fi nalist.

“We are super excited [about Dixon]!” exclaims Walker. “This year we started with the theme, ‘Jingle Bell Rock’. We thought that Dix-on, being our local ‘rocker’ from Murfreesboro, would be perfect. It took me about a month or so to get to his management, to get responses and to work out his schedule, so we are defi -nitely appreciative for that. We just ventured out and crossed out fi ngers that Dixon could be our

grand marshall, and I think that he is a very well-known and recognizable fi gure here. I spoke with him recently, and he was really excited to be a part of the parade.”

The people of Rutherford County sure do know how to get together and celebrate the most-beloved American holiday. With a growing city like this, there is no doubt the people involved make this parade come to life.

“We have all kinds of people in the parade who are a part of this community,”

says Walker. “One of our participants, Walter Hale, has been in the parade for as long as I have been a part of it, and he always has his antique cars fi xed up. The marching bands from all the high schools in the area are always a big part of the parade as well, and I believe we have six marching bands this year so far. Everyone also enjoys the fi re truck and of course the Santa Float, which our sponsor Atmos Energy puts together. The Sheriff ’s Department, the Mur-

freesboro Police Department, the City of Mur-freesboro, Midsouth Bank and so many others such as The Murfreesboro Noon Exchange Club and the Stones River Amateur Radio Club are a huge part of this parade. We could not pull it off without all of our sponsors and volunteers.”

It seems as though Walker and the com-munity of Murfreesboro put a lot of hard work and dedication into the parade each year. There seems to be no question that the biggest payoff is the rewarding feeling of bringing joy to oth-ers and bringing the community together.

“Everyone who helps is a volunteer,” Walker says. “Those of us who organize the parade do not get paid. Entry for the parade is only $10, and it has been for years. Parade Day Insurance is over $400, and we use it for supplies and donations to some to the non-profi t sponsors who help volunteer.”

Being born and raised in Murfreesboro, I can say the parade is something I have always looked forward to.

“We really encourage everyone to get into the Christmas theme and spirit, whatever that means to you, because we are out there to have fun and for the community. Children and families should bring something to put candy in because there will be lot of candy. Parents,

please keep an eye on your kids, because not all the candy makes it to the edge of the sidewalk, and we are always so scared of children run-ning out into the street to get candy.”

We hope to see you all there!The Rutherford County Christmas Parade

will be Dec. 9 starting at 2 p.m. at the intersec-tion of Middle Tennessee Blvd. and East Main St. and ending around 3:30 or 4 p.m. at W. Main and Walnut St. after it goes around the north side of the Square. For more information, please visit WGNSRadio.com, look for the parade on Facebook or e-mail [email protected].

Dr. Jerry Perkins (far left) travel-ing with the Stones River Chamber Players in Japan.

Christmas ParadeColton Dixon to serve as grand marshall of the Rutherford County Christmas Parade Dec. 9.story byANDREA STOCKARD

Colton Dixon, of American Idol fame, will participate in the 2012 Rutherford County Christmas Parade, travelling down East Main Street beginning at 2 p.m. Dec. 9.

WHAT: Rutherford Co. Christmas Parade

WHERE: Middle Tennessee and East Main (Davis Market) to Public Square (3 Brothers)

WHEN: Begins at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9

COST: FREE to ob-serve (fl oat registra-tion closed)

IF YOU GO:

Parade award winners from 2011 included:• Bob Lamb/Exit Realty, Mayor’s Cup• Smyrna Ready Mix, Float-Business or Industry• Patterson Park Community Center, Church or School• Cub Scout Pack 457, Float-Civic, Scout or Social Group• Scout GSA troop 235, Scouts• Dance Academy, Walking• Fred McDonald, Best Vehicle• Murfreesboro Parks & Recreation, Chamber of Commerce President’s Award “Spirit of Community”


★2012

HolidayGift Guide This month, we encourage

readers to shop local specialty stores for unique,

one-of-a-kind gifts and services.Plus, we’re giving some away!

Peaceful Relaxationfrom ELEMENTS MASSAGEelementsmassage.com

Many say the holiday season adds stress, so treat your loved one to the ultimate relaxation at Elements Therapeutic Massage. Drop by 533 N. Thompson Lane to grab an amazing stock-ing stuffer for someone who has been extra nice, or text ‘dasher’ to 86568 for a chance to win a 55-min-ute massage session.

Christmas Spiritsfrom SHORT MOUNTAIN DISTILLERY | shortmountaindistillery.com

The good folks at Short Mountain Distillery in Cannon County have legalized one of Tennessee’s most famous products, and it has spread across the state like wildfi re this past year. Try some in hot spiced cider to warm your bones, or just pass the bottle around to add new meaning to getting into the Christmas spirit. Text ‘shine’ to 86568 for a chance to win a bottle.

Style That Shinesfrom ABOVE THE TWISTED EDGE

Smyrna’s newest, hippest salon offers haircuts, color-ing, perms and styles for the whole family, along with waxing and other salon services. Everyone knows someone who doesn’t spend enough time on them-selves, so give them a gift certifi cate at this fabulous establishment and send them to the salon. Check out Above the Twisted Edge on Facebook or text ‘danc-er’ to 86568 to win a $100 gift certifi cate to the salon for you or someone special.

A Warm Holiday Brewfrom JUST LOVE COFFEE | justlovecoffee.com

Murfreesboro’s favorite coffee roasting company, and international ambassa-dors of goodwill and charity, offers beans from around the world all year long, but its Fa-La-La-La-La blend is only available during the Christmas season. Just Love offers this, along with hot cocoa mix, Monin syrup and a Christmas CD recorded at Just Love in a holiday gift tin. Visit the coffeeshop at 129 MTCS Dr. or shop at justlovecoffee.com to add some warmth to someone’s cup this Christmas, or text ‘manger’ to 86568 to enter to win a Just Love holiday tin plus a special travel mug.

Gifts of Nostalgiafrom DIGITAL PLANET

Every Christmas, new gadgets and technology are all the rage, but still there is nothing like that warm vintage sound of the needle hitting the record. Vinyl is making a comeback in a big way over the past fi ve years; while MP3 sales have taken a big bite out of the CD market, vinyl sales have actually doubled, with many modern artists actually issuing new releases on vinyl alongside classic reissues. Digital Planet on Robert Rose Drive boasts a great selection of music, movies and games, but the new vinyl rack has been quite popular as of late. Text ‘prancer’ to 86568 to enter to win a $25 gift certifi cate good for new vinyl at Digital Planet.

Smyrna’s newest, hippest salon offers haircuts, color-

text ‘danc-

Smyrna’s newest, hippest salon offers haircuts, color-

text ‘danc-

there is nothing like that warm vintage sound of the needle hitting the record.

Plus, we’re giving some away!Plus, we’re giving some away!Plus, we’re giving some away!Plus, we’re giving some away!Plus, we’re giving some away!Plus, we’re giving some away!Plus, we’re giving some away!Plus, we’re giving some away!Plus, we’re giving some away!Plus, we’re giving some away!Plus, we’re giving some away!

DIGITAL PLANETDIGITAL PLANET

BOROPULSE.COM * DECEMBER 2012 * 19BOROPULSE.COM * DECEMBER 2012 * 17

Christmas Turkeyfrom PAPA’S HOT SAUCE | papashotsauce.com

Nothing says holiday dinner like a juicy, delicious turkey. Papa’s Hot Sauce, Butts ’N’ BBQ offers the birds to the Murfreesboro public either smoked or deep fried for your Christmas dining convenience. Papa's also offers an assortment of gift packs, jellies, jams and spicy condiments to serve alongside your bird. Papa’s is located at 210 Old Fort Parkway. Call them at (615) 225-0281 to pre-order a turkey. Text ‘turkey’ to 86568 for the chance to win one this holiday season, along with a bottle of their house hot sauce.

Jolly Good Timesfrom TOOT'S | shoptoots.com

Everyone in town knows about Toot’s, but did you know the home of good food and fun offers its fl avors by the bottle to take home or to a holiday gathering? Bottles of Toot’s hot, medium and mild wing sauce, along with honey mustard and BBQ sauce, are available for ev-eryone at shoptoots.com, or text ‘sleigh’ to 86568 to enter to win a sauce gift pack, restaurant gift card and a Toot’s T-shirt.

Cheerful Melodiesfrom MURFREESBORO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAmurfreesborosymphony.com

Often, local music lovers exclaim “I didn’t know Murfreesboro has a symphony orchestra,” but it does, and it has added fans every season for over 30 years. Now making its home in the beautiful First United Methodist Church, the MSO performs works from the classical period, Star Wars and everything in between. Visit murfrees-borosymphony.com to give a magical night out with the symphony, or text ‘vixen’ to 86568 to enter to win a pair of tickets to the MSO’s remain-ing 2012–13 season performances.

Trendy Clothingfrom TRENDY PIECES

Clothing is always a popular Christ-mas gift, and Trendy Pieces has a very unique, and affordable, selection of scarves, hats, belts, shoes, boots, jewelry, ties, clothing, candles, home decor and more. Pay them a visit at 111 S. Church St. (They are open extended hours through the holiday season, until 8 p.m.), or text ‘snow’ to 86568 to enter to win a $50 gift certifi cate.

Colorful Cuisinefrom BLUE AGAVE | blueagavetn.com

A great spot for lunch, dinner or drinks, Blue Agave boasts guacamole made by hand tableside, fl am-ing fajitas, a huge tequila selection and all of your favorite Mexican dishes in a colorful atmosphere. Restaurant gift cards usually make even the hardest to please relatives happy, so come into Blue Agave, located at 1935 S. Church St., to load up a Christ-mas gift card for them, or text ‘santa’ to 86568 to enter to win a $50 gift card at Blue Agave. For Mind and Body

from ASCENT | climbyourock.com

Burn off those candy canes in fun, confi dence-building ways at the Ascent, Murfreesboro’s indoor climbing facility. Scaling the different paths to the top of varying degrees of diffi culty is a unique social activity and a challenge for mind and body. Get that energetic wall climber on your list a membership or multi-day pass. View more information and climbing package rates at climbyourrock.com, or text ‘comet’ to 86568 to enter to win a three-visit pass, gear included, to the Ascent.


From the Vinefrom LET’S MAKE WINEletsmakewinetn.com

Let’s Make Wine, located on Spring Street just off the Square, offers kits to make a variety of different types of wines right at home. Let that special some-one on your list have the satisfaction of producing something with a much better payoff than that chemistry set they re-ceived as a kid. Visit letsmakewinetn.com for more information, or text ‘cupid’ to 86568 to enter to win a winemaking kit from Let’s Make Wine.

Fore!from FAIRWAYSfairwaysgolfandgrill.com

Even though the winter cold is here, there’s plenty of golf to play at Fairways Golf and Grill. In addition to great food, the restaurant, at 127 SE Broad St., boasts an amaz-ing golf simulator, where players have the opportunity to play on hundreds of courses around the world by hitting real golf balls into a 144” projection screen. Call (615) 962-7853 for information on getting the golf enthusiast in your life the chance to play the course they have always wanted to without leaving Murfreesboro, or text ‘rudolph’ to 86568 for the chance to win a private party in the Fairways gallery with full access to the golf simulator.

A Magical Music Experiencefrom BLUEGRASS UNDERGROUND | bluegrassunderground.com

One of Tennessee’s natural treasures, Cumberland Caverns, hosts monthly concerts in its natural rock-walled amphitheater 300 feet below ground. Some of the biggest bluegrass legends have performed in Warren County’s “Volcano Room”, but the spectacle of the cave itself is reason enough to venture in the caverns. Visit bluegrassun-derground.com for upcoming shows and ticket information, or text ‘joy’ to 86568 to win a bundle of 8 tickets good for any show next year.

FestiveGreenery from VALLEY GROWERS

Even though gardening season is long gone, this excellent Murfreesboro establishment, located next to the Co-Op on Middle Ten-nessee Boulevard, is still packed with plants. During the holiday season, Valley Growers sells live Christmas trees, wreaths, garlands and, of course, the famous poinsettia. Drop by the green-house any time of year to grab something to grow, or text ‘tree’ to 86568 to enter to win a poinsettia from Valley Growers for Christmas.

Made from Scratchfrom WILD FLOURS BAKED GOODS

This recently opened mill and bakery tucked away near the City Center Building, offers so much more than the cookies, cakes and sweets at some bakeries. Healthy and natural is the theme at this local spot, not junk food. Wild Flours not only offers breads, muffi ns, cinnamon rolls and other organic goods made from whole wheat fl our and local honey, but actually mills grains and sells oats, cornmeal, fl our, pancake mix, quinoa fl our and rice. Grab some cinnamon rolls for your Christmas morn-ing gathering, or give a gift certifi cate so that special someone can drop in and select something delicious and nutritious. Text ‘peace’ to 86568 to enter to win a $30 gift certifi cate at Wild Flours.

A Tasty Meal from 3 BROTHERS DELI

Murfreesboro’s favorite deli offers sandwiches, soups, salads, wraps, pastas, great music and a huge selection of beers at its 223 W. Main St. location. Stop by 3 Brothers to pur-chase a gift card for the one with a hearty appetite on your list, especially if they work, live or hang out near downtown Murfreesboro, or text ‘blitzen’ to 86568 to enter to win a cool $100 gift card.

A Year of Dramafrom OUT FRONT ON MAIN | outfrontonmain.com

For the performing arts enthusiast in your life, why not support the creative local bunch at Out Front on Main, and give the gift of an entertaining night at the theater, all year long! Visit outfrontonmain.com for upcoming shows, or text ‘yule’ to 86568 for a chance to win a pair of 2013 season tickets to Out Front on Main.

A Joyful Noise from PIANO LESSONS

Has anyone been gifted a keyboard or piano for a Christ-mas past and never learned how to use it? Have you always had an ear for and interest in music, but never learned how to read music? Give the gift of piano lessons for the musically inclined friend or relative who doesn’t need any more clutter or candy. For more information on lessons, call (615) 944-2778, or text ‘donner’ to 86568 to win a month of free piano lessons for your-self or the owner of that keyboard collecting dust.

A White Christmas Smilefrom DENTAL EXCELLENCE | dentalexcellence.net

Did you know Murfreesboro’s own Dr. Nate Schott, of Murfreesboro Dental Excellence, has his own line of tooth-

paste and lip balm? Dr. Nate’s Naturals, available locally at Pa Bunk’s, Reeves Sain and Mills Fam-ily Pharmacy, contain all-natural ingredients. Pick up some Dr. Nate’s Naturals for a healthy stocking

stuffer or text ‘noel’ to 86568 to enter to win six tubes of Dr. Nate’s natural toothpaste, plus six tubes

of Dr. Nate’s lip therapy.

The Gift of Fitnessfrom TRI FIT and MAC

Give the gift of fi tness this year and purchase a Murfreesboro Athletic Club membership, along with personal training sessions with the knowledgeable trainers with Tri-Fit, who will work with their clients to identify goals and craft a personal plan to achieve them step by step. For more information on the MAC, visit murfreesboroathleticclub.com or check them out at 710 Memorial Blvd.; for more on how Tri-Fit can help whip you or your loved one into better shape, call (615) 663-2352, look up Tri-Fit on Facebook, or text ‘elf’ to 86568 to enter to win four personal training ses-sions plus a year membership to the MAC.

Smoke and Mirthfrom LIQUID SMOKE and THE HUMIDOR

For the beer and/or tobacco afi cionado on your list, these neighboring shops on the Square offer a grand variety of both. Liquid Smoke also functions as a package store, so bottled beers can go straight from the Smoke to underneath the tree. The LeMure fam-ily’s other store, the Humidor, offers wall-to-wall ci-

gars, pipe tobacco and accessories. Visit the shops at 2 and 4 N. Public Square, or text ‘gift’ to 86568 for a chance to win a $50 gift certifi cate good at either business.

locally at Pa Bunk’s, Reeves Sain and Mills Fam-ily Pharmacy, contain all-natural ingredients. Pick up some Dr. Nate’s Naturals for a healthy stocking

stuffer or enter to win six tubes of Dr. Nate’s natural toothpaste, plus six tubes

gars, pipe tobacco and accessories. Visit the shops at 2 and


A student-run record label isn’t new to MTSU, but over the summer the recording industry department decided to take it to the next level and turn the label into a practicum

opportunity for students to gain hands-on experi-ence outside the classroom. Hence Match Records, which was officially unveiled Nov. 27 with a performance by the label’s first recruit, local blues-and-bluegrass band Copper Into Steel, in front of the campus Center for Innovations in Media. The music industry is tough, to put it mildly, and it’s a business where job opportunities rarely open up without hands-on experience, but opportunities for experience are often hard to come by. Match could be just the thing to help students avoid that old predicament. Here, the label’s executive manager and senior Music Business major Josh Carlton discusses Match Records’ ins and outs.

How did Match Records come about?MTSU has had a record label, at least in some capacity, for years now. In the past, the label has been either a class or a student-run organiza-tion, but it was never really offered as a practi-cum that operates outside of the traditional

classroom setting. Marketing Professor Amy Macy is the faculty advisor to the label, and she handpicked her staff based on previous experi-ence with us in class, by recommendation from other faculty members or in at least one case, by an expression of interest from a student.

We chose the name Match Records because our mission from the beginning has been to spark a flame of awareness and sup-port for the many talented and creative students in the MTSU community. We wanted the name to separate us, in a way, from the school by making it seem less like a class and more like a legitimate independent label, but all the while still bear some resemblance or relatable mark that could tie it back in to MTSU. So, it kind of worked for us on two levels. The word contains the letters “M” and “T” and also commonly means “an instrument or tool used to start a fire.” Plus, who doesn’t love to play with matches?

What services does it provide for artists?We offer bands and artists the opportunity to work with a team of dedicated individuals whose purpose is to develop, promote, produce, market, distribute and otherwise support them in ac-celerating their musical career. This could mean anything from building up their fan base or help-ing them shape their image and style, to recording and producing a radio single, demo or full album.

How many artists do you hope to have? We haven’t really set a limit or a goal that we’d

like to hit. It would be great to have as many as five to ten bands on the roster during any given academic year. However, as you sign more bands, the growing concern becomes whether or not the staff will be able to manage everyone efficiently and still give each group or artist the level of attention that is necessary to really launch an effective campaign. As of right now, the label is dedicated to promoting and work-ing with bands that consist primarily of MTSU students or alumni.

Why was Copper Into Steel chosen as your first recruit?That’s an easy one . . . because they are awesome. It was a unanimous decision to sign the band based on their amazing live performance skills and the rapidly growing fan base. We are always on the lookout for exceptional talent and anyone generating that kind of buzz will quickly catch our attention. Copper Into Steel was a no-brainer decision for us as a young label, because they have original songs with a divergent, appealing sound, a solid live performance, memorable per-sonalities and above all, motivation to work hard.

Tell us about the Dec. 7 Listening Night.Listening Night is held each semester by the department and showcases the best work done in each of the audio tech classes. Professors choose their favorite projects throughout the semester, and we’ll be giving awards for the best student recording projects and playing them for all to hear. Everyone is welcome to

come and join in on the fun. We’re excited to be sponsoring the event along with the Department of Re-cording Industry and MTSU.

What are your goals for Match Records?I would love to see Match Records

grow and flourish into something that inspires students in the RIM department to work hard and to stand out. With the right combination of creative students who share a passion for developing and nurturing talented artists, anything is possible. I envision Match Records becoming something of an incubator in which students have the opportunity to gain the kind of real-world experience they can’t get in the classroom, but without actually leaving the “safety net” of the Mass Comm building. It is my sincere hope that the small contribution I was able to make during my final semester helped to facilitate that progression.

The Dec. 7 Listening Night takes place in room 160 of the College of Education building and is free and open to the community. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show is from 6:30 to 8.

FIX YOUR MIX:

VOCAL EFFECTS CHAINScolumn by JACOB SPAULDING

I thought before we delve too far into the individual effect types we’d talk about vocal chains or for that matter

any audio channel’s chain a little bit. I’m referring to the path your vocal recordings take either on the way into your recorder or the effects chain the vocals are run through after they are recorded in your DAW.

As I said before, there are few “always and never” rules you have to follow when recording, but some simple tips will help make it easier. Just to keep it simple we will talk about this as if we are mixing a vocal recording, but the basics hold true to any mixing generally.

In older days, almost all effects were outboard, meaning standalone or often rack-mounted audio effects boxes. Today we have a wide variety of ways to chain effects, especially when you consider there are still great outboard effects units as well as ever improving internal audio plug-ins.

Order of effects in your chain can dra-matically affect your output sound. I have changed my orders many times over the years of recording, but I have settled on one that makes sense to me now. In basic here’s how it goes: EQ –> Compressor –> (any other frequency effect like a Pitch Shift or Auto Tune if you must) –> Delay –> Reverb.

I don’t always use delays and reverb on every vocal, and sometimes they change order, but that’s my basic formula. I put the equalizer before the compressor be-cause if you are going to be cutting away frequencies, you might as well start at the beginning and not force a compres-sor or anything else to deal with sound you are going to cut later anyway, right? Overall, I remind you effects should be used when needed and in the right proportions. Keep your reverb and delay levels low unless its for a special part or effect; in other words, use sparingly.

I will explain the roles and settings of these effects in more detail in future installments. I’m glad you tuned back in again; catch us next time. Email your suggestions, questions or job proposals to [email protected].

SOUNDS

LIGHTING A FIREOld MTSU record label no match for its new incarnate, Match Recordsstory by JESSICA PACE

Copper into Steel is the first band working with new MTSU

label Match Records.

THURS, 12/63 BROTHERS

BabyshakerBUNGANUT PIG

Cali & AshleyJOZOARA

Rik GraciaMAIN STREET LIVE

Goodbye June, NerVer

FRI, 12/73 BROTHERS

Dennis & the MenaceBUNGANUT PIG

JunkboxFANATICS

Zone StatusTHE BORO

This Modern StationWALL STREET

MantraMantraMantra, DJ Know Love, Terra Meets Gaia

WILLIE’S WET SPOTClass X

SAT, 12/83 BROTHERS

Stone Door, The EnablersBUNGANUT PIG

Zone StatusFANATICS

Junkyard FunkJOZOARA

Susan GrayMAIN STREET LIVE

Fatel FestREADYVILLE MILL

Johnny B & The BalladeersTHE BORO

33, Lobo, Call Me SavageWILLIE’S WET SPOT

MilkboneWRIGHT MUSIC BLDG.

Murfreesboro Community Men’s Chorus

SUN, 12/93 BROTHERS

Creative Mic Night with Lee Miller

TUES, 12/11BUNGANUT PIG

Classic Blues Jam with CJ Vaughn

JOZOARASongwriter’s Night

LIQUID SMOKEBellwether

NOBODY’S Delyn Christian

WED, 12/123 BROTHERS

Ryan Coleman’s Writers NightBUNGANUT PIG

2nd & VineMAIN STREET LIVE

Columns, The Vile ImpurityWILLIE’S WET SPOT

Shane & Lenny


Deep Machine, Scott Fernandez, Strung Like a Horse, Volcanoes

BUNGANUT PIGSecret Commonwealth

JOZOARARik Gracia

MAIN STREET LIVEDear Salem, Ryan Kenney

FRI, 12/143 BROTHERS

Stephen Simmons & Molly Jewel

BUNGANUT PIGMarshall Creek Band

FANATICSIvan LaFever

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Murfreesboro Symphony: The Sounds of Christmas

THE BOROIRACONJI, Wormreich

WILLIE’S WET SPOTPhoenix Rising

SAT, 12/153 BROTHERS

Tuscaroara, Dapper Dan Band

BUNGANUT PIGNathan Thomas & the Breakdown

FANATICSThe Eclectics


Murfreesboro Symphony: Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker

MAIN STREET LIVETechnikiller, Linear Downfall, Christlove

MAIN STREET LIVEStone Mountain Freeway, Valhalla, DVR, Alterkation

READYVILLE MILLJohnny B & The Balladeers

THE BOROThe Granny Whites Canned Food Drive

WILLIE’S WET SPOTWho Shot JR???

SUN, 12/163 BROTHERS


BUNGANUT PIGShoo Fly Pie


Murfreesboro Symphony: Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker

MAIN STREET LIVEKneel Before None, The Event Horizon, Chorica, Skeetzo ’n Krysis

WRIGHT MUSIC BLDG.Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra





NOBODY’SDelyn Christian


Ryan Coleman’s Writers Night

BUNGANUT PIGDirty Cherry

WILLIE’S WET SPOTShane & Lenny


End of the World PartyBUNGANUT PIG

Larry & MichelleJOZOARA

Rik Gracia


Fedora & the Explorers, Whyte Noyse

BUNGANUT PIGKarl & the Undertones

FANATICSJohn Salaway

MAIN STREET LIVESkeetzo n' Krysis, Flexar. Six Shot Revival, BEitTHEMEANS, Blaque MasqueBellyDancers

WILLIE’S WET SPOTThe Corbitt Brothers


Judd Hall, Scott FernandezBUNGANUT PIG

John Sutton BandFANATICS

Hayden JamesJOZOARA

Three Simple RulesMAIN STREET LIVE

Leonard BrothersREADYVILLE MILL

Johnny B & The Balladeers

WILLIE’S WET SPOTBacklit




Ryan Coleman’s Writers NightBUNGANUT PIG

RecklessWILLIE’S WET SPOT

Shane & LennyWRIGHT MUSIC BLDG.

Nadgir studio piano recital, String Chamber recital

THURS, 12/27BUNGANUT PIG

Delyn ChristianJOZOARA

Rik Gracia


Jake Leg StompersBUNGANUT PIG

TemptedFANATICS

PimpaliciousTHE BORO

The Buddy System, Tomato Face, The Fallopian Dudes

WILLIE’S WET SPOTRebel Rulz


Banks Brothers, Delmar + 1, Delyn Christian

BUNGANUT PIGGravel Road Gypsies

FANATICSBlues Fever

READYVILLE MILLJohnny B & The Balladeers

WILLIE’S WET SPOTEvil Twin



MON, 12/313 BROTHERS

Dennis & the MenaceBUNGANUT PIG

Stones River PilotsTHE BORO

Tennessee ScumWILLIE’S WET SPOT

Junkyard Funk





WED, 1/23 BROTHERS

Ryan Coleman’s Writers Night

CONCERT LISTINGSSend your show listings to [email protected]

View Concert Listings Online:

IF YOU GO:3 Brothers223 W. Main St.410-3096

Aura Lounge114 S. Maple St.396-8328

Bonhoeffer’s610 Dill Lane202-3517

Bunganut Pig1602 W. Northfield Blvd.893-7860

Fanatic’s 1850 Old Fort Pkwy.494-3995

First United Methodist Church265 West Thompson Lane

JoZoara536 N. Thompson Ln.962-7175

Lanes, Trains and Automobiles450 Butler Drive890-3999

Liquid Smoke#2 Public Square217-7822

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

MT Bottle3940 Shelbyville Hwy. 962-9872

Murfreesboro/Center for the Arts110 W. College St.904-ARTS

Nobody’s Grill & BBQ116 John R. Rice Blvd.962-8019

Social114 N. Church St. 904-7236

Temptation Club2404 Halls Hill Pike 217-0944

The Boro Bar & Grill1211 Greenland Dr.895-4800

Wall Street121 N. Maple St. 867-9090

Walking Horse Hotel101 Spring St., Wartrace (931) 389-7050

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

Wright Music Bldg.1439 Faulkinberry Dr. 898-2493

JOHNNY B & THE BALLADEERS SATURDAY, DEC. 8 @ READYVILLE MILLThis little mill off Murfreesboro Road in Readyville, Tenn., has an old-time charm and ambiance perfect for a Saturday morning out in the country. The mill dates back to the early 1800s, and Johnny B & The Balladeers can be found plucking out country western and bluegrass tunes every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It’s a scenic spot, and in the early hours you’ll be able to score some of their renowned pancakes too.

TENNESSEE SCUM MONDAY, DEC. 31 @ THE BOROThough the lineup is not yet entirely in place, Tennessee Scum is part of the bill at The Boro for welcoming 2013. New Year’s Eve calls for a dirty dive and lots of racket, so you can ring it in with Tennessee Scum’s wiry punk rock clatter. It should pair well with your beers and assist in your New Year's Eve merrymaking. Additional bands will be announced.

PULSE PICK

PULSE PICK



ALBUM REVIEWS

The Kingston Springs’ eponymous fi rst full-length tugs at my heart for a variety of reasons. For one, they’re from one of my favorite nowhere-anywhere ghostly Tennessee towns, also home to Old Mug Records, which released this album. For another, the band has made its mark touring and playing festivals like Lollapalooza, SXSW, Austin City Limits and Starry Nights, even though they’d only put out one EP, The Vacation Time, in 2010. And for another, bands with as many contrasting infl u-ences as The Kingston Springs will typically have songs so rigidly different that combined they make for frag-mented albums. TKS has somehow pooled all their musi-cal colors and made a multilingual record that speaks Mississippi Delta, Nashville and Anywhere, Tennessee.

The Kingston Springs is a myriad of stomp/shuffl e rhythms (“Kinda Shaken,” “1991”), random bristly trum-pet (“1991”), Zeppelin-like frenzy (“Sweet Susie,” “Lowest of Animals”) and beautiful melodic tangents tailing songs like “German Girl” and “Weight of the World.” The latter, whose bare version is on The Vacation Time, is walled in by dark bass via Alex Geddes while Ian Ferguson and James Guidry alternate a wiry cry out of the bleakness sounding like it’s trapped under something heavy.

While “Weight of the World” is the album’s somber heavy-hitter, TKS mix it up with stripped-down num-bers like “Lover,” whose quizzical banjo plucks along to “Lover, please don’t bother with your threats/with your tears, fears, connections and cold sweats/to me, honest, I could really care less/you’ll thank me later, this I bet.” The grizzly “Lowest of Animals” brings to mind Cage the Elephant, who are masters of the expressive, sour and disagreeable riff. “Dirty Sherry” has a miserable Southern riff melting all over a grim story. Most of the 11 tracks go through a tempo change, and The Kingston Springs tran-sition well. They speed up like Iggy Pop and slow down ’60s psych style, pitting sexy against sad in a white-trashy blues format. And it works.

I suppose if The Hollies, Bob Dylan and Cage the Elephant hung out in the woods, drank beer around a fi re and talked about Davy Crockett and The Animals before making a record, that would be The Kingston Springs. Or something like that. The sound’s all over the place, but it’s one of the most emotive, fun, mood-changing retro rock and backwoods blues albums of its kind—the only of its kind—that I’ll fi le under “damn good records out of Ten-nessee, 2012.” — JESSICA PACE

The Kingston SpringsThe Kingston Springs

The very fi rst act to take the main stage at last Septem-ber’s Muddy Roots Festival in Cookeville was Murfrees-boro’s own indie-folk/bluegrass super-sextet string band, The Hardin Draw. Greeting that growing crowd with some well-known traditional songs—as string bands do very well to ease into a group of folks—they proceeded with a short burst of originals from their steadily growing repertoire. The fellas and gal took these originals per-formed at the festival, compiled them into a four track EP simply titled, The Muddy Roots EP, and released them on CD out of Twin Oak Recordings shortly after the festival.

The Hardin Draw came together as a roving bar band in latter 2011 as just an experiment, and now a year later, they’re pulling together a 2013 tour and are working on a full length debut album while The Muddy Roots EP fl oats around as a sampler. It establishes a heavy infl uence by Mumford and Sons, with hints of The Fleet Foxes in their acoustics be them from the spliced mandolin, guitars, upright, lap steel, banjos, washboards and Nikki Oliff ’s accordion. Or by their collective voices that harmonize in angelic fashion (or at least monk-ish), giving away their similar sounds to the mentioned comparisons but with the band members offering a more Gothic approach to this form of music instrumentally and lyrically. This is heard within the fi rst seconds of the leading track, “Hol-low,” as a dark harmonizing vocals from all members of the band fades into a hurtling train rhythm with hints of a mandolin powered helicopter as guitarist and vocalist, David Talley, leads into an ominous, dark-country in-spired lyrics, “Found your heart on this lonely road/paint-ed black but only I would knowithdeath by choice, I’m travelling/I hear your voice . . .” and doesn’t get off those tracks for the remaining “Home,” “Long Black Train,” (a great marching dirge), and “The Lord’s Prayer.”

With the EP only containing four tracks from a newly established band, there's not a noticeable degree of vari-ety in style, but it's a great root sound to grow on and well worth the attention when you get a chance.

The Muddy Roots EP can be found on iTunes and Amazon, and at most of their shows, the next of which is scheduled Dec. 8 at Wall Street’s Night of the Living Cov-er Bands presented by YEAH! where The Hardin Draw will play a set of Alice in Chains songs, followed by a Dec. 27 show in Knoxville’s Barley’s Taproom if you’re around that way during the holidays. For more information, visit facebook.com/thehardindraw. — BRYCE HARMON

The Hardin DrawThe Muddy Roots EP


A few of Middle Tennessee’s young men between the ages of 17 and 20—vocalist/guitarist/keyist Jesse Brock, his younger brother, drummer and percussionist, Bow-man, and their high school buddy, Zach Wakefi eld who mans the bass, (all 3 originally from Kingston Springs, just west of the capital)—have come out with their newest independently produced EP, the 6-track Dig Deeper, re-leased June this year, which follows their debut EP, Double Plus Good. An extension of this alternative-progressive, slightly ambient arena-emo rock sound the three are working on, Dig Deeper holds together a musical nostalgia for people raised on late ’90s/early aught’s, and MTV’s TRL-sound, while the likes of Britain’s John Eden (worked with Sting), Tony Banks (previously worked with Genesis), and engineer Richard Dodd (previously working with Tom Petty, ELO and The Travelling Wilburys) all came together for the occasion with Lines of the Sky in good Christian graces to produce one of the most lyrically catholic, “TV/Radio/Film-friendly songwriting,” (according to their Facebook fan site description) this side of the Bible belt.

Dig Deeper starts with “Thread,” which is where the in-sinuations of the aforementioned Catholicism and “TRL-ness” begin as a thump-bass straight from Korn’s Fieldy, mixing with similar vocals of Brandon Boyd and some snare/hi-hat spurts of Mike Einziger (both from Incubus) that eventually fall into a super-produced Coheed and Cambria sound, adding Jesse’s inspiration that seemingly comes from a confessional booth, ambiguously lyricizing, “Tell your secrets…/Deeper they pour into the fabric…/But it still hurts me…”

The fi nal and title track, “Dig Deeper,” punches through the band’s questioning circumstances with an affi rmation iterated and brought about by three people’s faith in the their Lord and ten strings (assuming Wake-fi eld plays a 4-string bass) and a little bit of the electronic echoing from the keys to lead listeners out.

For more on the band, check out linesinthesky.com, Facebook and iTunes.

— BRYCE HARMON

Lines in the SkyDig Deeper

Eric Zarycki and the persuasion’s On the Night, released Nov. 2, is a 12-track debut based on a four-year journey from the North to the South, and everything that hap-pened along the way. Namely, it’s Zarycki’s journey from Detroit to Nashville, and the Persuasion is the conglomer-ate of local bands Hammertorch (Zarycki on vocals, guitar and organ, Jason Yeary on keys and backing vocals, Jared Forrester on bass and backing vocals and Steve Daly on pedal steel, baritone and guitar) and All We Seabees (Jus-tin Fox on drums and Katie Gifford with backing vocals),

as well as Jason Robinson, also from Detroit, on guitar.

Eric Zarycki and the Persua-sion formed in 2009, but have spent a long time with On the Night, recording the album from March to August of this year at Bomb Shelter Studios in Nashville and producing the album them-selves with Forrester mixing and mastering. Songwriter Zarycki moved south in 2008, however,

so On the Night is really a product of the past four years. And as a journeyman’s Americana album, it’s pretty solid.

Including two bonus demos of “Concrete Jungle” and “Take Good Care of Yourself,” On the Night is 14 tracks of easygoing Americana anthems in the style of The Band, Wilco-esque sing-alongs and folky lullabies not unlike Hank Williams. Gifford’s vocals add a sweet touch here and there, especially on “The Other Side,” distinct, country rock riffs are served up Cardinals style, and pedal steel and organ chime in when you want them to. Hints of the band’s travels shine through like on the mellow but rollicking “Riverside Drive” (“Oh man, it’s time for you to learn something new”) or “Something’s Bound to Happen”. All concrete stuff, but I recommend the sleepier tracks and steel-heavy, old-time numbers “Take Good Care of Yourself,” “Good Is What It Is” and “Mariner’s Dream.” It sounds like the Persuasion is well adjusted to the South.

Eric Zarycki and the Persuasion will celebrate their album release with a show Dec. 8 at Mad Donna’s at 1313 Woodland Street, Nashville. — JESSICA PACE

Eric Zarycki & the PersuasionOn the Night

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.*


FOODCoffee Talkby JUSTIN STOKES

The Pulse team does love its coffee. So we decided to put out an ongoing review of coffee that will cover some of our favorites.

Death Wish Coffee Company:New, and fresh outta New York, Death Wish Coffee Compa-ny has quickly become one of our favorites. Having only been on the market for less than a year, Death Wish Coffee introduces a brew

that is 200 percent more caffeinated than the average cup of coffee (making it currently the strongest coffee on the American market). We are talking INSTANT caffeine. It has a great, full body fl avor that’s not too heavy on the ole tongue. No sugar or creamer is recommended for this bad boy (it is called “Death Wish” after all). An enjoyable, bold fl avor that lends itself to more than just a gimmick and is guaranteed to wake you right the hell up. You may want to limit yourself to one cup, but the “Death Wish Chal-lenge” is yours to take (special order coffee, only available at deathwishcoffee.com).

World Market’s Red Velvet:This coffee tastes EXACTLY as it sounds, like a piece of delicious red velvet cake. Another rich fl avor that even lets you savor sweet hints of ic-

ing (that’s not a joke or us being “artsy”, you can almost taste the icing). Our worry is that people won’t take this coffee seriously, but it’s a strong holiday recom-mendation that works either as a breakfast or dessert blend.

World Market’s Holiday Blend (2012 Edition):A new twist on the Sumatra Ara-bica blend that World Market has, which doesn’t make for a bad cup of coffee. Having said that, the nutcracker on the bag doesn’t justify foregoing Maxwell House.

Just Love’s Kenya AA:As Just Love’s dedica-tion to its “no frills” policy continues, they have brought us a classic Kenya AA roast, which boasts bright acidity but a hint of earthy fresh-ness. It’s a simple, organic coffee with tones so natural you can almost smell Kenyan soil.

Just Love’s Fa-La-La-La-La:We feel that this coffee is a little too similar to the Kenya AA, albeit with hints of citrus at play with a more chocolate-based fl avor. Still very tasty!

Pistachio Nut CakeMakes 12 servings

1 18.25-ounce package white cake 1 3.5-ounce instant pistachio pudding4 eggs²/³ cup vegetable oil1 cup club soda1 cup chopped nuts (pistachios, walnuts or pecans)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and fl our a 9×13-inch pan or 3 layer pans. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and blend well using an electric mixer. Pour into the prepared pan(s). Bake for 40 minutes. Cool. Frost with Pistachio Frosting (Recipe below). Refrigerate the cake when frosted. PISTACHIO FROSTING:1 9-ounce carton whipped topping1 cup milk1 3.5-ounce package instant pista pistachio pudding

In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients using an electric mixer. Let stand for 10 minutes before spreading on the cake.

Veal ParmesanMakes 6 servings

This recipe is courtesy of Miss Daisy’s Healthy Southern Cooking. (You can fi nd more recipes from Miss Daisy King, and share some of your own, at facebook.com/missdaisyskitchen.)

1 pound veal leg round steak½ cup chopped onion1 clove garlic, minced¼ cup chopped green bell pepper1 tablespoon olive oil2 tablespoons freshly grated Par-mesan cheese1 cup tomato sauce1 tablespoon dry red or white wine2 ounces freshly shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Assemble all ingredients and utensils. Cut the veal into 6 3-ounce pieces. Pound each piece to ¼-inch thick-

ness. In a large skillet cook the onion, garlic, and green pepper in oil until tender. Push the mixture to one side of the skillet; add the veal and brown on both sides.In a small bowl combine the Parmesan cheese, tomato sauce, and wine. Pour the mixture over the meat. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 to 25 min-utes or until the meat is tender.Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the meat and sauce. Cover and heat for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Holiday Recipes

by MISS DAISY KING

Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups3 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes1 cup sugar½ teaspoon salt2 eggs¼ cup butter½ cup milk1 teaspoon vanilla extractOrange half shells, pulp removed

TOPPING:1 cup brown sugar¹/³ cup all-purpose fl our1 cup chopped nuts¼ cup butterPreheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, eggs, butter, milk and vanilla. Pour into the or-ange halves. In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, fl our, nuts and butter, and sprinkle over the potato mixture in the orange cups. Bake for 35 minutes.


ART

MTSU’s O’Connor Exhibits at Space Gallery

Inevitable”, recent works by Meghan O’Connor, is currently on display at Space Gallery, 44 Arcade Building, Nashville.This exhibition includes recent lithographs and woodcuts by

O’Connor, and is on display until Dec. 31. This event is free and open to the public.

O’Connor’s work explores her social and cultural desires, fears and experiences that can be related to the larger whole of human existence. She depicts themes of confl ict, struggle, and isolation in response to social and cultural power structures. The work is a rev-elation of external and self-induced deception. It is a representa-tion, questioning, and critique of the state of today’s human nature.

Many of Meghan’s days consist of long hours in the printmak-ing studio getting her hands dirty (or obsessing over keeping them clean!). She loves listening to loud, fast music and collaborating with others. Currently, she is an assistant professor at Middle Tennessee State University, where she teaches foundations and printmaking courses. She also enjoys learning from and making art with folks at the Tennessee State Veteran’s Home in Murfreesboro.

To preview her work, visit curlymeg88.com. For more informa-tion, contact her at [email protected].

Write Impression Unveils Rutherford County Courthouse Ornament

Just in time for the holidays, The Write Impression stationery and gift store announces the release of

the second piece of their “Exclusively, Murfreesboro” collection—a white porcelain china ornament featuring the beautiful antebellum Rutherford County Courthouse.Warm and whimsical, the heirloom quality ornament is a 3.5" x 3.5" two-sided disc with an original black pen-and-ink drawing of the Courthouse on the front side and a brief history of the structure on the other. It comes complete with a colorful ribbon for hanging and gift box as well as compli-

mentary gift wrap. It will add a touch of cheer on any Christmas tree, merrily hanging on a display stand or proudly shown on an easel.

Susan Grear, owner of The Write Impres-sion and a Murfreesboro native said, “We’re so pleased to offer our “Exclusively Murfreesboro” collection. It puts the spotlight on the landmarks of our community and provides a unique holiday treasure for all ages. This year, $5 from the sale of each ornament will go into a fund to help with local historic preservation.”

The series began in 2011 with a commemo-rative plate showing various important sites throughout the county. While popular during the Christmas gift-giving season, the line is an ap-propriate choice for everything from weddings to corporate gifts. The plate and ornament are available year round.

“Both pieces were designed to be a thought-ful expression for anyone you wish to remember and is suitable for many occasions,” said Grear.

“Exclusively Murfreesboro” is available only at The Write Impression, 120 S. Maple St. on the beautiful historic Square in downtown Murfreesboro. Pre-orders and reservations are available by calling the store at (615) 217-2109 or by e-mail at [email protected]. The store will be open until 8 p.m. every Friday until Dec. 21.

I never realized how many opportunities there were for people with creative minds until I

saw the variety of occupations represented at the Express Yourself Arts Conference,” noted one student participant. “My favorite was Honor Ra-conteur. Such excellent writing advice. Such witty encouragement. She was a joy to learn from!”

At the sixth annual Express Yourself Arts Conference on Nov. 8 at World Outreach in Murfreesboro, 60 high school students were given the opportunity to study with and learn from successful artists in a series of workshops.

During the painting class, Chris Weeks, from Painting with a Twist, showed students simple techniques for giving depth to a landscape of trees. Students in the visual arts track also got to learn sculpting techniques from Kay Curie and Lewis Snyder from Studio S Pottery.

Performing arts track students were given the chance to work out their aggressions without

actually hurting anyone during a class on stage combat conducted by Greg Wilson. The Dabblers worked up an appetite in a Salsa class led by dance instructors Paco Ramos and Angela Armstrong.

“It is thrilling to hear how much students received from this experience,” said Lee Rennick, executive director of the Business Education Partnership Foundation, one of the organizers of the event. “One said she hit a higher note than she had ever hit in Charlie Parker’s voice class and another was excited she learned to draw a human body in Lauren Rudd’s fashion illustration class. These are

the kinds of stories that make the whole event worthwhile. It gives the kids confi dence.”

There was also a panel discussion on the “Business of Art” including graphic designer Sheana Firth, furnishing design specialist Marianne Miller, Screen Art owner Mike Bickford, Latin Grammy-nominated sound engineer J.C. Monterrosa and jewelry designer Bob Lanier, followed by a discussion of arts advocacy by Pat Blankenship, founder of Children’s Academy Theatre of Tennessee (CATT). For more information about EYAC, visit rutherfordbep.org.

“

“

Students Receive Hands-on Arts Training from Pros


Dia le los Muertos, Remembering the Dead

The staff of Blue Agave Mexican Restaurant on Church Street celebrated Dia de los Muertos on Saturday, Nov. 3, to

bring a new tradition to Murfreesboro and share one of the biggest Latin American holidays with its customers.

What began as an Aztec tradition has spread across all of Latin America; generally celebrated every Nov. 2, families and friends remember their lost loved ones every year on Dia de los Muertos, translated “Day of the Dead.”

“We try to blend in with the dead to make them feel welcome,” said Blue Agave owner Armando Lopez of the elaborate face paint his team wore. “We believe the dead come to eat with us this day.”

A colorful altar in the center of the restaurant is another big component of Dia de los Muer-tos. People set up these alters in remembrance of a specific relative or friend who has passed away.

“At the altar, we put food and drink that they like, whatever they like to eat,” Lopez said. “It’s not a time to party. It’s very religious, very deep,” he said of the holiday.

In Mexico, loved ones not only decorate cemeteries, but sometimes actually spend the night in the graveyard where their deceased loved one stays.

Jose Vera, the artist who created the murals at Blue Agave, was on hand at the restaurant to paint the staff’s faces, with great detail and care.

Lopez says he intends for the team at Blue Agave to make an annual tradition of Dia de los Muertos and continue sharing the culture and this holiday that means so much to the people of Mexico and other Central American countries with the people of Murfreesboro.

THEATER

DECEMBER PERFORMANCES1�THE EIGHT7:30 p.m. Nov. 30, Dec. 1–2 and 6–9Beards & Bulls**t Comedy Festival9 p.m. Dec. 13–15Michael Adcock– Stand-up Comedy9 p.m. Dec. 20–22Riley Fox–Stand-Up Comedy8:30 p.m. Dec. 27–29Out Front on Main1511 E. Main St.outfrontonmain.com

2�A CHRISTMAS CAROL7:30 p.m. Dec. 7, 8, 14 and 15; 4:30 p.m. Dec. 9, 16Lamplighter’s Theater14119 Old Nashville Hwy., Smyrnalamplighterstheatre.com

3�IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE7 p.m. Nov. 30, Dec. 1, 7, 8, 14 and 15; 2 p.m. Dec. 2, 9 and 16Murfreesboro Center for the Arts110 W. College St.boroarts.org

4�THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE7:30 p.m. Dec. 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22; 2 p.m. Dec. 9 and 16,The Arts Center of Cannon County1424 John Bragg Hwy.artscenterofcc.com

5�THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER7 p.m. Dec. 7, 8, 14 and 15; 2 p.m. Dec. 16Murfreesboro Little Theatre702 Ewing Ave.mltarts.com

39 Steps

Cheaper by the Dozen


4

1

2

3

WinSEASON TICKETS to Out Front

on Mainpage 20

Riley Fox

MOVIESI DIDN’T KNOW MUCH about Life of Pi go-ing into it, and I think that might be the best way to view it. So you can take my advice and stop reading right here, or, if you’re more of the skeptical type, requiring reason and logic to support such fantastic claims (such as a 5-Pulse rating), by all means, continue reading and allow me the chance to convince you to believe in Life of Pi.

What I did know about this marvelous movie wasn’t anything impressive. It is an adaptation of a critically acclaimed novel (more often a negative than a positive), it is directed by Ang Lee (a director with a penchant for attempting to create wondrous beauty while only achieving grandiose sentimentality), and the majority of it takes place on a life raft with a man and tiger (sounds like a short movie). All these variables could have resulted in what very well ought to

be a mediocre inspirational family fi lm.For example, the fi lm follows the epony-

mous Pi much like Forrest Gump follows its hero, from a unique and awkward child whose family owns a zoo, to his teen years partially stranded in the middle of the Pacifi c on a life boat with a large carnivorous cat, to his adult years recalling his life to a young author in search of a good story. And, like another Tom Hanks fi lm, Pi is a castaway on the world’s smallest fl oating island.

But unlike these Hanks/Zemeckis schmaltz-fests, Life of Pi manages to be both fantastical and restrained. Where other directors would throw in a shark-attack action sequence, Lee uses them as the ever-present reminder of the dangerous and alien world Pi is thrown into. Life of Pi doesn’t exclude any of the tradi-tional story elements that make great stories,

but it does use them in traditionally unHol-lywood ways. Don’t expect anyone to fi nd Pi’s message in a bottle.

For a castaway story, the fi lm hits the genre signposts and then takes the less obvious routes. It’s the performances and cinematogra-phy that really sell this approach. Irrfan Khan embodies the adult Pi recounting his extraordi-nary experiences, and newcomer Suraj Sharma completely captures teenage Pi’s inextinguish-

able spirit. Visually, Life of Pi blows everything else out of the water. The CGI is nearly invis-ible, yet completely essential and in service of a story about the power and beauty of Life. Also this fi lm boasts quite possibly the best, in terms of most thrilling and visually stunning, depic-tion of a shipwreck, ever. Go see this movie at a theater. It demands to be seen larger than life. Not a minute of your time will be wasted.

— JAY SPIGHT

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


FOR THE DANIEL CRAIG RUN of the James Bond franchise, I am actually of two minds: There’s a part of me that feels there is something really cool about seeing a more realistic Bond, a move in continuance with the trend started in the superhero genre, thanks in part to people like Christopher Nolan for his interpretation of Bat-man. But there’s also a part of me that feels that the last two Bond movies felt a little hollow. With director Sam Mendes taking to the franchise after a four-year hiatus, the Bond fi lm takes on a darker tone with Skyfall, the latest installment.

After being presumed dead, James Bond resurfaces when a cyber-terrorist decides to blow up MI-6 headquarters, discovering the terrorist to be someone who knows all of their secrets. To save them, Bond must confront his own secrets and demons fi rst before he can stop those who wish to destroy M and the rest of MI-6.

The movie is visually stunning, containing the best opening sequence for a Bond movie I’ve seen (as well as one of the best Bond songs, “Skyfall” by Adele). This is the fi rst Bond fi lm

for me that actually pulled off fear as a theme, constantly “upping the ante” for our favorite hero in a fashion that didn’t seem too far-fetched (as many have claimed prior Bond fi lms to be campy). The fi lm even has one or two mo-ments in which it actually scares you.

The best part of the movie is perhaps the most obvious: the fi lm’s antagonist Raoul Silva. Played by Javier Bardem, Silva really stands out in this fi lm, adding touches of humor, intimacy and creepiness not really seen in other Bond villains.

In addition to the above, what is also en-joyed is a question in the fi lm that functions as a theme: “Where does James Bond and the British Secret Service lie in a world of techno-logical dependence?” James Bond is, after all, a character who is 50 years old, and very much a product of the spy novel’s heyday. The fi lm asks “Can this iconic character withstand the tests of time?”, ultimately giving you an answer that will leave you . . . wait for it . . .

Shaken. Not stirred. — JUSTIN STOKES

EASILY ANOTHER ONE OF this year’s best fi lms, Wreck-It Ralph hits the ground running as another modern Disney clas-sic, thanks to the fresh tone set for the fi lm by Rich Moore (a director from Futura-ma and The Simpsons). It’s a movie that hits on all levels, offering a world of bright colors and silly puns one minute, and hard-hitting emotions and theme the next.

The story is of a classic video game villain, named “Wreck-It” Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) who is sick of being a villain and longs for recognition for being a good person. Tired of his fellow video game characters taking advantage of his role as the bad guy, “Wreck-It” Ralph ventures outside of the world of his video game to earn a medal so he can be seen as an equal to his protagonist counterpart “Fix-It” Felix Jr. (30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer). Unbeknownst to him, “Wreck-It” Ralph has jeopardized not only the other characters from his video game (as arcade-goers think his video game is broken without him) but

also created a world of chaos for the other games in the arcade. Crash-landing in an-other arcade game called Sugar Rush, Ralph meets Vanellope von Schweetz, a friend in the video game who is actually a glitch. It is with her company as they evade the authorities in Sugar Rush that Ralph realizes that the real victory isn’t in the medal, trophy or high score, but how the game is played.

This movie was a really cute, really fun movie that the whole family can not only have a great time with, but really appreci-ate. It creates an instant urge to revisit your nearest arcade and play some old-school video games. What’s more, the movie offers some very clever twists and turns that you really don’t see coming.

I highly recommend that everyone see this fi lm, and I dare you not to love it. Without giving anything else away, just try to walk away from the fi lm and not feel in a great mood.

— JUSTIN STOKES

SKYFALL

Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Bérénice Marlohe, Ben WhishawDirected by Sam MendesRated PG

WRECK-IT RALPH

Starring: John. C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Ed O'NeillDirected by Rich MooreRated PG

LIFE OF PI

Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan KhanDirected by Paul Ang LeeRated PG


VERY FEW THINGS IN THIS WORLDspark more emotion or controversy than that of religious beliefs. Even those who do not feel a spiritual tug, often fi nd that they are offended by other people’s religiously based espousals. Peace and meaningful tolerance are things that we must ac-tively work toward if they are to ever be achieved. Please cherish your religious freedom, and please fi ght for others’ rights to theirs as well.

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) is a rock musical directed by Norman Jewison. It’s brilliantly scored by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with thoughtful lyrics pro-vided by Tim Rice. Ted Neely plays Jesus Christ, and Carl Anderson plays Judas Iscariot. Not only is the adult life of Jesus audaciously portrayed by hippies, but Jesus

Christ Superstar is told from the contro-versial point of view of his betrayer, Judas. That being so, the material is handled with much care, and it is one of the few musi-cals that I have viewed repeatedly.

The Believer (2001) is directed by Henry Bean, and stars a young Ryan Gossling. Religious intolerance and hated is deeply examined in this powerful fi lm. Gossling gives an amazing performance as he tries to prove himself in a world of Neo-Nazis. The Believer is inspired by a true story, which shares a similar revela-tion. Seeing the way through the diffi cult material is certainly rewarding.

You can also find Living Room Cinema on Facebook and Tumblr.

LIVING ROOM CINEMA column by NORBERT THIEMANN

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On Religion

Finally, we fi nd out what the paranormal ac-tivity actually is: it’s the ghost of the dead horse this franchise has been beating since day one.

When a creepy kid from next door loses his mom, the family from across the street (whose names aren’t worth remembering) says “What the Hell!” and decides to take in a kid they’ve never met. As soon as they adopt the little bas-tard, strange things suddenly begin occurring in the house of the temporary foster family, leading to one silly jump scare after another.

Oh, good God, where do I begin? Well, I’ll take it from the top. As mentioned above, this movie really does things without rhyme or reason. So much happens that really doesn’t further the plot. Why does a demon that can possess a person, body slam another and snap a third person’s neck need to outsource its work to a cult? Also, why is it biding its time until people almost discover its plot? Couldn’t this “coven” and its demon master simply go about their plans without hurting the whole family?

What’s actually worse here is the manner in which the protagonist goes about discovering the demon by using all of the family members’ laptops which, despite being made to be por-table, conveniently stay in the same place over a course of 12 or so days. Perhaps MacBooks can go more than a week without being charged.

This horror movie is the worst of the four, mainly because people are savvy to the trick now. And I fi nd it deplorable that the people who decry typical horror movies for being torture porn and showing no innovation or character RAVE about these cinematic garbage dumps, describing the stories with terms such as “suspense” and “slow burn” to make you think that they know what they’re talking about.

It’s a boring fi lm in which you watch furni-ture move. It’s getting really old. And if you’re impressed with this fi lm, then you are the reason why we can’t have nice things.

— JUSTIN STOKES

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4

Starring: Katie Featherston, Kathryn Newton, Stephen Dunham, Matt ShivleyDirected by Henry Joost, Ariel SchulmanRated R


Ho, Ho, Ho! the Train Daddy is back and I know exactly how Santa Claus feels; Mrs. Claus is probably giving the fat man all kind of trouble this time of the season, that Ho, Ho, Ho and

Merry Christmas! I love Santa Claus and have since I fi rst saw him when I was 5 years old; me and Saint Nicky (that’s what I call him) have thrown back a few brews and watched many December football games with each other. He likes to get away from the Old Lady from time to time, and even though I prefer the NFL, he is defi nitely a college guy, he loves the Bowl games.

I have no clue why, but Santa is a Notre Dame fan and is loyal; his favorite movie is Rudy and he hates cookies. He actually loves beer and cheese, it’s all he eats and his favorite cheese is hands down the Gouda! As excited as the fat guy is for Notre Dame, he knows that they don’t stand a chance against Alabama in the National Champion-ship game, and I fully agree with Santa. What the Fighting Irish have accomplished this season is great for their program and fans; you have a great team,

a Heisman hopeful and a perfect season, some close and controversial games like the goal-line stand against Stanford and the triple overtime game vs. Pitt.

The fact is we have Alabama vs. Notre Dame and there is no chance in the world, and I never talk that confi dent, but this is a good Notre Dame team that has had some luck of the Irish on their side going up against Nick Saban and the Powerhouse Tide; the Tide will Roll with ease! No one stands a chance against the SEC come title time.

I guess my last column was spot on. It was really the fi rst time I mentioned my complete distaste for the progress of Derek Dooley and my wish for his dismissal, and two weeks later

they canned him. I guess the Volunteers’ front offi ce read my article and took my advice, so thank me for the fi ring of Dooley! I hope whoever becomes the next head coach of Tennessee is the right man for the job. It’s been rough for Big Orange. I do know one thing though that there are some serious Tennessee fans out there who desperately want to be back on top,

and I am one of them. The fi ery passion and anger is a good thing because once the right system is in place and things start heading in the right direction, that anger and passion will explode into a chaotic celebra-tion of Tennessee Vol fans who deserve to be back on top. Rocky Top, baby!

I can’t wait until next season when college football goes to to its four-team playoff system. Just imagine how much more excited the country would be right now if the system was already in place; we would have a four-team playoff with Notre Dame, Bama, Florida and Oregon. I just was never a fan of a team possibly losing one game and it coming down to a computer system computing numbers and deciding the fate of these teams.

Recently, star NFL receiver Brandon Marshall stated that he heard some players were using Viagra to gain an edge on the fi eld. Teammate Lance Briggs practically broke down into tears from laughter at the idea of Marshall’s statement. Many experts claim it’s unlikely the erectile dysfunction drug would help a pro football player excel. I don’t really want to think about this, but I can only imagine every player on the Titans popping the little blue pill prior to a game, a bunch of huge athletes with woodies making tackles, and I don’t want to even imagine what the locker room would be like. A science director at the World Doping Agency noted that research in high altitudes found benefi ts, but research has shown no effect on athletes' performance at sea level. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said, “Viagra is not a banned substance” and refused to make any other comments. You can think what you want about this. Maybe it does give you that extra step on the fi eld; maybe it does noth-ing more than, well, you know what it does. In my opinion, I would say Viagra probably helps; they say the game is a game of inches.

Who do you have as your Super Bowl prediction? The Train Daddy has from the AFC the Denver Bron-cos and from the NFC the New York Giants. That’s right, I am calling for a Manning brother Super Bowl, and that is the same game I called from day one! Eli is legit and Manning Blood is pure come playoff time.

Check out the Train on boropulse.com, where I break down the rest of the NFL contenders.

I hope everyone out there has a Merry Christ-mas and a Happy New Year. I always preach about the 5 F’s, (it’s my recipe to a successful holiday). It involves Faith, Food, Family, Friends and Football! So everyone have faith in God, watch football, eat food, spend time with family and kick it with your friends. Always remember to spend that quality time and cherish every moment; it goes by fast. I sincerely wish a Merry Christmas to you all; my family and I will be thanking God for all we have.

The Train is out the Station; Chooo Choooo!

SANTA, PLAYOFFS, VIAGRA, AND THE MANNINGS

SPORTS TALKcolumn by Z-TRAIN

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SPORTS

In the 2012 Boro Dash, a 4-miler held Thanksgiving morning, Keith Daviscompleted the course in just over 20 minutes.

Yes, that is four consecutive fi ve-min-ute miles; the 20:37 top fi nishing time put the MTSU Track distance runner and Oakland High graduate at a mile pace of 5:10.

Taylor Cuneo, a 12-year-old from Lascassas and member of the Oakland Middle School team, posted the top time among females, fi nishing in 26:07, for a 6:32-per-mile pace.

Coming up on Saturday, Dec. 8, the Stones River Country Club will host the annual Frosty Fun Run, benefi ting C.A.S.A. and Bob Parks Christmas for the Children, providing Christmas gifts for Rutherford County children who otherwise would have nothing to open on Christmas morning.

The course, just short of fi ve miles, winds through the Country Club golf course, and this year also includes a two-mile option.

The run begins at 7 a.m. There is no timing system provided; it’s just for fun!

For more information, visit nashvillesports.com/frostyfunrun.

Remember, the more you run, the easier it gets. The more days you take off, the harder it is to get back to your pace.

Don’t let the holidays get you off of your routine; you lose lung capac-ity taking those days off. Take a long morning run on days of holiday feasts. Build up a ravenous appetite. Then eat well, reward yourself sensibly, but don’t go totally crazy and eat entire pies and 4,000-calorie meals; enjoy some treats on Christmas, but don’t live on leftover cake and sausage balls and candy for the next two weeks.

Stay focused on improving your body. Burning fat and improving lung capac-ity and cardiovascular health can be a Christmas present to yourself.

— BRACKEN MAYO

and I am one of them. The

the right system is in place

DAVIS WINS BORO DASH, JOIN FROSTY FOR THE KIDS

Boro Dash top fi nishers Keith Davis (left) and Taylor Cuneo

december 2012 murfreesboro pulse

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