- Issue Archive for
- Aug 23-29, 2007
- Vol. 1, No. 965
News
The Battle Over the National Civil Rights Museum's Future
Not all the politics going on just now is electoral. Some of it has to do with fundamental realignments in the body politic itself. A case in point: the escalating furor in Memphis' African-American community over the future of the National Civil Rights Museum.
At issue is whether the museum continues to be a publicly funded institution
Ford Seeks Mercy; Judge Delays Sentence Until Tuesday
John Ford asked a federal judge for mercy Monday but he'll have to wait until Tuesday to find out if he gets it.
Speaking for 10 minutes at the end of a nearly five-hour sentencing hearing, Ford told U.S. District Judge Daniel Breen he accepts "total responsibility" for his acts ...
Fox Trot
More red foxes are calling East Memphis home.
After 10 Hours In Iraq, Sens. Corker And Alexander See "Clear Success"
Returning from a trip to Iraq, Republican Tennessee Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker "gave an upbeat report on progress in Iraq" to reporters this morning.
Alexander said a strategy devised by General Petraeus to work with local leaders and win them over to the U.S. cause has shown "clear success, province by province ...
Lunar Eclipse to Occur Early Tuesday
If you're itching to see an eclipse of the moon, you're in luck. That is, if you're willing to get up in the middle of the night.
The accompanying chart explains the time frame for the event. Suffice to say, you'll either have to stay up late or get up early to see it.
Blue Ridge Paper Products Moving Headquarters to Memphis
Blue Ridge Paper Products is moving its headquarters to Memphis from North Carolina. From the the Asheville Citizen-Times:
One of Western North Carolina's largest employers is moving its home office to Memphis and will lose its top executive and financial officer, according to a company memo to workers ...
Women in Black
Since March 2003, they've stood vigil in Cooper-Young.
Fresh Produce For Sale at Memphis Botanic Gardens
When you're craving a juicy summer tomato, Saturday can't come fast enough. That's the day when local farmers peddle hot-off-the-garden-plot produce at the Memphis Farmer's Market downtown.
Now, there's a mid-week option ...
SRVS Wine Tasting Fund-Raiser Set for Saturday
SRVS (Shelby Residential and Vocational Services) organizer John Barzizza hopes his group will set a new record at this weekend's "Spirit of SRVS" wine-tasting and silent auction fund-raiser Saturday night, 6 p.m., at the Hilton Ridgelake Blvd.
SRVS clients range from the mildly retarded to those living in a nearly vegetative state ...
John Ford Sentenced to 66 Months in Prison
Former Tennessee state senator John Ford was sentence to 66 months in prison this morning. Flyer senior editor John Branston is at the court house and will file a full report later today on MemphisFlyer.com.
Q&A: Richard Ranta,
Dean of the U of M's College of Communication and Fine Arts
"Women in Black" Sustain Protest in Memphis
It's straight-up noon on a hot Memphis Wednesday and Pamela McFarland is the first to arrive at the front steps of First Congregational Church in Cooper-Young. Dressed in black, she has come here to join the Women in Black vigil almost every Wednesday since the invasion of Iraq. "Because," she says, "it is something I can do."
The Rev. Cheryl Cornish, First Congregational's pastor, rests several black foam boards against the base of one of the church's columns. As Julia Hicks, the church's director of missions, sets up a conga drum, more women arrive. Some they know; some are strangers, here for the first time ...
Barred at the Gate
State sued over Gateway exams.
Urban Fashion Week Hits Memphis
It’s been said that Memphis style is about five years behind what’s hot in other major cities, but local fashionistas beg to differ. Join local designers, fashion industry insiders, and some of the city’s hot models for Urban Fashion Week. ...
How Hot IS It In Memphis?
It's so damned hot the city of Memphis has started calling its community centers "cooling centers."
The mayor's office recently sent out a media advisory suggesting that Memphis Community Centers are open as cooling centers from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m.
"Residents are urged to seek shelter
Haley Barbour's Lobbying Firm Contracts to Undermine Iraq President
CNN is reporting that Barbour, Griffin & Rogers, the powerful lobbying firm founded by Mississippi governor Haley Barbour, has a contract with an opponent of Iraqi prime minister Maliki.
From CNN: A powerhouse Republican lobbying firm with close ties to the White House has begun a public campaign to undermine the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki
"Eyes Wide Open" to be Shown in Downtown Memphis
The Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, in cooperation with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), will honor fallen U.S. military personnel and Iraqi civilians with its traveling exhibition: Eyes Wide Open: The Cost of War to Tennessee.
The exhibit will be on display in Federal Plaza ...
John Ford Sentencing: He "Used and Abused" His Power
U.S. District Judge Daniel Breen sentenced John Ford Tuesday to 66 months in prison, which means the senator, now 65, will be at least 71 when he is a free man.
Breen said the sentencing guideline range for Ford's bribery conviction was 78-97 months. The judge said Ford "used and abused" his power. He was "a person of greed and avarice but also a person who assisted others ...
Former Downtown Bank Building May Survive
It looks as if a bank across the street from AutoZone Park that was slated for demolition might be saved or at least will not come down without a fight.
The former C&I Bank Building, opened in 1972, has a distinctive atrium and sloping glass front side. It is on the north side of Madison across from the ballpark and next door to the long-abandoned Sterrick Building ...
Memphis' Mighty Mouse: Another Roadside Attraction
Disneyland is home to a pretty famous mouse, and it turns out a rodent in Memphis is getting its fair share of the limelight, too.
The giant cheese-nibbling rodent on the roof of Atomic Pest Control ...
A Cool Video Guide Site
TurnHere.com is a nifty little website that features short films about places around the world. If you're curious about almost anyplace, from Cali, Colombia to Chico, Calfornia, there's a film about it.
And yep, there's one about Memphis.
PETA Names AutoZone Park In Top 10 List for Vegetarians
Each year, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) ranks major league ball parks according to how much vegetarian fare is offered at the concession stands.
This year, they also surveyed over 130 minor league parks ...
Road Trip
U of M biodiesel hits highway.
The Sultan of Sushi
Restauranteur Jimmy Ishii is a man of many talents.
Joybubbles, RIP
Making waves across the Internet is the passing of phone-hacking pioneer Josef Carl Engressia Jr., aka Joybubbles. Joybubbles lived in Memphis for a time, where he was convicted of phone fraud...
Ostrander Awards Sunday
It has been a good year for Memphis theater. But just who will take home a coveted Ostrander Community Theatre Award?
Click here for a list of nominees. The award ceremony is Sunday at the Memphis Botanic Garden. Cocktails are served at 6 p.m. The ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m.
Guy Sebastian Is Apparently Still in Memphis
It's already Sunday in Australia, which means only one thing, mates: Guy Sebastian's Memphis Diary is online!
Here's a sample of this week's riveting action: "We would begin a session with everyone relaxing having a cup of coffee and telling stories ...
We Recommend
Music
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Kanye "Hearts" JT
Kanye West says in the September issue of XXL magazine that Justin Timberlake is his biggest inspiration and his biggest competition.
In fact, the rapper says that Memphis’ favorite former boy-bander is the only contemporary musician as influential as him...
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All About Ben
Texas alt-rocker Ben Kweller turns his one-man record into a full-band live show.
Two Weeks Notice
Crash Kole & The Bluesouls (CMK Records)
Politics
Mayoral Shuffling as the Race Bears On
Why is this man dancing (the Cupid Shuffle, in this case)? With barely more than a month to go, we look at what Mayor Herenton and his opponents are up to.
What Does Tinker Think, and When Will She Think It?
Once again, as in 2006, corporate attorney Nikki Tinker is mounting a campaign for Congress with big-time help from assorted surrogates. But what are the candidate's own views on issues like the Hate Crimes Bill?
"Rudy, Call Me." Giuliani Hires Ad Firm That Created Infamous Corker Ad
The Huffington Post's Grant Perry opines on Rudy Giuliani's hiring of infamous Republican media firm, Scott Howell & Co:
"Clearly, Howell's greatest achievement came in the victory of Bob Corker over Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. in the Kentucky U.S. Senate race ...
Forum Fever
Last week's gathering of mayoral candidates was one of many on this year's election agenda.
POLITICS: Mayoral Shuffling
Memphis mayoral candidates continue to campaign as is their wont. PLUS: Plus: Cohen gets some ministerial defense; Richard Fields rides again; This and that.
EDITORIAL: What Does Tinker Think?
For her own credibility, we think it is incumbent that
Tinker herself address for the record the Hate Crimes Bill -- and other issues of
the day, for that matter. That's how she'll win our respect.
Fred Thompson's Indianapolis Fund-Raiser Draws Mixed Reactions
From the McClatchy Newspapers: INDIANAPOLIS - "I'm with Fred" enticed the placards set up here at the Midwest Republican Leadership Conference at a table touting the non-campaign of actor, ex-senator and possible presidential candidate Fred Thompson.
In exchange for a $250 check, the faithful and the curious could enter a private room to meet Thompson, a political insider playing the outsider who might be the nation's next Ronald Reagan — or might not even run ...
Sports
Seth Adams to Start Opener for Ole Miss Against Tigers
(AP) -- Former walk-on Seth Adams will be the starting quarterback when Mississippi takes the field September 1st against the University of Memphis, coach Ed Orgeron announced Friday ...
FROM MY SEAT: Tiger Football Kickoff!
The U of M-Ole Miss opener serves as a barometer for just how narrow (or large) the gap remains between a team fighting for Conference USA supremacy and a team aiming to break from SEC mediocrity.
Tigers vs. Rebs: The Rivalry Continues
Once again, the U of M-Ole Miss opener serves as a barometer for just how narrow (or large) the gap remains between a team fighting for Conference USA supremacy and a team aiming to break from SEC mediocrity ...
Theater
The Greatest
The Ostrander Awards honor excellence in acting, directing, and stage design.
Film
Welcome to the Occupation
Iraq war documentary No End in Sight is a sober, detailed account of a man-made tragedy.
"No End in Sight"
"Saddam hurt us badly, it's true. This is something we won't forget. But what came is worse than Saddam." -- Iraqi man at Baghdad market in No End in Sight
What is most troubling about the endlessly repeated assertion that "the world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power" is not just that it sounds so seductively true ...
Opinion
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Letter from the Editor
The Dutch name for August is "Oostmaand," which derives from the sound one makes when the backs of one's thighs come in contact with the leather seat of a car ...
"Improvident Borrower"
How a Memphis home loan staggered Wall Street and the global economy.
Museum Politics
The struggle over control of the Lorraine Motel site reflects a dilemma in the black community.
Books
A Rock and Roll Life in Words and Pictures
In the spring of 1962, Tom Wright was in his late teens and an American studying photography at Ealing Art School in London. He was also already a heavy drinker and pot smoker, but he had two things going for him: talent and an impressive R&B record collection. Then he met Pete Townshend ...
Joseph Finder At Horseshoe Sunday
Novelist Joseph Finder, who'll be signing his new book at Horseshoe this weekend, has a knack for predicting the future. In The Moscow Club, he described a fictional coup in the Kremlin, and six months later, an actual coup in the Kremlin was attempted. In The Zero Hour, terrorists attack lower Manhattan, and several years later there was 9/ll. ...
Photo Finish
The life and times of Tom Wright: just add nitro to glycerin.
Food & Wine
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Detroit News Plugs Morgan Freeman's Restaurant
Who'd expect the Detroit News to write about Southern cooking or Memphis native Morgan Freeman? Yet the paper's Steve Austin, in his column "Fave Foods of the Famous," did just that recently.
He called Freeman and Bill Luckett's restaurant Madidi, in Clarksdale, Mississippi, "one of the nation's finest ...
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A to Z
Dining by Neighborhood
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Glass of Green
An environmentally friendly approach to winemaking.
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Lulu Grille To Close
After more than 16 years serving Memphis diners, Lulu Grille is closing its doors. "I love what I do," says Leigh McLean, who opened the East Memphis restaurant with her former husband Don in 1991.
"Financial reasons are causing me to close ..."
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Mississippi is Number One -- For Obesity
(AP) - Experts say Mississippians need to skip the gravy, say no to the fried pickles and start taking brisk walks to fight an epidemic of obesity.
According to a new study, this Deep South state is now the fattest in the nation ...
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