The Parthenon featured on premier episode of Travel Channel’s new series Park Secrets

 

Premier episode airs Wednesday, April 18 at 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., CST

 

 

Nashville, TN ---The Parthenon is featured on the premiere episode of Park Secrets, the Travel Channels new six-episode, half-hour series featuring hidden  gems in America’s parks. “Bright Lights, Big City,” the premier episode, airs at 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 18   in Nashville on cable channel 66. 

 

Here’s the channel’s description of the episode “Bright Lights, Big City” featuring the Parthenon.

 

“Centennial Park’s Parthenon might be well known to most Nashvillians, but we’ll let you in on a  little secret – there’s more here than meets the eye!

 

“Did you know that each column is a different diameter? That the doors are 24 feet tall, 6-and-a-half  feet wide, and one foot thick? That it took only 10 years to build this full-scale model (as compared to the 133 years ancient Greeks spent toiling on the original)? That the statue of Athena is coated in $200,000 worth of gold—and that though she looks as hard as a rock, she’s empty inside? That it was built to secure the Southern city’s reputation as “The Athens of the South?” Now you do.

 

“Park Secrets shares these details and more in our special episode about an inner city monument that deserves a fresh new look, and the park’s Executive Director Wesley Paine takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour to remember—one that’s guaranteed to give your audience fresh insights and appreciation for this modern rendition of an ancient marvel.”

 

The episode also features two other popular spots in Nashville – Hog Heaven and the Hermitage Hotel.

My Comment

I am bullish on Nashville. I love this city and am not embarrassed to say so.  I love our honky tonks and live music and the Grand ole Opry and our restaurants and our parks and our architectural gems and a lot of other stuff.  I feel fortunate to live here. I would not want to live anywhere else. I feel pride anytime Nashville gets recognized.

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Art Break: Portrait of Big Granny

Portrait of  Big Granny by Ouida Williams

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Are teachers underpaid?

Hourly Pay vs. Other Professions

It may surprise you that the average teacher's hourly wage is very competitive with many professions, including private sector jobs such as accounting. In many districts teachers are also paid for the extra hours they spend in professional development training. Besides the base hourly rate, there are many other ways teachers are able to supplement their income - tutoring, coaching, summer school, getting a higher degree and more. (link)

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Metro schools seek $50M more from city - WSMV Channel 4

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - Posted: Apr 13, 2012 6:08 AM CDT, Reported by Cara Kumari 

Metro school administrators made a push Friday for a big budget increase in the upcoming school year. They met with Mayor Karl Dean for budget hearings this morning.
Schools Director Dr. Jesse Register has said he wants about $50 million more to run the school system.

That money will pay salaries for 100 new teachers and to cover the operating costs for the new Cane Ridge Elementary School.  The school system would also like to increase the pay of teachers' starting salary from $35,000 to $40,000. Register said the city is losing out on qualified teachers because of the low starting pay. link

We can "nickle-and-dime" the rest of the budget but unless people are willing to say no to greater funding for the schools, a tax increase is in our future.

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Dean noncommittal on funding Metro schools' budget request | Nashville City Paper

Dean noncommittal on funding Metro schools' budget request

Friday, April 13, 2012, By Joey Garrison, City Paper

 

After hearing Metro school officials discuss $723 million in education needs, Mayor Karl Dean was noncommittal Friday on whether his administration would be able to fully fund the district’s massive proposed increase in the upcoming budget.

“We have things we’re going to have to look at,” Dean said when asked whether the school board’s request for a $48.9 million budget increase is a realistic figure to fund. He added that public education remains a top focus. (link)

This is encouraging, but I am still expecting a proposal from the mayor for a big tax increase and unfortunately I don't think the council will reject it, unless there is a massive objection from the public.

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Nashville culinary ethnic diversity recognized and appreciated.

Featurette: Nolensville Road Tour

Alimentum's first Nashville Eat & Greet Tour left participants sated and smiling. We sampled a cross-cultural world of tasty morsels up and down Nashville's Nolensville Road. Here's a peek at our moveable feast! (link)

I love the ethnic restaurants up and down Nolensville Rd. I am glad to see the this diverse international strip get recognized. For Thai, I like Thai Star at 63 East Thompson Lane; for Kurdish, House of Kabob at 216 Thompson Ln right next to the railroad underpass; for real authentic Mexican it is La  Hacienda at 2615 Nolensville Rd, and for my Asian cooking shopping I shop at the Interasian Market 2160 Nolensville Rd. There are others I have sampled. I have yet to try to Ethiopian Restaurants. If you haven't visited any of these restaurants, skip the chains one night and be adventurous.

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Do not fund the Metro Human Relations Commission

Metropolitan Human Relations Commission

 By Fred Cloud , Nashville 

In 1970 Cloud assumed the post of executive director and remained in that position until 1990. In 1995 after a five-year hiatus in the life of the commission caused by a discontinuation of operating funds, the budget was reinstated under Mayor Philip Bredesen. Anthea Boarman became the new executive director. Throughout its existence, the staff of the Metropolitan Human Rights Commission has assumed leadership roles in both state and national human rights organizations. (link)

I knew that sometime during the time I served in the Metro Council that we had not funded the Human Relations Commission.  I worked hard to deny the agency funding. I could not recall for how long nor what year the agency was defunded. I left the Council in 1990. It must have been that 1990 was the year we defunded it and that the funding was not restored until 1995. 

I was unaware that we had no Commission form 1990-1995.  This is an agency that indoctrinates and organizes people for liberal causes. Not all of their causes are bad, however there are liberal advocacy groups to do the advocating for these causes. Taxpayers money should not be used to promote a liberal agenda.

Council: Please do not fund the Metro Human Relations Commission.

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What happened at the 4/10/2012 School Board meeting: Not much, and budget hearings.

Unless you are a political junkie like me, you really do not want to watch a meeting of the School Board. They are BORING! School Board meetings however are actually less boring than Council meetings. More opinions are expressed and the meetings are less tightly scripted and controlled. The School Board, unlike Metro Council allows for public participation at each meeting. You can get your School Board agenda here.

Below is a summary of the meeting.

Jim Buckley a spokesman for the steel Workers union addresses the Board (2:39)and thanks the board for the proposed 2% pay increase for transportation workers and asks that the pay increase be distributed on a "weighted average hourly basis."

Doug Collier of the SEIU local 205 addresses the board (4:40) and proposes dividing the amount of money available for pay increases equally between all employees as opposed to allocating the available money by giving percentage increases.

Representative Mike Turner expresses his concern (7:00) that the School Board has allied itself with the forces that are allied with "charter School people" and the "voucher school people" and the "virtual School people" rather than "traditional school people."  Turner gets a round of applause.

Representative Mike Stewart (9:17) criticizes the Board for the MNPS's failure to enter into a MOU with the unions and says nothing the State Legislature did had anything to do with the relationship between the School Board and the SEIU. He gets applause.

Lisa Johnson a parent of a student at John Early School takes the administration to task (12:58) for classifying the school as a "innovative zone" school. She ask the principal not be transferred saying the school has made a 40% improvement. "We have seen the progress," she says. She says the parents never did get answers to the question they asked.

Stephen Henry, (15:28) President of the MNEA expresses support for the $722.4 million budget and explains what is good about the proposed budget.

If you want to even see more about the school board budget then here is the meeting of 3/20/2012 which is a public hearing on the MNPS operating budget. It is less than 9 minutes long and only two people speak.

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The March 13 School Board Meeting: Thanks for support of the dream act, the SEIU is mad, CMT partners and more.

Below is the 3/12/2012 School Board meeting. You can view the agenda here.


Something humorous happens at the start of this meeting. Mr. Majors is asked to lead the pledge and he must have been confused. He starts the pledge with "Our Father ..," apparently thinking he was leading a prayer. There is laughter and he gets back on track and and leads the pledge.

Here are highlights of this meeting.

Arely Bravo (8:08), expresses gratitude to School Board for Supporting the Dream Act.

You really ought to watch this. I am of the opinion that we need to pass some version of the Dream Act.  

Student Arely Bravo says "Tennessee is the only home I have ever known." 

I think that we must address the situation of those Americanized immigrants who were brought to America as children. It would be wrong to send them "back" to a country they have never know. I support strong borders and oppose blanket amnesty, but we must have a heart as we seek a solution to this difficult complicated problem. Watch this presentation and then ask your self if you really think this young lady ought to be deported or denied the in-state tuition rates if she otherwise qualifies for college. 

Doug Collier of the SEIU speaks about a filed complaint. "We do have a class war going on," he says. He is followed by another angry SEIU member. Alma Sanford is another SEIU member who chastises the Board.

The Board approves a contract with Country Music Television,(22:17)  to partner with McGavock High School and is provided Exclusive Naming Rights to the Academy of Digital Design at McGavock. CMT becomes the fifth corporate entity to partner with a school. To me, this seems like a very positive and innovative practice.To give students a real world experience in an exciting career field is valuable and may motivate some students who would otherwise be tempted to drop out of school to stay in school. Some student's life may be changed due to what they experience in this environment. Some students may discover a rewarding vocation at an early age. 

A teacher, Donald Brian Wood, has charges for dismissal approved. Here is a link to a video posted on the Today Show that shows Woods swearing in front of his students then throwing a chair. (link) He apparently had some sort of nervous break down. He was an Algebra teacher at McGavock.

These schools have the word  “Comprehensive” removed from their name: Antioch, Cane Ridge, Glencliff, Hillsboro, Hillwood, Hunters Lane, Maplewood, McGavock, Overton, Pearl-Cohn, Stratford, and Whites Creek


There is a lengthy presentation on "Asset" which will interest few except for academics but addresses professional development and teacher evaluation and recruiting, retaining and rewarding good teachers.

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DONELSON-HERMITAGE-OLD HICKORY CONSERVATIVE BREAKFAST GROUP

SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 2012

8:00 am - Breakfast & Social

8:30 am - Meeting

SHONEY'S

546 Donelson Pike 37214

Guest Speaker

 ROBERT DUVALL

 Councilman District 33

Candidate for State House District 59

Topic: What we can expect with Mayor Dean's budget and the idea of a property tax increase.

Please Welcome Alex and Kathyrn Stillwell 

Chairmen of the Donelson-Hermitage-Old Hickory Conservative Group 

contact:  astillwell@moneyconcepts.com or 773-2775

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Gill Recalls the 2001 Horn-honking income tax protest

This is great coverage of the "GOP Green Hill Breakfast Summit." This group meets the fourth Saturday of the month at Swett's Resturant in Green Hills at 2209 Abbott Martin Rd, in the building known as the retired teachers apartments.

Breakfast begins at 8:15 AM and meeting at 9 AM sharp. The cost of breakfast is $8.75 and must be paid in cash. Advance registration is required so Swett's will know how much food to prepare. To register, email GREENHILLSGOP@GMAIL.COM .

The event chairmen are Peter and Gail Voysey. They do a great job and always have interesting speakers.

The Greenhills Breakfast Group is one of four Republican Breakfast groups in the County.  There is one in the Southeast (Cain Ridge, Priest Lake) area, one in the Lebanon-Hermitage area and the long-standing grandaddy of Davidson County Republican breakfast clubs, the Bellevue Breakfast Club.  All of these are officially  sanctioned by the Davidson County Republican Party but are managed by the local group and event chairmen.

To connect with these groups follow this blog for announcements of meetings or check the Davidson County Republican Party website.

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An Evening with Libertarian Presidential Candidate Jim Burns

Logan's Roadhouse, 3400 Elliston Place, Nashville, TN 37202
Tuesday, April 17, 2012, 8:00 PM
 
Come out and meet Libertarian Presidential Candidate Jim Burns. In 1974 Jim Burns legally changed his middle name to "Libertarian." His name appeared on the ballot as "Burns, James Libertarian." Jim has had a number of years of experience in the...Learn more

Disclaimer: From time to time A Disgruntled Republican may post announcements of interest to the conservative, libertarian, or greater community. Such announcements are posted as a public service to spread awareness and do not necessarily constitute an endorsement.

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