Month: June 2007

Categories
Letter From The Editor Opinion

Letter from the Editor: Dick Cheney’s Tortured Logic

If you’re paying attention at all anymore to the shenanigans of this administration, you learned this week that Vice President Cheney has declared he doesn’t consider the vice president’s office to be a part of the executive branch of our government.

His reasoning? He presides over the Senate. There’s 231 years of American history overturned, folks. Who knew? But what’s more interesting is the reason for this tortured “logic”: A standing executive order requires that all offices of the executive branch submit regular reports to the National Archives on how they are safeguarding classified documents.

This seemingly reasonable requirement is apparently too much of an intrusion on Cheney’s lust for secrecy, so he came up with his ludicrous defense. What’s even more ludicrous is that it’s working — thanks to weasel-boy, aka Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who hasn’t even bothered to respond to the National Archives’ request for a ruling on the matter.

Cheney’s fingerprints are all over this administration’s misdeeds: lying to build a case for war with Iraq; the “torture memo”; presidential “signing statements”; warrantless wire-tapping; ordering the outing of a CIA agent and letting his buddy “Scooter” take the fall. (Not to mention, he shot a man in Texas, just to watch him die.)

Republicans have been going along with this farce for six years. It makes me wonder how they’ll feel when the president and vice president are not Republicans. Will they regret allowing the executive branch to establish such unilateral power?

It’s a bad idea, no matter who’s in office. This republic was founded on the principle of three co-equal branches of government. The way it’s set up now looks a little different:

Executive

Judicial

Legislative

Dick Cheney

It’s way past time for the citizens of this country to rise up and take back our government. These are impeachable offenses. What’s it going to take to wake up this Congress? Someone giving Dick Cheney a blow job?

Bruce VanWyngarden

brucev@memphisflyer.com

Categories
Sports Sports Feature

NBA Draft Party Thursday at FedExForum

The Grizzlies will be hosting a draft party tonight at the FedExForum.

Fans can watch ESPN’s coverage live on the video board. And if that’s not entertainment enough, the Grizzlies Dance Team will be performing, and there will be NBA draft trivia, stilt walkers, live music, and more.

For more on the draft, check out the Flyer‘s Grizzlies blog, Beyond the Arc.

Categories
Sports Sports Feature

On the Draft

A potentially momentous offseason for the Memphis Grizzlies commences this week with the NBA draft. Picking an unlucky fourth after posting the league’s worst record a year ago, the Grizzlies may have missed out on a sure thing (in the form of elite prospects Greg Oden and Kevin Durant) but now find before them a dizzying array of options. Here’s an attempt to see through the rumors, smoke screens, and general uncertainty for a glimpse of what might happen Thursday night and what it might mean — in the form of three key questions.

If the Grizzlies pick fourth, what are the options?

The Grizzlies are held hostage somewhat by the Atlanta Hawks, who pick third. The Hawks are likely to tab Florida power forward Al Horford, who has emerged as the consensus number-three prospect in the draft. Then again, the Hawks have shocked us before.

The Grizzlies love Horford and would pick him if he somehow slips past number three — and I wouldn’t be surprised if a trade led to Ohio State point guard Mike Conley Jr. or Chinese forward Yi Jianlian going third instead. But, assuming Horford is off the board, the Grizzlies are likely to choose among four prospects: Conley, fellow Florida players Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer, and North Carolina’s Brandon Wright.

The thought here is that Conley — a pure point guard with the quickness, handle, poise, and court vision to be a star — is the prospect with the highest ceiling.

Noah seems to be a perfect fit for the Grizzlies. He’s an active rebounder and defender who doesn’t need a lot of touches to be effective. The hitch: He may not be quite good enough to pick at number four. If you’re picking that high in a good draft, a team should be looking for a star. Noah reeks of role player.

Brewer and Wright are long shots that shouldn’t be counted out. Brewer is perhaps better equipped to impact the game on both ends of the floor than any of these players and fits new coach Marc Iavaroni’s preferred style. Wright is raw and would seem to duplicate Gasol’s strengths and weaknesses but has as much raw talent as anyone in the draft after Oden and Durant.

The hunch here? Conley gets the nod over Noah.

Will there be any trades?

Draft day trades could turn everything upside down, but right now a truly major trade — i.e., dealing Gasol — seems unlikely. New lead executive Chris Wallace scouted Gasol heavily while in Boston and Iavaroni is a noted big man’s coach. It seems unlikely the new regime will deal Gasol before having a chance to work with him.

More likely would be a trade involving another established player — with Mike Miller, Hakim Warrick, and Stromile Swift the likely subjects — to acquire either a young power player to pair with Gasol (Denver’s Nene and Utah’s Paul Millsap might make some sense) or another draft pick.

What will the pick mean?

The week after the rookie draft, the NBA’s free-agent period will begin with the Grizzlies poised to be one of the few teams with significant money to spend. And make no mistake, the draft and free agency are connected. What the Grizzlies think they can do in free agency is likely to influence what they do on draft day. For that reason, the Grizzlies’ draft pick should be a tipoff as to what player — or at least what type of player — the team will target in free agency.

If Noah, Brewer, or Wright are the pick and no other trades are made to net a point guard, then expect the Griz to target Milwaukee Bucks point guard Mo Williams, long thought to be the team’s preferred free-agent prize.

But if Conley is the pick (as I suspect), then the Grizzlies will look elsewhere in free agency. Addressing the long-acknowledged need for a more physical presence in the paint would seem to be most likely. But the options among power players in this free-agent class are meager. Instead, don’t be surprised if the Grizzlies go after one of the talented young swingmen available, such as Charlotte’s Gerald Wallace or Seattle’s Rashard Lewis.

Chris Wallace seems to prefer accumulating the best talent available for the Grizzlies rather than focusing on positional needs. Iavaroni prizes versatility. In Phoenix, Iavaroni was used to working with unconventional lineups. So, don’t assume the Grizzlies do the obvious this summer.

For up-to-date news and analysis before, during, and after the draft, go to Beyond the Arc, the Flyer‘s Grizzlies blog at MemphisFlyer.com/grizblog.

Categories
Living Spaces Real Estate

Sony 40-inch LCD Digital Color TV and Vuepoint Wall Mount

I had no idea Stone Phillips had wrinkles. I thought he was ageless. But my uncle’s 62-inch, high-definition TV showed me how wrong I was. I looked at my uncle and said, “Wow, the man has aged.”

After recently visiting my uncle, and after watching his TV, I fell in love with high-definition. In comparison, my regular 35-inch back home looked blurry and hurt my eyes. I’ve had the TV for about three years, and it weighs a good 150 pounds. I decided I wanted that high-definition experience at home. It was my husband’s birthday, so I had a perfect excuse, too.

The first decision we had to make was between plasma and LCD. Plasma works really well if you have a dark room, with no glare at all. We have a lot of windows in our den, so we have glare everywhere. The LCD TV was the perfect fit.

We tried to buy a 46-inch, but my husband and the salesperson couldn’t get it in the car. We “settled” for the 40-inch, which we could only fit by taking it out of the box. The model we bought, the Sony KDL-40S2010 Bravia S-Series LCD Digital Color HDTV, is flat-screen and high-definition and retails for about $1,700. It’s also much lighter than my old TV.

I wanted to hang the Sony on a wall in the corner of the den. To do so, I had to get a full-range-motion wall mount. The Vuepoint mount itself cost $300.

Of course, my husband wanted to use a cheaper bracket, but I explained that we bought the five-year warranty for the TV for $150 and that the wrong mount would probably negate the warranty. There was a less expensive wall-mount model for $80, but it only held a TV up to 37 inches, and I didn’t want our investment to land on the floor.

Some assembly is required to hang your TV with the Vuepoint mount. I consider myself mechanically inclined and pretty good at reading instructions and putting things together. The men I know never read instructions. I told my husband, “This is going on the wall, and we spent a lot of money. I’m reading the instructions. Back off.”

This mount says it will fit any kind of TV, but it wasn’t perfectly adaptable to mine. The hard part was figuring out which screws I needed. The wall mount comes with a long plastic roll divided into 15 individual pouches, each full of screws, washers, and other hardware. I only used four of the pouches. The longest screw fit perfectly into three of the four pre-drilled holes in the back of my new TV, but one of the screws couldn’t go in all the way without hitting something. I didn’t want the screw to pop through the screen, so I had to measure it and cut it with my Dremel tool. After that, the mount attached to the TV fine.

Altogether, installation took about two hours. It went up on the wall without too much trouble — just the four holes in the wall that I needed to attach the mount. I leveled it, but we have a solid-wood wall, so we didn’t need to find a stud.

If you’re hanging your TV on the wall, you’ll have to have some shelving or table for your components. The plugs on the back of the TV are easy to get to, though — the wall mount doesn’t get in the way at all — and the TV comes with some great organizing straps for your cables.

Now my husband calls me every afternoon and tells me, “I love my TV.” And when I recently watched Grey’s Anatomy, I saw two zits on Ellen Pompeo’s face. I hope to see more zits in the future — and moles and wrinkles. The HDTV is even good for self-esteem. ■ — Amy Mathews

Categories
Politics Politics Feature

New Mayor, New Council?

CREDIT: Jackson Baker

Naming “crime, cronyism, and corruption” as major issues in this year’s mayoral election, candidate Carol Chumney addressed the Germantown Democratic Club at the Pickering Center Monday night, pledging if elected to “get a good team” in order to bring renewed efficiency to Memphis city government.

Subsequently, City Council member Chumney fielded at least two questions from the membership (which includes several Memphis voters who live in Cordova) about her reported difficulties with the mayor’s office and fellow council members.

One member asked: What about her “relation-building” and “leadership style”? Would these be obstacles?

Chumney responded that she had developed good relations with fellow legislators while a state House member for 13 years and said, “City government has been a little different because there’s been, quite frankly, some corruption. Many times I would be the only one who would stand up and say anything. Some folks are going to get mad at you. I’m a strong leader, I will tell you that.”

When another member followed up by asking if the City Council would back her proposals if she were elected mayor, Chumney said, “We’re going to elect a new City Council.” Noting the virtual turnover of membership in the County Commission in last year’s elections, she expressed confidence that city voters would follow suit. “It’s going to happen here. They’re going to vote in a new team.”

Pledging to renew cooperation between city and county law-enforcement agencies, Chumney said, “It’s disrespectful to expect the police to go two years without a pay raise while asking them to risk their lives for us.”

She repeated her objections to the Riverfront Development Corporation’s proposals, including the recently approved Beale St. Landing project, and called both for the city’s retention of the Coliseum and for “something classy” in the downtown Pyramid.

Chumney said she’d heard “disturbing rumors” about the past management of Memphis Networx and reported plans for its pending sale and promised “to get to the bottom of it.” She said the council’s authority over a prospective sale was uncertain but said she was seeking authoritative word on that from the state Attorney General’s Office.

• Germantown is becoming an important campaign venue for candidates running for office in Memphis. A week or so earlier, members of the Republican Women of Purpose organization heard a presentation at the Germantown Public Library from Brian Stephens, City Council candidate in District 2, the East Memphis-suburban seat being vacated by incumbent Brent Taylor.

Stephens has been active in an effort to strengthen laws regulating sexually oriented businesses (S.O.B.s in the accepted jargon) and specifically to make sure that veteran topless-club entrepreneur Steve Cooper does not convert a supposed “Italian restaurant” now under construction in Cordova into an S.O.B.

He discussed those efforts but offered other opinions as well, some of them surprising (a statement that “consolidation is coming, whether we like it or not,” for example) and some not (like his conviction, à la Taylor, that tax increases are not necessary for the city to maintain and improve basic services).

In general, Stephens, who seems to have a head start on other potential District 2 aspirants, made an effort to sound accommodationist rather than confrontational, stressing a need for council members to transcend racial and urban-vs.-suburban divisions and expressing confidence in the ability of currently employed school personnel to solve the system’s problems.

• Also establishing an apparent early lead over potential rivals is current school board member Stephanie Gatewood, running for the District 1 council seat being vacated by incumbent E.C. Jones. Gatewood’s fund-raiser at Fresh Slices on Overton Park Avenue last Thursday night drew a respectable crowd, and her membership in Bellevue Baptist Church on the suburban side of District 1 provides an anchor, in addition to an expected degree of support from the district’s African-American population.

• Last Wednesday night was a hot one for local politics, with three more-than-usually significant events, and there were any number of dedicated and/or well-heeled visitors to all three:

Residents of the posh Galloway Drive area, where U of M basketball coach John Calipari resides, are surely used to long queues of late-model vehicles stretching every which way in the neighborhood, especially in election season, when Calipari’s home is frequently the site of fund-raisers for this or that candidate.

But Wednesday night’s event, a $250-a-head fund-raiser for District 5 City Council candidate Jim Strickland, was surely a record-setter — outdoing not only Calipari’s prior events but most other such gatherings in Memphis history, including those for senatorial and gubernatorial candidates. A politically diverse crowd estimated at 300 to 500 people netted Strickland more than $60,000 for the night and brought his total “cash on hand” to $100,000.

Meanwhile, mayoral candidate Herman Morris attracted several hundred attendees to the formal opening of his sprawling, high-tech campaign headquarters on Union Avenue, the same HQ that, week before last, suffered a burglary of computers containing sensitive information — a fact that some Morris supporters find suspicious in light of various other instances of hanky-panky currently being alleged in the mayoral race.

Yet a third major political gathering took place Wednesday night, as Shelby County mayor A C Wharton was the beneficiary of a big-ticket fund-raiser at the Racquet Club. Proceeds from that one have been estimated in the $50,000 range — a tidy sum for what the county mayor alleges (and alleged again Wednesday night) is intended only as a kind of convenience fund meant for charitable donations and various other protocol circumstances expected of someone in his position.

Right. Meanwhile, Wharton declined to address the most widely speculated-upon subject in Memphis politics: Will he or won’t he enter the city mayor’s race? As the county mayor has informally acknowledged, he is the subject these days of nonstop blandishments in that regard, and there’s very little doubt that these have accelerated since a recent press conference by Memphis mayor Willie Herenton alleging “the 2007 Political Conspiracy.”

While some of Mayor Wharton’s intimates at the Wednesday night affair were keeping to the line that the chances of his running for city mayor were minimal to nonexistent, their answers to inquiries about the matter were delivered after what we’ll call meaningfully inflected pauses. The door may be shut for now, but it clearly isn’t padlocked.

Jackson Baker

Carol Chumney

NASHVILLE — The name McWherter, prominent in Tennessee politics for most of the

latter 20th century, will apparently resurface in fairly short order, as Jackson lawyer and

businessman Mike McWherter, son of two-term former governor Ned McWherter, is

making clear his plans to challenge U.S. senator Lamar Alexander‘s reelection bid next year.

Apparently only one thing could derail Democrat McWherter: a renewed Senate candidacy by former Memphis congressman Harold Ford Jr., who last year narrowly lost a Senate race to the current Republican incumbent, Bob Corker. “I don’t think I would compete against Harold. But I don’t think he will run,” McWherter said in an interview with the Flyer at Saturday’s annual Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner in Nashville.

The 52-year-old activist sees Alexander as a slavish follower of President George W. Bush.

“With one or two exceptions, he’s done everything the president has wanted him to do. He’s toed the party line,” said McWherter, who has recently paid courtesy calls on ranking Democrats, both in Tennessee and in Washington, D.C., informing them of his interest in running next year and soliciting their support.

• Keynote speaker at the Democrats’ dinner in Nashville was presidential hopeful Bill Richardson, whose situation somewhat paralleled that of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who earlier this month had been the featured speaker at the state Republicans’ Statesmen’s Dinner, also in Nashville.

On that occasion, Romney — who had been invited before the entrance of former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson became likely — was a de facto lame-duck keynoter, and mindful of the attendees’ expected loyalty to favorite-son Thompson, cracked wanly, “I know there’s been some speculation by folks about a certain former senator from Tennessee getting into the presidential race, and I know everybody’s waiting, wondering. But I take great comfort from the fact than no one in this room, not a single person, is going to be voting for — Al Gore.”

That bit of verbal bait-and-switch got the expected laugh, and so did a joke Saturday night by New Mexico governor Richardson, who uttered some ritual praise of native Tennessean and former presidential candidate Gore and then, when the crowd warmly applauded the former vice president, jested, “Let’s not overdo it. I don’t want him in this race!” — JB

Categories
Opinion Viewpoint

Here’s the Deal

A couple weeks ago, I attended the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, courtesy of the Manchester, Tennessee, paper that carries my column.

Bonnaroo is an amazing series of concerts on a 700-acre farm between Nashville and Chattanooga. It is like an annual Woodstock, where hippies and hipsters go camping and watch top bands play for four days. I did not camp, however, because camping outdoors involves the outdoors, and in my opinion, the outdoors is best left outdoors.

I was initially told that Bonnaroo is a made-up word that means nothing, just like “lollapalooza” or “congressional ethics.” Later, I found out that “bonnaroo” is Cajun slang for fun. And it was.

There were lots of kids with nose rings and tattoos. Many were wearing bathing suits that they should have reconsidered. In fact, although I am steadfastly against more government, I really think some of these people should have to apply for a permit to wear a two-piece. Bill Clinton could chair the committee to review applicants; he’d like that.

One person died, and I am sure countless kids had to be untangled from making out with another joyous soul wearing a nose ring. There was more sex going on than Paris Hilton’s last night before jail. (I bet some attendees are checking their crotches this week, just hoping that itch is only a bug bite.)

As you might imagine, the Birkenstock crowd was there with booths supporting all their social causes. As best I can figure, they like to “raise awareness” in hopes that someone else will actually do something about the problems. It is apparently more noble to be an activist for grand-scale issues such as the environment than cleaning up your own campsite.

Anytime young music fans get together, there will be drugs. And the drug use at Bonnaroo was so open that if a kid was arrested with pot in his system, he could probably have asked for it back.

Drug vendors on foot offered a wide array of pot, coke, and acid for reasonable prices. Capitalism at its purest. Drugs were sold at a more competitive price than the prescription drug benefit Congress gave us, because at Bonnaroo, drug dealers were forced to compete on prices.

The way dealers at Bonnaroo operated is that when they walked by, they said the name of their product. You heard the word “pot” said by a passerby. If you wanted to buy said product, then — unlike our government’s drug purchases — you engaged the vendor in price negotiations. (And as with most of my purchases, the conversation began with: You ain’t no cop are you?)

Being one of the oldest people at Bonnaroo, I didn’t get many offers to buy drugs, although I was a little nonplussed when one dealer walked by and whispered, “Geritol.”

They also registered voters at Bonnaroo. Organizers assume the young people they register are going to vote for Democrats since most of the participants probably get their political views from the drummer for Third Eye Blind. This is the same drummer who rails against 10-cents-a-gallon profit for the oil companies yet has no problem selling his band’s T-shirts for $35 a piece.

One vendor said that he was for Hillary Clinton because Hillary would fight global warming. I told him that he might be onto something, since there is nothing about Hillary that is the least bit warm.

Another activist told me he was going to vote for Dennis (“Munchkin”) Kucinich because of his strong environmental stance. He kept citing the fact that some scientists say the oceans will rise four feet because of global warming, which explains why Kucinich is fighting it so hard: He would probably drown.

In the end, I must admit I really enjoyed Bonnaroo. I would advise other fortysomethings to try it. On one hand, the festival made you feel old, yet the vibrant and infectious carefree atmosphere made you feel young and rejuvenated.

And it reminded me that while getting old is inevitable, acting old is optional.

Ron Hart is a columnist and investor in Atlanta. He worked for Goldman Sachs and was appointed to the Tennessee Board of Regents by Lamar Alexander. His e-mail: RevRon10@aol.com.

Categories
Living Spaces Real Estate

In Focus

There’s nothing less punk than painting the wood paneling in your home office an antique white called “Queen Anne’s Lace.” Not even if you’ve got a classic Wire album cranked while you do it. Thank goodness I was never that punk to begin with.

But such was the situation I was in a few weeks ago, trying to finish one of the last two rooms left to be updated in my new-to-me home. For about eight hours, I found myself in the eye of the painting storm, Wire’s 1978 punk/post-punk Chairs Missing in heavy rotation. Some thoughts on the experience, with my apologies to Wire for shuffling their track order:

“Practice Makes Perfect”: Practice makes perfect, I’ve done this before/ Never for money, always for love

Over the past nine months, my wife and I — and my parents — have spent countless hours painting the house’s interior. Nearly every room has gotten the brush treatment, save two: the master bathroom (an irony on the level of “jumbo shrimp” and “Central Intelligence Agency”) and the combo office/guest room — or the O/G, as I like to call it.

“Outdoor Miner”: A houseguest’s wish

The O/G got painting priority over the bathroom because, basically, we stopped paying bills because we couldn’t find them in the disorganization of our makeshift pre-office. It was either paint the O/G or move to a country without an extradition treaty with the U.S. Besides, with a summer slate of possible houseguests, we needed to have proper accommodations squared away. So we picked our colors (“Queen Anne’s Lace” and “Drawbridge”), bought our paint, and got slingin’.

“Used To”: It’s less complicated than it simply should be

It’s a phenomenon almost the exact opposite of “my eyes were bigger than my stomach.” I look at a room and think: This won’t be that hard to paint. I just have to paint the ceiling, four walls, and a little trim. What could be so hard about that?

“I Am the Fly”: To protect my chosen target

I have a love/hate relationship with the inventor of painter’s tape. On one hand, how brilliant that I don’t have to be cool hand Luke on surfaces near trim. On the other hand, it takes so long to dispense and apply.

“Marooned”: And I’m standing alone still getting a thrill

The tape up, now I can finally get to painting. They say to paint the edges of the wall first, then roll the middle. But I want results, and now. So I roll first, delighting in the square footage gobbled up by a color I’m jazzed to see on the wall.

“Mercy”: With a 4 a.m. stubble

Holy cow, how could so much time have passed without me thinking about it? How many times have I listened to this CD? I decide to break and reconvene the next day.

“Another the Letter”: You suddenly find things getting life-size

The first day of painting’s good. The second day’s tough. When you next look at the room you’ve been working on, you realize you’ve not done nearly as much work as you thought you had.

“I Feel Mysterious Today”: Observe the tension grow

The second day is when you have to do everything you put off. It’s the no-fun day. It’s frustrating to open the cans again, pour the paint into the trays again, and wring the water out of the brush or rollers cleaned the day before.

“French Film Blurred”: It’s not quite the way to behave

My crankiness rises like bile, but I choke it back and dive in. I’ve got no choice. The room’s not painting itself, and, besides, think of what a great feeling it’ll be to be done!

“Heartbeat”: I feel old

Three hours later: I’m never going to finish this room. I’m going to die in here. Some future archaeologist will find my body and wonder what crazy cult compelled me to clutch the bristled tool in my hand like it was an important relic and had the power to save me.

“Sand in My Joints”: I’m feeling the pain

I have to keep switching which hand I brush with, my poor muscles tired after two days of this torture. My back cracks, my knees wobble atop the ladder, my neck’s frozen in a 20-degree list to the right.

“Being Sucked in Again”: Bound and gagged, your labor’s saved/ The cost minute, the rules are waved/ No hand, no step, your labor’s in vain

On the bright side, I’m almost done! It’s time to pull the tape off, and I do, in long, blue strips, except where the tape tears and leaves a slender, paint-covered sliver at the joint between the wall and the trim. The last of the tape finally prized off with my fingernails, I can now see the ruin underneath. All the errors I made when I applied the tape. All the shoddy work I now have to fix.

“Men 2nd”: Hysterical, no humor

So I’m on to the last round of painting: touch-ups. But it’s complicated, because I’m going to need all the paint colors I’ve been using. There’s a swath of errant “Queen Anne’s Lace” over there, a stalactite of “Drawbridge” that runs down from the trim over there, and a four-foot-long, two-inch-wide section that needs another dose of ceiling paint.

“From the Nursery”: Would you like to see/ What violence these eyes can send?

I’m finally done, but I’m not happy about it. I can still see all the places where my work isn’t perfect: small gaps I missed and crooked lines that should be straight. No matter that everyone says you can’t even tell. I know the flaws are there. They annoy, but there’s no way I’m spending another second working on this room.

“Too Late”: Is it too late to change my mind?

You know, the more I look at the room, the more I wish I had picked “Pearls and Lace” instead of “Queen Anne’s Lace.” Now that color would look great in there. I wonder how long it would take to repaint?

Greg Akers

greg@memphisflyer.com

Categories
Opinion The Last Word

The Rant

CREDIT: Jim Parkin | dreamstime.com

You know, unless your patio or deck is, say, 10 feet from the Mexico-United States border and the immigrants trying to get across are causing you to spill your afternoon cocktail, I just don’t see what the big deal is about them coming on over. Sure, I’m slow, and no, I don’t keep up with all the hand-wringing about these “illegal aliens” coming into the country and the fear that they are going to destroy American society as we know it, but I do wish that the folks in Washington would hurry up and pass something one way or another so they can finally shut up about it and move on to something that actually matters to the everyday citizen — like imposing colossal fines on the oil companies every time gas goes up another dime and their profits increase by 100 or so billion dollars an hour. I mean, really. Think about it. When was the last time your life was changed in any way by some Mexicans coming to the United States? Did it cause your car not to start? Did it make your utilities quit working? Did it dry up all the grass in your yard? Did it make your children get sick and cause you not to have proper and adequate health insurance to enable you to get them to the doctor? Did it make you have to wait in line longer at Starbucks? Did it make you get stuck in traffic while taking your kids to lacrosse practice? Did it make your SUV with the “I Support the Troops” bumper sticker harder to park at the mall? Did it keep you from watching the news so you can keep up with riveting issues like the recent interview in People magazine in which Paris Hilton’s mother was asked about her daughter’s mental state while in jail for endangering the lives of other people on the road, to which she replied, “Paris is fine, but she’s sick of orange,” referring, of course, to the jail garb she’s had to wear for a couple of weeks? When you woke up this morning, were you petrified that a Mexican immigrant might carjack you on the way to work? Was that the first thought that ran through your head? I kind of doubt any of these things happen on a daily basis, or any basis, for that matter, to anyone reading this paper. So what’s the big deal? I know some people just don’t want nobody comin’ to Amurka who ain’t Amurkan, and some don’t want to pass a bill that would let the immigrants who came here illegally off the hook and give them what many refer to as amnesty because it doesn’t seem fair to those who came here legally. But why should anyone who wants to come to the United States have to worry about a bunch of legal details? It’s not like they’re going to mess it up any more than it already is. In fact, if you look around at some of the neighborhoods that are now heavily populated by immigrants, they are much better than they were before. Take that area around Cleveland and Jefferson that is now a melting pot of people from all over the world. If you had walked around over there at 3 a.m. back in the late 1970s like I did, you’d be jumping up and down to see what it’s like now, with all of the sweet Buddhists living there with their temple and the cool Asian grocery stores and restaurants and a general feeling in the air that there is much more to Memphis than the Bellevue International Airport crowd. Personally, I think we should worry more about the Canadian border. You know what troublemakers those Canadians are, with their Mounties and all. Why, they even let those damn draft-dodgers from the United States into their country when we were trying to save the world from mass destruction during the Vietnam War. Shame on them! I don’t want ’em here! They’re liable to bring some of that funny bacon with them and upset the entire balance of nature by screwing with the way we eat breakfast. Let’s see, who else … We certainly don’t want the French. They all hate us. We don’t want the Irish because they’ll just be coming here to smoke in our bars since they can’t smoke in their own. We have to keep out the Spanish since about 90 percent of the people in United States think that when you tell them you’re going to a tapas restaurant you’re headed off for a lap dance. Hell, we might as well just seal things off all the way around. We certainly don’t want any illegal immigrants getting in Paris Hilton’s way when she gets out of jail this week and races to the store to get a new outfit that’s not orange.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Have a Blast

Everyone’s heard of celebrating red, white, and blue on July 4th, but red, white, and blues? Only in Memphis.

One of this year’s major Independence Day celebrations, the Red, White, and Blues Star Spangled Celebration merges two events: the WMC Star Spangled Celebration and the Red, White, and Blues Celebration.

With the help of sponsors Entercom Radio Memphis and the Beale Street Merchants Association, the event will be the largest Fourth of July celebration and fireworks display in the Mid-South.

“Where else can you go and see an American Idol finalist, Skillet, and the Average White Band all in one show?” says Baker Yates, promotions director for WMFS 93X and Country Legends WMC 79. That AI finalist is Kimberley Locke, and as an added bonus, she’ll be performing the National Anthem.

In addition to the music and fireworks, there will be a Harley-Davidson ride, featuring the Elvis Presley 30th Anniversary Signature Series bike, as well as kids’ activities, such as a pony ride, games, and a moon bounce.

Everyone is welcome to bring lawn chairs and picnic baskets, but plenty of food will also be available on site.

“It’s a fun, family-oriented event, and there’s something for everyone,” Yates says. “It’s our official Independence Day celebration for the city. This is the party to go to.”

Red, White, and Blues Star Spangled Celebration, Tom Lee Park, Saturday, June 30th. event begins at 2 p.m. and fireworks at 9:45 p.m. free. 729-3269.

Categories
Living Spaces Real Estate

Haute Life

The Big Muddy eases by a couple hundred yards away, and the streetcars rattle along a block over. A little farther away is the nexus of the hottest blues and coolest jazz in the area. A light breeze wafts with the aroma of some of the city’s finest Southern fare. You sit in a comfortable courtyard surrounded by brick and a fleur-de-lis-topped iron railing.

No, you’re not in New Orleans. You’re in that other Mississippi River city, the one atop the bluffs. You’re in downtown Memphis, right next to Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, at RiverCrest condominiums on Front Street and East Pontotoc Avenue.

RiverCrest is the brainchild of Fred and Donna Dee Sliney and Don Morris of Horizon Construction. Donna Sliney of RE/MAX Elite pulls double duty, as she is also the real estate agent for the project. RiverCrest did not happen overnight, and as it has taken shape, the building has drawn a lot of attention from downtown residents, workers, visitors, and diners at Gus’s. The chicken shack, once standing lonely between a parking lot and a field, now has a big brother.

“We have been at this for over a year,” Donna Dee Sliney says. RiverCrest broke ground on May 30th, 2006. “We felt it would take one year to get the quality we wanted.”

The owners not only took their time on the project, they also limited the size of the development. “We wanted to keep it at three stories with the rooftop [terrace level], and we thought that we could get more quality by limiting the number of units to 11,” Sliney says.

The result is a building with units ranging in size from 1,860 to 2,700 square feet (and each style unit with multiple floor-plan options). With units having 10-foot ceilings, there’s plenty of room to breathe. All units are loaded with windows, and the model is as bright as the summer day outside. Flats and

townhouses on the second and third floors have private balconies. Top-floor units also boast private roof-garden terraces. Townhouses include 21-by-10-foot lofts.

The smallest units are still expansive. Each flat has two bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. The master bath is almost sinful: a huge bath/shower combo. Bedrooms, which are carpeted, have two walk-in closets and a full bath each. The rest of the interior is either hardwood (the purchaser’s choice of one of five Bruce “Natural Reflections” hardwood floors) or ceramic tile.

Condos also offer a full laundry, kitchens with stainless-steel appliances, including double ovens, and TV and wireless Internet provided as part of homeowner-association membership. In addition to hardwood-floor choices, residents can pick from six styles of granite countertops for the bathrooms and kitchen, the ceramic tile, carpet,

cabinetry, interior wall colors, and an interior trim color throughout. An allowance is given to purchasers for interior fixtures.

Diane Gordon, principal designer of SEE the Difference Interiors, was selected to do the interior design for RiverCrest. “We were most impressed with Gordon, and we basically gave her free rein,” Sliney says. Gordon’s credentials are impeccable: In the Memphis Area Home Builders Association’s 2006 Vesta Home Show downtown, Gordon won four awards: Best Interior Design, Best of Show, Best Lifestyle Appeal, and Best Kitchen, all for her work on CityHouse.

“I was selected to be the interior designer for the project, from picking out the paint colors to the cabinets to the granite, making the units have consistency and flow, and setting up the model,” Gordon says. “Picking out colors is very important so there is consistency.” Designing RiverCrest’s

Donna Dee Sliney

model, Gordon went through the same process she does for all her clients. “I go to High Point, North Carolina, and I make my own selections and purchase everything directly from the manufacturers: rugs, furniture, accessories, lighting, wall décor, bedroom suites, dining room suites, and upholstery.

“RiverCrest has a New Orleans flair to it, and to be able to come in and do an updated home furnishing on it really fit the style of the complex,” she says. “I would probably call it a soft eclectic style. Everything in Memphis is 90 percent tradition, so when people come in, they’re like, Wow. Every time you go to home furnishing stores and models, you either get that total modern, contemporary look, which is what a lot of downtown is going to, or you get kind of an eclectic look, which is basically matching different pieces from different vendors instead of everything being from the same company that matches up perfectly.”

Gordon, a native Memphian in the interior-design business for about 12 years but who just opened her showroom in December in CityHouse, will be on hand to assist RiverCrest purchasers with the selection process.

One of the most coveted possessions downtown — covered, secured parking — is one of the amenities RiverCrest offers. Each unit comes with two secured, underground parking spots accessible from the entrance off Pontotoc. And there’s not just an elevator that can take you from the garage to all floors. It’s

Diane Gordon

furniture-friendly, ready for moving in. All entrances to the building, including the garage, are keypad secure. There are also individual, customized storage areas for residents.

A large courtyard graces the central/back portion of the building, evoking New Orleans in word and design. The landscaped area includes gas grills and picnic tables, perfect for escaping from it all — right in the middle of it all.

RiverCrest is the Slineys’ first foray into downtown Memphis development. “It’s been exciting,” Donna Sliney says. “Downtown is alive. We think downtown is just wonderful, and that’s why we chose to build RiverCrest here. We’re just real thrilled to be a part of downtown.

“RiverCrest is not the typical residential building. It’s for professionals and people who want to enjoy all the amenities of downtown,” she says. “The upside of living downtown, and especially at the Rivercrest, is that you can walk to the Orpheum, you can walk to Beale Street, you can go to FedExForum, and with all the new restaurants opening, the lifestyle is great. From the rooftop you can see the river, and the view of downtown is just incredible. But there’s dead silence in your unit.” According to Sliney, units are soundproofed to the extent that you can’t hear passing traffic on Front Street.

Units range from $389,000 to $559,000, and purchasers can be in their condo within 30 days, maximum. “They’re all sheetrocked and ready for purchasers to approve,” Sliney says. ■

For more information on RiverCrest, contact Donna Dee Sliney at 901-485-7970 or by e-mail: donnasliney@remax.net. Diane Gordon can be reached at 901-522-9696 or seedianegordon@aol.com.