RIGHT TO THE CHIN

Pulse on the radio

This morning, our recent cover story, "25 Ways to Make Chattanooga Better," was read and discussed, in its entirety, on WGOW's "The Morning Press."

They discussed all 25 points, including our request that Chattanooga annex Hixson, which has actually already been annexed for MANY years...

Pulse, My Car, and My Yet-To-Arrive Laptop

1. Pulse issue number five is being constructed as we speak, and lo and behold, into our office today came Barry Graham, a prolific writer in his own right, wanting to write for us. He has written for Harper's, Atlantic Monthly, Playboy (among others), and was a marvelously received columnist for the Phoenix New Times for several years. He is also a Zen Buddhist, Scottish, a friend of Richard Winham at WUTC, and will be writing "Notes from the Last Resort" - a very sharp column for Pulse. He also quit after a short stint at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. And, oh yeah, he's also a blogger...

We share similar views pertaining to effective journalism, and if nothing else, his association with the paper will turn some heads. I like that.

2. My car is dying. The tranny on my 1988 Honda Accord is no longer interested in allowing me to drive on the interstate. Wifey and I think we will sell it to contribute to our "we want to buy Camry" fund.

3. I won a bid for a G3 ibook on ebay before Christmas, paid with Paypal, and STILL haven't received my computer. I am getting hostile. I want my computer. Working on three different computers can get exhausting. I need just one machine to haul my life around on.

This Week's Good Bad Movie: "The Thing With Two Heads"

(click for bigger picture)

"THE THING WITH TWO HEADS"

I'm starting a new recurring piece on this blog, "The Good Bad Movie." Making a truly entertaining bad movie is an art form, and there are many worth celebrating. Zack Cooper suggested this to me, I ordered it, and MAN...It is hideously fantastic. Click on the title to read more.

Surprise Party Pics

As I mentioned earlier, my lovely wife threw a surprise party for me where people held blown-up pictures of me on popsicle sticks. Freaked me out. Here are some pics from that party:

(Click on pic to enlarge)

(Photos courtesy of Pat Miles)

Ghetto Prom Pics Redux

Some time ago, I posted some "Ghetto Prom Pics" on my blog. While, at first, I got some comments on them, it hit me yesterday that I am STILL getting comments on them - almost everyday. I've listed links to some of the more popular pics so you check out the often hilarious, bizarre, incoherent, and grammar-challenged comments I've received.

Remember, I'm just the messenger here:
GHETTO PROM PIC 1
GHETTO PROM PIC 3
GHETTO PROM PIC 4

Philip Luckey's Blog

Philip Luckey, of Chattanooga's Atomic Films, is a friend of those on the PULSE staff, and was kind enough to help us edit issue number three Monday night. He is a swell video editor, and a (though not updated lately) blogger. Check out his site.

Stop whatever you are doing and go to this web site immediately!

Listen to Wing sing. I WILL be buying a CD...

Good gravy...Thanks to PULSE Art Director Eric Jackson for the link...

Saddam Hussein: No Longer A Menace

The importance of the capture of Saddam Hussein cannot be underestimated.
It is like capturing Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Pol Pot, or Khomeni.

He is a murderer - thousands of times over. The possibility of his regime producing weapons of mass destruction is just gravy, in my opinion.

He should've been captured by the first President Bush. That administration felt that the Desert Storm victory was enough to kill the regime, and that Hussein's power would soon wane.

He should've been captured by the Clinton Administration, but they didn't feel that numerous U.N. violations warranted capture.

And more people kept dying.

Sandy Berger, Clinton's National Security Advisor, was interviewed on NPR today (was he the best they could do?) and thanked the troops and the armed forces for the capture, but failed to mention the administration at all.

Well, I would like to thank this administration for actually DOING SOMETHING instead of sitting back and talking about it like previous administrations - Republican AND Democrat.

Expect Hussein to be convicted and executed. As it should be.

Lefty Logic Leaps, Part One: "Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy" self-nullification

Some time ago, Hillary Clinton said that there was a "vast right-wing conspiracy" in America.

I ask you, doesn't the fact that it's vast nullify the conspiratorial aspects of it? If 50% or more of the American People are part of it, how can it keep the secrecy that a true conspiracy must have.

This way of thinking is laughable. The idea is that Clinton, similar thinkers, and their helpers in big media are THE WATCHDOG operating under the assumption that they are a)just plain correct, b)are the majority, and c)know what's best for all - even going to the lengths of criminalizing and silencing views and viewmakers that are in opposition. This is idocy in full parade.

To make things clear, I hereby declare that I am a proud member of the vast right-wing conspiracy. We have meetings all over the place, all the time, and you can ask us any question you want.

Yeah, I like Scrabble. So what?

This might be the coolest thing ever.

"Play America's favorite word game anytime, anywhere! Sleek FOLIO edition features zippered nylon case with snap-in tile racks, folding game tray, snap-in letter tiles and cloth storage pouch. Pieces stay put, so you can focus on your winning word strategy!"

PULSE, Issue Two...

...is now on the streets.

We are extremely excited about the new paper, the writers we're working with, and the feedback we've gotten so far. There is a market in Chattanooga for ALL KINDS of papers, and we'd tried to do similar things with the Outlook, but Pulse, I think, has a chance to stay for a while. Mostly because it's run properly...The Outlook wasn't...

Enigma is more a magazine than a newspaper, and the other papers in town are too newsy or stiff or mere promotion for a particular group or organization.
We're trying to produce a traditional Alternative News Weekly like you've seen done (and done well) in other cities. Why we haven't had a paper like this before is beyond me.

I'm just glad to be part of it, even if it did come out of nowhere and even if I'm not sure it even exists.

New Idea for an Album

I know I've mentioned completing something like this before, but I think it is going to morph into something more like a bizarre folk/hip hop record.

Being sick, busy, and distracted over the last few months has stopped any progress on anything music-related, but I think I'm gonna start to re-hash some older material, and create some new stuff.

I have an immense collection of music on vinyl to sample, as well as really bad bumper/stock music from the 70's and 80's, and an endless collection of films and video on vhs and dvd. I ALSO have a computer that will allow to create tunes as I wish. So, for fun, I'm gonna give it a go.

One song I've begun to throw around ideas for contains several samples, as well as testimony from government officials and lawmen at hearings concerning the Waco tragedy. I've never heard a song like this, so I'll give it a try.

I'm also working on a VERY synth-oriented cover of the Meat Puppets' (decidedly NOT synth-oriented) tune "Up On The Sun."

Who knows if the older stuff will ever surface. It's not really representative of what I want to do anymore.

No-Go-Nomar

If you follow baseball at all, you'll know that the biggest news is the possibility of the Bosox trading Manny Ramirez to Texas for Alex Rodriguez - a move that would force the Red Sox to have to trade Nomar Garciaparra somewhere to make room for A-Rod at short.

I don't like this trade, and don't think it needs to be made. The Red Sox need to find a second baseman, sign Garciaparra after next year, and prepare to win their first title since 1918.

Theo and the boys have made some great moves, so far. Now, they need to slow down...

Lame choices in Blockbuster

Has anyone been in a Blockbuster lately, and noticed the immense amount of crap available for rent? Maybe I'm getting old, but I'd be hard pressed to find ANYTHING on the new release wall that I'd want to rent.

A rambling entry: Homelife Magazine, P.O.D., and Severe Indigestion

I recently stumbled across the fantastically powerless magazine, Homelife, which contains a feature on the Christian-unless-the-ticket-sales-sag band, P.O.D.

One of the quotes the writer refers to concerning P.O.D. comes from Christianity Today, and goes a-little like this:

"Hopefully more bands in the Christian market can follow P.O.D's example of high quality and creativity, rather than trying to save the world with lyrics of hope set to music of second-rate quality."
-Andy Argyrakind, ChristianityToday.com.

There is so much hideous and telling in this bible-free quote, that I won't waste your time, but I will ask you this...

Since when has the Holy Spirit had to resort to clever use of arpeggios and guitar effects to win souls? Just how DID people get saved before all this fantastic technology? I wonder if this writer could stand reading the Bible sans music...How "creative" is the Word of God?

Notice the term "Christian Market." Just because music is marketed to "Christians" does not mean it has any reference to the gospel..."Contemporary Christian Music" is the ONLY genre describing the supposed audience, and NOT the style of music...

...Man, the smarter we get , the dumber we get...

Another quote goes like this:

"Wow. They have what I want, inside. I find their music very inspirational, not in the old, hokey evangelical sense but in something that I can relate to."
-Rick Sudakoff of Atlantic Records

Would somebody please yank this revolver out of my hand? There is nothing like spreading the Word than through the latest secular craze...And they call ME crazy...

Could the fact that kids will only "respond" to "hip, contemporary music" have anything to do with the fact that they've never been exposed to other, more sophisticated forms like classical music? Music that does not have its origin in slang terms for sex, rooted in the rythms of pagan, African tribes...

I love good tunes as much as the next guy, but let's not kid ourselves...

"I LOVE this song! It's so much like that other song - that has nothing to do with God - that I like so much! If this is how church is gonna be, I'm coming back!!!"

Show me the verse...

Surprise Party Surprise

This bout with flu-like death congestion symptoms I'm struggling with was paused this evening, as my beautiful wife threw me a surprise birthday party.

Thinking I was going to meet her at a friend's for dinner, I walked into a house filled with pictures of ME dangling from the ceiling ALL OVER the house. She also had a picture of me blown up, copied, and stapled to popsicle sticks, so that all in attendance could hold them up to their faces as I walked through the door...

I was thoroughly shocked and wonderfully surprised by the party, and thank all those who could attend and bring gifts (you REALLY didn't have to) on such short notice. It made me forget how crappy I've been feeling lately.

Hopefully, I will soon be rid of this illness, and can finish the voluminous stack of projects I'm working on...

Red Sox name Paul Shaffer as new manager

No, seriously, it's Terry Francona. But Paul could fill in, and nobody would know.

Man, aren't blogs gay? I should be working...

Curt Schilling

Don't think for one minute that I'm not psyched that the Bosox traded for Curt Schilling. I would've responded sooner, but all I can do since hearing the news is smile while taunting my 8x10 glossy photo of George Steinbrenner.

...Gary Sheffield...Whatever George...It's over...

New Weekly 'Nooga Paper

Since we've just sent it to press, I guess it's OK to officially announce that I am now the editor of "Pulse," a brand new alternative news weekly here in Chattanooga. The paper is free, and focuses on Arts, Culture, Entertainment, Dining, and Technology. The premiere issue hits the Chattanooga streets this Wednesday, and is poised to make some noise.

We will also have a web site in the near future.

Some of the Chattablogs crew are already writers for the paper, and we have an open submission policy, so if you wanna know more, please contact me at bcolrus@chattanoogapulse.com.

Needless to say, I'm TOTALLY engrossed in this project, so my blogging has fallen by the wayside. I'll try to keep up, though.

OTOH: 1st place in local poll

Our defunct TV show, "On The Other Hand," was named "Best Local Tv Show To Turn On" in Enigma's "Best of 2003" issue. We were 2nd in the "Best Local Tv Show To Turn OFF" category, as well.

Thanks for all who voted, and for all those who worked on the show.
The DVD is ALMOST ready. I promise...