Students breathe new life into a remnant of the 60s: SDS rises at APSU

By Christine Anne Piesyk | September 21, 2007 |

“Hey, hey, ho, ho, the SDS is back again … We don’t want your war…”

The liberal ‘monster’ awoke and raised its head today on the Austin Peay State University Campus, growling its way to awareness a bit earlier than planned due to a scheduling conflict in time and place. But despite this little known, last minute change, some 30 people showed up to stand with the fledgling antiwar group, including professors, administrators and FreeThinkers.

A dozen students at Austin Peay State University have resurrected Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). They gathered Friday from 10:30-noon at the Student Center plaza for an anti-war rally. They were a small group with a loud voice, large banners, small signs and handouts opposing the War in Iraq and the assault on civil liberties.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

— The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

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Congress doesn’t like the message? Kill the messenger…

By Christine Anne Piesyk | September 20, 2007 |

With a majority vote censuring Freedom of Speech, Congress today smacked down the voices of hundreds of thousands of Americans who are simply saying “we want a drawdown; we want our troops home.” In other words, Americans who want to bring an end to the Iraq War.

Congress did it in the guise of patriotism, but this smackdown was also a blow to the very soldiers who are, according to these same officials, fighting for Democratic/Bill of Rights issues — such as free speech — in Iraq. In the U.S. Senate, a majority of our duly elected Senators, apparently with no more pressing issues to debate, voted on a Republican-sponsored symbolic resolution against MoveOn.org and their widely circulated anti-Petraeus ad that was printed as the general was testifying before Congress about the status of the Iraq War on the anniversary of Sept. 11.

The Senators, with Hilary Clinton and Christopher Dodd among the 25 refusing to join the censure, passed a resolution stating that Petraeus “deserves the full support of the Senate” and the Senate “strongly condemn(s) personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all members of the United States Armed Forces.”

“Yesterday, they couldn’t even pass a bill to give soldiers adequate leave with their families before redeploying. But they’re spending time cracking down on a newspaper ad?” – MoveOn.org

Questioning Petraeus and the Bush war machine, as MoveOn.org had the guts and the tactical brilliance to do, is not slamming our troops. It slammed Bush domination of everything related to Iraq. Unfortunately, when it comes to Iraq, Petraeus is the man in the driver’s seat, pushing that machine through the Iraq landscape.

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DVD Review: The Code

By Turner McCullough Jr. | September 18, 2007 |

How many times has a film tried to tell the story of an ex-felon trying to go straight? Well, here is one that does the job and does it well. Even in another language, no less! Manuel Boursinhac’s La Mentale, original title in French, known as The Code is a wonderful telling of a crime story. If you liked The French Connection, Once Upon A Time In America, The Godfather, you’ll enjoy this DVD. «Read the rest of this article»

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Celestial Esscents: “Magick Mojo,” herbal teas, and a warm welcome

By Christine Anne Piesyk | September 17, 2007 |

Sadie’s Majick Mojo.  This homemade herbal remedy has phenomenal “word of mouth” promotion, enough to make it a best seller hard to keep in stock.

Sadie’s Magick Mojo is the creation of Peggy Spencer, proprietor of a new little shop of energy,” Celestial Esscents, on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard.

When Peggy’s Mom was dying, Peggy wanted her to be as comfortable as possible at home. One of problems her mother faced was that her skin was terribly itchy and hurt at the same time. She never seemed to find relief and the medicine she had did nothing.

Peggy decided she would come up with something to help her…and she did. She collected and assembled herbs, mixed them, cooked them and created a salve for her Mom, who was so amazed by the salve, she helped name it.  Hence, Sadie’s Magic Mojo.  It flies off the shelves at the new store.

“I usually can’t keep enough of it around because it sells so fast,” Peggy says of the healing salve which is marketed in little brown jars with old-looking labels that hint of the “majick” inside.  Customers tell her that as word of the salve gets around, she’ll have to consider going into “mass production.” «Read the rest of this article»

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Movie Review: Superbad

By David W. Shelton | September 17, 2007 |

Every once in a while, a film about teen angst actually gets it. With a genre that has multiple entries that are built to copy (often badly) the format of the legendary Fast Times of Ridgemont High, teen comedies are often far better at replication than in actually capturing what it’s like to be a frustrated dweeb who’s two weeks away from graduating. Teen comedies are often replete with awkward sex jokes, potty-mouth characters, and an attempt to “get the girl.”

Superbad has all of this, but it works. The brilliance of the script by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg is that it presents the greatest reality of teen life: friendship. There’s only one thing more important to high school geeks, and that’s their best friends. Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are the dynamic dweeb duo of the film who must wrestle with the fact that they’ll finally be separated when they go to different colleges in the fall.

It’s no coincidence that the names of the lead characters are the same as the screenwriters. They too were best friends when started the script when they were 13, and simply wanted ‘to see if they could write a movie.’ «Read the rest of this article»

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Customs House stages world-class exhibit with Olen Bryant retrospective

By Christine Anne Piesyk | September 16, 2007 |

Hundreds of friends and fans came to the Customs House Museum Saturday evening for the opening celebration of Olen Bryant: A Retrospective, a world class exhibit of ceramic, wood and stone sculpture, a sampling of Bryant’s work from the early 1950’s to the present.

A Tennessee native and Professor Emeritus of Art at Austin Peay State University, Bryant was introduced to Saturday’s crowd as “an educator, mentor and humanitarian of the first order,” one who has guided and prodded his students to “find their voices” even as he continued his quest to develop and expand his own.

Meandering through the crowds, one could hear the comments of friends, of art lovers, watch them inhaling in awe at the beauty and substance of this work. In an era where art is displayed but art lovers are kept at safe distances, the Customs House exhibit was presented in a manner that invited touch, that invited close inspection of the most minute detail of each piece, be it a small “sleeping stone” or a majestic chair with outstretched arms. The art itself invited it. «Read the rest of this article»

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Daily meditation energizes the spirit

By Rev. Charles Moreland | September 16, 2007 |

How we start the day in our attitude and thinking influences the success of our day. Since my high school days, I’ve begun every day with meditation, contemplation, reflection and prayer that includes spiritual readings; it’s a productive habit that I continued through college, seminary, pastorate and my 20 years as a U.S. Army Chaplain.

Since retiring, it has continued to be a designated time, a time of refreshment and strengthening. Morning devotions are an effective way for for me to celebrate each new day. For my devotionals, I find The Upper Room daily devotional guide to be a great help.

I was particularly moved by the devotion of September 3, which referred to the characteristics of the battery and the AC clocks which abound in our home. «Read the rest of this article»

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Santa Claus, Grandmas and Harleys rock, roll, roar through town

By Debbie Boen | September 15, 2007 |

Hundreds of local people gathered to watch and wave as Bikers Who Care cycled by to drop off toys for children at Governor’s Square Mall.

The annual ride through town started after noon and ended around 2 p.m. today after navigating a meandering route along Riverside Drive, Kraft Street, College Street and Wilma Rudolph Boulevard.

Santa Claus, whole families, everybody [it seemed] and their grandma were riding motorcycles through town today in  a seamless, endless flow, much to the delight of people who began gathering late this morning along the route.  And the bikers were cool. «Read the rest of this article»

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