Recent Articles
- Do you want Foreign Nuclear Waste in TN?
- Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate expands to Tennessee and Kentucky
- Govs set for third annual Glenn Wilkes Classic
- Tanner: Senate Action Is Step Toward Fort Campbell, Montgomery Co. VA Investments
- Humdrum Season Paves the Way
- Gifts Teachers Really Want for the Holidays
- Radio Talk Show Hosts vs. Common Sense: The Lost Article “Left vs. Right”
- Clarksville Foxes holding sign-ups on November 21st
- 9th Branch Now Open for Fort Campbell Federal Credit Union
- APSU Volleyball: Champine named OVC “Player of the Year,” three receive All-OVC recognition
- Christmas on the Cumberland opens November 24th
- BusinessWeek singles out Clarksville TN as best city in Tennessee to raise kids
- Tanner meets with top NATO leaders
- Women’s Basketball: Herring’s 23 leads Lady Govs past Lipscomb
- Sweet Potato Twist
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About: Blayne Clements 
- Secretary of State – Tre Hargett (formerly Riley Darnell)
- Treasurer – David Lilliard (formerly Dale Sims)
- Comptroller – Justin Wilson (formerly John Morgan)
I am a 30 something graduate from Austin Peay State University, where I graduated in 1997 with two majors (Accounting and Finance). I am a very happily married man, with no kids, that really enjoys a professional life of public service and a personal life of travel, reading, music, and always trying to learn from others.
Web Site: http://
Email:
climbingpossum@yahoo.com
Blayne Clements's Articles:
Radio Talk Show Hosts vs. Common Sense: The Lost Article “Left vs. Right”
I wrote this in July but never posted it…hence the “lost” article.
On the Monday of this last July 4th weekend, I was driving back from visiting my brothers family. I passed the time listening to the satellite radio, particularly both Left and Right political talk channels.
The talk shows on the liberal channels were very similar to the talk shows on the conservative channels. They were talking about the same topics, they had the same sponsors, the same sound bytes, the same timed commercial breaks, the same news at the top and bottom of the hour…for the entire seven hours. I couldn’t take it that long, but I did listen long enough to make some observations. «Read the rest of this article»
CD Review: Ben Wilson “Strange Dogs”
Ben is a beer drinking, firewalking buddy of mine from way back when he had long hair and I had short hair. That being said, I was a little nervous when he asked me to write a review of new cd “Strange Dogs.” What if I didn’t like it? What if it wasn’t very good? Let me cut to the chase, I think this is his best effort yet.
Ben Wilson is a local musician via Elkton KY, now a Floridan, but always a local in my mind. If you have read about Ben or heard someone describe his music, I am pretty sure the word “quirky” has been used. That signature Ben Wilson “quirky-ness” is found on this cd, but there is a maturity to these songs that stands front and center. Please do not take my use of maturity the wrong way; I am not implying his previous cd’s are childish, but on “Strange Dogs” he has turned a page in his songwriting and it shows.
My favorite song is track 10, “Elkton Trailor Park Blues.” This Grateful Dead style blues jam is excellent. Another good track is “Anchors Aweigh,” which reminds me of the band, New Riders of the Purple Sage. Ben’s influences of Dylan, Cash, and The Jayhawks shine through on many songs. The title track “Strange Dogs” was inspired by the many dogs and cats that he and his lovely wife Barbara, have fostered over the years. «Read the rest of this article»
Traffic why we drive the way we do (and what it says about us) by Tom Vanderbilt
By Vanderbilt’s definition, I am an “extreme commuter”. I commute 2 hours, everyday, for over 12 years. That’s roughly 6,000 hours or the equivalent of 3 years of 40 hours work weeks battling traffic and sitting in traffic jams. Naturally, I was drawn to this book.
I did have concerns that the book could be dreadfully boring. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how Vanderbilt kept my interest; I couldn’t put the book down. He does a stunning job of reducing decades of research into a 286 page book.
The book is not just on traffic congestion. It discusses at length issues of engineering, driver psychology, and traffic issues world wide. Instead of summarizing what the book is about, it may be better to list some of the questions/topics addressed by Vanderbilt: «Read the rest of this article»
Radio Talk Show Hosts Vs. Common Sense – Alexander Hamilton
Last week a radio political talk show host said the following (as always I am paraphrasing):
“The federal government is too big. Our founding fathers would be appalled at the size and scope of our current federal government. Even Alexander Hamilton (a Federalist), who preferred a strong central government would be appalled that the federal government is considering banning texting while driving – that should be a state rights issue, like speed limits.”
In an attempt to justify their viewpoints both conservative and progressive talk show hosts commonly claim a ideological lineage back to the founding fathers. The hope is to connect their line of thinking to the line of thinking that birthed this great country. I have always been particularly interested in the attempt to link the current conservative philosophy with that of the Federalist. And the most famous federalist is Alexander Hamilton. «Read the rest of this article»
Radio Talk Shows Hosts vs. Common Sense: Britons receive worse health care than we do
This week on the third most listened to conservative radio show, the host said the following, and I am paraphrasing here:
“30,000 Britons die annually from staph infections contracted in a hospital. The per capita equivalent in the US would translate into 150,000 Americans dying of staph infections annually. The actual number of Americans dying of staph infection is much lower than that, therefore, our for-profit healthcare system in the US is much better than the taxpayer funded health care system in the UK.” «Read the rest of this article»
Book Review: “How We Decide” by Jonah Lehrer
So you think you are in control and make rational decisions? Think again. Scientists have only recently started to see how the brain works when we make decisions. Lehrer does a great job of communicating science’s most recent studies on decision making and the brain….and get this, he does it in layman’s terms and makes it interesting. I could not put the book down and at 265 pages, it’s a fast paced and cram packed read.
The book is reminiscent of Quirkology by Richard Wiseman. Like Quirkology, it is full of odd and interesting science experiments, such as – Why is an experiment with 4 year old child and a single marshmallow, the most accurate indicator of what that child’s IQ will be when they are 18? Except where Quirkology is mostly a collection of various odd scientific studies , Lehrer pinpoints studies done on how the brain makes decisions. «Read the rest of this article»
Radio Talk Shows Vs. Common Sense: The Increase in the Minimum Wage
The other day on the way home from work I heard a right wing radio talk show host say the following, and I am paraphrasing:
“The minimum wage is going up 10%. Therefore, in order for businesses to maintain the same level of profits, we should expect 10% of minimum wage earners to be laid off. This increase in the minimum wage, effectively, increases unemployment, increases the number of people looking for government entitlements, which is exactly the opposite of what this economy currently needs.”
The host cut to a commercial break, and I turned the radio off to think about that statement. It just didn’t sound right to me. It sounded too black and white. Economics is rarely that simple. So I thought about it. «Read the rest of this article»
Website Review: goodreads.com
Last week an online acquaintance and fellow COL contributor, Chris Lugo, emailed me an evitation to join goodreads.com. My first reaction was “Oh no, not another time wasting, social networking site.” But to my surprise, I have found it to be very useful, and most definitely not a waste of time –in fact it saves me time.
Let me give you some back story. When I read a book, I use a blank sheet of paper as the bookmark. As I read, I jot down ideas for what I might want to read next. So by the end of a book, I have a bookmark with scribbles like, the Whiskey Rebellion, Michael Parenti, or The Flying Burrito Brothers (I also jot down artists/songs for further consideration from pandora.com, but that is another review entirely.) I take those scribbles and head to the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library’s website and search to see what hits look interesting. So far, this process has been very rewarding, yet somewhat time consuming. «Read the rest of this article»
Orwell – “….I was no good”
George Orwell
I recently read the following George Orwell quote:
In a world where the prime necessities were money, titled relatives, athleticism, tailor-made clothes, neatly brushed hair, a charming smile, I was no good.
My initial impression was just WOW; what a great sentence. My eyes lingered over the last four words, “…I am no good.” The ending conveyed sense of worthlessness and low self esteem. But its Orwell, “1984″ and “Animal Farm” aren’t exactly “feel good” reads. But he “was no good” compared to what? «Read the rest of this article»
New state constitutional officers elected
In a historic vote, in a joint session of the state house and senate, all three sitting Constitutional Officers have been replaced.
In a Republican led move that appears to place more importance on candidate’s party affiliation than actually qualifications, your new Constitutional Officers are as follows:
The press was more interested in the Comptroller and Treasurer candidates, and seemed to give Mr. Hargett a pass. Phil Williams, of News Channel Five ran several special investigative reports on Justin Wilson, David Lilliard, and Ira Brody. Here is a little summary of what Mr. Williams found out about these nominees. «Read the rest of this article»
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