“The national event was designed to let consumers experience the quality and performance of Cooper Tire’s products firsthand,” said Hal Gardner, vice president of marketing for the North American Tire Division at Cooper Tire. “With the support of our dealers, we are bringing the rebate program back in order to give a new set of consumers the same opportunity.

BREAKING NEWS: On February 19, 2009, at 11:02 p.m,  Officers went to 901 Cal Court to do a welfare check.  The officers knocked at the door multiple times without response.

When there was no response, officers made entry into the residence.  They found one female adult and two children deceased.  The victims names are:  1) Natalie Ann Vullo, 30, ; Diamin Lynette Shanklin, age 8; and Paul Zacharius Vullo-Nellons, age 3.

The Homicide investigation is ongoing.   The lead investigator is Detective Tim Finley, 931-648-0656, ext 4008 or contact the TIPSLINE, 931-645-8477.

United States Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.

The text of U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is presented as part of Black History Month.

Every year, in February, we attempt to recognize and to appreciate black history. It is a worthwhile endeavor for the contributions of African Americans to this great nation are numerous and significant. Even as we fight a war against terrorism, deal with the reality of electing an African American as our President for the first time and deal with the other significant issues of the day, the need to confront our racial past, and our racial present, and to understand the history of African people in this country, endures. One cannot truly understand America without understanding the historical experience of black people in this nation. Simply put, to get to the heart of this country one must examine its racial soul.

Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards. Though race related issues continue to occupy a significant portion of our political discussion, and though there remain many unresolved racial issues in this nation, we, average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about race.

It is an issue we have never been at ease with and given our nation’s history this is in some ways understandable. And yet, if we are to make progress in this area we must feel comfortable enough with one another, and tolerant enough of each other, to have frank conversations about the racial matters that continue to divide us. But we must do more- and we in this room bear a special responsibility. Through its work and through its example this Department of Justice, as long as I am here, must – and will – lead the nation to the “new birth of freedom” so long ago promised by our greatest President. This is our duty and our solemn obligation.

We commemorated five years ago, the 50th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision. And though the world in which we now live is fundamentally different than that which existed then, this nation has still not come to grips with its racial past nor has it been willing to contemplate, in a truly meaningful way, the diverse future it is fated to have. To our detriment, this is typical of the way in which this nation deals with issues of race. And so I would suggest that we use February of every year to not only commemorate black history but also to foster a period of dialogue among the races. This is admittedly an artificial device to generate discussion that should come more naturally, but our history is such that we must find ways to force ourselves to confront that which we have become expert at avoiding.

As a nation we have done a pretty good job in melding the races in the workplace. We work with one another, lunch together and, when the event is at the workplace during work hours or shortly thereafter, we socialize with one another fairly well, irrespective of race. And yet even this interaction operates within certain limitations. We know, by “American instinct” and by learned behavior, that certain subjects are off limits and that to explore them risks, at best embarrassment, and, at worst, the questioning of one’s character.

And outside the workplace the situation is even more bleak in that there is almost no significant interaction between us. On Saturdays and Sundays America in the year 2009 does not, in some ways, differ significantly from the country that existed some fifty years ago. This is truly sad. Given all that we as a nation went through during the civil rights struggle it is hard for me to accept that the result of those efforts was to create an America that is more prosperous, more positively race conscious and yet is voluntarily socially segregated.

As a nation we should use Black History month as a means to deal with this continuing problem. By creating what will admittedly be, at first, artificial opportunities to engage one another we can hasten the day when the dream of individual, character based, acceptance can actually be realized. To respect one another we must have a basic understanding of one another. And so we should use events such as this to not only learn more about the facts of black history but also to learn more about each other.

This will be, at first, a process that is both awkward and painful but the rewards are potentially great. The alternative is to allow to continue the polite, restrained mixing that now passes as meaningful interaction but that accomplishes little. Imagine if you will situations where people- regardless of their skin color- could confront racial issues freely and without fear. The potential of this country, that is becoming increasingly diverse, would be greatly enhanced. I fear however, that we are taking steps that, rather than advancing us as a nation are actually dividing us even further.

We still speak too much of “them” and not “us”. There can, for instance, be very legitimate debate about the question of affirmative action. This debate can, and should, be nuanced, principled and spirited. But the conversation that we now engage in as a nation on this and other racial subjects is too often simplistic and left to those on the extremes who are not hesitant to use these issues to advance nothing more than their own, narrow self interest. Our history has demonstrated that the vast majority of Americans are uncomfortable with, and would like to not have to deal with, racial matters and that is why those, black or white, elected or self-appointed, who promise relief in easy, quick solutions, no matter how divisive, are embraced.

We are then free to retreat to our race protected cocoons where much is comfortable and where progress is not really made. If we allow this attitude to persist in the face of the most significant demographic changes that this nation has ever confronted- and remember, there will be no majority race in America in about fifty years- the coming diversity that could be such a powerful, positive force will, instead, become a reason for stagnation and polarization. We cannot allow this to happen and one way to prevent such an unwelcome outcome is to engage one another more routinely- and to do so now.

As I indicated before, the artificial device that is Black History month is a perfect vehicle for the beginnings of such a dialogue. And so I urge all of you to use the opportunity of this month to talk with your friends and co-workers on the other side of the divide about racial matters. In this way we can hasten the day when we truly become one America.

It is also clear that if we are to better understand one another the study of black history is essential because the history of black America and the history of this nation are inextricably tied to each other. It is for this reason that the study of black history is important to everyone- black or white. For example, the history of the United States in the nineteenth century revolves around a resolution of the question of how America was going to deal with its black inhabitants. The great debates of that era and the war that was ultimately fought are all centered around the issue of, initially, slavery and then the reconstruction of the vanquished region. A dominant domestic issue throughout the twentieth century was, again, America’s treatment of its black citizens. The civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s changed America in truly fundamental ways. Americans of all colors were forced to examine basic beliefs and long held views. Even so, most people, who are not conversant with history, still do not really comprehend the way in which that movement transformed America.

In racial terms the country that existed before the civil rights struggle is almost unrecognizable to us today. Separate public facilities, separate entrances, poll taxes, legal discrimination, forced labor, in essence an American apartheid, all were part of an America that the movement destroyed. To attend her state’s taxpayer supported college in 1963 my late sister in law had to be escorted to class by United States Marshals and past the state’s governor, George Wallace. That frightening reality seems almost unthinkable to us now. The civil rights movement made America, if not perfect, better.

In addition, the other major social movements of the latter half of the twentieth century- feminism, the nation’s treatment of other minority groups, even the anti-war effort- were all tied in some way to the spirit that was set free by the quest for African American equality. Those other movements may have occurred in the absence of the civil rights struggle but the fight for black equality came first and helped to shape the way in which other groups of people came to think of themselves and to raise their desire for equal treatment. Further, many of the tactics that were used by these other groups were developed in the civil rights movement.

And today the link between the black experience and this country is still evident. While the problems that continue to afflict the black community may be more severe, they are an indication of where the rest of the nation may be if corrective measures are not taken. Our inner cities are still too conversant with crime but the level of fear generated by that crime, now found in once quiet, and now electronically padlocked suburbs is alarming and further demonstrates that our past, present and future are linked. It is not safe for this nation to assume that the unaddressed social problems in the poorest parts of our country can be isolated and will not ultimately affect the larger society.

Black history is extremely important because it is American history. Given this, it is in some ways sad that there is a need for a black history month. Though we are all enlarged by our study and knowledge of the roles played by blacks in American history, and though there is a crying need for all of us to know and acknowledge the contributions of black America, a black history month is a testament to the problem that has afflicted blacks throughout our stay in this country. Black history is given a separate, and clearly not equal, treatment by our society in general and by our educational institutions in particular.

As a former American history major I am struck by the fact that such a major part of our national story has been divorced from the whole. In law, culture, science, athletics, industry and other fields, knowledge of the roles played by blacks is critical to an understanding of the American experiment. For too long we have been too willing to segregate the study of black history. There is clearly a need at present for a device that focuses the attention of the country on the study of the history of its black citizens.

But we must endeavor to integrate black history into our culture and into our curriculums in ways in which it has never occurred before so that the study of black history, and a recognition of the contributions of black Americans, become commonplace. Until that time, Black History Month must remain an important, vital concept. But we have to recognize that until black history is included in the standard curriculum in our schools and becomes a regular part of all our lives, it will be viewed as a novelty, relatively unimportant and not as weighty as so called “real” American history.

I, like many in my generation, have been fortunate in my life and have had a great number of wonderful opportunities. Some may consider me to be a part of black history. But we do a great disservice to the concept of black history recognition if we fail to understand that any success that I have had, cannot be viewed in isolation. I stood, and stand, on the shoulders of many other black Americans.

Admittedly, the identities of some of these people, through the passage of time, have become lost to us- the men, and women, who labored long in fields, who were later legally and systemically discriminated against, who were lynched by the hundreds in the century just past and those others who have been too long denied the fruits of our great American culture.

The names of too many of these people, these heroes and heroines, are lost to us. But the names of others of these people should strike a resonant chord in the historical ear of all in our nation: Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, Walter White, Langston Hughes, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, Charles Drew, Paul Robeson, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Vivian Malone, Rosa Parks, Marion Anderson, Emmit Till.

These are just some of the people who should be generally recognized and are just some of the people to whom all of us, black and white, owe such a debt of gratitude. It is on their broad shoulders that I stand as I hope that others will someday stand on my more narrow ones.

Black history is a subject worthy of study by all our nation’s people. Blacks have played a unique, productive role in the development of America. Perhaps the greatest strength of the United States is the diversity of its people and to truly understand this country one must have knowledge of its constituent parts.

But an unstudied, not discussed and ultimately misunderstood diversity can become a divisive force. An appreciation of the unique black past, acquired through the study of black history, will help lead to understanding and true compassion in the present, where it is still so sorely needed, and to a future where all of our people are truly valued.

]]> http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2009/02/19/attorney-general-speaks-at-black-history-month-program/feed/ 0 http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2009/02/19/two-men-charged-in-old-russellville-road-burglary/ http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2009/02/19/two-men-charged-in-old-russellville-road-burglary/#comments Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:30:41 +0000 Christine Anne Piesyk http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/?p=16069

Two men face burglary charges for theft of copper wiring. On February 16, Angelo Javon Byars (B/M), 38, of 572 Nelson Rd, Guthrie, KY,  was charged with burglary with bond of $5,000 and Jonathan Lee Wiiliams (B/M),  25, of  503 Edlin St., Guthrie, KY, was charged with burglary and had a theft warrant  served when he was taken into custody and has a bond of $10,000.
On February 16, 2009, at 10:01 p.m. Clarksville Police  responded to a call about a person breaking into a maintenance building on Old Russellville Pike and in the process of stealing copper. There was also another person at the scene waiting inside of a vehicle. When officers arrived on the scene they were told by an employee that they had received a call about a suspicious person behind the business.

When the employee went behind the business they found Byars inside of the maintenance building attempting to remove a coil of copper wiring without permission. The coil was valued at approximately $1000. Byars is also an employee of the business which property was being taken from and had been off work since 6 p.m. Williams was believed to be helping Byars by driving a vehicle to assist in commission of the Burglary.

Byars and Williams were both at the scene when officers arrived. The incident was witnessed by three individuals. Both men were taken into custody and booked into Montgomery County Jail.

The lead investigator is Detective Mike Alexander, 931-648-0656, ext 3007.

So why can’t parents of toddlers do it?

I’m talking about hibernating that is.

Painting by Ruth Stricklen

When Elle-Girl was about eight-months-old I read in one of those parenting magazines that the average age for a child to sleep through the night is six months. I thought to myself that this must have been an isolated study, because my child had never slept through the night. Not once! To prevent ourselves from being total zombies my husband and I committed the “number one cardinal sin of parenting” and we brought our little pink bundle of baby in bed with us. She slept (kinda), my husband slept, and I slept every couple of hours between Elle-Girl waking up to nurse. It worked for us. Everyone was happy.

Around 10-months-old, I was tired of being the pacifier for my now much bigger pink bundle and I tried, in vain, to get her in her own bed. I read up on Dr. Sears, and Penelope Leach, and searched endlessly online for the best way to go about this process. Because we were not under any circumstance going to do the Ferber method which recommends letting the baby cry it out and learn to self soothe. I have heard that this works well for some babies and they “get it” with in just a few nights. Elle-Girl however is a sensitive soul, and has been since the beginning. I knew we had to try something different.

Every night I would follow a specific bedtime routine, and it would go wonderfully until it came time to lay her down. I would pull her fuzzy pink blanket up between me and her so as to break that skin to skin contact. Her head would slide gently down into the crook of my arm while milk crept out of the corners of her open mouth. I would stand on the tip of my toes and lean ever so gently over, to slide her onto her mattress. However, the moment she felt the warmth of my body leave her side her arms would throw themselves out and her almond shape eyes would pop wide open. Back to the rocking chair we would go and repeat the above process. Sometimes, after an hour of rock, slide, repeat, I would “win” and enter the living room victoriously. Only to be awakened an hour later to repeat the same. Usually around 3 a.m. I would become weary of such a process and Elle-Girl would “win” and get to come to bed with Mommy.

I was becoming desperate and at one point before she turned one, I thought perhaps she was scared of heights and laid a firm foam mattress on her floor where I would lay beside her and nurse her until she fell asleep then I would slip away to our bed. This worked great! I was getting four hour blocks of sleep instead of two! Then we discovered a slight spider problem and she was back in bed with us.

To the horror of some mothers I introduced a toddler bed to our Elle-Girl at 12 months. Let me back that up and give an explanation for those feeling they need one. She had been walking well, for several months, and could crawl in and out of the bed feet first. I also padded the cherry wood bed with a bumper pad so she would not bump her head should she roll over or fall on the rail. I started with nap time. Which in my opinion is the best time to try out something new first. She took to it beautifully. She loved it! She loved the independence! She loved that she could pull all of her stuffed animal friends in bed with her, and she loved she could get out of bed and bang like a Banshee on her bedroom door in the middle of the night until I came to her call.

My sleepless baby, slept through the night for the first time at 13 months! I considered this a success. I felt I could write my own sleep training book:

“The “Cry it out” alternative, only takes 13 months!”

We had a few relapses, but for the most part, my husband and I had our marriage bed back, and Elle-Girl could stretch and kick and roll and turn upside down to her hearts content.

Then shortly after the holidays it all went terribly wrong. I felt like the mother of a new born all over again. Only this time I didn’t have my back up plan of nursing her to sleep. She was waking every two hours in the middle of the night, and I had grown accustomed to a restful nights sleep. It was miserable. Another new development came with this restless sleep: super sonic hearing! Every night she would go to bed around 9 p.m.. Two hours later she would wake up banging recklessly on the door. I would crack the door and tell her to go lay down, she would, then I would stand over her bed until her eyes closed and I would tip toe back to the door with the skills of a trained Ninja. I would turn the door handle and slowly drag the door inch by inch over the carpet. As soon as the door closed in its frame I would hear a scream from the tiny bed, and we would start all over again. This would sometimes take up to an hour to break away from and would start all over again a little over an hour later.

One Sunday at church, a wise mother of four suggested moving her bedtime back an hour, perhaps she’s getting overly tired? My child, tired? At this point it was worth a try. We developed a routine of 7 p.m. pajamas, 8 p.m. a sippy cup of Pediasure, 8:30 a book or two or four, sound asleep by 9 p.m. sharp, sometimes earlier! So you may ask , has it worked? Yes! All of those books and magazines and online googling and the best experience came from a mom whose been there!

Just in case you don’t take my word for it, here is what Johnson & Johnson suggests doing to help your child drift into a sweet nights rest.

• Start with a warm bath using their bath soap
• Follow with their Lavender bedtime lotion
• Next add their lavender massage gel
• Lay baby gently down while still drowsy and watch them peacefully fall asleep.

What is Magdalene House?

Women with a criminal history of prostitution and addiction are invited to stay up to two years in one of our homes rent free, in a community with other residents and no live-in staff.
During their stay, we provide a plan that is individualized for each woman that includes medical care, therapy, opportunities for addiction recovery, education and employment. Presently we have five houses and also provide an emergency safe house for four women. Our program also involves returning to the streets where Nashville prostitutes frequent as part of our continued outreach.

THISTLE FARMS is a non-profit business run by women of Magdalene House who have survived violence, prostitution, and abuse. Thistle Farms products are hand-made by the very women they benefit. Into every product goes the belief that freedom starts with healing, and love can change lives.

The women create natural bath and body products that are as kind to the environment as they are to the body. All sales proceeds go back into supporting the residents of Magdalene. Through Thistle Farms, the women of Magdalene gain much-needed job skills and learn responsibility and cooperation.

Products from Thistle Farms will be available for purchase at UUFC after the presentation.  For more information visit  http://www.thistlefarms.org/index.html and www.uua.org.

]]> http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2009/01/23/magdalene-house-residents-to-visit-uu-fellowship/feed/ 0 http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/12/16/tennessee-banker-n-houston-parks-named-las-board-president/ http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/12/16/tennessee-banker-n-houston-parks-named-las-board-president/#comments Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:00:09 +0000 Turner McCullough Jr. http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/?p=12920

N. Houston parks, President of the Middle Tennessee Legal Aid Society Board of Directors

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee has announced the selection of its new president of the board of directors as, N. Houston Parks. Parks is Chief Financial Officer of First Farmers and Merchants Bank of Columbia, TN. He has a extensive association and record of service with the Legal Aid Society.

Mr. Parks has a distinguished career development path, having attained his B.A. from Rhodes College and his J.D. from the University of Tennessee. Additionally he has attended the Cannon Financial Institute and the Executive Banking Institute. His professional affiliations include the American Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, and Maury County Bar Association. He has previously served as Board Vice President of the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee. He has also serves on the Martin Methodist College Board of Trustees and the Maury Alliance Board of Directors. Prior to joining First Farmers, Parks practiced law in Columbia.

Parks joined the the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Society in 2002. He has served as a member of the executive committee as well as being on the endowment, audit, and compensation study committees. He has also served as the organization’s vice president prior to being named board president.

Other Legal Aid Society officers for 2008-2010 are:

• Kathryn Edge, immediate past president
• Susan Kay, first vice president
• Clisby Barrow, second vice president
• Jim Weatherly, third vice president
• Drew Goddard, treasurer
• Turner McCullough Jr. , secretary
• Charlie Warfield, at large member

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands is Tennessee’s largest non-profit law firm. The Legal Aid Society gives free civil legal aid to people who have nowhere else to turn. It serves 48 counties from offices in Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Gallatin, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Oak Ridge and Tullahoma. The organization is funded in part by the United Way. Additionally it welcomes private donations from the general public.

I was first introduced to this Renaissance man’s extraordinary journey from near the Narrows of the Harpeth to New Orleans – in a canoe – while I was “killing time” in the Nashville airport.  Reading Joe Nolan’s feature of Guider in Nashville Arts Magazine revitalized my long-held preference to make time rather than kill it.  I remain so impressed with that article from October 2006, that it’s held a prominent place in my room and I’ve re-read it several times for inspiration!

Again, on November 19, I was “killing time” waiting for my fellow “local enthusiast” to meet me at the Tennessee State Museum.  It felt utterly serendipitous when I gazed up at a glorious shot of a canoe and sunburst clouds reflecting on the Mississippi River with this exciting announcement:  The River Inside: John Guilder’s Amazing Journey: October 3 through November 30.

Despite the show’s end being so imminent and Nashville being approximately a 50 mile drive from here, I’m compelled to recommend this brilliant exhibit for many reasons, including:

1.  The clarity of Guider’s photographs is awe-inspiring in itself.  As explained in Nolan’s article, Guider utilizes a unique platinum process rather than the more common use of silver as a light-sensitizing agent in traditional black/white photography.  The difference must be as striking as HDTV versus “rabbit ears” because the gradations of contrast allow for 100 shades of grey between black and white compared to only 10 with silver!

2.  The “human spirit” is unified in so many examples from aptly-named Guider’s river experience. He used so many words implying trepidation – “daunting,” “untenable,” “unexpected” – yet he not only completed that first vision, but returned to explore even more of the Mississippi!  All this after enduring a lifetime of respiratory ailments, including asthma, recurrent bouts of pneumonia and bronchitis and allergies so severe that he remained hospitalized for over a year at age 8.  That isolation from his family helped him realize that he could become accustomed to so much time alone, which paradoxically leads to the third and most important reason to see this show.

3.  It expresses the universal power of love.  Guider met his wife Mona Lisa after formulating his dream journey for many months, so he was initially reluctant to broach the subject to the love of his life. In Nolan’s article, he graciously credited her with being “. . . really good about it . . . I had never been in a relationship . . . where I was given that autonomy to be who I am.”  Guider echoes that sentiment in his book while acknowledging countless souls who contributed to his “amazing journey.”  “In part, I set out on this adventure to find myself.  In the end, I found something better:  community.”  That sense of community has been extended to the very young by the Tennessee State Museum with a newspaper insert called “Student Supplement” that’s also free.  Bonus displays include a short film, maps, shells, rocks and the estimated 600 pounds of supplies and photographic equipment filling the entire 16 ½ foot-Kevlar canoe, leaving just enough room for one intrepid man of great human spirit.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“The River Inside” is presented in part by Ingram Barge Co. of Nashville.  Located at 5th and Deaderick Streets in Nashville, the Tennessee Museum is open 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Sunday and is free to the public.  It is closed on Thanksgiving.  The museum website is www.tnmuseum.org