No. 213: Just Go Outside
⁂ Nashville's Alt-Daily ⁂ Go Outside · Tale from the ER · Eat Meat · Boris's Emporium · Much More!
Good morning, everyone.
A thing I've begun hearing a lot lately is "touch grass." It's a common rejoinder to someone when they've veered too far into fantasy land, typically in regard to some political position they've taken. For example, it'd be appropriate to tell the entire University of Penn swim team coaching staff to go "touch grass" after allowing Lia Thomas, a man, to race as a woman.
Effectively, it's no different than "just go outside", but something about it reminds us of this other thing that we hear about here and there in the course of The Pamphleteer's various ventures around town. Grounding.
Absent the political connotations of "touch grass" or the disciplinary edge of "just go outside", it's defined as when humans make an electrical connection to the earth’s energies. The simplest form involves walking barefoot in the grass. Until a couple of years ago, most people probably knew this as just going outside, but grounding has deeper connotations. You are not just outside or touching the grass, you are pulled towards and connected to the Earth — at least in mind. Give it ten years and people will be evangelizing the revolutionary health benefits of "breathing air" which will entail just going outside and breathing — connecting to the lifeforce or something — and calling it Fusion or Energizing, hell, maybe they'll just call it Living.
What's interesting about these three commands is that they all, in some way, point to the real world — the healthy world, the grounded world — being outside or somewhere else that is definitively not here. So keenly aware are we of the artifice of life indoors mediated through phone and computer screens that we must shake ourselves awake every once in a while and attach fancy names to things like "going outside" just to stimulate that desire and give it enough panache to overpower the lure of the screen. It's a strange development.
I'd condense all of these into "start a garden", "go hunting", or "go fishing", but that requires an instruction manual, ammunition, or a body of water. But speaking of screens, did you hear about Hunter Biden's laptop?
Today, we introduce a new "Tale from the ER", think about the tradeoffs made as Nashville continues to grow, offer evidence for the health of eating meat, and introduce a new, semi-recurring feature, Boris's Style Emporium.
You can follow us on Twitter (@realpamphleteer), LinkedIn (@realpamphleteer), or Instagram (@realpamphleteer) for additional content.
Thanks for reading.
The latest installation in the “Tales from the ER” series by Doc Paracelsus. These tales are based on real cases. Identifying information and certain medical details have been altered to protect privacy.
Doc Paracelsus
PAST TALES
- Tales from the ER #9: ER Rhythms: Why and when things get busy (Read)
- Tales from the ER #10: Gypsy Curse (Read)
- Tales from the ER #11: Do You Believe in Miracles? (Read)
- Tales from the ER #12: Grrl Boss (Read)
➫ GUIDING NASHVILLE'S GROWTH
For years the Nashville skyline has been littered with cranes as the Metropolitan area continues to grow upward, and urban planners don’t plan on slowing down.
For what they consider a ‘healthy’ downtown, 40,000 people should be living there. Right now, just 14,000 are, according to data from the Nashville Planning Department. That data also shows 110,000 people should be working downtown, but only 80,000 are now. (News 4)
The exponential growth makes the necessity of protecting the political and cultural landscape of Nashville an urgent matter. Currently, the Metropolitan area is influenced by a Democratic Mayor, an increasingly progressive Metro City Council (the 3rd largest city council despite being the 22nd largest city in the nation according to data from 2010), a Democratic DA, Democratic State Representatives, and a Democratic/Progressive directory of judges.
The new district maps drawn up this year offer a small opening for some change, but the GOP leaves many of these elected positions uncontested. New people are pouring into Nashville every day. In fact, over the next 5 years, 200,000 new residents are expected to move into the Nashville area according to Chamber of Commerce President Ralph Schulz. This massive migration brings some anxiety among current Tennesseans. As one of the last major cities not completely run roughshod by the increasingly progressive leniencies of the Democratic Party, the coming years may be the last window for Nashville to balance the ballot.
HEADLINES
- Nashville is one of two finalists for Republic National Convention (NBJ) Representatives from the two finalists of Milwaukee and Nashville will travel to Washington, D.C., next week to present final pitches to the RNC site selection committee.
- 'Les Paul Thru the Lens' coming to Nashville (Main Street) Nashvillians will be able to see the gallery from July 1 to Sept. 30 in the main lobby of the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum, 401 Gay St., for the price of admission. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
LEGISLATION
- Bill To Establish Verifiable Paper Trail For TN Ballots Fails In House Subcommittee (TCN) House Bill 2074 sponsored by Representative Bruce Griffey, as introduced, required county election commissions to use only ballot-marking devices or hand-marked ballots and tabulate the ballots using an electronic tabulator or by a hand count.
- Study on creating passenger train system across Tennessee gains Senate support (Center Square) Senate Bill 2343 came about after Amtrak announced its planned 2023 map, which included a route from Atlanta to Nashville through Chattanooga and a route from Chicago to New Orleans through Memphis but no connection through Tennessee or between Nashville and Louisville.
- Bill would allow Nashville to end smoking in bars downtown (Main Street) State law currently prevents local governments from banning smoking in age-restricted bars and pubs. In 2007, then-Gov. Phil Bredesen signed into law the Tennessee Non-Smokers Protection Act, which made smoking illegal in most restaurants, hotels and public places where people work.
- Tennessee bill to lower concealed carry age to 18 clears House committee (Center Square) The committee vote came during the second round of discussion on House Bill 1735. It was approved, if amended, by a 9-6 vote and will move to the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee.
DEVELOPMENT
- AllianceBernstein buying investment manager for at least $750M (NBJ)
- Japanese BBQ restaurant plans East Nashville location (Post)
- Café chain set for soon-to-start downtown hotel project (Post)
- Cajun restaurant brings New Orleans to East Nashville historic home (NBJ)
- Nashville legend Pat Emery, the powerhouse behind Fifth + Broadway, to co-develop Storyville Gardens (NBJ)
- Airport-area industrial building sells for $31.21M (Post)
- Start looms for Wedgewood-Houston-area tower project (Post)
↬ AND THE SURVEY SAYS...
Not that we need to waste much time refuting the lunacy of veganism to our readers, but we can add a feather to the cap of eating meat and enjoying it. A recent study that looked at the total health effects of eating meat in more than 170 countries concluded that meat intake is positively correlated with an increase in life expectancy. “Meat of small and large animals provided optimal nutrition to our ancestors who developed genetic, physiological, and morphological adaptations to eating meat products and we have inherited those adaptations,” Professor Henneberg who co-authored the study says.
Source: Total Meat Intake is Associated with Life Expectancy
DovePress, 29 September 2021, Read Online
❦❦❦ Boris’s Style Emporium ❦❦❦
A couple of weekends ago, I helped my friend build a fence. It was Saturday and we were ready to party, so we went straight to the bar afterward. I was still in my leather boots, dirty jeans, a t-shirt, and the wool jacket I’d been wearing all winter. After a couple of drinks at the bar, we ended up at a trendy party in an art studio. I walked in drunk and dirty and people kept commenting on my outfit like I was a mannequin. “Damn, you’ve got the blue-collar look going, I like it, Nice boots and faded jeans.” I guess they were impressed by how authentically distressed my clothes were as if I’d bought them off a guy who just got finished putting fence poles in the ground. I don’t think they know any blue-collar people.
I dedicate this Style Emporium to them.
⚔︎ MISSIVES ⚔︎
- 💉 A report released by the UK government has confirmed that 9 out of every 10 deaths related to COVID-19 are found in those who are fully vaccinated. Although the virus variant is the same and the UK approved only one different vaccine (AstraZeneca) from the United States, the data in the U.S. are different. This may be due in large part to the CDC definition used to identify who is “vaccinated.”
- 🎾 Daniil Medvedev, the world No 1 tennis player, could face a ban from Wimbledon unless he provides public assurances that he is not a supporter of President Putin.
- 🇨🇳 A Chinese spy hired a private investigator to use violence if necessary to end a candidate’s run for Congress, instructing him to “beat him until he cannot run for election,” prosecutors alleged as they unsealed a series of complaints accusing Chinese agents of harassing dissidents living in the U.S.
- 🏭 The Biden administration can move forward on policies that incorporate an increased estimate of the cost of climate change. The ruling marks the latest development in the Biden administration’s attempt to adopt a more than sevenfold increase in a metric called the social cost of carbon, which assigns a dollar value to the harm caused by greenhouse-gas emissions.
- 🌊 A strong earthquake struck off the coast of Japan late Wednesday, triggering a tsunami threat and leaving more than 2 million households without electricity, officials said. Preliminary reports put it at a 7.3 magnitude. The earthquake occurred just off the coast from Fukushima.
- 🇮🇷 As the war in Ukraine rages on, diplomats trying to salvage the languishing 2015 Iran nuclear deal have been forging ahead with negotiations despite distractions caused by the conflict. They now appear to be near the cusp of a deal that would bring the U.S. back into the accord and bring Iran back into compliance with limits on its nuclear program.
THINGS TO DO
View the full calendar here.
🍀 St. Patty's day this Thursday, check out this Nashville St. Patties guide.
🖌 At the Cheekwood, Spanning the Atlantic, The Arts and Crafts Movement, an international trend in the decorative arts that originated in the British Isles during the 19th century.
TONIGHT
🐖 Nashville farmers’ market @ Nashville farmers’ market, 8a, Info
🎻 The Cowpokes @ Acme Feed & Seed, 12p, Free, Info
🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info
🎸Kelly’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info
+ Best honky tonk in Nashville
🌕 Full Moon Cemetery Lantern Tour @ Montgomery Bell State Park, 7:30, $10, Info
🎸 40 oz Burrito @ The 5 Spot, 9p, Free, Info
+ Sublime cover band
TOMORROW
🐖 Nashville farmers’ market @ Nashville farmers’ market, 8a, Info
🐖 Charlotte farmers’ market @ Richland Park, 9a, Info
🐖 Franklin farmers’ market @ Franklin TN, 9a, Info
🏎 Drag Race @ Music City Raceway, 11a, Free, Info
🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info
🎸 Kelly’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info
+ Best honky tonk in Nashville
🎸 Bicho Brothers @ Acme Feed & Seed, 8p, Free, Info
+ Mucho Santana covers
SUNDAY
🐖 Nashville farmers’ market @ Nashville farmers’ market, 8a, Info
GET ‘EM WHILE YOU CAN
😂 Tim Dillon (3/24) @ The Ryman, $29.75+, 7p, Info
🎸 Buddy Guy (3/26) @ The Ryman, 7:30p, $80, Info
🎸 Jerry Cantrell (4/17) @ The Ryman, $35, 7p, Info
🎻 Billy Strings (5/6 – 5/8) @ The Ryman, $39.50+, 8:30, Info for 3/6, 3/7, 3/8
🐷 Primus a Farewell to Kings tour (5/9) @ The Ryman, 7:30p, $55+, Info
NEW THIS WEEK
Edward Landstreet
Jerod Ra’Del Hollyfield
Jerod Ra’Del Hollyfield
FROM LAST WEEK
Doc Paracelsus
Jerod Ra’Del Hollyfield
William Harwood
Around the Web
↻ The End of Globalization? What Russia’s War in Ukraine Means for the World Economy
✵ The runaway cost of virtue-signalling Working-class Americans are paying a heavy price for their elites’ moral posturing.
Political Theater Highlight Reel
- Joe Biden: “I may be Irish, but I’m not stupid.”
- Rep. Adam Kinzinger: "If Donald Trump gets the Republican nomination there are many of us that will move heaven and earth to ensure he doesn't win."
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Words of Wisdom
“It's only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose.”
Joseph Conrad