by Chris Walker | Feb 15, 2011 | Opinion
Don’t be confused by its name; the newest Midtown restaurant is not a Tavern, at least not in the old-fashioned sense. It is, instead, a place for good food, people-watching and enjoying fire-toasting your own S’mores right at your table. But more on that later. Located in the old Lime venue, at 1904 Broadway, the newly renovated and simplistically chic eatery is perfect for lunch or dinner. With a respectably priced menu and large portion size, it’s a great place for students to venture and become acquainted with one of the most popular areas in Nashville. Convenient walking distance to several after-dinner settings provides guests of Tavern options galore. A close friend and I ordered several tastings off the menu. We began with the homemade goat cheese guacamole served Mason jar-style, roasted fresh veggies and crispy sweet potato fries. All was delicious and contributed an array of textures and tastes to the palate of the evening. For the main course we had the seared salmon, Caesar salad served with a heaping pile of calamari, and “not your typical Pei-Wei” chicken lettuce wraps. The serving size of each dish was plenty and could easily be split for the budget-conscious. Another friend we ran into that night, Chad Little, was impressed, too. “This place is beyond amazing,” Little said. “I would bring my girlfriend or my mom here. The place is full of beautiful and lively people. The great thing about Nashville is so many people are young and successful with a touch of southern flair, and a lot of those (people) are here tonight.“ We ended our dinner after two hours of amazing conversation and...
by Madalyn Chaffin | Feb 10, 2011 | Opinion
Feb. 14 is fast approaching, and there are a variety of feelings about the holiday dedicated to love. The next few days cannot pass fast enough for the hopeless romantics who have planned their displays of affection and devotion. But it will be just another Monday for those who could care less, those who will spend their evenings watching DVDs and munching, alone, on popcorn. Then there are those dreading the day– people who currently have Valentines that they don’t want. They obviously don’t care to spend a day of hearts and flowers with these “losers.” You have most likely seen or heard of the movie How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days. Well, you don’t have 10 days to lose your Valentine. But here are 10 ways to break up with someone before Valentine’s Day. 1. Tell them to meet you at a location for a surprise date. Actually set up a blind date for them and have their new date tell them it is over between you two. At least they get another date out of this. And who knows? One person’s trash is another’s treasure. 2. Send them flowers and write the note to say, “You might think this is for Valentine’s Day, but it is actually for your mourning.” (idea courtesy of freshman Kyle Wittler) 3. Hire a barbershop quartet to sing the break-up message. Perhaps suggest a classic harmony song like “Happy Trails.” 4. Invite them to watch a movie about break-ups such as 500 Days of Summer, Forgetting Sarah Marshall or even The Break-Up to drop the hint. 5. Take someone else...
by Hunter Patterson | Jan 31, 2011 | Opinion
The Civil Wars’ debut album, Barton Hollow, is honest, heartbreaking, uplifting and as real as it gets. Made up of Joy Williams and John Paul White, this new group has taken the Nashville music scene by storm. And with their recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, they will surely take the nation and world by storm, too. You shouldn’t try doing homework while listening to the record, as it’s hard to sit there not eagerly listening and waiting for the next line to relate to your life. The album does the extraordinary thing of taking all aspects of love and putting them onto a four and a half inch disk. The album starts off with the lingering track “20 Years.” Already, just one track in, you are ready for a story to be told to you through song. A high spot of the album for me is the song “Posison and Wine.” The song, which was featured on NBC’s Grey’s Anatomy, is the one that propelled the duo to stardom. The lyrics capture all sides of love. When Williams sings Your hands can heal / your hands can bruise, you can really feel the emotion and truth she presents with her voice. The song takes the good and the bad of love and compares them, leaving you not knowing what to feel. The title track for the album, “Barton Hollow” is Americana in its purest form. The song, written about White’s childhood home in Loretto, Tenn., is one that almost everyone can relate to. Life is hard a lot of the times, and sometimes it feels...
by Thomas Whisenant | Jan 26, 2011 | Opinion
Last night, Americans were given the opportunity to witness the President they voted for– a man who brought hope and the promise of a better future. Not the man who some claim brought contention and divided the nation into polar, unyielding political factions. Coming off of a speech in Arizona that experts claim revived his presidency and won the hearts of Americans, President Obama approached the nation a humbled man. Humbled not only by the monumental losses in the midterm elections, but also by the realization of his administration’s mistakes and disconnect with the American people. Like many State of the Union addresses, the things the President said were old news. All Americans understand the dire need for jobs. We get the issue of the national debt. Even though he danced around certain topics, we know the challenges the nation faces. It wasn’t the things the President said, but it was the way in which he said them. Watching the State of the Union last night showed an obvious shift in the president’s political stance. While he addressed hot button issues such as health care, immigration and the two wars, he kept talk on these issues relatively light. Instead, he focused more on the issues of job creation, reducing deficit spending and government reform. He urged bipartisanship with each issue. More importantly, he stated his willingness to work alongside Republicans to make the changes and tough decisions that need to be made. While liberal supporters of the president are upset about his shift towards the middle, the rest of the nation breathes a sigh of relief. America might be...
by Aaron Schmelzer | Jan 13, 2011 | Opinion
I like to catch up with friends at the end of the Christmas holidays. I often ask them, “What did you do over the holidays? ” With that question, my friends most often respond with the same answer. “Nothing much. Just spent time with family, you know.” They then follow up with the same question I asked them. I respond by telling them: “You know, I did the same thing. Oh, but I did do something a little different this year. I went to Peru on a mission trip.” I had been to Peru before– last June on vacation with a fellow Lipscomb student and great friend Joel Collao, who is also from Peru. I was privileged to be able to return on January 2nd with a group from Lipscomb on a mission trip to Lima, the capital of Peru that I had visited before. While the heart of Lima, the Plaza de Armas, retains its colonial architecture and is quite beautiful, outside of the colonial center is also outside “tourist country.” However, outside is where the real heart and culture of Lima lie. That is from where the real Peruvians come, but the real Peruvians are also often the people that need the most help both spiritually and physically. We went to Lima to create a VBS for the children and families that attend or live near the Iglesia de Cristo de Lucyana (Lucyana Church of Christ). Several members of the church welcomed our arrival with a large homemade sign and songs. The same members helped us throughout the week in breaking through the language and culture barriers....
by Jadrienne Myhre | Nov 11, 2010 | Opinion
Connecting with the dead may have some appeal, but as far as movies are concerned, it is important to connect to the audience. And in this department, Hereafter is dead on arrival. Why? Because there is no climax or storyline, and no character development. Each of the characters is troubled, but instead of developing the characters or offering a moral lesson, after 129 minutes the movie simply, well, ends. There is nothing. The characters stay confused and simply leave once they get a psychic reading from Matt Damon’s character, George Lonegan. The three characters – Marcus, Marie, Malorie – are troubled by events from their pasts. Marcus’ older brother dies, Marie has a near-death experience, Malorie, who has unresolved conflict with her father in her past, drops out of the story half-way through the film and never surfaces again. Damon’s character is a middle-aged psychic who no longer wants his job, but seems to have no development and no resolution. In the beginning of the film, he is frustrated with his brother for exploiting his psychic ability, and confused about what to do. At the end, he leaves for England, still frustrated and confused. The movie as a whole lacked resolution. It felt more like a snapshot than a story. None of the characters get resolution, just readings. For George Lonegan, there is no indication that his struggle is ever resolved or even justified. Perhaps there was some subtle closure in George getting the “normal relationship” he wanted at the end of the film, but for the average audience member, this is hardly satisfying. Directed by Clint Eastwood, this film is rated...
