FEBRUARY 18, 2016
CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE
COLD IDENTITY
Chattanooga law enforcement are still searching for the identity of a woman they believe was murdered by a serial killer. This is her story. By Daniel Jackson
MUSIC
SIDESHOW
RIVER CITY RUMPUS
ARTS
ALPACAS
ARTS & ANIMALS
SCREEN
EDUCATION SCHOOL ISSUES
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CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE
EDITORIAL
Managing Editor Gary Poole Editorial Assistant Brooke Dorn
Contents
February 18, 2016 Volume 13, Issue 7
Music Editor Marc T. Michael Film Editor John DeVore Contributors Rob Brezsny • Steven W. Disbrow Patrick Filbin • Daniel Jackson Matt Jones • Mike McJunkin Tony Mraz • Ernie Paik Rick Pimental-Habib Editorial Interns Rebekah Jones • Ja'Lisa Little
Features
Cartoonists Max Cannon • Rob Rogers Jen Sorenson • Tom Tomorrow
4 BEGINNINGS: The Chattanooga Symphony looks towards a new future.
Cover Photo Tetra Images FOUNDED 2003 BY ZACHARY COOPER & MICHAEL KULL
ADVERTISING
Director of Sales Mike Baskin Account Executives Chee Chee Brown • Robyn Graves Linda Hisey • Rick Leavell Stacey Tyler • Logan Vandergriff
CONTACT
Offices 1305 Carter St., Chattanooga, TN 37402 Phone 423.265.9494 Website chattanoogapulse.com Email info@chattanoogapulse.com BREWER MEDIA GROUP Publisher & President Jim Brewer II THE FINE PRINT: The Pulse is published weekly by Brewer Media and is distributed throughout the city of Chattanooga and surrounding communities. The Pulse covers a broad range of topics concentrating on music, the arts, entertainment, culture and local news. The Pulse is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. No person without written permission from the publisher may take more than one copy per weekly issue. The Pulse may be distributed only by authorized distributors. Contents Copyright © 2016 by Brewer Media. All rights reserved.
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An Identity Grown Cold
Leave the riverfront and Chattanooga’s downtown. Merge onto Highway 27. Pass the high-rises and Finley Stadium. Turn away from Lookout Mountain as you take the fork onto Interstate 24 towards I-75. By then, you’re almost to the scene of a crime that has lain unsolved for 17 years.
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Creating Sustainable Art
The process that an artist uses to create their art is every bit as important as the final product. One could say that this truth applies to many things in life—entertainment, food and clothing being just a few examples.
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Sideshow Out Of The Shadows
It was just over a decade ago when Pinkie the Princess of Pain and Lazarus Hellgate got their start, basically filming Jackass style gross-out videos to earn some extra cash. They quickly transitioned from videos to live performance art and ultimately to a revival of the classic circus sideshow.
7 JUST A THEORY: Listening to the sounds of the Universe with gravity. 12 SCREEN: Documentary looks inside the issues and challenges of our schools. 16 ARTS CALENDAR 20 DIVERSIONS 21 MIXOLOGY: Blending the world of art with stylish cocktails. 24 MUSIC CALENDAR 26 REVIEWS: Tigue mixes classic and rock percussion, while Radiation City makes a strong claim for relevance. 28 FREE WILL ASTROLOGY 29 JONESIN’ CROSSWORD 30 SUSHI & BISCUITS: Chef Mike explains the art of Pasta Carbonara.
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NEWS • VIEWS • RANTS • RAVES
BEGINNINGS
UPDATES » CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM FACEBOOK/CHATTANOOGAPULSE EMAIL LOVE LETTERS, ADVICE & TRASH TALK TO INFO@CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
CSO Regroups And Moves Onward The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera looks towards a new future After nine years as the executive director of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, Molly Sasse French is out of the job she worked so hard to achieve. Not for professional reasons, management changes, or a change in the organizational PATRICK structure of the CSO. Sadly, Sasse French had to step down due to medical reasons. She has been on medical leave since the beginning of November and made the move official in early January to focus on her health and her family. She respectfully de-
clined to comment for this story for those same reasons. “Molly Sasse French became the Executive of the CSO when its very existence was challenged by changes in funding and by a difficult economy,” said CSO FILBIN past Board President, Spencer McCallie in a statement. “She brought together an efficient and effective staff, controlled expenses, increased fundraising, and enhanced our musical and educational missions to the community.” Filling the rather large shoes is
NEWS
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Photo by Stefan Vogt
interim executive director Samantha Teter. With over 15 years of experience in both the CSO, Colorado Symphony and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, a seamless transition seems to be in the works. “It’s hard to summarize what an executive director does without saying everything,” said Teter. “He or she has to oversee marketing, accounting, organizing staff, putting together years’ worth of scheduling, and gathering the resources so that our conductor has the musicians and performers they need. It’s definitely a job that requires a lot of attention to detail.” In the months following Sasse French’s retirement, Teter proudly noted the organization’s operations were running as smooth as ever. Not much changed around the offices, and the business of putting together a new season was a welcomed distraction. “It honestly hasn’t been all that different because we’ve been so busy, which is a good thing,” said Teter. “We’ve tried to keep everything running as smooth as possible and staying on schedule. And having good communication really helps.” A major task that landed on Teter’s desk was putting the final touches on the 2016/17 season and announcing the very exciting news. In an exclusive preview event to subscribers and donors, the organization announced that
the CSO will be performing its first fully-produced opera since 2009: Madame Butterfly, conducted by CSO Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt with Camille Zamora in the title role. Other highlights include The Barnett & Company Masterworks Series opening with Strauss’ Don Juan, Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto, performed by Ning An, and performances of works from four living composers, including Joan Tower, James Stephenson, Kendra D’Ercole (a world premiere), and returning composer, Ola Gjeilo. Now, notes Teter, it’s about marketing and getting the word out. “All the scheduling is pretty much wrapped up, but now we have to get people in the seats. We have to get the word out, facilitate the ticket office at the Tivoli, make sure our conductors have the musicians they need and just get the community more engaged and informed.” The complete schedule is at chattanoogasymphony.org
The List
EdiToon
Education And Employment
by Rob Rogers
In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Samaritan Smare", an alien race known as the Pakled kidnapped chief engineer Geordi La Forge in order to improve their technology. Their classic line was, "We are smart, we are strong." Science fiction aside, does education and smarts truly equal strength? Specifically, economic strength?
It’s Bloody Beneficial to Donate Blood What’s your type? Your blood type, to be specific. The folks at Blood Assurance would love to know. In order for you and them to find out, they’re hosting “typing days” where you can go to get tested for free to see what your blood type is. The majority of Chattanooga’s population doesn’t know their blood type. This is why Blood Assurance wants to reach out into the community to not only educate people on their blood type, but also encourage them to
donate and share the various benefits of donating blood. You can now join Blood Assurance’s beloved mascot, Hero, on his pursuit for the perfect donor, or better yet, become a donor yourself. All types are needed, especially O negative because of its many uses and also its rarity. But don’t worry, if needles send shivers down your spine, you are not required to donate. In addition to donations, one of Blood Assurance’s
IN THIS ISSUE
Daniel Jackson Our cover story this week on the search for the identity of “Chattanooga Jane” is by Daniel Jackson. Daniel is a journalist who covers politics, the knife industry and Chattanooga life. The last time he went bowling, he did manage to make a strike. In the past, he
major goals is to educate people on the reasons blood donation is so crucial as well as the benefits of their donations. The launch will be at City Hall on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and blood typing will take place at various locations in Chattanooga through the end of March. The public can get their blood typed for free at City Hall, Bradley County Fire & Rescue, and EXPO Chattanooga. It is relatively painless and takes less than five minutes. For questions, concerns, and schedules call (423) 702-1385 or visit bloodassurance.org. — Rebekah Jones
Steven W. Disbrow fought censorship at Bryan College, reported from Capitol Hill with The Washington Times and edited a local paper in central Connecticut. He won a business-reporting award for writing about O.F. Mossberg & Sons after the Sandy Hook shooting. Daniel joined The Pulse two years ago after moving to the Tennesse Valley and has written about a wide variety of topics and issues. Follow him on Twitter at @jcksndnl.
Steven W. Disbrow is a computer programmer by profession who specializes in e-commerce and mobile systems development. But wait, there’s more. Much more. He’s also an entrepreneur, comic-book nerd, writer, improviser, actor, sometime television personal-
ity and parent of two human children. He’s anxiously awaiting the results of the experiment that will prove whether or not the universe is a massive simulation. If it is, he’d like to have a chat with the idiot that coded the bits where we kill each other for no damn good reason. Along with various cover stories, his “Just A Theory” column on all things science runs monthly here in The Pulse. Watch out, Neil deGrasse Tyson!
We checked with our friends at the Statistic Brain Research Institute to find out. • Average High School Degree Salary: $32,552 • Average Associate Degree Salary: $39,884 • Average Bachelor’s Degree Salary: $53,976 • Unemployment Rate for someone with less than a High School Diploma: 14.9% • Unemployment Rate for a high school graduate: 10.3% • Unemployment Rate for an Associates Degree holder: 7.0% • Unemployment Rate for a Bachelor’s Degree holder: 4.7% As it turns our the Pakled were on to something. The more education you have, the better chance you have of having a well-paying job (or a job at all). So, instead of kidnapping engineers, they should have stayed in school. Source: statisticbrain.com/collegeeducation-costs-and-statistics/
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COLUMN JUST A THEORY
Finding Gravitational Waves In Space Prof. Disbrow listens in to the sounds of the Universe with gravity Longtime readers of this column might remember that back in 2014 researchers running the BICEP telescope STEVEN W. claimed to DISBROW have observed “Gravitational Waves.” Unfortunately, just months later, the peer-review process began to poke holes in their research and, eventually, they had to concede that their results were bad. What they had thought were Gravitational Waves were a false signal caused by interstellar dust. Bummer. Jump to 2105, and rumors began to circulate that the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) experiment had finally detected these waves. For real this time! What are Gravitational Waves? Gravitational Waves are waves in spacetime that are caused as massive objects move through spacetime itself. The more massive the object, the bigger the waves. To make this a bit more relatable, picture a boat on the water. When the boat moves, it sends out waves. Now, replace the boat with a black hole, and the water with space itself, and you get the general idea. Like objects in the water, every object with mass creates Gravitational Waves. And, just like waves in water, more massive objects create bigger waves. In general, these
“Gravitational Waves are waves in spacetime that are caused as massive objects move through spacetime itself. The more massive the object, the bigger the waves.” waves are tiny…smaller than the diameter of an atom. And, like water waves, they dissipate with distance and eventually fade out. Now, waves in the water will just displace things. Gravitational waves however, actually stretch and distort space! So, as a wave passes over a region of space, it might make the objects in that region longer or shorter as it goes through them. So, the question is, how do you actually detect these tiny, tiny waves? Well, first, you need a really big wave source. Something that will create waves big enough to detect, but, not so close that it will kill us all. Fortunately, the Universe is full of super-massive objects that are far, far away. (In this case, it was two colliding black holes, 1.3 billion light years away.) Second, because you need to be able to detect ripples in spacetime that are less than an atom’s width across, you need the most exquisitely precise measuring instrument
Image courtesy NASA
ever created. The LIGO detector is basically a giant “L” shape, where both limbs of the “L” are the same length (about 4km). A laser beam is fired from the corner of the “L” and split, so that the beam travels down each limb. At the end of each limb is a reflector, that turns the beam around and shoots it back at the source. When they arrive, the two halves are recombined into a single beam. Now, at this point, one of two things will have happened: Each half of the beam returns to the source at the same time and they generate a well-known and predictable interference pattern. This means the beams traveled the same distance in the same amount of time. But, if a Gravitational Wave has passed through the space occupied by one (or both) of the beams, the distance that beam has travelled will be slightly different than the distance travelled by the other beam. The beams will return to the source at different times, and the inter-
ference pattern generated will be slightly out of whack with what it should have been. Measure that discrepancy, and you’ve caught a Gravitational Wave! And that’s what happened! Very shortly after LIGO was powered up in 2015, it began to show tiny differences in the beams, giving our first direct observation of Gravitational Waves! Of course, the next question is, “What good is this?” Well, for our entire history, we’ve had to look at the Universe. And every time we’ve looked at a different wavelength of light (visible, infrared, x-ray, etc.) we’ve found something new and amazing. Now, we can hear the Universe! Heck, this was our first observation and we’ve already heard the collision of two black holes! The longer we listen, who knows what we’ll hear? Steven Disbrow is a computer programmer who specializes in e-commerce and mobile systems development, an entrepreneur, comic-book nerd, writer, improviser, actor, sometime television personality and parent of two human children.
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COVER STORY
An Identity Grown Cold Chattanooga law enforcement are still searching for the identity of a woman they believe was murdered by a serial killer by Daniel Jackson, Pulse contributor. Photos courtesy Hamilton County Medical Examiner's Office.
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eave the riverfront and Chattanooga’s downtown. Merge onto Highway 27. Pass the high-rises and Finley Stadium. Turn away from Lookout Mountain as you take the fork onto Interstate 24 towards I-75. By then, you’re almost to the scene of a crime that has lain unsolved for 17 years. Under the billboard just past Exit 180A, Chattanooga law enforcement pulled the decomposing body of an unknown woman from a tributary below I-24. Today, her bones lie in a cardboard box in the Hamilton County Medical Examiners office, unidentified and unclaimed. And the databases that law enforcement could use to bring this woman’s killer to justice are broken. Both the Hamilton County Medical Examiner’s Office and the District Attorney’s Cold Case Division said Chattanooga’s law enforcement has done as much as it can to find the identity of this woman—a woman we’ll call “Chattanooga Jane” for this story. They investigated suspects. They uploaded her profile into national databases. Short of someone coming to them with a tip, they have done as much as they can for Chattanooga Jane. And yet, despite all of our society’s technological and scientific efforts, this woman is perilously close to falling through the cracks. The Crime Scene Tom Bodkin got the call at 6:03 p.m. The then-Forensic Anthropologist for Hamilton County had two years of experience on the job that day on March 29, 1999 when he was told that a group of workers clearing brush from the side of I-24 had discovered the body. Today, the brush has grown back, and sap-
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lings about two inches thick choke out a clear picture of the tributary, filled with greenish-grey murky water leading to Chattanooga Creek. The scene is filled with the white noise of the highway punctuated with the rumble of downshifting big rigs. The world is lonely at this crime scene. Three birds dip in the sky while the sun hangs low over Lookout Mountain in the distance. The crime scene photos from that day in 1999 showed that the steep slope from the highway down to the tributary was bare. In the gathering dusk, the woman’s body floated in a raft of trash, surrounded by empty wine bottles and Styrofoam. The only thing visible of the woman was her exposed chest, leathered by the elements. Bodkin would later write that the body was tangled in fallen tree limbs. Eventually, the crime scene was lit with floodlights, and a diver in full SCUBA slowly approached the body, wading through the waist-deep water, approaching from the downstream, carefully clearing trash. It was then that the diver discovered the woman only wore a pair of red shorts and a strip of cloth tied tightly around her neck. A basket was lowered from a backhoe arm, she was scooped up and was transported by ambulance to the Hamilton County Forensic Center for analysis. On May 13, 1999, Bodkin released his full consolation. Cases Dotting the Highways Mike Mathis—then a sergeant in the Chattanooga Police Department over-
seeing the Cold Case Unit—said in 2004 that he convened a meeting between area law enforcement, including the FBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Georgia Bureau of Investigation, to consider the case of Chattanooga Jane along with a string of other unidentified bodies that have turned up on the side of highways in the area. Over ten years before the workers discovered Chattanooga Jane, another woman was found on the eastbound side of I-59 wearing Calvin Klein jeans, size 9 lace-up black boots, and a white gold pinky ring with a heart. The red-haired young woman—she was estimated to be as young as 16— was found just miles from the Alabama line. About 200 miles north, a young pregnant girl was found dead along the highway in Greenville, Tennessee. Down around Dalton, Georgia, a man was found along I-75. There were two females found at the same exit ramp as I-75 runs through McMinn and Bradley Counties, with one body found on the northbound side, the other on the southbound. With the bodies hinting at a pattern, is Mathis saying Chattanooga Jane was the victim of a serial killer? “We can’t say it’s not because of the similarities with the interstate,” he said. The FBI has a name for these types of cases: Highway Serial Killings. The FBI says these murders are most likely committed by serials killers working in the trucking industry, preying
on transient people living on the edge of society—such as prostitutes. The FBI admits that these are devilishly hard cases to solve. The victim could have been picked up in one state, killed in another, and dumped in a third. The cases—more than 500 back in 2009—cross police jurisdictions, and the victims are often left nameless. But the cold case investigations at the Chattanooga PD were often interrupted with more pressing investigations, like cop murderers. “Unless it’s fully dedicated, it won’t work,” Mathis said. Today, after leaving the police force to work as a consultant for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Mathis returned to head the District Attorney’s Cold Case Division, working cold cases full time. Since the division started operating in May of 2014, it has, in the words of Mathis, “resolved” five cases out of the approximately 175 unsolved homicides in Hamilton County. Regarding Chattanooga Jane, District Attorney Neal Pinkston said the city sits an hour-and-a-half drive from four states, “Which puts Tennessee in a center of a hub.” In a 100-mile radius, there are upwards of 10 cases of the bodies of women dumped on the side of the highway. But what sets Chattanooga Jane’s case from other highway trucker serial killing cases is that she was dumped in a populated area. “If a trucker is involved, it usually in a rural area,” Mathis noted.
But Chattanooga law enforcement has not had someone come forward locally, making Mathis think this case is more regional. The Medical Examiner’s office has a file about a quarter-inch inch thick of excluded cases—and that was before national databases put everything online. Examining The Body Chattanooga Jane is like tens of thousands of cases across the nation: an unidentified dead, a person found dead without any form of identification. Maybe it’s a murder victim or a homeless person that died. Regardless, their bodies remain unidentified and years pass. According to a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, coroners and medical examiners received 10,328 unidentified dead between 1980 to 2004—one of them being Chattanooga Jane. The National Institute of Justice in 2007 said of “The nation’s silent mass disaster” that as many as 40,000 unidentified bodies lie in coroners’ keep across the nation. Bodkin thinks about the case often when he passes the spot driving along I-24. He’s moved on from the medical examiner’s office and now works as a spokesman for the Hamilton County Health Department. He spoke to The Pulse not in his official capacity as a spokesman, but as a citizen. He still feels an obligation to this woman. “Once the case starts to slip into the annals of the forgotten, the only people looking for the person is their
Several of the many possible faces of "Chattanooga Jane" based on forensic facial reconstruction techniques.
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Chattanooga Jane is like tens of thousands of cases across the nation: an unidentified dead, a person found dead without any form of identification. Maybe it’s a murder victim or a homeless person that died. Regardless, their bodies remain unidentified and years pass.”
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“Drawing from his experience examining known skeletons, Bodkin discovered that Chattanooga Jane was a white female. By the way her leg bones bent, he believed that she was bow-legged. Healed injuries to her left hand, two feet and nose suggested she had lived a hard, perhaps blue-collar life.” family,” he explained. “She was somebody’s little girl on Christmas morning, and now she’s in a box, totally unknown.” The only things that Bodkin and the rest of the medical examiners office could discover about the woman were what clues her body left. She had dark hair, stood about five feet, four inches tall, and weighed about 130 pounds. For his anthropological report, Bodkin de-fleshed her remains, removing it from her skeleton, and discovered more clues about her past. Drawing from his experience examining known skeletons, Bodkin discovered that Chattanooga Jane was a white female. By the way her leg bones bent, he believed that she was bow-legged. Healed injuries to her left hand, two feet and nose suggested she had lived a hard, perhaps bluecollar life. Her teeth were in bad shape, with only 12 teeth left, and those badly decayed. He discovered trauma on the right greater horn of the hyoid bone. When a person is strangled, the bone that floats behind the jaw is often broken during the struggle for life. Bodkin once had an unidentified body that was later identified. It took six years, even though the woman had connections. She wore Italian-made jeans, had expensive dental work and an IUD, something only installed by an OBGYN. That was a clear indication that, somewhere, she had a record. 10 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
Eventually, her records were uploaded into a database and she was found. Technology Has Drawbacks In recent years, law enforcement has turned to the technology of databases to solve cases similar to Chattanooga Jane, but there are drawbacks. Nationwide, these databases are often underutilized by law enforcement, as not all the old cases get uploaded. Families may search for years. Murders sit unsolved. And murderers roam free. To track down potential highway serial killers, the FBI turns to its Violent Criminal Apprehension Program—known as ViCAP—as a way to pick up similarities between several cases. The program is supposed to compare details between violent crimes in hopes of discovering a similar suspect. But according to a report by investigative journalism outfit ProPublica and The Atlantic magazine, the ViCAP system is woefully underutilized by law enforcement. There are approximately 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the nation, yet only 1,400 or so contribute to the system, according to the report titled “The FBI Built a Database That Can Catch Rapists—Almost Nobody Uses It.” ProPublica and The Atlantic estimated there should be 4.4 million entries in ViCAP, but there are only 89,000.
This isn’t a recent problem. In 2007, the Bureau of Justice Statistics published a report saying the FBI’s National Crime Information Center Unidentified Person File had missing cases because law enforcement submitted information on a voluntary basis in every state but California, which had a law that made uploading cases mandatory. In the same year that the report came out, the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs started a database in July that compared cases of missing persons with the cases of unidentified dead. The website was named the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System—NamUs for short. The profiles of 11,621 unidentified dead have been uploaded to the publically viewable website. As a result, 821 unidentified were found to be one of the 20,917 missing person profiles. Todd Matthews is more than the Director of Case Management and Communications at NamUs. The former factory worker—who ensured the quality of automobile parts and discovered the identity of an unidentified woman discovered in Kentucky in 1999 by using the Internet—uses those skills to work with the 25 people at the University of North Texas who upkeep the national database. But many entries in NamUs are not completed at the hands of law enforcement officers trying to get by with the bare minimum. Within the system, there are hundreds
if not thousands of people with the same few descriptions such as “brown hair, five-feet-and-so-inches tall, last seen one night leaving in a car.” Some law enforcement fill out a bare-bones profile so that they get the free DNA testing that comes with creating a case profile in the system. Sometimes, compiling a complete record is more difficult than it firsts appears. “My mother doesn’t know how many dentists I go to,” Matthews said. And in the case of Chattanooga Jane, her fingerprints were lost because her body had decayed too far. Recently, Matthews uploaded his own profile to the NamUs system. He wanted to demonstrate just how many returns a profile generates. In 2013, James Todd Matthews went into the NamUs database as a 43-year-old white male with red hair from Tennessee. Despite being very much alive and very much identified, the NamUs database suggested Matthews matched 22 cases across the country. “We can make super use of the system,” Matthews said. Despite incentives, it’s still a difficult task. For the last several years, the Help Find the Missing Act has been kicked around Congress, which would require law enforcement to use the database. Most recently, Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut reintroduced the bill Sept. 30, 2015 where it was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. DNA of Last Resort In a government grant separate from NamUs, the University of North Texas also records DNA and uploads it to the Combined DNA Index System for Missing Persons, or CODIS. The medical examiner sent Chattanooga Jane’s right femur to the University of North Texas April 2015 for her DNA to be captured and uploaded into the CODIS system—one of the last steps Chattanooga law enforcement can
do for this case. Matthews often tells law enforcement to call him a year after submitting the material—that’s how long it takes for the waiting list of DNA samples to be extracted, uploaded and analyzed by the computer. Still, as Hamilton County Medical Examiner’s office said, it’s a faster system than the FBI’s. Forensic Technical Specialist Allison Leitch uploaded Chattanooga Jane’s profile on NamUs in 2010. A year later, she uploaded the woman’s dental records. Last year, the Regional Systems Administrator noticed that Chattanooga Jane’s profile only had one form of DNA—mtDNA extracted by the FBI in 2004. She recommended extracting and uploading another type of DNA, y-strs. Leitch has uploaded all eight of the unidentified dead the county’s medical examiner office keeps into the database. So far, NamUs has not helped solve any of the cases. Meanwhile, the people working there are helpful, Leitch said. When its time to get DNA extracted, “They send you the shipping labels.” The Medical Examiners office is a low, two-toned grey building on Amnicola Highway. It was here where Chattanooga Jane was transported, where she was examined. Chuck Hall, the chief medical examiner for Hamilton County, was working at the office when Chattanooga Jane was brought in. He was working nights, though, and he wasn’t assigned the case. 1999 was a tough year, a time when Chattanooga had the most homicides. At one point, there were nine homicides in nine days. “We were covered up,” Hall said. In some ways, discovering the unidentified is easier with databases. But in others, it’s gotten more difficult. “Families don’t stay in contact with each other like they used to do,” Hall said. Some families don’t have pictures of the missing member, or they give a vague description, like a height range of eight inches.
In the middle of January, the Medical Examiner’s office received an email notifying them that Chattanooga Jane’s recent DNA was completed and uploaded into CODIS, the Texas Depart of Public Safety’s State DNA Index System. Eventually her DNA will be entered into the National DNA Index System, which could yield a match. Until then, law enforcement has to turn to old techniques, waiting for tips, going over the case, publishing it in the media in hopes that someone comes forward. “Somebody out there knows something,” Mathis said. “Somebody out there is missing their mother or their sister.” Chattanooga Jane lies past the doors with the biohazard signs, past the two rooms where the Medical Examiner Office conducts autopsies. In the back of the building is a door to a smaller room where remains are kept in narrow cardboard boxes on grey metal shelves. On the door, someone printed out and taped a copy of Shakespeare’s epigraph above the list of the remains. Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare, To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones. The room is crowded, illuminated with a troffer of fluorescent lights. Hamilton County Medical Examiners keeps 75 remains, used to compare to other skeletons and remains, some of which are loaned out to graduate students. In the middle, at eye level, is Chattanooga Jane. Her box, marked in neat, black letters reads “C99-440 W/F Unknown Homicide.” Once she has a name, law enforcement can learn where she came from, why someone possibly wanted her dead, finally leading them to the person who has yet to face justice for killing Chattanooga Jane. CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 • THE PULSE • 11
SCREEN SCENE
Shining A Bright Light On Local Education Documentary looks at the issues and challenges facing our own schools
More Than A Simple Statue Bogie's “The Maltese Falcon” returns to the big screen Come celebrate the 75th Anniversary of The Maltese Falcon when it soars back into the theater for a special two-day event on Sunday, Feb. 21 and Wednesday, Feb. 24. A gallery of high-living lowlifes will stop at nothing to get their sweaty hands on a jewel-encrusted falcon in the 1941 classic. Detective Sam Spade (the legendary Humphrey Bogart) wants to find out why—and who’ll take the fall for his partner’s murder. An all-star cast including Sydney Greenstreet, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre and Elisha Cook Jr. joins Bogart in
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this crackling mystery masterwork, written for the screen from Dashiell Hammett’s novel and directed by John Huston. Nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Greenstreet) and Best Screenplay (Huston), this classic film catapulted Bogart to stardom and launched Huston’s directorial career, all with a bird and a bang! Make your plans now to see it (in the same aspect ratio as when it was originally released in cinemas) at Carmike’s East Ridge 18 theaters at 5080 South Terrace.
NEW IN THEATERS
Race Jesse Owens' quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy. Director: Stephen Hopkins Stars: Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis
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Risen Follows the epic Biblical story of the Resurrection, as told through the eyes of a non-believer tasked with solving the mystery of what happened to Jesus in the weeks following the crucifixion. Director: Kevin Reynolds Stars: Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton, Peter Firth, Cliff Curtis
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HERE IS NOTHING QUITE LIKE THE SCHOOL SYStem to generate heated discussions. One of the benefits of compulsory public education is that it creates a shared experience for community members, one where every person involved has a frame of reference for the discussion and can, for the most part, add their voice in some meaningful way.
Screen JOHN DEVORE
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There are many who see Hamilton County Schools as a failed entity. Many times, attacks are directed at lazy teachers, incompetent administrators, and misuse of funds.”
One drawback of being human is the overwhelming difficulty of judging those experiences from the perspective of another person. It is no secret that there are stark differences in the way children are educated in Hamilton County. We know this when we look at the outcomes for students from zone to zone, from zip code to zip code. No amount of testing, teacher training, coaching, differentiated instruction, scaffolding, or bussing can solve a problem that is unquestionably linked to economic disparity. This isn’t to say that these things are useless—each plays a role in bridging a gap that is created by cyclical poverty. But the problem cannot be solved by the school system alone. These ideas are discussed in detail by the latest in local documentary filmmaker Robert Ashton Winslow’s series “Southern Dialogues.” “Southern Dialogues” is a documentary series that is “an experiment in using web media as an opportunity to listen, to elevate civic dialogue, and reverse the typical relationship between media and political polarization in our lives.” That the most recent episode focuses on Hamilton County education is not surprising. There are many who see Hamilton County Schools as a failed entity. Many times, attacks are directed at lazy teachers, incompetent administra-
tors, and misuse of funds. For example, The Chattanoogan recently published the salaries of individuals making more than $60,000 within the school system, without giving readers the context of responsibilities, experience, and education level for the people working in those positions. The subtext of the article is clear: “Look how much we pay these failures.” “Southern Dialogues,” from its outset, looks at the real problem. According to an interview with Pete Cooper, former president of the Chattanooga Community Foundation, “the highest factor that correlates to college entrance exam scores is family income. The higher your family income the more likely you are to go to college.” Ask anyone who works in education, anyone who has ever taught in a struggling community, anyone who as ever interacted with these populations at all, and they will tell you the same thing. It is incredibly difficult to teach a child whose home life is unstable. The documentary speaks with many people within the community, from the Benwood Foundation to the Chattanooga chapter of the NAACP. It brings up the idea of “two Chattanoogas” one for the white middle class and wealthy, one for the rest who do not have the ability (or are not invited to) participate in the opportunities Chattanooga offers. The numbers are staggering and obvious, as seen by UnifiED graphs showing free and reduced lunch percentages that are correlated with student performance. The poorer the student, the lower the proficiency in reading and math. It discusses the initiative begun by embattled and now shamed outgo-
ing Superintendent Rick Smith to raise property taxes by forty-four cents in order to pay for pre-K programs in the poorest districts and bring art and foreign language classes to students across the county. The initiative was unsuccessful. And yes, it discusses the recent events during an Ooltewah basketball tournament weekend that have created an uproar about bullying across the county. Each story is told through honest interviews with expert insight. There are limited student and teacher voices in the documentary, but Winslow insists that the project is ongoing and more voices will be heard. The students who do speak, an Ooltewah senior and a Howard junior, highlight the differences in their expe-
riences and discuss learning about the flight of white families to the county schools after desegregation. The population of these schools has remained mostly homogenous ever since. Edna Varner of Thrive 2055 addresses how the merging of the city and county was meant to minimize economic segregation. “It did not,” Varner says. Even among our best public schools, there is a significant difference in economic populations. Look at the way the school zone was drawn for Normal Park, one of the highest performing magnet schools in the country. Look at the addresses that were excluded. Look at the incomes of the people who can afford to live on the North Shore. There is a different type of flight happening in Chattanooga now, one that is
not necessarily related to race. Some 30% of students in Hamilton County attend private schools. This percentage is much higher than anywhere else in the state. Our wealthiest citizens have retreated from the public sphere. One of the richest neighborhoods in the county sits next to Rivermont Elementary School, but it’s doubtful that any of the children that live there attend. Where do they go? Anywhere else. Until everyone in Chattanooga is willing to invest, not only through levied taxes but through human capital, not much is going to change. Schools need investment from everyone, in order to benefit everyone. To see the documentary series or to add your voice to the discussion, visit: southerndialogues.com/#chattanooga
CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 • THE PULSE • 13
ARTS SCENE
Creating Sustainable Art And Clothing
Artist Kacie Lynn makes clothing, art—and more—from her Alpacas
Comics, Costumes, Writers & More ConNooga brings together pop culture creativity Where can you go to find Doctor Who, Star Wars characters, heavy metal bands, and Disney arts and crafts for adults? Such a heavenly place is known as ConNooga and it’ll be at the Chattanooga Convention Center this weekend, part of the city’s rich heritage for pop culture conventions. Along with all of the costumed attendees and over 500 hours’ worth of scheduled activities, a large portion of the convention is consumed by art, an integral part of every fandom and every inch of pop culture. For example, noted comic book creator Shane Berryhill will be attending and sharing his expertise in the highly competitive and creative world of comics. Award-winning costumer Ben Bowers will also be there, demonstrating the techniques he uses in designing costumes using fiberglass, worbla, wonderflex and more. For aspiring authors, New York
Times bestselling author Faith Hunter, known for the Skinwalker series, will be conducting a series of workshops including, “Your First Five Pages: Bait and Hook” which will show you how to grab readers’ attention in, you guessed it, the first five pages. The convention takes off at Noon on Friday and will remain in orbit until Sunday afternoon. Don’t miss out on your chance to become the next award winning author or cosplay character. For questions about tickets and registration, visit connooga.com — Rebekah Jones ConNooga Friday, Noon Saturday, 9 a.m. Sunday, 9 a.m. Chattanooga Convention and Trade Center 1150 Carter St. connooga.com
THU2.18
FRI2.19
SAT2.20
ANIME FUN
THEATER FUN
MUSUEM FUN
Artist Talk: Gekiga and Visual Narratives
"Peter Pan Jr."
Hunter Underground
6 p.m. Downtown Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 757-5310 chattlibrary.org
Continuing the story of the boy who never grew up. 7:30 p.m. FSBC Theatre 1200 Mountain Creek Rd. cdoorent.com
8 p.m. The Hunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org
14 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
T
HE PROCESS THAT AN ARTIST USES TO CREATE their art is every bit as important as the final product. One could say that this truth applies to many things in life—entertainment, food, and clothing being just a few examples.
Arts TONY MRAZ
“
Everything that she produces on her farm involves her small herd— she raises the animals, shears them, spins their hair into yarn, and uses it to make a variety of things, including fine art, garments, and even planters.”
In this country, many people have no idea where their clothing actually comes from. They know what brand it is and where they bought it, but most don’t care what factory it was made in or who made it. This separation from the process has caused a serious international problem. An uncomfortably large population of people throughout the world, many of them women and children, live and work in conditions of extreme poverty to make the textiles that we buy in stores. In addition to their questionable labor practices, the factories that produce our clothing also generate an incredible amount of pollution. This is why fiber artist Kacie Lynn is concerned with responsible material sourcing. After completing her degree in Apparel Design, she began to search for a way to follow her passion without using mass produced textiles. “I really admire folks who take a problem and turn it into a viable business,” she explains. “The folks at Reunion Yarn Company are a huge inspiration for me as their entire business model seeks to revolutionize the way we think about garment consumption and recycling.” While on a camping trip during her internship with Kavu, Kacie visited an Alpaca farm and became fascinated with the Llama-like South American species. She decided to
farm them, and to use the fiber they produced to make her own textiles. Everything that she produces on her farm involves her small herd—she raises the animals, shears them, spins their hair into yarn, and uses it to make a variety of things, including fine art, garments, and even planters. It was worth every minute of the hour-long drive up Monteagle to see Kacie’s farm. It was astounding how tame the animals were. As we walked around the property, Kacie was followed everywhere by Penelope the sheep, a little lamb that she rescued. Penelope was cute, but nowhere near as precious as newborn Ophelia, the herd’s first cria. If you’ve never seen a baby Alpaca, it looks like something out of the Littlest Pet Shop. “This week, beauty was standing out in the barn at 4 a.m. watching Ophelia finally begin to nurse on her own.
“She makes her own dyes to create natural, organic, earthy fabrics—in some cases, she uses rust to create patterns that resemble abstract batik work.” Beauty is not being afraid to take a risk for something you believe in, and being willing to sacrifice for it,” Lynn said. After touring the farm and surrounding forest, we stepped inside the farm house where Kacie showed me the process of turning the Alpaca fiber into yarn. The fiber is first put into a drum carder, a device that aligns the fibers in a uniform direction. The carder also makes it possible to blend different colors of fibers together. After being removed from the carder, the fibers are spun into yarn using a traditional spinning wheel.
She uses a loom to weave scarves, crochets hats, and recycles unusable fiber into planters and dryer balls (a natural and reusable alternative to dryer sheets). She makes her own dyes to create natural, organic, earthy fabrics— in some cases, she uses rust to create patterns that resemble abstract batik work. In addition to her line of fine craft products, she is also producing a series of fine art pieces. The wall hanging assemblages have a natural look, most of them incorporating found objects with natural fibers. Their designs are elegant and compositionally pleasing,
and their energy is serene. “The textile wall pieces are assembled with various selections of cotton, wool, hemp, linen, and silk that have been naturally dyed,” she explains. “The bones come from neighboring farms and random adventures in the woods. The wood I use comes everywhere from old barns to partially burned down motels. I tend to subconsciously gather materials for a piece over a period of time; a few months to a couple years perhaps. “The most recent pieces I created have wool from fellow farmers’ herds, horse bones from a farm I lived on years ago, and barn wood from my neighbors. Once I have enough cohesive elements, I begin putting them together to create something.” Kacie’s work can be seen online at fiberfarm.net and farm visits are available by appointment. Just be ready for a cute overload.
CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 • THE PULSE • 15
ARTS CALENDAR
"Nationals Parks Adventure 3D"
THURSDAY2.18 Gateway to Freedom 10 a.m. Bessie Smith Cultural Center 200 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-8658 bessiesmithcc.org "National Parks Adventure 3D" Noon, 2, 4, 6 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 201 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4629 tnaqua.org/imax Classic Film Series at Heritage House Presents: "Stairway to Heaven" 2, 7 p.m. Heritage House 1428 Jenkins Rd. (423) 855-9474 chattanooga.gov Artist Talk: Gekiga and Visual Narratives 6 p.m. Downtown Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 757-5310 chattlibrary.org Focus 2016 6 p.m. Jazzanooga Arts Space 431 E. MLK Blvd. jazzanooga.org Elliot Daingerfield: Creating the Figure 6 p.m. The Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Winter Workshop
16 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
Series: Navigate with Map and Compass 6 p.m. Outdoor Chattanooga 200 River St. (423) 643-6888 outdoorchattanooga.com Life Drawing: Open Studio 6 p.m. Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com "The Royal Family" 7 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com Photographic Society of Chattanooga Presents Mike Daniel 7 p.m. St. John United Methodist
PULSE PICK: MIKE SPEENBERG Mike has taken his unique brand of “generational comedy” all over the country, sharing the stage with other comedic greats like Mitch Hedberg, Lewis Black, Dave Attel and Bob Saget. Mike Speenberg The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com
3921 Murray Hills Rd. (423) 344-5643 chattanoogaphoto.org CSO: Carnival of the Animals 7:30 p.m. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 267-8583 chattanoogasymphony.org All Sing 2016 7:30 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center 752 Vine St. (423) 425-4612 utc.edu/music Mike Speenberg 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com "Moreau" 8 p.m. Covenant College
14049 Scenic Hwy. (706) 419-1051 covenant.edu
FRIDAY2.19 Portrait Painting with Visiting Instructor Felicia Forte 10 a.m. Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com Home School Workshop: Have a Heart for Art(ists) 10 a.m. The Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org Gateway to Freedom 10 a.m. Bessie Smith Cultural Center 200 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-8658 bessiesmithcc.org ConNooga Noon Chattanooga Convention Center 1 Carter Plaza (423) 243-7165 connooga.com "National Parks Adventure 3D" Noon, 2, 4, 6, 8 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 201 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4629 tnaqua.org/imax Music at St. Pauls: Scott Hanoian 7:30 p.m. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
ARTS CALENDAR
"Moreau"
305 W 7th St. (423) 266-8195 stpaulschatt.org Mike Speenberg 7:30, 9:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com "Peter Pan Jr." 7:30 p.m. FSBC Theatre 1200 Mountain Creek Rd. cdoorent.com "The Royal Family" 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com "Moreau" 8 p.m. Covenant College 14049 Scenic Hwy. (706) 419-1051 covenant.edu Jazz: The Next Generation Project 8 p.m. Jazzanooga Arts Space 431 E. MLK Blvd. jazzanooga.org Tim Hinck’s ‘Work no. 152’ 8 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org Latin Shake with Carlos Colon 10 p.m. Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. (423) 661-3185 granfalloonchattanooga.com
SATURDAY2.20 Hearts for Hounds Jazzercise Jazz A Thon 8:45 a.m. Rivermont Presbyterian Church 3319 Hixson Pk. (423) 877-8527 rivermontpc.org ConNooga 9 a.m. Chattanooga Convention Center 1 Carter Plaza (423) 243-7165 connooga.com Portrait Painting with Visiting Instructor Felicia Forte 10 a.m. Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com Yoga by Shanterra 10 a.m. Jazzanooga Arts Space 431 E. MLK Blvd. jazzanooga.org Miniature Garden “Make & Take” Workshop 11 a.m. The Barn Nursery 1801 E. 24th St Place (423) 698-2276 barnnursery.com Young Artists 11:30 a.m. Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com "National Parks Adventure 3D"
Noon, 2, 4, 6, 8 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 201 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4629 tnaqua.org/imax Chinese New Year Celebration Noon Creative Discovery Museum 321 Chestnut St. (423) 756-2738 cdmfun.org Learn To Fly A Drone 1 p.m. Downtown Library 1001 Broad St. (423) 757-5310 chattlibrary.org Black History Expo: Sitting in on History 1 p.m. Bessie Smith Cultural Center 200 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-8658 bessiesmithcc.org Black History Month Hunter Collection Tour 2:30 p.m. The Hunter Museum of Art 10 Bluff Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org The Joyful (Vegan) Feast: Cooking Class 3 p.m. Mercy Junction Justice and Peace Center 1918 Union Ave. (423) 629-9872 mercyjunction.org Honors Choral Festival Concert 4 p.m. Collegedale SeventhDay Adventist Church
4829 College Dr. E. (423) 396-2134 collegedalechurch.com The People’s Sermon 5 p.m. Mercy Junction Justice and Peace Center 1918 Union Ave. (423) 629-9872 mercyjunction.org Mike Speenberg 7:30, 9:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com "Peter Pan Jr." 7:30 p.m. FSBC Theatre 1200 Mountain Creek Rd. cdoorent.com Tim Hinck’s ‘Work no. 152’ 8 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347 barkinglegs.org "The Royal Family" 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com "Moreau" 8 p.m. Covenant College 14049 Scenic Hwy. (706) 419-1051 covenant.edu Hunter Underground 8 p.m. The Hunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View Ave. CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 • THE PULSE • 17
ARTS CALENDAR
Missionary Ridge Local Train Ride
(423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org
SUNDAY2.21 ConNooga 9 a.m. Chattanooga Convention Center 1 Carter Plaza (423) 243-7165 connooga.com Portrait Painting with Visiting Instructor Felicia Forte 10 a.m. Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com Missionary Ridge Local Train Ride Tour 10:40 a.m., 12:05, 1:15, 2:25, 3:35 p.m. Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum 4119 Cromwell Rd. (423) 894-8028 tvrail.com "National Parks Adventure 3D" Noon, 2, 4, 6 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 201 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4629 tnaqua.org/imax Jazzanooga Gospel & Soul Brunch 1 p.m. Bessie Smith Cultural Center 200 E MLK Blvd. (423) 266-8658 bessiesmithcc.org "The Royal Family" 2:30 p.m.
18 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com Mike Speenberg 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 29 E. 14th St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com
MONDAY2.22 Art Exhibit Featuring Cartographic Illustrations 8:30 a.m. Southern Adventist University 4881 Taylor Cir. (423) 236-2000 Gateway to Freedom 10 a.m. Bessie Smith Cultural Center 200 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-8658 bessiesmithcc.org "National Parks Adventure 3D" Noon, 2, 4, 6 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 201 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4629 tnaqua.org/imax Lookout Farmers Market 4:30 p.m. Red Bank United Methodist 3800 Dayton Blvd. (423) 877-2881 rbumc.org Oil Painting 1 with Mia Bergeron 6 p.m. Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St.
(423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com
TUESDAY2.23 Art Exhibit Featuring Cartographic Illustrations 8:30 a.m. Southern Adventist University 4881 Taylor Cir. (423) 236-2000 Gateway to Freedom 10 a.m. Bessie Smith Cultural Center 200 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-8658 bessiesmithcc.org "National Parks Adventure 3D" Noon, 2, 4, 6 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 201 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4629 tnaqua.org/imax Tuesday Café Noon Jewish Cultural Center 5461 N. Terrace (423) 493-0270 jewishchattanooga.com Yoga by Shanterra 5:30 p.m. Jazzanooga Arts Space 431 E. MLK Blvd. jazzanooga.org "Arms and the Man" 7:30 p.m. Dorothy Hacket Ward Theater Corner of Vine and Palmetto St. (423) 425-4269 utctheatreco.com Narek Arutyunian 7:30 p.m.
Southern Adventist University 4881 Taylor Cir. (800) 768-8437 southern.edu
WEDNESDAY2.24 Gateway to Freedom 10 a.m. Bessie Smith Cultural Center 200 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-8658 bessiesmithcc.org Middle Eastern Dance 10:30 a.m. Jewish Cultural Center 5461 N. Terrace (423) 493-0270 jewishchattanooga.com "National Parks Adventure 3D" Noon, 2, 4, 6 p.m. Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 201 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4629 tnaqua.org/imax Etta May 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com "Arms and the Man" 7:30 p.m. Dorothy Hacket Ward Theater Corner of Vine and Palmetto St. (423) 425-4269 utctheatreco.com Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com
The Young Women’s Leadership Academy Foundation Presents
ODYSSEY 7TH ANNUAL AWARDS LUNCHEON
KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
MRS. ALMA POWELL
CHAIRWOMAN OF AMERICA’S PROMISE ALLIANCE
MARCH 8TH, 2016 11:30am - 1:00pm CHATTANOOGA CONVENTION CENTER
FOR TICKETS: WWW.CGLAONLINE.COM/ODYSSEY2016 OR 423-468-4105
MEDIA SPONSORSHIPS
CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 • THE PULSE • 19
Diversions
Consider This with Dr. Rick by Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D. “The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace.” — Jimmy Carter Every day is an opportunity to ask yourself: So, what good will I do today? If you aspire to follow Jimmy Carter’s example—or Mother Teresa’s or Gandhi’s—you might work toward global peace and inclusiveness, and an end to suffering and prejudice. Otherwise, you can simply smile at someone. Or mind your neighbor’s kid for free. Check on the elderly man up the street. Call your mother. The other day every person I looked at smiled at me. Doors were held open and each time I heard “thank you so much!” One woman gave me a big smile and wave in traffic while we waited for the light to change. That afternoon I felt acutely the strong bond of our common humanity. Consider this: Every kindness you do has rippling, positive consequences…for others, and for you.
20 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
FOOD & DRINK MIXOLOGY
Beauty Should Be Drinkable Blending the world of art with one very stylish cocktail A canvas captures imagination, moments and emotions. But unaware to most people, a canvas captures the art of alcohol. Yes, there are arrangements of cocktails inspired and created by artists such as Salvador Dali. His cocktail titled “The Casanova” is a brandy based cocktail “appropriate when circumstances such as exhaustion, overwork or simply excess of sobriety are calling for a pick-me-up”. Although there are many cocktails inspired from Dali to Picasso, there is a special cocktail served at the Flying Squirrel inspired by Elliott Daingerfield’s artwork, “Horse and Rider”. The Flying Squirrel sought to create an art inspired cocktail for their second Cocktails in Color event at the Hunter Museum. In other words, a cocktail that would capture the mysterious dark colors associated with Daingerfield’s paintings. “Horse and Rider” is the painting that inspired the cocktail “Alone in the Woods”. The painting incorporates a very blue sky and a horseman in red with a dark brown and black backdrop. When asked to build a drink around this painting, a participant at the event replied “A folktale bar set not far from the woods—a 150 year old bar with
““Alone in the Woods” is a whiskey based cocktail with chocolate malts, a dash of black cherry juice and walnut liquor, then finished with a flamed Orange garnish.” class.” This is what “Alone in the Woods” aims to capture—the time period, the mood, and the environment of the artwork. “Alone in the Woods” is a whiskey based cocktail (Four Roses Bourbon to be exact) with chocolate malts, a dash of black cherry juice and walnut liquor, then finished with a flamed Orange garnish. I had the opportunity to speak with Kaleena Goldsworthy, a local bartender from the Flying Squirrel, to find out how this art inspired cocktail was whipped up. “We had to think outside the box. We’d never used malts before so we used dark chocolate brewing
malts. This is what people use to brew homemade beer. Dark chocolate malts infused with Four Roses Bourbon and we let that sit for twelve hours. “Afterwards, we get this really chocolatey, coffee-y bite, but still a smoky taste to it. It mellows out the whiskey, and we mix that with a bit of walnut liquor, black cherry juice, and flamed orange. You get a nice charcoal, singed, citrus scent on the nose,” she explained. With the dark surrounding colors mixed with splashes of blues and red, the concept the Flying Squirrel accomplishes in their cocktail would certainly make Mr. Daingerfield proud. “The black cocktail is balanced with the splash of color from the orange,” were Kaleena’s last words before she began pouring bottles for an eventful night. This cocktail is one of many inspired by whimsical artwork. In times of “exhaustion, overwork, or simply excess of sobriety,” why not head down to the Flying Squirrel for one of their signature house cocktails? Better yet, test your art appreciation by whipping up your own Casanova. In the words of Dali, “beauty should be edible” or in this case “drinkable”.
The Casanova Cocktail (courtesy finedininglovers.com) Ingredients • Orange Juice from 1 orange • 1 tablespoon of bitters (Campari) • 1 teaspoon of ginger • 4 tablespoons of brandy • 2 tablespoons old brandy (Vieille Cure) • 1 pinch of Cayenne pepper Directions At the bottom of a glass, combine pepper and ginger. Pour the bitters on top, then brandy and “Vieille Cure”. Refrigerate or even put in the freezer. Thirty minutes later, remove from the freezer and stir the juice of the orange into the glass. Drink…and wait for the effect: it is rather speedy. — Ja’Lisa Little
CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 • THE PULSE • 21
MUSIC SCENE
Bringing The Sideshow Out of The Shadows
Rumpus Rising to showcase sideshow acts, music and so much more
Smooth Dialects, Beats & Rhythms Soulful, jazzy funk band continues to make a name Smooth Dialects, described as “a sexy group of panty-droppin’, bootypoppin’, soul-fillin’, jazz-jivin’, funk freaks that even yo mama can get down to,” are a Chattanooga-based group opening for The Motet at the Revelry Room this Sunday. The group’s soulful sounds come from vocalist Maria Sable, guitarist Josh Sable, bassist Ryan Crabtree, drummer Devonte Coleman, pianist LeBron Arnwine, and saxophonists Josh Dunlap and Jovan Quallo. Although the group formed in August 2011 with Maria and Josh, they decided to add to their sound with an arrangement of instruments until they hit the sweet spot with their self-titled album. According to Maria, “In the music business, you have one shot. That’s why we never put out demos or recordings. We wanted our
first effort to be our best.” The album consists of twelve original songs “from funk to reggae, from soul to swing” with songs such as “To the Beach,” “Wait for Me Lover” and “Until Then.” Marie’s voice is a powerful yet smooth vocal that sustains their Jazzy image. Their acoustic performance of “I Remember” captures their silky smooth and groovy concept and can be found on their YouTube channel. Take a listen, and then head down to the show. — Ja’Lisa Little The Motet w/ Smooth Dialects Sunday, 9 p.m. Revelry Room 41 E. 14th St. (423) 521-2929 revelryroom.co
THU2.18
FRI2.19
SAT2.20
AMERICANA LOVE
MUSIC & DANCE
STRICTLY ROOTS
The Lumbar Five
Tim Hinck’s ‘Work no. 152’
Morgan Heritage
Roots rock and more, with a world beat played from the heart and the soul. 7 p.m. The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. (423) 602-7314 granfalloonchattanooga.com
An ensemble piece relying heavily on vocal skills and physical movement. 8 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org
Infectious combination of R&B and dancehall majesty along with pop and even a touch of reggae. 8 p.m. Revelry Room 41 E. 14th St. revelryroom.co
22 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
I
T WAS JUST OVER A DECADE AGO WHEN PINKIE THE Princess of Pain and Lazarus Hellgate got their start, basically filming Jackass style gross-out videos to earn some extra cash. They quickly transitioned from videos to live performance art and ultimately to a revival of the classic circus sideshow.
Music MARC T. MICHAEL
“
This year will be bigger, better wilder, and weirder than 2015. We’ve got twice the space and two days’ worth of insanity to share!”
It was tough going. No one wanted to book a sideshow act, and many people didn’t know if they even wanted to spectate a sideshow act. But through perseverance, promotion, and some hard knocks, the husband and wife team carved out a niche for their own brand of entertainment, creating a market and demand. The fruition of that work can be seen now in their latest endeavor, Rumpus Rising. Rumpus Rising is a monthly event set to run from now until April (possibly May) at J.J.’s Bohemia. Each show will feature one touring sideshow act from around the country, all building up to the second annual River City Rumpus which promises to be a two-day, no-holds-barred festival of cool weirdness. The inaugural Rumpus Rising show will be this Friday at JJ’s. This month’s show features the extraordinary talents of the Thunder Snow Cone troupe. The Philadelphia based ensemble (currently featured in Hustler magazine) is a mélange of raw talent, highly skilled performance, sex appeal, and humor. Scarlett Storm returns with her sizzling burlesque performance. Suicide Girl Smurfasaur will once again astound audiences with her
Photo courtesy Maze Studio
precarious balancing/contortion act. Mikey Mangorilla, true to form, will juggle things that aren’t meant to be juggled. Variety performer Kitty Kaos will also be on hand and between the lot of them you can expect an evening of “sideshow stunts, circus shenanigans, burlesque, clowning, juggling, magic, comedy and more.” In addition to the sideshow performers, there will be musical performances by Horror/Punk/Surf/ Luchador outfit Genki Genki Panic (who have a most excellent new EP available now), and “dictator of the dancefloor” Cutlass Cult, a consummate performer in multiple formats. The kids of the Subterranean Cirqus will not be participating in the evening’s tomfoolery, being content to play the role of facilitators, enablers and promoters, although Pinkie and Leroy will be joining the guest performers at future Rumpus Rising events. All of this is, again, building up to the second annual River City Rum-
pus. Last year’s event, a smashing success by any metric, featured appearances by Thunder Snow Cone, Tinderbox’s Big Bad Circus Sideshow, Zanzibar’s Lacy Jo, Chattanooga Fire Cabaret, performers from American Horror Story: Freak Show, The Subterranean Cirqus, and a world record eye-socket weight lifting set by Pinkie, the Princess of Pain. As hard an act as that would be to follow, Hellgate promises, “This year will be bigger, better, wilder, and weirder than 2015. We’ve got twice the space and two days’ worth of insanity to share!” Given the tremendous amount of ground they’ve covered since their humble beginnings and the name they have made for themselves within the sideshow community, there is no doubt that Lazarus and company will make good on that promise and it all starts at JJ’s Bohemia this Friday at 10 p.m. This is a 21+ show (and we mean that), admission is $10 at the door. CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 • THE PULSE • 23
MUSIC CALENDAR
Andrew Ripp
THURSDAY2.18 James Crumble Trio 6 p.m. St. John’s Meeting Place 1278 Market St. stjohnsrestaurant.com Live Bluegrass 6:30 p.m. Whole Foods Market 301 Manufacturers Rd. wholefoodsmarket.com The Lumbar Five 7 p.m. The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. (423) 602-7314 granfalloonchattanooga.com CSO: Carnival of the Animals 7:30 p.m. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. chattanoogasymphony.org Bluegrass Thursdays 7:30 p.m. Feed Co. Table & Tavern 201 W. Main St. feedtableandtavern.com Jesse James and Tim Neal 7:30 p.m. Mexi Wings VII 5773 Brainerd Rd. mexi-wingchattanooga.com Blake Hise 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Open Mic with Hap Henninger 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com
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FRIDAY2.19 Nabil Ince and Courtney Reid 7 p.m. Jazzanooga Arts Space 431 E. MLK Blvd. jazzanooga.org Scott Hanoian 7:30 p.m. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 305 W. 7th St. stpaulschatt.org Silver Tongue Develz 8 p.m. Ziggy’s Bar and Grill 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net Andrew Ripp 8 p.m. Revelry Room 41 E. 14th St. revelryroom.co Don Williams, Colm Kirwan
PULSE PICK: BACKWATER STILL A genre busting blend of kickin' country, southern rock, and rhythm & blues combined with some swagger, a bit of attitude, a touch of humor and a truckload of talent. Backwater Still Saturday, 9 p.m. Puckett’s 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com
8 p.m. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. chattanoogaonstage.com Seaux Chill 8 p.m. Jazzanooga Arts Space 431 E. MLK Blvd. jazzanooga.org Tim Hinck’s ‘Work no. 152’ 8 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org HoneyHoney, Cicada Rhythm 8 p.m. The Camp House 149 E. MLK Blvd. thecamphouse.com Priscilla & Lil’Rickee 8:30 p.m. The Foundry 1201 Broad St.
chattanooganhotel.com Randall Adams 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Thunder Snowcone (Rumpus Party), Cutlass Cult, Genki Genki Panic 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Camille Rae 9 p.m. Puckett’s 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com Convertibull 9:30 p.m. Ultra Lounge @ Bella Vita 1400 Cowart St. bellavitarestuarants.com 8Trk 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com
SATURDAY2.20 Weekend for Bernie 7 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com Open Mic Night 7:30 p.m. The Meeting House 3912 Dayton Blvd. redbankmeetinghouse.com Tim Hinck’s ‘Work no. 152’ 8 p.m.
MUSIC CALENDAR
David Cook Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Morgan Heritage, Blackalicious 8 p.m. Revelry Room 41 E. 14th St. revelryroom.co Mountain Creek Housefire 8 p.m. Charles and Myrtle’s Coffeehouse 105 McBrien Rd. christunity.org Priscilla & Lil’Rickee 8:30 p.m. The Foundry 1201 Broad St. chattanooganhotel.com Cutlass Cult 9 p.m. The Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. (423) 602-7314 granfalloonchattanooga.com Hap Henninger 9 p.m. The Office @ City Cafe 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com Backwater Still 9 p.m. Puckett’s 2 W. Aquarium Way puckettsgro.com The Road Runners 9 p.m. Ziggy’s Bar and Grill 607 Cherokee Blvd. ziggysbarandgrill.net 8Trk 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar
5751 Brainerd Rd. budssportsbar.com
SUNDAY2.21 Sounds of Unity 1:30 p.m. Bessie Smith Cultural Center 200 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-8658 bessiesmithcc.org Dara Tucker Band 3 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Open Mic with Jeff Daniels 6 p.m. Long Haul Saloon 2536 Cummings Hwy. (423) 822-9775 Weekend for Bernie 7 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd. jjsbohemia.com The Motet, Smooth Dialects 8 p.m. Reverly Room 41 E. 14th St. revelryroom.co
MONDAY2.22 Open Air with Jessica Nunn 6 p.m. Granfalloon 400 E. Main St. granfalloonchatt.com Cam 6:15 p.m. Revelry Room
41 E. 14th St. revelryroom.co Monday Nite Big Band 7 p.m. The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com SoCro 8 p.m. Reverly Room 41 E. 14th St. revelryroom.co Open Mic with Shawnessey Cargile 8 p.m. The Well 1800 Rossville Blvd. #8 wellonthesouthside.com Monday Nite Big Band 9 p.m. The Coconut Room 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com
TUESDAY2.23 David Cook 7 p.m. Reverly Room 41 E. 14th St. revelryroom.co Open Mic with Mike McDade 8 p.m. Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike tremonttavern.com
WEDNESDAY2.24 Courtney Daly Band 7 p.m.
End Zone 3658 Ringgold Rd. (423) 661-8020 BeauSoleil 7:30 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center 752 Vine St. utc.edu/fine-arts-center Gary Clark Jr. 8 p.m. Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. chattanoogaonstage.com Turbo Suit, MASSEUSE 8 p.m. Reverly Room 41 E. 14th St. revelryroom.co Open Jam 8 p.m. Raw Dance Club 409 Market St. rawbarandgrillchatt.com Robert Crabtree Trio 8 p.m. Barking Legs Theater 1307 Dodds Ave. barkinglegs.org Blues Night 9 p.m. The Office 901 Carter St. citycafemenu.com The Palm Cut Trio 9 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton 6925 Shallowford Rd. thepalmsathamilton.com
Map these locations on chattanoogapulse.com. Send event listings at least 10 days in advance to: calendar@chattanoogapulse.com CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 • THE PULSE • 25
RECORD REVIEWS ERNIE PAIK
Percussive Stylings Straight Outta Brooklyn, Warm Pop Artifice from Portland Tigue mixes classic and rock percussion to great effect, Radiation City makes a claim for relevance
Tigue Peaks (New Amsterdam)
T
he debut full-length album Peaks from the Brooklyn percussion ensemble Tigue sounds like what might be the result of taking minimalist modern classical percussion pieces and injecting propulsive rock into the proceedings, driving the momentum with a compelling and often thrilling style that could f ind a home either in a concert hall or a rock club. Beginning with simple rim-shot clicks and sparse drumbeats, the album opener “Cranes” soon ramps up the complexity, shaping primitive beats into a spiral spider web of polyrhythms that is clearly composed but never feels constrained. The drones in the background of “Sitting” offer just a hint of a melody as honey dripping through the cracks between the notes, before
Radiation City Synesthetica (Polyvinyl) “Mouth” takes off with its melodic mantra, accented with vibraphone chords. Joining the core trio of Matt Evans, Amy Garapic, and Carson Moody on “Mouth” are guitarist Ira Kaplan and bassist James McNew of Yo La Tengo plus guitarist Shahin Motia of Oneida and Ex Models. Speaking of Oneida, that group’s drummer Kid Millions (a.k.a. John Colpitts) is the producer of Peaks, which makes sense, knowing his rigorous and intense percussion group Man Forever. “Drones” cleanses the palate with sustained monotonic notes that use phasing to generate textures, before “Drips” goes into even more abstract territory, with artif icial metallic rain and mysterious lurking noises.
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“Dress Well” is perhaps like a spiritual sibling to the Tortoise album TNT , with ringing vibraphone notes, a cascading minimalist motif, and a general hopeful attitude that pushes the piece along and inspires movement within the listener. The f igurative waves of “Cerulean” act as the album’s cool down session, with periodic aural radiation invading the track in its own peculiar rhythm among the drones and drum beats decelerating with precision. Peaks alternates between the rush of exciting polyrhythms and neutral pieces that act as sonic airlocks, arranged together in a way that’s stimulating for both the mind and body.
T
he Portland quintet Radiation City has always been onto something, offering its warm pop artif iciality that benef its from great sounding studio production and hard-to-place musical references that provide just a touch of nostalgia without ever going into full-on throwback mode. The earlier material at times wasn’t assertive enough to rope the listener in consistently, despite the group having mapped out its own meticulous style, but over the last six years, the band has improved its songwriting. Its latest full-length and debut for Polyvinyl, Synesthetica , delivers the hooks this critic was waiting for
and further ref ines its sonic personality while it stretches out its arms. The album’s salvo is strong, with the opening “Oil Show” presenting a sort of early-’80s Talking Heads vibe, with slender guitar shards among the pop carnival with a hint of funk and assured singing. “Juicy” saunters and slithers, taking its sweet time to assemble its ingredients, and its lyrical wordplay, while often indecipherable, has a charming construction and rhythm to it; take, for example, the fragment “cacophonous occasion couldn’t conjure up the stamen” which sticks out with its consonance, setting up the scene for a release of vocal tension. The smooth “Butter” uses a vague ‘80s pop sophistication—think Destroyer’s Kaputt but mixed with the alluring mystery of a James Bond theme, evoked with an upward string-section glissando. The soft pounding in the boy/ girl-sung “Come and Go” is persuasive, which provides a punch during each glorious chorus delivered with the right panache—no wilting flower here. It’s refreshing to hear a band on the rise, and one of the group’s talents is reconstructing pop in a way that’s balanced so that the listener isn’t distracted by trying to discern the electronic from the organic sounds—it’s in their fabric; for Radiation City, the artif iciality comes naturally.
CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 • THE PULSE • 27
COLUMN FREE WILL ASTROLOGY PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In the long-running TV show M*A*S*H*, the character known as Sidney Freedman was a psychiatrist who did ROB BREZSNY his best to nurture the mental health of the soldiers in his care. He sometimes departed from conventional therapeutic approaches. In the series finale, he delivered the following speech, which I believe is highly pertinent to your current quest for good mental hygiene: “I told you people something a long time ago, and it’s just as pertinent today as it was then. Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice: Pull down your pants and slide on the ice.” ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Old paint on a canvas, as it ages, sometimes becomes transparent,” said playwright Lillian Hellman. “When that happens, it is possible to see the original lines: a tree will show through a woman’s dress, a child makes way for a dog, a large boat is no longer on an open sea.” Why does this happen? Because the painter changed his or her mind. Early images were replaced, painted over. I suspect that a metaphorical version of this is underway in your life. Certain choices you made in the past got supplanted by choices you made later. They disappeared from view. But now those older possibilities are re-emerging for your consideration. I’m not saying what you should do about them. I simply want to alert you to their ghostly presence so they don’t cause confusion. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Let’s talk about your mouth. Since your words flow out of it, you use it to create and shape a lot of your experiences. Your mouth is also the place where food and drink enter your body, as well as some of the air you breathe. So it’s crucial to fueling every move you make. You experience the beloved sense of taste in your mouth. You use your mouth for kissing and other amorous activities. With its help, you sing, moan, shout, and laugh. It’s quite expressive, too. As you move its many muscles, you send out an array of emotional signals. I’ve provided this sum-
mary in the hope of inspiring you to celebrate your mouth, Taurus. It’s prime time to enhance your appreciation of its blessings! GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Coloring books for adults are best-sellers. Tightly-wound folks relieve their stress by using crayons and markers to brighten up black-andwhite drawings of butterflies, flowers, mandalas, and pretty fishes. I highly recommend that you avoid this type of recreation in the next three weeks, as it would send the wrong message to your subconscious mind. You should expend as little energy as possible working within frameworks that others have made. You need to focus on designing and constructing your own frameworks. CANCER (June 21-July 22): The Old Testament book of Leviticus presents a long list of forbidden activities, and declares that anyone who commits them should be punished. You’re not supposed to get tattoos, have messy hair, consult oracles, work on Sunday, wear clothes that blend wool and linen, plant different seeds in the same field, or eat snails, prawns, pigs, and crabs. (It’s OK to buy slaves, though.) We laugh at how absurd it would be for us to obey these outdated rules and prohibitions, and yet many of us retain a superstitious loyalty toward guidelines and beliefs that are almost equally obsolete. Here’s the good news, Cancerian: Now is an excellent time to dismantle or purge your own fossilized formulas. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “I would not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well,” said the philosopher and naturalist Henry David Thoreau. In accordance with your astrological constitution, Leo, I authorize you to use this declaration as your own almost any time you feel like it. But I do suggest that you make an exception to the rule during the next four weeks. In my opinion, it will be time to focus on increasing your understanding of the people you care about— even if that effort takes time and energy away from your quest for ultimate selfknowledge. Don’t worry: You can return to emphasizing Thoreau’s perspective by the equinox. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You are entering
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Homework: What good thing would you have to give up in order to get a great thing? Testify at Freewillastrology.com. Click on “Email Rob.” the inquisitive phase of your astrological cycle. One of the best ways to thrive during the coming weeks will be to ask more questions than you have asked since you were five years old. Curiosity and good listening skills will be superpowers that you should you strive to activate. For now, what matters most is not what you already know but rather what you need to find out. It’s a favorable time to gather information about riddles and mysteries that have perplexed you for a long time. Be super-receptive and extra wide-eyed! LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Poet Barbara Hamby says the Russian word ostyt can be used to describe “a cup of tea that is too hot, but after you walk to the next room, and return, it is too cool.” A little birdie told me that this may be an apt metaphor for a current situation in your life. I completely understand if you wish the tea had lost less of its original warmth, and was exactly the temperature you like, neither burning nor tepid. But that won’t happen unless you try to reheat it, which would change the taste. So what should you do? One way or the other, a compromise will be necessary. Do you want the lukewarm tea or the hot tea with a different flavor? SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Russian writer Ivan Turgenev was a Scorpio. Midway through his first novel Rudin, his main character Dmitrii Nikolaevich Rudin alludes to a problem that affects many Scorpios. “Do you see that apple tree?” Rudin asks a woman companion. “It is broken by the weight and abundance of its own fruit.” Ouch! I want very much for you Scorpios to be spared a fate like that in the coming weeks. That’s why I propose that you scheme about how you will express the
immense creativity that will be welling up in you. Don’t let your lush and succulent output go to waste. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Asking you Sagittarians to be patient may be akin to ordering a bonfire to burn more politely. But it’s my duty to inform you of the cosmic tendencies, so I will request your forbearance for now. How about some nuances to make it more palatable? Here’s a quote from author David G. Allen: “Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in mind.” Novelist Gustave Flaubert: “Talent is a long patience.” French playwright Moliere: “Trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.” Writer Ann Lamott: “Hope is a revolutionary patience.” I’ve saved the best for last, from Russian novelist Irène Némirovsky: “Waiting is erotic.” CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “If you ask for help it comes, but not in any way you’d ever know.” Poet Gary Snyder said that, and now I’m passing it on to you, Capricorn. The coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to think deeply about the precise kinds of help you would most benefit from—even as you loosen up your expectations about how your requests for aid might be fulfilled. Be aggressive in seeking assistance, but ready and willing to be surprised as it arrives. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): For a limited time only, 153 is your lucky number. Mauve and olive are your colors of destiny, the platypus is your power animal, and torn burlap mended with silk thread is your magic texture. I realize that all of this may sound odd, but it’s the straight-up truth. The nature of the cosmic rhythms are rather erratic right now. To be in maximum alignment with the irregular opportunities that are headed your way, you should probably make yourself magnificently mysterious, even to yourself. To quote an old teacher, this might be a good time to be “so unpredictable that not even you yourself knows what’s going to happen.” Rob Brezsny is an aspiring master of curiosity, perpetrator of sacred uproar, and founder of the Beauty and Truth Lab. He brings a literate, myth-savvy perspective to his work. It’s all in the stars.
Jonesin’ Crossword
MATT JONES
“The Movie Room”—is there room for more? ACROSS 1 Charlie Brown’s oath 5 Acquisition by marriage 10 Library vols. 13 Songstress Shore 14 “The West Wing” actress ___ Kelly 15 Exercise unit 16 She starred in 2002’s “Panic Room” 18 Shiba ___ (Japanese dog breed) 19 It keeps pages from flying everywhere 20 Certain orthodontic device 22 Hardwood trees 24 Keep from escaping 25 Republican presidential candidate Marco 28 “Rock-hard” muscles 31 “Boyz N the Hood” actress Long 32 Devoured 33 Awake into the wee hours 36 Big game show prize, maybe 39 Circulation
improver 40 He played the central unifying character in 1995’s “Four Rooms” 42 Reduction site 43 Pad prik king cuisine 45 Country with a red, white and blue flag 46 “Alley-___!” 47 Agcy. concerned with fraud 49 Bill ___, the Science Guy 50 Po, in a 2016 sequel, e.g. 52 How walkers travel 55 1850s litigant Scott 57 Rainy-day boots 60 “Keep Portland Weird” state 64 Chemistry suffix 65 He wrote, directed, and starred in the 2003 cult film “The Room” 67 Short cleaner? 68 Jouster’s outfit 69 Ferrell’s cheerleading partner on “SNL”
70 Antlered animal 71 Bumps in the road 72 Loch of legend DOWN 1 Major uproar 2 Time-half link 3 Asian capital nicknamed the City of Azaleas 4 Fork over 5 “According to me,” in shorthand 6 Small bite 7 Less caloric, in ads 8 Neighborhoods 9 Prison chief 10 Best Actress nominee for 2015’s “Room” 11 Alaska’s ___ Fjords National Park 12 Blow off 13 Club crowdworkers 17 Masc. alternative 21 Canter or trot 23 Fish served on a cedar plank 25 “Huckleberry Finn” transport 26 Johnny ___ (“Point Break” character) 27 He played a part in
2000’s “Boiler Room” 29 Maurice and Robin’s brother 30 In storage 34 Wrestler’s objective 35 H, as in Greek 37 Apple MP3 player 38 P, in the NATO phonetic alphabet 41 “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” publisher 44 “___ know what it’s like ...” 48 Olympics broadcaster Bob 51 “___ Fideles” 52 Architectural rib 53 Tennis champ Rafael 54 Primrose protector 56 Use 62-Down 58 Austen title matchmaker 59 Skyline haze 61 Right turns, horsewise 62 Sculling needs 63 “Rapa-___” (1994 Easter Island film) 66 2222 and 2468, e.g., briefly
Copyright © 2016 Jonesin’ Crosswords. For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+ to call. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle No. 0767 CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 • THE PULSE • 29
COLUMN SUSHI & BISCUITS
Italian Cooking The Way It Should Be Chef Mike explains the simple art of classic Pasta Carbonara I assume it must have been some terribly egregious act I committed in a past life that led to me working as a line cook in the culinary MIKE equivalent of MCJUNKIN Dante’s third circle of Hell—a corporate, casual-dining Italian restaurant. Don’t judge me, I was young and needed the money. This position came complete with Cerberus playing the part of kitchen manager and a layer of “vile slush” that seeped from between kitchen floor tiles to continually remind me of the personal degradation being visited upon me because of my previous indulgences in food, drink, and worldly pleasures. That kitchen was a bordello of Italian culinary lies. Knorr white sauce mix in the Alfredo sauce, rebottled Wishbone Italian dressing on the salads, and Kern’s breadsticks slathered in butter-flavored oil were just a few of the “Italiano” atrocities I witnessed being foisted on unsuspecting customers. Nothing, however, could compare to the damage done to my own culinary development by the plateful of prevarication they called pasta carbonara. The corporate chefs responsible for the “authentico” recipes I had been carefully trained to reproduce decided that a plate of pasta swimming in bland cream sauce with a smattering of bacon, mushrooms and peas could be labeled “pasta carbonara”—blatantly disrespecting all that is good and true about this rich, but simple dish. Pasta carbonara is supposed to be a very simple, old-school Roman dish made from five simple ingredients: egg
“Pasta carbonara is supposed to be a very simple, old-school Roman dish made from five simple ingredients: egg yolk, Pecorino Romano cheese, guanciale (cured pork jowl), black pepper, and pasta.” yolk, Pecorino Romano cheese, guanciale (cured pork jowl), black pepper, and pasta. That’s it. No peas, no mushrooms and most importantly no cream. Maybe you like cream in your pasta. Hell, I love cream sauces too and besciamella or béchamel sauce is an integral part of Italian cooking, but that doesn’t mean cream goes in carbonara any more than my love of marinara sauce makes it a proper topping for brownies. Cream was added to carbonara recipes primarily to combat the jaw-quivering richness that you get when using only egg yolks, as well as an easy way to attain the dish’s creaminess without the challenges of the traditional recipe. Some mistakenly believe that carbonara is difficult to make sans-cream without ending up with scrambled eggs. But all it takes to form a thick, silky coating on the pasta without scrambling the eggs is a little patience and a metal bowl to use like a double boiler. Carbonara just wouldn’t be carbonara without cured pork. The traditional
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recipe calls for guanciale, or cured pork jowl, but if you can’t round up guanciale at Main Street Meats or your favorite SoDo SoPa supermarket, pancetta (cured but not smoked pork belly) is a solid Plan B with good old ‘Merican bacon filling, should the other meats not be able to fulfill their carbonara duties. Due, in part, to the heroic efforts of patient chefs I encountered later in life, I have broken my own misguided bonds between cream and pasta carbonara. Try my recipe below and break free from the cream. Viva i tuorli! Ingredients • 4 oz spaghetti • 1/2 cup guanciale or bacon, diced • A dash of olive oil • 3 egg yolks • 1/3 cup Pecorino • Black pepper
ive oil until the fat has rendered and the meat is crisp, about 7 minutes. 3. In a large, heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks, Pecorino Romano and black pepper together. 4. Transfer pasta to the skillet with crisped guanciale and fat. DON’T DISCARD THE PASTA WATER, YOU NEED THAT! 5. Combine the pasta, pork, and pork fat with the egg mixture. Once combined, add 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water to the pasta and egg mixture and combine well. 6. Place the mixing bowl over the pot of boiling pasta water (ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and cook, stirring quickly and constantly until the sauce thickens and turns creamy. 7. Remove from heat, season with salt, and serve immediately with more grated cheese and black pepper as desired.
Instructions 1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. 2. Meanwhile, cook guanciale (or bacon) in a large skillet with a dash of ol-
Longtime food writer and professional chef Mike McJunkin is a native Chattanoogan currently living abroad who has trained chefs, owned and operated restaurants. Join him on Facebook at facebook.com/SushiAndBiscuits
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