The Contributor: September 28, 2022

IN THE ISSUE

L L a a N N ticia ticia

Ley de privacidad de datos enriquecería a abogados litigantes

Consumidor, dan a los consumidores un promedio de $32 mientras que los abogados ganan cerca de $1 millón.

La segunda gran falla del proyecto de ley crearía un "derecho de acción privado", que permite a las personas demandar para hacer cumplir la ley sin importar cuán trivial sea la violación. Cuando varias personas pueden presentar la misma demanda, los abogados de los demandantes intentan agruparlos a todos en una gran demanda contra una empresa, incluso si la mayoría de las personas en la clase no saben que son parte de una demanda. Está perfectamente claro cómo eso beneficia a los abogados. Pero no está claro cómo promovería la privacidad del consumidor y la protección de datos.

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de que Estados Unidos necesita una ley federal de privacidad de datos. Debido a la falta de un estándar federal uniforme, la privacidad de los datos se rige por un mosaico de leyes y reglamentos estatales. En consecuencia, las empresas estadounidenses pueden gastar innecesariamente hasta $ 1 billón durante la próxima década tratando de navegar ese laberinto legal y cumplir con los diversos estatutos, con $ 200 mil millones de esa carga recayendo en las pequeñas empresas.

Una ley federal única y simplificada

ayudaría a garantizar a los consumidores que sus datos permanecen seguros, independientemente de dónde vivan o dónde se encuentre la empresa.

Sin embargo, la legislación bajo consideración contiene dos fallas masivas que desencadenarían interminables litigios colectivos por violaciones menores o técnicas, lo que permitiría a los abogados obtener millones mientras que los miembros de la clase reciben solo unos pocos dólares o, en muchos casos, nada en absoluto.

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respectivos argumentos y acuerdan acatar lo que decida el árbitro.

La Noticia, one

En primer lugar, la legislación propuesta incluye una prohibición de las renuncias a demandas colectivas en los acuerdos de arbitraje, lo que podría impedir que las empresas y los consumidores resuelvan sus disputas de forma individual. El arbitraje ofrece una alternativa más eficiente a los litigios judiciales, ya que depende de terceros independientes para mediar en los conflictos. Esencialmente, las partes en disputa llevan sus problemas a una parte neutral, presentan sus

Contributor Board Tom Wills, Chair Cathy Jennings, Christine Doeg, Demetria Kalodimos, Kerry Graham, Amber DuVentre, Jerome Moore, Drew Morris, Andy Shapiro

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Linda Bailey • Amanda Haggard • Jillian Duke • Ridley Wills II • Judith Tackett

• Justin Wagner • Yuri Cunza • Jen A.

• Chris Scott Fieselman • Tyrone M. • John H. • Fred S. • Wild Bill • Trevor Dykstra • Ashley Archibald • Norma B. • Mr. Mysterio • Wendell J. • Antonio B. • Maurice B. • Joe Nolan

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La seguridad y la privacidad de los datos siguen siendo temas serios y complejos, y el Congreso debe seguir absolutamente una política nacional uniforme. Las personas que roban nuestros datos y las empresas que no los protegen adecuadamente deben rendir cuentas.

the

Aunque los abogados litigantes son comprensiblemente reacios a admitirlo, el arbitraje es generalmente mejor para los consumidores que los litigios judiciales tradicionales. Por lo general, es más barato, más rápido y menos complicado que las demandas formales. Los consumidores prevalecen el 41 % de las veces en el arbitraje, frente al 29 % en los tribunales. Además, premios en los casos decididos por arbitraje en realidad superan las adjudicaciones de los tribunales -- $80,000 versus $71,000, respectivamente. Los casos de arbitraje también se resuelven un 27% más rápido en promedio y, a menudo, no es necesario involucrar, y por lo tanto pagar, a un abogado.

Sin embargo, esos beneficios presentan grandes problemas desde la perspectiva de los abogados litigantes. Prefieren grandes demandas colectivas que, según un estudio de 2015 realizado por la Oficina de Protección Financiera del

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Sin embargo, tal como está redactada actualmente, la Ley de Protección y Privacidad de Datos de los Estados Unidos contiene disposiciones inaceptables que permitirían a los abogados litigantes adinerados enriquecerse aún más mientras brindan escasos beneficios a los estadounidenses comunes cuyos intereses afirman representar.”

Escrito por Timothy H. Lee, vicepresidente de asuntos legales y públicos del Center for Individual Freedom.

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Carl V. on working the city, a lifetime of fishing, and the value of a good challenge

BY JUSTIN WAGNER

Carl Voorhies has been a vendor with The Contrib utor since its inception — but he was born a fisherman in Columbia, Tenn.

“I love fishing,” he said. “I fish down there on the Cumberland a lot. I got two spots that I really dig, I hang out there. Fish, and you meet people there, too.”

His passion for the pastime hasn’t waned since childhood. If there’s one constant Carl expects to know all his life, it’s that.

“I guess I’ll take all that with me,” he chuckled.

For him, it’s not too unlike

selling the newspaper, which he’s done on and off for as long as The Contributor has been around. It’s become another big part of his life, but when he started, it was simply something to keep him occupied.

“It gave me a purpose, you know? Headin’ out to work, sell ing papers, it gave me something to look forward to.”

He stuck with it because of the atmosphere of the work — as well as the people he encountered along the way.

Being a hub for tourism, not all spots are going to net you longterm friends. But you’ll meet peo

ple from all over the world, and learn a lot in the little time you know them, he said.

“You meet a lot of people; and you never meet a stranger in this game,” he said. “You meet a lot of people; some are good and try to help you, some are bad and just tell you to get a job.”

“It’s a big tourist city. So you meet somebody new, all from dif ferent parts. The people that you grew up around, you don’t hardly see them — but you see everyday people like you. Trying to survive here.”

Carl’s experiences are count less and endlessly varied after so

long working the streets, but he said there’s something inspiring about seeing the city through such an unfiltered lens.

“You get good ideas — being out there selling the paper some times, you get good ideas. You want to be like somebody you see. Or you want to help somebody. You want to better yourself, that’s the most important thing.”

That inspiration is what pushes him to keep vending, keep fishing, and keep going in the city.

“I really like the challenge. I know I’m gonna make it one day. I’ll be the top seller. One day!”

PHOTO BY LINDA BAILEY.

A Few Questions with at-large Councilmember Burkley Allen

BY JUDITH TACKETT

Metro has 35 districts and five at-large councilmembers. Burkley Allen is the first at-large councilmember interviewed for this series and she represents the entirety of Davidson County. Allen is in her first term as an at-large and intends to run for a second term, but prior to that she has served eight years representing District 18.

The Contributor talked with Allen as part of a series called A Few Questions With in which we interview councilmembers about their district’s most pressing issues.

Can you describe the main differences between a district councilmember and an at-large seat?

It breaks down to three big differences.

There are faster wins as a district coun cilmember, like getting a stop sign or a sidewalk. They may seem small, but they’re very tangible and a big victory for people who want them. As a district councilmember that’s an accomplish ment that you can make happen on a fairly regu lar basis and rejoice with your constituents. As an at-large councilmember, the things I’m working on tend to be long-range and more intangible like policy changes. They’re equally important but it just takes a lot more time to get all the pieces and parts lined up.

So that’s one difference. And then, as a dis trict councilmember you pretty much know all your constituents, especially in District 18, which is the smallest district in the city. As an at-large, I continue to meet new constituents everywhere I go all over this very large county.

The third difference is that as a district coun cilmember you can say that I have this agenda, but you spend an awful lot of time reacting to things that come up and that need to be dealt with, like zoning issues that pop up out of nowhere.

As an at-large, theoretically you can focus on longer-term goals and set an agenda and stick to it. Although things come up at the city level that we often have to react to. But we are not necessarily the ones that have to take the lead on those issues.

How do you communicate with your con stituents?

I have a monthly newsletter people can sign up for at burkley.org. Email is a [more] com mon way for people to reach out to me than by telephone these days. I only do a little bit of Facebook and Twitter. It’s not the best medium for discussions, but I may post upcoming events that I’m excited about.

Nashville is such a warm and welcoming place, people come up on a sidewalk or in the grocery store. There are a lot of surprise conver sations that pop up wherever I go.

What are your main focus areas and why?

As an at-large councilmember, I’m focusing mostly on housing, because it’s huge and it affects everything, and education, transportation, and environment. Those are the four things that I keep as top priorities. But in terms of the legisla

tion that I’ve been trying to create it’s geared to ward creating more tools to build more housing.

Can you give an example of an affordable housing tool you supported?

The PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) pro gram. Essentially, it’s a tax abatement program.

A lot of people who build multi-family housing have said due to the land, material, and labor costs, they simply cannot charge less in rent than the going market rate. Under the PILOT program, the city gives a developer an incentive to make it financially feasible to charge a lower rent to some of their tenants.

On the front end, if the developer commits to a certain percentage of affordability, between 10 and 40 percent of the total units, Metro will agree to reduce the property taxes anywhere from 60 to 70 percent. That results in a huge reduction in operating cost that they can go to the bank with on the front end and get the financing they need. In the end, some of the tenants will pay market rate while some will pay a third of their income.

So that’s a tool that we just passed recently, and the first round of applications is being pro cessed right now and could result in over 450 new affordable units.

As the prior budget chair, you lead a pow erful committee. Explain the role of this position.

Largely, the chair oversees the process of putting the budget together. It’s spelled out in the charter how it’s supposed to work.

The Mayor has meetings with the depart

ments and then presents the Mayor’s budget to the Council in early May. It’s the budget chair’s job to ensure that both the Council and citizens have good information so that we can either ac cept that budget from the Mayor or make tweaks to it that we think are important.

In that process, I think to some degree the budget chair serves as a liaison between the May or’s Office and the Council and the things we’re hearing from people that are priorities. Depend ing on the communications that we have, the budget chair drafts a substitute budget while still keeping a balanced budget and presents that to the Council and works with the Councilmembers to incorporate what additional amendments they want to add to it, and get a final budget passed by the deadline, which is the end of June. If we don’t meet that deadline, then it goes back to the Mayor’s original budget proposal and all that work is for nothing.

This year, we were able to do that I think in a collaborative way and I feel the budget we ended up with is a good reflection of what the city has said is important to us.

What were some of the main changes in this year’s substitute budget that you would like to highlight?

A couple of things. The Mayor was able to give a $91-million increase to Metro Schools and give a big raise to the support staff. Ultimately, because of some changes in how the state was providing financing, we ended up increasing that initial $91 million to $100 million and ended up with a Metro Schools budget of over $1 billion

METRO COUNCIL COMMITTEES:

• Budget and Finance

• Affordable Housing

• Transportation and Infrastructure

this year. The Council felt very strongly that the raise to the support staff needed to get everyone above a $15-per-hour wage. It was important for us in the city to say, ‘Yes, education is the most important thing we do and we’re going to put our money where our mouth is.’

Then another thing in the Mayor’s budget that was important was $15 million for the Barnes Fund and some additional funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds that were earmarked specifically for affordable housing and homeless services. I think that was an important priority that was made really plain in the process.

Anything else?

The council really hears the message from so many people in Nashville that they want the city to show that we care about the people of Nashville who are here now. I think that every council member is working really hard to ensure that when we do these big projects that get all this visibility that they’re done in a way that’s paid for by the visitors who are going to enjoy them as opposed to those of us who just want our streets paved and our garbage picked up.

I think that is possible to do and sometimes having some of those things makes Nashville a more exciting city and can make it a better place for everyone to live. But we just have to be really thoughtful that everything we do is done in that framework. How does this affect housing, how does this affect traffic and education and are we making sure that it’s going to be beneficial for those of us who have been here all along, helping the city grow.

John Dillahunty, founder of the Richland Creek Baptist Church

BY RIDLEY WILLS II

This is a name that does not ring many bells for people. Dilla hunty was, however, an important figure in the early history of the Baptist Church in Middle Tennes see. A church he founded in 1796 was the first Baptist church west of the Appalachian Mountains and south of the Cumberland River. It was the Richland Creek Baptist Church located mostly at what is today the backyard of the house at 1106 Nichol Lane in Belle Meade. The stream for which the church was named flows a short distance east. Immediately beyond the creek is the Belle Meade Country Club golf course.

The Richland Creek Baptist Church was a log structure beside which was a small cemetery that once held as many as eleven graves, one of which was the grave of John Dillahunty, who died Feb. 8, 1816, when he was 88. Beside him was buried his wife, Hannah, who also died in 1816. Also buried there was their granddaughter, Sally Becton Dillahunty, who was accidentally killed by her father, Thomas, on a hunting expedition.

Hannah and John Dillahunty had nine children — five sons and four daughters, all of whom lived to become adults. A successor pastor, the Rev. Jesse Cox, when he was 85 years-old, remembered John Dil lahunty as “a man of small stature, and, being old, quite feeble. He was not an orator, but sound in the faith, of unblemished character and com

manded large congregations. He preached once a month for eight years.”

John Dillahunty was also in volved with the Mill Creek Baptist Church, the second Baptist Church south of the Cumberland River. It was established in 1797 and provid ed the “seed” from which the First Baptist Church Nashville evolved on July 22, 1820. On June 15, 1806,

Dillahunty was elected moderator of the Mill Creek Church, which was in what is today the Glencliff area of Nashville some eight miles from downtown.

When John Dillahunty died in 1816, he was succeeded by Elder Joel Anderson as pastor. Anderson moved the church one or two miles to the west and changed its name to Providence Church. No records sur

Ridley wrote a book!

vive of the Richland Creek Church.

John Dillahunty’s tombstone was still in the Richland Creek Church Cemetery when I was a boy in the 1940s. I once rode over to the cem etery on my bicycle and remember seeing several tombstones. A decade earlier, a 1931 Col. Dames compila tion documented the inscriptions on seven tombstones there.

A Dillahunty descendant, Rob

ert Lyles Williams, with whom I’ve corresponded irregularly for more than 25 years, has been able to trace the tombstones only so far. He con cluded that the tombstones were removed from the original site soon after World War II and that, in 1950, they were in a Dillahunty Chapel at Midstate Baptist Hospital. Another descendant visited the hospital in June 1982 where he or she found the chapel but it did not carry the Dillahunty name. The tombstones were not there either.

Robert Williams made a last try in June 1999 when he visited the hospital. Hospital authorities, with whom he talked, had no idea what happened to the tombstones.

In March 2003, Nick Fielder, Tennessee State Archaeologist, visited the cemetery and verified by probe the presence of graves at the Nichol Lane location. In 2013, a survey conducted for the City of Belle Meade determined that the Dillahunty Cemetery was approxi mately 50 feet by 50 feet with eleven probable grave locations.

I’ve always heard that, early in the 19th century and perhaps before, there was an agreement between the Baptists and the Pres byterians that the former would establish churches in the country and that the Presbyterians would do so in the towns. My great great great grandmother, Sarah (Mrs. Randal) McGavock, was a member of Nashville’s First Presbyterian Church in 1817.

Longtime writer for The Contributor Ridley Wills II has published a book cataloging all of his work writing

from

the past decade. All proceeds from the

low-barrier income

FIND THE BOOK AT THESE LOCAL STORES:

• Belle Meade Mansion Gift Shop: 5025 Harding Pike

• Elder's Bookstore: 101 White Bridge Road

Fort Negley Visitors Center: 1100 Fort Negley Boulevard

Historic Belmont: 1800 Belmont Blvd.

Logos Book Store: 2136 Bandywood Drive

Parnassus Books: 3900 Hillsboro Pike, Suite 14

will be donated to

experiencing

• Landmark Booksellers: 114 East Main Street, Franklin TN

• Hot Pink: 831 Franklin Pike, Brentwood TN

Duck River Books: 124 Public Square, Columbia TN

Learn More About: Homelessness Consulting

BY JUDITH TACKETT

In the past few weeks, I picked up on the general confusion of providers who are a little overwhelmed by the slew of home lessness consulting efforts that are going on in Nashville.

The question is, which national expert is working on what and how independent are they?

Why is it important that we understand who is in town to work on what?

Consultants have always had a huge influ ence in our community on how we approach homelessness. I argue, under the current ad ministration, their decision-making power trumps that of local experts in a way that I have not seen under prior administrations.

Our community is in a unique position. For the first time in, well, ever, there are mil lions of dollars on the table to actually help people experiencing homelessness move off the streets as quickly as possible. Most of these funds are dedicated to outdoor home lessness:

A. $50 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to be spent by December 2026 (see my column from July 6 at https://issuu.com/the-contributor-live).

Metro Council has not approved those dollars yet, nor is it clear which organi zations will be receiving what type of contracts;

B. More than $7 million in regular Contin uum of Care (CoC) allocations, which is an annual competition requiring community collaboration and priori ty setting. That federal competition is open right now and Nashville over the past four years has been able to increase those funds by 120 percent through a collaborative and strategic community effort. Most of these dollars are renewal grants, meaning they have already been assigned to certain local programs;

C. Up to $4.88 million in a one-time, special CoC funding competition to address outdoor homelessness over the next three years. A third of the funds awarded could eventually become an nual allocations to our community to continue the work. These would be new homelessness dollars for our commu nity.

With a lack of clear local leadership on homelessness (the interim director of the Metro Homeless Impact Division recently stepped away to be replaced by another inter im director), the Mayor’s Office has taken on the role to decide the direction and focus on outdoor homelessness and bring in national consultants to help. All the funding sourc es outlined above would further the goal of significantly reducing outdoor homelessness, with a special focus on encampments, over

the next couple of years.

With a lot of funding at stake, it is im perative for local providers to know which consultant is doing what. Per the paper’s re quest, Metro provided us with the following information of current consultants that are contracted to work on homelessness efforts in Nashville:

• The Mayor’s Office contracts with NOLA for $500,000 over two years. The scope of the work included a report evaluating Metro’s (in particular MDHA, Metro, CoC, Housing Trust Fund) response to homelessness and affordable housing and include recommendations, then in a second phase assist with planning and implementation of those recom mendations. The current work is fo cused on the $50 million ARP propos al. The local lead is provided through SKH Consulting LLC. who brings in other national leaders for support.

• The Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) entered a con tract of $25,000 on behalf of the CoC with local consultant Dayle Savage of Spiral Learning to help with the update of the CoC’s Strategic Community Plan. That plan is posted for public input right now.

• The Mayor’s Office and MDHA have brought in Cloudburst, a company that provides technical assistance** paid for by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to assist with CoC governance, capacity build ing among agencies, implementation of next steps in a performance plan and planning and implementation to move people from encampments to housing.

• Early in the COVID pandemic, the Mayor’s Office and MDHA brought in ICF, another HUD TA provider to as sist in Nashville’s COVID response to homelessness. It was expanded later on to include assistance with a potential Homeless Management Information System*** (HMIS) request for proposal, which is currently on hold. ICF, however, seems to be leaving this particular work in Nashville at the end of September.

• The Metro Homeless Impact Division receives assistance from CSH and Data Remedies to fill in staff shortages and con tinue to support and strengthen HMIS.

I am also aware that Community Solu tion’s Built for Zero movement has been work ing at no cost with Nashville providers and in collaboration with the Metro Homeless

Impact Division on striving toward imple menting strategies to reach functional zero for Veterans and recently also for families. There are pros to working with outside consultants:

• Input from national experts can be extremely helpful to local leaders. It provides a different aspect and voice. It strengthens and sometimes shakes up the monotony of local meetings to keep the work focused and outcomes-orient ed. A good consultant works in tandem with local community leaders to give enough space for input from the provider and ensure the inclusion of people with lived experiences in the decision-making process. A collaborative approach with the community generally strengthens local leadership with a goal to create sustainable efforts, so that the work is able to be carried on when they leave.

But there are also cons to working with consultants (these are based on my personal experiences working with Metro over the past years, including with some consultants I still highly respect):

• If it is unclear to the community who the consultants are, what they were brought in for and who pays their bills, it can create confusion and disturb ongoing collaborative efforts. Building a strong communitywide system in an area that traditionally has been working in silos needs strong local leadership to create a sustainable effort. Consultants that work in isolation from a community perspec tive may miss those opportunities. The problem is that an approach where local experts do not feel heard or validated creates distrust. It is unfair to expect that consultants can fix widespread distrust.

How do you build that trust with a consul tant who may not fully understand the local culture among providers? You align a new consultant with a local group of experts that is widely trusted and thus, create a combined leadership team that is viewed as independent from the funding source.

Generally, I believe an administration should be focused on listening to their con stituents including local providers of services. What I have observed while I was still at Met ro and more so now that I left, is that the current administration under Mayor Cooper tends to over-value loyalty and use consul tants to replace local leadership in order to impose their own political plans.

With so many dollars on the table, what do we do to build trust despite a Mayor’s Office that seems to be more divisive than inclusive?

For one, our community has a track record of collaboration. My advice is that the communi ty needs to trust in that and actively participate with consultants in community meetings.

We also need to be realistic. Whoever controls the dollars has the final say. But what the administration needs to realize is that its responsibility as public servants is to work with the community.

The unique opportunity before us right now is to have input in a $50-million plan to address outdoor homelessness. We all know the May or’s Office focus is on reducing encampments, especially with an election year ahead of us.

The truth is, people are dying on Nash ville’s streets and no matter what the moti vation, people living in large encampments and other outdoor areas are in desperate need for safe, indoor spaces that lead to permanent housing with the right supports.

Therefore, our end goal is the same, which is to end homelessness for people living out doors. That’s why I call on local providers, advocates, and activists to come together. Your voice cannot be ignored by neither the Mayor’s Office nor Metro Council when you collaborate and join forces.

And to politicians, I ask you to put politics aside, listen to local experts, create an envi ronment of trust that consultants can thrive in, and work with the community to build a sustainable leadership effort to prevent and end homelessness for all populations.

Let’s start with passing a solid $50-million plan for the ARP funds allocated to addressing outdoor homelessness, and I call on the Mayor and on Metro Council to ensure that the next Metro budget sets aside new city funding for support services dollars that is needed to ensure programs continue after the ARP funds run out. Local dollars will be needed to enhance federal and potential state dollars and create a sustainable effort that the ARP funds alone cannot guarantee.

* The Continuum of Care (CoC) is a federally designated area in which all stakeholders from a community work together to build a system to prevent and end homelessness. CoC’s receive competitive federal funds for their systems work.

**HUD technical assistance provides resourc es, tools, and support for recipients of HUD funding such as state and local government grantees, public housing authorities, tribes and tribally-designated housing entities, CoCs, and nonprofits.

***A Homeless Management Information Sys tem (HMIS) is a local information technology system used to collect client-level data and data on the provision of housing and services to homeless individuals and families and persons at risk of homelessness

It’s time to put politics aside and remember people are at the heart of this work

LA NOTICIA

“The Contributor” está trabajando con uno de los principales periódicos en español La Noticia para llevar contenido a más lectores en Middle Tennessee. Nuestros vendedores de periódicos han pedido durante mucho tiempo que nuestra publicación incluya contenido que apele al interés de residentes de habla hispana en nuestra comunidad.

“The Contributor” is working with one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers La Noticia to bring content to more readers in Middle Tennessee. Our newspaper vendors have long requested that our publi cation include content that appeals to the interest of Spanish-speaking residents in our community.

“Varios miembros del Congreso acaban de presentar una legislación que tiene como objetivo proteger los datos de los consumidores contra el uso indebido y el abuso.

Desafortunadamente, la "Ley estadounidense de protección y privacidad de datos" contiene defectos importantes que no están relacionados con las protecciones de privacidad que tanto necesitan los consumidores o las empresas.

En lugar de simplemente salvaguardar la información personal de los estadounidenses comunes y corrientes y simplificar las obligaciones legales de las empresas, el proyecto de ley desataría un torrente de juicios contraproducentes que dañarían a los creadores de empleo y enriquecerían a los abogados litigantes.

No hay duda de que Estados Unidos necesita una ley federal de privacidad de datos. Debido a la falta de un estándar federal uniforme, la privacidad de los datos se rige por un mosaico de leyes y reglamentos estatales. En consecuencia, las empresas estadounidenses pueden gastar innecesariamente hasta $ 1 billón durante la próxima década tratando de navegar ese laberinto legal y cumplir con los diversos estatutos, con $ 200 mil millones de esa carga recayendo en las pequeñas empresas.

Una ley federal única y simplificada

ayudaría a garantizar a los consumidores que sus datos permanecen seguros, independientemente de dónde vivan o dónde se encuentre la empresa.

Sin embargo, la legislación bajo consideración contiene dos fallas masivas que desencadenarían interminables litigios colectivos por violaciones menores o técnicas, lo que permitiría a los abogados obtener millones mientras que los miembros de la clase reciben solo unos pocos dólares o, en muchos casos, nada en absoluto.

En primer lugar, la legislación propuesta incluye una prohibición de las renuncias a demandas colectivas en los acuerdos de arbitraje, lo que podría impedir que las empresas y los consumidores resuelvan sus disputas de forma individual. El arbitraje ofrece una alternativa más eficiente a los litigios judiciales, ya que depende de terceros independientes para mediar en los conflictos. Esencialmente, las partes en disputa llevan sus problemas a una parte neutral, presentan sus

respectivos argumentos y acuerdan acatar lo que decida el árbitro.

Aunque los abogados litigantes son comprensiblemente reacios a admitirlo, el arbitraje es generalmente mejor para los consumidores que los litigios judiciales tradicionales. Por lo general, es más barato, más rápido y menos complicado que las demandas formales. Los consumidores prevalecen el 41 % de las veces en el arbitraje, frente al 29 % en los tribunales. Además, premios en los casos decididos por arbitraje en realidad superan las adjudicaciones de los tribunales -- $80,000 versus $71,000, respectivamente. Los casos de arbitraje también se resuelven un 27% más rápido en promedio y, a menudo, no es necesario involucrar, y por lo tanto pagar, a un abogado.

Sin embargo, esos beneficios presentan grandes problemas desde la perspectiva de los abogados litigantes. Prefieren grandes demandas colectivas que, según un estudio de 2015 realizado por la Oficina de Protección Financiera del

Consumidor, dan a los consumidores un promedio de $32 mientras que los abogados ganan cerca de $1 millón.

La segunda gran falla del proyecto de ley crearía un "derecho de acción privado", que permite a las personas demandar para hacer cumplir la ley sin importar cuán trivial sea la violación. Cuando varias personas pueden presentar la misma demanda, los abogados de los demandantes intentan agruparlos a todos en una gran demanda contra una empresa, incluso si la mayoría de las personas en la clase no saben que son parte de una demanda. Está perfectamente claro cómo eso beneficia a los abogados. Pero no está claro cómo promovería la privacidad del consumidor y la protección de datos.

La seguridad y la privacidad de los datos siguen siendo temas serios y complejos, y el Congreso debe seguir absolutamente una política nacional uniforme. Las personas que roban nuestros datos y las empresas que no los protegen adecuadamente deben rendir cuentas.

Sin embargo, tal como está redactada actualmente, la Ley de Protección y Privacidad de Datos de los Estados Unidos contiene disposiciones inaceptables que permitirían a los abogados litigantes adinerados enriquecerse aún más mientras brindan escasos beneficios a los estadounidenses comunes cuyos intereses afirman representar.”

Escrito por Timothy H. Lee, vicepresidente de asuntos legales y públicos del Center for Individual Freedom.

The primaries are over and it's almost time for Tennessee voters to make decisions that will affect the lives of citizens for years to come. Each race is im portant in it's own way. But be cause of political skullduggery, the choices we have to make for each congressional race couldn't be more consequential.

The Republican superma jority in our legislature gerry mandered our US congressio nal districts to help eliminate the chance for Democrats to hold on to a seat that had been reliably Democratic for decades. The candidate who won the crowded Republican primary for the newly gerry

It was a late-season night game at Yankee Stadium when baseball hero, Aaron Judge walked to the plate. In itself, the game wasn't really conse quential. The Yankees had a lock on the best win/loss re cord in their division. With just two weeks left in the sea son, their spot in the playoffs was guaranteed. In the bottom of the 9th inning, the Yankees trailed the Pirates by four runs, 8-4.

Leading off, Judge took his stance in the batter's box. It had not been one of his best nights. He was 0 for 3. The eagle-eyed center fielder took the first pitch for a strike. Then Pirate's pitcher, Will Crowe, missed the strike zone with 3 straight balls. Finally, came the pitch Judge had been waiting for all game: a 96mph fastball right down the heart of the plate. He made solid contact and the ball flew in a high arch toward the outfield bleachers.

mandered 5th congressional district isn't even a Republi can. I believe a great deal of dark money and negative, un substantiated attacks against his opponents led to his win. Whatever happened to: "If you can't say something nice...?"

He's a libertarian. At his victory party he said that his priorities would be to impeach Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and remove the director of the Office of Homeland Secu rity because he listens to too many people? And, oh, he said that he wants to get DC out of Tennessee? How is any of that going to help us here in Ten nessee? It might help him and

BY JEN A., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

his libertarian buddies who want to abolish the Dept. of Education, the Dept. of Labor, the IRS, and now, the FBI and the Justice Department. Those eliminations won't do anything for the Tennessee folks who do all of the heavy lifting here in our state.

Libertarians don't believe in our government. They want unregulated private enterprise to rule over us. They want us to pay to educate our children. They want corporations to own our roads and bridges using government tax funds and then charge us tolls each time we use them that they will profit from. They want unregulated,

self-interested corporations to profit from everything we do. They want oligarchs to rule over us like they do in Russia.

Republicans have done everything they can to put as many guns as possible in the hands of Americans. They say they're hoping to foment a civil war. I am amazed when they say this as if everyone on the right is bulletproof. They must grossly underestimate how many guns they have loosed onto the streets of our towns and villages. Maybe they hav en't noticed because they are all standing around exposing their testicles to red lights so they can be considered real

Vote for a Better America Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

BY JEN A., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

The crowd erupted with an explosive roar knowing this otherwise ordinary night at the ballpark was anything but ordinary. Aaron Judge had just made baseball history.

By hitting his 60th home run of the regular season, Judge tied the record of the leg endary Yankee home-run-king, Babe Ruth. Only six players in the history of baseball have hit 60 home runs in a single year. The American League regular- season record of 61 home runs is currently held by former Yankee, Roger Maris who accomplished the amazing feat in 1961. With two weeks left in this season before the playoffs, Judge is on pace to blow by Maris' record with a few runs to spare.

I've always been a huge baseball fan. Growing up just outside Cincinnati, it was the hottest ticket in town. One of the earliest memories I have is being at a ballgame with my

dad at old Crosley Field as a toddler. We were outside the park and he was talking with a group of his buddies. I kept tugging at his pant leg trying to get him to take us into the park already.

I took my boys to the ballpark when Johnny Bench played his last game with the Reds. Children were going to be allowed to go on the field to meet him. But it turned out that "meet him" was a euphe mism for walk silently by him as he stood at home plate. They were instructed not to touch him or speak to him. A long line of hundreds of children were dutifully doing as they were told until my Matthew Michael stopped in front of him and held out his right hand. To Bench's credit, he took Matt's hand and gave it a sincere shake. All these years later, Matthew still walks to the beat of his own drummer.

My brother, John, loved

the Cincinnati Reds. When he died, they were building a new stadium and offered die hard fans the chance to buy a personalized brick to be in stalled in the walkways. With out discussing it as a family, all of my brothers, my mom, my dad, and I, all bought trib ute bricks for our dear John. We had a good laugh when we discovered that all of us had chosen to memorialize him in the exact same way. John has at least seven bricks dedicated to him at the baseball shrine in Cincy. Knowing how much he enjoyed being at the ballpark, I'm convinced he willed us to do it from the great beyond.

I have a gazillion stories like that: a treasure-chest of memories from my own history that intertwine with the histo ry of baseball. It's as though I was gifted a special strand of baseball DNA to bring me joy throughout my life. Baseball has been very, very good to me.

men.They're living in an alter nate reality of scam artists and snake oil salesmen who spew alternate facts. The rest of us have to live in the real world of consequences.

Let's send these delusional politicians packing. Vote this November for a better Amer ica. And if you live in the 5th congressional district, please consider a vote for Heidi Campbell. She is the only one in the race who has experience and a proven track record of actually serving the people she has been elected to represent. She'll stand up for our union and the good folks of Tennes see — no snake oil required.

Aaron Judge is a bona fide baseball superhero. But perhaps the best thing about him is that he's not worried about breaking long-standing records. He's a genuine team player. When he was asked af ter the game what he thought about when he hit the blast into the bleachers, he said he felt bad that it hadn't happened earlier in the game when there had been teammates on base.

A solo shot wasn't doing the team any good.

But he was wrong about that. His lead-off home run ignited, what manager Aaron Boone, said was a "magical spark" that enabled his team mates to load the bases and caused struggling power-hitter, Giancarlo Stanton, to come to the plate and blast a lazer-shot into the stands for the 9-8 walkoff Yankee win. It's all about the team, stupid. This Yankee team believes in Aaron Judge magic — and so do I.

I See Through You

JEN A.

I See Through You

I'm made of steel and Friday pizza

(Hold the sausage and pepperoni)

Forced to my knees early on Yet cursed with the superhuman ability

To see the almost imperceptible flash Of slight spasms and tiny twitches

Around the mouth and eyes

That signal fiction from fact Honesty, truly is, in the eye of the beholder

The Camp Fire

JEN A.

There's a clearing in a cedar grove Down near where the rivers merge That serves as a gathering ground For honest wayfaring seekers

A crucible of glowing coals spills forth Onto a bed of clay and river sand Within a ring of sacred stones Its warmth resounds throughout the land

The seekers called, come one by one With foraged twigs and slabs of bark Of willow, sass, of birch and oak

The fire stoked, a flame ignites

A branch of truth is added then And logs of trust, of open hearts The spirit quickens from the flames To rouse the throng with its might

The revelers join hand to hand And circle round for warmth and light They sing, they dance, they laugh, they cry They share their triumphs and their pain

And once the flames revert to coals A hush befalls the clearing ground The seekers now embraced as one Share tokens of their meeting

The coals are gathered up again A symbol of the place called home

The seekers filled with truth and grace Continue on their way

Change a Heart

CHRIS SCOTT FIESELMAN

I’m totally under-whelmed, And so very un-impressed.

The lack of charity in Music City. The wealthy against the homeless.

In church every Sunday morning, But then the rest of the week do the wrong thing. How can a man claim to be a Christian? And be un-willing to stand up and do something.

To Change another person’s Heart, We all have to do our part.

If we take care of each other, We’ll all have enough.

Some people have it easy, Some have got it so rough. There’s nothing you won’t do, For the people you Love, And that’s where it’s got to start.

To Change another person’s Heart.

The High Cost of Homelessness is such a cliché. We hear it over and over and day after day. But, here in Music City, Nashville, Tennessee, The problem’s gotten ‘bout as bad, As it can possibly be.

Affordable Housing is so hard to find, They’ve even gone so far, As to make camping a crime. We’ve got to do better. We can’t let this go on. If we can get our acts together, We can get something done.

To Change another person’s Heart, We all have to do our part.

If we take care of each other, We’ll all have enough. Some people have it easy, Some have got it so rough.

There’s nothing you won’t do, For the people you Love, And that’s where it’s got to start.

To Change another person’s Heart. Can the Words of a Song? And the Heart it comes from, Have any lasting effect, Upon anyone? I Wonder?

To Change another person’s Heart, We all have to do our part.

If we take care of each other, We’ll all have enough. Some people have it easy, Some have got it so rough.

There’s nothing you won’t do, For the people you Love,

And that’s where it’s got to start.

To Change another person’s Heart

Tear Drops

TYRONE M.

Tear Drops

Tear Drops, covering the nation face, I seek Justice but it never came (African Americans)

Tear Drops

Because Justice was covered up! Because Justice was hid! Because Justice was buried! Because Justice was thrown out! Because Justice was missed! Because Justice was sh*tted on and used for toilet paper

Justice was burned! Justice was lynched! Justice was left out! Justice was ignored

Justice was shot 32 times in the back! Justice wasn’t even armed!

Tear Drops, Tear Drops, Dripping onto (America’s face) /America should be ashamed!!!

But at (last) Justice came!!!

Look Forward to that Day

JOHN H.

Walking to my corner, looking waving, smiling at many Can’t wait to be on my corner, trying to sell papers if any Hit in the back with brick, wasn’t a good sign

Just thank the Lord for healing, now I’m fine

Taking up that cross, never know what may occur

Many hate the truth, some scripture they don’t prefer Can’t let that stop you, speak the truth anyway

God will reward you in Heaven, look forward to that day

Living Life in the Dark

FRED S.

Being homeless I feel like no one is there but I know life is not fear. I know no one hear and no one knows me and I try my best to be a kind man.

Living life in the dark is not a good thing.

I know one day things will get better and the sun will shine.

‘Til that day comes I’ll still be:

Living life in the dark.

Future Infinite

WILD BILL

I’ve never seen an angel, and that’s a fact — I never saw an angel ‘til I saw you —

Let’s dance the night away‘ Til dew drops on the dawn Holding on the future in our hand

Modeling a new housing method, with thoughtful design

BY ASHLEY ARCHIBALD

On a clear day looking out from the park at the southern end of South Lake Union with its low, arching water feature and the gleaming former naval warehouse that is now the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI), you’ll see the impressions of the Cascades, made hazy by their deceptive distance.

On one such day, a sunny August weekend that had attracted the usu al crowd of kayak practitioners, dog walkers and wooden boat fans, Denise Henrikson stood next to a model of a terraced hillside set with small, wood boxes representing homes and hand made cardboard trees. It was pointed across the lake and toward the moun tains: If proportionally tiny denizens lived there, theoretically, they could enjoy the view.

Henrikson and the model were there for the Seattle Design Festival, a celebration of innovative ideas and a future that could be. She and the orga nization she co-founded, EcoTHRIVE, have had a place at the Design Festival for the past two years. In fact, several of the design professionals who have since joined or otherwise worked with EcoTHRIVE discovered the organi zation there.

During that time, Henrikson and

co-founder Susan Russell, a former Real Change vendor, conceived of, planned and began the slow work of creating the community represented by the model: a sustainable, intentional village in the truest sense, born out of a sense of joint responsibility and legal ownership.

This could be the year, however, that the village morphs from card board and paste animated by dreams into wood and nails, constructed by hands and framed by that gorgeous mountain view.

By the end of the year, EcoTHRIVE hopes to purchase a plot of land in Burien. If it closes that deal, it will be the site of a village of 26 homes — ranging between 350 and 650 square feet — and shared communal spaces.

Residents will have to make a percent age of the area median income (AMI) — hopefully close to 40-50 percent AMI, Henrikson said — and will buy a share in the limited equity co-op erative, creating an affordable home ownership model that guarantees that the unit will continue to be affordable to the next potential purchasers in perpetuity.

Unlike “traditional” affordable housing, residents must income

qualify to enter, but not to stay. The ownership model means that if their life circumstances change, they aren’t forced to give up their home or rela tionships with neighbors.

“If you own it, there is no disin centive. If you get a better job, you get a better job and you have more money,” she said.

The idea began as an art project. Russell envisioned art as a way to break down barriers between housed and unhoused people and “to replace fear with love.”

Henrikson and Russell approached people — housed and unhoused — with a simple but profound question: What do you need to thrive?

Hundreds of conversations later, they landed on the village concept and decided to make it a reality.

“How hard could that be?” Henrik son said, recalling their early naiveté.

Financing and building afford able housing differs from market-rate construction in critical ways that add complexity to a process that must already adapt to factors beyond any organization’s control, such as market conditions, supply chains, unit costs and more.

Land is one of the biggest costs

associated with any development, es pecially in land-scarce areas like the Sound region. Affordable housing developers can sometimes get land transferred or sold below market rate by local governments or other orga nizations, but it’s possible that they’ll have to buy the property outright, which is what EcoTHRIVE is doing.

Raising money for such a venture is challenging, especially when it comes to affordable homeownership models, which don’t necessarily qualify for the same sources of funding as more typ ical affordable rental housing.

Even that isn’t simple. The Low Income Housing Institute once told Real Change that it can take as many as nine separate streams of funding to complete a typical project. Wil lowcrest, an affordable home owner ship project in Renton that opened in 2021, required 11 sources of funding to create 12 townhomes, according to Homestead Community Land Trust.

Affordable housing also comes with different and sometimes more onerous construction standards than typical market-rate housing.

The realities of piecing together a project changed EcoTHRIVE’s target audience. The team wanted to create

a community for people in the lowest income bracket — those making less than 30 percent AMI — but it ulti mately didn’t seem doable.

“The best we can do, and, what we’re shooting for now, is to cap it at 50 percent. Even that — with all of the in creases in cost for labor and materials and land and debt — we’re going to do everything we can to cap it at 50 per cent of area median income, but that’s $55,000 a year!” Henrickson said.

The organization aims to raise $1.5 million to $2 million in order to close on the land sale in Burien before the end of 2022 and pay for early site improvements. It’s already sunk more than $150,000 into design and other “soft” costs, so there is a sense of ur gency to get it done.

But Henrikson remains positive not only for this project but also for the possibility of replicating the model elsewhere.

“I think people are going to love living here. The thing that we heard the most is that people want commu nity and that makes a big difference in people’s lives,” Henrikson said.

Courtesy of Real Change / Internation al Network of Street Papers

At the EcoTHRIVE exhibit, visitors maneuvered wood blocks and handmade trees upon a cardboard hill to imagine the sustainable village the organization hopes to build in Burien. PHOTOS BY TREVOR DYKSTRA/FLICKR.

of Love

BY JUSTIN WAGNER

Ministry comes in a variety of forms – and for the Rev. Lisa Cook, God speaks as clearly through a fresh batch of laundry as through anything else.

“I don’t try to fix anybody, I don’t try to figure out what they’ve been doing wrong and make them do something right,” Cook said. “What I do is meet them where they are, and show them love.”

Cook has been providing laundry for the homeless and impoverished for almost as long as she’s been in Christian ministry – nearly eight years. She does this through Loads of Love, a nonprofit initiative quiet ly thriving in St. Luke Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

“It was a need that wasn’t being met anywhere in Nashville,” she said. “I was surprised at how, I mean, this is something that people just can’t get done anywhere. It’s so expensive to go to the laundromat, and there’s so many barriers.”

While it may be easy to take the relative ubiquity of laundry services for granted, homelessness and pov erty impose a number of hurdles. Loads of Love is one of the only ser vices near Nashville working to close that particular gap.

“If you live in a camp… first of all, you have to get there. So you have to drag your clothes somewhere – on the bus, or you have to walk. And then when you get there, you need money, and then you need deter gent and all the supplies. So we’ve just taken all those barriers away, and it has really been something the community has appreciated, I think.”

The operation is as big as it has ever been, with dozens of folks served on a weekly basis. They are

shuttled to the church in Madison, where they are provided a hot meal and the facilities to do baskets full of laundry. In Cook’s words, all the clients need to bring is a batch of dirty clothes and an appetite.

But Loads of Love all began a bit less methodically, without the name, base of support or central location it bears today.

“A group of friends at my home church that I was baptized in had the idea … They said, 'you know, ‘you could just collect a bunch of quarters and churches and take people to the laundromat,’” she explained. “We’ve been doing that for eight years.”

“For those eight years, it was

pretty much just me, kinda doing it all on my own with help from who ever came to laundry that day.”

Cook ran the operation like that for years, drifting from laundromat to laundromat, before settling into the church location this year, which quickly grew to have a team of vol unteers.

“We had to move around a lot because there’s so many stereotypes with this community. We would be accused of things that absolutely weren’t going on, and, you know, we’d have to leave, Cook said. “If they were smoking cigarettes outside, all of a sudden, it’d be that they were smoking crack outside. That’s just

not what was happening.”

These burdens have been lifted by the move to the new location, where the growing community has been able to flourish. While such a move might typically come with a slew of challenges and barriers, Cook has found the transition relatively painless.

“It’s so much easier,” Cook said. “I have volunteers now … the barriers were during that eight-year exodus.”

One such volunteer is kitchen manager Stacey Farley, who is also a vendor with the Contributor. Like all of the nonprofit’s volunteers, she started out being served by the ministry.

“It’s amazing, I have a passion for the kitchen, I love preparing meals for people, “ Farley said. “That’s what keeps me volunteering, ‘cause I know that I’m providing something for somebody that doesn’t get it.”

Farley has been with Loads of Love since May, and said the journey so far has been incredible.

“I’ve watched Loads of Love grow,” she said. “It’s been a blessing to see a ministry move like this.”

Cook said it helped establish a sense of community to have volun teers who understood the plight of poverty firsthand.

“If I brought somebody in from my home church, they don’t under stand what it means not to have a meal. Stacey can appreciate, when she provides a meal, what it means to the person on the other end of that plate.”

Cook said she was happy with the boom in activity over the last year, but remains ambitious, hoping to increase the number of shifts to serve even more people.

“We’re doing about 10 to 12 peo ple a day, so around 40 to 50 a week, so if we did another group in the af ternoon, we could double what we’re doing,” Cook explained.

Regardless of how the future ends up, though, Cook looks forward to maintaining a simple theology of love – and expressing it through her work..

“If you could sum up my theol ogy in one word, it’s love. God has not asked us to do much; there’s two things, really, that we’ve been asked to do. That is to love God, and to love people. If you do those things, well, all the other stuff seems to take care of itself.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOADS OF LOVE

Girls Night Out

BY NORMA B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

I have a very dear friend Joanne who I met just after she moved to Ten nessee some 25 years ago.

Since that time we’ve been through all kinds of things together. Some good, some bad, but no matter what, she has ALWAYS been there for me.

Due to the pandemic, family re sponsibilities and life just getting in the way, we haven’t had an opportunity to spend any “quality time” together in the past few years.

Sure we’ve talked on the phone, and I occasionally sent her cards and copies of The Contributor, but that’s just NOT the same. A face to face visit was long overdue.

As it turns out, one of her favorite country singers Alan Jackson had a concert coming up on Sept. 9 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.

She’d always wanted to see his live show, but never had the opportunity until now, but she didn’t want to travel to an unfamiliar area alone. There was only one way to solve this problem — I went along for the ride, and since I still had reward points left from living in a hotel for so long, we stayed overnight for free!

We even ate for free mostly using gift cards I’d accumulated selling the paper!

We got to Lexington, checked into the hotel (which was only 10 minutes from the arena), grabbed a quick bite to eat at the Cracker Barrel across the street, and then we were off to the show.

Once we arrived at the arena, we visited the customer service desk and explained our tickets weren’t wheel chair accessible, and they kindly swapped them out. I actually felt bad about that because our original seats were near the bottom of the second level and I think ultimately a little better than where we ended up even though it was in the same section. She said she didn’t mind. She didn’t want to deal with the stairs any more than I did because they were steep and narrow.

The opening act was Corey Far ley. He opened with “John Deere Green” and “Some Girls Do.” Then he performed one of his original songs “Hayloft.” Afterward he said, “ he felt funny singing about making out with a girl in the hayloft with a young girl in the audience holding a sign saying it was her first concert.” He continued on with “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” which he said was the first song he’d ever performed for a live audience do ing karaoke in Mexico and he’s been doing it ever since.

He told the audience that he’d been playing on Broadway in Nashville for 11 years.

Next he sang another original song “The Chase,” which had an Alan Jack

son vibe as it mentions “chasin that neon rainbow.”

He continued on with “A Little Less Talk And A Lot More Action,” “Achy Breaky Heart,” “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink,” “I Like It, I Love It,” followed by yet another original song where his Iowa farm boy roots showed through entitled, “You Can Go Farm Yourself.” He wrote it after he heard someone say, “Do they think money grows on trees?” Ultimately blaming farmers for the cost of the food on the shelf. (To me, it was one of his best songs because you could tell it was close to his heart, but I think he was pretty good at the Toby Keith stuff too.

He concluded with “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” and “Cour tesy of the Red, White, and Blue.” Af terwards he asked everyone who was able to stand and remove their hats, as the National Anthem played instru mentally, with the crowd chanting, “USA, USA.”

After a short break, it was time for the main event, and Alan Jackson took the stage!

His part of the show opened with a video montage showing milestones throughout his career.

Here are just a few:

• Over 75 million records sold (44 million in the US.)

• 35 No. 1 hits (26 of them he wrote or co-wrote)

• First country artist to appear on the cover of Entertainment Weekly

• 1990 — Alan’s first album Here In the Real World was released and produced his first No. 1 single of the same name. It’s also when he made his Grand Ole Opry debut, and embarked on his first major concert tour opening for Clint Black.

• 1991 — He became a member of The Grand Ole Opry (inducted by Roy Acuff and Randy Travis).

• 1993 — First headlining tour.

• 1995 — CMA Entertainer of the Year

• 2003 — CMA Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Vocal Event of the Year for “It's Five O'Clock Somewhere” with Jimmy Buffet.

• 2009 — ASCAP Country Song writer/Artist of the Year

• 2011 — Inducted into the Coun try Music Hall of Fame by Loret ta Lynn. (Concerning that event Alan said, “Loretta Lynn said I belong in here, and that was all I needed to hear.”)

He even received a special gift for playing Rupp Arena 10 times in his career — a bar in a whiskey barrel!

Now I’m not much of a drinker, but it

was definitely unique!

He started his set with “Gone Country,” next up was, “I Don’t Even Know Your Name” as the video fea turing Jeff Foxworthy played in the background.-It was funny!

Other songs featured in the show were: “Blues Man” (I must admit, I usu ally prefer the original version of songs, but this one was equally good.); “Livin’ on Love” (He said he and his wife De nise lived the lyrics of this song, and that it was dedicated to young love.); “Summertime Blues;” “Country Boy;” “Drive” (a song he wrote to honor his daddy, Gene.); “Good Time;” “Who’s Cheatin’ Who;” and “Here In The Real World.” This was actually the second release off his debut album. He said the first one, “Blue Blooded Woman” tanked although after watching the video after the show, I’m not sure why. He said he was glad his label gave him a second chance.

As “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow” played a picture flashed up on the screen of him donating the radio his dad had won (mentioned in the song, and the first one they’d had in their home), to the Country Music Hall of Fame where it remains to this day.

He played “Big City (Turn Me Loose and Set Me Free)” for his neph ew who was in the audience.

Next he performed “The Older I Get” from his latest album. Then it was time for one of my personal favorites “Little Bitty” (a lot of friends say this song reminds them of me — I can’t imagine why.)

Next up was the iconic “Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning,” a song that was never meant to be released, yet it helped the na tion heal after the tragedy of 9/11. The crowd was on their feet and the arena lit up, many chanting “USA.”(This was Joanne’s favorite song of the night.)

The show wasn’t over just yet though. It continued with still more crowd favorites including: “Don’t Rock The Jukebox,” and “Remember When ” As the audience sang along to the song he got emotional and confessed was particularly close to his heart because it’s about “real life.“

When he sang, “It's Five O'Clock Somewhere” he changed the words of the song from, “Jamaican vacation” to “Kentucky vacation” and the crowd went wild! “Chattahoochee” was anoth er fan favorite, and the video playing in the background made it pretty cool too.

As he played “Where I Come From” he showed A LOT of UK shots and the crowd went nuts AGAIN!

He spent time signing memora bilia for the audience. One notable example was showing a picture of him signing a poster for a young girl 30

years ago attending her first concert, as he signed her poster for the 6th time that night, he said, “She’s aged a lot better than I have.”

The final song of the night was “Mercury Blues.”

It was interesting watching Joanne’s reaction to the show. Initially she was full of wonder and excitement FINAL LY seeing him in concert, but that slow ly turned to concern fearing he was in pain during his performance. Why?

Not long ago he announced he’d been diagnosed with Charcot-Ma rie-Tooth disease (CMT). He smiled and said it’s not “Country Music Tele vision” though he said he’d probably made more videos for them than any body 10 years ago. CMT is a neurolog ical disease, a sub-type of muscular dystrophy. In a recent interview he said the symptoms were becoming more evident, which is why he let his fans know.

Now I’m not as familiar with Alan Jackson’s performing style as I am some other artists, but to me, the show reflected his laid back, easy-go ing, pure, “real country” style that he is known for.

One sign that he might have been having a hard time was the opening act seemed longer than normal to me, but it was entertaining.

There were several instrumental breaks during the show like where you’d introduce band members, and a few songs were cut from the original

set list, but that’s an artists preroga tive, and should be expected to some degree, and members of his entourage were throwing mementos into the au dience rather than the star himself.

All in all, Alan Jackson put on a good show, and judging from the reac tion of the crowd, it’s safe to say, a “Good Time” was had by all in attendance.

You’d think that would be the end of the story, but no.

As we headed for home, we stopped for gas and I went in to use the restroom. On the way out I spot ted a cowboy hat with purple and sil ver trim. When I got back to the car I apologized for taking so long, and told Joanne what I found. She said, “That would match your outfit! How much was it?” I said, “I don’t know. I haven’t been working, so I didn’t ask.”

Of course she ran back in the store and bought it.

If I had $1 for every person who stopped to take a picture, or who asked for a song, I probably wouldn’t have had to work for the rest of the week! (A few were in town for The Opry, but someone did ask for “Purple Rain,” — it seemed appropriate and hey, you gotta love Prince, right?)

Some actually bought papers and had me sign them. I kept telling them, “You know, I’m NOT famous, right?” but they seemed to get some sort of satisfaction out of it, and I have to ad mit, it was FUN! I just didn’t get much work done.

PHOTO BY NORMA B.

The New Christian Year

Selected by Charles Williams

Charles Walter Stansby Williams (1886–1945), the editor of the following selections, is today probably the third most famous of the famous Inklings literary group of Oxford, England, which existed in the middle of the 20th century, and which included among its ranks the better-known and longer-lived Oxford Dons J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis—but he was arguably the most precocious and well-read of this eminent and intellectually fertile group. He was also known to have influenced Dorothy Sayers, T. S. Eliot and W. H. Auden. Lacking a proper degree unlike his fellow Inklings, this genius Cockney-speaking author, editor, critic, and playwright was eminently well-versed in both philosophical and theological writings of the remote past as of the present day (the mid-20th century) and used this familiarity to good effect in his poetry, supernatural fiction and his lesser-known devotional selec tions designed for the spiritual benefit of the faithful in the Church of England. This series of profound quotations, encompassing all walks of life, follows the sequence of the themes and Bible readings anciently appointed for contemplation throughout the church's year, beginning with Advent (i.e., December) and ending in November, and reaches far beyond the pale of the philosophical and theological discussions of his day. It was under his hand, for instance, that some of the first translations of Kierkegaard were made available to the wider public. It is hoped that the readings reproduced here will prove beneficial for any who read them, whatever their place in life's journey. — Matthew Carver

16th Wednesday after Trinity

NOW, I say, the very proper character, and essential tincture of God himself, is nothing else but goodness.

And it is another mistake which sometimes we have of God, by shaping him out according to the model of our selves, when we make him nothing but a blind, dark, impetuous self will, running through the world; such as we ourselves are . . . that have not the ballast of absolute goodness to poise and settle us.

Ralph Cudworth: Sermon before the House of Commons, 1647.

GOD’S power displayed in the world, is nothing but his goodness strongly reaching all things, from height to depth . . . and irre sistibly imparting itself to every thing according to those several degrees in which it is capable of it.

Ralph Cudworth: Sermon before the House of Commons, 1647.

The Feast of St Michael and All Angels

GOD which moveth mere natural agents as an efficient only, doth likewise move intellectual creatures, and especially his holy an gels: for beholding the face of God, in admiration of so great ex cellency they all adore him; and being rapt with the love of his beauty, they cleave inseparably for ever unto him. Desire to re semble him in goodness maketh them unweariable and even unsa tiable in their longing to do by all means all manner good unto all the creatures of God, but especially unto the children of men: in the countenance of whose nature, looking downward, they behold themselves beneath themselves; even as upward, in God, beneath whom themselves are, they see that character which is nowhere but in themselves and us resembled.

Hooker: Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity.

THE Cause of all is not one, as one among many, but before every one and every multitude, and it determines every one and every multitude.

Dionysius the Areopagite: On The Divine Names.

16th Thursday after Trinity

PROSPERITY is the blessing of the Old Testament; adversity is the blessing of the New, which carrieth the greater benediction, and the clearer revelation of God's favour.

Bacon: Essays; Of Adversity

IF thou has a woe tell it not to the weakling, Tell it to thy saddlebow and ride singing forth.

Proverbs of King Alfred.

"THOU thyself," he says, "must go through Christ's whole journey, and enter wholly into his process."

Boehme: True Repentance

GOD glorifies in Himself God glorified in the Son of man.

St Hilary, quoted in Aquinas: Catena Aurea

16th Friday after Trinity

BEES cannot stay in place where there are echoes or reboundings of voices; nor can the Holy Ghost remain in a house where there are a clamour, strife, contradictions and altercations.

St Francis de Sales: The Devout Life

THE Truths of God are connatural to the soul of man, and the soul of man makes no more resistance to them than the air does to light.

Benjamin Whichcote: Aphorisms.

16th Saturday after Trinity

CHRIST went before by nature, and we come after by grace. His nature is more worthy than grace, and grace is more worthy than our nature. And in this he letteth us know fully that we may on no wise follow him to the mount of perfection, as it ought to be in the use of this work, unless we be stirred and led by grace; and that is full truth.

The Epistle of Privy Counsel

ALL truth is shadow except the last truth. But all truth is substance in its own place, though it be but a shadow in another place. And the shadow is a true shadow, as the substance is a true substance.

Isaac Pennington.

Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

A BROTHER asked Abba Poemen, saying, "Tell me, why is it that when I offer repentance to a brother who is wroth with me I do not see him pleased with me?" The old man said unto him, "Tell me truly: when thou offerest to him repentance, dost thou not think that thou art not doing it because thou hast sinned against him, but because of the commandment?" And the brother said unto him, "It is even thus." The old man said unto him, "Because of this God doth not permit him to be pleased with thee, and because thou dost not offer repentance to him in fulfillment of thine own desire, but as if thou hadst not sinned against him, but he had sinned against thee."

The Paradise of the Fathers

FOR the sake of each of us he laid down his life . . . He demands of us in return our lives for the sake of each other.

St Clement.

17th Monday after Trinity

NOW forasmuch as God hath so furnished the world, that there is no good thing needful but the same is also possible to be had; jus tice is the virtue whereby that good which wanteth in ourselves we receive inoffensively at the hands of others.

Hooker: Sermons

WE must be always on our guard lest under pretext of keeping one commandment we be found breaking another.

St Basil: The Longer Rules

17th Tuesday after Trinity

THE man who wishes to prove himself always in the right, in everything that he does, sees, hears, and discusses, and who will not give way and be silenced, will never be at peace in himself, and will have a barren, sullen, and wandering mind; he will prey upon himself, even though he be left in peace by all, and is tried by no outward pressure.

Tauler: Sermons

OH, the dignity, the DIGNITY of mediocre souls! I have known it for a long time, this sinister mockery of my Saviour crucified! Léon Bloy: Letters to his Fiancée

17th Wednesday after Trinity

IF thou hast broken a vow, tie a knot on it to make it hold together again. It is a spiritual thrift, and no misbecoming baseness, to piece and join thy neglected promises with fresh ones. So shall thy vow in effect be not broken when new mended: and remain the same, though not by one entire continuation, yet by a constant successive renovation.

Thomas Fuller: A Wounded Conscience

TO be free is precisely the same thing as to be pious, wise, just and temperate, careful of one's own, abstinent from what is another's, and thence, in fine, magnanimous and brave.

Milton: Second Defense

17th Thursday after Trinity

THERE is no other righteousness save that of the man who sets himself under judgement, of the man who is terrified and hopes. He shall live. He has the expectation of true life, for, recognizing that this life is naught, he is never without the reflection of the true life in this life, never without the prospect of incorruption in that which is passing to corruption. The great impossibility has an nounced to him the end and goal of every trivial impossibility. He shall live of the faithfulness of God.

Barth: The Epistle to the Romans.

GOD gave us faculties for our use; each of them will receive its proper reward. Then do not let us try to charm them to sleep, but permit them to do their work until divinely called to something higher.

St Teresa: The Interior Castle

17th Friday after Trinity

HAPPY then that soul, who in the lucid intervals of a wounded conscience can praise God for the same. Music is sweetest near, or over rivers, where the echo thereof is best resounded by the water. Praise for pensiveness, thanks for tears, and blessing God over the floods of affliction, makes the most melodious music in the ear of heaven.

Thomas Fuller: A Wounded Conscience

TRANQUILITY according to His essence, activity according to His nature: perfect stillness, perfect fecundity.

Ruysbroeck: De Vera Contemplatione

17th Saturday after Trinity

IN the beginning truly of my conversion and singular purpose, I thought I would be like the little bird that for love of her lover longs, but in her longing she is gladdened when he comes that she loves. And joying she sings, and singing she longs, but in sweet ness and heat. It is said the nightingale to song and melody all night is given, that she may please him to whom she is joined. How muckle more with greatest sweetness to Christ my Jesu should I sing, that is spouse of my soul by all this present life, that is night in regard of clearness to come.

Richard Rolle: Fire of Love

Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

THOU canst not stand still, because thou livest in the perpetual workings of temporal and eternal nature; if thou workest not with the good, the evil that is in nature carries thee along with it: thou hast the height and depth of eternity in thee, and therefore be doing what thou wilt, either in the closet, the field, the shop or the church, thou art sowing that which grows, and must be reaped in eternity. Nothing of thine can vanish away, but every thought, motion, and desire of thy heart has its effect either in the height of Heaven or the depth of hell: and as time is upon the wing, to put an end to the strife of good and evil, and bring about the last great separation of all things into their eternal state, with such speed art thou making haste either to be wholly an angel, or wholly a devil.

William Law: An Appeal

18th Monday after Trinity

DO not build towers without a foundation, for our Lord does not care so much for the importance of our works as for the love with which they are done. When we do all we can, His Majesty will enable us to do more every day.

St Teresa: The Interior Castle.

WE must confess our sins in order to obtain pardon; but we must see our sins in order to confess. How few of those who think that they have confessed and been pardoned have ever seen their sins!

Patmore: The Rod, the Root, and the Flower

18th Tuesday after Trinity

WE are fools to depend upon the society of our fellowmen. Wretched as we are, powerless as we are, they will not aid us; we shall die alone. We should therefore act as if we were alone, and in that case should we build fine houses, etc.? We should seek the truth without hesitation; and, if we refuse it, we show that we value the esteem of men more than the search for truth.

Pascal: Pensées

THY works praise thee, that we may love thee, and we love thee, that thy works may praise thee.

St Augustine: Confessions

HOBOSCOPES

LIBRA

When I walk out to the mailbox lately, I can’t help but think about how all things must pass. (It’s not just because of my neighbor’s yard that’s all done up with styrofoam head stones.) It’s the crunch under my feet with every step. The leaves that were so green and full of light and now are brown and brittle, laying in the grass, becoming something new. And you’re becoming something new too, Libra. Don’t worry just because you aren’t up in that tree dancing in the wind anymore. The crunch of the future is coming for you. You’ll be ready by spring.

SCORPIO

I heard there was this kid who was in a tragic lake-sports-related accident at camp and now he’s an invincible adult who wears a hockey mask and seeks bloody revenge on all those who did him harm. It makes you think, Scorpio, that vengeance, while certainly fulfilling up to a point, can also get you caught in an unhealthy cycle. There’s always somebody else to blame for your pain and there’s always some way to hurt them back. But what if you treat your pain tenderly instead? Take your pain out in the boat for a lake day. Take off your mask and ask your pain what it needs.

SAGITTARIUS

And lo, a voice spake from the bottom of the Chuck E. Cheese ball pit. It had a sound like 100 empty La Croix cans being run over by a Nissan Leaf. And the voice said “Sagittarius, why do you persecute yourself? Why do you accept fault and responsibility for things that are out of your control?” And so I replied into the ball pit, shouting: “You’re totally right!! Sagittarius could really let go of all that guilt and stress. Also, while you’re down there, did you find any car keys?” But no reply came. And, lo, the keys were never found.

CAPRICORN

My cousin is kind of a big deal fitness influencer. She says that if I stop treating my workouts as work then I can finally work my way out of this workout-as-work mentality and into a workout mentality that really works. At least, I think that’s what she said. Honestly, I scrolled past the last bit of the video. I decided I shouldn’t be staring at my phone while I’m out walking in the park. It’s a beautiful day, Capricorn. The leaves are turning and the sun is getting low. I’ll probably be out here for another 30 minutes or so if you need a walk after work.

AQUARIUS

I heard there was this terrible guy who died in a terrible fire and now he haunts his victims in their terrible dreams! Here’s the thing, Aquarius, if he gets them in the dream, he gets them in real life, so they can’t even go to sleep! Honestly, though, Aquarius, I don’t think you need to worry. Your dreams have always been different. Your goals are not the standard fare. And if you’re going to make progress on those dreams, you probably need to get some rest. (That terrible guy isn’t real anyway. Right?)

PISCES

Picture it, Pisces. You’re a contestant on that baking show where everybody is way too nice and supportive and you’ve made it to the final episode. It’s time for your signa ture-knockout-bake and they’ve asked you to create a cake that ushers in a new era of world-peace. You have four hours. Where do you start? Start with three deep breaths, Pisces. And then start moving. You have so much creativity and skill inside you, but if you want to get it out, you can’t do it standing still. On your mark, get set….

ARIES

There was a knock at my door tonight. Of course, I immediately turned on the black light, put in my plastic vam pire teeth, pressed play on the cackling graveyard soundtrack, grabbed the bowl of peanut-butter-cups and answered. It was a guy in a yellow vest who want ed me to upgrade to fiber internet. He was grateful for the candy. Sure, Aries, it’s possible to be overpre pared. But don’t let anybody dampen your excitement about your favorite things. Put on your yellow vest and knock on another door.

TAURUS

I heard he comes back to this little town every year on the same night. I heard he wears an inside-out William Shatner mask and wreaks havoc on unsuspecting upright citizens. I heard he can’t be stopped. No matter how many times it looks like he’s defeated, he gets back up and keeps going. Honestly, Taurus, it’s kind of inspirational. But you don’t have to measure your self worth against the grit of a horror franchise villain. If you need to stay down for a little while, I think you’ve earned it. Of course you’ll get back up again, eventually. But it doesn’t have to be right now.

GEMINI

Well, this is embarrassing, Gemini. It looks like our private text conversation about our mutual love of mozzarella sticks has leaked onto the internet. If I’d thought these would get out, I never would’ve used phrases like “me-wanna-marry-marinara“ or “crispy, gooey, tongue-burner” or “wow, good stretch!” But now it’s all out there. Sometimes having fewer secrets can be a relief, Gemini. It’s uncomfortable at first, but being fully known can really be a joy. Like that first bite into a way-too-hot mozzarella stick, it only hurts till it cools off.

CANCER

For most of the year, it’s hard to find fake blood at the strip mall next to the Olive Garden, but for some reason this time of year is different. Take advantage of the mo ment, Cancer. Don’t waste your time mourning the fireworks stands that closed in August or dreaming of the gingerbread sleigh you’ll build before the year is out. You have to do what you can with the time that’s been given to you. These fake blood capsules aren't going to chew themselves.

LEO

I heard there was this doll that got struck by lightning or something and then it came to life and went on an undefeatable rampage looking for a human body to transfer its evil-doll soul into. It’s not unusual to get caught up in the idea that if you can just find the right person, your life will finally be right. But I think you already know, Leo, that you’re already enough as you are. I’m not saying you have to stop your rampaging quest for wholeness. I’m just saying it might be time to turn your rampage within.

VIRGO

There’s a website where people post their resumes. They write nice things about themselves and list their accom plishments and abilities. And then they network with other people and congratulate each other for their promotions and “work anniversaries.” It scares me too, Virgo. But I don’t think you should discount it altogether. Maybe try it out just as an exercise. Write down three good things about yourself. Write down three accomplishments you're proud of. Now think of three people you can tell about those six things. I’m not positive, but this might be networking.

Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, a trained camp counselor, or a registered baking show judge. Mr. Mysterio is, however, a budding intermediate podcaster! Check out The Mr. Mysterio Podcast. Season 2 is now playing at mrmysterio.com. Got a question, just give Mr. M a call at 707-VHS-TAN1

THEME:

THE LYRICS

Annalisa Rose traveled to Nashville from Montana. She has a Western swag that exudes generosity. As a dilligent songwriter her music is heart felt. Eventually she aspires to put her music on Spotify. She performs at the Local located at 110 28th Ave. N. |

BY CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR WENDELL J.

BY CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR ANTONIO B.

Swearing In Of General Session Devision 5 Judge Robin Kimbrough Hayes

BY MAURICE B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

Aug. 27 was the invocation of Robin Kimbrough Hayes as General Session Di vision V. Judge. As a Judge, she is the next best thing for the people of Nashville.

Our almighty God knows already what was requested by us in our need as He sends His marvelous blessings down upon us. We now have a God-sent, God-fearing highly energetic characteristic judge that holds tight to the vision and victory of change. As a common factor in life that all things will and must change we shall observe her vision.

To be honest, it has already begun that her energetic behavior has changed mul tiple people's lives, as given testimonies whereas she has made suggestions that have been life-saving turn arounds. She has been a part of events in individuals' lives that have promoted nothing more than positive attributes by her placing the God of her understanding first in all aspects of her life. She's one of firm gratitude and belief that all things are possible through hard-earned work and God.

PHOTOS BY MAURICE B.

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Everyday Monsters

THE OCTOBER 2022 SCARY MOVIE GUIDE

BY JOE NOLAN, FILM CRITIC

I’m writing this month’s col umn on the first day of fall and the sudden change to 75 degree weather is putting me in mind of layered fashions, fiery foliage and the scariest movie season of the year. I’m not a huge horror movie fan, but it’s the only genre I’m interested in every October, and this year’s Halloween terror cin ema calendar is looking bloody good in theaters and at home.

Rob Zombie’s anxious ly-awaited The Munsters movie sputtered to life on Netflix on Sept. 27. The re-boot is a prequel to the 1960s television series, detailing how Herman and Lily Munster met and fell in love. The film was shot in Budapest and it stars a cast of Rob Zombie mov ie regulars including Jeff Daniel Phillips as Herman Munster and Sheri Moon Zombie as Lily. I’m a big fan of Zombie’s Halloween films, but The Munsters is more satirical nostalgia than gory psy chopathic violence.

In Mr. Harrigan’s Phone Craig (Jaeden Martell) works as an assistant to the retired Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland). After the elderly man passes away, Craig leaves a voice mes sage on his phone and it seems to lead to deadly consequences. The film is based on the Stephen King novella of the same name, and Sutherland fans will also want to seek out Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and Don’t Look Now (1973) this scary movie sea son. Mr. Harrigan’s Phone comes to Netflix on Oct. 5.

Hulu’s new Hellraiser reboot is the 11th film in the Hellraiser universe. The original Hellraiser

(1987) introduced viewers to a dark dimension created by author Clive Barker in his novella called The Hellbound Heart . The fran chise centers on a bizarre puzzle box that can open a gateway to the hellish realm of the Ceno bites, the Lament Configuration. Still with me? The Cenobites are former humans who’ve become demon-like monsters with appe tites for torturing souls. Hulu’s new movie paves its road to hell with themes of addiction and finds actress Jamie Clayton star ring as the bald baddie Pinhead who became a pop culture icon thanks to original actor Doug Bradley’s chilling performances in decades of Hellraiser flicks. Go back to Hellraiser on Hulu on Oct. 7.

Halloween Ends is supposed to be the final battle between Mi chael Myers and Laurie Strode, but I feel like I’ve heard that one before? The original Halloween (1978) is a coldblooded classic, and many of the sequels and remakes are worth watching.

Director David Gordon Green’s recent reboot trilogy — including Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills (2021) — has been fun, and I’m looking forward to this last installment of the story even if it might not really be the last last Halloween film we’ll ever see.

Halloween Ends will be simulta neously released in theaters and on Peacock on Oct. 14.

Nurse Amy (Jessica Chastain) investigates a number of myste rious patient deaths after a new nurse (Eddie Redmayne) is hired at their hospital. Director Tobias Lindholm drew a searing perfor

mance out of Mads Mikkelsen in their film The Hunt (2012), and a highlight of The Good Nurse will likely be these two actors catand-mousing their way through this serial killer drama. The Good Nurse will have a limited theat rical release on Oct. 19 before it begins streaming on Netflix on Oct. 26.

When a young nun enters the Catholic Church’s exorcism training program, her super natural gifts lead her straight to hell. Director Daniel Stramm

also helmed The Last Exorcism so he’s on familiar ground with Prey for the Devil. Like the best horror stories, Prey for the Dev il wraps its fantastic torments around everyday monsters like mental illness and generation al trauma, and the trailer looks super gorgeous and freaky. Prey for the Devil hits theaters just in time for Halloween on Oct. 28.

Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.