Color Shouldn't Matter
In writing about the "cycle of oppression" [Color Conscious, Sept. 26] Attica Scott is correct in warning the Latino community of tokenism (although it seems in her previous column she advocated "people of color" in political office without regard to qualifications or competence). However, I believe her call to "resist the push to conform" is shortsighted. Indeed, the best way for a group of people to draw attention to their issues and concerns is to become part of the mainstream. Besides, assimilation is part and parcel of becoming American.
If you'll allow me to speak on behalf of the Latino community for a moment, I'd like to suggest to our lawmakers and fellow citizens another way for Latinos to avoid the "cycle of oppression" of which Scott warns: Just leave us be. Let us live and work and pursue our happiness without granting us any special treatment or favors, and without discriminating against us. We don't need special attention from lawmakers or self-serving speeches during Hispanic Heritage Month because you'll find that our concerns are similar, if not the same, to the concerns of everyone else. We strongly support education, are worried about crime and the state of the economy, etc.
So although we may not have a Latino on the City Council it need not be seen as something negative. As long as our representatives fairly and conscientiously speak for us, the color of their skin is irrelevant. Remember, we may be "people of color" but we are also Americans.
Jose J. Contreras
Knoxville
Hog Heaven Revisited
When I was a little kid in Kingsport in the late '50s, I remember my grandparents killing hogs. I was never allowed to see the first part of the action, but I vividly remember the dissection and wash tubs full of intestines—I almost fell in one of them once.
I cringe to think about this now, but my grandmother and great-grandmother would season sausage by tasting it raw. It's a wonder they never got sick.
I still love country ham, and one of the big discoveries of my life was that city slickers call it prosciutto.
Thanks for a good piece.
Jeff Bradley
Boulder, Colorado
Gem of a City
The attack on Knoxville by a disgruntled Oregonian ["Reverse Eugenics," letters, Oct. 10] has prompted me to throw my own out-of-towner's cap into the ring.
My wife and I moved to Knoxville from Philadelphia this past August. We thus arrived well after the rash of demolitions (parking lots, Universe Knoxville) that seems to have soured many people upon the idea of a true Renaissance here. What we've seen, though, has been overwhelmingly positive. Downtown Knoxville is gem. A tarnished gem, perhaps, but a gem all the same. When we moved to Philadelphia in the early '90s, the city was crawling its way out of bankruptcy—both fiscally and culturally. Many comfy suburbanites trembled at the very thought of venturing downtown. Now the city blossoms with sidewalk cafés and restaurants.
Even from my naive perspective as a recent arrival, it seems clear that this lively growth can and will happen in Knoxville. But it's not a question of building a Universe. A science museum would indeed be a welcome institution, but the State Street site is no place for massive, amphitheater-scale construction. The great city planner Lewis Mumford always emphasized more modest means toward urban vitality: residents, residences, and foot traffic. It is for this reason that the current renovations on Gay Street will do wonders for this city. Likewise, the development of a pedestrian-friendly, tree-lined residential/retail street on State Street would be both beautiful and economically productive. Despite many a city's theme-park attitude toward urban renewal (viz. Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), cities are nourished by the people who live in them.
Again, this certainly doesn't mean that I think large-scale cultural institutions are a bad idea. A science museum-cum-planetarium, for instance, would truly bolster the region near the convention center and art museum. At the same time, one of the most vibrant- and indigenous-intellectual communities in Knoxville seems to be the musical one. Why not scheme about a bluegrass, folk, Appalachian, and country music museum? Knoxville's music scene and musical history alike are truly significant cultural treasures. Perhaps Gay Street could handle a place where the history of regional music could be listened to, taught, and appreciated in an accessible way? With Federal and grant support, there could even be outreach programs to local schools... More music!
Jonathan P. Eburne
Knoxville
The Smoggy Mtns.
I'm home. Since I missed the last printed issue of Metro Pulse I logged in to see what has happened. In the Seven Days segment you recapped the news about polluted air in the Smokies. As an avid hiker I will attest to the concerns anyone must have when reaching a summit overlook to see the view is limited by the typical, brown haze that hovers around 2,000 feet and below. The smog is evident to all who fly out of McGhee-Tyson and airports in the Eastern United States. As a Respiratory Therapist who conducts patient education on asthma and lung disease I routinely discuss the hazards of our valley soup with families affected by greed and disregard for the next generations.
In Seven Days you compared the area's problems to that of infamous Los Angeles. A week ago I flew into LAX for the very first time. As the plane descended through a cloud bank at about 8,000 feet I was shocked and mesmerized at the incredible smoke mingling from the fires on the San Gabriel Mountains. The internal glow of the fires seemed to be almost volcanic. What I saw next should scare everyone. The deep, brown stew of air pollution permeated every angle of vision. It was evident everywhere I went. You could nearly feel it with every breath. One day, after a mist of rain (the headline news on local TV) the view from Mulholland Drive was a much improved 12 miles instead of two.
The visitors who have decided to come to the Smokies have two missions. Nowadays, most come to shop and spend time in Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg. They all drive up to the accessible sites along 441 and River Road/Cades Cove. They all probably go home disappointed they couldn't see more, because the views of yesteryear are now dominated by industry and exhaust. Do we want to see the natural attraction that produced the tourist economy in the first place be choked to death by those who love it and those who just don't care? I know the answer. Will we be too late to solve the question?
Steven Klyce
Knoxville
No See 'Em
I enjoyed your article on seeing seven states. However, you asked the wrong people at UT.
There is a simple second-degree equation for how far one can see from a given height. The limitation we are talking about is the curvature of the earth. Because it is spherical it drops away one degree for every 69 miles. Using the above mentioned formula or trigonometry demonstrates that one has to be a mile high to see 60 miles to the horizon. To see a mountain over 120 miles away, then both you and the distant mountain need to be a mile high with no mountains in between. This means that one could in clear air see North Carolina from Lookout Mountain, since several peaks are about a mile high in North Carolina. But Virginia and Kentucky are wishful thinking at best.
I have, on a very unusual night, seen Winston-Salem (500 ft. elev.) from Wiseman's View (4,000 feet elevation). This is normally not physically possible because of the curvature of the earth. Winston-Salem is a little over a hundred miles off and at least a degree over the horizon. However, as cold air gets trapped under warm air it can bend light so as to allow one to see over the horizon. This is called a superior mirage. They often occur in the Arctic and Antarctic as well as between Italy and Sicily.
So, it might be possible to see over the horizon, if weather conditions were just right. I have never seen such a strong superior mirage in East Tennessee. As a practical consideration, I do not believe anyone has seen, or will ever see seven states from Lookout Mountain, or anywhere else short of an aircraft/spacecraft viewpoint.
I wrote a letter detailing this to the good folks at Rock City. I even asked for my money back—but, I never heard from them. I guess some folks just do not like having science burst the bubble.
David K. Hackett
Knoxville
Hotel, schmotel
Fair and balanced? Fox News you ain't, MetroPulse! But of course you've never promised to be fair and balanced, have you?
From the ratio in the October 10 issue of re-hashed drivel from the new convention hotel party line to appeals to reason and good judgment from our downtown hoteliers, it's evident that Joe Sullivan and MetroPulse have come out [tacitly at least] favoring Victor Ashe's sudden push for a hurried commitment to the preposterous proposal for a new 400-room hotel. This support appears to stem from the obviously contrived feasibility study—the seemingly preordained answer to somebody's question, "How much do you want it to be?" I, for one, am outraged at the in-our-face audaciousness of this latest high-handed Ashe administration public policy ploy, not to mention the patently outrageous cost to the city taxpayers [$112,000] for the flawed analysis and assumptions on which its flawed conclusions and recommendations were made.
If we want this sort of editorializing, MetroPulse, we'll plunk down half-a-buck for a News-Sentinel. For free, we expect better! And by the way, the jury is still out on this Knoxville City Council. They will paint an unmistakably indelible face on themselves with the decisions they make on this critical issue.
Joel Coates
Knoxville
| 
