A high-pitched voice and exaggerated emotion when interacting with a dog will get you a long way, science says. Image credits Besno Pile. University of York researchers say that the way we speak to our dog-friends is a key relationship building element between pet and owner. The effect is similar to how ‘baby-talk’ helps adults bond with babies.
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Nashville Business Coalition (NBC) asked on Wednesday that residents of Nashville forego the opportunity to choose among competing candidates in the special election to select a mayor to serve out the remaining year of former Mayor Megan Barry’s term in August. On Tuesday, Vice Mayor David Briley was sworn in as Mayor of Nashville after former Mayor Megan Barry resigned in disgrace after pleading guilty to a felony. “The business coalition, which operates a political action committee, wasted little time after the resignation of former Mayor Megan Barry on Tuesday to get behind Briley, voting Wednesday morning to back the former vice mayor,” The Tennessean reported on Wednesday morning. The Tennessean also reported these comments from NBC’s chair of the board of directors, Nancy Stabell: “We encourage all qualified candidates to give the voters of this great city ample opportunity to do what they have done so very well over the last quarter century — elect a great mayor,” said Nancy Stabell, the coalition’s chair. “We simply don’t believe that there is sufficient time between now and the August special election to allow voters that opportunity. “Additionally, continuity of leadership over the next 18 months is absolutely critical to sustain Nashville’s success, and…
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In the wake of the resignation of Nashville Mayor Megan Barry on March 6, 2018, a special election to fill the balance of her term is required by Tennessee law. Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) Section 2-14-102 establishes the timing and procedure for scheduling a special election in the event of a vacancy in a municipal office such as Mayor of Nashville: (a) Special elections shall be held not less than seventy-five (75) days nor more than eighty (80) days after the officer or body charged with calling the election receives notice of the facts requiring the call. An election for an office shall be held on the same day in every county in which it is held. (Emphasis added.) (b) (1) If it is necessary to hold a special election to fill a vacant seat in the United States house of representatives, a vacancy in a county office, or a vacancy in any municipal office, and the date for such election, as established under subsection (a), falls within thirty (30) days of an upcoming regular primary or general election being held in that district, the governor, or the county election commission, as specified in § 2-14-103, may issue the writ…
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by Michael Novak Capitalism, it is usually assumed, flowered around the same time as the Enlightenment–the eighteenth century–and, like the Enlightenment, entailed a diminution of organized religion. In fact, the Catholic Church of the Middle Ages was the main locus for the first flowerings of capitalism. Max Weber located the origin of capitalism in modern Protestant cities, but today’s historians find capitalism much earlier than that in rural areas, where monasteries, especially those of the Cistercians, began to rationalize economic life. It was the church more than any other agency, writes historian Randall Collins, that put in place what Weber called the preconditions of capitalism: the rule of law and a bureaucracy for resolving disputes rationally; a specialized and mobile labor force; the institutional permanence that allows for transgenerational investment and sustained intellectual and physical efforts, together with the accumulation of long-term capital; and a zest for discovery, enterprise, wealth creation, and new undertakings. The Protestant Ethic without Protestantism The people of the high Middle Ages (1100—1300) were agog with wonder at great mechanical clocks, new forms of gears for windmills and water mills, improvements in wagons and carts, shoulder harnesses for beasts of burden, the ocean-going ship rudder,…
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A seemingly benign bill sponsored by progressive Democrats from Davidson County, Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) and Rep. Darren Jernigan, if passed, will support Tennessee Attorney General’s directive to county clerks that they must issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in compliance with Supreme Court’s ruling in the Obergefell case. Attorney General Slattery issued that directive the same day the Supreme Court issued its ruling. The Yarbro/Jernigan bill, SB1790/HB1785, would raise the state’s age of marriage to 18 and eliminate all other provisions in state law that allow parents to consent to minors marrying. David Fowler, President of the Family Action Council of TN (FACTN) says that amending Tennessee’s marriage license laws in any way, arguably supports the Attorney General’s position opposing the suit filed by FACTN’s Constitutional Government Defense Fund (CGDF) challenging the Obergefell decision’s effect on the state’s marriage license laws. It is the only case of its type pending in any U.S. court. In that case the Attorney General argued that “As the General Assembly…has declined to repeal [the male-female language requirement] post-Obergefell, it is evident that the General Assembly does not intend the entire marriage-licensing scheme should be invalidated in the wake of Obergefell.” Serving as counsel of record for the CDGF, Fowler filed…
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Hell hath no fury like a virus scorned. Influenza looks much scarier when it’s falsely colored and viewed under an electron micrograph. The Flu feels like one big thing. You get your Flu Shot to protect against The Flu during Flu Season. But part of what makes influenza so dangerous is that it’s an astonishingly diverse virus.
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After a bizarre series of events that led to his arrest for assault on a student, Williamson County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney has retained attorney Mark Puryear of the Franklin, Tennessee law firm Puryear, Newman and Morton to defend him against the simple assault charge he faces for allegedly accosting a student and forcing her into his personal vehicle – a Class A Misdemeanor. Originally, Looney was booked and released after posting a $1,500 bond, and instructed by the court to return March 8 at 1pm to begin his trail. That date has now been rescheduled for March 27, the Williamson Herald reports. After news of the incident became known, Looney issued a statement denying the charge, stating, in part: I apologize to the community for the distraction that this accusation has caused. I completely deny the allegations and have faith that the legal process will result in a positive resolution. Looney’s arrest has sparked concern with area parents, who have called for his ouster. However, after a carefully choreographed public meeting recently, the Williamson County School Board affirmed their support of the embattled superintendent, reading detailed a joint statement to the packed room of citizens, which said, in part: Based on…
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Opioids were found to have no benefit over non-opioid medications in relieving chronic pain, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Tuesday. The randomized clinical trial included 240 participants from Veteran Affairs primary care clinics who were seeking treatment for chronic pain related to their back, hip, knee or osteoarthritis. The average age of participants was 58.3 and majority male, with 32 female participants.
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Despite overwhelming support from the American people for action, and a grassroots push that has led to multiple victories in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Senate has so far failed to follow the lead of our colleagues across the Capitol to Audit the Fed.
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Federal customs officials in the fiscal year that ended in September 2017 intercepted more than 34,000 shipments of counterfeit or pirated goods, a new record. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers seized 34,143 shipments of items that violated intellectual property rights.
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The head of the Republican National Committee is confident that the national party could “defy history” in the midterm elections, saying the GOP has a record of accomplishment to run on and Democrats are flailing around looking for a message. RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel said Wednesday that voters recognize that President Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress have pursued policies that have strengthen the economy and allowed them to keep more of their hard-earned money.
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A U.S. federal judge has ordered jailed ex-pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli to forfeit $7.3 million in assets as part of his punishment for investment fraud. Along with cash, Judge Kiyo Matsumoto ordered Shkreli to surrender the only copy of an album recorded by the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which he claims he bought at auction for $2 million.
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North Korea’s agreement to enter into talks with the United States could be a diplomatic breakthrough to reach a peaceful resolution to the nuclear crisis, or a ruse to weaken sanctions, or both. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s willingness to engage with the United States in negotiations to end his country’s nuclear weapons program, and his promise to suspend nuclear and missile tests while talks are under way, was reported on Tuesday by Chung Eui-yong, the head of South Korea’s National Security Office, following his meeting with Kim in Pyongyang.
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Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee resigned from the board of the Nashville Business Coalition Wednesday afternoon after he learned the group had endorsed David Briley for Mayor and asked other candidates not to contest their chosen pick in the August special election to select a replacement to serve out the balance of former Mayor Megan Barry’s term. Lee sent out this tweet shortly after he learned of the Board’s decision when The Tennessee Star asked his campaign for comment. I strongly disagree with the Nashville Business Coalition’s decision about the Nashville Mayoral race, and I opposed them taking this action. As a result, I have resigned from their board, effective immediately. — Bill Lee (@BillLeeTN) March 7, 2018 “Leadership groups should not discourage others from entering the political process,” Lee added in a statement released to The Star. “Nashville has many talented individuals who are extremely qualified to be considered for leadership roles and our community would benefit from their ideas. We should encourage more people to enter the political arena, not less,” Lee concluded. Among the social media responses to Lee’s resignation from the Nashville Business Coalition board was this one on Twitter: Good. The race should be open…
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