9.14.2005
Pimping for a Friend
One of my very best friends, Elizabeth Donald, released her latest book, "Nocturnal Urges: A More Perfect Union" today at Ellora's Cave Publishing. Make sure to check it out and pick up a copy of the ebook, especially if you like vampire fiction or books set in Memphis. Plus there's a cool new female reporter in this book that some of you might recognize. ;)
Yes, I'm Biased, But Hear Me Out
TV Week's Tom Shales thinks that Anderson Cooper is the perfect candidate to replace Dan Rather permanently at "CBS Evening News". You won't be able to read that link unless you're a subscriber, but here's the pertinent part:
At first I disagreed with Shales. I think that Cooper has a huge chance to shine at CNN. After all, beyond hosting AC360, he's now cohosting "NewsNight with Aaron Brown", and appears on "Larry King Live" pretty much every night. Whether those will be temporary, I don't know. Cooper's ratings now beat Shephard Smith's on FNN. I could see them going higher if he ever gets moved into the 10pm EST slot, when the younger demographic can actually tune in.
But Shales is right. Ultimately, people will look for network news before switching to a cable channel, if they even have cable. And Cooper now has built a name and reputation that would carry over well to a network. But I don't think CBS is the right fit. But there is another network that's looking for a permanent lead anchor, whether they want to talk about it publically or not. Therefore...
Reasons Why Anderson Cooper Should Co-Host "ABC World News Tonight" w/ Elizabeth Vargas
(Note: This in no way reflect the views of my employer, or my coworkers, or anyone who knows me, etc. etc. etc. yaddayaddayadda)
1. Cooper's been at ABC before. Remember his stint at "World News Now"? I certainly do. And let's not forget his short-lived tenure on "The Mole", although I'm fairly sure he'd like for us to.
2. He's a better fit at ABC, which skews younger and edgier than CBS. And does he really want to singlehandedly revive the reputation of an entire network's news coverage? I don't think so.
3. He's more Peter Jennings than Peter Jennings. He prefers being out in the field (he's already stated that he doesn't want to come back from NOLA) and does amazing reports from places that most of the media hasn't touched (Zaire.) The common folk love him. And he's willing to ask the hard questions and isn't particularly afraid of angering anyone while doing it, much like Jennings was with Big Tobacco.
4. The demographics for a Cooper/Vargas team would be an ad-man's dream. Cooper is young, metrosexual (nope, not touching the rumors here) and charming. Vargas is young, female and Latina (and really good in her own right - sorry that I don't know enough about her to target her more specifically.)
5. Cooper works really well with Erica Hill, who does the CNN Headline News newsbreaks. In fact, their interplay is one of the more entertaining parts of AC360. Even as stern and stodgy as most network news shows are, this might be a nice time to actually test something you don't see a lot of there - chemistry.
6. Cooper downplays this big-time, but you can't really forget that yes, he is a Vanderbilt. And yes, that does open doors with New York power players. It's actually kind of entertaining to see him try to make us forget about that (the best segment I've ever seen on AC360 was when he interviewed his mom Gloria Vanderbilt about her car, and she was Chyron-ed as "Anderson's Mom".)
7. Cooper shares something else with Peter Jennings - a true love of the craft of news and a willingness to do whatever it takes to get the story. You know how he broke into the biz? He bought a camera and hopped on a plane to Somalia to film packages to submit to Channel One. Not many of us are willing to go out on such a limb to do what we love to do. That kind of single-minded dedication is what it takes to make things work.
So that's my useless media advice for the day. Stay tuned for "Why Paula Zahn Needs to Get Off My TV NownowNOW!"
EDIT: Just found this excellent New York article about Cooper. It made me a bit teary-eyed and drove my point on even more. I never knew that his dad was from rural Mississippi and wasn't wealthy, or how the deaths of his dad and brother shaped his career choice. But really, his natural empathy makes more sense now. That's what pain does to you.
Probably the most criticized performer of the coverage so far has been Anderson Cooper, the insanely telegenic anchor of his own nightly CNN news hour. In the early stages of the coverage, when the incompetence of government officials and bureaucrats was becoming shamefully obvious, Cooper became openly emotional on the air, berating at least one such official for the lack of preparedness.
Maybe Cooper's involvement in the story became extreme at that point, but I, for one, was not offended. Indeed, if I were Leslie Moonves, I would right now be trying to entice Mr. Cooper over to CBS to anchor the remodeled "CBS Evening News," if such a thing ever does actually appear on the air. Ironically or not, Cooper's status as a newsman-with-a-heart makes him television kin to Dan Rather, whom Mr. Moonves coldly "nudged" out of the anchor chair earlier this year. (Ironically, too, Rather first made his name during coverage of a deadly hurricane, and marched bravely into many a storm long after becoming anchor. He has been greatly missed during coverage of Katrina.)
Beyond that, Cooper has a newness to him, a wry touch of attitude that he very effectively modulates on the air. It is something that, combined with his visual appeal, could help bring young viewers to news-thus bucking or perhaps even reversing a long and dismaying trend in the other direction. Cooper, uh, still, um, has, uh, trouble ad-libbing, but when reading, when talking into the camera and making viewer contact, he is all poise and polish without being slick. He's no Stepford Anchor, and he deserves a bigger and better chance than CNN can give him.
At first I disagreed with Shales. I think that Cooper has a huge chance to shine at CNN. After all, beyond hosting AC360, he's now cohosting "NewsNight with Aaron Brown", and appears on "Larry King Live" pretty much every night. Whether those will be temporary, I don't know. Cooper's ratings now beat Shephard Smith's on FNN. I could see them going higher if he ever gets moved into the 10pm EST slot, when the younger demographic can actually tune in.
But Shales is right. Ultimately, people will look for network news before switching to a cable channel, if they even have cable. And Cooper now has built a name and reputation that would carry over well to a network. But I don't think CBS is the right fit. But there is another network that's looking for a permanent lead anchor, whether they want to talk about it publically or not. Therefore...
Reasons Why Anderson Cooper Should Co-Host "ABC World News Tonight" w/ Elizabeth Vargas
(Note: This in no way reflect the views of my employer, or my coworkers, or anyone who knows me, etc. etc. etc. yaddayaddayadda)
1. Cooper's been at ABC before. Remember his stint at "World News Now"? I certainly do. And let's not forget his short-lived tenure on "The Mole", although I'm fairly sure he'd like for us to.
2. He's a better fit at ABC, which skews younger and edgier than CBS. And does he really want to singlehandedly revive the reputation of an entire network's news coverage? I don't think so.
3. He's more Peter Jennings than Peter Jennings. He prefers being out in the field (he's already stated that he doesn't want to come back from NOLA) and does amazing reports from places that most of the media hasn't touched (Zaire.) The common folk love him. And he's willing to ask the hard questions and isn't particularly afraid of angering anyone while doing it, much like Jennings was with Big Tobacco.
4. The demographics for a Cooper/Vargas team would be an ad-man's dream. Cooper is young, metrosexual (nope, not touching the rumors here) and charming. Vargas is young, female and Latina (and really good in her own right - sorry that I don't know enough about her to target her more specifically.)
5. Cooper works really well with Erica Hill, who does the CNN Headline News newsbreaks. In fact, their interplay is one of the more entertaining parts of AC360. Even as stern and stodgy as most network news shows are, this might be a nice time to actually test something you don't see a lot of there - chemistry.
6. Cooper downplays this big-time, but you can't really forget that yes, he is a Vanderbilt. And yes, that does open doors with New York power players. It's actually kind of entertaining to see him try to make us forget about that (the best segment I've ever seen on AC360 was when he interviewed his mom Gloria Vanderbilt about her car, and she was Chyron-ed as "Anderson's Mom".)
7. Cooper shares something else with Peter Jennings - a true love of the craft of news and a willingness to do whatever it takes to get the story. You know how he broke into the biz? He bought a camera and hopped on a plane to Somalia to film packages to submit to Channel One. Not many of us are willing to go out on such a limb to do what we love to do. That kind of single-minded dedication is what it takes to make things work.
So that's my useless media advice for the day. Stay tuned for "Why Paula Zahn Needs to Get Off My TV NownowNOW!"
EDIT: Just found this excellent New York article about Cooper. It made me a bit teary-eyed and drove my point on even more. I never knew that his dad was from rural Mississippi and wasn't wealthy, or how the deaths of his dad and brother shaped his career choice. But really, his natural empathy makes more sense now. That's what pain does to you.
9.13.2005
Since credit should be given where credit's due
- Yesterday I bitched about how no one has taken any direct responsibility for screwing up with Katrina. Today the last person I expected to do that stepped up to the plate:
Wow, this might be the most brutally honest and factual statement to come from him in over five years in office. But I do have some reservations about that "federal government" caveat, especially since certain former FEMA directors seemed to be awfully eager to find reasons why this was all the fault of local and state authorities. So in case he can't find specific things to take the blame for, here's just a few: underfunding FEMA to where they couldn't prepare for the projected "Hurricane Pam" catastrophe, taking the funds for fixing the levees to fight a war, putting a political crony who couldn't even run a horse association in charge of FEMA, and generally acting like the first few days of this crisis were just an unfortunate distraction to his vacation time. Shall I go on?
Yes, the local and state people fucked up. I have little doubt they won't be around for the next election cycle. Unfortunately, we can't take back last year's election retrospectively. So the least that can be done now is to focus on this question - Do you feel safer now than you did on 9/11/05? What will it take for that to happen? And I'm not talking about going out every possible terrorist on earth, because that would be futile. There are a lot of changes that need to be made to this nation's infrastructure, and NOW is the time to do it. Quit sending Homeland Security money to Wyoming (#1 receiver of funds, per capita) and figure out what would need to be done if the New Madrid Fault erupted, or a tanker with cyanide gas breaks open in downtown Wichita. No one is immune to tragedy, no matter how affluent they are or who they vote for. The best that we can do is make the impact as small as possible.
- In related-but-not-really news, I did something pretty cool last night. I trained to be a Red Cross shelter volunteer. They've asked for 1,000 volunteers for one (possibly two) evacuee shelters in Nashville, and outlying counties also have Red Cross shelters. Personally, I thought it was the least I could do. I don't have much money to contribute, but I'm single and have a fair amount of weekend time to burn. It's only right to help. As a Southerner, I really feel like these are my people, no matter what, and I would only hope they'd feel the same if things were reversed.
A couple of things really struck me at the training session. For one, it seemed like 9/10ths of the people are women. I don't know why I think this is strange, but I do. The only reason I can think of why this would be the case is that there are a lot of stay-at-home moms who want to pitch in. The training time was late in the evening, which is the only time I could do it after working all day. So I can't see a lot of men saying "I had to work" unless they worked till 8 pm.
Also, the Red Cross is completely funded by contributions. They receive no government funding whatsoever, and the only group affiliation I could see was their partnership with the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Brotherhood in providing hot meals in disaster areas. And they go to great, great lengths to make sure that you think of and treat all people in the shelter equally. Everyone was affected by this disaster, not just in one racial or sociological group, and they all get the same help from the Red Cross.
And the aim is to not treat evacuees like they're poor or victims or inferior in any way, but as people just like us who need help to get through something that's disrupted their lives. That's one reason that they almost never take donations of food or clothing from individuals - they want to give people the independence to eat or buy what they normally would. And that's really smart, because when you give someone a little control over what they're doing, even in the little things, they'll take charge more with the rest of their lives. And they talked a lot about the people in the Nashville shelter who have already gotten jobs here and moved into their own housing. These aren't independently wealthy people - they're just taking charge of their lives. And that's a pretty big feat for two weeks after you lost everything you owned thousands of miles away.
The final thing I really noticed is the organization. Everything that the Red Cross does has a name and is part of a plan for either starting, running or closing the shelter. That might be a little daunting in some things (I filled out four forms last night, and I was only a volunteer) but it seems to keep things running smoothly.
In any case, they have so many volunteers that my first shift in Nashville isn't scheduled till the first of October. Maybe I'll try to see if they need help in Franklin and Smyrna in the meantime. But I can only hope that the people affected will soon not need our help. In the meantime, I strongly urge you to volunteer your time with your local Red Cross chapter or America's Second Harvest. Neither group seem to have an agenda beyond helping, and really, that's the only agenda that's needed right now.
"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government," Bush said at joint White House news conference with the president of Iraq.
"To the extent the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility," Bush said.
Wow, this might be the most brutally honest and factual statement to come from him in over five years in office. But I do have some reservations about that "federal government" caveat, especially since certain former FEMA directors seemed to be awfully eager to find reasons why this was all the fault of local and state authorities. So in case he can't find specific things to take the blame for, here's just a few: underfunding FEMA to where they couldn't prepare for the projected "Hurricane Pam" catastrophe, taking the funds for fixing the levees to fight a war, putting a political crony who couldn't even run a horse association in charge of FEMA, and generally acting like the first few days of this crisis were just an unfortunate distraction to his vacation time. Shall I go on?
Yes, the local and state people fucked up. I have little doubt they won't be around for the next election cycle. Unfortunately, we can't take back last year's election retrospectively. So the least that can be done now is to focus on this question - Do you feel safer now than you did on 9/11/05? What will it take for that to happen? And I'm not talking about going out every possible terrorist on earth, because that would be futile. There are a lot of changes that need to be made to this nation's infrastructure, and NOW is the time to do it. Quit sending Homeland Security money to Wyoming (#1 receiver of funds, per capita) and figure out what would need to be done if the New Madrid Fault erupted, or a tanker with cyanide gas breaks open in downtown Wichita. No one is immune to tragedy, no matter how affluent they are or who they vote for. The best that we can do is make the impact as small as possible.
- In related-but-not-really news, I did something pretty cool last night. I trained to be a Red Cross shelter volunteer. They've asked for 1,000 volunteers for one (possibly two) evacuee shelters in Nashville, and outlying counties also have Red Cross shelters. Personally, I thought it was the least I could do. I don't have much money to contribute, but I'm single and have a fair amount of weekend time to burn. It's only right to help. As a Southerner, I really feel like these are my people, no matter what, and I would only hope they'd feel the same if things were reversed.
A couple of things really struck me at the training session. For one, it seemed like 9/10ths of the people are women. I don't know why I think this is strange, but I do. The only reason I can think of why this would be the case is that there are a lot of stay-at-home moms who want to pitch in. The training time was late in the evening, which is the only time I could do it after working all day. So I can't see a lot of men saying "I had to work" unless they worked till 8 pm.
Also, the Red Cross is completely funded by contributions. They receive no government funding whatsoever, and the only group affiliation I could see was their partnership with the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Brotherhood in providing hot meals in disaster areas. And they go to great, great lengths to make sure that you think of and treat all people in the shelter equally. Everyone was affected by this disaster, not just in one racial or sociological group, and they all get the same help from the Red Cross.
And the aim is to not treat evacuees like they're poor or victims or inferior in any way, but as people just like us who need help to get through something that's disrupted their lives. That's one reason that they almost never take donations of food or clothing from individuals - they want to give people the independence to eat or buy what they normally would. And that's really smart, because when you give someone a little control over what they're doing, even in the little things, they'll take charge more with the rest of their lives. And they talked a lot about the people in the Nashville shelter who have already gotten jobs here and moved into their own housing. These aren't independently wealthy people - they're just taking charge of their lives. And that's a pretty big feat for two weeks after you lost everything you owned thousands of miles away.
The final thing I really noticed is the organization. Everything that the Red Cross does has a name and is part of a plan for either starting, running or closing the shelter. That might be a little daunting in some things (I filled out four forms last night, and I was only a volunteer) but it seems to keep things running smoothly.
In any case, they have so many volunteers that my first shift in Nashville isn't scheduled till the first of October. Maybe I'll try to see if they need help in Franklin and Smyrna in the meantime. But I can only hope that the people affected will soon not need our help. In the meantime, I strongly urge you to volunteer your time with your local Red Cross chapter or America's Second Harvest. Neither group seem to have an agenda beyond helping, and really, that's the only agenda that's needed right now.
9.12.2005
Assorted Stuff
- So the Titans lost. Anyone who was shocked by this raise your hand.
.....
Yeah, thought so.
C'mon Nashville, we barely won five games last year, and we were playing the team favored by many to win the AFC Championship last year. Yeah, McNair is healthy. He's also having to play a whole new brand of QB to avoid injury, and don't think that the opponents don't know that. Yes, we have a nice young WR corps, but remember the word "young" there. Plus we've lost practically everyone who's made a name for themselves on defense, and our #1 draft pick didn't make it to training camp till the last week. None of these are good signs for burning up the league at the beginning of the season.
Do I think that this means that the Titans are going to stink to high heaven all season? No. We're going to have a huge trial by fire the next few weeks vs. the Ravens and Colts. But eventually our receiving corps is going to gel, the offensive line will give Travis Henry something to work with, and we'll be decent. No one with an ounce of pragmatism in them expected an incredible season, but we're going to have to get used to something that other cities have dealt with for decades - rebuilding years. And in the process, we need to support Jeff Fisher, the best damn coach in the AFC (I can hear someone laughing - shut it) and not call for his head at the end of the season. That would plunge us into "rebuilding decade".
- Oh, and yeah, there are other teams in town. Vanderbilt is now 2-0, and I haven't gotten my ice skates out for hell yet. And is there anyone around here that remembers the Nashville Sounds? Since I know you've missed it, they're now in the Pacific Coast League championships. No one's going to their games, and no, it's not because there's no support and thus no need to build a new ballpark. It's because no one knows where their current ballpark is. This team deserves our support, both on the citizen-level and the city government level, if for no other reason than it's shameful for Memphis to actually beat Nashville in support for their hometown team.
- I swear that I never want to write another Katrina post again. But here are a couple of good points.
1. Rick Santorium sucks. For that matter, everyone in government (local, state and federal) who is passing the blame along to someone else sucks. Whatever happened to public officials who stand up and say, "Okay, I screwed up"? It really makes me admire JFK taking the blame for the Bay of Pigs, because he apparently was the last government official to say that he was wrong for doing anything. I am happy with no one in this mess, no matter what political party they ran for office under or voted for. And before anyone says that I and others are to blame for even pointing fingers, let me just say that's a big part of democracy. I pay my taxes, and I vote. Therefore I have the right to hold people accountable when things get screwed up. If I didn't, the whole "this is not accurate and the media's twisting things around" might actually work.
2. And may I just say that it's pretty hard to twist pictures of bodies floating through NOLA and someone with their head cut off at the Convention Center. I've seen them. And when multiple people give the same story to different media outlets, there's a good chance that they're telling the truth. My hats are off to all of the reporters, photographers, and production crews that have been in the Gulf Coast for two weeks. It's not an easy job, and you should be commended for remembering what the purpose of journalism is - to tell the truth.
3. I really think that most of us have reached the limit of what we can give to the Red Cross and other organizations, monetarily. But it's important to help our hometown shelters with our time and our goods. Like Second Harvest, or Katrina Shoes, or local churches and organizations that are taking evacuees in on their own. As the media cycle turns and the stories become less noticable, it's important not to forget that these people are going to be here for a long time.
- In closing, I'm going to reprint a lovely Zen koan that I found from a site provided by Brittney:
.....
Yeah, thought so.
C'mon Nashville, we barely won five games last year, and we were playing the team favored by many to win the AFC Championship last year. Yeah, McNair is healthy. He's also having to play a whole new brand of QB to avoid injury, and don't think that the opponents don't know that. Yes, we have a nice young WR corps, but remember the word "young" there. Plus we've lost practically everyone who's made a name for themselves on defense, and our #1 draft pick didn't make it to training camp till the last week. None of these are good signs for burning up the league at the beginning of the season.
Do I think that this means that the Titans are going to stink to high heaven all season? No. We're going to have a huge trial by fire the next few weeks vs. the Ravens and Colts. But eventually our receiving corps is going to gel, the offensive line will give Travis Henry something to work with, and we'll be decent. No one with an ounce of pragmatism in them expected an incredible season, but we're going to have to get used to something that other cities have dealt with for decades - rebuilding years. And in the process, we need to support Jeff Fisher, the best damn coach in the AFC (I can hear someone laughing - shut it) and not call for his head at the end of the season. That would plunge us into "rebuilding decade".
- Oh, and yeah, there are other teams in town. Vanderbilt is now 2-0, and I haven't gotten my ice skates out for hell yet. And is there anyone around here that remembers the Nashville Sounds? Since I know you've missed it, they're now in the Pacific Coast League championships. No one's going to their games, and no, it's not because there's no support and thus no need to build a new ballpark. It's because no one knows where their current ballpark is. This team deserves our support, both on the citizen-level and the city government level, if for no other reason than it's shameful for Memphis to actually beat Nashville in support for their hometown team.
- I swear that I never want to write another Katrina post again. But here are a couple of good points.
1. Rick Santorium sucks. For that matter, everyone in government (local, state and federal) who is passing the blame along to someone else sucks. Whatever happened to public officials who stand up and say, "Okay, I screwed up"? It really makes me admire JFK taking the blame for the Bay of Pigs, because he apparently was the last government official to say that he was wrong for doing anything. I am happy with no one in this mess, no matter what political party they ran for office under or voted for. And before anyone says that I and others are to blame for even pointing fingers, let me just say that's a big part of democracy. I pay my taxes, and I vote. Therefore I have the right to hold people accountable when things get screwed up. If I didn't, the whole "this is not accurate and the media's twisting things around" might actually work.
2. And may I just say that it's pretty hard to twist pictures of bodies floating through NOLA and someone with their head cut off at the Convention Center. I've seen them. And when multiple people give the same story to different media outlets, there's a good chance that they're telling the truth. My hats are off to all of the reporters, photographers, and production crews that have been in the Gulf Coast for two weeks. It's not an easy job, and you should be commended for remembering what the purpose of journalism is - to tell the truth.
3. I really think that most of us have reached the limit of what we can give to the Red Cross and other organizations, monetarily. But it's important to help our hometown shelters with our time and our goods. Like Second Harvest, or Katrina Shoes, or local churches and organizations that are taking evacuees in on their own. As the media cycle turns and the stories become less noticable, it's important not to forget that these people are going to be here for a long time.
- In closing, I'm going to reprint a lovely Zen koan that I found from a site provided by Brittney:
Gudo was the emperor's teacher of his time. Nevertheless, he used to travel alone as a wandering mendicant. Once when he was on his way to Edo, the cultural and political center of the shogunate, he approached a little village named Takenaka. It was evening and a heavy rain was falling. Gudo was thoroughly wet. His straw sandals were in pieces. At a farmhouse near the village he noticed four or five pairs of sandals in the window and decided to buy some dry ones.
The woman who offered him the sandals, seeing how wet he was, invited him in to remain for the night in her home. Gudo accepted, thanking her. He entered and recited a sutra before the family shrine. He was then introduced to the women's mother, and to her children. Observing that the entire family was depressed, Gudo asked what was wrong.
"My husband is a gambler and a drunkard," the housewife told him. "When he happens to win he drinks and becomes abusive. When he loses he borrows money from others. Sometimes when he becomes thoroughly drunk he does not come home at all. What can I do?"
"I will help him," said Gudo. "Here is some money. Get me a gallon of fine wine and something good to eat. Then you may retire. I will meditate before the shrine."
When the man of the house returned about midnight, quite drunk, he bellowed: "Hey, wife, I am home. Have you something for me to eat?"
"I have something for you," said Gudo. "I happened to be caught in the rain and your wife kindly asked me to remain here for the night. In return I have bought some wine and fish, so you might as well have them."
The man was delighted. He drank the wine at once and laid himself down on the floor. Gudo sat in meditation beside him.
In the morning when the husband awoke he had forgotten about the previous night. "Who are you? Where do you come from?" he asked Gudo, who was still meditating.
"I am Gudo of Kyoto and I am going on to Edo," replied the Zen master.
The man was utterly ashamed. He apologized profusely to the teacher of his emperor.
Gudo smiled. "Everything in this life is impermanent," he explained. "Life is very brief. If you keep on gambling and drinking, you will have no time left to accomplish anything else, and you will cause your family to suffer too."
The perception of the husband awoke as if from a dream. "You are right," he declared. "How can I ever repay you for this wonderful teaching! Let me see you off and carry your things a little way."
"If you wish," assented Gudo.
The two started out. After they had gone three miles Gudo told him to return. "Just another five miles," he begged Gudo. They continued on.
"You may return now," suggested Gudo.
"After another ten miles," the man replied.
"Return now," said Gudo, when the ten miles had been passed.
"I am going to follow you all the rest of my life," declared the man.
Modern Zen teachings in Japan spring from the lineage of a famous master who was the successor of Gudo. His name was Mu-nan, the man who never turned back.
9.11.2005
A Frame of Reference
This is a hack of Google Maps that shows how flooding the size of what's covered NOLA after Katrina would cover other U.S. cities.
The link shows you Nashville. For those of you who aren't Nashvillians, I-440 is our outer loop that borders our Downtown area. It goes signifigantly past that, out to Briley Parkway (the outer loop of Metro Nashville. I live near Donelson Pike past the airport, so I'm just barely out of the flooding area, and I'm only barely in the Davidson County limits.
The link shows you Nashville. For those of you who aren't Nashvillians, I-440 is our outer loop that borders our Downtown area. It goes signifigantly past that, out to Briley Parkway (the outer loop of Metro Nashville. I live near Donelson Pike past the airport, so I'm just barely out of the flooding area, and I'm only barely in the Davidson County limits.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
