MetroPulse Accounts

Comments by cturczyn

Written on Journal Broadcasting Targeting WIVK's Top Spot?:

Whoops! Corrected.

Written on Argumentative Behavior: Don't Let Bad Guys Control Conversation on Guns:

in response to KnoxCitizen:

I am so sick of MP always having such a "left" view on current events. This article was no exception. In my opinion, as a media organization, you should layout the facts and be as neutral as possible. This is why no one trusts the media anymore.

By definition, opinion columns are not going to be "as neutral as possible." Quite the opposite: They're stating the author's opinion. For a less "left" view, please see Mr. Frank Cagle's column, which we also run.

Written on 'Borderlands 2' Revisits the Gun-Filled World of 'Borderlands.' Is That Really Enough? :

in response to MrNomer:

1.The antagonist’s name is Handsome Jack, not Captain Jack. Captain Jack would be from Pirates of the Caribbean. You would know that if you had played more of the game.

2.The evil corporation in the first game is the Atlas Corporation, not Hyperion.

3.The stories in Borderlands and Borderlands 2 are quite different. I will admit that at the end the journey you do fight something that emerges from the Vault, but the paths you take to get there are very different. Handsome Jack’s motivation for sending countless waves of robots changes radically approximately halfway into the game, as does the original Vault Hunters' motivation for fighting Hyperion. I would say more, but I don’t want to spoil the game for you.

4.How can you review a game with accuracy if you have not completed it? That’s like saying Citizen Kane is a terrible movie after watching the first two minutes. Frankly, it’s bad journalism.

Yikes -- that's a complete brain lapse on my part; thanks for the correction on the names.

But whether Atlas or Hyperion, there doesn't seem to be much of a difference between them, storywise. Which I think is part of the problem I was trying to describe.

Certainly, I would have preferred to finish the game entirely before reviewing it, but it wasn't physically possible. (I'm willing to bet a lot of reviewers of 30+ hour games don't either, but they're not so willing to admit it.) Despite those motivational changes you note in the storyline, I don't believe they make for a substantial difference in overall gameplay.

But that's just my opinion—not "journalism," per se. If you prefer to discount that opinion because I haven't completed the game to the very end, that's certainly understandable. However, I don't think the game mechanics will be much different at the end, (minus the leveled-up character skills).

Written on 'Borderlands 2' Revisits the Gun-Filled World of 'Borderlands.' Is That Really Enough? :

in response to Mantis123:

To be honest, I'm not even sure that you've played the game at all from the looks of it. There are tons of improvements made in this sequel that are worth mentioning. As an RPG, you would very obviously need to play for an extended period of time to even attempt to make a judgement like this. In my experience the game is vastly superior to the original and is probably one of the best (and most addictive) games I have ever played.

I'll be happy to recant if the game injects new ideas/gameplay as I finish it (though I wonder why the developers didn't just throw us some fresh bones right at the start). I do think it's an improvement on the original -- and it is certainly addictive, especially for those who didn't play the first game -- but I don't think the changes go very far. In your opinion, what are the major new elements that have made the game vastly superior?

Written on Restaurant Report: The Coop Café:

in response to DumbOldLocal:

For anyone reading this and thinking about trying the place, you might want to travel down WoodLAND instead of trying to figure out how to bend South Knoxville across the river and attach WoodLAWN to the big Tennova campus.

Happy Eating!

Yikes! A big correction. Thanks for pointing it out.

Coury, ed.

Written on White Supremacists Communing With Nature:

I can understand if our sarcasm is too dry for you personally, but if you read between the lines, I hope you'll realize the item wasn't exactly reverential to white supremacists—it was actually poking fun at the concept of them having an outdoors retreat to train themselves to be "winners." If you'll recall the last time the KKK came to Knoxville, local activists responded by publicly mocking them, which seems like an appropriate response to me.

—Coury Turczyn, editor

Written on MEET YOUR KNOX COUNTY ELECTION COMMISSION, Bob Bowman:

Corrected. Thanks!

-CT

Written on Letter: South Knoxville Doesn't Need No Stinkin' Pedestrian Bridge:

The headline was a paraphrase from a famous line in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre."

I believe the intent of the person who submitted the "What Knoxville Needs" suggestion was to promote the idea of allowing "people to shop, live, and play on both sides of the river” ON the riverfront directly across from downtown and the Volunteer Landing area. She was not suggesting that shopping, living, or playing doesn't exist anywhere in South Knoxville, but rather that it could be expanded to the riverfront near downtown. Which is a major goal of the city's South Waterfront Vision Plan.

--Coury, ed.

Written on The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Deserves Our Support :

Er, I don't think he's making that argument at all. He's just noting that there's certainly a leadership vacuum now. Joe Sullivan has been writing columns skeptical of Gloria Ray since around 2004:

http://www.metropulse.com/news/2004/m...

Written on No Destination Attractions? Knoxville?:

in response to Freelub:

I guess not. Too critical of Mr Neely and the word d--- was used.

No comments were refused in this thread.

"Damn" on its own is not a banned word.

Maybe you should try again.

—Coury, ed.

Written on Meet Mark Crutcher, the Man Behind 'Maafa 21':

in response to mmuench:

It's also interesting that the entirety of this article is geared towards who Mark Crutcher is. Personally, I'd rather read an honest analysis of the film's content.

http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/j...

Written on Metro Pulse Endorsements Redux: 2011 Elections:

in response to cheshire:

Also, Imagination Library was associated with the Dollywood Foundation, not the Coal Employment Project.

Whoops -- that was an editing mistake on my part. Corrected.

Written on KNOX PUNX: Part One:

in response to Aelder:

Hello people of Metro Pulse! I am writing a paper on the punk scene in Knoxville in the '80s, and although this is a really great article, I was wondering if anyone would care to be interviewed so I could have a primary source of information...?

Well, you could ask Jack Neely at neely@metropulse.com.

Written on How the 'Harbrace Handbook of English' Changed the Way Americans Learn About Writing:

in response to albionmoonlight:

Funny that an article on a grammar handbook would misspell "straitlaced" as "straight-laced."

There is nothing "straight" about the lacing--"strait" means narrow and tight!

According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, "straight-laced" is a variant spelling of strait-laced. And who can doubt the New Oxford American Dictionary?

Written on '11': Our 2nd Annual Awesome Issue of Mighty Lists:

I'm afraid he'd blow all his deadlines.

Latest: "*I* didn't break it. Maybe it was my subconscious."

Written on City Council Candidates Drop Out:

Would it have been too much trouble for you to actually read our throwaway paper before making such erroneous statements?

Coury, ed.

Written on '11': Our 2nd Annual Awesome Issue of Mighty Lists:

Truman Quote of the Day (from a couple of days ago):

"Guess what: Cheese makes the world taste good."

Written on None:

in response to Jack37919:

closed months ago

That's why it says "Closed" in red text next to the name at the very top.

Written on What’s Knoxville’s Oldest Restaurant?:

in response to pfbrown:

Cardin's Drive-In at 8529 Asheville Hwy apparently hasn't changed much since 1959. Skip Sonic and enjoy an authentic drive-in experience.

Here's our story on Cardin's:

http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/j...

Written on Requiem for Parson Brownlow:

in response to CSA_Libertarian:

The overworked "sextant" at Old Gray should probably be the overworked SEXTON at Old Gray. Metro Pulse emulates Brownlow even to the point of "He could write well, but didn’t always".

I changed it to "gravedigger" for ultimate clarity.

Thank you for your input.

Coury, ed.

Written on [img/photos/2010/08/04/2031_poster_plan-it.gif]:

in response to Raincrow:

OK, I'm here. What do I click, exactly, to sign up for the Daily Plan-it? Leaving a comment or clicking the "like" function seem to be the only actions I can take here.

You're actually supposed to go here for instructions:

http://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/j...

The short explanation: Go to your profile page then click on the newsletter checkbox and save.

Written on Threatened Assault With Intent to Harm Xbox:

Please accept our apologies for the incorrect reference to UT football, which introduced the incident in a humorous light. The Police Blotter is based on daily police logs, which may not always reveal the full background of such an altercation. (It did not include the details you mentioned.) So, what seems like a fairly uneventful incident on paper may in reality be more serious, as it appears in this case. We have corrected the item.

Coury Turczyn, ed.

Written on Slayer with Megadeth and Anthrax:

in response to commiegirl:

I saw an ad in MP to win Jagermeister tics here, where??? Slayer is my husbands Fave band, And I want to try to get tics for our anniversary, 16 YEARS!!! Moneys tight and I will have to try to get the closer to the date, Unless, I had a chance to win them. He is the best man ever and deserves them so much. Thanks, Bekki

The sign-up form is here:

http://www.metropulse.com/contests/am...

The contests are linked on our homepage in a small box in the middle... one more thing that'll be improved once we get our site redesigned.

--Coury, ed.

Written on Facebook Friend or 4th Estate?:

in response to Number9:

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

These are all publicly visible Friends lists, as the story states.

Coury, ed.

Written on Market Mixer Cocktail Contest:

in response to JMG:

This is actually on the 21st.

Thanks for the catch -- Coury

Written on Celebrity Sitings: Brushes With Fame at Knoxville Restaurants :

in response to geniuswaitress:

What an embarrassing cover typo! And in huge letters, too! I literally cringed...

Fun fact! According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the definition of "pun" is: "the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning; a play on words."

Written on Celebrity Sitings: Brushes With Fame at Knoxville Restaurants :

"Celebrity Sitings" is a play on the catchphrase "celebrity sighting" -- since the story is about the local "sites" that celebrities choose to dine in. Okay, so it's probably a grammatical nightmare, but I thought it was clever at the time.... ah well.
—Coury, ed.

Written on Celebrity Sitings: Brushes With Fame at Knoxville Restaurants :

Yeah, we actually discussed this at our editorial meeting today and mutually decided it was all Jack Neely's fault.

--Coury, ed.

Written on County Commission’s Growing Stature:

Actually, that lawsuit was dismissed a long time ago, so Saunders—who was just one of dozens of people from the Westwood neighborhood who were named in it—is no longer a defendant.

Coury, ed.

Written on The Dark Muse of Karl Edward Wagner: Part 1:

While the city itself could be doing more to note Agee's history here, it's not as if Knoxvillians haven't been recognizing Agee's life in significant ways. Last year, the University of Tennessee and the Knox County Public Library produced a month-long series of events celebrating James Agee. A centerpiece of that was the James Agee Centennial Film Festival, organized by the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound -- it was certainly the most comprehensive (and most noteworthy) screening of films related to Agee, probably ever.

Of course, that was a long time in coming and took a lot of work. And I imagine it will be a similar wait before we see such recognition for Karl Wagner in Knoxville. Hopefully, people like John Mayer will keep pushing for a Wagner festival (or other observation) until enough people agree to make it happen. We will certainly support those efforts.

Coury, ed.

Written on Two Mysteries:

Love the whole photo essay!

Coury

Written on Peter and Zoe Stampfel with Damn Creeps:

Thanks for the eagle eye! Not to worry -- got a feature story on him coming out tomorrow.

Coury

Written on Portfolio.com Says Knoxville's No Fun:

These comments are from Harry Keiser at UT, who gives speeches about the city to incoming freshmen:

Culture: 40th
40th in Performing Arts isn't too bad considering Knoxville's size
compared to say Los Angeles or New York City. Still, Jay Leno, Bill
Cosby, Jerry Seinfeld, Goo Goo Dolls, and Barenaked Ladies
have all done big shows within a few blocks of my Downtown Knoxville Loft in a one-year period...

Low-Impact Sports: 73rd
Since the bulk of that count is Golf & Boating, it's no surprise.
Arguably half of Knoxville's year is bad golfing weather, and better for swimming, hiking or the movies. And regardless of city planning and revenue, the Tennessee River/Loudon Lake, can't compete with the Sea, hahaha.

Popular entertainment (movie theaters, sports arenas, amusement
parks): 79th
This one's really a head scratcher. Sports Illustrated says Knoxville is the #1 college football city in the world. We have the #1
winningest college athletics team in history (Summit's Lady Vols). And we're the home of Regal Cinemas (their International Headquarters are in North Knoxville).

Not to mention our tributary Micropolitan area is home to a full-service Amusement Park. Dollywood might not rival Disney or Universal, but how many Metros have any amusement parks? 79th is almost shocking, because with all of those #1 national rankings, you'd think Knoxville would at least make the top 10 or 20...

Food and Drink: 82nd
While I find Knoxville's restaurants to be great, I can understand not making the top 25. Somewhere between 25 and 82 might be more reasonable unless we're talking about diversity of choices. The Mexican & Chinese restaurants here are pretty bad (chain establishments not withstanding). But for an upper-middle American meal (steakhouses, etc.), you'd be hard-pressed to do better anywhere in America.

High-Impact Sports: 90th
Under scrutiny this is another confusing one. As the article says, we have the Smoky Mountains, the #1 most visited American National Park where hiking and a bit of rock-climbing & skiing are par for the course. Additionally, the Princeton Review says that Knoxville has the #5 Best Athletics facilities in America. How do we get a #90 ranking with the #1 National Park and the #5 Athletics Facilities?

Gambling: 92nd
Gambling's illegal here so I don't know why we wouldn't be last
on the list. No racetracks, casinos, or bookies, as they're outlawed, so how did we beat out eight cities?

Written on Miss Olivia's Table:

Corrected -- thanks!

Coury, ed.

Written on knoxville + socialists = 1,700,000 hits:

Well, I suppose I could start limiting the results by putting the keywords in quotes, but I think that would only return pages with those two words used directly together — but what I’m really looking for are pages that have both of those words on them, not necessarily back to back.

Knoxville Googled is not intended as a gauge of the online popularity of “Knoxville socialists” or the other topics; it’s intended to find wacky things written about Knoxville. So if I were to start limiting the returns, I think the results may be less fun.

Maybe we just need to use a more accurate term than "hits"? Would "returns" work?

Coury, ed.

Written on None:

Updated. Thanks for the info.

Coury, ed.

Written on Downtown Knoxville’s Next Big Something:

I have amended the photo credits to make them super-duper-DUPER clear, and will persevere to make sure this egregious lapse of journalistic duty never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever happens again.

Thank you for your eternal vigilance, 9!

Coury, ed.

Written on Knoxville Filmmaker Larsen Jay Garners Some National Buzz With That Evening Sun :

Corrected -- thanks for the catch!

Coury, ed.

Written on Some December Notes From the Secret History Files:

Jack Neely replies:

It's been quite a long time since I've researched that subject, but I think it's still my favorite ghost story, from the summer of 1894, when the whole west side of town was alarmed about a strange white beast, as big as a bear, but more doglike in shape. Much of it happened near Major Webb's home on Middlebrook Pike.

My understanding, derived mainly since I wrote that column, is that Major Webb lived at the Middlebrook estate, for which Middlebrook Pike is named. That handsome antebellum house is still there and well preserved, but not open to the public and hard to see, though this time of year you can make it out through the trees. It's off Middlebrook, on the north side, near where the street passes over the highway, maybe three miles from downtown.

The full story's in my 1998 collection, Secret History II, pp. 20-22. It's officially out of print, but last time I was there, Carpe Librum still had some copies.

Written on City, County Look to Address Blight Through Title Reform:

Oops.

Corrected.

-- Coury, ed.

Written on University of Tennessee Art and Architecture Building:

Spam deleted.

—Coury, ed.

Written on The Lies of Satan:

It's not our policy to reject letters based on whether we personally disagree with
the opinions being expressed.

And censoring such views so that people can pretend they don't exist in our city
isn't much of a policy, either.

I would recommend writing a cogent, thoughtful response for publication. That
would be useful for everyone.

--Coury, ed.

Written on Cotton Eyed Joe:

Comment removed. This is not the place to air personal disputes.

Written on Jimmy's Original Southern Pub:

This is really not the place to hash out personnel issue or rivalries, so I'm closing this discussion.

--Coury, ed.

Written on Knoxville Outdoors Guide:

We staged it ourselves at Volunteer Landing. Don't you recognize Jack Neely?!

Written on Quest for Ugly: Kayaking Yellow Creek:

Kim was indeed mistaken in stating that Fern Lake is private (he made the
assumption based on seeing no-trespassing signs); the sentence has been
corrected.

However, as to the timeframe for when the tannery started dumping
chemicals into Yellow River, Will Nixon's article in E: The Environmental
Magazine states:

"For decades the tannery used tannin made from the bark of local oak trees,
which sent an occasional black tide flowing downstream but left no lasting
damage. But in 1965, the tannery entered the chemical age, converting to a
'chrome' tanning process that treated the hides with strong acids, and adding
synthetic dyes and eventually more than 400 different chemicals."

—Coury, ed.

Written on knoxville + new moon = 306,000 hits :

Er, perhaps you don't quite grasp the concept of "Knoxville Googled" -- the
column is a look at what OTHER people are saying about Knoxville, typically
from out of state. We didn't write this particular note -- it was posted by
"unintendedchoice" at the Letters to Twilight blog (as indicated), which is a site
devoted to Twilight fandom.

-Coury, ed.

Written on BBQ Boot Camp Instructor Mike Davis:

Deleted spam.

Written on Knox-Tails: Signature Knoxville Drinks:

Recipe fixed! Thanks for the tip.

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