Perry in a Pickle Over Peculiar Petrograph

Did he paint over it before...he was before...was it before or after the press took a picture of it?

Egyptian Democracy Could Benefit U.S.

Egypt and Tunisia are large tourist attraction states partially dependent on the tourist trade for a large share of the economy. Not many Egyptians would welcome an Islamist regime that would have every tourist and journalist afraid to go to Cairo lest they become another victim of anti-Western terrorism. Yemen, however, also undergoing upheaval, stands as the Arab nation with the most propensity toward switching to radical Islam. With terrorist attacks having already occurred even under the current regime and little Western investment, the radicals there could impose a Taliban-like theocratic regime. Obviously Egypt has been a staunch ally of the US and has respected the sovereignty of Israel. These actions were wise and gave Egypt the opportunity to develop its economy by fostering friendly relations with the West. Unfortunately the fruits of this alliance have been enjoyed by too few Egyptians. I don't know a lot about modern Egypt, but I do know about our own Egyptian namesake--Memphis, Tennessee, where we have an NBA franchise, a shiny new Forum, and are home to the nation's distribution center. Yet Memphis also has the highest car theft rate in the nation, the highest bankruptcy rate, and foreclosures and violent crimes so numerous that it spawned two television shows, one fictional (Memphis Beat) and one based in an all too true reality (Police Women of Memphis). Perhaps the people of our Memphis should go down to our own defunct pyramid and start protesting like the people in Tahrir Square.

Spring Hill Mayor Giving the Town Away, with No Takers.

Having already had one meeting to figure out how to make the town more "builder friendly", the mayor of Williamson County's most densely populated town, full of starter homes on 1/3 acre or less lots and huge apartment complexes, wants to have another meeting. This sadly is like the father of an ugly daughter that can't find a husband for her. As I have stated before, you do not oversupply the market and hope demand increases, you create an atmosphere in Spring Hill that drives demand. If you really want to get business thriving in Spring Hill, the mayor needs to have meetings with residents and homeowners to see how we can make the town "resident friendly", and that is unfortunately many times contrary to the wishes of volume builders who have ALREADY left their indelible mark on the town. It does not take a degree in urban planning to explain what is going on in Spring Hill. The recession has hit this area hard, and all real estate markets were hit hard. Why buy in Spring Hill when you can buy a house 15 to 20 minutes closer to the city in the county at a bargain price. Look at any Sunday paper in the "What you can get for..." feature, and you'll be shocked at where you can live currently for Spring Hill prices....Franklin, Brentwood, Thompsons Station, Nolensville. Many times you get more than the low square footage and sardine can sized lot Spring Hill developers offer. A second problem is the intolerable congestion on 31, an impediment to any business wanting to locate in SH, yet local politicians only want to talk about a new exit on 65. Thirdly, we must realize that until GM increases the utilization of the plant, demand for living in one of Nashville's most distant suburbs will not be what it was a decade ago, no matter how many meetings you have with builders to "give away the store."