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21st July 2007

Crossed the Atlantic

Well we’ve arrived safely in Nashville, Tennessee after another long day of flying – we’re all pretty exhausted so I’ll have to make this brief.

Yesterday was my birthday (and also Matt and Jess – Happy Birthday!) which we spent in Blackpool, England. We went out on the pier and walked along the beach and the kids had donkey rides as well as some fun fair rides. Of course I had tobuy myself some Blackpool rock which I used to love as a kid.

Today we left Manchester early for 3 flights – Manchester to Boston; Boston to Washington; and then Washington to Nashville. All up a very long day of flying. Our flight into Boston was late landing which gave us a very rushed race to get to our next flight, which was fortunately a bit delayed. Other than that I’ve been quite impressed with American airports – very efficient and courteous staff – a big contrast to British airports. Unfortunately our second two flights were on a tiny plane which was uncomfortable and rough – made us all a little sick, especially Jen. I did get to see the White House, Capitol building and Washington monument out the plane window so at least I can say I’ve seen that much of DC.

Nashville airport we picked up our car, which is a great big Ford “mini”van and made our way to the hotel with very good directions from a guy at the gate. I didn’t get lost at all and only found myself driving down the wrong side of the road once, not too bad for my first time driving on the right hand side. The hotel is not bad but we got a smoking room which has a bit of a smell to which Jenni is especially sensitive. But we got a wonderful suprise when we arrived here – a gift basket from our friends in Nashville which really cheered us all up after a long tiring day flying. Looking forward to getting to hang out with them tomorrow, but in the meantime I seriously need sleep – the other three are all here snoozing around me.



Categories : Family, Travel | 0 Comments

21st July 2007

WOTD – Bible Belt

Bible Belt – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Bible Belt is an informal term for an area in which socially conservative Christian Evangelical Protestantism is a dominant part of the culture. The term “Bible Belt” was coined by the American journalist and social commentator H.L. Mencken in the early 1920s.

In particular, in the United States it is an idiom[1] for the region where the Southern Baptist Convention denomination is strongest (though many other denominations, such as the Church of Christ and Assemblies of God can be found there as well), usually meaning the South and nearby areas.

Much of the Bible Belt consists of the American South. Ironically, this region was originally colonized not for purposes of establishing a religious haven (as was the case in the Puritan colonies of New England), but for economic reasons – specifically, for the growing of cash crops such as tobacco, cotton, rice, and indigo. During the colonial period (1607-1776), the South was a stronghold of the Anglican church. Its transition into a conservative Protestant Bible Belt occurred gradually over the next century, as a series of religious revival movements, many associated with the Baptist denomination, gained great popularity in the region.

Thus, the region is usually contrasted with mainstream Protestants and liberal Catholics of the northeast, the religiously diverse Midwest, the Mormon Corridor in Utah and southern Idaho, and the relatively secular western United States, where the percentage of non-religious people is the highest in the nation, reaching its maximum in the northwestern state of Washington at 27%, compared to the Bible belt state of Alabama, at only 6%. [..read more..]



Categories : Christianity, Religion, Wikipedia | 0 Comments

21st July 2007

WOTD – Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nashville is the capital and the second most populous city of the U.S. state of Tennessee, after Memphis. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. Nashville is a major hub for the health care, music, publishing, and transportation industries.

Nashville has a consolidated city-county government which includes seven smaller municipalities in a two-tier system. The population of Nashville-Davidson County stood at 607,413 as of 2005,[1][2] according to United States Census Bureau estimates. The 2005 population of the entire 13-county Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area was 1,498,836,[4] making it the largest and fastest-growing metropolitan area in the state.

Nashville was founded by James Robertson and a party of Wataugans in 1779, and was originally called Fort Nashborough, after the American Revolutionary War hero Francis Nash. Nashville quickly grew because of its prime location, accessibility as a river port, and its later status as a major railroad center. In 1806, Nashville was incorporated as a city and became the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. In 1843, the city was named the permanent capital of the state of Tennessee.

By 1860, when the first rumblings of secession began to be heard across the South, antebellum Nashville was a very prosperous city. Tennessee reluctantly sided with the Confederacy and became the last state to secede from the Union. The city’s significance as a shipping port made it a desirable prize as a means of controlling important river and railroad transportation routes. In February 1862, Nashville became the first state capital to fall to Union troops.

Though the Civil War left Nashville in dire economic straits, the city quickly rebounded.[citation needed] Within a few years, the city had reclaimed its important shipping and trading position and also developed a solid manufacturing base. The post-Civil War years of the late 19th century brought a newfound prosperity to Nashville. These healthy economic times left the city with a legacy of grand classical-style buildings, which can still be seen around the downtown area.

It was the advent of the Grand Ole Opry in 1925, combined with an already thriving publishing industry, that positioned it to become “Music City USA“. In 1963, Nashville consolidated its government with Davidson County and thus became the first major city in the United States to form a metropolitan government. Since the 1970s, the city has experienced tremendous growth, particularly during the economic boom of the 1990s under the leadership of Mayor Phil Bredesen, who made urban renewal a priority, and fostered the construction or renovation several city landmarks, including the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Nashville Public Library downtown, the Sommet Center, and LP Field.   [..read more..]

 



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