News - Friday, December 27, 2013

Mayor Andy Berke, Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger, Chattanooga History Center’s Executive Director Dr. Daryl Black, and Comcast welcomed national network C-SPAN as they kicked off a week-long visit to record and feature the city’s history and literary life.

On December 20, attorney Tim Mickel presented Maeghan Jones, president of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, with $14,400 in donations from the lawyers and judges who are members of the Chattanooga Chapter of the American Inns of Court. Over $11,000 of the donation was raised at an auction held during the Inn’s annual Holiday Party. The remainder came from private donations made by Inn members.

TAC Air on Friday, Dec. 20 hosted its third annual Cool Yule Fly-In as a way to spread holiday cheer to families and children from the Partnership. The event featured Santa flying in on a vintage T-28 Navy Trainer, as well as gifts and lunch for the children visiting. The Forgotten Child Fund arranged for a fire truck to be on display for the children to tour. (David Laprad)

During C-SPAN’s visit this week to Chattanooga to record and feature the city’s history and literary life, the cable network interviewed a number of local historians, authors, and civic leaders. Here, attorney Sam Elliott of Gearhiser, Peters, Elliott & Cannon answers questions about his latest book, “Isham G. Harris of Tennessee: Confederate Governor and United States Senator” (2010), published by Louisiana State University Press as part of its Southern Biography Series. The book was the co-winner of the 2010 Tennessee History Book Award. Elliott is also known for his scholarly work on Tennesseans of the Civil War era. (David Laprad)

Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan this week held its annual holiday luncheon for staff and attorneys at the Mountain City Club. The luncheon marked the 131st gathering for a holiday luncheon since the firm was founded in Chattanooga in 1882. Pictured L to R: Attorneys Paul R. Leitner, Thomas A. Williams, Charles W. “Buz: Dooley, and Gary S. Napolitan. (Photo provided)

There’s no time like the New Year to make promises and pledges regarding self improvement. But resolutions are a dime a dozen and are often broken as quickly as they’re made. There’s nothing wrong with attempting to improve oneself, but the chance of New Year’s resolutions surviving the test of time is no better than your chance of winning the lottery.

I just finished reading a blog written by a Type-A personality mom. She has a compulsive need to keep everything running on time and organized. In the hectic, fast-paced world of her working, being a wife, raising children, carpooling back and forth to school, meeting her families extra-curricular activities, and generally taking care of life at home, she’s desperately trying to slow her pace, and stop to smell the roses, as her youngest daughter does.

For three years, the film junkies at Mise En Scenesters have risked life, limb, and personal finances to keep great indie cinema pouring into Chattanooga. Now, with help from their over 2,000 regional supporters and movie lovers, they’re gearing up to kick off another year of great indie, obscure, classic, and cult classic cinema.

KM was reading me the “Tell Me About It” piece last week by Washington Post syndicated columnist Carolyn Hax, titled, “‘Best-self’ checklist requires brutally honest answers.”

Hax suggested to her reader that she answer some questions as honestly as possible – brutally honest in fact. I told KM I would take the test if I could get back to Sports when we finished. Here are my answers. Not sure yet if I passed or not.

First observed in ancient Babylon about 4,000 years ago, the celebration of New Year’s Day is the oldest of all holidays. In the years around 2,000 B.C., the Babylonian New Year originally began with the first New Moon, after the Vernal Equinox, or first day of spring. However, with the Roman Senates’ constant tampering and changing of the early calendars, the celebration of New Year’s Day changed also.

Mark Witt is retired in the modern sense of the word, meaning he’s working as hard as ever.

Witt left Tennessee Valley Authority three years ago. He’d put in 30 good years, including several as a senior reactor operator at Sequoyah Nuclear Plant. His job: telling the men and women turning the knobs what to do and when to do it. “It was like being an orchestra conductor,” he says.

The November RE/MAX National Housing Report, a survey of MLS data in 52 metro areas, found a 15.9 percent monthly decrease in sales and a 7.8 percent decrease from sales in November of last year. A number of unrelated factors contributed to the change in direction, which broke a 28 consecutive month increase in year-over-year home sales. Of all 52 metro areas surveyed in November, only nine reported higher sales than in November 2012.

A display of contemporary and traditional Jewish prayer shawls called tallitot from the community, around the country, and Israel is on exhibit at the Jewish Cultural Center through January 15. Made by 21 artists, the tallitot showcase a diversity of design and styles. Tallit in the exhibit include woven, embroidered, hand-painted, appliqued, and tie-dyed. A biography of each artist and information about each tallit is also included. Tallitot owned and used by community members are included with the exhibit as examples of how this religious tradition is locally maintained. According to Ann Treadwell, Jewish Federation Program Director, “This exhibit represents an inspiring selection of fabric art that contains a strong spiritual message.”

As we leave 2013 behind and look forward into a new year – a fresh beginning – I wish you peace, joy, and happiness! Happy 2014!

1. The 1982 Liberty Bowl was the final game for which legendary coach? Lou Holtz; Bear Bryant; Tom Osborne; Knute Rockne.

In the spirit of the season (defined as: “cramming more activity than humanly possible into a tiny span of time”), here’s a potpourri of capsule reviews and previews of the biggest holiday movie releases!

Saving Mr. Banks

I encourage everyone who has the inclination to see “Saving Mr. Banks.” It’s a wonderfully made film, and probably the best movie about the making of a movie I’ve seen. Although a Disney film, it’s not for kids, as it goes to dark places as it explores the mindset of P.L. Travers, author of Mary Poppins. That said, it’s also quite funny in places, and Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson are terrific in their roles as Disney and Travers. The movie whitewashes the harsher aspects of their tense relationship, but I still got a sense of things. For those who are concerned about language, there’s not a bad word to be heard. Three-and-a-half-stars out of four.