News - Friday, February 3, 2012

Boyd Patterson has a vision of a young man a little over a decade from now. He’s 25, graduated from college and an associate at an architecture firm. He’s good at what he does for a living, and his future is bright. Someday, he’ll be designing buildings on his own, and taking the blueprints home to show his children, who will behold what their daddy made with wide-eyed marvel.

Members of Chattanooga’s Fire Academy Class of 2012 finished their live fire training exercises last week by burning down a house. The donated structure, located at 2618 Cowart Street, was used earlier last week to teach the cadets tactics in search-and-rescue and fire suppression.  After cutting ventilation holes and stuffing the house full of wooden pallets and straw, the firefighters set the house ablaze.  Following established tradition for each academy, the 23 cadets then posed for their class photo.  If they make it through the entire six months of intense training, they will graduate in May. (Photo by David Laprad)

Three men and a demolition company were convicted by a federal jury in Chattanooga, Tenn., of environmental crimes and obstruction of justice charges related to the illegal demolition of a Chattanooga factory containing large amounts of the toxic air pollutant asbestos, announced William C. Killian, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, and Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice.

Dr. Susan Hickman is fascinated by the inner workings of the human mind and body – the way people create, the reasons they destroy, and the motivations behind their greatest accomplishments and their darkest hours. To explore not only why people do the things they do but how they can change their thoughts, emotions and behaviors and achieve the results they desire, Chattanooga’s Dr. Hickman hosts a weekly Internet show called “The Mind of the Matter” on the VoiceAmerica Variety Channel. Broadcasting live Thursdays at 9 a.m., the show explores a variety of topics ranging from eating disorders, to stress, to faith and more, many of which feature nationally renowned experts on the subjects.

February 4 - Be an art buyer for a day

Join Friends of African American Art on February 4 at 6:30 p.m. as they help the Hunter Museum of American Art choose a piece of contemporary African American art to become a part of its collection. You must be a member of Friends of African American Art to vote on the purchase. The event will take place at the Hunter, and is free to members. Friends of African American Art is an interest group formed by the Bessie Smith Cultural Center and the Hunter for art lovers interested in preserving and showcasing African American art. For more information on how to join, contact the membership department at the Hunter at 423-267-0968.

Real estate agents from across Crye-Leike’s Chattanooga region last week gathered at the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club to celebrate their success in 2011 and discuss predictions for 2012. In the crystal ball segment of the program, Crye-Leike co-founder and CEO Harold Crye offered his forecast for this year.

The City of Chattanooga and Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise announced last week that they have $1 million in loans available to assist Chattanooga area homeowners with home improvements or repairs. The program, called re:NOVATE, has been funded by Federal Community Development Block Grants. Loans are available immediately to qualified homeowners.

Comedian Brian Regan has a routine in which he relates the story of how his roommate in college asked him if he wanted to “split a pie,” and Regan said, “Sure, I guess. Do you like apple?” The roommate wanted to split a pizza, but the colloquialism was lost on Regan.

Going to lunch every day in my law office is a fairly big affair. Not just because it provides a break from motions and minutia, but (for me at least) because it involves one of the greatest things in the world: food. The majority of the time, lunch consists of inhaling a sandwich and fries while running to the courthouse and screaming into my phone that I need the Smith file immediately. This usually results in afternoons with mayonnaise-stained suits and oral arguments drenched in the aroma of uncooked onions. (I credit the horrid onion breath to my recent victory at the Court of Appeals.) So, when I actually have time for a “true lunch, ”I don’t take my lunch break lightly.;

Several years ago, I bought a stand up video game that had many of the classics from the early '80s. This was bought as a Christmas gift for the whole family, but everyone knew who the gift was really for – me. One of the games I was most excited about was “Robotron.” I had put many quarters into a machine trying to master this particular game. Now I had one of my own and I could play all I wanted for free. I played the game a lot and with much enthusiasm for several weeks until I finally became bored and eventually lost interest. It was still the same game, but much of the thrill had gone out it.

In the past, malware developers concentrated on the over one billion PCs in the world.  However, as the number of mobile users has skyrocketed, smartphones have become an attractive target for digital bandits. Now a mobile security company has identified a new crime it’s calling “mobile pickpocketing,” and the group’s research suggests smartphone users are more susceptible to falling victim to the offense this year than in 2011.

In a recent “Under Analysis” column Mark Levison wrote that he finds lawyers “interesting, entertaining and quite often a bit quirky.” He then describes some of the quirky lawyers around him. Mark has a partner who won’t change a light bulb and who’s married to someone who won’t. He has an associate who leaves home before dawn to get to the office on snowy days. That associate is married to a lawyer who “naps” from 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., but otherwise works every hour of every day.

I arrived at the endodontist’s office at 8:20 for my 8:30 appointment. Sherry, the receptionist, slid back the glass window in front of her desk and waved at me, and I found a seat. I looked back toward her as the glass closed. Too early for small talk, I guessed. No problem there.

Chattanooga motorcycle shop Pandora’s European Motorsports on February 4 will host “Pistons and Fenders,” a motorsports celebration and fundraiser for the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer. The event will be held at the Coker Tire Museum in downtown Chattanooga. The doors will open at 6 p.m. The event will include food, an open bar, live entertainment and a silent auction. Also on the schedule will be a live auction by Corky Coker. Justin Prann, owner of Pandora’s European Motorsports, said the team at Pandora is looking forward to showing its support for the Austin Hatcher Foundation. “This event is a great opportunity to spend time with like-minded people while supporting an important cause. We plan to grow this event each year based on the principles we’ve laid out: raise awareness, raise funds, enjoy great food and drink, and enjoy the company of fellow motorsports enthusiasts, all in a premium setting surrounded by machines that represent virtually every era from the past 100 years of motorsports development.” Tickets to “Pistons and Fenders” can be purchased hatcherfoundation.org.

Do you collect something? This quiz is all about collections of different kinds. Whether you’re a collector or not, I hope you find this quiz interesting. 1. In what presidential campaign year did the modern, celluloid political button first come into wide use? 1940; 1896; 1952; 1960.

There have been many commercials lately about the health benefits of yogurt for our bodies and digestion tract. And I agree that it is very healthy for several different digestive ailments. Besides the protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals in yogurt, are probiotics. Probiotics are the good bacteria that inhabit our guts. They aid our digestion and increase our immune systems. However, since this is a food article, that’s as far as I am going with that subject!

When the movie, “The Grey,” ended and the lights came on in the theater, a sense of relief came over me. The previous two hours had been among the most harrowing I have experienced watching a movie, and it was good to be out of the cold and away from the wolves. I felt better knowing a ravenous creature born and bred in an unforgiving wilderness would not be bursting in from the edges of my vision to tear the meat from my bones, and in a final act of cruelty, leave a little bit of me uneaten to slowly bleed to death.

Recently, while eating lunch at a local sandwich place, where if you eat their sandwiches you are suppose to get skinny, I overheard a group of homeroom mothers discussing their children’s school vaccinations at a table behind me. Realizing that my sandwich wasn’t making me skinny, I decided to listen in on the ladies’ conversation about needles and shots, which was a lot more interesting than reading the nutrient content of my Cheetos bag, which had become empty. Stories about kids hiding under tables and doctors getting bit seemed to be very funny to that group, but having been a kid myself about 50 years ago and experiencing some of those same traumatic events, I was glad I had finished my weight reducing sandwich as I reflected back on my days when the health department nurse would show up at school.

Representatives from the City of Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise and several local businesses announced January 27 that their work to convert a plot of land on East 3rd Street into a community park and green space is complete and that the Glenwood neighborhood park is now open for play.  To complete the project, CNE, the Glenwood Neighborhood Association, Community Impact of Chattanooga and others partnered with PlayCore, Artech and other area organizations.

The Giants and Patriots (and of course, the multi-million dollar commercials) may be taking stage this weekend, but they’ll have to put on quite a show to leave a lasting impression like some of the things I’ve seen at much smaller gridiron venues over the years.