News - Friday, August 12, 2011

While attending Chattanooga’s City High School in the 60s, Carl Hartley played tight end for the football team. It was a versatile position that sometimes required him to defend his quarterback for the endurance of a play, and sometimes allowed him to break away from the line and catch a pass. Harley still plays a mixture of offense and defense today as a tax attorney at Baker Donelson.

School bells are ringing in Hamilton County, and if you and your high school student are ready for a different kind of classroom, there is still time to enroll at Ivy Academy. Ivy Academy is a non-tuition based charter school adjacent to 4,000 acres of North Chickamauga Creek Preserve with outdoor classrooms, open enrollment to all Hamilton County Schools, and offers a different approach to how the core subjects are taught.

Sunday, August 13

Gilbert Stein, past vice-president of the Jaycees, was recognized by the Tennessee Jaycees as the most outstanding chairman of a state committee for the past year.

Tuesday, August 15

The Grant-Patten Milk Company has purchased the building at 1803 Crutchfield Street, which will provide several times the space of the present location, 1220 King Street.

It’s the time of the year when things slow down a little bit in law firms. Partners are disappearing with their kids to go to Disney World, or to the beach, while firm managing partners are beginning to doubt their ability to reach monthly billing targets. The dress is a little more casual. On occasions, lawyers look more like they’re going to a meeting with Jimmy Buffett than with a judge or CEO.

I do not have a winter home. I do not have a summer home. That means that my time is spent in the same house year round. That also means that I get to experience the extremes offered by Arkansas and the Southern United States and do not have the opportunity to “summer” where it is cool and “winter” were it is warm. That does not mean I am opposed to taking a break from the extremes. That is exactly what I did last week.

We just witnessed a major discussion over our country’s debt problems and it really put all of us in a time of concern that makes me still wonder if we really got it right or not. I understand it has to be tough being the President of the United States, but he did take the job and anyone who has watched Washington very long has to know it is no position to make friends and come out smelling like a rose all the time.

Performing on the road has its great moments and even a few that are less great. Needless to say, there are often things to laugh at along the way. One of my devoted readers said that I have been too serious of late and needed to spread some cheer so here is one of my favorite experiences along the way. Maybe it will bring you a smile.

I was researching events from 1977 the other day, about geniuses who passed on that year; specifically, three whose first names still suffice – Bing, Groucho and Elvis. The fourth genius was Charlie, but that is such a common name that Chaplin probably needs to be added. 

“Ask and ye shall receive.” I’ve heard that for years. May even have read it somewhere. But I certainly have proved it to be true. Repeatedly, over time. For instance, five years ago I started writing a monthly crossword for the Rotarian, the magazine of Rotary International. Rotary is the service club started by Paul Harris in 1905. I bet you’ve heard of it.

McDonald’s’ controversial change of the beloved “Happy Meal” format got me thinking about being healthy today. For those of you who are unaware, McDonald’s is trying to combat critics who say that the restaurant chain has bred an army of the obese, and furthermore has enticed children into unhealthy eating with the toy and food combination in a Happy Meal.

You know you’re getting old when…I’m sure every person on the planet has a completely different way to fill in the remaining blanks. It’s hard to say exactly when it hits, but when it does, it smacks you in the face like a flying pair of suspenders. I recently got excited about something I never thought I would really care about – the price of gas.

This Brainbuster originally ran in the August 13, 2010 issue of The Daily Record.

School is up and running – again! The summer goes by fast and you barely get your child/children settled down, before it all starts up again. This is a trivia puzzle on school. See how much you know!

Everything must be perfect. At least that’s the way it seems. You have no margin for error in this economy, no second chances, no room for mistakes. If you want to keep your job, you get it right or you don’t get it at all. No pressure, huh? Being the fallible human that you are, though, mistakes and failures are inevitable at some point or other – so why not use them? 

“You have tuberculosis.” There are places in the world where these words are tantamount to a death sentence. In the Philippines, 75 people die daily from the disease. In China, tuberculosis has been the number one cause of death from infectious disease in adults. And authorities in Winnipeg, Canada take the disease so seriously, they have jailed a woman who refused treatment so officials can administer the medicine that will make her better.

Signing a credit card slip, writing a check and composing a thank-you letter are all instances when one uses cursive handwriting to complete a document. In the future though, cursive appearances may dwindle as cursive has been omitted from the common core state standards that more than 40 states, including Tennessee, adopted last summer.

Sherri Pratt and her husband only have one more “baby” living at home. Her name is Tiny, and the Pratts adopted this furry baby when their twin human children went to college and they needed a pet like Tiny to liven up a very quiet house. Now Pratt and her husband have four cats and two collies.

On August 25 at 5:30 p.m., FACES: The National Cranio-facial Association will host a unique fundraising opportunity at the Car Barn where the atmosphere will be one of grown-up fun. The evening of the FACES UnMasked event promises boardwalk-style after-work fun with carnival foods, grandstand games for grown-ups and bidding on special handmade masks in the “Fun House” silent auction, whose proceeds will benefit FACES.

You recently read here about formulating your offer based on the information included in a CMA (Comparative Market Analy-sis). You can fine-tune that offer by applying current market trends. Trends may vary by region, state, city, and even the neighborhood, so do your homework.

This Cooking Corner originally ran August 6, 2010 in The Daily Record. A few years back, we took all of our children and some of their friends to Panama City for a week’s vacation. We really had a great time, and enjoyed the beach and the weather was fantastic. We did, however, learn a few “family vacation” lessons while there.

I love when the last shot of a movie tells you everything you need to know about what you’ve seen. The final shot of a film is the last chance its writer and director have to put a thought in your head that sticks. The last few seconds of “Crazy, Stupid, Love” deliver such a shot.

As salespeople, we operate in a game of odds and probabilities. Being deliberate in knowing the odds and improving them is what a Champion does. We must be able to balance the odds of the marketplace, the odds of the prospect, the odds of creating a delighted client, the odds of expending our resources, the odds of a higher return, and the odds of our time. All of these odds have to be evaluated and factored into our decisions.