News - Friday, August 5, 2011

The scene is the same every Monday morning. Scores of people reach the top of the stairs of the courthouse, or walk off the elevator, with a deer-in-the-headlights look on their faces. Some of them don’t know where to go or what to do. All they know is someone is suing them, and they have to be in General Sessions Court at 11 a.m. For litigants who are unable to afford a lawyer to represent them, it can be a scary time.

Blair Bennington Cannon was a child when the desire to become a lawyer sprouted within her. One could argue her family had cultivated that seed: her mother’s father, Ray Brock, was a justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court; her aunt was a lawyer; and her mother is a paralegal. Plus, her parents taught her the art of debate when she was young. When Cannon would defend her opinions successfully, people would tell her, “You should become a lawyer.”

Saturday, August 5

The Tivoli Theater, the center of Chattanooga’s entertainment world for 40 years and one of the South’s most beautiful motion picture houses, will close August 17. George Deavours, manager for Wilby-Kincey Service Corp, operator of the Tivoli announced.

Consider the following hypothetical: In a small town in Wyoming, known for the size of its Danish population, the river Underskud loftet ran through the beautiful countryside. On the north side of the river lived 40 families, who all worked for the same communally owned plant. On the south side lived another 57 families, who worked for a different manufacturer.

I miss the summer.  I miss getting up and having no where to be and nothing to do.  I miss the randomness of the daily routine. I miss watching The Price is Right and the long walks across town to the city pool. I miss the excitement laced with dread of the upcoming school year and the smell of new clothes worn on the first day of school. I guess, in sum, I am getting old.

‘I owe all of my success to a white, enamel drinking dipper with a red ring around the edge.’ - Pettus L. Read, December 8, 1997. I wrote those words several years ago in a column and they still hold true today. When I wrote that statement, we were engaged in a presidential election that had gotten completely out of hand in campaign mud slinging.

I drove down east on Highway 10 last Saturday night on my way to an introduction to the new Browning’s – south of the border in Pulaski Heights (somewhere the Polish count is smiling). Yes, the long anticipated wait has at last come to an end and the famously favorite Mexican restaurant has risen again, and from early reviews, better than ever.

Regarding the recent piece on “Friday Night Lights,” David from Chattanooga writes, “Good column. I’ve not seen the show, but your piece made me want to watch it. And I have Netflix, too!” Thanks for the note, David. For $20, give or take, I’ve now ordered Season 5 of FNL, which should arrive any day now. Thanks also for the perfect segue to discuss Netflix.

Brunch is defined as a meal that serves as both breakfast and lunch. As such, one would expect this meal to provide both an array of breakfast and lunch selections. Although this is not always the case with some eaterie’s, brunch offerings. Yet, I think the Broad Street Grille’s Sunday brunch has got the definition down pat.

There is something about staying at a hotel that just tickles my fancy. I don’t know what it is. You can even ask my parents, I’m a hotel nerd. I think my fascination comes from the fact that I get to stay overnight in a new place and enjoy amenities like little shampoo bottles and in-room coffee. When I was little, all I cared about when it came to hotels is the pool. Swimming while staying in motel was almost too much – the combination nearly sent me to the moon.

1. Who was the first explorer to reach the South Pole? Ronald Amundsen; Robert Falcon Scott; Ernest Shackleton; Richard Evelyn Byrd.

2. What animals might be found at the South Pole? Polar bears; Penguins; Seagulls; none of these.

3. In the 2007-08 season, who was the MVP of the NBA Finals? Kevin Garnett; Paul Pierce; Ray Allen; Kobe Bryant.

You’ve learned your lesson. In the past four years, you’ve learned that you can’t spend frivolously. You can’t use credit unwisely, there’s no “wiggle room” on bill paying, and the only way to face your future is to put money back into your own pocket with savings and investments. Easier said than done?  Not really, according to author Ryan C. Mack. In his book “Living in the Village,” he explains how money can work for you and for your community.

Soviet-born artist Daud Akhriev is searching for the words that will express his thoughts. He says his U.S.-born wife’s Russian is better than his English, and as he talks, he uses his hands to help coax phrases out of his mouth. The pause is brief, and Akhriev continues to explain the idea behind his painting of a Moroccan fisherman. In the large canvas work, the man is reclined in a cobalt blue boat, and has a tranquil expression, despite being surrounded by a spray of squawking seagulls.

As a Realtor and part of the property management team for Greyhaven Realty Management Company, Kim Snyder’s day is composed of many different pieces of work that add up to a hectic but fulfilling career. Snyder began her real estate career at Prudential Realty Center eight years ago, but started to consider property management a year ago because of the down sales market.

Chattanooga resident April Floyd was at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to board the plane that would take her home. She’d arrived early enough to reach her gate with time to spare, but as she stepped up to the security checkpoint, a Transportation Security Administration officer asked her to go through the full body scanner instead of the metal detector. She agreed, and was soon on her way.

Want to increase your chances of a quicker sale at a higher price? When it comes to real estate transactions, you need representation! A recent survey of 1,000 homeowners reports that of the 83 percent who used a real estate agent to sell their home, 60 percent were successful.

Cherry, Big Boys, Grape, Beefsteak, Brandywine, Plum - home-grown tomatoes are here, and I for one, am plum tickled! One of my favorite ways of eating one is between two slices of wheatberry bread with nothing but mayo, salt and pepper, however, that might be a toss up with sliced on a plate sandwiched between real mozzarella, fresh basil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and then drizzled with olive oil! Yum, yum!

Like every other tent pole movie released this summer, “Cowboys and Aliens” manages to be passably entertaining while it’s on the screen, but then it fades from memory the moment the credits roll. From “Thor,” to “Super 8,” to “Captain America,” to “Cowboys and Aliens,” it’s been the same story since May. That’s a shame, because “Cowboys and Aliens” had the potential to be great.

There are two reasons for objections to your commission rate, and it isn’t the fact that other agents are doing it.  The two reasons are:  we haven’t established value for our service, and the seller or buyer has a fear that we haven’t addressed properly to remove it. These fears are real and must be conquered before you can secure a representation contract from a buyer or seller.