News - Friday, September 16, 2011

Chattanooga attorney Bill Trumpeter doesn’t have just one briefcase, he has six, each of which serves a specific purpose. There’s a small one for when he’s going on a quick trip and needs only his laptop, a slightly larger leather one for when he has to take his computer and a few files, and a big one for when he’ll be out of town for a week or two, and will be hauling a lot of papers.

“I am a survivor.” This simple, powerful phrase is why Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure exists. It’s why volunteers, partners and sponsors in Chattanooga have donated countless man-hours and dollars to the local chapter of the organization. It’s why Susan G. Komen has poured millions of locally donated funds back into the area in the form of complimentary services, charitable aid and education.

Saturday, September 16

The electronic mach-ines the American Bank and Trust Company and the Hamilton National Bank will use in sorting checks and deposit slips will be demonstrated in the downtown banks. The devices, manufactured by IBM will sort 950 items in a minute and will be used by the banks beginning October 1.

It was the day that David Nelson had dreamt about for literally a decade. When he had first been told that his name would be on the list of candidates proposed by the panel, he had been cautiously optimistic. When he learned he had been selected, he was overjoyed. When he learned he was approved unanimously after only perfunctory interrogation he became speechless.

Now that 9-11-11 has passed it seems appropriate to ask some tough questions that seem to be without easy answers. There are questions that existed on 9-12-01 and still linger today. Questions that thousands of our men and women in the uniform have died for even before clear answers have been found. Just this weekend, 80 of our uniformed heroes were injured in Afghanistan.

While driving to work Tuesday, September 11, 2001, my cell phone rang and I noticed on the digital screen that the call was coming from my home. Just having left only a few minutes earlier, my first thoughts were of what I had forgotten or what my wife was needing me to purchase on my way home. Instead it was a call that changed us all for a very long time.

Life is something that we should cherish with every passing breath. Often times we do not appreciate the simplest things like the feel of cool breeze on a hot summer day; the taste of a fresh glass of homemade lemonade so cold that the outside of the glass drips; the deep red color of a vine-ripened tomato as its thinly sliced for a tomato sandwich slightly smeared with JFG mayonnaise.

I watched a documentary Sunday night called “9/11: Ten Years After,” about the first responders to the World Trade Center on 9/11. The creators were two French brothers, Jules and Gedeon Naudet and a FDNY firefighter, James Hanlon. The three set out to make a film about a rookie in the New York City Fire Department, assigned to Engine 7/Ladder 1 on Duane Street.

Last month (August) the American Bar Association had its annual meeting in Toronto. Some 7,000 lawyers, judges and other legal professionals attended the meeting. I was not among them. According to a Thomson Reuters news report, “the meeting got under way Thursday [Aug. 4], with judicial election reform and legal education high on the agenda.”

A really good film can captivate in a way that what viewers are watching becomes surreal. The images they see don’t seem to fit into how they are viewing them, and it seems like they’ve actually stepped onto the movie set as one of the characters. It’s even more rare that works of theater are able to produce this effect – to break down the wall between actors and audience and truly get into the viewer’s head.

Labor Day weekend might not have fireworks or a stuffed turkey, but it’s still a great holiday and always seems to come at the right time. I was in need of a mental break when Sept. 5 rolled around, and I welcomed it with open arms. Parish and I don’t have the luxury of owning a boat or lakefront property (yet), so we stayed close to home and enjoyed every minute of it.

This Brainbuster originally ran on Sept. 17, 2010. 1. Who pays the highest taxes in the world? French; Swedes; Americans; Brits; Canadians; Danish?

2. In the movie “Clue” (1985), just after Mr. Boddy was found dead, someone speculated that maybe he was poisoned. Mrs. Peacock, who had just sipped from Mr. Boddy’s glass, began screaming hysterically. Which character ushered her to a seat, and then slapped her, and what room where they in?

On your way to work this morning, you checked in with your peeps and your tweeps. You told them you were wearing your lucky shirt, you asked for good wishes, then you hit “send” and posted it on Facebook and Twitter for all to see. But aside from your followers – who cares?  Nobody, says author Jeffrey Gitomer, which means you’re wasting valuable resources.

For nearly 20 years, the Tennessee Aquarium has been dazzling visitors with huge catfish, colorful trout, and myriads of beautiful reef fish. As guests explore each exhibit, they discover information about each species, their habitats and conservation status. Many people are surprised to learn how many species are threatened or endangered.

The two pedestrian deaths on railroad tracks near a farm in Sale Creek in August brought the number of people trains have killed in Hamilton County in 2011 to three. All three people could have avoided the accidents that ended their lives by following a few safety guidelines, says Jill Moody, state coordinator for Operation Lifesaver Tennessee, a public awareness and education program dedicated to ending collisions at highway-rail grade crossings and on railroad property.

The September meeting of the Women’s Council of Realtors was one for the history books. Speaker Jim Thompson has been a Realtor with Fletcher Bright in Hixson for eight years, but before that he taught history. Thompson said he used to joke with his students that if Al Gore invented the Internet, then Thompson got the History channel for them.

There might still be some warm days ahead, but the Chattanooga Market is ready to celebrate the arrival of autumn with a lineup of popular annual events and more of the locally produced goods that have made the market a Sunday ritual for area residents and a must-see attraction for visitors.

When listing your home, you may need to move before a sale takes place. If you vacate the home, it’s very important that you notify your insurance company, because many homeowner policies have a “vacancy clause” that goes into effect once the home is unoccupied, usually for more than 30 to 60 days.

Time for a little quiz; this is one about spices. Try your hand at these…

1. I have my own “Old Bay Seasoning” to put on my crab, using this spice. I also used this on my Chicago style hotdog. To drink I have a virgin Bloody Mary using this same spice. If you need another hint, I can tell you that the vegetable this spice comes from is part of the “Holy Trinity” of food. Celery Seed; Onion Seed; Carrot Seed; Mustard Seed.

MIT has accepted the application of a brilliant, ambitious young woman named Rhoda. To celebrate, she gets drunk with her friends. As Rhoda is driving home alone, she hears on the radio that a new planet has appeared close enough to Earth to be visible to the naked eye. Curious, she looks up and sees a pale blue dot near the North Star.

There is a series of mistakes that prevent most salespeople from reaching the Champion level in their objection handling. I am going to address the most common mistakes that stunt an agent’s progress. Let them be heard. I have listened to countless agents’ presentations.