Columns from TimesFreePress.com | http://timesfreepress.com/news/opinion/columns http://timesfreepress.com/news/opinion/columns I have come to believe that all things come to those who pay attention, and I pay attention to birds, thanks to my dear mother who was unceasingly amused at their ways. If you feed birds, you will get the biggest entertainment bang for your buck. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jul/03/Roberts-birds-can-be-your-yard-entertainers/ On the face of it, the following three news stories from Wednesday would appear to have little in common: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jul/02/is-candace-parker-raising-a-future-laker/ To text or not to text? That is the question facing many Tennessee drivers thanks to a new law that makes messaging behind the wheel illegal. In principle, I get the point of outlawing texting for drivers. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jul/02/magee-anti-texting-law-infringes-on-personal/ Jimmy Plumlee will quickly tell you, "I'm eat up with racing." http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jul/01/is-suspended-driver-mayfield-a-villain-or-nascar/ Law enforcement officers have it tough enough trying to overcome long shadows cast by a corrupt few, including former Hamilton County Sheriff Billy Long, sent http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/30/law-enforcement-officers-bravely-confront-on-the/ I tend to be somewhat methodical and sometimes clinical in my thinking when it comes to technology, probably because I'm so deeply involved in it. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/30/technology-brings-joy-to-my-world/ Like millions of other American familes, the Curran clan of Signal Mountain bought a satellite dish for the hundreds of channel choices it offers. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/29/oudin-has-more-than-fans-locally/ Last month my 16-year-old sent and received 8,307 texts. Yes, you read that number correctly -- 8,307 text messages in one billing cycle. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/29/0629-texting-replaces-talking/ There was some measure of puzzlement when the announcement went out that Mayor Ron Littlefield planned to deliver a state of the city report. The cynical journalist wondered what had changed over the past few months since he delivered his vision for the next four years at his inaugural speech in April. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/28/griscom-charting-growth-trajectory/ On summer mornings, my 7-year-old son slips on his Crocs and shoots out the back door. Seconds later, he returns and breathlessly peels apart the morning newspaper. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/28/Kennedy-virtues-are-born-of-baseball-adversity/ There’s no place like home. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/28/magee-honest-discussion-only-enlivens-spirit-commu/ As recent headlines suggest, the foreclosure crisis in the United States is a national challenge, wreaking havoc on the economy at large and changing the face of homelessness. Gone are the days when most of the homeless among us resided in cardboard boxes hidden under bridges or in dark alleyways. Increasingly, today's homeless are families with children who have fallen victim to foreclosure. They live in a brother-in-law's spare bedroom or in the room over Uncle Harry's garage. Today's homeless have food, clothing and shelter. Many even have jobs -- but they are homeless nonetheless, victims of the times in which they live. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/28/0628-proactive-steps-can-stave-off-danger-of/ It is amazing to sit out on the porch on these hot summer nights and witness the amazing display of fireflies. The firefly is the official state insect (along with the ladybug). http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/27/0627-watch-fireflies-glow/ Floundering around the .500 mark, these Atlanta Braves are the game's ultimate paradox. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/27/braves-need-to-forget-90s-and-rebuild/ Jacques Smith already has a summer job, one that allows him to put a little money in his pocket before turning his attention to his senior season with the Ooltewah High School football program. But Smith also has taken on the added chore of an unofficial recruiter for the University of Tennessee, hoping to help the Vols pocket a few more prep All-Americans. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/26/ooltewahs-smith-helping-recruit-more-vols/ An empty Coke can, a discarded cigarette butt, a dozen sheets of paper stacking up at the computer printer -- it doesn't take much to make me think about the topic of environmental conservation. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/26/Morrison-heed-the-little-voice-in-your-head/ I have been a sucker all my life. But lately I have resisted two efforts by tricky old con artists from my past to feast again on my jugular vein. I partially thwarted one and completely frustrated another, but instead of thinking I am no longer a sucker, I remember the wisdom that I am and always will be a recovering sucker. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/26/Roberts-we-need-a-suckers-anonymous/ Father's Day has come and gone, but I still can't stop thinking about dads. My father enjoyed engaging us children. I still remember jumping in the car with him after basketball practice one day in middle school, asking him to drop off a friend. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/25/fathers-love-a-foundation-of-self-respect/ Tyler Smith was in the Memphis airport last week, waiting for a connecting flight to Fort Worth, Tex., to visit his mother. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/25/smith-happy-to-be-out-of-nba-draft/ It may go down as the most memorable line in the history of television. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/24/sports-has-its-mcmahon-sidekicks-too/ Recruits hear it. Programs sell it. Fans love it. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/23/brown-likely-one-of-secs-new-fab-4/ When the final round of the rain-ravaged U.S. Open continues today at 9 a.m., you have to root for David Duval, don't you? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/22/could-tiger-comeback-be-coming/ Republicans in Tennessee for the past two election cycles aimed at securing governing majorities in the state Senate and House of Representatives. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/21/0621-counting-unhatched-chickens/ I recently witnessed a car accident. I heard the wreck happening before I saw it -- a mad squeal of tires followed by a sickening metallic smack. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/21/0621-fast-girls-and-other-freeway-hazards/ Whether ties or wallets, coffee mugs or fishing poles, most of us fortunate enough to still have our fathers struggled this past week to find the right gifts. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/21/no-gift-quite-enough-for-daddy-today/ Over the past few months I've gotten a look under the hood as President Obama's auto task force directs Chrysler and General Motors through bankruptcy, and I'm very concerned by what I see. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/21/0621-playing-favorites-special-interests-at-front/ Katie Couric would be borderline hysterical. The rest of the media would be calling it something with the suffix "-gate." http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/21/0621-whistle-blowers-gross-competence-gets-him/ We often take our city employees for granted. After all, they are here to provide the best service in the shortest period of time with a smile and the attitude that we are the only people they have to serve. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/21/0621-wood-recycling-crew-deserves-praise/ From the moment of our birth, we start losing people from our life. The loss that seems most final is the transition we call death. It is wise to think through and write out the thoughts that can be our life preservers when the waters of grief wash over us. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/19/we-create-own-path-for-grief/ The Tennessee Secondary School Athletics Association must be mightily impressed with the quality of the state's education system. Otherwise it would never have instituted a new football playoff format that only Einstein or Bill Gates could decipher. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/18/wiedmer-tssaa-classification-changes-still-work-pr/ Less than three months from the start of the college football season, the three first-year SEC head coaches have paced, prowled and propelled themselves and their programs into perplexing positions of uncertainty. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/17/which-new-sec-coach-will-last/ Atlanta manager Bobby Cox didn’t direct the Braves to 14 straight division titles because he didn’t understand the modern athlete. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/15/wiedmer-cox-cant-find-answers-lackadaisical-braves/ Conventional wisdom is that newspapers reach such a broad audience that it is virtually impossible to target a particular demographic group. Everything for everyone is the mantra ascribed to those in the print medium, and unfortunately in most instances that label has been accepted by the practitioners of journalism. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/14/griscom-forum-local-mothers/ I am both fascinated and intimidated by these new $3 car washes popping up around Chattanooga. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/14/3-car-wash-makes-me-very-nervous/ As one might expect of a former college basketball player, departing University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior Khalil Hartwell spent Thursday night glued to his television, unwilling to miss a single second of Game 4 of the NBA finals. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/14/even-mocs-magic-fans-see-la-win/ One year ago, I proposed a new “Manhattan Project” to put America on the path to clean-energy independence. The project would focus on seven “grand challenges”: plug-in electric cars and trucks; carbon capture from coal plants; making solar power cost-competitive; recycling used nuclear fuel; advanced biofuels from crops we don’t eat; green buildings; and finally, fusion. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/14/alexander-united-states-primed-and-ready-nuclear-r/ Sen. Lamar Alexander has recently been advocating building 100 expensive new nuclear reactors across the country within 20 years. While we appreciate his willingness to rethink how energy is produced and consumed in this country and his stated support for greater energy efficiency, a massive investment in nuclear power is the wrong course for our nation. The problems with such a plan can be summed up with the four W’s: Wall Street, water, weapons and waste. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/14/smith-focus-renewables-such-wind-solar-energy-firs/ The Atlanta Falcons moved heaven and earth to acquire Michael Vick. With extensively less effort, they ultimately parted ways Friday with their former franchise poster boy quarterback. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/13/no-return-falcons-cut-vick-loose/ Fears are the handcuffs and leg irons that keep us in bondage to boring jobs, people who no longer serve our best interests and a hundred other little ruts http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/12/our-fears-can-be-our-handcuffs/ It did not really hit me until last week that so much of life happens in stages. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/12/life-stages-speed-up-in-young-adulthood/ At 1:27 Eastern Daylight Time this afternoon, PGA golfers Brian Gay, Woody Austin and Charles Howell III will begin their opening round of the St. Jude Classic at TPC Southwind's No. 10 tee. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/11/wiedmer-local-trio-caddies-st-jude/ Having lived in Chattanooga all my life, I grew up with Riverbend. Some of my fondest memories can be traced back to those nine hot days in early June. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/11/mckenna-growing-riverbend/ Proudly clad in the pinstripes of the Minnesota Twins, Jesse Cross toed the rubber. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/10/wiedmer-ringgolds-cross-recalls-draft-times/ In six months on the job with the University of Tennessee, football coach Lane Kiffin is headed for at least his fifth NCAA violation. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/09/greeson-kiffin-record-pace-violations/ Fables and parables have been popular methods of telling stories and sharing spiritual truths for centuries. Such stories are valuable because they can explain deep truths in a form that almost anyone can understand. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/09/jenkins-google-drew-blueprint-todays-web/ The best ever. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/08/wiedmer-federer-best-player-tennis-now/ For 65 days the Tennessee General Assembly has been in session. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/07/griscom-getting-down-business/ At the end of Riverbend last year, I made a life-altering decision to leave my lonely apartment perched at a precipice at the end of the world (East Brainerd Road) and relocate to a swank apartment downtown. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/07/phillips-trudge-report-hurts-feet/ Taylor Harris is a still a year away from a regular roster spot on the Fury Fastpitch 16-under softball team. A rising sophomore at Girls Preparatory School, the catcher will spend most of this summer on the Fury’s 14-under squad. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/07/wiedmer-scenic-city-softball-gem-recruiting/ I had cars on my mind last week. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/07/kennedy-car-plant-euphoria-rings-bell/ http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/07/battle-ringgold-gap-inspired-deeds-incredible-gall/ As goes General Motors, so goes the nation. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/07/magee-bankruptcy-reflects-nations-economic-trouble/ What’s your take on the new NASCAR rule that calls for double-file restarts? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/06/young-nascars-new-restart-plan-intriguing/ Saul Raisin literally was born to ride a bicycle. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/05/tanner-ex-cyclist-raisin-raising-funds-hopes-chari/ Two of my dear friends are undergoing health problems right now, and both are in the 75 to 80 age range. Discouraged by their health struggles, I was inclined to agree with the statement made by one of them, “The ‘Golden Years’ is a nightmare story created by some penniless bum who ate too much Mexican food and then drank a bottle of the cheapest wine in town.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/05/roberts-everyone-needs-touch-and-praise/ The Atlanta Braves released the wrong employee on Wednesday. That was the understandable knee-jerk reaction to the news that 43-year-old Tom Glavine was no longer on the roster. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/04/wiedmer-glavines-release-just-business/ Because of special relationships I have with books, I am reluctant to part company with them. The creaks from overloaded bookshelves told me such a moment was at hand. It was time to send old medical textbooks to the library’s used book sale. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/04/cleaveland-saying-farewell-textbooks/ Last summer, I wrote a feature on the kids at Bright School’s cooking camp and came away quite impressed with the fun they had, the lessons they learned and their strong interest in cooking. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/03/braly-kids-test-cooking-techniques-camps/ From 15 rows behind the Chicago Cubs’ dugout, it was easy to envy the folks in the right-field bleachers. They were keeping warm in the sun during batting practice late Sunday afternoon, while I shivered in the shade. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/02/frierson-wrigley-lives-hype/ Microsoft has announced plans to compete with the popular Apple iPod Touch by releasing the Zune HD video and audio player this fall. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/02/jenkins-microsoft-compete-ipod/ It wasn’t hard for LeBron James’s actions to speak louder than his words Saturday night. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jun/01/wiedmer-lebron-needs-supporting-cast-win-nba-champ/ Predicting the future is difficult, probably more so than keeping people reading today. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/31/griscom-hand-newspapers-were-dealt/ Coy Mabry first entered the Red Bud Invitational in 1968. He was 16 years old and well on his way to becoming a member of the University of Tennessee golf team. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/31/wiedmer-red-bud-reminder-tough-times/ On a recent Saturday afternoon, my wife attended two high-school graduations. Meanwhile, I got to entertain our two little boys. Finding activities that appeal to brothers ages 7 and 2 is a challenge. To her credit, my wife, given the same baby-sitting task, would have engaged the boys in constructive pursuits such as watering the rhododendron, naming the continents and making life-like reptiles out of Play-Doh. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/31/kennedy-mini-golf-trip-tests-patience/ It was good to see Leon Stone at last Thursday’s meeting of the Less-Than-International Xtix Society. I start grinning inside when I see him coming because I know he is going to make me see a thing or two in Leon light. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/29/roberts-finding-pearls-skill/ JASPER, Tenn. — More addictive than any drug is the adrenaline shot that is being part of Friday night football. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/29/hargis-colquette-comes-home-marion/ So Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive took his football coaches to the woodshed, did he? Threw all 5-9, 170 pounds of himself into every word he said — Slive’s description — did he? Basically said that membership in the SEC is as much responsibility as privilege. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/28/wiedmer-whos-charge-these-guys/ As the school year draws to an end, students aren’t the only ones yearning for a vacation. Many teachers can’t wait for the much-needed break from the halls of learning. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/28/upton-teacher-burnout-real-problem/ On the NCAA golf championship leaderboard Tuesday, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior Jonathan Hodge was nothing remarkable. Out of 156 golfers, he was tied for 41st. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/27/wiedmer-mocs-hodge-chips-chats/ As we speed by the unofficial start of summer and the annual pause that should be a daily thanks to our servicemen and women, the holiday weekend, the school year and Spring Fling are memories. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/26/greeson-breaks-effect-depends-perspective/ The boy’s name is not important. Let’s just say the East Ridge Middle School student has recently endured far more than his fair share of family turmoil. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/25/wiedmer-goss-lifts-lives-east-ridge/ The perfect stormed lined up, brought on by a series of unexpected circumstances. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/24/griscom-stage-set-revamp-higher-ed/ Mary Grace Coffman, age 8, may be the world’s youngest librarian. The Signal Mountain thirdgrader and her father, pediatrician Allen Coffman, have resolved to help provide a library for a school in Nigeria. “I was amazed that they didn’t have a library,” said Mary Grace, who attends Nolan Elementary and enjoys mystery books. “I told my dad, ‘It’s not a school without a library.’” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/24/kennedy-library-box-track/ Real estate in Chattanooga and other Tennessee cities is being reappraised, following state law. This occurs every four, five or six years for different counties according to state law. The purpose of periodic reappraisals is to keep property values used for tax purposes consistent with changing market values. The reappraisals, which are based on last year’s values before the slump began, invariably show an increase. It is most unfortunate that this should occur just now when we are in the middle of a serious economic downturn. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/24/naylor-tennessees-sales-tax-dependent-system-deepl/ ‘Never let a serious crisis go to waste.” With these words, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel exposed the playbook for tax increase advocates. By using a crisis to scare citizens, politicians from Abraham Lincoln to Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Barack Obama learned that they could swindle constituents into giving up money and freedoms. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/24/johnson-income-tax-would-invite-pink-slips/ Willie White briefly turned back the clock last Wednesday afternoon at Sharp Manufacturing in Memphis. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/24/wiedmer-nuggets-stir-white-memories/ MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Although he is just days from concluding his junior year at Ooltewah High School, Jacques Smith knew Friday was the final track competition of his high school career. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/23/hargis-smith-done-junior/ Making the transition from county executive to writer/entertainer was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. It sounds simple on the surface, but it was not simple. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/22/roberts-easing-transition-new-job/ Earlier this year, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to Pennsylvania’s governor, Ed Rendell, urging him to support legislation making it illegal for anyone under 18 to hunt in the Keystone State. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/21/cook-personal-touch-needed-counter-antis/ MURFREESBORO, TENN. — Eric Voges stepped onto the tennis courts at Middle Tennessee State University looking to help guide McCallie to its fourth straight Division II-AA state championship. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/21/hargis-voges-goes-coach-just-proud-dad/ A bad impression or experience can often cancel out many previous good ones in a person’s memory. This is especially true in business. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/19/jenkins-one-bad-apple-spoils-barrel/ It may go down as The Quote of the NBA playoffs. Asked what he and his Los Angeles Lakers teammates learned from their seven-game series with Houston, Kobe Bryant wryly replied: “That we're bipolar.” Really? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/18/wiedmer-kobe-versus-lebron-nba-destiny/ Reforming higher education in Tennessee is not a new concept. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/17/griscom-reforms-cant-be-put/ I received an unusual brochure in the mail the other day. It announced a huge seminar where physicians can effectively learn to make the switch from practicing clinical medicine to other, often more lucrative, jobs. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/17/poteet-johnson-doctors-doing-limbo-how-low-can-the/ Mark Brew is 3-for-3 as a head coach in taking Lee University baseball teams to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. And since his Flames finished second to perennial host and usual champion Lewis-Clark State last spring, the Lee athletic department has done very well indeed. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/17/bush-great-sports-year-not-over-yet-lee/ Mention No. 23 to anyone only mildly familiar with Chicago professional sports heroes and they’ll no doubt focus on His Airness, Michael Jordan. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/17/wiedmer-sandberg-still-loves-learn/ A college intern who sits near my desk was musing about technology this week. “When was the last time I used a stamp?” she said, mumbling to herself as she read an article on a 2-cent increase in postal rates. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/17/kennedy-kids-need-low-tech-toys-today/ Boy, is Mark Martin having fun or what? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/16/young-martin-enjoying-second-childhood/ Certainly one of the great benefits of my job, and probably the aspect I treasure the most, is the relationships I’ve developed with coaches and athletes in our community over a 20-year period. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/15/hargis-inspirational-area-athletes-are-moving/ Since Eckhart Tolle’s best-seller, “The Power of Now,” living in the present moment has become the theme of dozens of books and CDs. I even got caught up in it with my own recording of “A New World Every Day.” Here it is with my usual humorous twist on solemn subjects. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/15/roberts-your-past-always-present/ Painted head to waist in blue and gold paint, Ben Rickett didn't look much like a collegiate golfer last Saturday afternoon at Frost Stadium. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/14/wiedmer-utc-athletes-offer-support-across-sports/ A 16-year old struggles to break off a physically abusive relationship. A father faces the fact that his son’s bipolar rages have become so intense that he will need to hospitalize him for a time. A mother realizes that due to lack of money, her only daughter will need to be placed in custody to receive the treatment she needs. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/14/upton-help-protect-your-childs-mental-health/ Is there any more toothless, useless organization involved with intercollegiate athletics than the Knight Commission? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/13/wiedmer-dont-count-knight-commission/ Brett Favre’s career may be winding down, but until the NFL season starts and his name is not on a roster, it is not over. John Elway may have been the “King of the Comeback,” but Favre will always be “Keen on the Comeback.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/12/wiedmer-favre-flirting-reflects-nfl-teams-needs/ If you’re a Dallas Mavericks fan today you now have irrefutable evidence that an NBA referee cost your team Game 3 of its Western Conference semifinal playoff against Denver. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/11/wiedmer-knowing-ref-cost-your-team-game-good-thing/ As the non-resident Fellow for Energy Policy at the Howard Baker Center for Public Policy, I am keenly focused on regional and local energy issues. I have looked to the past and present to inform views for the future, studying energy supplies and policies that make up our energy portfolio. This assessment has brought me to review proposals for nuclear power in Tennessee’s energy future, given that 32 percent of our state’s electricity is generated with this technology. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/10/paul-nuclear-vision/ Charlie Steinhice is on his way to Germany. Mr. Steinhice is a research scientist at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. He is off to Berlin to represent his family at an Allied Museum exhibit honoring his maternal grandmother, Marion Peck. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/10/kennedy/ Frank Reed doesn’t do calm well. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball coach normally paces the dugout with Tabasco in his veins. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/10/wiedmer-reed-proves-successful-motivator/ The surprise and sadness that I felt seemed to have come out of nowhere. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/10/galbraith-looking-back-my-trip-abroad/ Maybe it’s because I’ve reached the age where more and more people call me “sir” and I’m just becoming a cranky old guy. Or maybe I’m just cynical. Whatever the reason, I’m certainly not excited about our city’s chances of being given the opportunity to host the TSSAA state football championships in December. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/09/hargis-dont-expect-state-football-finals-here/ Rather than getting into the agitation consolidating city and county services always entails, it would have been my preference to get the focus back on the riverfront, downtown and improving all the basic services city residents expect. Top priority should be given to resolving the dispute between the city and the RiverCity Co. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/08/roberts-it-may-be-time-unify-all-services/ At 2:30 Thursday afternoon, former Tennessee quarterback B.J. Coleman announced he had transferred to UT-Chattanooga. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/08/wiedmer-coleman-quickly-utc-ticket-master/ Episodes of deadly violence seem almost commonplace in recent weeks. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/07/cleaveland-columbine-learning-tragedy/ It's tough to blame Brett Favre for not wanting to remain retired from professional football. If leaving the NFL meant spending your golden years in rural Mississippi you might also try to play until they drove the final nail in your coffin. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/07/wiedmer-flip-floping-favre-must-make-decision/ Tennessee lawmaker Richard Floyd has authored more than a few pieces of legislation during two terms as District 27’s state representative. But he may never sponsor anything that will mean more to him personally than Monday’s House Joint Resolution 197. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/06/wiedmer-floyd-old-city-teammates-help-bussard-get-/ There’s a saying often attributed to Marshall McCluhan that states: “Information overload equals pattern recognition.” In a way, this describes perfectly how I came upon the subject of this week’s column. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/05/jenkins-underdogs-dominate-tech-world/ Southern Adventist University showed baseball’s Hall of Fame the way on Sunday morning at the Chattanooga Convention Center. The school bestowed an honorary degree on former student Dr. Frank W. Jobe. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/04/wiedmer-southern-adventis-honor-dr-jobe-should-be-/ There are experiences in life that leave a bittersweet taste. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/03/griscom-cuts-hurt-most/ Good thing thoroughbred racing isn’t a real sport like college football. Otherwise, a ridiculous long shot like Mine That Bird could never have won Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/03/wiedmer-no-long-shot-could-ever-win-bcs/ In 2006, the state witnessed a yearlong battle between the Judicial Selection Commission and Gov. Bredesen over the process of selecting intermediate appellate and state Supreme Court judges. It culminated in a Supreme Court ruling that the commission, created by the so-called “Tennessee Plan,” had failed in its duty to provide diversity in the choices it sent to the governor. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/03/ramsey-politics-tarnish-existing-method-choosing-j/ The goal of any judicial selection system should be to seat judges who have ability, experience, a patient demeanor and a strong work ethic. A merit selection system that includes a commission to study and screen applicants and a commission to monitor and evaluate performance is the best model to accomplish these goals. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/03/lewis-connections-and-cash-should-not-decide/ We have a rule at my house: A toddler can attend his first Chattanooga Lookouts baseball game once he can sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” This has been a problem for my younger son, who always tripped up on the line: “... So it’s one, two, three strikes you’re out at the old ballgame.” He loves the counting and arm pumping so much that he would get up to, like, 14, 15, 16 strikes. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/03/kennedy-umbrella-night-t-field/ http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/01/bloody-missionary-ridge-battle-strengthened-union-/ One of the good things about being 6-foot-7 and 340 pounds is that you don’t have to tiptoe around questions. So when former Howard star and current Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Terdell Sands is asked to speak his mind on any subject, he doesn’t worry about being politically correct or whose feelings he’s going to hurt. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/01/hargis-sands-says-kiffin-better-fit-college-level-/ I married myself one time. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/01/roberts-marrying-yourself-ring/ Come next week, 67-year-old Raymond Kile will compete in softball, basketball, the softball throw, javelin, shot put and discus at the Chattanooga District Senior Olympics. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/30/wiedmer-golden-agers-go-gold/ It began 10 years ago as little more than a social get-together for fans of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/29/wiedmer-porkys-open-feels-pinch/ Abilene Christian University boasts a quality football program. The Wildcats averaged 52.3 points per game last season, scored 93 points in a playoff win and finished the season with one loss. It was a good year. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/28/epps-abilene-tops-vols-nfl-draft-choices/ The movement toward so-called cloud- or Internet-based services keeps gaining momentum. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/28/jenkins-plan-worst-when-using-clouds/ Back in Richmond, Va., a few weeks ago, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coach Russ Huesman dropped by the Richmond Spiders football offices. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/27/wiedmer-huesmans-ex-spidar-star-drafted-boost-falc/ It probably is either ironic or appropriate that a public official who cut his teeth on leading a visioning process for Chattanooga in the 1980s is embarking on a new mission in 2009. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/26/griscom-mayor-lays-out-his-vision/ When it comes to teens and sexuality, we have some work to do: In 2007, 54 percent of Tennessee teens reported they had had sexual intercourse. That’s up from 50 percent in 2003. After a promising decline in teen pregnancy for several years, it looks as though it is now on a steady rise. We’ve recently learned that nationwide, one in four teen girls has a sexually transmitted infection. We need to pay serious attention to these trends. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/26/huffman-lets-protect-teens-giving-them-complete-in/ Here in Chattanooga, holistic and comprehensive abstinence education is extremely effective. On Point, a youth development program that teaches abstinence education, has a 17-year track record of going beyond “Just say no” education to give concrete and hopeful life education that is making a marked difference. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/26/scearce-edwards-broad-based-education-abstinence-b/ If you’ve ever lost a class ring, cheer up. There’s a chance your ring might track you down. I wrote a column once about a man who had a class ring found by fisherman who plucked it from a paper cup he had hooked in Chickamauga Lake. Amazing. I thought nothing could top that story. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/26/kennedy-class-rings-hunt-down-lost-owners/ Blind since birth, Shelley Williams couldn’t see the finish line. So she ran right past it, a blue blur in her matching T-shirt and shorts. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/26/wiedmer-area-4-event-gives-special-thrills-again/ Almost every time I think of Detroit, I remember two lines from the ridiculous film “Kentucky Fried Movie,” which will absolutely cost you 20 IQ points if you watch it (bringing me down to a robust 58). http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/25/epps-we-should-be-worried-stafford/ I could hardly wait for spring this year so I could get back to Of all the that have made Chattanooga a renaissance city, nothing beats our system of public walkways. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/24/roberts-many-pleasures-walking/ And you thought fellow Southern Conference members Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and Wofford were the biggest obstacles standing between the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team and the NCAA playoffs. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/23/wiedmer-yet-another-foe-mocs-cant-beat/ When it comes to food, there are two kinds of people: Those who love to cook and those who eat to live. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/22/hansen-folks-either-love-cook-or-eat-live/ Many may recall these words as one of the cornerstones of the Reagan administration’s policy regarding Soviet nuclear capability. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/21/riddell-fix-right-glitch-not-wrong-one/ Kobe versus LeBron. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/20/wiedmer-could-hawks-be-spoilers/ Fifteen months earlier, our daughter had headed to Atlanta to board an airplane bound for South Korea. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/19/griscom/ My 2-year-old son has started singing “Itsy-Bitsy Spider” with a deep, gravelly voice like Froggy on “The Little Rascals.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/19/life-stories/ WASHINGTON — On the evening of March 28, starting from New Zealand’s remote Chatham Islands on the international date line in the Pacific and ending with the Hawaiian Islands, the planet marked Earth Hour. Lights were turned out at the Sydney Opera House, Big Ben, the Pyramids of Giza, the Eiffel Tower, and the Empire State Building in a campaign designed to bring international public attention to the ravages of global climate change. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/19/madsen-painful-sacrifices-now-could-head-climate-a/ ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Global warming and increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide seem to be what former Vice President Al Gore calls “inconvenient truths,” but where they end, the guesswork begins. This is just one reason the United States should avoid a “cap-and-trade” regime. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/19/sepp-anti-global-warming-emissions-scheme-would-ca/ Q: I’ve read almost all your columns but can’t find where you’ve addressed renters having trouble paying their monthly rent. None of the bailouts deal with home leases or rentals even though many of us also need a break. Any suggestions? — Tim Tenant http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/18/consumer-watch-hard-pressed-renters-can-be-resourc/ The committed journalist always has a tuned ear and at least a slip of paper and a pen at hand. Story ideas come at inopportune and unexpected times, but that comes with the territory. As they say, news does not wait; it happens. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/12/griscom-good-bad-real/ I was listening to NPR on my drive to work one morning. A high-school senior was lamenting that his parents couldn’t afford his pricey, first-choice college. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/12/kennedy-teach-kids-money-basics-while-you-can/ A professor at UTC once told me that public education saved his life. Initially, it seemed an exaggeration. I reconsidered after he described his parents’ truly modest means and how he would have neither discovered nor pursued his talents without the opportunities his community saw fit to provide him in public schools. Public education rendered possible an otherwise unattainable life. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/12/mcdonough-right-formula/ The State Board of Education, working with the governor, the Department of Education and local school leaders and teachers, revised graduation requirements for students entering ninth grade this fall. Students will now be required to take four years of math while in high school. We write to explain (1) why these requirements were established and (2) what local school boards can http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/12/math-all-even-if-they-dont-go-college-right-away/ Q: I’ve been reading a lot about the importance of placing medical records online. While I can see some positives about doing this, don’t you feel it’s too risky for someone to hack into our personal information? — Fearful Frannie http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/11/consumer-watch-medical-records-internet-require-us/ God’s got him, and we don’t. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/11/cooper-ray-was-gods-servant-our-friend/ Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen is a master architect. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/05/griscom/ Gov. Phil Bredesen “wants to put the University of Tennessee at Knoxville at the top of a new pecking order” by concentrating graduate education at that campus and reducing the number of graduate programs at the state’s other four-year universities, the Times Free Press reported on March 28. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/05/friedl-concentrating-doctoral-programs-knoxville-b/ 2008 marked the 40th anniversary of the founding of the city of Collegedale. Located a few miles east of Chattanooga, the city has developed into the fifth-largest incorporated city of Hamilton County. It is home to McKee Foods Corp., famous for production of Little Debbie snack cakes. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/05/yearning-religious-freedom-played-role-collegedale/ Families have their own languages. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/05/kennedy/ The view that man has to take radical steps to prevent disastrous “global warming” rests on lots of shaky assumptions. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/04/global-warming-house-cards/ Q: A colleague told me our group health insurance plan allows him a free fitness club membership. When I checked it out with my supervisor, she informed me the free memberships weren’t valid anymore. Can I do anything to “grandfather” this benefit? — Percy Puny http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/04/consumer-watch-find-way-grandfather-insurance-bene/ Those of us who have the good fortune of working with creative and innovative entrepreneurs also know of the emotional peaks and valleys that confront these dedicated individuals. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/31/riddell-emotional-roller-coaster-temptation-slowdo/ Mark Cuban is the flamboyant owner of the Dallas Mavericks. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/29/griscom/ I walked into our kitchen one day last week and noticed that my wife’s eyes were moist. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/29/kennedy/ The Southeastern Conference discovered a method to remain relevant during the NCAA tournament: Just start firing and hiring coaches. Take that, Big East. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/28/epps-bamas-moore-winner-again-sec-coaching-flurry/ Thursday afternoon at Holiday Bowl Brainerd, Leslie “The Locomotive” Burnett was on Lane 38 and Susan “The Surgeon” Turner was on Lane 37. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/27/wiedmer-obama-joke-doesnt-faze-special-duo/ If you have a child who is not coming up to your expectations, I can suggest one step you can take that can do nothing but good. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/27/roberts-sure-way-help-your-children/ There was a time a few years ago when anything French was to be avoided. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/22/griscom-i-french-twist-bailoutsi/ As many newspaper companies try to turn themselves around in a brutal economy, under huge debt loads and against a backdrop of increasingly funereal media coverage, it’s worth looking at the behavior and motives of some of the industry’s harshest critics. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/22/siegel-behind-newspaper-negativists/ After reading Consumer Watch columns that emphasize money-making scams and the crudballs who victimize folks who are caught in the economic crisis, the advocacy organization National Consumer League’s Carol McKay updated me on the most current schemes. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/21/consumer-watche-fraudulent-schemes-gain-find-easy-/ When the young, the beautiful and the famous show the world that they are just as vulnerable as the rest of us, we sit up and take notice. Two young pop stars had a horrible fight one night, and the results were aired internationally. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/19/upton-batterers-and-those-who-stay/ As promised last week, today’s column addresses a customizable tool that will enable anyone to be a more effective salesperson. The only requirement is personal discipline and commitment. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/17/riddell-map-guides-salesman-cinch-deal/ While appearing on a national radio show last week, Connecticut basketball coach Jim Calhoun reportedly said, “I just watched Chattanooga the other night (in the SoCon tourney finals). Did you see how good those guys are?” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/16/wiedmer-ncaa-shows-no-love-sec-teams/ Dear Warren Buffett: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/15/griscom-i-request-oracle-omahai/ In my Sunday school class, talk often turns to cancer. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/15/kennedy-ifaith-family-essential-cancer-fighti/ Q: My sister signed up online to become a mystery shopper to earn extra income. I tried to tell her it’s a scam but she didn’t listen and now she’s out some hard-earned money. She’s too gullible, so what can I say to make her more aware of swindles? — Susan Sister http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/14/consumer-watch-switcheroo-can-hit-users-plastic/ Although the talking heads and economic pundits make a living wordsmithing the term recession, for the small business entrepreneur it means two things: Customers are buying less and looking for lower prices. So in effect, two pies are now smaller — the market size pie and the margin pie. Both challenges put a premium on more effective selling. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/10/riddell-harnessing-youthful-enthusiasm/ The Tennessee General Assembly is taking decisive action to solve the pressing issues facing residents of our state. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/08/griscom-unusual-legislative-priorities/ My 2-year-old son has decided to become a nudist. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/08/kennedy-son-cant-keep-his-clothes/ Q: We’ve got “regular” homeowner’s insurance but think we might need extra. The problem is expense, since we can’t afford to up the existing premiums. My husband thinks an umbrella policy is a good idea, but does it really do the trick? — Henrietta Homeowner http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/07/consumer-watch-umbrella-home-policy-gives-vital-pr/ Frances “Kitten” Jones has been rescuing animals since she was 3 years old when a driver deliberately ran off the road and killed her cat. She says, “I haven’t had much use for humans ever since” and decided to dedicate her life to saving animals. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/06/roberts-animal-lover-rescues-menagerie-critters/ I was thinking about the concept of rest while watching “The Lord of the Rings” film trilogy over the weekend. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/05/mind-matters/ It is an unfortunate sign of our times, but entrepreneurs and senior citizens have something in common — they are easily identifiable targets for scam artists. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/03/riddell-scam-artists/ “Politicians” and “courage” are not usually connected in the same sentence. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/01/griscom-tilting-tenured-windmills/ Jeff Mendenhall, 39, has biceps the size of frozen turkeys. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/01/kennedy-hey-lawler-want-some/ Hamilton County school officials are optimistic about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and its positive effect on education. Some of those funds will be designated for Title I — education for the disadvantaged. In Hamilton County, Title I funding is allocated to those elementary schools where 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/01/phillips-school-funds-will-help-faltering-economy/ The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has now landed on the doorstep of the Tennessee Capitol. How accurate are White House predictions that the act will create 70,000 sustainable jobs in Tennessee? No one knows. What is certain is that its supporters are attempting to spend the country out of recession and continue their mantra that the act will create jobs, while relying upon little more to support their arguments than charts and graphs reflecting theoretical multipliers, GDP and a host of other inventive theories. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/01/watson-act-unlikely-create-sustainable-jobs/ For the automobile dealer, the stimulus package is pretty thin gruel. While GM and Chrysler are no doubt grateful for the loans they’re receiving from the government, what dealers really need is a rebound of consumer confidence and the further thawing of the credit markets, both retail and wholesale, and the package really does not go far enough toward either of these goals. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/01/kelly-consumer-confidence-key-auto-rebound/ In a recent study by Baylor University, eight out of 10 economists predicted that home prices will rise again in the next five years. If this is true, then the new stimulus offers opportunities for smart investments. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/01/schwartzkopf-tax-credits-will-help-homeowners-buye/ I agree with President Obama when he says that the answers to our economic problems are “... in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth.” However, I do not agree with any plan that seeks to find answers through bigger government and increased national debt. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/01/neal-plan-looks-what-first-got-us-trouble/ My son took a week’s worth of driver-training lecture instruction at his school recently and passed the knowledge test to receive his Tennessee learner permit. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/28/cooper-he-cant-really-be-driving/ Q: My mother recently died, and my family and I owe a debt of gratitude to Hospice of Chattanooga for their compassion in making her last days more peaceful and helping us get through the ordeal. Please inform your readers about hospice care. — Grateful Greta http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/28/consumer-watch-research-hospice-care-be-satisfied/ Right now I have more goldfinch than ever. They are such magnificent birds that I would love to see everyone attract their share. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/27/roberts-attract-birds-hang-upside-down/ Very early in their adventure, successful entrepreneurs recognize a key difference between building a business and running one. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/24/riddell-tripod-concept-helps-you-see-where-startup/ It is a shame that a college president does not have the same privilege a college professor receives — a lifetime contract under which termination occurs only in extreme circumstances. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/22/griscom-moving-rocks-top/ When I was 7 years old, my favorite television shows were “Batman,” “The Rifleman” and “Gilligan’s Island.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/22/kennedy-brave-new-world-boy-tv/ Q: I feel like I’m in a Catch-22. My wife and I need to downsize our house, but I’m afraid of capital gains. We’ve already lost too much in this grim market so what are our options? — Adam Abode http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/21/consumer-watch-selling-house-can-be-free-us-taxes/ Nothing does more to perk up your sense of well-being and productivity than good sleep. At all stages of life there are unique cyclic challenges to overcome. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/20/roberts-overcome-threats-good-sleep/ Certainly one of the most common tools used by today’s salespeople is the ubiquitous Power Point presentation. You would think, given the difficulty in getting on busy people’s calendars, that the value of a prospect’s time would be understood and reflected in the quality of the presentation. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/17/riddell-three-ingredients-great-presentation/ Zdnet.com reports that Apple is preparing a service called iTunes Replay. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/17/tech-talk-storing-and-streaming-videos/ I saw Ben Stein on television the other day talking about America’s spoiled corporate leaders. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/15/kennedy-wealth-eye-beholder/ David Carr, a columnist with The New York Times, posed a question in a Jan. 12 column. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/15/griscom-there-itunes-news/ A loyal reader sent a comment about FICO scoring (see Jan. 24 column) in which he noted his insurance company has begun to rate clients’ policies according to their FICO scores. Mr. R. also questioned the wisdom of paying off a credit card and then closing the account. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/14/which-credit-card-right-you/ Established and successful businesses have long known the value of a structured mentoring program. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/10/riddell-how-startup-owner-should-treat-mentor/ As presidents change, particularly when the new commander in chief wears different political stripes, so do policies. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/08/griscom-piercing-dc-darkness/ I have a new favorite television show: “Lie to Me.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/08/kennedy-baby-body-language-revealing/ Q: I’m so frustrated with my telephone service. The bill is usually wrong, the landline drops calls and I’m tired of calling customer service. My cell phone service is better, especially since the company allows rollover minutes. I’m thinking of cancelling the landline completely. Any advice on the best phone carrier? — Darryl Dissatisfied http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/07/consumer-watch-deciding-ditch-landline/ Some of my friends are always bubbling about going to the beach or sailing away on a cruise. They effervesce to me about their plans, but their effervescence is wasted on me. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/06/roberts-stick-pleasant-day-trips/ A rifle versus a shotgun — two weapons whose intended impact on a target are significantly different. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/03/riddell-rifle-concept-must-replace-shotgun/ Two years ago, the Chattanooga State baseball team zoomed to No. 1 in the NJCAA Division I rankings and fell just short of going to the Junior College World Series in Colorado. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/01/bush-chatt-state-now-take-academic-success-basebal/ No one should doubt the political prowess of Barack Obama, a first-term U.S. senator who catapulted onto the national stage, upsetting the plans of political stalwarts like Hillary Clinton, John McCain and others. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/01/griscom-keeping-big-hopes-check/ By the time you read this, my blood pressure will be sky high. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/01/kennedy-what-ive-learned-nfl/ A friend of mine recently was burglarized. Unfortunately, she hadn’t availed herself of the local police department’s home anti-burglary demonstration; not only did she lose many precious items, but also her peace of mind. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/31/consumer-watch-homeowners-play-game-deceive-potent/ Though remarkable advances have occurred in managing chronic kidney disease during my professional lifetime, much remains to be done, as this timeline will show. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/29/cleaveland-milestones-chronic-renal-disease/ For more than 40 years Northwestern Technical College has provided outstanding education opportunities for the students, businesses, and industries in Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, and Walker counties. I am proud of the college’s impact on our area. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/27/column-merger-northwestern-tech-and-coosa-valley-t/ The economic downturn with its subsequent layoffs and disruption leads its victims to react and position themselves to avoid a repeat of the trauma. Interestingly enough, many casual bystanders, having seen friends and family go through such events, come to much the same conclusion. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/27/riddell-mest-egg-could-fund-start-/ Today I’d like to conclude my coverage of MacWorld and the Consumer Electronics Show, as well as briefly discuss the recent NAMN show and some other interesting new developments. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/27/jenkins-software-edits-pitch-voices-music/ The unprecedented number of people who traveled to Washington and descended on the National Mall, all the while braving freezing temperatures, is a testament to what the inauguration of President Obama means to millions in our nation’s young history. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/25/davis-time-government-work-everyone/ Talking toys are a menace. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/25/kennedy-note-toys-who-pulled-your-string/ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech that America had defaulted on her “promissory note.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/25/miller-longtime-promise-becomes-reality/ Tuesday was my wife Andrea’s and my second presidential inauguration. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/25/bredesen-it-could-easily-have-been-1861-or-2161/ I am hopeful that the inauguration of President Barack Obama marks the beginning of a new era in American politics: an era that sees us move past the partisan bickering, which has marred recent decades, to a renewed sense of community, compromise and cooperation. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/25/shuler-time-get-past-partisan-bickering/ Every four years. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/25/griscom-more-just-words-time/ Coming from a lineage of slavery, and as an infant of the civil rights era, I rejoice to see this day! http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/25/howard-hill-day-many-years-making/ I was two years into a five-year enlistment in the U.S. Navy when the United States invaded Iraq in 2003 under the false pretenses that Saddam Hussein’s army had weapons of mass destruction. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/25/roark-obama-earns-respect-calls-action/ Q: I know you say to check credit ratings every six months, especially with the state of today’s economy. Isn’t getting my FICO score as important? — Vic Vigilant http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/24/consumer-watch-borrowing-economy-good-fico-score-i/ If I told you how long John Ebb Steward and I have been friends, you might think we both came over on the Mayflower. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/23/roberts-sacred-places-give-strength-through-life/ So there’s no Chattanooga RV Show to ease the winter doldrums for outdoorsmen? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/22/chattanooga-we-can-look-paddling-sites-absence-rv-/ The need for developing close customer relationships has never been higher and the same can be said of the rewards. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/20/riddell-product-recommendation-boards/ Karen Nazor Hill: My 2-year-old granddaughter is at the stage where she gets excited when we tell her that she has done something good such as putting away a toy, going to the potty, singing a song and so forth. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/20/hill-kennedy-taking-sides/ Less than seven minutes remained in Saturday’s second half when University of Tennessee at Chattanooga forward Nicchaeus Doaks spiked a Western Carolina shot hard against the court. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/18/wiedmer-mocs-still-need-work-showing-toughness/ I drive an older car, a 1998 Toyota Camry that we call Bernard. Once you name a car, it’s hard to let it go. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/18/kennedy-brother-can-you-spare-car/ Lawmakers were in disarray. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/18/griscom-worm-turns-gop-control/ One of the most remarkable aspects of our enduring constitutional republic is the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/18/brown-inauguration-2009-all-americans-can-rejoice-/ My desk often needs to be de-cluttered so sometimes important paperwork gets solved aside. This month I had to pay a late charge for my credit card bill and I know this negatively affects my credit rating. I've promised myself to clean up my desk but what other ways can I be sure to avoid late fees? — Nelle Negligent http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/17/consumer-watch/ One of the great mysteries of the universe is why people write songs. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/16/roberts-write-songs-fun-and-therapy/ Exercise tops the list of many New Year’s resolutions. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/15/cleaveland-parents-must-set-example-exercise/ Tim Tebow trumped his own post-Ole Miss speech last Sunday. When he uttered the words, “I’m coming back!” during Florida’s championship celebration — and I’ve seen tamer crowd reactions from Jerry Springer audiences — he jump-started some very interesting dialogue for next season. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/13/epps-tebows-return-boosts-gators-gives-him-chance-/ It’s always an exciting time for tech folks at the beginning of each year, as the first two major electronics shows debut at that time: the Consumer Electronics Show and MacWorld. This year marked some major changes in both shows, one in particular. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/13/jenkins-tech-shows-disappoint-surprise/ Perhaps you have seen the 2009 retail forecast estimating that approximately 200,000 stores would close this year. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/13/riddell-economys-survivors-must-communicate-produc/ Men, if you want to infuriate your wife, try taking a nap on a Saturday afternoon just as she’s revving up the to-do list. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/12/mcleod-dont-be-nap-police/ Q: Are pesticides tested on humans in clinical trials before they are available to pest control companies? Does this include the products consumers buy at local hardware stores and big box retailers? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/11/tubbs-pesticides-not-tested-humans-use/ ATHENS, Ga. — This was going to be a story about Bruce Pearl’s sideline antics, his shouts from the bench, his facial expressions following a bad call. And there were certainly some entertaining moments. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/11/epps-manic-pearl-stays-calm-vols-trail/ The calendar turned over another 365 days, bringing an untarnished entry into a new year. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/11/griscom-new-era-fresh-approach/ The War on Terror demands moral as well as strategic clarity. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/11/addicott-keep-gtimo-open/ NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans quarterback Kerry Collins knew the stats. He knew he and his teammates gained 180 more offensive yards in Saturday afternoon’s AFC semifinal game against the Baltimore Ravens. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/11/wiedmer-titans-yet-again-let-win-slip-away/ Editor’s note: This section was printed before yesterday’s Tennessee Titans playoff game. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/11/kennedy-smack-talk-gets-intense-my-house/ The factoid has danced across the bottom of sports network tickers all week. Referring to Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, it states that no NFL rookie quarterback has ever won two playoff games. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/10/wiedmer-rookie-flacco-hard-fluster/ The demise of the City Directory will mean nosy kids like me won’t be able to find out where their teachers live, where their best friend’s father works or who owns the big house on the hill. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/10/cooper-goodbye-city-directory-old-friend/ With home prices and interest rates so low, we’re ready to move up a step and purchase a larger home. Of course, we’ve first got to sell the one we currently own. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/10/consumer-watch/ We’ll miss college football because every game matters. And a lot of other reasons not including more dialogue concerning the glorious saint that is Tim Tebow. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/10/epps-secs-league-rpi-seventh-ncaa/ Fletcher Bright is the genial, jovial leader of The Dismembered Tennesseans. He has not lost an arm. If he had, I think he would have learned to hold the fiddle bow between his toes. In all the years I have known him, he has completely thrown himself into the art and craft of fiddling. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/09/roberts-mr-bright-just-keeps-improving/ It was a quick summer trip for Mike Haugen, a 31-year-old eighth-grade science teacher in Denver. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/08/cook-colorado-teacher-haugen-ascended-50-states-hi/ Q: “How can I check my Social Security earnings for accuracy?” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/08/see-if-social-security-letter-accurate/ In announcing his decision not to run for governor in 2010, former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist opened the gate for other Repub-lican gubernatorial hopefuls to jump in the race. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/06/gubernatorial-kickoff/ Adolf Hitler sent his Nazi German forces to invade Poland, beginning World War II in 1939 — and blamed the Poles. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/06/gaza-tragedy/ Speed and alcohol are major causes of traffic deaths. With less speed, particularly in places other than on the freeways, many accidents could be avoided. And by simply not drinking and driving, 40 percent of traffic deaths could be avoided. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/06/thousands-preventable-deaths/ When we think of undesirable things about coal-burning steam plants used to generate electricity, we first think of the emissions that pollute the air. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/06/tvas-kingston-cleanup-challenge/ Many Tennesseans are surprised — and many are disappointed — that Dr. Bill Frist, former U.S. Senate Republican majority leader, has decided he will not run for gov-ernor of Tennessee in 2010. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/06/frist-out-wamp-governor/ China’s recent record for food and product safety is dismal. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/06/step-right-direction/ Q: What was it like when you arrived as executive editor in 1999 after the Chattanooga Times and Chattanooga Free Press combined operations? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/06/griscom-newspaper-strives-meet-readers-best-spot/ It’s a tradition at the end of the year to develop ideas to improve ourselves. One of mine that always bites the dust is a promise to myself to spend more time doing anything other than surfing the Web. In the words of that great philosopher John Dvorak of pcmag. com, “Yeah, right.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/06/jenkins-new-years-revolutions-ponder/ Q: Why did you buy and consolidate the Chattanooga newspapers? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/06/hussman-citys-love-2-papers-won-hussmans-notice/ Q: You’ve been here one year and one month. What were your impressions of the Times Free Press when you arrived? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/06/taylor-appeal-physical-newspaper-sure-last/ When you are coming off a slow period, it is very important to build up positive momentum and to do it fast. The old saying, “Nothing succeeds like success” takes on an even more critical role for every organization trying to rebound from a slump. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/06/riddell-win-sales-reducing-uncertainty-pricing/ So the preseason No. 1 football team in the country loses three games, gets embarrassed twice, finishes the season in the Capital One Bowl and the head coach says: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/06/epps-richt-right-point-wasnt-great-coaching/ For anyone who doesn’t live in the Bluegrass State, it was nothing more than an extra-long 3-pointer winning an early January college basketball game. No one except delighted Louisville Cardinals fans or dejected Kentucky Wildcats fans will likely long remember Edgar Sosa’s Sunday afternoon game-winner come March. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/06/wiedmer-louisville-seems-ready-rise/ Why do we always wait until things get awful before we ask for help? We wait until our marriage is in a ditch before we go to a counselor. We wait until our kid is failing before we hire a tutor. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/05/mcleod-hard-times-bring-out-prayers/ For sound ethical and constitutional reasons, the Bush administration protects federal taxpayers by not requiring that their tax dollars go to potentially life-destroying research on the stem cells of human embryos. That is a very small restriction that does not prevent states or private organizations from conducting such research. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/05/ban-stem-cell-research/ We have become accustomed to medical miracles in the last century or so. Illnesses that once decimated populations have been eliminated. An explosion of scientific knowledge, an expanding pharmacopoeia and an array of high-tech equipment allow health care professionals to practice their craft with ever-rising rates of success. That success, though, comes at high cost. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/05/medicine-and-money-icu/ The turn of the year brings thoughts of new beginnings and meaningful changes. In keeping with that practice, many of us made resolutions for 2009. If the past is an accurate indicator of the future, a majority will be short lived. That’s because most are unrealistic and difficult to maintain. Some resolutions, however, are easier to honor, and those often bring change to our lives and to society at large. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/05/going-green-new-year/ All year long, the Media Research Center bears witness to the liberal bias of the elite national news media. Then at the end of each year, the MRC collects particularly appalling examples of bias and has dozens of judges from around the country pick the worst of the worst for its “Notable Quotables.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/05/and-media-winners-are/ Did you see the unhappy news about Toyota? The Japanese company, which builds many of its cars in the United States with American workers, expects its firstever operating loss in 70 years. Toyota predicted a nearly $1.7 billion loss for the fiscal year that will end in March. That compares with profit of more than $25 billion just a year before. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/05/key-difference/ Do you think windmills are the answer to global warming emissions from coal or natural gas? Think again. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/05/answer-isnt-blowin-wind/ During the decades immediately following the Civil War, Chattanooga began to grow. Lookout Mountain, looming large near Chattanooga, was a constant presence and landmark of the growing city. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/04/cox-rise-and-fall-lookout-inn-lookout-mountains-gr/ Why can’t Utah be No. 1? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/04/wiedmer-utah-makes-great-case-top-spot/ Note: Mark Kennedy and Chris Vass were editors on the front lines of the newspaper consolidation here in 1999. Mr. Kennedy was Sunday editor then, and Ms. Vass was the Metro editor. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/04/kennedy-editors-recall-first-year-new-paper/ Jan. 5, 1999. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/04/griscom-ten-years-and-still-going-strong/ Over the past five months, the Ochs Center for Metropolitan Studies has issued a series of seven reports on early childhood, the environment, education, crime, health, housing and the economy. All the reports are online at www.ochscenter.org, but let me try to sum up our findings: Place matters. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/04/eichenthal-place-matters/ Alan Dunn is imposing proof that athletic success can lead to fulfillment in other ways. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/04/bush-dunn-now-puts-work-law-practice/ Well, the first thing you notice is Lane Kiffin calls his dad “Monte.” Not “Dad” or “Pops” or “Coach Kiffin,” though that last one would sound odd. It’s “Monte.” That seems a bit strange. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/03/epps-ut-takes-monumental-step-heavy-nfl-influence/ Even though money is tight, my health is poor and I need to hire a monthly cleaning service. I’ve always done my own housework so I’m not sure what to do when deciding on a particular company. — Hilda Housework http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/03/consumer-watch/ Most of us experience several breakups in relationships with partners over the course of our lives. With the divorce rate coming close to 50 percent, the outside-of-marriage breakup rate is surely much higher. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/02/roberts-breakups-teach-much-about-life/ Rigor mortis is defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary as “medicine suffering of the joints and muscles of a body a few hours after death, usually lasting from one to four days.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/01/riddell-fighting-holiday-stiffness/ Myron Lewis was not the obvious choice to save Vanderbilt's first bowl victory in 53 years. Especially after the junior defensive back almost cost the Commodores Wednesday's Music City Bowl against Boston College. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/jan/01/wiedmer-vanderbilt-makes-statement/ Tomorrow we begin 2009. Let’s do it right. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/31/hasen-be-resolute-new-year-2009/ Since this is the last Tech Talk column for this year, let’s take a look back to review a few major tech events of 2008. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/30/jenkins-2008-tech-news-year-review/ If there is one thing that is consistent about the end of the year, it’s the positive expectations that many of us confer upon the namesakes of that annual process known as New Year’s Resolutions. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/30/riddell-business-owners-should-resolve-get-through/ Oprah’s fat again, and, not to mention any names, but a few of the rest of us have porked up right along with her. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/29/mcleod-oprah-and-i-are-packing-weight/ Phillip Fulmer. Doesn't any discussion of sports in the Chattanooga Times Free Press coverage area during 2008 kind of have to begin and end with the former University of Tennessee football coach? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/28/wiedmer-love-him-or-not-fulmer-was-states-top-stor/ I’ve just moved to town and, aside from church and work, don’t have a lot of time to make new friends. Since I can’t get a fast response from Dear Abby, do you have any ideas? — Sarah Social http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/27/consumer-watch/ The season promised more than the usual drama performed by young men inside filled Southeastern Conference stadiums. No, 2008 would be even better. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/27/epps-sec-football-had-many-big-stories-08/ This holiday season is full of interesting customs and traditions that are not often explored. When one person recently told me he thought Kwanzaa (an African-American holiday) was a Jewish holiday, I thought, “You know, it may be time all of us took a refresher course on the holidays.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/25/upton-refresher-course-holidays/ Three hundred and sixty three days a year nobody loves sports more than yours truly. Fortunately, my job allows my passion to also provide my paycheck. And that's almost certainly a good and lucky thing for me, because I probably would have lost several jobs paying closer attention to my favorite teams and athletes than my career. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/25/day-worth-celebrating-how-you-wish/ Here are a few stories and products I’ve been tracking for you recently. c http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/23/jenkins-jobs-illness-starts-rumors-about-apple/ “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” While many are familiar with the written words of Charles Dickens, certainly fewer are aware of Mr. Dickens’ entrepreneurial activities. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/23/riddell-financial-verities-dickens-tale/ Russ Huesman and Don Lepard were on the phone six months ago — a couple of former college football teammates and roommates discussing the sad football state of their alma mater, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/23/wiedmer-huesman-takes-job-he-has-long-wanted/ Happy Holidays 2008. The economy is tanking. Half the country is lying awake worrying about money. Yet somehow, we’re supposed to find the joy in Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah or whatever other overpriced holiday you’re wondering how to pay for. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/22/mcleod-its-gonna-be-simple-christmas/ I need to come clean: I have committed Happy Meal fraud. (There, cuff me.) http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/21/kennedy-fast-food-phobia-out-hand/ Consumer confidence is used as a predictor of economic viability http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/21/griscom-searching-little-confidence/ Q: I was contacted recently by an astronomy organization to buy a previously undiscovered star. I paid $75 to purchase a star in memory of my deceased parents, but several colleagues now tell me I was scammed. I know dishonest people try to cheat the public, but even at Christmas? — Susanna Swindled http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/20/consumer-watch-deceivers-want-you-be-their-star/ Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive stared past the empty end zones at the Sommet Center to all those Tennessee Volunteers basketball fans cheering from the sideline rafters Tuesday night. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/17/wiedmer-big-east-vs-sec-needs-something/ This week we’ll dip into the email bag http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/16/jenkins-computers-can-handle-double-duty/ At no time in recent memory has the element of fear been so palpable and pervasive as it is today. Under the gloom, it is easy to forget that 93 percent of mortgage holders are making their payments on time and 93 percent of people looking for work are, in fact, working. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/16/riddell-turning-fears-opportunity/ It’s like a rock in the pit of your stomach; a cold clammy feeling that spreads up your gut and momentarily stops your breath. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/15/mcleod-money-woes-can-become-gut-wrenching/ When I sit down to read a bedtime story to my 2-year-old son, he can always remember the page when the main character gets into a pickle. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/14/kennedy-life-presents-blind-corners-everyone/ The warnings came over the weekend; another failure was on the horizon http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/14/griscom-unlikely-candidate-bailout/ With an awful lot of us spending “extra” money on gifts for loved ones this holiday season in an already-distressed economy, it’s key to save even a few cents whenever possible. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/13/consumer-watch/ When Calhoun High School’s football team steps onto the Georgia Dome turf this evening, it not only faces defending Class AA state champion Buford but also a 34-year draught for northwestern Georgia. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/12/hargis-trion-title-coach-hopes-jackets-win/ I mentioned journaling in a column, and a friend in Utah wrote, “I am 65 years old. Do you think I am too old to start journaling?” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/12/roberts-dont-stop-living-your-life-today/ The plan was for the whole team to jump in the ocean, but tide warnings prevented the Lee University Lady Flames from celebrating their NAIA national soccer championship that way last Saturday night at Daytona Beach, Fla. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/11/bush-lee-women-back-home-champs/ If each of us had a dollar for every time we have heard that analysis, we wouldn’t lose a minute’s sleep over our 401(k)s, the Big Three or all those flim-flam artists masquerading as Wall Street CEOs. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/10/wiedmer-let-bush-go-out-giving-texas-shot/ Quite justifiably, the apparently constant unfolding of bad economic news has left many individuals angry, frustrated and anxious. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/09/riddell-channel-distrust-others-skills-wealth-crea/ This is not another piece on whether President-elect Barack Obama had more small-dollar donors than any other candidate. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/07/griscom-willing-donors-wanted/ We have a visitor at our house named Nicky. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/07/kennedy-elfs-magic-keeps-alive-santa-claus/ The World War I prisoners at Fort Oglethorpe were certainly a different breed from the prisoners kept there during World War II. World War II prisoners were German soldiers captured on the battlefield. Most of the World War I prisoners were arrested in the United States. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/07/orchestra-education-part-life-inmates-world-war-i-/ I’m postponing what would have been this week’s column in favor of some great holiday shopping advice, compliments of the Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/06/consumer-watch-hints-about-gift-receipts-coupons-s/ My son came to see me last year about this time and asked me if there was anything I needed or wanted. He said, “Kat and I have done well. It would be our pleasure to give you your heart’s desire.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/05/roberts-color-outlook-sunny-and-bright-2009/ Maybe John Parker Wilson wouldn’t be leaning against a wall on the second floor of the Mal Moore Athletic Complex on Monday, surrounded by cameras and reporters and notebooks, if Dec. 13, 2005, turned out the way Florida coach Urban Meyer feared. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/02/epps-tebow-less-tide-go-12-0-wilson/ Here are some potential Christmas gifts I’ve been reading about that some lucky, tech-inclined folks would be thankful to receive. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/02/jenkins-tech-toys-xmas-wish-list/ As an entrepreneurial manager and leader you know that you have to be the catalyst for positive and productive action. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/02/riddell-coaching-staff-overcome-difficult-time/ We didn’t wear our big white tennis shoes, we didn’t complain about the lack of ice, and we never once asked where you could buy a Big Gulp. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/01/mcleod-dont-expect-honey-buns-france/ At ages 2 and 7, my two sons don’t have a lot in common. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/30/tent-makers-invade-our-tv-room/ For more than two years, state lawmakers wrestled with the rules on the public’s access to the actions of government. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/30/griscom-more-access-not-less/ Mary Hunt, a plain-talking financial adviser, author and an old colleague of mine, offers some of the best guidance around, particularly in these troubled economic times. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/29/consumer-watch-self-analysis-gives-you-better-cont/ Wednesday night was Phillip Fulmer's last Thanksgiving dinner with his Tennessee football team. This morning will mark the final Last Tackle Drill he will ever oversee. Saturday evening’s game against Kentucky also will mark the last time Fulmer will run through the “T” as the head football coach of the Vols. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/27/wiedmer-fulmer-family-prep-finale/ Rumor has it that University of Tennessee at Chattanooga athletic director Rick Hart is having a vegetarian Thanksgiving feast this year. He’s decided the school can’t afford another turkey of a football season. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/26/wiedmer-utcs-hart-has-platter-pick/ Entrepreneurial business managers need to be aware of the two most dangerous times in their business lives. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/25/riddell-critical-curve/ Today, I’ll try to answer some questions from the e-mail bag. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/25/jenkins-polaroid-lovers-can-take-heart/ What’s your story? You know, the story you tell yourself about your life, who you are, where you came from and what’s happened to you. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/24/mcleod-tell-your-tale-or-watch-it-evaporate/ Setting: CEO office at mega-media company Anywhere, USA, except Chattanooga http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/23/buyout-nobody-predicted/ For more than two years, state lawmakers wrestled with the rules on the public’s access to the actions of government. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/23/griscom-more-access-not-less/ At our church last Sunday, one of the choir ladies fainted. She recovered almost instantly, bless her heart, but somebody dialed 911. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/23/sleep-dancing-and-other-mysteries/ I live in Oregon but my sister in Chattanooga sends me some of your columns that have been very helpful in various situations. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/22/consumer-watch/ The first night winter walks through my walls and stakes a claim to every square inch of my house, I start thinking about what I am going to do to get through it with some small degree of aplomb. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/21/roberts-tips-surviving-winter/ Phillip Fulmer always could recruit. Didn't matter if he was convincing talented young football players and their parents to sign with Tennessee, Vanderbilt or Wichita State, he knew what to say and how to say it. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/20/wiedmer-fulmer-tied-vandy-well-ut-players/ Q: Mrs. M, of Sale Creek, writes: I’m writing concerning the article you wrote in the paper Nov. 6. A woman asked about drawing her ex-husband’s Social Security. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/20/retirees-home-life-may-affect-benefits/ Eric Berry took one look at fellow Tennessee freshman football player B.J. Coleman in the summer of 2007, spied Coleman’s boat shoes and exclaimed, “Man, you look like Clark Kent.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/19/wiedmer-berry-and-coleman-can-lead-vols-future/ Every entrepreneurial manager needs to have a workable framework for sales management. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/18/riddell-urgency-increases-turn-opportunities-resul/ The people have spoken. It was the longest election cycle in history. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/17/mcleod-we-people-need-detox-election/ A few things occurred Nov. 4 that were expected. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/16/griscom-one-more-election-surprise/ The other day, someone put a computer printout on my desk called: “You know that you’re from Chattanooga if ... ” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/16/kennedy-youre-chattanooga-if-you/ Today’s column centers upon Part 2 of Henrietta Hysterical’s question concerning insurance company appeals. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/15/consumer-watch/ Veterans Day has passed, but it did not pass without throwing me into deep reflection and arousing gratitude for all of our servicemen and women as well as conscientious objectors like Medal of Honor recipient Desmond Doss. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/14/roberts-wars-can-hit-close-home/ This year’s elections were full of surprises. A woman (Hillary Clinton) and an African-American (Barack Obama) were the strongest candidates vying for the Democratic ticket. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/13/upton-surprises-aplenty-year/ Most college and pro football fans know the above quartet as some of the game’s brightest coaches. However, if you are a frustrated Tennessee football fan this morning, you might be tempted to label them the Fleeing Four. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/12/wiedmer-ut-job-may-yet-come-down-ex-nfl-guy/ In the Tom Peters’ book “In Search of Excellence” the author quotes a saying he attributes to IBM: “Information overload equals pattern recognition.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/11/jenkins-repetition-key-learning/ Now that the emotion, enthusiasm, energy and focus of the recent national election has subsided a bit, a number of entrepreneurial managers have been asking what does the outcome bode for their businesses? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/11/riddell-post-election-partum/ Is she crazy, is she hormonal or is she finally shouting the truth? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/10/mcleod-quick-lock-bedroom-shes-angry-again/ For Republicans in most states, Tuesday was not a night to remember. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/09/griscom-red-blue-yes-and-no/ As my 7-year-old son shed his soccer shin guards in the laundry room last Saturday, I asked him a question. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/09/kennedy-winnning-has-its-burden/ Recently I went through surgery. I couldn’t believe it when the hospital billed me for way too large a sum http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/08/consumer-watch/ A justifiable concern of the potential for injury surfaces in conversations with many potential Zoomer Boomers. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/06/riddell-harrison-bay-trail-fine-place-start-mounta/ A rifle versus a shotgun; a laser beam as opposed to a floodlight; focus as opposed to broad interest. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/04/riddell-focus-survive-entrepreneurship/ They poured into a room inside Neyland Stadium, defiant and emotional and unforgiving. There was Arian Foster, leading the applause with tears pouring from his eyes. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/04/epps-it-wont-be-easy-find-worthy-successor/ Over the horizon it is finally coming into view ... Election Day. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/02/griscom-write-it-down-then-see-if-its-true/ My wife and I are witnessing the birth of brotherly love. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/02/kennedy-brotherly-love-warms-dads-heart/ Q: While I’ve recently had a problem paying the minimum due on a couple of accounts, up until this point my payment history has been excellent. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/nov/01/consumer-watch-law-places-limits-debt-collectors/ One of the most painful things to hear as a counselor is a tirade of self-loathing. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/30/upton-be-free-accept-yourself/ University of Tennessee offensive coordinator Dave Clawson and his defensive counterpart, John Chavis, should have completely different perspectives on the Volunteers’ disappointing football seasons. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/29/wiedmer-vols-coordinators-agree-ugly-season-what-i/ Tennessee Titans quarterback Kerry Collins had just finished with his postgame interviews — just finished thanking his offensive line, and his coaches, and the fans for this 31-21 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, when a former NFL quarterback extended his right hand toward Collins. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/28/wiedmer-collins-gets-better-ex-vp-manning/ It is so easy to emotionally give in to the general malaise that the recent economic events and political decisions have wrought. What we sometimes forget is that no matter how bad the day’s news, somebody sold something, somebody bought something, and somebody made a profit. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/28/riddell-persevering-leadership-needed-today/ The economy is tanking, the election is endless, and now it looks like I might have to sell my blood if I want to keep my kids in mac ‘n cheese. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/28/mcleod-angst-air-careful-its-catching/ Technology has been responsible for many of the things we enjoy. Computers, fax machines, ATMs and many other devices have been invaluable, especially to businesses. It would be hard to imagine a world without these modern wonders. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/28/jenkins-better-system-measures-now-needed/ The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 36 million children trick or treated last Halloween. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/25/consumer-watch-halloween-tricksters-need-phones/ My sister has two dogs, Doofus and Little Man, who growl and snap at each other all day long. Occasionally it escalates into violence. The Doofus and Little Man syndrome has taken over this country’s political life. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/24/dalton-improving-political-dialogues/ This year’s high school football playoff picture hasn’t yet come into focus, but that hasn’t stopped a good number of area coaches from worrying about next season already http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/24/hargis-reclassifying-plan-takes-shape-area-schools/ Southeastern Conference protocol had the league’s men’s basketball coaches entertaining the print media prior to their women’s counterparts during the league’s annual preseason hoops event on Wednesday. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/23/wiedmer-pearl-summitt-use-similar-skills-boost-ut-/ The question has come up before. Fairly often, actually. As in pretty much every time Eric Berry’s name is mentioned around the University of Tennessee football coaching staff. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/22/wiedmer-vols-need-berry-play-both-ways-against-tid/ You really have to watch Andre Smith on every play to appreciate what he does for Alabama’s offense. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/21/epps-play-after-play-after-play-left-tackle-smith-/ In spite of the current economic challenges there are still plenty of profitable opportunities for those that have the wherewithal to flex their business models in support of customer value. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/21/riddell-business-alliance-might-give-customer-new-/ I recently attended a memorial service for the father of a friend of mine. It’s kind of a middle-age rite of passage, attending your friends’ parents’ funerals, that is. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/20/mcleod-speak-now-or-forever-withhold-your-pride/ “Not dead yet.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/19/wiedmer-fulmer-lives-coach-another-week/ Jim Carrey starred in a movie several years ago about a man whose life is orchestrated within a controlled environment. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/19/grisom-how-about-just-bit-reality/ Let’s say you’re a Tennessee fan. You check the Volunteers’ schedule before deciding if you can attend a wedding, no matter how much your daughter protests. Your dog is named Neyland. Your e-mail address is something like volfan98@volfan.co. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/18/epps-vols-fans-admit-conflict-between-wanting-chan/ Q: I ordered some Microsoft software off the Internet but when it arrived and I tried to load it onto my computer, I kept getting an error message. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/18/consumer-watch-counterfeit-products-run-gamut-chea/ I ordered some Microsoft software off the Internet but when it arrived and I tried to load it onto my computer, I kept getting an error message. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/18/consumer-watch/ In Judaism, every 50th year was a Jubilee Year. Slaves were freed, and debts were canceled. Everyone got big-hearted and cut friends and foes a lot more slack than usual. So I have proclaimed this the Jubilee Year for my least-favorite birds. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/17/roberts-i-declare-jubilee-year-birds/ We’re terrified of the word. Many of us grew up this way and have spent our entire adult lives beating it from our doorways. We remember the fear, the helplessness and the frustration of being poor. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/16/upton-lean-times-show-how-grow-rich-new-ways/ If you want to see Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl’s face light up these days ,just ask him about freshman center Philip Jurick. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/15/wiedmer-jurick-has-earned-praise-vols-pearl/ In this time of economic uncertainty, there is one thing that you can be 100 percent sure of — there is no lack of commiserating about how bad things are. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/14/riddell-help-yourself-helping-less-fortunate/ One of my favorite comedy movies is Steve Martin’s “The Man With Two Brains.” In this movie, Merv Griffin appears as the Elevator Killer, a madman who stalks his victims in the high-rise device. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/14/jenkins-play-tech-jeopardy-test-your-skills/ Around this time four years ago, Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley made a curious and somewhat controversial decision midway through the football season. He fired coach Ron Zook after the Gators, ranked for almost the entire year, lost to Mississippi State by seven points. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/14/epps-clemson-gets-jump-coach-search/ Why do men cheat? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/13/mcleod-appreciation-marriage-catch-22/ Time was, I would flee from any establishment that called itself a “family restaurant.” Before my wife and I had kids, I thought “family restaurant” was code for cheesy and greasy. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/12/kennedy-my-favorite-kid-friendly-restaurants/ Preceding the second presidential debate last week, a smaller, less consequential but important discussion occurred. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/12/griscom-cant-we-all-just-get-along/ We know what happened in Georgia. Rodney Garner left Knoxville for Athens, Mark Richt took over and Phillip Fulmer was no longer able to march down Interstate 75 without any recruiting resistance. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/11/epps-other-schools-toughening-vols-recruiting-chal/ That the Tennessee football team is kicking up its heels over the return of punter Britton Colquitt from his five-game suspension for last winter's DUI is without argument. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/09/wiedmer-colquitt-getting-his-final-chance/ Unless his University of Tennessee football team has been in the middle of an off week, Phillip Fulmer has long spent his autumn Tuesday lunch hours with the media. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/08/wiedmer-fulmer-has-no-time-wardrobe-changes/ With all of the uncertainty surrounding the financial future and direction, entrepreneurs know that they cannot relegate their futures to folks whose connection with Main Street is sporadic at best. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/07/riddell-sell-harder-please/ This week I again tackle some of your e-mail questions. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/07/jenkins-questions-e-mail-bag/ I’m fat again. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/06/mcleod-your-brain-making-you-plump-again/ There should be but one question on the lips of every University of Tennessee football fan this morning following Saturday night’s 13-9 win over Northern Illinois: What was Phillip Fulmer waiting on? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/05/change-stephens-needed-be-sooner/ Rancor. Retaliation. Revulsion. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/05/griscom-three-rs-judge-congress/ I’ve been so uptight lately that I actually found myself looking forward to a colonoscopy. I treated it as a vacation day with a drug-induced nap. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/05/kennedy-home-remedy-stress-brick-house/ In some way, the news that Kyle Petty would consider leaving Petty Enterprises shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s just the latest evidence that today’s NASCAR is so completely different from even 10 years ago. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/05/petty-looking-around-sign-times/ Last Monday, the House of Representatives defeated a proposal to allow the U.S. Treasury to provide liquidity to banks by buying their non-performing mortgage-backed securities. At this writing, House members are debating a revised package already approved by the Senate. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/05/columnist-time-abandon-policies-made-bailout-neces/ My husband and I receive a lot of “free offer” calls. Sometimes, I’m tempted to sign up but I’m afraid the offers are a scam so I refuse the gifts. Do you think any of these offers might be legitimate for the future? — Victoria Vigilant http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/04/consumer-watch/ Pity is not an emotion closely associated with the Baylor School. Envy perhaps, in light of the academic and athletic success for which it is known, as well as the benefits associated with a prestigious private school sitting on the most picturesque campus in town. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/03/hargis-baylor-needs-no-pity-theres-painful-streak/ In coping with my son’s congenital heart defect I have learned a lot of things, including the joy (so far) of seeing him go through apparently successful surgery here at Baylor Medical Center. We are grateful and hopeful. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/03/roberts-birth-defects-carry-large-life-lessons/ When Callie (not her real name) discovered that her 11-year-old son had been viewing sexually explicit DVDs, she was horrified. She never imagined a pre-adolescent child, especially one as fun-loving and innocent as her son, would want to view such material. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/02/upton-sex-images-can-sear-young-brain/ Johnny Majors wasn’t biting. At least not directly. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/oct/01/wiedmer-majors-says-hes-above-comparing-self-fulme/ Call your friends in Cincinnati, Braves fans. Ask someone in Kansas City or Pittsburgh how it feels. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/30/epps-braves-far-return-playoffs/ When I first started reading about computers back in 1983, one of the first computer terms I learned was GIGO, meaning “garbage in, garbage out.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/30/jenkins-latest-news-tech-world/ It is very easy to get swallowed up and carried away with the news of national and international economic strife. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/30/riddell-creativity-critically-needed/ There’s nothing more embarrassing than money. Or rather, the lack of it. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/29/mcleod-secret-shame-going-broke-america-these-days/ University of Tennessee President John Petersen has been on a statewide “no free lunch” lunch tour. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/28/griscom-progress-versus-turf-wars/ Sometimes I wonder if my two boys will actually go to college. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/28/kennedy-affording-college-tomorrow/ Our mortgage, a fixed-rate, low-interest, long-term loan, is held by a bank now under severe crisis. What could happen if this bank fails? Is our mortgage and all its terms safe? — Adam Alarmed http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/27/consumer-watch-mortage-holder-should-not-feel-pani/ Where on earth did the first month of the high school football season go? It seems like I blinked and September is nearly gone. But as fall thankfully begins to drop the evening temperatures, here are a few things I think I know heading into the second half of the season: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/26/hargis-some-things-are-clear-season-flies/ Tom Ramsey taught me the power of barbershops. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/26/roberts-power-barbers-immense/ Bob McCoy remembers it like it was yesterday. A sophomore running back at Georgia Tech, he took the pitch as he ran to his left, blew past a couple of overmatched defenders from The Citadel and raced 87 yards to the Grant Field end zone. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/25/techs-record-holder-real-mccoy/ Phillip Fulmer knows the drill. The University of Tennessee football coach can play the martyr as well as anyone when the need arises. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/24/wiedmer-fulmer-vows-get-vols-back-track/ One of the great advantages entrepreneurial managers possess is the very real, inner core belief in the specialness of what they are offering. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/23/riddell-deserving-your-price/ You can’t even buy gas these days without overhearing somebody talking about the election. Whether they’re touting the integrity of their own candidate or attacking the other team as evil, incompetent, immoral, know-nothing thugs, everybody’s got an opinion. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/22/mcleod-policy-not-personality-should-rule-election/ Tennessee-Florida used to be the game you woke up eager to see, a reason to leave your favorite team’s game early so you didn’t miss. You made plans to watch this game with friends. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/21/really-no-longer-rivalry/ “It was a little shocking.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/21/fulmer-should-hire-special-teams-coach/ Men, if you want to raise your status at work, arrange to have three Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, in full feather, follow you to your desk. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/21/kennedy-rockettes-kick-high-gear/ An e-mail arrived last week from a reader who questioned the reason for skyrocketing gasoline prices. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/21/griscom-shortage-real-or-perceived/ You didn’t talk about your accomplishments in that locker room. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/20/epps-well-know-whole-lot-more-about-08-vols-after-/ Q: I’m new in town and need some work done on my car. I don’t want to go to a dealer so what should I do to find a good independent mechanic? — Maybelle Moved http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/20/consumer-watch-finding-good-garage/ The two-inch scar on his chest, just below his left shoulder, is Chris Goodine’s constant reminder. A sort of “how I spent my 2008 summer” unwanted souvenir. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/19/hargis-cancer-ordeal-strengthens-goodines-faith/ The last great pearl of wisdom to soak through our hard heads is that we are all one. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/19/roberts-hurricane-ike-hit-us-all-one/ Never let it be said that Rodney Allison doesn't know what's at stake when his University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team hosts Jacksonville State on Saturday evening. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/18/wiedmer-chattanoogas-allison-knows-every-game-matt/ Never-married and childless, Stephanie (not her real name) never dreamed her life would turn out the way it has. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/17/upton-single-life-can-be-lonely-life/ We’ll never know what might have been. How positively, absolutely dangerous the University of Tennessee offense might have become against No. 4 Florida Saturday afternoon inside Neyland Stadium. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/17/wiedmer-g-gun-bullets-wont-be-secret-weapon-they-m/ If only Roy Kramer were still in power, this wouldn’t happen to Tennessee. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/16/epps-east-foes-have-extra-time-ut/ Funny how a little tightening of the business climate suddenly increases the demand for improvement of business skills. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/16/riddell-keep-self-drowning/ The pressure may be subtle or it might be full-on war, but there’s not a person alive who hasn’t felt judged by their in-laws in some way. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/15/mcleod--laws-out-laws-and-truth/ My first month as the daycare provider for my granddaughter has ended and, so far, she appears unscathed. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/14/sorry-charlie-grandma-thing-new-me/ Trust me. That is the new rallying cry in national politics as now the Republicans are screaming over Internet postings focused on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the GOP vice presidential nominee. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/14/griscom-internet-postings-other-lies/ Phillip Fulmer rediscovered his smile as soon as he spied the net-yards-rushing section of Saturday’s Tennessee football stat sheet. It showed his Volunteers totaling 266 of those suckers in their 35-3 win over Alabama-Birmingham. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/14/vols-feature-four-backs-running-well/ The speculation started before Georgia’s Reshad Jones took a knee after his game-clinching interception, before Mark Richt could exhale after another one of these ulcer-inducing games against South Carolina. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/14/bulldogs-glad-get-win-not-worried-about-polls/ Good news for American voters: Change is coming. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/14/kennedy-advice-our-next-president/ We continue this week with the Top Consumer Complaints, as well as some tried-and-true, sensible advice that correspond to all consumer problems to help us protect our hard-earned cash and emotional stability. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/14/consumer-watch/ We continue this week with the top consumer complaints, as well as some tried-and-true, sensible advice that correspond to all consumer problems to help us protect our hard-earned cash and emotional stability. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/13/consumer-watch-more-top-consumer-complaints/ Sequatchie County’s football team is off to its best start in more than 10 years because new head coach Chad Barger has proven to be a great recruiter. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/12/hargis-indians-have-begun-huge-turnaround/ So Vince Young’s not so In-Vince-ible after all, eh? He’s human. Maybe even a little fragile. Good for him. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/11/wiedmer-vince-young-saga-will-have-no-quick-end-ti/ Nothing succeeds like success. While not recollecting the exact source of this insightful wisdom, somehow I think that it had to come from a recent graduate of the Yogi Berra School of sales management. But like so many of the sayings of Mr. Berra, there is more than a kernel of truth in these words. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/09/riddell-plan-multiply-success/ We’ve heard a lot of criticism from Urban Meyer about Georgia’s all-inclusive celebration last season in Jacksonville. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/09/epps-meyer-seems-hypocritical-late-kick/ It’s another political season, and the spin doctors are priming the pump. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/08/mcleod-triangle-truth-revealed/ There are great plays, ones you discuss after a game with friends over dinner and a beer. There are the memorable ones, plays that alter games and change seasons. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/07/one-giant-leap-propels-moreno-unforgettability/ I think I’ve found Chattanooga’s cheapest — er, most frugal — person. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/07/kennedy-cheapest-person-revealed/ Rancor is a common word that describes political encounters by Washington standards. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/07/griscom-30-years-amity-county/ The Museum Center at Five Points will host a showing of the film classic “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” to honor the theme of this year’s museum gala. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/06/classic-hepburn-movie-cleveland-museum/ You really have to wonder what happened in the Rose Bowl locker rooms at halftime of last Monday’s Tennessee-UCLA game. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/06/epps-vols-fans-are-asking-valid-questions/ There are still times when Greg Smith shows the flash of talent that made him one of the top defensive line prospects in the nation. The challenge now for the former Tyner Academy star is to put together a complete game’s worth of the dominance expected from him rather than the random few. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/05/hargis-green-mile-smith-given-reprieve-cumberland/ The SEC had a pair of eight-win teams from a year ago poised to slide this season. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/04/paschall-uk-keeps-rolling-along-under-brooks/ The sun hovering around 95 degrees and the humidity not too much below that, someone asked Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher at the close of Wednesday’s practice if it was hot enough for him. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/04/wiedmer-heat-young-produce-titans-prepare-opener/ Some people like to work alone. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/04/upton-two-heads-are-better-one/ University of Tennessee center Josh McNeil leaned against the doorway of the visitors’ interview room beneath the Rose Bowl stands. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/03/wiedmer-fulmer-58th-birthday-not-happy-one/ The daily pressures of life get to all of us sometime or other and for many their respite is commonly known as vacation. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/02/riddell-everyone-needs-break/ How do you enjoy your life when you’re constantly worried about money? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/sep/01/mcleod-dont-spend-all-your-time-worrying-about-mon/ Last year’s opener was Nick Saban’s coronation. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/31/atlanta-opener-against-clemson-crimson-tide-celebr/ Sometimes, it seems, NASCAR can’t even accept a golden goose when one happens to land in its lap. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/31/penalties-ruin-great-break-nascar/ On the back of his Tennessee orange baseball cap are stitched the words “General George.” On the cap’s bill is UT women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt’s autograph. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/31/big-orange-nation-invades-lala-land-holiday-outing/ A short set of rules applies in our newsroom: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/31/griscom-prioritizing-our-political-reporting/ My oldest son, 6, is dutiful and obedient, a prototypical “good kid.” Last week, though, after a spotless kindergarten year, he got his first gentle reprimand from an authority figure at school — just a caution, really. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/31/less-perfect-still-good/ I purchased a set of wireless earphones marked $55.95 (plus tax) on both the product and shelf at a box store in Hamilton Mall. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/30/consumer-watch/ The key chain still hangs in Neil Brown's home. Given to him by an Orange Bowl official following the Auburn Tigers’ SEC championship victory over Tennessee on Dec. 4, 2004. It was supposed to welcome the undefeated Tigers into the BCS title game opposite Southern Cal http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/28/wiedmer-brown-has-motivation-face-ou/ Several years ago, our granddaughter, who was 5 years old at the time and residing with her family in Germany, sustained severe burns in an accident. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/28/cleveland-german-style-health-care-has-merits/ The staggering 15-year, $2.25 billion deal between the Southeastern Conference and ESPN comes with a bittersweet thought that appears in my head as a cheesy, outdated graphic http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/26/epps-espn-deal-great-we-will-miss-jp/ On the national and international scene there is just no shortage of discouraging news. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/26/riddell-little-positive-boost/ Is it just me, or has anybody else noticed that these things never seem to happen to women? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/25/mcleod-here-we-go-again-new-political-sex-scandal/ We lost a member of our newspaper family two weeks ago. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/24/its-never-easy-say-goodbye/ Let’s have some fun. I need your help to find Chattanooga’s biggest tightwad. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/24/wanted-towns-biggest-cheapo/ A rookie on the run, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was carrying out a bootleg in the second quarter of Friday night’s exhibition victory over the Tennessee Titans when the unexpected occurred http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/24/wiedmer-falcons-sure-struggle-titans-may-do-so-als/ Chomping his green gum and scanning the grounds of James Stadium, Doug Rosser was right at home. Seriously. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/23/east-ridge-institution-rosser-marks-another-win/ Q: With all the recent natural disasters (especially the tornadoes and Midwest floods), it seems like I’m receiving more and more solicitations for charitable aid. While I want to help when I can, how can I be sure my money goes toward a genuine need? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/23/consumer-watch-be-cautious-giving-unfamiliar-chari/ My birthday is this week. I probably should not say that because people will be asking, “How old are you?” and I simply prefer to not think of that. I told one guy, “All I will say is that I am shaving now,” and he answered with a sick grin, “Yeah, when a man gets your age he does have to start shaving his back.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/22/roberts-birthdays-bittersweet-not-bad/ The high school football season kicks off tonight, ending the summer speculation and bringing with it my favorite season of the year. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/22/chattanooga-baylor-quarterback-hudson-inspiring-ju/ It keeps us awake when we need sleep. It causes us to gasp for breath, tire out easily and fly off the handle. Stress is part of our daily lives, but many of us are struggling with more of it than we can handle. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/21/upton-stress-new-serenity/ I never sang for my father. That would have been cruel and unusual punishment. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/20/wiedmer-saying-goodbye-dad/ Within the Chattanooga sports community, Ron Bishop is perhaps best known as the former wildly successful head basketball coach at Tennessee Temple University. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/19/wiedmer-mocs-early-right-time-diplomacy/ Every entrepreneurial manager knows the importance of effective selling. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/19/riddell-not-being-dispirited-no-key-sales-trait/ We’ve all done it. Whether it’s railing at your spouse or co-worker or screaming like a banshee at your kids. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/18/mcleod-it-ever-ok-just-lose-it/ There’s nothing like having a 6-year-old child to make you feel incompetent. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/17/kennedy-boys-ask-million-questions/ For those communities that visited Chattanooga to understand the reconstruction of downtown, there may be at least one new chapter to add to the presentation. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/17/griscom-plan-balanced-growth/ It’s been quite a summer. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/17/my-life-20s-countdown-move-brings-good-kind-stress/ Watching Michael Phelps makes me feel like a 10-year-old kid again — in other words, a member of China’s women’s gymnastics team — the way I watch in complete awe of this man. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/16/epps-phelps-no-1-olympian-and-champion-eater/ I’m a business owner but still have a question about my customers. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/16/consumer-watch/ “Sex is good but not as good as fresh, sweet corn,” Garrison Keillor wrote. I would amend it to say sex is not as good as a tomato sandwich. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/15/roberts-relishing-my-annual-tomato-sandwich/ My next two columns will examine health-care systems in Canada and Germany. I will look for ideas that might have relevance as the United States searches for answers to complex issues in health-care access and affordability. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/14/cleaveland-canadian-health-care-has-plusses/ A subpoena-flinging process server precluded me from submitting predictions at SEC Media Days. He forced me to follow around Phillip Fulmer and ask him about a piece of paper he supposedly didn’t receive. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/12/epps-belated-sec-west-predictions-auburn-edges-lsu/ As an entrepreneurial manager, you know that your key to growth is driving sales. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/12/riddell-compensation-continuum/ There are limitations to hearing the world through a set of Internet downloads. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/10/griscom-moving-past-our-cultural-barriers/ When my boss asked me several weeks ago to collect Volkswagen stories from readers, I didn’t know what to expect. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/10/kennedy-memo-vw-appeal-boomers/ Examining the statistics and personnel of previous national champions can help tell us if Georgia is equipped to claim the BCS title this season. From the trends evident among title winners in college football, the one constant truth is this: You need to play Ohio State in the national title game. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/09/georgia-stafford-key-uga-survive-road/ I’m trying to figure out the best credit card for my pocketbook and lifestyle. It seems like they all offer different rates that change without notice so I’m not sure which one to get. Any suggestions? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/09/consumer-watch-beware-fuzzy-credit-card-contracts-/ Many college and high school football fans are starting to get a bit delirious. Still weeks away from the start of the season, with no significant action to talk about just yet, those of us whose world is oblong scramble for any little scrap of information. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/08/hargis-prep-football-under-way-alaska/ Rodney Allison has waited four years to hear the words and see the commitment. Never mind that the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coach is entering his sixth season. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/07/chattanooga-tuna-talk-changed-allison/ How I remember my school days! The excitement of change and the promise of new discoveries made the beginning of a school year a positive time for me. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/07/upton-preparing-good-school-year/ I recently completed reading the book “The Drunkard’s Walk” by Leonard Mlodinow. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/05/riddell-critical-role-perseverance/ If you’re a bigwig at work — you know, like a University President, or a crew chief at Taco Bell, or the chairperson of the Save the Calico Cat Foundation — you might assume it’s your job to make things run perfectly. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/04/mcleod-sperfection-might-be-ruining-you/ There are reminders here of a line in the movie “The Candidate,” in which Robert Redford comes from behind to win a U.S. Senate seat. He escapes from his victory party only to ask, “What do we do now?” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/03/griscom-great-what-do-we-do-now/ Years ago, I wrote an article about a group of 6-year-old baseball players competing in a tournament here. I followed them for several days as they swept through the winners’ bracket and eventually won the championship. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/03/kennedy-playing-hardball-kids/ I’ve been approached by a new guy in the neighborhood about buying some life insurance. His company isn’t one of the larger insurance companies and I’m not sure it's one I should do business with. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/02/consumer-watch-check-out-insurance-salesmans-crede/ More than 100,000 women served as military nurses in World War II. Among them was Vera Gustafson Palmer of Red Bank who died on July 15. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/31/cleaveland-remembering-hero-world-war-ii/ Is it too early to vote Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl this state’s sportsman of the year? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/30/wiedmer-hoop-vols-slate-helps-entire-state/ A descendant of a famous heroic Scot will lead the softball Lady Scots of Covenant College. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/30/russell-coach-covenant-softball/ While these are certainly trying times for many, for every problem out there an opportunity awaits. This is the very core of an entrepreneurial mindset. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/29/riddell-look-you-leap/ I want a do-over with my two kids. Not the kids themselves; they’re absolutely fabulous. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/27/mcleod-gimme-my-babies-hollywood-style/ The body clock was ticking the Monday in advance of the Volkswagen announcement. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/27/griscom-vw-jet-lag-and-related-meditations/ The way mothers block out childbirth, dads try to forget the terrible 2s. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/27/kennedy-terrible-2s-arrive-right-schedule/ My mom is soon going to need a nursing home. Can you advise a particular Web site that can help us to find a more reputable location near our home? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/26/consumer-watch-learn-how-evaluate-places-caring-el/ The razing of the former brick service station with the interesting architecture at the corner of Main Street and Central Avenue earlier this month brings back my one and only visit to that building in the summer of 1976. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/26/cooper-monts-visit-main-and-central/ The SEC or the OC? Should CBS and ESPN televise conference football games this fall, or should E!? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/26/epps-sec-season-be-reality-drama-series/ When writer and minister Keith B. was growing up, his family didn’t have much. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/24/upton-former-dealer-tells-about-street-life/ It isn’t every day in our business that you get to expense the latest copy of Playboy under the extraordinary explanation that it’s needed for research. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/22/wiedmer-harkleroad-says-its-fun-stressful/ I recently came across a bit of information that staggered me. According to Business Week magazine (July 14 and 21, Page 8), baby boomers are retiring at the rate of 10,000 every 24 hours. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/22/riddell-boomer-wave-creates-start--opportunities/ “She stole my jeans, and she never gave them back.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/21/mcleod-sibling-rivalries-die-hard/ Intangibles. That word was used repeatedly last week as Volkswagen announced its decision to locate a manufacturing facility at Enterprise South. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/20/griscom-chemistry-magic-ingredient/ At exactly 10:05 a.m. Tuesday, a chorus of whoops cut through the Times Free Press newsroom, followed by a smattering of applause. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/20/kennedy-we-got-plant-now-what/ An anonymous department store has great sales that I’ve enjoyed for years. A couple of weeks ago, I ran in to buy a belt and found that all belts, scarves, sunglasses, and some other accessories were clearly marked “Buy 1, Get 1 Free.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/19/consumer-watch-stores-legal-responsibility-honor-t/ Despite the fact that he is currently living as a citizen of the United Kingdom and will represent the British track & field team later this summer in the Olympic Games, Michael Bingham knew of only one way to celebrate. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/18/hargis-bingham-gets-olympic-shot-uk/ Like a lot of us whose ages are at least a wee bit north of 40, Alabama basketball coach Mark Gottfried pretty much learned his college basketball from television analyst Billy Packer. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/17/wiedmer-billy-packer-was-more-laudable-lovable/ Asked about the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ urging of members to stop offering scholarships to prospects not yet in their junior years of high school, Vanderbilt’s Kevin Stallings couldn’t resist a joke. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/17/epps-some-sec-coaches-criticize-billy-rule/ Do each of us bear certain responsibilities to practice good health habits? Should the provider of our health care, whether a private company or government, insure us regardless of our habits and activities? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/17/cleaveland-health-care-risks-must-be-managed/ Quite a few business folks regard the theories or ideas on running and affecting businesses as largely those of an ivory towered academic pursuit, a quasi-scientific theory devised by someone whose occupation is not of the real world. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/15/riddell-managing-change-todays-world/ I’m sure you have a lovely navel, but that doesn’t mean I want to see it at the office. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/14/mcleod-when-did-casual-turn-sensual/ There is an unwritten rule in politics. Typically, it is captured in the phrase, “Never be caught wearing a funny hat.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/13/griscom-odd-hats-danger-politics/ The media buzzword of summer 2008 is “stay-cation,” a contraction for stay-at-home vacation. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/13/kennedy-how-i-spent-my-summer-stay-cation/ Poems began replacing notes during quarterback meetings. And Tee Martin knew, just two seasons into his NFL career, he no longer loved football. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/12/epps-martin-has-new-passion-football/ Please repeat your Social Security Information about when businesses cannot require your number. Even after I cut out your previous column and now carry it with me, still a couple of healthcare providers say they must require my number. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/12/consumer-watch-you-need-ssn-dealings-officials/ When I was listening recently to Randy Pausch talk about work on the audio CD of his book “The Last Lecture,” I was reminded of some lessons I learned about work the summer I turned 16. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/12/cooper-grit-grits-and-learning-work/ In their much-traveled careers as professional football players, former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga standouts Cos DeMatteo and Nate Bandy caught passes from quarterbacks as varied as UTC flamethrower Chris Sanders and Tennessee Titans All-Pro Steve McNair. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/10/wiedmer-dematteo-bandy-help-mannings/ On my bedroom dresser stands a photograph of myself with a baby on my back. The child is one of my energetic nieces. The photo was taken a few years ago when my niece, now age 7, could barely walk. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/10/upton-parenting-strategies-today/ Eleven months a year, Buzz Peterson loved coaching college basketball. Appalachian State. Tulsa. Tennessee. Coastal Carolina. It didn’t matter — he embraced them all equally. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/09/wiedmer-july-not-so-bad-petersons-nba-job/ Raises for college football coaches are generally accepted and understood as part of the new culture of collegiate athletics. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/08/epps-fulmer-due-raise-seven-years/ The entrepreneurial management challenge is clearly upon us and the stakes have never been higher. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/08/riddell-four-required-themes-success/ I come from a long line of do-it yourselfers. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/07/mcleod-man-van-and-ill-conceived-little-plan/ Mike Luckovich, editorial cartoonist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, captured the latest changes that are being inflicted upon airplane travelers. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/06/griscom-about-friendly-skies/ This weekend seems like the right time for one of those America-is-awesome columns, you know, before you go out and wave those American flags made in another country. It feels like a patriotic duty. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/05/epps-sports-america-so-much-love/ Now that gas costs so much and prices continue to rise, we thought your readers would appreciate these tips to make their gasoline purchases (and their vehicles) go further. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/05/consumer-watch-station-owners-say-pump-gas-early-d/ For a personal reflection during the July 4th marking of the 232nd anniversary of our country, I urge you to read “Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives” by Jim Sheeler (Penguin Books, 2008). http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/03/cleaveland-final-salute-appropriate-july-4th/ They were all here that steamy August in 1991. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/02/wiedmer-voges-us-amateur-win-best-honors-great-tim/ As the reality of flat world, global competition begins to set in, many entrepreneurial managers are scrambling to adapt. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jul/01/riddell-developing-employees-global-economy/ Ahh, the glamorous life of a business traveler. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/30/mcleod-soul-sucking-grind-frequent-air-travel/ Educators say a good teacher makes a good student. Others say a good principal provides strong leadership that inspires good teachers and produces good students. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/29/griscom-one-week-change-school/ Can you sum up your earthly existence in six words? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/29/kennedy-six-word-life-stories-tell-much/ Quaker pastor/author Philip Gulley said people who have big front porches are usually open and welcoming people, while people who build and spend time on back porches are often suspicious and are probably hiding something. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/28/cooper-back-porch-good-soul/ I’ve bid on eBay “treasures” and won several items. Last time I won a watch auction and my winning bid wasn’t a cheap one, either. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/28/consumer-watch-check-ebay-seller-reputation-biddin/ What’s better than Christmas in July? How about football in June. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/27/chattanooga-local-connections-take-stage-canadian-/ If you were any kind of fan of college basketball this past season, the No. 1 pick in tonight's NBA Draft should be as obvious as Shaquille O'Neal's and Kobe Bryant's dislike for each other. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/26/wiedmer-rose-only-sure-pick-nba-draft/ Remember slumber parties? Pigtailed and glassy-eyed, as little girls we giggled into the night in our best PJs. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/26/upton-slumber-party-invigorates-young-and-old/ I wish I could remember everything about the night that comedian George Carlin hosted the very first “Saturday Night Live” on Oct. 11, 1975. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/25/wiedmer-carlin-liked-safe-call-just-baseball/ The following admission could expose me to various lame criticisms, like I’m a nerd. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/24/epps-traditional-stats-arent-really-best/ It is an interesting fact about economic downturns; issues that tend to be glossed over in good times now become financial hindrances that must be addressed. General prosperity sometimes underscores the ease that accompanies the desire to avoid making difficult decisions. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/24/riddell-downturn-compels-hard-decisions-employees/ Men: Does taking your kids to the fair, giving them a bath or going to a Cub Scout meeting count as a favor for your wife? Well, sort of. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/23/mcleod-feathers-fathers-and-favors/ Today is our wedding anniversary. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/22/kennedy-my-wife-simply-best/ Being in the word business and hoping people buy those words we put in print, one looks for opportunities to promote the craft. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/22/griscom-some-things-must-run-family/ http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/21/domestic-spying/ I just returned from the airport where my flight to Arizona was cancelled with no notice. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/21/consumer-watch-plan-ahead-avoid-cancelled-flights/ He averages almost 36 wins per season, owns two SEC titles, makes trips to the College World Series every other year and needs just one more win to play in the national championship best-of-three series. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/21/epps-dogs-perno-deserves-lot-more-credit/ The Redoubt Futbol Club Black under-14 girls had to work overtime to get back to the Division 1 Southern Regional soccer tournament, and now they’re doing extra work while at the event in Raleigh, N.C. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/20/nashville-redoubt-fc-black-girls-continue-mission/ Have you ever smashed your thumb with a hammer while feebly attempting to show your spouse that you belong on one of those home renovation television shows? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/20/wiedmer-tigers-pain-now-will-be-golf-worlds/ For more than 35 years, Clifford Kirk’s heart has belonged on the softball field. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/20/hargis-kirk-keeps-his-heart-softball/ The risk of heat injury accompanies the early arrival this summer of hot, humid weather. Regardless of our levels of fitness, all of us are potentially vulnerable to three heat-related conditions. Dehydration and over-heating are common to each. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/19/cleaveland-heat-can-endanger-our-health/ A common trait of successful entrepreneurial managers is an almost unquenchable thirst for knowledge. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/17/riddell-dont-be-shortchanged-seminars/ Have you ever had one of those one-way conversations? You know the kind, where the other person yammers on and on about their life while you just smile and nod? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/16/mcleod-people-who-only-talk-about-me/ I took my 6-year-old son to Riverbend this year. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/15/kennedy-boys-not-sure-about-my-dancing/ The media make a concentrated push one week a year to declare — Sunshine Week. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/15/griscom-only-one-week-sunshine/ Mitchell Boggs was enjoying his postgame dinner at Huey’s, a popular Memphis burger joint, last week when his cell phone rang. It was the team trainer for the Memphis Redbirds. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/14/epps-boggs-has-exciting-start-st-louis/ Continuing on with last week’s advice about a scheduled surgery and how to prepare to make yourself as safe as possible during the operation, this week’s tip is what to do when you’re back in your hospital room following surgery. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/14/consumer-watch-following-surgery/ My trips to Wal-Mart are probably like yours. I don’t even peek at the prices of the items we have to have, and then I see one or two things not on our list that I decide I want but don’t really need. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/14/cooper-mumbling-strange-wal-mart/ As with any change, there has been plenty of confusion among area coaches and fans concerning the TSSAA’s new four-year classification system that will go into effect in 2009. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/13/chattanooga-new-classification-plan-requires-lot-s/ NBA commissioner David Stern wants you to believe that disgraced former referee Tim Donaghy acted alone in fixing games. A “rogue, isolated criminal,” was Stern’s description of Donaghy on July 25, 2007. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/12/wiedmer-nba-betting-rumors-wont-go-away/ Sherri (not her real name) was used to seeing her father on weekends, summers, and holidays as a child. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/12/upton-read-fathers-make-time-children/ Just in case you needed any more proof that Olympic-caliber distance runners have no trace of couch-potato genes, consider James Strang’s workout regimen one day before Thursday night’s 10,000-meter run at the NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/11/wiedmer-arkansas-now-strang-ncaa-10k/ Today’s economy presents both challenges and opportunities. Many business veterans, having successfully taken certain steps in the past, are quite comfortable managing in such turbulent times. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/10/riddell-innovation-impelled-energy-costs/ Eight years ago, I returned to journalism after a 20-year hiatus that included a stint in Washington politics. One day, a Times Free Press employee asked me if “West Wing,” the White House through a Hollywood lens, was an accurate snapshot. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/08/griscom-writing-one-hit-wonders/ My wife and I recently paid to see a Michael Jackson impersonator at Rhythm & Brews. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/08/kennedy-cant-we-just-talk-anymore/ As I prepare for major surgery this summer, it’s appropriate to use this medium so readers also know how to prepare for a hospital stay for themselves or for their loved ones. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/07/consumer-watch-how-get-ready-surgery/ In a sense, he’s already answered the question, “What can (Big) Brown do for you?” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/07/wiedmer-lot-hoping-big-brown-can-deliver/ More often than not, we wait until our sports heroes retire before celebrating their career. But I think it would be a shame not to recognize a local coaching gem for everything she has meant to our community and the countless kids whose lives she has touched. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/06/chattanooga-neely-deservingly-honored-volleyball-w/ Behind the headlines of some “miracle drugs” lurks a disturbing story of marketing excesses on the part of America’s pharmaceutical industry. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/05/cleaveland-new-meds-may-have-big-flaws/ The NBA needs this. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/05/wiedmer-living-past-tall-order-celtics-lakers/ Matt Holden insisted he was only following directions. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/04/wiedmer-holly-thomas-strikes-back-against-trash-ta/ From the moment America’s favorite announcer, Gus Johnson, declared the national-television debut of mixed martial arts “the dawn of an era in American sports,” the viewers’ interest would not subside. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/03/tennessee-tv-ratings-show-mma-here-stay/ One of the very basic and key requirements for effective leadership is the ability to keep people and organizations focused on those things they can control and not allow the noncontrollables to affect this focus. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/03/riddell-staying-positive-amid-crises/ I’ve just met the worst person in the world. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/02/mcleod-bragging-bachelor-not-so-bad/ A mild concern was raised by a Times Free Press editor as to whether readers would object to a story on the 50-year endurance of the peace sign in the same issue of the newspaper that reported on the sacrifices of men and women serving in the armed forces. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/01/griscom-different-reception-troops/ Last weekend at a Brainerd Road restaurant, my 6-year-old son bit into an ear of corn and winced. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/01/kennedy-turning-50-lot-pulling-teeth/ I ordered one of those “Do-Everything-Juicers” from over the television for $25.99 plus shipping and handling. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/31/consumer-watch-cooling--rule-lets-unhappy-buyer-un/ Family has a way of reminding you of your age, and I got a good dose of that recently when my younger sister and brother, their children and I accompanied our mother for a weekend to her cabin in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/31/cooper-flip-flops-orange-socks-and-mp3/ My friend Bobby e-mailed me a couple of months ago. He wanted to have a long phone conversation about his favorite college basketball coach. Some guy by the name of Bruce Pearl. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/29/wiedmer-bobby-klein-hero/ Recent media reports have raised public awareness about the rights and beliefs of certain religious sects. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/29/upton-cults-build-walls-around-members/ We all knew that someone one day would come along to knock Tiger Woods off his golf throne. Some of us thought it might be Phil Mickelson. Some, Ernie Els. Some, Vijay Singh. Some, Sergio Garcia. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/28/wiedmer-who-can-beat-tiger-only-his-little-daughte/ Most entrepreneurial managers are in agreement on the importance of attracting and retaining talent. But when you get beyond the platitudes there is a justifiable degree of discomfort when addressing the question of “how.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/27/riddell-3c-model-entrepreneurship/ Do you ever feel like your life is nothing but one big, long to-do list? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/26/mcleod-dont-complain-about-all-you-do/ There is some irony that any politician would travel around in a vehicle labeled “straight talk.” For those who are in the business of crafting rules, regulations and laws, the rule of thumb is to avoid such talk at all costs. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/25/griscom-straight-talk-keeping-open-access/ About a month ago, I was stressing out about my jam-packed month of May when I had a troubling thought: “What if I get jury duty?” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/25/kennedy-jury-out-duty-process/ My mother is an elderly senior living on a very fixed budget. Her teeth are in bad shape, but she can’t afford dentures or crowns. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/24/consumer-watch-dental-college-elderly-can-reduce-o/ It was bound to happen. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/24/hargis-fling-controversies-hit-marion-year/ I’ve been in pregame, halftime and postgame locker-room gatherings. I’ve covered a variety of sports from press boxes and sidelines and once sat cross-legged in a corner of an overpacked gym for a sub-state basketball game. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/23/hargis-noisy-bruisers-prove-again-they-get-serious/ When the idea first came about to group all five spring sports’ state championships together at one site for an Olympic-style event, I never dreamed it would expand into what its become. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/22/hargis-fling-keeps-gaining-speed-15/ Without prompt action by Congress and President George W. Bush’s administration, Medicare will soon begin a financial decline from which it cannot be rescued. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/22/cleaveland-medicare-meltdown-still-looms/ Southeastern Conference baseball teams are preparing to play five games at this week’s double-elimination conference tournament in Hoover, Ala., typically a grueling event that keeps the bullpen doors swinging. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/21/epps-tight-slate-leaves-sec-clubs-weary/ Bruce Roberts is executive director of the California Council on Problem Gambling. Five years ago, he spoke to a civic group of 100 people and asked them to raise their hands if they knew someone who might have an addiction to gambling. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/21/wiedmer-gamblings-hold-sadly-evident-high-profile-/ No group of players, regardless of sport, was more eager to wash away the memory of last year’s Spring Fling with a new game than Lookout Valley’s six baseball seniors. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/21/hargis-jackets-seniors-now-have-more-pain-try-soot/ Grant money! Music to the ears of every entrepreneur and for good reason. Unlike Small Business Administration-backed loans, grants do not require you to pay back the money. They are, in effect, free money. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/20/riddell-free-us-money-offered-innovative-tech-firm/ As an 8-year-old in Pierson, Fla., like most kids who grew up in the 1970s and ’80s, Chipper Jones often heard stories about Mickey Mantle from his father. Mantle was the Hannah Montana for boys back then. Except more talented. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/20/epps-rejuvenated-jones-rising-ranks-switch-hitters/ Have you ever noticed how some people can’t stand to be told they’re anything less than perfect? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/19/mcleod-ego-tips-flawed-fabulous/ The writers strike opened the floodgate for even more reality shows on network television than one could have wished for or wanted. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/18/griscom-reality-show-gets-touch-reality/ My 50th birthday is at the end of May, but I’ve already been mailed a temporary AARP membership card. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/18/kennedy-getting-old-means-gray-hair-and-tv/ I really like to shop online instead of battling crowds in the mall. However, with all the news about online Identity Theft and credit card fraud, what can I do to make sure I’m protected with Internet purchases? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/17/consumer-watch-online-shoppers-can-protect-themsel/ Harris English, the laid-back former Baylor School star with all those state championship titles, grips his putter tightly and pretends to gash the Council Fire Golf Club green early Friday morning. You can likely relate: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/17/epps-haack-hug-helps-english-rally-65/ With the Spring Fling rapidly approaching, another prep sports year is drawing to a conclusion. And while there are still state champions to be crowned in Murfreesboro next week in baseball, soccer, softball, tennis and track, it will also mark the end of spring football. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/16/hargis-patrick-tops-deep-list-d-i-prospects/ Three-hundred and ninety-five days have come and gone since Drew Weaver first heard the gun shots on that horrific April 16th morning in 2007. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/15/wiedmer-vts-weaver-will-always-remember/ Going green doesn’t happen overnight. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/15/upton-gradually-going-green-makes-sense/ David Tyree wanted his money back. All $10,000 of it. He had no problem with then-New York Giants coach Jim Fassel fining him for being late to a team meeting. The soon-to-be 2003 NFL special-teams rookie of the year even thanked his coach for teaching him a lesson in professionalism. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/14/wiedmer-tyrees-tale-story-redemption/ “It’s not the cost of the sales you get; it’s the cost of the sales you don’t get.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/13/riddell-funnel-or-pipe-you-decide-entrepreneurship/ Jon Curran and Keegan Bradley are close friends. Really. An examination of the text messages they send to each other, however, would suggest they should ride in different carts on the golf course. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/13/chattanooga-pals-reunite-trash-talk-regional/ Wouldn’t it be great to work from home? You could come and go as you pleased; you’d always be available for your family; you could work in your bathrobe. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/12/mcleod-business-blunders-bathrobe-brigade/ Gov. Phil Bredesen must have felt like the Bill Murray character in “Goundhog Day.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/11/griscom-budget-battle-politics/ I received an e-mail several weeks ago from a proud mother. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/11/kennedy-tips-succeeding-college/ Doesn’t an airline have to compensate me if it deliberately overbooks and my connecting flight leaves without me? I’m really angry that I missed an important meeting last week. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/10/consumer-watch-bumping-rule-doubles-travelers-comp/ Since she was born, two months premature and weighing only 2 pounds, Emily Boeck has had an indomitable spirit. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/09/hargis-special-event-sadly-limited-legal-fears/ Admittedly, the year is still relatively young. A lot of athletes will make a lot of stupid decisions between now and the end of December. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/08/athletes-gone-wild-must-stop/ Despite the commercialization, Mother’s Day provides a time for the nation to pay tribute to moms. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/08/cleaveland-mothers-day-emphasizes-parenting/ Warily eyeing the honey mustard dressing clinging to his salad’s lettuce leaves, Roger Shultz proclaimed, “I’ve got to get some vinaigrette on this before I can eat it.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/07/chattanooga-former-bama-star-shultz-never-loses-hi/ In discussing the status of their business plans with operational timelines, it is not uncommon for many entrepreneurs to voice their concerns over “the right time” to launch their great adventure. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/06/riddell-days-gloom-masks-great-reasons-start-firm-/ Isn’t it amazing how much your eyesight improves right before you have houseguests? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/05/mcleodvisitors-improve-my-vision/ The IRS dropped $1,800 into my checking account last week, my family’s share of the economic stimulus rebate. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/04/kennedy-ll-do-till-mess-gets-here/ Providing a clear view of the actions of government should fall into a category of “without exception.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/04/griscom-creeping-exceptions-records/ Can we dish a little dirt here concerning today’s 134th running of the Kentucky Derby? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/03/arkansas-big-brown-may-have-lot-overcome/ My husband and I just returned from a nice 2-day weekend, paid for by a timeshare corporation. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/03/consumer-watch-never-view-timeshare-purchase-inves/ Sophomore forward Duke Crews and sophomore point guard Ramar Smith will not return to the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team, coach Bruce Pearl said Friday. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/03/knoxville-ramar-smith-crews-vols/ He ranks in the top three among National League rookies in almost every hitting category, surely raising some glasses back in Ontario at Via Allegro. That’s an Italian restaurant where Joey Votto’s mother used to work as the sommelier. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/03/atlanta-ex-lookout-votto-seems-his-way-reds-succes/ It’s been a pretty good couple of weeks for The Impressions. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/02/courter-honors-and-releases-continue-impressions/ News travels quickly through the halls of a small school. So when David Brainerd Christian School sealed the District 5-A regular season baseball title earlier this week, the players were immediate rock stars at the tiny school. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/02/chattanooga-second-year-wildcats-are-5--champs/ Chattanooga may not play host to big-name acts as often as we might like, but in Scenic City, we have ways of getting around that: tribute bands. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/02/phillips-paying-tribute-tributers/ v http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/01/university-tennessee-chattanooga-dont-expect-nix-s/ I must sound the alarm on myself. We’re almost halfway through 2008, and I have barely made progress on my New Year’s resolution to banish chronic tardiness from my life forever. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/01/upton-paying-price-lateness/ Rumor has it that the hottest drink on the Knoxville bar scene is a curious concoction called the Scotty Hopson. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/30/knoxville-basketballs-become-big-orange-deal/ Successful entrepreneurs almost unanimously attest to the value of a good set of advisers. Whether it is a formal board or an informal group, these entrepreneurs know only too well that historical perspectives and opinions have an important role to play in their decision processes. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/29/riddell-board-advisers-entrepreneurship/ But what about me? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/28/mcleod-deafening-sound-dueling-couples/ I am afraid of heights. I remember the day this phobia enveloped me. I was watching a basketball game high inside Thompson-Boling Arena at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville when I was overcome with dread — as if, at any moment, I could fall head-first, screaming like a little girl, to an ugly death below. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/27/kennedy-im-afraid-heights-so-sue-me/ Age is counted in many ways. For newspaper readers, the measure of being older would be recalling the days of multiple newspapers in midsize and larger cities. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/27/griscom-new-tack-same-standard/ I’m tired of my computer [Manufacturer’s name is absent to protect the guilty — and this newspaper!) that constantly acts up. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/26/consumer-watch-get-your-friends-recommendations-hi/ Last night (more than a week ago to you), I visited my first radio station. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/25/phillips-public-radio-pledge-drives-pressure-fille/ Radio, nationally and locally, is in flux. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/25/courter-lot-us-radio-looking-answers/ Like many aging Americans, I worry about my waistline which seems to expand despite my best efforts at diet and exercise. I have invoked the rationalization that my increasing girth is related to aging. But this is a flimsy alibi. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/24/cleaveland-belly-fat-can-be-time-bomb/ Frameworks are important tools for entrepreneurial managers. Not only do they provide a cohesive system, they also provide a generally easy-to-organize set of requirements that can be used time and time again. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/22/six-ps-business-help-manager-organize-tasks/ Urban Meyer remembers looking into the Florida sun and watching fans file into the upper deck in search of an empty seat at his first Gators spring football game. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/22/florida-spring-game-outpouring-catching/ Is your inner lizard gnawing away at your happiness? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/21/mcleod-scariest-reptile-all-deep-within/ One of the advantages of growing up in a lower-middle-class household is that you don’t acquire expensive tastes. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/20/kennedy-poor-boy-solutions-money-woes/ WASHINGTON — One might have viewed the parade of two Democrats and one Republican vying to be president as playing to the audience filled with newspaper editors and publishers from across the country. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/20/and-then-there-will-be-two/ Recently, I picked up a prescription from my doctor’s office; I assumed it was written correctly as nothing in my records has changed from previous prescriptions. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/19/consumer-watch-doublecheck-prescription-see-if-doc/ Before the first pitch was thrown, the baseball season could easily have come unwound for Dalton High School. Instead, Bob Brotherton has made sure the stitching at one of the area’s proudest baseball programs stayed tightly wound. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/18/brotherton-fast-winner-dalton/ Roger Alan Wade and cousin Johnny Knoxville will soon be hosting a music show for Sirius Satellite Radio called The Junkie and the Juicer, according to Wade. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/18/courter-wade-johnny-knoxville-teaming-sirius/ One aspect of my personality that is a definite carryover from childhood is that I hate waiting for things. I dislike being held up in traffic, slow downloads and more than one bottle of ketchup has been chucked prematurely for taking too long to give up the goods. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/18/phillips-how-ebay-helped-add-harem/ What should be done if medicare has patient's date of birth wrong? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/17/what-should-be-done-if-medicare-has-patients-date-/ Reasonable men can argue whether Adam “Pacman” Jones deserves a second chance in the National Football League. There should be no argument over whether or not the Dallas Cowboys deserve Pacman Jones. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/17/pacman-and-cowboys-are-perfect-fit/ Years ago, while writing in my bedroom one night, I was caught off guard by a rap on my window one night. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/17/upton-fight-fear-or-it-will-just-grow/ Pat Head phoned home following the first basketball game she coached at Tennessee — an 84-83 loss to Mercer on Dec. 7, 1974, in front of about 50 fans — with a sense of anxiety. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/15/summitt-still-gets-through-still-gets-titles/ In this time of increased challenge, business leaders are waking up to the reality that developing customer loyalty is much more than a nice slogan or a suggestion for employee bumper stickers. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/15/finding-help-struggle-weighs-heavy/ “We need to talk.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/14/hey-guys-put-down-remote/ This session of the Tennessee General Assembly will be remembered for the number of gun bills. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/13/when-liberties-collide/ You are no doubt familiar with happy hour. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/13/kennedy-dont-be-late-church/ Q: Even though I’ve signed up for the National Do Not Call Registry (www.donotcall.gov) and contacted Direct Marketing Association’s anti-spam and anti-junk mail registries (dmaconsumers.org), some of these “marketer” leeches still bother me. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/12/consumer-watch-put-barrier-junk-calls-mail/ Two years ago Brandt Snedeker was second at the Chattanooga Classic. This morning he’s second at the Masters. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/12/snedekers-dream-becoming-real-imaginations-help/ He called the trim of his pants “pistachio,” and he dubbed the stripes of his vest “emerald.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/11/will-another-surprise-arise-early-masters-leaders/ Spring is a natural time for change, and pretty soon, I’ll be hit with a pretty big one — I’ve got to move. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/11/phillips-abandoning-fortress-solitude/ The Chattanooga Market has officially been , and new owner/operator Chris Thomas and his staff are busy getting ready for opening day on April 27. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/11/courter-chattanooga-market-sale-finalized/ Learning of the 4,000th American fatality in Iraq, I thought at once of Eleanor Roosevelt’s wartime prayer: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/10/cleaveland-soldiers-deserve-respect/ Here is a simple test. Take a moment and write down in two or three sentences your description of your company’s main product or service. Don’t spend an exorbitant amount of time; just try to capture on paper the words you most often use in discussions with stakeholders. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/08/its-benefits-salespeople-should-sell/ “How’s your author’s new dating book selling?” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/07/mcleod-funny-fall-grace/ As a lifelong worrier, I keep mental files on turbulent years. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/06/kennedy-year-feels-oh-1973/ “A city with a great library is a great city” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/06/griscom-key-part-any-great-city/ Q: From my past experiences with real estate agents, I’ve concluded that they don’t always work on behalf of their clients. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/05/consumer-watch-make-sure-your-real-estate-agent-do/ Have you ever listened to a band bring out an instrument that’s either totally unexpected or so exotic that your first reaction is to recoil in horror? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/04/phillips-artists-dabbling-left-field-surprisingly-/ And then I shook hands with the president of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/04/memories-flow-20-final-fours/ Former Chattanoogan Sorrel Hays will have her newest opera showcased in early May by the New York City Opera at VOX, an annual two-day festival for new operatic works. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/04/courter-new-york-opera-present-sorrel-hays-work/ There was no mistaking the tone in Tara Bowman’s voice. She couldn’t disguise the anger and hurt she felt after learning that her son, former Notre Dame High School star Adarius Bowman, had been arrested Tuesday night for possession of marijuana. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/04/bowmans-mother-hot-about-pot/ I spent last weekend writing, talking about writing and listening to people talk about writing. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/03/upton-writing-gives-us-energy/ Having just thrown out the ceremonial first pitch of the Lookouts’ exhibition game against Chattanooga State on Tuesday night, Corky Miller was headed for a seat along the first-base line when team owner Frank Burke approached. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/02/corky-visits-throw-not-catch-first-pitch/ Effective selling is the key activity for survival in a down economy, yet for many entrepreneurs this simply means brushing up on the features of their products or services or perhaps even introducing some new ones. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/apr/01/two-mantras-selling/ Give till it hurts. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/30/give--get-assumptions-hold-us-back/ Mayor Ron Littlefield has delivered his third state of the city address. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/30/griscom-aiming-city-learners/ The Easter Bunny is on his deathbed. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/30/kennedy-easter-bunny-blues/ Q: I tried to change my cell phone carrier and was horrified to learn that breaking my contract would result in a $200 early termination fee. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/29/consumer-watch/ Aren’t weekends supposed to be relaxing affairs filled with badminton, shuffleboard and other lawn sports? Well, that was my understanding based on years of watching far too much BBC programming. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/28/phillips-suffering-music-weekend-dollywood/ The news last week that Chattanooga State would be selling the license for WAWLFM 91.5 and converting to an online version was not met with universal approval. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/28/courter-clearing-air-regarding-wawls-sale/ They lined up along Faculty Drive late Wednesday afternoon, four and five deep, quite possibly more folks than Davidson College’s 1,700 total students. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/27/davidson-enjoying-life-sweet-16/ We finish yard chores or a workout, turn on the tap and fill a glass of cool water to drink. We trust that this water will be safe, and in most of America it is. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/27/cleaveland-assuring-safe-drinking-water-everyone/ Most Tennessee fans probably cringed when Candace Parker grabbed her shoulder in pain after attempting to steal a pass just five minutes into Tuesday’s game. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/26/shouldered-load/ Tennessee associate head coach Holly Warlick left the Mackey Arena floor during Purdue’s first-round NCAA women’s basketball game Sunday, turned a corner in the tunnel and saw coach Pat Summitt. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/25/summitt-wants-it-loud-purdue/ One part stylist, one part shrink, one part fortune-teller; he’s nixed half my wardrobe, but in a single two-hour meeting he showed me how I can look better at age 44 than I did at 20. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/24/frumpy-turns-fashion-forward/ In 1965, when I was 7 years old, my family bought a little red Volkswagen. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/23/kennedy-gas-spike-will-boost-smart-car/ The countdown is under way. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/23/griscom-search-obama-fox/ Well, it looks like another banner year for my bracket. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/22/ncaa-bracket-bad-start/ Every college basketball fan with a filled bracket and a TV knows the feeling. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/22/free-throws-so-important-so-frustratingly-ugly/ As the Butler Bulldogs were entering the BJCC Arena on Thursday afternoon for their shoot-around, a security guard stopped senior point guard A.J. Graves, pointed at first-year coach Brad Stevens and asked, “Is that your coach? He looks like a player.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/22/young-coach-gives-butler-good-shot/ Q: We’ve had to use the funds put aside for our high school senior’s college tuition to pay for unexpected and expensive medical treatments. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/22/consumer-watch-yanking-cash-your-home-reduces-equi/ My friend David Hemphill died earlier this week. For years, David worked as part of the crew that traveled with Alabama. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/21/courter-leaving-behind-lifetimes-worth-laughs/ Today is my favorite day of the year. Well, not the day you’re reading this but the day I’m writing it, which is St. Patrick’s Day. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/21/phillips-st-patricks-day-loved-many-forgotten-quic/ It was sometime during the semifinals of the boys’ state basketball tournament last weekend that it hit me. It is now clearer than ever that other than in Class A, Chattanooga teams are no threat to win a public school state championship any time soon. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/21/too-many-schools-hamilton/ Remember the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day”? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/20/upton-getting-unstuck-life/ When last week started, University of Georgia president Dr. Michael Adams (a graduate of Chattanooga High School) probably thought his next meeting with Dennis Felton would be in his office with athletic director Damon Evans, not in Georgia Tech’s basketball coliseum celebrating an SEC championship. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/19/five-minutes-uga-president-dr-michael-adams/ Bruce Pearl said he wasn’t complaining Monday about Tennessee’s inclusion in the same bracket as North Carolina. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/19/march-19-sec-mens-basketball-rankings/ If you’re Arizona State, Dayton, Syracuse or Virginia Tech this week, you’re just plain March Mad. You rightly believe you had a basketball season worthy of an NCAA bid, and now you’ve been relegated to the Nobody’s Interested Tournament. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/19/mad-part-what-makes-march-great/ While sales and selling are always important, selling effectiveness takes on heightened impact in uncertain economic times. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/18/perception-problem-customer-solution-entrepreneurs/ June 6, 1985. My mother circled the date on the calendar, informing me that from that moment forward, I would no longer be on her payroll. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/17/how-do-you-grow-grown-/ The Pickle Barrel is a Market Street landmark, a quirky little restaurant shaped like a triangle with curved windows and an outdoor terrace. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/16/kennedy-last-call-fun-frivolity/ The crowd waited in great anticipation for the exact moment to shout, “We’re Number Three!” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/16/griscom-were-number-three/ Q: I always find myself in trouble over extended warranties. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/15/consumer-watch-repairs-sometimes-cost-less-repairs/ Before the Tennessee men’s basketball team arrived here for the Southeastern Conference tournament, Volunteers coach Bruce Pearl joked about the Big Orange Nation’s reluctance to believe UT could win the event. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/15/vols-fans-skeptical-abundant/ Billy Donovan signaled for a timeout. His Florida Gators’ SEC tournament game against Alabama was all of 65 seconds old. Bama’s lead was a gargantuan 4-zip. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/14/donovan-not-surprised-gators-lousy-against-bama/ It’s always exciting to feel like you’ve discovered something. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/14/phillips-discovering-new-artists-undeniable-thrill/ Andre Le Roux is four days into his visit to Chattanooga from South Africa, where he is manager of the Southern Music Rights Organization Endowment for the National Arts. SAMRO oversees music publishing in that country much the same way ASCAP does here, Leroux said. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/14/courter-allied-arts-hosting-south-african-arts-man/ Add translator to Dave Clawson’s job description. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/14/vols-unlearning-some/ Forget everything that had come to be expected from Chattanooga prep basketball at the TSSAA Division I state tournament in the last 10 years. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/14/new-chattanooga-look-teams-left-not-class/ Over the next week to 10 days Wes Moore is going to say and do all the right things regarding his coaching future at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/14/moore-should-weigh-his-options-carefully/ Among options for health-care reform, political candidates should consider a well-established government plan with a substantial track record and a high approval rating among participants. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/13/cleaveland-federal-workers-their-insurance/ Walter McGary reluctantly pulled out the newspaper clippings a few days ago. Seems his Howard School basketball team couldn’t believe their slow-walking, slow-talking, gray-haired coach was one of the finest players in University of Tennessee at Chattanooga history. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/12/mcgarys-way-has-howard-highway-state-success/ JaJuan Smith slumped his weary body into a chair inside the University of Tennessee’s media room inside Thompson-Boling Arena late Sunday afternoon. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/11/after-league-title-vols-aim-more/ Well, unfortunately for Tennessee fans, we’re at that time of year again. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/11/vols-must-overcome-their-history/ Want to improve your marriage? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/10/girlfriend-can-save-marriage/ My mind races. There are reasons: advancing age, caffeine, daily deadlines, parenthood. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/09/kennedy-simple-gifts-melt-away-my-stress/ For those who have observed the political career of Curtis Adams spanning more than two decades, he always has been flexible. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/09/griscom-crafty-strategy-tax-us/ Q: My wife and I would like to “gift” our daughter and her new husband with enough money to help them build a new home this year. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/08/consumer-watch-dont-let-generosity-become-taxing-e/ I think our dog is possessed. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/08/cooper-will-j103-soothe-savage-beast/ After 11 years as an alternative-rock station, WDOD-FM 96.5 has switched its format to Top 40, according to Danny Howard, director of programming and operations. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/07/courter-965-mountain-goes-top-40/ In the wild, survival instinct hard-coded by Mother Nature drives animals to flee the advance of a forest fire at the hint of smoke on the wind. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/07/phillips-trent-reznor-follows-radiohead-online-dis/ Beginning Friday afternoon, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Lady Mocs will focus on basketball only. From now on one loss could be their last loss, even if they haven’t lost once in 2008. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/06/utcs-moore-keeps-focus/ Alfred (not his real name) had noticed erratic changes in his nephew Jay’s behavior. Normally a pleasant and easygoing kid, Jay had reported that people were following him, and he seemed unusually paranoid and distrustful — even of family members. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/06/upton-mentally-ill-need-help-family/ The stock market took another hit Tuesday. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/05/favres-retirement-hits-hard-all-over/ Most of us are quite familiar with the old saying that the “devil is in the details.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/04/bidding-success-entrepreneurship/ Norm Parker remembers the empty brown seats, hearing the coaches shout instructions over the sound of a bouncing basketball and experiencing a sense of emptiness during games at Thompson-Boling Arena. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/04/tennessee-now-state-winners/ I confess. I’m an optimist. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/03/confessions-cheerful-sunny-person/ One thing is certain from the confusing signals being sent in Georgia’s attempt to wrest water from three of its neighboring states: Negotiation is not a strength of the Peach State. The Carter Center notwithstanding, the word “diplomacy” appears to have been omitted. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/02/griscom-georgias-diplomacy-drought/ First, Georgia lawmakers proposed a brazen land grab to claim a sliver of the Tennessee River for the parched peach state. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/02/kennedy-world-needs-much-more-clean-water/ After years of wishing for a screen porch, I finally contracted to build one onto my house. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/mar/01/consumer-watch-homeowners-contract-should-be-paper/ Almost exactly two years ago, Florida’s women’s basketball team used overtime to upset Tennessee in Knoxville, tarnishing the last home game for those Lady Vols seniors. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/29/seniors-shine-lady-vols-rout/ For almost 15 years, I’ve traveled the same route between my kids’ elementary school and their high school. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/29/courter-how-do-you-teach-teen-something-he-already/ On Valentine’s Day, while other people were engaging in vivid, shocking displays of public affection with their warm body of choice, I was getting a soft and fuzzy feeling from a completely different activity. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/29/phillips-stevie-wonder-receives-dose-love-v-day/ When Howard basketball coach Walter McGary walked into the locker room prior to Wednesday’s Region 3-AA championship game against McMinn Central, every iPod was shut off and all eyes focused on him. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/28/mcgarys-hustlin-tigers-ready-state-title-run/ Each time she brings home another sports trophy, seven-year-old Josie Bono tells her father, “Daddy, I’m catching up to you.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/28/bono-could-bring-home-olympic-gold/ How can we ensure that the food we purchase in supermarkets and restaurants is safe? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/28/cleaveland-how-safe-our-food-supply/ Few things can match the intensity of family competition. Add in the anxiety that comes when both teams are facing the potential end to promising seasons, and Tuesday’s Region 3-A semifinals become the most dramatic night of boys’ high school basketball all season. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/27/long-friendships-are-also-long-local-class-rivalri/ Everyone else was missing everything. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/27/foster-commodores-life-support-pulls-plug-vols-no-/ The progress of technology in the communications arena continues to advance the “work from anywhere” notion. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/26/hiring-managing-remote-staffer-requires-wisdom/ The best part is the stories. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/26/underdogs-lift-laughingstock/ Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie led “The Simple Life.” My grandparents are experiencing the bliss of the afterlife. But after a few decades of hassling with real life, my family and I have decided that we’re going to live “The Virtual Life.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/24/virtues-and-vices-virtual-life/ We’re trying something new with our 6-year-old son: pay-as-you-go allowance. I no longer peel off a $5 bill every Saturday morning to reward mere solid citizenship. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/24/kennedy-no-reward-good-citizenship/ Last week a former colleague in the media in Tennessee shared the news that the final words for an obituary had been dictated to a professional writer in Knoxville. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/24/griscom-aggressive-newsman-board/ Q: A couple of weeks ago, I received a text message from what I thought was my credit card company’s issuing bank. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/23/consumer-watch-banks-dont-call-e-mail-you-asking-p/ UTC’s McKenzie Arena is 25 years old this year. While I’m proud to say I was not at opening night for the Kenny Rogers concert, I have attended more than a few events in the building over the last two and a half decades. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/22/courter-25-years-monster-trucks-circuses-and-conce/ Even though Austin, Texas, is 975 miles and more than 14 hours away (so sayeth Mapquest), the influence of its annual music and film bash, South by Southwest, is making waves in Chattanooga. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/22/phillips-road-sxsw-passes-through-scenic-city/ The Tennessee student section could wait no longer. For nearly 39 minutes they had held their tongues, pretending to focus on beating Auburn with the same fervor their basketball team had shown from Wednesday night’s opening tap. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/21/vols-can-turn-focus-real-tigers-now/ I once attended a training where the speaker asked those present to participate in an exercise. We were to break up into pairs and tell each other about our week, highlighting the negative parts. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/21/upton-attitude-adjustment-delivers-joy/ Last week we discussed the opportunity side of the recession equation for those willing to take the risk and invest in making their sales focus more effective. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/19/get-sales-staff-focus-customer-recession-threatens/ James “Flip” Lyle will compete in a triathlon on March 9, his 63rd birthday. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/19/lyle-guinness-guy/ We all have weaknesses. What are yours? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/18/dont-focus-flaws-be-fabulous/ Sometimes in winter, our happy home turns into a sick house. Last week, for instance, everyone in my family of four was either heaving, sniffling or panting with pain. It was misery. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/17/kennedy-returning-health-great/ A few days ago a father shared the story of his son, an avid baseball fan, who was shattered when one of his heroes stumbled — not on the field of play but on the ethical sidelines. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/17/griscom-where-did-public-trust-go/ Q: A couple of years ago, I had a bad experience with a contractor. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/16/consumer-watchselecting-builder-needs-references-p/ What is it about train wrecks that people find so interesting? We love to watch a good train wreck, and the nastier the better. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/15/courter-train-wreck-spotting-now-national-pastime/ If the next few months of the performance calendar are any indication, it is a very good time to be a fan of classic music living in Chattanooga. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/15/phillips-why-coming-months-will-sound-distinctly-o/ Readers responded to my December invitation for nominees for humorous books with a rich array. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/14/cleaveland-books-bring-us-laughter/ Ramel Bradley is one of the Kentucky basketball players whose return to health has helped the Wildcats return to NCAA tournament consideration, Tuesday’s loss at Vanderbilt aside. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/13/uk-no-longer-needs-miracle/ The cheer began in the Vanderbilt student section about two minutes into Tuesday night’s second half against Kentucky. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/13/vanderbilts-uk-runaway-defies-logic/ As promised in last week’s column, this week will be a continuation of more specific examples to help weather the turbulence of the recessionary storm. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/12/prepare-now-recessions-part-ii/ Has there ever been a human desire more fraught with disappointment and misunderstanding than the art of romance? http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/11/month-love-lingerie-letdown/ There are numerous reasons why people choose to be journalists. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/10/griscom-make-long-story-short/ I love a good ice chewing. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/10/kennedy-my-cup-runs-over-ice/ Q: As a senior-age lady who wished to find a compatible gentleman to dine with, go to the theater, etc., I found myself in a terrible situation when I paid a lot of money to a local matchmaking company. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/09/consumer-watch-jilted-matchmaker-give-mediation-ch/ Lurone Jennings II had an idea a couple of years ago. He wanted to recognize local high school football players who displayed enough talent on the field to earn college scholarships and enough character off it to be honored in a church fellowship hall. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/08/5th-quarter-dinner-about-more-just-football/ I did something this week I haven’t done in years. Decades even. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/08/courter-super-bowl-xlii-good-start-finish/ Dear readers, in a matter of weeks, I will be homeless. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/08/phillips-musical-vagabonds-looking-home/ African-American history is complex, filled with tales of trials, triumphs, sudden and smooth forward motion and overall bumpy progress. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/07/upton-black-history-civil-rights-then-and-now/ Pretend you’re any of 11 Southeastern Conference basketball coaches other than Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl. Your task is to beat Pearl’s seventh-ranked Vols, who have now won 20 of 22 games after Tuesday night’s 104-82 victory over two-time defending national champ Florida. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/06/non-stop-vols-shrug-bad-start/ After much tiptoeing through the proverbial tulips, many business leaders and financial experts are using the recession word in their prognostications. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/05/getting-ready-recession/ Where have all our manners gone? Gone into cyberspace, every one. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/04/dont-send-others-your-sappy-e-mail/ “Daddy, does the garage-door opener work down here?” my 6-year-old son asked one day last week as we cruised down Market Street. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/03/kennedy-yes-son-theyre-asleep-china/ In 1994 Republicans vying to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives issued a Contract With America. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/03/griscom-priorities-conquer-timetable/ Q: Several months ago, I began receiving a pathology bill from a procedure performed well over a year ago. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/02/consumer-watch-consumer-responsible-doctor-bill-no/ Two weeks ago, I wrote about Heath Ledger’s role in the Bob Dylan biopic “I’m Not There.” Last week, he died. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/01/phillips-what-happens-when-star-blinks-out/ As a high school student in the band at Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences, Marshunda Smith attended a couple of summer music camps and programs. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/01/courter-chattanoogan-takes-conductors-baton/ Health spending for 2006 is summarized in the January/February issue of Health Affairs. The numbers paint an alarming picture of a health-care system that is spinning out of financial control. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/31/cleaveland-health-care-spending-still-soaring/ The words “technology transfer” are relatively easy to say and equally easy to understand. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/29/event-looks-technology-transfers/ I don’t mention my dad often in this column, but, at age 72, he’s a wealth of wisdom. Here, in his own words, is a classic Jay Earle story that always inspires me: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/28/mcleod-put-hand-and-take-your-hat-my-dad/ Clay Bennett is the editorial cartoonist for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/27/griscom-criticism-minus-harshness/ Until recently, I never understood shopping nostalgia. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/27/kennedy-downtown-shopping-memories/ Twice in recent weeks, we became victims of illegal use of our credit cards. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/26/consumer-watch-credit-insurance-appears-not-worth-/ Pollsters are taking some heat in the political arena right now, but sometimes they do really important work that deserves our attention. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/25/courter-which-tv-workplace-would-you-pick/ As I sit here listening to The Edge paving the sonic pathway to Bono’s opening lines in U2’s “In God’s Country,” I’m thinking back with muddled feelings about my sneak peek at “U2 3D.” http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/25/phillips-u2-3d-promising-fails-meet-expectations/ A few days ago, my parents finally returned from a three-year sojourn to Africa. Family members gathered at Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport to watch them emerged bewildered, jet-lagged and happy from the plane. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/24/happy-my-parents-are-home-upton/ Dumb-blonde jokes aside, LaFrance found that people perceive women with long straight hair http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/21/mcleod-do-your-locks-spell-l-o-s-e-r/ I can dribble a basketball 500 times in a minute. Honest. I timed myself. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/20/kennedy-dribbling-my-old-age/ Twenty people gathered for four hours last week to struggle with the issue of civility in politics. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/20/griscom-when-politics-squares-politics/ Q: Many seniors who enter nursing homes as Medicaid patients or their original Medicare benefits run out while living there must reduce personal assets to a maximum of $2,000. Since the face amount of life insurance is considered an asset by the state, these elderly have been forced by state caseworkers in the past to irrevocably assign their insurance to a funeral home for future costs (i.e. “pre-need” funeral insurance). http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/19/comsumer-watch-funeral-trusts-set-aside-money-unti/ K. David Harrison, an assistant professor in the linguistics department at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, finds himself today in a place he never imagined he would be, and he has been in some unusual places around the world. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/18/courter-harrison-subject-film-sundance/ Thanks to the continuing Writers Guild of America strike, Sunday's Golden Globe awards show went off with a pretty severe hitch in its giddyap. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/18/phillips-movies-music-topic-worth-tackling/ By Dr. Clif CleavelandCommentary Fish, while important in a healthy diet, poses a risk due to widespread contamination with methylmercury (MeHg). The quiet nature of this danger became evident to me some years ago during a canoeing vacation on the http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/16/Cleaveland-Mercury-hazard-is-real/ Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary What would make you happy? Are you dreaming about wealth? Beauty? A new car? Maybe if you had the brains and bucks to attend a fancy school like Harvard and were poised for a lifetime of greatness, you would already http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/13/McLeod-Hoping-for-happiness-in-the-halls-of/ By Ellen PhillipsCommentary Q: My younger daughter was married over the holidays. Outside of the immediate families and the wedding party, we invited 160 guests to the wedding and the sit-down dinner afterwards. This meal was far from cheap. Yet, http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/11/Consumer-Watch-Heading-off-uninvited-guests-can/ There is a longtime saying that a day is a lifetime in politics. The early returns in the quest for the Republican and Democratic presidential nominations are but one more reminder to be careful when http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/10/Griscom-The-gentle-buzz-saw-of-reality/ By Barry CourterCity Beat Friends of the Festival talent and production coordinator Dixie Fuller said this week he was asked by Ashley Capps of AC Entertainment about Riverbend and his office working together to book acts. AC handles Bonnaroo but http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/10/Courter-Riverbend-City-Stages-AC/ By Casey PhillipsIn Tune Chances are, if you're a Chattanoogan and you're at one of the venues we have listed in our Club Scene, you're not at a concert or listening to live music. You're not rocking out at JJ's, the Local, Midtown or Rhythm http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/10/Phillips-Finding-guilty-pleasure-in-Scenic-City/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories Laura Aldrich, 41, walks gingerly in her Crocs. Her body is tired from waking up to an alarm clock at 4 a.m. Mothering eight children, including two with special needs, can take the bounce out of your step, too. Seven http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/10/Kennedy-Good-life-can-take-a-Uturn/ Tabi UptonMind Matters I recently asked someone what their New Year's resolution was going to be. "Nothing, because I never keep them anyway, and then I just feel like a failure," came the reply. I completely understood. I recently looked back http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/09/Upton-Making-resolutions-stick/ Mark KennedyLife Stories I always detect Jan Galletta standing behind my chair just before she actually says hello. This is by Jan's design. I'm sort of goosey, and so people sidle up to my desk for fear that I'll get startled and yelp. Jan just http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/07/Kennedy-Miss-Jan-will-be-missed/ Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary What to do, what to do? Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant at 16. Older sister Britney's train wreck of a life gets wilder every day. And I have yet to make my New Year's resolutions. This was going to be the year I gave up http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/06/McLeod-Giving-up-gossip-is-a-big-deal/ Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor The term "bulldog edition" is couched in great mystery as to origin and exact meaning. For those not familiar with the phrase, the reference is not to the University of Georgia Bulldog Nation. And it does http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/05/Griscom-Bulldog-edition-goes-to-kennel-in-the-sky/ Q: I’m a small business owner but, even as an individual I’m really interested in saving money. Whenever I see a rebate offer and the item is what I plan to buy anyway, I’m glad to get a bit of funds back for my loyalty. However, http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/05/Consumer-Watch-Rebates-require-exactness-for/ With the advent of the new year, I've taken a look at my musical listening habits, and I can't say I'm super pleased with what I've noticed. So at a time of year when people usually commit themselves to losing weight or giving up assorted vices, http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/03/Phillips-Music-immersion-needs-to-go-hardcore/ By Barry CourterCity Beat The experiment that was Cookin' on the Quarter on New Year's Eve at First Tennessee Pavilion was a success by all accounts. Holding a concert/party on Dec. 31 in an outdoor, albeit covered, venue was a risk, but http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/03/Courter-New-Years-Eve-at-outdoor-pavilion-a/ By Ellen PhillipsCommentary Q: I'm a small business owner but, even as an individual, I'm really interested in saving money. Whenever I see a rebate offer and the item is what I plan to buy anyway, I'm glad to get a bit of funds back for my http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jan/02/Consumer-Watch-Small-business-owner-wonders-if/ Lisa Earle McLeod Is there anyone out there who thinks their child married well? A hand-painted sign beside a country store says it all: "Closed Sept 7. When my one and only daughter marries that sorry, no-count, worthless, shiftless John http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/30/McLeod-Inlaw-anguish-How-dare-you-be-different/ By Ellen PhillipsCommentary Q: My wife and I have a great consumer hint for your readers. After several service calls about our refrigerator, one of the guys finally told us about cleaning the unit's coils, which has saved us a lot of grief and http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/28/Consumer-Watch-Keeping-your-refrigerator-coils/ By Barry CourterCity Beat For almost two decades, Billy Baker has entertained families in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. For nearly as long, Melissa Franklin has been producing shows in the East Tennessee area, though the two have never worked together. The http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/27/Courter-Theater-productions-at-ChooChoo-will/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor At a holiday party a young man inserted himself into a conversation. The topic that spurred his interest was the reference to the Commodore 64, a workhorse personal computer of a bygone era. He http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/27/Griscom-In-new-year-resolve-to-have-real/ By Casey PhillipsIn Tune Assuming you just read the title to this week's column, you may be wondering how someone who's only been "on the scene" for seven months can adequately look back at the last year in local music. The answer, friends, is http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/27/Phillips-New-Year-means-time-for-a-local-music/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories I recently bought a book called "Microtrends" at a charity book sale. It cost me a buck. "Microtrends" (Twelve, $26) was written by Mark Penn, the guy who isolated "soccer moms" -- young suburban mothers -- as a potent http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/27/Trend-alert-Whered-all-the-men-go/ John F. Riddell Jr. This is the time when it is customary for folks to pause, reflect and give thanks for the positives that have come their way this past year. Perhaps there is no group of people who have more to be thankful for than http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/24/Riddell-Owners-should-thank-customers-good/ By Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary I have just seen one of the world's worst TV commercials, a 30-second spot for the Toyota Sienna. Picture this: An all-American Dad in his weekend DIY, handy-husband work garb -- jeans, a scruffy paint-spattered T http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/22/McLeod-Peeling-van-potatoes-off-the-driveway/ By Ellen PhillipsCommentary Q: My siblings and I are caretakers for our great-aunt who lives in a nursing home. Even after her Medicare benefits shortly run out, she has enough savings to last for a long time. Even so, her husband was a World War http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/21/Consumer-Watch-Veterans-widow-can-get-VA-money/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Congress takes it on the chin for numerous foibles. When it comes to partisan bickering, it is difficult to look past the 535 members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives for a better http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/20/Griscom-Tennessee-becoming-worse-than-Congress/ Casey PhillipsIn Tune Well, it took until less than a week before Christmas for the holiday cheer to hit, but I'm finally caught up in the spirit of the season. Still, with the weather fluctuating between tropical balminess and barely mild, an http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/20/Phillips-Reclaiming-Christmas-spirit-through-a/ Barry CourterCity Beat Sometime this morning, workers will begin drilling four holes into the concrete at First Tennessee Pavilion. The openings are being made to hold support towers for a permanent rectangular rigging grid that will be in place http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/20/Courter-Pavilion-rigging-rises-to-the-level-of/ John F. Riddell Jr. Human capital and the ways to attract and retain it continue to hold a position of prominence in today's business thinking. A January study by Hewitt Associates Research, a prominent HR firm, has established a clear link http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/17/RiddellTechnology-can-help-employee-retention/ Lisa Earle McLeod Has there ever been an endeavor at which more well-meaning, hard-working people have tried, and ultimately fallen short, than the fine art of parenting? Being a mom or dad is a tough job but, let's be honest here, it's Mummy who http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/16/McLeod-Is-Mom-the-monkey-in-the-middle/ By Ellen PhillipsCommentary Q: Several couples are going on a Christmas cruise. I know we'll be fine while on the ship, but what if a medical emergency occurs while we're on shore at some of the smaller ports? -- Panicked Patty A: Dear Patty: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/14/Consumer-Watch-Trust-your-gut-when-getting/ By Casey PhillipsIn Tune For the last week, dear readers, Comcast has cut me off from the outside world. Since Saturday, my TV and Internet connections have been on the fritz, and as a result, I've been severed from my main source for music and http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/13/Phillips-The-morality-of-musical-solitary/ By Barry CourterCity Beat There are at least two positives from the game tonight at Finley Stadium being sold out. First, it's sold out, and second, we haven't had to hear the pleas from city officials and event organizers about how we need to http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/13/Courter-Game-tonight-a-sellout-because-its-a/ Tonight marks the one-year anniversary of one of the biggest marketing alterations in NCAA football history. But just in case you've forgotten, a year ago this weekend was when Division I-AA officially became reclassified as the Football http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/13/Tonight-marks-the-oneyear-anniversary-of-one-of/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor The latest Associated Press story assessing the ups and downs of holiday sales is but one more reminder of things missing. Ringing cash registers may have replaced the Salvation Army bell ringers for http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/13/Griscom-Volunteer-effort-at-market-demonstrates/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories Last week, I went to see “The Nutcracker” at the Tivoli Theatre with my son’s kindergarten class. It was a learning experience. To start with, my 6-year-old is dubious about the whole idea of Dad http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/13/Kennedy-Little-Man-meets-the-Nutcracker/ John F. Riddell Jr.While the holiday season means many things to people, smart entrepreneurs have learned how to use this period to position their companies for success. They accomplish this by recognizing that this time of the year is great for http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/10/RiddellUse-December-to-plan-next-growth-steps/ Lisa earle McLeod If your daughter needed a kidney, would you give her one of yours? Of course you would. But would you think about how to prepare her spirit to receive it? I recently interviewed John St. Augustine, an author and executive http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/09/McLeod-Be-prepared-to-receive-a-gift-of-love/ By Ellen PhillipsCommentary Q: With the holidays approaching, what should I do when I try to return a product without a sales receipt but the salesperson refuses to refund, exchange, or credit? -- Helpless Helene A: Dear Helpless: Been there, http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/07/Consumer-Watch-Return-without-receipt-may/ By Barry CourterCity Beat Last Friday I watched the South Pittsburg High School football team take on the Hampton High School team in a semifinal game at SPitt, as it is sometimes called. For my money, it's hard to beat Friday night football, and http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/06/Courter-Few-things-are-better-than-Friday-night/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories I drive past a white house at 3400 Taft Highway every night. It’s an ordinary frame house with a metal roof and a gravel driveway. Then at Thanksgiving, somebody flips a switch and it looks like Caesars http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/06/Kennedy-Watts-up-at-the-little-white-house/ By Casey PhillipsIn Tune Several months ago, I wrote about receiving my father's record collection in a column in which I decried the loss of ceremony in music listening due to the advance of technology. In defense of the next several paragraphs, http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/06/Phillips-Fit-100-CDs-in-your-pocket-without-a/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Time to ditch the sackcloth and ashes at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Last week UTC stood toe to toe with the invaders from the North(east) town of Knoxville, the home of those who paint http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/06/Griscom-Dont-believe-exaggerated-rumors-of/ John F. Riddell Jr. I recently attended a webcast of a presentation dealing with the challenges of employing Millennials. As you may be aware, this moniker refers to those entering the labor market who are between the ages of 20 and 30 and is http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/03/Riddell-Age-differences-as-opportunities/ Lisa Earle McLeod Is Santa the only man on the planet with a holiday to-do list? I could go on a nice long rant about how all us poor beleaguered women are once again solely responsible for manufacturing every spark of the holiday magic. All the http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/dec/02/McLeodAbandon-the-stress-of-perfecting-the/ By Ellen PhillipsCommentary Q: What can we do about banks that charge outrageous interest and finance rates on their consumer credit cards? -- Critic in Cleveland A: Dear Critic: This is a grand example of "Caveat Emptor: Let the buyer beware." http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/30/Consumer-Watch-Bringing-credit-cards-under/ By Casey PhillipsIn Tune Do you remember the first song you ever chose to listen to? I'm sure there are many of you who can remember the first song you ever heard, but I think your first conscious choice is a far more notable milestone. Assuming http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/29/Phillips-Musical-genesis-found-elbow-deep-in/ http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/29/Kennedy-Football-stress-is-no-good/ By Barry CourterCity Beat Last Friday I reported that Chattanooga Market general manager Nick Jessen was looking for sponsors to pay for postage to send needed items to our troops overseas. In a matter of days, three organizations -- the Community http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/29/Courter-Troop-Support-gets-big-boost-needs/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor The Tennessee Ethics Commission is the clearinghouse for lobbying in the state. The commission (www.state.tn.us/sos/tec/index.htm) lists lobbyists and client lists, employers who use them, amounts paid http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/29/Griscom-Lobbying-is-a-form-of-protected-speech/ Last week we discussed some of the potential benefits that can accrue to companies and their customers through a program of developing employees who feel invested in the outcome. We contrasted rent with ownership and connected this property http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/26/Riddell-Measure-workers-output--reward-him/ By Ellen PhillipsCommentary Q: Currently, if a stock market investor dies holding appreciated common stock, the shares' cost basis automatically increases; plus if the heirs sell, this reduces capital gains taxes. If the deceased holds http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/23/Consumer-Watch-At-stores-offices-just-say-no/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Today's lesson includes a little math (a simple calculation) and how to remember daylight savings time in the fall. Here is the problem: Tennessee has a law, in existence since 1974, that allows the http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/21/Griscom-That-shaft-of-light-through-yonder/ John F. Riddell Jr. The concept of ownership has an interesting aspect. Whether it has to do with housing, an auto, furniture, or a business, people generally take better care of things they own than they do of things they rent. While not http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/19/Riddell-From-rented-worker-to-one-who-owns/ Lisa Earle McLeod "But, Moommmmy, you promised!" Once again, I had fallen woefully short of the perfect mother benchmark, and my child was shaming me with my shortcomings. If there's a parent out there who never disappoints their kid, they must http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/18/McLeod-French-fries-feelings-and-a-moms/ Our community has made significant progress over the past 40 years in bringing diversity to public schools. All who have sought to make a difference are to be applauded. But despite an impending report from the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, it would be taking the report out of context to use it to say schools in Hamilton County are desegregated. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/18/miller-local-schools-are-more-diverse-have-lots-le/ By Ellen PhillipsCommentary Q: Last week I became violently ill half-way through dinner at my favorite restaurant. Should I ask to be compensated if I return? Belly Ache Dear Belly: Not knowing what or if you said anything to management upon http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/16/Consumer-Watch-Tell-chef-he-made-you-ill-hell/ By Barry Courter City Beat Chattanooga Market general manager Nick Jessen already has lined up a record number of vendors for this year's three-day Holiday Market at First Tennessee Pavilion. He's also programmed some special events that will add http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/15/Courter-Chattanooga-Market-books-105-holiday/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories Before the Internet, there was the World Almanac. A big brown envelope arrived in my mail this week. Inside, was the 2008 edition of the World Almanac and Book of Facts (World Almanac Books, $13). The first World http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/15/Kennedy-Remember-the-World-Almanac/ By Casey PhillipsIn Tune Don't you hate journalists who rely on cliche topics to give them mindless filler content during the holidays? You know what I'm referring to because you've probably read, heard and seen the results of these seasonal http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/15/Phillips-Fighting-losing-battle-against/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Last year a Times Free Press writer gathered information for a report on Hamilton County public schools. She learned of children moving as many as 17 times in a school year. The moves were not related http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/15/Griscom-Stations-in-life-do-not-define-the/ By Tabi UptonMind Matters Almost everyone can remember their first broken heart. We were shocked by the force of our emotions, blown away by the raw pain of lost love. Survival was the focus of our existence for weeks or months. Whether due to http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/14/Upton-Overcoming-broken-heart-this-season/ John F. Riddell Jr. Having previously discussed the strategic importance of developing a complementary board of advisers, today's savvy entrepreneurial managers know equal importance has to be given to the development of a complementary network. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/12/Riddell-Strategic-networking-may-lead-to-key/ Lisa Earle McLeod Why is the eldest offspring always so darn bossy? You know, always assuming that Thanksgiving dinner should be held at their house. Declaring that they alone are entitled to inherit Grandma's good china. And that it's their http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/11/McLeod-Firstborn-ultimatum-Do-as-I-say/ By Ellen PhillipCommentary Q: Recently, on my way to Las Vegas, I had a layover in Atlanta where I was promised wheelchair assistance when I got off the plane for my next trip segment. No wheelchair arrived. Do I have any recourse, especially http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/09/Consumer-Watch-Air-traveler-needing-wheelchair/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor The ways that we catalog memories shift with time. The Times Free Press published a story a few weeks ago on the demise of yearbooks. A staple of pictures and stories that captures a year in the life http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/08/Griscom-For-graduates-who-return-class/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories How much does a baby really cost? Hold onto your wallet. Expenses in year No. 1 total about $30,000, according to the Web site TheNestBaby.com. First-year baby costs add up this way: $6,500 for supplies (including http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/08/Kennedy-Babies-cost-more-than-you-think/ John F. Riddell Jr. We all know some of these folks. There are those entrepreneurially minded individuals who view ongoing education as a requirement for success and then there are those pseudo entrepreneurs who are locked in the past and doomed http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/05/Riddell-Preconceptions-from-former-job-may/ Lisa Earle McLeod Can you feel sorry for a guy and still fire him? I think so, because my husband and I just did it. Well, technically he quit. But it wasn't pretty. Without recounting all the sordid details, one of my husband's employees proved http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/04/McLeod-Youre-fired-but-I-feel-bad-for-you/ Technology advances even for those in the business of sharing opinions through the device of an editorial cartoon. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/01/Griscom-New-pen-in-town/ By Barry CourterCity Beat “Oh baby love.” Tradition will give way to a “throw-down, mo-fro party” for the third Cookin’ on the Quarter concert New Year’s Eve at First Tennessee Pavilion, according to organizer Jeff http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/01/Courter-Cookin-on-the-Quarter-lineup-set-for/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories Do you know that flossing your teeth can add 6.4 years to your life? Of course you do because you are a smart person, and you do not live in a hole. This flossing trivia, which is rooted in fact, has been ping-ponging http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/nov/01/Kennedy-Take-years-off-your-age-with-my-tips/ John F. Riddell Jr. While entrepreneurship often has the appearance of a solitary pursuit, business statistics indicate that the successful ones are anything but solitary. But the underlying theme to these successful "gatherings" resides in the http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/29/Advisers-help-startup-avoid-common-errors/ By Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary Is chastity the hot new dating strategy? The "wait until you know someone before you get naked" approach might not be the rage on college campuses, but an increasing number of relationship gurus are advising women http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/28/McLeod-Ladies-say-good-night--to-hook-Mr/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Thirty-three years is a long existence for a law that does not work. Exceptions added over the years did not remedy the problems. Elected officials who manage the tax dollars of local citizens http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/25/Griscom-State-should-uphold-the-public-trust-in/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories Sometimes the truth gets bored playing hide-and-seek, so it looks you square in the eyes. For a couple of weeks I've been hearing a clear, consistent message from the world around me: Slow down, focus, live for http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/25/Kennedy-Estate-sale-reminds-me-life-is-short/ By Barry CourterCity Beat Thomas Helland, the T-Dawg in T-Dawgs Production, called last week to talk about his latest Hootenanny. In years past, Helland has presented everything from full-blown three-day festivals to a couple of hootenannies a http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/25/Courter-Halloween-Hootenanny-set-at-Cherokee/ Q&A on Guitar Hero III’s pending release By Casey PhillipsIn Tune Here’s the official song list from Guitar Hero III’s publisher, RedOctane: Bolded tracks were performed by the original artist, all others http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/25/Phillips-Episode-III-The-Sunday-Face-Melting/ By Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary Have you ever made a horrible mistake? I'm not referring to a bad perm or a powder-blue-tux kind of mistake. Or a medium-size error, like discovering sea foam green looks much better on a two-inch sample than it http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/19/McLeod-Fix-your-big-mistakes-dont-wallow/ By Casey PhillipsIn Tune Have you listened to everything by The Beatles, including the Kinfaun Demos -- the acoustic home sessions of the band rehearsing the materials for their "White Album"? Do you own copies (and backups) of all of Jimi http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/18/Phillips-A-fan-by-any-other-name-/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor The dust is settling from the Knox County lawsuit between the Knoxville News-Sentinel and nine local residents and the local government. If one were keeping score, though that is not the intention of http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/18/Griscom-Access-to-government-meetings-primarily/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories Twelve-year-old Tucker Schaerer has tousled brown hair and a round, fresh-scrubbed face. On most days, he also has a fishing rod on his shoulder. The Boyd-Buchanan School seventh-grader lives by the motto: "A bad day http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/18/Kennedy-Kid-gets-his-own-TV-show/ By Barry CourterCity Beat A year's worth of work that included collaborating with one of the band's heroes comes to fruition Tuesday when Glass Hammer releases its 10th CD, "Culture Of Ascent." Highlighting the six-song CD is a guest appearance http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/18/Courter-Glass-Hammer-collaborates-with-Jon/ Tabi UptonMind Matters I like to dance. My favorite place for rhythmic expression is my dining-room floor. I like to shimmy to Latin rhythms while doing housework. I sometimes exercise with my “Dancing With the Stars” DVD, or I’ll http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/17/Upton-Spirituality-of-dance-lifts-people/ John F. Riddell Jr. Enthusiasm for an idea is an underlying requirement for launching any entrepreneurial adventure. For many entrepreneurs this idea is the adrenaline that gets them going and keeps them focused. Yet way too often this enthusiasm http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/15/Riddell-Test-checks-if-product-meets-need-will/ Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary Can you expand a man's mind by pounding a gavel on it? The high-profile sexual-harassment suit against New York Knicks head coach Isiah Thomas spotlights once again the differing male and female perspectives on sexual http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/14/McLeod-Sexualharassment-lawsuits-might-speed/ Thirty years ago Tennessee enacted laws that opened up government actions to the eye of the public and the media. The state’s open meetings and open records laws removed years of backdoor deliberations that did not necessarily lead to bad http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/12/A-lesson-in-openness-but-some-still-do-not-seem/ By Casey PhillipsOn the Scene After attending last week's Three Sisters Music Festival, I've come to several conclusions: 1) Fletcher Bright should be canonized as the patron saint of local music. 2) I'm in love with all three of the Lovell http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/11/Phillips-The-bitter-aftertaste-of-sourgrape-pie/ John F. Riddell Jr. No one goes into business with the expectation of failure. Yet we all know that only a very few companies will survive for three or more years in the marketplace. But what we don't always recognize is the emotional, financial http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/08/Riddell-Shutting-down-business-can-be-work-of/ Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary Why do men make more money than women? Before you start sputtering, calm down. I don't mean you personally. I have no idea how much you make or what you're worth. I'm referring to the well-documented fact that, on http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/07/McLeod-Women-negotiate-cautiously/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories I love the taste of indignation. Last week, I got all lathered up about an article in the newspaper. On Monday, we published a piece in the Life section about some teenagers at a Modesto, Calif., high school who http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/04/Kennedy-Shame-on-students-and-fairy/ By Barry CourterCity Beat Of course Steven Marshall and Hawthorne Ford, the driving forces behind the local hip-hop duo Hawthorne & The Disciple, want to sell lots of CDs, but they are motivated by a much higher calling when it comes to http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/04/Courter-Rappers-telling-kids-to-put-down-guns/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executve Editor October 1999. The opportunity to return home and continue a career in journalism. After a few twists and turns over a 20-year period that included stints in Washington, D.C., and Winston-Salem, N.C., http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/04/Griscom-Years-worth-of-memories-left-on-an/ By Casey PhillipsOn the Scene Have you ever felt like you were born in the wrong decade, like your habits or interests were years and years separated from their heyday? If you regularly look at your hair and think, "You know what this could http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/04/Phillips-Youre-obsolete-my-baby-my-poor/ Tabi UptonMind Matters Have you ever been in a fight? Not with a person but with an inanimate object, like your schedule? I have. For a few weeks we've been slugging it out, and I am exhausted by the complex wrestling match. Unaffected by my http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/03/Selfcare-elps-keep-us-centered/ John F. Riddell Jr. The adjective "able" implies an ability or capacity to achieve a desired goal. For potential entrepreneurs, simply taking the "Able Test" can provide a tremendous amount of insight regarding their enterprise's potential for http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/oct/01/Riddell-Able-Test-lets-business-owner-ask/ Lisa Earle McLeod CommentaryDo good-looking people get away with murder? Statistically speaking, yes they do. Or at least, they're less likely to do hard time than similarly charged bad guys who commit the additional offense of being http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/30/McLeod-Are-good-looks-a-getoutofjailfree/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories Oh, to be 13 again. If you want to feel a shock to your endocrine system, do this: A.) Mentally calculate the year in which you turned 13. (For me, 1971.) B.) Then Google search "Top 40 songs" for that year in http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/27/Kennedy-Songs-can-jumpstart-memories/ By Casey PhillipsOn the Scene EDITOR'S NOTE: For more about what's going on in town, check out Casey Phillips' Friday evening newscasts with Sean Phipps at www.timesfreepress.com. Chattanooga, I have a confession to make, and this week, it has http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/27/Phillips-The-sudden-baffling-confession-of/ By Barry CourterCity Beat John Lamb, resource development manager at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga, may or may not actually appear on an episode of "MythBusters" around the first of the year. Whether he makes the final cut or not, http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/27/Courter-Lamb-provides-expertise-for/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Time was when anyone announcing for president had the phone number of CNN's Larry King on speed dial. The rush to appear on the air with suspender-clad Mr. King was a rite of passage. If he let you http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/27/Griscom-Pity-Larry-King-left-behind-in-the/ John F. Riddell Jr. Have you ever noticed the number of people that you talk with who are clearly unhappy in their jobs? Hardly a day goes by where I don't have someone convey to me their desire to find a "good" job. The problem resides in http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/25/Riddell-Keep-top-workers-with-motivational/ Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary Remember imagining how idyllic life would be when you had your first baby? Cute little booties, a beautiful nursery filled with plastic duckies and a precious baby clad in a hand-smocked white gown, cooing up at you http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/23/McLeod-Expectations-blindsided-by-diapers/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories I have witnessed the birth of a salesman. My 5-year-old son has become obsessed with selling coupon books for his school. Before a bout of strep throat slowed him down, he sold stacks of the $10 Kids First coupon http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/20/Kennedy-Son-shows-odd-promise-as-a-salesman/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Time magazine published a short essay before Sept. 11, 2007, that questioned whether the time had come to forget commemorations for the day in 2001 when three terrorist strikes occurred in http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/20/Griscom-Certain-memories-last-longer-than-a-day/ By Barry CourterCommentary John Wehrle's announcement this week that he will be leaving his position as executive director of the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera next month to take a similar position with Opera Omaha in Nebraska has raised http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/20/Courter-Change-funding-battles-constants-in/ By Casey PhillipsOn The Scene There's an episode of "The Simpsons" I watched recently in which Lisa tells her parents she wants to honor the passing of her musical hero, the (fictional) jazz musician Bleeding Gums Murphy. After Marge suggests she http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/20/Phillips-Why-live-music-should-be-unpredictable/ Tabi UptonMind Matters As a child, my parents sometimes volunteered me and my siblings to help clean house and wash dishes for the elderly. They suggested we work as interns at summer camp and made us think it was our idea. We assisted them with http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/19/Volunteer-at-your-own-risk/ By John Riddell Jr.Commentary If the topic of entrepreneurship or the call to pursue it are of interest to you, then you might want to mark down a couple of upcoming dates and reserve a seat at a couple of upcoming activities. First off, UTC http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/17/Riddell-Local-institute-will-shed-light-on/ Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary Are smart people miserable? There's a long-held theory that average folks are happier than the brainiacs with high IQs. The premise -- probably concocted by a bunch of geniuses -- is that if you're super smart, you're http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/16/McLeod-Be-average-and-youll-be-happy/ By Casey PhillipsOn the Scene Have you ever been around someone who didn't know a song they insisted on singing anyway, kneading your hands to keep from reaching over to seal the offending mouth shut with adhesive? As one of those people, I say http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/14/Phillips-Jos-can-you-flee-from-Shawns-burly/ By Barry CourterCity Beat In addition to being the date of one of the greatest tragedies in our country's history, Sept. 11 marks the anniversary of my first marriage. It's actually my only marriage. Calling it my first just sounds funnier. It is http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/14/Courter-Being-a-trophy-husband-not-as-easy-as/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories When I was 5 years old, my parents sold our family's new brick house in the suburbs and bought a 60-year-old duplex with peeling paint. My father, who owned a neighborhood grocery, had become disabled with arthritis. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/13/Kennedy-Beware-the-mortgage-meltdown/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive EditorAn inferiority complex? Growing pains? Or something else? Three questions &#8212 and probably there are more when sorting out the angst directed toward the agreement that in 1969 merged the private http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/13/Griscom-Thirtyeight-years-later-sides-still/ By John Riddell Jr.Commentary There is a very interesting line of demarcation assuming new prominence in today's businesses. Whether at large or small, old or new companies this line of separation originates from a single belief, a single http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/10/Riddell-Managing-human-capital-means-keeping/ Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary The Ant Man cometh. And apparently he disliketh his job. Or at least the part that has anything to do with bugs. My Ant Man encounter began at 6 a.m., as I stumbled downstairs to fuel up on coffee before a morning of http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/09/McLeod-Dont-scold-the-ants-that-feed-you/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Congress is cast in a partisan mold.On most issues, the exchanges of words carry sharp edges with little room for consensus. The middle ground is difficult, if not impossible, to find as Republican and http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/06/Griscom-The-corrosive-effect--of-a-Saturday/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories Last week, a letter to the editor got routed to my desk. It was signed by Hannah Waters, a 15-year-old Chattanooga girl. Hannah, I've since learned, is a 10th-grader at Chattanooga Christian School. Here's the deal: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/06/Kennedy-10-rules-for-dating-teen-girls/ By Tabi UptonMind Matters Every time I talk about having a "side hustle," my friend Katherine laughs. She thinks it sounds indecent. But I just mean a part-time job. At least half of the people I know have more than one income source. Robert http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/05/Upton-Moonlight-to-a-better-tomorrow/ By John Riddell Jr.Commentary Too often in business we fall victim to the illusion of transaction success. We think of success as an ongoing series of problems being solved with resulting sales being closed and revenues pouring in. Business life http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/sep/03/Riddell-It-pays-to-research-to-anticipate/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories A mother can read a son's face. Jo Anne Slack, 56, said she could tell that her son, Charles, was war-weary. When U.S. Army Sgt. Charles Stanfield arrived in Chattanooga for 18 days of R&R last month, he had http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/30/Kennedy-Soldier-gets-his-smile-back/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Records are how we store history. Whether they are financial, governmental or personal, documents preserved in writing or electronically are the gateway to understanding events and putting them into http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/30/Griscom-With-whisk-of-a-pen-congressional/ Dr. Clif CleavelandCommentary The recall by Mattel Inc. of millions of lead-tainted toys imported from China is a tragic reminder of the harmful effect of lead on the health of children. Lead can silently injure the brains of children, causing http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/29/Lead-toys-can-injure-kids-brains/ John Riddell Jr.Commentary For many start-up companies and even seasoned firms, the need for money has always presented significant challenges. From angel funding to venture capitalists to traditional banking, the search is difficult, time http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/27/RiddellWeb-site-unites-lenders-startups/ Lisa Earle McLeod Commentary "We're not made of money, you know." If I heard it once, I heard it a thousand times. Whether it was Mom explaining why we couldn't afford designer jeans or Dad lecturing us to turn the lights off, it seemed like we http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/26/Mcleod-Money-is-a-blessing-to-share/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories OK, I feel better. It turns out I am not the only food hick in Chattanooga. Judging from my mail after a column several weeks ago about my childhood dietary habits, it appears many of you grew up in nutritionally http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/23/Kennedy-Dont-eat-sandwiches-that-wink/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Influences are difficult to detect. Young children often mimic the actions of parents. Teachers and coaches touch lives at early ages and plant seeds that grow over time. A casual statement, directed http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/23/Griscom-Youre-never-sure-who-might-be-looking/ Tabi UptonMind Matters Kahlea (not her real name) was looking forward to having a little breathing space. Her only son had just turned 18 and was on his way to college. Although she was a bit saddened to have an empty nest, she was also intrigued http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/22/Upton-Postpartum-depression-can-be-severe/ Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary Extra firm. I never dreamed those two little words would cause me to despise my husband, bicker with my parents and spoil countless family vacations. But I'm here to tell you -- a bad mattress can ruin your http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/19/McLeodPrincess-and-the-pet-peeve/ By Tom Griscom Publisher and Executive Editor Sunday, Aug. 12, 2007. 2:15 p.m. A yellow Tennessee Department of Transportation motorist assistance vehicle sat on the roadside near the Market Street exit on U.S. Highway 27. The flashing sign atop http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/16/Griscom-Traffic-backups-stir-the-creative/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories My oldest son started kindergarten Wednesday. How can this be? Five minutes ago he was a baby, and I was rocking him to sleep in a tattered La-Z-Boy singing a silly, improvised lullaby: "... He's sweet as he can be, http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/16/Kennedy-Goodbye-good-luck-baby-boy/ Lisa Earle McLeod Commentary What did you want to be when you grew up? If you were like many little girls who bought into the June Cleaver myth, you probably spent more time thinking about where you were going to live than what you were actually http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/12/McLeod-Angst-lingers-behind-the-picket-fence/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor You judge the history of a newspaper not only by the digital archives that are easily scanned by those looking for material, but by asking to visit the morgue. There are bodies in this journalistic http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/09/Griscom-Visit-to-the-newspaper-morgue-offers/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories The situation in Africa is bleak. About 29 million sub-Saharan Africans are infected with the virus that causes AIDS, according to the World Health Organization. The epidemic seems unstoppable. The impulse is to turn http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/09/Kennedy-Curbing-AIDS-inside-Africa-is-daunting/ Tabi UptonMind MattersLast Saturday, while getting in my car to run errands, an older gentleman pulled up beside me smiling and leaning out of his car. He was selling watermelons, he explained, and wanted to know if I'd like one. "Oh, I don't have http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/08/Upton-South-has-powerful-magnetism/ Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary How do you stay motivated when you're surrounded by idiots? It's an age-old challenge. Whether it's catty co-workers, lackluster employees, incompetent supervisors or directionless higher-ups, sometimes it seems like http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/05/McLeod-Dont-drown-in-coworkers-bad-attitudes/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories My 5-year-old son has never enjoyed superheroes. Lots of his friends collect Spider-Man and Batman toys, but the boy is fixated instead on earning money to buy a catcher's mitt. He doesn't know how to shoot imaginary http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/02/Kennedy-Hero-worship-at-age-5/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor The thermometer surged back into the 90s last week, and the humidity turned a walk outside into a public sauna as the lazy, hazy days of summer spread through the region. These Southern days are http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/aug/02/Griscom-New-direction-on-boomer-stories/ Lisa Earle McLeod Commentary "This is a total nightmare. The flowers are the wrong shade of papaya, the dwarf missed his entrance cue, and now the band's security detail is blocking my entrance to the stage." The first lady sweating the details http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jul/29/McLeod-Sweet-16-makes-great-television/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Two cities will host the national political conventions in 2008. Decades have passed since a national convention was a critical step in the presidential selection process, as the developing "drama" http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jul/26/Griscom-What-if-you-had-a-political-convention/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories For the record: I am NOT a food snob. My idea of a gourmet supermarket is the potted-meat aisle at Big Lots. The fanciest food I will eat is pimento cheese on a celery stick. I was raised on fried baloney slathered in http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jul/26/Kennedy-Are-you-a-food-hick-like-me/ Tabi UptonMind Matters It was 1974, the year after the landmark abortion-rights case Roe vs. Wade, and Leita (not her real name) was 18 years old. Believing herself to be pregnant, she went to Planned Parenthood for a pregnancy test. It came back http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jul/25/Upton-Recovering-from-abortion-takes-years/ By Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary Strap on your engines and let the mudslinging begin. The fight for the oval office has begun. Is it just me, or are you, too, tired of all the grandstanding? During the last round of finger pointing, I watched as http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jul/22/McLeod-Voters-need-to-practice-moderation/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor The pattern has been that every six to eight months a column that highlights used and abused words and phrases is appropriate. Gauged on response to last week's word(y) offering, a second dose drawn http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jul/19/Griscom-Still-more-words-that-deserve-place-of/ By Mark Kennedy Life Stories Like most active 5-year-old boys, Jamie Jackson likes to play in the dirt. But even at his age, Jamie knows there is something special about the dirt in Falling Water. It is the soil where his father's family has been http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jul/19/Kennedy-Falling-Water-families-still-feel-rooted/ By Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary Ahhh, summer -- relaxation and the chance to bond with the ones you love. After a week at the lake with my siblings, their spouses, our collective kids and our folks, all I can say is, there's nothing like some http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jul/15/McLeod-Alls-fair-in-sibling-Olympics/ By Tom Griscom Publisher and Executive Editor If journalists were paid by the word, a handful would make a small fortune. The late Sen. Everett Dirksen of Illinois was known for choosing his words by how they tasted. So too do writers sort http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jul/12/Griscom-Wordsmiths-offer-ideas-for-journalists/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories Four days in July had been circled for months on my calendar. My wife would be away in Knoxville, and it would be my job to watch our boys -- a 5-year-old and an 8-month-old -- in alternating, two-day shifts. For the http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jul/12/Kennedy-Four-days-two-boys-and-Daddy/ Tabi UptonMind Matters Several years ago, when I first visited Africa, I felt as if I had landed on a different planet. I lived in a village along the edge of the Sahel Desert in the northern region of Senegal, on the Atlantic side of the http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jul/11/Upton-Trip-to-Africa-a-chance-for-rediscovery/ Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary See Jane. See Jane run. See Jane work. See Jane slowly go insane as she toils away in a drab, anonymous office, chained to her brown laminate desk, with only a flickering strip of fluorescent light to keep her awake http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jul/08/McLeod-Letter-trays-can-make-you-insane/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories The other day I asked my 5-year-old son: "Would you rather go to see the Braves or the Lookouts?" "The Lookouts," he said immediately. "The Braves burn the hot dogs, and it takes five hours to get there." I grew up a http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jul/05/Kennedy-Game-day-Braves-vs-Lookouts/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor The headlines broke across the nation that President Bush had commuted the prison sentence of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Cheney. Mr. Libby was convicted on five http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jul/05/Griscom-Other-consequences-from-search-for-the/ Lisa Earle McLeod Commentary Is the meaning of life TV and shopping? Or was the geeky professor of quantum physics right when he told my church that the meaning of life is actually "friendship" and "creativity?" When I first heard Dr. Casey Blood http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jul/01/McLeod-Meaning-of-life-in-two-words/ By Mark Kennedy Life Stories The headline in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on June 19 almost made me spew my morning coffee. "Can't afford $2,500 for new (car) rims?" the headline read. "How about renting them?" The article described stores http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jun/28/Kennedy-Read-this-and-youll-get-richer/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Business leaders several days ago had one clear message for Gov. Phil Bredesen: Public schools need to hold students accountable for basic skills (reading, math, grammar), and that will carry over to http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jun/28/Griscom-Increasing-state-funding-was-the-easy/ Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary There are some situations that just bring out the stupid in people. Airplanes, drive-through windows and any form of public transportation are common stupidity trigger spots. I don't know why, but whenever people's http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jun/24/McLeod-Some-people-are-stuck-in-neutral/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories Will Frierson, a rising senior at Baylor School, was stunned last year when his history teacher assigned an eight- to 10-page term paper. A man of few words, Will couldn't think of a single research topic he thought he http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jun/21/Kennedy-Term-paper-holds-many-life-lessons/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor The ACLU needs to be ready. There is a "new" ten commandments going up, and surely the secular mix with a religious icon sets off alarm bells. The timing of the new commandments could not be better http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jun/21/Griscom-The-softer-side-of-confronting-shabby/ Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary The Other Woman. Is she a victim or a vixen? A brazen hussy or the girl next door? I'll admit it, I'm fascinated by cheaters. My husband and I have been married more than 20 years. Yet, while our matrimonial cocktail http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jun/17/McLeod-Cheaters-never-win-at-love/ Mark KennedyLife Stories I dropped my 5-year-old son off at day camp one morning this week. As I drove away, I watched him getting smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. The tops of his ears were folded out under the weight of his red http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jun/16/Kennedy-Little-boys-make-this-day-special/ Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor In 1993 the Joseph and Edna Josephson Institute of Ethics was established. The nonprofit and nonpartisan institute has one goal: to teach character education to millions of young people. "Character http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jun/16/Griscom-Lessons-on-ethics-are-applicable-to/ Tabi UptonMind Matters Her house was more than I had imagined it to be. Until my visit, my friend Ayesha had only described it for me on the phone. "I've painted it in warm colors of rust, oranges and deep yellow," she told me not long after http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jun/13/Upton-Friendship-cemented-by-my-visit/ Lisa EarleCommentary How do good-looking people find time to stay beautiful? What with schlepping my kids to the mall and surfing the Net for bargain handbags, I barely have time to shave my legs, much less make an appointment to get a http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jun/09/Dr-McDentist-makes-moms-like-me-melt/ By Tom Griscom Publisher and Executive Editor For more than three years, the community's political leaders have wrestled with the issue of homelessness. Coalitions have been formed by two mayors. Federal dollars have been secured to fund specific http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jun/07/Griscom-Political-factors-can-cloud-perceptions/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories It was an important night for the Muckdogs, my 5-year-old son's baseball team. After months of Saturday-morning games, the team's reward was a group outing to a minor-league baseball game. Our Chattanooga Lookouts were http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jun/07/Kennedy-Boys-can-learn-a-lot-from-girls/ Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary I have discovered a miracle. Well, OK, maybe not a Moses-parting-the-sea miracle, but a miracle exercise program that transformed me from an always-hungry, slightly chubby woman into a thin person who can actually http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/jun/03/McLeod-Never-too-far-gone-to-get-thin/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Their genesis was as a counterbalance to those who choose to protest at funerals for American soldiers. From a small town in Kansas, motorcyclists, many attached to an American Legion post, took on the http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/31/Griscom-Time-for-twowheelers-attending/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories I enjoy vacations because I get to read magazines. In the old days, magazines were filled with thought-provoking, 5,000-word articles. Nowadays, magazines are composed of a bunch of lists held together by three staples http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/31/Kennedy-Doughnuts-make-for-great-abs/ Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary Whether it's the headset-wearing counter clerk at Taco City who always shorts you two burritos, the inattentive friend who never calls you back or the grumpy spouse who consistently comes home in a lousy mood, sometimes http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/27/McLeod-Its-nothing-personal-maam/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor The scene was picture perfect. The sun came up and light streamed through the first-floor windows. A fog lifted between the bridges on the Tennessee River. From outward signs, it was the beginning of http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/24/Griscom-Community-status-provides-no-immunity/ Lisa Earle McleodCommentary The concept of work-life balance is a crock. If your job is sucking you dry, leaving you with no semblance of a real life, better balance isn't going to help you at all. That's because work-life balance is a http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/20/Mcleod-Forget-striving-for-worklife-balance/ By Darren EppsCommentary One sack, one improbable moment, one movie brought two men together for the first time Friday night. Rudy Ruettiger, the former Notre Dame walk-on whose inspirational story is depicted in the 1993 movie "Rudy," was http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/19/Epps-Woods-was-there-for-Rudys-sack/ By Mark Kennedy Life Stories My yard has voles -- big old Tennessee voles. Voles, which are often confused with our cuddly little friends the moles, are vicious rodents that ruin lawns and turn flower gardens into salad bars. Moles, on the other http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/17/Kennedy-Im-a-proud-Tennessee-Voleunteer/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Attachments are part of life; newspapers are no different. Readers readily follow the writings of journalists who share their talents on the pages of a daily newspaper. Writers express a perspective on http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/17/Griscom-Changes-in-the-family-are-part-of-the/ Tabi UptonMind Matters Much of the nation overheard the emotional tirade of an angry father and child when Alec Baldwin's phone message to his daughter went public. Many individuals expressed outrage and shock over the one-sided exchange, but I've http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/16/Upton-Emotional-abuse-takes-many-forms/ Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's aging faster than them all? Losing your looks can be hard. One minute you're pretty hot, the next minute you're just plain pretty, and before you know it, you're a mature woman from http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/13/McLeodA-hasbeen-hottie-takes-stock-of-looks/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories I've noticed more and more men in engagement photos in the Times Free Press wearing baseball caps. This is a perplexing trend, and it leaves me wondering: Why are these guys still alive? I understand cap love. I used http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/10/Kennedy-I-tip-my-cap-to-the-brave-fiancs/ By David MageeCommentary The time has come to say goodbye. For more than two years now I have had the opportunity to connect, or disconnect as is the case in some instances, with readers of this newspaper about a variety of subjects and musings http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/10/Magee-A-farewell-after-two-good-years/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor In 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote "The Scarlet Letter." The main character, Hester Prynne, is forced to publicly display a red letter A as punishment for adultery. Gov. Phil Bredesen, in outlining http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/10/Griscom-A-is-for-accountability-when-it/ Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary If your childhood played out like a scene from "Mommy Dearest," you know that poor parenting often casts a pallor over your entire life. While you might not have written a tell-all book or exposed their evil antics on http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/06/McLeod-Bad-parents-need-to-get-forgiveness/ By David Magee Commentary Let me confess: I'm not that good. On most days, in fact, I'm not very good at all. Yet for some reason, my profession calls for me to spend an unreasonable amount of time and effort telling everyone exactly the http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/03/Magee-Ignoring-hype-starts-at-home/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Be careful what you ask for because you might get it. For eight years, Hamilton County educators and government leaders bemoaned the inequities in the state's formula to fund local education. The http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/03/Griscom-Potential-new-funds-pose-big-challenges/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories Remember 1981? Ronald Reagan took office as the 40th president of the United States, the space shuttle Columbia blasted off on its maiden flight and MTV was born. But most young Americans in 1981 couldn't be bothered http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/03/Kennedy-Cubism-is-back-in-style-blockheads/ Tabi UptonMind Matters It's not every day that your 10- year old screams in frustration, "I want to talk to my therapist!" But stranger things have been known to happen. More children than ever are entering counseling offices to discuss everything http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/may/02/Upton-Why-children-often-need-counseling/ Lisa Earle McLeodCommentary I've lost my libido, and I'm not quite sure where I left it. I had it during high school. I didn't always know what to do with it, but I sure as heck knew it was there. It was a constant companion during college. It http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/apr/29/McLeod-Libido-thieves-strike-suburbs/ Former Sen. Bill Brock and current Rep. Zach Wamp -Download MP3- By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor History is about lessons learned, and a few that are repeated. War is part of the history of America from her shores to engagements http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/apr/26/Griscom-40-years-later-Lessons-from-Vietnam/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories For years, I tried to compose a Top 10 list of memorable movies. I did this in my head, mostly while I was driving or mowing grass. This daydream always fell apart when the 15-year-old inside me raised his hand and http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/apr/26/Kennedy-My-Top-10-memorable/ By David MageeCommentary When bad things happen to good plants, bushes and trees, people suffer. On a recent sunny afternoon, with birds chirping and clear skies creating an endless blue ocean overhead, a perch high above the Tennessee Valley http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/apr/26/Magee-Hard-freeze-hurts-trees-and-people/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories According to The New York Times, older fathers are more calm and nurturing because of an age-associated drop in testosterone. At 48, I'm the father of two little boys, and I'm not sure how I feel about this commentary http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/apr/19/Kennedy-Lessons-that-make-me-smile/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor The rumor swirling on the Internet at the time of the "will he or will he not survive" Don Imus watch was the reason he wore a cowboy hat. For some who apparently thought they were in the know, the http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/apr/19/Griscom-There-are-many-lessons-to-be-learned/ By David Magee Commentary In the aftermath of the sickening mass murder at Virginia Tech University, I found myself angry, oddly, at a couple of surprising characters. Like most of America, I was captivated for hours by CNN on the day and the http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/apr/19/Magee-Mass-murder-puts-the-news-in-perspective/ Tabi UptonMind Matters Violence seems to have become a way of life in America. After the horror of the Virginia Tech massacre, it has become all too obvious that something has swept our nation's young people away in a tide of anger that affects http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/apr/18/Upton-Killers-often-are-selfish-and-angry/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories I've noticed that teenagers make the best nursing-home volunteers. Sixty years of separation between seniors and teens creates a warm sense of wonderment that's an incubator for friendships. Allie Wesson and Shasta http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/apr/12/Kennedy-Teenagers-and-seniors-have-bond/ By David MageeCommentary I did a bad thing, or that is what it feels like, anyway. In a book of satire, I used a few words unfit for family discussion. Nobody has said a word to me about it, but because I was raised in a genteel home in which http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/apr/12/Magee-Intentions-behind-words-important/ By Tom Griscom Publisher and Executive Editor Forty-five words. Some say they were an afterthought. Others state that clarity was necessary. Ordinary words crafted and adopted over 200 years earlier by people who framed principles that allow http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/apr/12/Griscom-Fortyfive-words-that-embrace-the/ By David MageeCommentary Ah, the arrival of yet another wonderful Easter Sunday to remember and give thanks. For us Christians, few days hold such importance, due to the whole risen and redemption deal with Jesus. Could we be more fortunate? For http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/apr/05/Magee-Holy-day-or-bunny-bonanza/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Two Chattanooga-based companies are at the center of the investigation into the firing of eight U.S. attorneys by the Bush Justice Department. Subpoenas will be served on White House Deputy Chief of http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/apr/05/Griscom-What-a-tangled-Web-we-weave-when-first/ By Mark Kennedy Life Stories Neal Wilkinson has a healthy respect for debt. This comes from years of paying off credit-card balances and college loans, he said. He and his wife, Jan, are in their mid-30s. They live with their two small children http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/apr/05/Kennedy-Inching-toward-a-dream/ Tabi UptonMind Matters Once while working with a feisty teenager, I wrote in my journal, "I would like to wring her neck and read bedtime stories to her at the same time." I felt a strange combination of tenderness and exasperation toward the http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/apr/04/Upton-Loving-difficult-children/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Ask and you will receive. Four graduates of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga responded to a recent column on changing the name of the local university. They steered clear of the notion to http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/mar/29/Griscom-Send-your-email-on-UTC-name-change-to/ By David MageeCommentary The world is not getting smaller, as many pundits say in the 21st century. It is just that with modern tools to see farther, faster, our focus has gotten out of kilter. We are so busy watching what is going on abroad that http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/mar/29/Magee-A-threat-to-the-next-generation/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor There are pluses and minuses with the early start to the presidential campaign. On the positive side, with early fundraising and the acceleration of state primaries, the need for national Democratic http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/mar/22/Griscom-Tennessee-must-be-the-in-place-to-be/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories The Sarine sisters, 21-year-old Andrea and 22-year-old Sarah, are best friends -- 98 percent of the time. The other 2 percent can be, well, brutal. Once, when they were preadolescents, Andrea kicked her big sister, http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/mar/22/Kennedy-Sisters-share-wedding-day-in-August/ By David MageeCommentary Realities are rarely as harsh as they may seem at the time. Often, even, what seems harsh one moment turns out the next moment to be quite the opposite. And so goes the story of a young man who two years ago met with http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/mar/22/Magee-Blessings-disguised-as-setbacks/ Tabi UptonMind Matters Throw out your girdles, ladies; I've got good news. Despite popular myths about what your ideal weight should be, you can still be loved. I know, it doesn't seem logical, but there are men out there who actually prefer the http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/mar/21/Upton-Men-like-plussize-women/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor The great American pastime at a Chinese restaurant is to await the tray with the bill and the fortune cookies. While no one eagerly grabs the check, hands are ready to snatch the wedge-shaped delicacy. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/mar/16/Griscom-The-side-of-a-cup-could-be-as/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories I was eating a turkey sandwich at a Brainerd Road deli one day last week when the voices of the Righteous Brothers drifted down from speakers in the ceiling. The song was "Rock and Roll Heaven," an ode to all the 1960s http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/mar/16/Kennedy-Boomer-band-reunites-just-in-Thyme/ By David MageeCommentary TOKYO -- Uncooked octopus appears on a personal list of acceptable fare, but 6 in the morning seems a bit early for such gastronomy. Yet there it was, clasped between chopsticks in a chopped-tentacle chunk headed toward http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/mar/16/Magee-When-in-Tokyo-well---/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories I like banks. At their best, banks are simultaneously formal and friendly -- pinstripes and peppermints. My mother, who died last year, was a bank teller in a small city in Middle Tennessee. For years she was the first http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/mar/08/Kennedy-Automated-banking-has-its-problems/ By David MageeCommentary Dear Hillary, I should have stopped you when our paths nearly crossed not too many weeks ago in the city. When I glanced up from fishing in a bowl for a forlorn piece of broccoli drowning near the bottom of thick, cheesy http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/mar/08/Magee-Moving-at-the-speed-of-politics/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Two insights into the Toyota decision and Chattanooga's being left at the altar are worthy lessons. A letter writer to the Chattanooga Times Free Press deplores the fact that neither the media nor http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/mar/08/Griscom-Even-absent-Toyota-the-sun-rises-over/ By Tabi UptonMind Matters EDITOR'S NOTE: This column has been edited to protect the privacy of some sources. Marjorie (not her real name) awoke one day to find herself pregnant. She was 17 years old and had no memory of having been with a man. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/mar/07/Upton-Overcoming-relationship-difficulties/ By David MageeCommentary Sometimes, valiant effort is not enough. Such is the case with Chattanooga's recent effort to land Toyota's newest manufacturing plant, which officials said last week is bound for north Mississippi. Just more than two http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/mar/01/Magee-Focusing-our-quest-for-jobs/ By Tom Griscom Publisher and Executive Editor A letter to the editor in the Chattanooga Times Free Press several weeks ago pleaded for a return to the old name (not the original one) for the local university. For those who do not know the history http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/mar/01/Griscom-Heavy-focus-on-UTCs-name-could-be/ By Mark Kennedy Life Stories I fully intended to be the last person in the Free World to watch "American Idol." I caved. It was clear that if I wanted to spend time with my family on weeknights, I would be required to join America's 37 million http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/mar/01/Kennedy-Imagine-if-Madonna-was-on-Idol/ By Tom GriscomPublisher and Executive Editor Waiting to take off on a business trip last week, several passengers on the flight recounted stories of being trapped in the flying nightmare of the previous week. Heavy snow in the Northeast canceled http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/feb/23/Griscom-When-plane-door-closes-information/ By Mark KennedyLife Stories Maybe you've heard. A leading consumer magazine recently tested car seats for babies, with startling results. The magazine said that only two brands of car seats passed its crash test. If you had the wrong baby seat, http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/feb/23/Kennedy-Baby-stuff-explained-right-here/ By David MageeCommentary Back in the day, insults were more obvious.We did not have to read between the lines of word play and decide if comments were sugary sweet or cold-hearted condescending merely disguised as adoring. If a white person wanted http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/feb/23/Magee-Not-giving-offense-a-hard-task/ By Tabi UptonMind Matters I was in the first or second grade when I had to do my first school report. My teacher must have given the class topics for our research because my subject was the little-known "aphid." If you don't know, an aphid is a http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2007/feb/21/Upton-Strong-legacy-of-education-in-black-history/