News - Friday, January 20, 2012

Answer: She’s a federal law clerk who lives in Chattanooga and recently was a contestant on “Jeopardy.” Question: Who is Julie Podlesni? If Podlesni had been the subject of Final Jeopardy on the January 9 episode of the popular quiz show, the 28-year-old legal professional might have won.  A different question came up, though, and champion Dan McShane successfully defended his crown.

Chattanooga attorneys David Ward and Alix Michel have been working together for the last several years to counsel medical professionals, such as physicians, nurses, physicians assistants, pharmacists and other health care providers, on ways to prevent prescription drug abuse and decrease doctor shopping among patients. Ward and Michel, attorneys at Chattanooga-based law firm Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, have been advising medical professionals across the country on documenting all patient activity as thoroughly as possible, and cross-referencing their patients’ prescription drug history using data in Prescription Monitoring Programs. Last week, Gov. Haslam announced his support for mandatory PMP checks in his Public Safety Action Plan.

U.S. Senator Bob Corker attracted hundreds of real estate professionals to the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors GIG (GCAR Information Gathering) on January 11, but the crowd reserved its biggest applause for an American soldier and a dedicated servant of the local Realtor community.

Representatives from several Chattanooga organizations this month announced the creation of the first city-wide collaborative arts and culture showcase. The showcase will encompass visual art, performance art, technological art, musical art, history and more, and will include local, regional and national artists and entertainers. It will take place from April 13-22 across Chattanooga.

The Chattanooga Chapter of CISV is recruiting for Summer 2012 programs. Approximately 25 Chattanooga youth and adults will be participating in CISV’s Summer Programs globally. CISV International was established in 1951 as a non-profit organization that offers children and adults the opportunity to learn about other cultures and form friendships with people from around the world.

Saturday, January 20 Mrs. Anne Hayes Nicklin, widow of Col. Benjamin Patton Nicklin, prominent Chattanoogan, died Saturday afternoon in a local hospital. After Col. Nicklin retired from the Army in 1928, they built a lovely home, “At Ease,” on Signal Mountain. After Col. Nicklin’s death several years ago, Mrs. Nicklin continued to live in the home.

Saturday, January 20 Mrs. Anne Hayes Nicklin, widow of Col. Benjamin Patton Nicklin, prominent Chattanoogan, died Saturday afternoon in a local hospital. After Col. Nicklin retired from the Army in 1928, they built a lovely home, “At Ease,” on Signal Mountain. After Col. Nicklin’s death several years ago, Mrs. Nicklin continued to live in the home.

Kelly Wilson, director of marketing for CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries, this month presented a $150,000 check of proceeds from the 17th Annual Southern Brewers Festival, hosted by Big River Grille & Brewing Works, to Chattanooga’s Kids on the Block. The one-day event held last August at Ross’ Landing in downtown Chattanooga featured over 75 craft-brewed premium ales and lagers and a variety of food vendors. The festival’s featured entertainers included the Grammy Award Winning band Los Lobos headlining the event, along with The New Familiars, Anders Osborne and Railroad Earth.

When I was in undergraduate school, I often had my clothes washed at a little place just off campus. They charged by the pound, and they hung your clothes on hangers. You could bring your own hangers if you wanted, or they would sell you hangers for five cents apiece. Five cents doesn’t sound like much these days, but for a poor college student who often deprived themselves of proper food in order to save money for quarter beer night, the nickels could add up fast.

Choosing the word “olio” for use in the title hereof reminds me I’ve resolved this year to read (and try to understand) “Lio” (the last three letters of “olio”). I’ve struggled with that comic strip and, as a result, had all but stopped reading it. Lio is a little kid who lives with his dad and some pets. The settings vary from home to school to neighborhood. In today’s episode, Lio prints out a map to Washington D.C. from the Internet, goes to his yard and gives it to an ET whose UFO is parked nearby. I get it.

Before I took over this column, the previous author did a hamburger round-up I enjoyed. Who knew Chattanooga had so many places where one could satisfy his or her carnivorous cravings? I’d like to revive that series for one week so I can tell you about another great place: Southern Burger Company.

Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people.” – W. C. Fields. The guy in a golf cart motored us back to Central Avenue, to the looming horse track across the street. We had parked the car behind a motel nearby after paying the reasonable sum of ten bucks. Behind us, in the space once reserved for golf clubs, sat two older gents who were also hoping for fortune’s smile that day.

Every man for himself. It’s been a rough month for Francesco Schettino, the captain of the cruise liner Costa Concordia, which ran aground this month and partially sank off of the Island of Giglio in Italy. The death toll as of press time had risen to 11 after Italian naval divers used explosives to make holes in the ship’s hull in an effort to find more of the missing passengers.

The year 2012 marks a significant milestone for the Chattanooga Zoo as it celebrates 75 years of being “the best little zoo in America.” To commemorate 75 years and to say “thank you” to the community, the zoo will be hosting “75 Days of Fun” beginning April 3. The event will include activities and events in preparation for a 75th Anniversary Grand Celebration set for June 16.

Soon, the Super Bowl will be gone and replaced with presidential debates. It is that time. These can be quite entertaining with all the negative ads and the character slurring remarks. I have a quiz today that addresses some of the past hilarious remarks in presidential debates.

Hubby and I attend a Bible study on Sunday evenings at a friend’s house. There are about seven of us that meet together to discuss a book we are reading. It is supposed to be just a six-week study, but we are stretching it out to about a two-year study. Not on purpose, but because we eat, talk and visit a lot more than we probably should.

My wife assures me “Joyful Noise” is a wonderful movie. She laughed, clapped and wants to own it on DVD. I’m glad she had a good time. I did not like it. I thought it was contrived, silly and riddled with clichés. I was so glad when it was over, I nearly made a joyful noise of my own.

During the 93rd Annual Convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation held recently, Tennessee’s voting delegates to the event had an opportunity to help make changes in the organization’s national farm policy resolutions. In a two-to-one majority vote, the delegates approved to establish a program that protects farmers from catastrophic revenue losses by using a flexible combination of fiscally responsible tools and safety nets, but no direct payments, as programs have been criticized for in the past. The adopted policy calls for a farm bill that “provides strong and effective safety net and risk management programs that do not guarantee a profit and minimizes the potential for farm programs affecting production decisions.”

Psoriasis. For some sufferers, it is irritating, embarrassing, depressing and difficult to deal with. However, it is a very common skin condition, that affects almost 7.5 million Americans in some form. Psoriasis is a chronic, autoimmune disease that appears on the skin. It can affect most any age, but onset is usually starts between the ages 15-35. Although it looks as if it is contagious, it isn’t. It is usually a genetic factor passed down in families.

I have a couple of friends, one an older man and the other a younger woman, who each are firm believers that there is something to all of the UFO sightings. They believe E.T. and his (he was a he, wasn’t he?) buddies are out there buzzing around in the ultimate flying machine.