Don?t underestimate power of clowns
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Fortunately when Cupcake and I decided to add onto our family we didn?t have any problems. And no, I?m not leading into a segment on Viagra. I?m talking about the fact some couples have fertility problems.
I?m always open to alternative forms of medicine because I realize here in the Western world our medical answers aren?t always the best. After all, we take a pill for high blood pressure, but that pill causes stomach problems. So we have to take a pill for the stomach problems but that pill causes blurry vision. So we have to take a pill for the blurry vision, but that may cause migraine headaches or lead to death. Yes, the wonders of modern medicine.
Anyway, I love the suggestion made by renowned fertility doctor Shevach Friedler speaking during an international medical conference last month. Dr. Friedler says his research team has discovered women exposed to entertainment by clowns had nearly twice the success rate at in-vitro fertilization than women who had no clown exposure.
While this is certainly a neat theory, I can?t help wondering how Dr. Friedler and his team came up with the idea of subjecting women to clowns just before fertilization. Did they try midgets first? I wonder if watching Dr. Phil just before fertilization would have the same effect?
For the record, Dr. Friedler attributed the difference to greater stress reduction.
As for other things odd, strange and curious, I want to tell you about the latest fitness craze in England that?s beginning to gain popularity in America. It?s called ?powerpramming? and it?s an exercise program for new mothers.
The theory is simple and somewhat wacky. Since new mothers struggle to find time to make it to the gym, they can still enjoy an invigorating workout with their infant.
The new twist is this workout doesn?t involve dumbbells. That?s because the infant is the dumbbell.
The new exercise routine suggests using your baby for bicep curls and chest presses. The infant should be placed on the mother?s back for exercises like leg squats and lunges.
It?s at this point I?d like to inject a personal comment. This new workout program is not only ill-advised, it?s bordering on criminal behavior. I?m surprised someone hasn?t been arrested for tossing a baby around like a dumbbell. This is an exercise routine that has accident written all over it.
I realize I?m rambling but I have to tell you about this week?s dumb criminal before bringing you Business Pulse. It?s prison inmate Donald Ray Bilby, 30, who pleaded guilty Tuesday to sending bomb and anthrax threats to the FBI from his jail cell. For anyone who thought Bilby might just get away with it, he ended that notion by including his full name and inmate number at the end of each threat.
?I think it?s fair to say we were not dealing with a great criminal mind here,? U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said.
Hot Dog Man lands on his feet
?The Hot Dog Man? Brian Curran is like a cat. Toss him around and he?ll manage to land on his feet. The city of McMinnville tried its best to give The Hot Dog Man the shaft. But instead of the shaft, Brian got the elevator and from everything I can tell it?s on the way up.
After a high-profile battle with city officials about keeping his hot dog cart downtown, Brian is now located outside Big Lots in Northgate Shopping Center and he says business is the best it?s ever been.
?A day here is better than a day downtown,? said Brian. ?And the best part is it feels nice to be wanted after all the months of hassle.?
After enjoying brisk business downtown, Brian experienced some lean times when he made the move to The Dog House at Plaza Shopping Center. Brian said the key to his success is the novelty of buying a hot dog from a cart.
?It?s great to be out in the cart again. I was dying at The Dog House,? said Brian. ?Now I see people driving by and I?ve even heard a few kids say ?Hey it?s The Hot Dog Man? as they go by.?
Brian said he never thought about setting up at Northgate Shopping Center until he was contacted by Big Lots management about setting up for a Fourth of July sale. After that stint worked well, the offer was made to allow Brian to set up there full time.
?They like it because people go into Big Lots after they get a hot dog. And I like it because people buy a hot dog after they come out of Big Lots. It?s a win-win situation,? said Brian.
Brian said he?s also been embraced by shopping center owner Harold Martin. And by embraced I mean Harold has welcomed him, not hugged him.
Even his customers are well pleased with the move.
?I?m through here more than I am downtown,? said Janie Griffin while loading up a chili dog Friday afternoon.
The Hot Dog Man?s hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Retirement just didn?t suit Billy Foutch
If you recall, when Billy Foutch closed his famous Billy?s Restaurant in April, he said he was looking forward to some rest and relaxation. Three months later, Billy has gotten all the rest he needs and he?s ready to get back to work. That?s why he?s reopening Billy?s Restaurant, home of the mouth-watering Gator Burger. Construction has already started on his new building, which is located about 20 feet behind his old building.
?I got tired of sitting around,? said Billy. ?I need to be doing something.?
The reason Billy closed in the first place was because the new four-lane to Woodbury will go right up to the front door of his old restaurant. Since he would have to move anyway, or have his customers step outside into oncoming traffic, it seemed like the logical move to close after over three decades in front of a grill.
That plan didn?t work too well so it?s time for Plan B. Billy says he?s thinking about serving plate lunches, yes plate lunches, when his restaurant reopens. This is a major philosophical change for a place where grease is often considered a vegetable.
?I?m thinking about trying plate lunches,? said Billy. ?But I?m just thinking about it. I?ll have to get a good cook first because I?m just used to running the grill.?
While the plate lunches are just an idea, Billy says there are two changes he will definitely enact. He plans to stay open for dinner and he will open on Saturdays.
The new restaurant will also have more seats, probably between 80 and 90 depending on the table layout. The old restaurant had 66 seats. Construction has already started on the new building and it will probably be around three months before Billy is ready to reopen.
If you dent it, Barry Haston can fix it
After building his own shop on Needmore Road, Barry Haston has more work to do. Now his focus shifts from construction to his real line of work, auto body repair.
?It wasn?t that bad, like putting a model car together,? Barry said of constructing his building. ?You have instructions and you follow them.?
Barry is pleased to have a local shop to call his own, Haston?s Collision Center. He had been working at a body shop outside of Woodbury where he had to drive close to 100 miles round trip a day.
Barry has been performing auto body repair off and on since high school and has 12 years of full-time experience. He?s also has the services of Mark Shelton, who brings 22 years of experience.
?I stand behind my work and I guarantee everything,? said Barry. ?When we?re through, it will be like new.?
Whether it?s a small dent or a major collision repair, Barry has the know-how and the equipment to get the job done. With his painting booth, he can offer a bake-on finish that?s second to none.
?I have a top-of-the-line frame machine and I designed this whole shop to be state-of-the-art,? said Barry. ?We work on any type of vehicle ? car, truck, Mercedes, whatever.?
Barry offers free estimates and can be reached at 474-2702. His office hours are Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Don?t forget this weekend?s sales tax holiday
From a business standpoint, I think Tennessee?s first sales tax holiday this coming weekend is going to ignite retail sales. From a parent standpoint, I?m pumped up about saving 9.75 percent on every school supply and piece of clothing I buy in McMinnville.
I don?t even have to pretend the school supplies and clothing are for one of my kids. Everyone, regardless of age, can enjoy the benefits of shopping without the burden of sales tax. And since I believe Tennessee has the highest sales tax in the modern world, it?s time to stock up and save.
Remember, the sales tax holiday starts this Friday at 12:01 a.m. and ends Sunday at 11:59 a.m. You can?t buy a big-screen TV, but you can buy a home computer under $1,500.
County unemployment rate inches higher
I was beginning to view Warren County?s unemployment rate optimistically after three straight months of small declines. Then our unemployment rate jumped back up to 10.5 percent in June, a 1.2 percent increase since May.
For those of you keeping track at home, there are just three counties in the state with worse unemployment rates than Warren County?s. They are Lawrence, Clay and Wayne counties.
In keeping with tradition, Williamson County has the lowest unemployment rate at 3.6 percent.
That?s all folks
To report business tips, call me at 473-2191.
Quote NOTEBOOK
?It is a good rule in life never to apologize. The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them.?
? P.G. Wodehouse
?The world is full of willing people, some willing to work, the rest willing to let them.?
? Robert Frost
?Here?s something to think about: How come you never see a headline like ?Psychic Wins Lottery’
? Jay Leno
?A fellow who is always declaring he?s no fool usually has his suspicions.?
? Wilson Mizner
?Anybody who wants the presidency so much that he’ll spend two years organizing and campaigning for it is not to be trusted with the office.?
? David Broder
?The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to throw a snowball.?
? Doug Larson
?Science may set limits to knowledge, but should not set limits to imagination.?
? Bertrand Russell