Snakes, Viagra and holiday controversy
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Remember the mess last year of saying ?Happy Holidays? instead of ?Merry Christmas? so as not to offend somebody (although I have yet to figure out who would be offended).
Well this year the silliness is back in the Pagosa Springs, Colo., area where a homeowners association is fining a lady $25 a day for hanging a Christmas peace wreath outside her home. The homeowners association claims the peace sign can be interpreted as a protest to the Iraq war.
The homeowner, Lisa Jensen, says she wasn?t thinking about the war in Iraq when she hung the wreath and that peace on earth is a fairly standard Christmas message. Jansen, who is a past homeowners association president, calculates the fines will cost her about $1,000 by the time Dec. 25 arrives and she?s adamant about not taking down her holiday decoration.
?Now that it has come to this I feel I can?t get bullied,? she said. ?What if they don?t like my Santa Claus??
Homeowners association president Bob Kearns says several residents have made formal complaints about the peace sign. My only guess is these complainers must favor violence and hatred instead of peace.
Said Kearns, ?Somebody could put up signs that say drop bombs on Iraq. If you let one go up you have to let them all go up.?
After hearing both sides of the argument, the neighborhood?s five-member Architectural Control Committee voted unanimously to allow Jensen to keep her wreath. Kearns then fired all five committee members.
Boy, the Christmas spirit is sure lost on this Kearns guy. I?d hate to be in the house if his Christmas turkey comes out of the oven a little dry.
As we journey around the nation, our next Business Pulse stop takes us to Pennsylvania where 36-year-old Terry Jackson had a rather unusual method of keeping police officers at bay during a suicidal standoff. She threatened them with five poisonous snakes.
Police still aren?t sure what set off Jackson?s rage, but things didn?t turn out in her favor. Not only did the snakes not hold off officers, but she was bit numerous times on the hands and face. To make matters worse, when police officers barged into her home, they shot her with a Taser.
Jackson was hospitalized in critical condition for a couple days but has since been upgraded and it appears she will survive. To add insult to injury, she will be hit with charges of threatening police when she is released. It?s probably not the way Jackson wanted to start the Christmas season.
As I close this week?s Business Pulse babble, I want to end on a positive note. In fact, I?ve searched the globe to find a story which most exemplifies the spirit of giving and I think I?ve found it in the tiny Brazilian village of Novo Santa Antonio.
It?s there where the town council has approved a program that distributes free Viagra to its elderly population. The program is along the same lines as the Constitutional Amendment approved by Tennessee voters Nov. 7 that can freeze the property taxes for senior citizens.
While the possible property tax freeze no doubt pleased the senior population in Tennessee, the free Viagra has absolutely thrilled the older folks in Novo Santo Antonio.
Said town Mayor Joao de Souza Luz, ?Since we started the free distribution of sexual stimulants, our elderly population changed. They?re much happier.?
Maybe we can learn something from the Brazilian town as we shop this holiday season. When trying to find something for that hard-to-shop-for man on your list, maybe Viagra should be considered. It?s just a thought.
Surgery center now owned by hospital
The folks at River Park Hospital wanted to comment on their acquisition of the same day surgery center, a deal I think is fairly significant. More than anything, it shows harmony is being restored to the local medical community since Capella Healthcare purchased River Park in December, 2005.
But things weren?t always peaches and cream. It wasn?t too long ago (oh about three years) when local surgeons were so fed up with HCA shenanigans they took considerable financial risks to start a same day surgery center located off Sparta Street and thus Middle Tennessee Surgical Center was formed.
Now that the two separate facilities are owned by the same company, it will allow them to complement each other rather than compete against each other.
?This new development should show the people of McMinnville and Warren County that there is a renewed commitment on the part of this hospital to better serve the people of this area,? said River Park CEO Christopher Dux. ?The acquisition of the surgery center is a big step in the right direction.?
According to Capella corporate officials, the company is committed to building a strong relationship in this community, along with providing funds for capital improvements for all its facilities. I?m told the surgery center purchase fits into Capella?s operational model and was pursued with the interests of local patients in mind.
?We feel confident this acquisition will further improve the level of medical services available in Warren County and will also result in a renewed sense of cooperation among the medical providers of the area,? said Capella president Tom Anderson.
On a personal note, if this deal means better medical services for me and my family, then I?m all for it. I?m also glad to see the same day surgery venture, which once seemed risky, appears to have worked out well for everyone involved. Hip-hip hooray.
Restaurant update
Folks want to know when the old Shoney?s restaurant is going to open and I have an update. I stopped by Wednesday and talked to Andy Kim, owner of Andy?s Country Buffet, and he told me he is shooting for a Dec. 15 opening day.
However, Andy didn?t make any promises that he could hit his target date and says if he doesn?t open by Dec. 15, he won?t open until the new year.
?Everything major is done,? said Andy. ?There are just some minor things to finish up.?
One thing that didn?t escape my attention is that the building looks great. There?s new paint, new carpet and new lighting.
?I?m happy with the way things are going,? said Andy. ?My food will be good and my price is good so I?ll do all right.?
In Newtown, the return of ?The World Famous Gator Burger? was delayed a couple days. Owner Billy Foutch had hoped to open Friday but he called me to say he is opening this Monday at 6 a.m.
I encourage everyone to stop by and check out Gator?s new place. It?s the same location, just about 50 feet back.
Nifty business can automate your lifestyle
The best way Susan Barrett can describe the business operated by her and her husband, Anthony, is to think of the cartoon ?The Jetsons.?
?If you can think it up, just about anything is doable nowadays,? said Susan. ?A lot of this stuff really is out of ?The Jetsons? except for the flying cars.?
The business is called Automated Lifestyles and one of the most basic services it offers is helping people get their audio and video equipment hooked up correctly. With Christmas right around the corner, and plasma TVs and other electronics sure to be popular gifts, Automated Lifestyles can help you in a jam.
?People want plasma TVs and big screens but then they get them home and don?t know how to install them,? said Anthony.
That?s the simple stuff. One of the more unique things the business can do is completely automate the lighting in your home.
When you pull in your driveway, you can hit a button from your car that turns on the lights of you choice inside your home. When you go to sleep, you can go to a control panel located next to your bed that turns off every light in the house with one push of a button. When you wake up, you can push another button that turns on every light of your choice.
While all the lighting features are nifty, Automated Lifestyles also offers a wide line of security cameras, alarms and monitoring equipment.
?With crime the way it is today, I think every home needs a security system,? said Susan.
Anthony is no stranger to the security business. He has even installed the security system at the federal reserve in Nashville while working for Bank Pack. He is fully licensed and insured as an alarm technician and also has a degree in electronics. In short, you can feel confident he knows what he?s doing.
If you want cameras installed outside your home, Anthony can set up your system so you can push a button on your TV remote and have the camera images displayed on your main TV.
If you want cameras inside your home, Anthony can set it up so you can view those images simply by getting on the Internet.
?If you have a nanny or baby-sitter watching your kids while you?re out or you?re at work, you can check in and see what?s happening,? said Susan. ?Some people may look at it as spying, but it?s your house and your property.?
This also may be handy if you have teenage children and have to make an unexpected trip out of town for a night. You can check in at different times and monitor the stages of the party taking place inside your home.
Automated Lifestyles also offers home monitoring for $15.95 a month and can stop by your house to give you a free estimate on any service. The phone numbers are 668-0630 or 212-4598.
Terry Ables joins staff at STAR Physical Therapy
Bud McGiboney and Terry Ables worked together for years at NHC Rehab. So when Bud ventured out on his own to open a branch of STAR Physical Therapy in McMinnville, it seemed a natural fit to get Terry to join his staff.
?It?s been a great move,? said Terry. ?The business is getting started.?
One integral part of the business is traveling around to industries like Bridgestone and Yorozu to help with workman?s comp cases. Terry says he deals with a significant number of upper-body injuries to the shoulder and elbow. He is also skilled at dealing with sports-related injuries.
?I like to think we can get most people rehabed and feeling better,? said Terry, who has been a licensed physical therapist assistant for 10-1/2 years. He?s also a certified strength and conditioning instructor.
You can give Terry a call at STAR Physical Therapy on North Chancery Street at 474-1900.
That?s all folks
In the spirit of giving this holiday season, please give me a Business Pulse tip. The phone number is 473-2191.
Shhh! Don?t let word get out that Santa Claus is really a woman. Don?t believe it? Here are just a few reasons why Santa must be female.
? The vast majority of men don?t even think about selecting gifts until Christmas Eve.
? There would be no reindeer because they would all be dead, gutted and strapped to the rear bumper of the sleigh amid wide-eyed, desperate claims that buck season had been extended.
? Even if male Santa did have reindeer, he?d still have transportation problems because he would inevitably get lost up there in the clouds and refuse to stop and ask directions.
? Men can?t pack a bag.
? Men would rather be dead than caught wearing red velvet.
? Men would feel their masculinity is threatened having to be seen with all those elves.
? Men don?t answer their mail.
? Men would refuse to allow their physique to be described, even in jest, as anything remotely resembling a ?bowlful of jelly.?
? Finally, being responsible for Christmas would require a commitment.
Many holiday characters are believable male figures. For example:
? Father Time shows up once a year unshaven and looking ominous. He?s a definite guy.
? Cupid flies around carrying weapons. That?s classic male behavior.
? Uncle Sam is a politician who likes to point fingers. Enough said.