Facebook Can be Such a Pain, Could Cost a Middle TN Woman $250,000

May 18, 2013 in Current Events, Facebook, Real Life Issues

Facebook can be such a pain. A local restaurant and a local PR firm were engaged in litigation because of a comment on Facebook. That case settled eventually with unknown settlement.

Now this from the Tennessean. Seems a Middle TN woman posted some comments about a developer, now she faces a $250,000 lawsuit. Is it really that important?

I deactivated my Facebook account several months ago and it is nice. I grew tired of some political propaganda and rhetoric. That was my decision, your decision is up to you.


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KAT is Wanting To Do What?

May 18, 2013 in City of Knoxville, Community, Current Events, Government, KAT, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero, Knoxville Vice Mayor Nick Pavlis, Politics, Real Life Issues

This week it seemed like another mundane Knoxville City Council meeting. Resolution (l) seemed harmless enough. The City would donate shelters to the University of Tennessee.

When it came time to hear the item. It obviously had not escaped many Knoxville residents. Here is what has happened, UT has bid out (asked for a transportation company specifically for student transportation) A company out of Alabama beat out KAT. This will negatively impact (will cause KAT to lose) $18 million over 5 years.

KAT had purchased and installed ten shelters around the UTK campus. Now, that KAT has lost the contract. KAT wants to give UT the shelters. Which would in turn give the company that cost them $18 million over 5 years the shelters. This would be adding to the winning competitors profitability.

It seems that KAT Senior Leadership doesn’t want to invest the time to take the shelters down and relocate them. It isn’t fair to the users of KAT that are not on the UT campus that do not have the benefit of shelters to be exposed to the weather with shelters purchased for KAT riders through a grant to now be used by KAT competitors riders.

Knoxville businessman Jim Jennings, KAT Board Member Hubert Smith along with several others addressed council. The council on motion of Vice Mayor Nick Pavlis took a two week postponement. So, in one week this issue will be coming up again. In an email that Mr. Smith sent to council members, he included several photographs of the ten shelters. I include a few of them below.

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Knoxville Knox County Peace Officers Memorial

May 17, 2013 in City of Knoxville, Community, Current Events, Elected Officials, General, Government, Knox County, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero, Mayor Tim Burchett, Passing, Real Life Issues

This morning, the Knoxville Knox County Peace Officers Memorial was held on the Mary Costa Plaza which is located on the property of the Knoxville Civic Coliseum.

The service remembers and memorializes any peace officer that has passed within the past year.

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Mr. David “Earle” Foulk of NewsTalk 98.7 FM was one of the Speakers. He spoke of getting the call that his son in law (a KPD Officer) had been injured and Dave and his wife had to go tell his daughter and get too the hospital. Dave delivered a clear concise and time appropriately message. Not too short, Not too long.

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Knoxville City Council Member Brenda Palmer and Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett were present.

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Also in attendance were County Commissioner Ed Shouse, Lt. Dan Raper (THP, Retired) and Radio Talk Show Host Hubert Smith.

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R.I.P Dick Trickle One of Nascar’s Guys

May 16, 2013 in Current Events, General, Nascar

This story from the Tennessean. Apparently, Nascar driver Dick Trickle died today of an apparent self inflicted gun shot.

It is sad to the Nascar family to lose one of it’s own. To lose one in such a lonely last moment is tragic.

Suicide is an interesting phenomena. It impacts everyone differently. It seems that some people never face a family member of friend that commits suicide. While others seem to face it many times with several family members or friends that take their own lives.


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Disturbing Antics from the Next Generation from NorthEast Knox County

May 16, 2013 in General, Knox Co Schools Security, Knox County, Knox County School Board, Knox County Schools

This from the Big Metal Shed on the Hill reporting a suspected Senior prank in hanging 7 dead animal carcasses up on campus. It is disturbing that these perpetrators would calculate and plan to locate, hunt down what they want to hang campus.


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Viral Video – Is It Staged? Does It Matter if it’s Staged? Does it Have a Message for or About Public Education?

May 14, 2013 in Current Events, Government

This video has gotten 1.2 million views. Was it staged? Does it matter, if it was or was not staged? Is the message from the student real or not? It is interesting that the teacher had a “don’t really care” attitude.

The student is Jeff Bliss from Duncanville, TX. He is the son of a public school teacher. Below is a television interview that he participated in after the video hit youtube and began it’s viral move. The television video has over 3 million views.

What are your thoughts?


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There are No Coincidences Along Life’s Road with God, Only Divine Appointments

May 12, 2013 in Community, Current Events, First Baptist Concord, General, God Answers Prayer, Knox County, Motivational, Real Life Issues, USA, Worship

On Wednesday May 1 I woke up as usual and looked at all the area newspapers online. As I looked at the Roane County News, I saw a story about three people on horseback and their dog traveling across America.

That evening, I attended the “High School Edge” (the mid week student ministry event for high school). Husband and Wife Tim and Lynn Tuggle along with Jason Ladd had made it to Farragut. They were interviewed by the Farragut Press. Wes Evans our high school pastor had asked them to stay and speak with the high school students. May 1 was already scheduled for Field Day (an outside event). They did just that.

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Tim shared their story. They were living in California and had a business. God spoke to Tim to sell what he had and set out on horseback to Newburn, NC traveling across America. When he told his wife Lynn, she agreed. So, in August 2010 they set out, in New Mexico they found a friend, Chico their dog (he actually leads the way in front of the horses)

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As they traveled across Middle TN, a young man Jason Ladd had been spending time with God and believed that he had a call from God for the next call on his life. He simply wanted a sign. That sign came the next day when Tim and Lynn came through Spring Hill, TN. He joined up with them for a brief time and was riding with them when they came through Farragut.

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The message for me was simply, the decision to set out on horseback in August 2010 set into motion divine appointments along the way. One was when they found Chico, the divine appointment to meet Jason Ladd and confirm God’s call on his life, the divine appointment to be at First Baptist Concord on the night of the high school field day, the divine appointment that I would happen to be there and hear their word to now share it with you here on Shock And Awe. These are only a few divine appointments out of hundreds that Tim and Lynn have experienced. I am just pleased that I was a recipient of one of them.

You can follow their journey on this Facebook page.

Two verses on their card are “I can do all things through Christ which strengths me.” – Phillipians 4:13 and “The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him” – Psalm 32:10 If you are called of God to contribute. Donations via PayPal can be made through this website.


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Times Have Changed, The End is Near!

May 11, 2013 in Current Events, Real Life Issues, Worship

I remember back in the 1970′s when I was a student at Sunnyview Elementary School in East Knox County that we would go to the gymnasium and some gentlemen would speak and give us a copy of the New Testament. The gentlemen were a group of volunteers affiliated with a group known as The Gideon’s.

In Hamilton County, TN (Chattanooga) the students come home with a permission slip that they can or can not receive a New Testament. Times they have been a changing. A parent who is in religious litigation with the school district showed up at the elementary school in question and was going to block the Gideon’s from distributing the Bibles.

Read the story from the Chattanooga Times Free Press here. The Times Free Press is conducting a poll on the issue, here.

The decision by the school district is that if one group can distribute than all groups can distribute. (Mormon, Jehovah Witnesses, Muslim etc.) That seems logical. Although, I am an Evangelical Christian, I would not be changed by other religious groups material. What say all you’ns?

The End is Near!


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The Price of Politics – Bob Woodward

May 11, 2013 in Elected Officials, General, Government, Politics, USA, USA has a Spending Problem

September 15, 2012 I bought a copy of The Price of Politics by Bob Woodward. It was released four days before on September 11, 2012. In September, I was worn out from politics. The Republican and Democrat Nominating conventions had concluded and since 2010 I had fought for first Herman Cain and then Rick Santorum in the Republican Presidential Primary.

I cast an early vote in October 2012 for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. But again, I was tired of politics.

It wasn’t until this past March while on my Spring Break trip to an undisclosed locale where the tempeture was much warmer than Knoxville that I read the book.

It is a great read for anyone that has an interest in governance and the process of legislating. It details the maneuvering, negotiations during the debt ceiling discussions of 2010. All the cast of characters from the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate and the White House were most concerned with the 2012 election. Status Quo is never a good thing and that is evidence through this non fiction account of a multi month legislative process. It is an ugly process.

While the book did not change of positive view of Speaker John Boehner. My view of Congressman Eric Cantor has improved. Although, there were some differences of opinion among Boehner and Cantor. They both operated from conviction and personal resolve to not compromise their beliefs. Woodward had extensive interviews with all individuals involved. Again, if you have an interest in politics and the give and take of negotiation, it is a good read.


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Mike Donila Gives You an Inside View from the Courtroom

May 10, 2013 in General

Mike Donila, the Knox County Government beat writer for the Big Metal Shed on the Hill blogged here some inside view of the courtroom theatrics concerning Commissioner Ownby’s day in court.


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