thornton team: McCain's Vice Presidential Running Mate Announced - 08/29/08 04:30 AM
It has just been announced on Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain's website that he has selected Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate. Palin is in her second year as a first term governor and former mayor. She typically garners approval ratings in the 80% to 90% range. In her bid to be governor, she beat the Republican incumbent governor in the primary. She is 44 years old (making her considerably younger than both McCain and Biden, and three years younger than Obama.) She is the former head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. In this … (51 comments)

thornton team: Voter Card Arrived Today - 08/27/08 08:15 AM
*VOTE* Are You Registered? You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
-Maya Angelou (excerpt from Still I Rise)
I first registered to vote in Corinth, Mississippi in 1988 when I turned 18...go ahead, do the math, I'll wait...finished? Okay good. As I was saying, because my birthday is in late September, I barely made the state's thirty day advance registration requirement to vote in that year's presidential election. In case you forgot, that was the Dukakis/Bentsen versus Bush/Quayle election. Of course we … (6 comments)

thornton team: Outside the Rain - 08/26/08 03:41 PM
As many of you may know there is an enormous blogosphere that exists in cyberspace. The influence exerted by the blogosphere plays an integral part in the shaping of both the cyber world and the real world. Separation because of distance and time is continuously contracting thanks to the immediate dissemination of information and commentary. It seems that lack of access to the internet and governmental censorship are the only barriers which remain; granted these are not small barriers by any means. I would like you to consider the following quote by the respected entrepreneur, educator, and philanthropist Roger Babson.
Property … (19 comments)

thornton team: College Football Opening Day! - 08/26/08 07:17 AM

Thursday, August 28th marks the opening day for NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division I-A schools.
The SEC has two games scheduled both of which is are interconference games, Vanderbilt (SEC) at Miami of Ohio (MAC), and North Carolina State (ACC) at South Carolina (SEC).
The ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) has three matchups, four if you count the aforementioned interconference game, scheduled, Jacksonville State at Georgia Tech, Charleston Southern at Miami of Florida, and Wake Forest (23) at Baylor.
The Big East kicks off their season with Hofstra at Connecticut and Eastern Kentucky at Cincinnati.
The PAC10 has Oregon State … (16 comments)

thornton team: A Garden Slideshow! Thanks Roxio! - 08/25/08 08:48 AM
Earlier today, I did another post on my garden. That post featured the pollinators who make the garden's bounty possible. As you can probably tell from my posts, I really love to take photos of my garden. Photos provide a visual record of the changes that have taken place. From the humble beginnings when there was barely more than dirt and hope to the beauty of tomato plants and wildflowers that tower over me!
I had been noticing Jimmy McCall's use of the slideshow features on his blog lately and thought that would be a fun thing to use for my … (18 comments)

thornton team: The Pollinators - 08/25/08 07:20 AM

I take great pride, along with tasty veggies and beautiful flowers, in my garden. It was not an easy creation. At first there was only a patch of grass in a perfect spot. Laying it out and constructing it was quite a bit of work, and much appreciation goes out to Danny Thornton and my family for all their help. The garden since its initial construction has been very low maintenance. The majority of my exertion comes from gathering the delicious veggies and beautiful flowers. My efforts alone could never have yielded such fantastic results. Much of the credit goes … (3 comments)

thornton team: Hollywoodland, A Review - 08/24/08 01:04 PM
So the thing is, I bought Hollywoodland after it was released on DVD a year or so ago and simply have not taken the time to watch it. I really enjoy mysteries and superheros so I thought that this might be a treat. This movie also has some of the biggest names Hollywood has to offer, Ben Affleck, Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, and Bob Hoskins. Not to mention this film was directed by Allen Coulter who has been a regular director on many of the most beloved HBO Series that channel has seen including The Sopranos and Sex and the City.
(4 comments)

thornton team: Zucchini Casserole, Vegetarian and Tasty! - 08/21/08 09:11 AM
As many of you know from my posts on my garden, I am an avid gardener. I also have posted a few of the tasty dishes I have made with the bounty from my garden. Well, here is another of those yummy dishes! This very easy to make dish was made with zucchini and onions fresh from my garden! Be sure to notice that partial zucchini in the photo. That is the remaining 1/3 of one gigantic zucchini. For reference, the three zucchinis it is leaning on are whole and would, if combined, possibly provide as much as that one when … (22 comments)

thornton team: FREE Kid Care Photo ID Event! - 08/20/08 09:10 AM

and
This week Shoney's of Knoxville, Inc, in conjunction with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children will be hosting a FREE Photo ID event at several metro-Knoxville area locations. This is a great opportunity to collect vital information such as a color photo, fingerprints, height, weight, date of birth, and a medical profile collected together for easy parental access in the event you child is ever reported missing!
If you would like more information, you can contact:
Annie LaLonde
Shoney’s of Knoxville, Inc.
Marketing and Advertising Director
9720 Parkside Drive Knoxville, TN 37922
865-690-6331 Office
865-740-5652 Direct
865-690-6334 … (5 comments)

thornton team: 128 Days To Christmas! But The Kids Just Went Back To School! - 08/19/08 08:57 AM
Yes, I felt the same shock when I read there were 128 Days until Christmas on a recent post by Kara Casamassina on Athletic Alley. She was actually talking about the recent Olympic victories by the Jamaican track team and happened to mention the 128 days!
I am not a person who enjoys shopping! I am not a person who enjoys crowds! In the past couple of years, I have really taken to buying as much as possible online. I shop for books, DVD's, clothes, concert tickets, and lots of other stuff. When I first began shopping online, I was worried … (17 comments)

thornton team: Olympic Competition Obscures China Policies - 08/18/08 05:32 AM
The Olympics have long been a showcase of worldwide athletic competition. Traditionally, Olympians were granted safe passage to attend the games and conflicts were halted during the games. I cannot pretend to understand the reasoning behind which city is chosen to host the games by the International Olympic Committee. Unless you have been living under a rock, the current Olympics are being held in Beijing, China. These Olympics have been characterized by the phenomenal spectacle of the opening ceremonies and the competition of premier athletes from all corners of the world. New records have been set and new countries have achieved … (8 comments)

thornton team: Meme's Attack Outside The Rain Too! - 08/13/08 02:57 PM
In my usual daily jaunt around the internet today, I came across a Blog entitled, Beetles' Memories 'n' Ramblings. This is one of a multitude of blogs that contribute personal perspectives to everything from travel to technology...to Meme's. I think that as much as the Meme's may grow on us like a fungus, they really do help to foster a connection and deeper understanding among people from all parts of the world.
Now you may think this type of connection and understanding is best left for a social networking site like Facebook or MySpace. I could not disagree more! Many times … (18 comments)

thornton team: The World Grotto Experience! - 08/13/08 06:34 AM
Knoxville as a city is heavily influenced by it proximity to the Great Smokey Mountains with its rich Appalachian culture. Knoxville, because it is home to the University of Tennessee, is also heavily influenced by the diverse intellectual and artistic curiosity that characterizes any major university. The convergence of these influences have given rise to a number of distinctively diverse hot spots around town. One of the most distinctive of these is the World Grotto!
World Grotto is located at 16 Market Square in Knoxville (click HERE for a map). They are open: Tueday thru Wednesday 5:00 PM until 1:00 AM, … (9 comments)

thornton team: Vantage Point - 08/11/08 06:28 AM
On Friday, I received Vantage Point from my Blockbuster Total Access account. So Saturday night I decided to watch it. It is jam packed with big name stars that individually could make a movie.
Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox play the secret service agents assigned to protect the president, played by William Hurt. Forest Whitaker plays Howard Lewis, the tourist who unwittingly captures the entire incident on video. And, Sigourney Weaver plays the news channels production chief.
This movie uses the replay from different perspectives technique in order to show how the different characters witness and perceive the assassination of the … (23 comments)

thornton team: A Veggie Garden...With Wildflowers! - 08/06/08 01:39 PM

One of the great pleasure I have been enjoying since moving to Knoxville, Tennessee from Atlanta, Georgia is the space to have a large garden...and chickens! Being an avid gardener I find the outdoors to be a place a tranquility and connection. To me, there is little that compares to getting my hands deep into the rich Earth to grow just about anything. I enjoy watching as my plants grow and mature. And when they produce their first bounty, well that is the good stuff. Just check out that eggplant above. It was the most beautiful shades of purple and … (22 comments)

thornton team: Another Wonderful Walk For A Great Cause! - 08/05/08 08:50 AM
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post in support of the Alzheimer's Memory Walks that are going on around the country this fall. Today I received an e-mail from a friend of mine from high school that I haven't seen in almost 20 years! And yes it makes me feel old just typing that! In the signature of her e-mail was a web address, www.foodallergywalk.org/goto/lovebugsco Being curious, I of course pasted it into my browser to see where it would take me. You can click on it if you would like to see what I saw!
Ann Slobodian, my … (5 comments)

thornton team: Preparing For The Loan Application - 07/30/08 07:29 AM
One of the first steps you will be asked to do after choosing a lender is to complete the Uniform Residential Loan Application, also referred to in real estate parlance as the 1003. Most loan originators/officers will complete this on their computer with the information you provide while talking on the phone, or direct you to a secure website where one can be completed. The 1003 is required for all mortgage loans and contains most of borrower's important information. The information contained on the 1003 is initially unverified but can be changed as it is verified. Many companies will provide a … (8 comments)

thornton team: The Varsity Celebrates 80 Years! - 07/29/08 07:17 AM
In downtown/midtown Atlanta, just across Interstate 75 from Georgia Tech there is a local landmark called The Varsity! The Varsity is billed as the World's Largest Drive-In Restaurant. This iconic Atlanta landmark is not where you will find the latest in French infused Asian cuisine. In fact the only thing remotely French at the Varsity is the name "French" fries; the side item which is by the way an American creation!
On the Varsity Menu you will find all manner of hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, chicken, and salads. Being located in the same city as Coke's World Headquarters, you can of … (11 comments)

thornton team: Andrew K. McCain Departs From Silver State Bank - 07/28/08 01:20 AM
Late this past Friday it was announced by Silver State Bancorp, that Andrew K. McCain, son of the presumptive Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain, and director of the Board of Directors for Silver State Bancorp, had submitted his resignation. In his resignation, McCain cited personal reasons for his sudden departure. According to the Silver State Bancorp website:
Mr. McCain previously served as a director of Choice Bank in Scottsdale, Arizona from 2006 to April 1, 2008 when Choice Bank merged into Silver State Bank. Mr. McCain had been appointed to the Boards of the Company and Silver State Bank in February, … (24 comments)

thornton team: Alzheimer's Memory Walk! - 07/23/08 06:36 AM
According to the US National Institutes of Health there are 7 warning signs of Alzheimer's disease that when seen in combination with each other, should encourage you to ask your healthcare provider about the possibility of Alzheimer's disease. These 7 Warning Signs Are NOT Meant To Diagnose Alzheimer's Disease! The 7 warning signs are:
1. Asking the same question over and over again.
2. Repeating the same story, word for word, again and again.
3. Forgetting how to cook, or how to make repairs, or how to play cards — activities that were previously done with ease and regularity.
4. Losing … (22 comments)