News - Friday, November 22, 2013

When attorney Norm Sabin stood before the Tennessee Supreme Court on November 4 in Chattanooga to present his daughter, Daris Freeman, for acceptance to the state bar, he didn’t know he’d choke up midway through. He held his composure as he detailed her credentials and vouched for her integrity, but when he said, “...and she’s my daughter,” his emotions surfaced.

How do you pin a label on a man who has enjoyed as many careers as Bill Carter? Attorney, Secret Service agent, politician, lobbyist, security consultant for famous rock ‘n’ rollers, artist manager, television producer – they all fit, but they don’t begin to describe the man. Former Rolling Stone journalist Chet Flippo probably captured the definitive Bill Carter in his chronicle of the Rolling Stones, aptly titled “On The Road With The Rolling Stones.” In this tone, Flippo described a confident man in charge, a person who could go toe-to-toe with some of the most powerful and influential people in the world. But the man depicted in the book is a far cry from the young man growing up in rural Arkansas at the dawn of World War II.

Are you finding it difficult to juggle the demands of your job and the rest of your life? You’re not alone.

“A lot of people are having a more difficult time finding balance in their lives because there have been cutbacks or layoffs where they work. They’re afraid it might happen to them, so they’re putting in more hours,” says psychologist Robert Brooks, PhD. “But even if you don’t have much control over the hours you have to work, you can ask yourself: In what other ways am I bringing greater enjoyment into my life?”

Dale Buchanan and Associates this month expanded its Social Security disability law practice with the hiring of three new associates.

Whitney McElroy attended the University Honors Program of the University of Alabama, where she received a Presidential Scholarship and was a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She graduated with a B.A. degree, magna cum laude, in psychology in 2008. McElroy then attended the University of Alabama School of Law, where she received a full tuition academic scholarship her freshman year and later received the “Best Paper” award in Advanced Problems in Commercial Law - Bankruptcy. She graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in 2011. McElroy’s experience includes research and writing, conducting client communications and interviews, managing a caseload, and aiding in the preparation and implementation of litigation. She is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA).

It’s been 50 years since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I was born just over a year later. As a young child, my room was decorated with eagles and American flags. The quote, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” hung from my wall. I was inundated with JFK and what he seemingly stood for as far back as I can remember. 

This article was originally published in the Hamilton County Herald on December 2, 2011.

Most people have problems sleeping. What’s yours…can’t go to sleep? Waking up at 2:30 in the morning or at 4 a.m.? Maybe it’s that you can’t go to sleep before 12 or 1a.m., and then you just can’t seem to wake up and get moving the next morning.

"Virtue is like a rich stone, best plain set.” Francis Bacon wrote that. 

And then there’s “I wept not, so to stone within I grew.” From Dante Alighieri. 

Perhaps the most memorable quote on point is Euripides’s “Leave no stone unturned.”

Think back to when you were a young professional, eager to change the world. School was over and you’d landed your first job, but you lacked experience – and that was okay. No one had told you what you couldn’t do, so you ran on instinct and thrived on creativity.

I got another one of those emails Tuesday regarding the Nigerian who wants to give me lots of money. This was from a lady; I’ll call her Bonnie. Anyway, she begins the letter to me, and the “Undisclosed recipients,” with “Attn. My Dear,” which really touched me. 

This article was originally published in the Hamilton County Herald on December 2, 2011. 

I have already written an article on peanuts – you remember, it was all about how George Washington Carver discovered the many uses of peanuts after the Civil War, one of them being peanut butter. 

Eight long tables in the activity center at First Baptist Church at St. Elmo are groaning with laundry detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, and enough non-perishable food to feed a small army. The stacks of goods are higher than some of the people working to divide everything into baskets.

The Tennessee Appellate Court in Berry v. Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, et al, No. W2013-00474-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. October 15, 2013), confirmed that a lender is not obligated to modify and restructure a mortgage loan under the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) unless the borrower under the mortgage loan alleges the existence of a contract requiring the lender to restructure the mortgage in the event of a default. 

This article was originally published in the Hamilton County Herald on December 2, 2011. 

1. What cartoon hero was in love with Sweet Polly Purebred? Mighty Mouse; Underdog; Inspector Gadget; George of the Jungle. 

2. Inspired by an unflattering baby photo of himself, what cartoon character did Bob Clampett create in 1942? Elmer Fudd; Tazmanian Devil; Porky Pig; Tweety Bird.

Time travel movies must be tricky buggers to write. To make the implausible plausible, you have to establish rules and then abide by them, or people will stop buying into the story you’re telling. When they work (“Back to the Future,” “Terminator”), you can capture the imagination of your viewers; when they’re unconvincing (“Time Traveler’s Wife,” “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”), you’re left with goofy sci-fi.

Wrens Nest Center for Wellbeing, located at 2001 Shields Road in Dalton, Ga., is nearing the final phase of construction. Owner Cynthia Michaels broke ground on the 2,650 square foot facility in August. She said Wrens Nest will offer services, classes, and space for individuals and groups seeking wellness, balance, and change.

James M. Haley IV, chairman of Miller & Martin, this week announced that Patrick Mitchell has been elected to the firm’s policy committee. The policy committee serves as the firm’s managing board of directors. Mitchell, a 13-year veteran of the firm, concentrates his practice on mergers and acquisitions, securities, corporate finance, and general business representation. “It’s an honor to be elected by my colleagues to serve on the Policy Committee. I look forward to working with the firm’s leadership to promote our continued growth and success,” said Mitchell. (Photo provided)