I remember the first time I ran away from home. I was in sixth grade and I had been wronged in some way. I was sure my parents loved my sister more or denied me some privilege, and I was having none of that. I stayed home when my parents left for work, skipped school, packed a bag and took my bike to this little secluded spot by the river, thinking that was an awesome place to live. I was home before my parents. » Read More

Are large numbers of homeowners who have negotiated short sales with lenders at risk because of a startling omission in the American credit system? Do their credit reports and scores indicate that they were foreclosed upon, rather than having negotiated a mutually agreeable resolution with their lenders? » Read More

Single and lonely in a new neighborhood, a guy invites his neighbors to a drop-in party. With ample food and drink, he sits alone as party time comes and goes. » Read More

Brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who are accused of setting the bombs that exploded at the Boston Marathon, attended the University of Massachusetts. Maybe they hated our nation before college, but if you want lessons on hating America, college attendance might be a good start. Let’s look at it. » Read More

Last week, while out of town and staying in a hotel, I had a most exasperating experience. » Read More

The word tax is a three-letter word that might as well be a four-letter word these days. » Read More

My graduate course in crisis management was the 2012 Republican presidential primaries as a senior advisory and national media surrogate for Newt Gingrich. » Read More

I try to walk at least five days or more a week for close to an hour. » Read More

David Pennington, the mayor of Dalton, is making noises about challenging incumbent Gov. Nathan Deal in the 2014 Republican primary. Say what? » Read More

I was conversing with a couple of friends this week, each of whom expressed frustration and disappointment at having been wronged recently in a business transaction. » Read More

If you’re a man who’s been invited to a wedding, you need to heed my advice so you know what to do at these alien affairs. » Read More

With full-fledged sellers’ markets underway in dozens of metropolitan areas around the country, new research has found curious statistical patterns emerging: Even in cities where listings get multiple offers within days or hours, significant numbers of homes are sitting on the market for six months, 12 months or more with no takers. » Read More

One definition given for insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. » Read More

Cook, author and TV personality Nathalie Dupree is long gone from these parts, having been carted away to endlessly charming Charleston by husband Jack Bass, chronicler of Southern history. Still, she retains devoted fans and many friends here since she ran "Nathalie’s at Mt. Pleasant Village" and lived in Social Circle. » Read More

This week, my mother called around 10 a.m. one morning to chat for a minute and catch up. During our conversation, I realized that she was still in her bed, waiting for an aide to help into a wheelchair. » Read More

This is the story of courage. This is a story of tenacity. This is the story of Hill Daniel. » Read More

I wrote a column not too long ago bemoaning the fact that my grandchildren were growing up. Well, I have more proof. » Read More

The liberal world vision and reality are often at variance, as, for example, with equal pay for equal work. » Read More

My wife and I have been vacationing the past week in south Florida. On the first night of the eight-day trip, we took the hotel clerk’s dinner recommendation and headed to the restored riverfront in historic Fort Myers. » Read More

As a kid, I hated Sunday mornings with a passion I now reserve only for unimaginable evils such as genocide and raw onions. Sunday — “the day of rest” — was far from restful for me, and I blame it on a weekly ritual, “dressing up for Sunday school.” » Read More

There are many ways to describe the enormous gap between the American people and their elected politicians. » Read More

I grew up with hamsters, so when my kid decided he wanted one for his birthday in December last year, I was totally OK with that. » Read More

Little is left to the imagination these days. The ever deeper probing of scientists is removing any mystery from life and banishing the unknown and heretofore unknowable. » Read More

Humans have long reached toward heaven. I don’t know whether this desire represents an attempt to get away from the ground, an attempt to associate with God, or an attempt to peer over the balcony and look at all the little people below. But the desire to go higher and higher has long shaped the skylines of our cities. » Read More