The Gallatin News

“If you can meet with Triumph and DisasterAnd treat those two imposters just the same.” ~ From the poem “If…” by English writer Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) By JIM HAWKINS Living in Middle Tennessee, I am alert to severe weather watches, and for good reason. My home and neighborhood were hit by a deadly tornado in April 2006. I witnessed and ...

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” ~ Edmund Burke, Irish orator, philosopher, and politician (1729-1797) Professor David O’Brien, the University Professor of Faith and Culture at the University of Dayton in Ohio, last year wrote a quiet but stirring essay called “Learning From 9/11.” I was struck by thes ...

Congratulations! You have just been granted a wish to go somewhere or do something that you would really enjoy but have never had the time, money or means to make it happen. What would it be? A trip to Disney World? A ride in an air balloon? Maybe a return visit to your childhood residence. I’ve always loved to travel so I’m sure I’d choose a spe ...

“The number of texts [SMS, or Short Message Services texts, sent via cellphones and computers] is expected to exceed 9.6 trillion in 2012.” ~ Portio Research The use of text messages and other electronic messaging continues to grow. Like other forms of communication, texting and electronic messaging can become offensive – or illegal. In the fall ...

The older I get, the less likely you are to find me in a large crowd. In my younger days, I stood in long lines and fought the masses to enjoy things that were important to me at the time. I’ve climbed ‘The Hill’ in Knoxville along with thousands of others to watch the Big Orange run through the “T” in person. I’ve spent what seemed like hours sea ...

“Old age is fifteen years older than I am.” ~U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841-1935) “Old age is no place for sissies.”~Bette Davis, American film, television and theatre actress (1908-1989) The 18-year period from 1946 to 1964 is known in the United States as the “Baby Boom.” Many ‘Boomers’ born during those years are n ...

By PATRICK HALLThe Gallatin News Best Picture nominee “Silver Linings Playbook” is a genuine and emotional look into the lives of two individuals, mostly described as “crazy,” but the truth is, the film succeeds in pulling back the curtain on all our lives and the truth that we all have flaws and depend on those around us to love, forgive and acce ...

 “There are people in the world so hungry that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” -- Mahatma Gandhi, political and spiritual leader of India (1869-1948)   Most Americans have enough to eat, yet many adults – and even more children – are “food insecure.”  This term came into use about 6 years ago when a 2006 U.S.D.A. execut ...

James 4:14 - Whereas you know not what shall be tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. Once again, life has proven the truth of this scripture to me. My family and I have suffered a great loss this past weekend with the sudden passing of my uncle, Del Newman. While 74 may seem a ...

I’ve been following the selection process for the next president of Volunteer State Community College rather closely.  Not just because it’s a newsworthy process, which it is, and not just because of my curiosity. It’s far more important than either of those things. The people charged with putting forth the candidates, and the people who will actu ...

I suppose it’s taken me a couple of weeks to get use to the idea of Robert Lassiter not being the head coach of the Green Wave football team. On one hand, it doesn’t seem possible that he’s been in that role for fifteen years. On the other hand, it sort of seems like he’s been there even longer. I first met Coach Lassiter in the early 1990s when h ...

By Kim Duke What does being fit really mean? According to the dictionary it means to be in good physical condition or in good health. So we strive to lose weight, keep our cholesterol down, kick bad eating habits, and other things that will keep our body functioning the way it should. Is that really all there is to being fit? The more I thought a ...

By Kim Duke As the end of summer approached, I eagerly awaited that back to school feeling. Buying school supplies, ordering school uniforms…begin making plans without the kids. Did I say that? Okay I confess. I love the kids being out for summer but somehow it throws my schedule off track and I’m often left feeling very unproductive at the end ...

A lot of people say that runners are a breed of their own. A local runner is proving that right by running 314 miles to Georgia. It’s important to set goals for ourselves but isn’t this taking it to the extreme? Not according to the Hendersonville Running Club. Hendersonville Running Club has been gathering on Saturday mornings for at least the la ...

Lightning bugs, sweaty kids, long days and the smell of fresh cut grass. These are the signs of summer to me! We’ve gone from being on schedules to carefree days and endless nights. Eating multiple desserts on a hot day may seem to be acceptable now, yet the rest of the year we wouldn’t dare indulge in these temptations.  With so much play how can ...

Seeing how I love being so active I decided to start running. This was not something that came natural for me. It was something that I spontaneously decided to do since I was involved in other endurance activities. As soon as I started my new adventure there were 5k races advertised everywhere I looked. Having such a competitive spirit I knew I h ...

When Louisville guard Kevin Ware jumped in an attempt to block or alter a 3-point shot by Duke’s Tyler Thornton, he had no sense of what would happen. Ware came down awkwardly on the floor without making any contact with Thornton, but there was a sickening sound as his leg snapped in two places right in front of Louisville’s bench. Part of the ti ...

How long has it been since Middle Tennessee State’s men’s basketball team played in the NCAA Tournament? So long that current Blue Raider Kerry Hammonds Jr.’s father was on the last MTSU team to make the tournament field. So long ago that none of the current Blue Raiders players were even born. So long ago the Blue Raiders have had three coaches ...

It was a day of firsts at Daytona International Speedway. It was the first time a female driver finished in the top 10 of the legendary Daytona 500. It was the first time racing on the newly resurfaced 3.1-mile tri-oval track. It was the first time racing 500 miles in NASCAR’s new Gen-6 car. Was it a perfect race? Winner Jimmie Johnson thought ...

It may not have been the most flawless Super Bowl, but it was top tier in my book when it came to excitement and action, both on and off the football field. Off the field, kudos to whoever made it happen for the Sandy Hook Elementary School students to sing just prior to kickoff. To see those young kids, full of life and innocence, makes you wonde ...

Call it karma. Call it right place, right time. Could former Tennessee and recently inducted Hall of Fame football coach Phillip Fulmer return to the coaching stage? He was in Johnson City last week, speaking at a Boys & Girls Club fundraiser. Fulmer has been out of coaching since being let go by Tennessee in 2008. He never saw it as the end of ...

By PATRICK HALLThe Gallatin News Captivating and beautiful, while also at times, littered with grit and destruction, “Beasts of the Southern Wild” is a fantastic film tribute to those who chose to stay the course and not leave their homes during Hurricane Katrina, and the performance by its lead actress is downright amazing. “Beasts” is a film ...

By PATRICK HALLThe Gallatin News There were definitely some huge hits at the theaters in 2012, and it was certainly a much better year at the movies than 2011, and looking back, “Lincoln” and “The Master” stand as the year’s most outstanding films. With the Academy Awards coming up next month, nominees for categories will soon be announced and ...

By PATRICK HALLThe Gallatin News There’s no sugar-coating anything in Quentin Tarantino’s new film “Django Unchained,” nor should there be, and the movie is downright awesome, hilarious and so brutally honest that it is impossible to ignore when looking for the best movie of 2012. In 1858, German bounty-hunter Dr. King Shultz (Christoph Waltz) ...

By PATRICK HALLThe Gallatin News Despite a slow start, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is really an outstanding adventure that is likely to thrill fans of the book but presents problems for the casual moviegoer. Directed by Peter Jackson, and based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, “The Hobbit,” the film is the first of three, and tells of the hob ...

By PATRICK HALLThe Gallatin News With no major releases this past weekend, I started my anticipation for this weekend’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” by taking part in a Saturday marathon of all three “Lord of the Rings” films in theaters, and Director Peter Jackson can’t possibly outdo himself. Of course, Saturday was the first time I ha ...