Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Politicians, Republicans especially, are scrambling for position to replace Saxby Chambliss.
Republican 10th District U.S. Rep. Paul Broun is running for Senate in 2014. So is Republican 1st District U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston. And Republican 11th District U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey. But Republican Tom Price, who represents the 6th District, announced Friday that he's not. Which might open the door for former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel, a pal of Price's, who said in a statement last week that she'd end the suspense "in the very near future." Meanwhile, John Barrow, the only white Democrat from the Deep South in the U.S. House of Representatives, announced recently that he won't seek the seat being vacated by the retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss. Which might mean tough 2014 sledding for Democrats, who have yet to put forth a …
Monday, May 13, 2013
A database released by the federal government shows shocking price discrepancies.
How can a medical procedure that costs $7,000 at one hospital cost nearly $100,000 at the hospital down the street? Because patients don't know what anyone charges for anything. That might change soon. The federal government has released a database laying out charges for common medical procedures at hospitals across the country, The Huffington Post reports. Officials said they released the data to make hospitals more intelligent competitors and patients better informed consumers. The results are vexing: What's your reaction to the variation in health care prices? Will this information change how you seek health care? What should be done to improve medical pricing? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
All the county's events are listed in one place online. You can filter, print and set email reminders.
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Sunday, May 12
Want to check on a belly dancing class? An art show? Gwinnett Board of Commissioners meetings? Now, it's all a click away. Gwinnett government has launched a comprehensive online calendar that includes all 2013 activities, according to Chairman Charlotte Nash's Facebook page. Yes, you can filter for particular type of event, as well as type of display, such as year/month/view. Also, you can create and edit email reminders, and print for traditional display at home or office. If you need help on how to use the calendar, contact Gwinnett officials at 770-822-8000.
Flowers, vegetables, or a mix of both? Let's see photos of your garden sanctuary.
From a window flower bed to a backyard veggie patch to acres of fields - how does your garden grow? Share pictures by clicking on the "Upload photos and videos" button to add your images to our gallery.
Friday, May 10, 2013
This coming-of-age movie is set on the Mississippi and stars a snaggletoothed Matthew McConaughey.
Two 14-year-old rural Arkansas boys, Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland), visit an island on the Mississippi, where they plan to claim a boat, lodged high in a tree, as their secret hideout. They encounter a mysterious, charismatic stranger, Mud (Matthew McConaughey, who tells them he's there to claim his true love, Jupiter (Reese Witherspoon). The boys are sympathetic and helpful. But the course of true love never runs true, and things are not as simple as they seem. In "Mud," an evocative highlight of the American movie year so far, Matthew McConaughey slips easily into the role of a haunted, lovelorn killer on the lam, hiding out on an island in the Mississippi River along the Arkansas Delta region. Two generations ago, …
A Generation Y publication calls out Abercombie & Fitch for eschewing plus sizes.
Even as one metro Atlanta mall hosted a casting call for plus size models last weekend, a popular retailer was discouraging larger women from dropping in. Elite Daily, "The Voice of Generation-Y," recently pointed out that mall staple Ambercrombie & Fitch doesn't carry XL or XXL sizes of women's clothing, stopping at size 10 for women's pants. Competitors such as H&M and American Eagle go much larger. The article points to a 2006 interview with CEO Mike Jeffries in Salon.com: Is it cool to just go after the "cool" kids? Does your pants size make you cool? What do you tell your children? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Critics say Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel is "quite the spectacle."
The premise, courtesy of the film's official website: “The Great Gatsby” follows Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz and bootleg kings. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy (Carey Mulligan), and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super-rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, within and without the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible…
Thursday, May 9, 2013
The Google-owned video sharing site reportedly is planning to charge for some premium content. Will you pay to press play?
YouTube, the popular video sharing site that also is the world's second-leading search engine, reportedly is about to charge for some content. Mashable.com has reported that Google-owned YouTube this week will begin charging for "specialist" channels to help finance production of content such as television shows and films. The service will include up to 50 YouTube channels, and subscriptions will start as low a $1.99 per month, the Financial Times reported. A YouTube spokesperson told Mashable, "We have nothing to announce at this time, but we're looking into creating a subscription platform that could bring even more great content to YouTube for our users to enjoy and provide our creators with another vehicle to generate revenue from …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Tell your neighbors what you think about the restaurant's offerings.
According to Chick-fil-A, 38 percent of consumers are more likely to eat at restaurants that offer healthy menu options, and consumers expect to see more fruits and vegetables on menus in 2013. The company responded by rolling out new salad offerings — the Cobb Salad, Asian Salad and Grilled Market Salad — in April, and Patch wants to know if you've tried them. If so, tell us which salad you've tried and what you thought in the comments section below. Haven't tried them? Learn more about the salads here. You can also post a review of Chick-fil-A at Loganville on the restaurant's Patch directory listing. Is Chick-fil-A right? Are you more likely to dine out at restaurants with healthy selections? Are you looking for more fruits and …
"It's hard to say," says author Peggy Drexler, "but our increasingly me-first world might have something to do with it."
Mother's Day is coming up this Sunday, but not every mom is pleased to carry the mantle. Some are even walking off the job. In an opinion piece on CNN.com, parenting author Peggy Drexler writes that "reports would seem to indicate that the number of moms who ... run away -- or at least walk away -- is increasing." Drexler cites an increase in the number of single fathers, and several anecdotal examples of mothers who simply took off: There's Rahna Reiko Rizzuto, who wrote in an essay for Salon.com that she realized, when her sons were 3 and 5 that she didn't want to be a full-time mother anymore. There are even support groups now for women who decide to leave their children. Why do some moms leave? Here's what Rizzuto says in the Salon …
Lisa Mende
12:24 am on Thursday, May 16, 2013
I think Mr. Broun is entitled to believe what he wishes. I do not think his beliefs should be a factor in his governance, There are many of his constituents who do not believe as he does, many folks who do not wish to have his particular faith take precedence over another faith or have it rammed down their throats. Mr. Broun held a town hall meeting several years ago on Yom Kippur, the highest of… more ›