Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The agency apologized last week for automatically sending Tea Party and similar groups through multiple hoops before the 2012 election.
President Obama this week said efforts by IRS employees to target new conservative groups for extra scrutiny were "outrageous," echoing many administration critics who charged that the measures were politically motivated. "I have got no patience with it, I will not tolerate it, and we will make sure that we find out exactly what happened on this," Obama said in a news conference Monday. The Wall Street Journal reported that an Inspector General's report concludes there was widespread targeting of conservative-linked groups for aggressive questioning, but that no one outside the IRS was involved in establishing the practice. (The report was released Tuesday.) Former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman, an appointee of President George W. Bush…
Saturday, May 11, 2013
'Great Gatsby' is playing this weekend in Johns Creek.
Leonardo DiCaprio stars in Baz Luhrmann's take on "The Great Gatsby," which is at times more style than substance – just like like the novel's main character himself – say some critics. "The Great Gatsby" is rated PG-13 and runs two hours and 22 minutes. It is now playing at Regal Cinemas Medlock Crossing in Johns Creek. For more theater information, show times and pricing, click the link above. Here's what else the critics are saying: Baz Luhrmann’s new film version of The Great Gatsby is stylish, slick, funny and entertaining—a bit detached at points, a bit overblown at others. That should be all that matters. — Jeremy Mathews, Paste Magazine Just because a film looks like it was dipped in 18-karat gold doesn’t mean it’s rich in quality…
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Do we move ahead as if nothing has happened? Where to do we go from here? Tell us in the comments below.
In the days since the Boston Marathon bombing and the firefight that ensued to capture the men suspected of planting the twin bombs, the national conversation has once again turned to the horror of attacks like the bombing and 9-11 as we try to process the tragedy. While some are reminded that for all the darkness in times like these, there are those who shine a light by running toward destruction to help. Others, however, process the mayhem differently and tend to become somewhat anxious about recurrences and potential vulnerability.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
A nonprofit organization is taking Gov. Nathan Deal to task for his neutral position on teens in Wilcox County, Ga., organizing an integrated prom.
Better Georgia, a progressive nonprofit organization, is criticizing Gov. Nathan Deal for "not taking sides" on an effort by four teenage girls to organize its first integrated prom in Wilcox County, Georgia. Gov. Nathan Deal was asked last week whether he'd supported the high school students' efforts, which he declined through a spokesman. "This is a leftist front group for the state Democratic party and we're not going to lend a hand to their silly publicity stunt," Spokesman Brian Robinson said
Saturday, April 13, 2013
A federal judge has ordered the FDA to make the pregnancy preventative available to women of all ages without a prescription.
A recent ruling by a federal judge in Brooklyn has renewed controversy on reproductive rights. U.S. District Court Judge Edward Korman overturned a 2011 decision by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that the morning after pill only be available to girls under 17 years old via prescription. Sebelius' ruling went against a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommendation that the pill be available to all women and girls over the counter. The U.S. Justice Department is likely to file an appeal of Korman's ruling. Reaction to the ruling has been varied. "Today science has finally prevailed over politics," Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement. On the other side of …
Saturday, April 6, 2013
The Georgia General Assembly was not able to pass a sweeping firearms bill that would have allowed gun owners to carry in churches, bars and on school campuses.
A proposal that would have allowed firearms to be carried in churches, college campuses and in bars died on the vine as the 2013 legislative session ended on Thursday. House Bill 512, which garnered much support across the state, sailed through the Georgia House of Representatives. However, its upper chamber counterpart, Senate Bill 101, could not muster enough support to pass before the close of the session. The issue over whether or not to allow firearms on the state's nearly 50 colleges and university campuses brought down the bill. However, supporters of the bill and the campus carry provision are confident the bill will return in 2014.
Friday, April 5, 2013
It's blood, blood and more blood in the remake of Sam Raimi's 1981 cult classic.
See "Evil Dead" at Regal Cinemas Medlock Crossing. In the much-anticipated remake of the 1981 cult-hit horror film, five 20-something friends become holed up in a remote cabin. When they discover a Book of the Dead, they unwittingly summon up dormant demons living in the nearby woods, which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left intact to fight for survival. Here's what critics are saying: Despite numerous visual winks to the original, (Director Fede) Alvarez sacrifices its camp, crass humor for lashings of slick, sick gore. Hard-core fans may love it. But, much like those demons, it’s rather soulless. — James Mottram, The National 'Evil Dead' has a gleeful exuberance of its own analogous to the mad invention of the …
Friday, March 29, 2013
Employees who don't disclose information will pay a $600 penalty.
Is it fair for companies to ask employees to divulge their weight as part of their benefits programs? CVS pharmacy chain has informed its employees they must reveal their weight, height, body fat and blood pressure to the company's insurance provider, or face a $600 annual penalty. Some say this is an invasion of privacy and unfair, while others say it's common practice for employers to encourage employees to take part in incentives programs. CVS spokesman Michael DeAngelis defended his company's position in an email to The Huffington Post, saying that the company will not have access to the information, which instead will be reviewed by the firm overseeing CVS's benefits program. “Our benefits program is evolving to help our colleagues …
Friday, March 22, 2013
Another Georgia 400 Corridor Transit Initiative will be held this week, so what would you like to see come out of it?
Metro-Atlanta's transportation system is a polarizing topic for some who live north of the perimeter; which begs the question: should MARTA expand its high-capacity transit services along the GA 400 corridor? High-capacity transit could mean anything from rapid transit bus service to light rail or heavy rail options. The type of transit being considered within the Georgia 400 Corridor Transit Initiative would most likely have fewer stops, travel at a higher speed and have more frequent service than the current bus schedules into the areas of downtown Atlanta, Cobb and Gwinnett. According to the initiative fact sheet, whatever comes out of the study would provide "another option to help alleviate the burden on existing roadways and enable …
Saturday, March 16, 2013
This week's question centers around public funds going towards private schools that have explicit, severe anti-gay policies.
Earlier this year a group called the Southern Education Foundation (SEF) released a report indicating that some scholarship money generated through a Georgia tax credit program has been used at religious schools that ban gay, lesbian and bisexual students. The report states, At least 115 private schools participating in Georgia’s tax-funded scholarship program have explicit, severe anti-gay policies or belong to state and national private school associations that promote anti-gay policies and practices among their members. While SEF did not take issue with the policies of private religious schools, it did have a problem with tax dollars going to schools that discriminate against some people. Tax money, the group said in its report, should…
Racer X
10:53 pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Yay! Skalawag is gone. What a Jackass. more ›