Monday, May 20, 2013
The federal government is proposing a drop to a .05 percent blood-alcohol level.
The National Transportation Safety Board wants to reduce deaths caused by drunken drivers, and one of its ideas is to change how states measure drunkenness. The board has proposed reducing the blood-alochol limit to .05 percent, down from the .08 percent states enforce now, according to Fox News. That limit could mean one drink for a lot of women, and two drinks for a lot of men. "Our goal is to get to zero deaths because each alcohol-impaired death is preventable," NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said in the Fox story. Among those who oppose the idea: Groups that sell alcohol. "Moving from 0.08 to 0.05 would criminalize perfectly responsible behavior," American Beverage Institute Managing Director Sarah Longwell said in a statement quoted …
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Mixed reviews on J.J. Abrams latest Star Trek epic, with at least one critic raving about the film.
See the new movie, 'Star Trek Into Darkness' playing at GTC Cherokee 16 in Woodstock and Carmike Riverstone 15 Cinemas in Canton. For more theater information, show times and pricing, click the links above. The premise, courtesy of the film's official website: When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn…
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…
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.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
'Great Gatsby' is playing this weekend.
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 Carmike Riverstone 15 Cinemas. 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. Take this 3-D …
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
It's blood, blood and more blood in the remake of Sam Raimi's 1981 cult classic.
See "Evil Dead" at Cherokee 16 Cinemas in Towne Lake or Carmike RiverStone 15 Cinemas in Canton. The premise, courtesy of the film's official website: 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 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.
Ned Lane
10:18 am on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The current limit is adequate and appropriate. Accidents will always happen. I want fewer laws limiting freedom, not more. The NTSB chairman's argument is ridiculous. She might as well argue that all accidents are preventable, so driving should be made illegal. more ›