Friday, May 24, 2013
Overall, 'Epic' is still worthy of a family trip to the theaters, according to one movie critic.
The premise, courtesy of the film's official website: "Epic" is a 3D CG adventure comedy that reveals a fantastical world unlike any other. From the creators of "Ice Age" and "Rio," "Epic" tells the story of an ongoing battle between the forces of good, who keep the natural world alive, and the forces of evil, who wish to destroy it. When a teenage girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she teams up with an elite band of warriors and a crew of comical, larger-than-life figures, to save their world...and ours. Here's what critics are saying: "Epic" is rated PG for mild action, some scary images and brief rude language. The movie runs 1 hour and 43 minutes. It is showing at the Studio Movie Grill in Duluth. ~ …
Following several recent disasters, some natural and some not, Americans have been called on a lot more to help communities closer to home recently.
Americans are known throughout the world for many things, some good and others maybe not so. But one thing that has never been in question is the fact that by nature Americans are global philanthropists. When there is a call to action anywhere in the world, Americans are there. But of late some people have been questioning whether it is worth it, especially when it does not always appear to be appreciated. According to a recent article in the Huffington Post, some people considered “world-class philanthropists” are now turning those attentions closer to home. An example given was Lynda and Stewart Resnick, of California, who found that when they were looking to offer assistance that was more than just writing a check, they didn’t have to …
Thursday, May 23, 2013
A jury is charged with deciding whether the convicted murderer should get the death penalty for murdering her one-time boyfriend.
For several weeks, television viewers have been focused on the trial of Jodi Arias, now convicted of murdering her one-time boyfriend, Travis Alexander. The penalty phase is under way and the jury is to decide whether she gets life in prison or death for the violent crime of which she has been convicted. Initially, the NY Daily Mail reported that Arias had claimed in a television interview that she wanted to die rather than spend the rest of her life in jail. According to a story in Fox News, much as she did throughout the case, Arias has again changed her story. She reportedly now says asking for the death penalty is like asking for assisted suicide, and she wants to spare her family the pain. She is now asking the jury to spare her life…
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg doesn’t think so. What do you think?
There has been many a report of college grads taking menial jobs during the recent economic downturn. Yet others have moved back in with parents, unable to support themselves or pay off college loans. According to a story in The Daily Mail, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, famous for his nanny tactics with constituents by making laws restricting what he considers bad habits, is now suggesting that not everybody go to college. But does he have a point? The Daily Mail reported that Bloomberg, speaking on his weekly radio show on May 17, suggested that students who aren’t necessarily top of their class should rather go to trade school than take on an expensive college degree. His example, the Daily Mail reports, is the career of a plumber. "…
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Although last week was a tough one for the Obama administration, the president's popularity doesn’t seem to have been affected.
After scandals plagued the White House last week, this week began with yet another one. However, according to the Huffington Post, President Barack Obama appears to have weathered the storms relatively unscathed – at least according to a recent poll. The Huffington Post reported that the poll, from CNN and ORC International, found that 53 percent of Americans approve of the job the president is doing while 45 percent disapprove. This is the same as he was doing in the polls before the scandals hit. This recent poll was taken on May 17 and 18, and has a 3 percent margin of error, the Huffington Post reports. The scandals began when the White House faced continued scrutiny on Benghazi then expanded to news of the IRS unfairly targeting …
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
Gov. Nathan Deal ordered the return of Bibles to cabins and lodges at state parks. A citizen complaint prompted the state Department of Natural Resources to remove them.
Georgia's governor has ordered that Bibles be returned to cabins and lodge rooms at state parks. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources removed Bibles from such rooms across the state following a citizen’s complaint, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. Parks officials said they were removing the Bibles "until managers can fully investigate the issue and make an informed decision." But, Gov. Nathan Deal stepped in and ordered the Bibles back inside cabins and lodges. In a statement, he said this: "Out of an abundance of caution to avoid potential litigation, the commissioner removed the Bibles from rooms – though they were still available on site – after a complaint from a visitor. The attorney general and I agree that the state is on firm …
Friday, May 17, 2013
One critic calls visual effects and stuntwork impressive, but exhausting for audience.
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 apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew. Here's what critics are saying: "Star Trek Into Darkness" is rated PG-13 for PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and …
It was for a man recently arrested in a Loganville Walmart.
You're out shopping -- wearing some new jeans you bought at another store and forgot to remove the tag from. A store employee gets suspicious, and police ask you to step into the loss-prevention office so they can check out your pants to make sure you're not shoplifting them. You're not shoplifting, so you say no, you can't check out my pants. And out come the handcuffs. The charge for not cooperating, you're warned, is disorderly conduct. What do you do? A Loganville man recently opted for the disorderly conduct charge rather than agree to take his tag-on jeans to the loss-prevention office. A review of security tapes showed he hadn't been shoplifting the pants, but the disorderly conduct charge stuck. Did he commit a crime? Share your …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Some legislators acknowledge the freebies can look bad, but they say the state's new ethics law will make it harder to mingle with constituents.
Georgia legislators who want to sit in the president's suite above the hedges at Sanford Stadium next year will have to pay their own way, thanks to ethics legislation signed by Gov. Nathan Deal last week. The law forbids elected officials from receiving gifts or event tickets exceeding $75. University System of Georgia lobbyists gave state and local lawmakers more than $14,000 in football tickets in 2012, the Athens Banner-Herald reports. The paper quotes state Sen. Bill Cowsert, whose district includes Athens, saying the football games have been a good way for him to mingle with his constitutents. “I think it’s really going to change things," Cowsert is quoted saying of the new ethics law. "I think it’s going to make it tougher for the …
M.K. Osborne
1:03 pm on Saturday, May 25, 2013
What a remarkable concept that could be taught globally ! more ›