Friday, March 8, 2013
The question is now before the U.S. Supreme Court in a challenge brought forth by Shelby County, Alabama.
The United States Supreme Court later this year is expected to rule on whether Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional. The case is before the high court due to a challenge by Shelby County, Alabama, which argues the section is unconstitutional because the calculation — based on voting turnout and registration data from the early 1970s — used by the federal government to determine which states must comply with the law is outdated. Shelby County argues that the overt methods of voter intimidation to block black residents in the county and the state from exercising their right to vote no longer exist in the state. Section 5 requires several states, including Georgia, to have any changes to its voting practices approved by the…
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Hollywood power couple Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, producers of the History Channel's miniseries, “The Bible,” think so.
Likely to stir up controversy that some say could be contrived to boost ratings for the History Channel’s miniseries, "The Bible,” Mark Burnett and his wife Roma Downey recently suggested it would be a good idea to incorporate teaching of the Bible in public schools. Burnett is the successful producer of the "Survivor" series, and Downey is probably most well-known for her role in “Touched By an Angel.” Both Christians, their latest project is the 10-part miniseries on the History Channel “The Bible.” It reportedly premiered to what Inside TV deemed “divine” ratings on Sunday, March 3, reportedly seen by 13.1 million viewers and scoring a 3.3 rating among adults ages 18 to 49. Burnett and Downey made the suggestion that it would be good …
Saturday, March 2, 2013
A new Jack and the Beanstalk remix serves up the fee fey foe fum to whole new audience.
Editor's note: Jack the Giant Slayer is showing at Cherokee 16 Cinemas in Towne Lake and at Carmike RiverStone 15 Cinemas in Canton. The CGI wizards in Hollywood have taken an old fairy tale and made it into kind of a big video game. This time Jack climbs the beanstalk to encounter not just one giant, but a whole village of them in…Jack the Giant Slayer. Shot in 3D and packed with CGI, director Bryan Singer uses his skills to create a whole new story that kids may love. Sure there is a little romance and some gross out vulgar humor but hey, they are giants after all. The CGI was a bit over the top but that is the way these fantasy movies are made these days. That along with a great acting cast that includes Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, …
Monday, February 25, 2013
A Georgia advocacy group is pushing for the re-evaluation of the state's marijuana laws.
Marijuana has been decriminalized in Colorado and Washington state. Should Georgia follow suit? Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform & Education (Georgia CARE), a project of the Georgia Taxpayers Alliance, Inc., seeks to change the state's laws on marijuana, eventually leading to a complete legalization of the drug. The group claims this would unburden our criminal justice system, which is laden with marijuana-related crimes and arrests. Georgia CARE has published a "Blueprint to Reform" (attached to this article) that outlines how it perceives marijuana reform and eventual legalization can happen in Georgia. For example, CARE advocates making marijuana a Schedule II drug and allowing medical prescription of cannabis. Following this, the …
Saturday, February 23, 2013
The Rock turns into a Snitch in his latest film about what a father would do to save his son.
Editor's Note: "Snitch" is showing at Cherokee 16 Cinemas in Towne Lake and at Carmike RiverStone 15 Cinemas in Canton. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson plays a father whose estranged son is framed on a drug-dealing charge in "Snitch." With his son facing a hefty sentence, The Rock pleads with the U.S. Attorney (played by Susan Sarandon). He soon learns that the only way to get his son's time reduced is to help them find a bigger fish in the drug world. As you might guess, The Rock does just about anything to save his son. You'll be surprised to know that Johnson does more acting and less action in this movie. Nice try Rock…but the film seeks to make a statement about the futility of the war on drugs, only to take a back seat to its thriller …
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Click on the SeeClickFix interactive map to report the latest street and road issues, track and vote on them, and monitor governments' responses for a fix.
While heavy rainfall and frigid temps this winter could contribute to pothole problems on local roadways well into the spring months, you may already know of a Woodstock street or Towne Lake road in need of repair. As they develop, click on "report an issue" in the SeeClickFix map above to note potholes and other road problems affecting your street or community. Also see what complaints others have logged, zooming in or out on the map to see specific neighborhoods and areas. Woodstock-Towne Lake Patch will share the link to this story with the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Cherokee County Road and Bridges Department and the Woodstock Public Works Department so officials know where repairs are needed most. We'll update this …
Thursday, February 14, 2013
For Valentine's Day, tell us what you love most about the town you call home.
Whether it’s the local schools, the bakery, or the proximity from home to a great parks, everyone has something they love about their community. Since it's Valentine's Day, we want to hear from you about what you love most about Woodstock and what makes it so special. Please post comments and pictures here to show us all your favorite things about Woodstock! Don't miss any news from Woodstock-Towne Lake Patch! Subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here. Also, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
WhatsYourPrice.com, an online dating website where members bid for first dates, reports more than 3,600 Atlanta-area men were a portion of 369,000 across the country who offered an average of $131.70 during the four weeks preceding Valentine's Day.
Would you pay for a first date? Men bidding on first dates and paying women more for them as Valentine's Day approaches, according to the online dating website, WhatsYourPrice.com. It gives 'generous' members the opportunity to date 'attractive' members who may not even give them a chance on traditional dating websites, according to a press release. A singles study by the world's only dating-auction website found that 3,619 Atlanta men made offers for first dates on Valentine's Day, along with a total of 369,282 men across the country during the last 4 weeks. The average price to get a valentine this year: $131.70, which is 62 percent higher than the site’s annual average of $80 for a first date. "Our study revealed that as Valentine’s Day…
Monday, February 11, 2013
One restaurant in Washington did, but some people say it just rewards people for behaving how they should.
An Italian restaurant in Poulsbo, Wash. made the news recently when it took $4 off the bill of family dining there because the children were well behaved. According to Fox News, the mom posted the receipt on Reddit with a note that reportedly said, “If only all restaurants did this for people with kids.” She added that not only did she get a discount for her well-behaved kids, but the server also gave them a free bowl of ice cream to share. Fox News reports that the children were ages 2, 3 and 8. The mother reportedly said that she teaches her children that they don’t need crayons and iPads to prevent them from being an unpleasant distraction for other patrons – she encourages conversation between them instead. The mother reportedly got …
Saturday, February 9, 2013
There's a thriller on the loose and a chilling indictment of the nation's pharmaceutical industry.
Editor's Note: "Side Effects" is showing at Cherokee 16 Cinemas in Towne Lake and at Carmike RiverStone 15 Cinemas in Canton. Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh is behind this thriller that shows you what can happen when prescription medications like antidepressants go haywire in "Side Effects." Rooney Mara plays a woman with a lot going on in her life. Her husband, Channing Tatum, is getting out of prison. She's in a financial crisis and in deep depression. Her psychiatrist, Jude Law, subscribes an experimental new drug at the request of another medical colleague played by Catherine Zeta-Jones. While on the drug, Mara's character sleepwalks her way into a murder, and from there we go on a thriller roller-coaster ride. There is a …
Mike Lowry
9:11 am on Thursday, March 7, 2013
Actually, having the Justice Department serve as the arbiter is a case of the cure being worse than the illness. In today's world, DOJ serves mostly to prevent any fixes to massive vote fraud and to racially filter every action. The facts regarding racial balance and voting rights inequality don't match the rhetoric at all. Massachusetts does not fall under Section V, but has a much worse racial … more ›