Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Hawks, Thrashers have lost $174M since 2002-03 | ajc.com

More at ajc.com: “The Hawks and Thrashers have lost $174 million since the 2002-2003 seasons, including more than $50 million in the last two years, according to court documents associated with an ongoing feud between the teams’ eight owners.

The group, known as the Atlanta Spirit, bought the teams and Philips Arena operating rights from Turner Broadcasting System in 2004.

The teams and the arena lost $48.9 million in the 2002-03 season; $37.3 million in 2003-04; $12.5 million in 2004-05; $24.8 million in 2005-06; $27.2 million in 2006-07; and $23.1 million in 2007-08.

Team officials and lawyers were not immediately available for comment.”

“Has Your Car Been "Atlanta-fied?" Atlanta Metblogs

Atlanta Metblogs: “Has Your Car Been "Atlanta-fied?"
by jamsmooth
January 28th, 2009 @ 1:04 PM Musings, Rants, Traffic/Commuting
Driving in Atlanta is a harrowing ordeal, long commutes for some, bumper to bumper traffic and loads of accidents every day.  Yes all of that is bad but a more stealth danger has haunted me during my stay here.  That is the hit and run dent on your car while parked and flying rocks.

I’ve never been able to keep a car nice, new and dent free in this town.  That hasn’t been my fault. Once while parked at The Stacks visiting a friend, I walked to my car and noticed the hood of my Dodge Stratus was dented and scratched with white paint. It looked as if a white truck backed up and ran over the top of the hood. I asked around and no one saw anything.

The next incident happened right in front of my house. I sold the Stratus to Carmax and drive a Toyota now. I have a driveway at the house but one day I had to park in the street. I walked to my car to leave and couldn’t get the door to open. I looked down and saw that a car had backed into the door leaving a football sized dent. I yanked and got the door open. There was no note, nothing.”

Atlanta Businesses Host Dine Out to Raise Crime Stoppers’ Reward at Atlantans Together Against Crime (ATAC)

More at ATAC: “Atlanta restaurants and businesses will be participating in a Dine Out event on Wednesday, January 28th, 2009.  Proceeds from this event will be donated to Crime Stoppers Atlanta and go directly to increasing the reward for information leading to the apprehension and arrest of the individuals involved in the murder of John Henderson at Standard Food & Spirits in Grant Park a few weeks ago.

Restaurants, bars, and other businesses that are interested in participating in the event should contact Rubi Cuautle (email: rubi@sixfeetunder.net).

Participating businesses are encouraged to donate 20% of their profits from the evening of the Dine Out, however any amount donated will be accepted.

A petition is available for you to complete and turn in to any business participating in the Dine-Out on Wednesday, January 28.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Lou Dobbs Is An Idiot On The Economy

When it comes to the Economy, Lou Dobbs is an idiot who does not get that we've lost 15 million jobs over the last 11 years or that 7 trillion in consumer debt is seeking payers and is not finding them because there's no jobs.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Diet drug blamed for psychosis in Kenneth Gerald Reese who killed officer | ajc.com

More at ajc.com: “Superior Court Judge Alfred Dempsey sentenced a cop-killer to life in prison without parole Monday, saying the defendant’s psychiatric evaluations made seeking the death penalty unnecessary.

“This is an inexplicable tragedy,” he said. “I’ve read over these (psychiatric reports) that the public will not necessarily see … that I will say justifies the plea we’re taking here today.”

Kenneth Gerald Reese, 31, confessed to ambushing 26-year-old Fulton County Police Officer Aaron Blount nearly six years ago when he was pulled over for a traffic stop. Until the murder, Reese had no history of violence or criminal behavior, Dempsey said.”

Did Sunday sales of beer and wine just get a green light? | Political Insider

More at Atlanta Journal..: “Doings in the first few minutes of the 2009 session of the Legislature:

— One of the bigger surprises of the day comes from the lobbying field. The GOP team of Clint Austin, Tony Simon and Sam Choate has been hired to help push through legislation to permit communities to hold referendums on Sunday sales of alcohol.

The Georgia Food Industry Association, which represents grocery stores, is footing the bill.

Both Simon and Choate are extremely close to House Speaker Glenn Richardson. Austin was essential to Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle in his defeat of Ralph Reed in 2006. The rules of lobbying are this:

Your support of a cause doesn’t necessarily constitute an endorsement by your close friends in the Legislature. But a smart lobbyist won’t take positions that would make his lawmaker friends angry.”

Friday, January 9, 2009

State fines 9 gas stations for price-gouging, probes 200 | ajc.com

More at ajc.com: “Georgia regulators have fined nine gas stations so far and continue to investigate nearly 200 others over consumer complaints of price gouging when Hurricanes Gustav and Ike made fuel scarce last September.

Some of the stations have to refund money to customers who can prove with a receipt they bought gas during the price spike, while others have to pay up to $5,000 in fines to the state.

The stations are among 200 the state is investigating over complaints of unfairly raising gas prices after Gov. Sonny Perdue activated the state’s anti-gouging statutes Sept. 12, said Bill Cloud, spokesman for the Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs.”

9 Georgians have given $50K each to inaugural | ajc.com

More at ajc.com: “Washington — President-elect Barack Obama has raised more than $24 million on the way toward paying for an inauguration that is expected to cost $45 million.

Nearly 50 Georgians have donated $250 or more for President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration celebrations.

The list of donors published on the Web site of the official Presidential Inaugural Committee this week shows that nine Georgians have written checks for $50,000, the maximum allowed by the organizers.

Rod and Leslie Aycox of Alpharetta, who gave a combined $100,000, represented the Georgia household giving the most. Rod Aycox is chief executive officer of Select Management Resource.

A handful of Atlantans are also listed as fund-raisers who collected donations from friends and associates and “bundled” them together for the inaugural. Karol Mason, a lawyer with Alston & Bird LLP, is the most prolific bundler in the state so far. She had raised $155,000 as of the official disclosure Wednesday.”

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Fayette schools to teachers: Please donate your raises | ajc.com

Fayette schools to teachers: Please donate your raises | ajc.com: “The cash-strapped Fayette County school system is asking its teachers to voluntarily return the pay raises they received last spring.

School board members say if the county’s teachers would return their 2.5 percent raises, it could keep the 24,000-student system afloat. Should they all return the raises, it would add roughly $4 million to the system’s coffers.

In Monday night’s meeting, board members decided they had nothing to lose by writing a letter to Fayette’s roughly 1,800 contracted teachers asking them to voluntarily “make a donation” to the system’s financial well-being.”

Monday, January 5, 2009

Terror suspect asks judge for exorcist | ajc.com

More at ajc.com: “Relatives of terrorism suspect Ehsanul Islam Sadequee accused federal authorities Monday of using mind-control tactics intended to induce a guilty plea.

Sadequee’s family leveled the accusations after a court hearing in which Sadequee pleaded not guilty to a recently returned, amended federal indictment.

Sadequee and former Georgia Tech student Syed Haris Ahmed are being held without bond on charges they conspired to provide material support to terrorists.

At Monday’s hearing, Sadequee asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Gerrylin Brill for an “exorcist” to free the “demons” placed in his head by authorities.

Brill denied the request.

Appearing in prison garb, canvas slip-ons, a long beard and an off-white knit cap, Sadequee took the unusual step of speaking for himself in court.”

Lawyers sue rapper T.I. for attorney fees | ajc.com

More at ajc.com: “Lawyers for the mother of T.I.’s sons say the rapper owes an $8,000 attorney bill in a custody case.

T.I. is scheduled to appear in Fulton County Superior Court on the matter Tuesday.

The two-time Grammy winner was ordered in September to pay more than $3,000 a month to LaShon Dixon — to whom he had been paying about $2,000 per month — as well as the boys’ private school tuition, uninsured medical bills and expenses related to the children’s extracurricular activities.”