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, 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data from the early 1970s — used by the federal government to determine which states must comply with the law is outdated.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…
Saturday, March 2, 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 …
Thursday, February 14, 2013
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…
Friday, January 18, 2013
What do you think Georgia legislators should tackle during its 40-day session?
With the Georgia General Assembly kicking off its legislative session today, which of these topics should be their priority, and why? Tell us what you think in the comments!
Friday, January 11, 2013
The recent fiscal cliff deal avoided tax increases, but did not address spending cuts.
Although the recent deal to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff" has prevented tax hikes for the vast majority of Americans, there are still many financial problems looming on the horizon. The deal avoided discussing spending cuts, which are necessary to rein in the country's roughly $16.4 trillion debt. The deadline for sequestration-across the board spending cuts-has been pushed back to March 1, which is also the deadline to raise the debt ceiling. If sequestration goes into effect, the Department of Defense will see deep cuts, which may affect troop readiness and could see the furlough of civilian employees.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Check out some statistics and weigh in on those yearly commitments to achieve goals or reform bad habits.
You've had a week to recover from Christmas and think about the year ahead. Have you made any resolutions for 2013 or do you steer clear of do-or-die, once-a-year goal setting? What began as a tradition of performing simple, good deeds, according to 43Things.com, has become a modern-day practice of resolving to break bad habits, such as smoking, or eat healthier and exercise, or get out of debt—all tasks that are "easier said than done," according to some experts. After all, "The best laid plans o' mice and men [often go astray]," as Poet Robert Burns wrote in the ever-popular Auld Lang Syne. Maybe we should resolve to stop making New Year's resolutions. Of the 45 percent of Americans who usually make resolutions and the 17 percent who …
Thursday, December 27, 2012
In the wake of Newtown and other mass shootings, do you think it's appropriate to give children toy guns as gifts?
In the last few years, toy guns have seen a significant growth in sales, according to a report in The Huffington Post. But the recent school shooting in Connecticut "is going to really make parents closely monitor what their kids are playing with,” Jim Silver, editor in chief of Time to Play Magazine, said in the article.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
While some people may think giving a pet as a gift during the holiday season is a good idea, is it really?
Giving a puppy or a kitten, or even an older animal, as a gift during the holiday season may sound like a great idea to some, but it may not be. This time of the year is stressful as it is for some people and the demands of caring for a new pet can only heighten that stress. But if a new pet is part of the plan, perhaps consider waiting until after the holiday season is over and life settles down before brining one into your home. This brings us to this week's question? You might also be interested in reading: 7 Things to Consider When Giving A Pet for the Holidays
jc
11:20 am on Wednesday, May 1, 2013
You & all others posting here have some good comments..I feel that the youth,(especially) & adults need to be warned & know, in advance-the dangers,possible bodily harm,& emotional damage that the Plan B pill often causes. The Plan B pills are a very harmful and dangerous dosage of the hormonal steroid progestin that has already been proven to cause breast cancer, blood clots, cervical cancer, … more ›