Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2006 > October
October 2006
MegaFest not returning to Atlanta next year
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bishop T.D. Jakes’ MegaFest, an annual religious gathering that has attracted hundreds of thousands of people to Atlanta in the last few years, will not to return to the city next year.
Jakes’ ministry suggested the high cost of staging the event, which saw fewer people last year, played a part in the decision to find another city. The convention will take a year off and its location for 2008 will be determined later.
What do you think? Will the convention’s absence hurt the city? Will you attend it in another city?Should the city redouble its efforts to bring it back?
Permalink | Comments (235) | Post your comment |
Call all (huge) Streisand fans
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Barbra Streisand, the diva of all divas, will host her charity concert Thursday in Atlanta. To witness this rare appearance, some of you have paid up to $1800 for the “Hot Seat Packages,” which include extras such as premium seating and an exclusive gift. In fact, these VIP passes are sold out for the Atlanta tour date.
If you paid at least $1000 for your ticket, we’d love to hear from you. Are you a die-hard “Babs” fan who would not miss this show for anything? Or maybe it’s all about donating to a good cause. You can jump into the conversation below and if you’d like to speak to a reporter about why you bought the tickets, please e-mail Bo Emerson, bemerson@ajc.com
How much flag is too much?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Roy Johnson of Newnan proudly flies the Stars and Stripes on a 20-foot flagpole outside his home in a Newnan subdivision. Unfortunately, the homeowner’s association doesn’t look at it with the same eyes. It says the display violates neighborhood rules and must come down. Johnson says he’ll fight the issue all the way to the Supreme Court. What do you think? Should people be restricted from flying the country’s flag at their own home? Does a neighborhood have a greater right to preserve its standards for appearance?
Permalink | Comments (174) | Categories: Big American flag
Stiffer smoking ban for DeKalb?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The DeKalb County Commission has voted 6-1 to ban smoking in nearly all public places, removing exceptions that had existed for many bars and forbidding lighting up in county parks and parking lots. DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones hasn’t signed the measure yet, saying he wants to talk to businesses and others about it. What do you think? Way overdue, or another government intrusion?
Permalink | Comments (98) | Categories: DeKalb smoking ban
Learning social graces early
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What do you think of etiquette classes like the one described in Marylin Johnson’s article? Is it ever too early to teach children proper etiquette? Did you ever take etiquette classes? What did you think of them?
What’s in your iPod?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As iPod marks its 5th birthday today, tell us the top 5 songs you’ve got loaded onto your iPod. Any titles that would surprise your friends?
Dangerous intersections
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Regional Commission has released a list of the 10 most wreck-prone intersections in the metro area. Five of them are in Cobb County, and three others are in Fulton. Here’s the full list:
• Austell Road at East-West Connector (Cobb County): 477 crashes
• Barrett Parkway at Cobb Place Boulevard (Cobb County): 377
• Cobb Parkway at Barrett Parkway (Cobb County): 376
• Tara Boulevard at North Avenue (Clayton Clayton): 368
• Sigman Road at Walnut Grove Road (Rockdale County): 324
• Buford Highway at Lenox Road (Fulton County): 316
• Chastain Road at Busbee Parkway (Cobb): 296
• Alpharetta Highway at Houze Way (Fulton): 291
• Austell Road at South Cobb Drive (Cobb): 263
• Roswell Road at Abernathy Road (Fulton): 231
What are some other hazardous intersections that didn’t make the Top 10 list?
Permalink | |
Trader Joe’s opens
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Did you go to the opening of Trader Joe’s? What did you think of the store? Tell us about your shopping experience.
Give us your Taurus memories
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ford’s Taurus was a best-seller in the early 1990s and, depending on your point of view, either advanced or set back automotive designs with its look and features. Sometime next week, the Taurus assembly line at a Ford plant near Atlanta will come to a halt. Lots of people either loved or loathed this trend-setter. Which were you? Have a favorite Taurus memory to share?
What’s in a name?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TV personality Monica Kaufman’s move last week to be known on-air as Pearson is in step with a growing wave of brides saying “I do” to their husband’s name. She says she made the change out of commitment to her partner, and there are plenty of other reasons to make, or not make the change.
What do you think? Ladies, does the trend ring true to you?
Tongue piercing
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tongue piercing can lead to a variety of health problems, doctors say, including a disease that causes such excruciating pain that many of its victims commit suicide to escape the agony. Given the risks, would you still consider having the procedure done? If you’ve had it done, are you considering removing your tongue jewelry?
Music worth wallowing in
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On the heels of his album “What’s Left of Me,” the famously divorced Nick Lachey arrives in Atlanta to perform this Friday. Which got us thinking about the “breakup album.”
A staple of popular music since the dawn of the album era in the ’60s, they might chronicle the dissolution of a marriage, a personal relationship, or even the end of a band. The tradition of break-up songs stretches back even further, and continues right up through recent tracks such as Shakira’s “Don’t Bother” and Chris Brown’s “Say Goodbye.”
So what’s your most heartfelt breakup album or song? Did you listen to work through the heartbreak, or just to have a good wallow in misery? Tell us about your favorite — or most painful — albums and songs and how they’ve figured in your life.
Atlanta traffic
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A new study has found that Atlantans’ daily commute times increased by more than five minutes during the decade of the ’90s, the highest jump in the nation. How do you cope with the area’s traffic? What can be done to alleviate the problem — or just keep it from getting any worse?
Delta goodies?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Delta is asking frequent fliers what perks they’d like to see returned to long-haul flights: an amenity kit, hand wipes, a game pad or pillows. It’s also asking what kind of food they’d want if it restored food-for-sale on cross-country flights. Would things like this do it for you? If not, what items or services do you think Delta should restore?
Permalink | Comments (9) | Categories: Delta amenities
Ready to move intown?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cousins Properties says its research shows that the city of Atlanta’s population will nearly double to 808,000 people by 2020. Another study, it says, shows many suburbanites want to move inside the Perimeter. What do you think? Would an explosion in city population be a good or bad thing? If you live in the suburbs, are you thinking of making such a move?
Permalink | Comments (69) | Categories: Moving intown?
Clark Howard vs. Bank of America
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Consumer guru Clark Howard is so mad about Bank of America’s handling of the Matthew Shinnick situation that he wants listeners to his radio show to close their accounts with the bank. He says this will show the consequences of bad service. What do you think? Is Howard being too hard on the bank or does B-of-A deserve the fallout?
Katie who?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Katie Couric’s ratings have been dropping every week since she took over the anchor’s chair on the CBS Evening News. What’s up? Aren’t you watching? Did you check her out and then turn the dial? Let us know why you think she’s not a smash hit in the hard-news biz, and what she might do to become one.
Send Gasper your best wishes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A failing immune system has Gasper, the beloved beluga whale who became a star of the Georgia Aquarium, once again fighting for his life. Send Gasper your best wishes.
The art of avoidance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’ve all done it: avoiding a situation or person that we have a conflict with. As Virginia Anderson’s article states, people often decide not to confront a conflict for a lack of knowing a better way to handle the issue. Are you a classic avoider or only duck certain situations and/or people? How do you determine which conflicts to avoid and which you must confront? When is it better to stay quiet rather than speak up?
