A Cobb County resident writes about his experience with jury duty as foreman on a traffic accident and personal injury case. The state court judge indicated that the trial would likely last three days, but that became longer because the deliberations deadlocked as members remained entrenched in their positions. The judge declared a mistrial.

The foreman reflects: “I feel miserable at my own performance. I failed myself and my fellow jurors by not being able to mediate some sort of agreement. I failed [the judge], who had charged us with reaching a conclusion. I failed the defendant and the plaintiff for the same reasons. And I failed the citizens of the county in that this will now become more of a cost burden on our society at a time when austerity is more needed than ever.

“My failure means there will likely be another frivolous suit tried, more costs for the court, and higher premiums on our auto insurance.”

Read the full opinion column

What were your feelings after serving on a jury? Did you feel as if you had failed, or were you satisfied that the right verdict had been reached?

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Lane etiquette in Atlanta

By OpinionTalk | Wednesday, July 30, 2008, 07:00 AM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When you find you need to change lanes in heavy traffic, do other drivers usually let you in? Likewise, do you always let other drivers change lanes in front of you, or are there limits to your driving generosity?

Tom Vanderbilt, author of the new book “Traffic,” talks about this bit of traffic etiquette: “One thing that particularly bothers me in New York, and it happens a lot, is when somebody aggressively nudges ahead, as if they were expecting to be let in. Which somehow reminds me of holding the door open for someone, and them not saying thank you.”

Is that little wave of acknowledgment — hey! thanks for letting me in! — important to you?

Read the Sunday @issue report on traffic:

Eaten alive by traffic

Q&A with author Tom Vanderbilt

Road warriors’ quiz | Slower speeds more efficient

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