On the steps of the state Capitol around noon
today, a gaggle of doctors will gather - along with support from the multi-talented Deion Sanders and former Baltimore Ravens star Ray Lewis - to announce a study of former NFL players plagued by concussions.
Why do it in Atlanta? We refer you to this July article in the Atlanta Business Chronicle:
While the Atlanta Falcons are the only National Football League team that calls Georgia home, nearly 750 former professional football players representing all 32 NFL teams have also set up camp in the Peach State — making Georgia home to more former NFL players per capita than any other state.
Some are bound to suffer from the condition known as Chronic traumatic encephalopathy highlighted by the Will Smith film "Concussion."
Among the former athletes who have established beachheads here is Sanders, the ex- Braves and Falcons star, who said he's still dealing with back pain from his 14-year career. "But recognizing and accepting the reality of CTE? All players should clearly be made aware of the possibilities and what’s really going on," he said in a statement.
Atlanta-based DripFusion is spearheading the study of a treatment that's designed to be administered immediately after a concussion diagnosis to slow down the long-term effects of the damage.
***
Every election cycle brings a local brouhaha over campaign signs. Where to put them. Who puts them out. Who pulls them down. Are they worth the effort? From Politico.com:
"It appears that signs typically have a modest effect on advertising candidates' vote shares — an effect that is probably greater than zero but unlikely to be large enough to alter the outcome of a contest that would otherwise be decided by more than a few percentage points," the researchers wrote.
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The Washington Post has an Atlanta-focused piece on why mass transit matters, especially to job-hunters on the low end of the totem pole:
She squinted, with a light sigh, at the public transit curlicue she was about to make through Atlanta:
Sixty-nine stops on a bus; a nine-minute train ride; an additional 49 stops on a bus; a quarter-mile walk.
***
The Associated Press reports this development in the "religious liberty" wars:
The Bureau of Labor and Industries says Aaron Klein, co-owner of the Portland-area bakery, dropped off a check Monday for $136,927.07. That includes accrued interest. Klein also paid $7,000 earlier this month.
Damages were awarded in July for emotional suffering caused by Sweet Cakes by Melissa, which two years ago refused to make a wedding cake for Laurel and Rachel Bowman-Cryer. The bakers said their refusal was prompted by religious beliefs.
A 2007 Oregon law protects the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people in employment, housing and public accommodations. The state ruled it also bars private businesses from discriminating against potential customers.
Klein's lawyer Anna Harmon could not be reached for comment.
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