From The Editor's Desk

Letter to the Editor: Where is the Tea Party?

Unlike Democrats, Republicans, SuperPacs or other groups - the Tea Party Patriot movement is the largest local grassroots movement in American history.

Dear Editor, Recently, the mainstream media has raised questions about the effectiveness of the Tea Party regarding the 2012 elections. Writing with an implied chuckle they cast the image that the Tea Party is nowhere to be seen. Where are they? According to Debbie Dooley, National Coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots, “We’re like an army equipping ourselves to go into battle. 2010 was just a practice run for 2012. The best way to be effective is for your opponent not to see you coming before it is too late.” According to Trilby Leech, who is Chair of the Forsyth Tea Party Patriot Alliance, “We are part of 15 million Patriots across America. We’re getting stronger each day.” There is nothing small about the grassroots Tea Partiers. They …

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Will Leading the World In Corporate Taxes Hurt the U.S.?

Facebook's co-founder Eduardo Saverin recently renounced his U.S. Citizenship, and in the process, more than halved the $600 million he would have to pay if he sells his shares in Facebook after its IPO.

There are people who are saying good riddance to Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin for renouncing his citizenship. Who needs a rich guy who took advantage of a country and then skipped out without paying his fair share? But are the high taxes setting up the U.S. for more of this in the future? According to Fox News, the Brazilian immigrant, now turned U.S. emigrant, could earn $3.84 billion if he sells his four percent share in Facebook. The Capital Gains tax on that would reportedly amount to $600 million for a U.S. citizen. Saverin can’t escape the IRS entirely, and still has to pay exit taxes on his current net worth. But it is reportedly less than half of what he would have to pay on capital gains as a U.S. citizen. He has reportedly…

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A Meaningful Mother's Day

I hope to use the holiday to enjoy all the wonderful things that come with motherhood.

I'm looking forward to sleeping in and waking up to a delicious home-cooked breakfast on Sunday, but Mother's Day was not always about breakfast in bed, or even the second-most expensive day to buy flowers.  The first American Mother's Day was in 1870, created by suffragist and abolitionist Julia Ward Howe. Howe is most remembered for writing the Battle Hymn of the Republic, but after witnessing the continuing horrors of the Civil War, she called on women to work toward peace: As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with …

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Movie Review

Marvel's 'The Avengers' is AMAZING

A superhero all-star movie featuring Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Hulk makes a smash in theaters this weekend.

The summer movie season starts early, and this could be the biggest movie of the year. It is one of the most entertaining comic book blockbusters ever made -- Marvel's "The Avengers." Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man; Captain America is Chris Evans; Thor is Chris Hemsworth, and The Hulk is Mark Ruffalo. The team is assembled thanks to Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury character. They need to stop a diabolical bad guy who, you guessed it, wants to rule the world. But they spend nearly as much time battling each other as they do battling evil. What's great about this film is the sense of humor it has without disrespecting the characters or the fans that have been waiting forever for this superhero mash-up. All the main characters get plenty of …

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Eagles Rock Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

The rock legends open a successful two-concert visit to Verizon four years after they helped open the venue.

The Eagles opened Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in May 2008 as the first rock act on the stage. On Wednesday, May 2 they returned in the venue's fifth season. The Eagles have been around 35 more years than the amphitheater, and their 40 years performing was a topic for the band members the few times they spoke. Had the house lights been turned on, they would have realized that most of the crowd actually was born more than 40 years ago. So many of us were sporting white hair–and it wasn't a fashion statement. Ticketmaster lists the Friday, May 4 Eagles concert at Verizon as sold out, but ticket resellers do have tickets, such as the 68 listed on StubHub this morning. "It's hard to believe that it is 40 years ago this spring that our music …

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Movie Review

'The Pirates! Band of Misfits' A Treasure Trove of Fun

A ship full of bumbling pirates take us on a 3D Claymation animation trip worth the voyage.

A below average pirate captain (voiced by Hugh Grant) seeks to win the elusive "Pirate of the Year" award, but faces some strong competition in "The Pirates! Band of Misfits." From the folks who brought us Wallace and Gromit, the story is feather-light but strong enough to introduce the characters and establish their conflicts, which are pretty predictable. It's more of a comedy than an adventure, appealing to both children and adults. Such a film should be a crowd pleaser at the box office. Audiences love pirate movies. Toss in some quirky characters -- like a twisted Queen Victoria and Charles Darwin -- and you have an evolutionary success. The film is an enjoyable 90 minutes. The voice casting was mostly on merit and not on stunt …

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POLL: Are Kids Getting Priced Out of Baseball and Softball?

A NY Times article explores the era of the $250 (or more) baseball bat.

Have you bought a baseball glove for your Little Leaguer lately? Did you pay more than $100 for it? How about a $250 bat? That's the listed price of the most expensive youth bat at Academy Sports + Outdoors, Cumming Patch's Readers' Choice winner for Best Sporting Goods Store. (By the way, the store has an adult model that lists for $349.99) A New York Times story headlined "Big Price Tags Attached to Even the Littlest Leagues," looks at the big business of equipping youngsters for participation in youth baseball and softball leagues, quoting those costs and more. "A batting helmet protects tiny heads for $39.99," the Times reports. "A pair of Nike Jordan Black Cat cleats will make your child fast and fashionable at $51.99 until he or she …

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Movie Review

'The Lucky One' Has Plenty of Heart

Teen heartthrob Zac Efron breaks out in his first real adult role as a war veteran who has come home looking for love in a romantic melodrama that is worth the price of admission.

Zac Efron plays Logan, an Afghanistan war veteran on his third tour, who comes across a picture of a woman who inspires him to search for her, stateside, in "The Lucky One." His search lands him at a kennel in Louisiana owned by Beth (Taylor Schilling) and her grandmother, Ellie (Blythe Danner). He gets a job there and, over a period of time, settles in, still not telling anyone his real reason for being there. As you might imagine, sparks start to fly. "The Lucky One" is a Nicholas Sparks movie. He's good at this kind of thing, writing books that turned into movies like "Message in a Bottle," "Nights in Rodanthe" and "The Notebook." This film, in my opinion, is one of his better stories. And, with an attractive young cast, it should be …

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