Dunwoody High School Basketball

Congrats to the boys basketball team on their dominating first round win in the Class AAA playoffs. The wildcats are on the road to an unheard of 3-peat. Zac Swansey, a UGA signee, leads the way. Keep it rolling guys, good luck as you strive to get to Macon!!

Reese Witherspoon

Reese looked fantastic at the Oscars, she is definatly a betty and a poodle. Since leaving Ryan Phillippe who I think was jealous of her career, Reese has been looking like a consistent 10. She seems like a great mom as well. Britney, start taking notes from Reese. Young girls, you could do a lot worse than Reese as your role model. The other thing I like about Reese is she keeps any political opinions to herself. I really hate hearing about politics from the uneducated twits in Hollywood like Clooney and Sarandon and Leo. Stick to acting. Anyhow, Reese, we luv ya!

Stock Market

Today, the stock market is down big, China was down 9%, and the US markets are down 1 to 2%. The US market has fallen the last five days and much of the years gains have been erased. The reason for the drop varies from oil increases to international turmoil to slowing growth in the US and China. Are these reasons for concern, sure they are, are they reasons to panic, absolutly not. One thing I have learned after years of watching the market and studying the market is to value the pullbacks, they are opportunities. I look at today as buying stock at a discount. After a five day pullback and about a 2 to 3% decline, I made a purchase in my small cap retirement fund as well I bought some stocks for my personal account that I had watching for some time and waiting for a pullback. my general rule is if the market falls a couple percent, it is a good time to make a purchase in my retirement accounts. My theory and hope is over the next 30 years, I can hopefully dollar cost average and beat the markets yearly returns by 2 to 3%. Two or three percent over 30 years is huge. A 1,000 invesment with an annual return of 8% would be worth approximatly $9,000.00 in 30 years. A 1,000.00 investment at a return of 11% a year would be worth over $20,000.00 in 30 years. So you can see just how valuable a small percentage is over time. Stocks like Caterpillar (CAT) and Noble (NE) are trading at a considerable discount and offer investors an excitign opportunity. Will they raise 50% tomorrow, no, but over time you have an opportunity for an outstanding return. Create a watch list and evaluate things like PEG ratio (Anything under 1 is typically worth further study and may be an opportunity, PE(A very general rule is a PE under 15), Return on Equity (Over 15% is a standard) are all good indicators. The biggest thing is to be an investor not a trader, I typically like to hold stocks atleast a year and ideally five or more. My rule of thumb when I buy a stock is, can I make 20% in a year or 100% in five years on this investment, if I can, it is a solid investment in my mind. If you have a small amount of money, anything less than a $100,000.00, I don't recommend individual stocks, invest in quality mutual funds that track the major indexes and have expenses less than .5%. Odds are you will beat the heavily expensed mutual funds as well as your own stocks that you would pick on your own. These investments will most likely return 8 to 12% over time which is very good. My last advice is the sooner you start saving and investing the better, even small amounts in your teens and early 20's can grow to huge sums of money in your 50's and 60's. If you saved just a $1,000.00 at age 15, put it in a decent market tracking fund and it returned 8% which is very realistic, you would likely have in excess of $40,000.00 at 65. Market pullbacks should not be viewed as a problem but an opportunity.

Natalee Holloway - Lightning Rod

After following the Natalee Holloway story for close to two years it is interesting that she is such a lightning rod for a group of people. I am not talking about the group that believes she was most likely raped and murdered on the island of Aruba but rather the group that vehemently defends Joran Van Der Sloot, Paulus Van Der Sloot, the Kalpoe Brothers, and the island of Aruba in general. This group defends the above group, all of whom at one time or another were questioned or held in custody on the island of Aruba with little regard to fact or common sense. This group defends Joran and his cohorts with a vigor and a venom I can not remember in another missing person's case. Whether you believe Joran and the gang are guilty of a crime or not is really insignificant. It would seem to me that everyone would want Natalee Holloway to be found, whether dead or alive, so that one, she could be reunited with her parents if she were alive, or two, atleast have a proper burial if she were deceased. As well, all should want the guilty parties found and punished, if, in fact, there was a crime. At times I have seen Natalee depicted by this group of people as a drunk, a druggie, a young lady of questionable morals, and a tramp. I have seen her family depicted as media whores who have questionable intentions outside of finding their daughter. I have heard the family is in it for the money, they were trying to claim insurance, and on and on. This begs the question, why would Natalee or her family be the subject of any criticism at all? Whether the Holloway's are good people, I do not know, I do not know them, but I do know their daughter is missing and they have missed her on christmas, thanksgiving, her birthday and most likely everyday. Joran, the Kalpoe's and the others if nothing else are still alive and with their families. I think it is sad, that even a small group of people would demonize a missing girl and her family. And to what gain? Some may say that this group of boys and their families have been treated unfairly and to that I would say, maybe they have, but they brought much if not all of it on themselves by if nothing else lying intially. The story of the Holiday Inn if nothing else took away valuable time and resources from the most crucial time when finding Natalee was possible if not likely. It saddens me that a missing girl and her family would be talked about even my a minority of people in such a manner. As a society, I wish we could all pull together in the common goal of finding Natalee and not in degrading her or her family. It reminds me of "A Time To Kill", when Jake Brigance is talking to the jury at the end of the movie and describes the rape and torture of a young black girl to an all white jury and then tells them "Now, imagine she is white". I would tell this group, now imagine, you talking about your own daughter, sister, close friend, cousin or someone else close to you when you speak of this girl and her family.

Costco And Their Return Policy

I want to talk about Costco and their return policy. For those that don't know Costco has an overly generous return policy and you can basically return anything at anytime for any reason and get your money back even on big ticket items like plasma, flat screen televisions. Now, lets talk about the losers that abuse this policy, for one, my sister, my sister bought a flat screen 18 months ago, used it, loved it, then saw recently that 18 months later the same television was a thousand dollars less. Pissed off, at who, who knows, she returned the tv and got a full refund. Now, I will rarely call out my own family members but that is ridiculous and in my book it is stealing. Now, to hear her tell the story, the picture tube has a problem, whether this is true, whether it can be fixed I don't honestly know, though I will say at Thanksgiving the tv worked fine. Make no mistake, because of people like her and maybe you, we all pay higher prices and because of the suspected abuses the policy is set to change in April of this year. Thats right sis, I called you out!

Dallas Austin - Probably Still On The Coke!

This is a picture of Dallas Austin and the Mayor of Atlanta pictured together at last year's Dallas Austin Fundraiser. Now this is what I like to see, the Mayor of my city, with a convicted druggie. If you remember Dallas was detained in another country earlier this year for having cocaine in his possesion. He looks like he's still probably on the coke. Its all well and good that this loser and I do consider him a loser based solely on the fact the he is a druggie is hosting a fundraiser but I know, I for one, would not give a penny to his charity for fear most of the money would go to his drug dealer. Shirley, rather than hugging and and posing for pictures with a druggie, why don't you get off your ass and do something for Atlanta. My gut feel is your as crooked as former mayor, Bill Campbell, who is now in prison.

Penelope Cruz

Penelope Cruz at the Oscars, easily the best dressed of the night. A beautiful, contemporary dress on a beautiful women. Penelope is one of those people that is kind of a two face, either one of the most gorgeous people on the planet or one of the fugliest depending on the day and the angle you catch her but at the Oscars she was simply a 10.

Winners!!

Drew and Cameron smoking whacky weed together while on vacation for Drew's birthday in Hawaii. First, isn't Drew a recovering junkie? Second, Cameron babe, keep token away that Justin left you, ok! What a couple winners!

Lisa Ann Taylor "Melissa Wolf"

This dirty tramp is on Q100 Atlanta this morning discussing her arrest for prostitution and running a brothel out of her Sugarloaf Country Club home. As is typical of guilty people, she has refused to comment on anything for the most part because her attorney's are not present. Which begs the question why did she not bring her attorney's? Also, she is now promoting her pimp and ho ball which it turns out is the reason she has really agreed to come on the radio. This lady no doubt is guilty, she is a madam, no different than Heidi Fleiss. I hope she is prosecuted and put in jail.

Lauren Conrad - well......

When Laguna Beach first came out, I think Lauren was the most likeable person on the show. As time has gone on, much like Britney we have discovered the real Lauren. Like Britney, she is not that bright, her work ethic is questionable on a good day(so far the highlight of her career at Teen Vogue was she lit a candle), her taste in men is drug addicts with crack mouth. All of that said, she is good looking and as this season of "The Hills" progresses I find myself liking Lauren more and more again. She was recently on Seacrest in LA and seemed to have little interest in doing a third season of the hills but I really hope she decides to do it. The drama seems to be back and I like she seems to be kicking or has already kicked that dirty tramp Heidi to the curb. I think Lauren is likable again because the people around her are even less likeable than she is and thats good enough for me. Lauren, here's some free advice, keep looking good, marry rich and do a couple more seasons of the hills. I give the hills two thumbs up this year. The life of a reality "star" and I use that term loosely is short and once the hills is over, your done. No more easy entry to the hot clubs, no more premieres, no more freebies and honey, lets face facts, you don't have much going for you.

Matt Chernoff - Definition of a Tool

Matt Chernoff is a local sports talkshow host on 790 The Zone in Atlanta. He is tool. He is tall and goofy with no sense of style. He often looks like a bum who crawled out of a cardboard box on his nightly atalnta sports talkshow on comcast. His opinions on sports are often questionable and not very well thought out. He is annoying and we at atlnews dislike him very much. It disappoints us he is from Dunwoody and a loser. Please Steak and 790 get rid of this tool!

Britney: What Happened?

How did we go from this just a couple years ago to the bald mess you are today? Now, you might have been a drug addicted whore a couple of years ago but atleast you were a hot drug addicted whore. Over time, we found out you weren't a virgin, you smoked, you did drugs, you weren't as smart as my cat, but you were still hot. Now, your showing your dirty cooch all over town, eating cheetos, looking fatter by the day. And lets not even talk about the kids, you dropped Sean P on his head and actually cracked his skull, then he's flopping around in the backseat and your driving like Toonces from SNL, then you almost drop him in public because your drunk and you don't want to drop your gin n' tonic. What in the world happened? Was Larry Rudolph that damn good at hiding the real you? Did JT make you this mess? Federline? Perez Hilton? You are the new Anna Nicole. You are a mess and not even a hot mess!

Basa Rueda

If the name were not good enough, the wine is just that damn good. Obviously, from the vineyards of Spain, this is an excellent, inexpensive wine. Excellent with seafood and lighter fare, this is a highly enjoyable wine. I note a very distinct, very pleasant grapefruit taste that myself and my friends thouroughly enjoyed. This wine is somewhat difficult to locate, though Jax in Roswell always carrys it and it is also readily available online and can be shipped to Georgia. The cost is typically $7 to $10 and trust me, this is no disgusting Trader Joe's wine. Whether a novice wine drinker or a wine snob, you too will love this wine. This is the perfect spring or summer wine.

Ferrari - Carano Wine

Ferrari Carano Chardonay is one the finest chardonay's I have had the pleasure of drinking in years. Incredibly lucious and smooth, not overly citrus based as so many Chardonay's seem to taste today, more of sumptous vanilla base. The grapes come from Sonoma County and as it should be the wine is aged in oak casks. Available at the finer wine stores in Atlanta like Jax in Roswell or The Wine Store in Alpharetta. The wine is priced in the $30 to $35 range for a standard bottle. In this day of excellent $10/$15 wines, don't overlook Ferrari Carano because of its pricepoint, treat yourself and enjoy and excellent wine.

The Tavern At Phipps

The Tavern at Phipps is without question the best spot to grab a cocktail for happy hour, watch a game at the bar, eat lunch or dinner, and just have a good time in general. The Tavern at Phipps is located across the street from Lenox Square in Buckhead, in the prestigious Phipps Plaza. The staff is consistently voted the best looking staff in Atlanta and I have to agree. They have an outdoor patio with a great view of Buckhead and when the weather is warm, they typically have live music, typically covers of popular songs. The bar is the perfect tavern bar, all wood and classic. The food you ask? From the onion rings to the tavern burger to the salmon sandwich to the fried soft shell crab - you can't go wrong. The tavern is now and has been a favorite of mine for years and I am certain you too will return again and again.

***BREAKING ANNA NICOLE NEWS****

Breaking Anna Nicole news out of Hollywood, FL. Multiple sources confirm that Anna Nicole is still dead. As further information arises, I will not report it.

Tim Hardaway - I guess he does not care for gay people?

Yesterday, Tim Hardaway on a Miami sports talk show announced to the world that he hated gay people. Literally, he said "I hate gay people". Now, do I agree with what he said and the manner in which he said it, not really. Do I respect the man for speaking his mind and being blunt in this age of political correctness, yes, absolutly! Today, take a cue from Tim Hardaway and speak your mind, if you hate gay people say it, if you hate Tim Hardaway because he's black say it, after all I assume turnabout is fair play. Right Tim?

Brian Nichols

Brian Nichols, the Atlanta courthouse gunman, has recently agreed to plead guilty to avoid the death penalty. The prosecution has refused to accept this deal as has the family of the murdered deputy. Now lets be clear, this man, in cold blood murdered a judge, a court reporter, a deputy and an off duty federal agent. As well, he seriously injured another deputy. The main argument I have heard for the prosecution accepting the plea deal is money, the argument being it could cost the taxpayers up to Five Million Dollars to prosecute this man, money the City of Atlanta currently does not have. By my calculations and based on what I have read, it cost the state about $50,000.00 a year to feed and house a prisoner for a year and obviously this cost increases yearly so assuming he lives another 50 or 60 years the state will not be saving any money so we can really remove money from the equation. It should also be documented he has obviously escaped custody once when he murdered these people and court records show he has planned to escape since he was arrested again after the murders. Whether you support the death penalty or not, this man has murdered before and shown little if any any remorse and he remains today a risk to escape and murder again at any time. I heard a police officer recently refer to Brian Nichols as "the devil in disguise" and I would agree with that, this is a good looking, charismatic man who in a jury trial has the potential to sway a jury and if nothing else avoid the death penalty. It is my hope that the City of Atlanta does go to trial and fully prosecute Brian Nichols. It is also my hope that a jury of this man's peers does both convict him and sentence him to death. There is no doubt in my mind he will if allowed to live, try repeatedly to escape and possibly at some point be successful. As a society, we need to, in this instance, with both words and actions, strongly say that the taking of these lives was unacceptable and Brian Nichols you will not manipulate our system.

Maui Fever - Not So Much

Maui Fever on MTV. Quite possibly the most digusting show on television. This show centers around teenage Maui locals and their constant quest to pick up female tourists. They pry them with smooth lines that are not really so smooth and as much alcohol as the tourists will drink. In light of Natalee Holloway and Aruba a couple of years ago, I certainly question how appropriate this show is and what it is encouraging the youth of today to take part in. It is, without question, glamourtizing the life that Joran Van Der Sloot and the Kalpoe Brothers lived in Aruba, the lifestyle that most likely directly or indirectly led to the death of Natalee Holloway, a tourist from Alabama. It is also telling young girls, it is ok and safe to drink with young boys, strangers, on a strange island and not worry about any repurcutions like rape or alcohol poisoning. Many of these tourist girls on the show, have no problem going off with these boys on boats or even to their homes. Now maybe these girls believe they are safe because of the mtv camera's and maybe they are but what happens to the girls that go on spring break this year and have a false sense of security based on the show. Teenagers already have a false sense of safety and with the encouragement of this show an even greater and inflated sense that it is perfectly ok to party and lose control and not suffer any repercutions. Like Aruba, there seems to be no parental supervision. I wonder how long before we hear that a girl has disappeared on Maui. I wonder was anything learned from Natalee Holloway?

Your Health

The weekend is here and you can do a few simple things to improve both your quality of life and your future longevity and health. Number one, always wear your seatbelt. Number two, take a baby aspirin every day, this will not only help protect you from heart attack and stroke but also decrease the adverse affects should you ever have an episode. Number three, take an omega three supplement on a daily basis. The evidence is quite strong and encouraging on the use of Omega 3's. Now, lets be honest, no pill is a cure all but these three things are easily implemented and may go along way in improving your overall health.

AGUA LUCA

Agua Luca is a brazillian rum or what some call a cachaca. It is made from the juice of fresh brazillian sugar cane and then filtered twelve times for smoothness and ultimate drinkability. Agua Luca is still somewhat difficult to find here in Atlanta but the better liquor stores in Atlanta like Jax in Roswell will be happy to order it for you. Now onto my review of Agua Luca, first, like most rums and tequillas, the smell is somewhat unpleasant but when mixed you will not notice any smell at all. In terms of taste, it is quite smooth though I don't recommend this for shots, or straight/on the rocks. I have found it is the perfect rum for an excellent Mojito. The agua luca website is an excellent source for additional drinks and ways to use Agua Luca. I would give Agua Luca an overall grade of very good. It is certainly a worthy addition to any home bar.

Atlanta Hottie Of The Week

Atlanta hottie, Nicole Voss, was the Playboy Playmate Of The Month in August of 2006.

See more of Nicole at http://normsfoxes.blogspot.com/2006/07/nicole-voss-p.html

By the way, that link is definatly not safe for work!

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO..........SHANNON WISEMAN?

Whatever happened to Shannon Wiseman? Shannon hosted an atlanta entertainment show called Atlanta Tonight and did a weekend party preview for Q100's The Bert Show. Atlanta Tonight was canceled about a year ago and Shannon disappeared, so the question remains what is Shannon upto now? Shannon is still living in Atlanta and is getting ready to host a new show for ESPN2, premiering in April called Pipes, check your local listings. Shannon in the past was linked with Nascar driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Good luck to Shannon on her new project!!

The Mojito

This weekend, enjoy a drink out of the ordinary, the mojito. The mojito is of cuban origin and is simple, refreshing and most importantly, tasty. Start by gathering your ingrediants: Agua Luca Brazillian Rum or the clear rum of your choice, fresh mint(available at any grocery store), club soda, fresh limes, and simple syrup. Start by taking a cocktail shaker, add ice, add two to three ounces of rum, the juice of one whole lime and simple syrup, then muddle or run a spoon over your mint to release the oils and add that to the shaker as well( three to five leaves). Let the mixture rest for about five minutes. This will allow the ingrediants to comingle. As a sidenote, simple syrup is simply equal parts sugar and water combined until the sugar is dissolved. In the meantime, take a highball glass similar to the one shown in the picture and add ice and squeeze a lime slice over the ice. Now, shake, keep shaking, keep shaking, now pour half the mixture into your glass. Top with club soda and add a couple more mint leaves. Give a stir and relax with friends, watch the game, enjoy the weather, do whatever you want to do. I think this will become one of your favorites. Or make it easy and when your out, order up a mojito!!

Anna Nicole And Society

Anna Nicole is dead and for some reason it is the top story on every news channel, the lead story in most newspapers, the topic of most blogs and I am certain the front cover of the coming magazine weeklies like People and US Weekly. My question is why? It can be argued the most significant thing she accomplished in her life was taking her clothes off for Playboy. Was she a great mom? Most likely not. It is well documented she had problems with both drugs and alcohol for years and it is hard to be a good parent when you are drunk or otherwise in an altered state. Was she a great philanthropist or humanitarian? To my knowledge she was not. Most of the younger generation knows her from her short lived E reality series where she was inaudible and incoherent 99% of the time. She was married to someone over twice her age and spent the last quarter of her life fighting for his fortune. The last year of her life was spent occupied with questions over who her last child's sperm came from. So again, why is this news at all, let alone the top story? At this point, foul play is not suspected so this is not a criminal case worthy of news coverage. To me, this is a sad reflection on our celebrity obsessed culture, where someone who in many ways was no different than a drug addicted street hooker garners attention over things like Iraq, excessive government spending, Iran, the environment and society's other legitimate problems and issues. As americans, we had better get tuned in to the bigger issues before taxes overwhelm us, we lose more of our basic freedoms and we continue to be pushed toward a government dependent, socialist society. Anna wasted her life, don't waste your own!

Atlanta News For 2/7/2007

The expected weather for Friday, February 8, 2007 is cloudy with a high of 48 and a projected low of 28 so bundle up!!

The Hawks fell to the Nets 87-85, what else is new, this team has poor coaching, poor management and underachieving players. What's sad is Atlanta would be a great basketball town. Here's hoping the Hawks make some changes.

The other big story in Atlanta is college recruiting, UGA ranked anywhere from 9th in the Nation on down and the other team in town, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, ranked as high as number 12 in the nation. Overall a good year for both teams but I think you have to give the Jackets the edge. Congrats to Coach Gailey and his staff for a nice recruiting season!!

No big stories today, I will try and get an update on the Suguarloaf Country Club lolita's tomorrow. For those that don't know, Sugarloaf Country Club is a well known gated community in the northern subarbs of Atlanta and recently two women were arrested for solistication and prostitution for a ring they were running out of one of the Sugarloaf mansions.

Stellar Gin

Young or Old? Male or Female? If you are looking for the best new gin in 2007, want to be the envy of your friends, then get on board with the latest product from Brown Forman, Stellar Gin. Atlanta was and is one of the test markets for this new citrus infused gin and whether you think you are a fan of gin or not, you have to try Stellar. Stellar has quickly become my gin of choice in a gin and tonic. The citrus infusion makes it a perfect compliment to tonic on a hot summer day or a cold winter's night. Let's be honest the bottle is hot and would look great in any home bar. Next time your out, ask for a Stellar and Tonic, you won't regret it and make sure to add a bottle to your home bar. Tanqueray is so yesterday!!

Lunch? Clubhouse In Buckhead

One of the best spots for lunch in Atlanta specifically the Buckhead area is the Clubhouse located next to Lenox Square. Whether you have been shopping next door, are taking a client to lunch or just having lunch with friends, the Clubhouse is the perfect spot. If you are in the mood for BBQ, you have to try the Peach BBQ sandwich, perfectly cooked pulled pork in a delicious sauce with just a hint of peach and topped off with fried pickles. The filet sandwich is also quite good, tender filet mignon sliced on toasted white bread with your choice of toppings. The Clubhouse also has exceptional burgers and fries. The Clubhouse is a can't miss if you are in the Buckhead area or the Beverly Hills of Atlanta. The Clubhouse is also a great spot for a drink at the bar, the apple martini is a can't miss or a gin and tonic with Stellar Gin.

Bert Show

The Bert Show is an Atlanta based morning radio program. The program revolves around the host, Bert Weiss(center), and his co-hosts Melissa Carter(left of Bert), Jeff Dauler(Far Left) and Jenn Hobby (Far Right). Bert is married and the father of a little boy, Melissa prefers girls and just recently started dating again after ending a long term relationship about a year ago, Jeff is married and the resident goof ball, and finally, Jenn is married to Ryan Newell of the band, Sister Hazel, and heads up the entertainment info department. The appeal of the show is the interaction of Bert and the gang and an inside look at their lives as well as the typical celebrity interviews, celebrity info, traffic updates, weather and their callers life issues. I highly recommend the show to people new to Atlanta, it is somewhat geared to women, but the show should appeal to just about anyone. Their website is www.q100atlanta.com and their located at 100.5 on the radio dial. The show airs from 5:30 am to 10:00 am EST, although the best bits are usually from 7:00 to 9:00.