My first trip to the world’s busiest airport… in a small propeller plane

Piper Warrior II (Gzy84c/Wikimedia)

In June 1995, I was a flight instructor at the Ben Epps Airport (KAHN) in Athens, Ga. I had just graduated from the University of Georgia and was about to leave my part-time job flight instructing for a job in the claims department of the now defunct Fortune Insurance Company in Jacksonville, Fla.

Even though airline hiring was going on at the time, I hadn’t really thought about an airline career. The mid-1990s were at the height of the pay-for-training years in which airlines would hire pilots as long as the pilots agreed to pay for their own initial simulator training. This could cost tens of thousands of dollars and, with several student loans already, I didn’t want to add to my debt load.

Read the rest of this story  on Aviation Examiner

Atlanta shooter had record of mental illness and crime

DeKalb Sheriff

The 20-year-old man who walked into a Decatur elementary school yesterday had a history of mental illness and a criminal record according to his brother. Michael Brandon Hill was arrested after he fired several shots at police and briefly held several employees hostage at the Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Center.

Timothy Hill, brother of the alleged shooter, told WSB TV (view parts one and two of the interview) that Michael Hill had a long history of mental illness. According to his brother, Hill was placed on Adderall, a drug commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), at the age of six. He had a history of behavioral problems in school starting at age 13.

Read the rest on  Atlanta Conservative Examiner

Roe v. Wade and the global war on girls

Harald Kreutzer/Wikimedia

In the 39 years since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade, abortion has resulted in a holocaust of unborn babies, not just in the United States, but around the world.  One of the great ironies of the abortion debate is that what its proponents tout as “a woman’s right to choose” has resulted in a genocide against baby girls in many countries.

The root of the problem is that abortion is being coupled with sex determination techniques in many parts of the world.  In many countries, it is considered more desirable to have a boy than a girl.  In some cases, they are patriarchal societies with a bias against women.  In other cases, the reasons are more practical.  Boys can help work the fields and will be better able to care for parents in their old age than a girl who will likely marry and move away from home.  Boys are also needed to maintain the family lineage.

 

This article was first published on Examiner.com:

http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/occupy-atlanta-back-woodruff-park

Occupy Atlanta back in Woodruff Park

The new encampment in Woodruff Park (David W. Thornton)

Four months after Atlanta police evicted Occupy Atlanta protesters from Woodruff Park, they are back.  With apparently little to no fanfare, a small number of Occupiers and less than ten tents have again taken up residence the downtown Atlanta park.

The new encampment is a far cry from the group that was evicted in October.  In mid-October, the activists had set up a thriving hamlet within the confines of what they called “Troy Davis Park” in a nod to the convicted cop-killer who was executed by Georgia in September.  At that time, the activists in the park easily numbered more than 100 and scores of tents filled the park.  There was a “free store,” a medical tent, and a “free child care” tent.  Signs proclaiming “we are the 99 percent” littered the grounds of the park.  Visitors were welcomed at tables under a large canopy.  The sound of drums permeated the air and protesters marched up and down the sidewalks at intervals.  (View photos from the October occupation here.)

Read the rest of this article on Examiner.com:

http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/occupy-atlanta-back-woodruff-park

A visit to Occupy Atlanta

An acivist at Occupy Atlanta (David W. Thornton)

As Occupy Atlanta entered its second week, I decided to see for myself what  was going on at Woodruff Park.  With my three-year-old daughter in tow, I  set out for downtown Atlanta to find out if the local occupiers were as rowdy as  the Occupy Wall Street crowd in New York.

My first brush with the activists occurred as I was driving down Peachtree  St. toward Woodruff Park.  Appropriately enough, as I approached Peachtree  and Wall St., I heard drums and saw marchers parading up the sidewalk,  accompanied by a bicyclist who was somewhat reminiscent of Grizzly Adams.   I snapped a couple of pictures as they passed by and then continued toward the  main encampment.

Continue reading on Examiner.com A visit to Occupy Atlanta – Atlanta Conservative | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/a-visit-to-occupy-atlanta#ixzz1bGtkNfOs

Slideshow of pictures from Occupy Atlanta:  http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/occupy-atlanta-picture-1

A streetcar undesired

Streetcars, like this one in San Jose, may soon be a common sight in Atlanta... at least on a two and a half mile stretch of Atlanta.

Much to the chagrin of Atlanta area commuters like me, Atlanta will be getting a new streetcar line rather than improving the capacity of the metro area’s roads. Officials from Atlanta and the US Department of Transportation this week announced the grant of $47 million in federal funds to build the streetcar line. The grant will be matched by $20 million in local money.

To read the rest of this article, please go to:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5926230/a_streetcar_named_undesired.html?cat=9