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Send best wishes to pregnant panda Lun Lun
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lun Lun, Zoo Atlanta’s 230-pound giant panda, is pregnant! (Story here) “We have confirmed a panda cub, and it appears to be fully formed with a nice heartbeat,” one zoo official said. “We are anxious to have something happen soon.” The zoo had been on 24-hour panda watch for about three weeks. Help us congratulate the mom-to-be.
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Dragon*Con arrives in Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jason is a proud “Trekkie.” He started watching “Star Trek” at four (“I distinctly remember Captain Kirk, phasers and green Orion slave girls”). And, at seven, he watched “Star Wars” 19 times in one summer. “I was awed by the power and possibilities of the human imagination,” he said. His otherworldly interests soon include comic books, of which he has more than 4,000 spread over two states. He’s a graduate of Riverdale High School and Northwestern University’s School of Communication. After Northwestern, he moved to L.A. to start a film and television career. There, he worked as a writer’s production assistant on “Roswell” and other shows. Although back in Atlanta, Jason has worked as a writer and creative consultant on the non-fiction series “The Universe” for The History Channel. He hopes to move back to L.A. (another world to some) to create his own fantastic universe.
This summer superhero movies have dominated the box-office from hugely popular and lucrative “Iron Man” to “The Dark Knight” and “Hellboy II.”
What better way to close out the summer then than with Dragon*Con, the pop culture convention for fans of sci-fi , fantasy, gaming and comics. I’ll bypass dressing as the Green Lantern this time. At 33, I’m slightly more conservative and will just wear an “Iron Man” T-shirt. No offense to the costumed players, however.
It is only appropriate that the Grand Marshall for this year’s annual parade is TV’s original “Batman”, Adam West himself and riding in the classic ‘60s Batmobile, no less! Keeping the bat-theme going, acclaimed Gothic Vampire novelist Laurell K. Hamilton will be another guest of honor at the parade, along with another 2000 costumed marchers.
I’m looking forward to seeing Edward James Olmos, who in another incarnation was a star on “Miami Vice”. He’ll be here to discuss the last season of “Battlestar: Galactica” and his role as the stalwart commander Admiral Bill Adama.
Gaming, of all stripes, is a big deal at Dragon*Con. While Dungeons and Dragons never caught me in its scaly claws, my imagination was captivated by the miniature action figure game Heroclix a few years back, and there are several tournaments focused around the superhero based game that might be worth checking out. As an avid video gamer, the “Call of Duty 4” and “Warcraft 2” competitions also sound attention grabbing.
While this is my first time attending Atlanta’s premiere show, I have been to several similar gatherings around the country, including the San Diego Comic-Con, the nation’s largest at 130,000 registered attendees. Are you a Dragon*Con regular or are you a first-timer?
There are some panels that sound fascinating, including a discussion of the descent of the Sci-Fi Channel into mediocre horror and bad low budget movies. Why are they making so many horror and reality shows now? And talk about the summer blockbuster season: Why can’t Hollywood get “Wonder Woman”, “The Flash” and a better “Superman” off the ground?
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Coping with Borderline Personality Disorder
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In his column on mental health, clinical psychologist Hap LeCrone offers information about Borderline Personality Disorder. It’s a problem that has been found in roughly 2 percent of the U.S. population.
People suffering from BPD typically experience chronic and intense patterns of instability. According to LeCrone, “this disorder is higher in females and usually begins in adolescence and early adult years. Symptoms often gradually diminish in middle and later life.”
Maintaining a relationship with someone who suffers from BPD also can be difficult. Loved ones often feel they are being manipulated or that they must walk on egg shells.
Have you dealt with BPD? What has been the best treatment plan?
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Affected by FAA computer problems?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Federal Aviation Administration says a communication failure at a Georgia facility that processes flight plans for the eastern half of the U.S. is causing flight delays around the country. Has this problem affected your flight or one of a friend or loved one? If so, tell us about it. Be sure to include the airport involved.
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Songs for singing (along) in the rain
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If the weather forecasters are right, Wednesday should be our fifth straight day of rain. In metro Atlanta, that’s rarer than five straight days of Braves wins, although not quite as rare as five straight days without a murder on local TV news.
Some are celebrating the rain, some are sick of it by now. But whichever camp you’re in, here’s a playlist of rain songs for your iPod, or just to hum to in your head as you drive to work through little lakes. And yes, we left out a lot.
“Umbrella,” Rihanna
The wind destroyed my umbrella, ella, ella.
“Rainy Night in Georgia,” Brook Benton
Rain as tears metaphor.
“Walking in the Rain,” The Ronettes
Rain as love metaphor. With thunderstorm noises.
“A Hard Rain’s a Gonna Fall,” Bob Dylan
He was actually worried about nuclear fallout more than flooding.
“I Wish It Would Rain,” The Temptations
Just not so much at the moment.
“Purple Rain,” Prince
For a good time, go to www.prince.org and watch the fans debate what the heck it means.
“It’s Raining Men,” The Weather Girls
Perhaps the only gay anthem about the weather.
“Don’t Rain on My Parade,” Barbra Streisand
Oops, spoke too soon.
“Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” B.J. Thomas
It won’t be long till happiness steps up to greet you.
“MacArthur Park,” Richard Harris
It’s still unclear why someone would leave a cake out in the rain.
What are your songs when the rains come?
Latest comments
I am soooooo excited that we are going to have another wittle baby bear. I have watched Mei Lan from day 1 and have absolutely fell in love with the whole panda family. Congratulations Lun Lun, Yang Yang and beautiful Mei Lan! Thank you Lun, for being such... read the full comment by Karen from Cartersville | Comment on Send best wishes to pregnant panda Lun Lun Read Send best wishes to pregnant panda Lun Lun
OLD DELTA GUY - THE GRASS IS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE….IF YOU GOT A IN GROUND SPRINKLER SYSTEM AND A LAWN SERVICE….IN OTHER WORDS IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT INFRASTRUCTURE EVERY CAN BE AND CAN GET BETTER….YOUR ANALOGY OF THE TREE…SHOULD... read the full comment by C-OLD SOUTHERN AIRWAYS GUY | Comment on Delta deals for Northwest Read Delta deals for Northwest
Congratulations Lun Lun and Yang Yang and Mei Lan.I hope you have a safe delivery and a healthy cubbie. My family and i have visited Zoo Atlanta twice when Mei Lan was 5 months old and when she was being weaned from Lun Lun. I hope this cubbie will be healthy... read the full comment by Karen Ramos | Comment on Send best wishes to pregnant panda Lun Lun Read Send best wishes to pregnant panda Lun Lun
Dragoncon is for nerds. So what? Between online gaming, comics, and anime you got the majority of the country under 35 covered in the nerd department. I am finally going to the parade for the first time this year and it seem like a good time will be... read the full comment by gwarfan | Comment on Dragon*Con arrives in Atlanta Read Dragon*Con arrives in Atlanta