She paid for a woman’s gift card at a shoe store, then bought coffee for a stranger at Starbucks. At Publix, she paid for the cake of woman in line behind her.

And Atlanta teacher Natasha Woody is just getting started.

She plans to perform 26 acts of kindness this holiday season. She’s up to six.

It’s a new movement to honor the 26 people killed in the Newtown school massacre sparked by newswoman Ann Curry who asked people to do 26 acts of kindness for others as a way to “help heal us all.”

And the kindness bug is definitely contagious this holiday season. Woody’s students, despite being on free and reduced lunch, happily performed random acts. “One student brought in 72 canned goods to give to others. I know it’s food his family could use at home,” she said.

Throughout metro Atlanta people have been giving back and paying it forward.

“I have never seen such a positive, contagious trend!!!” wrote Stacy Efrat. “As soon as I heard about it, I was in.” She began her kindness …

Continue reading Atlantans join #26Acts movement »

Does anyone know any Aidens or Sophias?

Me, either.

But quite a few of them are populating the day cares, playgrounds and schoolyards of America.

For the eighth straight year, Aiden rose to the top of the list of popular baby names for boys, according to the parenting website BabyCenter.

Sophia remains the No. 1 name for girls for the third consecutive year, according to the website’s list released on Thursday. The list is based on names chosen by 445,000 women registered with the site.

For girls, retro names, such as Ava and Lily, made the list. And Jack made a comeback for boys. It used to be one of the most popular names back in the 1920s and 30s.

Here’s some other fun facts from BabyCenter, according to founder Linda Murray, who talked baby names on the Today Show on Thursday.

• Grey, Anastasia and Ana moved up the BabyCenter list due to the popular ‘50 Shades of Grey’ novel.
• Harry and Pippa gained traction, while parents seemed burned out on Will and Kate.
• Apple, Mac and …

Continue reading What? Hashtag didn’t make the list of popular baby names for 2012?! »

The nation and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are honoring veterans and veterans’ families today. You can read some of their stories in the newspaper, and we want to hear readers’ stories as well. Maybe you will be inspired by the service and experiences of Paul Koshewa, who flew bombers during World War II, or by the story of Robert Stokely, whose attempt to visit the site of his son’s death inspired a documentary. Maybe you will have something to say about the announcement today to build a significant new veterans memorial at the Atlanta History Center. Or perhaps you’d like to tell us about the special veteran you’re honoring today.

Whatever it is, let your voice be heard.

For more coverage of how Veterans day is celebrated in Atlanta, check out our coverage:

Photos: Georgians mark Veterans Day

Photos: Atlanta’s 31st Annual Veterans Day Parade

Continue reading Honoring our veterans »

By Ernie Suggs

The Atlanta City Council has voted to spend $2.25 million to increase its video surveillance efforts throughout the city.  A total of 112 new cameras, including 92 in the all-important downtown area, will be installed. City officials are hoping to build a network that includes thousands of cameras that would be monitored regularly. Read the full story.

So, with crime seemingly at no end, and with the city determined to build this program, where would you like to see cameras placed with Atlanta city limits?

Continue reading Where should the city of Atlanta place surveillance cameras? »