Free-For-All Friday 5/18/12
Decatur Metro | May 18, 2012Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not discussed here over the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
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This week’s FFAF is brought to you by Kick in the Fit…
WIN a FREE MONTH of Boot Camp at Agnes Scott this June! To enter, just send an email with the subject line “Decatur Metro Giveaway” to . Make sure to include your full name in the email. Kick in the Fit will pick the winner at random on Monday morning.
Dang, this had been some fine May weather. Happy Friday!
Good Morning! Does anyone know of a good place to donate some gently used doggie gear? I’ve got a medium size crate and some other things I would love to drop off for any pups in need. Thanks!
PAWS Atlanta on Covington Highway, our local no-kill shelter, could certainly use it
Lifeline in downtown Avondale.
PAWS and Lifeline Animal Project are both great organizations and, if they couldn’t directly use what you’ve got, would surely be able to get it to someone who could!
Winnona Park kindergartners are doing a fundraiser for a local animal shelter–they are soliciting pet supplies. This crate would be an excellent addition to their supplies! WP’s addy is 510 Avery, just east of Agnes Scott. Thank you if you choose this option!
Also, Animal Action Rescue (www.animalactionrescue.org) They are a foster-home based rescue group and don’t have an office but they hold an adoption event most Sunday afternoons from 1-4 pm at the Petsmart on Ponce de Leon across from Atlanta City Hall East. When I had items to donate, I emailed Jamie Russell through the links on their website and arranged to meet at the Petsmart. If Sundays are not convenient, they can set up another time/place to meet.
On Wednesday, May 30th, a chance to meet Olympians headed to London, in downdown Decatur: http://thedecaturminute.wordpress.com/
+1
Get out there and support these folks that represent the USA! I still get chills thinking about the pure joy and pride in one of our athlete’s face in his moment of triumph in 96.
So has anyone heard if the city is still in the running for the Coca Cola Recycling Grant? I desperately need a larger recycling container, but I don’t want to buy a wheeled recycling bin if we all might get them free.
What’s the story on re-doing the Square? There were supposed to start taking up the tired mulch and replace it with a new drainage system and sod last month. The Arts Festival re-arranged their booths to accommodate the work, but nothing has happened.
Eh, I heard that things got pushed back to June. But I don’t recall the reason. I think Daren knows, if the city doesn’t get a chance to chime in.
Our scheduled May start date was delayed because we only had two bidders prequalify and decided to reissue the Request for Proposals. Thankfully, we now have eight contractors who prequalified. Bids are due May 30. Based on this change of plans, we anticipate starting the project in early August.
Any recommendations on someone who can repair a broken window? Our six-year old and a flying object…
I wish I knew how to repair 6 year olds.
my little branding firm (who boxes waaaay above its weight) just opened up SAP’s 20,000+ strong Sapphire conference in Orlando with this film we created using lots of Decatur/Avondale based talent
https://vimeo.com/42116953
Fun stuff. I didn’t get to ASUG this year, but I’ll guess this was well received. Well done.
Awesome, Rick — Big Mike & Dames Aflame FTW!
— Holly’s friend Barbara
If you’re looking for something to do RIGHT NOW, head on over to Emory and cheer on some of the world’s greatest athletes at the Special Olympics.
Very happy for the atheletes, and even happier to know why the Emory area had such focacta traffic today…
As part of the ArtWalk next Friday that starts the Decatur Arts Festival from 5-10 pm, CORE Performance Company dancers and students from the Art Institute of Atlanta-Decatur will be in CORE Studios for a live-sketching event. We’ll be opening the doors to CORE Studios on Decatur Square and inviting people to see AIA students live-sketching CORE dancers in action: CORE dancers will move and pose for the AIA students who will draw the dancers, while visitors mingle and enjoy light refreshments. Artists are invited to bring their sketchbooks!
There will also be a pinup show of AIA students’ photography of CORE performances during our 25th Season in Decatur, which is just ending.
Come experience creativity in motion!
This is going to be a real highlight of the Art Walk. Can’t wait.
Really enjoyed a meal recently at Colbeh, the new Persian restaurant. It reminded me of Persian restaurants in NYC, back in the day. The flavors were unique, not overpowering. The service was friendly and attentive. Can especially recommend the rice with sour cherries and the lamb kebob. They were both exquisite.
Ate there last night and I agree 100%. It wasn’t very busy, so I encourage everyone to go and try it. You’ll love it.
I have only had Persian food a couple of times in the past, and the wait staff were very patient and answered all my silly questions with good cheer.
+1 on AHID’s recommendation. I had the same thing (rice with sour cherries and lamb) the first time I went and then had one of the sandwiches for lunch the other day. Both times, the food was really delicious!
We ate there on Wednesday and really enjoyed ourselves. I had the stew sampler…the eggplant one was by far my favorite.
great food and experience for us
3-dip sampler with hummus, baba ganoush and yogurt/cucumber (not what they called them)
juicy beef skewers and chicken skewers
ground beef + ground walnuts+ pomegranate meatballs in a delicious brown sauce
beautiful jasmine rice
wonderful fresh baked flat bread . . .
need i go on? no
but we *must* return.
I will echo everything else that’s being said here. Ate there last week and was very impressed. Will return!
Looks like Revolution Doughnuts got the KickStart they needed: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/958971089/revolution-doughnuts
Looking forward to it!
Mmmm! Their donuts are awesome, and the artisan coffee, too! Can’t wait for them to open up. Looks like early next week….
Hard not to want to support them after learning more about them and the video – can’t wait for them to open….
We wanted to make sure we could get as many competitive bids as possible for the work on the redoing the irrigation and landscape on the Square, so we were slowed down some from the original schedule. Bids are due May 30, 2012 so we should be moving forward soon.
Ok, refreshing a well-discussed topic, but I need advice! I am the treasurer for a local organization and am seeking a new bank. Am specifically looking for a bank known for its customer service and low/no banking fees.
Our firm uses Cornerstone Bank. We really like them. Very nice and personable. Although their website leaves much to be desired
The new Private Bank of Decatur should be opening soon.
I’m hoping someone can settle an ongoing parking-related debate I’ve been having with a friend of mine. Is the library deck, specifically after they close, considered public parking?
Shhhhhhhhhhh …….
+1
Yes, it is OK to park in the library deck after hours, just please respect it for library/ rec. center use during regular operating hours.
When driving a car…. How Not To Kill a Cyclist!
http://www.themorningnews.org/article/how-to-not-kill-a-cyclist
A particular pet peeve of mine is covered in the “behave predictably” section– follow the law, don’t try to be “nice”, it annoys me when I’m on the bike and when I’m in a car.
+1 Nicely written article! Thanks for the post.
Good article. Yes… the “behaving predictably” thing, in a car or on a bike — grrrrr. If everyone just does what they’re supposed to do, we all get where we’re supposed to go…
Filming on Adams Street this morning. Anyone know what’s up?
Scott, a crew is filming a commercial at one of our neighbor’s houses. I don’t know what commercial, but I didn’t hesitate to dress my kids up extra nice and send them out front to play, just in case.
The project on Adams Street is a commercial for SC Johnson & Discovery Communications. It is a one day shoot that should wrap this evening
Dear Trish,
Many credit unions offer complete banking services. Georgias own credit union is open to almost anyone in the state. Or try allied credit union. I use BOND federal credit union — their service area includes Oakhurst.
Howdy campers. Happy Friday to you!
We are gearing up to renovate the kitchen at Casa Revenue Neutral! We need the works: design and construction. We plan to tear down several walls (oh, it’s going to be a big, messy project) so someone with structural engineering competency wouldn’t hurt.
I would greatly (GREATLY!) appreciate your recommendations for frabjulous contractors. No recommendation too small. Come one, come all.
Word.
Thanks in advance!!
Call Reagan Koski with Revive and Design. Not only is she very talented, she is also a neighbor! 404-242-3522. She did a beautiful job on our very difficult-to-figure-out kitchen.
After several glowing recommendations from neighbors and a very competitive price we are having remodeling done by Lofry Construction. It is still in progress but so far so good.
Juan C. Lopez Jr.
404.444.3217
We got estimates from/interviewed six companies before choosing and if we hadn’t gone with Lofry we absolutely would have gone with LevelCraft.
These sound fantastic. Thanks y’all.
RL – care to share any others from your list that you liked?
And has anyone worked with Arlene Dean before? I saw her name listed as an Oakhurst Coop Garden supporter …
Really, thanks again so much.
I would very highly recommend Neil Struby at Struby Construction. We’ve worked with him on several projects and I have nothing but the highest compliments to give. We even came in under budget on one particular project and he refunded us the difference. And he’s based in Decatur.
http://www.strubyconstruction.com
Greg Penn at Penn Carpentry. Awesome to work with!
+1 on Penn, they did a great job on my kitchen and family room a few years ago
Anybody know what’s happening on Clariemont between the VA and N Decatur road? Last 2 afternoons have been brutal with the travel lanes being reduced to 1 for each travel direction.
http://www.decaturmetro.com/2012/05/16/clairmont-commute-could-be-slowed-this-morning/
looks like it may be taking longer?
It has something to do with the RR bridge crossing Clairmont near the VA hospital. Barriers were still up this morning at 615. You might want to try an alternate route if they are still up.
What is everyone’s favorite Honda repair shop?
Summit Auto on Dekalb Industrial south of Ponce. 404-373-7070.
+1 they are great!
+1 seconded.
Sad news that Warren Bruno, owner of Atkins Park and many other Atlanta restaurants over the years, has died. A great man.
In the metro section of today’s (Friday’s) AJC, there is a little piece about the wonderful enrollment growth of Decatur schools. It closes with the following quote from Superintendent Phyllis Edwards: “It’s amazing how things have changed. When I came here [in 2003-04] the numbers were dwindling. I didn’t know back then if the school system was even going to be solvent.” Laying aside the substantive debate about how incorrect she is — the evidence showed the population was going up, not down, but she urged the board to ignore that because it interfered with her plans to close Westchester, and our finances were relatively strong — how insensitive can you get? When Dr. Edwards came on board, the years of previous hard work by school board members, faculties and families across this town over a long period had made our school system into a growing, recognized leader in the metro area. She got on board when things were already doing very well and headed for better. The school system has continued that trend, with the added boost of factors over which she has had no influence — trouble in public school systems (DeKalb and Atlanta) all around us, a recession that cut into the affordability of private schools for many families, and rising fuel prices that continue to make intown housing more attractive. I hope our press person works in the future to craft quotes more along the lines of: “I am proud of the hard work our teachers, administrators and families put into our school system. Their efforts obviously make our schools attractive to families committed to a good education for their children. We will keep working to earn that interest and build on the growth our schools have enjoyed for the past 25 years.”
You must have seen this in the hardcopy version because I cannot find it online yet at ajc.com. It’ll probably be on there tomorrow.
You and I may be the last two people in Decatur to read the newsprint version of the AJC. I can’t figure out how everyone else does the crossword puzzle, Jumble, and Sudoku.
I did see it in the hard copy edition. There’s a feeling I get from having a copy of the paper tucked under my arm that just cannot be replicated by my iPad.
+1
Agreed–many of us participated in vibrant, growing schools years before Edwards came along. The growth from the time my oldest entered Kindergarten (at Westchester) until my youngest finished at Decatur High was fun to watch and be a part of!
Yep, I remember the high of Glennwood’s selection as a 2004 School of Excellence and then the gut-punch of realizing it would be reconfigured right on the heels of that news.
Couldn’t agree more. Imagine what the schools would be like if so much money had not been wasted on the constant reconfiguring and un-reconfiguring.
I must say I agree with you, Tom. Phyllis Edwards did not inherit a failing school system by any means.
Oh, I probably shouldn’t get this started, but I’m really curious about this. I didn’t live here at the time and don’t know either side, but it seems like there’s a feeling that Dr. Edwards was conspiring to close Westchester just to be evil or for the fun of it. What would be her motivation to do this? Am I missing something?
It wasn’t her agenda; it was the the school board’s.
That’s my memory too. CSD Admin needed space because it was growing but any school space would have been ok–Westchester, Clairemont, College Heights, whatever closed. Fifth Avenue had already deteriorated so would have taken more work to make into offices.
The situation was that Fifth Avenue had already closed and deteriorated and would take a lot of energy to renovate. College Height was down to 90 students for the whole school. So it made sense to the Board that those schools were no longer viable as K-5s. Some in the community realized that an urban pioneer and baby boom was already starting on the way south side, south of MAK area, but their opinions got no traction in the debate. In the opinion of at least some Board members–one told me this directly on a phone call so I know it’s true but have no hardcopy or email documentation–closing two schools on the south side but not one on the north side, was not fair to the south side community. That logic prevailed even though the baby boom and uptick in enrollment was well-established and evident on the north side. And College Heights was never closed but turned into the wonderful ECLC. But the north side community let themselves get distracted by the agonizing Westchester vs. Clairemont closure debate rather than uniting within and with south side concerned citizens and effectively making the argument that the whole reconfiguration approach was flawed demographically and financially. IMHO, a factor that played into the ultimate decision was that the indefatigable, talented, superstar-principal Ms. Kuebler was retiring from Westchester that year. I don’t know if the Board would have had the guts to close Westchester with her still there. She would have given them her steely-eyed but kindly look and asked them “Are you really doing your personal best?”
I believe in citizen government and School Boards and wouldn’t want it any other way….but there is a downside to having non-professionals govern–they aren’t always good with data and technical details.
What would be her motivation, indeed? If you really want to understand what went on, do not rely solely on what you read here. Quite a few people in this town think the 2004 reconfiguration was the right thing to do and has worked out splendidly. Many also believe that closing Westchester was a reasonable decision.
As one of the folks who disagreed with what happened at the beginning of Supt. Edwards tenure, I don’t ascribe an “evil” motive to her. I do ascribe an “edifice complex” to her, a common trait of new leaders of many institutions to make their mark on a system immediately by building a new building or shaking things up somehow. In that vein, while the board took the vote, Supt. Edwards boxed them in. If you’ve ever read Lakoff’s “Don’t Think of an Elephant,” then you know the importance of framing. (If you haven’t read it, please do.) Supt. Edwards framed the choice for the board as either: oversspend, perpetuate a racial divide in our schools and allow excess capacity to continue; or follow her (and it was her proposal) proposal to create a two-grade school, decapitating elementary schools at the third grade, and close Clairemont and create a racial balance in our schools. (Westchester was not the original target for closure.) The problem for her plan — aside from the deceptive framing — was that it critically depended on a conclusion that student population was declining. She hired consultants who spoke consultant fog speak and found that, lo and behold, the student population was declining. Substantial evidence was presented to the board that these projections were, at best, very fragile, and, far more likely, completely off because other children population surveys showed a growing number of enrollees. If her projections were off, then the two-grade school could not work. It turns out that Supt. Edwards projections were wrong and the population surged precisely as many folks told the board it would. This led to the situation where, as predicted, Glennwood could no longer accommodate the number of kids in the two-grade school. (By the way, go do your own research about the helpfulness for academic achievement of longer grade spans for learning and parental involvement, especially for at risk children.) So, we re-built a beautiful Fifth Avenue school and shifted the two-grade school there. (I am happy they re-built Fifth Avenue.) There were also construction constraints in the original proposal. Schools had to be re-renovated to accommodate the proposed changes. When the contractor presented plans at a school board meeting showing that the work could not be done in time, Supt. Edwards expressed displeasure. At the next school board meeting, the contractor miraculously said he could do it in the time required. As it turns out, the construction was not done in time, but was done at about the time he originally said it would be finished. The contractor was a nice man. When I asked him after the projects were done why he changed his timetable, he said because “she did not care about the truth. She wants us to say what we said.” That is a direct quote. One of the wonderful changes that came about was the creation of the College Heights preschool. That, however, had already been proposed before Supt. Edwards arrived. A parent-teacher committee (disbanded soon after Supt. Edwards took over) on Student Achievement-Parental Involvement had already recommended development of a preschool learning center as a key step for addressing the reading an math skills of kids entering the school system, with an eye towards College Heights as the site for the school. (Huge amounts of research on the “achievement gap” shows that kids enter 1st grade with the gap already in place in reading and math. The gap just then continues. So, the place to attack it is in the preschool years, exposing kids to reading and basic math concepts.) That leads to a final note that the immediate motivating factor for all of these changes was a severely underpopulated College Heights Elementary. It had been that way for several years. A plan was developed to divide those kids between Winnona and Oakhurst elementary. Some felt that, if a school on the south side had to close, then one on the north side had to close, which, in turn, ultimately led to the two-school proposal. The problem was that the north side schools were fairly well populated and certainly vibrant parts of their community. So, we got the projects of declining enrollment that turned out to be wrong, but justified closing a school on the north side. I won’t go into the misinformation on the if-we-close-a-south-side-school-we-must-close-a-north-side-school issue, but it got all wrapped up political correctness and false fears of Justice Department supervision. Disagreement will continue on the wisdom and effect of what was done. Some think the changes are the best thing since sliced bread. Some say they divided our city as it was never divided (imagine closing the elementary school close to you and you get a taste of what the Westchester community felt) and diverted resources (money and energy) that could have been applied elsewhere. Most everyone agrees, though, that the next steps are the proper focus, however, we got to where we are. That being said, if you don’t know where you’ve been, if you don’t know whose shoulders/bones you are standing on, you are condemned to repeat their mistakes. So, as anonymous smalltowngal says, listen to lots of sources and think critically to come up with what you think. Then use those lessons to help make a good school system even better.
(Heigh ho away… )
The one year old FAVE is already inadequate too and will be enlarged–the new playground just funded and installed by the wonderful PTA had to be placed on the outer edges of the property because more construction is coming to expand the 1 year old school. A current school board member was concerned that FAVE was too small when it was designed. Right again. I’m glad that room was left for expansion but, if school construction is anything like other construction, it would have been better and cheaper to build it appropriately the first time, never mind more transparent to the taxpayers.
Agree that going forward correctly is the most important step. The middle and high schools may be the next schools that are inadequate to hold the student population that has been growing since 2003. We need to make sure that projections and plans are sound. That issue should be a high priority in the next School Board elections.
Wow. Way to diminish a thoughtful, well-reasoned account with an unnecessary jab at someone who chooses to post anonymously. I actually agree with most of your analysis. But do we really need to revisit the whole “my point is more valid than yours because I post under my real name” thing again?
-J(Jeff)_T(Thomas) and you can figure out the rest easily enough based on my past comments and someone else’s recent outing of me.
You’re absolutely correct. My apologies.
Unfortunately, id’ing “the contractor” is even easier than id’ing J_T. Hope he’s cool with his candid remark being put on blast.
Good point, although he long since ceased dealings with the school system, and it is not the first time I have publicly noted his comment. The focus remains where do we go from here. The silver lining of the strained capacity issue at 5th Avenue is that it gives the board another chance to take stock before we engage in more construction. Would, for example, themed K-5 elementary schools — math, science, art, history, etc. — work, where 90% of the school’s population was from the surrounding neighborhood, with 10% through a citywide lottery? That would give young children fewer transitions — something that supposedly hurts at-risk kids particularly — and longer exposure to a nurturing elementary school, while allowing each school to have the wonderful cross-pollinization (sp?) from across the city that the two-grade school facilitates. You’d also save money and extra congestion by not having to do all of the bussing associated with the two-grade school. That’s one idea and there are lots of others that might be worth exploring. I am excited about the continuing, wonderful support our schools enjoy in the community, and finding ways to strengthen our children’s experience at school and their educational attainment.
T_S – thanks for the background, and I agree we need to do our research, and also attend school board/SLT/PTO meetings to keep things from going too off the rails.
I lived in College Heights when the whole re-configuration was going on. I didnt have kids but it did make sense to my financial mind, that College Heights with 90 kids should not be a K-5 school. I think the ELCL is a great solution on that one. Since I didn’t have kids I didn’t pay attention too closely, except for if my house was going to zoned to WP (which would boost the value back then.)
I like when a govt actually tries to save money (see: USPS closings) rather than keeping thing open, because that’s the way ‘its always been.’ So, I was hoping the best from Phyllis and the re-configuration.
I have some opinions about 4/5th that I’ll leave go until I get more info, and I’ll def continue looking to DM for a good opinions from the citizens like you.
Well spoken Tom Stubbs!I can remember way back then too! We had great neighborhood schools, great parent participation,strong test scores.I had no idea we were on the brink of insolvency!!
I would also like to say how perplexed
I am that on the last day of school for the seniors they put half the police department at the school. Do other school systems do this? are our kids this bad?
We filled the stadium the other night for the lacrosse playoff and not a cop in sight. No problems either.
2 thoughts:
Foolishness can get out of hand on that last day. Plus school buses in Clayton were targeted by a man with a rifle. Perhaps Decatur PD is being overprotective for that reason.
While Steve Roberts, a prosecutor, was on our board, he successfully fought to keep cops out of the school. That should tell you something: a prosecutor knows that a high school and cops are a bad mix. Unfortunately, when Steve left the board, the board allowed cops into our schools. I have yet to find one end-of-school-year situation where the cops made things better, and every year there have been examples of where they made things worse. They arrested a boy two years ago for throwing a water balloon. They arrested a man last year who had stepped out of the gym during graduation to take an important call, and was going back in to watch his daughter graduate. Earlier this year, one of the most innocent, kind kids at our school was found to have a little pocket knife in his pants. Instead of quietly telling him to check out and go home to dump the thing, he was arrested and permanently suspended and, because he had just turned 18, he now faces felony charges. To a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Whatever benefit their presence provides, I wish the police would leave the campus.
To my surprise, I have come to the same conclusion. I have always been a great supporter of our police in the community and am usually highly impressed with their services. I love what they do with the elementary schools. But what I have heard about resource officers and other presence of police in the high school has given me reservations. Maybe the two just don’t mix well. Tom is not the only person in the legal system who has voiced this. A friend who is a judge has said something similar. The expertise of police is in gathering evidence that will convict, not with in dealing with the adolescent brain. Maybe there is a way to have school safety staff who deal with security, violence prevention, stopping crime, but are not actually police officers.
I keep thinking about the planned group fights at the Rec Center that the DPD was having to prevent (mentioned on here awhile back)… I know it’s tough for parents to have kids under what feels like overly tough scrutiny, but heaven forbid something tragic would happen. We’d all be devastated, and the CSD and DPD would be blamed for it. Who’s to say that the bad things we regularly read about happening elsewhere couldn’t happen here? As for “wiggle room,” the zero tolerance rule is set by law, right? But if it weren’t, how could CSD fairly apply it? What about a kid who’s gone under the radar all his/her school years, so doesn’t have folks to vouch for him/her?
I want absolute safety too. So I’m torn on this issue. I have no trouble with treating a crime like a crime. Or preventing crime. Curfews, no hanging out at the Rec, and no Halloween parties behind Winnona Park Elementary are fine with me. But the gray areas are not feeling good–it doesn’t feel like the focus is on protecting students from other students but on finding fault. And of course it’s the low income kids whose parents can’t be there when the resource officer interviews them or who can’t afford a high level lawyer. My friends in the court system assure me that all are not equal once you come to the attention of the law. I just hope kids who have made a minor mistake aren’t getting the consequences of a major mistake because they were foolish in what they said naively to an Officer without a parent or lawyer present.
My son graduated in 2009 from DHS. At the time there was supposedly a tradition at another local school to come gather on Decatur Square and cause trouble (fights?) with the Decatur kids. There was a little trouble that year but I have no idea if there has been anything that has happened in the last couple of years. Also, this info came from an 18 yr. old kid so who knows? High School can be quite a rumor mill. But, that could explain the police.
I for one cannot wait for this-
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2042613788/magic-the-gathering-the-musical
What is the general rule of thumb on the amount of cash as a present to high school graduates?
I’m giving my niece $50. Am I being stingy?
I am planning to give the same, $50.
Wow, am I out of date! Cash is expected? Like if you have niece graduating or are going to a graduation party of a neighbor? I have sent or brought a gift of something I thought would be useful for college, never worth $50. I am seriously asking–what is expected? What would Miss Manners say?
RIP, Donna Summer…you were one of the few “disco” artists whose music this metal-head could dig (especially when you were singing “I Feel Love”, “Bad Girls”, and “MacArthur Park”). You were classy and true on through the very end, & I’ll always have such vivid memories of under-age nightclub-hopping whenever I hear your music!
What a beautiful Friday! I have a scanner that can do photos, slides and negatives and a ton of experience scanning them. Anybody out there have a need for such a service? I can also create audio free slide shows and am in the neighborhood. Check me out at http://www.dustyatticdigital.com. Sorry for the seemingly shameless self promotion.
Hey Dusty, it was cool to say something when someone asked for slide services, but business promotion is not generally encouraged in these threads. Thanks.
Thanks for letting me know.
If you’re not a member of the Decatur Business Association, you should be.
You can also buy an ad!
How come storage solutions didn’t get a comment last week but this did?
I was wrong more than once. I didn’t read the line under the FFAF header until this morning. So in essence, I made two mistakes. One of etiquette and one of repetition.
I’m not disagreeing that it’s wrong to advertise in that manner, I just wondered why (it appeared to me) someone did the same thing last week and didn’t get the same response (mod + reader – no one said anything). Was it just overlooked or are some types of advertising acceptable and some not.
Can you point me to it? Probably overlooked.
http://www.decaturmetro.com/2012/05/11/free-for-all-friday-51112/#comment-217935
OK, so I try to be a bit lenient about this rule, because I know there are small businesses with few advertising resources. And I also believe that readers find value in knowing about these businesses. That’s why I let that comment through. The above had been posted repeatedly for a few straight weeks. That was the difference. Not Dusty’s fault at all, this rule isn’t written anywhere…though I guess it should be.
One thing’s for sure: “Dusty” is a super caring neighbor and a really nice guy! As a matter of fact, his business sponsored our neighborhood’s trial run of a news phone line for our neighbors without internet– granted, it didn’t run him the rock star rates DM’s probably charging for advertising :0), but it’s proof that he’s all about ensuring that generations stay connected. I’d definitely entrust him with preserving my keepsake memories! :0)
http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/alleged-starlight-drive-in-1438797.html
I am so sad that one half of BREAKING POINT has been killed in a senseless shooting. My kids are devastated. Anyone who’s been to the Renn Fest in GA the last few years will know this guy.
Or Circus Camp. He was a favorite counselor. I can’t figure out how or what to tell my (young) children.
Pinewood Tippling Room opened on Tuesday, and we went there for dinner before a concert on Thursday night. We had the warm pea hummus and the fried bologna sandwich with egg salad. It was delicious! The menu isn’t huge, but everything looked good. For dessert, they have funnel cake and other tasty looking things.They also had a very creative looking drink menu and huge selection of alcohol.
It has a more casual atmosphere than Cakes and Ale. It’s still a very nice space, but they lengthened the bar and have more bar tables.
To me, it’s more like a Leon’s, where you can go to get a good drink and casual bite to eat. I’m really excited to go there again!
+1! We went Thursday evening, and everything was great. Reminded me of Krog Bar but with cocktails instead of wine. Service was great, and the food even better! We will be back!
Anyone know when the Starbucks on the square is reopening? I thought it was supposed to open back up Thursday, but apparently it didn’t.
Signs on the doors say May 24.
any comments on the support for gifted children at the elementary and 4-5 level? 1 of my little guys seems to be an enthusiastic scholar. he has been a little bit understimulated his first year in the system.
IMHO, a preK-5 parent has to get involved, find ways to be in the classroom (as a volunteer of course, even just doing assistance with reading groups or something similar, once a week, helps you judge the milieu), then suggest and advocate. Meet occasionally with teachers, instructional coaches, School Leadership Teams, principals and ask questions and make comments. Volunteer to help if you have ideas on improvement. Schools perform better when a bright light is shining on them vs. operating like black boxes. And all kids will benefit, not just the gifted kids, if you ask good questions about rigor, opportunities for individual enrichment, student engagement etc. A rising tide lifts all boats…..
Is it true that there was a pancake breakfast and yard sale at the Brick Store yesterday??
Can I add general pancake breakfast question? My small home town had lots of pancake breakfasts, crab feeds, spaghetti dinners, usually put on by kiwanis, American Legion, etc. I would like to support such events, but I never seem to hear about them in Decatur if they exist…
I’m there too. The high brow, high price fundraisers for DEF and other causes are wonderful but there’s only so many folks that can afford them on a regular basis. Some low brow food fundraisers might get volume sales/donations.
A neighborly shout-out to One Step at a Time in the Oakhurst village (http://www.1stepatatime.net).
i needed a new pair of walk/jog shoes and with my feet, that’s not an easy task. Charles asked questions and listened well, so well the first pair I tried on fit! They’re feeling great after five days.
Buy local Indie-catur!
Does anyone know of a store that sells… unusual meats like alligator, frogs’ legs, ocelot’s spleens, etc? I’m writing a piece for a comedy site entitled “Tastes Like Chicken,” and I need stuff like that to taste test.
Suggestions for other stuff would be appreciated, too. I’ve already got chicken strip dog treats and vegan pretend meat. If this thread is closed, you can contact me here: http://tugboat.me/contact
Thanks
I heard this story on NPR this past week about Beyond Meat, which may be the vegan pretend stuff you already have.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/05/17/152519988/a-farmer-bets-better-fake-chicken-meat-will-be-as-good-as-the-real-thing
Ok, I’ve got one: where’s a good, inexpensive shop that’ll put new tires on my old (1980) Honda motorcycle without totally emptying my wallet? Nearby is best, but I might be willing to travel a bit for an exceptional deal.