Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local topics not yet discussed here over the past week.
74 thoughts on “Free-For-All Friday 10/2/15”
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Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local topics not yet discussed here over the past week.
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Happy Friday and a shout-out for the Decatur Education Foundation’s new take on the old Low Country Boil party, held next Thursday. I’ve always had a good time at this event, and it’s for a good cause. More at: http://bit.ly/1FLkAwr
The Decatur Education Foundation Boil & Brew party next Thursday, Oct 8th will be a fun night to hang out and meet some new friends and neighbors. Check out Defboil.com and see the tasty line up of food and beverages you will be enjoying and more event information. We rallied a group of neighbors to make a night of it. Can’t wait!
OK, almost 8:30 and I’m first again?
Everyone’s busy battening down for the hurricane.
There was a smash and grab overnight on Commerce Drive at an Artisan storefront. Computers and televisions were taken from the Common Ground Real Estate Office two doors down from Ted’s some time before 3:00 AM. The burglars tossed a rock through the glass door.
anybody know a handy man who could straighten/re-hang some gutters for me?
Looking forward to some recommendations here too.
Letter to Editor Oct 2, 2015
I like my County of DeKalb and I want to make it better.
It is not about Interim CEO Lee May or the DeKalb Board of Commissioners or their intents. It has to do with integrity, and rather Mr. Lee May and the others may have violated their oaths of office and the laws of the State. It is not about people holding the office, it is about the kind of government we want to represent us. We are a government of laws and not people. Mr. Lee May was not elected CEO, he was appointed by the Governor as Interim CEO because of the problems with corruption in the County. We expect our leaders to be held to higher standards. When you do wrong the chickens will come home to roost. Now the chickens are coming home to roost. As ML King stated, and I recognize that “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”
A leader at the county or state should be able to lead employees and citizens to accomplish goals for the best interest of the public. They should protect the public, and look out for the general welfare. Leadership is doing the right thing when no one is watching. We have to recognize that being an elected official is not synonymous with being a leader. One can hold an elected position, and at the same time be void of leadership and can be in fact incompetent. We have many people holding positions of authority that are not leaders. These leaders often practice the “do as I say, not as I do” approach. Perpetuating the bad behavior by example and what they do as others observe.
We have to go beyond supporting an elected official because we know them, rather we like them, friends or family; often looking the other way to protect them. When someone violates our code of conduct, lacks ethics and trust and jeopardizes our own well-being then we have to call them to task, and make them accountable. No matter who they are.
Being silent is not an option, ML King stated, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Our so called leaders, who are out there, must start speaking out and provide real leadership. M.L. King said “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Let the people represent.
Our County officials and other government leaders should not be above the law, and should not be able to spend taxpayer money as if it is their own money. This is an abuse of power and authority; and represents greed and arrogant, which causes our business and significant capital investment to leave a community and for others not to come, and it will erode and infect the community at all levels if left to remain unchecked.
Our community leaders must not remain silent and allow this kind of unchecked behavior to continue. We must let our voices be heard and let it ring from Stone Mountain, Arabia Mountain to the State Capitol, that we want good government, All over Georgia. While there are some prepared to march on Washington DC; we need to be marching to our local governments and State Capitol.
Today, it seems many government officials work for themselves, when they are supposed to be working for us. I am frustrated like many others citizens with this business as usual attitude with the public trust being violated. No Customer service and being treated like an invisible man. Our elected official should be accountable and responsible for how they spend our tax money. It makes it bad for all of us, when a few bad apples spoil the whole barrel. Citizens should be able to know everything our government does in our name, and the government should be responsive to our needs. The government employees should tell the people what is really going on, the employees on the inside know what is really going on.
I believe we have honorable and trustworthy people in our communities that can do the job and provide good leadership for our County government. We need to put out a job description looking for good citizens with good judgement. The candidates must not be greedy and they must respect the rights of residents, as cited in the US Constitution and the bill of rights. Particularly, the freedom of speech clause and the right for citizens to assembly and redress government and recall corrupt politicians as cited in the Georgia Constitution.
It cannot be easier to create a city or town, than to get rid of a no good politician.
The reputation and character of a man is very important, and all we need is a few good citizens. “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” ML King
I like my County and I want it to be the best it can be, so that I can be the best I can be for future generations.
Ed Williams Lives in Decatur
Ed Williams. Chair
Concerned Citizens For Effective Government
Citizens Against Cityhood in DeKalb
facebook.com/ccegdekalb
ccegdekalb.blogspot.com
(678) 304-7736
Twitter @truthcrushthee2
I live in Decatur, so I don’t get to vote on whether to incorporate as a new city. Had I lived in Lavista Hills or Tucker voting areas, my instinct would have been to vote no on any cityhood referendum. But the county sure makes it a lot damn harder to do so.
Shout out to Decatur Boxing –
Have you ever imagined how it would feel to be a boxer training for a world class fight? Now’s your chance. Join Decatur Boxing Club as we present Go The Distance Bootcamp, an action-packed weekend full of challenging workouts, nutritious meals, and an opportunity to immerse yourself in the elite world of boxing.
For more details visit http://www.gothedistancebootcamp.com
Is there beer?
I thought Dr. Dude was a pretty cool superintendent name until I read his bio and learned that it’s pronounced Doo-dee. Welcome to CSD, Dr. Doo-dee!
Sorry my humor was stunted at age 8.
the Dudee abides….
At least you didn’t say “howdy”.
Ok I have a question for discussion, my daughter goes to Renfro. Each student has an I-pad and as I understand checks it out from homeroom The students use it for various education tasks or lessons each day. The students are then required to turn it back in at the end of each class where it is used and instructed to not leave it in or on their desk. The punishment for not checking it back in is a 3 day silent lunch setting. Silent lunch is where the student goes to an alternate room for lunch and is not allowed to speak to any one for their already measly 30 or so min time line. So my daughter left her I-pad inside her desk, left the room and then remembered when she was in the hall that it had been left out as she was going to her next class. She proceeded to run back and check it back in. Due to the fact that she left the class this mandatory 3 day silent lunch triggers.
Trust me I am one for rules and paying for your mistakes so if that is the rule and that is the punishment then so be it. (I spent many a day in detention or banging erasers) So my question to the masses is do you think that this is overly harsh or do you think that this is in-line with teaching them that an I-pad is expensive and important so leaving it demands a stiff penalty? Side bar, my daughter has not had any other discipline issues so this was a first offence.
All things considered, I don’t think it’s overly harsh. She’s not, after all, being suspended or put into in-school detention, or some other punishment that would be on her academic record. It’s not a lot of fun to be assigned a silent lunch, but given the ridiculous zero-tolerance measures in place in most school systems, is a relatively benign way to teach kids to be accountable for following the rules. iPads aren’t cheap, and a lesson learned now will likely save YOU $$ later on down the road, when you’re having to buy her something similar when she goes to college.
“Any boy or girl caught leavin’ their iPad on a desk spends a night in the box.”
Yeah, yeah night in the box.
Rules are rules. Glad to see they are teaching accountability. Stinks for your daughter, but I bet she won’t do it again.
“Each student has an I-pad”
This is depressing to me. iPads are great time wasting devices but I would rather not have them in schools.
+10,000
I think IPADs and electronic devices may be a saving grace for some students who don’t learn in a traditional way.
This is depressing to you because you have not bothered to find out all the wonderful ways that they are used to engage and teach children. It’s pretty fantastic and we are very lucky that our kids are privledged enough to get to use these tools.
I have students at the 4/5 and at Renfroe and there are a lot of times when what they are doing would be much better explained and executed in a low-tech manner. You don’t need a computer for everything. I don’t like the idea of kids this age staring at a screen 6 hours a day while they are at school. When you are 9, a poster made with real markers, and real handwriting and real drawings is probably a better exercise than a PowerPoint presentation.
At this age, students shouldn’t be making posters or powerpoints to demonstrate understanding. They should be writing to demonstrate understanding–extended writing, not a sentence or two. Writing an outline (which is what a ppt is) is not enough. When we are asking them to write significant products then I think a computer is the natural tool to do so. I would argue that they aren’t staring at them all day. Students are discussing, exploring texts (print and electronic), debating and brainstorming. If the teachers think the best tool to do these tasks is electronic, then it is available for everyone. From my experience, most teachers do a good job of discerning the appropriate tool and activity. I do want to see more writing tasks, though.
Point taken. I have nothing but excellent things to say about Decatur teachers, I just have concerns about technology overuse. I am curious though about writing vs. typing. I get that some kids can type faster/better than they write. But what about the ones that write better than they type? Is there nothing to be said for writing by hand and is it important that students be great keyboarders at this age if they write neatly?
I think choice is appropriate, though students will have to gain fluency in typing. Keyboarding isnt really taught anymore, from what I can tell, so the best way to get fast is to do it. I was recently in a meeting where someone was asked to take notes and he said he’d have to hand write and then type them up. The inefficiency of that when the world is moving at a fast pace is something to consider. If someone genuinely processes better when writing by hand, then I agree that choice should be offered. Though typing later is a natural next step. At DHS students submit assignments electronically. I’m not sure if they do at RMS or FAVE.
Student typing these days seems largely self-engineered and rooted in texting maneuvers. My 16 year old daughter has never been taught to type and has an invented typing style that in no way resembles the ASDF JKL; finger placement of the old days, yet she can crank around 60wpm if she needs to.
Necessity was definitely the mother of that one.
Yeah I agree with Parker – can the iPADS.. suggest we go back to Big #2 pencils, dusty chalk and slate boards with cloth erasers to pound when you forget to put your crayons away. ……… Our current generation trails a good part of the modernized world in STEM thinking – bring on the iPADS, virtual classrooms and advanced technology since I am definitely paying for something (taxes).
If you need convincing of the value of iPADS in schools, http://www.myasdf.org/site/media-center/articles/why-the-ipad-is-such-a-helpful-learning-tool-for-children-with-autism/
Using iPads doesn’t promote STEM thinking any more than eating cookies makes me a good baker.
Good comment Rene.
Sorry to hear you are depressed about such a pervasive piece of technology. You saying iPads don’t help in difficult subject like STEM is ludicrous. I favor arming all children with the best if it is available so when they get out in the real world (think globally boys and girls) they will be using technology far beyond today’s iPads. Anything that will help children learn faster and deeper, go for it. If you don’t think kids love technology just watch the morning parade into DHS. There all listening to a connected piece of technology. Wake up and smell the connected cookies.
I disputed your contention that iPads promote “STEM thinking.” If access to technology was the key to STEM proficiency, the U.S. would not be lagging behind other countries. I would rather my kids learn to develop the technology than to use it. Two different things. Not necessarily saying I would take the iPads out of the schools. Well, maybe I would. I just don’t think they are the end all be all. And I do not think kids walking into school with their eyes glued to their devices is a positive.
Those who create the technology don’t want their kids educated with it, at least not until the later grades: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/technology/at-waldorf-school-in-silicon-valley-technology-can-wait.html?_r=0
I don’t think having iPads is a privilege: it’s pretty par for the course these days. LAUSD gave them to every kid; it was a big debacle. DeKalb schools wanted to do the same. An elementary school near my hometown gave them to all the kids. My only thought was “Glad my kids don’t go there.”
I know kids love them. I love tablets; I love to waste time with them.
Might seem less harsh to me if the three-day lunch thing were preceded by a warning and then maybe a one-day lunch thing. Lessons in accountability are important, but not more than lessons in grace. In my opinion.
Good weekend to all!
The rule is the warning.
My daughter had a similar experience. When she finally made it to her three days of Silent Lunch, she said she found Silent Lunch better than eating in the big room. She was able to read, and did not have to put up with the din of the cafeteria. I don’t think she’ll leave her iPad out again, however.
My son said the same thing when he was sentenced to silent lunch last year (which, at that time, was at a table on the stage. If that had been me in middle school, I would have DIED of mortification). He said “Eh, no big deal, I just brought my book and read the whole time. It was fine.” He could probably stand to do silent lunch on a regular basis!
Whenever I do Curriculum Night at Renfroe or DHS, I’m impressed with how little time is allowed to get from one class to another, especially since the next class may be on a different floor at the opposite end of the building complex (or outside in a trailer) and the halls can be crammed with hordes of people also trying to negotiate their way quickly. And that doesn’t count going to my locker or using the restroom.
So I can see where iPad procedures could get forgotten in the stress of the class change– “So my daughter left her I-pad inside her desk, left the room and then remembered when she was in the hall that it had been left out as she was going to her next class. She proceeded to run back and check it back in.” While it is understandable that Renfroe has to enforce their rules consistently, I’d probably let my daughter know that her transgression was fairly minor, it could have easily happened to me, and she might want to make some kind of reminder, e.g. write on the back of her hand. It’s similar to dress codes. I understand why they exist and why they have to be enforced consistently, but it often seems like it’s the usually compliant kids who get dinged and for fairly innocent clothing choices.
I agree about the need for accountability and honestly do not have a big issue with the punishment myself but was just interested in others opinions. I like the box idea or maybe THUNDER DOME
happy Friday all
How is the “new” Las Brasas? Has anyone tried?
Went last weekend. Still “Soft Opening” Food was just as good. They have some kinks to work out re: table service. I think they will get it figured out.
Has anyone heard about a mass break-in at one of the parking decks downtown? I heard a rumor, but I thought one of you might have better info.
http://www.decaturish.com/2015/10/decatur-police-investigating-68-vehicle-break-ins/
I hope Dr. Dude plans to send his kids to CSD so he can really experience what our community schools are all about (and fall in love with them!) Despite the good work of the system over Dr. Edwards’ tenure, a community sighting of her is few and far between. Teachers even know she’s rarely around, let alone at school events like concerts, games, plays, etc. I’m not sure she ever fully realized (or fell in love with) the greatness of our community schools (regardless of configuration!)
By having his kids attend the schools he’ll get to experience the “deep bench” Dr. Edwards referred to in yesterday’s AJC article, rather than the tiny ledge (which she failed to acknowledge) located at Beacon. The deep bench is out in the schools, which is where we need them anyway.
One of the articles floating around in cyberspace seems to suggest that he will. Agree that that would be ideal.
We attended an awards ceremony at the high school for our 3rd grader last year. Edwards presented the awards but she was the first one out the door before the meet and greet started at the end. It was noticeable.
Decatur, GA gets a mention in the Season 14 Trailer for Family Guy…about halfway through (2:15 mark). Why they picked Decatur, I’ll never understand…
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/11/family-guy-trailer
A lot of people in Decatur bring their children to bars. I’m not talking about Trackside, I mean bars that could almost double at restaurants.
A lot of people in Decatur go to bars to drink. When they drink, they get loud. Sometimes they talk about sex, or use words parents don’t like, or they mention drug use. Things people do when their inhibitions are lowered.
I witnesses one parent tell someone – in a not particularly nice way – that they needed to be quiet because they didn’t want their kid to hear the language.
The drinker replied that if they didn’t want the kid to hear bad language, maybe a bar wasn’t the best choice.
The parent then said “This isn’t a bar. It’s a bar in Decatur.”
Any thoughts?
I bring my kids to bars in Decatur a lot, but I think it would be completely outrageous to censor other people’s behavior there. It is still a bar — even if it’s in Decatur — and drinking, getting loud, talking about sex and drugs is totally appropriate bar behavior.
Yeah, it seemed out of line.
Part of the problem is that most Decatur bars very generously accommodate or even welcome kids. I know it can be a reality of doing business here, as you pretty much lose the family-drinker (at least the ones not presently trying to escape their families) if you don’t. But the downside is that it blurs the line and lulls people into thinking that bars aren’t bars and that some standard of child-friendly decorum is required when it clearly is not.
That’s one reason I love the Thinking Man. They don’t ban kids by any means but they’ve been clear from the start: This is a bar, we’re not babysitters, and we’re not putting up with any of your kid’s sh*t.
PS to the offended parents: Your kids are exposed to the same or worse every single day at school or online. So chill.
Problem? This isn’t a problem.
Not for me, no. But I understand how pub culture in Decatur leads parents to forget that, despite the wide range of ages present, those businesses are still drinking holes at heart. Always happy to offer a reminder!
I take my kids to a certain bar (ok, technically they are all restaurants) in Decatur for dinner maybe once every 4-6 weeks or so. It’s a bar. They need to know what adults act like in such settings, if only to keep it real. I think the parents should lighten up.
Ultimately, it is up to the management to decide on the tone they want to set and atmosphere. As noted above, Thinking Man makes that clear.
Some parents need reminding: “Your child is and should be the center of YOUR universe. Your child is not and should not be the center of THE universe.”
This issue will be largely adjudicated through peer pressure. Ideally, enough people will pull up their socks and offer bar owners who want it some covering fire to support an adult-friendly environment.
And if you’re a fan of Dr. John Rosemond (which I was for years until his “get off my lawn” factor finally peaked the needle), even YOUR universe gets relief. His assertion is that, for any family unit, the parent(s) are at the center and children are to exist in orbit around them. This has nothing to do with demonstrated love, affection or care, but with helping them develop a healthy understanding of expectation and entitlement as they become adults.
Just seeing the name “John Rosemond” forces me to respond, even though my reply is not related to this particular topic. While some of his advice is reasonable, some of it is dangerous, harmful to families, inaccurate, and contrary to what true family psychologists (of which he is actually not one) would provide. Okay, back to the discussion you were having.
Thanks Scott. I “liked your comment and I like John Rosemond.
I once heard a higher up at the DPD say “This is a drinkin’ town and this is a baby-makin’ town. I suspect one leads to the other, but I can’t tell you which.”
It’s a pretty fine line, even within the same place. For example, I would definitely consider upstairs at Brick Store a bar and not really an appropriate spot for kids. But downstairs I view differently. The bar area at Leons is not good for kids, but the rest of the place is fine I suppose.
There’s a place in Chamblee called Vintage Pizza that has the right idea. One side is for families, the other is adults only. Works well. I also like that Twains is kid-friendly but only up to a certain hour (9, if I remember correctly). I wish more places would adopt this policy. My tolerance and willingness to watch my language drops considerably once it’s well past dinner time.
If someone has to remind you that a bar probably isn’t the best place to take your child if you don’t want to expose him/her to anything you might deem inappropriate, you’re probably pretty far up on the “clueless” and/or “entitled” scale. Too many people forget that the real world isn’t G-rated, and it’s not going to become so just because they’ve reproduced.
(When I say “you”, I’m not meaning YOU, Blue…)
Yeah, I think shushing a bar patron for the supposed benefit of your kid hits 11 on the entitled scale. There are people out there who believe every environment should be adjusted to suit their whims.
A Quick Google Fiber Factoid —
Met a guy yesterday that was out doing surveys for Google Fiber in the Great Lakes. Told me that they had to survey 880,000 power poles in the Atlanta Metro to complete to project. That is a hell of a lot of poles…
He didn’t know the segmentation/build plan, but did say they were working hard to get our area surveyed quickly. You will recognize him by the cool, large clipboard on a shoulder strap.
A friend of mine in Charlotte got a free Google fiber t-shirt. Where’s Decatur’s free fiber swag? huh?
I got a free (nice) Google Fiber water bottle months ago from some lovely folks handing them out near Leon’s – where were you that day? 😉
For those of you who are using SeeClickFix, are you seeing your issues addressed? It has seemed to me that situations like major water leaks and deep potholes are being repaired, but not anything that that would help ensure pedestrian safety, such as missing crosswalks, nonfunctional signals, or loose water meter covers on sidewalks. I haven’t seen those entries addressed since the program started. What has your experience been?
Traffic signals and water stuff are Dekalb county’s domain. All the city can do is pass the request on.
I have reported (not via the app) non-working pedestrian crossing signal buttons a few times. In the past the city engineer has CC’d me on his email to Dekalb, and they were ultimately fixed, albeit anywhere from 3-10 weeks later.
SeeChickFlix? I don’t think the city should be involved in that.
I reported an issue in one of the dog parks on August 24, a safety hazard with tree roots in the entrance gate area. It was automatically acknowledged and assigned. A month later I got an email from the system asking if my issue had been addressed. I let them know that nothing had been done. The issue was updated as “acknowledged” again so will keep an eye on it to see what happens next. It may have been added to some master list of maintenance issues, it’s not an emergency situation. Unless of course someone else trips over the roots and actually gets injured.
Yeah, I think the thing to remember about the app / SeeClickFix is that it has nothing to do with an increase in city capacity to address maintenance issues. It simply adds an easy channel by which people can report things and follow them through to completion. But the system that responds is still the same system it was before.
Perhaps because SCF is so easy, it led people to think they’d get more immediate response than they have in the past. The city may need to invest a little effort in readjusting that expectation.
Here at Turner Field where my lil’ sis, Loretta Billingsley, is getting ready to receive a “Diamond” award for leading “Team Lorna Billingsley Pais” as one of the top fundraisers in Atlanta for breast cancer research. Both Lorna and Loretta grew up in Decatur on Ponce Place (and Loretta still has dreams about 307 Ponce and the secret rooms). Congratulations to my little sister and all Decatur cancer survivors.
Congrats to your sister but, also, please elaborate on this: “307 Ponce and the secret rooms.”
Sounds like something worthy of the Decatur Ghost Tour.
Decatur Heights Neighborhood Association Meeting!
When: Tues, Oct. 6th @ 7pm*
Where: The Church at Decatur Heights, 735 Sycamore Drive (community room)
Special Guests:
Patrick Allen, Georgia DOT District 7 Assistant Engineer/ District Traffic Engineer
John Maximuk, City of Decatur Director of Design, Environment & Construction/Public Works
Neighbors are encouraged to attend for what’s sure to be an informative meeting. Commissioners Boykin and Drake will also be joining us!
Meeting details on yourDHNA.com
Annual Membership dues $10/person
* Doors open at 6:45pm for membership enrollment