America loves to specialize its movements.

Some people swear by local food.  Others argue for durable local economies.  Still others see worker’s rights as the most important call to action.

And there’s little wrong with this natural evolution of American thought…just as long as we recognize that at some point, in order to realize the full potential of ANY these individual movements, they really should be integrated.  Otherwise, many of these movements could easily be phased into the very global, industrialized system they each once shunned.

Food writer Corby Kummer’s latest article in The Atlantic, is just another example of this kind of specialized focus. The piece documents his discovery of quality organic selections at a nearby Wal-Mart Supercenter, and the resulting internal struggle to contemplate Wal-Mart as a competitor of Whole Foods.

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From our friends at the Decatur Minute…

What: Decatur for Haiti. Local Decatur merchants and restaurants donating to the Haiti earthquake relief.

When: Monday, Feb. 1

Who: The following businesses have agreed to donate a portion of their proceeds from Feb. 1 to the American Red Cross.

See the full list of participating shops and restaurants after the jump.

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Rebecca sends along this announcement from Oakhurst Cooperative Preschool…

Oakhurst Cooperative Preschool Enrollment Sessions Start Saturday January 23!

2010-2011 Enrollment Sessions: January 23, 28 and 30. Please visit
www.OakhurstCoop.com for details.

Explore what Oakhurst Cooperative Preschool can offer your family.

• Morning classes five days a week for children 2 – 4 years
• Everyday hands-on environmental education
• Commitment to parental involvement in education
• Nature-centered curriculum
• Nurturing community for families

OCP is also enrolling for a young two’s class to start February 2010. Children
who turned 2 by January 1 are eligible for enrollment.

Disclosure: Oakhurst Cooperative Preschool is a DM Sponsor

Catherine at the Decatur Minute writes…

Mark your calendars for Monday, Feb. 1. We’re organizing a Decatur Haiti Relief Event with Decatur’s local businesses. Participating shops and restaurants will donate a portion of their Feb. 1 proceeds to the relief fund and the Beer Festival committee has agreed to match the donations using proceeds saved from the 2009 festival. The money raised will be donated to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. So encourage your friends and family to shop and dine in Decatur on Monday. We’ll publish a finalized list of participating businesses at the end of next week.

Another well-known Decatur merchant is closing it’s doors.

Assistant Store Manger Kim McNeil at Kaleidoscope Boutique confirms reports that the 9 year-old clothing store along West Ponce will soon be closing its doors forever.

Kim notes that the closing is “indeed recession-related”.  As for store owner Camille Wright, Kim says plans include doing “some personal shopping for her close friends and valued customers, will happily get to focus more on new baby Connor, and anticipates some other fashion related ventures in the future.”

Our best to Camille and her staff in all their future endeavors.  This one is gonna be especially tough for many to swallow.

Below the break, read a message recently posted on the store’s Facebook page with details about the clothing sale and where you can catch up with the Kaleidoscope ladies prior to closing.

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Garrett notes that Andrea Berry has just posted video of the first portion of City Schools of Decatur’s Tuesday Community Forum online.

The video includes the voices of community members, the CSD Board of Ed, and the Superintendent discussing details of the plan.  Personally, I was very glad to see the Board and Superintendent offer reassurances to the community.  At this point, no one can answer everyone’s acreage questions, and we can each continue to elaborate on our personal comfort levels regarding site size, but I appreciated that the Board and Superintendent were willing to relay their reasons for being comfortable with 5th Avenue’s current size.

I hope everyone with an opinion/interest in the 5th Avenue rebuild will take the time to watch it.

FYI: Andrea pledges that part 2 would be available Friday morning.

Answering CSD Mom’s question…

Decatur’s well-known Christmas tree recycling event, “Bring One to the Chipper”, begins next Monday, December 28th and runs through January 2nd.

Where is this great graveyard of trees?  From the city’s website…

Residents can drop off live Christmas trees at the Christmas Tree Recycling Center in the Agnes Scott parking lot. The entrance is between 184 and 206 S. Candler St.

The entrance is a bit hidden, so unless there are more prominent signs this year, don’t be surprised if you have to do a couple u-turns before you find it.

“Bring One to the Chipper” is unaffiliated with Chipper Jones and the Atlanta Braves.

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DHS teacher Chris Billingsley writes in…

The DHS Close Up club was asked to volunteer at the Winnona Christmas tree sale (or maybe it was a “Winter Festival/Holiday Tree sale”). Seven students showed up at 7:00, in spite of the threat of rain and snow. The students helped to unload more than 150 trees and later helped with the bake sale. Once the sun came out, the trees sold very quickly. Commissioner Jim Baskett and his wife bought a beautiful tree. When we left, less than 30 trees remained. One of the organizers of the sale, DHS teacher and Winnona Park parent, Ms. Courtney Perrin, made a generous donation the the Close Up club for our spring Washington, D.C./Gettysburg battlefield trip. It was a great day for the CU students and the Winnona Elementary PTA.

A pic of Commissioner Baskett – wearing two hats – and other pics of the action can be found after the jump.

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Andrea Berry at Decatur eLife is coordinating a Decatur holiday video card…

We want YOU to be part of our first city-wide holiday video card. Here’s how to participate:

It’s simple! Just decide what you want to include: a photo, a note, a drawing or a short video of no more than 45-seconds.

The only rules are that your submission has to be holiday-related and it must be emailed to us by December 7, 2009.

Email your submission to aberry@elifemagazine.net. It can be just from you or from your whole family! We’ll put it with the other submissions and post it online with our Decatur Blog partners, during the week of December 7th.

Be as creative as you want to be! We look forward to receiving your greeting!

Which neighboring towns, cities and unincorporated areas will you be sending it to?

“Happy Holidays Scottdale! Love, Decatur.”

On its blog, Little Shop of Stories announces that with the help of a bunch of local sponsors, the bookstore is bringing the Decatur Christmas Tree back to the Square!

The tree will sit on top of our building, so you’ll be able to see it from the square and from Ponce all holiday long. And what would a tree be with out a tree-lighting party? So come out and join us as we kick off the season (and my favorite time of year) on Thursday, December 3 at 7 pm.

Click over to the Shop’s blog for more details!