Free-For-All Friday 09/11/09
Decatur Metro | September 11, 2009Use this post to ask questions and make comments about topics not covered in posts over this past week.
Comments will be closed Monday.
Use this post to ask questions and make comments about topics not covered in posts over this past week.
Comments will be closed Monday.
Latest from Decaturish
brianc
brianc
Danielle
Wacky Sitcom Neighbo…
Saniel
Avondalian
Decatur Metro
Frankly
TinMan
DawgFan
DawgFan
Kat
Rod T
Rival
AMB
DM: I assume that you’re busy working on a Decatur Metro app for the iPhone.
A good idea Judd! But it looks like that out of the 1,800 or so visits DM gets a day, only about 40-50 are from iPhones. Might not be the best use of time at this point!
At the very least, can we get full articles in the RSS feed? Pretty please?
Hmm…you’re asking me to give up hundreds of hits a day. Are you having issues on mobile?
Is it too much to ask for some decent quality Pay-as-You-Throw bags? I like the usage-based fee system, but come on…something that has ties that are either impossible to get to or break at the first sign of strain is just so irritating.
I have never had a problem with the bags, and I load them up to the weight limit.
Same here. i’ve never had any trouble with the bags. Maybe 2 or 3 of the ties have broken in 5 years of using them. Nothing a little duct tape couldn’t fix!
I assume changing to more ‘durable’ bags would result in increasing the already high prices, and I would be against that.
Where’s Tom Bosley when you need him?
Add me to the list of folks that hasn’t had a problem with the durability (or ties) of the CoD bags, and we pack them very full.
Of course, I don’t work in bowling ball disposal, so who knows.
The only time I have trouble with the yellows is when I am careless in my pizza box jamming. However, if I step on it (make sure you spray Parmesan cheese everywhere during this step) and then fold it one and a half times, I usually don’t hear any tearing issues.
Eric, are you in spear disposal?
Most times we are able to recycle most of our pizza boxes. It is my understanding that the cardboard that has not been contaminated by food or grease can go in the bins. Usually, this applies to about 75% of the box. We tear off the clean cardboard and end up only tossing out the small, food-stained piece.
Pizza boxes are also prime composting material, if you’re into that.
Great idea Lump. Embarrassed I never thought of that myself.
Almost anything can be sent through the actual recycling process with corrugated cardboard.
The cardboard recycling process removes far worse things that nasty, old pizza.
I worked as a board member and, separately, as an employee of a municipal recycling agency, and we did witness curious items among recyclables.
Specific vendors (the folks we pay to pick up our recycling) do not like food waste mixed in the cardboard bales because they (the bales) sometimes sit around for weeks, months, or years, depending on available space and markets.
I say: either compost what you feel guilty about putting in the bin or just clean the pizza box a bit and put the whole thing in the bin. It’s garbage, after all, and it’s gonna stink. Landfill space (read: the actual Earth) is more dear to me than some collector being put out by foetid cardboard bales.
The most effective items to recycle are paper, motor oil, and household batteries. Paper, because it still constitutes the largest volume of landfilled material. Motor oil, because it’s very hard on waterways. Batteries, because any leachate (goo that gurgles out of landfills) that passes through these is very, very damaging to streams and aquifers.
And, all three because we all use them, and they can be conveniently dropped off for recycling.
(Smith Ace Hardware has a battery recycling tub.)
No, I don’t dispose of my spears. They are displayed on the wall like all good spears should be. But I am now thinking that the muriatic acid I use to clean things around here may have something to do with bags failing.
It is interesting that some people have problems and others don’t. I do find that when the bags are working, they hold a lot (I stuff them to the gills) and they don’t break. But several times I have bought rolls of yellow ones where most the individual bags in the rolls have some kind of problem (usually with the straps). Oh well, guess it’s just the luck of the draw.
Agreed – we use the yellow ones and their strength (both the bags and the ties) leaves a lot to be desired.
I’ve had this problem (and complained about it), with the little green bags.
I’ve had the same problem with the yellow bags, but that’s not the point of my FFAF (Friday-Free-For-All) post.
Seeing the rehab work on the Iberian Pig got me thinking about other buildings that have been re-purposed here in Decatur. There are obvious ones like the gas station –> U-Joint and the old bus terminal –> Fellini’s. Does anyone know what used to be in the space now occupied by Twain’s? They’ve got such a great space, but it doesn’t seem like it was originally intended to be a restaurant/bar.
Twain’s used to be several things, including a computer modem dealer (Modems Plus), and for a long time it was the HQ for DeKalb EMS task force. From there I believe it sat vacant until Twain’s got it.
Twain’s original use was a Goodyear tire store. Notice the big roll-up doors are still there by the back patio.
Not necessarily re-purposed, but the DeKalb County Revenue Department used to be where Starbucks and the book shop are located. Taqueria used to be a Gulf gas/service station. Where FleetFeet/scooter store is, used to be Peco Campers (now on Hwy. 78). Atlanta Gas/Light used be located in the Decatur First Bank building. And finally, the Squash Blossums space used to be a Huddle House.
That Gulf/BP (where Taqueria is now) is where I always took my decrepit 1981 Cavalier when it died on me. Those guys were awesome.
OK, let’s try these:
Parker’s, By Hand South, etc., building
Dancing Goats
Trinity & Safeco (former) buildings
Former temporary City Hall, now demolished
By Hand South space may have been a Woolworth’s 5 & 10, and Parker’s (formerly Mick’s) may have been the hobby shop with slot car racing. The rest of the building had been offices, I think…but please don’t hold me to those.
Dancing Goats…not quite sure. I think an AM radio station was in that building.
Don’t know on the others, but of note was that Decatur used to be a car dealership capital. With Ponce being lined with car dealerships. The CVS/Pastries-a-go-go being a dealership and Ted’s/Artisan being a dealership. That’s about the extent of what I vaguely remember about the downtown area.
This has been a fun topic to follow and walk down memory lane. Thanks Robbie!
I think you are right about Dancing Goats.
I think you are correct on the ones you answered – how about the others?
I believe the former city hall used to be a meat-packing plant or something along those lines.
You’re sort of close – it was an A&P supermarket.
Slot car racing! Haven’t thought about that in a while.
Decatur needs more AM radio! I knew it was missing something, just couldn’t put my finger on it.
OK, we’re doing pretty well.
How about the original use of the single story building on the east side on Church St between Ponce and Commerce?
Kroger?
You’re pretty close again, DM. SuperX drug store, which was once a Kroger subsidiary.
Still no answer on Trinity Building and the one behind it.
Out of curiosity…
Been reading this blog a while but I wouldn’t know Decatur Metro if i bumped into him on the street. I’m curious as to what he looks like. Has anyone ever seen this guy in person?
Ever notice that you have never seen DM and a unicorn in the same place at the same time…
Or maybe you have. How would you know?….
He’s so hot, I call him BRAD STEELE.
I’ve been thinking the samething…!
I don’t want to see DM in person. I love to imagine that he’s our own little golden-haired, angelic-faced hovering host, wearing little blue shoes & daintily tripping here & there, bringing us all the Decatur news that’s fit to print. How disappointing it would be to see him in person & learn that he’s a back-hairy, wife-beater-wearing, cigar-chomping, bulldog-faced beefo wearing huge brogans…
Cubalibre’s been hitting the cuba libres!
Hee-hee! Sometimes I can’t help letting my (gleefully warped) imagination run away with my mouth (or fingers, as it may be). One of the reasons why my spousal unit will sometimes turn to our friends and say, “Have you met my lovely bride, Dementia?”
No cuba libres yet– but they’re gonna be on the menu tonight!
Can DM tell me why is avoiding the question of whether or not he is hot as BRAD STEELE???
See, he’s making me miss words
OK, Who is Brad Steele? Is he hot? Is DM wearing those little blue shoes. It’s Saturday at 930a and i’m all confused. DM jump in anytime here…
Ooookay Rebeccab, I’ll try to help you clear things up.
Cuba imagines me as some sort of elf, but suspects I’m some sort of personification of a 1950’s newsman. Russ takes a different Tolkien-esqe view and imagines me as the “Great Eye”. Nellie is infatuated with Brad Steele, another commenter who has been around a long time, and wants to know if I’m as hot as his name. (I think)
But to answer your question Rebeccab, there are a handful of people out there who know who I am, but I like to keep it pretty quiet for the most part. That might change one day, but for now it helps me keep a relatively low profile in a very small city.
Like Sauron, he cannot take physical shape…
Why does the Jolly Roger fly on Church Street?
To help the pirates get to the other side. Arrrrrrrgh!
(Sorry– couldn’t help meself. I actually don’t know, but have wondered.)
In order to keep the pirates and the zombies separated.
Can apartment complexes introduce recycling bins in addition to their regular trash pickup service? Since apartment complexes use very large trash bins, a truck comes to empty the trash on a frequent basis. Would the city charge the apartment complexes extra to empty recycling bins that residents would fill? I am thinking that the water/sewer charge includes recycling pickup, but I don’t know that as a fact. There is a tremendous amount of recycling that could and would be done in apartment complexes if the bins were provided for people to use. Otherwise, the recycle materials have to be carried/transported to somewhere like YDFM in order to properly dispose of them.
There’s no reason or law that says multi-family complexes can’t have recycling if they want to pay for it. A couple of condo developments in Decatur do it now.
Does anyone know anything about the progress of the city offering recycling services to Decatur businesses? A questionnaire was sent around last year, but that was the last I heard of it.
Ask David Junger when he gets back next week.
The new city walking brochure is available at City Hall and the Decatur Rec. Center:
http://decaturactiveliving.blogspot.com/2009/09/walk-decatur.html
Hope to have it online shortly.
The 2nd Annual Walk-Bike-Roll to School Day Pep Rally will be held 6:30 to 7:30 pm, Tuesday, October 6th on the square. Join us for games, entertainment, raffle prizes and special guests!
International Walk to School Day is the following day, Wednesday, Oct. 7th. We’ll have tents with snacks and coffee set up that morning at Clairemont, Oakhurst and Winnona Park Elementary Schools, and Glennwood Academy.
Thanks!
Dan – I love the fact the city encourages walking, biking and rolling. Is it possible to incorporate some basic safety and awareness into this program? On a number of occasions my dog and I have nearly tangled (literally) with 4th and 5th grade bike riders because I didn’t hear them coming up behind me and they didn’t announce their presence. Is it totally uncool these days to have a bell or a horn to let sleepy pedestrians know there is an energetic kid on a bike about to overtake them? In lieu of a horn, a simple shout of “passing left” would be enough to make me get out of the way. I’m perfectly happy to yield to the riders; I only need to know that they are there before we end up sharing the same square foot of sidewalk!
Thanks!
Bike safety is part of the 4th grade curriculum at Glennwood. At least it was last year.
Stop complaining please, at least the kids are riding their bikes to school and wide awake, however you are not. I wonder who is more responsible for this, umm.
This response smells like a 4th or 5th grader’s. Uncalled-for, IMHO.
We have a great bike safety training program every year at Glennwood Academy as part of the HPE curriculum. There aren’t many other programs like it in Georgia where a school system and city work closely together on improving student bicycle safety. And Coach Hennessy is a fantastic HPE teacher!
We do rely on volunteers to assist the instructors, so if you are interested, please contact Greg White, , 678-553-6543. Last year, we distributed hundreds of bells and bike lights from a GDOT grant. We’ll keep educating the students on bicycle safety, and being aware of and respectful pedestrians sharing the sidewalk. We are always open to comments, suggestions, etc.
Thanks for the post, Dan. I hope you didn’t think I was complaining as it was certainly not my intention. I only asked the question because I’ve seen it happen and have had it happen to me. Decatur is pro-active on a lot of issues, and this is clearly one of them. Consider me better educated than I was this morning.
I do think some kids may be hesitant to speak out in situations when it involves an adult they don’t know. I hope this program encourages them to so so; I’ll happily yield the sidewalk.
And, so you’ll know, the part about being sleepy was supposed to be humor.
The correct verbal signal is “On your left” or “On your right” but it’s true that many kids are a little shy about yelling anything out to a grown-up pedestrian. I had to really drill it into my kids and they still sometimes say it so softly that it’s ineffective. Bicycle bells and horns exist but don’t seem as prevalent as in the old days, aka when I was young.
My socially inept and shy fifth grader could easily be guilty of this…he knows he is supposed to let someone know that he’s coming up behind them on his bike, but definitely feels weird about calling out to an adult he doesn’t know. I’ll give him a reminder about this, for what it’s worth.
Bicycle riders might want to consider that older people are usually hard of hearing, AND there is traffic noise too. So if you call out something to a person walking ahead of you, please say
it LOUD enough and EARLY enough so that they can move over in time to prevent a collision.
I was always taught that you must obey the rules of the road if you are cycling. I want to add my sentiment to the uber-cool ‘Share the Road’ concept, ‘Share the Rules!’
I won’t bore anyone with a dissertation from
http://www.gohs.state.ga.us/gabikelaws.html
but let’s start with cyclists stopping at red lights and stop signs.
pretty please
AMEN !
Of course, Marc, what you mean is that you would like cyclists to treat intersections with due caution, as others should.
Idaho, for some time now, offers a sane alternative for cycling and intersections:
http://www.cyclelicio.us/2009/04/idaho-stop-law-for-cyclists.html.
Now, if only those operating 4000-pound machines-of-imminent-death would act with such caution and diligence regarding the state code, many, many, many deaths and injuries would be avoided, no?
I wonder why it is that no one ever bothers to post the vehicle code for motorists in such discussions.
In other words, the danger posed by a cyclist not “sharing your rules” is almost exclusively to the scoff-lawing rider. The same cannot be said for the 55 m.p.h. driver on East Lake road.
I mean, your point is most definitely *not* taken.
It seems that people on bicycles would be a lot more wary of these “4000-pound machines-of-imminent-death” mainly because of the whole imminent death thing. Instead they choose their arrogance as protection.
People on the road break the rules–you should at least look out for yourself.
Barry – What an interesting way to frame a response, “Of course, Marc, what you mean is…”
No, what I meant was what I typed, “but let’s start with cyclists stopping at red lights and stop signs.”
The Idaho law states, “A person operating a bicycle or human-powered vehicle approaching a steady red traffic control light shall stop before entering the intersection and shall yield to all other traffic.” Very sane indeed and they don’t even say, “pretty please.”
Why would someone disobeying an unrelated speeding law while driving their hyperbole fueled 4000-pound machines-of-imminent-death give rise to the right of a cyclist to also disobey a law?
P.S. – The reason that I didn’t post the vehicle code for motorists is that I was referring to a law regarding cyclists and they put them in a different place.
Anyone else seeing the key takeaway from this ongoing peds vs. cyclists vs. motorists conversation?
Essentially it always boils down to “It’s the other guy’s fault.” I’d just once like to hear someone say “It’s my fault. I’m a terrible _______.”
It’s my fault. I’m a terrible dog parent. It’s true, I let him wander from one side of the sidewalk to the other when we walk. Further, it’s my fault, because I MAY fall into that category of “older people” who don’t hear quite as well as they used to. (Carolyn, you made me laugh. I don’t think of myself as old, but to those kids on bikes, I am old!) Finally, it’s my fault because I started all this nonsense earlier today. Didn’t mean to get everyone so riled up. Sorry, DM.