And of particular note to Decaturites who enjoy cutting through Druid Hills to Emory and beyond – South Oxford Road – you know, that road adjacent to Everybody’s – will be closed to traffic for 2 months starting sometime in early 2011.

From the Alliance to Improve Emory Village…

Nov. 18, 2010 – The first phase of construction in Emory Village is nearly complete!

The first phase (1A) of construction involved improvements to the sidewalks, curbs and garden areas between Supercuts and Panera Bread along the south side of North Decatur Road. This phase also included the addition of new outdoor spaces that can accommodate café-style seating and the addition of parallel parking spaces in front of several businesses. Landscaping and over 50 trees will be added in the Village later in the construction timeline.

The entire DeKalb County project is scheduled to be complete in June 2011. The next phase of construction (1B) is similar to the first, but across the street on the north side of North Decatur Road between Dave’s Cosmic Subs and the Chevron station. This phase of work will last approximately one month and should be completed in December. As with the prior phase, construction will occur during the day and when feasible, at night.

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Portland, Oregon (pic submitted by Parker)

A recent revival of “Middlebury Money” in Middlebury, Vermont – officially endorsed by Bill McKibben! – got me thinking about our own “Decatur Dollars” gift card and if a reinvented program with similar incentives might be applied here in Georgia that would provide Decatur with it’s own local currency.

Here’s the note in full from the the Better Middlebury Partnershp Middlebury Money Committee, which explains the problems with the original iteration of “Middlebury Money” and what the town has done recently to give the program a new “hook” that will hopefully inspire residents and businesses to continually use and spend it the new currency.

The Better Middlebury Partnership is excited to announce an exciting new Middlebury Money campaign, to be rolled out in the coming weeks – just in time for the holidays!

Many of you are probably familiar with Middlebury Money. Our organization (then the Middlebury Business Association) introduced it several years ago as a universal Middlebury gift certificate. We had moderate success, selling as much as $27,000 worth of Middlebury Money a year, sparking business for local merchants and service providers. Nonetheless, this year we challenged ourselves to improve the program.

We realized that to-date Middlebury Money was primarily being purchased to give as a gift – few people were purchasing it for their own use. Bryan Phelps, owner of Noonie’s Deli and one of our newest board members, suggested that we give Middlebury Money a real “hook,” a feature that would inspire consumers – residents, consumers, repeat visitors, even businesses – to buy Middlebury Money and to use it to spend locally.

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From the Decatur Education Foundation…

DEF cosponsors Frank Meeink Author Evening This Thursday

In this time when bullying and divisiveness surround us, the Decatur Education Foundation in partnership with A Cappella Books will sponsor an author evening with Frank Meeink.  In his Autobiography of a Former Skinhead, Meeink talks about his descent into America’s Nazi underground and his ultimate triumph over hatred and addiction. The author discussion and book signing will take place Thursday, November 18 at 7:30 pm in the Decatur High School auditorium.

Admission is $5 or FREE for book purchasers and CSD students. Tickets and books can be purchased online at acappellabooks.com. Admission proceeds will benefit the Foundation.

Thanks a lot Al Gore.  You’ve doomed us all.

From the fine folks at UC Berkley…

Dire or emotionally charged warnings about the consequences of global warming can backfire if presented too negatively, making people less amenable to reducing their carbon footprint, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley.

“Our study indicates that the potentially devastating consequences of global warming threaten people’s fundamental tendency to see the world as safe, stable and fair. As a result, people may respond by discounting evidence for global warming,” said Robb Willer, UC Berkeley social psychologist and coauthor of a study to be published in the January issue of the journal Psychological Science.

…Despite the mounting evidence, a Gallup poll conducted earlier this year found that 48 percent of Americans believe that global warming concerns are exaggerated, and 19 percent think global warming will never happen. In 1997, 31 percent of those who were asked the same question in a Gallup poll felt the claims were overstated.

Ah, self-importance.  Is there anything it can’t ruin?

h/t: GOOD