Lots of restaurant news lately.  Things things always seem to come in waves, don’t they?

Michael points to this interested blurb in a recent Mingei World Arts newsletter to customers…

Here’s why you shouldn’t miss this:

*Food from Calle Latina, a new restaurant coming to Church Street! We’ll get the first taste of the Latin street food that will be served at this new venture featuring women chefs and sponsored by Chef Michael Condon at Badda Bing! (Can’t wait!)

Assuming this new spot will be going into the existing Badda Bing space?

Cheryl sends in this announcement…

Earlier this month, Renfroe sixth grade students participated in Aqua Vita, an interdisciplinary unit designed to teach students about the global water crisis.  Students participated in an empathy walk to the Oakhurst Community Garden, a viewing of the documentaries Water for Life and Carbon for Water, and a design challenge on the back field where they had to construct a water transport system.

As an action step this year, the students are co-sponsoring—with the Decatur Education Foundation—an outdoor benefit concert to purchase LifeStraws® for children in developing countries. LifeStraws® are small, individual water filters that allow a person to drink clean water for a year. Each concert ticket purchased will pay for the purchase of a LifeStraw®, and all money raised will be donated in honor of our beloved teacher and friend, Stacey Daniel.

Sixth grade students will be selling tickets in the community, but tickets are also available at Renfroe Middle School’s front office or at the gate on the day of the event. Concert details are as follows:

Event: Aqua Vita Benefit Concert
Hosting: Renfroe Sixth Grade and Decatur Education Foundation
Date: Thursday, November 15
Time: 5:30 to 8:00 PM
Location: Renfroe Back Field
Ticket Price: $6.50
Headlining: Starboarders
Opening Act: Apples in Stereo’s Robert Schneider (acoustic set)
What: All CSD students and community members welcome—bring a blanket and have a picnic! Music is appropriate for all ages, and all proceeds will go to purchase LifeStraws® through the Rotary International.
Questions: Contact RMS IB Coordinator, Cheryl Nahmias, at [email protected].

Empathy Walk photo courtesy of CSD

A couple of notes about last night, when I stayed up very late watching speeches and such:

Nate Silver was right. The writer of the New York Times’ Five Thirty Eight blog developed a statistical model that aggregated national and state polling data, a model that correctly called the victor in the presidential election in every single state. (It had President Obama narrowly winning Florida.) In the popular vote he missed Obama’s numbers by 0.5% and hit Governor Romney’s exactly. Along the way Silver had been subject to much derision, perhaps none more than by Michael Gerson (who, while being wrong, at least made some excellent points).  DM has been reading Nate Silver’s Signal and the Noise, a book that may shortly become not merely wonkish, but very, very popular.

Odd fact of the night: NBC’s political analyst Chuck Todd noted that the Republicans had not won a presidential election since 1928 that did not have a Nixon or a Bush on the ticket. Todd, a smart guy and a Florida native, went on to make a soft prediction that former Florida governor Jeb Bush, whose wife is Mexican-American and who focused on education reform during his two terms, might well become a Republican frontrunner for 2016.

The Decatur area is losing yet another bookstore. The United Methodist Publishing House announced that it is closing all of its Cokesbury bookstores by April 2013. They have long operated a fairly large retail store on Lawrenceville Highway, and also have a small shop at Emory’s Candler School of Theology. They will maintain an online presence. Elsewhere, Rainy Day Books in Tillamook, Oregon and River Reader bookstore in Guernesville, California announced that they are going out of business after 26 and 17 years respectively.

This Week

Jennifer Chiaverini, author of The Giving Quilt, Wednesday, November 7th, 7:15 p.m., Decatur Library, sponsored by Georgia Center for the Book, free.

Bonnie Schneider, author of Extreme Weather, Thursday, November 8th at 10 a.m., Marcus JCCA, free.

Major Community Announcement, Thursday, November 8th, 6 p.m., bandstand, Decatur Square, free.

Inaugural Ball and Storytime, Thursday, November 8th, 7 p.m., Little Shop of Stories, free.

Kelly Barth, author of My Almost Certainly Real Imaginary Jesus: A Memoir of Sexuality and Christianity, Thursday, November 8th, 7:30 p.m., Charis Books and More, $5 suggested donation.

Emily Griffin, author of Where We Belong, Sunday, November 11th, 8:15 p.m., Marcus JCCA and presented by Atlanta Magazine, $18 members, $24 nonmembers.

Jeff Clemmons, author of Rich’s: A Southern Institution, Tuesday, November 13th, 7:15 p.m., Toco Hill Avis G. Williams Library, sponsored by Georgia Center for the Book, free.

George Singleton, author of Stray Decorum, Wednesday, November 14th, 7:15, Decatur Library, sponsored by Georgia Center for the Book, free.