Free-For-All Friday 5/24/13
Decatur Metro | May 24, 2013Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not discussed here over the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not discussed here over the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
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If you see Angie Macon, Sherry Jackman, Mary Flad or any of the others at the Arts Alliance, don’t forget to thank them for all their work putting the Arts Festival together. It’s going to be a great one.
Stop by the Old Court House to see the DeKalb History Center’s mini-exhibit of memorabilia from past Arts Festivals.
That show was curated by my friend Cheryl Burnette. Congrats, Cheryl!
I might go one better and buy Mary a drink!
make it “a few” drink for Miss Mary and one for Bill toboot
Thanks, Daren. Mary is really only there for moral support and comic relief. Angie and Sherry and Katie are doing the heavy lifting.
Very pleased to see the BSA update its policies. We’re still not all the way there, and we will continue to push the organization to take the next step.
As an Eagle Scout of 30+ years, I am proud to have been a part of encouraging this change from the inside.
another Eagle Scout here who’s pleased to see the progress. it bears mentioning that our troop in Decatur has made a point of explicitly saying we welcome all boys and families.
That’s awesome!
A mom from Oakhurst was interviewed on WABE yesterday relative to this topic and she gave very positive feedback about her local troupe. If anyone is interested in listening to the segment, here’s the link: http://wabe.org/post/boy-scouts-america-votes-gay-scouts-how-one-family-watched-internal-debate
When I was young (and a boy scout) I would hear my grandparents say “just don’t know what is going on in the world everything is changing and I have no say anymore” today I am their position watching everything change based on other folks decisions, I get it now grand Pa we are old and others are calling the shots, values have changed and we now have to live with “their” idea of what is acceptable
is this your way of saying that you disagree with the BSA’s decision to admit gay scouts?
Yes, sir, accepting other folks for who they are and realizing that their way of life has nothing to do with you is all about growing up.
Something about gay rights issues seems to bring out the latent libertarian streak in folks. Alas, for too many, it disappears the minute the subject changes to regulating virtually any other aspect of life. This is really not directed at anyone in particular, just a general frustration brought to the fore by this thread.
My elders were convinced that the civil rights movement spelled the end of civilization as they knew it. They were right, thank goodness.
I’d missed that, thanks for posting the link. Don’t know Linda Ellis personally but thoroughly enjoyed listening to her respond to the interviewer’s rather superficial questions with answers that were anything but.
Excellent news! Token, you ROCK for taking a stand to help make it happen! :0)
There’s a big multi-family yard sale tomorrow and Sunday at 272 Adair Street. Better get up early, though – it starts at 7 a.m.
Our family eats a lot of frozen yogurt at the various locations in and around Decatur. Will someone please invent a rinsing station for yogurt cups so customers can rinse out those heavy cardboard cups and spoons and put them directly into recycling? While I don’t get quite the heavy heart I see when I park near the styrofoam filled dumpsters at Zyka, it bothers me that those substantial cups are barely used and then tossed. A couple locations have recycling bins for lightly used items but customers are mixing non-recycle spoons and soiled cardboard cups and I feel like it is probably being tossed with the garbage anyway for this reason. I know there are worse things happening, but it just seems like there should be an easy solution to a lot of waste being generated. Will someone smarter than me fix this?
Just FYI: Zyka has replaced their styrofoam containers with paper.
Oh YAY!!! You don’t know how much this post has made my day. I HATED those styrofoam containers and have been avoiding Zyka for that reason. I know paper is still wasteful but it’s not as bad as styrofoam.
Happy graduation to our DHS seniors! And happy last day of school to everyone else!
Looking for recommendations for a good local house painter (exterior).
Certa-Pro (speak to Jeremy).
+1…he also helped run and sponsor Decatur’s Biggest Loser
We (and two of our neighbors) used Certa Pro a few years ago. Cannot recommend.
Ceasar Anderson, Professional Painting Enterprise, 404-217-1810
Emilio Herrera, 678-887-3826
Bear Mountain Painting. They are professional, neat, thorough, honest.
I have referred them to over 15 people who were happy.
Cedar Falls, Iowa, Patch (via Decatur Patch) reported that Dr. Van Soelen, CSD Asst. Superintendent, is applying for a district superintendent position; he’s evidently from Iowa.
AND the rumor going around is now that Roeden is staying at FAVE, he announced that at the talent show.
But somone now tells me that Derrick Thomas is still leaving Renfroe. I hope that’s not true about Mr Thomas, I’ve heard great things about him.
I also see on the website that it says Ms. Karably is moving to Renfroe – so that’s a good development.
Anyone hear anything?? Will CSD let parents know before the 1st day of school OR quell the rumors and announce any changes/non-changes?
Back when the last set of rumors were flying, I asked Mr. Thomas whether he’d be staying at Renfroe and he said yes. But that was a while ago and he could have been made a great offer to go elsewhere since then. Ms. Nahmias, Renfroe IB Coordinator, has shared that she is moving to the high school. I think she said she’ll be be in charge of some portion of IB there–maybe the MYP part of IB? Or maybe more? Mr. Snider at Renfroe is retiring to the disappointment of all the Snider groupies. Senora Zack is retiring from the high school and that may affect Spanish offerings next year.
That’s all I know. And it could be outdated.
I see that Ms. Karably is the new IB Coordinator at Renfroe as Ms. Nahmias moves up to the high school. That’s been a key position in recent years. Sounding good to me. Senor Mercado is also moving up to the high school–hope a good replacement can be found. Good middle school Spanish teachers are a real find. It takes a courageous, talented maestro/maestra.
The most effective means of quelling rumors is for parents to get on with their families’ summertime activities and resist the urge to obsess about administrative personnel changes. What difference does it really make, as long as they don’t hire somebody so incompetent that you find it necessary to pull your kid out of the system? (And if anybody says they’re worried about that, I’ll say phooey.)
+1
You’re part of the rumor mill, Arriba. It does not help.
Shout out to Harbour Bar & Fish House for an incredible lunch yesterday. Myself and the BFF sampled the lobster mac and cheese and crab cake sandwich with fried okra and it was all incredible. The fried okra seems to be done with panko and was not greasy at all and cooked to perfection. The staff was wonderful and the restaurant itself is so clean and decorated really cool AND there is parking. We will return.
We were looking for good patio dining last night – had forgotten about Harbor. If this amazing weather holds, you will likely see the Nubb Family there tonight. Toddler Nubbs enjoys their kid’s menu options – grilled fish and veggies.
Is MAR open? Lots going on there in evenings.
Their website says “May 24 Grand Opening! 1/2 Off Margaritas + Cocktails”. So, I would say “yes”!
I am happy to report that certain car parkers in a nearby neighborhood have finally learned how to pull their cars two feet further into their otherwise empty and long driveways, thereby avoiding the occurance of the butt-end of their vehicle blocking two thirds of the sidewalk!
Since there are frequent postings about inconsiderate behavior, I wanted you all to know that these efforts can indeed result in postive change. At least, I’M going to give the credit to the Decatur Metro community.
While we are on the topic of improvement, please check your sidewalk and trim tree and bush branches so it is possible to walk on the sidewalk. I find myself running in the street rather than sidewalk in many places simply because tree limbs would require me to double over to pass under them and my running form is bad enough as it is…
Amen!
…to the clearing sidewalks…not Amen to your running form! I’m sure your running form is way better than mine!
“please check your sidewalk and trim tree and bush branches so it is possible to walk on the sidewalk.” — Amen times a dozen.
That is great news for all of us who use the sidewalks, and especially for kids and those with wheelchairs. There still are some chronic sidewalk blockers out there, including some who’ve been asked to refrain from blocking, but maybe this will do the trick.
It has been perplexing to me as to why anyone would do this in the first place when there is clearly plenty of room to pull in further. Perhaps to be 2 steps closer to one’s front door?
Dump trucks still running strong! Anyone know what the final configuration will be on the soccer fields behind Beacon Hill? Are we losing the youth soccer fields behind Beacon Hill for good, or are they replacing them with upgraded fields?
Ebster Field wil be back. A storm water management system will be under the field. http://beactivedecatur.wordpress.com/2013/05/03/construction-underway-at-beacon-hill-municipal-centergroundbreaking-tuesday-may-7-at-830am/
I just went to Andryannis for the first time. Man, I wish I had thought to go sooner. My lunch was excellent, and Mario was fun to talk to while he prepared it. I highly recommend it.
I believe he intends to start dinner service fairly soon.
He tried dinner once before about a year and a half ago but dropped it after 6 or 7 months.
The City Commission approved a beer & wine license for Andryannis this past Monday.
REally?
Lunch at Hola! today for the first time. Delicious, friendly, quick. The carnitas tacos were so good; I ate all three without meaning to. Our waitress was kind enough to refer to the kids taco as a quesadilla so the littlest glennwood girl would actually eat it. Littlest also enjoyed the rice and black beans. The salsa wasn’t my favorite, but I think that shows my preference for plain tostitos style salsa, which is a character flaw on my part.
Also went to Hola today. Fam had tortilla soup, pronounced as deliciouso, fried chicken burrito, gobbled down, and tacos, veggie awesome, tilapia good, pork belly okay. Loved the salsa, but I’m in to the roasted tomato salsas. We will go back!
The idea of a fried chicken burrito makes me tingly all over.
No kidding. And love your alias.
Hey people, just rolled in from Poland, where I tried a Slovak beer called Zlaty Bazant, which is apparently sold in the U.S. as Golden Pheasant — anyone know a shop nearby that sells the stuff?
I’d try the Eastern European section at Buford Highway Farmers Market. I know they have a number of Russian brews.
Special THANK YOU to the thoughtful person who threw a bag of dog poo in my front yard! What a lovely surprise that morning!
I sometimes “hide” a bag of dog poo when he poops on the way to the bus stop (I’m juggling leash, coffee, and whatever extra thing the kid brought that day), but I always pick it up on the return trip. I think …
A tree went down this morning (sat) around 8am blocking West Ponce between Upland and Parkwood. Power lines down. FYI
Butch Lee, a longtime science teacher and football coach at Decatur High School, died on May 21. Mr. Lee was the head of the science department when I began my teaching career in 1976. We met two days before the start of classes. I was hired to teach physical science, a course I knew absolutly nothing about. I arrived Monday morning to find out that I shared a large classroom, divided by a vinyl partition, with legionary coach and master teacher Bob Reinhart. His classes were always well behaved while my students were swinging from the light fixtures, shooting rubber bands at each other, and calling me “gay” every time I corrected their behavior. Needless to say, I was miserable! One of the few bright spots that year was my interaction with Mr. Lee. He would regularly come to my room after school and provide tips on good teaching. He told me that it was not always what you taught but how you taught and how you presented yourself to the students. “Take it one day at a time, Give everyday your best effort, Don’t take your problems home, Always strive to be in control of your classroom”, and one that I will never forget, “You might want to get a haircut to look a little more professional”. I didn’t get to work with Mr. Lee long. He retired shortly after my first year and I never saw him again. I always wondered if he thought my career would be short lived. I’m sure he did but his advice helped me for the next thirty four years at DHS.
His obituary states that he was a star football player at the University of Alabama and played professional football, something I did not know. His former students and colleagues will miss him greatly. God speed to a legendary DHS teacher and coach.
“LEE, Jr., GD “Butch”, 90, long-time Stone Mountain GA resident died peacefully on May 21, 2013 after a courageous battle with cancer. Butch was born on April 29,1923 in Birmingham, Ala. He was a graduate of his beloved Univ of Alabama, where he was a star football player and went on to play professionally for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League. As a Naval Officer, he proudly served his country in World War II. Butch was a teacher and Football coach at Decatur High School, where he also served as head of the Science Dept. Butch was preceded in death by the love of his life, Emma Nelle. He is survived by his son Phil Lee and his daughters Linda Heck and Laura Cushing. Butch also was proud of his 6 Grandchildren and 3 Great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister Gloria Crawford and family of Clanton, ALA. Butch was a man who demonstrated and highly valued integrity, honesty and character. He will be truly missed by those who knew and loved him. In lieu of flowers, donations to the American Cancer Society would be appreciated. http://www.wagesandsons.com Graveside services will be held 1 pm, Friday, May 24, 2013 at the Melwood Cemetery 5170 E. Ponce de Leon Avenue Stone Mountain, Georgia 30083.”
http://www.legacy.com/guestbooks/atlanta/guestbook.aspx?n=gd-lee&pid=164933491&cid=full
Glad to see greater range of food oprions at Arts Festival. And overall, another great job by those who makw it happen.
have another drink, honey.
Those were phyping errors. Not to say that cocktails aren’t a factor sometimes!
Thanks, STG, I have volunteered for this event for many years and been thrilled to watch it grow. I think this year had the best artists, the best music, the best food and the best sideshows ever. Did you check out the Decatur Makers?
Agree, best ever. Sorry to report I forgot to go find the Decatur Makers, which had been of particular interest. Became distracted by popsicles & music and wound up never completing the walk-through. But enjoyed the art more than ever before.
I thought it was particularly good too. I can’t pinpoint why, but the layout seemed to work particularly well. Less jammed feeling.
My favorite booth for two years in a row is the guy and daughter with the Japanese clay orchids, especially the teensy weensy ones. Incredible fine crafts work.
And the weather didn’t hurt….
Yeah, if you recall, the layout began last year at the DAF b/c of the landscaping on the Square and everyone commented how much better it was for all concerned, including load-in and load-out for the vendors. It was also used for the Book Fest. One tweak I noticed this year, which improved on it more, was that the booths on Clairemont, rather than facing the sidewalk, all faced to the middle.
And the weather was great, esp after 3 weekends of rain.
My only complaint is that the draft beers were served in bigger cups on Saturday than they were on Sunday.