Free-For-All Friday 5/20/16
Decatur Metro | May 20, 2016 | 7:09 amFeel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local topics not yet discussed here over the past week.
Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local topics not yet discussed here over the past week.
George#2
Sharron
DarenW
gardener
James
Chris Billingsley
MelissaM
Robert Butera
Robert Butera
Decatur Metro
Robert Butera
At Home in Decatur
Anyone know why recycling didn’t get picked up 2 weeks ago or again this week? Did they change the schedule? I am N. Decautr/Scottsdale off Jordan Lane (Dekalb County)
Did you call the County and ask? 404-294-2900
I’d like to present a complaint about emissions in our community that are threatening my personal health…
Last night before dinner, I was jogging on Commerce to see where the newly announced Selig apartments will erupt. As I jog past the McDonalds, I was assaulted by an overwhelming scent of roasting chicken fat. My stomach rumbled and I stopped in my tracks. It clearly was NOT coming from the McDonalds – but where?
I believe Las Brasas is intentionally pumping delicious scents into our community’s air to line their pockets with (grease stained) dollars from unsuspecting pedestrians!
Thankfully I don’t run with my wallet, or I surely would have been drawn into their trap.
What can we do to stop this? I may be forced to eat there more often to build up a resistance.
They put an addictive chemical in their chicken that makes you crave it fortnightly.
I haven’t felt the urge to eat there since they moved and jacked up the price 50% for the same food. Of course I think that’s a smart business decision in Decatur.
Agree. $3 for one ear of corn. No chips and salsa, no steamed veggies….basically none of the things we liked at the old location, save the chicken. We’ve gone exactly twice since the move. It used to be in our regular rotation, but no more.
Ditto–not really because of the price but the menu doesn’t fit us as well. We might have paid more for the same exact food.
It was so much better when it was a hole in the wall! No “avocado dip” with flour tortilla chips 🙁 Given the service and prevalence of kids in the dining room, definitely carry-out only.
Buy a Big Green Egg and make your own Peruvian chicken with aji amarillo and huacatay sauce like I do. Save money, get fatter. Boom!
J_T, where do you purchase said magical ingredients? My BGE is hankering for a bit of variation!
Buford Highway Farmers Market, of course. They sell both aji amarillo (yellow pepper) and huacatay (Peruvian mint) paste in the South American aisle. I almost literally cried when a friend told me about it. You can get all the other basic ingredients for the rub and sauce at YDFM mucho cheapo. Found a few recipes for the both the rub and sauce online and modified to make my own and it turns out a damn fine product if I do say so myself.
Dear God, man, do you have the recipe?
I can post the links to the recipes I use and the modifications I’ve made later. If I forget to do so, you can email me (jeffreylell(at)gmail.com) or find me on facebook to remind me.
Thanks. The chicken seems pretty easy, and the herbs for the sauce, but I can’t figure out what they use for the creamy/fatty part of the sauce.
I hate to tell you this, but it’s just mayo. See the links below. Best recipes I’ve found for the chicken and sauce. You can get the huacatay and aji amarillo at BuHiFM. Not sure about the panca, I’ve never used it. You can replace it with a roasted habanero if you like heat. Or just leave it out and it’ll still taste great. Also, I personally don’t like adding cheese to the sauce, just personal preference.
http://www.daringgourmet.com/2013/09/26/pollo-la-brasa-peruvian-roasted-chicken/
http://www.daringgourmet.com/2013/09/26/peruvian-aji-verde-sauce/
I tried to post links to the best recipe I’ve found but it’s stuck in moderation. Maybe DM has a stake in Las Brasas 😉 Google “daring gourmet peruvian chicken” and you should come up with recipes for the marinade and green sauce. Believe it or not, the fat/cream is just mayo. As for the cooking method, indirect at fairly high heat on the Egg with some pecan and hickory chunks gives it just the right smokiness with crispy skin. I’ve never tried it in the oven.
Decatur Metro is really just another local blog smothered in mayo. If anyone ever found out…
Hahahaha! There are so many jokes I could make but not a single one that won’t get me moderated or sued.
How many chickens does it take to cover the cost of the BGE?
I don’t know for sure, but I’m pretty sure I’m well past that point. The wings alone that I’ve smoked on it have probably saved me twice the cost of the Egg based on what I would’ve had to pay Fox Bros. for them. Add in the ribs, butts and briskets and it was basically free*.
*OK, technically, it WAS free, since it was a wedding gift. But my point is still valid.
I like your thinking, but I would amend to say “buy a Primo XL and…”. Oval over round any day, and they are made in Tucker.
I agree, this is a big problem. We have to walk by there to get downtown and even if we start firmly resolved to patronize another establishment for dinner, we are often diverted into Las Brasas. And that huge and formerly fragrant rose bush on the fence of Decatur Works now just smells like Peruvian chicken.
Last day of high school for DHS Class of 2016, wishing them all much success in life.
Anybody know of a good election guide for the ballot issues (anything other than the SPLOST?) and elected positions for next Tuesday’s elections? I’ve been getting a bunch of flyers and robocalls (grrrr….), but those are pretty worthless for figuring out any substantive differences–everybody is favor of good things happening and against bad things….
The CSD administration is showing their colors again – I have not seen anything about the SPLOST vote until about a week ago in a school announcement e-mail. I thought this was going to be on the November ballot.
They’re not showing any colors. E-SPLOST is an existing penny tax that’s up for renewal. The GO Bond was approved last November. This November will be the vote on the senior tax break.
You are always throwing cold water on a good argument with your facts and figures.
I feel like Lennie from Of Mice and Men. I try to show love and just end up killing everything.
Check out the league of Women Voters’ site at http://lwvga.org. Click on the 2016 Voter Guide link and enter your address for info on the candidates and elections.
Thanks–that helps.
ESPLOST is a bad thing. Vote no, early and often.
Watch out for the flyer full of distortions being sent out by Dax Lopez’s opponent “Your Judge” Bridges. He closes out a list of flaky facts by pointing out that he is a Christian and Lopez isn’t. It’s scary that this kind of campaigning is taking place in a local judicial election.
He also lists Jesus Christ as a supporter, and appears to be illiterate: http://yourjudgebridges.com/supporters/
“Endorsement have lost there significant due to there political nature.”
Luckily for him, literacy isn’t a requirement for elected office in Dekalb County. That is just effing scary.
Looking to find someone who can resurface an oak table top. Nor sure if it’s poly or varnish.
Question for the attorneys out there. Is there anything that can be done if a judge is hearing a case presented by an attorney that is openly listed as an “endorser” (which I take to be a donor to their campaign)?
Yes. Help me lobby the legislature to do away with judicial elections. It’s a horrible, horrible, and did I mention HORRIBLE, way to select judges. Other than that, sadly, no. I know of a few cases where attorneys were actually actively serving on the judges’ campaign committees and the judges wouldn’t recuse. Except in the most egregious circumstances, nobody, including the JQC, cares. It’s, how shall I say it, horrible.
Now imagine that people and companies with significant business interests before the gummit could influence elected officials’ decisions through campaign contributions (or contributions to their personal “foundations”). Oh, wait a minute . . .
Citizens should Unite or something…
While I wholeheartedly agree that the masses aren’t capable of electing judges, the current system isn’t without flaws. Due to longstanding tradition, alomst all judges retire mid-term, so if an aspiring judge has the right political persuasion, knows the right people and/or has made the requisite contribution to the sitting governor’s campaign, he/she can be a judge. A more cynical person might say judgeships are for sale.
And almost no incumbent judges lose their seat. The elections are a waste of time and money.
M.A.Y. (music, art, & youth) Fair
TOMORROW-Sat, May 21
11am-3pm
Woodlands Garden-932 Scott Blvd
Off-site parking map here: http://www.woodlandsgarden.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/woodlands-offsite-parking-map.pdf
Woodlands Garden invites you to M.A.Y Fair, a spring celebration of our community’s young talent. Tomorrow’s event will have an Artists’ Market to provide an environment where kids in grades 2 to 12 can create and sell their own artwork and crafts. Musical performances will take place throughout the event with youth showing off their musical talents like ukulele, guitar, cello, voice, and piano. Come join the fun and be on the look out for some cool raffle items!
Special thank you to our event sponsors: Emory Alliance Credit Union, Rock with Bock, 2 Crafty Chicks, Kaleidoscope Studio, Color Wheel, and Revisioned Furniture Company.
I am looking for a reputable, licensed and bonded tree trimming company. Anyone had a successful experience? Thanks!
Trees Over Georgia
Hello neighbors, several months back our car insurance briefly lapsed, and we were notified by the DMV. Well as I am dealing with my elderly parents who have a myriad of health issues, I never went to the DMV to take care it, it just slipped my mind and so our registration was suspended and I was not aware of it because I had forgotten about the letter. About 3 weeks ago I was pulled over by the Decatur Police and was informed that my registration had been suspended and I was issued a citation. I went and paid the fee to have the registration reinstated at the DMV a couple of days after I got the ticket, I have found out the fine on the citation is $1,127 and I have to go to Decatur municipal court on June 6th. I was wondering what I can expect when I go.
Wow, that’s a hefty fine. I assume that, if you were able to get the registration reinstated, you reinstated your car insurance too. Exactly how long was your insurance lapsed? If your car insurance was only briefly lapsed and the main error is that you forgot to reinstate the registration, maybe the judge will reduce the fine.
I also wonder about the specific amount. Why $1,127 and not $1,128 or $1,126? Was the charge $7 per/day X the 161 days that the registration was lapsed or $23 X 49 days or what?
Thanks for your reply, the exact amount is $1,127.75 I have no idea how they came up with that. Actually the insurance was not lapsed at the time of the citation. We had active insurance it was only lapsed at the time we got the letter in the mean time we reinstated the insurance but as I said had forgotten about the registration issue. So the only issue is the registration suspension which as I said I pretty much squared away immediately.
Go to court and explain to the solicitor what happened and show him the proof that both your insurance and registration were immediately reinstated and are now current. He’ll have the discretion to dismiss the ticket or reduce the fine. If he refuses to do either, say the two magic words – “jury trial”. It doesn’t mean you’ll actually have one but they’ll have to send the case up to state court, where it will start over in a few months. Then go to state court and you’ll almost certainly deal with a more reasonable prosecutor and pay a smaller fine.
Thanks J_T As I explained to the other poster our insurance was in effect at the time of citation, so the lapse was not that long I simply forgot to deal with that “reinstatement” at the DMV I do have the receipt that I paid the $85.00 at the DMV on May 3rd I got the citation on April 30th. I appreciate your input, thanks again.
No worries. I’m also guessing the amount is a mistake. Who told you that amount? There’s no way they’re charging that much. The maximum fine is $1,000 (plus court costs) but suspended registration is usually only about $200 or less. I’d certainly like to have a talk with Decatur Municipal Court if that amount is correct!
I went to the Decatur Municipal court website and clicked on the link where it says online payments -traffic tickets and put in the citation number and clicked find and that is what it came up with along with the court date and time. Here is the information
TICKET SEARCH RESULTS
Name: JOHN SHARP DAVIS
Ticket # Description Court Date and Time Must Appear Amount Paid Date Pay
TC-055072 DRIVING WITH SUSPENDED TAG 06/06/2016 9:00 AM Yes $1,127.75
I guess suspended tag and suspended registration is the same thing?
thanks again
Yep, suspended tag is the same as suspended registration. Hopefully just a glitch giving you that amount. It’s a mandatory appearance so they’ll give you the actual amount when you show up. And if they try to make you pay that much, BIND IT OVER AND LEAVE! if you show up to state court with proof that it was immediately reinstated, you can usually get out for under $200 and sometimes with no fine at all!
yeah the more I think about it, it has to be a “typo”. It’s probably more like $127.75 that would make more sense. Anyway thanks for all of your help, I feel a lot better.
J_T I just got off the phone with a clerk at the Decatur municipal court and she confirmed that fine is correct she said she looked it up on the “price list” I just don’t understand how that is right? I will be taking your advice to bind it over and leave. She was telling me if I could not pay I could agree to go on probation and do community service.
That’s just insane. I’ll try to find out what they’re thinking. You might want to also contact Dan Whisenhunt at Decaturish to see if he can use his investigative skills on this. Seems like a huge problem for the city if their court is trying to pull this. They’ll start losing a lot of money if people bind more stuff over to state court.
I would offer to come to court on the 6th to see what’s going on but I’ll be out of town. However, if you want to shoot me an email – jeffreylell(at)gmail.com – giving me permission to look into it, I can talk to the police, the court and the solicitor to see if they’ve actually lost their minds or if there’s another explanation.
And of course, it goes without saying that you should bind it over if they don’t reduce the fine by at least a thousand dollars. There’s absolutely no downside to binding it over because the maximum fine for any misdemeanor is only $1000!!!
Thank you very much I would appreciate any help you can give me. This is disturbing as this fine is excessive. I will send you that e mail right now I really appreciate it.
$1,000.00 and 12 months in jail is the downside. Plus a license suspension.