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Baby Jesus has written a novel

Friday, May 16th, 2008

Ralph “Baby Jesus” Reed has written a novel.

Dark Horse is a “political thriller” that follows a fictional presidential campaign through a brutal primary, a muddled general election, an assassination and war with them dang Eye-ray-knee-unz.

Dark Horse comes out on June 3 in hardcover, eBook, and stone tablet, in English and Aramaic. Reserve your copy now, though I’m sure it won’t be as good The Book of Ralph, available for free right here.

Sex offender quits school board race, vows return

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Calling Chuck Shepherd!

A Republican convicted of sodomy with a child under the age of 14 just tried to run for Newton County Board of Education.

Not a joke.

He withdrew his candidacy after the public found out that he’s a convicted child molester, but says he’s not done with politics.

From today’s Newton Citizen:

COVINGTON - Republican candidate Horace Don Gresham withdrew from the District 2 Board of Education race Wednesday, shortly before a hearing to determine his eligibility was scheduled to take place.

Three residents filed challenges to Gresham’s candidacy with the Board of Elections after news broke that he was convicted of sodomy with a child under the age of 14 in DeKalb County in 1988.

In a letter notifying the Board of Elections of his withdrawal, Gresham said he’s not finished with politics: He intends to run for the District 2 Board of Commissioners seat in 2010.

“These actions that I have taken was just a test run for me in running for the school board,” the letter states. “In other words, I have also used the newspapers to see what the voters thought about someone that had a record.”

I wonder if Gresham’s candidacy is an example of The Change We Deserve?

(Mortarboard-tip to Jim Galloway at AJC.com’s Political Insider for turning me on to making me aware of this story.)

Marietta racist T-shirt guy on CNN Headline News

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Watch CNN Headline News anchor Mike Galanos hammer Mulligan’s owner Mike Norman during a phone interview.

Incidentally, Norman says the cartoon monkey on the T-shirt is not in fact Curious George, but a spin-off called Satisfied Fred.

Another week, another CL You Shoot photo contest winner

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Bragging is tacky, I know, but the CL You Shoot Flickr photo contest has been a smashing success. 40 new members have uploaded hundreds of great photos in just two weeks.

This week’s contest winner is mateofiero’s lovely snap of two smokers in Little Five Points.

passing

The photo was apparently a happy accident. He was trying to take a photo of the woman when the man walked into the the frame.

You know, my only sibling is seven years older than me. I’m a happy accident, too.

So, mateofiero, contact me at andisheh at creativeloafing.com and come claim your prize — tickets and VIP to the 11th Annual Country Fair this weekend at Lakewood, and four tickets to Center For Puppetry Arts.

Keep the photos coming. There’s another prize for our favorite photo next week, and a prize in two weeks for the person who adds the most photos during the month that can be used with Urban Explorer listings.

Bush sacrifices for the troops

Tuesday, May 13th, 2008

No one can say President Bush isn’t making personal sacrifices for U.S. troops.

From Politico:

Q Mr. President, you haven’t been golfing in recent years. Is that related to Iraq?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, it really is. I don’t want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the Commander-in-Chief playing golf. I feel I owe it to the families to be as — to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal.

Q Mr. President, was there a particular moment or incident that brought you to that decision, or how did you come to that?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I remember when de Mello, who was at the U.N., got killed in Baghdad as a result of these murderers taking this good man’s life. And I was playing golf — I think I was in central Texas — and they pulled me off the golf course and I said, it’s just not worth it anymore to do.

Here’s the video.

Is callowness an impeachable offense?

Will Bob Barr make my red state blue?

Tuesday, May 13th, 2008

Bob BarrFormer Congressman (and CL columnist) Bob Barr announced yesterday he’s running for President as a Libertarian.

Barr’s not going to win, but if the former Republican Congressman ends up on the ballot in Georgia, he could peel away enough voters from McCain to tip Georgia’s 15 Electoral College votes to Obama.

The last time a Democrat won Georgia’s Electoral College votes was 1992. That year, then Gov. Bill Clinton squeaked by then-President George H.W. Bush with 43.6 percent of Georgia’s popular vote, compared to Bush’s 43 percent.

Sharing Georgia’s ballot with Bush and Clinton that year was populist billionaire H. Ross Perot, who nabbed 13.4 percent of Georgia’s popular vote.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

Marietta racist insists he’s not racist

Tuesday, May 13th, 2008

A bar-owner in Marietta is selling t-shirts depicting Sen. Barack Obama as a banana-chomping chimp.

From AJC.com:

Marietta tavern owner Mike Norman says the T-shirts he’s peddling, featuring cartoon chimp Curious George peeling a banana, with “Obama in ‘08″ scrolled underneath, are “cute.” But to a coalition of critics, the shirts are an insulting exploitation of racial stereotypes from generations past.

But don’t call Mike Norman a racist!

Norman said those offended are “hunting for a reason to be mad” and insisted he is “not a racist.”

Press release of the day

Monday, May 12th, 2008

Mrs. Winner’s gives you gas:

Mrs. Winner’s Chicken Kicks Off “Free Gas For A Year” Promotion

Customers register to win at participating Atlanta restaurants
ANNOUNCEMENT:
ATLANTA, GA (May 9, 2008) – Mrs. Winner’s Chicken & Biscuits announced on April 24th that for a limited time it is offering a “Free Gas for a Year” promotion to provide its customers some relief from the rising cost of gas throughout the Metro Atlanta area. (more…)

Bush “plans to call”

Monday, May 12th, 2008

From Saturday’s Washington Post. Emphasis mine:

“President Bush plans to call Chinese President Hu Jintao in coming days to seek his help pressing the Burmese government to accept more disaster assistance, U.S. officials said yesterday.”

No hurry. There are only 1.5 million lives at stake.

Buckhead Ban

Monday, May 12th, 2008

web-news_sceneandherd2_02.jpg

GOV. PERDUE MEETS U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON: Ban’s job requires him to meet regularly with tyrants and despots. (photo by Joeff Davis)

His driveway freshly pressure-washed for the occasion, Gov. Sonny Perdue welcomed U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the Governor’s Mansion on Friday. Perdue greeted the Sec-Gen at his car and escorted him inside for a joint news conference during which he answered polite questions about Georgia (he apparently likes it), Jimmy Carter (he apparently likes him) and the military junta in Burma (he apparently doesn’t like them).

Among the dignitaries at the press conference were Secretary of State Karen Handel, and, um, Bert Weiss of Q100’s The Bert Show in a suit-and-tie. Weiss told me he was invited by the governor to join him for lunch with Ban after the press conference. If I were Frank Ski, I’d be ticked.

Vernon Jones campaign discovers product placement

Monday, May 12th, 2008

Dekalb CEO and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Vernon “there’s nothing illegal about a ménage à trois” Jones has campaign placards displayed in at least one comically appropriate location.

Add It Up: Local Lungs

Monday, May 12th, 2008

Percent of Americans who live in counties with unhealthful levels of ozone or particle pollution: 40

Rank of Metro Atlanta among cities most polluted by year-round ozone: 12

Rank of Metro Atlanta among cities most polluted by year-round particle pollution: 6

Rank of Plant Bowen, a Georgia Power coal electricity plant in Cartersville, among national producers of smog-causing sulfur dioxide: 1

Days in 2007 when Atlanta’s air quality was rated “Good” based on Environmental Protection Agency standards: 113

Days in 2000 when Atlanta’s air quality was rated “Good” based on EPA standards: 76

People in Atlanta’s five core counties with asthma or chronic bronchitis: 384,547

Population of metro Atlanta in 2007: 4,029,400

Projected population of metro Atlanta area in 2030: 5,261,534

Sources: American Lung Association, Atlanta Regional Commission, Environmental Integrity Project, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division.

Radiohead brings In Rainbows to Lakewood

Friday, May 9th, 2008

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JONNY GREENWOOD AT SOLD-OUT LAKEWOOD AMPHITHEATRE LAST NIGHT: Despite apparently letting an 8-year-old girl title their most recent album, Radiohead’s popularity among rock music fans continues to grow. (Photo by Perry Julien)

More photos and a “review” here.