Fresh Loaf

Kasim Reed made his strongest bid for gay votes yet today with a press conference in the parking lot shared by Outwrite Books and Blakes — essentially the epicenter of gay Atlanta.

As you’ve probably now heard, Reed has been put on the defensive regarding this issue, largely because of an interview he gave to now-defunct SoVo, in which he said his religious faith allows him to embrace civil unions for gay couples, but stops short of gay marriage.

And he brought along a few friends:

Larry Pellegrini, a lobbyist for progressive and LGBT causes, pointed out that Reed was one of only 14 state senators who voted against the notorious gay marriage amendment in 2004. Pelligrini said “one-issue voters” often end up disappointed.

Sen. Nan Orrock, another big Reed supporter, touted his perfect legislative record on LGBT issues, adding, “Go by the record, not the rhetoric.”

And, most interestingly, Council President Lisa Borders disparaged Mary Norwood’s commitment to gay causes, saying the councilwoman had never shown must interest in gay-related issues.

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Christmas time is the right time to think about those less fortunate in the world. Chief among them: Roy Barnes, the former Georgia governor who’s set his sights on returning to office in 2011.

On Monday, Dec. 14, Mayor Shirley Franklin, Andrew and Carolyn Young and John and Nancy Williams will honor Barnes at fundraiser at TWELVE Atlantic Station. Minimum contribution is $250. If you’re in the giving mood and want to shake hands before the celebration, you can become a sponsor starting at the low, low price of $1,000.

The list of dignitaries and bold-faced names include former U.S. Congressman and Atlanta attorney Buddy Darden, Gwinnett County developer Wayne Mason, REM manager and Athens attorney Bertis Downs, DeKalb County Commissioners Lee May and Connie Stokes and many other city and metro Atlanta bigwigs.

Should be a good time! The festive invitation is pasted after the jump.

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Yipee, another endorsement!

For weeks now, Kasim Reed has been subtly making light of the fact that Mary Norwood had but a single elected official publicly backing her bid for mayor, saying things like, “I have said nothing negative about the one person who’s chosen to support my opponent.” It’s a line that often gets a laugh from the crowd.

Well, no more. As of today, state Rep. Ralph “Lonely” Long has been joined by a fellow House member, Rep. Margaret Kaiser, who just so happens to be my own state representative. Both are Democrats.

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GEORGE W. BUSH: "Un-prec-e-dent … er, I mean new"

>> President Obama has used the word “unprecedented” at least 129 times in speeches and statements this year for many things that are arguably precedented. George W. Bush, in comparison, only used the word 262 times over eight years, but then again it is a five-syllable word. (Politico)

>> President Obama said yesterday that he would “finish the job” in Afghanistan by sending as many as 30,000 additional American troops to the Middle Eastern country. Perhaps you could call this statement about ending the eight-year-old war unprecedented? … Not likely. (the New York Times)

>> Roman Polanski’s lawyers have offered a Swiss court $4.5 million bail in return for the director to be under electronic house arrest in his Swiss Alps ski chalet. The Swiss Court said it considers Polanski a “high flight risk” but the bail is “enough to offset those concerns” since, you know, Switzerland really needs the money. (AP via ABC News)

>> Worried about South Africa’s high crime rate during your next visit to Cape Town? You should be worrying about baboons instead. A troupe of 29 baboons raided four cars on Tuesday as city officials are trying to control the increasingly aggressive primates. Talk about gang violence. (NY Daily News)

>> And finally: Bob Dylan is allowing only one interview to the media to promote his new holiday album, Christmas in the Heart. You won’t find it in Rolling Stone or on ‘Entertainment Tonight.’ No, the singer is giving the interview to the International Network of Street Papers whose sales directly profit poverty-stricken people. Now you can hear about the ramblings of a crazy vagrant-looking man from Dylan and the homeless guy selling the papers. (Limewire Music Blog)

(Photo Courtesy Joeff Davis)

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Too much Twitter is not necessarily a good thing. One the one hand, it punishes its recipients with the unending stream of soul-crushing banalities that constitutes gubernatorial candidate John “Dems ooze hate” Oxendine’s Twitter feed. Here’s a recent sampling:

• An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day
  
• “You can’t be a winner and be afraid to lose.” Charles Lynch
• Falcons have tied it up. Wow, what a game. Go Atlanta.
• The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Psalm 27:1
• “Individuals play the game, but teams beat the odds.” SEAL Team saying

Jeez. Reading that crap all day would make Norman Vincent Peale slit his wrists.

On the other hand, Twitter can treat you to one of Georgia’s top elected officials — and another seeker of the governor’s office — gushing like a schoolgirl over a teenage crush:

This certainly answers the question of which candidate we’d rather watch hokey reality TV with!

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This year’s city runoff elections are the most important in years, what with the mayor’s office, the Council presidency and two of the Council’s 15 seats up for grabs. It’s doubly depressing, then, to hear about how lousy turnout is likely to be.

Therefore, we’re asking you, the voters, to show up in force at the polls. And so, in order to stoke your enthusiasm, we’re offering you four compelling reasons to head to your local polling place next Tuesday. After all, as the man said, if you don’t take part in the process, you can’t complain about the results.

Continue reading ‘CL’s guide to the runoffs’ >>

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Michael Gidewon in the unfinished SPI Club

You may already know that Steve Brodie, the former District 6 Council candidate, took a few moments away from his campaign to file a lawsuit seeking to block Mayor Shirley Franklin from granting a liquor license to the proposed SPI Club.

Consider this an update.

Last Monday, the case went to Fulton Superior Court Judge John Goger, who did not issue the temporary restraining order that Brodie was seeking, but he did give the Midtown-based opponents to the clubs an unusual concession.

Goger ordered that, when the city issues the necessary inspection letters — from the bureau of buildings, the health department and the fire department — Brodie and his attorneys will have 30 days in which to review them before the mayor can grant the liquor license.

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Six weeks before a new mayor was to replace him, and one day after publicly acknowledging his responsibility for the 2006 police killing of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston, WSB-TV reports Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington resigned today.

UPDATE: Read Mayor Franklin’s response below in comments.

(CL file photo Joeff Davis)

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Dust off your webcams! At 4:30 p.m., Committee for a Better Atlanta, the citywide business coalition that recently graded City Hall hopefuls, will kick off its inaugural “virtual press conference.”

The innovative marriage of new media and voter engagement will offer desk jockeys and shut-ins the chance to read Atlanta mayoral and City Council candidates’ responses to TOUGH QUESTIONS from local journalists and bloggers.

Here’s the schedule:

4:30 pm Kasim Reed
4:45 pm Amir Farokhi
5:00 pm Clair Muller
5:15 pm Ceasar Mitchell
5:30 pm Mary Norwood
5:45 pm Liz Coyle
6:00 pm Alex Wan
6:15 pm Aaron Watson

If you’re on the fence about which candidates deserve your vote on Dec. 1, the press conference should offer some insight. Even if you’ve made up your mind, it’ll be interesting to see how the experiment unfolds. Considering that the format appears to be a classic type-and-submit chatroom setting, it’s unlikely the press conference will devolve into the phallus-infested catastrophe that was the Second Life virtual ‘interview.’ (NSFW?)

Regardless, be sure to tune in!

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Holy shit! The new flyer by Mary Norwood is by far the dirtiest, most negative message to come out of this mayor’s race so far. In fact, it prompted me to wonder what the legal boundaries are for Constitutionally protected political speech.

As you can see, the headline reads:

Kasim Reed: Late paying his taxes, but wants to raise yours.

OK, it’s clear that Norwood’s not going to let this tax allegation drop, even though the AJC’s Jim Galloway offered a self-described “fact check on taxes” that thoroughly rebutted Norwood’s claims:

My AJC colleague Cameron McWhirter and other reporters spent weeks vetting the major mayoral candidates this summer.

In the course of that reporting, McWhirter checked Fulton County tax records. Reed met with him and provided detailed documentation about his financial holdings, real estate and tax payments. Reed owed no back taxes at the time of the meeting and owes none now.

The flyer provides a link to a story that WSB-TV ran after getting a tip from the Norwood campaign, but even that two-and-a-half-minute piece shows the unpaid tax claim to be a non-story.

Then there’s the other allegation: that Reed wants to raise taxes. I’ve interviewed Reed several times, sat in on numerous debates and forums and read all his campaign material — and yet I have no idea where this claim is coming from.

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P. DIDDY: Selling you cologne you can't smell

>> Experts from the United Nations announced today that the number of people worldwide infected with HIV (about 33 million) has remained unchanged for the last two years and that the epidemic most likely peaked in 1996. Free love for all! (the Olympian)

>> Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Sing visited the White House yesterday, the first Indian state visit during the Obama administration, reflecting the growing importance of U.S.-Indian relations. Nuclear cooperation, the economy and climate change have all made India at the top of the U.S.’s state visit list, plus Obama is reportedly a huge Slumdog Millionaire fan. (CNN)

>> Two North Korean diplomats to Russia have been arrested in Sweden on suspicion of smuggling 230,000 Russian cigarettes into the Scandinavian country. The two North Koreans are claiming diplomatic immunity, though their diplomatic status is only in Russia. Listen, Sweden, you don’t know what it’s like to be an addict. (Reuters)

>> On Friday a Tennessee judge blocked a state law that allowed people to bring handguns into bars and restaurants that originally took effect in July. I guess there’s no good reason to visit Tennessee anymore. (Reuters)

>> P. Diddy will be joining the iconic ranks of Suzanne Somers and other product-hawking celebrities as he hits the Home Shopping Network (HSN) on Nov. 30. In typical Diddy style, he’ll be interviewed in a talk-show format to sell his two colognes, reportedly aiming at a $400,000 sales goal. If I’m going to buy cologne without smelling it first, it’s going to be because of Diddy. (WWD)

(Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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Just six weeks before he’s scheduled to be replaced by the city’s next mayor, Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington has at last publicly apologized for the police killing of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston. Johnston was gunned down on November 21, 2006 while defending her home from police officers executing a bogus drug warrant..

“I take full responsibility for what happened,” said Pennington to a memorial gathering at Lindsay Street Baptist Church, not far from Johnston’s former home.

It’s not at all clear what Pennington means by “full responsibility.” Responsibility for the killing? The cover-up? For not cutting short his vacation and returning to Atlanta immediately upon finding out his officers gunned down a 92-year-old woman in her home? Is he going to resign? Is he going to lock himself in jail as penance? Is he going to return the three-years of city paychecks he’s been drawing since the killing?

I know. I know. I probably shouldn’t be too hard on Pennington. After all, it’s clear the guy’s hurting a lot inside. As he explained at the memorial yesterday, “[w]e went through some difficult times and no one felt it more than I did.”

Did you catch that? NO ONE felt it more than Pennington. The only thing that hurts more than getting shot five times is being a lousy police chief.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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National LGBT rights organization Lambda Legal is holding a press conference Tuesday morning to announce a discrimination lawsuit against the City of Atlanta and officers of the Atlanta Police Department in regards to the Sept. 10 raid on the Atlanta Eagle.

The press conference will take place at Lambda Legal’s Southern Regional Office downtown at 10 a.m. and will include Senior Staff Attorney Greg Nevins and co-counsel Dan Grossman as well as three plaintiffs in the suit.

CL spoke to Lambda Legal’s Public Informations Officer Jonathan Adams tonight but he could not offer any specifics of the suit or the names of any particular police officers that will be mentioned in the complaint.

“That’s all we want out tonight,” Adams said.  ”The story comes tomorrow.  We’ll be filing a lawsuit.  Everything else will come tomorrow.”

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From what we can tell, the District 6 Council race is fairly tight, but Alex Wan has managed to pick up the endorsements of two former opponents.

In recent days, Wan has landed testimonials from both Tad Christian, who came in a close third behind Liz Coyle in the Nov. 3 general election, and Steve Brodie, who also ran for the post in 2005.

On Tuesday, Nov. 24, CL will unveil its own endorsement in the race.

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Three times a year, MARTA officials assess traffic patterns and ask for public input to find out where riders want to go and when. Transit officials then take all that data and tinker with bus routes to make the most of limited resources.

MARTA riders will see the fruits of transit officials’ labor when more than 15 route modifications will take effect on Dec. 5.

After the jump, a MARTA-provided chart that lists the modified routes, days affected, and description of what to expect. 

Mark your calendars and enjoy!

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Details continue to emerge one week after the shutdown of Atlanta’s leading LGBT publications Southern Voice and David, including the amount of debt, who was owed and whether they will ever get paid back.

Former SoVo/David owners Window Media and Unite Media filed separate petitions Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Northern District of Georgia.  Project Q Atlanta reviews the reports.

Here’s a breakdown of that $15 million debt figure:

The 94-page filing from Window and the 48-page filing from Unite offer details of two companies that faced severe financial struggles. Window lists claims of nearly $7.85 million to 277 secured and unsecured creditors, while Unite’s claims include $7.5 million to 126 creditors. Combined, the companies owe $1.04 million in payroll and other taxes to federal, state and local agencies; $418,189 to printers in several states; $168,109 in rent in Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale and Washington, D.C.; $71,798 to distributors of the former publications; and $4,500 to two companies providing health insurance.

And for anyone who has tried to collect from a company only to find that they have filed for Chapter 7, you know how this story ends when it comes to getting that money back:

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With the mayor’s race still a dead heat, both candidates came out swinging in two televised debates over the weekend.

In the Atlanta Press Club debate, broadcast live on GPB Sunday evening, Kasim Reed attacked first, asserting that Councilwoman Mary Norwood had “made Atlanta less safe” by voting twice against tax increases to keep the city from furloughing cops.

Norwood then repeated a claim from the previous night’s WAGA-TV debate that some of her black supporters had been “threatened.” She cited an example of one neighbor attempting to browbeat another into voting for Reed; frankly, it sounded more like peer pressure between adults.

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"This is a perfect metaphor for what we do to the state every year!"

Walter Jones of the Augusta Chronicle today takes a look at what’s sure to be one of the most laid-back and relaxing legislative sessions our Gold Dome overlords have ever enjoyed.

While the rest of the country is suffering, Georgia remains a beacon of wealth and opportunity. Just look at what state lawmakers will have at their disposal come Jan. 11!

Consider the factors: budget deficits demanding either historic cuts or gigantic tax increases, a lame-duck governor, a lieutenant governor who bowed out of the governor’s race, a speaker who is clinically depressed and fielding calls for his resignation, multiple legislators out of work and more facing personal financial crisis, and unemployment topping 10 percent when the trust fund that pays benefits is broke.

If that isn’t enough, remember the massive issues that remain unsolved from past sessions. There has been no solution to pay for transportation or a statewide trauma-care network, and a federal judge has imposed a nearly impossible deadline for finding alternative water supplies for about a fourth of the state population.

Add to that mix the fact that it’s an election year with seemingly half the state’s officials running for higher office and the other half determined to foil any legislative successes they might otherwise campaign on.

Man, this is gonna be awesome! We’ve got all these things going for us!

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During a Hosea Feed The Hungry event/photo-op today in Atlanta, Food Network star Paula Deen took a ham to the face.

According to CBS 46, Deen’s nose is sore, but she’s otherwise unhurt. Food Network historians believe it’s the closest an unbattered, non-deep-fried meat has ever gotten to Deen’s mouth.

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Yeshi Palden fled Tibet in the late ‘90s to escape religious persecution.

Yeshi Palden escaped from the Kham region of Tibet in 1999. He was 21 and was trying to free himself from China’s persecution of his religious believes. Last year, Palden settled in Atlanta. (This interview was translated by fellow Tibetan monk Thupten Tendhar.)

I’m from the eastern part of Tibetan, a place called Kham. China invaded Tibet in 1959, so China already existed in Tibet before I was born. When I was little, I saw the Chinese torturing the monks, who were accused of cheating people with religion. They were handcuffed and made to stand two to three hours in public and humiliated.

I was from a nomadic background. I didn’t have access to education. I started to see people in monks’ robes, and they were practicing and performing the religious ceremonies. My parents and my family asked me if I wanted to join the monastery. They said that by living a monk’s life, I would be happier. There would be more opportunity for social service. I went to the local monastery, and I saw the monks in their robes. At very first sight, I was excited to become a monk. I stayed at the local monastery for about five years. But after joining, there wasn’t freedom for education or practicing dharma. That was the situation at the time.

Continue Reading “First Person: Yeshi Palden, Tibetan monk”

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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THREE MILE ISLAND: Less entertaining than the American Music Awards

>> Google’s world take-over is getting a little out-of-hand, right? If only someone would stop them … Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. is reportedly teaming up with Microsoft to remove links from Google searches to its papers and instead featured them on Microsoft’s new Bing search engine. Somehow the strengthening of two evil monopolies doesn’t sound that much better. (ABC News)

>> After last year’s solemn scene and the rest of the country stricken by the recession, it surprisingly appears that this year’s annual art extravaganza, Art Basel Miami, will be the biggest ever with more floor space, parties and events. The strong return diminishes the claim that the art market is dead, and more importantly, reaffirms the fact that nouveau riche will buy anything. (NYMag.com)

>> Some opponents of the health care reform have decided to print out the bill single-sided (instead of the usual double-sided) as a 2,074-page prop in protest of the drastic proposal. While they may be anti- health care reform, these politicans are definitely not pro-environment. (Gawker)

>> CNN, USA Today and Fox News have all reportedly confused Sarah Palin’s new book Going Rogue with the parody Going Rouge, which has a near identical cover. It seems neither of the two books, however, were actually written by Palin. (Page Six)

>> And finally in trivial news: Workers were sent home and the facility was cleaned this weekend after test showed a contamination at Pennsylvania nuclear plant Three Mile Island. One worker received 16 millirems of exposure, yet officials didn’t notify the state until 5.5 hours after the leak. They were probably too busy watching this weekend’s crazy AMA’s. (Fox News)

(Photo Courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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Veteran imbiber Tom Houck, a man I’ve never seen without a cocktail in his hand, has been e-mail blasting all of Atlanta to attend a public hearing to discuss bar hours that’s scheduled for 6 p.m. this coming Monday at City Hall.

The hearing was called to give the nightclub set its own dedicated forum to discuss the merits of a recent proposal by Councilman Kwanza “Tweeter” Hall to reconsider the city-mandated 2:30 a.m. last call, which was adopted in 2003, before Hall joined Council.

If you miss this hearing, don’t expect to be allowed to speak on the issue at the following week’s Finance Committee meeting, says Chairman Howard Shook, who called for Monday’s forum to exclusively address bar hours.

Of course, we don’t need to wait until Monday to find out what Mayor Shirley Franklin thinks of Hall’s proposal. She’s quoted in a story in today’s AJC, but here’s the entire text of her commentary, which was sent to Council members:

Hall’s proposed legislation isn’t sound public policy. It is a publicity stunt, a gimmick.

It may play well in some segments of the population but it doesn’t make sense for our city as there is greater demand for public safety services to patrol street, save lives and prevent crime. Whether there is money to be made or not, the expansion of hours will stretch Atlanta’s current public safety resources. This proposal comes from a Council member who didn’t vote in 2008 or 2009 to restore full public safety funding.

I enjoy lively nightlife as much as anyone but public safety should be the city’s top priority. Until the APD force is at least 2000 officers and Atlanta’s crime rate ranking is below the top 100 in the country, stretching the resources for a few bucks isn’t sound policy.  As I leave office my opinion remains the same. Use APD resources wisely, build the force, invest in training and leadership.

S Franklin

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Gerardo Cajamarca of SINALTRAINAL, a Colombian labor union that represents Coca-Cola workers in the South American country, joined dozens of protesters on Nov. 20 outside the World of Coke to rally against the beverage company and its alleged operations overseas.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Laura Douglas-Brown, former editor of recently shuttered LGBT publication Southern Voice, issued a statement on SoVo’s Facebook page minutes ago about the status of upcoming LGBT media projects.

She revealed what is in store after talks with former SoVo owner (and founder) Chris Cash all week:

Which brings me to where we stand now. Chris Cash, the original founder of Southern Voice, and I have been talking intensely all week. She sold the paper in 1997, had wanted to buy it back as Window Media fell apart, and didn’t get the chance. Now we want to work together to make sure our community’s Voice — many voices, really — is not silenced.

As of today, we have a mailbox, a bank account, and a domain name — www.savesovo.com — that mark the official public start of our efforts.

We know we can’t really save SoVo — that name now belongs to a bankruptcy court and lienholders — but we can save SoVo’s mission. We want to try.

We’ll have a website up in the next few days, where you can give us your contact information to receive updates; tell us how you may be able or willing to help; keep up-to-date on our efforts; and if you feel able, even donate to help fund the initial stages of this project.

It won’t be tax deductible, but please know that we are volunteering our time — any money we raise will simply help offset startup costs, like web hosting, incorporation and initial printing when we get to that stage — that we are currently paying out of pocket.

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Longtime LGBT nightlife magazine David (along with Southern Voice) shut down on Monday but there was still one David issue left on the computers ready to hit the streets. What to do?

How about calling in the Red Dog Unit and raiding the building Eagle-style?!

Okay well it wasn’t that dramatic, but Project Q Atlanta has the real story:

Staffers at David had already put their Nov. 19 issue to bed, meaning it was produced and ready to print in advance of hitting the street Thursday. As we now know, it never made it.

But former employees recovered the files on Wednesday when the company allowed them back into the office to remove their personal belongings. And they posted them to David’s Facebook page, allowing a look at the lost issue of the magazine.

Check out the final columns, articles, Seen@’s and one last bitch here.

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