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Why do you have to be 21 to visit the O’Doul’s website?

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The students of Atlanta’s Ron Clark Academy keep true democracy in mind with their remix of T.I.’s “Whatever You Like.” It gets a little hard to figure out the “arguments” toward the end, but I’d want to be in this class. CNN captured the video.

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Thanks to the efficient and helpful staff employed by the Mexican airline Aeroméxico, I had an 18 hour layover in Mexico City over the weekend. (more…)

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Short on cash? Can’t get a loan? Want to sell that stereo, television, or peg leg? There’s always the pawn shop. Stop by Jerry’s Pawn Shop on the corner of Prior and Decatur. Dave Adelman owns Jerry’s Pawn Shop at the corner of Prior and Decatur streets downtown.

Where are you from originally and how did you get into the pawn shop business?
Originally from New Haven, Conn. I moved here in the 1970’s. How I got into the Pawn business was I got married in 1975 to my present wife, and her father was in the pawn business. But I never thought about getting into the pawn business — I had never been in a pawn shop before. I was in between jobs, and we were offered jobs in other cities but we wanted to stay here. So he had an employee in the hospital, and he needed somebody in the store just to help him out. So he asked me to come down and help him in between my job search and the rest is history. I kinda just fell in love with it. That was 30 years ago. It will be thirty years in ’09. (more…)

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How many words is this worth? More than a thousand, but, really, it’s unquantifiable genius.

AccessNorthGa.com’s best news graphics don’t just illustrate or elaborate a story — they become the story. Using a complex graphical algorithm that attracts, confuses, amuses, delights and then intrigues readers, these bizarre Photoshop Frankensteins can add surprising appeal to a small-town news story. They’re the only reason I followed this summer’s rabies outbreaks in Hall County or knew about various North Georgia manhunts and car crashes.

And I keep coming back to AccessNorthGa.com for more. The creative flow has slowed considerably the last couple months, although the site does still occasionally reuse some classics. But since this is Best of Atlanta week, let’s review ANG’s hits of 2008. The top 15 are after the jump, in very little particular order.

(more…)

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For those of you who are early-to-rise, or just late-to-sleep, I’ll be on 92.9 Dave FM’s Zakk Tyler Morning Show Wednesday morning during the six o’clock hour.

I’ll be talking about our Best Of Atlanta 2008 issue, which hits the streets and the Web tomorrow.

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Before it publishes tomorrow, anyway! Make sure to check out the special pullout section in tomorrow’s paper, or go to creativeloafingbestof.com to see who won in this year’s Raging Election!

Speaking of that theme, here’s this week’s question … And don’t forget to leave your e-mail in the comments section for a free Best of Atlanta 2008 T-shirt.
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.

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LEAD STORY: Italian and U.K. legal authorities have recently discarded rule interpretations based on embarrassingly anachronistic stereotypes of women. In July, Italy’s Court of Cassation reversed a 1999 ruling creating a legal presumption that a woman wearing tight jeans could not be the victim of rape because such jeans would be impossible to remove without her assistance. Coincidentally, at about the same time, the British government formally removed the special, ameliorating defense of “provocation” for husbands charged with murdering their wives, thus putting domestic homicide on the same footing as other homicides. (Some husbands had received lesser penalties by claiming that their wives’ affairs had provoked them to murder.)

Get your News of the Weird fix here.

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Ew, gross. Sophomoric fine art from Atlanta illustrator Stephen Sweny. I’m not sure what it means exactly …

“Give us a kiss, won’t you?”

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By Cecil Adams

Over the years I’ve noticed a variety of siren sounds for emergency vehicles. Is it true siren sounds have to be changed periodically, particularly in urban areas, to prevent drivers from getting used to a particular sound and not paying attention?

— Dylan, Chicago

Varietywise I don’t know that siren sounds are in the same league as ice-cream flavors, or for that matter the olive department at Whole Foods, but there are more than there used to be. Two are reliably found in just about all U.S. emergency vehicles: 1) the wail, the traditional “Dragnet”-type siren whose pitch in olden days rose and fell with the vehicle’s speed; and 2) the yelp, whose pitch rapidly alternates, reflecting the frantic pace of modern life. Other common sounds include 3) the European-style high-low or two-tone siren, which nowadays is often interspersed with whoops and other noises; 4) what’s sometimes called the “phaser” siren, which does sound a bit like something you’d use to take out the Klingons; and 5) the braying “air horn” (actually an electronic reproduction of an air horn), admittedly not a siren in the strictest sense, for when you can’t get the attention of space cases at intersections any other way.

Read more here.

(Illustration by Slug Signorino)

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I saw a woman walking along Northside Drive today with a t-shirt that read:

“HELLO MY NAME IS BITCH”

I was tempted to stop and snap a photo, but decided to take her at her word.

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LEAD STORY: The Other “Fight Clubs” Are for Sissies: At the August Dog Brothers “Gathering of the Pack” in Southern California, it was “[A]nything goes,” according to one warrior (looking to fight with “blunted knives”). A Reuters reporter witnessed two men without padding beat each other with heavy sticks and two others fight with electrically charged knives. The latter duel ended when, during a wrestling hold, one slipped a hand free and planted a 1,000-volt surge. The action seems exhilarating. Said one, “I’ve never felt better than when I’m doing this.” Another: “Honestly, I wish I could find a church with the same spirit of support and love [as I feel here].” Said “Crafty Dog” Denny, it’s “higher consciousness through harder contact.”

Read more News of the Weird here.

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I love easy access to information.

I hate how online conversations about topics as innocuous as The Dog Whisperer can go from zero-to-asshole in an instant.

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We know you are anxiously anticipating the results to drop on Sept. 24 — it’s coming up soon! — so until then, take our latest Best of Atlanta poll to tide you over. Keep checking back to CLFreshLoaf.com, where you can take a new poll every few days. After picking your fave, leave a comment with your e-mail address to win a free CL Best of Atlanta T-shirt — while supplies last!

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The ballots are in, but the polls haven’t closed! We know you are anxiously anticipating the results to drop on Sept. 24, so until then, take our latest Best of Atlanta poll to tide you over. Keep checking back to CLFreshLoaf.com, where you can take a new poll every few days. After picking your fave, leave a comment with your e-mail address to win a free CL Best of Atlanta T-shirt — while supplies last!

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The ballots are in, but the polls haven’t closed! We know you are anxiously anticipating the results to drop on Sept. 24, so until then, take our Best of Atlanta poll to tide you over. Keep checking back to CLFreshLoaf.com, where you can take a new poll every few days. After picking your fave, leave a comment with your e-mail address to win a free CL Best of Atlanta T-shirt — while supplies last!

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In preparation for the 2012 Olympics: The Candler Park Water Ballet and Social Club makes history with its first ever performance.

(Thanks to Henri Higgins for the marvelous video. They’re all gorgeous but the particularly fine one is my wife.)

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The intersection of Adair Street and West Howard Avenue in Decatur is so dangerous, there were three city employees directing traffic there this morning: two school crossing guards and a police officer yelling at drivers through a megaphone.

How much do traffic lights cost? Are they less than the cost of putting two crossing guards and a cop and an intersection twice-a-day for an entire school year?

All I’m doing is saying.

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The ballots are in, but the polls haven’t closed! We know you are anxiously anticipating the results to drop on Sept. 24, so until then, take our Best of Atlanta poll to tide you over. Keep checking back to CLFreshLoaf.com, where you can take a new poll every few days. After picking your fave, leave a comment with your e-mail address to win a free CL Best of Atlanta T-shirt — while supplies last!

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The ballots are in, but the polls haven’t closed! We know you are anxiously anticipating the results to drop on Sept. 24, so until then, take our Best of Atlanta poll to tide you over. Keep checking back to CLFreshLoaf.com, where you can take a new poll every few days. After picking your fave, leave a comment with your e-mail address to win a free CL Best of Atlanta T-shirt — while supplies last!

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From the AJC:

I’m pretty sure I was on the plane that did the .4 arrival.

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This is a Soapbox submission by a guest blogger.

Is the southside ready for rural renewal?

By Hannah Palmer

When you drive south on I-75 from Atlanta, heading out of the city and into the sprawl, you’ll pass Southlake Mall on your right. This is “The Mall” of my childhood – destination for Christmas shopping, gift certificate spending, giant-cookie-cake pickup and Glamour Shot sessions. There is no lake at Southlake, but there is a patch of woods between the mall and the interstate.

Over the past few years, and many trips down 75, I’ve watched the progress of a strange development on this site. One by one, these huge historic-looking houses were wheeled in on flatbed trucks and reassembled in the swampy no-man’s land between the Sears parking lot and the expressway.

They seemed so forlorn and out of place. Who was doing this? I wondered. And what for? I stopped to take a photo in September of 2006.

So I just got back in town after 6 weeks in the mountains, and had to make the rounds of Stumptown: Anne & Bill’s Restaurant, the Library, and of course, I pulled over to check out the progress at “Olde Morrow.” It’s fancy!

I called the City of Morrow’s Economic Development office to get the lowdown. Lawanda told me it’s going to be a 17-acre development that will include taverns, retail, restaurants and a bed and breakfast. The central fountain and gardens will host receptions and outdoor events. Here’s the craziest part: they’re building the lake. As in “Southlake.” It’s about goddam time! (more…)

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I’m afraid to call.

What sort of dreams require a white van with opaque windows?

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The following These Four Walls article is part of the Urban Living section, CL’s monthly focus on city home life. If you live in a neighborhood where CL is available and your place is unique somehow — interesting-looking, history-filled or funky fun — leave a comment below with a description, or e-mail chante.lagon@creativeloafing.com.

Less than a mile from downtown Decatur and safely hidden out of view from nearby Ponce de Leon Avenue, Ryan Gainey has handcrafted his own two-acre floral sanctuary. White hydrangeas are the order of the day and in the delicate morning sunlight his garden paints a picturesque setting for a play like Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. One can almost sense Puck hiding in the foliage.

Gainey sits on his back porch with a rambunctious band of beagles by his side. “To me, that’s the passion behind everything that I do – to create a sense of beauty,” he says, reminiscing about his gardening inspiration. He has unquestionably succeeded in bringing an abundance of beauty to his property and plenty of people have taken notice. Not only does his garden bring in visitors from across the country, but Gainey also has been able to make a living from what he does best. His business, Ryan Gainey & Company, designs public and private gardens nationwide, and Gainey continuously leaves an impression on the people he works with, from our Peach State all the way to California. “Once I become involved with someone, I awaken in them the same passion [for gardening] that I have inside myself,” he says. “It becomes their life.”

(more…)

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Whether it’s with sparklers at a backyard cookout, or choreographed explosions lighting up the night sky, most people enjoy heading outside to watch fireworks on the Fourth of July. Here at CL we are no exception, so we went ahead and put together a roundup of where you can calm your fireworks craving this Fri., July 4.

Not one to disappoint, Stone Mountain will celebrate the Fourth with a dual lasershow and fireworks display. Come early to enjoy all the park’s attractions for the day and then find a comfortable spot on the Memorial Lawn to check out the new and improved Lasershow at 9:30 p.m., followed by fireworks from the top and bottom of the mountain. $10 parking fee per vehicle. 770-498-5690. www.stonemountainpark.com.

The annual Fourth of July event at Centennial Olympic Park is becoming a tradition for its family-friendly and fun activities. From noon to 5 p.m. bring the kids to enjoy arts and crafts, face painting, performances, stilt walkers, inflatables and more. Beginning at 5 p.m., local band Stokeswood will put the evening in high gear, with a performance from 911 Band following. The Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra headlines the musical event at 8 p.m. and will feature solo performances by actor Ric Reitz, vocalist Wendy Bennett and string trio True Dixon. The AirTran Airways Fireworks Spectacular will wrap up the event with an amazing show framed by the downtown skyline and synchronized to a selection of patriotic music. Can’t make it to the show? 11 Alive (WXIA-TV) will broadcast the show live, and the music will be broadcast on radio station Star 94 (WSLC-FM). 404-223-4090. www.centennialpark.com. (more…)

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