CL flickr

Visit our You Shoot page.

Atlanta Blogs Today: Yes, it lives

Monday, August 10th, 2009

Ben at Terminal Station tries out a new banner image that actually makes Atlanta look cool. Good posts on how Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington should examine the leadership skills of Los Angeles’ chief, who recently stepped down to become a consultant, and whether small grocery stores can survive.

Jim Walls at Atlanta Unfiltered reminds 19 state lawmakers that they need to stop playing coy and file their personal financial disclosure reports — which were due on July 1. See if your elected official is on the list.

Decatur Metro’s now bursting with headline-y goodness.

Doug Richards from Live Apartment Fire returns to the airwaves. Mrs. Live Apartment Fire notes the different ways this will change her life.

Watch this space for GriftDrift’s take on ConstableGate.

Jim Galloway has returned from his well-deserved two-week vacation. Politicians immediately wig out.

Atlanta Blogs Today: Yes, it still exists

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

Lots of goodies out there today.

  • Jim Galloway sends word that Ralph Reed, the posterchild for suburban Bible beaters, is back with some new sort of coalition. It’s supposedly not “your daddy’s Christian Coalition.” In 2006, former Loafer Doug Monroe and artist Josh Latta produced an eye-openin’, form-bustin’ graphic comic about the David Cassidy doppelganger. It’s always good for a guffaw.
  • Sarawara explains why a Gwinnett County mall made the right choice not to allow a July 4 Tea Party protest.
  • Griftdrift explains how bloggers and traditional media need one another.
  • Decaturite posts the list of authors and events scheduled for this year’s Decatur Book Festival.
  • Jason at Peach Pundit hypes the latest Rasmussen poll, which says state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine enjoys a “commanding” lead.
  • Jim Walls at Atlanta Unfiltered reports on the bizarre turn of events in the drama surrounding state Rep. Pam Stephenson, D-Decatur, and former Grady Hospital CEO Otis Story.

Erick Erickson calls Souter ‘goat f**king child molester’

Monday, May 4th, 2009
The conservative pundit for people who think Ann Coulter is too demure.

ERICK ERICKSON: The conservative pundit for people who think Ann Coulter is too demure. (Photo by Joeff Davis)

On Friday, Peach Pundit Poobah and RedState.com editor Erick Erickson twice called retiring U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice David Souter a “goat fucking child molester.”

Believe it or not, it wasn’t even the most insane thing Erickson has written in the past three days.

If I’m going to keep demanding Time retract its absurd claim that Shirley Franklin is one the best big-city mayors in America, its only fair I retract my 2007 claim that Erick Erickson is a bright light in the local blogosphere.

My bad.

Atlanta Blogs Today: ‘The city too busy to change’

Monday, March 30th, 2009

Jason at Peach Pundit hammers House Bill 614, legislation that he says would violate your privacy.

Maria Saporta says the state needs to stop plotting takeovers of MARTA and Jackson-Hartsfield International Airport.

Ben at Terminal Station has a rundown of Saporta’s report on an Urban Land Institute mayoral candidate forum.

Doug at Live Apartment Fire spotlights veteran reporter Don McClellan. The still-at-it newsman reported on — and ran in — this weekend’s ING Marathon.

Speaking of the ING Marathon, Dave at inDecatur has video and photos from the race.

Good news for Georgia’s reputation and any hope of having a biotech industry here. Jim Galloway reports that a House committee chairman says the controversial stem-cell bill won’t move out of the lower chamber.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Urvaksh Karkaria reports on a top-secret meeting of tomorrow’s media overlords at Kennesaw State University professor Leonard Witt’s home. There are photos!

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to post this. Christa, the mysterious scribe behind Pecanne Log, found a 1967 issue of GQ that’s all about Atlanta. She has photos and pullquotes.

And just because, a helping of Griftdrift’s My Morning Wooten from Friday.

Atlanta Blogs Today: Road elves loose in Georgia!

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

Jim Galloway, proving yet again that he knows the true secrets of Georgia politics, reveals the identities of the mysterious “8 to 10 industry and government officials” who handpicked a Gold Dome transportation bill’s laundry list of people-moving projects. Damn road elves.

Decatur Metro reports on community gardens in his hamlet and annexation concerns. Also, is Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd thinking about a run for governor?

If you’re a card-carrying Young Republican, Shep at Peach Pundit recommends you not vote for Rachel Hoff to lead your organization. Also, Erick the Editor is jousting via email with one of his fellow Macon City Councilmembers.

Griftdrift gives us the rundown on the most recent episode of GPB’s “Lawmakers.” He reports that Sen. John Wiles, R-Marietta, wants to crack down on novelty ID suppliers who alter the completely innocent and never-used-for-illicit-purposes cards. (Those guys can alter the ID? I had to use nail polish remover.)

Veteran journalist Jim Walls, a 28-year veteran of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution — and the editor behind some of the paper’s finest investigative work — rolls out his new investigative journalism website. Today he’s got more details about a sealed court case involving unfortunately named Gwinnett County businessman Richard Tucker. There’s also some questions about campaign contributions to state Rep. Pam Stephenson, D-Decatur.

There’s much more on the Internetz, buckos. If you came across something local that’s worth scoping out, post it below in the comments.

Atlanta Blogs Today: Bill Murray, slowing growth, reporters with candy

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

Christa at Pecanne Log says I say someone else says Bill Murray is loose in Atlanta. One night he’s at Loca Luna buying drinks for strangers. Another night he’s watching the Hawks play the Cleveland Cavaliers. Supposedly, he’s filming this flick. I’m still waiting for him to get a pedicure with me.

Buzz Brockway at Peach Pundit says the site’s bloggers won’t retaliate against state lawmakers who voted for Senate Bill 31, a controversial piece of legislation they adamantly opposed. The complex bill would allow Georgia Power to recover financing costs in advance for two proposed nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle. The Punditeers got into a tiff with the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, a free-market think tank, about the issue. No hard feelings, the bloggers say, but they’d still like a clear explanation of the foundation’s stance on the issue. (Just one more: Jason Shepard at the site finds Georgia’s facebook page shows an unexpected “friend.”

Remember #atlgas? Grift links to a Nightline report in which the Twitter hashtag that saved Atlanta’s ass is mentioned.

Decatur’s wi-fi cloud is “complete,” Decatur Metro reports.

Jim Galloway at the AJC’s Political Insider sneaks a peek at preliminary numbers which show Georgia’s rush of newcomers — aka the growth industry, the state’s bread and butter — might be slowing. He writes a powerful post about the subject.

Want solid political commentary recorded here in Atlanta? The new Kudzu Vine podcast is posted and available for download.

Doug at Live Apartment Fire points us to a recent piece by Tom Jones, the WSB-TV reporter who won’t work for nobody but you. Jones covered the search for a man who’s allegedly been flashing children in the Grant Park area. The suspect’s ripped a page from afterschool specials and is offering candy to the tykes.

Travis Fain wants the old Speaker Glenn Richardson back. I second that.

Atlanta Blogs Today: Mice, casinos, Norwood!

Monday, February 16th, 2009

Juliana at Blog For Democracy points out that U.S. Rep. Tom Price, R-Springfield, need not kvetch that the stimulus plan includes $30 million to save some mice. After his theatrics, which included waving around what looks like a cat toy, it turns out the stimulus, in fact, does not earmark money for the rodents.

Decaturite wonders how blogs can be robust tools to connect communities as newspapers continue to dwindle in size and shape.

Sara agrees that “video lottery terminals” are not what a casino make. Griftdrift brings the thunder on the issue and wins 10 points for best blog post title of the day. Two points for great art, too.

Atlanta Business Chronicle columnist and blogger Maria Saporta says not to believe the Georgia Department of Transportation and Amtrak’s assertion that much-needed commuter rail running into a still-unbuilt downtown train terminal doesn’t have to run along tracks for the Beltline near Piedmont Park.

Ben at Terminal Station has a bunch of good posts. Most recent: He’s not too upbeat about the fact that Atlanta City Councilmember Mary Norwood leads in a poll for the next mayor.

A giant bowl of strawberries in your bathroom. Style, indeed!

Jim Galloway posts a moving account of Freddie Norman, a Cobb County police whose patrol car was struck by a drunk driver 21 years ago. Norman, who was left nearly comatose from the accident, died this weekend.

Atlanta blogs today

Friday, July 11th, 2008

— Matt Towery at Insider Advantage reports that Gov. Sonny “Go Fish” Perdue is one of the top four on John McCain’s list of potential running mates. That means two Georgians are top vice-presidential candidates – Perdue for McCain and Sam Nunn for Barack Obama. Towery says Perdue’s rise is because of McCain’s shaky hold on the South, and the fact that Georgia appears up for grabs. The latest Insider Advantage poll shows McCain with 44 percent and Obama with 43 percent.

— Meanwhile Jim Galloway at the AJC’s Political Insider reports that another Insider Advantage poll shows that Jim Martin has leapt into the front in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Martin leads with 31 percent, Vernon Jones is second with 20 percent and Dale Cardwell is third with 11 percent. Still, 33 percent of those polled remain undecided.

— But that doesn’t stop Flackattack over at Tondee’s Tavern from making his own predictions in the race. He thinks Jones will come in first, with Cardwell squeezing into the runoff.

— Over at Peach Pundit, there’s another shining example of why Clayton County’s government is more entertaining than the Keystone Cops … if you don’t live there. In this episode, District Attorney Jewell Scott can’t indict a juvenile suspect in a murder case because she was unaware of a state law that mandates juvenile murder cases must be taken before a grand jury within 180 days of their arrest.

— There appears to be a spate of restaurants up for sale in Decatur, including the Chocolate Bar. However, according to inDecatur, most of them are being offered anonymously.

Atlanta blogs today

Thursday, July 10th, 2008

— The Peach Pundit reports on a complaint filed against Clayton County District Attorney Jill Scott, who is running for re-election, and her husband, Lee, who is running for the chair of the county commission. Their campaigns sent emails offering to pay $85 for “volunteers” on primary day. The complaint says they are essentially paying for votes.

— A new blog called Georgia Premium has linked to the campaign disclosure forms of Jim Martin and Rand Knight, both of whom reported substantial debts.

— At Rachel’s Tavern, there’s a fascinating essay by Sewere, a black man from Nigeria, on interracial dating. He says that even in Nigeria, there are serious cultural limitations on dating within African ethnic groups.

— And over at Live Apartment Fire, Doug Richards has plenty of free advice for Steve Schwaid, the new news director at WGCL-46. Among them: Send Dagmar Midcap to meteorology school.

— David O’Brien over at the AJC has turned his Atlanta Braves blog into a must read. Today’s discussion includes whether the Braves should trade for Colorado outfielder Matt Holliday and how painful it was to watch Andruw Jones get booed in Los Angeles during the Braves series with the Dodgers.

Atlanta blogs today

Wednesday, July 9th, 2008

Jay Bookman = Priceless. Ah, those wacky Gwinnett Republicans.

Tondee’s Tavern notes that the Macon Telegraph has endorsed Dale Cardwell for the U.S. Senate in the Democratic primary. This comes on the heels of Obama’s smackdown of Vernon Jones yesterday for printing up photo-shopped fliers that imply Obama has endorsed Mr. CEO-who-voted-for-Bush-twice. Says Obama: I barely know that dude.

– Our pal, the Shelbinator, has produced a video for MTV2 that focuses on ex-Marine Chris Raissi of Macon. Raissi talks about the pressures he faced as a Marine recruiter to convince people to join the military. The three-part video is posted on his web site.

— Over at Live Apartment Fire, Doug Richards gives props to WAGA-TV’s Dale Russell for his secret video of disgraced preacher Earl Paulk. Russell has a long relationship with Paulk’s former secretary, Mona Brewer. And when Paulk reached out to Brewer for a “peace” meeting at a local restaurant, she called the I-Team. Russell wired her up with sound and videoed the meeting from outside.

— The AJC’s Sekou Smith says the Hawks were saved by Elton Brand, the free agent power forward signed by Philadelphia yesterday. Why? It means the 76ers won’t be going after our own Josh Smith. That leaves the Hawks sitting pretty to re-sign their two free agents: Smith and Josh Childress. And Hawks fans everywhere breathe a sigh of relief.

Atlanta blogs today

Monday, July 7th, 2008

— Jason Pye wonders why a member of Congress wants to spend $50 million over the next four years to study bed bugs. For that matter, so do we.

— Someone in the Atlanta TV news business is cynical, cynical, cynical. On the Live Apartment Fire blog (one of our faves, btw), a guest poster using the pseudonym of Race Bannon discourages young people from going into television news:

It will only take around five years before they become jaded and calcified experts on exploiting the survivors of ordinary fatalities, zooming in slowly to tear stricken faces and trembling hands. At the town murder de jour they learn to recognize family members who still don’t know their son or daughter was the one killed in the ever so recent lawlessness. They’ll roll their cameras early to get every frame of the coming implosion and emotional collapse. Yay!

— Former CNN anchor (and former Rush Limbaugh main squeeze) Daryn Kagan has a new favorite television series and we’re waiting with baited breath to find out what it is.

— The first television ad from the Clayton County sheriff’s race is ripe for the pickin’ on Peach Pundit.

— Can Obama take Georgia? A new Insider Advantage poll taken last week suggests he and McCain are almost in a dead heat. An interesting tidbit: 51 percent said they’d be more inclined to vote for Obama if he chooses Sam Nunn as his running mate.

— Georgia governor wannabe John Oxendine has so much money in campaign contributions, that he’s going to spread the wealth to every Republican House and Senate candidate who has Democratic opposition. Read Oxendine’s email on Tondee’s Tavern, and the speculation that maybe he’s trying to buy the goodwill of his fellow Republicans.

Atlanta Blogs Today: DUI guilt, time to tighten the belt and holidays in the hills

Monday, June 9th, 2008

“I have always accepted responsibility for my actions, and this issue is no different.”

Except that he still doesn’t. Instead of admitting he made a mistake, re: driving drunk, Benji believes the mistake is not speaking out sooner about it. It’s really quite sad.

— FlackAttack of Tondee’s Tavern writing about state Rep. Ben Harbin, R-Augusta, and his recent me-so-sorry letter to constituents regarding his year-old DUI arrest.

Will we see demand for smaller, more energy efficient spaces come back? Certainly green building trends will increase – they are already on the rise, and saving energy is the primary financial driver for this (as opposed to the warm and fuzzies you get for ‘living green’). I think gas prices are already driving demand to in-town neighborhoods, although the credit crunch has stalled a lot of that movement.

— Ben at Terminal Station, an excellent Atlanta blog covering real estate and land-use issues in metro Atlanta, writing about high gas and energy prices and how the crunch may affect the intown resurgence in a tight credit market.

the trip has been incredible so far. the picture above was taken outside the fairmont lake louise. it had to be one of the most stunning settings i have seen in some time.

— James at The Arc of Time is on vacation with his family in Canada, finding Internet access where he can, and crouching in front of a lake that’s full, clean and surrounded by majestic mountains. Click the link for a photo.

Atlanta Blogs Today: Check your bags, check your staff, check yo’self

Monday, June 2nd, 2008

For an organization with such a large recycle center on site, DFM should make reusable bags easy to use. This might require a change to the way things have always been done in the past, either with a Costco-style receipt checker or designated types of bags that can be taken into the store…just thinking out loud here.

— Nicholas at DecaturMetro makes a case for the DeKalb Farmer’s Market to ease its at-times stringent bag policy so shoppers can bring their own.

Of the fourteen paid staff positions listed on the state Democratic Party’s website, four are held by women and none of the female staffers hold any of the “director” positions (i.e., executive director, communications director, field director, finance director, canvass director, or call center director).

— Andre at PeachPundit says the state Democratic Party staff is underrepresented by women and African Americans.

Nobody listens to flackattack. Yes, suspending the tax is a no-brainer, but going through this routine every freaking year is getting a bit tiresome.

— FlackAttack at TondeesTavern bangs his head against the computer about Gov. Sonny Perdue’s suspension of the state gas tax increase. Click on the link above to read how he thinks it should be altered and annual suspensions like this avoided.