Chamblee54

PG recieved a mailer from the “Brookhaven Ballot Committee”. The address is a shopping center. The mailer supports a creating a City of Brookhaven.
There is a disagreement over whether there will be sufficient tax revenue to operate the new city. The supporters say there is enough money. The opponents say the new city should be named Broke-haven. This mailer does not say one word about this important issue. The mailer does not say anything about whether the new city will provide adequate police protection.
The mailer is embedded in this post, along with pictures from The Library of Congress. The mailer has two pictures of President Barack Obama. While the POTUS is not perfect, he will have little impact on the operation of the new city. One wonders why his picture is featured in this mailer.
If the people who are going to run this new city think PG is a Republican, that will be influenced by this nonsense, then they are not smart enough to run a city. This is similar to the reaction to the bungling campaign for T-SPLOST. Is the road planning done by the same idiots who are running that campaign?
In addition to the images of President Obama, there is a picture of DeKalb county CEO Burrell Ellis. A “No City” sign is pasted below his left hand. Both BHO and Mr. Ellis have dark skin. Mr.Ellis is the descendent of American slaves, unlike BHO. DeKalb county is majority black, and the proposed city would be majority white.
There are two important proposals on the ballot July 31. T-SPOST is plagued by an incredibly incompetent ad campaign. Those who support a new city of Brookhaven are making the same mistake. It would be nice to decide these issues on their merits, instead of reacting with anger to an insulting ad in your mailbox. There are eleven days until the vote.

This story was found in a box of papers. There is a reason people throw things away. It is about a “prospect party”, at a “social club for tall people”. Phlash wrote this “Tall Tale” at the office. One of his co-workers asked Phlash why she wasn’t in the story. “Because you are not tall enough.”This is a repost. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
Phlash goes to the Prospect Party by Phlash Goober
Phlash was facing another evening reading about rich people, who have affairs and commit murder. Since the Prospect Party was nearby, Phlash decided to go.
When he found the place, the first thing he noticed was the food. There were lots of soft drinks, and hollowed out watermelons filled with chunks of fruit. The obligatory spinach dip was there, as were pigs in blankets, and chips and dip. Phlash had already eaten dinner, but that seldom stops him.
Phlash was getting a touch bored, until he started talking to a prospect . “H” and Phlash have a mutual friend, and this gave them an excuse to chatter. “H” had just gotten back from Clemson, South Carolina, where there are orange tiger paws painted in the roadway. Did her car got scratched?
Phlash went outside, and decided the music was too loud for conversation. He went back inside and saw his friend “Lawrence”. They discussed pictures of horses and non-synchronistic coincidence.
Phlash stepped outside again. The music made his glasses rattle in their frames. He went back inside and saw the former Miss Tall International®, “Queen of Siam”. She had sponsored a movie night the evening before and the movie had been a beautiful romance.
Phlash forgot the title of the movie (probably because he didn’t go), but saw his onetime camping friend “Pro-A”, who liked to talk. Phlash was getting reckless by this time, and a talking person, no matter how enthusiastic, is preferable to “Play that funky music white boy” at migraine level.
So Phlash took the plunge. “Have you read any good books lately, Pro-A?” As fate would have it, “Pro-A” had just finished a tome about Catherine the Great, a Russian Czarina, that Phlash was blissfully ignorant about. Still, he was a good sport, and listened for a few minutes, until someone interrupted this foodside chat with news about the new sneaker for Lesbians, the Dyke-EE.
At this point, Phlash went into the kitchen to refill his cup with Mountain Dew. He came upon a conversation about Indian Food, vegetarianism, flatulence, and Bean-o. Phlash agrees with the concept of Bean-o, but wonders what people will do for after dinner amusement. Meanwhile, the music outside was turned down a notch, after houseplants complained about the noise.
All this time, the hot tub had been bubbling away, inviting all the tallfolk into the waters. Finally,” Z Z” and” Australia” braved the comments of jealous dry people and got in the tub. Phlash followed, just in time for a stimulating conversation about ugly bridesmaid dresses. At this point, Phlash got dressed, grabbed one last handful of pretzels, and went home.
After publication, the party hostess was offended by this article.

PG was reading facebook, minding his own business, when he saw something that made his head explode. It started with a post with the splashy title White Liberals Have White Privilege Too! . There is something about online discussions about white privilege that make well meaning people want to type a lot of words into little boxes on the monitor. PG usually avoids such a conversation, as if it were an amway pitch, but made an exception this fateful afternoon.
The seminal article was written in 2007, and mentioned the media controversy of the day. It seemed as though Joe Biden said “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy … I mean, that’s a storybook, man.” Mr. Biden is currently the Vice President, serving under the FMAA.
There was a link to a bit of archaic html called  Black People Love Us!, which tells the story of Sally and Johnny… “We are well-liked by Black people so we’re psyched (since lots of Black people don’t like lots of White people)!! We thought it’d be cool to honor our exceptional status with a ROCKIN’ domain name and a killer website!!” The fun starts when a facebook paster quoted a letter to BPLU.
“I swear, if one more white person says that they want to touch my hair, I am gonna puck a f*ckin mousetrap in it so their f*ckin hand gets caught in it. anyways… GET WITH THE PROGRAM! Have any of you ever heard of sarcasm? Irony? Satires? Canterbury Tales? Shakespeare’s “As You Like it” and “Much Ado About Nothing?” If some of you would actually get your heads out of your asses for one second and read a f*cking book or get educated, you will see that this website is NOT trying to break down PEOPLE, but break down BARRIERS and erase STEREOTYPES…With much love for Sally and Johnny… A Black University of Michigan Student with nappy-ass hair”.
The resulting visual ruined the day for PG. BUMS should keep his/her pants on, and not burden the world with the sight of nappy hair on his/her posterior. The same thing goes for an asian, latino, caucasian, native american, or zorlack with this condition.
The pictures are from ” Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.
This is a repost.

Peach Pundit has a story tonight, Senator Fran Millar On Proposed City Of Brookhaven. State Senator Fran Millar sent a “letter to the editor” to the fishwrapper, which he posted on facebook. It is a familiar pitch… the city of Brookhaven have lower taxes, and the DeKalb county government is greedy.
Here is the part of the letter that got PG into action: “I understand that like our President, CEO Ellis as well as Commissioner Gannon, believe in big government. DeKalb had a 26 percent tax increase last year. If this wasn’t an election year, then the citizens probably would have seen another tax increase. Good luck next year unincorporated DeKalb. Dunwoody has run a surplus since its creation and I believe Brookhaven can do likewise. Furthermore, Dunwoody now has regular police patrol and a road paving program. There will always be some personality clashes in any form of government. However, all government does not have to demonstrate a tax and spend philosophy like DeKalb.”
PG is going to guess that Mr. Millar is a Republican. President BHO has little to do with local government, but if you want to trash your opponents through association, it pays off. The pro city people spend as much time badmouthing DeKalb county government, and CEO Burrell Ellis, as they do praising the alleged benefits of a new city.
The voters considering the new city are majority white. The rest of the county is majority black. It does not take much imagination to get the hint of a race based campaign. Nothing too obvious, but the dog’s ears are perking up. With this in mind, PG wondered about “Commissioner Gannon”. She was mentioned in the same sentence as BHO and Burrell Ellis, who both have dark skin. What color is Kathie Gannon? As it turns out, Kathie Gannon is a certified Caucasian. A look at her website tells a fun story.
Budget In February, the Board of Commissioners passed the County budget for 2012. I voted against the budget. While the new budget does not require a tax increase, it represents a missed opportunity to prioritize County operations and services. I firmly believe that the Board of Commissioners must have a serious conversation about the amount and level of services that we can afford to provide. This requires us to carefully monitor the number of people we employ. While the new budget adds only a few positions and County employment has fallen over the past four years, I do not believe we have rigorously looked for alternatives. Also some Departments are growing unnecessarily, including the Board’s.
Another reason to review our priorities is our precarious revenue position. Over the past few years, as property values have declined, the County has collected much less in property taxes. We will not know until late this spring how much the tax digest has fallen from last year. If the tax base declines by more than 5%, the Board of Commissioners will be forced to make difficult cuts in July. If we had made the cuts in February and we have the good fortune of being on target with the revenue estimate, we could start looking at tax relief in June.
This contradicts the letter to the editor. Was there, or was there not, a tax increase? Does Kathie Gannon have a “tax and spend” philosophy?
The second paragraph speaks of the declining value of the County tax digest. In layman’s terms, the real estate disaster of the last few years has lowered the value of many properties in DeKalb county. The less the properties are worth, the less tax revenue they will generate. This is a point made by the No Brookhaven crowd … the revenue estimates for the new city are too optimistic. They are based on property values that are falling, and are going to continue to fall. The new city will not have as much revenue as they expect.
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.

There was a town hall meeting about the proposed City of Brookhaven. . It was sponsored by Brookhaven Yes. Many people who say No City Brookhaven attended. The meeting was in the cafeteria of Cross Keys High School, and was hosted by The Cross Keys Foundation.
PG attended Cross Keys, two or three lifetimes ago. The cafeteria has been remodeled. The bathrooms no longer smell like cigarettes.
There was a panel to answer questions. Representatives of Brookhaven Yes were there, and the mayors of Decatur, Johns Creek, Chamblee, Dunwoody, and Sandy Springs. They, and a few others, gave brief talks before the Q&A. You will have more local control if you have a new city. There is enough money for the new city to operate.
The questions were mostly civil. An old man, who was hooked up to an oxygen tank, did not believe the new city would save him money. He was the closest the meeting came to disruption.
The issue of whether or not the new city will have enough money is hot. Estimates range from a $360,000 deficit to a $1,100,000 surplus. The people from other new cities said that the same things were said to them when their cities were starting up. The taxes would be collected by DeKalb County, and a portion sent to the new city.
There was not much talk about police. The no people say there will not be enough, and the yes people say there will be. Little new information was presented.
Apparently, the DeKalb County animal shelter is a disaster. A lady asked if Brookhaven will have it’s own shelter. There are currently no plans to have a local animal shelter. The Chamblee dogcatcher is a familiar sight.
DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis was not a popular person. The county has issued press releases saying the new city will be broke. Allegedly, another branch of the county says the new city will have a surplus. It breaks down to who you believe. All the speakers had moving lips.
The evening went smoothly. At a few minutes before nine, there were two people wanting to ask questions. A city council lady from Sandy Springs got to talking, and did not want to stop. Finally, the last question was asked, and the meeting was over.
Few minds were changed by this meeting. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”. The election is July 31.

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided not to hear an appeal of the lawsuit over the water of the Chattahoochee River. (Here is the ruling that was upheld.) Until the next round of regulation and litigation, Atlanta can use the water from Lake Lanier.
If you look at the size of the Chattahoochee watershed , you might wonder why anyone would build a city here. The water is coveted by Alabama and Florida, as well as downstream Georgia. For some bizarre reason, there is a nuclear power plant on the river, using enormous amounts of water.
Water simply is not regarded as a precious commodity in Georgia. The drought in 2007 is forgotten, except for a few environmental wackos. What water we do have is not well managed. A comment at the fishwrapper says it better than this slack blogger.
“Now can we do ourselves a favor and outlaw ‘homeowners associations’ from requiring water hog vegetation? Can we raise the money to fix water system leaks? Will we join the rest of the civilized world in realizing that water is NECESSARY and PRECIOUS and treat it that way? Is it possible to require electric utilities to reduce the amount of water they waste through evaporation? Will another year come and go in the General Assembly without reining in the influence of the turf grass growers? Has there ever been a better opportunity to RAISE THE LEVEL of Lake Lanier to 1073 ft. above sea level which would completely eliminate the need for any wasted money and unnecessary fights over reservoirs? We dodged a bullet with the SC decision. It would be a shame not to learn from it and modify our laws and practices so the problem is solved instead of ignored.”
Certainly, the amount of water released from the lake can be altered. Perhaps, when it is raining South of the perimeter, we can take that into account, and release less from the lake. More reservoirs are clearly needed, which will give the developers something to build luxury homes around.
There is a blog post today, Dirty politics and decrepit strip malls. It has a picture of an empty strip mall, a sight as common as kudzu. The difference is, kudzu goes away in the winter. For years, the developers have built as if there was no tomorrow, without a thought as to where the water for these projects is coming from. The money quote “All you have to do is look around at the never ending, hideous, suburban sprawl and you will come to the conclusion that there is a massive amount of cronyism in the State of GA. There was obviously no thought put in to quality of life/environmental factors, only who could line his pockets more by building yet another decrepit strip mall.”
Pictures are from The Library of Congress.

A recent episode of Radiolab, Grumpy Old Terrorists, spotlights Georgia. It is about four elderly men, arrested in North Georgia for terrorist activity. The episode features Tom Junod, who wrote an article for Esquire Magazine, Counter-Terrorism Is Getting Complicated. The article has much more information than a twenty minute radio show.
The story focuses on Fred Thomas. A retired Navy man, he worked for Lockheed in Virginia, and moved to Georgia when he retired. He began to hang out on the internet, focusing on a militia forum. After BHO was inaugurated, Mr. Thomas felt that America was going downhill. He met some men online who agreed. The men started to meet, first at Mr. Thomas’s house. One of the players was a government agent.
The informer was named Joe Sims. (PG does not know if this is his birth name.) According to Esquire, Mr. Sims is a slimy character. He got in trouble, and then got out of jail to work as a snitch.
It is interesting to note that two of wives, of the accused, did not like Mr. Sims. Charlotte Thomas, the wife of Fred, only met him once. Mrs. Thomas was a Frank Sinatra fanatic. When Mr. Sims was in their home, he saw the Sinatra shrine. Joe said, “The trouble with Frank Sinatra is that he can’t sing”.
As the story went down, the old men, and Joe the snitch, had many meetings where they said that something violent needed to be done. Joe the snitch encouraged them, and set up a meeting with an “arms dealer”. Joe handed over his money,and the old man handed over some money. The federal swat team moved in, threw flash grenades, and arrested the old men. The conspirators were so scared they wet their pants. At the same time, a the Frank Sinatra shrine was raided. The carpets have burn marks from the flash grenades.
A question was raised on radiolab, do you feel safer now? The feds encouraged the scheme, and helped drive it forward. One person speculated that the sheriff should have had a talk with the old men. Let them know that the law was wise to their game, and the activity would have stopped. Is it a good role for the government to encourage people to commit crimes? In at least one case, government agents recruited and paid people to take part in the “terrorism”. Is this a good use of taxpayer money, and, indeed, does it make us safer?
There are some crucial details left out of this post. Readers are encouraged to read the Esquire magazine article, Counter-Terrorism Is Getting Complicated. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.

Some pictures have longer captions than others. Shorpy published one with a mouthful.
Mrs. Dora Stainers, 562 1/2 Decatur St. 39 years old. Began spinning in an Atlanta mill at 7 years, and is in this mill work for 32 years. Only 4 days of schooling in her life. Began at 20 cents a day. The most she ever made was $1.75 a day & now she is earning $1 a day when she works. She is looking for a job. Her little girl Lilie is the same age she was when she started work, but the mother says, “I ain’t goin to put her to work if I can help it. I’m goin’ to give her as much education as I can so she can do better than I did.” Mrs. Stainers is a woman of exceptional ability considering her training. In contrast to her is another woman (this name was withheld) who has been working in Atlanta mills for 10 yrs. She began at 10 yrs. of age, married at 12, broke down, and may never be able to work again. Her mother went to work in the cotton mill very young. Location: Atlanta, Georgia.
The photographs of Mrs. Stainers were made in March, 1915. The photographer was Lewis Wickes Hine. “Working as an investigative photographer for the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC), Lewis Hine (1874-1940) documented working and living conditions of children in the United States between 1908 and 1924.” “In 1954 the Library received the records of the National Child Labor Committee, including approximately 5,000 photographs and 350 negatives by Lewis Hine. In giving the collection to the Library, the NCLC stipulated that “There will be no restrictions of any kind on your use of the Hine photographic material.”
The house that Mrs. Stainer lived in is long gone. 562 1/2 Decatur Street is across the railroad tracks from the Fulton Cotton Mill. With real estate agents demanding names for all neighborhoods, the area is known as the Old Fourth Ward. At 552 Decatur Street is A & R Welding.
Pictures are from The Library of Congress.

PG was having a delightfully slack afternoon, The one productive activity was editing pictures from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”. In box seventy two of “corporate bodies”, in the Lane Brothers archive, there was a picture commissioned by King Road Marker Company. It displayed a brand new crosswalk, over Marietta Street at the intersection of Broad Street. The picture was taken at 1:51 p.m. September 27, 1954.
The time caught PG’s eye. 1:51 is one of the times used to display clocks and watches in advertising. Most ads use 10:09. This arrangement of the hour and minute hands makes a welcoming gesture. This allows the logo of the watch to be visible, and is thought to encourage the viewer to purchase the timepiece. The shadows on the buildings indicate that the picture was shot in  early afternoon.
The clock with the magic time advertised the C&S national bank. The building behind the clock was the headquarters of that bank. In 1954, Citizens and Southern bank was a prime player in the Atlanta market. (PG’s dad said that C&S stood for choke’m and squeez’m.) At some point, C&S merged with NCNB to become Nationsbank, which was later absorbed by Bank Of America.
C&S kept it’s headquarters at 35 Broad Street for many years after competitors built trophy buildings. Their were constant rumors about where the C&S highrise was going to go.  Finally, C&S Plaza was built at Peachtree and North Avenue, a mile north of five points. The building was to become the tallest building in America outside of New York and Chicago. During the construction of this building, C&S became part of Nationsbank.
The picture is featured in Atlanta Time Machine. The building is now owned by Georgia State University, with a BOA branch on the first floor. The banking hall is spectacular. It was designed by Philip Shutze, before the great depression. Here is more information.
Nations Bank Building (Citizens and Southern National Bank Building, Empire Building)
35 Broad Street, NW 1901: Bruce and Morgan, Architects, NR.
Remodeling of Lower Floors and Interiors 1929:
Hentz, Adler and Shutze, Architects; Philip Shutze, Designer
Fourteen stories high, the Nations Bank Building was the first steel-frame structure to be built in Atlanta. Its clear-cut silhouette, simple fenestration, and heavily decorated terra-cotta top bear the influence of the Chicago School. In 1929 the building became the headquarters of the Citizens and Southern National Bank, which asked Philip Shutze to redesign its three lower floors. Because the impression of load-bearing masonry was regarded as better suited for a banking establishment than large glass panes were, the original display windows were replaces by classical motifs apparently “carved out” of Indiana limestone.
Philip Shutze was inspired by Italian Mannerism, and especially by the city gates of Verona by Michele Sanmichelo (1484-1559) … Reached from Marietta and Walton streets through lofty arcaded entryways and a more intimate elevator lobby in the early Renaissance style on Broad Street, the banking hall is a long nave articulated by colossal Corinthian pilasters. While its walls and floors feature several kinds of Georgia, Tennessee, and European marbles in a warm gold-brown color scheme, the ceiling, from which hang gigantic chandeliers, is left bare. The Pantheon, which Shutze had measured during his internship at the American Academy in Rome, served as direct source for the pedimented niches, and for the floors with alternate square and circular patterns. Also, of Roman inspiration are the bronze desks and the eagle motif found throughout the design.