late winter

the treetops aren't quite as grey anymore

good riddance

this is still some of the best news in a very long time --- can we imagine a world w/o hummers?

bow wow wow

dna analysis has proved that dogs trace their lineage to grey wolves --- and also how they evolved after that

Archaeological studies suggest that ancient (dog) remains found in Belgium, Germany and Western Russia, which date to 13,000-31,000 years ago, were most similar in body size to the Great Dane, while those from the Middle East dating to about 12,000 years ago were most similar to a small terrier. . . .

tornado repair redux

nearly two years after the 2008 tornado, repairs to the westin are still not complete, but at least it's underway and the cornice of the carnegie building is repaired

solar progress report

the sun is moving on north, entering the plaza phase of the solar cycle

first crop of the season

wanna buy a nice old bank and a big ol' parking lot?

the history center has apparently put margaret's back forty up for sale again, their deal from a couple of years ago having fallen through i guess ---- i really like the old fulton federal bank (c. 1958), especially the excellent brickwork ----

marshallville

business is slow

ku kluxing south georgia

500 attended a kkk rally in nahunta in southeast georgia --- these people will never go away ---


the pointy hats don't do anything for their cause

camellia paradise

they will be better next weekend, but massee lane garden was an excellent destination for the afternoon --- thnx andrew & greg

robert's balcony

Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,
Whiles, like a puff'd and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads
And recks not his own rede.

late winter evening

curling is cool

a very wierd sport, but then the scots invented haggis ----

it doesn't feel like winter today

even if i have had to spend most of it going through receipts and what not, preparing for the taxster

hyde farm

filling the void

cb2 coming in "late summer" at 1010 --- the loew's hotel across the street is finished, furnished, and decorated, but not opening until the spring --- the dreaded nightclub on the opposite corner still hasn't gotten it's permits and every decision is being appealed by some people in the neighborhood who really really really don't want it to open ----the top two floors of the office tower are built out and occupied but i can't tell that anybody is in the condos yet --- 1010 might be 25% occupied ---- one of these days the area might be like a real city

da vinci high

the recreation of da vinci's famed sforza horse is purty impressive --- 26' tall ---but it's resin and if he had been able to actually cast the thing, it would've been more detailed --- war with france made it impossible to get the metal and french soldiers destroyed his full-scale clay model by using it for target practice

sam restored

samuel spencer was the first president of the old southern railway---this statue of him was done by daniel chester french in 1910 and used to sit in front of terminal station until they tore it down in 1972---then he was moved to p'tree and w'ptree downtown until they tore up and redesigned that intersection for the olympics, when he was moved to a very cramped and awkward location at brookwood station--- now he's been conserved and set up in front of norfolk southern's hdqtrs at 1200 p'tree

he looks real nice there --- maybe he will stay put for a while

the after party

entitled "when good beads go bad"===h/t apw

skeery politician

and then you have john "let's tunnel under the atlanner mud people" oxendine exposing himself for the mendacious fool, and very possibly our next governor, that he is ---- thanx a lot apw for brightening my day with this news

words fail

this utah state senator wants to "double up" and have a holiday honoring "gun pioneer" john moses browning on mlk's birthday!!!

"I see them as complimentary,” [Madsen] said. Browning is known for developing a variety of guns, including the gas-operated machine gun.

twisted

wingnuts gone wild

guess who else used to put his feet on that desk?

casting call

michael douglas as liberace --- matt damon his young lover 

i really can't imagine douglas in this role

carnival 2010

39 great images

the national snowscape

every state except for hawaii has some snow cover ---

chat roulette

"an endless stream of random strangers all over the world" --- and a major time waster --- but where else can you, e.g., chat with chileans about grapes and pinochet

cold and flowers

the atl bot garden's orchid daze is an excellent complement for the snow

the day after

everything is all sparkly this morning

a beautiful snow

and the streets haven't quite turned to crap  yet

the mark of the beast

RICHMOND, FEB. 9 — The House of Delegates is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a bill that would protect Virginians from attempts by employers or insurance companies to implant microchips in their bodies against their will. It might also save humanity from the antichrist, some supporters think.

what makes virginia so crazy?

dallas snow event

dallas set a record with over a foot at dfw --- these are views of cousin cathi's yard

and something like 200,000, including herself, are w/o electricity

atlanner snow event

started snowing downtown just after lunch, which provoked the big people to close the office at one---snowy walk home

fruitless . . .

from a fox news poll:

What Is the Tea Party Movement About?

Small government and fiscal responsibility 21% (22,282 votes)

Exposing Democrats' socialist agenda 2% (1,779 votes)  

Voicing outrage at out-of-touch politicians 9% (9,653 votes)  

Fruitless mix of racism, conspiracy theories 68% (73,939 votes)

Other (add your comment) 1% (866 votes)  

Total Votes: 108,519

enjoying the air

but sure was cold walking home

easy answer

 

NO

community bookcases

little lending libraries on the sidewalk, operating on the honor system----of course, that's in socialist europe

real entertainment

after that dreadful super-bowl half-time show, i'm going to the puppy bowl

sunday in the park

it's still winter no doubt, but we're on the down-hill slide and there was some sunshine today---plus the camellia are nice, the helleborus are budding, and the elms are thinking about it

restoring the park

the parking lot at the park drive entrance to the park is no more----pavement is all gone and it's going back to something more parky

live from the biltmore

nice image of the biltmore with wsb's antennae in place between the two towers---the city's first radio station and first tv station, wsb, broadcast from the biltmore until 1956---dances at the biltmore were broadcast live

growing the voice

looks like sovo will be reborn as gavo, georgia voice

dadt

"I can tell you with certainty that if the ban were lifted tomorrow -- no year of preparation -- life would go on exactly as it did before."

that's from a navy submarine officer

end of the line

she died last week, the last member of a tribe that had inhabited the adaman islands in the indian ocean for 65,000 years----the language and culture die with her----

the article also mentions the sentinelese, who inhabit another small island:

"Officials believe the group is probably the world's only surviving Paleolithic people without contact with any other community. They said the Sentinelese are very hostile and never leave their Island. Very little is known about them."

building atlanner

i used to hate portman until he got over his 70s fortress architecture, but like him or not, i can't think of any other one person who has had such an impact on downtown

a day out of the office

speaking for the yahoos . . . .

why do we have to keeping having senators who are bigoted idiots?

At the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing today on the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) expressed his concern that repealing the rule would pave the way for allowing "alcohol use, adultery, fraternization, and body art" in the military -- and that the army must "exclude persons whose presence in the armed forces would create unacceptable risk to the armed forces' high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion."

restoring good government

i think it's slowly dawning on a lot of people who have been somewhat disappointed in obama's progress, including myself, that he is doing what he has to do to restore a functioning government after eight years of republicans doing all they could to destroy it----

Like I said – it’s called governance.  After eight years without it, I realize I’ve forgotten what it looks like and, no matter how frustrating, it feels like the right course of action.  And, I’m a big gay democrat, who has wanted the ban ended for over twenty years. Increasingly, I’m seeing this with just about everything the administration does and no matter the bumps in the road (and the periodic moments of cable-news-induced panic), I think I’m beginning to get it.  Obama is governing.  It’s hard work.  It’s incremental.  And, it’s working.

it's about time. . .

“No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens,” Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee. He said it was his personal belief that “allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do.”

party purification in process

kos polled 2,000 republicans---everything from will you vote this year (80%+ yes) whether or not genesis should be taught in schools as the explanation for how god created the world (77% say yes)----

"a nation of racist dwarfs"

how do these places continue to exist? this is right up there with the duvaliers in haiti---

Here are the two most shattering facts about North Korea. First, when viewed by satellite photography at night, it is an area of unrelieved darkness. Barely a scintilla of light is visible even in the capital city. (See this famous photograph.) Second, a North Korean is on average six inches shorter than a South Korean. You may care to imagine how much surplus value has been wrung out of such a slave, and for how long, in order to feed and sustain the militarized crime family that completely owns both the country and its people.

d or r?

this would be a surprise if you only got your news from the teevee and a real shocker if faux news is your only source

“Despite the modest shift toward a decreased affiliation with the Democratic Party and an increased affiliation with the Republican Party in 2009 compared to 2008, the United States remained a Democratically oriented nation last year,” said Gallup pollster Jeffrey Jones.

under the radar

he may be having an awful time with health care, but at the epa, all levels of interior, and all over the gummint, he is staffing agencies with professionals, not political hacks---- 

In her first year on the job, Jackson has not only turned the page on the industry-friendly and often illegal policies of the Bush era, but has embarked on an aggressive campaign to clean up the nation's air and drinking water. . . . Taken together, Jackson's efforts represent a sweeping attempt to revitalize an agency that was gutted during the Bush years.

"kudzu college"

scad is booming---they've already outgrown the old equifax bldg----even in the middle of this recession