If You Scare Someone...

...are you a terrorist?

Probably not, but in the hyperventilating world we live in the rhetoric often heads down that path. This issue rears its ugly head, again, because some bloke went to DaVille's Panera whilst open carrying which as anyone, including that bloke, would know is going to cause other folks some indigestion. As it did.

We'll not go down the rat hole of constitutional rights vs colloquial "rights" but look instead at Panera. And guns.

As it would happen, Panera is no stranger to carry/no-carry controversy. In September of 2014 they issued a "request" that customers not engage in Take A Firearm To Lunch events at their establishments referencing a corporate ambition of creating "Panera Warmth." Apparently happiness is a warm bun, not a warm gun. At least not in the hands of a licensed gun owner. The backlash was strong and swift with over 27,000 responding to a CNBC online poll and 83% taking a negative view of Panera's stance.

To this day Second Amendment fans include Panera on lists of anti-gun companies they would prefer you not visit. Seems like the bloke who came to Dunwoody looking for soup in a bread bowl missed the email.

Honey Do

You can make them put the front door out back and the back door out front.

You can make them buy a bench and tell them what it has to look like.

You can make them install a trash can and tell them who they have to buy it from.

But you just cannot get them to take out the trash.

New Media...

...old tools.

TOD has been bitching and moaning about the sad state of Dunwoody's IT infrastructure and service in general but particularly the video broadcast of Council (and other) meetings. Apparently we are not alone. That particular call to action would address the accessibility (in the broader sense) of the City supplied "transparency technology."

Replacing/supplanting the crap used by the City would address the fact that the City knowingly and at our expense denies many residents equal access to an important City service, but at the same time would encourage their bad behaviour by providing a viable alternative. The pressure to get this City to upgrade (e.g., Granicus as used by Athens-Clarke County--there are others, almost all are better than what we have) should not be lifted. Not the least little bit. After all it is OUR money and the City should not be pissing it away on the current POS.

On the other hand, should the City actually get its act together (and a Ramblin Wreck gives us hope) it would in no way mitigate the need or value of a citizen call to arms. Certainly a forum, unmoderated or moderated by someone unaffiliated with the City and its politics, would support free discourse. A non-government community can also establish verified identities creating a community of citizens and apply rules (posting, commenting, etc.) while other voices are more diligently moderated but not muted. Unless called for.

Getting this City to perform will be slow and difficult. Remember these are the IT wizards who brought us the CAD-to-CAD debacle. Even were that not the case these new digital vigilantes are to be applauded.

Smart Poles

No, this is not some Politically Incorrect joke about folks who need to buy a vowel for their last name. This really is about smart poles. You know, every Smart City should have smart poles.

What makes the poles so smart? It isn't just that they can auto dim the lights or that they have a smart power meter in there some where. They are also wrapped up in that whole Internet of Things (IoT) thingy. And if there is anything nearly as trendy as Millennials it's gotta be IoT and other Smart Shit.

These smart poles really knock it out of the park. They really do have smart power meters and these have the capability tracking power for your, the government's, use which is billed at very low rate that you extort out of the power company, but it also tracks usage for private service use. Would not want a private company getting the government rate now would we? If you're paying attention you just realized you can lease this prime real estate (the pole) to private companies. ChaChing.

Then you should imagine what other things go with poles. This is because someone else already thought of it but you should really work on flexing that flaccid noodle anyway. One pole thing would be femto cells for cellular voice/data. That would be in the bulge at the top of the pole. Then there would be the more obvious WiFi. Then there are other sensors: weather, vehicle traffic, etc. You can even tell how many cell phones pass by a WiFi access point even if no connection is established. In fact, you can track location, direction and rate of travel. You might even tie that into traffic light and crosswalk timing. In some cities that is call "Public Service."

So these are not just smart poles, they're really smart infrastructure. And when you are tracking the wily Millennial you need some smarts.

Lucks Not Locks

The Donald seems to be confusing and confounding some pretty important folks. In particular the pundits and pontificators in NY and DC. They cannot understand why Trump did not go up and flair out like a political roman candle. But what they find really baffling is that so many folks, largely but not only, in the fly-over states aren't paying attention.

At least not to them.

They could get a clue if they'd just pay a little attention to themselves. No. Really. This came to light during a recent Sunday dose of condescension being doled out on the talking head shows. The target, as has been the case for longer than they thought possible, was The Donald, specifically a rally in Biloxi, MS.

Which they pronounced "Beh-LOCKS-see" which anyone who knows much of anything round these parts knows is actually "Buh-LUCKS-see." If approached on this the pundits' reaction would be "so what--a rose and a name and really, that's not the point."

But it IS the point. If you are actually going to get your message across you need to speak the language your audience understands. You have to be relatable. You don't come in as a carpetbagger with utter disregard and then try to convince folks how confused and just plain wrong they are. That won't play in Peoria.

How would they react to someone who goes to upstate NY and pronounces "Newark" like they do in NJ or DE (they are all pronounced differently) or goes to the NY state capital and pronounces Albany like you would in SW Georgia? Or head west out of Detroit and pronounce Novi know-vee?  Would these haughty pundits really take direction from someone who seems so clueless about where they are? Yet they'll tell you it doesn't really matter how you pronounce Biloxi or whether or not folks living there like the way they say it.

And maybe that is true, but if you're going to lecture folks in what you consider the hinterlands you'll get more traction if you actually learn how to pronounce their home town. When you don't about all you really convey is your arrogant disregard for anyone in any place but  your own. 

Dunwoody Merges With Brookhaven

Details are just emerging but the AJC put the public on notice that a merger between Dunwoody and Brookhaven is in the works.

A non-profit has been established to promote and advance the merger with pre-merger Task Forces already established. Insiders indicated one of the most contentious is the Naming Task Force, where proposals have ranged from Dunhaven to Brookwood[y] to Pavedpark City to Cycle City to Teaborough and even City of Rightwing. The latter has been rejected as being too obvious.

As expected the City Charter Task Force is in turmoil. Some have suggested the merged city be headed by a mayor and a vice-mayor as hands-on CEO and COO respectively. Thankfully the suggestion that the charter require the mayor to be named "Davis" was promptly batted down. There has been no mention of a role modeled after a corporate CFO as this is government so cost containment isn't an issue and taxes are easily and routinely added and increased. Some have voiced concern about the number of Council members with the current plan being to add additional members. To ensure "proper" minority representation the districts will remain aligned north-south but this combined with the increase in Council is making for some very skinny districts. A proposed alternative is to increase the number of at-large Council members but there is some concern about attracting the attention of the Feds.

The Operations Task Force has proposed a restructured police force emphasizing enforcement, eliminating some desk jockeys and downplaying the revenue-by-fine model.  No one really expects this to make it into the charter let alone into practice.

Of course these are all unconfirmable reports as the non-profit is private and none of their activities are subject to open records requests.

We won't have to wait long for the dust to settle and details to emerge, but one thing everyone is excited about is that Dunwoody will finally be rid of purloined "Smart City" moniker.

Corporate Welfare

Corporate welfare comes in a few varieties and though hard to believe we have some elected officials promoting a distinction between good and bad corporate welfare. It should come as no surprise that good corporate welfare is the one that concentrates power and influence with the party advocating one over the other.

So what are they?

Well, first we have Development Authorities, which (primarily for PR purposes) may provide infrastructure improvements, but for the most part provide ad valorem tax incentives (AKA abatements). These are generally funded by Authority issued bonds which is key to most criticisms--Authorities members are appointed (by elected politicians, but ignore that for now) and the indebtedness is not subject to direct or indirect public approval.

Then we have so called Improvement Districts, usually business areas that self-tax and use the funds in the district for district benefit. Sounds like the ultimate in local control and responsibility. Until you factor in government, largely federal grants. One local ID bragged that for every dollar collected locally they received nineteen dollars in federal matching funds. It is noteworthy that the federal government operates at a deficit--what a business would call a loss, or perhaps, indebtedness. Again, taxpayer debt.

Finally we have Tax Allocation Districts or TADs. Proponents of TADs (IE, those in control of the money) tout the fact that taxpayers in the TAD continue to pay taxes, but quietly gloss over the fact that these taxes are diverted, under their control, to the narrow benefits, as they see them, of the designated district. Outside the district, taxpayers are screwed (see APS and the Beltline TAD) but the politicians involved maintain power thru control of the TAD expenditures.

So. Is one better than the other? Perhaps. If you like being a shaker and mover, aren't interested in getting yourself elected but don't mind sucking up to those who do then you can wield the power of Other Peoples' Money on a Development Authority. If you're a business [owner] that wouldn't mind spending a dollar to get your hands on ten to twenty dollars of OPM to spend on your wants, then the Improvement District is for you. If you're a politician who believes it is your gawd-given right to make sure every penny spent in your area get's the blessed touch of your healing hands then you'll be a big fan of TADs.

But if you're just a taxpayer, or worse yet one who believes in small government, then there is a special word for you. Screwed.

The One That Got Away

Many families in the area serve up the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. Apparently one had to settle for six.

The One That Go Away

Or maybe the frog strangler storms that week floated the poor bloke from natural habitat to Dunwoody gutter.

Worse For The Wear

When All Else Fails...

...lower your standards.

The good folks running education in neighboring South Carolina have made enormous strides in upping graduation rates, often approaching 90%. How did they do this? Did they steal a page from the APS playbook and encourage failing students to withdraw into a private school? Not at all. They just started handing out credits and diplomas.

When it comes to educators it is just as easy as turning a knob.

How were these fine educators exposed? Well, even in South Carolina you need to perform on the SAT or ACT to actually use that high school credential to get into college. On those tests these pitiable children, lied to by their teachers, by and large did not pass both the verbal and math sections of the ACT. In one school, touting an 85% graduation rate, not a single graduate passed either section.

And don't kid yourself that this is just South Carolina. The Feds are all in with Every Child Succeeds. Georgia has taken it to a new level mandating that the University System up their graduation rates. Given that in public schools, K-12 and college, there is no accountability-not in the classroom, not in the administration, not in the Boards of Education and not in the Board of Regents-Georgia is willfully creating a system of diploma mills. One feeding the other.

You probably are wondering why the government, our elected officials, would undermine our public education system. Pretty simple really-corporate relocations. Georgia is getting corporate relo-s but we're also losing some to Alabama and South Carolina. Part of the table stakes is "an educated and trained workforce." Fortunately for the state government and all our educators it doesn't have to be real--sort of like downtown crime, "we want people to FEEL safe when they come downtown." And corporate America is jiggy with it too. They started the ball rolling with "Master's in Computer Science, or FOREIGN EQUIVALENT" opening the door for less that scrupulous foreign education systems/governments to pump out credentialed, but often unqualified, holders of "Foreign Equivalents." Companies knew there was no equivalence but it WAS cheaper. The CEO of NCR had a brief encounter with reality commenting about their next relo to Tech Square when he said he really wanted access to the Tech's programming talent. NCR needs programmers from ITT, not Masters in Computer Science from Tech.

Is there anything anyone can do to prevent government and business interests from pushing a pliable education system into diploma mill status?

There is only one organization in America that can put an end to this - US News and World Report. Recently they adjusted their metrics to account for situations where grad students are filling the teaching roles of PhD wielding professors. At least one major R1 in Georgia has responded by hiring a significant number of non-tenured, PhD instructors. They are readily available because academia turns out several hundred more PhDs per year than they can otherwise absorb--they practically litter the job market. The non-tenure status (probably a good idea in general) means easy-hire-easy-fire in the event USN&WR pivots to some other criteria, say research metrics. They will, they always have.

What we need USN&WR to pivot to is remediation. Sufficient demerits for remediation will eliminate it from our R1 universities in order for them to maintain their ratings. This will  apply back pressure to the K-12 system which is, as in South Carolina, pumping out well credential, unqualified graduates incapable of embarking on an R1 calibre education. Lots of good could come from this but don't expect dramatic or even measurable improvements in Georgia's K-12 public schools. These will hew true to the internal mission of "Everything They Learned, They Learned In Kindergarten."  It is more likely that the State will establish "Acceleration Academies" for remediation and finally offer adequate support for Technical Programs throughout the state. At the end of the day that is what businesses really need and is achievable, though aspirational for the State of Georgia.

Guest Post : Good Grits Charlie Brown

In spite of calls to "Quit it with the food posts" TOD has offered this space for a holiday, hell, a Christmas, food post. A few members of TOD met up with this poster at Eddie Izzard's Force Majueure Tour stop in Athens as the Charleston show sold out before they could score tickets. Dining at one of the finer Athens' restaurants an order of shrimp and grits was secured. The general consensus was "Friends Don't Let Friends Make Bad Grits." So here we are.

While the guest author generally writes and speaks like the author of  Thug Kitchen we requested the language be a little less R-Rated. Nonetheless some of the juicy bits have been redacted and some wording exchanged for the original, spicier expressions. While humor was compromised content remains undiluted.

Without further ado...

Lobster Broth Grits With Brown Butter Lobster Medallions

I am Calinky. South Calinky to be precise but some of my favorite relatives lived and are buried up north in blue sky Carolina. Being a Calinky I know pluff mud and I've been to the Chitlin' Strut. I know the Shag ain't what you think it is and I know Dukes is the only mayo. I know ramps and poke weed and I know anyone who eats 'em is antisocial or dirt poor. Or both. I've gigged my share of frogs, the hoppity kind, and my crawdaddies are fresh from the creek. I cook in my mother's mother's cast iron and grill on my daddy's PK.

And I know grits. We're not talking hominy we're talking grits. One thing I know is if you're gonna make good grits you gotta start with good grits. And good grits don't come out of a bag with an old man on the front looking like Hillary Clinton on a bad hair day. And "Instant" ain't got nothin' to do with grits.

Good grits come from Anson Mills though in a pinch Carolina Plantation ain't bad. What makes Anson Mills grits so good? They start with good corn--heirloom dent corn as grown by American Indians. Then they work real hard not to screw it up. The let it field ripen and cold mill it. And when you get it, the freezer is where you store it.

Nowadays way too many folks can't say "grits" without saying "shrimp 'n'" first but fact is this seems to come from Yankee Honey Pots (like Hilton Head) with the idea of keeping carpet baggers from dumping sugar on Plain Ole Grits. Can't fix stupid, ain't gonna try. If we're gonna put some kinda sea roach on grits we're going to the palmetto bug of sea roaches, the lobster.

I'm gonna tell you how to cook grits 'n' lobster. Pay attention.

You'll need good grits, lobster tails, some butter and some water. Maybe salt but probably not. Oh, and some kind of garnish. Most folks stick with chives or parsley but cilantro, if you can stand it, has more to add.

You need to start a couple things pretty much at once. Put your grits in a pot and with minimal water, bring to a boil and then turn off the heat. They'll soak a while. At the same time start a quarter stick of butter in a cast iron frying pan and put it on low heat to melt and slightly brown.

While that's going on, cut the lobster tails into sections by slipping the edge of a chef's knife into the gap between top shell joints and cut all the way thru. You'll end up with five pieces and a tail fin. Use a grapefruit spoon to fish the meat out of the shell rings. If you're careful you can get leg meat. Pull out any intestine and drain on paper towels. If you're trying to economize you can cut the larger pieces in half. Put the shells and a half stick of butter into the smallest sauce pan that will hold them. Heat to melt the butter, cover the shells with water, bring to a boil then drop to a simmer. Simmer for five to ten minutes or until you get tired of watching.

Strain the lobster shell broth into the grits, add the remaining grits, bring to a boil and reduce to a low boil/high simmer. You probably have too much liquid and you'll want to slowly reduce. You need to pay attention and stir occasionally.

As the grits reduce you cook the lobster slices. The butter should be browned and you won't need to increase the heat. The lobster will take a couple minutes on each side. Shell sides will go red and the meat white. Flip, finish, drain.

By now the grits should be done, and by "done" we mean al dente. They're called grits for a reason.  At this point you're mostly looking for consistency. Swirl the spoon in the pot and if it holds a trail they're done. If you think they're too thick add water. You should check to see if salt is needed but the lobster broth is probably salt enough.

Plate up.

Grits into bowls. Lobster distributed evenly amongst bowls and your favorite garnish on top.

Et Voila!