New Dekalb Elementary School Opens With Dead Landscape

The new Peachcrest Elementary School opened its doors last week to students. At this time, the facility was not complete; workers continued to park along the street, leaving only one lane for traffic as they scrambled to finish the final detail work on the building and grounds.

What stands out like a sore thumb, however, is that over half of the landscape plants-trees, shrubs and sod, are dead. That's right, DEAD. This is not the first time I've seen dead or dying plants installed at new facilities in Dekalb. Many of the trees planted at the new Exchange Park in South Dekalb were clearly dead or diseased.

How many of our tax dollars were used to provide dead and dying plants to the new Peachcrest Elementary School. Is this yet another member of the "Friends and Family Job Network" that we are all so familiar with? I would like to know. Following are photos of the school that just opened last week.

Don't Lose Faith in Humanity

This morning I was driving down Glenwood Road, headed to our school to work in the garden. As I approached the Candler Road intersection, I suddenly saw an accident scene that had obviously just occurred. I pulled off the road immediately. There were at least two cars involved and one was a Dekalb police officer. I couldn't see him moving, so I got out expecting that I'd need to help.

This intersection, next to the former South Precinct, is a high crime area with a heavy police presence. Most of the people walking around the area do whatever they can to avoid any interaction with police officers. Not today. Before I could get to the cruiser, I saw people coming from all directions. One man shouted, "Call 9-1-1!" He and another man tried but couldn't get the officer's car door open. They worked at it and I could see them actually pry and work together to wrench the door open so that the officer would be able to be pulled out.

Others had gathered at the other vehicle and were assessing the other driver involved. Just as I was connected to the 9-1-1 operator, another cruiser pulled up and a fire truck and ambulance followed shortly after.

I don't know what injuries either driver suffered. I am praying for both of them. But I can truly say that what I witnessed today restored my faith in humanity and made me proud to be a citizen of Dekalb.

The "EBT Challenge" Doesn't Add Up - Don't Believe the Hype!

There has been much media coverage in the past two weeks regarding the Farm Bill and members of Congress participating in an “EBT Challenge” to prove that EBT benefits don’t provide enough food to feed one person with the current benefit of $31.40 a week. When I saw my Congressman post online that he couldn’t sleep after eating two hot dogs and Ramen noodles, my blood started to boil. You see, I am a single working Mom. I spend less than this for food and my children are holding up pretty well. In fact, I believe the opposite: considering the state of our economy, benefits could (and probably should) be reduced.  

I spent a total of $58.63 to feed myself and my thirteen year old teenager for one week, well under the $62.80 EBT challenge amount for two people, and this included an unplanned purchase of 2 cases of PowerAde (my teen is in the gym training 15 hours a week and it was on sale). I did not make a list ahead of time, use coupons or price shop. Many of the items are brand name, and most are ready to eat items. Without the purchase of the sports beverage, I spent only $41.23 on food for both of us.

Farmers market

2 Yellow Bell Peppers          $2.76

2 Cucumbers                       $0.66

2 Red Bell Peppers              $2.79

Hass Avocado                     $0.79

4 Red Plums                        $1.76

Parmesan Bread                   $2.29

Potato Bread                        $2.29

Tax                                     $0.57

Kroger’s

Honey Wheat Bread          $0.88

Honey Wheat Bread          $0.88

Eckridge Smoked Sausage $2.50

Eckridge Smoked Sausage $2.50

Johnsonville Andouille       $3.00

Cheddar Cheese, sliced     $2.39

Provolone Cheese, sliced   $2.39

Deli turkey, sliced              $2.74

Hormel Genoa Salami        $1.00

Hormel Pepperoni              $1.00

Hormel Pepperoni              $1.00

Lay’s Chips                       $2.99

Mini Hershey Bars             $1.25

2 liter Diet Coke                 $1.50

30 PowerAde’s @ 0.58      $17.40

Tax                                   $1.30

My EBT challenge demonstrated to me that SNAP, which is supposed to be a supplemental food program, has become the “Cadillac Plan” of government welfare. While I certainly believe we should assist Americans who cannot purchase food on their own, I also believe that just as many Americans like myself shop within their budget and make sacrifices, so should those on the EBT program. When times are tough, I buy rice and dry beans. Being on EBT shouldn’t mean than you eat better food than those who work but don’t qualify for EBT.

Some Unusual Finds at the Decatur Arts Festival

This morning I headed out early to the Decatur Arts Festival. The festival continues though tomorrow (Sunday, May 26) from 11am until 5pm.  This event is a great one for the whole family, and there is plenty of art to purchase in a wide range of prices. I observed pieces from as little as $2 on up to $5,000. There is also a variety of gourmet food trucks in addition to the great restaurants in Decatur.

I am going to share some up close looks at my favorite art pieces.

My first stop was on the plaza where the Atlanta Glass Guild had lots and lots of pieces for sale. This group is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to glass art enthusiasts. There is stained glass, glass mosaics, etched glass, kiln-baked glass and every type of glass you could imagine!

Next I walked down towards the turnaround in front of the plaza. There I was pleased to meet Marlene Hopkins from Woodstock. She and her husband make whimsical metal sculptures from recycled materials. Yes, they re-purpose lots of items that were headed to the junkyard or landfill. Below are photos of some of her art for sale. She can also be reached at creativemetal@yahoo.com

I wandered over to the tents on East Ponce de Leon and met Barry Rhodes, who has a Decatur gallery where his pieces can be viewed by appointment, as he has a PhD in Physics and works for the CDC as well. Barry has been a potter for 30 years. His work has been featured in collections across the country. He has beautiful iPod stands at a very reasonable price. He has larger, more decorative pieces as well as you can see below. He can be reached at: barry@rhodespottery.com  I wonder if his knowledge of physics plays a part in his unique designs. I'm guessing so. 

Just down past Mr. Rhodes, I found Felix Berroa organizing his display. You can find some of his work for sale on this website. Felix was born in the Dominican Republic and has studied art since 1970. His paintings are vibrant and exciting and most feature intriguing faces. He can be contacted via felbere@hotmail.com 

Lucinda Carlstrom has a unique occupation. She is commissioned by companies to create one-of-a-kind commemorative quilts. She uses paper, silk and gold leaf in her designs.You can see some of her creations at www.LucindaCarlstrom.com Currently she is working on a quilt for Rutgers University. This is a photo of her work in progress. She will be sewing the individual buildings onto the quilt as well as further detail.

Lucinda also maintains a corporate rental property in the Lenox/Buckhead area. The home is fully furnished and quite lovely and can be viewed here.

Sergey Cherep is an enthusiastic and friendly artist that was quick to invite me into his shaded tent to chat. Sergey was born in Russia and has an amazing story. When he was just 3 years old, he contracted meningitis and became paralyzed. For years he couldn't walk or speak, but found his peace in painting. Eventually he recovered from the paralysis, but lost hearing in one ear. He went on to attend University. In Russia, art classes and supplies were free for him, but after graduating, he found that he could only sell his oil paintings through organized crime thugs that took 70% of his profit! He was able to obtain a visa and flew directly to Atlanta to find artistic freedom. Sergey was soon hired as a janitor at the IRS. One day he showed his manager some of his work. The manager quickly set up an art show for him in the IRS cafeteria, where he made his first sale. Here is some of his work:

Jamie Calkin also has an interesting background. He earned his doctorate in Science Education from UGA. His dissertation involved using visual arts to teach science in elementary school. Jamie is now a part-time assistant professor at UGA, but art has become more of a full-time job for him. Apparently Jamie can often be found driving around Athens in his "art van" looking for new scenes to paint. I was especially intrigued by his art which uses guitars in place of canvas!

Barbara Rush's display was the last stop on my tour of the Art Festival. Barbara's artwork shouts out her love for animals and nature. Her paintings feature horses, birds, cats and flowers. Each figure is painstakingly filled with shapes, curves or grids that make her paintings spring forward when you gaze at them. Barbara's pieces are featured in two local galleries. She has extensive experience in graphic design as well and can design a custom logo for your company at a very reasonable price!

Finally, if you are able to visit the Decatur Art Festival Sunday, take a few minutes for this free activity at the New York Times sales tent. A lovely young lady took my photo with her iPad, let me pick key words to describe my interests and instantly created a unique Word Cloud Portrait of me (which she emailed to me on the spot). Oh, and she does it for the kiddies as well.

An App a Day Keeps the IRS Away

Recently genius Apple CEO Timothy D. Cook testified at a Senate hearing about corporate tax loopholes. Cook presented a report that showed that last year, Apple paid nearly $6 billion in taxes, making the company America’s Top Taxpayer.

However, Senator John McCain, who is not quite as bright as Cook, couldn’t understand how it was fair for Apple to keep money from products sold in other countries inside those other countries. Fortunately, Cook’s assistant, an Apple intern, swiftly designed a “gift App” for the IRS.

The App, called TaxBuddy, uses complex algorithms to analyze the user’s income and determines the scenario which will result in the highest possible income tax. The App captures all personal information and immediately e-files the data via tax return to the IRS. It also auto-flags old tax returns for audit.

President Barack Obama, who recently implemented a new policy to cc: him on stuff was aware of and had high praise for the App and immediately issued the following statement, “I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money. This App will ensure that all Apple users pay their fair share. This is the type of Private-Public Partnership America needs to grow the economy.”