Scene of the crime

The San Fran Zoo reported twice as many visitors as normal as it reopened its doors after the fatal tiger mauling (story here). Zoo officials chalked it up to morbid curiousity. That's a bit cynical, I think. Part of the magnetism of zoos is their gift of proximity to wild and often dangerous wild animals. That experience can only be heightented at times like these.

(YouTube: The spellbinding Battle at Kruger has received 23 million page views!)

The poetry of watching birds

It's a weird hobby, birds.

But they are our link to the air, performing effortlessly what we can only do mechanically, and clumsily so.

The annual bird count just finished up (story here). No surprise, the event drew at least one poet, Robert Kimsey.

"We don't know exactly what we're going to see. I'm hoping for at least 50 species. I'm dreaming of 70."

It's easy to get started with a simple bird feeder hung out of the way of cats, and under a branch, somewhere in your yard. Here in Kirkwood, the major bird flight path overhead rivals Hartsfield, so potential arrivals can come from all over the map, whether towhees or crossbills. Even the old feeder standby, the cardinal, is a shockingly beautiful creature.

(Pix: A fluffed-up female cardinal.)

Realtor's credo: Live, hope and pray

Real estate agents are having a tough time, and many are dropping out. Here are real estate blogger Mary Wozny's "12 Lovely Lyrics" to soothe the real estate agent's anxious heart.

Love like there’s no tomorrow.
Laugh out loud and often.
Listen to your soul.
Lighten up!
Lean on a friend - that’s what they live for.
Look for the good in all things and people.
Live the dream you thought of when you were a child.
Lose anger and resentment.
Linger after church.
Light candles at dinner.
Lend your smile ... it’s so amazing.
Launch your ideas with unstoppable force.

"Lose anger and resentment" -- I've got to remember that one!

Subscribe now!

I could give you a spiel, but I'll save it.

A quick look at Kirkwood News and you see what it is: One urban homeowner's view of the world from his bungalow basement in Kirkwood, one of Atlanta's transmogrifying neighborhoods.

If you ain't RSS-savvy enough to pull the Kirkwood News headline animator over to your homepage, you can now also get The News in your email box every morning -- just to make doubly sure you don't miss any juicy bits like our post today on the Brian Nichols' escape attempt or our continuing campaign to get a hockey rink built at Kirkwood's Pullman Yard.

Okay, that was a little spiel.

It's easy and safe. Just type your email into the subscription box on the right and away you go. If you decide you hate our guts, then you can easily unsubscribe.

We hope it won't come to that.

The break-out artist

The Man Who Scared Atlanta, Brian Nichols, sure is a piece of work.

From the AP:

"Meneguzzo said she began writing to Nichols after his arrest in the courthouse shootings, talked with him by phone and visited him a number of times in jail, where they held hands and kissed, and where she once sat in such a way that he could look up her skirt.

She told investigators that Nichols asked her to go to a Home Depot store and buy a masonry saw, a circular saw, a jack and other tools capable of cutting through 11 to 12 inches of cinderblock. It is not clear from the records if the tools were ever bought.

In a letter to Meneguzzo, Nichols said his plan once he got out was to hop into a cargo van driven by a friend who would pose as a Red Cross volunteer. He said there would be boxes in the back he could hide in."

Wonder if the jury will be sympathetic?

Dixie awaits Obama

Hoarse, but spirited, Barack Obama stepped foot in my frigid old hometown of Portsmouth, NH, this morning, fresh off his big win in Iowa (link here). His prediction: If you give me New Hampshire, I'll take the nation. He might well be right. One look at the youthful faces behind him as he spoke in Des Moines gave plenty of evidence to start believing in America's "Copernican revolution," as Lebanon's Daily Star put it (read it here; more global perspective from Charlene Smith here). South Carolina then beckons. The South awaits him. History will likely be made (great coverage by Andrew here).

male natural posture (no laptop, sitting)

Is blogging hazardous to your health? Yossi Vardi reports, hilariously, here.

Key quote:

"You should stay cool with appropriate clothing. You should care about posture. This is the correct posture."

Hat tip: Uncle Feddie.

Atlanta's racial majority up for grabs

Are the city's changing demographics opening the door for the next "Great White Hope"? That dated Sidney Marcus quip aside, the 2009 mayoral race may indeed yield the first white mayor after seven black administrations as white residents, who in 2000 made up only 39 percent of the population, are eight years later inching up to the 50 percent mark (link here). Of course, those are clumsy numbers, as our pal Barack Obama proved last night in Iowa. As Mr. Obama pointed out after winning handsomely in the near-white Hawkeye State, America's way forward is not as a gaggles of red and blue states, but as a set of united states on issues of race, class and politics. The big question locally, I guess, is whether a white mayor could do a better job in improving our schools, parks and police. Most of us know that, in the end, that will ultimately depend on the quality of the candidate, not the tone of their skin.

(Pix: A segregated Atlanta baseball team, 1900.)

'The new breadwinners'

More women are wearing the pants in young American families (great story here). Still, it's one thing to hang on your wife's skirttails when it's just you two. The problem is when kids enter the picture. Luckily, men apparently are comfortable being stay-at-homers, as well (cool blog here). Are we losing our machismo? Perchance. But maybe, just maybe, after thousands of years of bringing home the brontosaurus steaks, we're happy to step aside. Go at it, girls! We'll sit back and watch the world go by.

(Pix: A rare sight these days: A '50s dad.)

Cousins snags Ft. Gillem's civilian conversion

The old Atlanta Army Depot is just a few miles southeast of us, just on the other side of the Beltline, once a key part of America's -- and Atlanta's -- defenses. But now Fort Gillem, as it's known these days, is closing along with Fort McPherson, victims of the 2005 basae realignment act (more information than you could possibly use here.) Most the military claptrap and personnel will be moved up to Fort Bragg, N.C., in the city once known as Fayettenam. What happens to its, 1,400 acres is now up to our own Cousins Properties (link here).

From the AJC:

"Fort Gillem's redevelopment promises to transform Forest Park, a truck-traffic town with a cemetery on Main Street and a smattering of storefront churches. Clayton County's biggest city suffers from a shortage of taxable property. Two of the largest propertyowners — the Atlanta State Farmers Market and Fort Gillem — do not pay property taxes.

Cousins' job will include negotiating property transfers with the Army, garnering regional approval for the massive undertaking, helping with zoning changes and steering development."

Base redevelopment can be a tricky business. But if Tom Cousins' outfit could clean up East Lake, converting an empty old Army base for civilian purposes (read: shopping and living) will be a breeze.

Porsche: The urbanite's car of choice

American Dan Gurney winning the 1962 Gran Prix in a Porsche.

Atlanta-based Porsche Cars of North America broke a sales record last year even as real estate agents were jumping off the Titanic and retailers were singing the blues. (Link here.) My brother (first-author of article here) has been drooling over the dang things since he was a teenager. I don't see the appeal myself (my ride here), but, hey, we can notch Porsche's popularity up as another Atlanta success story. Meanwhile, Detroit fumes (link here).

The case of the disappearing sign

The Oakhurst sign in the middle disappeared some time in the last week.

Was it a mirage? No, wait, we got the picture.

The mystery thickens: A week after Kirkwood News ran a story (link here) about the strange appearance of an Oakhurst neighborhood sign at the entrance to Kirkwood at College and Rocky Ford, the sign has disappeared.

Who put it there? Who removed it? Was it an honest mistake, a realtor's prank, a case of neighborhood one-up-manship? Were any laws broken? We imagine one has to get permission to attach signs to a city light post. Equally intriguingly, did our coverage have anything to do with the sign being taken down?

We don't have many answers -- yet. If anybody knows the scoop on the case of the sign that appeared and disappeared, please don't hesitate to fill us in.

End to end

A goal for the ages from Kovy against the Hurricanes the other night.

What housing bust?

Manhattan real estate reaches record heights (link here). Turns out that for wealthy Europeans, the Big Apple is a bargain!

Teardowns trumped?

The teardown phenomenon and its consequences has been boiling for a couple of years, but efforts to curb the trend are underway all across the US, from Edina, Minn., to St. Helena, Calif., from Dallas to Raleigh. This story (link here) lays down some of the political realities and policy potential.

Nut quote, referring to Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker's attempt to build a majority to ban teardowns:

...in October, Raleigh voters dumped two pro-builder council incumbents in favor of challengers Rodger Koopman and Nancy McFarlane, shifting power on the council to the pro-neighborhoods side and creating a "Meeker majority," as it's often known.

One insight: Neighborhood power -- epitomized, in many ways, by New Orleans neighborhoods taking the reins from the City Council in rebuilding the city -- is on the rise in city politics. Critics say such Luddite movements are unconstitutional and ill-advised. Yet this issue is ultimately about local self-determination, and that's a powerful force.

China holds liens on American homes

Here's a must-read piece for homeowners via the omniscient eye of the BBC World Service (link here).

In the real nut graf, economist Nouriel Roubini gives this nittygritty assessment, based on the kinds of decisions capital-starved banks are having to make in the subprime backlash:

[Roubini] predicts that a reduction of credit on that scale will trigger a recession in America which could become global as the contagion spreads through the banking system worldwide.

Which is why, faced with these gaping and growing holes in their shareholders' capital, some of the biggest US banks are selling off shares to China, Singapore, or wealthy Gulf oil states, in an attempt to repair the damage.

Comforting, no?

'Sistah Mayah' MIA

Bloglanta raises a good question: Where is Shirley?

Key quote:

Sistah Mayah used to be everywhere! Openings, closings, luncheons, announcements, Beltlines, projects, schools, houses… heck if you asked nicely she’d meet you at a donut shop. Now she’s gone. She’s ‘Underground Shirley’, and like Underground she’s giving the impression that she is not doing very well.

(Link here.)

'The most important point is to drive fast.'

I finally get it!

(Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan.)

Our messy democracy: Doing it Iowa-style

Do you know how the Iowa caucuses work? Me neither. But as we watch from afar the changing political momentum leading up to an epic presidential vote, this YouTube primer might be useful for understanding perhaps democracy's strangest ritual.

To see what reporters are pondering as Iowans head for the caucuses Thursday, go here. For more insight on how the nation views the Iowa vote go here. Hendrik Hertzberg of the New Yorker also sums things up well here.

ER docs less likely to give morphine to blacks

This study (link here) about racial discrepancies in how ER drugs are administered is an eyeopener.

Key quote:

Differences in prescribing were greatest for people with the worst pain. About 52 percent of whites in severe pain received opioids, compared with 42 percent of Hispanics and 39 percent of blacks.

To be sure, I have to think this is not just a race, but a class, issue, and also probably touches on the potential for the patient to actually pay the hospital for the drugs. But it still raises a significant ethical issue: Do acceptable levels of pain fluctuate between social classes? I'd argue they don't.

Lei-less Dogs more fearsome than Hawaiians

Despite their leis, fearsome faces and an unbeaten record, Hawaii wilted against Georgia's dominant D and ground game in the Sugar Bowl Tuesday night.

Even the Times took note (link here) of the implications:

The Bulldogs showed the alarming disparity between an elite team from the Southeastern Conference and the champion of the Western Athletic Conference. The impressive victory, combined with the Bulldogs’ returning 17 starters next season, means that Georgia could start the season as the country’s top-ranked team and a favorite to win the national title.

The fact is, this blowout shows that the Dogs should have probably been there this year. Instead, LSU will be representin' against Ohio State on Jan. 7.

Livin' in the 'hood lowers yer IQ

Where a family lives matters more to educational success than a family's income, according to a new study out of Chicago. (Link here.)

The down-low:

"... the study revealed that living in a so-called 'disadvantaged' neighborhood for at least two years lowered a child's verbal test scores by four IQ points - or roughly the equivalent of one year of education."

Another reason to promote diverse neighborhoods.

What treasures, as 150-year-old sub surfaces

The Hunley, before its drift to the bottom.

The Hunley is one of my favorite stories bridging the Old and New South. Born as a Yankee-killer, the sub, with all its men, foundered after a successful sinking of a Northern frigate in Charleston Harbor. (Good Nat'l Geo story here.) It's about as good a lens as we have for insight into one of the most technically dramatic moments of the Civil War, and the birth of a race of pig-iron divers that came to dominate the world's waters by the next mid-century. Recovered on Aug. 8, 2000, its treasures keep coming to light (link here). Next time you're in Charleston, the Hunley Museum is well worth a visit.

Roaches, rats and criminals: Cities tackle motels

Charlotte, N.C., is targeting the HQ of the criminal establishment: the seedy motel.

Key quote:

From 2005 to 2006, the Police Department spent 157 total hours investigating crimes at the 150-room hotel, where at least 30 people lived among rats and roaches in filthy rooms.

(Link here.)

Cold snap

They panic in Florida when the breath condenses. (Link here.)