Sunday, January 10, 2010
Opinion, A+E, Life, In this Issue..., Politics, Atlanta

In and Out 2010

 

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The new year is a man-made, utterly contrived device. About the time that human beings were able to owe each other money—or rather, food or clamshells—they also figured out how to count the days and months in order to compound the interest. (We learned this from reading the hieroglyphs on the backs of the food cartons in the SP refrigerator.) Still, the new year does offer the added benefit of providing us with a dividing line, a concrete moment in time at which we can say, “Whew, thank God that’s over!” and open up some room for something new. With that in mind, here’s our annual list of what’s so last year and what’s likely to be around for 12 more months—call it our take on the yin and yang, the yes and no, the very ebb and flow that shapes the cusp between 2009 and 2010.

IN: Kasim Reed

OUT: Sonny Perdue

Atlanta has a new mayor, and Georgia has a governor who can’t run again. The interesting thing is, both Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Gov. Sonny Perdue came to us courtesy of the state legislature. Reed, an attorney, served under the Gold Dome for 11 years representing part of Fulton County and Atlanta before moving to City Hall last week. Perdue, a veterinarian, also served for 11 years, representing rural Houston County in Middle Georgia before leaving the state Senate to campaign for governor. He was elected in 2003, becoming Georgia’s first Republican governor since Reconstruction. Mayor Reed, a Democrat, will rely on the GOP-dominated Capitol to help solve Atlanta’s problems, which will mean spending time with whoever manages to grab the most votes in a crowded field of possible Sonny replacements, including Attorney General Thurbert Baker, former Secretary of State Karen Handel, State Rep. Austin Scott, Labor Commissioner David Poythress, Atlanta-basher/Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine and more. As for Perdue, he might go back to doctorin’ animals out in the boonies.—Stephanie Ramage

IN: Vaccinations

OUT: Swine flu

There is almost no excuse not to get vaccinated against H1N1, a.k.a. swine flu. The Georgia Department of Community Health has an H1N1 Influenza Vaccine Provider Locator on its Web site, which requires only that you submit your ZIP code in order to get a list of vaccine providers in your area. Afraid of needles? If you don’t have a chronic health condition, and you meet the age requirement, you can get the vaccine in nasal spray form instead. See? No excuses. Unless you just want to get swine flu. The number of cases in Georgia has been in a steady downward slide since September, but if you’re going to sit there and not get vaccinated, it could bounce up again.—S.R.

IN: More cops

OUT: Gangs

According to Interim Police Chief George Turner, the Atlanta Police Department now has 1,682 officers, including 75 who are still in training. The APD loses, on average, about 150 police officers each year to retirement or to other jurisdictions who like the idea of hiring cops who have been seasoned in the big bad city. New mayor Kasim Reed ran on the promise of hiring 750 additional cops, and paying current cops at their appropriate pay grades in order to stanch the flow of attrition. The officers were promised annual “step pay” increases when they were hired, but have received them only three times over the past eight years. Reed also said he would crack down on Atlanta’s growing gang culture by hiring a police chief with a background in dealing with gangs, and reopening the city’s 23 shuttered recreation centers as “Centers of Hope,” places to provide tutoring, counseling, and wholesome recreation to young people who might otherwise be seduced into one of the city’s gangs and pressured into committing crimes.—S.R.

IN: New blood at the Gold Dome

OUT: Sleeping with lobbyists

Apparently, the Gold Dome is the best little whorehouse in Georgia.

Former Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson left the Capitol at the height of a scandal following his ex-wife Susan’s interview in November with Fox 5 television, in which she said Richardson had an affair with an Atlanta Gas Light lobbyist—just as a piece of legislation that would have benefitted the company was under consideration in the very House over which Richardson ruled with an iron fist. The former Mrs. Richardson said it was that very affair that brought down the marriage.
   
It also very nearly brought down the House, or at least turned it upside down and dumped out its unsavory contents. Karen Handel, who left her post as secretary of state to run for governor on the GOP ticket, basically confirmed the widespread belief that trading power for sex and sex for power isn’t all that uncommon under the Gold Dome when she called for an end last week to the legislature’s culture of “sex, lies and lobbyists.”—S.R.

IN: Locally sourced ingredients

OUT: Eating blindly

The importance of knowing where your food comes from continues to grow. Fortunately, restaurants like Woodfire Grill, Dynamic Dish, the Farmhouse at Serenbe, Canoe and Miller Union believe strongly in working with local farmers to provide customers with rich, flavorful meats and vegetables. Your mission in 2010? Be a mindful eater. Look for menus that tell you what farm your ingredients are sourced from, or ask your restaurant manager. The alternative is servers mumbling something unintelligible when asked where their vegetables are grown or meat is raised, and diners wondering how this cheaply made, possibly pesticide-laden product might be affecting their insides. Why would you want to ingest anything that’s traveled farther than you have for the meal, when local farmers can provide you with safer alternatives?—Kirsten Ott Palladino

IN: Simple, fun food

OUT: Complicated cuisine

Authentic tastes of Italy in the form of a pie at Antico Pizza Napoletana and Fritti; bold tacos celebrating the spirit of Mexico at El Taco and Lupe Taqueria; hot-to-trot burgers at Flip and the Vortex—these are what’s exciting the palates of Atlantans this year. Perhaps it’s the recession that’s led restaurateurs to offer wallet-friendly, appetizing bites that speak to our inner child, along with more adult dishes that delight. Whatever the reason, we’re loving this trend!

Some chefs take the art of plating way too far, like a game of Jenga, where every ingredient is gingerly placed atop another in a delicate balancing act. And when our salad arrives as a five-tiered garden jungle, we have no idea how (or desire) to eat it. Leave the circus tricks to performance artists, and concentrate on food designed for eating.—K.O.P.

IN: Social drinking

OUT: Boozing solo

No, we’re not encouraging reckless behavior. But more watering holes are opening up for you to get your drink on with friends—even if it’s just to commiserate about the state of financial affairs or to celebrate something wonderful on the horizon in 2010. Check out the snazzy new digs of the upscale Gold Room and Lounge (former home of the notorious Gold Club), the alluring and glamorous Aurum Lounge in the Metropolis, and Prohibition--a new cigar and cocktail lounge in Buckhead, where you enter through a secret door inside an antique London phone booth. For a warmer, intellectual vibe, try Ormsby’s in West Midtown.

We’re pretty sure that box of Franzia or pile of crushed PBR cans isn’t netting you any friends, an outlet for venting or better health. Drinking alone might also be the reason you’re a) unemployed, b) single or c) addicted to alcohol. We’re not judging, just nudging. Go on, get thee to a pub, bar or lounge for some face-to-face conversation.–K.O.P.

IN: Getting our hopes dashed

OUT: Getting our hopes up

 
It’s been a rough year for local sports fans. On the college level, the Bulldogs limped to an 8-5 finish, and coach Mark Richt was forced to fire three defensive coaches before the Independence Bowl. And Georgia Tech boasted an impressive 11-2 record before last week’s 24-14 loss to Iowa in the Orange Bowl.

Among the pros, the Braves and Falcons both started their seasons with promise before failing to make the playoffs—the Falcons had to make do with managing to notch the first back-to-back winning seasons in the franchise’s 40-plus year history. The Hawks, who advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs last year before getting trounced by Cleveland, started the 2009-2010 campaign with a flourish, becoming the talk of the league. But a recent four-game losing streak left many fans considering that strong start a fluke. And between strained negotiations with star player Ilya Kovalchuk and persistent rumors that the Thrashers may be put on the block, Atlanta’s hockey hopes appear to be on thin ice.—Kevin Forest Moreau

IN: Penny-pinching

OUT: Conspicuous consumption

Remember the drought a couple of years ago? It was all anyone could talk about for a while, and then nobody was quite sure if it was still going on. Even now that it’s definitely over, we’re still dealing with its unpleasant consequences (Georgia’s ongoing water war with Alabama and Florida). It’s the same thing with the Great Recession. Experts can’t seem to agree whether it’s on the way out, but one thing’s for sure: We’ll be feeling its effects for a long time to come. Georgia’s jobless rate reached record highs last year, and by November had come down slightly to a far-from-rosy 10.1 percent. Which means the popularity of money-saving gurus like Clark Howard and our good friends over at Atlanta on the Cheap won’t be abating anytime soon, and the days of Atlanta as a capitol of consumer excess look to remain a sepia-toned memory.—K.F.M.

IN: Georgia’s TV and film industries

OUT: “The Real Housewives of Atlanta”

 
The jobless rate doesn’t seem to be affecting our state’s actors, crews and behind-the-scenes production types—even those who don’t work for the one-man industry known as Tyler Perry.

“Halloween 2,” “The Blind Side,” “Zombieland” and the upcoming “Five Killers” and “Life As We Know It” (which brought Ashton Kutcher and Josh Duhamel to Atlanta, respectively) were among the feature films that set up shop in the Peach State last year. Reality shows (“Tiny and Toya,” “There Goes the Neighborhood,” Monica’s “Still Standing”) and scripted programs (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Drop Dead Diva”) also poured resources into the area.

And then there’s Bravo’s hit “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” which has been dogged by potential cast shake-ups (rumors floated last month that NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciak may not be invited back) and viewer fatigue (former fan favorite Leakes, in particular, seems to have worn out her welcome). The show enjoyed record ratings last season, but there’s no denying the bloom is off the rose.—K.F.M. SP