Fresh Loaf

Those who came to City Hall on Monday hoping to hear a revealing, or perhaps even forward-looking, State of the City address likely were disappointed. Firstly, the mayor read only a brief portion of her speech at the top of the Council meeting. But a full transcript of the speech, available online, isn’t much more satisfying or illuminating.

Watching Franklin over the past year has been interesting. At the beginning of her tenure, she seemed self-effacing and upbeat. But ever since the city budget troubles were revealed last January, she has used about half her time at the podium to defend her administration’s legacy.

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Deafening chants of “Long Live Palestine!” could be heard Monday evening outside the Midtown building that houses the Israeli consulate.

Over 250 people rallied to protest the hundreds of casualties in the Gaza Strip caused by Israel’s bombing and ground offensive. The attack came in response to rocket fire by Hamas into Israel.

According to organizers this was the fourth pro-Palestinian protest in Atlanta since Israel began its attack on Dec. 27.

Amar Aburas shouts "Free Palestine!" He is from Palastine and has family living in Gaza.

Demonstrators lined both sides of Spring Street at 12th Avenue during rush hour with dozens of signs bearing messages such as “End the Occupation Now” and images of bloodied Palestinan children. A Palestinian protestor named Mahmoud (no last name given) held a homemade sign that read “Who killed us? Israel did.”

More photos from the protest at our Sideshow Atlanta blog.

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American television so often takes its cues from English and European shows, including the original version of “The Office” and many reality series, that it’s refreshing to see a British show influenced by one from the states. The BBC One spy drama “MI-5,” debuting on Atlanta’s PBA 30 at 10 p.m. Fri., Jan. 9, clearly picked up a thing or two from Fox’s counterterrorism series “24,” such as the use of split-screens and a thrumming soundtrack.

“24” (which begins its seventh season on Jan. 11) already had episodes in the can when the Sept. 11 attacks occurred before its debut in November of 2001. “MI-5” premiered in May of 2002 and had the chance to adjust its focus to specifically reflect the post-9/11 geopolitical landscape. Compared to a soft-spoken, character-driven police procedural such as Helen Mirren’s “Prime Suspect,” “MI-5” is much more glitzy, action-oriented and “American” in its sensibility, although Tom Quinn (Frost/Nixon’s Matthew Macfayden), the hero of the show’s first seasons, proves more sardonic and less intense than Keifer Sutherland’s tormented Jack Bauer on “24.”

Called “Spooks” in England and “MI-5” in the United States and France, the show also reveals a sense of humor and awareness of real-world foibles completely absent from “24.” The “MI-5” pilot involves the search for an American anti-abortion zealot who plans an English bombing campaign. When Tom’s colleagues try to put the terrorist’s flat under electronic surveillance when no one’s home, they accidentally let the cat out in the rain, and not only have to track down the stray pet, but dry it off, lest the bad guys get wise to their presence. The show itself isn’t free of missteps, either: The actress playing the pro-life American affects a ridiculous Southern accent that sounds like a mixture of Texas, Florida, Scotland and late-night drunk.

In between taut cloak-and-dagger sequences, “MI-5” humanizes the lives of covert intelligence operatives. The early episodes have Tom falling in love with a civilian who only knows him by a cover identity instead of his real name and profession, a predicament mined for wry pathos. The series’ seventh season is scheduled to begin in late 2009, giving local viewers plenty of time to play catch-up. “MI-5” has a reputation for sudden, shocking character deaths, so first-timers willing to sign up for this take on British intelligence should expect to be both shaken and stirred.

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The Georgia Public Service Commission, the quasi-judicial state agency that determines how much you pay to turn on your lights and heat up your oven, will hold hearings next week to discuss two proposed nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle, an power-generation plant near Augusta owned mostly by Georgia Power and Dalton Utilities.

From the PSC:

The Georgia Public Service Commission will continue its hearings on the Georgia Power Co. request seeking commission certification of two new nuclear power generation units at Plant Vogtle at 10 a.m. on Monday, January 12, 2009. The meeting will take place in Room 110 at 244 Washington Street, S.W., Atlanta, Georgia.

The hearings will continue at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 through Friday, January 16, 2009 if necessary, with the Commission Public Interest Advisory Staff and other intervenors presenting testimony and evidence in support of their positions. The January 15, 2009 hearing will begin at 1:30 p.m. The Public Interest Advisory Staff in their pre-filed testimony of December 19, 2008, recommended approval of the certificate based on Georgia Power’s acceptance of certain financial conditions recommended by other Staff witnesses.

On Feb. 9, Georgia Power will have four days to argue its case in front of the five-member commission. Briefs and proposed orders are due to PSC on March 6. On March 17, the commission is scheduled to issue its decision.

An audio webcast of the hearings can be heard on the commission’s site under “Audio Broadcast Link.” More information about Georgia Power’s request is available on the PSC’s site under Docket Number 27800.

(Photo courtesy of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission)

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Let it first be said: The state Department of Audits and Accounting produces quality reports about government waste and efficiency, the kind that provide for fascinating reading. That is, if you’re into policy and government review. The scathing criticism you are about to read is not directed at the department, but at government accounting as a whole, and at politicians who think simply “putting the facts out there” leads to any kind of progress or transparency.

That being said, fans of open government might first be pleased and then pissed off with a new state website that launched yesterday and which is maintained by the department. That site, “Open Georgia: Transparency in Government,” allows users to search employee salaries and view how much our elected overlords doled out to professional service vendors during the last two fiscal years. The site, the brainchild of state Sens. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock and Chip Pearson, R-Dawsonville, met the Jan. 2009 launch date set by Gov. Sonny Perdue.

But judging from its contents, the governor should’ve given them some more time.

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The Israeli army intensified its ground offensive in Gaza as Hamas militants fired more rockets into Israel. This YouTube clip from a South Korean news cast shows a Palestinian girl confronting an Israeli soldier as his battalion moved towards a group of protesters.

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• Uproar in San Francisco after a New Year’s day shooting of an unarmed 22-year-old man by a police officer. The cop shot the guy on a BART (think MARTA) station, in front of a crowd wielding video cameras.
• MARTA is considering fare hikes and cutting back service … And it projects a billion dollar loss in the coming decade.
• State Rep. Matt Ramsey wants to ban teenagers from using their cellphones while driving … why stop there? Get everyone off the damn phone and drive!
• President-elect Barack Obama met with Democratic and Republican lawmakers to push forward his stimulus package.
• Leon Pannetta is nominated to top CIA post …
• Tweet that hack: Obama’s Twitter account also hacked.
• More kids are being home schooled.
• Aaand last but not least … Cross-dressing doctor who killed wife found hanged.

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1) Yukiko Shimo continues at the Roswell Teahouse & Gallery.

2) ATL Punx invade Lenny’s Bar.

3) Tomás Esson’s El Bicho continues at Hammonds House Museum.

4) Roger “Hurricane” Wilson plays Blind Willie’s.

5) Eclipse di Luna hosts a wine tasting.

(Image by Yukiko Shimo)

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My colleague Mara Shalhoup wasn’t the only one who bristled upon reading a recent AJC story about Atlanta’s slumping nightlife scene.

Fulton Commissioner Robb Pitts, never one to shy away from sharing his opinion, also had a strong reaction to the AJC piece. Unlike Mara, who challenged the article’s central thesis, Pitts, in an open e-mail response, chastises the city for allowing a once-vibrant entertainment industry to dwindle – including the adult entertainment industry. Says Robb:

Atlanta has actually lost ground when it comes to adult entertainment, including the former Buckhead Entertainment District. While establishments like the Cheetah, Magic City and the former Gold Club are not for everyone, they are often magnets for convention traffic.

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Average percent decrease in the price of an existing single-family home in metro Atlanta from late 2007 to late 2008: 10.5

Years since Atlanta saw a double-digit decrease in home prices: 17

Of 20 metro areas, rank of Atlanta among those with the most severely decreasing home prices: 12

Percentage that home prices dipped in Phoenix, the hardest hit city: 32.7

Decrease in Dallas, the city to fare best: 3

Percentage increase in Atlanta home prices from June to July — the last month home prices rose: 0.4

Average percent decrease in home prices in Druid Hills from the fall of 2007 to fall of 2008: 20

Average percent increase in home prices in Cabbagetown from the fall of 2007 to fall of 2008: 14

Average percent increase in Benteen Park, over the same time period: 57

(Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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1. 10 films released in 2008 that were worse than Delgo (People love lists — see, you’re reading this one! — especially when they count down the worst of the worst.)

2. Year in review: A look back at the arts in Atlanta for 2008 (The only thing folks love as much as lists: heavy doses of nostalgia.)

3. Atlanta nightlife is DEAD (Um, not really. But the headline sure is catchy.)

4. Don’t Panic: Why is Israel bombing Gaza? (The over-simplified, bloggy answer: Bed-wetting)

5. Atlanta after an asteroid or nuke bomb … thanks, Google! (Is your neighborhood inside the mushroom cloud? Click to find out!)

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Want to make a movie but don’t have a few million bucks lying around? Chris Wyatt, producer of Napoleon Dynamite, will be speaking about making movies on a budget at WonderRoot this Wed., Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. He should know a thing or two about making a small budget work— Dynamite has grossed more than 100 times the original costs. So, if you’re looking for some tips for your first (or next) feature, interested in a peek behind the scenes of independent film, or just curious about the correct pronunciation of “quesadilla,” this would be the guy to talk to.

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Rick Sanchez, the CNN anchor who is the living, breathing embodiment of truth and hope, says via Twitter that his account was hacked. Also targeted: President-elect Barack Obama (”What is your opinion on Barack Obama? Take the survey and possibly win $500 in free gas.”), Fox News (”Breaking: Bill O Riley is gay”) and Britney Spears (”HI Yall! Brit Brit here, just wanted to update you all on the size of my vagina. Its about 4 feet wide with razor sharp teeth.”) Valleywag says posters at 4chan are claiming credit for the Spears hack.

Below, the “hacked” Sanchez update. Honestly, I thought this would’ve cleared up some of his earlier tweets. (Kidding! We love ya, Rick! And kind tip of the sombrero to Waxmuseum for the find.)

After the jump, Sanchez’s tweets reacting to what happened. (”Something about crack? great??”)

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