Archive for March, 2010
Atlanta International Auto Show: worth the trip
Barbara and Bonnie headed to the Georgia World Congress Center Tuesday to check out the 28th Annual Atlanta International Auto Show.
Here’s what Bonnie had to report:
I was impressed with this year’s show. In addition to the large display from American and International manufacturers, the show boasted many classic cars as well. New this year is an opportunity to test drive the “made in Georgia” 2011 Kia Sorento (sock monkey, et al, not included).
It’s worth the “drive” and convenient to MARTA, too. The Atlanta International Auto Show is open thru Sunday, March 29th.
For details, visit: http://www.goautoshow.com/
EPA names most Energy Star-friendly cities
The EPA today issued its second annual list of U.S. cities that boast the largest number of Energy Star-certified buildings.
Los Angeles leads the list and is followed by Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Houston, Lakeland, Fl., Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta and New York.
Check out the press release here: http://tinyurl.com/yk5jszw
Amazing Park Pride conference
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to hear Mayor Kasim Reed address Park Pride’s conference at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. First off, it was a fantastic event, and kudos to my good friend, Abi Paine, who worked so hard on the program to underscore the many benefits of parks. They not only include aesthetic beauty but offer an increase in property value and create a place for kids to play and often, according to one speaker, access a sense of freedom for the first time.
Mayor Reed gave a powerful speech about his commitment to greening Atlanta — greenspace and the BeltLine — and, in response to a pointed question by Maria Saporta, announced his support for a designated fund for parks. Reed talked about finishing the jobs we’ve begun — that we have so many smart people working on projects forever — rather than starting new intiatives. And he instilled a sense of pride in Atlanta by noting the draw to this place despite our lack of oceans or great lakes. There’s opportunity here by virtue of smart people, he said, referring to a statistic by Edward Glaeser, a Harvard professor of economics, who recently wrote on a NYT blog that nearly 43 percent of adults in Atlanta boast college degrees. Check out Glaeser’s blog post, “Betting on Atlanta,” here: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/betting-on-atlanta/
Mayor Reed also noted that the recession has led to a rediscovery of the value of parks. Apparently, Piedmont Park has seen an uptick of attendance during the dampened economy as people realize the cheap thrill of heading to the park.
Ga. Senate passes bill barring texting while driving
Yesterday, the Georgia Senate passed a bill banning texting while driving. The bill, which now moves to the House, would slap offenders with a $150 fine. Teen offenders would lose their license if caught breaking the law more than once. According to this AJC article by my former colleague, Ernie Suggs, family members and friends of Caleb Sorohan watched the bill’s passage at the Georgia General Assembly. Sorohan was a Morgan County high school student killed in a crash that happened while he was texting. Since then, the article states, more than 700 students at Sorohan’s school pledged not to text while driving.
http://tinyurl.com/yhgro7f
