my own drum

I'll get to the bad news first. I live in a ghetto, owned by the largest single slumlord in the nation. That's right, I live on Boulevard in Atlanta, in the Old Fourth Ward. I've lived there for just over a year now in relative safety. I have been robbed only once, and that was over on Glen Iris and Ralph McGill, not on Boulevard. But there are parts of Boulevard that I avoid - day or night. Pretty much anything south of North Ave all the way to the medical center is off limits. When I ride through that section of Boulevard with anyone I urge them to make sure their doors are locked and windows are rolled up.

The bulk of the property in that area is owned by a single entity, Boston-based Continental Wingate. They are located at 1925 Commonwealth Ave, Brighton, MA 02135 and their telephone is 617-783-1525‎. They own approximately 700 federally subsidized rental units on and near Boulevard, and they don't want to sell. And that brings me to the good news.

I am the current caretaker of the Boulevard Community Garden at 663 Boulevard (across the street from Wendy's) and I've been concerned with the gentrification that is going on all around me. Can the garden survive in a gentrified area? My thoughts are that the property is too valuable and will be sold to the highest paying developer, errr, bidder. But since Wingate won't sell, there is little chance of anyone building a $300,000 condo next to a slummy apartment. Whew!

There is some other good news from the garden. The police on the beat have driven the dope dealers all the way back to the Killer Kroger parking lot - at least on some days. Killer Kroger is the one next to City Hall East, on Ponce. So there has been a lot less drug trade this spring. It isn't gone, believe me, but it is greatly reduced. And I found a way to keep the late night noise down from my rowdy neighbors at 3:00am. It's true, they can't hold a job and our tax dollars pay their rent, but they can get the loudest auto boom box for their cars. And they love to drive in the tiny parking lot behind the apartment at 657 Boulevard, bumping and vibrating everything within two blocks. So what did I do to stop all that? It was simple. I put my camera up against the window screen, made sure the flash was ON, and 'took' a couple of pictures. Punks and creeps don't like being photographed. Sure enough these particular punks have moved on to some else's parking lot. My apologies, whoever you are - but I can sleep at night.

This rambling tirade is nearly done. I'll wrap it up with this: If you are tired of the trash, the dope dealers, the crack heads, having to lock your car doors when you drive through and general nuisances associated with low rent no-gooders, please contact Wingate with the info provided in this article. You can also contact Kwanza Hall, Council Member for Council District 2 at (404) 330-6038 or fax him at (404) 658-7164 or email him at khall@atlantaga.gov

It's up to all of us to instill a change.

It's cold out - freezing cold here in Atlanta. I had a hard time debraiding my beard this morning while waiting for the bus, my fingers were numb from the cold. But really, what does my beard have to do with anything...

Spring will be here before you know it, and if you're among those smart gardeners then you'll already have your season planned and quite possibly you may even have some seedlings started. If you are a gardener then I may have some good news for you - The Boulevard Community Garden will have a few plots open this year. There are at least 4 available right now, and possibly others as we await to see how many of last years gardeners want to return.

These are nice sized garden plots suitable for vegetables or flowers, or both. Each plot is different but the average size is approximately 6 feet by 20 feet - give or take a little. The price of a plot for the year will go up this year - mainly because the cost of water has increased so dramatically. We are offering plots for $35.00 for the year.

Some garden tools are available, and we have some mulch too. But generally each gardener is responsible for providing whatever is necessary - we provide the space. There is water available on the site - stored in 2 tanks, each holding 750 gallons when full. One of the tanks collects rainwater, when we get rain. Otherwise we depend upon the kindness of neighbors to refill the tanks. Your garden fee is provided to those neighbors. Individual gardeners are encouraged to bring a few gallons of their own water to help conserve our meager resources.

If you are interested in a plot this year at the Boulevard Community Garden, please send an email to boulevardcommunitygarden@gmail.com

See you when it gets warm.

The Back Pockets performed again, this time at Eye Drum in Atlanta, Georgia. They also performed some new material. James Truax brought his video gear and got some nice footage. Visit James on YouTube to see a complete portfolio of his work.

Ugly Faces

Sorrows

Foolers

This last video is actually from the November 22, 2008 performance at Wonder Root.
Enjoy it again

The Story Song (Fun with Friends)

Also, The Back Pockets now have their own page on YouTube, which is located at youtube.com/TheBackPockets.

Check out their MySpace page as well, at MySpace.com/thebackpockets

The Back Pockets continue to entertain audiences, and themselves, seemingly without an end in sight. Their latest show was at the place where it all began, at Wonder Root in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a Saturday night, before Thanksgiving, on November 22nd.

Prior to the show it was apparent that changes were afoot within the band. Some of the original core group had decided to move on, or at least move away. The first to go was Danny, their bassist. To hear his side of the story, it was time to move on to musical inclinations more to his taste. I won't bore you with other versions of his departure. Then The Back Pockets lead guitarist, Marty, decided to also leave the group. He actually left, along with Danny, before the groups October show at the Red Light Cafe in Atlanta's Amsterdam Walk. Then Lindsey, the groups songwriter, singer and mandolin player left to form her own group.

By time the November show came around, the group had managed to replace the missing members and begin rehearsals. The drummer, Ryan, picked up the slack for the guitar, being the very talented and versatile musician that he is. The group also picked up a new bassman, playing a double bass - also known as an upright bass. Also added was another singer and doumbek player and a new keyboardist.

Without further ado, here are some videos from that November show. If you like this band, visit their MySpace page and tell them. Its at MySpace.com/TheBackPockets.

I've only got a partial set list from that November 22 show, so here you go. As I find more I'll fill in the blanks.

Mountain Man

Aliens

Misadventures

Sorrows

Afterbirth

Sanskrit Around and Leave Me Alone

Remember, this band want to hear from you, so please visit their My Space page and give them a shout!!

Atlanta inventor Lonnie Johnson has developed a method to produce electricity which requires no fuel, produces no harmful by-products, and needs no moving parts.

The Johnson Thermo-Electrochemical Converter, or JTEC, uses natural heat to force ions out of a hydrogen cell. It is made up of two closed hydrogen cells which are attached to pairs of electrodes. The cells are stacked - one being a low temperature stack and the other is a high temperature stack. Current flow compresses the hydrogen in the low temperature stack, ionizing the hydrogen and forcing the electrons through a membrane to the high temperature stack, where the hydrogen expands. Current is generated as electrons are freed. The high temperature stack generates more power than than the low temperature stack which creates an excess. This excess can then be used to power electrical devices. Hydrogen is not consumed or added in the process, and no emissions are produced.

Here's a link that probably explains it all better than I could ever hope to explain: JTEC System

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