Atlanta Global

Moved to Concourse E

2008-10-13T09:00:00.001-05:00

If you liked this blog, check out Concourse E.

Long Vacation

2007-10-13T12:36:00.000-05:00

Atlanta Global is waving goodbye. Right now I'm getting kind of busy with work; not enjoying composing a high-quality blog post every other day afterward.

I've had big fun with this project, found out a lot about the city, and visited some great events.

Thanks to everyone who's read and sent notes.

Have fun!

Upcoming Events: Asians, Trinis, Liberians

2007-08-15T22:27:00.000-05:00

August 16 : National Association of Asian American Professionals' diversity career fair starts.

August 25: Trinidad & Tobago Independence Day. The T&T Association is putting on a gala, but Krushmore Entertainment is putting on a show: http://www.krushmore.com/events.php?id=351 (note, "free w flag b4 12")

September 1: Liberian food fest & fashion show, to benefit the Women of Fire scholarship fund: http://www.thewomenoffire.org/Taste.htm

Like the US Congress, AG is setting off for Summer Recess. Enjoy these events until we haul ourselves back to the computer sometime at the beginning of September.

IR Coverage in Atlanta Papers

2007-08-12T23:14:00.000-05:00

Well the Malaysian Gala did have the AJC on hand. The social columnist says . . . never mind that social columns are a ridiculous holdover from white-glove deb days, but . . . uh, the social columnist says there was a bazaar on,

"Guests arrived to a splendid array of unique items, arranged market style, in
one of the banquet rooms. Marianne Brooks was trying on a pair from Adeline
Yong's collection of hand-painted silk shoes. Keiko Yamakawa was considering a
turquoise necklace at Afshan Ishtiaq's booth of jewelry. Fabian De Rozario,
co-founder and president of the Malaysian Association of Georgia, worked the
room to welcome everyone, as Li Wong, publisher of the Georgia Asian Times, took
in the scene."

Meanwhile, Creative Loafing has a foreign-policy cover story by a local-boy analyst. Cheers to CL for employing a prescient foreign policy writer. Jeers for it being Andisheh Nouraee, whose tone is much more suited to his concert/scene review column. The jaded-hipster slang paired with the habit of trying to include a joke or hyperbole in every sentence keeps us turning straight to News of the Weird.

We may be alone here -- he does keep getting voted best columnist.

Southeast Asian Interest

2007-08-10T23:19:00.000-05:00

Another red-letter event:

Wednesday, August 15 [editor's note: Wednesday?!]
"U.S.-Korea Security Relationship" featuring General Charles C. Campbell, commanding general of U.S. Army Forces Command at Ft. McPherson
WHEN: 11:45 a.m.
WHO: The Korea-Southeast U.S. Chamber of Commerce
WHERE: Korea Garden Restaurant, Pinetree Plaza, 5181 Buford Highway
COST: $30 per person
MORE INFO: RSVP to John Lee 770-452-0366

The Korean hosts are probably setting the agenda to his role as Chief of Staff, United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea. But we'd rather ask about Cambodia.

Campbell's bio says he was a teacher at "Forces Armeé National Khmere Training Command, Army Advisory Group, Phouc Tuy Training Battalion, United States Army, Vietnam." The school might have been in Vietnam(?), but FANK is the Cambodian army under Lon Nol.

In other news, the Malaysian Independence Day gala is tomorrow night (11th) at the Sheraton downtown. According to the Malaysian Association of Georgia website, they're doing things up. The Malaysian ambassador will be there and so will 10 media outlets, they say. They issued a press release, but as non-accredited media, AG doesn't have a copy. Or a media invite to the $60 per head dinner.

An Goh, VP of the MAG is the only Malaysian to make the Georgia Asian Times list of 25 most influential Asians in Georgia.

Brit Brings Bill Bio to Book Bash

2007-08-08T15:16:00.000-05:00

Thursday August 9: Prize-winning British biographer NIGEL HAMILTON visits us to talk about his eagerly anticipated exploration of the accomplishments and failures of President Clinton's first term in his new study, Bill Clinton: Mastering the Presidency. It's a perceptive, revealing inside look at the early 1990s White House by one of the most experienced of British historians. His books include biographies of JFK and Field Marshal Montgomery. 7:00 p.m., Jimmy Carter Library.

German Romance

2007-08-06T23:25:00.000-05:00

And now, a German movie that looks more like something from France. . . or Seinfeld. It's not "a young woman's erotic journey from Milan to Minsk". But "while the Allies are bombing Berlin and the Gestapo is purging the capital of Jews, a dangerous love affair blossoms between two women." The Goethe Institute is charging only $4 for its screening of "Aimee & Jaguar". Got nothing doing on Aug 15? Why not this? Uhhh...

PS, now available from WABE: the World -- a critically acclaimed one-hour, weekday radio news magazine.

Zen-like Atlanta

2007-08-02T01:21:00.000-05:00

Atlanta comes a little closer to Enlightenment with a ceremony to initiate the city's first official Zen master on Friday night.

It's a private function at the Soto Zen Center where Michael Elliston will become a Zen master -- one of only 80 in the US and 1,000 in the world.

He studied this Japanese form of Buddhism for more than 40 years to achieve his priestly status. He founded the Soto Center in 1977 and served as an abbot since then.

"Silence in Zen is not the absence of sound, but silence is in the sound," he tells the AJC.

In other news, a good headline was reported: Atlantan Opens Jamaican Restaurant in China.

Pakistan Ambassador in Atlanta Briefing Aug 6

2007-07-31T11:27:00.000-05:00

Monday, August 6
7:30-8:00 AM: Registration and continental breakfast
8:00-9:15 AM: Southern Center Breakfast Briefing on Pakistan, featuring His Excellency Mahmud Ali Durrani, Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States; Southern Center for International Studies, 320 West Paces Ferry Road; cost: SCIS Young Professionals-$10, SCIS members-$15, non-members-$20; reservations and advance payment are requested; please pay online through our e-store with your credit card, or e-mail register@scis.org, or call the Southern Center at 404-261-5763; tickets are not issued; your name will be at the registration table; for further information, go to www.southerncenter.org.

Lithuanian Meadow Grass Day: August 5

2007-07-30T22:01:00.000-05:00

August 2 post here.
(Believe it or don't, but Blogger is having some display issues with me.)

While August 15 is actual Meadow Grass Day, the Lithuanian American Community of Atlanta is celebrating on August 5. While most Lithuanians are Roman Catholics, and this is being held at a Catholic Church, this looks like one of those pagan-era celebrations that lives till today. August 15 is Assumption Day, too. Anyway, it is a harvest celebration; up in that latitude it must be harvest time already.

You are invited to join the Lithuanian community in Atlanta to celebrate the Meadow Grass Day on August 5th at 2:30pm at St. Ann’s Church, (4905 Roswell Road, Marietta, GA. 30062). This holiday will be celebrated for the very first time, so don’t miss an opportunity to bless flowers, fruit, vegetables and grasses! The Meadow Grass service will be lead by our beloved priest Gintaras Jonikas, and songs will be performed by Laimutė Dobradziejūtė.

-says the website

Cheers, Lithuanians!

Enjoy Pakistan, India on the Same Day

2007-07-28T20:33:00.000-05:00

Pritam Bhattacharjee throws down at Georgia Tech on August 4 ... says a friend of a friend of a friend, this will be "a nice introduction for you to North Indian Classical Music." Check out some mp3s and his bio. He's staff at the Pandit Jasraj School of Music Foundation, Atlanta chapter.

It's also the day to celebrate Pakistan's Independence (technically on August 14). Aside from family fun like a bouncy castle, music and food, there will also be a Pakistani consular officer on hand if you need a visa or advice or etc. Among the sponsors is Bridges TV, a broadband station that brings South Asian TV to anyone with a broadband connection, apparently.

And, uh, well, of course India's Independence Day is one day after Pakistan's, but the big India celebration isn't until next weekend: Festival of India at Gwinnett Center, August 11.

"The Official Multicultural Website of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau"??

2007-07-26T22:27:00.000-05:00

Eh. . . .

Umm. . .

This is a truly bizarre banner picture for a website. . .

The picture on the front page of the toreador leads me to believe that whoever picked the graphics for this webpage has only ever seen Spanish people in Bugs Bunny Cartoons.

Apparently Atlanta has an official tourism portal for "multicultural" people. By "multicultural", they mean African-Americans plus a stock photo of an Asian couple and the senior and his senora.

But too bad for people from actual other cultures --- our city's main tourism front page is in English only.

Rivaaj vs. Khabar

2007-07-24T23:34:00.000-05:00

Well, for South Asian glossies headquartered in Atlanta, Khabar might be slightly more down-to-earth, but boy does Rivaaj look sleek.

Though we have a hard time thinking seriously of "Kumar/Taj" ->

Peru Independence Day Celebration at Meadowcreek Highschool

2007-07-22T23:44:00.000-05:00

The Consulate of Peru in Atlanta is organizing an Independence Day Celebration and Food Fest. Venue: Meadowcreek High School

Date: July 28 -- the actual day of the holiday.

Says the Economist: "Peru can lay claim to one of the world's dozen or so great cuisines." Alright!

Public (?) Release from GCA

2007-07-20T13:10:00.000-05:00

From AG's mailbox, which we post because we would, in fact, love direct service from ATL to Shanghai. Write from your business or fabricate a business from which to write:

Dear ,

The Georgia China Alliance is making an effort to support Delta's bid of direct flight to China. Your help is very important. We are collecting support letters from businesses in Georgia by *MONDAY* *July 23rd*. If you are interested in joining us in this effort, please have the letter in your business letterhead and EMAIL them to "Breedlove, Jeff" <Jeff.Breedlove@senate.ga.gov > by the deadline.

Please see below for the letter template.

Thank you!

Georgia China Alliance

Rongrong Liu
Executive Director
Georgia China Alliance
http://www.georgiachina.com/
678.334.6136
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 21, 2007

The Honorable Mary E. Peters

Secretary of Transportation

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE

Washington, DC 20590

Dear Secretary Peters:

I am writing to you as an executive of *[/company name/]*, a Georgia company with business interests in China.

On January 19, 2007, Delta Air Lines announced its intent to apply for a direct passenger air service route between Atlanta and Shanghai, China.
As a company with operations in the Southeastern region of the U.S., this Atlanta-Shanghai passenger air route is an important next step for us to strengthen relationships between the Southeast and the People’s Republic of China, its companies and its people. While the Southeast region is among the fastest growing regions in the U.S. and one of China’s largest trading partners, it lacks a direct passenger air route with China. Furthermore, a direct passenger air route between Atlanta and Shanghai would generate an economic impact of more than $400 million annually for the Southeast.

*[/OPTIONAL/: /brief description of company’s interests in China/].*

I understand that the U.S. Department of Transportation is evaluating additional candidates for the 2008 designation; however, I am confident you will agree that the Atlanta hub and Delta Air Lines offer the best proposal for the designation (*Docket OST-2007-28567*). More passengers pass through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport than any other airport in the world—almost 85 million passengers in 2006. In addition, Atlanta is the world’s largest airline hub, with Delta offering direct service to over 150 U.S. markets.

I solicit the endorsement of the U.S. Department of Transportation for the designation of Delta Air Lines as the next U.S. carrier to serve China, with direct service from Atlanta to Shanghai beginning in 2008.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Best of New Metro Architecture: BAPS Hindu Temple, Lilburn GA

2007-07-18T00:50:00.000-05:00

Finally! This BAPS Hindu temple is going to be opened in mid August.

It sounds stupid to say, but this Hindu temple looks like a for-real, in-Asia Hindu temple. I can't believe we have something like this here. In Lilburn of all places.

Like, this is how Angkor Wat or Prambanan must have looked when they were shiny & new.

See it at the intersection of Lawrenceville Highway and Rockbridge Road in Lilburn.

Says a bystander interviewed by the AJC, "We have Cobb County beat." Take that, Big Chicken.

Don't be shy about visiting, non-Hindus! Temples are super-friendly and temple-goers know you're curious about looking around their place. Be cool, be mannerly and enjoy visiting at public events.

Atlanta Latino Newspaper

2007-07-14T23:59:00.000-05:00

Check out Atlanta Latino Newspaper -- if we'd known about this before, we would have mentioned the Colombia Independence Day festival and the 30th anniversary of the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta _before_ they actually happened.

Back to the Roots for National Black Arts Festival

2007-07-12T23:31:00.000-05:00

Every year the National Black Arts Festival explores the African-American experience . . . with emphasis on both parts.

There's always the international marketplace

. . . and a film festival

. . . and art exhibits and performances

. . . and new for this year: NBAF "encourages festival-goers to trace ancestry to their African origins" -- with DNA mapping. Seems NBAF tested Atlanta artist Radcliffe Bailey, choreographer Fatima Robinson, and singer Mark Anthony Thompson, and they're all of Senegal/Gambia area origin. So NBAF sent 'em over there to create "a multi-layered, multi-discipline expression of their interpretation of this once in a lifetime historical and artistic journey." The projects, Returnal and In the Returnal are on display now.

July 20 -29!

Bastille Day

2007-07-10T22:13:00.000-05:00

From communes to NATO-leavings to McDonald's-burning farmers to immigrant slums . . . le bel hexagone, la France. They're like America would be if we weren't fundamentally Anglo-Saxon.

Of course the Alliance Francaise has a July 14 Bastille Day thaing (on July 21) and, uh, tickets cost $130. Man! We won't go there without being the "watchdogs or servants of capitalism."

If you're really trying to connect with Francophone life in Atlanta, try Atlanta Accueil. It's a website for francophone expats and features a fairly well-visited forum.

Know Your Scripts Atlanta!

2007-07-08T23:03:00.000-05:00

Each time we bust this out, AG has an Atlanta-area picture of a non-English piece of writing and (attempt to) name the script and language.

AG takes an educated guess (shot in the dark) on this one:

Bengali script, Bengali language?

If it is Bengali, that indicates someone originating from the east Indian state of West Bengal, or Bangladesh.

(Whether or not this sign is a Bengali emanation, this website definitely is: the Bengali Association of Greater Atlanta)

Found on Chamblee-Tucker road. Other signage at the place indicated it is a travel agency. And, apparently, a money order place.

Any angry/friendly refutation/confirmation is welcome.

Got a script?

Send it!

Unembedded Iraq at APG Gallery

2007-07-06T12:36:00.000-05:00

Some journalists in Iraq are fenced in the green zone; some travel ringed around by American solders. But some are locals, reporting on the horror in their own country. And some are foreigners who tie on a headscarf and and hit the streets.

There's three weeks left to see the photographs from four of these independent photojournalists at the Atlanta Photography Group Gallery.

Photo by Atlanta resident and photojournalist Kael Alford, 1/4 of the APG exhibit.

Falun Gong Marches on Peachtree

2007-07-04T13:46:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's right, Falun Gong was one of many participants in Atlanta's 4th of July parade. And they had one of those big drums that it takes four people to play. This religion or practice comes from China where it is now banned for subversion. I dunno, they seem peaceful to me.

Also marching were the Asian/Pacific American Council of Georgia.

Strings - sponsored by Danish American Chamber of Commerce

2007-07-02T17:27:00.000-05:00

Coming on June 14: Strings, a movie by Danish director Anders Rønnow Klarlund.

"Strings is a mythological story about the son of a king, Hal Tara, who sets out on a journey to revenge the death of his father. To his surprise he discovers the truth of his own people - and where he least expects it - he finds true love."

The director says it is also a movie about the US' response to 9/11.

Anyway, the Danish American Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring, it starts at 6:30 pm.

(Among the DACC's sponsors is Bova furniture. Founded in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1980, they now have a major warehouse and distribution center for their true Danish modern furniture in Atl.)

But why is the movie being screened at the Center for Puppetry Arts? It is a puppet movie, actually.

"Puppeteer Bern Ogodnik claims that it takes up to ten years just to perfect the movement of the hands of a marionette puppet, and that perfectly moving all the strings of the entire body can maybe be learned in 25 years." -IMDB

Coming to Atlanta: The World Cup (of robot soccer)

2007-06-28T19:26:00.000-05:00

Combine the world's most popular sport with one of the world's most nerdiest universities and what do you get?

Robocup 2007.

Yes, the "world’s most renowned research competition among custom-built robots and their designers" descends on Georgia Tech July 3-8.

197 teams from 26 countries are registered. Among the most interesting, international-wise, are the Iranian delegations. Iranians aren't barred from the United States, but Iran usually makes a stink about the fact that Iranians (like most foreigners) must be fingerprinted to enter the country. But seems the Robocup teams have not attracted the attention of the Iranian foreign ministry.

The last Robocups were Osaka 2005 and Bremen (Germany, not Ga) 2006. The next ones are in Suzhou, China in 2008.

Big ups to kind reader Bill for keeping AG on the silicon circuit.

(The truest publicity photo ever, this is an actual publicity photo published by Ga Tech. No snide comments about AG's snide tone about Tech. AG knows whereof it speaks. --->)

Proust Club of Atlanta

2007-06-26T00:03:00.000-05:00

Proust Club of Atlanta
Formed in the Summer of 2005. The members read in French and/or English, short assignments from “In Search of Lost Time”, and meet monthly to discuss in English the assignment. Meetings are on the last Wednesday of the month at 6:00 pm at a convenient location (Lenox area). This congenial group welcomes guests and new members, for information please call Alliance Française 404-875-1211.

Know your scripts Atlanta!

2007-06-19T06:42:00.001-05:00

Know your scripts Atlanta!
Each time we bust this out, AG has an Atlanta-area picture of a non-English piece of writing and (attempt to) name the script and language.

Script: Khmer

Language: Khmer

Origin: Cambodia

Find this sign in: Clarkston

Stump AG with your script?
Send it!

10/21 update: thanks to "anonymous" below for the lesson -- this is Lao from Laos s/he says.

Friendship Force International

2007-06-18T20:22:00.000-05:00

I remember back in the day when this place would bring people from the "Soviet Bloc" over here and vice versa, back when they were exotic Communists.

Friendship Force International, HQ'd in ATL, basically sends adults on exchange trips lasting about a week. You stay in a family's house in another country & make friends with them.

It costs you money to go, but doesnt obligate you to host someone in your house later.

The Rotary Club does a similar thing, but you go with some purpose, like learning the language, investigating a philanthropy opportunity or making business contacts. You don't pay money; you have to earn your trip by being awesome and serious about it. Oh, and you cannot be a Rotary member.

Liberia Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Atlanta

2007-06-14T22:08:00.000-05:00

The Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission has opened to take statements from Georgia-based refugees about their experience back in west Africa.

During the 14-year civil war, as many as 25% of Liberians fled home. Many came here and boosted Atlanta metro's Liberian population to about 3,000-8,000 (says the TRC) or 10,000 (says the AJC, 6/15).

The "TRC has been charged with the responsibility of investigating the root causes of the conflict in Liberia , amplifying historical truths and thereby undermining falsehoods that have over time assume the status of historical truths," says the Commission's www page.

The most brutal phase of the Liberian civil wars came in the 1990s when despot Samuel Doe was attacked by a coalition of his most heinous underlings -- one of whom was Charles Taylor, and all of whom soon started fighting among each other. You've heard of child soldiers? Its because of the Liberian civil wars that you've heard of them.

The TRC is partnering with the Carter Center and the Atlanta Friends of the TRC, reports the AJC. The Friends have a nice brochure explaining a TRC, and why you'd have a TRC instead of, or in addition to, prosecutions.

The TRC's diaspora representative has previously said that she has no money to implement big programs . . . so I'm guessing the TRC's partners are footing the bill, as they did in Minnesota. Money well spent, we dare say.

(We found that info in The Liberian Dialogue, a Lawrenceville-based electronic publication.)

Liberia's current president, technocrat Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, visits Atlanta quite often. She has a granddaughter in the area -- so she's always getting collared for speaking engagements too.

AG asked a Lawrenceville-based Liberian about Johnson-Sirleaf. She likes her and says if she keeps on improving things, maybe she'll go home.

Frida y Diego at Oglethorpe

2007-06-12T22:34:00.000-05:00

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera were married to each other twice. Tempestuous? Not a strong enough word. She a tortured, mustachioed painter, he a worldly muralist -- the pair are Mexico's most famous artists. Frida Kahlo was born 100 years ago this year. So they're having a huge show of her paintings in Mexico City.

And a photography exhibit at Oglethorpe!

Frida y Diego: Photographs of their Life Together opens tomorrow.

The museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays, noon until 5:00.

Indonesian Design Skills

2007-06-08T22:57:00.000-05:00

Some Indonesian aroud here designs the best flash sites ever. Or the Indonesians here have good taste in their respective web designers. Please find out about the Indonesian community here and tour some good design:

My favorite, Sanggar Lestari dance troupe. They will, of course, perform at the annual Asian Cultural Experience at the Botanical Gardens in July.

The Indonesian Community Heritage Foundation. They will have something doing for Indonesian independence day on August 17, but AG doesn't know what yet.

Permias Atlanta. This site is so avant-garde that it took us a while to figure out how to use it. Permias is an abbreviation for Organization for Indonesian Students in the US.

Georgia Asian Times Names 25 Most Influential Asians

2007-06-06T22:35:00.000-05:00

The Georgia Asian Times has come out with its annual list of the 25 most influential Asians in the state.

Atlanta listees include:

Ted Boonthanakit, story board artist
Charlice Byrd, state congresswoman (Cherokee county)
Rajeev Dhawan, Prof & Director of Economic Forecasting Center, GSU
An Goh, VP of Malaysian Assoc of GA
Sam Sook Jung, Principal of Korean American School of Atlanta
Rena Golden, Senior VP News, CNN
Chaiwon Kim, Exec Dir, Center for Pan Asian Community Services
Charlie Yoon Kim, 2006 President, Asian/Pacific American Council of Georgia Inc.
Sangki Kwon, Senior Vice PresidentHanahreum Group / Super H-Mart
Yuann L. Kuo, Businesswoman and Principal, Tzu Chi Academy
Duong Le, Community Activist
Akira Morishita, Partner, Suno Dessert
Kim Moore, President Korean Women’s Business Association
Nack Y. Paek, Chairman, Metro City Bank
Shuming Nie, Prof & Director of Emory-Ga Tech Nanotechnology Center
R.C. Patel, Chairman, Diplomat Hotels Corporation
Varinee Sangmalee, President, Thai Association World Center
Mitesh “Mit” Shah, President & CEO, Noble Investment Group
Josephine Tan, Chairperson, Asian American Commission For A New Georgia
Wei-Siong Tan, President, Accusentry Inc.
Alex Wan, President, Optima Inc.
Li K. Wang, Patent Attorney
Lani Lee Wong, Chairwoman National Association of Chinese Americans
Henry Yu, Managing Director, Global Trade Solutions SunTrust Bank
Bettina Yip, Counsel, Labor & Employment, AT&T

Oh wait, all these people are Atlanta-based. What does that say about the rest of Georgia??

HOLLA to H&M!

2007-06-04T22:24:00.000-05:00

AG is no hopeless romantic, but it did fall in love once, years ago, under the lindens in Berlin . . . with an uber-Euro Swede. We continued our affair through Brussels, Paris and Barcelona.

And now our love is coming to Atlanta . . .

That is right! The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports that H&M is coming to Atlantic Station in 2008.

Yeah, so they have H&M up north already.

Yeah, so H&M is the Old Navy of Europe.

Still . . . have you seen their clothes?!

Also, Delta inaugurated direct service to Seoul today.

Who cares, you ask?

Anyone going to Asia from here or coming here from Asia.

This takes like 3-4 hours off a trip to Seoul, Singapore, Bangkok, etc.

PS, there is no H&M in Seoul.

Breakfast with Ambassador from India

2007-06-02T20:42:00.000-05:00

June 5, 2007 (Tuesday)

Breakfast Briefing with Ambassador of India to the United States
His Excellency Ronen Sen will enlighten us on current issues in U.S. - India relations and on new economic and business opportunities in India.

Location:
Southern Center for International Studies
320 West Paces Ferry Road NWAtlanta, GA 30305
Time:
7:30 – 8:00 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:00 – 9:15 a.m. Briefing
Tickets:
SCIS Young Professionals: $10
SCIS Members: $15
Non-Members: $20
call for reservations: 4-261-5763

These SCIS briefings are quite good. Highly recommended.

New Sister City in Gujarat?

2007-05-30T21:59:00.000-05:00

We're about to get another sister city, definitely in India and probably Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat. About 40% of area Indians claim Gujarati roots, the Mangalorean reports the India American Cultural Association reports.

Honorary consul for India Kenneth Cutshaw will have a public discussion then make a decision.

In Jamaican news, the AJC ran a feature on May 27 on the Jamaican community in Atlanta. The story wraps around the one-woman show "Jamaica Farewell" just finishing its run at the Academy Theatre in Avondale.

The Jamaican community of Atlanta is estimated at about 24,000.

The neighborhoods in Kingston are numbered 1 through 12, honorary consul Vin Martin explains to the AJC.

"People refer to Atlanta as Kingston 13 because Atlanta is such an attractive name in Kingston."

Major Military Installations in Atlanta

2007-05-28T23:52:00.000-05:00

To Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Japan, et al, via Atlanta:

Fort Gillem, First Army HQ, Forest Park GA

Fort McPherson

FORSCOM HQ

Third United States Army

US Army Reserve Command

Dobbins Air Reserve Base

94th Airlift Wing HQ

22nd Airforce HQ

Naval Air Station Atlanta, May 11, 2007.

NAS /Atlanta Mission: To provide logistics support and other host functions to operational tenant commands and Reserve training for units assigned to NAS /Atlanta

When you talk to actual solders in or past the actual sandbox, you will never hear a soldier criticize his or her CinC. You hear "I hate sand", but you never hear "these wars are wrong". Maybe in the dark with their spouses or in the secrecy of a doctor's office, maybe. But never to anyone else.

American heroism should never have been called out to Iraq. And yet it is there. And the troops are answering the dishonor of their CinC and his coterie with honor, fixing an entire country thousands of miles away.

The US Armed Forces have fought suicide bombers and fanatics in caves before . . . in the form of kamikaze and on Saipan, Guam, Okinawa --- are our soldiers now not in the same class, the same vein? Of course they are! Not only by fighting but also by sticking with the job, by doing good though they were sent to it by false pretenses. Their honor and commitment to duty deserves the celebration, praise and memorials equal to all of our country's heroes.

What about thousands of dead Iraqi civilians? May W and his neocons be haunted by them forever because their blood is on soft civilian hands in Washington.

<editorial> At least in Afghanistan the men and women are fighting actual Taliban. Iraq? Iraq is the result of Americans choosing to vote for a dynastic regime. Haven't we gotten past the farce of aristocracy or oligarchy? Lesson: dynasty is _not_ the way to choose leaders. At some point it produces craven little D-grade scions with a pride and arrogance big enough to disgust an entire planet.

There's a Mandarin saying: no family business lasts more than three generations. (Because by the third generation they're rotten, you see?)</editorial>

Memorial Day Holiday

2007-05-26T12:40:00.000-05:00

While AG is on Memorial Day Holiday, please enjoy this evidence of a Burundi - Dekalb connection.

Unfortunately, there are no Atlanta/Burundi restaurants, community groups, websites or any other kind of thing, a local Burundian tells AG. None that she knows of anyway.

Just a bumper sticker.

Fifth District Multicultural Celebration

2007-05-24T23:09:00.000-05:00

Fifth district Rep. John Lewis is holding his annual Multicultural Celebration at Grant Park next weekend.

Interesting tack for our Rep, being as a lot of residents are not even permanent immigrants and even a lot of immigrants are not even citizens. And, as this district map shows, Lewis' area does not coincide with the most international areas (Buford Highway corridor, Clarkston, West Gwinnett).

Yet we applaud him thoroughly because we like any free party that promises "art, dance, music & food."

Anyhooz, it goes down June 3, 11-3.

Brought to you by the Fifth district Committee of Multicultural Initiatives.

Call Rep. Lewis' office for more info: (404) 659-0116

Special notice: Khaled Hosseini to speak at GPC

2007-05-21T21:11:00.000-05:00

We have been advised of an excellent opportunity to hear the readings of Khaled Hosseini, internationally acclaimed Afghan author. The reading will be held at the Clarkston campus of Georgia Perimeter College, Fine Arts Auditorium at 7:00 PM on May 28.

Reservations are not required but are highly recommended: 770-274-5145

The author of The Kite Runner is out to promote his new book A Thousand Splendid Sons.

Taipei Says "hold up!" to Atlanta Aquarium

2007-05-20T19:17:00.000-05:00

So, the Aquarium wants two whale sharks to replace the one that died under mysterious circumstances in January.

But Taiwan's fishery agency wants the full autopsy on Ralph before they send us another fish.

They said on Friday that they want the autopsy and a statement explaining the usefulness of displaying such a fish so far from its native habitat before they send us any more -- so the reports the AJC today.

Pretty picky for an agency that's gonna eat these fishes if they don't go to the Aquarium.

Ah well, their fishes, their choice . . .

Know your scripts Atlanta!

2007-05-18T22:16:00.000-05:00

Each time we bust this out, AG has an Atlanta-area picture of a non-English piece of writing and (attempt to) name the script and language.

This one is ubiquitous:

Korean!

Previous issues:

Amharic

Traditional Chinese

Balalaika, Gamelan, Guzheng and more

2007-05-16T23:02:00.000-05:00

Need World Music in Atlanta? Try these:

Atlanta Balalaika Society

Emory Gamelan Ensemble

Joanne's Zheng Studio (she has group classes)

The Drum Cafe in Atlanta = djembe, dunun, kenkeni, congas . . . and more.

Indian Classical Music Society of Atlanta

Atlanta Pipe Band (bagpipe!)

Atlanta Caribbean Carnival!

2007-05-14T22:40:00.000-05:00

Carnival might have been months ago in the rest of the world, but May 26 is the Atlanta Caribbean Carnival!! Wow. This looks GOOD. Calipso, Soca, Food, music, a parade of music while eating food . . .

Ok, AG has always hated web sites with music. But no more! Not after hearing We Kinda Ting, the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Georgia, Optimistique Entertainment, Paradise Carnival Troup and Thunderbirds USA. Just try to listen to one of these sites and not plan to be out there.

And if you're not too hung over, Guyana Fun Day for families is on Sunday; a less-family oriented Guyana Day Ball follows at Club Europe. Presented by Guyana Association of Georgia.

May 19: bilingual job fair

2007-05-12T23:19:00.000-05:00

The Latin American Association is having its biggest bilingual job fair of the year on May 19.

It's the 25th annual career expo.

Mid East Food Fest

2007-05-10T21:49:00.000-05:00

St. John Chrysostom Melkite Catholic Church is having its 41st annual Mid East Food Fest on May 19 & 20. To include food, music, bazaar, and a tour of this most lovely Ponce de Leon church.

Incidentally, the Melkite Catholic Church is in a former house on Ponce.

The Hare Krishna Temple is also in an old house on Ponce. Upcoming soon is the Panihati Festival.

European Notes for Europe Day

2007-05-08T20:56:00.000-05:00

Europe Day is tomorrow, May 9.

In honor, SCIS is holding an event so big they have to rent the hall at the Atlanta History Center.

They're having a program called 'A Dialogue on Europe' featuring German Ambassador Klaus Scharioth and French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte. No doubt moderator and SCIS President Peter White has a barrage of questions on hand. What's this? A quicktime movie of Mr. White??

And wowzers, fulltime students and teachers with ID get in free!

Last week, Delta started direct service from ATL to Prague.

Also, shouts out to Atlanta resident Frans de Waal, one of the world's top Primatologists. Time magazine just named him one of the world's top 100 influential people. Not that Time's list is all that, um . . . 'international', but we like to state any press that Atlanta folks get. And Dr. de Waal deserves a lot. But why categorize this in AG? He's Dutch.

Arab-American Cultural links

2007-05-06T18:30:00.000-05:00

The Alif Institute is holding an exhibit of paintings by Atlanta artist Nabil Mousa.

The Alif Institute is apparently also equivalent with the Arab-American Fund of Georgia. They pal around with the Arab American Women's Society of Georgia.

The Alif Institute and AAWSG calendars are pretty up-to-date; they offer Arabic classes, art and cultural excursions and the women sponsor model Arab League!

Meanwhile, so you can recognize Nabil Mousa if you see him, this is a self-portrait <------

European Grocery Stores, Gwinnett Locations

2007-05-04T21:49:00.000-05:00

Bosnians Making Mark in Atlanta

If you have any business in Gwinnett County, you may have noticed over the past few years a lot of people with last names ending with -vic, -nic, -vik, -nik or other k- or c-related combinations.

This tends to indicate a Bosnian community.

Bosnians started coming to Atlanta in large numbers in 1992, pushed out of their homes by the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

No one has good population data since the 2000 census, but the ARC says that Bosnian community leaders say there are about 8-10,000 of their number in the metro.

"Their reported preference is to live in Gwinnett", the ARC says with dramatic understatement. "We are all over Gwinnett!" says a Bosnian friend of AG (who lives in Gwinnett).
Gwinnett Federal Credit Union employs a Bosnian (ie, Serbo-Croat) speaker at every branch and has its materials translated into Bosnian.

We can't be completely sure, but AG believes this is a Bosnian party planner that happens to have links to a lot of Bosnian businesses, Koncerti u Atlanti.

(The flags that refer to "Red Army Mostar" are talking about a soccer team)

We found this newspaper at the Stella Mart at 251 Senic Highway (Hwy 124) in Lawrenceville. We also found an astounding variety of sausages and Fanta in European bottles.

Translator Jobs in Atlanta

2007-05-02T20:26:00.000-05:00

Do you speak something besides English?
Looking to pick up that cheddar?
These people are always looking for resumes:

Ameraz Language Solutions
Language Institute of Atlanta
Latin American Translators' Network
Multilingual Services Network
SDL International
Business Linguistics
Language Line

And these ones have job openings from time to time:
Professional Translating Service

Eritrean Independence Day

2007-04-30T20:03:00.001-05:00

Eritrean Independence Day is celebrated on May 24.

There is a public party at Milam Park in Clarkston - one of these weekends coming up. AG readers will be the first to know once we know.

Also, check out the International Expertise Directory. . .
Need someone who speaks Occitan? An expert on Uganda? Yeah, just GPC alone can hook you up.
If you're a part of the state university system, I think you can just call these people.

Fiesta Atlanta = Fiesta Comercial?

2007-04-28T19:59:00.000-05:00

The inaugural Fiesta Atlanta happens May 6 at Centennial Olympic Park.

It is scheduled to coincide, roughly, with Cinco de Mayo.

We've been seeing mad lots of advertisements about the FA -- the webpage has got a heavy dose of info about sponsors, a pitch to potential sponsors as an "about" section, and a prominent link to the Lanza Group, a PR (ie, advertising) company. In fact, "Fiesta Atlanta" is trademarked to Lanza. But we see no actual schedule of events or practical infos.

Do we smell an advertising blitz disguised as a fiesta?

Shirley Frankin = Shinjuku Girl?

2007-04-26T21:25:00.000-05:00

Cause she's in Tokyo.

Mayor Franklin is on a Japan - South Korea - Taiwan junket to drum up business between us and them.

Sez the official statement her goals are:

Leveraging Atlanta Sister City connections for economic development
Visiting with Asian companies that already have a presence in metro Atlanta
Meeting with prospects in Asia that could possibly expand to metro Atlanta
Promoting metro Atlanta as a global business center

Accompanying / sending / promoting her are the usual suspects including the Chamber of Commerce, GDEcD, Coca-Cola and all the big Atlanta companies.

"I expect this to be one of many trips mayors that follow me will make to Korea," Franklin is quoted in the AJC.

Why she singled out Korea is unclear since I can't see the context, but the AJC implies its because there are 100,000 Korean-Americans in the Metro, 4,000 of whom operate small businesses.

Anyway, the delegation returns April 30.

A pic from Atlanta CoC showing Franklin and her delegation

at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in Tokyo Apr 26.

The John Endicott Experience

2007-04-24T21:06:00.000-05:00

Anyway, as we were thumbing through the list of consulates in Atlanta, we saw Dr. John Endicott's name -- he's honorary Consul of Mongolia in Atlanta! And I had only known him as prof; driver of non-proliferation efforts in Northeast Asia; founder and director of the Center for International Strategy, Technology and Policy; author; Nobel Peace Prize nominee; and most importantly, friend to students everywhere.

Thanks for my recommendation to NUS five years ago Dr. Endicott!!

Palestine: Peace not Apartheid

2007-04-22T22:01:00.000-05:00

Friday, April 27
6:00 PM
The Middle East Institute and the College of Arts and Sciences of Georgia State University are pleased to present an evening with President Jimmy Carter; President Carter will discuss his book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid; this event is free and open to the public; doors will open at 5:00 PM and will close promptly at 6:00 PM; no one will be allowed to enter the auditorium after the doors have closed; seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis; an overflow room will be available with a live, closed-circuit feed of the event for those not able to enter the auditorium; Speakers Auditorium, University Student Center, corner of Gilmer Street and Courtland Street (number 30 on the GSU campus map); for more information, please visit http://www.gsu.edu/mideast or call 404-651-4239.

Know Your Scripts Atlanta!

2007-04-20T21:30:00.000-05:00

Know Your Scripts Atlanta returns!

Each time we bust this out, AG has an Atlanta-area picture of a non-English piece of writing and (attempt to) name the script and language.

This time:

Ethiopic script (pretty sure) -- Amharic language (we think). We've never tried Clarkston's Yeshi Mart or Dalmar's, but we do frequent Paramount Coffee and Books in Tucker and give it five stars. Good coffee, nice staff, quiet atmosphere, unshakable wi-fi and internet cafe too. They got a lot of business cards and brochures written in Amharic -- a locus of the community, I suppose.

Stump AG with your script?

Send it!

Atlanta Perishables Complex

2007-04-18T21:24:00.000-05:00

We get a lot of air cargo imported into Atlanta. By lots, I mean 746,500 metric tons in 2006.

Let us follow, say, a rose cut from a field in Colombia to your table.

Someone in Colombia picks the rose. She is probably a woman, probably low paid. Anyway, she does this first thing in the morning, hands the roses off at the office and they are driven to the airport at Cali.

Shipper files paperwork, puts the boxes of roses on a plane to Atlanta.

Plane lands. Roses get sent to Atlanta Perishables Complex at the airport where they are held pending USDA inspection and customs clearance. This may take hours. It may take a couple of days.

This is no regular warehouse. It is a giant refrigerator with different zones of coldness. The roses go in a room that is simply chilly -- to keep them fresh. Not all the way in the deep freeze with fishes and whatnot.

If the roses have bugs on them, APC has an incinerator to burn them. (To avoid getting billed for this pricey procedure _and_ losing out on their market, international flower growers coat their wares in pesticides. Cut flowers are about the most toxic thing in the grocery store after the cleaning chemicals.)

If we had been importing, say, a horse instead of roses, the beast would have been held at the Atlanta Quarantine Station. Its like a barn at the airport.

--------

PS, This month's African Dinner and a Movie is on Friday & Saturday: Yesterday. I mean...that's the name of the movie. Movie's free; dinner's $20.

China Consulate Non-Presence Fought

2007-04-16T21:00:00.000-05:00

We've talked before about the rumors of a Chinese consulate opening up in Atlanta. Well, seems the Georgia-China Alliance is all for it.

The Georgia China Alliance is a grouping of business and government and academic peeps working to get the consulate built in ATL and to promote commerce between us
and them.

Their politics are clear. Headline for April 11: "Tariffs Screw Poor People"

In semi-related news, the Georgia Department of Economic Development is supposed to be opening its Beijing office sometime this summer.

It wouldn't surprise

us if we found out

the Georgia-China

Alliance is a little bit

of both.

Maybe even more of the latter?

Know Your Scripts Atlanta!

2007-04-14T14:11:00.000-05:00

Today is the debut of AG's new and wonderful occasional feature: Know Your Scripts Atlanta!

We present a pic taken in Atlanta metro of a non-English language writing and (attempt to) name it.

Today:

Traditional Chinese in green. Usually means Taiwan origin, or some other diaspora -- in this case, AG guesses a Vietnamese connection based on the text at the bottom.

Stump AG with your script?

Send it!

Celebrate Latino Construction Workers in Duluth

2007-04-12T22:09:00.000-05:00

Latin Construction Workers' Day is being celebrated this weekend, April 15. It is meant to coincide, roughly, with the May 3 Feast of the Holy Cross (Dia de la Santa Cruz) -- a holiday celebrated in Mexico as the "Day of the Masons" -- because it was masons (ie, construction workers) who helped St. (H)Elena uncover the true cross in Jerusalem. In Mexico, construction sites get decorated with crosses, then bosses (should!) throw picnics and have fireworks.

Sez the press kit, this is the first time Atlanta will be celebrating the Feast of the Holy Cross.

Le nuit de publivores

2007-04-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

Mangez les publicites. . . !

Further Russian Notes. . .

2007-04-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

Someone is keeping a Livejournal on the Russian community in Atlanta. . . the Russophone community, anyway. It seems to be arts-related.

Alas, this movie was in February. If only we'd known about KSP Atlanta. Or could read it. ---->

RussianAtlanta.net would like to inform us of the upcoming concert by Aleksey Ivaschenko at Oglethorpe on April 24.

-------

In other news, bilingual Spanish/English speakers take note: the Latin American Association has an active job bank. Anybody can use it, but the employers are usually there to hunt for bilingualists.

Nine Parts of Iraqi Desire

2007-03-26T20:33:00.000-05:00

On April 11, Horizon Theatre Company presents Nine Parts of Desire, the stories of nine Iraqi refugee women and the situations and experiences they faced both in Iraq and once they arrived in Atlanta. (I think; it is originally a one-woman show about nine ladies, but not necessarily ones who landed in Atlanta.)

"Come see the human face behind the headlines as we explore the intimate stories of nine everyday, yet extraordinary Iraqi women who convey their deepest secrets, most terrifying fears and their yearning for love and peace amidst their devastated world. "

It has had great reviews all over the world, and this performance benefits Refugee Family Services of Stone Mountain.

Buy Tickets Now!

South Africa, Southern America

2007-03-24T20:55:00.000-05:00

Having once lived in Sandy Springs, AG used to see a lot of this sign on cars:

Flag of South Africa--->

Upon investigating a Roswell Road restaurant called 10 degrees south, and being served ostrich, the SA presence became clear.

The South African Business Network of Atlanta seems pretty Boer. . . I mean, to judge by the names and language used on the website.

Cape Food and Beverage is also HQ'd in Atlanta, purveyors of "the diverse product mix of South African favorites". Most people have to shop online, but Atlantans can stop by the bricks-and-mortar store. Their #1 item? You guessed it, Mrs. Ball's Original Recipe Chutney. Ouma Buttermilk Rusks finish 4th and Mrs. Ball's Peach Chutney finishes in 7th.

And, of course, last year, Delta became the first US airline to break into the South Africa market with its Atlanta-Dakar-Johannesburg route.

Gado Gado Gado Gado

2007-03-16T18:41:00.000-05:00

Gado Gado has opened a new location!

Oh boy! another Indonesian furniture store to browse!

(Gado gado is an Indonesian dish made of various vegetables with peanut sauce.)

In other news. . . AG is on hiatus until March 24. Spring break calls!

Erin go Bragh

2007-03-14T19:21:00.000-05:00

The Atlanta City Council minutes for March 1855 show permission given to the "Irish Volunteers" to use City Hall on the 17th for a speech to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

The Irish Volunteers are described in the Pioneer Citizens' History as a "military company".

The same book says the "Hibernian Benevolent Society" of Atlanta was organized in 1858; B.T. Lamb, President, grocer and volunteer firefighter. The HBSA is still around and still benevolent.

The Atlanta Regional Commission tells us that there were just over 1,200 Irish-born residents of the 13-county metro area in 2000.

Says the St. Pat's day website, about 25% of metro residents claim Irish heritage.

Cuban Food Survey, Redux

2007-03-12T20:33:00.000-05:00

We slapped our collective forehead driving down Chamblee Tucker Road today when we passed Little Cuba and realized we had forgotten it in the Cuban food survey.

How could we overlook this? It has:

A for-real espresso set-up
Excellent fried plantains

Dessert list one page long

Spiced right frijoles negros

Best decor in Atlanta

etc, etc. . .

This symbol, the Escudo de Cuba, is painted on their window. The coat of arms of free Cuba. . . ->

Access Philippine Atlanta

2007-03-10T21:21:00.000-05:00

According to Atlanta Regional Commission data, there are about 4,500 Philippines-born persons residing in the 13-county metro area. (But this data comes from the 2000 census and is probably way understated at this point.)

The ARC also tells us that 1 out of every 7 Filipinas living in Atlanta is a Registered Nurse. (See the link to the big .pdf called "Southeastern Asians".)

Do you know or are you a new Filipino or Filipina in ATL? The Philippines Honorary Consul and Access Philippine Atlanta hold a newcomers' orientation periodically. . . about every six months it seems?

Not only that, Access Philippine Atlanta is a thoroughly thorough website for all your Pinoy needs:

An e-magazine featuring interviews, community info and job postings

Links to Philippines-targeted non profits like Project Galing

How to contact the Atlanta All-Pinoy Basketball League

Where to get Balikbayan boxes

There's also a Yahoo group Access Philippine Atlanta. . .

And, of course Fil-Am Atlanta

If these websites can't help you find it, you don't need it. . .

The Honorary Consulate is in this building, Tower Place 100 in Buckhead----->

Italian Connections

2007-03-08T19:08:00.000-05:00

We start with a note to RSVP now for the Italy-Atlanta Film Festival program on March 15: Ginger & Fred by Frederico Fellini. . .

One of whose sponsors is Ciancia, the Atlanta Italian conversation club. . .

Who recommend the Italian Trade Commission Office in Atlanta. . .

Which is headed by Giovanni Bifulco, who attended Italy Day at the Georgia state capitol. . .

Which day was sponsored by several Italian businesses including Antica Posta. . .

Which is run by an Atlanta Tuscan who also sets up Tuscany culinary tours. . .

So there!

PS, A happy international womens' day to all my Vietnamese and post-Soviet ladies out there!

PSS, that Economist stringer has been in effect: there's a Survey of the South in the latest issue.

What the Pho?

2007-03-04T20:19:00.000-05:00

Inspired by a foray to Duluth and the fine pho restaurants therein, AG is exploring Vietnamese Atlanta links today.

Georgia Tech Vietnamese Students Association (good thorough calendar for all the metro)

GSU Vietnamese Students Association

Vietnamese Martial Arts schools in Atlanta

Our Lady of Vietnam Catholic Church

Chua Quang Minh Temple (Mahayana Buddhist)

A Vietnamese-American Community of Atlanta exists, but its manifestations are elusive.

On a Musical Note: Ritmos Latinos and Chopin

2007-03-02T17:49:00.000-05:00

Seats are running out fast for the Latin American Association's next _free_ concert:

Ritmos Latinos with Violinist Juan Ramirez & members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. . .

The concert is on March 28, but RSVPs are due by the 16th. And seats are already almost halfway out.

Here's a gem: The Chopin Society of Atlanta. This month they already have two concerts planned, which combine the talents of Poland and France -- like Chopin himself.

March 3: Chopin goes Jazz with Grazyna Auguscik and the Andrzej Jagodzinski Trio.

March 6: Concert with pianist Marc Laforet.

Cuban Food Survey

2007-02-28T23:43:00.000-05:00

Mmmm. . . Cuban food

There are four Cuban pillars, to our knowledge:

- Havana at Buford Hwy and North Druid Hills. A perennial favorite in Creative Loafing surveys, good flan, good tamales, good all around. Looks doubtful from outside, but don't judge by appearances.

- Kool Korners on 14th street. Cuban sandwiches, lunchtime only. Five stars. Looks downright daunting from outside, but don't judge by appearances.

- Las Palmeras on 5th street. They have these onions -- sliced thinly, lightly sauteed and zesty and lemony like nothing we've ever had. For real, these onions, they could charge $10 a plate and AG would still show up. We suspect the onions are first marinated in. . . vinegar and oregano? Looks quite normal from the outside.

And a (relatively) new joint, Papi's at Ponce and Myrtle. AG looks forward to trying this place more; our one visit to the vegetarian platter was a delight! Looks quite tony from the outside.

This is all we know of. Any more suggestions, please post. Any invitations to a real Cuban kitchen in someone's house, please forward directly to webmaster.

Newsflash: Nigeria at the Heart of Africa; plus, small news roundup

2007-02-26T15:38:00.000-05:00

The Heart of Africa Project opened in Atlanta two days ago. It is an image-projecting initiative of the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation. Call the Nigerian Consulate for more 411.

It seems to be in response to all the negative publicity that Nigeria has here, including "Nigerian" email schemes. But some Nigerian commentators call it no better than hypocrisy on the part of the government, which, as they see it, is one big Nigerian scheme.

Atlanta Global is no Nigeria specialist, but if someone is willing to send us, we'll be quite happy to take the trip and report back accordingly!

And two small notices:

Troutman Sanders is opening an office in Shanghai. Why? To help clients in the Asia-Pac region with M&A, FDI, WTF, venture capital and equity investment.

With globalization comes anti-globalization: The Minutemen have established an Atlanta chapter that met at Mulligans Tavern in Marietta. Hey Mulligan, you makin' darn sure about those SSNs for everyone you hire? Just making sure.

Beyond Swedish Fish

2007-02-24T17:32:00.000-05:00

IKEA may be the most visible sign of Sweden in Atlanta, but the community is way more than furnishing 630 sq ft apartments for $1000. . .

Kids that already know some Swedish can use it even more at the Swedish School, Atlanta

You don't have to have a horned helmet, but it wouldn't hurt: The Atlanta Viking Club

The vodka tasting will be in May, date TBA: Swedish American Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta

Must be good: it has a picture of a pastry on the home page: Swedish Women's Educational Association International Atlanta

PS, New links under "Culture" ->

Atlanta Schoolin' in Geography

2007-02-22T21:58:00.000-05:00

Atlanta has 18 sister cities! Match these cities with the dots on the map!

Ancient Olympia, Greece

Brussels, Belgium
Daegu, South Korea
Tbilisi, Georgia
Toulouse, France
Ra'anana, Israel
Taipei, Taiwan
Port of Spain, TnT
Lagos Island, Nigeria
Fukuoka, Japan
Bucharest, Romania
Cotonou, Benin
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
Nuremberg, Germany
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Salcedo, DR
Salzburg, Austria

And the Georgia Asian Times tempts us with gossip that we might get another in Indonesia!

"As a respected leader in international relations, the Atlanta Sister Cities Commission will use its resources to build continuity, consistency and community with all interested individuals and organizations involved with international relations," says the draft of the ASCC strategic business plan 2004-2010.

Straight from Tibet . . . via Exile in India

2007-02-20T20:57:00.000-05:00

Thanks to alert reader Bill (whose url is what...?) for the info on the Dalai Lama's distinguished lecturer-ship with Emory.

The news, dating from Feb. 5, says that the dl DLwill give at least one public lecture in Atlanta this October. Title: Educating the Heart and Mind: A Path to Universal Responsibility. He will also be available to certain Emory staff and students studying at Dharamsala, India.

In true Buddhist fashion, the job is uncompensated.

It's part of the Emory-Tibet Partnership, whose calendar is online...

Impermanence, temporarily created at Emory...

Downtown Norcross gets Nonprofit Tenant

2007-02-16T17:19:00.000-05:00

The Latin American Association has opened a new office in downtown Norcross.

They renovated an old house that is convenient to city hall, the police office, medical care and an upcoming city cultural complex.

According to the City of Norcross (using census 2000 data), 40.9% of Norcross residents are "hispanic or latino."

LAA has got to be one of the biggest international nonprofits in ATL. They have English and Spanish classes, job fairs, fund raisers, youth activities. . .they even keep an info officer at Plaza Fiesta on the weekends -- if you need information.

Rushdie Lectures Atlanta

2007-02-14T18:50:00.000-05:00

Salman Rushdie is commencing a four-week teaching gig at Emory this week and preparing to give a public lecture on Mughal art.

As reported by us earlier, Rushdie's archives are getting a permanent home at Emory, and he is also giving a graduate seminar. His 17 had to write essays to qualify for a spot in his class.

Rushdie will also give a public lecture on February 25 entitled "The Composite Artist". The subject is a cycle of paintings created by artists from all over India commissioned by Mughal emperor Akbar I.

The lecture is the 2007 installment of the ongoing Sheth lectures in Indian Studies created by the Atlanta businessman, writer and professor Jagdish Sheth.

Lunar New Year

2007-02-12T17:30:00.000-05:00

The year of the pig ensues Sunday, Feb. 18. This is one of AG's personal favorites. Last year's (unpublished) note:

A winter day lost its chill for a group of people gathered in front of Tongnan Fa Restaurant Supplies in Chamblee, as they watched two pairs of acrobatic dancers robed in flashy lion costumes leaping and dancing to a loud, thumping drum. No subwoofers here; the bass beat is part of the show put on by a local dance troupe for Lunar New Year.

Dances are only the loudest and most obvious part of Lunar New Year Celebrations, which is always in January or February, at the first new moon after winter solstice. This most important holiday in East Asia is celebrated in diaspora outposts throughout the world like Atlanta, and a festive atmosphere permeates Buford Highway a month before the biggest day.

(partial) lists of events:

Tet in Norcross

To the right is a picture of last year's Tet gala. Notice that yellow and red flag in the background? Here's a Google search to explain.

Chinese New Year Celebration at Chinese Cultural Center

This is the biggest event; they should have stuff (dances, performances, demonstrations) open to the public all day on the 17th and 18th. But alas, AG doesn't yet find any link better than the one posted by the neighboring Chinatown shopping center. The Chinese Cultural Center is run by the Taiwan Economic and Cultural office of Atlanta. It is located at 5377 New Peachtree Road, Chamblee.

--

And finally, in the speculation section today, the ABC says Azim Premji is considering Atlanta for a Wipro software development center. Texas, Virginia and Idaho are also in the running.

Asian Hawks

2007-02-07T22:47:00.000-05:00

A hott new link: the Japanese consulate's calendar of all Japanese activities in the Southeast. They're thorough. They even include Nippon Music Champ.

And the 411 about the Hawks' upcoming Asian Heritage night. Why Feb. 23? Guess 'cause they're playing the Houston Rockets and their bigg starr Yao Ming. Actually a lot of the local Asian-themed nonprofits/societies are in on this. And Hawks forward Josh Childress (pictured at his best at right) is a part of Basketball without Borders, Shanghai.
----

And a Fugees update, why not? The Clarkston City Council voted 4-1 to allow the Fugees use of the field at Milam Park for free through December.

Somali Radio, part 2

2007-01-31T19:02:00.000-05:00

Big thanks to alert reader David Redd for his further info on Sagal Radio:

The English-language site is at www.sagalradio.org

And the regular broadcast is on AM 1420 on:

Saturday 1400-1600,

Sunday 2000-2200 and

Wednesday 2100-2300.

PS, you students: they take interns!

PSS, the website has a lot of background info on East African communities in Atlanta, such as, the EA population of Atlanta metro is 10,000+.

Somali Radio

2007-01-28T12:43:00.000-05:00

So there's a Somali radio station HQ'd here. But alas, until babelfish starts a Somali-to-English translator, we can't say much more about it. (Hint: it's all .pls format -- Get winamp to play it.)

The website also has a list of Somali businesses in Clarkston and Decatur.

The main office of the National Somali Bantu Organization is in Clarkston, too.

Ain't Nothin' Hard Like Playing Soccer in Clarkston

2007-01-21T21:17:00.000-05:00

The New York Times finally follows AG's lead!

Today's NYT featured a front page story on the refugee epicenter that is Clarkston and our long-simmering soccer issues.

Clarkston is fulla refugees, see?

Like, for example, our grocer is apparently the only Iraqi that our local Fox affiliate knows. Whenever news happens in Iraq, the Fox5 van is down at his market to interview him and put his blurb on the news.

And there is a beautiful, wonderful, five-star ESL school here put on by Dekalb Tech. That place gives so many people their lives back. I am glad my tax dollars pay for that.

(Alas, though, the Cambodian restaurant was just replaced by a Bosnian [if I remember correctly] nightclub -- such are the changing demographics of the refugee population.)

But all is not well in the land of milk and honey. To wit, the mayor, and other of his ilk are giving our local kids' soccer team, the Fugees, trouble.

“There will be nothing but baseball and football down there as long as I am mayor,” said Swaney.

He's referring to the beautiful field at Milam Park, as NYT explains. Pictured at right, the field in question is past the picnic shelter.

There is also a beautiful field beside the community center. It is behind a padlocked fence and I've never seen anyone in there.

But this is local grousing. Just remember, yall, check the links on the right to hear about the massive refugee community here and how you can volunteer and meet the most remarkable survivors you will ever meet. Or just come for one of our many halal butchers, pho diners or Burmese laundromats.

PS, you always know when Lee Swaney is coming because his big 'ol truck has a big magnet on the door reading, "Lee Swaney, Mayor of Clarkston."

International Poultry Expo

2007-01-19T17:32:00.000-05:00

Maybe its a little early for the hype, but the Farmer's Market Bulletin has already broken the news: The International Poultry Expo and International Feed Expo start throwing down on Wednesday.

Last year's IPE / IFE attracted over 3000 international companies representing 93 countries.

Marta has already prepared -- posting directions and info about the expos on the trains. There will be more than 20,000 attendees this year.

For the science-y types, there's a pre-expo special: The International Poultry Scientific Forum, put on by the Southern Poultry Science Society and the Southern Conference on Avian Diseases. Stop Bird Flu today!

AG does not endorse eating industrial chicken.

AG Sells Out

2007-01-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

Your Dekalb Farmer's Market, located on East Ponce between Scottdale and Decatur, will turn you into a food snob . . . for things like banana flowers, mangosteen and belacan.

This place has the freshest, best quality food in the ATL. Twice the variety and half the price of another WHOLEsome FOOD place around here. Maybe not half, but really much cheaper.

And probably more than twice the variety. Bring even your pickiest vegan to the fresh vegetable bins for anything that has ever been served in an ashram, undercover restaurant, or state dinner. What we're saying is freshness and variety and quality. What we're saying is probably 30 different varieties of green leaf alone. AG doesn't even know the names of all that stuff on the Asian green leaves row. . .Yet it is all so beautiful.

Until now we did not know there were different kinds of taro. There are.

Cheeses? Soft, medium, or hard? From which small town in France/Germany/Italy/Mexico/other?

This place is on point with dates during Ramadan and the lychees coming out now for Chinese New Year.

The ceiling is hung with world flags -- every country in the world I think.

The buffet is about the only healthy eating in Atlanta.

It is in a giant, cold warehouse.

Tourists come from Alabama to visit it.

Send me my fruit, YDFM!

Emory's Global Health Institute Granted $20 million by Gates

2007-01-10T23:48:00.000-05:00

Emory's Global Health Institute aims to "foster research, training and service partnerships that promote health, prevent disease, and facilitate health care treatment in low and moderate resource areas of the world."

At a press conference Wednesday, the new institute, with a total budget of $110 million, highlighted three programs of the type they fund. First, a program by an Emory chemist to train South African scientists in drug R&D. Second, a similar project in New Delhi aimed at discovering new vaccines. And, and expanded research/capacity building/training/exchange program with The National Institutes of Public Health in Mexico. As reported by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Emory must submit $55 million itself for the institute, to be matched by outside funding -- which has just got a $20 million boost from the Gates foundation.

"Gates" at Emory. . . get it?! Ha ha!

And They Have Flights Direct to Kingston

2007-01-08T16:54:00.000-05:00

My grandpa told me to get from hell to heaven you have to transfer through Atlanta. it must be true. Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta is again the busiest airport in the world¹, in terms of number of takeoffs and departures. However, there are many ways to measure "busiest airport", such as number of passengers, weight of freight, number of destinations served and etc. In all fairness, most big cities have more than one airport.

In tastier news:

Recommended by a real Jamaican: Tropical Flavor Restaurant on Moreland. You know the East Atlanta Big Chicken at Moreland and 20? That's the place.

1. AJC January 5, 2007. Registration required.

Olympics Continue in DeKalb

2007-01-04T16:51:00.000-05:00

So, it may be an amateur competition, but if someone's gonna get the Olympic gold (or silver or bronze), they're going to need intense training from a young age. Like at world-class facilities. But young people have to go to school -- high school or vocational. . .but where? The Dekalb International Training Center!

Current students are Olympic hopefuls from 16 different countries in both hemispheres. They have academic school and physical training, all from one institute.

Indian Art from Painting to Comix

2007-01-01T03:32:00.000-05:00

The Carlos Museum begins a new exhibit for those who have already seen the Greek bathtub.

Domains of Wonder: Selected Masterworks of Indian Painting promises not only six centuries of Indian art, but also a calendar of inspired events.
Just a few highlights:

January 11: Lecture: Great Mughals of India
January 23 – February 27: Yoga course

January 28: Virgin Comics Day at the Carlos. This Bangalore-based company, founded by Sir Richard Branson, Deepak Chopra, Shekhar Kapur, and comic book publisher Sharad Devarajan publishes comics to showcase Indian mythology to a generation raised on Cartoon Network.

January 30: Lecture: The Blue God: The Life of Krishna in Indian Art
February 2: Family Film: Hanuman (2005, animated)
February 15: Krishna Leela: Dancing the Play of a Deity

Should you have plans on the 28th, no fear, comics of Hanuman, Buddha, and other luminaries are regularly sold at Mingei World Arts.

Quebecois Chapiteau Arrives in Atlanta

2006-12-11T15:47:00.000-05:00

AG returned from a trip to the frozen north to find this tent behind Atlantic Station. Called the “Grand Chapiteau”, it could only be the new venue for Cirque de Soleil. Performances of the travelling show "Cortero" by this Montreal-based acrobat / circus / dance troupe will run from this Friday the 15th until the 21st, and again from January 9th through 21st.

What's the Polish Word for "Feng Shui"?

2006-12-07T22:44:00.000-05:00

Have you checked out Evenings at Emory? Where else are you going to get p.m. Polish lessons in Atlana? My lefty friend learned to write Arabic there; she'll never have to smudge again. You can do the Great Decisions program, learn capoeira, feng shui, and more. At Emory or the Vinings location.

In other news, despite the bankruptcy and hostile takeover threat, Delta inaugurated a new direct route from ATL to Johannesburg today. No more stop in Dakar!

Please Pass the Pita

2006-12-05T20:08:00.000-05:00

Endorsed by a real Palestinian: the pita at Jerusalem Bakery in Marietta. "This is the only real pita in Atlanta," she says. "They cook it in front of you." My friend drives from Gwinnett to Jerusalem every other week for this stuff. AG concurs: delicious!

Canadians Infiltrate Georgia Dome, Play Hockey

2006-12-03T18:50:00.000-05:00

Atlanta children don't generally grow up around ice or hockey, much less the union of the two. We only got a MLH team in 1997 and it is mostly Canadians. For your perusal:

country	count of Thrashers
Canada	14
Finland	2
Russia	2
Sweden	2
Czech Republic	1
Slovakia	1
Ukraine	1
USA	1

UK all da way

2006-12-01T12:46:00.000-05:00

Lady Sovereign is spittin her rhymes tonight at the loft. She's been up to #6 on the UK charts, and boy, is she a grimey limey. Much love to the SOV!

Y'all already downloaded Chocolate Swim, put out by Cartoon Network, didn't you?

Practice Spanish at 105 MHz

2006-11-29T20:48:00.000-05:00

There wasn't a Mexican-oompah-folk music station on my car radio last time I hit button 5, but today, it was all tuba and accordion. Readers in other states are saying, "uh huh, and?" But to Atlanta, it is still a novelty.

Seems 105.3 switched formats overnight to become "El Patron." And it's just .4 MHz from the other Spanish-language FM station, "Viva 105.7, Tan Latina Como Tu!"

Outside of the Clear Channel domain, we have other global radio shows too.

Georgia Tech broadcasts on 91.1, but since its Georgia Tech, everything is available on the internet too. Did you want "Kosher Noise" or simply "French Caribbean Show?" Monday's schedule is full of the kind of worldly stuff Putumayo charges money for.

Left on the dial, GSU broadcasts at 88.5, radio only. Only place to catch Nippon Music Champ. Also featuring a selection of fyah through the schedule.

WRFG 89.3 boasts the strange bedfellows of Bluegrass and Africo-Caribo-pop. They seem to alternate, roughly. Intersperse bluegrass/jazz/blues with "Global Drumbeat", "African Experience Worldwide" and "Diaspora", and that's WRFG. On Saturday especially the DJs do news and interviews, and its like having a friend that knows way more about African news than CNN.

Statistics

2006-11-27T14:20:00.000-05:00

The Atlanta Regional Commission publishes newsletters about different "foreign" and Generation 1.5 populations in the metro. Read about everybody from Eritreans to Koreans to Iranians in nice 6-page booklets. The maps are cool; they plot where in the 10-county metro area different people are concentrated. Its part of the Global Atlanta Works initiative.

However, unfortunately their calculations are based on the 2000 census, which is madly outdated with respect to the metro's international population. Just offhand, AG knows much higher estimates of Atlanta's Korean population (up to 150,000 vs. ARC's 18,000 ), and Indonesian population (up to 6,000 vs. 1,400).

Miscellany

2006-11-24T16:36:00.000-05:00

Indonesian-American Chamber of Commerce opened in Norcross.

Creative Loafing's best picks for restaurants 2006 includes some gems:
24-hour Korean tofu at 88 Tofu House
Vegetarian at Madras Saravana Bhavan
Taqueria El Molino, but specifically, the one on Cheshire Bridge

Also, for December 1, we found a listing of World Aids Day events in Atlanta.

Atlanta Found to Have a "Koreatown"

2006-11-20T13:55:00.000-05:00

Nothin' but love to the Digital Chosun Ilbo, but they've just now figured out Atlanta has a "Koreatown"? Maybe they haven't actually been here in a while. Though, since 2000, metro Atlanta's Korean population has increased more than five fold, to somewhere between 100,000 and 150,000, according to their article.

And everybody from Korea (and Japan, and Mexico, and the United States, for that matter) is shopping at the Super H Mart.

The first time I saw this sign, I thought it was a Walmart knockoff.

Nuit Blanche, apres Thanksgiving

2006-11-19T16:08:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting thing, the High Museum is hosting a nuit blanche, an all-night art celebration. In Europe, it happens the first Saturday and Sunday in October. But, for us after Thanksgiving, why not? Everyone's off work.

There is also The Miss Nigeria USA pageant. One of the categories is "native Nigerian attire"

Photo from the Nigeria Fashion Show 2004, in Paris. Nice dress. But I would have subtracted points for too much makeup.

Ancient Art in the A

2006-11-12T16:39:00.000-05:00

Those ancient Greeks and Romans . . . what prolific artists, no? They made enough urns, mosaics, sarcophagi, statues, busts, vases, tombstones, funerary monuments, jewelry, bronzes, ceramics, friezes and columns to overwhelm every museum in the world. Atlanta too, of course. We have plenty of opportunities to look at this old stuff and say to our companions, "man, can you believe that thing is 2500 years old?!"

<-Fernbank's Imperial Rome exhibit, through January 2007.

-Paired with the IMAX Greece: Secrets of the Past, to show where Romans got all their ideas.

-> Emory's Michael C. Carlos Museum features hundreds of pieces in its permanent collection, including one of the world's earliest bathtubs:

Atlanta Global is not intended
for viewers under 18 years of age.

Bowling for Googly Wickets

2006-11-07T17:20:00.000-05:00

Atlanta has an amateur cricket league, with 23 teams!

Visit the Atlanta, Georgia Cricket Conference

Global Atlanta

2006-11-02T22:46:00.000-05:00

What:
First Annual Atlanta-Indo American Film Festival
When:
November 10-14
Where:
Lefont Sandy Springs, Ga Tech and Ga State
Why:
Why not?

There's a road movie improbably entitled "Five Guys, Four Bullets".

Note, not all of these films by Indians and the Indian diaspora have English subtitles.