By Eleanor Ringel Cater
Special to SaportaReport

There’s nothing here but lots of nothing, done to a turn by John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (“Match Point”) as his clueless partner/straight man.

That’s meant to be a compliment.

This pleasantly overloaded hokum casts Rhys Meyers as a diplomatic aide in Paris with 007 dreams. They are fulfilled — and then some— when he’s assigned to drive a cue-headed, playful-mode-full-on Travolta (there’s even a hamburger joke meant to evoke his Great Comeback in “Pulp Fiction.”)

The pair race around Paris (or some clever facsimile) tracking down…well, that’s for me and Travolta to know and you to find out. I actually guessed the final twist rather early (unusual for me), but I found myself having such guilty-pleasure fun watching Travolta showboat like there is no tomorrow, I stayed ’till the end.

“From Paris With Love” has been put together by much the same team as last year’s “Taken,” — a more serious spin on the vengeance/chase movie, with a decidedly more morose Liam Neeson, and blood bags that didn’t look like they’ve been sitting around since Chuck Norris’s last movie.

This thing is fun. Dumb fun. Overdone fun. But, unlike Travolta’s insulting “Wild Hogs,” fun that doesn’t make you feel cheated or angry or even mildly insulted. Travolta and Rhys Meyers make a a perfectly-odd odd couple and both seem to having some sort of good time. Hopefully, if you lower your expectations to comic-book level, you will, too.

By Maria Saporta

At the monthly Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable this morning, four state legislators were relatively upbeat on how the 2010 General Assembly will address environmental issues.

The biggest cause for optimism was the water conservation bill that was introduced by Gov. Sonny Perdue and his leadership team earlier this week.

Jill Johnson, program director of Georgia Conservation Voters, said such a water bill had been one of the top priorities of the different environmental groups in the state.

State Sen. Ross Tolleson (R-Perry), who chairs the Senate’s Natural Resources and Environment Committee, said the state had laid the groundwork when it supported having a statewide water plan that addressed the needs of metro Atlanta as well as the rest of the state.

Tolleson also said he was hopeful that Georgia, Alabama and Florida soon would be able to reach an agreement on the use of water between the three states.

“I believe that during the year, we will get a compact (between Georgia, Alabama and Florida on water usage),” Tolleson said. “It’s the most important thing right now. It’s a very sensitive time, and people need to be very careful about what they say.”

State Sen. Steve Henson (D-DeKalb) agreed that a water compact was crucial.

“The most environmentally friendly way we can do this is through conservation,” Henson said. “We need a compact with other states. But it will not provide Atlanta the water it needs without conservation.

State Rep. Debbie Buckner (D-Columbus) said she was pleased with the governor’s proposal. But she also believes more could be done. She has introduced a bill that would have an outdoor watering schedule to prevent people from watering their lawns during the middle of the day when there is the greatest amount of evaporation.

Securing funding for transit also is another top priority of the Georgia Conservation Voters, but the prognosis on that front is much cloudier.

State Rep. Mike Jacobs (R-DeKalb) said he is seeing growing consensus between the House and Senate, largely because Gov. Perdue has proposed a regional approach to a possible new penny sales tax.

But it was unclear whether such a new penny would be transit-focused.

“The governor’s proposal is a lot more road oriented than transit,” Jacobs said. “That’s open for discussion.”

Jacobs, who serves on the House oversight committee for MARTA, said removing the 50/50 restriction for the MARTA penny could be a difficult issue. By state law, MARTA has to spend 50 percent of its sales tax revenue on capital improvements and the remaining on operations.

MARTA is the only transit agency in the country with such a restriction, and it would like the flexibility to spend its own money where it’s needed. Remember MARTA does not receive annual operating support form the state, the only agency among the nation’s top 10 to receive no state support.

Jacobs said he had proposed waving that restriction for two years, but now MARTA has to invest in major technology improvements so it will need capital funding over the next two years.

The question Jacobs didn’t answer was why not remove that sales tax restriction entirely and permanently.

But he is accurate in saying that a flexible MARTA sales tax will not solve the transit agency’s immediate and dire need for operating funds. Unless it can secure new funding, MARTA likely will be facing a drastic decline in service this July.

Jacobs mentioned that one option could be using some of the $300 million transportation bond program that has been proposed by Perdue for MARTA and other transit agencies.

That also is a long shot. The governor has identified all the projects in that $300 million bond program, and there is no money for transit. It is mostly dedicated to freight and road improvements.

Someone asked whether it’s time to change the state Constitution to allow its motor fuel tax to fund transit and alternative modes of transportation rather than just roads and bridges.

Jacobs said a change in the Constitution would require a two thirds vote in the House and Senate. “That is a real tall order,” he said.

But Tolleson was not so pessimistic, saying there’s an evolution underway.

Georgia has watched hundreds of millions of dollars flow to its competitor states for rail projects, and it likely will not get its share of federal dollars until it begins investing in transit and trains.

“I don’t know if it would be that hard to change the Constitutional amendment,” Tolleson said “It is a matter of talking through the process of where we stand today.”

By Maria Saporta

It’s baaaack.

The super, mega, wrap-around sign on the historic Medical Arts building on Peachtree Street downtown is all the evidence we need to show that our city is not working.

Complaint after complaint has been filed against the owners of the 384 Peachtree building — which is highly visible going north or south on the Downtown Connector — for violating the city’s sign ordinance.

We are not supposed to be a city of billboards. We certainly are not supposed to be a city where advertisers can wrap an unsightly canvas pimping their products on an historic high-rise building.

This is not the first time this issue has come up. Last year, the building got taken over by ads, and eventually the city or the community put enough pressure on the building owners to take it down.

So why is it back?

That’s a question that Kyle Kessler, a downtown resident an engaged citizen, wants answered.

He sent an email wondering why “MetroPCS would want to advertise illegally on a vacant building in downtown Atlanta that has quite a history of code compliance violations?”

But more importantly, Kessler wants to know why the sign is being tolerated by our city government.

Kessler sent an email to city leaders demanding action to get the sign removed.

“I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and would encourage the City to take appropriate action regarding enforcement — understanding the City’s authorization to remove the illegal sign and place a lien on the property per Sec.16-28A.015,” Kessler wrote the city.

At the PEDs membership meeting last night, Kessler said the city still has not taken action against the building owners.

Why not?

Wrapping around an historic building with a MetroPCS sign cheapens our city and diminishes our desire to become an attractive cosmopolitan community.

Ideally, the building owners would spend their energies trying to bring new life to the old building rather than creating a blight on our city’s skyline in order to make a quick buck.

No matter what, the city should not tolerate the sign being there for another day. And it needs to make sure that the building owners won’t flaunt the city’s sign ordinance and put up another mega billboard whenever it wants to.

Meanwhile, customers of MetroPCS should let their service provider know that paying money for such a gaudy and garish advertisement is doing the company more harm than good.

And the city should punish the building owners with every weapon in its legal limits.

It’s a matter of being a good corporate citizen. It’s a matter of good taste (or the lack thereof).

So enough already.

By Maria Saporta

We now know exactly when Jim Wagner became the front-runner to be the new president of Emory University back in 2003.

At the time, Emory was touting itself as being a university “poised for greatness.”

Wagner turned the tables on the search committee and asked: “How long does Emory plan to be poised for greatness?”

That was Wagner’s way of saying it would be better if Emory had already achieved greatness.

That story was told today by Ben Johnson, chairman of the Emory University’s Board of Trustees, as he was introducing Wagner as the speaker at the Atlanta Rotary Club.

During the question-answer session after Wagner’s talk, he was asked if Emory was still poised for greatness or whether it had achieved greatness.

“It grieves me that you have to ask,” Wagner said with a smile. And then he said part of Emory’s problem and Atlanta’s problem is that the two haven’t done a great job in letting the world know of what they have to offer. “Atlanta arguably is a college town that really doesn’t market itself that way.”

In his talk, Wagner gave an historical overview of the role of universities in cities. Only in the last 100 or so years have universities emerged as engines of economic growth.

But now they’ve become magnets for research initiatives, business recruitment and urban revitalization.

Plus universities have a real stake in the communities where they live (as well as the legislative environment that exists in the states where they’re located).

“Unlike sports franchises and Fortune 100 companies, colleges and universities aren’t mobile,” Wagner said. “They are here to stay.”

But beyond the issues of economic impact, universities provide an environment where people can ask the most fundamental questions of life complete with all their ambiguities.

“They are places where ideas to battle so people won’t,” Wagner said.

By Maria Saporta

How sweet it is. Comme c’est bon.

Earlier this evening, I attended the grand opening of the new home for the Alliance Francaise D’Atlanta and the Goethe Institute Atlanta at Colony Square.

It was a celebration on so many levels.

This is the first time in the United States (if not the world) that the French and German cultural organizations have come together under one roof — showing a spirit of cooperation between two countries that often have been at odds for several centuries.

One of the most uplifting moments of tonight’s celebration was when the French and German flags were raised on two of the flagpoles in front of Colony Square on Peachtree Street.

As the flags began blowing in the wind, musicians played “La Marseillaise” — the French national anthem, and “das Deutschlandlied” — the German national anthem.

Internationally-minded Atlantans filled the plaza in front of Colony Square to mark launch of this one-of-a-kind joint venture that symbolizes a true European union.

About 500 people — from many different nations and cultures — filled the atrium of Colony Square to enjoy food and drinks from both cultures while listening to speeches from dignitaries, witnessing the ribbon-cutting followed by live music.

What an incredible coming together. Both the French and German ambassadors to the United States were in Atlanta today to commemorate this special union (even though the French ambassador had to leave before tonight’s celebration so he could be in Paris on Friday to welcome U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on her official visit to France).

Beyond all the fanfare, tonight’s culmination of the Alliance and Goethe meant a great deal to me personally.

Over the past 18 months, the Alliance knew it would be moving from an office building where it had been for the better part of two decades. As a vice president of the board, I had become deeply involved in reviewing the possible options for our new home.

The choices were narrowed down to two. We could move to Buckhead and be co-located with the French Consulate. Or we could move to Colony Square and be co-located with Goethe.

(Earlier on, we had hoped to be part of an international development that would house consulates, trade offices, foreign chambers of commerce and multi-cultural organizations — either on a global scale or as a House of Europe. But pulling off such a development proved to be far too complicated, especially during such economic turmoil).

So we were faced with having to pick Buckhead or Midtown; the French Consulate or Goethe. The debate between the two options threatened to split our board almost down the middle as we struggled to figure out where we belonged and how we could best fulfill our mission to provide French language classes and cultural events to Atlanta and its diverse residents.

Needless to say, I favored Midtown’s Colony Square and the relationship with Goethe. We already had been partnering with Goethe on many cultural events, and we were holding our Saturday classes in the Goethe space because the office building where the Alliance was located was closed on weekends.

Plus, I felt it was critically important that we be in the heart of Atlanta’s arts and cultural district, close to MARTA and accessible to our city’s diverse populations.

More than that, I also had a strong emotional tie to the decision. As I’ve written before, my mother, Nora Nehama Saporta, was founded the Ecole de L’Alliance Francaise d’Atlanta back in 1963 with a couple of associates.

I always marveled how Mama, who knew little English when she moved to the United States in the late 1940s, was able to help make such a significant contribution to Atlanta’s multi-cultural offerings after such a short time in the city.

Atlanta was still a Southern town, in every sense of the word. I remember in the 1960s when Mama, Papa, my sister and I would speak to each other in French, Atlantans would stare at us as though we had come from another planet.

Somewhere along the way, Mama and Papa became actively involved with Goethe — developing close friendships with Atlanta’s German community.

For me, that was extraordinary. As Sephardic Jews, both Mama and Papa had been captured by the Germans during World War II. Papa escaped and joined the Greek resistance while Mama and her parents ended up spending an incredibly difficult year in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

I marveled at how Mama and Papa were able to overcome their experiences as Jews in Europe during World War II and open their hearts to the German community in Atlanta. (Papa — Isaac “Ike” Saporta — did have a natural affinity towards Germans because before the war, he had studied architecture in Dresden, and had become fluent in German).

It was about a year ago when the board of the Alliance had to face the moment of truth about our future home. Our decision was made easier because the Colony Square option ended up being about $200,000 less expensive over the 10-year lease.

And after we had voted in favor of joining Goethe at Colony Square, I shared the story of my parents special relationship with the Goethe Institute and how supportive they would have been that we had made this historic decision.

So tonight’s celebration for me was not just the coming together of France and Germany in Atlanta. It was a testament of my parents’ strength to bridge over the worst of human behavior by forging friendships in their quest of becoming global citizens committed to a peaceful world.

Mama and Papa would have been particularly pleased to witness the close collaboration of the Alliance and Goethe, of France and Germany, in their adopted city of Atlanta.

And that makes me feel all warm inside.

By Maria Saporta

Two of Georgia’s most notorious figures were inducted today to Georgia Trend’s Most Influential Georgians Hall of Fame — enlivening the lunch with their uniquely seasoned personalities.

What other way can one describe longtime political journalist Bill Shipp and Civil Rights leader and activist Rev. Joseph Lowery.

First Shipp was introduced by Georgia Trend Publisher Neely Young, who called Shipp a “franchise.”

After receiving a standing ovation, Shipp spoke from a wheelchair while sitting at one of the front tables in the the Ritz Carlton Atlanta ballroom. He thanked Georgia Trend for the honor. He also credited his family — daughters Edie and Michelle — as well as his late wife, Renate, for their part in helping him receive such a high award.

“I only wish Reny could have been present at this occasion,” said Shipp, with his voice crackling with emotion.

Then, Shipp became his old self again — feisty as always.

“I also want to thank my long-suffering readers for their loyalty and kindness,” Shipp said. “Of course, there is another group of readers whom I wish to address — the mean-spirited rascals who tried to make my life miserable, and stood and cheered when I retired. I’ve got news for you. Fasten your seatbelts. I’m back.”

Then on cue, Rev. Lowery was wheeled in his own wheelchair. He apologized for being late, saying that in his house, he’s outnumbered by women, and they insisted that he had to go to the doctor before coming to the luncheon where he had been told he would have three minutes to speak.

“It takes me that long to get up, and about another three minutes to remember why I got up,” said Lowery, who delivered the benediction at Barack Obama’s historical presidential inauguration a year ago. In August, President Obama also awarded Lowery the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Once he stood up, Lowery gave an impassioned talk about the children in Haiti who had witnessed so much tragedy. “I can’t get the children off my mind,” Lowery said.

“I asked God, ‘Why Haiti?’” Lowery said. “God said, “Don’t ask me why.’”

Then, Lowery asked those attending the luncheon honoring the 100 Most Influential Georgians to join him in everyone giving $100. He then pulled out two $50 bills and handed them to Neely Young.

The luncheon was packed with some of the most powerful people in the state — from university presidents, business leaders and government officials.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed was there in time to be recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential. He had come a few minutes late because he had been at an event for House Speaker David Ralston. Then, after picking up his Georgia Trend certificate, Reed rushed off to be the keynote speaker at the Buckhead Coalition’s annual meeting.

For the past couple of years, Georgia Trend has scheduled its lunch on the same day as the Buckhead Coalition’s annual meeting, which makes it a difficult choice for some of the folks who are invited to both events.

Reed was able to be in at least two places at the same time. Former Atlanta Mayor Sam Massell, who is president of the Buckhead Coalition, said Reed showed up 10 minutes earlier than expected, in plenty of time to deliver his 15-minute talk.

According to Massell, the most memorable line that Reed shared with the Buckhead Coalition was: “I’m not going to look to Buckhead as the city’s banker.”

Buckhead, the most affluent section of the city, is sensitive to the fact that it pays for a large share (some would say more than its fair share) of the city’s property taxes.

Reed then rushed down to attend the Atlanta Regional Commission’s board meeting, where he was sworn in as the new Atlanta mayor representative. The board held a few agenda items until he arrived and was able to participate.

By Maria Saporta

It just was time for him to move on.

That’s how Benjamin DeCosta, general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, explains why he would not be seeking to renew his contract when it runs out at the end of June. DeCosta sent a letter to the Atlanta City Council and Mayor Kasim Reed on Monday to let them know of his decision.

DeCosta has been general manager of the Atlanta airport since June, 1998. Before coming to Atlanta, DeCosta worked for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and he served as general manager of the Newark International Airport.

“I’ve been at this as CEO of large airports for 16 years,” DeCosta said in a phone conversation Monday evening. “It’s time to try something else.”

During DeCosta’s tenure in Atlanta, he has been overseeing a $6 billion capital improvement program that includes the fifth runway, the Maynard Holbrook Jackson International Terminal, a new rental car complex connected by a people mover, plus several other improvements to the existing terminal.

At the end of last year, the city approved a new master lease agreement with its largest partner — Delta Air Lines. That agreement largely was reached between Delta executives and then Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and her top deputy, Chief Operating Officer Greg Giornelli.

Some national observers said the city could have negotiated better terms with Delta, particularly in gaining greater control and flexibility in the leasing of the airport’s gates.

DeCosta has become a national leader in the industry, serving on the boards of the American Association of Airport Executives as well as Airports Council International.

DeCosta said he was stepping down five months before the end of his contract so he could give the city ample time to select his successor.

Meanwhile, DeCosta has expressed confidence in the team he has built at Hartsfield-Jackson, including Mario Diaz, deputy general manager of the airport since January, 1999.

Reed reportedly has said he would conduct a national search for DeCosta’s replacement.

Meanwhile, DeCosta had not decided what his next career move will be.
DeCosta is a native New Yorker. He graduated from New York Law School in 1975. In 1984, he participated in a program for senior executives in state and local government at the Kennedy School of Public Administration at Harvard University.

Despite his ties to the Northeast, DeCosta may not be changing his address.

“I like Atlanta,” DeCosta said. “I plan to stay.”

Here is Ben DeCosta’s letter to City Council:

Atlanta City Councilmembers,

By Maria Saporta

Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin was pleased that news outlets reported the facts about how violent crime has decreased in the city.

But she felt that stories “missed the significant role of public engagement in learning and exercising safety tips” as ways to combat violent crime. She also said the lower violent crime stats were a result of “increased investment in professional training of Atlanta’s police officers from top to bottom.”

(Click here to read WXIA’s report on the new crime numbers).

Franklin mentioned several other reasons. The city’s 24 Neighborhood Planning Units and community groups have participated in Court Watch, neighborhood safety training and the Citizens Police Academy.

Neighborhoods also have hired off-duty officers for residential security patrols; they have improved home and business security systems while the city has embarked in an active public awareness campaign.

“Good police work, community engagement and the professionalism of the Atlanta Police Department have all played a BIG part in creating a safe community,” Franklin wrote me in an email.

The news of a decline in violent crime rates is a vindication of sorts for Franklin. During the recent mayoral campaign, crime was the No. 1 issue with candidates, who painted the impression that Atlanta was a dangerous city.

But Franklin didn’t stop there.

“Now we need better gun laws in Georgia,” Franklin wrote. “A 13-year-old learns to hunt with his father without gun safety training, and there is no public outcry. Most responsible parents teach child safety when they teach their children to swim or to ride a bike. Why not when they are teaching them to shoot a gun?”

Franklin was referring to a shooting incident that involved the 13-year-old son of Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, a Republican gubernatorial candidate. Oxendine’s son wounded a 59-year-old man on Sunday, Jan. 17 during a hunt on a wildlife preserve in North Georgia.

To reinforce her point, Franklin included a link to a Chicago Sun Times blog “regarding Chicago’s gun laws and a statement from Mayor Richard Daley.”

It’s been three weeks since Franklin completed her two terms as Atlanta’s mayor. But the good news is that she hasn’t gone anywhere. She still cares enough to share her thoughts on our city and our state.

By Maria Saporta

At breakfast this morning at the Commerce Club, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce rolled out the red carpet for Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft.

And Ballmer responded by saying Atlanta actually is the 10th largest high tech center in the country. He remembered coming to Atlanta five years ago to attend a breakfast sponsored by the Technology Association of Georgia, and he was impressed that it attracted 700 people that early in the morning.

Although Microsoft doesn’t have its headquarters here, Ballmer said Atlanta is an important base for the information technology company. It has 350 employees in the state and has partners that employ another 5,000.

Ballmer was in Atlanta to announce a job training partnership between Microsoft and the state of Georgia.

But in his talk to the Georgia Chamber, Ballmer’s message was fairly straight-forward.

“At the end of the day, there’s only one thing that’s going to drive economic growth, and that’s innovation,” Ballmer said. “In a sense, I feel particularly fortunate to work in an industry where you either innovate or you die. We have to keep pushing forward on the frontier.”

Ballmer said Microsoft will invest $9 billion this year on research and development, which he believes is more than any other company will spend on R&D. Unlike other firms, Ballmer added that his company did not cut its research and development budget during these tough economic times.

Then he told the breakfast group of about 200 people that a gathering “like this will be viewed as primitive” in the future. He then held up a sheet of paper, and called it part of the Gutenberg era (after the press invented in the 1430s).

“I want to have a screen that’s as thin as this,” Ballmer said waving the sheet of paper. “We really will have screens that are this thin and this light.”

In preparing our country for the ever-changing information age, Ballmer said it will require more computer literacy than exists today. A big priority also should be in bridging the “digital divide” that separates those who are skilled in computers and information technology and those who are not.

“It doesn’t do a lot of good to have all this new technology if you can’t use it,” Ballmer said.

During the question and answer portion, one of the most interesting exchanges came when talking about have a technological platform for health industry so that medical records could be available to better serve patients.

Ballmer explained the complications of have such a standardized platform because medical practices may use one kind of technology, hospitals another kind, labs yet another and insurance companies using another one.

Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young told Ballmer that when he was in Congress in 1974, all his information was on one card.

“The only way you could impose standards is through government,” Ballmer said, adding that government already pays for more than half of all medical costs through Medicare and Medicaid. He then went on to say that the organization that is leading the standardized system for health records is the Veterans Administration.

“You aren’t saying government provides the best health system, are you?” Young, a longtime Democrat, asked.

To that Ballmer said: “The VA is one of the highest-performing medical systems in the country.”

By Maria Saporta

Georgia House Speaker David Ralston was the special guest at today’s board meeting of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

And from the folks who attended the meeting, the word was that he impressed business leaders with his interest in moving beyond the dysfunctional (my word) politics of the last couple of years.

“He gave us a very nice overview of their agenda,” said Bill Linginfelter, this year’s Metro Atlanta Chamber chairman and Regions Bank’s area president for Georgia and South Carolina. “He seemed excited about the prospect for a transportation bill (coming out of this year’s legislative session).”

Linginfelter, however, said Ralston did not provide any specifics of what that transportation bill would include and whether it would go before voters during the 2010 elections or in 2012.

Linginfelter also said business leaders did not ask the new speaker about any details and they did not share with him their preferences.

In the past couple of years, the Metro Atlanta Chamber has urged the legislature to move forward on transportation funding because it has felt that the region already has been losing ground.

The chamber also has had a clear preference to allow regions to vote on a possible new penny sales tax for transportation rather than having a statewide referendum.

Gov. Sonny Perdue has proposed breaking up the state into different regions, having a referendum be presented statewide, but allowing a tax to be implemented in the regions where the majority of voters are willing to tax themselves.

Given the difficult economy, the governor also has suggested that it be presented to voters in 2012 rather than during the upcoming elections for governor and other state offices.

Either way, business leaders interviewed after this morning’s chamber board meeting clearly were relieved by Ralston’s willingness to work with the governor, the lt. governor and the business community.