Fresh Loaf

— Chicken Fat made my blog surfing worthwhile this morning with his post about the eccentric folk artist who used to live by the railroad tracks in Vinings before the yuppies moved in. Not only did she pick up garbage tossed in her yard, she hung it from her trees. Whether it was an artistic statement or a statement of protest, he never found out. But upon closer inspection, he did discover that she hung them using chewing gum. Hopefully, he adds, it was her own gum.

— Another gem is at Blog For Democracy, where Juliana notes Barney Frank’s great line about Johnny Mac suspending his campaign to solve the economic crisis. A crisis, by the way, that last week he said didn’t exist. My only concern is that one of her readers doesn’t know what rope-a-dope means. Ouch.

— At the Daly Briefing, our friend in Iraq travels to Najaf to visit a camp for Iraqis displaced by the war. And his trip back to Baghdad sounds absolutely amazing.

— Closer to home, Live Apartment Fire examines how two Atlanta television stations covered the same SE Atlanta shooting and kidnapping. It’s instructive on how a mundane story can be transformed into something memorable on one station. Or … not, in the case of the other.

— There’s always something interesting turning up at the Wren’s Nest. Today, Lain — who is the great-great-great grandson of Joel Chandler Harris (imagine that legacy to uphold) — discovers some vintage campaign material from Brer Rabbit’s ambition to be the Olympic mascot for the 1996 Summer Games. Concludes Lain, considering the reputation of the Atlanta Games, the much-maligned Izzy was probably the proper choice.

— And, finally, with all due respect to Barney Frank, the lovely Sara at Going Through The Motions, has the line of the day, courtesy of Chris Rock.

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— Griftdrift returns from a snorkeling adventure in the Gulf of Mexico to weigh in with a spot-on analysis of Secretary of State Karen Handel’s decision to remove PSC Commission candidate Jim Powell from the ballot, and a judge’s subsequent decision to put him back on the ballot.

—Lori posts a pictorial tribute to Fire Station No. 7, which was closed yesterday due to the city’s budget crisis, on Mingaling. There’s nothing there about Shirley Franklin going “Philadelphia” on the protesters who don’t want to lose their fire station — and almost needing her own fire put out — but there’s some pretty pictures.

— Over at Jason Pye’s blog, he passes along info that Bob Barr, former CL columnist and now presidential candidate, has opened up an on-line store where you can pick up campaign t-shirts and hats. They’re spiffy.

— In a campaign of a different sort, there’s a long back and forth on ATLmalcontent regarding a fellow blogger’s tome on the requirements for a male to be a feminist ally. Which is something we should all aspire towards, no?

— A new trend in Atlanta television news is called “backpacking.” No camping involved. Just news reporters doubling as camerapersons. Doug Richards at Live Apartment Fire explains how WXIA is trying to get a bigger bang for the buck. And essentially telling viewers: Expect less.

— Over at the Wren’s Nest, someone has discovered that the family of Joel Chandler Harris sued Coca-Cola for copyright infringement in 1932. Br’er Rabbit didn’t win because Br’er Coca-Cola out-foxed him.

— I’m still trying to figure this one out, but the ladies at Pecanne Log seem to have this inexplicable crush on our own Thomas Wheatley, to the point they appear to gush over him with every post. Today, there’s no Thomas-gushing going on, but there is a nice sigh of relief that the Crum and Forster building has been saved from the clutches of demolition by those ramblin’ wrecks over at Georgia Tech.

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