Gongol.com > Archive > July 2004
Gongol.com: July 2004


Election 2004 (7.5.2004)
On John Kerry and His SUVs
Columbia Journalism Review column that starts out interesting on the subject, then gets much too boring to finish about halfway through

Election 2004 (7.5.2004)
Find Out Which Candidates Your Neighbors Are Supporting
Website allows you to search for contributors to Presidential campaigns by ZIP code or last name

We All Need a Little Humor (7.5.2004)
Who Gets to Tell People What to Do?
It seems like James Lileks had an experience similar to a recent one of mine, leading to a crusade similar to one of mine. Lileks was in a Dairy Queen parking lot and overheard some pre-teens swearing like longshoremen. He spoke up and told them to pipe down. It doesn't seem to happen very often. I have recently begun to realize the number of men who leave public restrooms, missing step two of this three-part exercise: (1) Use facilities, (2) Wash hands, (3) Leave. As a result, I've been talking about my "Please Wash Your Hands" campaign during my radio show, since there's nothing wrong -- nothing -- with politely asking your fellow gentlemen (and ladies, as the case may be) to "Please wash your hands" if you see them bolting for the door without splashing under the faucet first.

The American Way (7.5.2004)
The Problem With Modern Public Art Is That It's Too Self-Righteous
Lileks hits the nail on the head with his observation regarding idiotic-looking contemporary public art: "Keep in mind that if someone had proposed a statue with two allegorical figures – say, 'Progress handing Speed to Commerce' they would have made it past the first round only if they’d insisted it was an ironic commentary on previous modes of public art." The result: We are force-fed more of this (a ridiculous piece at my alma mater) and less of this (the Chicago Water Tower, which wasn't even intended as public art but looks like it anyway)


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