April 27, 2005
“Thinking” Left
- Andisheh Nouraee’s comments on a local Republican hack remind me of how I feel about most of Jim Wooten’s columns, especially those inane “Thinking Right” piece-of-crap columns. Do those columns really represent how right-wingers think? I’m sorry, but who is knee-jerking here?
- Why do they call it “Pleasant Hill Road,” when everybody there is so surly? That area is ripe for a streetcar, with Gwinnett Place as the centerpiece for redevelopment as a mixed-use community, a la Eastgate mall’s transformation.
- DoCoMoMo wants to save ugly buildings like the Constitution building. These are the same folks who cried over the loss of Techwood Homes. Get over it. Sometimes, just because a place has “historical” significance — if that’s what you want to call it — doesn’t mean it’s worth saving. I mean, really. Barf.
- Recent reports show that UGA’s donors heavily favor donating money to athletics over academics. Can GA State’s athletic department afford to make the same mistake as they switch over to the Colonial Athletic Association? I don’t know of any students ready to fork over an extra $30 every semester just so the atheletes can travel farther away.
- According to Sperling’s, Atlanta is the most expensive city to drive when you take everything into account. What were those low gas prices good for, again? Using Sperling’s data, Men’s Health also recently found that Atlanta is among the top twenty most depressed cities. Somehow my hometown just doesn’t know how to kick the Prozac habit.
- Looking not quite as dumb as the Cobb County school board, the Odessa, Texas school board unanimously voted in favor of offering an “elective” Bible class, forgetting that religious freedom is already preserved quite well at Sunday school. This agenda was pushed by none other than the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools (Warning: turn your speakers down when following this link), a group whose advisory board includes Chuck Norris and the “rabbi” Daniel Lapin. You may recall that Lapin is the orthodox kook who believes that living wills should be made illegal, and fundamentalist orthodox Bible-thumping Christians aren’t all that bad. You may recall Norris as the star of high-body-count violent cinema. So much for a culture of life.
- News flash! Democrat willing to compromise without compromising his values! Republican stubborn, even in the face of good common sense! Wait. This is a news flash? Nothing new here, really.
- I’m not sure how Jim Wooten can keep writing columns like this. Not that they’re the typical cohesive, normal newspaper columns, but “Thinking Right” must be really easy. To write a “Thinking Left” column requires so much more substance and thought. I guess that’s the problem with thinking left — it actually requires substantive thinking.
Re the DoCoMoMo…
Is everyone sure it’s the Constitution Building? Not the Journal Building? The Journal building is in terrible shape, but if restored it would be Gorgeous. The Constitution Building? Eh… not so much, but it’s highly functional.
Rwd
Comment by Robert — April 29, 2005 @ 3:35 pm
A few points of clarification about the Georgia Chapter, DOCOMOMO-US:
1. The Atlanta Constitution Building (located at the corner of Alabama and Forsyth streets) began construction in 1947 and was occupied by the newspaper in January 1948. The Journal newspaper was merged with the Constitution in 1950, and ultimately consolidated their offices in 1953, which lead to the sale of the ConstitutionÕs modern building. Following the newspaperÕs departure, the Georgia Power Company made the building their headquarters until 1960. Since that time, the building has been vacant and completely neglected. For those who may think the building is ugly, based solely on its present appearance, I encourage you to look at photographs from the buildingÕs early years : http://www.docomomoga.org/pages/constitution/constitution.html
2. The Chapter was founded in 2003, many years following the demolition of Techwood Homes (1936-1995), so we obviously never campaigned to save the site. However, we would argue today that the site is historically significant as the first government-funded housing project in the United States. To ignore this fact would diminish the importance of 20th-century social reforms in America.
3. In regards to ÒBarfÓ, well everyone has the right to their own tastes and that should never be questioned. But, as the great architectural historian Vincent Scully stated, Òarchitecture is a conversation between generations,Ó and I would argue you canÕt have a good conversation if youÕre not well-informed. The purpose of our group is to promote documentation and conservation of the architecture, landscapes, and design of the modern movement, which are increasingly threatened by new development. We’re a vehicle for public advocacy, and the hundreds of signers for our pettion prove there is a substantial community of Georgians who care about the modern era of architecture.
Comment by Jon Buono, Vice-President — May 1, 2005 @ 1:10 pm