"I’m Charlie Cappa floating through his nightclub in a sharp Italian suit in MEAN STREETS, Henry Hill being lead through the back door of the Copacabana to a table right in front of the stage in GOODFELLAS, or Ace Rothstein at the dead center of the frame as he walks through the Tangiers in CASINO. I’m also Michael Barnes and I am walking through Atlanta Game Factory on a summer day three years ago. Imagine the Ronettes or the Rolling Stones on the soundtrack and you’ve got a pretty good picture of what it felt like to walk into AGF at the peak of its powers. All my life I wanted to be a game store owner." Gameshark has just posted the tenth and final installment of the strange saga of the rise and fall of the Atlanta Game Factory.
posted on Jun 26, 2008 - View this thread

No Tourists, No Artists. Tourists at Atlanta's Underground didn't realize they were working with an real live artist, but they were. Tom Richmond, Caricaturist Of The Year for 1998 and 1999, recipient of a Reuben Award in 2003 , one-time comic book creator, and frequent artistic contributor to Mad Magazine (movie parodies, mostly), supported his freelance work for almost 18 years by doing cartoons-for-hire in historic Underground Atlanta. Despite many efforts to "save" it, Underground continues to fade in popularity and the tourist traffic just dwindles on down, leaving folks like Tom no choice but to pack up their paints and leave. Tom's story makes for interesting insight into a job that most of us might take for tourist-trapping huckstery. (via Radical Georgia Moderate)
posted on Jan 7, 2008 - View this thread

What is Philadelphia's trajectory in 2007? Seven cities are compared: Philadelphia, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit and Pittsburgh.
posted on Mar 5, 2007 - View this thread

Historian assaulted then arrested for jaywalking in Atlanta. A historian at the "Historians against the war" conference in Atlanta was stopped for jaywalking. Being from the UK, he thanked the officer, then realized the officer didn’t have any name tag or identification. He asked to see the police officers identification, and the police officer took offense stating "See my Uniform!". The officer kicked the mans leg out, pushed him to the ground and handcuffed him. The police officer had 5 other police officers step on the historian causing bruises on his neck. After being in jail for 8 hours, he arranged 1000 dollar bail. He refused to accept a please bargain that would effect his green card, so the case was dropped.
posted on Jan 9, 2007 - View this thread

The People You Meet When You Walk Down the Street...
A small slice of Atlanta street culture...
via Peachtree Screed.
posted on Nov 16, 2006 - View this thread

"There is a bomb in Centennial Park. You have 30 minutes." Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta. Initial (and unwarranted) suspicions notwithstanding, the July 27th bombing would prove to be just the first of four such acts of domestic terrorism committed by 5-year fugitive Eric Robert Rudolph.
posted on Jul 27, 2006 - View this thread

The Book of Ralph. "A True Graphic Novel On Ralph Reed" written by Doug Monroe from Atlanta's Creative Loafing, drawn by Josh Latta of CuteGirlDemographics, and based entirely on potent quotables from Mr Reed himself.
posted on Feb 18, 2006 - View this thread

"We birthed the blues. We launched rock 'n' roll." The Atlanta Journal Constitution has compiled a rather comprehensive list of the top 100 songs from the American South. The range spans from Loretta Lynn at #11 to Yin Yang Twins at #89. Before you ask, "Freebird" is #59. And just so all bases are covered, they've added supplimental lists for Texas (which is not the South) and Louisiana (which is the South, but on an entirely different plane of musical existence). (Try to overcome the truly annoying Flash interface.)
posted on Sep 14, 2005 - View this thread

"I don't think I saw one white person besides the people in my girl scout troop..." and other unconscious racist reviews about Atlanta, Georgia. Don't believe me? Just ask Chiquita, she'll direct you away from all those filty, dirty, unworthy homeless people (but hey, if you're gay and do not prefer those club going Queens then A-town is for you, playa)!
posted on Apr 27, 2005 - View this thread

Cop shoots from patrol car. Beautiful and fascinating photos taken by an on-duty police officer in southwest Atlanta. Thumbnails are cropped, click to see full photo. (via things)
posted on Apr 20, 2005 - View this thread

FIDDLE • GoldenFiddle.com sends up Gawker.com, tailing celebrities in Atlanta: "Saw David Cross over thanksgiving at the Magnapop show in east Atlanta. He seemed really pissed off about something. Christianity maybe?"
posted on Dec 2, 2004 - View this thread

"The Atlanta Time Machine website is dedicated to examining the history of Atlanta, Georgia  by comparing vintage photographs of Atlanta with much more contemporary images shot, more or less, from the same perspective of the original photographer." [via kottke.org]
posted on Jun 29, 2004 - View this thread

Big Brother Really Exists, And He's Not Who You Think He Is. While most of those in the privacy realm have been focusing on keeping the government from spying on its citizens, the government has made an end-run: Letting the private sector do it for them. ChoicePoint, an Atlanta-based spinoff from credit agency Equifax, now has more than 200 terrabytes of data on us, and as previously noted, they're not always very good at it. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
posted on Dec 10, 2003 - View this thread

FBI questions man for reading a critique of Fox News. Marc Shultz, a freelance Atlanta writer was reading a print out of this article in a coffee shop when another patron reading over his shoulder apparently found the content seditious enough to deserve a quick call to the Feds, who sent out two agents to check it out.
posted on Jul 18, 2003 - View this thread

Protest Is Not Tolerated

I wasn't sure how much good I could do or how much power one person has but I wanted to do it. When I took my place on the sidewalk across the street from my church, I was struck with this Norman Rockwell picture of America. Families with their balloons, flags and signs made it feel like the Fourth of July. I was thrilled by all the patriotism and was proud to be part of this community that cares enough to turn out to greet the most powerful politician in our land. But when I unrolled my sign, all that changed, and I may never be able to look at my community the same way again.

Ain't that America? Proud to be Born in the USA? Constitutional rights? Not with the "Defenders Of All Things Duhbya!"
posted on Feb 27, 2003 - View this thread

What you watch can now get you arrested. 115, yes 115 people were jailed for attending a club where there was a live sex show on stage. Of course, the cops watched the show for three hours before busting them all. I wonder how many murders were committed that same night in Atlanta..
posted on Jul 30, 2002 - View this thread

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Vent: A collection of readers' responses to news stories. Funny, stupid, silly, odd, thoughtful non sequiturs. Updated daily.
posted on Jul 11, 2002 - View this thread

"America As It Was: A Tour Of The USA In Vintage Postcards" is a vast, amazing collection, quaintly presented by my new heroine: an Atlanta real estate agent and church volunteer called Pat Sabin who dreams of one day visiting Chicago and whose(some would say surprising) love for all things webby is an example to us all. Please don't be put off by the homey graphics and folksy language - it really is a rich, rich resource! [My favourite postcard turns out to be from James Lilek's New York collection. Go figure. All I can say is God bless the meetings of unlikely minds!)]
posted on Jun 25, 2002 - View this thread

Gentlemen, start your lawyers! The Segway claims its first victim in Atlanta.
posted on May 9, 2002 - View this thread

Salute to 4:20 as it ends here in Atlanta! Viva the Gothic Trailer Park! Enjoy!
posted on Apr 20, 2002 - View this thread

Sleep. "With pop culture so willingly providing countless numbers of prepackaged lifestyles, people no longer feel a need to truly think for themselves and do not bother to take the time to question the true origin of their own ideals and desires. Nothing can be taken for face value. Everything that portrays itself as one thing, turns out to be something else. Enter Slumber Inc."

An Atlanta-based culture-meme, more akin to Obey than Toynbee. But really, aside from drawing the occasional amused or confused glance from passersby, can pasting a poster actually accomplish anything revolutionary?
posted on Mar 27, 2002 - View this thread

And So It Ends. With Guilty pleas, the Gold Club trial is over. Now the Feds own the most profitable strip club in the country. Will they pave it? Turn it into a wetland? Or set it up for exploratory oil drilling?
posted on Aug 2, 2001 - View this thread

Producer of 'Cops' gets DUI in Atlanta . . . Bad boy, bad boy, watcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?
posted on Apr 5, 2001 - View this thread

Spare the rod? Heck no! God says beat and pimp your child! "House of Prayer" cult encourages group beatings of children in church. "Reverend" encourages marriages of 14-year-olds to "prevent potential whores." He also discusses genitalia and hikes up skirts during services. He's not the unaspanker, he's much worse.
posted on Mar 29, 2001 - View this thread

Zero Tolerance gone bad. Again. More inside.
posted on Oct 3, 2000 - View this thread

It's fun to rip on bad driving. I didn't realize what a gaping emotional hole I've had since Jerque du Jour went away.
posted on May 16, 2000 - View this thread