May 21, 2004

Mice on parade

You may notice some six-foot mice standing on State Street over the next couple of months, but don't worry: they're real. Fifteen Mickey Mouse statues have been placed on State Street, between Wacker Drive and Jackson. (Think a Disney-themed "Cows on Parade" exhibit.) The statues come from a larger collection of 75 that were created for Mickey's 75th birthday, and the exhibit will be moving to other cities over the next few months.

- jma | 21.05.04 ~ Arts/Architecture

The Obama Show

The Sun-Times reports that US Senate candidate Barack Obama is being followed by a particularly persistent cameraman, whose job is to record every single second of Obama's appearances in public. The cameraman, not surprisingly, is employed by Obama's opponent, Republican Jack Ryan. A spokeman for Ryan's campaign says that they're just making sure Obama doesn't contradict himself in his public statements. And I'm sure that, if Ryan catches Obama in a misstatement, he will quietly and discreetly alert Obama's team to the error, without notifying any people in the news media or making a big deal about it. Update: Jack Ryan has apologized, and has ordered the cameraman to back off.

- jma | 21.05.04 ~ Politics/Activism

YahooWiFiMaps

YahooMaps now offers the ability to search for WiFi hotspots (at least those using Intel's wireless technology). One question about the Chicago map, though: what's up with the shantytown listed at Erie and Fairbanks?

- ah | 21.05.04 ~ Found on the Web

Art in the Streets

Josh MacPhee is a local stencil artist and documentarian of street art. He's just released a book, Stencil Pirates, looking into the history of stencil graffiti and including hundreds of examples of the art. MacPhee also runs justseeds, a "radical art and culture distribution system" for stencil art as well as books, posters, zines and other stuff. Check it out.

- ah | 21.05.04 ~ Arts/Architecture

A look at Lincoln Park

Your GB Humorous Moment of the Day courtesy of Atomly: A critical view of Lincoln Park.

- nh | 21.05.04 ~ Weblogs

The Perfect Crime...Almost

Eighty years ago, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks just to see if they could get away with it. They thought it would be a perfect crime, but instead were quickly arrested and tried. Their defense attorney was none other than Clarence Darrow, of Scopes Monkey Trial fame. Today the Chicago Historical Society opens an exhibit on the murder and trial; the show runs through September.

- ah | 21.05.04 ~ History

Party Like it's 1999

The city has announced that when the Millennium Park finally does open on July 16, it will be celebrated with what some are referring to as an "entertainment orgy" lasting three days. Years late, and a good chunk of change over-budget, the Millennium Park will be the site of numerous of events including a (literal) three-ring circus, sunrise yoga and tai-chi, park tours, and a world-premier concert of new music by the Grant Park orchestra. For a cool interactive map, check this out.

- ash | 21.05.04 ~ Outdoors/Environment

Down with ol' pee-pee

Cubs left-fielder Moises Alou hit .400 this week with 3 home runs and 4 RBIs. How did he do it? Peeing on his hands to harden them may have helped. Apparently he's not alone in the practice. But Slate points out that urea is a common ingredient in skin moisturizers, and the fact that Alou has only 8 errors in his Cub career suggests very soft hands indeed.

- ls | 21.05.04 ~ Sports/Recreation

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