Atlanta blogs today: Poor swimming pool owners of the world, UNITE! January 07 2008

. . . rich homeowners will be able to have swimming pools because they can afford the well water or out of state water to fill up their pools. Middle income and lower income families will not be able to do so.

— Erick at Peach Pundit expresses empathy for a hitherto underrepresented group of Georgians — poor people with backyard swimming pools.

Hey Doom...

You are driving away your fanbase through the abuse of your mask!

— David at Ohmpark on the local blogtroversy surrounding MF Doom’s December 2007 performance at Masquerade. Ohmpark reprints photographic evidence allegedly showing that the performer on stage that evening was actually a masked imposter. There’s a reason they call it Masquerade, I suppose.

The killer blow to Underground was when the World of Coca Cola museum adjacent to it closed to reopen in a new facility near the aquarium. With no major tourist attraction to draw people to Underground, it became just another run down collection of knick-knack shops and empty storefronts. Business dropped off so dramatically that the artists I had working there could no longer make enough to justify the time they spent. No artists, no operation. On December 31st we drew our last caricature at Underground.

The end of an era. It was a good run.

— Tom Richmond on the recent closure of Underground Atlanta’s caricature stand. Richmond operated the business for 18 years. Even if you have no interest in caricature art, his description of Underground over the years is worth a read.