Michael Bloomberg and the Giant Chicken

What's the best thing to do with $5 billion? Also, 7 other things worth reading.

A Georgia town is spending $150,000 to build an enormous topiary of a chicken.

Meanwhile, Michael Bloomberg is talking about running for president.

I saw an immediate connection. (What does this say about me?)

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The chicken comes first

Cameron McWhirter of the Wall Street Journal reports the mayor of Fitzgerald, Georgia (pop. 8,700), is spending “unused special tax funds” to build a 62-foot-tall topiary chicken in the center of town.

“I was thinking about it … ‘Why don’t we just build a big-ass chicken?’” Mayor Jim Puckett told the paper.

It’s controversial. The goal is to break a couple of world records, and hopefully create a tourist attraction. The town also plans to fit an apartment inside the chicken, and rent it to visitors.

(The WSJ has a schematic drawing of what it will look like here. Even if you’re not a subscriber, you can see it above the paywall box.)

Mayo…