~ ~ ~ All content Copyright 2003 on behalf of its creators; please obtain permission for anything besides private, noncommercial use ~ ~ ~

The gilded bases of these columns (Fig. 1) really catch your eye as you pass them on 5th. There has been a lot of things freshly gilded in the city over the past couple of years -- perhaps there is a company that discovered a cheaper way of doing it, or it was good salesmanship combined with a good economy. ... Fig. 2 shows one of last years displays at this Benetton store. Some years before that it was a really nice bookshop where the Rube bought many Christmas presents, before there was a Borders and Barnes and Noble.