Joker on Flickr

Joker Transcend breaks out a portfolio on Flickr!

ZON

"Zon is an unique interactive massively multiplayer online role playing game for learning Mandarin Chinese.

"By interacting in the Zon environment you will be exposed to Chinese language and cultural knowledge in a new and exciting way. Everything that you do in the game is another chance to learn new words, phrases and cultural info about China. Never before has learning Chinese been more fun.

"The nice part about Zon is it is all browser based. No client applications are required, so you can log in and play from school, work or home. Zon is a persistant environment, so when you log off, the world still keeps going.

"As you progress through the game, your character graduates from the tourist class, to a resident of Zon and then finally a citizen, where you can own businesses and create new content for the world. "

[The website is coy about pricing, but it seems to be free for a while anyway. It's in beta still. A university project of some kind. - Susan]

DJ Qbert on YouTube - Thud Rumble

Qbert, king of turntablism, is up for best DJ of 2008. You can find the place to vote and a whole lot more from Thud Rumble's YouTube page.

Barack Obama - Fight the Smears website

I'm not sure Mr Obama has the will to make a real difference in the USA, but IMO he's clearly the better man in the race.

I am sure though, that the smear and fear campaigns of the desperate right wing will continue. These will continue to be race, sex, religion and integrity related LIES, circulated in the media, especially in email and talk radio.

Check out the latest lies at this website. Refuse to pass them on. Condemn the racism and the smear tactics and the media personalities and corporations that use them.

If your enemies have to make up lies to condemn you with, that's probably a good sign, as irritating as it is to watch. Too bad we could not even invent lies as outrageous and unbelievable as the truth about the current administration's actions and policies.

Politics is annoying, but we need to spread the truth and condemn the lies, no matter what our policy beliefs are.

Vote to play Ron English's Popaganda billboard correction film on PBS

The PBS independent film series on Channel Thirteen REEL 13 (public broadcasting TV in the USA) has chosen three short films this week including the 8-minute version of "POPaganda: The Art & Subversion of Ron English" for broadcast on July 5th as their Independence Day theme celebration. But you must vote for POPaganda in order to make it the winner by simply clicking on the link below and casting your vote.

http://www.thirteen.org/reel13/films/vote-for-saturdays-short

Directed by Pedro Carvajal (USA, 2005, 8 min.), POPaganda: The Art & Subversion of Ron English is a short expose on the modern day Robin Hood of Madison Avenue, Ron English who paints, perverts, infiltrates, reinvents and satirizes modern culture on canvas, in songs, and directly on hundreds of pirated billboards. Shot entirely guerilla-style, this film chronicles the evolution of an artist who offers an alternative universe where nothing is sacred, everything is subverted and there's always room for a little good-natured fun.

http://www.popaganda.com

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." --Pablo Picasso

TATS Cru does windows

Congratulations to TATS for their high-profile job at Lord & Taylor.

Chicago: Arrest Made in Murder of Artist SOLVE

www.solvesolvesolve.com

CHICAGO (WBBM/STNG) - Kirk Tobolski, 24, has been charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing of Brendan Scanlon, a well-known local graffiti artist in the Logan Square neighborhood early Saturday. Tobolski, of the 2600 block of West Iowa Street, was charged with one count of first-degree murder Sunday, according to police News Affairs.

Scanlon was found with multiple stab wounds to the chest at 3032 W. Palmer Blvd. about 2:40 a.m., police News Affair Officer Laura Kubiak said.

Scanlon was leaving a party when he got into a "verbal altercation" and was subsequently stabbed, police said.

Scanlon, of 2846 W. Palmer Blvd., died of a stab wound to the chest, an autopsy determined Saturday. His death was ruled a homicide by the Cook County Medical Examiner.

Scanlon graduated from the Illinois Institute of Art in 2007, and worked as a freelance artist and graphic designer, according to his Web site.

Scanlon is reportedly SOLVE, a local graffiti artist. Many people discussed his death on a Chicago Street Art online discussion forum Saturday.

"The Chicago street art and graffiti community has suffered another devastating blow to our family," one of the forum members posted Saturday. A memorial of Scanlon's work is reportedly in the works.

Scanlon wanted "to be a respected member of the international design community," and thought "art is one of the things that makes life worth it," according to his Myspace profile, where friends posted mournful comments Saturday.

SOLVE VIDEO
SOLVE LOGO
Kirk Tobolski

The word on the street is that the guy who stabbed him was known for carrying a knife and cutting himself ... clearly a nutcase!! Solve's work was always a treat to see - he always hit up smart spots and created a lot of thought provoking work. He will be missed.

[Info thanks to Risk]

For the Star Wars / graffiti fan

"Customised by EASE and JK5 for Suckadelic, the Hasbro toy (AT-AT Walker) is tagged in gin-u-wine Aurebesh language, and is expected to go for between $1,500 and $2,000."

Thanks to Chachi for the heads up.

t*0*f*E

t*0*f*E
Originally uploaded by t0fe

Dude must be invisible.

dancing with the light

dancing with the light
Originally uploaded by The wakeboading photographer

Now here's an idea.

Ray of sunshine from the Supremes

In a stunning show of interest in the Constitution, today the US Supreme Court decided the alleged terrorist detainees in Cuba can appeal their status. This is great because due process will tend to discover who is who and what is what if it's allowed to proceed.

We can hope the end of Gitmo is near, thus closing a shameful period in US history, where the imperial president made up laws and ignored others at whim. If those people are really "unlawful combatants" then no one should fear giving them their day in court. Imprisonment without fair trial or legal representation is so Middle Ages, so Middle East.

But what about those rumored prison ships and "extreme renditions" abroad? One can hope the Court will also put a stop to those. In a just world, there would be prosecution for the idiots who decided that was a good idea too.

Impeach Bush & Cheney

Go Dennis Kucinich!

So many Americans wish the cowardly Congress would hold the Administration accountable. More than 85% are unhappy with the government's course. (And yet so many support McCain even though he represents more, more of the same, WTF?)

Is the $23 billion that disappeared into war profiteers' pockets with no accountability in Iraq on the list? (Go BBC).

"In the run-up to the invasion, one of the most senior officials in charge of procurement in the Pentagon objected to a contract potentially worth $7bn that was given to Halliburton, a Texan company which used to be run by Dick Cheney before he became vice-president. Unusually only Halliburton got to bid - and won."

So many Americans wish the cowardly US media would hold the Administration accountable. But instead, the bloggers have to cover this story.

Too bad the Supreme Court's been diluted with blind justices... 

So who's minding the fort? 

Go Dennis! 

I mean ... Go Obama!

*sigh*

Washington, Jun 10 - Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio
In the United States House of Representatives
Monday, June 9th, 2008
A Resolution

INDEX

Article I
Creating a Secret Propaganda Campaign to Manufacture a False Case for War Against Iraq.

Article II
Falsely, Systematically, and with Criminal Intent Conflating the Attacks of September 11, 2001, With Misrepresentation of Iraq as a Security Threat as Part of Fraudulent Justification for a War of Aggression.

Article III
Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction, to Manufacture a False Case for War.

Article IV
Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Posed an Imminent Threat to the United States.

Article V
Illegally Misspending Funds to Secretly Begin a War of Aggression.

Article VI
Invading Iraq in Violation of the Requirements of H. J. Res114.

Article VII
Invading Iraq Absent a Declaration of War.

Article VIII
Invading Iraq, A Sovereign Nation, in Violation of the UN Charter.

Article IX
Failing to Provide Troops With Body Armor and Vehicle Armor.

Article X
Falsifying Accounts of US Troop Deaths and Injuries for Political Purposes.

Article XI
Establishment of Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq.

Article XII
Initiating a War Against Iraq for Control of That Nation's Natural Resources.

Article XIIII
Creating a Secret Task Force to Develop Energy and Military Policies With Respect to Iraq and Other Countries.

Article XIV
Misprision of a Felony, Misuse and Exposure of Classified Information And Obstruction of Justice in the Matter of Valerie Plame Wilson, Clandestine Agent of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Article XV
Providing Immunity from Prosecution for Criminal Contractors in Iraq.

Article XVI
Reckless Misspending and Waste of U.S. Tax Dollars in Connection With Iraq and US Contractors.

Article XVII
Illegal Detention: Detaining Indefinitely And Without Charge Persons Both U.S. Citizens and Foreign Captives.

Article XVIII
Torture: Secretly Authorizing, and Encouraging the Use of Torture Against Captives in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Other Places, as a Matter of Official Policy.

Article XIX
Rendition: Kidnapping People and Taking Them Against Their Will to "Black Sites" Located in Other Nations, Including Nations Known to Practice Torture.

Article XX
Imprisoning Children.

Article XXI
Misleading Congress and the American People About Threats from Iran, and Supporting Terrorist Organizations Within Iran, With the Goal of Overthrowing the Iranian Government.

Article XXII
Creating Secret Laws.

Article XXIII
Violation of the Posse Comitatus Act.

Article XXIV
Spying on American Citizens, Without a Court-Ordered Warrant, in Violation of the Law and the Fourth Amendment.

Article XXV
Directing Telecommunications Companies to Create an Illegal and Unconstitutional Database of the Private Telephone Numbers and Emails of American Citizens.

Article XXVI
Announcing the Intent to Violate Laws with Signing Statements.

Article XXVII
Failing to Comply with Congressional Subpoenas and Instructing Former Employees Not to Comply.

Article XXVIII
Tampering with Free and Fair Elections, Corruption of the Administration of Justice.

Article XXIX
Conspiracy to Violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Article XXX
Misleading Congress and the American People in an Attempt to Destroy Medicare.

Article XXXI
Katrina: Failure to Plan for the Predicted Disaster of Hurricane Katrina, Failure to Respond to a Civil Emergency.

Article XXXII
Misleading Congress and the American People, Systematically Undermining Efforts to Address Global Climate Change.

Article XXXIII
Repeatedly Ignored and Failed to Respond to High Level Intelligence Warnings of Planned Terrorist Attacks in the US, Prior to 911.

Article XXXIV
Obstruction of the Investigation into the Attacks of September 11, 2001.

Article XXXV
Endangering the Health of 911 First Responders.

Games: online, free, and likely even fun - a list

There are tons of free, online games listed, many of which would also be good for kids, even educational. Plenty of shootemups of course and games for improving big-keyboard skills with those digital letters. Strategy, puzzles, old favorites ... I'm not sure about the "strangely compelling cat-tossing game" though. Gotta be something wrong with that.

(Might want to check out the blog there too if you're designing things for a living or running a business. )

Pay Palestinians to spray your message on the Israeli wall

Only 30 euros. You get photos and Palestinian community services organizations get the money.

Graffiti in Shanghai

A time to look back at how far we've come

"Racism and sexism have not taken their leave. But
the fact that Barack Obama is the presumptive
nominee of the Democratic Party, and that the two
finalists for that prize were a black man and a
white woman, are historical events of the highest
importance. We should not allow ourselves to
overlook the wonder of this moment."

[...]

"This election year has been a testament to the
many long decades of work and sacrifice by men
and women - some famous, most not; some still
alive, many gone - to build a more equitable and
just American society.

"When the night riders were fitted for their
robes, when Wallace stood in the schoolhouse
door, when lowlifes mocked and humiliated those
who were fighting for women’s rights, they were
trying to forestall the realization of this type
of moment in history.

"We’ll see whether Senator Obama gets elected
president. But whether he does or not, this is a
moment of which Americans can be proud, a moment
the society can build upon.

"So a victory lap is in order. Not for Senator
Obama (he still has a way to go), but for all
those in every station in life who ever refused
to submit quietly to hatred and oppression. They
led us to a better place."


Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

There's more. Go read it for yourself.

Digital spray can for the Wii

Cool looking prototype. Painting with your fiends online sounds like fun.

RIVAL, LA graf legend: Write In Peace

At URB, by Risk.

RIP Rival.WCA


Rival and Grem

ESPO paints in Ireland

The New York Times just published an article about ESPO, who received a Fulbright scholarship to paint in Northern Ireland.
See the article for the slide show too.

Congratulations, Steve!

Philly cops charged in attack on graffiti artist

Cops break this guy's jaw, knock out some teeth, then try to cover it up. PD vows to stop the violence.

Most larger police depts in the USA seem to have a few bone breakers and shoot-first guys working for them, and those guys get most of the excessive force complaints, statistically. It would be great if these thugs could all be forced to find other jobs before they kill people. It would be REALLY GREAT if the police departments would fire them before they become front page news. When the courts have to step in to clean up the PD, the thugs should all go to jail.

If the goal is to have citizens obey the law, it's essential for the police and elected officials to toe that line and to be punished when they don't. Terrorizing citizens is not something civilized society should allow its police to do. Document, publish, and complain when you see it go down, because you could be saving lives.

Thanks to David Vernitsky for fighting this good fight in Philly. We sure hope he's recovering well from his awful injuries.

Kudos to the Philly PD for getting rid of the violent offenders on the force.

We hope the wedding-party-killing NYPD thugs don't go unpunished either. The courts really let the people down on that one, but the department is taking some internal action allegedly.

--from the article:

-AP

"Philly cops charged in attack on graffiti artist

By BOB LENTZ ? 9 hours ago

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Two Philadelphia police officers accused of beating a man they saw painting graffiti were charged Tuesday with assault and falsifying records.

[...]

Authorities say Officers Sheldon Fitzgerald and Howard Hill III broke the graffiti painter's jaw on one side and dislocated it on the other before throwing him head first into the back of a patrol car. The man was never charged with a crime.

'This is an unfortunate incident, but it is in no way a reflection on the entire department,' Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said at a news conference Tuesday. 'I do think that it is another statement that excessive force just will not be tolerated in our department.'

District Attorney Lynne Abraham said her office completed its investigation into the attack on David Vernitsky earlier this month after receiving a complaint of excessive force in November.

Vernitsky had attended a wedding and was spray-painting congratulations to the couple on the wall of a beauty supply house in the city's Feltonville section when police saw him, officials said.

Vernitsky fled, but the officers caught up and beat him, kicking him in the groin, bruising his face and ribs, and knocking out three teeth, Abraham said at the news conference.

The officers released Vernitsky after they checked for outstanding warrants and found none, officials said. The 36-year-old Philadelphia man was taken by friends to a hospital, where he stayed a few days, Abraham said.

The officers didn't document their contact with Vernitsky. Instead, officials said, the pair made a false entry in their log showing they were elsewhere at the time of the beating.

Fitzgerald and Hill were suspended without pay pending trial, Ramsey said. The pair was notified of the charges Tuesday and have 72 hours to turn themselves in.

[...]

The officers, who have been on the force five years each, face charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, tampering with public records and conspiracy.

Earlier this month, a television news helicopter videotaped 18 city police officers and a transit officer kicking and beating three shooting suspects as they were dragged from their car. Ramsey said last week that four officers would be fired and four others disciplined for their roles in the beatings."

-AP

Paint and sperm trouble

Some paint and solvent ingredients (some types of glycol ether) are reportedly responsible for low sperm quality (infertility) problems in men, according to a British study. Unfortunately the article doesn't seem to link to the study or name it, so it's hard to find out which glycol ethers are now known to be at fault. A quick search online for [MSDS spray paint glycol ether] seems to indicate that many spray paints also have forms of glycol ether in them, as apparently do the water-based paint (latex?) mentioned in the article. There's no indication whether the impairment is permanent or will wear off after exposure stops, so best to err on the side of safety. We've long known that spray paint is dangerous to the central nervous system over time, not to mention lungs of course, so the smart move is to wear good protection.

Definitely wear those respirators that can help protect you from paint. Dust masks are useless except for the largest droplets. They won't protect you from the solvents.

A British study suggests that men routinely exposed to chemicals found in paint may be more likely to experience fertility problems.

The research found that men, such as painters and decorators, who work with glycol solvents are two-and-a-half times more likely to produce lower levels of "normal" sperm.

The study, a joint research project between the Universities of Manchester and Sheffield, examined more than 2,000 men attending 14 fertility clinics. The research found identified a wide variety of other chemicals that did not impact fertility.

Laser-etched decks

Refill magazine, which focuses on our kind of artists, has curated some laser-etched skate decks. The one by Aaron Horkey (Abuse) is spectacular.

via BoingBoing

Hieroglyphic Collages - Steven Travis

May 27 - June 21, 2008

Amos Eno Gallery
530 W 25th St. 6th floor
NY NY 10001
212 226-5342

Steven is not a writer but he works with lettering and calligraphy in interesting ways.

Erik DeBat "Risk" - Chicago - Time-lapse mural

Toronto declares legal mural not art, must go

This is absurd. If graffiti is defined as illegal marking, then legally done artwork is the obvious alternative. There's always so much shouting about permission (or purchase) being the salient difference. A commissioned mural is just that.

To instead censor work based on an aesthetic, a tool, lettering content, or (dare we say it) ethnicity or socio-economic status of the artists (real or imagined) is so Dark Ages.

Luckily, you can comment about this at the Toronto Sun (comment form is hidden under the talk back image).