Jots & Tittles: If You Can't Create

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While walking over one of the washes (Robb Wash I think it was) on East Speedway, I noticed someone had been down there with a spray can of paint, not to beautify the concrete wall, but to deface it. While I am aware that some sensitive souls have decided to call this Primitive Art. I do not. I call it vandalism.

Malicious Graffiti

Close Up

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about graffiti:

Graffiti is writing or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and it has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire. In modern times, paint (particularly spray paint) and marker pens have become the most commonly used graffiti materials. In most countries, marking or painting property without the property owner's consent is considered defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime.

Graffiti may also express underlying social and political messages and a whole genre of artistic expression is based upon spray paint graffiti styles. Within hip hop culture, graffiti has evolved alongside hip hop music, b-boying, and other elements. Unrelated to hip-hop graffiti, gangs use their own form of graffiti to mark territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities.

Controversies that surround graffiti continue to create disagreement amongst city officials, law enforcement, and writers who wish to display and appreciate work in public locations. There are many different types and styles of graffiti and it is a rapidly developing art form whose value is highly contested and reviled by many authorities while also subject to protection, sometimes within the same jurisdiction.

Here is what I have to say in justification of graffiti:
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Ripoff's Believe It Or Not

You can spend $16,999 for a bottle of Scotch whiskey at a liquor store in Scottsdale, AZ. After all, it's been aged for 60 years.

(No, the above is not a joke.)

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TRIVIA

In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1780, during the American Revolution, American General Benedict Arnold met with British Major John Andre to discuss handing over West Point to the British, in return for the promise of a large sum of money and a high position in the British army. The plot was foiled and Arnold, a former American hero, became synonymous with the word "traitor."

In 1780, Arnold was given command of West Point, an American fort on the Hudson River in New York (and future home of the U.S. military academy, established in 1802). Arnold contacted Sir Henry Clinton, head of the British forces, and proposed handing over West Point and his men.

On September 21 of that year, Arnold met with Major John Andre and made his traitorous pact. However, the conspiracy was uncovered and Andre was captured and executed. Arnold, the former American patriot, fled to the enemy side and went on to lead British troops in Virginia and Connecticut. He later moved to England, though he never received all of what he'd been promised by the British. He died in London on June 14, 1801.

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WORD FOR TODAY

deface
verb
1. To mar or spoil the appearance or surface of; disfigure.
2. To impair the usefulness, value, or influence of.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Stephen Edwin King

(born September 21, 1947)

Stephan King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, movies and comic books. King has published 50 novels, including seven under the pen-name of Richard Bachman, and five non-fiction books. He has written nearly two hundred short stories, most of which have been collected in nine collections of short fiction. Many of his stories are set in his home state of Maine.

Note: The Writer's Almanac has a fine tribute to Stephen King.

Nancy Ann Travis

(born September 21, 1961)

Nancy Travis is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films Three Men and a Baby (1987) and its sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady (1990), Air America (1990), Internal Affairs (1990), So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993), Greedy (1994), and Fluke (1995). Travis joined the cast of the CBS comedy series Becker as Chris Connor. She currently stars as Vanessa Baxter in the ABC comedy series Last Man Standing.

William James "Bill" Murray

(born September 21, 1950)

Bill Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in various comedy films, including Meatballs (1979), Caddyshack (1980), Ghostbusters (1984), What About Bob? (1991) and Groundhog Day (1993).

Murray gained additional critical acclaim later in his career, starring in Lost in Translation (2003), Broken Flowers (2005) and a series of films directed by Wes Anderson, including Rushmore (1998), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) and Moonrise Kingdom (2012).

Cheryl Ruth Hines

(born September 21, 1965)

Cheryl Hines is an American actress, comedian, producer and director, known for her role as Larry David's wife Cheryl on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, for which she was nominated for two Emmy Awards. She is currently starring as Dallas Royce on the ABC sitcom Suburgatory. In 2009, she made her directorial debut with Serious Moonlight.

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"Gray hair is god's graffiti"
--Bill Cosby

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