If You Can't Create - Don't Deface

     

Tucson Weather Today

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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

NASA TV

This Is Who I Am

   

National Artichoke Hearts Day

    

Tucson Weather Today

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March 16th is National Artichoke Hearts Day.

Artichokes are one of the oldest foods known to man. The plant originated in the Mediterranean region and is part of the sunflower family. According to Greek mythology, Zeus turned his mistress Cynara into the first artichoke plant when he caught her sneaking away from Olympia.  Although we usually refer to it as a vegetable, the produce we eat is actually the flower bud of the artichoke plant. If you let the flower blossom, it turns a beautiful violet-blue color. People enjoy artichokes boiled, baked, steamed, grilled, deep fried, and stuffed with all sorts of yummy fillings.

The town of Castroville, California crowned its first “Artichoke Queen” in 1947? The winner was a young actress named Norma Jean Mortenson who later changed her name to Marilyn Monroe.

The total antioxidant capacity of artichoke flower heads is one of the highest reported for vegetables. The antioxidants in Artichokes are very good for your liver and helps promote healthy skin. Artichokes are also high in fiber, calcium and protein while low in calories. They are fat free and cholesterol free, so truly a healthy food to celebrate!



All you need to know about Artichoke Hearts

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I recently read a sentence written by Martin S. Pribble: "Eventually, a human that only drinks salt water will die." After thinking about this for a microsecond or so, I accepted it as being true. Of course, also true is the statement: "Eventually, a human that only drinks pure spring water will die."

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HISTORICAL CLIP

On March 16, 1802, the United States Military Academy -- the first military school in the United States -- was founded by Congress for the purpose of educating and training young men in the theory and practice of military science. Located at West Point, New York, the U.S. Military Academy is often simply known as West Point.

In 1780, General Benedict Arnold, the commander of the fort, agreed to surrender West Point to the British in exchange for 6,000 pounds. It seems government corruption was rife then as now. However, the plot was uncovered before it fell into British hands, and Arnold fled to the British for protection.

In 1870, the first African-American cadet was admitted into the U.S. Military Academy, and in 1976, the first female cadets. The academy is now under the general direction and supervision of the department of the U.S. Army and has an enrollment of more than 4,000 students.

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WORD FOR TODAY

rife 
Adjective
Of common occurrence; widespread.
Adverb
In an unchecked or widespread manner.
Synonyms
common - prevalent - widespread

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BORN ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Jerry Lewis

Born Mar 16, 1926
Age: 86 years old

Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis. In addition to the duo's popular nightclub work, they starred in a successful series of comedy films for Paramount Pictures.

Lewis is also known for his charity fund-raising telethons and position as national chairman for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

Pat Nixon

Born March 16, 1912
Died: June 22, 1993

Thelma Catherine "Pat" Ryan Nixon was the wife of Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States, and was First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974.

Walter Cunningham

Born Mar 16, 1932
Age: 80 years old

Ronnie Walter Cunningham, known as Walt Cunningham, is a retired American astronaut. In 1968, he was the Lunar Module pilot on the Apollo 7 mission. He was NASA's third civilian astronaut (after Neil Armstrong and Elliot See), and has also been a fighter pilot, physicist, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, author of The All-American Boys, lecturer, and host of the radio show Lift-off to Logic.

On October 11, 1968, he occupied the lunar module pilot seat for the eleven-day flight of Apollo 7. Although the flight carried no lunar module, Cunningham was kept busy with the myriad system tests aboard this first launch of a manned Apollo mission. Because Schirra, Cunningham, and Eisele ran afoul of NASA management during the flight, none of them were assigned to future missions.

Cunningham has been an advocate against the theory of anthropogenic global warming (AGW). In 2010, he published a pamphlet titled "Global Warming: Facts versus Faith" in which he states: "The current debate is not unlike Galileo's historic disagreement with the Catholic Church, or the battle over evolution versus creationism. In all three cases, facts are pitted against faith and science against religion. The conflict over global warming has deteriorated into a religious war between true believers in AGW and non-believers, the so-called "skeptics".

This report was published by the Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank engaged in "dispelling myths about global warming".

Henny Youngman

Born March 16, 1906
Died: Feb. 24, 1998

Henry "Henny" Youngman was a British-American comedian and violinist famous for "one-liners", short, simple jokes usually delivered rapid-fire. His best known one-liner was "Take my wife... please."

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“If absolute power corrupts absolutely, where does that leave God?”
--George Deacon