Everyone Knows I Love Graffitti

... but there's a difference between graffitti and tagging. The picture below is a wall mural in LA; however, the random scribbles of spray paint you see in the bottom left corner are considered to be "tagging". Tagging ruins murals and makes me incredibly sad.

Robert Saviano

I apologize about the graphic book cover, but I have long wanted to read Robert Saviano's true story about his experience with one of Italy's largest crime syndicates, Comorra. The book became a worldwide bestseller a little while ago, but Saviano has been living under police protection for the past 2 years. Only a few months ago, a Naples area mafia vowed he would be dead by Christmas. He is still alive, but says "I don`t regret having written this book but I do not love it, because it has taken away my freedom."
How could I not want to read this book? I went to Barnes & Noble to buy Gomorra, but when I asked a worker to help me find it, she looked at me like I was an alien. Am I the only one who has heard of this book? I'm confused.

Alert: Here's What We're Googling

The fourth most searched query on the internet today is a "New Kids on the Block Cruise." I repeat: The fourth most googled topic in America today is a NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK CRUISE. I confess, I'm incredibly curious as to how such a cruise would pan out, and I can't say that I would turn down the opportunity to find out if it ever came my way. In any case, I love seeing what people are googling sometimes. A while ago, the second most searched item was an invisibility cloak. Actually, that one turns up more than one would expect.

It's kind of interesting how google can track trends by what people search for. They can now even predict future hot zones for possible flu break outs. They call it, "Flu Trends", and if you're interested, you can read more about it here, or at least just check out what America is googling- it always makes me laugh.

Unrelated: I like this kitchen, and it kind of reminds me of Keighley.

New Kids on the Block

....is the fourth most searched query on the internet today.

The India Vogue Debacle

The controversy: 16 page editorial spread in Vogue India

The argument: The editorial spread was “not just tacky but downright distasteful” ... denounced as an “example of vulgarity.”

The rebuttal: “fashion is no longer a rich man’s privilege. Anyone can carry it off and make it look beautiful.”

Closing thoughts: Humanity and Common Sense VS. Team Vogue

Humanity and Common Sense: "There’s nothing “fun or funny” about putting a poor person in a mud hut in clothing designed by Alexander McQueen...", "There are farmer suicides here, for God’s sake..." (referring to thousands of Indian farmers who have killed themselves in the last decade because of debt.)

Team Vogue: “We weren’t trying to make a political statement or save the world.”

Some personal thoughts on Team Vogue's closing argument, We weren’t trying to make a political statement or save the world: No duh.
***excerpts from this NYTimes article here.

My Marrakesh...

...is one of my favorite blogs. The writer, Maryam, lives in Morocco and is an advocate of human rights and democracy. Not only is it a collection of design and lifestyle, but Maryam also records the unity and the constraints of a culture that is far from us, and I really admire that.
Anyway, good news: My Marrakesh is a finalist in the 2008 Best Middle East of Africa Blog contest. I think my 3 readers should vote for her!
vote here...
Post script: all photos found on My Marrakesh.

My Non-Resolutions

I don't make New Year's resolutions mainly because I can never keep them, and I can't think of a more horrid way to start a new year than to start it by failing at something from the get go. But this is not to say that I don't have long term goals, or that I don't look back on 2008 and make a mental note of things I would have done differently, ie: hanging a mosquito net above my bed in Africa. Anyway, here is a visual representation of my non-resolutions, completely unrelated to 2009.

Learn how to cook something- salad doesn't count.

Read more.

I'm not really sure; I just like the lanterns.

Sleep more.

Look up more when I walk. I always look down towards my feet and I trip on things.
This is a ceiling inside of a mosque in Cordoba, Spain.

Go to India some day before I die, sit in these chairs, and marry the lead actor on "Slumdog Millionaire".

Calligraphy. Yes I want to learn calligraphy... and short hand so I can read my grandma's journals. This is Arabic calligraphy above; however, I am not sure which script it is exactly though.

**Photo credits: I don't remember where I got them all from. Most likely from these places:
Swiss Miss, An Indian Summer, Rang Decor, and Desire to Inspire.