Ribes sativum

These white currants are growing in my friends’ (Ruth & Oliver) compound on Cortes Island.
They are an albino sport of the red currant, with lower acidity and a chalky seed. And they look like alien magic eggs.

Golden Currant
White Currant

Graphopolis

Looking at graphic augmentation of the city + civilians.

…from a protest in Paris over the Iranian post-election crackdown, and the murder of  protester Neda Agha-Soltan:

Photo Jacques Brinon/Associated Press
Photo Jacques Brinon/Associated Press

…election posters hung in Tripoli around the election in spring 2009:

photo Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
photo Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

…images from Delete! (2005) site-specific project in Vienna, Austria
by Steinbrener/Dempf:

still from Delete! Delettering the Public Space
Delete! by Steinbrener/Dempf, Vienna, 2005
still from Delete! Delettering the Public Space
Delete! by Steinbrener/Dempf, Vienna, 2005

…in Toronto, Sean Martindale and Eric Cheung are turning street ad posters into
planters with The Poster Pocket Plants :

Poster Pocket Plants, image from The Torontoist
Poster Pocket Plants, image from The Torontoist (Click on image for more great pics.)
image from Spacing Toronto
image from Spacing Toronto

…the Object Orange project in Detroit from 2006:

Object Orange, Detroit
Object Orange, Detroit

..where the flat and the fizzy meet, with a cherry on top — artwork by Vinchen:

artwork by Vinchen
artwork by Vinchen

Veni vidi vici (crest II sketch)

crest_squirrel

Schematic/crest of 3 shields of the Grey Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).
Originally imported from America to Great Britain ca. 1840 as a living lawn ornament. On left, the nationalist  imperative that the Greys should now be exterminated; on right; deforestation in part to supply the Briitsh Royal Navy with timber historically contributed to the near-vanquished Red Squirrel’s loss of habitat, helping to pave the way for the victorious Greys.

Red rant

OK.

I’ve *sort of * held back on indexing the negative spooge that leaks from the corpulent sides of the Us vs Them discourse, but here is a brief list:

Red Squirrel’s Nut Cracking Nationalism
excerpt:

I used to conceal my identity from the disgusting hammer wielding fascist scum, that threaten to burn people alive! But I hide NO More!

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Infidel Blogger’s Alliance (sic)
excerpt:

Grey squirrels dont blow them selves in the underground…

(insert tasteless joke here)

***

The Fall’s Mark E Smith in Squirrel Death Probe
excerpt:

The gruff singer claimed he would “happily set about an endangered red squirrel with a set of professional hedge-clippers”.

Boswell and Mark

I have a wonderful friend named Mark; you’d never guess his best friend is a goose. Boswell became famous last year – he’s very personable – during his successful battle against leg cancer. He has his own blog. Anyway, I was very honored that he answered my recent inquiry about his well-being.

Boswell, most probably in his hometown in CT
Boswell, most probably in his hometown in CT

(Trip back from Tufts last week)

B: i need to sit in your lap.

M: nope.

B: i’m feeling very lonely right now.

M: you are sitting right next to me.

B: i want to be closer and i want to see out the window better.

M: you can see fine.

B: I WANT TO SIT IN THE DRIVER SEAT RIGHT NOW!!!

M: you’re the passenger and passengers sit in the passenger seat. now please get back in your seat. no no no! in your seat please.

*silence*

M: what’s wrong?

B: nothing.

M: then why are you standing on one foot?

B: am i standing on one foot?

M: yes you are.

B: hmm. i think i broke my leg.

M: you are kidding me. when?

B: when you wouldn’t let me sit in your lap.

M: are you sure it’s broken?

B: i think so.

M: do we need to turn around?

B: i think so.

….

sorry i was not able to depict the nightmare traffic on the mass pike, the pillow-fight cloud of feathers in the car, and the thunder storm.

anyway we turned around, went back to tufts, got an xray (no fractures), and by the time we left, he was running around the reception area flirting with all the cute women.  grrrr.

in short, he is fine.

Mark sent me some pics of Boswell in the car to accompany the transcript:

img_0344img_0255

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Boating
Mark and Boswell

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