Just Stay at Home

Some bitty in Milwaukee (warning, Fox News, remove your brain) got her knickers in a twist over graffiti in her neighborhood that read "Where da bitches at?"

Now, I like correct grammar as much as the next English teacher-- unless it's an English teacher in Taiwan, but nevermind--however, I think that, since this has been a recurring nightmare for the last several decades, it's time for the new generation of grammarians to ease off and allow popular usage to help the language evolve. If it wasn't for language evolution, we'd all be talking like Chaucer.

So, if you're out there writing, throw some prepositions UP!

If art is taken off the street, is it still "Street Art?" This article is from yesterday's Taipei Times. I'm looking forward to going to Taipei to check out the exhibit at AMPM gallery (AMPM Gallery, 4F, 24, Alley 55, Neijiang St. Alley, Ximending, Taipei (台北市西門町內江街55巷24號4樓).

Taipei's graffiti artists try to say it with paint

The Taipei Times had this story, pg 2, in their Sunday edition. There's mention of the graffiti park in Xinmending, and of a teacher who is working with artists thinking that "but graffiti artists that have been properly guided can be allowed to express themselves." A graffiti buxiban?

More importantly, there was this little nugget:

On Wednesday, the Taipei City Government's Bureau of Environmental Protection announced that in an effort to clean up the city, graffiti artists will now face fines of between NT$1,200 (US$37.50) to NT$6,000.

To collect, the city has set up a 24-hour "environmental protection hotline" to report illegal activity with a cash carrot for snitches. As much as I want it to, the article does not say that the pro-environment folks in the Taipei goverment are particulary concerned about litter, or unsightly real estate advertisements that are crudely affixed to light posts around the city, ads which leave spent adhesives up and down poles so that the visual unpleasantness can carry on.

Unless "Article 27 of the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法), which prohibits the polluting of the ground, pools of water, drainage gutters, walls, beams or pillars, utility poles, trees, roadways, bridges and other structures" can be interpreted to include the fliers, handouts, and call-girl phone numbers that paper my scooter if it's parked outside for too long.

It's a shame the phone number wasn't given. I'd like to report some litterbugs.

As far as I know, Taichung writers are safe from arrest. I could be wrong. Maybe I'll go ask the cops.

Thanks INDIAC:

“Graffiti is on the rise. It's becoming glorified again. We don't have the police we used to and those we have are concentrating on terrorism,” he said.

Yeah, so the folks up there are banning the sale of spray paint and thick markers to people under the age of 21.

As for Taichung, you can have my spray paint when you pry it from my cold, dead hand. That is, if I painted, which I don't. When paint is outlawed only outlaws will have paint.

When I was in high school, I grew a beard and bought beer and booze every weekend for my friends. I predict a trend towards more facial hair in NYC.

StillFree.com

No, 4Crew hasn't packed up and moved to N'awlins. The fine folks at Reuters have collected phrases that have been sprayed on the remains of the city. No pictures, just good clean black humor.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Art prankster sprays Israeli wall: "The nine paintings were created on the Palestinian side of the barrier."

Not strictly keeping with the theme of this blog, but what the hell.