Banksy vs. Bristol Museum
July 9th, 2009 by RickSome call it art. Some call it graffiti. Banksy has a different view of his work:
People say graffiti is ugly, irresponsible and childish… but that’s only if it’s done properly.
The work of the English graffiti artist simply known as Banksy has invaded the Bristol Museum located on Queens Road in Bristol, England. Not much is known about the artist. What is known, is what can be seen through his unique ideas and wild artwork, which steer clear of commercial galleries and has been seen in various cities across the planet.
Banksy once said:
Think outside the box, collapse the box, and take a sharp knife to it.
The fact that Banksy has a wide range of different art styles and techniques, whose artwork pops up all of over the world, leaves one to question if perhaps Banksy is actually a group or collective that run under one identity. Over the years various information has come out regarding Banksy’s true identity, but nothing solid.
Banksy wrote at his website:
I am unable to comment on who may or may not be Banksy, but anyone described as being ‘good at drawing’ doesn’t sound like Banksy to me.
The thing I hate the most about advertising is that it attracts all the bright, creative and ambitious young people, leaving us mainly with the slow and self-obsessed to become our artists. Modern art is a disaster area. Never in the field of human history has so much been used by so many to say so little.
Banksy’s art has been within the Bristol Museum since June 13 and will be on exhibition until August 31. The Museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm, with admission being free.
Samples of his art can be found below.
- Stencil on the Thekla Social entertainment boat, central Bristol.
- Naked Man image by Banksy, on the wall of a sexual health clinic on Park Street, in Bristol.
- Stencil of Charles Manson in a prison suit, hitchhiking to anywhere, at an Archway, London.
- Work on a building in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Graffiti paintings on the Israeli West Bank barrier near Qalandia.
- A painting on a wall near Bethléem.
Really, if you’re nearby, you must check in.
Hemp Housing — Wave of the Future
April 15th, 2009 by Eric
In the United Kingdom, researchers are at work building a new breed of environmentally friendly structures. An association of construction companies and researchers have dedicated over a million bucks on learning how to make houses with hemp-lime.
Hemp-lime is a concrete block made with lime and hemp shives. It’s appealing to builders for many reasons; it’s lightweight, consumes carbon while it grows, while lime leaves a very low “carbon footprint.” In fact, some say that it leaves “a better than zero carbon footprint.”
Professor Pete Walker Director of the BRE Centre for Innovative Construction Materials, is spearheading the research.
Walker said:
Using renewable crops to make building materials makes real sense – it only takes an area the size of a rugby pitch four months to grow enough hemp to build a typical three bedroom house.
Hemp-lime housing seems very promising. Will we see hemp-lime houses in the U.S? Not any time soon, I’m afraid. Even though California is the metaphorical marijuana Garden of Eden, the Governator vetoed “The California Industrial Hemp Farming Act” citing a conflict between Federal and State law.
In 2006 Americans spent an estimated $270 million dollars on hemp products imported from other countries. For some reason, American law enforcement officers oppose legally farming the virtually THC-free plant.
The Wackness Wants You to Smoke
February 11th, 2009 by Alex
Ever seen The Wackness?
If not, it’s a throwback movie about a 1994 teenager who deals pot, befriends his therapist, and lives life in New York City during his last summer before college.
I’ve got to give it to Revolver Entertainment (The Wackness’ distribution team), because they’ve come up with a promotion that Harold & Kumar would be seriously jealous of – a trip to Amsterdam and 1 gram of skunky buds.
The 1 gram isn’t exactly mind blowing, but if you get to Amsterdam, I’m sure you’ll be throwing down for some extra green time.
So how does it work?
Inside the first 1,000 copies of the DVD there is a single winning ticket – Willy Wonka style. There’s only one problem, this is for Revolver’s UK distribution arm only. No Yanks are getting in on the action.
Still, it’s a cool idea and some lucky SOB is going to get a quick flight out from London to the capitol of ganja.
[image courtesy Sony Pictures Classics]
Man Faces Jail for Supplying Pot to Elderly
December 23rd, 2008 by Perry
Got milk weed?
Robert Holding, a 72-year-young milkman now faces jail time for supplying 17 elderly people with marijuana. Holding made rounds in his neighborhood and had two routes, a word-of-mouth clientele bases he delivered the all-natural painkiller too, and one that just got milk.
His defense counselor argued the marijuana was only sold to elderly sufferers of arthritis who were of “a certain age,” but the judge did not take kindly to Holding’s intentions of his “serious offenses.”
A BBC news report made it sound as though a custodial sentence, or in other words some time in the hoosegow, when sentencing occurs Feb. 6, 2009.
British Boxer Arrested for Cocaine
November 26th, 2008 by Perry
Bradley Saunders, a boxing medal hopeful in Beijing before being upset in his second fight, was recently arrested after £12,000 (~$20,000 US) worth of cocaine was found in his backyard.
Saunders claimed it was a frame-up job, and added he has been victimized by burglars several times since his early exit from the Olympics. The poorly concealed cocaine was found in a biscuit tin under a sheet of white plastic.
Saunders and his girlfriend were arrested, and then after the two gave statements, were released without being charged six hours later. Police cited an anonymous tip as the grounds for search.
Saunders was widely criticized and editorialized in the British press for comments he made after his early departure from Beijing.
After his Olympics exit, Saunders said:
I’ve been training for two years now – to know I’ve not won a medal has taken a big weight off my shoulders.
Driving Stoned vs. Driving Sober
December 1st, 2006 by AlexHere’s an interesting video aired on British television that’s been gaining popularity online.
It’s not the most scientifically sound piece of research on the planet, but it does illustrate the point that maybe driving while stoned isn’t as dangerous as everyone makes it out to be. The consensus is that a healthy dose of paranoia after smoking generates increased concentration in the driver. On the flip side, driving while drunk makes your more liable to take risks.
The bottom line is that everyone has a different threshold. The host also suggests a form of test that figures out how much herb someone has smoked. Good luck with that.
So, how does the driver do stoned compared to sober? You’ll have to watch to find out…
Rocket Scientist Breaks into Prison
November 20th, 2006 by Tim
I’m not a card-carrying MENSA member, but there are a few things in this world I learned instinctively. Let’s take jail for instance. Jail is a place I stay away from, especially voluntarily. Looks like a genius in England learned this the hard way.
An intruder snuck over an 8ft tall fence into the HMP (Her Majesty’s Prison) Kirkham facility. The plan was to stash drugs and other goodies for his brother to sell to other inmates. While trying to climb back over the fence, he was cornered by prison guards and arrested. They found his stash hidden inside a garbage can.
So what was worth breaking into jail to deliver? Let’s take a look:
Heroin
Weed
Steroids
3 liters of vodka
3 bottles of Southern Comfort
3 bottles of Bacardi
80 cigarettes
18 DVDs
2 mobile phones
Calling cards
Phone chargers
And, a partridge in a pear tree
You could probably open a small retail store with that sort of inventory. Not surprisingly, both the dude who jumped the fence and his accomplice were caught. Now they can all hang out in their favorite place – jail. Together. Again.
[via Daily Mail: London]
Batman & Robin To The Rescue
November 13th, 2006 by Alex
Halloween has come and gone, but it looks like 2 coppers in England decided to keep the vibe alive. Dressed up as Batman and Robin, they were able to capture a suspected drug dealer.
Playing the part of drunk party goers, Sgt. Tony Smith and PC Mike Holman pretended to enter a fake costume party at the suspected targets house. They obnoxiously knocked and tried to gain entry but when they weren’t allowed in, snuck around to the backyard.
Shortly after, a couple of uniformed police officers showed up at the house and inquired after the drunken disturbance. The duped home owners gladly invited the cops inside and that’s when one of the men took off through the back door. Luckily, the caped crusader and his trusty sidekick were ready to lay a smack down on the guy and bring him in on charges.
I guess since English bobbies aren’t allowed to carry guns they have to be a little more ingenious than the average American cop. Still, the Dynamic Duo always finds a way to get the job done.
[via This Is London]
