Kudos to NPR for covering the recently completed Art of Photography competition in San Diego, judged by Charlotte Cotton, head of the photo department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  In a highbrow huff you might role your eyes and think to yourself: “San Diego?  Hardly a cultural hub.”  Well, I agree– but fear not; submissions were accepted from all corners of the globe.  Many of this year’s deservedly lauded images are by artists I’ve not heard of before, which is good thing in my book.

I’m off to Savannah this evening for a Labor Day get-away…any suggestions?

Getting a lot of buzz over the weekend was Joseph Carnevale, a student at North Carolina State University who was arrested and charged with larceny and damage to property after creating a short-lived ‘Barrel Monster’ out of orange and white construction barrels.  I first heard this story on NPR’s Friday edition of “All Things Considered” and it’s been showing up on my news feeds ever since.  Carnevale, who describes himself as an “urban adventurist” on his blog, is due in court on July 21st; it’s unclear how much it will actually help, but thousands from around the world have joined a Facebook group encouraging the case’s prosecutors to drop all charges.

Here’s a good overview of the story from The News & Observer: click here.

I hate driving (it’s a trust of others issue) and am thankful that I can walk or take public transportation everywhere I want to go in NYC.  But, some lighthearted sculpture and more emphasis placed on the design of directional signs might make the experience more interesting for everyone who is forced to pay for gas and fear the dick variety of police officer like the one in this story who immediately dismantled the “Barrel Monster” in Raleigh.