Inspired by classic cartoons like Tintin and Popeye, the British illustrator JAMES JARVIS has created his own three-dimensional casts of characters as the World of Pain and In-Crowd plastic toys. He also invents imaginary worlds for his characters each of whom has their own role and personality.

When James Jarvis dreamed up a group of bikers as a new collection of the plastic In-Crowd characters he designs for the toy company Amos, he pictured them as “reasonable, sound, sane, wise, balanced, rational, sagacious, prudent, judicious and level-headed”. He even invented a club for these do-gooding bikers – the Forever Sensible Motorcycle Club.

The members of the Forever Sensible Motorcycle Club, like the musicians in Ages of Metal, his next In-Crowd characters, stem from the drawings that Jarvis has created since childhood. He was inspired to start drawing by his love of illustrated books such as Tintin, Rupert the Bear and The Tale of Peter the Rabbit. Born in London in 1970, Jarvis went on to study illustration at the University of Brighton and then at the Royal College of Art in London.

A Japanese friend suggested that Jarvis should turn the characters drawn in simple, sparing strokes in his illustrations into toys which he did by creating the engagingly raffish Martin, a moulded plastic model, for the London-based fashion company Silas. Jarvis then developed equally engaging characters to live with Martin in the World of Pain, the imaginary world inspired by Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings which he invented for them and depicted in a book and website. Eager to create different characters, who would not necessarily fit in to the World of Pain, he then invented the In-Crowd series of figures.

Read a full interview over at the Design Museum

These special camouflage colourway headphones have become semi-legendary, previously only available in Japan or in very small run import batches (they still come in Japanese boxes). Aside from their unique look, the ATH-PRO5 MS is comparable to the domestic ATH-M30s, featuring 40mm drivers, sturdy construction, and comfortable padding.

single-sided cord design
40mm drivers
15- 2800 Hz frequency response
comes with 1/4" adaptor

Go buy 'em here

The Phonography eGroup has an archive of sounds here and some of the recordings are amazing.

"This field recording repository is an extension of the eGroup disscussion list Phonography. Although this is primarily for the Phonography readers, others are welcome and encouraged to upload their recordings."

Don't miss these:

"Monkeys in the Chiangmay Zoo going crazy and Thai children laughing about them.Recorded with a cheap stereo microphone on a Sharp MD recorder." Link

"Blackburn Town Centre: Recorded on a busy Saturday afternoon amongst the happy shoppers of Blackburn, Lancashire, UK. There is a nice change of dynamic when I walk in and out of shops, and from the outside to the inside of the centre. Listen out for some very strong Lancashire accents as well. Recorded using a pair of Soundman OKM II binaural microphones and a Sony MZ-R91 minidisc recorder. Mastered using an iMac rev.A 233 and Pro Tools Free. Encoded to mp3 using iTunes 2.0" Link

"I was recording street sounds on Piedmont Ave. in Oakland, CA when this young man walked up to me and started asking questions. Recorded with Sound Professional mics, Deneke A/D converter, Sharp MD. Fade in/out and normalized with CoolEdit" Link

What strange bedfellows! Gohan the hamster and Aochan the snake are roommates at Mutsugoro Okoku Zoo, on the outskirts of Tokyo. Gohan is a 9-centimeter-long dwarf mouse; Aochan, a 120-centimeter-long ratsnake. Zoo keepers had presented the hamster to Aochan as a tasty morsel in October, after the snake had refused to eat frozen mice. Instead of indulging, Aochan made friends with the furry rodent, according to keeper Kazuya Yamamoto. The pair have shared a cage since.

It takes an entire village to raise a child. But it only takes a little celebrity kidney stone to build a house.

A family victimized by Hurricane Katrina is to rate a new home after William Shatner donated the windfall from the sale of one slightly used crystallized mass to Habitat for Humanity officials in Los Angeles.

The Boston Legal Emmy winner and Star Trek icon passed the kidney stone last October. GoldenPalace.com, the gaming site with a knack for promotion, bought it this week for $25,000.

According to a statement, the sale was contingent on GoldenPalace.com making its five-figure check payable to Habitat.

"I offered the stone, stint and string for $25,000, and informed them that 100 percent of the proceeds would go to benefit Habitat for Humanity," Shatner said, adding, "and I retain visitation rights."

Read Full Article

Not sure it's my bag but it's quite funny...

http://www.erikasarkozi.co.uk/

Camouflage waistcoat by Santana.

Six button vest in full back.

Available with a matching bow tie.

Nice!

Click here to buy it

Wowzers! Just what we've always been waiting for... Camouflage wallpaper
Thankyou www.camoart-shop.de - I looked around your site for about 30 mins before I realised you translated it into English - DOH!

"Camouflage wallpaper sets the course in your home.
It will bring color to your room and liven up the walls. This wall ornament has the equal effect as a painting and creates great atmosphere even in small amounts. The robust material will allow you to carry out your own customizing.
Watch out fitted kitchens!

The high quality fleece has a discreet imprinting and is refined with a 200dpi laser print technic. The wallpaper is produced on demand, so therefore individual purchase quantities cause no difficulty.
Minimum purchase is ten meters.

Delivery approx. 14 days"

www.camoart-shop.de

Go buy here www.camoart-shop.de

Beans
They lower cholesterol, fight heart disease, stabilize blood sugar, reduce obesity, lessen cancer risk, and relieve hypertension.
--Eat four 1/2-cup servings a week. Don't like beans? Substitute green beans, sugar snap peas, green peas, or chick peas instead.

Blueberries
They lower the risk of heart disease and cancer and help maintain youthful, healthy skin.
--Eat 1 to 2 cups a day. When they aren't in season, eat cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, currants, and purple grapes.

Broccoli
It boosts your immune system, reduces the incidence of cataracts, builds bones, and fights birth defects and heart disease.
--Eat 1/2 to 1 cup a day. Can't stand broccoli? Eat brussels sprouts, red and green cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, and kale.

Oats
Oats lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes, and are high in fiber and protein.
--Eat five to seven servings a week. Don't want it that often? Try wheat germ, brown rice, barley, wheat, buckwheat, rye, millet, and quinoa.

Oranges
They support heart health while preventing cancer, stroke, diabetes, and other chronic ailments.
--Eat one a day. Want more variety? Try lemons, grapefruit, kumquats, tangerines, or limes.

Pumpkin
It's not just for pie. Pumpkin lowers the risk of various cancers, while it promotes youthful, healthy skin.
--Eat 1/2 cup a day. Want an alternative? Try carrots, carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and orange bell peppers.

Soy
It prevents heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis, as well as relieves menopausal and menstrual symptoms.
--Eat at least 15 grams daily. Don't like soy? Try tofu, soymilk, soy nuts, edamame, or miso.

Spinach
Popeye was on to something! Spinach lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases, a variety of cancers, age-related macular degeneration, and cataracts.
--Eat 1 cup of steamed spinach or 2 cups of raw spinach a day. Don't like it? Then eat kale, collards, Swiss chard, bok choy, romaine lettuce, mustard, or turnip greens.

Tea (Black or green)
Besides soothing the soul, tea boosts the immune system, helps prevent cancer and osteoporosis, lowers stroke risk, and promotes cardiovascular health.
--Drink at least one cup a day.

Tomatoes
They lower cancer risk, increase your skin's sun-protection factor, and play a role in preventing cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
--Eat one tomato a day. Don't like them? Try watermelon, persimmons, or pink grapefruit instead.

Turkey (skinless breast)
It's not just for Thanksgiving. Turkey is not only the perfect healthy low-fat protein, but also builds a strong immune system.
--Eat three or four 3-ounce servings a week. Want something else? Skinless chicken breast is a great alternative.

Walnuts
How nutty is this? Walnuts reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
--Eat 1 ounce five times a week. Other options include almonds, pistachios, sesame seeds, peanuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and cashews.

Wild salmon
It lowers risk of heart disease and cancer.
--Eat it two to four times a week. Don't like salmon? Go for Alaskan halibut, canned albacore tuna, sardines, herring, trout, sea bass, or clams.

Yogurt
In addition to being a great source of protein and calcium, yogurt promotes strong bones and a healthy heart.
--Eat 2 cups a day. Want something else? Try kefir.

James Welling has said that his 'New Abstractions' were influenced by modern composers, such as John Cage and Stockhausen: 'What I was really thinking about in them was musicians' scores... I wanted to imagine these pictures as chords.'

Welling began by arranging strips of card on photographic paper to produce photograms. He then scanned these images into a computer to flip them around, before finally making digital negatives from the Photoshop files. These negatives were used to produce the final contact prints - which were made by laying the large negatives directly onto photographic paper.

Antony Micallef's 'bubblegum pop' paintings combine skilled brushwork with references to old masters and graphic design.
Dealing with the subject of portraiture in a dark and slightly twisted way, human forms are placed in artificial, unnatural environments that are influenced by popular culture in the forms of fashion, music and design.

By shaping an artificial 'stage' for his 'characters' to inhabit, Micallef attempts to capture and reveal their personality.

My Walk In Harajuku, 2005

He states, "When I begin painting a face it feels like I'm facing for marks randomly, trying to catch an expression of a character, an identity".

Japan has been a major influence in Micallef's paintings, as seen in works such as "Girls from Harajuku" and "Study from Tokyo".

21st Century Love, 2005

The artist states: "The culture there is completely twisted. You have that real sugar side, but there's always a dark side underneath. I'm trying to look at that in-between space in pop".

In 2000, at the age of 24, Micallef won second prize in the BP Portrait awards. Micallef also exhibited in 'Pictures on Walls' annual show 'Santa's Ghetto' in 2005 alongside Banksy, Jaime Hewlett and Stanley Donwood.

Collectors of his work include Jude Law REM front man Michael Stipe, Amanda de Cadenet and Nick Velensi from American band The Strokes.

More Info click here

To the tune of Lord of the Dance at Man United:
"Park, Park, Where ever you may be
You eat dogs in your home country
But it could be worse
You could be a scouse
Eating rats in your council house"

To the tune of The Addams Family by fans visiting Norwich:
Your sister is your mother Your uncle is your brother
You all f@*k one another The Norwich family der der der der clap clap etc

..Newcastle fans towards Sunderland fans.
''Going down .going down going down,
Sunderland fans reply.....
So are we, so are we, so are we .

Charlton fans to Shaun Wright-Philips
"Wheres your real dad, wheres your real dad!?"

Toon fans to JF Hasselbaink. He even laughed!:
"You're just a fat Eddie Murphy"

To the tune of Craig David - Rewind:
"VAN PER-SIE, WHEN A GIRL SAYS NO - MOLEST HER"

To Graham Rix when he was released from prison
after being convicted for, well, you know...
(To the Manic Street Preachers song):
"If you tolerate RIX, then your children will be next"

West brom sang:
the premier league is upside down
the premier league is upside down
we're up the top Chelsea bottom
the premier league is upside down
then a few seconds later
champions...............champions.......
......champions

Photo by Alamagordo

And there's more...

He's here, he's there
We're not allowed to swear
Frank Leboeuf, Frank Leboeuf"
Chelsea fans after Leboeuf said in a radio
interview that he didn't
like the idea of a swear word in his song.

A song about Tim Howard's tourettes syndrome.....
*in style of Chim-Chiminey*
"Tim timminy
Tim timminy
Tim Tim Tirooo
We've got Tim Howard
and he says F*CK YOU!!

In reference to Jaime Carragher's dad being banned
from football stadia after being arrested for being drunk at a
football match..
He's red, He's sound, He's banned from every
ground, Carra's dad,
Carra's dad

Sung by Birmingham fans after Heskey started
banging in the goals at
St Andrews... Theres only one Emile Heskey, one
Emile Heskey, He used to be sh**e, But now hes alright,
Walking in a Heskey wonderland

Here's a beauty sung at Highbury when Cygan is
drafted in as
emergency cover... He's bald, He's sh*t, He gets a
game when
no-one's
fit, Pascal Cygan! Pascal Cygan!

To the tune of Rebel Rebel
Neville Neville, you play in defence,
Neville Neville, your play is immense, Neville
Neville, like Jacko
you're bad, Neville Neville is the name of your dad

Don't blame it on the Biscan,
Don't blame it on the Hamann,
Don't blame it on the Finnan,
Blame it on Traore,
He just can't, He just can't, He just can't control
his feet. He
just can't, He just can't, He just can't control
his feet.

"Two Andy Gorams, there's only two andy gorams"...
Celtic fans to Andy Goram after its revealed the
chubby keeper was
diagnosed with Schizophrenia.

The animal was spotted as it passed the Houses of Parliament See the whale A whale has made its way up the River Thames to central London, where it is being watched by riverside crowds. The northern bottle-nosed whale, which is 16-18ft long and is usually found in deep sea waters, has passed Parliament and is moving upstream.

Whale in Thames (Possibly a fake)

"I saw it blow, it was a spout of water which sparkled in the air,"
said eyewitness Tom Howard-Vyne.

A boat has been sent to protect the whale and rescuers have been trying to keep it away from the Thames's banks. It has come within yards of the banks and has crashed into an empty boat, while trapped in a narrow estuary between the banks and moored vessels. Vets are remaining on standby, experts have said it does not appear to be ill, but are concerns it will get weaker and may become beached.

Read Full Story

Maria, 1994

George, 1994

The large-format photographs of the collaborative team Aziz + Cucher present hermetically sealed bodies and faces. Using computer software, the artists remove human features while meticulously creating a painterly illusion of depth and volume where there used to be eyes, mouth, and ears. Disturbingly mute, Maria is an eerie indicator of a meeting of identity and technology, undermining the familiar genre of photographic portraiture as well.

Anthony Aziz (born Lunenburg, Massachusetts, 1961) and Sammy Cucher (born Lima, Peru, 1958) met as graduate students and started collaborating in 1990. Their large-scale, digitally manipulated images have been exhibited internationally, including at the Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt; New Langton Arts, San Francisco; New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; The Photographer’s Gallery, London; and the Venice Biennale (Venezuelan Pavilion, 1995). Among their grants and awards is a Ruttenberg award from the Ansel Adams Center for Photography, San Francisco. Aziz earned his BFA from New York University’s Experimental Theater Wing (1983). Both Aziz and Cucher received MFAs from the San Francisco Art Institute (Aziz, 1990; Cucher, 1992).

"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy,
the best golfer is a black guy,
the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese,
the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance,
Germany doesn't want to go to war,
and the three most powerful men in America are named Bush, Dick, and Colon.
Need I say more?"

Chris Rock

One of the British national daily newspapers is asking readers "what it means to be British?". Some of the emails are hilarious but this is one from a chap in Switzerland...

Rainy Day in Brighton by Kevin Meredith

"Being British is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, then travelling home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab on the way, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a Japanese TV. And the most British thing of all? Suspicion of anything foreign ".

A gallery of walls from around the world with stuff written on them - GREAT!

New Orleans, USA -  Spotter: Julie Darby

Montreal, Canada - Spotter: Maggie

Vancouver, Canada - Spotter: Benjii

View the gallery and submit your own photos here

http://www.picturesofwalls.com/

Artistic genius, political activist, painter and decorator, mythic legend or notorious graffiti artist?

The work of Banksy is unmistakable, except may be when it's squatting in the Tate or New York's Metropolitan Museum.

Banksy is responsible for decorating the streets, walls, bridges and zoos of towns and cites throughout the world.

Witty and subversive, his stencils show monkeys with weapons of mass destruction, policeman with smiley faces, rats with drills, and umbrellas.

If you look hard enough you'll find your own. His statements, incitements, ironies and epigrams are by turns intelligent and cheeky comments on everything from the monarchy and capitalism to the war in Iraq and farm animals.

His identity remains unknown, but his work is prolific. And now for the first time, he's putting together the best of his work - old and new in a fully illustrated colour volume.

www.banksy.co.uk

"For the last few years I have been working on a project photographing ice fishing shacks in the lakes region of Maine. These shacks illustrate the primal elements of shelter, food, warmth and an ongoing battle against the caprices of nature. They are entirely utilitarian in their purpose, using lightweight windproof materials such as foam insulation sheet metal, plastic or wood, yet put together in surprisingly ingenious ways, appearing as crude minimalist sculpture.

The photographs are taken on milky days in rain, fog and snow, when the light is filtered and the range of color is extremely narrow. This makes the shacks appear all the more mysterious, as if they have been airlifted onto the scene, opening them up to secondary narratives beyond the strictly functional." Scott Peterman

To see the full collection click here

Created in 2000, BlowUp is a self-managed group of seven Belgian photographers joined around a common charter. In reaction to the dominant use of images in the different media supports, they propose a particular attitude to the photographic practice.

This practice is experienced as a simple confrontation between an ordinary being and the persons, objects and spaces he comes across over the course of his research and his intimate experiences. This basic enough attitude questions the foundations of documentary photography and opens it up to more freedom.

The collectivisation in BlowUp, an utopic proposition based on exchanges and on taking down the fences between genres, has more to do with a way of being in the world through the photographic medium than with a way of doing.

http://www.blowup-photos.org/

Click here to visit Carrie Taylor's Photos on Flickr

A Houston company, Celestis, has launched the remains of around 100 people into orbit, including the writer and psychedelic guru Timothy Leary and Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. The ashes are poured into pen-sized aluminium containers and sent into space using small rockets. Prices vary from £650 to launch one gram of ash into orbit to £1,500 to send seven grams into deep space or even to the Moon." from Ashes to ashes ... dust to diamonds  - more

Cy, short for Cyclopes, a kitten born with only one eye and no nose, is shown in this photo provided by its owner in Redmond, Oregon, on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2005. The kitten, a ragdoll breed, which died after living for one day, was one of two in the litter. Its sibling was born normal and healthy.

Apparently the whole set of photos including ones that were already on the cameras digital card were examined and proved not to be fakes.

With Cyclopes Kittens and Two Headed Snakes you can easily see were people got the ideas for mythical monsters from.

-_______ch
glu dto a room
in a skyscrapER
idontSpeakTheLAnguage
no st
IMulAtion
the dust and flexs
too dangerous to v enture
out side nothin aliVe
nothin in th Microwave
isleep withthe screen on
noonec h anges the bed a ndth e war dr obe s ar e
empty
i