Sappi Ideas that Matter

'Ideas that Matter' is a program from Sappi, a paper company, to support design for the public good.

Ideas that Matter is an initiative that was launched world-wide by Sappi in 1999 to provide substantial grants that enable the implementation of creative ideas designed to support social and environmental causes.

Sappi invites graphic designers from Europe, North America and Southern Africa, to create printed communication campaigns for causes they want to support.

Sappi has made US$1 million available for successful applicants around the world to realise their creative concepts and campaigns.

I applied for the grant this year to help further support Open Heart Magic and the great work they do for kids and teens in hospitals. When awarded, the next series of Secret Lessons will be produced and will hopefully help support their expansion into more hospitals!

The Cult of Oprah

Oprah received an honorary doctorate of humanities from Howard University in Washington.

In her comments, La Oprah brought down the house, while relating the story of her grandmother, who worked as a maid. She said her grandmother always urged her to befriend white people.

"She used to say, 'I hope you get some good white folks that are kind to you.' And I (Oprah) regret that she didn't live past 1963 to see that I did grow up and get some really good white folks working for me," Winfrey said, to laughter and a loud applause.

I'm sorry. Let's switch one word and see the outcry. "I did grow up and get some really good black folks working for me." Why label them by color?

Why was there no media outcry of Oprah identifying people by their race? Where was the outrage?

There was barely a mention ANY-FRICKin-WHERE! Oh the GREAT Oprah!

Yeah it was her old mammy, a word I am sure I would get in trouble for, tellin', young Oprahg a story. But then Madame Oprah adds to the story with "I did grow up and get some really good white folks working for me."

Oprah could have simply said "I wish granny could have seen the success her granddaughter has today and the amazing people I work with." But no, she opted for the "good white folks."

And I am sure she put on her "girlfriend-I-am-just-like-you" accent while delivering her speech at Howard. How condescending is THAT!

Now today on her show, she is shilling away for her corporate pals! I thought payola was not cool?

Anyhow thus far she has given her congregation a tote bag from Land's End, 2 cds (Robin Thicke, Timberlake Wannabe, and Beyoncé) Beyoncé then "Live from Germany" gave the audience tickets to her upcoming tour, VIP no less! Oprah then shilled, or rather shelled out iPod Nanos and some speaker thing for it, eyeglasses, flip flops, a towel from Target and some cover up from Old Navy.

Like I told my friend, by the end of the show. Oprah could declare that after the show she is going to steamroll over hundreds of puppies, kittens, chicks and bunnies and the audience would jump up and applaud!

Born Digital

I just saw a video from Google Zeitgeist where Josh Spear spoke of being "born digital." I love the concept, which is actually more of a reality than a concept these days. I read about this a while ago in Wired, but thought it an interesting idea only at the time.

To speak to the current generation making things happen and changing things, we need to speak to them on their terms, in their world, in their language. Where I and my contemporaries had to learn the technology, the current group was born with it. MP3s, cellphones, computers are all their native language. It is where they live. We need to visit and become accustomed to these new ways to be able to reach with our messages.

Here is the video.

Latest guilty pleasure

You know what they say, when one door closes another opens. So is the way with reality television!

No sooner does American Idol crown its latest victor that the dancers take the stage for Season 3 of So You Think You Can Dance. It is the sibling to American Idol as the producers and premise are the same. Hold open auditions, tape it all for public scrutiny, some actually think they can dance as much as some actually thought they could sing, and in the end crown a winner.

Sit back and enjoy!

Twins

Cool shoes a plenty at Camper

These are my favorites. they are called Twins. They are a pair of shoes with a twist. The left differs slightly from the right or maybe it is the right that differs from the left! Either way they vary in design, pattern, theme, texture, what ever. Really clever designs. AND they are comfortable to boot!

A day late

The billions of periodical cicadas of Brood XIII are expected to launch their invasion of northern Illinois and parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana this week, actually yesterday. They're late!

Some cicada facts:
• Cicadas are often called locusts, but locusts are migratory grasshoppers that often travel in vast swarms.

• Periodical cicadas are found only in the United States east of the Great Plains. Seventeen-year cicadas are found mainly in the northern, eastern, and western part of their range. Thirteen-year cicadas predominate in the South. Within the 17-year cicadas there are 12 year-classes or broods.

• Only the males sing. The females are lured to the sound and fly nearer.

• In China male cicadas are kept in cages in people's homes so that the homeowners can enjoy the cicadas' songs.

• Cicadas may give away their pending emergence by building thousands of "chimneys" or "stovepipes" on the ground, especially near trees.

• The transparent wings of cicadas are said to filter out ultraviolet light. People who have placed a cicada wing on their skin prior to exposure to the sun have noticed that they do not tan under the wing.

• Male cicadas die soon after mating. Females lay 400 to 600 eggs in as many as 40 to 50 different nests before they die.

• Cicadas are said to make good eating because they are low in fat and high in protein. The best way to eat cicadas is to collect them in the middle of the night as they emerge from their burrows and before their skins harden. When they are in this condition—like softshell crabs—they can be boiled for about a minute. It is said they taste like asparagus or clam-flavored potato. Mmm! Yummy!

• The animal world pigs out on the cicada feast. Particularly, songbirds make good use of the bonanza, and their young are well supplied with the nutritious insects. Moles are said to flourish on the fully grown nymphs in the weeks prior to emergence. Other wild animals that enjoy the advantage include snakes and spiders.

• Cicadas generally leave no lasting damage, except perhaps to young trees and shrubs.

• The remains of cicada bodies may lie so densely on the ground that there is a smell of decay, but the bodies provide good nutrients for the soil.

• Billions of cicada nymphs hatch in their nests high in the trees, drop to the ground, and burrow into the earth. There they find a succulent tree root, which they tap into with a special strawlike mouth part. They feed on the tree sap and pass through their various growth stages until, 17 years later, it is time to emerge and renew their life cycle.

Porch Challenge

My porch plantings, post of May 14, have been called out by a neighbor who claims theirs are nicer than mine.

He suggested I post pictures of his and have the public have their say. So that is what I am doing. The pictures on today's post are the challenger porch plantings. You can view mine at the May 14 posting.

Post your comments* and whose porch you feel is best!
*If posting anonymously, sign your post. Unsigned comments will be deleted.

Weird start to the week!

I woke up today with a sore throat. Scratchy and all!

Around midday I found out a logo I designed, pictured, is going to be in LogoLounge 4.

Good week or bad? Have to wait and see!

Signs - Illustration Friday

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign!

Have a nice day at this public beach in Kauai!

Spring 2007

Taking my color cues from the fuschia baskets I bought, top, I have planted my pots on my porch this past weekend along with my neighbors. Lovin' the warm spring weather!

Springtime in Central Park

Just got back from a few days in New York. There for the Art Directors Club Student Portfolio Reviews with 10 students, whom all did well in all sorts of different ways. I think they learned a lot too.

Visited some favorite spots, Vento, Magnolia Bakery, and found some new ones, Baked and Max Brenner. Celebrated design at the Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial, and visited Mucca Design and MTV Networks with Angie Dow and the students from Kendall College of Art and Design, again, some familiar faces and several new.

Asparagus

WOW! What a weird world!

I have been talking to these people about doing some design work for a new restaurant they are opening. I have always wanted to do a restaurant design!

After many a month and falling out of touch and considering this dead, I get a call to meet. They have a place, they have a name…Asparagus. Kind of interesting, although not totally original as in Chicago alone there has been Red Tomato and Wild Onion. There is Blue Ginger, and all other epicurious delights. Not 100% sure why the name. It will also be simply asparagus from what I have been told, no other descriptive. The restaurant will be a unique blend of Asian and French. I will see tomorrow when we meet.

I just love that I will be able to say something about asparagus being one of only two vegetables that propogates itself!

9 things I learned today

1. The one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends is boxing.

2. Niagara Falls' rim is worn down about two and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute and thus is the only North American landmark constantly moving backwards.

3. Asparagus and rhubarb are the only two vegetables that can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons.

4. A strawberry is the only fruit with its seeds on the outside.

5. There is a brandy that has an actual fully ripened pear inside the bottle. People wonder how it gets in there. Well, it grew inside the bottle. The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the entire growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems.

6. Three English words beginning with the letters "dw" are dwarf, dwell and dwindle.

7. Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation marks, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses are the fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar.

8. The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh is lettuce.

9. Six or more things you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter "S" . Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts.