I’m not an artist, but very appreciative of various kinds of art. As such, I have read that, in general, art is made with the intention of stimulating thoughts and emotions. In the arts, “media (plural of medium) are the materials and techniques used by an artist to produce a work.” It is up to the creativity and imagination of the artist to select from a wide variety of media the material(s) and technique(s) to use when creating a work of art. There is an extremely wide variety of such materials and techniques that an artist is able to use when producing a work of art. Kansas teenagers who created the art shown in the photos below tapped highly unusual materials available free in their

 Starting last year and continuing into this year, tree vandalism in Midtown has been rampant. The vandalism most often occurs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights/early mornings. This fiscal year we have had 29 tree vandalized (26 in the central city). Victim trees are located outside, near to or within a block of bars and nightclubs. The damage consists of twisting, cutting them in half or breaking off at any point newly planted trees of all species, ripping out the stakes and battering the trees and trying to break a tree by bending it over so far that it damaged the root system so much it could not stand straight without city arborists’ attention and help. Imagine a vandal’s courage

 If the goal of the alleged arsonist(s) was to destroy the historic ICELAND ice-skating rink, it appears that it failed because the fire did not destroy the necessary mechanical ice-making device. As many know by know, the Kerth family property owners plan to have skaters on the ice again by late November 2010. While the building itself will probably not be rebuilt by then, plans are to provide in the meantime an open-air venue to skaters. Instead of an exterior protecting skaters from the elements, the new temporary facility will replicate an outdoor rink in snow country. All that will be needed to authenticate the scene is an overhead wind- blowing machine scattering a few white flakes

The following true stories suggest that we do not give our animal friends sufficient credit as to their intelligence, loyalty and devotion. Some scoff at animals having or showing emotion. I believe that they do have feelings and often very deep, including love for each other and humans that are special to them. Apparently they can connect with us in ways that are yet unknown. I felt these true stories were particularly appropriate for Valentine’s Day. A long time friend emailed the first story to me; the second is a personal story. Freedom and Jeff Freedom, a Bald Eagle and a man named Jeff have been together 11 years this past summer. Freedom came into the animal rescue center as a bab

 It is now expected that the Sacramento City Council will decide in mid or late January whether it wants to place on the ballot the repeal of 1977’s Measure A, which prohibited the city from requiring property owners to containerize waste. If the repeal is placed on the ballot and citywide voters pass it, then council has the legal authority to force residential property owners to containerize “green” waste. Never mind that most of it in the central city (CC) is not green at all but brown from the city’s year-round falling tree leaves. Advocates of containerization, please note that important distinction as you drive or bike by because heretofore you muddied it—either by lack of observati