Here's an idea for what to get the person who has everything this holiday: a personal phone call from Sir Richard Branson! Just go to this site and fill in the details and he'll phone them up with a holiday greeting. OK! OK! So it's a marketing ploy...but it's a clever one.

Check out this site by an illustrator from the UK named Michael Nobbs. I found him on the Drawing Club blog site (see link at right). His style is fantastic. He also publishes a little book called "the Beany" which you can purchase here.

For those of us in New York, the MTA is enforcing subway etiquette rules. I can't imagine it's easy to enforce, but it's nice to hear that occupying more than one seat is on the list of prohibited activities.

Interesting article from the BBC about how some U.S. cities, like San Francisco, are built in precarious locations. What's interesting to me is how many old cities, like London, Paris and Cairo for example, are built "just where they ought to be" in stable parts of the world.

Lately I've been creating Etch A Sketch art. This is one of my first attempts, Self Portrait 1. Watch this space for more.

Just bought this portrait at a flea market in Paris. Not much is known about the artist, Auguste Berthon, but here's a link to some more information.

Rwandan singer Corneille was interviewed on SoDA last week. His story is truly amazing and inspiring: his family was killed in Rwanda which he then fled and went to Montréal where he subsequently started his successful music career. Watch the video and read the story here.

New York Times online - WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 - The Transportation Security Administration is making some of the most significant changes in the screening of airline passengers since procedures were revamped after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

This morning, NPR's Morning Edition had a good piece on the role of public housing in France on the recent riots. It's very interesting from an urban planning point of view.

Poème Sale
La ville est dans l'homme
Presque comme l'arbre vole
dans l'oiseau qui le quitte.

Found on the Paris Metro Nov 2005