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Taggers are thieves, not artists

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Some people like to imagine that taggers are artists or are somehow simply protesting “The Man”. Horseshit. I’ve made my share of art and been part of more than a few protests. Ai Weiwei may have defaced historic Chinese vases with paint, but they were his. He didn’t go to another artist’s studio and steal or vandalize their work.

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Living life and respecting limits

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abilityI have been disabled for four weeks. I was hit hard by the flu and a series of opportunistic infections that followed it. This is likely a temporary situation, but one that has made me reflect on my life, and how I attach value to it.

My disability is minor compared to the challenges of some friends and acquaintances, but the reality of it has been sobering for me. I am not able to do any serious physical tasks. Sweeping and washing the kitchen floor wore me out for the day. I am bored in ways I am unused to. My house is a mess that I don’t like. Most of the things I do for fun or money, I can’t do. These things have defined my image of myself. I have had to rethink that. Age and a supportive family have made it easier to adjust, but it has not been fun.

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A Canoe for my Daughter

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There is an ornament in my living room that visitors to our house notice right away. It rather dominates the room.

My daughter’s first canoe hangs over the couch.

I built that canoe for her in August and September of 2003. It is 10′ long and modelled on a very popular 15′ canoe by the world famous Chesnut Canoe Company called the Ranger. I called it a Junior Ranger. For months I had searched the Internet and asked friends about a canoe that might be suitable for my daughter. I found nothing. Five years earlier, I had built a Chestnut Ranger for myself with Peter Gould and Kim Pressnail through a Toronto School Board course. I have found it to be a versatile boat and it seemed like a great fit for a kid if only the size could be reduced.

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