Trompeing Around...

on the internet, and found these interesting posts:

*Paul Michael of Wisebread has a mixture he swears will perk up any tired lawn:
1 can soda
1 can beer
1/2 cup dishwashing liquid (not the anti-bacterial kind)
1/2 cup ammonia
1/2 cup mouthwash

Mix together, then spray on your lawn twice a season to green it up. Michael says the ammonia helps the grass grow, and the mouthwash kills bugs and grubs. So...what's with the other stuff? The lawn's thirsty, and wants to clean up afterwards? Anyways, it's worth a shot.

*The New York International Gift Fair has some interesting trompe l'oeil items to show. I love the "3-D-but-not-really" look, but it's difficult to pull off. Have always wanted to paint a dollar bill or coin on the floor, to see if someone would try to pick it up.

*Model Iskula Cohen, hurt by a blogger who called her the biggest skank in NYC, gets Google to cough up the blogger's identity -- and it turns out to be a casual acquaintance who'd attended some of the same parties a year or so ago. "Thank God it was her...she's a pretty irrelevant person in my life," Cohen said. "I have pretty solid friendships, and I trust my friends," she added. "I don't know what I would have done if it had been somebody that I valued as a friend." More on the story here.
Cohen said that work the past year has "not exactly been a walk in the park," and she was often questioned by potential clients about the blogging posts. She also added that people wouldn't put up with being attacked on the street -- why should they take it from an anonymous online predator?
I know some people are going to argue that the term 'free speech' means you get to say whatever you want, whenever you want, about anyone, especially if they're in the public eye. There's got to be a stopping point, though:

Do kids get to threaten their local public school with another Columbine, regardless of whether they mean it or not?

Would you take 'fightin' words' from a crazed stranger with a knife, whether or not he said later it was just a joke?

And certainly President Obama's team takes VERY seriously any wild talk about assassination, whether the speaker is considered mentally ill or not.

For those who just like to shoot off their mouth because they can -- and do it anonymously -- this court decision is a warning shot off the bow. Seems to me that Jesus' words would be a good guideline here: Love thy neighbor as thyself. Don't say it out of jealousy or an urge to hurt. Don't say anything about them that you wouldn't mind being identified as the speaker. Say the truth -- not innuendo.
In other words, take responsibility for your words and your actions.


*And last but not least, an overview of the strange (and wonderful) things found in the leftovers from Andy Warhol's estate. (At least they're making progress, I guess -- Warhol died in 1987.)

And now, a tired guest bedroom calls, for vacuuming, a bouquet of cosmos from the garden and fresh linens. Ma's coming to town tomorrow night, with a cousin in tow!