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Street artist creates delightful 3D scenes in walls and walkways for everyone to enjoy

Street artists are a special breed. While “the art world” can sometimes be a snooty, elite place for those with means, street art is made for everyone. Sometimes that means large public murals, but street art can be small, too. In fact, some of the best street art is so small you might miss it if you’re not paying attention. But those who are can discover some delightful surprises.


Just imagine walking down a sidewalk and seeing this little fella at your feet:

Or this young lady:

Or this creature:

That would make your day, wouldn’t it? Or at least bring a smile to your face for a while?

Public art is an act of love to strangers, a way of connecting to people without saying a word. It says, “Hey there, fellow human. Here’s a little something to make you smile, just because.”

That’s the beauty of David Zinn’s street art. It’s meant for the public—just average passers-by—to enjoy, individually and collectively.

Zinn has created an entire world of characters who pop up in unexpected places. For instance, meet Gerald the otter, who is waiting for a blind date in this tree stump.

Zinn uses chalk and charcoal to make his cast of characters come to life in cracks and crevasses, sidewalks and tree trunks. His creations aren’t meant to last forever; in fact, as Zinn points out, the temporary nature of them adds value to them.

“Famous works of art hanging in museums get seen by thousands of people every day. But this? You could be among the dozens of people who get to see this while it exists,” he told CBS Mornings. “That’s pretty special.”

Watch how he takes something he finds in the sidewalk and transforms it into a sweet little duo.

Sometimes he uses natural things he finds as inspiration for a piece.

Other times, he uses something human-made, like this upside down terra cotta pot:

Or this manhole cover:

Sometimes the shape of a rock lends itself to a character, like Keith and his emotional support chick here:

Or the space itself serves as inspiration.

Nadine the mouse features in many of Zinn’s pieces, probably due to her small size making it easy for her to fit into small spaces.

Usually his pieces use what’s already there—like a crack in the sidewalk—to tell a story.

The 3D nature of his drawings make it feel as if his characters are truly there.

“Looks like another long day of things stubbornly refusing to be impossible,” he writes in a caption of one of his “pigasuses.”

(Speaking of having wings, Nadine found a pair for herself.)

Watch Zinn turn a simple pot into a character with personality in a matter of minutes:

His entire Instagram page, Facebook page and TikTok channel are filled with endless delight. It was nearly impossible to decide what to include in this article because I wanted to include everything.

This is all well and good, you might say to yourself, but how does Zinn make a living if he’s not selling this art?

He sells books and prints of photos of his artwork on his online store. He also gets invited to schools and events. He has created a career for himself by rejecting blank canvases, putting his imagination out on the street for everyone to see for a while, then selling versions that will actually last. Pretty brilliant, really.

Zinn gave a fascinating TEDx Talk explaining how he found his own artistic niche. You’ll never look at a parking meter or sidewalk the same way again.

This article originally appeared on 02.12.22

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‘You saved my life’: Suicidal person’s life is changed after reading a homemade bumper sticker

If you are having thoughts about taking your own life, or know of anyone who is in need of help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (273-8255) or text “HOME” to the Crisis Text Line: 741741.


There’s an old Hebrew saying that if you “save one life, you save the world entire.” Who knows if Brooke Lacey, 22, had that lofty goal when she began a campaign in 2020 to help uplift people’s spirits during the first COVID-19 wave.

But her kind efforts may have done just that.

Lacey has struggled with mental health issues throughout her life and she knew that people like her were going to have a really hard time during COVID-19 lockdowns. A study from May 2021 found that the New Zealand population had “higher depression and anxiety compared with population norms.” The study also found that “younger people” and “those most at risk of COVID-19 reported poorer mental health.”


To help those who may be struggling, Lacey printed 600 stickers with an uplifting message and posted them around places where people may take their lives, including trains, bridges and large bodies of water in Wellington, New Zealand. She also made a bumper sticker with the same message for her car.

The stickers spoke directly to those who may be contemplating taking their own life. “Please don’t take your life today,” the stickers read. “The world is so much better with you in it. More than you realize, stay.”

Earlier this month, Lacey parked her car in her university’s lot and when she returned to her vehicle to leave, she noticed a note was affixed to the windshield. Thinking it was someone complaining about how she parked or a ticket, she prepared for the worst but wound up being blindsided by the positive message.

“I left my house with a plan and asked for a sign, any sign, I was doing the right thing when I saw your car in the parking lot. Thank you,” the note read. At first, Lacey wasn’t sure what the person was referring to, then she remembered her homemade bumper sticker.

“I had these made so long ago, put one on my car and forgot about them, until now,” she tweeted on her since deactivated account. “I am so glad whoever you are chose to stay today. You never know who needs this reminder.”

Now, it’s unclear exactly what the person’s “plan” was, but there’s no doubt that Lacey’s bumper sticker inspired them to choose life. Let’s hope that the sticker also inspired them to seek professional help for whatever difficulties they are going through.

Whether it was intentional or not, Lacey’s sticker was effective because it followed one of the most important strategies that people use at suicide hotlines. According to Science.org, it’s of utmost importance that people contemplating suicide are handled with “respect and empathy.”

Lacey’s story is a beautiful reminder of the power that one simple, thoughtful gesture can have on another person’s life. Every day, there are people all around us who are looking for a sign to give them a reason keep going. Whether it’s a hug, a smile or the right message in the right place at the right time, we should all be like Lacey and make sure everyone knows that the world is better with them in it. In fact, much more than they ever realize.

This article originally appeared on 02.24.22

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Blackpink’s Jennie Gives Fans An Update About A Minor Face Injury She Suffered While Exercising

Blackpink’s Jennie hopped on Weverse yesterday, March 3, to give her fans an update about a minor face injury she suffered, having not posting to her personal account since Valentine’s Day.

“It’s nothing, but I post it first in case you get surprised. I was taking care of my health during the break, eating well, and sleeping well, but I tripped a little while exercising and fell down, so I got a bit of a scar on my face,” she said, as caught by Billboard.

“I wanted to get better soon so I don’t worry about BLINK, but it’s still healing, so I think I’m going to wear a bandage on my face for a while,” Jennie added. “Please understand if I sound silly. I need to show you a good performance, but I’m sorry for being like this, everyone. I’ll get better soon, so don’t worry and see you soon.”

The band is set to pick back up their Born Pink World Tour tonight, March 4, with a performance in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at Bukit Jalil National Stadium. Blackpink is also set to headline Coachella next month and play shows at Japan’s Tokyo Dome — so there’s no slowing down any time soon.

As for Jennie, she was also in the news earlier this week regarding her role in HBO’s upcoming series, The Idol, after Rolling Stone published some alleged behavior about the show’s creator, Sam Levinson.

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George Conway Knew How To Respond When Trump Dragged Him Over His Alleged Forthcoming Divorce

Are Kellyanne and George Conway getting divorced? That’s what Page Six has reported. The longtime couple, who’ve been married for 22 years, don’t exactly see eye-to-eye on former president Donald Trump. To make things worse, Trump happened to be Kellyanne’s boss. Trump himself gloated over the news, congratulating Kellyanne for being rid of an “extremely unattractive loser.” Thing is, George isn’t terrible at social media, and he knew how to respond.

“Looking forward to seeing you in New York at E. Jean’s trial next month!” Conway wrote, alluding to one of Trump’s many legal woes. Conway posted the words not on Twitter but on Trump’s own rinky-dink social media service, where he apparently has an account. “Hugs and kisses,” he added, alongside some heart emojis.

Trump has long publicly bashed George, despite her being married to one of his closest cronies. George has never been afraid to return fire, but of course he isn’t: After all, he co-founded The Lincoln Project, a gang of quisling Republicans who made it their solemn duty to ensure Trump not win re-election in 2020. They’re still at it, as the big guy still wants his old job back.

The Conways have reportedly “lawyered up” over the alleged looming split, which Conway’s Truth Social post doesn’t technically confirm is on the level.

(Via The Daily Beast)

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Brandon Clarke Will Miss The Rest Of The Season After Tearing His Achilles

An injury that Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke suffered on Friday night will cost him the remainder of the 2022-23 NBA season. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Clarke suffered a torn achilles during Memphis’ loss to the Denver Nuggets when he went down in pain after shooting a free throw in the first quarter.

It did not look like Clarke did anything especially troubling when he hit the deck with just over nine seconds left in the frame. Clarke shot and missed a free throw before taking one step backwards and struggling with his left leg. While he tried to run on it, Clarke had to sit down and watched as play resumed, and eventually, his teammates had to help him into the locker room.

While Clarke has only started eight of the 56 games in which he’s appeared for the Grizzlies this season, the former Gonzaga standout has been an invaluable piece of the puzzle for Memphis this season. Clarke is averaging 19.5 minutes per game with 10 points, 5.5 rebounds, 0.7 blocks, and 0.6 steals a night while connecting on a career-best 65.6 percent of his attempts from the field. He was an important part of the team’s postseason rotation last year, and now, the Grizzlies will be tasked with figuring out how to replace his energy and ability to make things happen near the rim as they look to compete for a title this time around.

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Tyga And YG Used Their ‘Go Loko’ Rolling Loud Performance To Tease An Upcoming Collab Album

Last night at Rolling Loud, Tyga performed his set — and brought along a special guest in the form of YG.

While performing their 2019 collaboration, “Go Loko,” YG did a truly iconic dance, revaling that he’s multi-talented when it comes to moves. The duo also teased that they have what seems to be a full collaborative record on the way, as it was teased on stage.

“You know what I’m saying?” Tyga says in the video. “We only came up with one song, but now we about to drop the new album coming soon.”

When “Go Loko” was first released, Tyga revealed that they had been inspired by Mexico’s impact on culture…which hasn’t fully aged well. “Growing up in L.A., it’s a really big culture here,” he told the Recording Academy. “Even YG could tell you, he grew up around all Mexicans, so we really wanted to do something to give back to the culture.”

In addition, Tyga appeared on YG’s album last year, as a feature on “Run.”

“Me and Tyga were in the studio just trying to plot like, ‘What should we do for the video?’ There’s only so much you can do with that type of song. We ain’t wanna do like a flashy rap video, driving around in the cars. I got plenty of them,” YG revealed to Billboard.

Check out the videos of Tyga and YG’s performance (and album teaser) above.

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Ja Morant Will Be Away From The Grizzlies For At Least Two Games Amid The NBA’s Investigation Into His Gun Video

The Memphis Grizzlies are two games into a four-game road trip, and over the next few days, the team will wrap things up against the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers before returning home. Those games will happen without Ja Morant, as the team announced on Saturday afternoon that the All-NBA guard “will be away from the team for at least the next two games.”

The news comes in the aftermath of the NBA announcing an investigation into a video of Morant that made the rounds on social media earlier on Saturday morning. In the aftermath of the Grizzlies’ loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday night, Morant went live on Instagram while he was at a club. At one point, Morant appeared to pull out a gun, which he briefly waved on camera before putting it away.

It is unclear if this is technically a suspension or if Morant and the Grizzlies amicably agreed for him to take some time away. It is also unclear if this will impact the NBA’s investigation into Morant in any way. Should Morant return to the team after two games, he’ll take the floor on March 9 in Memphis when the team plays host to the Golden State Warriors.

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GloRilla’s Bodyguard Claims He Was Fired Unfairly After A Water-Throwing Incident Last Month

After a tense incident at an Oakland nightclub last month, in which GloRilla had water thrown on her, the rapper’s now-former bodyguard is speaking out, claiming he was unjustly fired.

“So all that extra sh*t, I don’t want to hear none of that sh*t. I got her out of there safe,” the bodyguard said in the video. “She making videos ain’t she? She talking to y’all can’t she? ‘Cause she talked to me. You alive we got out that muthaf*cker. I did my job, it’s complete.”

On the second slide, there is a clip of the altercation. “F*ck you bitch, weak ass b*tch,” the club attendee shouted at GloRilla in the video. Although the footage is blurry, GloRilla’s team seems to be trying to move her out of the venue.

“I’m not finna get to fighting nobody dats paying to come see me that’s security job to make sure mfs under control that’s they get paid to do,” GloRilla tweeted afterwards.

From the comments, at least on this post featuring the bodyguard, most social media users appear to be on his side, noting that if he had fought back, the other party could press charges in a lawsuit. “Security is not allowed to hit anyone because if that person sues him y’all not gonna help!” one person commented.

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Bryce Young Came In Well Short Of Six Feet Tall At The NFL Draft Combine

One of the biggest questions at the NFL Draft Combine involves the measurables for the presumed top quarterback prospect in the class of 2023, Alabama’s Bryce Young. While Young was the best quarterback in college football over each of the last two years and won a whole lot of games and individual awards, there are questions about whether or not he’ll be tall enough to succeed in the NFL.

Alabama’s official website listed Young at six feet tall and 194 pounds, and as it turns out, that isn’t quite right. While Young did bulk up a little bit, coming in at 204 pounds as he stepped on the scale, the former Heisman Trophy winner came in just a hair over 5’10.

It was noted in the aftermath of Young’s measurements that the Crimson Tide star comes in at almost the exact same size as Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, who faced similar concerns about his size despite being a productive Heisman winner coming out of Oklahoma.

A pretty major difference between Young and Murray as they enter the league is that Murray is one of the most electric athletes to ever play quarterback, while Young was nowhere near as big of a threat with his legs, even if he is hardly a statue in the pocket. At the same time, it’s not like Young was always playing behind an elite offensive line in Tuscaloosa, and it stands to reason that he’s going to look awfully good during the field drills.

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Tom Sizemore, The Brilliant But Troubled Actor From ‘Heat,’ ‘Saving Private Ryan,’ And More, Is Being Honored After His Passing

Tom Sizemore, the brilliant but troubled character actor who was a staple of Hollywood cinema in the ‘90s and early aughts, passed away on Friday after suffering a stroke caused by an aneurysm. He had been in a coma since February 18 and had been kept alive on life support. He was 61.

A go-to tough guy type who played characters on both sides of the law, Sizemore began his film career in the late ‘80s, in his late 20s, appearing in small roles in movies like Oliver Stone’s Born in the Fourth of July. Sizemore would reunite with Stone five years later, as the loose cannon detective in Natural Born Killers. Even with brief screen time, he knew how to make an impression. In his brief appearance in 1991’s Point Break, he makes a meal out of chewing out Keanu Reeves’ undercover agent Johnny Utah.

If you went to the movies in the mid-to-late ‘90s, it was all but impossible to avoid Sizemore. His wild, unpredictable work was a highlight of movies like Passenger 57, True Romance, Strange Days, Devil in a Blue Dress, and many more.

At the peak of his career, Sizemore worked with the best: Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan), Martin Scorsese (Bringing Out the Dead), Ridley Scott (Black Hawk Down). Michael Mann cast him in his crime epic Heat, in which he held his own as part of the gang of thieves led by Robert De Niro’s Neil McCauley, contributing one of screen history’s great ice cold stares. Mann later cast him as the lead in TV’s Robbery Homicide Division, which lasted one season starting in 2002.

Throughout his career, Sizemore struggled with serious drug problems, using heroin, crystal meth, methamphetamines, and cocaine. He told Larry King in a 2010 interview that he’d been sober from 1997 through 2002. At the time, he said he’d been clean for nearly a year. He was in an out of rehab and placed on probation for drug possession. He later served jail time violating said probation.

Sizemore had other issues as well. In 2003, he was convicted of physically abusing Heidi Fleiss, the notorious Hollywood madam of an upscale prostitution ring who was also his girlfriend. He served eight months in prison. In 2003, he was accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old, which he denied. Those accusations resurfaced in 2017. He again denied them.

As these stories broke, Sizemore’s career faltered, and he found himself going from working with the best of the best to low-rent fare made on the outskirts of the film industry. He occasionally slipped back into the mainstream. He had a plum role in the Liam Neeson-starring Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House. TV was more welcoming, with stints on Entourage, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Hawaii 5-0, Law & Order: Special Victim’s Unit, Lucifer, and Shooter, on which he was a recurring cast member. David Lynch gave him a moving role on Twin Peaks: The Return, as a shady corporate type who finds redemption with Kyle MacLachlan’s sympathetic Dougie Jones.

Sizemore was a complicated figure, singularly talented yet deeply troubled. After his passing, he was honored by others in the industry.

https://twitter.com/WendellPierce/status/1630707877512871936as

Some remembered his storied ‘90s and early aughts run, when he seemed to be in every four movies.

Others shared their favorite moments from his career.

(Via NYT)