Borf, Kilroy, Banksy and Manholes

Kentucky attorney Natty Bumppo was interested to read about the BORF graffiti decorating/disfiguring Washington DC, which we wrote about last month. He claims his second wife invented the name Borf.

"My lovely ex-second wife did that in 1976," he told us. (he's had five wives, but divorced only four). "She just made the word up on the spur of the moment, when challenged by her 10-year-old daughter."

After Danielle Forestier of Oakland, California read about the WWII graffiti slogan KILROY WAS HERE, she entered this brief message on our Guest Map: DANIELLE WAS HERE. She linked the message to her own website which reveals that Danielle was:

Recipient of the coveted title of "Maitre Boulanger" [Master Baker] by the Parisian Chambre de Metiers after five years of work and study in Paris. She was the first American and the first woman ever to be awarded this honor.

She brings with her a unique blend of solid production experience and a substantial technical background that will effect long term solutions to production problems.

Her own three unit French Bakery achieved break-even in five days, profit margin in five months and a ten-fold growth in five years. "Les Belles Miches" became internationally known for its quality and was featured in over 50 publications.

Jeff Howe has written an interesting article about the UK graffitist and guerrilla artist Banksy, in the August edition of WIRED MAGAZINE. And Banksy has visited Palestine and sprayed nine stencil paintings on the Palestinian side of Israel's West Bank wall, Louise Jury reported in The Independent, London.

In New York, Diana Stuart was more interested in the story about the world's decorative manholes. She has written a book entitled Designs Underfoot: The Art of Manhole Covers in New York City, containing "400 evocative photographs of these relics of NYC's architectural heritage." The book traces the evolution of their intricate designs and styles, and recounts the history of the iron foundries that produced them.

Diana heads the Society for the Preservation of NYC Manhole Covers, which seeks landmark protection for all the city's covers. You can read more about her by clicking on MANHOLE COVER LADY.