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http://www.omniture.com --> Email Story to a Friend June 10, 2006 Since You Asked I saw your story on the man working to eradicate our local graffiti. While I don't condone spray painting four-letter words on public property, I think some of graffiti is beautiful. I was wondering about its origins. -- Luna S., Ashland Let's begin with a famous quote: "Fools' names, like fools faces', are often seen in public places" attributed to either Thomas Fuller or A. Nonymous, depending on your source. That said, the technical definition of "graffiti" is a type of deliberately inscribed marking made by humans on surfaces, both private and public. The word "graffiti" is the plural of "graffito," although the singular form has become relatively obscure and is largely used in art history to refer to works of art made by scratching the design on a surface. Graffiti has existed at least since the early days of modern man, including classical Greece and the Roman Empire civilizations. Ancient graffitists scratched their work into walls before the advent of spray-paint, as in murals, frescoes or even cave walls. They could have been as complex as creating otherworldly scenery for hallucinogen induced spiritual vision quests in early man to just being a way of saying "Kilroy was here." Obviously, whether it's art or not is up to the beholder, but most people agree that when done in today's world without a property owner's consent, graffiti is nothing more than vandalism. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We're sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Advertisement s Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations --> online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Entertainment Guide --> Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy