[LINK] Some Friday Links

• Claus Vistesen worries that the economy of the Eurozone may be about to jump off a cliff.


• Amused Cynicism's Phil Hunt lets us know that Britain, too, has public officials who refuse to provide public services to non-heterosexuals and then claim religion as a defense.


• blogTO links to the story of a couple who decided to make their front yard and lawn over into a garden.


• Daniel Drezner writes about how the Chinese government, fearful that bad lending policies might create an American-style bubble, is trying to pressure banks to be more prudent.


• Hunting Monsters provides a rundown of the recent history and directions of Abkhazia.


• Do you want to take part in [murmur], Toronto's archive of stories, memories and thoughts about Toronto's different attractions and neighbourhoods accessible by cell phone? Go here.


• Strange Maps hosts a map of Spain from the 19th century that shows the major historical divisions of that country: Catalonia, the Basque Country, and the rest of Spain.


• Torontoist points out that Toronto's homicide rates place it in the middle third of Canadian cities and at the lowest end of American ones.


• Martin Wisse points out that the groups that decry terrorism can feel quite free to shove their own terrorist histories under the nearest rug.

[URBAN NOTE] Tokyo

Tokyo #1
Originally uploaded by rfmcdpei

Tokyo #2
Originally uploaded by rfmcdpei

Tokyo #3
Originally uploaded by rfmcdpei

I have no idea who has been stencilling and spraypainting the word "Tokyo" everywhere for the past couple of years or so. I'd guess that it's some sort of promotion, perhaps for the local band Tokyo Police Club, but I'm just not sure.

I took the first photo at the very westernmost fringes of Koreatown, next to the Christie Pits park and just down from the Christie subway station. The other two photos were taken in the Dovercourt Village neighbourhood (1, 2, 3). See also Chipsterman's Flickr set Project Tokyo! for more examples.

[BRIEF NOTE] "Do you nomi, nomi, nomi now?"

Via the klausnomi community, I've just found out found out that performance artist Joey Arias is interested in doing a feature film about the life of Klaus Nomi.

Arias is the executor of Nomi's estate and is excited over plans to make a feature film of his life: "Alan Cumming really wants to play him which would be genius. It's based on my and Klaus' relationship as friends and lovers, told through my eyes, so maybe my part could be played by Gael Garcia Bernal, as I'm Mexican-German."