Adios, Amigo

For several years now, we've had a good Basque friend from Spain. Martin Juaristi is one of the most interesting and talented people I've met in Shenzhen: a true intellectual (name a book, he's probably read it--in English if that's its original language). He's also a cartoonist.

Back when we thought Shenzhen Buzz was really going somewhere (another story for another time), we put Martin's talents to work in two areas. He drew our mascot (a brilliant effort; gallery here, story here) and he wrote several engaging and amusing columns about the Shenzhen art scene.

And now he's leaving. It's what expats do, I guess, but we haven't seen enough of him in the last year or so. At lunch today, he told me he's teaching in Tianjin (Beijing's port city) in the fall, so we hope to see him on a Beijing trip.

That's Martin's muy mysterioso portrait above; and here's one of the great illustrations he did for us:

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Here's today's new stuff:

• 365 Secrets of Happiness: Thank Someone Special (because gratitude must be expressed)
• Meet Joe Campbell: Idea #7: Comparative Mythology (Campbell's forte)
• My Photo Galleries: Polaroid Manipulations: California Missions (an unusual process)
• The Philippines: First Burial Place of Jose Rizal, Paco Cemetery, Manila (the country's national hero)