"The corpse of beached whale in New Jersey appears to have been spray painted with graffiti letters of a fraternity that has chapters at nearby schools. It's not immediately clear what killed the animal, but it’s not uncommon for whale corpses to wash ashore in the area. The corpse of a beached Minke whale in New Jersey became a canvas for graffiti artists, Atlantic City police confirmed Thursday." - Time

I never thought that I would ever post an article about irresponsible graffiti, I have always thought that graffiti artists are the commentators of the unenfranchised and should do what they do with impunity. After reading the above story I had to re-think, and think I did.  But after much digestion it became obvious - this is not the work of artists its the work of assholes - and as such should not be reflected by sites such as this.

But still - there it is - Nimball

The first known example of "modern style" graffiti survives in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus (in modern-day Turkey). Local guides say it is an advertisement for prostitution. Located near a mosaic and stone walkway, the graffiti shows a handprint that vaguely resembles a heart, along with a footprint and a number. This is believed to indicate that a brothel was nearby, with the handprint symbolizing payment.

The ancient Romans carved graffiti on walls and monuments, examples of which also survive in Egypt. Graffiti in the classical world had different connotations than it carries in today's society concerning content. Ancient graffiti displayed phrases of love declarations, political rhetoric, and simple words of thought compared to today's popular messages of social and political ideals The eruption of Vesuvius preserved graffiti in Pompeii, which includes Latin curses, magic spells, declarations of love, alphabets, political slogans, and famous literary quotes, providing insight into ancient Roman street life. One inscription gives the address of a woman named Novellia Primigenia of Nuceria, a prostitute, apparently of great beauty, whose services were much in demand. Another shows a phallus accompanied by the text, 'mansueta tene':"Handle with care". It's good to see they had a good sense of humour.

Gulliver’s Kingdom Theme Park, built in the shadow of Japan‘s Mount Fuji with oodles of government stimulus money, was a sprawling white elephant that existed for only 10 years. Today there’s little if any trace of the abandoned theme park, its ruins, or Gulliver himself but the eerie and unsettling images captured by a legion of intrepid “haikyo” explorers and graffiti artists.