Weekend Links

Luciles Kitchen

Tim Cook, Apple CEO, Auburn University Commencement Speech 2010 (Fast Company)

Morocco taps benefits of Barbary fig oil (Independent)

Hold the steak: vegetarian recipes (Guardian)

Fashion's Better Halves (Wall Street Journal)

Art and Fashion in Dasha Zhukova's Garage (NYT)

Burning Bright: 9 Mexican salsas (Saveur)

Arming Assad (Foreign Affairs)

What China Wants (Foreign Affairs)

Deciding on a book, and How to Read It (NYT)

Anatomy of a Meltdown (New Yorker)

The symbolism of sweat pants (Financial Times)

Making their own way in the world (Financial Times)

Books about Joseph Heller (NYT)

Paris smartphone apps (David Lebovitz)

The Art of Buying Art Online: ArtStar

There is something to admire and appreciate about websites that do all the work for you and Artstar is just one of those sites. Even if you already have a good eye for art, you most likely do not have the time to go searching through the countless number of names and galleries that exist to find the ones you want. Luckily, Artstar's curators do all the work for you. Their team of specialists are highly skilled and erudite in different fields of art, and bring together a wealth of experience. Most importantly, these behind-the-scenes art makers know how pick artists with something clever and beautiful to offer. And much like 20x200, Artstar offers prints and originals at affordable prices (with prices for prints starting from $25 to $450). Here are just a few of my favourites.

1. Michael Schall

2. Firelei Baez

3. Liu Jin

4. Han Bing

5. Meena Hasan

6. Christina Dixcy

7. Zaria Forman

8. Tian Taiquan

The Smart Girl's Guide to Prada...

I spotted this great look in the street style section of NY Magazine this week and I was convinced it was Prada. It had to be; I had seen the trend everywhere. And who else could be credited with starting this colourful stripe trend, so simple in execution that it's hard to believe it could fetch such exhorbitant prices? Well, it turns out, many others. But I suppose Miuccia Prada can only be flattered, for her ability to create something innovative each season, is always deliberately imitated. And you can't blame anyone for trying to emulate her. After seeing this look below from fashion blogger Delmy of Fashion Bananas I wanted that same skirt for myself. Now, if only Asos still had some left.

Weekend Links

My Bunny Junior

Art: James Turrell (Interview Magazine)

The Danish Sandwich: Reloaded (Wall Street Journal)

A Wish of E-Shoppers is Now in China (Wall Street Journal)

Grilled Chicken with Za'atar (Bon Appetit)

How Can Jeans Cost $300? (Wall Street Journal)

Russian Artist Mock Putin (Daily Beast)

Vietnam: Acquiring a Taste for the Spice of Life (Wall Street Journal)

A Graffiti Artist Shows a New Side (Wall Street Journal)

A Brazilian's Comic Mania: Social Media (NYT)

Can this woman change the world? (The Telegraph)

The Rules of the Tunnel (NYT)

Baked Tomatoes with Baguette (The Guardian)

The Kid by Sapphire (NYT)

For New Yorker on iPad: Words Are the Thing (NYT)

Storm Clouds Gather over Piers Morgan (The Guardian)

Bringing Comfort Food to Print Fans (NYT)

The Man Who Made a Nation Cry (The Guardian)

The Physioloty of (Over)-Sharing (The Atlantic)

One Ingredient, Many Ways: Honey (Saveur)

Ten Essential Books on Typography (The Atlantic)