Why no one really cares about Terri Schiavo.

Sorry folks, but I'm endlessly fascinated with this whole Schiavo fiasco. I mean, who really thought Congress would get involved? But, I must admit that I'm somewhat mystified that the reason Terri Schiavo is in this persistent vegetative state is rarely talked about. She was bulimic. This lead to a potassium deficiency. That resulted in a heart attack...and we all know where she ended up from there.
What I'm really wondering is why none of her family was there to prevent her from starving herself in the first place. Her brother was quoted on CNN as saying, "It's a surreal situation when you walk in there, and you realize you're watching a loved one slowly being starved to death and dehydrated to death. It's hard to describe." Do they not realize that that is EXACTLY what she was doing prior to having a liquefied brain? (There are so many inappropriate jokes that could be made here, and I'm trying really hard to restrain myself. If you really need something, check out The Daily Show.)
So lets recap:
Pre-1990: Terri is actively starving herself to death. Family does nothing.

1990: Oops! Guess that diet was too effective, now we're in a persistent vegetative state.

Later 90's: The 3 ring circus her family is insisting on is up an running. Oh no, they say. Terri would never want to starve to death. She's a Catholic after all. Oh, the bulimia thing? Thats just a hoax. She's really in the hospital b/c her husband beat her. That's right. No, we can't prove that in court, but the Lord is on our side.

Present day: Congress passes a law to usurp the powers of the state court system. This is about a life after all.

Poor Terri, if only someone had cared about you while you were the one denying yourself the feeding tube. Maybe then you would have had a chance.

Review Time

Lets do a quick review of the happenings in this world. I'll shout 'em out and then give my opinions. If you disagree or agree so much that you had an immediate erection, please leave a comment. Onward, ho!

Paul Wolfowitz. Are you fucking kidding me? Well, as was asserted last night on the Daily Show, this only proves just how ginormous Bush's balls really are. Who else could Bush have appointed that would be a metaphorical bitch-slap to the world other than this wacko/creepo. My predictions: a) The hair will continue to thin and he'll look greasier than ever b) He will screw some developing nation over and the world will do nothing c) He will screw over some developing nation and the liberals (or intelligentsia as I like to call us) will throw a fit, but ultimately fail b/c they have the bombs after all. And the billions. They also have the billions.

No more tanning beds: Unless you read the BBC, you're unlikely to have seen this story. I'm pleased to update you that the WHO has claimed a direct link between tanning beds and skin cancer. At this point, you're probably saying to yourself, "Well, this bitch smokes. Who is she to criticize?" and you'll be correct in that. Here's my problem with the world: I know smoking is bad. I don't pretend it makes me look cool. I'm addicted and society makes me feel like crap about it all the time. But I'm supposed to watch some whore prance prettily into the tanning salon while she lamely quotes that cigarettes will kill me? Well have at it bitch! You're going to die too! The WHO is now saying that no one under 18 should use a tanning bed at all. Lets see society jump all over their asses for their unhealthy habits. Join me, my friends, in this effort to shun the young, the beautiful, and the tan and feel justified all the while.

IN attorney general goes a'fishing: Here is another story you're likely unaware of unless you keep up to date w/ Indiana media. Attorney general Steve Carter is demanding that Planned Parenthood turn over dozens of records in a thinly veiled Medicaid fraud investigation, though he openly admits this isn't the real reason he wants these records. He only seeks the records of those under the age of 14. To fill you in, according to IN law, any sex a child under the age of 14 has is considered rape. A female below this age who goes to planned parenthood must be referred to child protective services, a rule that PP says it follows very strictly. But Carter, probably b/c he's a Republican, doesn't believe them. So he's using a backdoor entrance to get at these children's files. The worst part? A poll on the Indy Star that says 44% of respondents agree w/ him! Seriously republicans, get your hands off our ovaries. Its getting way to crowded in my womb.

Terry Schiavo, why aren't you dead yet?

Austin, TX club fire: Here's a surprise: Texas cops are racist assholes. When a club frequented by mostly African Americans caught on fire, some of the survivors saw inappropriate jokes on the computer screen in the squad cars. A few of their choice and disgusting comments:
--U can smell from (Interstate) 35. It is the smell of victory.
--burn baby burn
--I have some extra gasoline if they need it
--My nite is made. I just had a lady ask me if it was burning. I said yep. She was upset. I was enthralled.
--You hear that Midtown is on fire!! The roof of a club . . . That's funny! Gives a whole new meaning to the roof, the roof is on fire

There's plenty more, but lets end on a happy note, shall we? Umm, I don't remember any really happy national news from the last few weeks. I'll buy an ice cream cone for the first reader who comes up w/ somthing and is able to provide a link. On the personal front, my dog is damn cute. And a fine kisser at that!

Chicago...

Sorry for the delay in this post, I know you are all anxiously waiting to know how the Chicago trip turned out. I was holding out until the artist could send me some pics from her show that I went too, but its taking too long. I decided I'd tell you about it and just use some of her older creations which are quite fabulous and should be seen. (and don't fret, I'll post her installation pics as soon as I receive them.)
Now where was I? Oh yes, Chicago. Well the highlight of the whole weekend was Jenn's art show on Friday. We knew we would be drinking, so we decided to we would use public transportation. Good idea in theory, but unfortunately there were some kinks in the plan and we ended up doing tons of walking on a freezing Chicago night in the midst of a bunch of warehouses. There was no one else around. Just Jodi, Tina and I. Vulnerable? Absolutely. And, in case you haven't noticed by now, I'm a bit of a worrier so I was convinced we would be raped, tortured, mutilated, murdered, or some combination of those things. (Some people mock this trait, but when the bird flu pandemic hits, you'll be sorry you didn't have a plan of escape as well!) Luckily, nothing happened, but I still think that if I was a raping/torturing/mutilating/murdering madman, I would've hidden in the areas we were walking through. So...thank you luck for getting me through that one. But the area we were in was so crappy. I started feeling bad for Jenn that she couldn't find somewhere nicer to show her stuff in, when of a sudden, we're out of the warehouse district and in a neighborhood full of galleries! I was so relieved, b/c I think the whole world should get on their knees and worship at her special altar.



The gallery was really crowded when we got there, and the music and lighting really set the atmosphere. This is my first, non-Knox College art opening, and it was exactly as I imagined it. Jenn's portion was actually an art installation of paper stalag/stalactites lit with multiple colors. The art on the walls did not belong to her, and was therefore inferior. (I'm not just a snob, I did look at it and it was inferior) A few fashion designers had designed garments for these models who were milling around. (Though I only ever saw them talk to each other, which further reinforces the idea that they were alien-robots) As a person with my own set of skillz on the sewing machine, I must say I wasn't that impressed. There 4 different dresses, and only one of them was visually interesting and looked like it required a modicum of skill.



We did some drinking, smoking, mingling, oohing/ahhing and then we left to meet some other alums at the bars downtown. Unfortunately, right as we stepped out, we saw the bus we needed drive right past and the next one would take forever to get there. So we decided to try and keep warm/kill some time by walking to the next stop and waiting there. We waited forever and I wanted a cab to pull up so badly! Then, suddenly, enter Janet in her finest moment yet. She honked and pulled over to pick us up. It was incredible, and seemed very magic school bus-ish to me. (You would understand that even more if you knew Janet and her similarities to Ms. Frizzle) Downtown was ok, but too expensive, so we headed back to homebase in the Andersonville neighborhood. We ended up staying up till 5 a.m.!

The rest of the weekend was comparatively uneventful, but still fun. Its good to see the ol' college gang again. They are so greatly missed! (As well as the kick-ass, fringe of reality times we had!) This post I'm dedicating to, of course, Jenn Cooper who is the most talented, dedicated artist I know. Here, w/out the interuption of my text are two of my favorites of hers. They're giant in real life and are mixed media. (Including straw, chicken wire, etc) Give a beep if these images get you all wet.