At What Cost?

Normally, on Friday, I try to find a few obscure news articles that you might not be familiar with.  I realize, this is getting more and more difficult to do,  as the media seeks out every speck of ridiculous news and then..... every nugget of nonsense gets You Tubed, Tweeted, or Facebooked. quicker than you can say "Did you hear about....?"   This week though, I am writing about a story, that in all likelihood, you all have heard about.  This story wasn't relegated to the back page.

Everything Has a Price


A 20 year old Brazilian woman, Catarina Migliorini has auctioned off her virginity online. Yes, you read that right.  She Ebayed her  "soon to be deflowered" virginity to the highest bidder.

If your name is on this list, I have lost all respect for you.

The winner of the auction is a Japanese man known as "Natsu" with a winning bid of $780K. He beat out 5 other bidders on the last day of the auction, after a bidding war ran the bids up from $199,0000. (Are we at all curious what the hell is wrong with Natsu?)

 Catarina says she is going to be giving 90 percent of the money to a charity but the auction organizer, Justin Sisely, who planned this questionable event says he is skeptical.  Justin is a Australian filmmaker that is also filming a documentary related to the auction.  The auction and documentary aren't a solo endeavor for Catarina.   Justin illitcited a male counterpart, who  auctioned off his virginity as well.  Alex Stepanov's end bid wasn't  nearly as impressive, however.  His highest bidder was a Brazilian woman known as Nene B. with a $3000.00 bid.

Catarina gets quite defensive when people regard this auction as a form of prostitution.  Catarina, speaking to Folha newspaper said, "I look at this as a business." (To be fair to all prostitutes, they probably consider what they do "as a business" as well.) Catarina went on to say, " I have the opportunity to travel, to be part of a movie and get a bonus. If you only do it once in your life then you are not a prostitute, just like if you take one amazing photograph it does not automatically make you a photographer."

For the movie, the actual sex act will not be filmed and rules have been laid out.  One of the rules states:
"To ensure that the encounter is as tasteful as possible, sex toys are not allowed".  (Can you even believe the word TASTEFUL is being used in this story??)

Reporter Cheryl P. has lots of questions of Catarina  .BTW...I took poetic license with the spelling of Twat.

Part of me is pretty sure that this is one of the signs of the apocalypse and the other part of me as lots of questions. All of me is totally creeped out!!!!

Maybe Money Does Grow on Trees ...or Broccoli Plants

A Woodstock, Illinois man says the $150,000 in cash he found in his garden last year generated two competing claims for the money.

 Wayne Sabaj, who discovered the cash in his McHenry County broccoli garden last year, said the cash would have become his if no one had claimed it by Oct. 1, but authorities said a Naperville liquor store robbed of about $150,000 in 2010 filed a petition to claim the money, as did Sabaj's 87-year-old neighbor, WGN-TV, Chicago, reported Wednesday.

Both claims were filed two days before the deadline, authorities said.

Lawyers for Sabaj's neighbor, Dolores Johnson, said the woman suffers from memory problems and does not remember what happened to the money she has been collecting for several years. Johnson's daughter said she believes her mother threw the cash into Sabaj's yard.

Robert Burke, Sabaj's attorney, said he believes the cash was drug money that fell from a sea plane spotted over the Fox River shortly before his client made the discovery.

Is anyone else having a problem with Sabaj's attorney? Is he trying to get some drug traffickers to come forward as well to claim that it is theirs? Personally,  I would think  this a fine time to start yelling "finders keepers,  losers weepers!"  The older neighbor can't remember if it's hers, the liquor store was robbed but how do they know if the garden money is THEIR money? Maybe...just maybe...  Any money growing in my garden is mine.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait


This week in Kansas City a Samurai robbed a Churches Fried Chicken restaurant.  What made this theft somewhat interesting,  is the guy that waited patiently to order his chicken dinner. No pushy people in line at this robbery.

If I would have been the guy behind the counter, I would of backed up....out of reach of the sword.

Is That What You Call Art?

Business is blooming and booming at the Overland Park, KS Arboretum and Botanical Gardens this week but not for the reasons you might think.  This  public garden on the south side of Johnson County is a beautiful 300 acre oasis in the metro area of Kansas City. It also is the topic of conversation resulting from a skirmish over the appropriateness of a statue that has been placed there.


Recently, the Arboretum was gifted 11 life-sized sculptures gifted to the garden by Chinese sculptors.  The long term goal by the arboretum is to place these sculptures into a International  Sculpture Garden that will be built to expand the Arboretum.

Thought Number One 

Art takes nature as its model.    ...... Aristotle




the Arboretum is an educational, recreational and
 cultural resource for the Kansas City region.

 

Thought Number Two

“Art without emotion its like chocolate cake without sugar. It makes you gag.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson

Well, then one of the donated sculptures that was placed at the Arboretum must be truly "art" as it seems to be making some people gag and it is certainly stirring up a whole lot of emotion.  The up- side to this flap about the questionable art,  is the attendance at the arboretum is up.  No firm figures have been released but a spokesperson has said the gardens are far busier than normal.

The controversy over one of the gifted statues started May 9th when  a young mother, Joanne Hughs,  accompanied by her husband and two small children were walking on one of the parks nature  trails when they happened by a sculpture that Hughs felt was inappropriate for a public garden..  To be clear on this point, Mrs.  Hughes believes the sculpture needs to be relocated somewhere that is less visited by young families.  She feels the art is too mature for young children and sends a "wrong" message.  She feels   that a naked, dismembered body is taking pictures of itself, lends it inappropriate for small kids.  She found it a vulgar depiction of sexting.


Of course, the people that think Mrs. Hughs is being narrow minded, are quick to point out that the works of Rodin or Michelangelo were nude and there are numerous ancient works of antiquity that were as well.  Mrs. Hughs counters with "I have seen the statue of David in person.  It is beautiful. He is also not taking a picture of his penis. There is a difference there.  The message is different."


Sarah Van Landuyt, executive director of the Arts Council of Johnson County, said she thinks the arboretum sculpture is doing what art is supposed to do.  "The artwork is not meant to be pornographic. It is meant to spark this kind of conversation."

 Mrs. Hughs initially tried to discuss what she perceived as an inappropriate sculpture for a venue  that is open to the public with various city officials.  After getting no satisfaction from Overland Park's mayor, city manager, council members, nor any of the  arboretum officials, she has now started a campaign that includes an on-line petition.    At this point she has almost 3000 signatures from all over the United States.

The city and the arboretum have both made statements essentially stating that they do not consider the sculpture to be offensive, obscene and have no plans on relocating it.  There have been signs posted, however,  that say:

Some pieces included a display of the human body and parental guidance is encouraged.

The signs have not appeased Mrs. Hughs and she is now working with Kansas and Missouri chapters of the American Family Association, whose national organization is hoping to get enough signatures compel a Johnson County District Court to convene  grand jury impaneled to decide whether the arboretum can be indicted on obscenity charges.



The statue named appropriately enough "Accept or Reject" by
Yu Chang



So what are your thoughts?  Does Mrs. Hughs have valid points?  But does the County and City officials have the right to incorporate all types of art in the community?

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