UP FRONT

Brad Goins Thursday, July 16, 2015 Comments Off on UP FRONT
UP FRONT

Oceana

The RAD Art Gallery in DeRidder (RAD stands for “real art.”) will host “Oceana” — an exhibit of tactile art  for the blind that was created by Louisiana artist Ginger Rush. The show will run through the end of the month.

Rush’s art works are made largely of textiles; they include such materials as yarn and string. Rush says research indicates “autistic children need to be exposed to different textures at a young age … “

“It’s not going to be any one type of art” says Rush. Works will be both realistic and abstract.

The art works as well for “sighted people” as for the blind. Some works are designed so that they can be easily appreciated when they’re looked at. Others should be felt. Closing one’s eyes and feeling the art work will, says Rush, “create the sensation of what it’s like to be blind. You have to reach out and touch something.”

The main theme of “Oceana” is ocean life.

Rush’s husband is blind, and the show is largely a gift to him for the couple’s seventh anniversary. Rush spent a year and a half preparing the works that will be in the exhibit.

Rush says the movement towards textile art for the blind is relatively recent. It’s been spearheaded by artist Ann Cunningham, who teaches art at the Colorado Center for the Blind.

The National Federation of the Blind and the Calcasieu Assoc. of Retarded Citizens are working together on the exhibit.

The RAD Gallery in DeRidder is open 11 am-2 pm Wednesday through Saturday. A reception will be held July 11.

A Rare Treat

Houdini never did it. Uri Geller never did it. David Copperfield never did it. None of those guys ever raised taxes by not raising taxes.

I imagine some of my readers are really sick of all the state headlines that say something like “Jindal raises taxes.” I don’t want to torment you. I’d like to see some headlines like “Legislature Balances Budget By Not Balancing Budget” or “Legislature Makes Budget Gap Disappear …

“For Six Months.”

I probably shouldn’t even be writing about this year’s session. But if you read my stuff, you know I can’t resist a political story with a funny. This funny is a good one; and it came from one of our representatives — a rare treat!

The embarrassed lawmakers were still slinking out of the State Capitol when Rep. Stephen Ortego, D-Carencro let loose with this burn: “The SAVE bill should have been called the ‘Save Bobby Jindal bill.’”

Honey hush! When Jindal gets his results from Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina he may wish he hadn’t worked so hard to get saved.

Anyway … I know you’re sick of reading about it. But the truth — like it or not — is that until the Legislature comes up with some solid state money that amounts to about $2 billion, we will all be hearing about a budget deficit year after year. It really doesn’t matter too much how we get that money — one-time funds; two-time funds; spending cuts; tax increases; tax roll-backs; bingo. One way or another, we’re going to have to get it.

The Numbers

The scuttlebutt out of Baton Rouge is that the new higher-fee-that’s-not-a-tax that will infuriate the most Louisianans is the new $68.50 title fee levied when one buys a new or used vehicle. This is exactly a $50 increase of the old fee of $18.50.

The same new $68.50 fee will apply to the salvage title fee that’s paid when a vehicle is deemed a total loss; meanwhile towing companies and the like will now have to pay $65 (instead of $15) for the title for the sale of a vehicle that’s been totaled.

Of course, it’s always important to remember that these are not tax increases. Still, you might not want to bring them up if you find yourself needing a tow anytime soon.

When Louisiana Was Racist

As a rule, Gov. Jindal intentionally steps in every new cow pie at the Tea Party Ranch. But for whatever reason, Jindal avoided the Is-a-guy-who-murders-nine-black-people-a-racist? cow pie.

However, one long-time Baton Rouge resident and LSU grad — Tim Parrish — shared his thoughts on the matter in a guest column he wrote for the New York Daily news at the time of the shooting.

Parrish, who was raised in Baton Rouge, is the author of a book titled Fear and What Follows: The Violent Education of a Christian Racist, A Memoir.

In his Daily News piece, Parrish stated he “learned how to hate at home and at church.”

He maintained that his parents “were afraid that blacks in general ‘threatened’ our values and would be the ruination of white culture, whatever that was.

“And because of fear and a desire to fit in, I got on board with the escalating racism and violence as my high school … desegregated … “

Parrish wrote that he “participated in gang fights” between whites and blacks and “considered going along with talk about burning some black people’s house after a friend was stabbed.

“My best friend and guide in all things racist never shot anyone, but I saw him savage many young black men, throw a ninja star at a fleeing black stranger and wave [around] his .44 Magnum … “

One assumes that as Parrish grew older, he eventually got far beyond all this. In spatial terms, he got about as far away from Baton Rouge culture as he could, settling in the deep blue state of Connecticut, where he now works as an English professor at Southern Connecticut State University and continues to write books.

Ginger Licious

New Orleans continues its struggle to come to terms with the return of burlesque to the city. The burlesque crew just demonstrated that they intend to stay in New Orleans form by having fun while they work out their differences.

At the first New Orleans Snake Oil Festival on June 20, a total of 20 burlesque acts appeared in the “Hoochie Coochie Babylon” program at the Howlin’ Wolf.

The best thing about the reportage of all this was the cool names of some of the performers: Armitage Shanks, Mab Just Mab, Sideshow Matt with Praline Dupree, and Ginger Licious. Music was provided by Debauche.

The burlesque crew got really daring on June 21 when they staged a performance they titled the “Unholy Roller Revival” program at the Howlin’ Wolf.

Of course, all this went on shortly after the greatest New Orleans burlesque performer of them all, Blaze Starr, died at age 83.

The Aristocrats

You may have heard the old joke: When you enter the state of Louisiana, you’re leaving the United States; and when you enter the city of New Orleans, you’re leaving the state of Louisiana.

At the exact same time when New Orleans’ most irreverent were showing up for the “Hoochie Coochie Babylon” show, a very different sort of show was going on in Shreveport. This was the “Demoiselle Debutantes Country Hoedown,” which took place at the favorite hangout of the Shreveport smart set — a place called The Silver Star.

In the Shreveport Times, you can see photo after photo of the “debutantes” wearing cowboy boots and hats and blue jean cut-offs and holding long necks and Styrofoam cups with straws. It appears that the escorts of the “debutantes” were required to wear cowboy hats to the event. There’s not one photo of a male wearing a sports jacket — or indeed any sort of a coat or jacket at all.

Apparently, the evening contained all the farce of burlesque without managing to work in any of its humor and creativity.

At least 20 photos show the “debutantes” riding on a mechanical bull. Since each one falls off, anyone who cares to look at the Shreveport Times can see plenty of shots of “debutante” underwear. We’ve come a long way since the days when debutantes weren’t allowed to show their ankles in public.

The hick social season of Shreveport began earlier this summer when a group photo showed 14 debutantes wearing casual dresses and their escorts wearing suits and ties of many colors. Shortly thereafter the debs attended a “Biker Chic Party.” Of course those of us who aren’t fortunate enough to be in high society can only dream of such glories. After all, who among who is not blessed with birth in the upper strata will ever don a leather jacket?

What Happened To Gratitude?

The year is just half over, and already the Up Fronter is ready to name the Louisiana Citizen of the Year for 2015. And this year he’s not a politician.

The hands-down winner of the Louisiana Citizen of the Year Award is one Terry Speaks, who New Orleans Police allege collaborated with his girlfriend to murder and dismember a stripper in the French Quarter.

Speaks became a particularly interesting suspect for police when they intercepted a very unusual email he sent his girlfriend while he was chillin’ in a federal prison. The email included this question: “I did everything to clean up the mess we made and where’s the thanks?”

Do you see what he’s asking? He’s asking, Where’s the gratitude? Where’s the appreciation? Why don’t I get no respect? I mean, I did all the cleaning and you couldn’t even bake me a pot roast and get me a $5 Hallmark card? Just what kind of an ingrate are you? And what does this say about the level of ingratitude in the larger society?

Speaks is just raising the big ethical questions that must arise when one has done his part in a grotesque and gratuitous murder and, naturally, expects an appropriate degree of appreciation. Other less bold men might ask less probing questions: questions such as what sort of moron sends incriminating emails to his girlfriend from a federal prison?

I doubt that we’re going to see a more outrageous email this year. And remember — the presidential election isn’t until next year.

The News

— “Stolen Louisiana Gun Found In Omaha”

WOWT June 16

— “A factor in shark attack increase: More people in water”

Seattle PI June 17

— “Is Jon Snow Really Dead on Game of Thrones?”

Vanity Fair June 14

— “Derek Jeter Went Dutch On A Pizza Check With Hannah Davis In Italy”

Huffington Post June 23

— “Sofia Vergara Goes Without Makeup For A Pool Day”

Huffington Post June 23

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