{"id":3215,"date":"2015-07-16T08:00:05","date_gmt":"2015-07-16T13:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/?p=3215"},"modified":"2015-07-02T10:49:58","modified_gmt":"2015-07-02T15:49:58","slug":"up-front-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2015\/07\/16\/up-front-2\/","title":{"rendered":"UP FRONT"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oceana<\/strong><\/p>\n

The RAD Art Gallery in DeRidder (RAD stands for \u201creal art.\u201d) will host \u201cOceana\u201d \u2014 an exhibit of tactile art\u00a0 for the blind that was created by Louisiana artist Ginger Rush. The show will run through the end of the month.<\/p>\n

Rush\u2019s art works are made largely of textiles; they include such materials as yarn and string. Rush says research indicates \u201cautistic children need to be exposed to different textures at a young age … \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not going to be any one type of art\u201d says Rush. Works will be both realistic and abstract.<\/p>\n

The art works as well for \u201csighted people\u201d as for the blind. Some works are designed so that they can be easily appreciated when they\u2019re looked at. Others should be felt. Closing one\u2019s eyes and feeling the art work will, says Rush, \u201ccreate the sensation of what it\u2019s like to be blind. You have to reach out and touch something.\u201d<\/p>\n

The main theme of \u201cOceana\u201d is ocean life.<\/p>\n

Rush\u2019s husband is blind, and the show is largely a gift to him for the couple\u2019s seventh anniversary. Rush spent a year and a half preparing the works that will be in the exhibit.<\/p>\n

Rush says the movement towards textile art for the blind is relatively recent. It\u2019s been spearheaded by artist Ann Cunningham, who teaches art at the Colorado Center for the Blind.<\/p>\n

The National Federation of the Blind and the Calcasieu Assoc. of Retarded Citizens are working together on the exhibit.<\/p>\n

The RAD Gallery in DeRidder is open 11 am-2 pm Wednesday through Saturday. A reception will be held July 11.<\/p>\n

A Rare Treat<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

I imagine some of my readers are really sick of all the state headlines that say something like \u201cJindal raises taxes.\u201d I don\u2019t want to torment you. I\u2019d like to see some headlines like \u201cLegislature Balances Budget By Not Balancing Budget\u201d or \u201cLegislature Makes Budget Gap Disappear …<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Six Months.\u201d<\/p>\n

I probably shouldn\u2019t even be writing about this year\u2019s session. But if you read my stuff, you know I can\u2019t resist a political story with a funny. This funny is a good one; and it came from one of our representatives \u2014 a rare treat!<\/p>\n

The embarrassed lawmakers were still slinking out of the State Capitol when Rep. Stephen Ortego, D-Carencro let loose with this burn: \u201cThe SAVE bill should have been called the \u2018Save Bobby Jindal bill.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Honey hush! When Jindal gets his results from Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina he may wish he hadn\u2019t worked so hard to get saved.<\/p>\n

Anyway … I know you\u2019re sick of reading about it. But the truth \u2014 like it or not \u2014 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\u2019t matter too much how we get that money \u2014 one-time funds; two-time funds; spending cuts; tax increases; tax roll-backs; bingo. One way or another, we\u2019re going to have to get it.<\/p>\n

The Numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n

The scuttlebutt out of Baton Rouge is that the new higher-fee-that\u2019s-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.<\/p>\n

The same new $68.50 fee will apply to the salvage title fee that\u2019s 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\u2019s been totaled.<\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

When Louisiana Was Racist<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

However, one long-time Baton Rouge resident and LSU grad \u2014 Tim Parrish \u2014 shared his thoughts on the matter in a guest column he wrote for the New York Daily news at the time of the shooting.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

In his Daily News piece, Parrish stated he \u201clearned how to hate at home and at church.\u201d<\/p>\n

He maintained that his parents \u201cwere afraid that blacks in general \u2018threatened\u2019 our values and would be the ruination of white culture, whatever that was.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd because of fear and a desire to fit in, I got on board with the escalating racism and violence as my high school … desegregated … \u201c<\/p>\n

Parrish wrote that he \u201cparticipated in gang fights\u201d between whites and blacks and \u201cconsidered going along with talk about burning some black people\u2019s house after a friend was stabbed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy 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 … \u201c<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Ginger Licious<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

At the first New Orleans Snake Oil Festival on June 20, a total of 20 burlesque acts appeared in the \u201cHoochie Coochie Babylon\u201d program at the Howlin\u2019 Wolf.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The burlesque crew got really daring on June 21 when they staged a performance they titled the \u201cUnholy Roller Revival\u201d program at the Howlin\u2019 Wolf.<\/p>\n

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

The Aristocrats<\/strong><\/p>\n

You may have heard the old joke: When you enter the state of Louisiana, you\u2019re leaving the United States; and when you enter the city of New Orleans, you\u2019re leaving the state of Louisiana.<\/p>\n

At the exact same time when New Orleans\u2019 most irreverent were showing up for the \u201cHoochie Coochie Babylon\u201d show, a very different sort of show was going on in Shreveport. This was the \u201cDemoiselle Debutantes Country Hoedown,\u201d which took place at the favorite hangout of the Shreveport smart set \u2014 a place called The Silver Star.<\/p>\n

In the Shreveport Times, you can see photo after photo of the \u201cdebutantes\u201d 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 \u201cdebutantes\u201d were required to wear cowboy hats to the event. There\u2019s not one photo of a male wearing a sports jacket \u2014 or indeed any sort of a coat or jacket at all.<\/p>\n

Apparently, the evening contained all the farce of burlesque without managing to work in any of its humor and creativity.<\/p>\n

At least 20 photos show the \u201cdebutantes\u201d 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 \u201cdebutante\u201d underwear. We\u2019ve come a long way since the days when debutantes weren\u2019t allowed to show their ankles in public.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cBiker Chic Party.\u201d Of course those of us who aren\u2019t 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?<\/p>\n

What Happened To Gratitude?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2019s not a politician.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Speaks became a particularly interesting suspect for police when they intercepted a very unusual email he sent his girlfriend while he was chillin\u2019 in a federal prison. The email included this question: \u201cI did everything to clean up the mess we made and where\u2019s the thanks?\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you see what he\u2019s asking? He\u2019s asking, Where\u2019s the gratitude? Where\u2019s the appreciation? Why don\u2019t I get no respect? I mean, I did all the cleaning and you couldn\u2019t 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?<\/p>\n

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?<\/p>\n

I doubt that we\u2019re going to see a more outrageous email this year. And remember \u2014 the presidential election isn\u2019t until next year.<\/p>\n

The News<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 \u201cStolen Louisiana Gun Found In Omaha\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

WOWT June 16<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u201cA factor in shark attack increase: More people in water\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seattle PI June 17<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u201cIs Jon Snow Really Dead on Game of Thrones?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vanity Fair June 14<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u201cDerek Jeter Went Dutch On A Pizza Check With Hannah Davis In Italy\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Huffington Post June 23<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u201cSofia Vergara Goes Without Makeup For A Pool Day\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Huffington Post June 23<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oceana The RAD Art Gallery in DeRidder (RAD stands for \u201creal art.\u201d) will host \u201cOceana\u201d \u2014 an exhibit of tactile art\u00a0 for the blind that was created by Louisiana artist Ginger Rush. The show will run through the end of the month. 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