Yin'z Want Some Guac?

It looks like Rick Sebak will have some new Kennywood memories to rant about on the next PBS special. Complete with serapes and maracas. Oh wait, those are Mexican not Spanish. I'm just trying to be silly. In case you haven't heard, Kennywood is being bought by a Madrid-based company called "Parques Reunidos". And, according to the news, this company buys and owns amusement parks all over the world. Being a Pittsburgh implant, I've never really shared the nostalgic passion for Kennywood as many of my cohorts do. Yeah, the Racer's cool, Potato Patch fries...whatever, Noah's Ark...creepy. I've actually only ever been there a handful of times, but every time I've gone, it's been enjoyable. So, I can see why some people who grew up with "Kennywood Memories" might be a bit miffed by the sellout. However on Channel 4 news yesterday afternoon, Mary Lou Rosemeyer, spokesperson for the park, set all the Yinzers at ease (or at least the racist ones) when she assured Pittsburgh that they do not expect big changes in the park. No they do not expect it "to become a giant taco stand", end quote. Thanks for the careless and stereotypical comment Mar! Well, it would be stereotypical if tacos were Spanish. I think the comment might have been a little snappier, maybe even laughable had it been a paella (or pie-ella) stand. Or even a tapas bar. But a taco stand? I'm sorry Mary, I thought you were in public relations. I thought it was your job to speak to the public. Oh, it is? Get a new job. In her defense, she apologized later that day, and claimed it was meant to be a silly and lighthearted comment. Which, I don't doubt it was meant to be. However, it was careless AND stupid. I mean, if you're going to make a mildly offensive ethnic joke on public television, at least get the punch line right.

In Your Head

I've had a lack of interesting bits to share lately. Mostly due to my out of work situation, I've been in a bit of a funk and haven't done much productive. I do however want to share another one of my favorite songs and videos. (Which, I believe will become a regular theme-day on The Peace Train)

"Zombie" by The Cranberries is a hugely powerful and moving song with a great video. Enjoy!

BODIES

Early next month, the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh will open it's Atalanta-based exhibit "BODIES...The Exhibition" which will run until May of '08. The exhibit takes unclaimed human bodies, (which clearly creates part of the controversy surrounding the exhibit) and preserves them using a technique called polymer preservation. The bodies, removed of their skin, are posed in many positions, like riding a bike, or playing soccer. It also will highlight body parts and organs which were disease ridden, such as a smoker's lung with cancer next to a healthy one, and will show the consequences of unhealthy lifestyles on the body. I am reminded of the first time I bought a pack of cigarettes in South America and saw next to the health warning a black lung extracted from a cancer victim, with the warning "Will Cause Lung Cancer". The sight of this, by the way, didn't even make the locals flinch.

When I first heard of this exhibit several years ago, my reaction was like most people, grossed out but sickly fascinated. A sort of med school study meets Hannibal Lecter. According to an article in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, some of the first bodies have already arrived to the city for a preview event, and are greeted with concerns and complaints by some Pittsburgh residents. I can somewhat understand people's contempt for the showcase. It's morbid, mildly disgusting, and for anyone with a fear of dead bodies (like myself) a tad frightening. Concerns about this exhibition include the way the bodies were obtained. According to an article at nationalgeographic.com, unclaimed and unidentified bodies are made available for medical research. In this article, Roy Glover, professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and a spokesperson for the exhibit, says that the main goal for this exhibit is public education. In my opinion, this exhibit should be seen as just that, a hugely educational experience and should also be appreciated for it's cutting edge and "in your face" look at disease and unhealthy living. However, opponents of the exhibit, such as Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania states that "...there is a fine line between education and exploitation..." the article goes on to say.

On a related note, I always get a little annoyed when people complain about controversial museum displays and especially art exhibits. Isn't that the objective of any good artist to provoke ideas and controversy? Shouldn't people go into these displays with that mindset? Furthermore, if you REALLY feel you will be offended by the art, why waste your time and go? You obviously have a hard time appreciating art anyway.

In the same Post-Gazette article mentioned earlier, David Hillenbrand, president and CEO of the Carnegie Museums, mentions the complaints people had made about a piece in the Art Museum's current exhibit "Viva Vetro! Glass Alive!" called "Freedom of Speech Cup". This three-inch high red, white and blue cup with the word FUCK printed on it caused quite a stir from some spectators, something I vaguely remember reading about this summer, but dismissed it as annoying. I suppose that is the exact reaction the artist was looking for when it was created, however, don't the complainants see the irony in their outrage? I would imagine, these are the same people who order (and I shudder as I type) freedom fries with their tuna salad hoagie.

Art is meant to be controversial, create controversy and be thought provoking. One artist that comes to mind, and is one of my personal favorites the Dadaist Marcel Duchamp who's 1917 piece "Fountain" (which I had the chance to see last summer in Philadelphia) raised more than a few eyebrows.

This also parallels complaints by right-wing creationists about dinosaur fossil exhibits at museums, because obviously they didn't exist. Something Hillenbrand also mentions in his article. Which reminds me of a museum I have to see to believe. The Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY which brings "the Bible to life". A complete museum proving the fact that one God created everything and evolution is a sham. I don't have a lot to say on this matter that hasn't already been brought up and beat to death, but I just find it staggering that an entire museum can be opened trying to, once and for all, scientifically prove that there is a god. Disproving evolution is quite a feat, in my opinion, and even if there was a god, couldn't he or she have set the wheels of evolution into motion?