Contested Symbols

[Davey Boy 2.0]

RC: Wants meggo to mediate future political discussions in herouxville

[bradm]

RC: Wants meggo to mediate future political discussions in herouxville

In. Given her experience dealing with (and teaching) little children, she should do well there. I also want her to fill out extensive report cards on everybody involved.

Aloha,

Brad

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

Meanwhile, back in Quebec,

Lift Veil or Don't Vote, Quebec Tells Muslims

Faced with death threats, public outrage, chief electoral officer reverses decision

TU THANH HA and INGRID PERITZ AND BERTRAND MAROTTE

TROIS-RIVIÈRES, QUE., MONTREAL AND SAINT-EUSTACHE, QUE. -- With three days left in one of the most tightly contested elections in decades, Quebec's electoral officer yesterday reversed his decision to allow Muslim women to vote without having to lift their face veils to identify themselves.

Chief Electoral Officer Marcel Blanchet invoked emergency powers to change his mind on one of the controversial minority-rights issues that have roiled the campaign and led to death threats, public outrage and repeated criticism by Parti Québécois Leader André Boisclair.

Mr. Blanchet said his office had been inundated with calls and emails about his decision to allow women to wear the niqab when they voted. His staff was worried and he was assigned two bodyguards. He feared some angry voters would turn out "in the craziest disguises you can imagine" and disrupt Monday's election.

Mr. Blanchet said it was troubling that he had to reverse his position. "Personally, I would have preferred not to do it. But my concern is to ensure everything unfolds normally, and there won't be somebody crazy who will cause trouble on Monday."

The issue affects a small number of Muslim voters. However, it hit a raw nerve in a province that has been enmeshed for months in acrimonious talks over accommodating religious minorities.

As Quebec's three main political leaders entered the final weekend of campaigning, the latest Strategic Counsel poll for The Globe and Mail and CTV News shows that the three main parties remain in a dead heat, with the PQ getting 31 per cent support, the Liberals 30 per cent and the Action Démocratique du Québec 28 per cent.

Last night, Liberal Leader Jean Charest for the first time stressed the need for a majority government to protect Quebec's culture and identity and to defend itself in dealing with Ottawa.

"We have always given ourselves a majority government, we need to speak with a strong voice. We are the only French-speaking people in North America and we must be heard," Mr. Charest said while campaigning in Gaspé.

Resentment about minorities has played a part in the rising popularity of the conservative ADQ, whose leader, Mario Dumont, has spoken against such accommodations. At the same time, Mr. Boisclair, an openly gay urbanite, was put on the defensive.

"It seems our voice has been heard," Mr. Boisclair said yesterday after learning of Mr. Blanchet's decision.

The PQ Leader had spent the day hammering on the issue during a swing through small towns between Montreal and Quebec City, a fertile ground for the emerging ADQ.

He said his party would pass legislation to require that a woman show her face to prove her identity before getting their ballot.

"We won't negotiate on this. If we have to modify the Electoral Officer Act, we will modify it," he said to loud applause.

Mr. Boisclair, who is seen as someone who can't connect with small-town voters, received animated cheers each time he brought up the issue. Again and again, he said he stood for "plain common sense."

While campaigning in the Magdalen Islands, Liberal Leader Jean Charest supported the chief electoral officer's decision, saying it did not infringe on religious rights and remained an issue of proper identification of voters.

Shama Naz, a 30-year-old Montrealer who wears a niqab, said the issue has been blown out of proportion. She said Muslim women routinely remove their face veils for security matters. She has done so for her Medicare card photo, and each time she crosses the border to visit her father in New York State.

"It's common sense. Muslim women have no problem identifying themselves for security reasons," she said. "If [elections officials] had spoken to me they would have known I wouldn't mind identifying myself at the ballot box."

While she would prefer to do so to a female elections worker, she would do so for a man as well, said Ms. Naz, an economics graduate.

"People are usually scared of what they don't know," she said of the uproar and yesterday's change in the law. "A lack of information is driving regulations like this."

In Montreal, meanwhile, Mr. Blanchet's office was in the middle of a storm.

The LCN TV network reported that he had received death threats. Karine Lacoste, a spokeswoman for Mr. Blanchet, said he now has two bodyguards.

Mr. Boisclair denied he had stoked the outrage with his criticisms.

"It's the Chief Electoral Officer's decision that created this backlash," he said.

He boasted he was the only party leader to have stated clearly his opposition. "As soon as I heard about it, I thought the Chief Electoral Officer had gone too far."

Yesterday, Mr. Dumont ripped into Mr. Boisclair for his suddenly aggressive stand.

"In a pseudo-show this morning, he was changing law. It's really pitiful," he said.

Mr. Boisclair was nowhere to be seen on the matter of reasonable accommodation when it surfaced as an issue, he said. "He wasn't standing up for the identity of Quebeckers."

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

Here's one just in time for Easter.

New York Loses Taste of Chocolate Jesus

Last Updated: Friday, March 30, 2007 | 3:44 PM ET

CBC Arts

Catholic protesters have forced the cancellation of an exhibit in New York showing a naked Jesus sculpted from chocolate.

The sculpture My Sweet Lord, by Cosimo Cavallaro, an artist who grew up in Montreal and Italy, had provoked thousands of protests by Catholics, including Cardinal Edward Egan.

The display was shut down by the hotel that houses the Lab Gallery in midtown Manhattan, which planned to exhibit My Sweet Lord starting next Monday, the day after Palm Sunday.

Matt Semler, the gallery's creative director, has submitted his resignation over the incident, saying the gallery was being strong-armed by people who haven't seen the show.

"They jumped to conclusions completely contrary to our intentions," he said.

The Catholic League had urged members to boycott the hotel, and the hotel was concerned about security amid the chorus of criticism, Semler said.

The hotel and gallery were flooded with phone calls and e-mails after the League for Religious and Civil Rights, a watchdog group, said the naked sculpture was offensive.

"This is one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever," said Bill Donohue, head of the Catholic League.

"It's not just the ugliness of the portrayal, but the timing — to choose Holy Week is astounding." The statue was to be on display from April 2-7, with a special showing on Easter Sunday.

Cardinal Egan described it as "a sickening display."

My Sweet Lord is a 1.8-metre representation of Jesus with his arms outstretched as if on the cross. Unlike many crucifixion scenes in religious art, this Jesus is shown without a loincloth.

Cavallaro, who has made works out of rubber, cheese and ham, made the lifelike sculpture of Jesus Christ out of 90 kg of chocolate, a confection often associated with Easter in the shape of bunnies and eggs.

He said he was disappointed the display will not go ahead.

Cavallaro, a former filmmaker in Montreal, has been living and working in New York since 1995. In addition to his sculptures of Twiggy and a pair of boots in cheese and a four-poster bed festooned with ham, he has created works in steel, rubber and other materials.

Imo, it's a brilliant concept for a piece of art, and a real theological challenge to boot. It's a shame the people with the power here aren't up to that challenge.

[allison]

I've always loved artists exploring Christian iconography (like Andre Serrano's Piss Christ)-this sculpture looks quite beautiful.

From the standpoint of how the article was written,it amuses me that the journalist felt this sentence was nessecary

a confection often associated with Easter in the shape of bunnies and eggs.

A relevant song by Mr.Waits

Don't go to church on Sunday

Don't get on my knees to pray

Don't memorize the books of the Bible

I got my own special way

Bit I know Jesus loves me

Maybe just a little bit more

I fall on my knees every Sunday

At Zerelda Lee's candy store

Well it's got to be a chocolate Jesus

Make me feel good inside

Got to be a chocolate Jesus

Keep me satisfied

Well I don't want no Anna Zabba

Don't want no Almond Joy

There ain't nothing better

Suitable for this boy

Well it's the only thing

That can pick me up

Better than a cup of gold

See only a chocolate Jesus

Can satisfy my soul

(Solo)

When the weather gets rough

And it's whiskey in the shade

It's best to wrap your savior

Up in cellophane

He flows like the big muddy

But that's ok

Pour him over ice cream

For a nice parfait

Well it's got to be a chocolate Jesus

Good enough for me

Got to be a chocolate Jesus

Good enough for me

Well it's got to be a chocolate Jesus

Make me feel good inside

Got to be a chocolate Jesus

Keep me satisfied

I wonder how big..well..you know..is?

Edited April 2, 2007 by Guest
was thinking it was Damien Hirst but then remembered Serrano

[Sarahbelle]

That is SUPER lame... I think it's an awesome wreath!!!

[Kanada Kev]

http://www.cosimocavallaro.com/

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/30/chocolate.jesus.ap/

[d_rawk]

From the standpoint of how the article was written,it amuses me that the journalist felt this sentence was nessecary

* Quote:

a confection often associated with Easter in the shape of bunnies and eggs.

Yeah, it sorta sounds like just stating the obvious, but it seems like the connection does need to be drilled home, given comments like the following from the article ..

"It's not just the ugliness of the portrayal, but the timing — to choose Holy Week is astounding."

It's not astounding, it's appropriate, and the relevance of the piece clearly hinges on that timing.

Argh.

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

Speaking of timed releases, I think categorically that The Passion of the Christ remains incalculably more obscene than this big piece of chocolate.

[bradm]

Speaking of timed releases, I think categorically that The Passion of the Christ remains incalculably more obscene than this big piece of chocolate.

It may be more obscene, but the chocolate statue is infinitely more irreverant, which is what infuriates people so.

Aloha,

Brad

[Kanada Kev]

There have been plenty of chocolate Jesuses before. Is it just because this one is life size? Is it because we see Jesus' chocolate penis? He did have a penis, didn't he? Who's going to eat it? What does it mean if you did eat it? Does it have a cream filling? Is it because it's dark chocolate and not white 'chocolate'? I think I had better call up 1-800-ASK-GODD and find out.

Why is it that "wafers" have the monopoly on representin' the body of Christ? Why can't some yummy chocolate get in on the action. Didn't God create chocolate?

That chocolate jesus is bad, but companies like this are Kickass Christlike:

http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://chocolates.tripod.com/C983.jpg&imgrefurl=http://chocolates.tripod.com/christian.html&h=427&w=328&sz=111&hl=en&sig2=25xpyeV4y15OaS3_1SOvyg&start=69&um=1&tbnid=FLP6wRBKr-ZS3M:&tbnh=126&tbnw=97&ei=rE0SRu6kIZaEgQL9jNnLDA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dchocolate%2Bjesus%26start%3D60%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN

[Kanada Kev]

[allison]

The sculpture seems to be referred to as My Sweet Lord in articles ,but on the sculptor's website it is labelled "I did it daddy".The latter title is so much more evocative on so many levels.

As to the chocolate medium.... only Catholics would presume they hadn't already made a commodity of their Saviour!

And Kanada Kev,the appendage in question is probably much like the ear of the more standard Easter statuary- I'd eat it first.

Come to think of it, as a piece of performance art,filming assorted people eating the sculpture would be much more incendiary.Imagine the possibilities of that.

[Kanada Kev]

If somebody was telling me that I had to "eat" the body of Christ, and "drink" the blood of Christ, I'd much rather have it taste like yummy chocolate and a big glass of milk than a tasteless wafer and shitty wine .

Your comment on making performance art out of people consuming this choco jesus is great. It would open up some interesting conversations. It would be an image of sacrifice, consumption, and bliss. Chocolate does release endorphines (sp?) and affects one's mind. What better way to commune with God?

What would all the poor christians do who are allergic to chocolate? I guess it would be deemed God's will and they would DIE. Sucks to be them I suppose.

[bradm]

What would all the poor christians do who are allergic to chocolate? I guess it would be deemed God's will and they would DIE. Sucks to be them I suppose.

I seem to recall hearing about a problem some Catholics have: an allergy to wheat gluten. Since the communion wafers are made from wheat, the "body" of Christ causes an allergic reaction. IIRC, there are those in the Church who want to use wafers made from things like rice flour for those who are allergic, but some conservatives in the Church won't allow it, because it's not "original recipe" (or whatever the phrase is). (How would a Catholic who was a recovering alcoholic take communion? Wouldn't the wine be a problem?)

Aloha,

Brad

[Kanada Kev]

It's only a problem if you make it one. God want you to eat that wafer that you will have an allergic reaction to ... it's His will. God wants you, the alcoholic, to drink that wine and get back to binging ... it's a "test" and His will. If you experience any ill side-effects from the "Original Recipe" then you have not truly accepted Jesus into your heart and are succumbing to the temptations of Satan (even though God created "it all").

It's so easy.

Edited April 3, 2007 by Guest

[timouse]

I know i shouln't eat thee...

mmmmm....sacrelicious.

[StaggerLee]

The hotel and the gallery were overrun Thursday with angry phone calls and e-mails. Semler said the calls included death threats over the work of artist Cosimo Cavallaro, who was described as disappointed by the decision to cancel the display.

"In this situation, the hotel couldn't continue to be supportive because of a fear for their own safety," Semler said.

Is this not terrorism perpetuated by fundamentalist religious fanatics?

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

Well called.

[Kanada Kev]

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55012

Neighboring businesses in Jesus vs. Satan spat

Tattoo artist opposed to 'Beep for Christ' sign demands sympathy for devil

Posted: April 3, 2007

1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Some might call them "signs" of the Last Days.

Two neighboring businesses that share a parking lot are locked in a dispute pitting Jesus and Satan against each other, with each posting streetside signs asking passers-by to honk for their favorite.

The first shot in the spiritual warfare now underway in a small shopping plaza in Naugatauck, Conn., began when Claudette Soden, a devout Christian and owner of Photos Onto DVD, posted a sign at the front of the parking lot proclaiming, "Easter: Beep for Christ."

For Soden, who told the Waterbury Republican-American Jesus is her "partner in business," the sign was just an opportunity for her to express her faith.

The sign not only drew beeps from drivers, it drew the attention of Phil Young who works next door at No Regrets, a tattooing and body piercing shop that's been operating since 2003.

(Story continues below)

Young put his artistic skills to work and posted his own sign next to Soden's.

"Honk twice for...," reads the sign, with a caricature of a red devil painted beneath the text.

Young, who insists he's not a satanist, says he doesn't want his clients, who come from a variety of religious backgrounds, to associate Soden's message with his business.

"My main point is that we share a parking lot, and what goes on in this parking lot represents not only hers, but both shops," he told the Republican-American. "What she does inside her business is her business. I would not tell her to get rid of the sign.

"More people have been killed in the name of God than over anything else, and so I don't think people should fight about religion," he said. "Satan is part of the same religion as Christ, so it's a contrast, not a competing religion."

Whether it can be called a fight about religion or not, both businesses say they won't remove their signs.

"His sign is not bothering me, but I know it's bothering Jesus," Soden said. "And children are going to pass by that sign and say, 'What is that? It looks like a devil.' And what are parents going to say to that?"

[Kanada Kev]

[ollie]

I don't know why I find this view of Christianity so funny:

"Satan is part of the same religion as Christ, so it's a contrast, not a competing religion."

[Kanada Kev]

that line was a standout for me too, Ollie. Why would the person use the example of imagining what a parent would have to say if their kid asked what "that" (the devil) was. So what? Shouldn't they have an understanding of that character in the Bible drama? Noooooo ... keep it from them and shield them from it and any information. Good way to be able to make an informed decision ....

I'm honking twice when i get in my car today just for the hell of it

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

That one got me right away too. It's so true. Maybe it's that Freudian thing about the "narcissism of small differences".

[Kanada Kev]