April 2008 Archives

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Bio-Art.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Biomaterial charges against N.Y. art professor dismissed

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: April 21, 2008
Filed at 8:45 p.m. ET

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- A judge threw out charges Monday against a college art professor accused of improperly obtaining biological materials for an exhibit protesting U.S. government food policies.

U.S. District Judge Richard Arcara ruled that the 2004 mail and wire fraud indictment against Steven Kurtz, a University at Buffalo professor, was ''insufficient on its face.''

Kurtz is a founding member of the Critical Art Ensemble, which has used human DNA and other biological materials in works intended to draw attention to political and social issues.

His arrest drew protests from artists in several countries who called the charges an intrusion on artistic freedom. ''Obviously this is a weight off his back, but he still had to suffer through this for four years,'' said Kurtz's attorney, Paul Cambria. ''The last thing this guy is is a bioterrorist.''

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Buffalo said it was considering an appeal but otherwise declined to discuss the ruling. Kurtz was indicted in 2004 following what began as an anti-terrorism investigation after police saw lab equipment in Kurtz's home while responding to the death of his wife, Hope.

Although investigators determined that lab equipment was part of his art work, he was indicted a month later. The charges carried a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Kurtz was accused of plotting with Robert Ferrell, former chairman of the University of Pittsburgh's human genetics department, to improperly obtain potentially harmful organisms.

Ferrell was fined $500 in February after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor count of mailing an injurious article to Kurtz.

Critical Art Ensamble Case OVER, Charges dropped.... though the prosecutor can appeal
In a case of exhausting the avante garde, the courts today finally ended their macabre case against Steve Kurtz of the Critical Arts Ensamble.

caedefensefund.org

I'm blogging from my friend Peter's laptop. I'm subleasing his place in South Central Los Angeles. It's not all urban wasteland here. In fact this area is quiet and has lots of huge and old (by LA standards) houses and churches.

Relocating isn't all bad. I like having a new area to explore. Peter told me to check out Chef Marilyn's Soul Food Express, which is just south of Adams on Crenshaw. I had delicious corn muffins, fried catfish, yams and collard greens.

Anyway, I wanted to share some quotes. The first is from Betrayal Trauma by Jennifer Freyd:

"..ridicule is often a response of those in power when they have little to say in defense of a challenge to the status quo"

The other is quote of a quote from The Corndawg's Live and in Person cd: "When tough little boys grow up to be dads they turn into big babies again."
 
I don't know why Corndawg isn't a big rock star. I guess the music industry really is dead. I heard they were gonna turn the Capitol Records building into high rise apartments. I know what you're thinking,  "I saw that building destroyed  by a super tornado in The Day After Tomorrow." Remember, it's only a movie.

I wanted to mention my poor kitty Babyman. He got killed by a car last month. If your cats have to go outside, don't let them out at night. Seriously, I have lost two cats to cars in the last two years. 222 -the mark of lameness.

-charles

Spreading dance through war-torn Bosnia, and with plans to do the same in other countries like Uganda and the Philippines, Genesis: Sarajevo heals and empowers young girls while unifying cultures. Check out the website for pictures and to get to know the project a little better: www.genesissarajevo.org
There will be a Benefit for the 2008 summer dance intensive in Sarajevo. Money raised will provide dance shoes to Bosnian dancers, U.S. dance instructors to teach the two-week dance intensive, an exchange program to study in the U.S., costumes and venue costs in Sarajevo.
The event will take place at THE KING KING in Hollywood Wednesday, APRIL 23, 2008.  $25  at the door for a night of amazing talent including dance performances by groups and crews from around Los Angeles, spoken word, possibly some live music, etc. All proceeds go directly to GENESIS: SARAJEVO and are completely tax deductible. 
For show time and other information about Genesis: Sarajevo, e-mail Amy Danielson at stardanc13@gmail.com. 

So, I had a wonderful experience today in publicly performing politics and idealism.
As some of you may know, I'm on the board of my kid's pre-school, a historically progressive, cross-class/cross-race place up in the hills of EP.

Because of continued budget cuts by the city and state, the school has to do fund-raising to support its mission- keeping in economic diversity (ie. fundraising makes up the gap that poor people can't make in payment). So as a boardmember, I have to speak about a few things- donating labor, thanking x person and y person.

But seeing the need for some dynamic energy, I start off with a story that leads into why Christina and I are at the school. I start going in to the progressive and radical history of the school and why what this means today- its not like I was doing any firebrand speech (the director of the school kind of offhandedly explained why we are called the People's playgroup, what a damn treat to be a part of such a wonderful linguistic time-warp), its just that it was about ideals and values. And I'm thinking, damn, so I guess this room full of near strangers is kind of in agreement with what we are hear for, social justice and non-violence.

To be a part of the verbal actualization of the community was pretty damn cool.