A retired history teacher is donating his tattooed body to an art gallery.
Geoff Ostling, 65, is virtally covered in colourful depictions of exotic flowers after a 15 year collaboration with acclaimed cult tattooist, eX de Merci.
Covering every part of his body, save for his face, neck and parts of his forearms, Mr Ostling’s tattoos are on the theme of “all the flowers of a Sydney garden”.
He said: “I wanted something unique so I thought about a garden of plants, of natives and imported flowers, what you would find in a Sydney garden with a distant view of the city from Heartbreak Hill.”
Mr Ostling has pledged to donate his skin to Canberra’s National Gallery after his death.
“To donate skin is not the most amazing thing in the world but the tattoos are revolutionary,” he said.
From Bankers to Bubbles to Bailouts to Bonuses to … BOHICA …
Last week’s funnies …
… this week’s news …
American International Group is set to pay $450 million of bonuses to employees of the unit that was largely responsible for the New York insurer’s near collapse last fall.
Danae (my callow alter ego) has been on a roll this past week …
(Speaking of lost, I’m “not dead, justing resting” here at TheHeights … family illness and caregiving have left me a bit stessed and down in the dumps.)
Tiny plastic figures of Barack Obama and Gordon Brown relieving themselves in public have become online bestsellers.
They are among a host of politicians, sports stars and celebrities to be given the dubious honour of being turned into a ‘caganer’.
Catalonians traditionally celebrate Christmas by placing a caganer, which translates as pooper, in a nativity scene.
People find it fun to try to spot the tiny defecating figures which are supposed to bring prosperity and a good harvest.
Traditionally, caganers would be small bearded men in full Catalan costume but these days, it’s more likely to be a celebrity. Last year, Barcelona footballer Thierry Henry was the most popular figure sold.
But this year, internet orders from the rest of the world, especially the US, have made Barack Obama the best-seller.
Others immortalised into the mini figures include Mr Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and wife Carla Bruni, plus Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal.
A men’s magazine says 130,000 inflatable breasts intended as a free gift for its January issue have gone missing en route to Australia.
A spokeswman for Ralph magazine said the container carrying $200,000 worth of plastic breasts left docks in Beijing two weeks ago but turned up empty in Sydney this week.
The magazine has put out an alert to shipping authorities but if the breasts didn’t turn up in the next 48 hours it would be too late for the next issue, she said.
Ralph editor Santi Pintado urged anyone with information to contact the magazine.
“Unless Somali pirates have stolen them its difficult to explain where they are,” Pintado said.
“If anyone finds any washed up on a beach, please let us know.”
The Maritime Safety Authority said it had no information on any lost consignment and Customs said it could not comment for privacy reasons.
Who knew last December that that might be a way to cope with our difficult economic circumstances … when so many of us are not so flush anymore. In tough times, curse the darkness … and call the ACLU …
A US woman who was arrested and prosecuted for swearing at her toilet has won nearly £12,000 in compensation.
Dawn Herb’s legal fees will also be paid as part of the out of court settlement with the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
She was arrested last year after a neighbour, an off-duty police officer, heard her swearing at her overflowing lavatory through an open window.
She was charged with disorderly conduct and faced a possible 90 days in jail, reports the Scranton Times-Tribune.
But the judge at her trial found her not guilty, saying that swearing was not illegal and her language was constitutionally protected free speech.
Civil rights group the American Civil Liberties Union, which took up the case, announced the settlement.
“It’s clear the city was wrong,” Ms Herb said in a press release. “However, I’m glad that I was able to fight for my rights. In the end, I found justice.”
Mayor Chris Doherty voiced dissatisfaction over the incident, saying: “It is what it is.”
Earlier this week Donna Rose touched upon the “melt down” in her blog.
To paraphrase what Donna said — you may have been prudent, have a few bucks in the bank, have a bit of credit, but when that cascade comes down, you’ll be right in its path — and you may not get two tickets on The Ark.
I think that that “fire” or “melt down” is symptomatic of a systemic failure and corruption of government in which both political parties are complicit.
So, for me — I just don’t see BO — or JM — as the solution, they are part of the problem. (Anyone have any updates on this?) The solution? Ask a pundit, not me … I’m busy getting my creaky rowboat ready.
A few of the weekend scribblings …
From Alan Abelson (“Going for Broke“) in Barron’s this week …
BABY, IT’S COLD OUT THERE. So let’s toss another billion on the fire.
What’s that make it? Well, let’s see: $29 billion for Bear Stearns, somewhere between $1 billion and $100 billion each for Fannie and Freddie (a nice narrow range), $85 billion for AIG, a couple of hundred billion to keep stray banks, brokers and their errant kin from asphyxiating themselves by swallowing toxic paper. And then there’s the proposed reincarnation of the Resolution Trust Corp., which all by itself may mean shelling out $800 billion, perhaps even as much as $1 trillion.
While we’re at it, we might as well include the $400 billion with which the Paulson-Bernanke grand plan envisages endowing the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. so it can insure money-market funds.
But, please, understand those mind-boggling sums in no way, shape or form are to be construed as designed to aid and abet a bailout. Instead, they are merely the essential ingredients of an “intervention,” or, if you prefer, a “rescue” — just about anything, in other words, that’s semantically sweeter than bailout, with its ugly connotation of a sinking ship.
Besides, we have it on the best authority that none of this largess will cost the taxpayer a cent over the long run, which, if nothing else, speaks volumes about what constitutes the best authority these days.
Dodd, Schumer, Frank … Tinker, Evers, Chance … “Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble.”
Maybe, we’ll have better luck than the Cubs since those words were penned by FPA. (Don’t bet on it.)
And, it’s the last night for the original Yankee Stadium — a big part of my growing up in the Bronx back in the 50s and early 60s — lots of memories. A few tears too — watching the pre-game ceremonies on ESPN. And a Stevens threw out the first ball, no less.
Don’t bite on the change-up, folks, in baseball … or politics. For what it’s worth, frankly, I think you may as well stay in the dugout. I don’t see a field of dreams beckoning. “The players” here are in a league of their own and I don’t think you or me are going to crack the lineup.
A retired history teacher is donating his tattooed body to an art gallery.
Tiny plastic figures of Barack Obama and Gordon Brown relieving themselves in public have become online bestsellers.
A US woman who was arrested and prosecuted for swearing at her toilet has won nearly £12,000 in compensation.
