We talked about the following artwork, Piss Christ by Andres Serrano, in my modern art history class last night.

This art piece has caused controversy where ever it has appeared, because of the title and the nature of the artwork. It's a photograph of a cheap crucifix submerged in a container of urine that's been lit to look red.

First off, Andres Serrano is seriously catholic and my art professor said his home in Brooklyn is filled with religious artifacts. Serrano has said that his main objective for his art is to make things beautiful. He objects that people label him an anti-christian bigot, and that he is in fact a religious artist.

I wasn't looking forward to the discussion, simply because religious discussion in a public school in San Francisco can be so tedious, but I was so surprised by what my fellow classmates said.

There were a couple of people who said it was just ugly and disgusting, but there were others whose comments were so interesting and inspiring.

One woman said that she thought it has something to do with communion, and that if you eat the body and blood of christ you have to wonder if it comes out in your waste.

Another woman said she thought that the the crucifixion was still beautiful through the piss.

One man said that he thought the piece was deeply religious because it shows Christ's power of transformation. Christ can transform something so filthy and human as piss and make it holy and beutiful. That Christ came here to cleanse the world of sin by being becoming human, and was literally submerged into "human waste".

When I heard the last comment, I was so awestruck by what I think was an amazing and deeply spiritual interpretation. I don't expect such comments outside of church, and I was very surprised to hear it in public school college class.

When I first saw it, I thought to myself "Hmmm, that's interesting. I didn't necessarily think it was anti-christian, and instead thought how the cross was glowing in the red urine." Then I heard the transformation comment and thought, how beautiful and how true.

I finally finished up reading I Heard the Owl Call my Name by Margaret Craven. What a good book, and it made me weep at the end.

Right before my grandmother died, there were owls hoohooing outside my window every night. It was so creepy, because I'd never heard them before and I haven't heard them since that time.

Owls, in indian lore, are symbols of death, so the story had a personal meaning for me. I hope I never have to hear owls hoohooing again for a long time.

While we quibble about who will be mayor of San Francisco, the Cali Republic wrestles with budget problems.

Shortfall in Car Tax to Hit Home: Local governments this week will receive two-thirds less from the state than anticipated. Officials may resort to higher taxes, lawsuits.

"As a consequence, local governments across the state likely will have to begin cutting programs ranging from fire coverage to libraries, government officials say."

Below is a sad but true statement of the importance of San Francisco politics from SFGate.com, San Franciscans ready to pick next mayor, OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: Suburbanites see city as political funhouse

A telling quote from the story:

"For the rest of the Bay Area, San Francisco's election has been an engaging spectator sport -- fun to watch, even an opportunity to root.

But the race for mayor is an event that many of the region's residents and governmental leaders say will have minimal impact beyond the city's borders.

"San Francisco provides us with entertainment, but other than that, it's not terribly relevant," said Contra Costa County Supervisor Mark DeSaulnier, owner of TR's Bar & Grill in Concord.

The city is increasingly isolated as its politics have become more insular and moved further to the left.

"San Francisco is not the heart of the Bay Area, politically," said Larry Tramutola, whose Oakland political consulting firm has done work at the local level in every county in the Bay Area.

The city is increasingly isolated as its politics have become more insular and moved further to the left.

"San Francisco is not the heart of the Bay Area, politically," said Larry Tramutola, whose Oakland political consulting firm has done work at the local level in every county in the Bay Area."

The city has voted itself into irrelevancy.