• Does anyone else find this kinda poignant and sad? Also kinda related: Post computers drive tech writer to cloud.
• Ruth Samuelson corner: 1) Now that's "getting" Results! 2) Madness in Capitol Hill: Is it Acker Place NE or Acker Street NE? Please help us out if you can. Amanda Hess corner: CP sex columnist accidentally sets Coeur d'Alene ablaze on her way out.
• Doing more with less: famous people reduce cup sizes.
• Throwing a hot dog down Middle America's hall: "Hipster Grifter" Law & Order episode planned?
• My wife is British, and her family members complain, often justifiably, all the time about the NHS. It is a royal (fnar) pain in the ass, you have to schedule OB/GYN visits a year in advance, you don't get private rooms in hospital. BUT: I for instance pay about $800/month for my employer-"provided" health care. And when my kid got sick last time we were over, they treated him no questions asked. Health care, like roads, is basic infrastructure stuff, one of the few things government can do well. So I'm with the Brit Twits here.
• Nats lose. And Redskins prepare to embark on another wacky season. Hey, why's there a Michael Vick Skins jersey for sale? It's the curse!

The piece in question, Martyrdom by Philadelphian Erika Risko, is a candy-colored nude which depicts a woman in the crucifiction pose from the neck down and the waist-up. The work, which shows two naked breasts, is on display directly in front of the gallery's glass front door. According to gallery owner Sheila Giolitti, a visitor approached the gallery and requested that the offending piece be moved to a less conspicuous spot. Instead, Giolitti kept Risko's work where it was, and simply hung two Styrofoam plates over the nipples. Check Campello's site for the before-and-after.

Giolitti says her plate placement was an attempt to highlight the absurdity of the request. "The piece was completely nonsexual," says Giolitti. "Honestly! It's called 'Martyrdom.' It's a no-head, feminist, 'I am all women' kind of statement."

Adds Giolitti: "Our gallery is in the same establishment that houses, for instance, a Hooters. If people are more comfortable with Hooters, which objectifies women, than a nude piece of art, then I guess exploiting women's bodies is much more to their taste," she says. "So I’ve invited the public to come to decorate the plates with pens and glitter to make them into fabulous burlesque pasties."

Giolitti says that Risko agreed to the boob job. "The artist was completely on-board with the concept," says Giolitti. "We've tried to deal with it with humor. We're basically just illustrating how silly it is."

Today, the Virginian-Pilot covered the cover-up, exposing the opinions of other Nor-folk:

On Wednesday, every once in a while, a brisk current nudged one of the plates off its mark. From about 11 a.m. to noon, however, none of the passers-by even glanced at the offending artwork.

When the drawing was brought to their attention, visitors expressed widely varying opinions.

"I just feel like a woman's private parts are hers," said Jane Bruno, 42, of Suffolk, who added that she would rather not see exposed breasts in public.

"Because it is art, it doesn't offend me that way," said Jaz Brown, 26, a Virginia Beach construction worker on a break. "Art is trying to capture the person. I think it's beautiful."

"What about little kids, though?" said his co-worker, Daniel Pitino, 35, of Virginia Beach. "Not sure. Not sure."

The show runs until August 20th. The pasties still await decoration.