Street fair: Artist's perspective

By BETH OBERFELDER
THERE WERE two arts at the Ann Arbor Street
Fair. One was stationary, inaminate, viewed
from without; the other was mobile, animated,
studied from within the fair.
Commonly known as "people-watching," the
second art was taken in uncontrolable overdoses by
the people behind the displays. The fluid mass of
passers-by became a merry-go-round that spun
around the core of exhibits, sometimes to slow
music, sometimes to fast, but always moving.
Riders would momentarily reach from their
mounts to touch merchandise, and then continue
around. Sometimes, when the music stopped, a rare
rider would step down to make a sincere gesture
toward the artists, craftsmen - and commercial-
ists.
THE FAIR RIDERS fell into several categories.
Many were souveneir seekers, who came to the fair
because it was like an open museum that allowed
its patrons to touch anything and all.
As sweaty and soiled hands of the Well-let's-fair-
go Gang converged on the sacred work banked in
display booths, the artists cringed. Their muffled
cries screamed inside, "Please, please, leave me
alone unless your intentions are good!" But to no
avail.
Why, asked the molested, does this gang come in
and turn my life's work into shambles and t h e n
leave? Why don't they stop and talk? Why are
they in such a hurry to move on?
Ah, but the Gang doesn't treat me like that trum-
peted a silversmith who sold 300 rings with the
same souvenir "S" shape - at three dollars apiece
- on the first day.
sex information
Still more

AND HE WAS BRANDED by the artists as a
commercialist, worthy of the Gang's attentions.
From the other side of town rode the Rough
Riders, who came to the fair intending to make a
kill - and run off with it. These bargainers would
degrade the artists by flashing. their greenbacks in
exchange for a good deal.
Many an artist saw cherished prodigy carried off
by someone who prized winning the dicker more
than the reward. The distraught artist would place
the cold cash in a pocket and watch the Rough
Rider saunter away with the work casually stashed
under one arm.
Then there were the Collectors who rode to the
fair to search for something that would look nice
at home. Their purchases were pillows, afghans,
candles, pots - maybe a painting or a sculpture.
AND FINALLY, there were the people who didn't
ride the merry-go-round, and tired out their feet,
wandering at their own pace among the exhibits to
appreciate what was shown and take home what
they couldn't resist.
The people who came to the fair to see, and
sense the art, and the artists, were those whom
the artists appreciated in return. Interest in the
talent an artist has taken time to develop is the
most rewarding payment. Monetary reward has but
a secondary role and carried meaning only when
coupled with appreciation for the artist's time
and energies.
After making a sale to an Appreciater, the artist
loosened up, and smiled in relief. Those efforts were
not in vain.
And then the artist could sit back and pity all
those who don't know how to get off the merry-go-
round. At least for a while, until the rough riders
and gang swarmed in again.
on The Pill

0I


420 Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Edited and managed by students at the
University of Michigan
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual
opinions of the author. This must be noted in al reprints.
Friday, July 30, 1971 News Phone: 764-0552
NIGHT EDITOR: ALAN 'LENHOFF
Suimer Eili/orial Staff
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Co-Editor Co-Eitior
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M STOREY .... .. Business Manager
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- 1
'if the President had any plans to dump
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(EIMTOR's NOTE: This regular
question-and-answreolumn on
mattersofseaual concernis being
published in co-operation w i th
Counseling Services, a division of
the Office of student Services.
Querstions may be sent to 100x
25, Tre Daily, 42 sMaynard, or
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seling Services' regular 24-hour
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By ROBERT KOOP
Q. Re: The Pill, Part Three (Daily
July 2). Is it correct (accurate) to
say that women taking the Pill
do ovulate but the eggs so pro-
duced are not discharged during
the menstrual cycle, but rather
are reabsorbed by the body di-
rectly from the ovaries? Or are
pill-taking women's bodies non-
ovulating, and, if so, why is there
a menstrual flow at all for such
women?
A. First of all, let me say that
this is at least partially a matter
of conjecture. No one knows for
sure exactly how the pill works or
exactly how the hormone system
functions at all. But what you're
about to get is a best guess -
that is, it's probably accurate but
details may be subject to revision.
What IS certain is that
a woman taking the pill does NOT
ovulate.
But let me take it from the top:
I'll try to give a complete an-
swer in terms of the oral contra-
ceptive which is now used almost
exclusively in this country - the
combination type.
The combination pill contains
small doses of two synthetic hor-
mones - estrogen and progester-
onie.
These hormones have much the
same effect on a woman's body
that the natural estrogen and
progesterone produced in the
ovary have.
OK. Ovaries contain hundreds
of tiny follicles, each of which
contains a potential ovum. A
hormone called FSH (Follicle
Stimulating Hormone, no less),
which is produced by the pitui-
tary gland, stimulates the rip-
ening of several of the follicles.
This process is already underway
when menstruation is taking
place.
Ina normal cycle, these ripen-
ing follicles secrete estrogen,
which inhibits the production of
more FSH. The pituitary starts to
secrete another hormone - LH
(luteinizing hormone, if y o u
want to know) - which makes
ovulation possible. When the bal-
ance between these hormones is
right, one of the follicles rup-
tures, The egg is discharged to-
ward the fallopian tubes and po-
tential fertilization, If it's not

fertilized, it dies and s o on pass-
es out of the body.
Sometimes, by the way, two or
more follicles reach maturity at
the same time. When this hap-
pens, they both (or all) release
their ova at the same time, and
you're on your way to possible
twins or triplets or whatever.
Meanwhile, back in the ovary,
the ruptured follicle turns into a
solid structure - the corpus lut-
eum (yellow body). The corpus
luteum continues to secrete es-
trogen and also starts secreting
progesterone. The progesterone
continues the preparation that es-
trogen started for the lining of
the uterus to receive a fertilized
ovum.
The progesterone also inhibits
the production of LH, without
which other ripening follicles
can't mature.
About ten days later, if no
fertilized egg has been implant-
ed in-the uterine lining, the cor-
pus luteum collapses. Production
of estrogen and progesterone fall
off. The lining of the uterus be-
gins shedding. Other ripened fol-
licles wither away and the pitui-
tary, no longer receiving much es-
trogen, starts producing F SH
again and it all starts over.
OK. There's the background.
Now here's what the Pill does:
The estrogen in the Pill in-
hibits the production of FSH
right away. So follicles that start
to ripen during the period never
mature enough to produce and
expel ova.

The estrogen - along with pro-
gesterone administered right at
the beginning of the cycle - al-
ters the lining of the uterus so
that it couldn't receive a fertil-
ized ovum even if one showed up.
The progesterone also inhibits
what seems to be one of the ef-
fects of estrogen alone - t h e
thinning out of the plug of mucus
which normally blocks the cervi-
cal opening. In a natural cycle
this plug thins out about mid-
cycle, the time of ovulation, al-
lowing sperm to swim right
through. Without this thinning,
it's a very tough swim.
The woman on the Pill does
not ovulate, so she produces no
progesterone on her own. With-
out the artificial progesterone, the
lining of the uterus would not de-
velop to the point where it would
be shed cleanly at the end of the
cycle. So the artificial progester-
one enables the woman to have a
period.
When a woman stops taking the
Pill at the end of a cycle, the
effect is the same as that of the
collapse of the corpus luteum. The
lining of the uterus is shed and
production of FSH starts again,
preparing a new crop of follicles
which will never fully mature.
The partially mature follicles
which contain the unreleased ova
don't survive into the next cycle
- they probably wither away and
are absorbed by the woman's
body.
As I said, whew. I hope t h at
covers it.


i


Letters to The Daily
Picketers 'Gravy Tr
To The Daily- To The Daily:
To Te Daly:THE GROWING rapport
THE DAILY (July 26) stated that tween the government of
"about 35 members of the Radi- United States and the Peoples
cal Independent Party (RIP) public of China was to be
"picketed the Bendix Corporation pected. Japanese, Austra
in support of the Buhr strike." Canadian and other capita
This statement was incorrect in -were climbing on the pote
that all of the picketers were not "gravy train" of trade
members of RIP, just as RIP was China. American capitalism
not solely responsible for the serious trouble. Trade with-C
picketing action. Members of the is expected to help cure the
Up Against the Wall Street Jour- nomic ills with which Amer
nal Collective, members of other capitalism is beset -
organizations, like the L a b o r (American capitalists) ho
Committee, and other individ- But - to what more serious
uals both planned and participat- dangerous commercial and
ed in the picketing. tary wars may the further ea
-Kathy Kozachenko sion of American economic
Up Against the Wall tacles lead?
Street Journal Collective Ralph Muncy
July 27 July 16

Win'
be-
the
s Re-
ex-
lian,
alists
ntial
with
is in
bina
eco-
rican
they
Op e.
and
mili-
xten-
ten-