16 SEP200
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N O. 1 0
N OW IN FU LL CO LO R!
justin miller pt.2 06 10 political card game 2 live at the lantern 1 4 downtown graffiti 1
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SEPT 10 Seepeoples SEPT 11 Mayhem String Band
540.951.3300 201 N.MAIN STREET
540.951.2200 201 N.MAIN STREET
540.951.2200 126 JACKSON STREET
DOWNTOWN BLACKSBURG, VA
Late Night Stage @ Gillie’s
Mood Swing SEP 4 7:00P | jazz & swing band featuring LATE NIGHT KICKOFF PARTY
Groova Scape
SEP 5 9:30P | Roanoke funk masters
Dot Dot Dash Sep 6 8:00P| Celtic meets gypsy jazz
Chris Jamison and The Secret Circus
ight Sep 12 9:30P | hometown troubadour! Late N n Menu ia r a t e Veg Front Porch Swing Venue g n i Sep 13 8:00P | Floyd bluegrass duo k mo Non-S
Cosmo S. Omsoc
Sep 19 9:30P | original space-rock trio
Joia Wood
Sep 20 8:00P | Charlottesville songwriter
Abe Reid
Sep 26 9:30P | dirty delta blues
The Porch Loungers Sep 27 8:00P | local jam-grass/rock
www.myspace.com/gilliesmusic 153 college street | downtown blacksburg | 540.961.2703
02 1 6 B L O C K S
SEPT 17 Speedsquare thelanternblacksburg.com
OPEN MIC every Monday
SEPT 18 Hackensaw Boys
SEPT 20 Midnight Spaghetti SEPT 23 Doco with local dubnium
SEPT 27 Hope Massive
NO.10
SEPTEMBER 2008
06 10
1 6 B lo c k s local artisan tattoos the stone and tests the waters.
Arts and Culture Magazine September 2008 Issue #10 Contact us for subscription rates, general questions, corrections, if you’re interested in submitting short stories for our Logos Section, letters to the Editor, or if you just want to say hey. 16blocksmagazine@gmail.com
Makes almost as much sense as the real thing.
www.16blocksmagazine.com www.myspace.com/ 16blocksmagazine P.O. Box 279 Blacksburg, VA 24063
12 14
No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.
Music lovers put an old-school Blacksburg landmark back in the spotlight.
C ov e r Photo by David Franusich
sta f f
Hart Fowler
An interpretive spin on anonymous pop art movement.
downtown’s
Editor in Chief, Publisher
16blocksmagazine@gmail.com David Franusich
Head Print Designer, Co-Art Director
16blocks.graphics@gmail.com Christina O’Connor
Director of Photography, Co-Art Director
16blocks.photo@gmail.com Amy Splitt
04 Ethos: Panopticon 08 Suzy Nees 16 Whitney Waller 17 Logos 18 Best Cheap Beers 18 First-Person Feminist 21 To do List 22 Idle Minds
Editor / Writer
asplitt@gmail.com David Williams Webmaster
dtw@vt.edu WILL BOYAR
Advertising Executive
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CON T RI B U TORS
Tuan Pham Photographer Al Fayez Photographer Danny Phillips Illustrator Ben Capozzi Illustrator John Healy Ad Designer Jeff Fitzgerald Web Pris Sears Features Writer Danny Flad Guest Writer Suzy Nees Featured Artist Whitney Waller Featured Artist Chuck Ronco Chess Guru
c o n c e p t s .
r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s .
a n a l y s i s .
In Defense of Random Acts of Stupidity: Reflections on Combating the Panopticon by Brandiff Caron
In
1785 a philosopher by the name of Jeremy Bentham designed a new type of prison that, as he saw it, embodied “a new mode of obtaining power of mind over mind, in a quantity hitherto without example.” The prison was to be shaped in a large circle with one guard tower in the middle and all of the cells lined on the circle’s wall facing a center guard tower. In this way, one guard in the center tower could at any given moment see directly into any of the cells. As a result of this architecture, each of the prisoners in the cells would at any given moment have to assume he was being watched, despite the fact that the guard in the center of the tower could not possibly watch all of the inmates at once. In fact, with one way mirrors there need be no guard in the tower at all! Thus, despite the fact that the prisoners were not being watched all of the time, in theory they would be forced to behave as though they were. This was the Panopticon. A prisoner in the Panopticon is not being regulated or disciplined in the traditional physical ways people in prisons are. Instead, they are self-regulating. What is being disciplined is their minds. They are forced to think and, as a result, act in a certain way because of the architecture of the building design that allows them to be under constant surveillance. Here’s the kicker. As surveillance technologies such as CCTV (closed circuit television) and satellite imaging grow more ubiquitous, there become fewer
and fewer places one can be that are not under the watchful eye of a camera or satellite. Indeed, if you take a walk in downtown New York you can be sure that you are on camera. The question arises, then: to what extent has the average citizen strolling down the street become a prisoner of the Panopticon? Do we self-regulate our behavior when we know we are on CCTV? Are we being disciplined and turned into what Foucault called ‘docile bodies’…acquiescent, compliant and unquestioning? If this is not true now, does the proliferation of surveillance technology threaten to make this a reality? It must be noted that the point of this existing surveillance is, at least ostensibly, our own protection. After all, if a pickpocket knows he is on camera, he may think twice before nicking your wallet. In this case, we want there to be a certain amount of self-regulation. The question, though, is how far this regulation goes. How much of our own privacy and freedom of expression do we lose by assuring that our would-be pick-pocket assailants self-regulate? By securing safety do we need to forfeit freedom? One way to combat the possible ill effects of the Panopticon is to be conscious of it; to go out of your way to say, “@#!*& you!” to whoever may be watching. So, next time you notice a camera on you, do me a favor, and do something stupid. Do something that doesn’t make any sense. Let’s confuse the *&@!# out of Big Brother.
04 1 6 B L O C K S
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S E P 2 0 0 8 05
Testing the streams and carving a life: Part 2 of the story of Justin Miller. by Hart Fowler photo by Amy Splitt
In
a slow-driving rhythm, with a heavy thud and a tink that decays with a ring, steel hits stone. Justin Miller guides the three pound hammer onto the tracing chisel and the shavings fly off a lunch-pail sized block of dolomite limestone, locally known as Hokiestone. On a good day, Miller says you can shape about 60 stones. After a few months off, he will return to work again cutting stones near the Fisheries and Wildlife building. Rocks and Streams It’s fitting that Miller is cutting the stones near the Fisheries and Wildlife building. He’s been working with David Kramar testing bald eagles for the past three springs (see 16blocksmagazine. com). Last month he worked a short stint with the Department testing small fishes and water quality in creeks in the coalfields of Grundy, as well as in other parts of Southwest Virginia. Miller’s role was to the stun the fishes with an instrument that looks like a mine-detector. It sends a small electrical current into the water. “We’d have to knock ‘em out a little bit and then put them in a recovery pool,” he said. “Another technician and I did the catching.” Then they would take a DNA sample by taking a little snip from the fish’s tail. “Anything doing with wildlife and outdoors, and I reckon, helping things along with my fellow critters, I’ll jump on it. Whatever can help things along.” Trap and Release It’s a long way from the concrete blocks and iron bars Miller faced twenty years ago in Tennessee. After spending a night in jail following a run-in with smalltown cops who didn’t like their spikes, punk rock clothing and attitude, he and a friend pitched Molotov cocktails at the courthouse steps and ran. The two young men were charged with arson and, “being a mountain boy, I ran to the mountains.” He had friends there, and hid out for about a year before he decided to turn himself in.
He was feeling “all the worries and stresses of knowing you made a mistake and not exactly knowing how to go about fixing it,” he said. “Especially when you come from a really messed up, confusing background with religious and family problems. Sets a young man kind of lost, and angry. And you know, confused. A lot of things were going through my head.”
burg and made a home for himself here. He kept a clean record. Then four years ago, he had gotten off work and walked home to Roanoke Street. He was just pulling off his boots when he saw a police car pull in front of his window. The officer was a friend of
He walked straight into jail, and was locked up for four months awaiting trial. He was seized with fear and uncertainty, looking at the possibility of twenty years.
A month later he was sentenced to parole. He walked out of the courthouse with two old Blacksburg friends that are now his current roommates.
“The Judge asked me why. I basically told him I should’ve taken things differently,” Miller said. “He asked me if I was out to kill anyone, and I said no, Sir, we weren’t.” He returned to jail for another month to be sentenced. Because he had cooperated, he received eight years, five suspended, and three to be served on probation. He met his parole officer, and then skipped town. He wouldn’t return for 15 years. Trial by Fire Miller doesn’t like talking about his time on the run. “You’re always lookin’ over your shoulder. Never could rest. Never could take a real good job. Relationships suffer when you got something like that hanging over your head,” he said. “You get stopped at a stoplight for a traffic violation, you know they can probably put you behind bars. I kept my nose real clean.” He picked up more tattoos and lived on the streets for awhile in various towns on the east-coast. The punk movement that provided the sounds of his youthful travels back and forth across the US wasn’t much a part of his life due to the fact that he was keeping a low profile. He said it was kind of like being an illegal immigrant, and he would settle his nerves with alcohol. He came to Blacks-
06 1 6 B L O C K S
beled a flight risk, he was locked in a maximum security facility in a cell with two fellow inmates, 22 hours a day for nine months. He was preparing himself for the worst, losing eight years of his life. Not a pleasant thought. When he went in front of the judge who asked him what they were going to do about this, he said, “Whatever you and the people of Tennessee deem necessary. I’m totally willing to pay the price.”
his. She was responding to a fire next door to Miller’s place. He responded like “anyone else would. I went to help get anyone out of the house.” He had a Red Card, which meant he was certified to help fight forest fires. He helped the firemen pull the hoses from the pumper truck. No one was injured. The police interviewed Justin because he was one of the first on the scene. When they ran his ID, his record came up. “They say the Great Spirit works in mysterious ways,” Miller said. “It all ended in a fire.” Being around town for a few years, he knew the officers that came to find him two days later while he was at work. “After 15 years of freedom, not real freedom though, it was a worry and a relief at the same time,” he said. From the Montgomery County Jail he was extradited back to Tennessee. He remembered riding with his hands cuffed on his lap over the New River in a spot where he used to kayak. La-
“We all make mistakes. Some of our mistakes last longer than others. Being able to have things out in the light and let people see who you are and know that the duality of good and bad exists in us and all. We should pay attention to the good stuff,” Miller said. Freeing the Image Miller feels he has been blessed to be an artist. In prison he used M&M’s mixed with water in empty jelly packets to make ink that he would draw on Christmas Cards for fellow inmates to send to their families. Recently he’s been using his mason’s skills to make relief stone carvings and birdbaths. As he delicately traces the line, it’s a quieter pecking sound than when he shapes the dolomite limestone. “When I do art on stone I basically tattoo the stone,” he said, with tattooed knuckles gripping his hammer and chisel by his sides. “Sometimes you’re freeing the image from the stone, sometimes you’re putting it on. It depends on how the stone’s acting. If it’s ornery you’re putting it on. If it’s being nice, you’re freeing it.” Justin thanks “all my friends and family for being there and loving me in my highs and lows and when i did not deserve it....”
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S E P 2 0 0 8 07
A r ound
the time of the Cherokee Removal, some human families traveled with the Nunne’hi, a semi-visible spirit race, to dwell beneath a clear river. There, Cherokee folks could live safely, although the water carried in sights and sounds of the tormented world they had deserted. I can easily relate to this perspective. My artwork feels like a struggle to communicate through water, to warn of the Holocausts that result when we forget to be kind to culture and each other. This is the news embedded in the makeshift art libraries I house around trees, rocks, springs, humans, etc. The trees, springs, and rocks seem un-bothered by my library installations, but humans give me mixed critiques. Although it may not always seem like it, I make libraries not to irritate people, but to patch up functionality on Earth while insisting that a world of pure art truly is possible. [Editor’s note: Suzy Nees’ enigmatic public installations sometimes appear in downtown Blacksburg. She is also involved with the Six Grandfathers Public Art Project based in SW Virginia and Japan.] “James the Lost Parakeet” - Digital manipulation of a sumi ink drawing, The future is a scam!
08 1 6 B L O C K S
DOYLE LAWSON and Quicksilver in concert
Friday, Nov. 21@ 7:30 p.m. 117 EDWARDS HALL NEW RIVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN
FOR TICKET INFORMATION, CALL
674-3600 ext. 4307
UPCOMING
G
armory gallery 201 draper rd blacksburg open Tu-Sa 12- 4pm 5 4 0 . 23 1 . 55 47
AT
T H E
A R MO RY A RT GA L L E RY SEPTEMBER 3 - OCTOBER 10 "LA DANSE DE LA VIE" Sculptures and paintings by Jennifer Kaye Martin. Reception for the Artist: September 3, 4 - 6pm. OCTOBER 21 - NOVEMBER 21 MARYANN HARMAN New paintings by Maryann Harman. Reception for the Artist: October 21, 4 - 6pm. THANKSGIVING BREAK: NOVEMBER 22 DECEMBER 3 DECEMBER 3 - DECEMBER 19 SENIOR SHOWS Participants and reception dates to be announced
v i s i t u s o n l i n e : w w w. g a l l e r y. v t . e d u
S E P 2 0 0 8 09
ah, the convention and vp selection...wait, wha t happened?! We could ha ve put together some pi thy analysis on the election s, but the Olympics wer e on, so instead we got drunk an d made up a card game. Pass the 10sided dice, let’s dork ou t and play
zzi, Pris Sears &
Ben Capo illustrations by
Amy Splitt
The r e
are 6 rounds, June - November. There are cards for events, defenses, and allies. Starting out with 10 electability points, we drew a candidate card. Pris: I get McCain! Amy: Obama! [Coin toss] Amy: Heads. Obama goes first. I’m going to put down Tim Kaine. He gives me a plus on Balanced Budget but a minus on Education. Pris: Now Obama puts down an event card. Amy: “Slow News Week!” I get to play a celebrity endorsement. I got “George Clooney.” He gives me a huge contribution and tries to influence public opinion. Pris: I am going to respond to George Clooney’s antics with a “Sanctimony” card. “No American should care about an endorsement from Hollywood, that cesspool of moral decay!” It’s a best two out of three roll-off, my sanctimonious stance gives me a +11. [A flurry of rolling ensues with McCain winning handily.] Amy: You basically kicked my ass. Pris: Yes. The public was not impressed with George Clooney. Now it’s McCain’s turn. I will play “Crazy Preacher Friend!” That docks you 5 points on your roll-off. Amy: I’m going to respond with... Hey, why is “The Race Card” in here?? That’s just offensive. All right, FINE, I drew this at random, remember. “You can’t judge because you don’t understand the history of the African American church and my own
10 1 6 B L O C K S
search for identity when I came into his church as a young man. Although I deplore the invective of my Crazy Preacher Friend, I support that it is coming from a struggle that you have no comprehension of.” I roll a 75. What appeared to be inflammatory invective was in fact challenging rhetoric bringing to light issues we would all rather forget. Pris: McCain rolls a 12! Amy: As well he should, because that was just dirty. My crazy preacher friend. Just because he says things doesn’t mean I believe them all the time. Just in church! ... We’re going to get in trouble. Pris: On to July! Amy: I am going to put down “Hillary Clinton.” If I choose her as VP I get to draw an extra “Celebrity Endorsement” card. Now I’m playing “Bad Economy!” What are you going to do about it? I am challenging you on the issues, John McCain! Pris: I am going to respond with a “Compassion” card. I feel for the American Public at the gas tank and in the grocery store.
Amy: Does it give you any special advantages? Pris: Doesn’t look like it. I roll a 93! The public is initially swayed by my speech. Amy: I roll a 71. Apparently nobody really believes I know squat about the economy. Pris: Never go on the offensive talking about the economy. Just don’t. Now I am going to play “Joe Lieberman.” “Republican? Independent? Who knows? Pro-war former Democrat. Neither adds nor subtracts on any roll.” Amy: That’s not a very good card. Pris: He could be useful. I don’t know. I am going to play “Environmental Crisis.” If you are elected, your plans to fix the environment will make everything worse. The Alaska oilmen’s children will starve and the polar bears will all drown anyway. Amy: That seems spurious. I am going to counter with an “Olympic-sized Distraction!” Get out of event free! America is way too busy thinking about what’s going on in China, we don’t have time to worry about the environment! OH, WAIT.
Pris: Rats. Now it’s August. Amy: I’ve picked “Joe Biden.” He gets a plus on Foreign Affairs and Energy Crisis, and a minus on Partisanship. Here’s an event. “Civil War Overseas!” You would so not know what to do if you were president right now. I have a huge brain trust of smart people assisting me in my smartness. I would know exactly what to do if I were president. Pris: It seems most of my staff is on vacation. So my response will be “Evasion!” “This is not a civil war, this is the reasonable self-determination of a people.”
of his dirty, dirty tricks. And now it’s time for the convention! All these VP cards we have been collecting are activated after this round. Amy: Obama is going to choose... oh, what the hell. Tim Kaine. Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden stay in the Ally pile. Pris: On the basis of his pro-war stance and traditional values, McCain is going to choose Joe Lieberman! Woo hoo!
Amy: Now, I am down to 7 out of 10 and we haven’t even gotten to the convention yet. Oh dear. Pris: I am going to play “Mitt Romney.” “Shameful secret: he’s kind of a moderate. But don’t spread it around. Never mind how he got elected in Massachusetts. Ha ha!” He gets bonuses on Crime, Energy Independence AND Iraq Surge. Now an Event: my camp has evidence of an “Extramarital Action”! Roll to determine details. Amy: That’s a 4. What is my crime? Pris: We suggest that you have been having sex with a prostitute. Amy: Have you seen what I’m married to? She’s a total babe! No way. My response card is “Mockery”! Pris: Flip a coin! Amy: That seems like bad odds. Pris: Well, you never know how the public is going to respond to mockery. But you get to call it.
Pris: Everyone is very surprised. Now the Veeps are chosen and it’s September. Amy: I’m going to play an event. “Caught on Live Mike.” Roll a 6-sider to see what you said. Pris: Number 4. A racial slur?! Yipes! Amy: That’s a minus 15 to any roll-off. Pris: Luckily I can play another “Olympic-sized Distraction”! Amy: Augh! You get out of the event free?? The Olympics are over... what could it be? Nascar? Woodstock 3? Pris: Everybody is watching the NFL. McCain can say anything on mike anyway, nobody cares. Amy: Well, that’s probably pretty accurate. Pris: Now it’s my turn. I get endorsed by Tom Selleck. And I will continue my attempts to scrape up crappy, smeary dirt on you and your people.
Pris: McCain is down to 7 for the failure
Pris: I rolled a 4. Alcoholic sibling. Oh, no! I respond with “Evasion.” This is the Bill Clinton school of politics -- that’s not really my brother! Amy: There’s a minus 10 to the roll-off. Do you add anything with your “Evasion”? Pris: No, I’m still at a minus 7 because this is a pretty dumb excuse. I roll a 62. Amy: I roll a 72. That drunken person really made you look bad. He probably puked on stage at the convention. Shameful! Pris: I get “Arnold Schwartzenegger.” He might be more trouble than he’s worth, but hey, I like him. I play a “Partisanship” event. You need to beat accusations of cronyism and divisiveness. I flip to add my special candidate attack! Heads, McCain has a “Burst o’ Profanity” attack that always backfires, tails he gets a +5 for being a hero. Being a POW excuses anything, including adultery, thank you Sean Hannity. Bill Clinton shoulda gone to ‘nam! Heads! Burst o’ Profanity! %(*^#()&$*#!! Amy: That’s a -5 for you. Obama’s special attack is “Taking the High Road.” Oh, it’s tails and a -5 on my roll! Astute listeners pick up on a snarky undertone.
Amy: Aw, man! Pris: Yes, it’s a “Scandal” card. Roll it.
Amy: Heads. And it’s heads! I have mocked your ridiculous allegations and you lose a point. Bastard.
Amy: I am going to respond with “Sanctimony.” I counter your accusations with a self-righteous speech. You don’t even know how many houses you own. Rolloff, and... McCain loses a point! October. I am also going to play a “Scandal.” Roll.
Amy: Joe Lieberman??
Amy: Ah, very clever. Pris: Odds win, evens lose. You get a 68. And I get... 69. Slick! McCain’s looking good! Going into August.
your tax returns.
Amy: It’s a 6. What did I supposedly do? Pris: You are accused of shredding important documents, perhaps related to
Pris: See where your elitist ways get you? Tsk. Amy: Do I have allies who can counter that? Tim Kaine took a red state, he gives me a small +1 benefit against partisanship.
Pris: I’ll use my Tom Selleck card. I flip... and it’s tails! Tom Selleck is completely irrelevant. Amy: I’m using Stevie Wonder. Everyone loves him. Let’s see if it gives me a point. Nope. So I’m at -5 on this roll-off. Pris: I’m at -6 and I’m going to bring out Arnold to make me look not quite so stupid after that Tom Selleck debacle. He’s going to make a speech about the environment. Dammit! Tails! Noooo! People are mocking him! I have used every possible trick to support this partisanship accusation. Amy: Let’s just roll. OK. A 69 minus 5 is a 64. Pris: 50 minus 7 is a 43. I lose another electability point. Accusations of partisanship got me exactly -Amy: Bubkes. Ha, ha, ha! Pris: We’re in Election Month. I’m so far behind that there is no way I can win, but I will certainly try. Amy: I am going to throw down a “Rally”! Both parties roll 10-siders to determine attendance. My rally was crappily attended, because I just rolled a 3. Pris: Oh! My rally was even more poorly attended with a 1. America does not care about the election. Amy: Even in November. That really sucked. Pris: My last event is “Attack”! I go on the offensive. Rock-paper-scissors for one point. [Ro-sham-bo ensues] Amy: My scissors cut your paper! Pris: Ow. That’s the end of the election. Amy: Really? Barack Obama has 7 electability points. Pris: John McCain has only 4. This has been an interesting game. Now we just have to get Steve Jackson to buy it from us and we’ll be rich enough to buy our own elections.
S E P 2 0 0 8 11
12 1 6 B L O C K S Tuan Pham
A l Faye z
Blacksburg gets a NEW LIVE MUSIC VENUE by Len Comaratta
In
the late spring of 2008 I began to hear rumblings throughout the downtown: not the normal bitches and moans against the slumlord Lester Group or Wal-Mart. This time the noise was positive. Few details were available – two men wanted to open a venue to feature live music of all styles, all the time, and they were going to do it in the vacant basement space on Draper Road – the old Pedro’s/Library/Water Street Gallery/-Cinco de Mayo/Lazy Parrot space. The place was called the Lantern, and they planned to open in the middle of summer. Some said it could be the best thing to come to Blacksburg in some time. During a time when vacant businesses seem to be competing with active ones for prime real estate in downtown Blacksburg, it was refreshing to hear that there was interest in re-opening one such vacancy and providing the town with something it had lost many years ago – a space dedicated to live music. We’d had a glimmer of hope with other places, only to be disappointed when they ignored this area’s cornucopia of musical talent. Of course there are places in town that have established music nights while others have pseudo-semi-regular music events. So, what makes this new place so special, especially in regard to having live performers? There is something about the Lantern’s space that lends itself to live performances. The feel and atmosphere of the spot is right, along with the wide open centralized space and the only true stage in the area (risers do not count as stages!). No matter what it was called, the venue always had the potential to provide more than it did. Much like Eliza Doolittle needed Henry Higgins, it just
needed the right person/people to coax out its true potential.
their new venue, Brian moved up and everything was set in motion.
As the summer went on the buzz got louder. I visited The Lantern’s MySpace page (www.myspace.com/thelanternblacksburg) to find more information (They now also have a regular web page: www.thelanternblacksburg.com). In addition to all the positive comments posted by friends and fans of both the establishment and the owners, one thing stood out: the concert calendar. The place had not even opened its doors yet and they had already followed through with their initial promise. Almost every night from the end of July through the end of October had some kind of musical act already booked! Four months of live music covering everything from major acts like Asylum Street Spankers and Larry Keel to more locally bred fare like Hostile 17 and Lee Street Riots, and everything in between.
The Lantern’s opening weekend night featured the nationally heralded Asylum Street Spankers in a sold out show -- the word of mouth before the doors even opened was deafening. The excitement surrounding this particular event was unlike anything that I have seen in some time. Hopefully this was the beginning of wonderful things.
The two men behind the buzz, Brian Turner and Dan Chastain, shared a dream of running a place like the Lantern for years. They met over eight years ago in Raleigh when Dan was running sound for Brian’s band. Sharing similar interests, they became friends and eventually began thinking about establishing their own venue. Where they were, the market was saturated and very competitive. It didn’t make sense for them to try and do something in their home area, so they began looking elsewhere. Both men eventually migrated north from the red-brick landscape of Raleigh, NC to our mountain town. Dan arrived first with his wife, Bonnie, over a year ago as she took on a position at the Vet School. It was during this time that Dan found the vacant basement space on Draper. Once it was settled that this would be the place for
When I first entered the stairwell I was struck by all the fliers for upcoming events, including an open-mic night every Monday. Entering the establishment, not much had really changed in the overall design of the place. The color was new, though – all red and black, replacing the multicolored palettes of the most recent owners, and the wall behind the stage was a giant chalkboard already covered in band signatures. From the moment I stepped inside I felt good about the place. It was a great little spot with a friendly, welcoming staff, and somehow it already had the look and feel of an established, successful venue. Plus, the food was good – the menu nicely balances the herbivorous with the carnivorous, and they offer great daily specials on food and drink. Attendance has been good, especially at shows where local talent is featured. The local artists that have played the Lantern have already begun to develop a symbiotic relationship with the establishment. One mutual benefit is exhibited in how the Lantern charges admission and pays the band. They give the band the choice: $4/$5 entry, or no door fee and a percentage of the bar tab. The local artists, more than the often lesser-known touring bands, tend to bring out their own community to the
shows – friends, fans, other musicians. As a result more money is spent in the venue, the band gets a bigger audience and higher payout, and the risk of the bar losing money is minimized with the removal of a guarantee. So, how can they have so many free shows and still stay in business? The logic behind the “free” show was a simple marketing strategy. Get people out and into the club for free to see some bands that they may or may not have heard before and then have them return to other shows and bring their friends. So far it seems to be working. Other marketing ideas include the idea of hosting a weekend-long mini festival in November and providing compilation CDs of the artists that are playing the Lantern each month. Brian and Dan also have some ideas to expand their open mic nights by having a host band play each week and then allowing the openmic performers to utilize the equipment. This not only gets more people out to play, it also develops a bond between the venue and the artists. Coming from a highly competitive area, both gentlemen expected a little resistance to their ideas but were pleasantly surprised at how welcoming many of the other Blacksburg merchants (their competition) were. Many came offering advice; others just came by to introduce themselves and to get to know the new neighbors. Dan and Brian have a lot of work cut out for them, but with their positive, fresh attitude accompanied by hot music, hot food and an already growing clientele of regulars, they have a good start. The Lantern is open daily 11AM – 2AM, with live music most nights and open mic on Monday evenings.
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e the wing wit ha large g rains of couple of salt, an perhaps d a pretz el as we ll.)
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expression of disgust, laughter, or even fear (the fearsome “Mr.
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known by the Greek initials Alpha Gamma Rho - the first three
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traditional marks of the sheaves of grain, representing the
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static symbol, but the melancholy beauty of Helen of Troy is
Yuk” bogeyman).
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A member of an ancient tribe of farmers,
letters of the word “AGRiculture.” On the bicep one can see the
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used as a pawn by the goddesses themselves.
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hair, and the physical placement of the image on the service
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relatively unsophisticated (yet enthusiastic) local descendants of
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obsession with appearance, Helen was kidnapped after being
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Dionysus is
easily recognizable by the grape leaves, birds, and fish in his
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entrance to a popular local tavern.
The tribal mark of the
immigrants from the Greek island of Kos.
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fears run under the surface of our day-to-day lives, as hidden and as close as our own skulls. Fear of death, old age, loneliness, violence, and of simply being forgotten, all appear in the interstitial spaces, in the no-man's-land where the rumble of the tanks is still far in the distance.
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The hat, suit, and tie mark this as a
male of a certain social strata, a buttoned-up man of business. His posture is coded uncomfortable: he is unsure of himself. He has a secret: perhaps some undefined weakness as signified by the black wing of a fallen angel.
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are poised for flight, but he is dressed in the casual clothing of a
unresisting force for redemption.
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unmistakable. In a cautionary tale springing from a shallow
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common laborer and stands in a posture of silent surrender. A
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Paris was known for his keen intelligence and unearthly beauty.
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Paris, Prince of Troy. It doesn’t seem to be a good likeness;
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Many of these anonymous glyphs and drawings are related to religions, mythologies and cults. Others may be commentaries on the paranormal, UFOs, cryptozoological entities, and communications among members of secret societies. There are also many images and texts that seem to be ruminations on the differences between social classes, the fear of death, and the desire to be remembered.
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symbol of the working-class as savior, an unenthusiastic yet
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The skull has a hose in its
mouth, illustrating the fear of death and the desire for a quench-
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ing draught after the flesh has long since fallen away.
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over the swastika and the ominous grin warn the viewer "Your
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missing a foot - he shouldn't even be alive. Only the power of the
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other also commands agency in its afterlife. The "circle-slash" hatred will only lead you to me!"
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This person is bleeding and
wheeled sarcophagus he pushes allows him to persist in his critical activities after death.
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A woman screams against a
gridded background. Further illustrating the psychosis of the beauty culture, she has been stripped of everything but surface.
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The traditional second horseman, the red rider of war, is to
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be replaced with an evil clown associated with the blood sacri-
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worshipers. The horrifying joke lies in the "vote" imperative, as a
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stenciled message "DUMP NO WASTE/LEADS TO STREAM," this
fice of millions of cattle and a fetish for poisoning his own vote can have no impact on apocalypse.
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Unlike the familiar
is the work of a shadowy group of fanatics that fear and despise Anableps, the South American four-eyed fish.
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W h en
I’m doing a certain type of “well” in the world, I draw with journalistic intent, always keeping sketchbook and medium on hand just in case the right subject should present himself. I currently draw mostly in ink. I often sketch people, yet I often leave out faces. I’m usually looking at something larger about the person. This is especially true with musicians: I’m attempting to capture a relationship between player and instrument.
16 1 6 B L O C K S
The details that I focus on will end up being rather particular: how she crosses her toes or just one of the many finger positions a musician might hold. The challenge I pose to myself is the discipline to stop at the right moment. While sketching from life, I’ve lost many good likenesses trying to get too many details. In contrast, when I work on my large posters, I fill almost all of the space with intricate hatching patterns and images. Since the subjects of my posters are primarily pulled from imagination, their presentation tends to be more design-oriented than my observation-based drawing. See more of Whitney’s art at www.flickr.com/photos/whitneywaller. 1. “soupy”, 14X11”, 2008, ink on paper, matted prints available 2. “ watching Ghost Mice “ , 5.5X3.5”, 2008, ink on paper, matted prints available
s p e e c h . w o rd . r e a s o n .
by Griffin Covey
C o min g
back to the old spot was Dale’s idea. Dale, Robbie, Dave, and Jim. A reunion of old friends, minus Will, back on the river. No canoeing this time. Just treasure hunt the bottom, talk about the old times and drink beers and camp. Old boys acting like young boys in the same summer light rippling over the black water, the river frothy over the rocks, and the noisy cicadas in the canopy of trees leaning over water-shadows and muddy banks. Diving to a deep river-bottom with goggles and snorkels is not for the faint of heart, but the current was slow here and that made it easier. At about eight feet comes the chill. Twelve and it gets dark and colder and the bottom better be near or you won’t have much time there. Always a pleasant surge when you kick your way through the silty abyss and reach the rocky bottom. A dark and cold surprise every time, just as you thought the river just might be bottomless. Dale had tied an inner-tube with a plastic bottom to a trailer-hitch ball anchor and that’s where they collected their prizes. Robbie watched from a lawn chair on the bank with his hat down over his sunglasses. The three heads bobbed up and down sporadically while he drank beer and occasionally yawned. Downriver towards the shallows, he watched underwater clouds of mud drifting away from where they were turning over rocks. Sometimes they took breaks and talked quietly with their arms and elbows on the raft and their goggles and snorkels pulled back on their foreheads. Robbie didn’t want to be here and the beer wasn’t helping and he tried not to think about Will. The lawn chair moaned as he reached into the cold ice at arm’s length without looking. Dale was swimming funny with the 20-pound anchor on his shoulder as Jim pushed and Dave pulled the raft towards the muddy bank. Robbie cracked the can and held back a smile while watching his friends bobbing and kicking towards him like frogs. Ten years ago, Robbie and Dave were two laughing paddlers sitting high on the canoe’s cross-benches singing ohe-um slave-rower songs with Will seated low in the middle like royalty being ferried. Will reached too far for a cold one that was rolling in the floor and it happened. A wobbly canoe is funny for a second, then “whoa-man!” The three
young men dunked and flapping, the canoe was flipped, half submarined. The gear washed, some things bobbing back up, everything thing else in the process of sinking.The cooler wasn’t fastened and the cans were floating jetsam. Dale and Jim in the other canoe laughing. Dale stood up pointing with faulty balance, grimaced, and then they were splashing too. It’s a sobering moment with water up your nose and the realization that your feet aren’t reaching the bottom while you gather yourself and try to save things. Both canoes bottom up looking like lurching whales. The afternoon’s and night’s beer; the grass and bowl in the plastic ziploc; the tent, camping stuff, backpacks: all in need of timely rescue before the river took them away. Even half-drunk, Dale always had his eyes open and knew that when you flipped a canoe it was a dangerous time. His father had lost a fishing buddy a few miles upstream long ago and Dad always warned young Dale about the power of water and current and rocks. While Dave and Jim uprighted and floated the cooler onto a flat rock in the middle of the river, Robbie, not a good swimmer, dog-paddled to shore. Dave and Jim were pointing and hollering at all the scattered gear, diving in after it. Dale went for the canoes. Losing the beers and other gear might ruin the trip, but losing the canoes (one of which was borrowed), ruined future trips and cost real money. Righting a submerged canoe is no easy task either, but he managed his and with the anchor already at the bottom, it floated downstream until the rope went taut. Secure. Now the other canoe. Where’s Will? The other canoe was twenty yards down still flipped and sinking. Will must be bobbing close to it, holding it up before someone could help him flip it. Good ole Will. As he neared, he saw the canoe jerking unnaturally. His heart slipped. He treaded water and spun around in place. No Will. His belly followed his heart. Will’s caught up in the canoe. Dale was underwater now and there was Will. The quick turn hadn’t given Will time to gasp air, and the lungful of water set panic. He was wild-eyed thrashing against an invisible enemy holding his legs. Dale was now under there in the slow current with him. He wasn’t tied up in anything he could see. Choking, drowning, Will couldn’t understand his legs were still through
the cross bench like he had been sitting. Dale reached. Will’s hand seized Dale’s face and his nails dug in. Dale fought away the grip and surfaced with a gasp. The canoe continued in its quiet wobble. Dale filled his lungs and went down again. He pulled Will’s still body by the waist from under the canoe. He didn’t know if Will was all right while swimming towards the rock where Dave and Jim were now aware and swimming towards to help. Robbie, afraid of the water, paced the bank as he watched, scared to death. Dale went under a few times holding Will’s head above the water. They beached him on the long rock in the middle of the river and turned his head when he puked up all that muddy river water. He was white as a fish when his eyes rolled back and he shivered alive. The sun was sitting on the forested ridge when the divers emerged. Dale shot-putted the anchor up and over the five-foot ninety-degree bank and it thudded on the grass by Robbie. Jim and Dave skidded the raft onto the mud, then lifted on “three” up the same incline. Soppy tennis shoes squished when they walked to get beers from the cooler and wood for the fire. Dave took a piss and Jim joked about pissing in the river as long as no one’s downstream. They looked at what they had gathered as their snorkels and goggles dripped beside them on the grassy campground. They laid the booty delicately on a blue tarp like Cousteau might have. An old can that looked like the beer granddad drank. Tangled line on a rusted rod and reel. Smooth river rocks. A nasty old white tank top Coins And the main prize. The thing they all now sat around meditating on. A wallet, ziplocked tight. Dale touched the side of his face -- he felt an itch. “Will really got you good that day, didn’t he,” Dave said. Robbie had never left his seat, hadn’t turned towards the tarp and was still facing the river.
fingered some of the river rocks before picking up the wallet. “Seventy cents here,” Jim said. “Don’t go as far as it used to.” Dale unzipped the bag and opened the wallet and looked where the cash would be and wondered why a wallet would sink. It seemed buoyant enough. “No cash,” Jim said. “Here I thought we might be high-rollers when I came up with that thing.” Dale looked at the top picture and saw him and the guys, plus Will, sharing a stringer holding that day’s catch. They were looking back at him through the plastic cover. He surveyed the river and looked up and his eyes flashed in the sun. “Any naked pictures in there?” Dave said, reaching for it. Robbie’s lawn chair moaned again as he turned it to face his friends squatting around the tarp. Dale’s mouth opened into a broad grin as he turned the wallet to face the guys. Robbie knew. He had strangely suspected, like when a dream comes true. It took Jim and Dave a minute. Jim checked his back pocket for his wallet, and Dave did the same. “It’s Will’s wallet,” Robbie said huskily, welling up in the lungs before it could get to his eyes the eyes, like men do. “I remember he lost it that day.” Dale pulled out the ID and saw his old buddy’s young face. “How long has it been?” Dave said, Will looking like the boy they all once were. “About three years this fall,” Jim said. “Damn, fucking war.” Cans were raised. “To Will.” “To Will.” “To Will.” “To Will,” Dale said, looking down at the old rusted can that was the beer his grandpa used to drink.
“Jim and I rescuin’ a case and a half of PBR’s while you was playin’ Baywatch,” Dave said. Dale turned the rusted can around and
S E P 2 0 0 8 17
best cheap Beers by Danny Flad
E v e ry
fall, the influx of Virginia Tech students seems to affect every aspect of life in Blacksburg. The beer world is hardly an exception. The bars of Blacksburg are famous for their “power hour”, “hammer time”, and “pint night” specials all of which offer thrifty students and locals alike great beers at a super low price. As the year rolls on, however, dollars dwindle and budgets become tight. For students especially, expensive taste is thrown out the window and one is faced with no choice but to buy the cheapest beer possible. In desperate times like these, the question arises: “What’s the best cheap beer I can buy?” Yuengling Lager - Yuengling Brewery - Pottsville, Pennsylvania If you’re low on cash but not destitute, you can’t really go wrong with
Yuengling Lager. This Pennsylvania favorite is widely available in Blacksburg and distributed at roughly the same price as the typical American “light” beer (anywhere that charges you considerably more is gouging you). Its mild malty flavor far outshines most other beer available at the same price and is the perfect match for college student staples like hot wings and delivery pizza. Rating: C+
Many Pabst drinkers love the iconic red, white, and blue labeling that adorns each bottle and can almost as much as the beer itself. Like most cheap American beer, Pabst has the faint taste and aroma of sweet cereal grains and seems a bit watery, but its bitter hint of hops and dry finish give it a flavor that puts it head and shoulders above competitors like Natural Light or “Beast”. Rating: C
Pabst Blue Ribbon Pabst Brewing Company - San Antonio, Texas San Antonio, Texas? Yes, Pabst has closed their brewery and moved headquarters to the Lone Star State (it is now brewed under contract by Miller) but if you have to drink cheap it’s one of the best choices out there. Don’t look for it on draught, however.
Genesee Cream Ale - High Falls Brewing Company - Rochester, New York Cheap ale is hard to come by, and even when it can be found it’s often a far cry from the fruity, hoppy ales that have become popular with fans of craft beer. Still, if you’re in the mood for ale and find yourself low on
dough, “Genny” could be the beer for you. It’s light, blonde, and a little watery but the creamy body from which it gets its name makes it a great alternative to the mass-produced light lagers that dominate the cheap beer world. Rating: CCollege life can be stressful at times and, for those of legal age, a nice beer can be just the thing to take the edge off. When you’re strapped for cash, though, affordable beer can be hard to find. Just remember, spending a few quarters more for a quality product is almost always worth it. When all else fails, a little shopping around can often lead you to the right beer for the right price. What’s the best beer for beer pong? Start drinking more flavorful beer and you’d be amazed at how quickly you’ll no longer have to play a game to force yourself to drink beer in the first place.
by Angela Dannemiller
Tatto o s
don’t hurt that bad, but the feedback can sting a bit. I found this out when I got my first one this summer, on the back of my shoulder blade in black ink: the feminist sign. Not a very popular symbol, I found.
whatever we want to be. When the general public sees a crowd of women who are angry, hitting sore spots on men and women, trying to get equal respect that is much deserved, they are offended and respond with the dreaded “angry lesbian.”
A lot of people were turned off immediately by the new tat, like it’s a brand of hatred. Others had no idea what the tattoo meant. Some mistook it for the Gonzo fist. Once my tattoo was mistaken for the Black Power symbol. After I told the guy it stood for feminism, he lost interest, as if female equality were not worth fighting for too.
Are we angry? Are we lesbians? Some of us may be, but if we are, Why is that the big deal? As we fight for gay rights, gender equality and race equality, yes we will have our moments and movements of anger, but we are not bitter. Sometimes we need to approach things in a nurturing and healing way, but sometimes the public needs to be woken up from their sweet dreams that equality is here, and awaken to our war-torn homes. That is then we get in your face, that’s when we’re loud, that’s when we’re angry. We don’t want to slide backwards, nor do we want to stand idle. I’m afraid we have been idle, and it’s time to get back into action.
This was confirmed for me when two wonderful elderly women asked for me to turn around and get a better look at my tattoo. They clasped their hands in delight and their eyes shone. They told me it was wonderful to see a young woman so boldly state her feminism, that so many girls now were scared of that label. Why is feminism a bad word? Feminists are often discriminated against, because people think we are discriminating. Not so. Equality is our ultimate goal, no sexism, no racism, nothing of that sort. Contrary to popular belief, feminists are not aggressive female gorillas who want to rule the world and keep men underground for breeding purposes only. Women have had to fight for voting rights, for the right to hold jobs, for the right to try to become
I would like to say all of our issues are gone, but they aren’t. Women are exploited, beaten, raped, and joked about in sexually violent and insulting ways. We have to watch our backs when walking alone, because of the idea that women deserve and even like this kind
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of treatment. We should not have to have that fear. Stopping rape is my biggest issue as a feminist. Rape is the epitome of disrespect, way past what any word can describe. The problem is that rape is not seen as a unique crime. It’s set on the same shelf as being stabbed or shot. What many people don’t understand is that they can’t understand. They know of the physical part of it, but not the emotional part. You are incapable of understanding rape unless you have been through it yourself. My view on rape, before mine happened, was so different from what it was now. It’s an indescribable pain. Even though sex is thrown around more now, it still is intimate. Sex touches the most intimate parts of our bodies and our strongest emotions. Being raped takes it all away from you. It literally reaches inside of you and tears away the part that allows you to love your sexuality, let alone yourself. For nearly a month, I could not function like a normal person. Normal, everyday things I handled at work so well, suddenly it was just one big brain fart for me. Would you want this to happen to a little sister or a friend? Would you want to be
the cause of such a thing? We are part of the cause because we do not stand up and tell our stories and often we are blamed when we do. This is why many women do not report rape and why so many don’t know what to do when raped. The longer we are ashamed and quiet about it, the longer it will continue, and the stronger it grows. Even if I stand on a podium by myself, I will stand there and tell my story, because I know someone is listening. I had support that helped me heal from rape. My brothers, my male friends, they all know what happened, they were outraged, and you better believe they will never do such a thing. They have seen the effects first hand. My biggest amount of help came from my best friend, Jen, who told me the rape wasn’t my fault, sent me to the Virginia Tech Women’s Center for help, and introduced me to feminism. I recommend the book “Feminism is for Everybody” by Bell Hooks. Within the first two chapters I overcame my prejudices and began to understand this unpopular movement. Think outside the box. The box that is your TV, I mean. There is a history and evolution of feminism, and you are fighting against something you don’t understand until you know its history. This book gives you just that. Read two chapters. You’ll look at things differently within ten minutes. And you’ll understand that my tattoo is not a fashion statement or a joke.
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Clothing for ... Ladies Apparel h Casual JewelryGirl, The Formal Girl, The and always the Party Girl! Gifts hfor Cosmetics Shoes h Intimate Apparel Accessories Mon-Sat 11-7 109 North Main Street 109540-961-4038 N. Main St.
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Wondering how 16 Blocks gets published, when we have never charged for a single copy? Does a grant or bank loan help us bring you the unique content and provocative, beautiful graphics we’ve become known for? Do we have wealthy parents or did one of us seduce a millionaire? None of the above.
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BLACKSBURG A: The Lantern (Ad on pg. 2) B: Armory Art Gallery (Ad on pg. 9) C: Awful Arthur’s Seafood Company (Ad on pg. 23) D: Long & Neylan Attorneys at Law (Ad on pg. 5) E Cabo Fish Taco (Ad on pg. 9) F: Mish Mish (Ad on pg. 19) G: Sharkey’s Wing and Rib Joint (Ad on pg. 19) H: The Cellar Restaurant (Ad on pg. 7 ) I: Wireless Zone (Ad on pg.23 ) J: Ceritano’s Restaurant (Ad on pg. 5) K: Big Al’s & Poor Billy’s (Ad on pg. 2) L: New River Junction (Ad on pg. 23) M: The Inn at Virginia Tech (Ad on pg. 2) N: Smithfield Plantation (Ad on pg. 5) O: PK’s Restaurant (Ad on pg. 5) P: Gillie’s (Ad on pg. 2) Q: Fringe Benefit (Ad on pg. 7) R: Mad Dog (Ad on pg. 19) S: Hot Rod Tattoo (Ad on pg. 19) T: Zeppoli’s Restaurant (Ad on pg. 21) U: YMCA (Ad on pg. 23) V: VT’s Play Hard (Ad on Back Cover)
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8
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9
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44
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25
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53
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22
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16
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RADFORD Retro to Go (Ad on pg. 3)
LIVE music: ksburg XYZ Gallery 223 N. Main St, Blac the The Housefloor. A return to and int, epa Fac , Mas y Mas 16: Sept. ing Joe’s Diner. tradition of entertaining/annoy . 6:30 at n ope rs $3 at the door. Doo ksburg The Lantern, Draper Rd, Blac k with -- Intense hip-hop flavored roc vity Gra of s Sept. 7, 8 PM: All Kind hard ing play be will y The le. fidd electric passionate vocals and one sick $5 . TBA ds r new studio EP. Other ban and giving away copies of thei ian eats, live music at Gillie’s. Vegetar Every Friday and Saturday, . ning tunes make for a fine eve smoke-free, and cozy up-close e. Even every Monday night! 9 PM-clos Also @ the Lantern: OPEN MIC y with awa to perform, you will come if you are too boring or sober stories. The Lodge Nashville) f-described chaoti-pop from Sept. 9, 8PM: Born Empty (sel st at our gue rise surp (16 B’s right on with local hip-hopper Smoove June release at Cabo). WUVT’s Local Zone: s from your FM dial for live Drum n’ Bas Oct. 1, 7 PM, tune in to 90.7 on k, a little fun little A . crew trol Con e Styl DJ iLL Omen, of Richmond’s your homework. dub. Sounds smokin’. Put away
16 To Do List art SHOWS: XYZ Gallery, 223 N. Main St, Blacksburg September 11: “Leftovers Show” - Work left over from previous shows at the gallery. Come claim your artwork! Rema ining artwork will be auctioned off to support the gallery. See it befor e it’s just crumbs in the Tupperware. Perspective Gallery, Squires Student Center, Blacksburg Sept. 3 - Oct. 4: “Painting the Beautiful” - a collec tion of American Impressionist paintings from Pennsylvania’s Jame s A. Michener Art Museum. Pretty brush-strokes with guts. Armory Gallery, 201 Draper Rd, Blacksburg Sept. 3 - Oct. 10: Jennifer Kaye Martin, “La Danse de la Vie” - Abstract paintings and vividly-colored metal sculpture. A psychedelic cloudwatching experience. Flossie Martin Gallery, Powell Hall 200, Radfo rd University Sept 11 - Oct 1: Huichol - Shamanic art from the people of the Sierra Madre. See it while “inspired.”
Show your support for an open and robust Internet by celebrating “One Web Day” on September 22, 2008. consume rather One reason, internet service providers want you to s are generally speed oad downl so t conten online ce then to produ higher then upload speeds. burg TeleGo to http://action.onewebday.org and contact the Blacks v for more urg.go communication Advisory Committee at www.blacksb details.
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Solution 1: 1.Ne6 QxQ (or RxQ) 2.Nd8+ Ka8 3.Nxb6# 1.Ne6 Ka8 2.Qf7 Bc7 3.Qxc7 with mate next move Solution 2:
Crossword No. 1 Across: 1) Upcoming Disney animated film 5) Harass 10) Sore cover 14) Butter substitute 15) The end 16) Playwright who wrote “Driving Miss Daisy,” Alfred 17) Wanderers 19) Naturalist John 20) Invest on the web? 21) Fatty tissue on beef kidneys 22) Chatty horse 23) What a cyclops can’t do? (2 words) 24) Former CTO of Platespin, John 26) Long periods of time 27) Actor Hawke 30) “It’s Cold!” 33) Inn 37) Actress Lupino 38) Yes, French 39) Pulled the blanket up 40) To cut off, as a limb 41) A place to buy plates 42) McDonald’s did it in 1940 43) Ultimatum word 44) Overweight 46) Madonna, e.g. 48) Arranged like rays 52)Feminine form of dittos? 56) Vertical side of a doorway 58) Quick glance 60) Creature of a christian demonology 61) Head of State in some Islamic countries 62) Largest single cell (2 words) 64) Croc-o-_____ 65) Give 110% (2 words) 66) Opera highlight 67) Web addresses 68) Suppose, slangily 69) Julia, in “Ocean’s Eleven”
Chuck Ronco’s
CHESS PROBLEMS
“The Beginning”
1.Nxc4 RxQ 2.Nb2+ (or Nb6+) Ka3 3.Bd6+ Rb4 4.BxR# (or a4xR#)
By: E.B. Zacrates Produced By: 3.G. Boyarski & A.B.
Solution on pg. 20
Down: 1) To be an omen 2) Martini garnish 3) Wall designed to prevent flooding 4) Frozen waffle must 5) Feathery wrap 6) They are often at the scene of an accident 7) “We’re over here, can you _____ ______?” 8) White heron 9) Small sip 10) Top 11) He said, “In war, you can only be killed once, but in politics, many times.” 12) Soul and R&B singer India 13) Richmond’s _______ Theatre 18) Low calorie Gatorade drink 24) “Feels good to be ____ _ ______.” 26) Direct the herd
28) Feed the pig 30) Commotions 31) Back of the neck 32) Norwegian seaport 33) “____le in the Bronx” 34) Everyone’s favorite map company 36) Venerable (abr.) 37) J.R.R.Tolkien range, ___ ___ Mithrin 38) Do again (past tense) 41) Female student 47) Curved sword 49) 103, backwards, in Rome? 51) Nano and Touch 52) Noted fable writer 53) Stop holding on (let go) 55) Not here 56) Protection 57) Heroic tales 58) Jewish info site, www._ __.org 59) Variant of 61 across 61) Singer Kristofferson 65) Chemical suffix
# 1 - “Queen of Hearts”
# 2 - “Straitjacket”
Black’s fierce attack on the kingside has produced an extra queen, and cornered White’s. Black is precariously short of space though, and White’s King has “check shelter.” Can the queen be saved? or will it be “off with her head!”
The material is near even, but the cornered White king is already feeling the pinch. Can you tighten down the straps just a little bit more? Black to move and mate in four.
White to move and mate in four. Solutions at top of page.
Chess vocabulary of the month: “Check Shelter” - Literally shelter from imposing checks. This can become very important in delaying a threatening checkmate. With check shelter, an arsenal can gain extra time to attack without fear of a reprisal. Hint - See move three of puzzle 1.
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F-5802 BusinessAdBlacksburg.qxd:Layout 1
Visit mother nature’s water park at only 15 minutes from VT and Radford
Float on By
1/16/08
4:38 PM
Page 1
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