Spiral Collective Mission Statement We believe in art for art’s sake. Our aim is to provide opportunities for non-competitive creativity while promoting a culture that builds a sense of community. We are doing this because it makes us happy. If art makes you happy, making it or taking it, we’re with you.
WHY SPIRAL? A message from the editors. Thanks for your interest in this issue of Columns. This zine is the result of an artistic collaboration currently underway in Lowell. You will notice above that we have included a mission statement for an association called the Spiral Collective. As you may have deduced, this magazine has been produced by members of that collective as part of a broad initiative to foster both growth and appreciation of local art. We have among our ranks writers, musicians, visual artists, bakers, crafters, and people who just plain like creative expression. We are also interested in promoting awareness of political issues relevant on both a local and global level. To this end, we have assembled this magazine in hopes of simultaneously showcasing the talents of local creative minds and promoting awareness of political and personal issues. This magazine will always be open source, and will always be open to submissions. We are committed to knowledge, creativity, cooperation, compassion, and equality. Read our mission statement, and if you feel you can contribute in some way to either this magazine or the collective, please get in touch with us. Please direct submissions, questions, comments, and concerns to columns@spiralcollective.org. Also feel free to send any submissions, letters, or things for review to the PO Box listed on the next page. A spiral begins at a central point and works its way slowly outward, growing exponentially larger with each pass. We aim to be that central point.
Spiral Times.............................................................................................1 Listerectomy With Dr. Cornelious Simon.................................................2 Spiral Files...............................................................................................5 Required Reading ...................................................................................7 On Vegetarianism .................................................................................10 Record Reviews ....................................................................................13 Recipes .................................................................................................15 Poetry / Creative Writing .......................................................................18 EDITORS Matt McCarthy Katherine Quinn Adam Caires Rich Ferrell
PUBLISHING Matt McCarthy Jarrod Delong
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rich Ferrell Sarah Lamothe Adam Caires Jarrod Delong Katherine Quinn Holly O’Blenis
CONTACT US GRAPHIC DESIGN Jarrod Delong
Website: http://columns.spiralcollective.org Email: columns@spiralcollective.org
COVER ART Posie Ortiz Ferrell
ILLUSTRATIONS & PHOTOS Jenna Lemieux Sarah Lamothe Danielle Leone
Postal Mail: Spiral Attn: Columns Zine PO Box 725 Lowell, MA 01853
Spiral Times August 2009 By Rich Ferrell This is pretty exciting. For the first time ever, we have things to report! Spiral began in early April of this year as an attempt for a group of local artists and ne’er-do-wells to create a sense of community and shared purpose among various stripes of local creative people. It has been, to shamelessly blow our own horn, a smashing success. In mid-July, we hosted our first event at the 119 Gallery on Chelmsford Street in Lowell. The show featured two local bands, Bar Sinister (containing two Spiral folk), and Short Fuse Burning. We also had live art by Spiral member Corey Felt (see this months’ Spiral Files for more on him). The walls were covered in art by Spiral folks; there was a bake sale, spin art, and materials to make artist trading cards (a project of Spiral member Amelia, called SiCArT). Basically, it was a multi-media freefor-all. I mean, it was literally free. Anyway, that’s where our involvement ended. The community picked it up from there; the event was extremely well attended… well past any of our wildest expectations. It was so gratifying to see such a sizable piece of the Lowell community, artists and nonartists alike, out for a night of people, tunes, interactive art, and cupcakes. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the 119 Gallery, as well as every single person who came out. It took the hope that we already had in the local artistic community and multiplied it tenfold. Bolstered by our initial success, we also had a strong presence at Lowell Folk Fest ’09. On Friday, we had tables set up at both Brew’d Awakening and Life Alive with all the supplies needed to make artist trading cards. Having personally manned the Brew’d table, I can tell you that the response from the community was overwhelmingly positive. People made well over 100 artist trading cards, and were encouraged to trade them for one that we had already. (Sharing is caring. Artists are trading). We then took all the cards we had received and staged a scavenger hunt around the city of Lowell on Saturday. Despite the extreme heat and the long hours, the event was yet another success, and we are deeply indebted to the Lowellians and out-of-towners who took such an active interest in our attempts to bring art down from its 1
JL ivory tower and to the masses. O u r monthly magazine, Columns, of which this is the third issue, has also been successful beyond our most optimistic expectations. We have had an incredibly positive response from the community, people have emailed us, and even approached us in person to express their interest in Columns. We are humbled and thankful for those comments. We sincerely thank Andy at Brew’d Awakening, Sarah at Life Alive, and Katie at Groovy Grub for hosting Columns. But remember, Columns is also available online for free viewing and download at http://columns.spiralcollective.org. As always, I’ll take this moment to remind you all that Columns takes submissions of pretty much any format (if you have questions, though, email info@spiralcollective.org). We are actively seeking submissions of writing and art for future issues. Let’s make this thing a success and help keep the spirit of noncompetitive art alive and well in Lowell! Finally, we have our second event coming up in September. It will likely be held in downtown Lowell. We have a few different possibilities for venues and lineups, but expect it to be similar in spirit and multimedia content to our first event at the 119. Look out around town for fliers when we get things smoothed out. Also, if you’re a Facebooker (which I think the entire world besides me is) then you’ll be getting notified on the web, I’m sure. We should have a website up and running soon where all information on past and future shows will be posted, but until then, feel free to email info@spiralcollective.org for all the most upto-date information. Until next issue, keep it real. Make art. Take art. Be creative. Be bold. Think for yourself. And don’t let the bastards grind you down.
Listerectomy With Dr. Cornelious Simon The three best and worst things to wake up to:
Theresa Warburton:
Theo (last name omitted):
(+) Being in my own bed, alone No phone calls or texts, ingoing or outgoing, on my phone No work (--) World hunger Rude people Winter
(+) Thunderstorms Fresh air Back rub (--) Being cold Having to pee Lawn mowing/people caring for their lawns
Jeanette Renault-Caragianes: Josh Cerretti:
(+) Coffee smell Soft Rock/Smooth Jazz A gentle caress (--) Fluids on my face Alarm clock Someone else being in the bathroom
(+) Meat smell Weed smell Coffee smell (--) Sledge Hammer by Peter Gabriel (plus being hit with a towel) Cats the musical on VHS Being asked for a cigarette 2
Angel Perez:
(--) Neighbors dog barking Sister rummaging through my stuff Falling asleep on my arm the night before and waking up to find it numb/cramped April Dufresne:
(+) Cash money Beautiful woman Having a little baby girl running around the house (Grandchild?) (--) Being broke Ugly woman Work
(+) Not waking to an alarm The smell of bacon Drinking hard the night before and expecting a hangover, but then not having one (--) Boss calling because I’m late Domestic dispute between my neighbors Being next to someone you don’t know (at all) Nancy Crocker:
Linda Thanch:
(+) Mom’s cooking smells Sleeping until no more sleep could happen even if I tried Totally plans-free Day 3
(+) The quiet and the sun Good coffee Reading the obituary and not knowing anyone (--) Waking up late Morning arthritis Old people who Act old
JL
Dr. Cornelius Simon:
(+) Head A mixture of concerned, smiling, and laughing faces looming over me The afternoon (--) Reggetone Postnasal drip Falcon attack
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Spiral Files: 001 / Felt, Corey (Alias “writous”)
Name: Corey Felt Age: 26 Sign: Leo Lowell native or emigrant: Emigrant. Lawrence bred. Status: Active, under surveillance. Here is a transcript of the conversation we had. It should aid you fine, upstanding citizens in avoiding such a shady character. DB: So, What kind of art do you do?
Agent Donovan Bilgewater here. I’ve been assigned by Central Command to keep tabs on a group of local malcontents and ne’er-do-wells known as Spiral. They’ve been known to participate in such radical activities as “sharing” and/or “caring”. As such, they are considered a distinct danger to the status quo. I’ve been in deep cover, infiltrating their group and gathering information through surveillance and direct contact. I present this information to you so that you are able to identify these folks in your own community. They are under the criminal delusion that they can change the world with their art. What a buncha pinko commies, eh? I first met Corey Felt, AKA “writous” about five months ago, when I was sitting outside of Brew’d Awakening, testing out my disguise. This guy’s in it pretty deep. The file on him reads like the goddamn Communist Manifesto. He’s involved in all kinds of subversive activities, like live painting and making flyers for hip hop shows. I must’ve been pretty convincing, ‘cause I got him to spill the beans on some prime information concerning Spiral. This information is declassified for your sake. Use it well.
CF: I paint, although I almost never sketch. And I do most of it live, usually using acrylic and paint marker. I recently heard someone call my stuff abstract geometry. I use bold colors and outlines much like the aesthetic of graffiti. I’m also, or at least I consider myself to be, the lead designer for Leedz Edutainment, a hip hop promotion company in Boston. Recently, I’ve been collaging a lot, and am attempting to find a good 365 day project. I also have an artist collaborative with fellow Spiral member Rick Stec called Goiter Breath. Finally, I am in the only two man deejay and producer / artist crew ever with Emoh Betta, called gracie.law. DB: What do you do for work? CF: I’m a youth counselor at a pre-independant living program for D.C.F. and homeless teens here in Lowell. DB: What's your favorite Lowell hangout? CF: Brew’d Awakening. 119 Gallery. The Worthen. DB: What do you do with your free time? CF: Sounds real art faggy, but I try to spend as much time doing artsy stuff as possible. I usually try to surround myself with my friends too, eating out or barring multiple times a week. DB: Where are we most likely to run into you?
CF: I usually go to at least one hip hop show a -Agent Donovan Bilgewater, Anti-Art Central Com- week. I’m that weirdo kid in the corner next to one or two other weirdo kids. mand, Earth’s Core. 5
DB: Who's your favorite local artist? CF: I’ve admired Eyeformations work for a while now. Even though Mike Daily is a friend, I love his work. I also enjoy catching random AVES and ASTO tags. Nabo Rawk isn’t from Lowell, but he might as well be, and is one of my favorite emcees.
antsy and irritable. As for my artwork, it’s mostly inspired by social politics and social commentary. I like being around decent people who care about things. One of my favorite things is seeing people I like in their element, expressing themselves. It’s one of the reasons I dig Spiral. I get to see that almost on a weekly basis.
CF: I promote ARTBEAT!, the only all ages and free hip hop / live art night in Massachusetts. It’s at the 119 gallery on Chelmsford Street, on the last Tuesday of every month. Also, look for me digitally at myspace.com/writous, but I don’t get around to updating much lately.
So there you have it. Printed above is the only photo I have of Mr. Felt, stolen from Spiral’s own archives. I hope this has helped you recognize the perpetrators of all of this “art” that has been throwing a monkey wrench, or should I say, a “hammer and sickle”, into the lives of regular folks like you and me. All I can say is that it’s too bad that Ronnie isn’t still in charge. Back in those days we’d have these hepcats on a one way trip to Guantanamo.
DB: What's your favorite food?
Say no to art,
CF: Burgers.
DB.
DB: Where can we look for your art?
DB: What are some books you enjoy? JL
CF: The Seventh Octave and She by Saul Williams. DB: And some records you really dig? CF: The last P.O.S. record, "Never Better", is my favorite album of the year so far. I also recently did a show with this guy Ceschi. The album he put out a few years back, called "They Hate Francisco False", is incredible. The "God Loves Ugly" album by Atmosphere earthquaked my world. And if you have never checked out Cannibal Ox's "Cold Vein", murder yourself. DB: Beer or wine? CF: Beer. I don’t even care if it’s malt. DB: Alright Corey, this has been most helpful. Could you briefly describe your feelings on Spiral and tell me a little about what makes you tick in general? CF: I don’t know why I do what I do, I just know that I have to do it. And if I don’t, I get real anxious and 6
Required Reading By Rich Ferrell I figured that since the first two issues of Columns featured movie reviews, record reviews, and restaurant reviews, it would be only fair for me to represent those transcendent little things around which I base much of my life: books. We live in an age when the reading of books outside of academic situations is in steep decline. I find this to be both socially problematic and personally offensive. There are a near infinite number of thoughts, ideas, whole worlds, to be found in the many books scattered around. In this column I, and eventually my fellow Spiralers, will try, on a monthly basis, to point some of them out to you. I will try to give equal representation to different genres, both fiction and non-fiction, but understand that my selections will necessarily be skewed towards my interests. If you are aware of any books you believe should be “required reading”, please let me know at rich@spiralcollective.org. Without further ado, I will start with two books which I believe everyone, and I mean everyone, should read. They are books that have influenced me greatly, books that I love. One
7
is a historical work of non-fiction by Boston University professor emeritus Howard Zinn, and the other is the first collection of poetry penned by the “poet laureate of skid row”, Charles Bukowski. I can’t think of two more different books, and I greatly hope that one or both of them appeal to you as they have to me. A People’s History of the United States: 1492-Present By Howard Zinn Harper & Row, 1980. There are many books that I love, but there are very few that I can say with absolutely no reservation “changed my life”. This is one of them. I have been a student of history for nearly a decade now, and I was very fortunate to read this book near the beginning of that time. I have read it cover to cover three times since then, taking something new from it each time. It shaped the direction of my education in profound ways. I know what you may be thinking: “history is dull, I can’t possibly read 600 pages worth of historical scholarship, it’s just a collection of names and dates.” I can understand all of that. Even though I am a person who can slog through the driest historical tomes with only minor suffering, I can get bored. But I assure you, this book was one of the most engaging books I have ever read, historical or not. The beauty of A People’s History is that it is at once both simple and revolutionary, both succinct and expansive. It is the story of America, from the landing of Columbus in The Bahamas to the War on Terror, told like you’ve probably never heard it. The narrative proceeds linearly, but jumps around from topic to topic between chapters, detailing the experiences of those typically left out of history: American Indians, African Americans, immigrants, women, workers… the people. Professor Zinn has an unreserved compassion for the struggles of the poor against the interests of money and power. Zinn was one of the earliest to write history in this way, and he has done it the best. Zinn is a Marxist in the classic sense; i.e., he sees history as driven by the conflict between labor and capital, and this is obvious from his choice of topics. In fact, one of the main theses of the book is that the American government, with all
of its various power structures, was initially, and continues to be set up in order to protect and promote the interests of the moneyed elite. He fearlessly tells the stories that many Americans are content not to remember: the genocide enacted upon the many native American cultures by European settlers, the systematic oppression of African Americans, both during and after slavery, the bloody battles between striking workers and National Guardsmen in which innocent citizens are gunned down. And yet, for all the depressing subject matter, Zinn’s aim is not to incite Americans to feel shame for their collective past; rather, it is to point out ways in which things can be changed in order to promote peace, harmony, and general welfare. Zinn argues that historically, the United States has not had a wonderful track record for providing these things, and indeed is not necessarily interested in such things, particularly if one is not a white landowner. Each time I read this important book, I am filled with indignation and sadness. Zinn’s empathy and ability to tell history “from the ground up” are phenomenal. But more than indignation and sadness, I feel committed to learning more, being more compassionate, and being more deeply attuned to the way that this place I love, the country of my birth, can be improved for the common good. Love Is A Dog From Hell By Charles Bukowski Orginally publication 1977, Black Sparrow Press. Newest Edition 2007, HarperCollins.
Howard Zinn
Poetry. That’s right, poetry. Even among the wannabe-intellectual circles I move in, it is not a popular genre. Some people I know write it… but read it? Poetry usually sticks in our minds as an irritating memory of high school coercion and the mindless repetition of words like “simile”, “metaphor”, and “onomatopoeia”. Well, I assure you, this isn’t your grandmother’s poetry. They don’t teach it in high school, they barely teach it in college, and almost nobody has bothered to write criticism about it. Yet, I regard it to be one of the finest volumes of American poetry ever written—a piece of down-and-out, everyman Americana that speaks volumes, whether or not you identify with the lifestyle Bukowski describes. I can say, with a decent amount of confidence, that even if you don’t consider yourself a 8
poetry fan, you will enjoy this collection. For one thing, there is profanity. Forget the flowery language of Dickinson, Poe, and the rest you were brought up on. Bukowski speaks plainly at all times. He doesn’t concern himself with complicated poetic devices, and often even completely forgoes the meat and potatoes of the poetry world: simile and metaphor. His diction is as stark, dirty, unyielding, and American as the barroom floor on which it was written. Think a tipsier, less pretentious Hemingway. Bukowski somehow manages to get away with gems like: you're a beast, she said / your big white belly / and those hairy feet. / you never cut your nails / and you have fat hands / paws like a cat / your bright red nose / and the biggest balls / I've ever seen.
the beer. / the phone has only rung once: / wrong number.
But for all Buk’s ability to blend self-deprecating wit with melancholy and existential philosophy, I think the thing I like most about him is that he seems real to me. I am an avid reader and writer of poetry, and I feel that a great deal of it takes itself much too seriously, isn’t in on the joke. Many of my friends who dislike poetry list this as a reason. Well, Bukowski tells it like it is. Sure some of his stories were exaggerated. Did he drink as much and sleep with as many women as he claims? Probably not. But he manages to describe, with laudable candor and unpretentious, unselfconscious poetry, the condition of the American Dream for those who didn’t quite realize it. Most poets can’t do that. Buk knew. In “To The Whore Who Took My Poems” he wrote:
But even for his lyrical simplicity, (and outthere'll always be money and whores and drunkards / down right bawdiness) Bukowski is capable of rendering to the last bomb, / but as God said, / crossing his legs, / I see crushing existential truths in a way that is accessi- where I have made plenty of poets / but not so very much / ble to the least snobby amongst us. In fact, he poetry once wrote that “genius might be the ability to say profound things in simple ways.” He certainly lived by that creed. Take for example these stanzas from “The Crunch”: there is a loneliness in this world so great / that you can see it in the slow movement of / the hands of a clock. / people so tired / mutilated / either by love or no love. / people just are not good to each other / one on one. / the rich are not good to the rich / the poor are not good to the poor. / we are afraid. / our educational system tells us / that we can all be / big-ass winners. / it hasn't told us / about the gutters / or the suicides. / or the terror of one person / aching in one place / alone / untouched / unspoken to / watering a plant. / people are not good to each other. / people are not good to each other. / people are not good to each other. / I suppose they never will be. / I don't ask them to be. / but sometimes I think about / it.
Here we see Bukowski’s unique ability to blend both societal and existential themes into an accessible and moving piece. There are 160 poems in Love is a Dog from Hell, and many of them treat similar existential themes. Yet, Bukowski also has a demented and self-deprecating sense of humor that winds it’s way through the four “chapters” of the book, each with it’s own loose theme. For example, the last stanzas of “For Al—“ are: I have smoked 25 cigarettes tonight / and you know about
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Charles Bukowski
On Vegetarianism: A Historical and Ethical Defense of Compassion By Rich Ferrell Chances are you know somebody who is vegetarian. Far from being the radical fringe movement that vegetarianism has been at certain times in history, it is now a lifestyle choice with increasing mainstream representation in America. Still, vegetarians are a distinct minority, and often face difficulty following their dietary preferences in a society that attaches a great deal of cultural and economic importance to eating meat. I am myself vegetarian, and have spent a great deal of time thinking and reading about what the implications of such a choice are, whether moral, ethical, economic, health-related, or just plain personal. I have remained a vegetarian despite what I consider to be the problematic nature of rigid moralities, as well as my own doubt that it makes much of a difference to anybody but me. Additionally, history offers compelling reasons as to why the domination of animals is necessary to the “success” of humans. Nonetheless, I believe that vegetarianism is a good choice to make and one that I passively encourage others to make as well. This article is intended to explain why I chose vegetarianism, and to address some of the questions one encounters in making such a choice. I have been vegetarian for nearly a decade, starting when I was 17 and was influenced by my involvement in the DIY punk community as well as the timely intervention of certain teachers at my high school. At first, I wanted to be vegetarian solely because it seemed like a way to reconcile my fundamentally compassionate and non-anthropocentric worldview with daily life. I had many friends who were vegetarian, and my 10th grade history teacher, Mr. Bellcourt, gave me some PETA videos documenting slaughterhouse conditions. After that stomach-turning experience, I was only too happy to give up meat, first phasing out red meat, then white, then dairy, then everything down to wearing leather. Like many 17 year olds, I had a moralistic zeal about my choices that enabled me to view myself as being “good” for not eating meat, and everyone else as “bad”. Bloodmouths, I called them. I wore t-shirts with vegan slogans. My ’89 GMC Jimmy was covered with “Meat Is Murder” stickers. And so on. It was easy for me to maintain
this simplistic view because almost all of my friends were also vegetarians, so in moments of doubt (I distinctly remember one such moment involving a stoned 2 AM viewing of a KFC Popcorn Chicken commercial) there was at least the comfort of solidarity. But as I grew older, many of my friends resumed eating meat, proclaiming that it was “just too hard” or that they “just wanted to eat it.” At the time I was very angry, because I didn’t want to give up, and felt it was a personal betrayal. But most of all, somewhere in the back of my head I worried that without that sense of solidarity and shared mission, I too would lack the motivation to live up to my high-falluting ethics. As it turns out, my motivation stayed, but I realized that I had to really examine my beliefs and come up with reasons for being vegetarian besides “it’s what good punks ought to do,” or “hey, animals are people too.” And so began a great deal of soul searching and selfeducation, catalyzed especially by my constantly having to defend my choices to people (and to be informed enough to be convincing). What I discovered was that I had all kinds of reasons to be vegetarian: ethical, economic, medical, and personal. But as you will see, my reasoning was eventually complicated as my views on the subject became more informed and more complex. There is, to me, a compelling ethical reason to be vegetarian, and it is the reason that I will focus on here. I concede that ethics are intensely personal, rooted in socialization, education, ideology, etc. That said, I realized as a teenager that I placed a high value on life in general. Reasoning from that, I wondered why we should have any more justification to kill animals for food or clothing than to kill people for the same reason. To paraphrase, a life is a life. This also extended from my rejection of God myths and organized religion. Many of the arguments I heard for why we should eat meat centered around the idea that God put animals on the earth for us to use, to dominate, to eat. Since I don’t believe in God, I rejected then, and continue to reject now, the idea that animals are here for us to do with as we please. I have an ethical objection to the idea that we should have the right to subjugate and oppress animals; I believe that the highest expression of humanity is respect and cooperation. And I believe that animal life is no less intrinsically valuable than human life. 10
It’s only a difference of a few chromosomes. Another common objection to vegetarianism was the idea of the “food chain” that humans are supposedly at the top of. The argument goes that since we are the strongest and most able hunters on the planet, we have the right to kill and eat animals. After all, if they could, they would kill and eat us. To paraphrase, might makes right. I rejected this argument too, on the grounds that along with our intelligence, strength, and considerable resourcefulness, we have evolved self-awareness, conscience, morality, introspection. This separates us from non-human animals, yes, but also gives us the tools to be compassionate and pacific. To paraphrase, with great power comes great responsibility. As you can see, ethically, I was on solid ground. But when I was 21, someone said something to me that shook my beliefs to the core. That person was Chad Montrie, a history professor at UMass, and someone I greatly respect for his social conscience, his radical politics, and his compassionate worldview. These things I share in common with him, but not vegetarianism. As will happen, we got into a light-hearted debate about the subject while at a history department party in 2004. After a few exchanges of views, he commented: “why wouldn’t I eat meat? It’s my biological inheritance.” Of course, I immediately countered with my “great power, great responsibility” speech, as his comment smacked of the “food chain” argument. Only later did I actually think about what he had meant. The idea of “biological inheritance” led me to what I consider to be one of the great sticky spots about being a vegetarian. And sticky it is. Professor Montrie was implying that because humans all throughout history had eaten meat, in fact needed to eat meat for survival, that it was a part of who we are, as key to human identity as breathing air. About 10,000 years ago, when human beings started to settle down in villages and transition from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to one of sedentary farming and livestock husbandry, they were unwittingly starting a chain of events that would lead to modern industrial societies. Exploitation of animals was absolutely key to the “progress” of what we now call “civilization.” And even before that, animal exploitation was even baser; huntergatherers used animals only for meat and clothing, 11
not utilizing their muscle or milk, and leaving leftovers to rot. There are two different books that greatly influenced my thinking on this subject, one being Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, and the other being Alfred Crosby’s Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900. Dealing with the very foundations of human civilization, Crosby writes: The Old World Neolithic Revolution, for all its dazzling advances in metallurgy, the arts, writing, politics, and city life, was at its base a matter of the direct control and exploitation of many species for the sake of one: Homo sapiens . . . We— you who read and I who write this sentence—are part of that continuity.
There’s Professor Montrie’s inheritance. We are part of a society that was built through the utilization of animals for food, transport, power, and battle. But that’s not all. Thinking about how our distant ancestors had little choice but to utilize animals to improve their lot in life—indeed, to lay the building blocks of technological and cultural innovation—I was led to another realization. I am able to make the choice to be vegetarian because of the society I live in. Industrial democracy, which guarantees us just enough freedom to prevent us from revolting, and market capitalism, which supports a food industry that divorces us from providing food for ourselves, have empowered me to not eat meat. People at other times and in other places on the globe have not had this option, no matter how ethically troubled they felt about the assumption that animals are there to be used (though, when meat is a necessity for bare survival, it usually precludes the possibility of widespread ideologies that limit its consumption). As a modern American, who buys products at stores, keeps no livestock, rides no horses, and is allergic to them anyway, I not only don’t have to eat meat, I also have to be nowhere near the animals I profess to feel compassion for. The conundrum is, then, that I am empowered to make the choice to be vegetarian by a society that had its causal roots in the exploitation of animals. Isn’t a member of that society implicit in that exploitation, no matter how much time has elapsed? What right do I have to moralize about
the treatment of animals when my world was built on their backs? When no matter what choices one makes, capitalism doesn’t allow a completely cruelty free lifestyle? How does one escape hypocrisy? The defeatist in me says, “one can’t. One must simply do what one feels is right, regardless of conflicts of interest.” And on moral grounds, that is enough to be going forward with. But as someone who obsesses about the possibility of straying into hypocrisy, I need a little bit more substance in my argument than just stating that the argument is irrelevant. And so I required myself to figure out the ultimate reason that I continued to be vegetarian, while also having a fully-formed argument against doing so. After more thinking and more reading, I started to see the question in an evolutionary light. As I mentioned earlier, I believe that one of the reasons people ought not to eat meat is because evolution has endowed them with a level of awareness and conscience that non-human animals do not possess. I began to wonder a few years ago, if society didn’t also represent a sort of “evolution.” At different points in the development of human societies, we have relied on different resources to propel that development. For example, early industry was powered by wind and water. With technological advances and more complex societies, it was powered by steam produced by wood and coal. Later, electricity. Even later, nuclear power. And each time there was a transition between a previous way of doing things, the old way was slowly scaled back, or discarded outright. I started to wonder if the same shouldn’t apply for food resources. As I’ve mentioned, there was a time when it was a necessity that humans ate meat, and that much of the development of modern society was
fueled by the domination of animals. Well, now that that level of society has been reached—a level that permits individuals to safely abandon meat consumption if they so chose—why not do so? It is especially pressing now, since the capitalistic society that has allowed the option of compassion has also turned the consumption of meat into a big business that is wasteful and cruel. Though I would argue that there is no “compassionate” way of killing (which is why I think so-called “free-range” meat is silly*), one has to admit that the conditions of modern factory farms are deplorable. What’s more, the amount of grain used to feed beef and dairy cows is incredibly large… and that grain, or at least the huge amounts of land needed to grow it, could be used to feed undernourished peoples around the globe. So, not only has our modern society allowed us to choose not to eat meat, it has divorced meat eating from a personal relationship between hunter and food and rendered it a huge, impersonal business with profit as its main aim. In this light, I am more than comfortable to remain vegetarian, and my anxiety over the possibility of hypocrisy melts away. I hope that this article has done two things: one, to show that vegetarians consider alternatives and think very deeply about their choices; and two, to make you consider vegetarianism as a choice. It is fraught with moral ambiguity, but in the final analysis, if enough of us made the choice, the world would be a better place. Until then, I will continue my dirty, tree-hugging ways. *Katherine Quinn informs me that the only requirement for calling meat or eggs “free-range” is that the animal spend two hours per day outside. Hence my use of the modifier “so-called”. 12
Record Reviews By Jarrod Delong Celan Halo CD
crescendo, not only in volume but also in instrumentation and intensity. You can hear faint bass guitar that gradually grows and blends with piano and atmospheric sounds. The drums kick in around seven minutes in, and from there until minute twelve, it builds and finally culminates, putting a fitting end to an incredible record. Celan is so far under the radar right now, especially in the US, that it’s hard to even find a copy of the album if you want to buy it. As it is, it’s currently only released by a German label called Exile on Mainstream. You can definitely find a copy to download if you search for it, though a US release is slated for September 1st. The band has tour dates lined up through September and October in Europe only, so let’s hope they make it to The States next year. Currently, Spencer and Meyers are working on the soundtrack to a French hardcore gore film called La Mute. But keep an eye out for this album if you like heavy music in the vein of Unsane, Neurosis, Isis, Envy, Oxbow, Big Business, etc.
Celan is a musical collaboration that spans genres and continents. The band is fronted by Chris Spencer, who is most notably the man behind the long-running noise/rock band Unsane. In early 2008, Spencer met up with Ari Benjamin Meyers (Einstürzende Neubauten, Redux Orchestra) at a bar in Berlin. The collaboration between a noise/rock pioneer and a classically trained composer eventually evolved and took on Philipp Körner and Xavi Thiem on bass and drums, both former members of Germany’s own technical hardcore/metal innovators, flu.ID. They also found another guitarist in Oxbow’s Niko Wenner to complete this astounding line up. When I first heard about Celan, of all the members involced, I only really knew Spencer’s work, having http://www.myspace.com/celanband been an avid fan of Unsane and The Cutthoats 9 http://www.mainstreamrecords.de/ for years. I also saw Oxbow once, and had heard a couple of their records, but wasn’t particularly familiar with their music. On the first listen, a group of children chanting leads into Spencer’s raspy yelling which I know all too well. I figured this might just be another Unsane carbon copy at that point. However, as I got into the song, it was already more thought out than your run of the mill Unsane track. I knew then that this was going to be something different… something that I felt very compelled to keep listening to. While certain songs have more influence from one member or another (“One Minute” could be an Unsane song, and “Weigh Tag” sounds more like flu.ID’s work), most of the songs are a solid representation of each members’ strongest points. Meyers adds textural elements and well-thought-out composition to reinforce the heaviness of the rhythm section, gristly guitars, and powerful vocals. The closing track, “Lunchbox”, is an almost thirteen minute 13
John Vanderslice Romanian Names CD/LP
It’s not easy to categorize John Vanderslice’s music, which is a testament to good song writing. For those not familiar with this man, he’s a singer/songwriter from Gainesville, FL. His first album, Mass Suicide Occult Figurines (a line taken from Neutral Milk Hotel’s “Song Against Sex”), was released in 2000 by Barsuk records. Since then he’s been fairly busy recording and releasing new material; Romanian Names is his seventh full-length album in just nine years. This album opens with a catchy tune called “Tremble and Tear”. It immediately draws you in with an arrangement of upbeat acoustic guitar and percussion under a harmonized falsetto. It’s just the kind of song that is intriguing enough to get a first-time listener to keep it playing through to the next song. His usual style of narrative lyrical content layered over sparse instrumentation is ever-present on this album. His songs possess a kind of strange beauty that is best heard and not described. The second track, “Fetal Horses”, offers the beauty I’m talking about, in the way he can sing a chorus of “Fetal horses gallop in the womb / Seeing corpses in the room” with a simple piano melody laced into the soundscape, and make it sound surreal and graceful without being uncomfortable. He has a talent for that style of writing. The first time I listened to this album in its entirety, I was wandering around the hallways of a hospital on a rainy Tuesday afternoon, waiting to hear from somebody that my girlfriend was out of surgery. The songs all seemed to resonate within me and each took meaning of their own in that atmosphere. I remember that the more etherealsounding songs such as “Too Much Time” and “Oblivion” stuck out to me at the time. “Too Much Time” shows off the simpler style that Vanderslice can employ. The chorus is a subtle melody with lyrics such as “I've got too much time; Too much
time gone by and I can't find you if I tried”. While I say it stuck out to me at the time, it’s definitely not an album that confines itself to one mood. It may have been great to me on a rainy day at the hospital, but it’s also great on a sunny day driving around in my car.
The album’s title track is the only one that is stripped down to just acoustic guitar and vocals. It’s a short, sweet song that demonstrates Vanderslice’s ability to do what he does on the other tracks with vast instrumentation, with just one acoustic instrument. My favorites of this record are “Too Much Time”, “Fetal Horses”, and “Carina Constellation”. Having only started listening to John Vanderslice last year, I hadn’t heard all of his material, so I didn’t have much to compare this record to. But I’ve since listened to every one of his albums in depth. My favorite of his albums is, by far, 2004’s Cellar Door. However, I still hold Romanian Names in high regard, despite its flaws, and it is as good or better than many of his part releases. If nothing else, it definitely has a feel of its own. http://www.johnvanderslice.com/ http://www.deadoceans.com
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Strawberry-Rhubarb Frisbee Pie By Sarah Lamothe This pie requires no pie dish but it does require all fruit to be in season! And honestly, this pie tastes its best in the middle of the summer heat. I first had rhubarb when I was very small at my babysitter’s house. She grew it along the side of her garage and we would eat it raw and dipped in sugar. For me, the flavors of this dish bring instant memories of being nine in the summertime. Ingredients: Filling: 2 cups strawberries cut into ½ inch slices 2 cups rhubarb cut into ½ inch slices ½ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ cup raw brown sugar Dough: 2 ¼ cups flour ¾ cups fine raw sugar ¾ cup margarine (1 ½ sticks) Dash of salt ¼ cup water Make the dough first Take away 2 tbs of margarine and place it into the smaller dish to be melted later and brushed onto the crust. In a large bowl cut the larger mass of margarine with the sugar and salt until well incorporated. Add the flour and begin rubbing the mixture together with your fingers until it creates a crumble. Add ¼ cup water and knead into the dough until it stays together. Wrap dough in the parchment paper, bringing the all sides together and tying to make a little airtight package. Freeze for 15 minutes. Take out of the freezer and let stand for a minute. Preheat your oven to 375 Slice your berries and barb and then toss with sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough out into a 14” circle, trying to be as even as possible! Roll the circle onto your pin and then roll back out onto 15
a non stick baking sheet. Spoon the fruit mixture into the center of the dough, leaving a 3” border. Fold pastry over the fruit, pleating along the way. In the end you should have a disk about 7” across with about a 3” circle of fruit showing in the middle. Melt those 2 tbs of margarine and brush over pastry edges. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, pastry should be golden and fruit should be bubbly. Cool for at least thirty minutes; the longer you wait, the easier it will be to transfer. Cut into wedges with a large chef’s knife or a pizza cutter and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Yum!
Ratatouille By Sarah Lamothe September marks the end of the harvest. Our favorite summer veggies lose their luster after this month, and although mega-markets have made it possible to get fresh produce all year round, it is often out of season and nowhere near as decadent as it is now. This is a special time for vegetable gardeners; it is when they have so many vegetables that they are leaving them on doorsteps, ringing the bell, and running away. It is a time for canning, jelly making, sauce making (to freeze), and also a time of generous sharing. Ratatouille is the perfect dish for this time of year; it combines the best of late summer’s produce and makes enough for a large group. It is basically braised vegetables in a thin tomato sauce and can be served as a side dish, with warm bread, over pasta, or over basmati rice, as I prefer. Most ratatouille recipes call for several pans, an hour in the oven, and a slow simmered tomato sauce. Well I am hot and lazy, and you are too. So make it all in one big skillet like I am, and in about ½ hour. I like this over rice in the summer because I can use my little cheapo rice cooker and it adds no heat to my home. Not to mention the fact that I don’t have to watch the rice, which is great since the veggies will be taking up all of my attention.
Ingredients: 1 lb. tomatoes, any kind 6 cloves of garlic, minced 1 lb. eggplant 2 medium onions 1 lb zucchinis ¼ cup peanut oil 1 tbs salt 1 cup veggie stock Dashes of thyme, oregano, and basil A dash of Bragg’s soy sauce Red pepper flakes (optional) One can of white beans (optional) to add at the end as a protein.
Apple crisp By Katherine Quinn This is something that everyone should have in their recipe holster. It is super easy to make and is one of the comfiest comfort foods around. It is also really open to variations. Don’t have apples but have a ton of peaches, pears or plums? Bam! it’s a peach, pear or plum crisp! Apple mixture:
3 pounds apples - I like to do a mix of Granny Smith and Macintosh but feel free to use whatever kind you like. It is nice to get some tartness, so use a few Granny Smith with whatever else you use. Cut all vegetables into 1 ½ inch cubes, keep them 2 tablespoons lemon juice separate. 1/2 cup brown sugar In a colander, salt the eggplant pieces and leave 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon them to sit for ten minutes, then rinse in cold water. 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg In a very large non-stick skillet heat the peanut oil over high heat. We are using peanut oil because it Topping: has a high smoke point and we are going to sear the eggplant and onion on high heat to start this 1/3 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour dish. 1/3 cup sugar When the oil is just shimmering, carefully add the 1/3 cup rolled oats onion and eggplant. 4 tablespoons cold vegan margarine (I like Earth Stir frequently but give the pieces enough time to Balance) caramelize on each side. 1/2 cup chopped walnuts When the eggplant has a nice brown on most sides, add the zucchini and toss. preheat the oven to 375˚. After one minute add the garlic and toss. Sprinkle the tomato pieces over the top of your Peel, core and chop the apples. Add the rest of the mixture and then sprinkle that with a fine dusting apple mixture ingredients and toss together. If of salt. Do not stir. using a stone fruit, remove the stone and chop up Cover and let veggies steam in their own glory for the fruit. one minute. In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar and oats. Reduce heat to medium-low and uncover. Add the veggie stock and spices, including Bragg’s Cut the margarine into small pieces and cut into the flour mixture with 2 forks or a pastry cutter until and red pepper flakes. Stir. Simmer until all the vegetables are tender, about it is crumbly. Stir in the walnuts. ten minutes. The tomatoes should be mostly bro- Lightly grease a 9 inch baking dish, I use an enamken down, the eggplant will be very tender, and the eled cast iron baking dish but if you don’t have that, zucchinis will still have crispness. If adding beans use glass. Dump the apple mixture in, then sprinkle your flour mixture evenly over the top. Bake for 30do so now and enjoy! 45 minutes until the top is lightly browned and the apples are a bit soft. Serve warm or at room temperature as is or with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream. 16
Pesto pasta with summer vegetables By Katherine Quinn
At this point, your water should be boiling. Drop your pasta and cook according to package directions, about 10 minutes.
This is an ideal recipe when you have an abundance of fresh herbs and produce in the sum- Next, toast your walnuts for 5-10 minutes at 350˚, mer. It takes well to variations and all of the veg- stirring once. Or, if it’s too hot for you to even conetables are interchangeable. sider turning the oven on, drop them in a frying pan and dry sauté them for a few minutes. Pesto: Combine the walnuts, basil, garlic and salt in a food 1/2 cup walnuts processor and process while slowly adding your 3 cups of packed basil leaves olive oil. Add your lemon juice and nutritional yeast 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped and pulse until everything is combined. It should 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (the coarser the better) be grainy, not a puree. 1/2 cup good quality olive oil 2 teaspoons lemon juice Once pasta is done, drain it and return to pot. Add 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, optional (or for you lac- the sauteed vegetables with any leftover oil or retophiles, parmesan cheese) leased juices. Add your pesto and toss gently to combine. You do not want to break up the veggies 1 pound of small curly pasta (it holds the pesto bet- too much. Bon appetit! ter than spaghetti or linguine) Veggies: This is really open; use whatever you have around. I like it with thinly sliced zucchini, summer squash and red pepper (get that mandolin slicer out if you’ve got it!), but it would also be great with halved cherry tomatoes (or chopped and seeded large tomatoes), eggplant, broccoli, peas, you name it.Whatever you use, you should end up with about 2 or 3 cups of vegetables (or more if you really love them or really need to use them before they go bad)
Nutritional yeast can be found in gourmet grocery stores (unfortunately, Whole Foods is the only place around here that I’ve seen it) and online. it is a complete protein that also packs in the B complex vitamins. It adds a cheesy, creamy taste to foods. Did your cilantro plant just have a major growth spurt? Do you think that almonds are superior to walnuts? Mix it up! This is a basic recipe that takes well to variations. Just use the proportions and go crazy making up new versions.
In a large pot, bring your water to a boil for the pasta. While that’s happening, slice up your vegetables! If using squash, pepper, or eggplant, slice thinly. anything else, just get them down to bite-sized pieces. After that’s done, heat up some olive oil and butter or margarine in a large pan. Once it is hot, drop your veggies and saute until they are tender. Let them hang out for awhile while everything else comes together.
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Poetry By Adam Caires Mimosa You’re my closest friend The mornings after I’ve Squandered all my courage
Photo by Sarah Lamothe
Security I wonder what the people Who pretend to like me now Will pretend to think of me When all my hair and teeth fall out And my right leg is amputated Just below the knee?
The Humans and the Bees Money Laying on the grass I watched a bee Fly from flower to flower Take one’s pollen Move along No big deal.
What’s more important than money? Almost anything imaginable And if you can imagine it It’s probably for sale
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Advice
Big Sky Country
A woman I once dated Gave me some advice After we threw in the towel
The sky above this farm Is growing a deeper shade of blue With every inch the sun is setting
She said my problem Is that I keep too calm And don’t have ugly outbursts
Now it’s almost completely dark And the sky is very brilliant So I look up and I think I know I’m so much smaller than you What have you got to prove?
She said she knows she loves someone If she loves them when they’re ugly And all this time I’ve been worried about my appearance
Perhaps I’m being harsh Maybe the sky is making amends For a sun planning to set And never rise again It could be true But I somehow still feel slighted
Photo by Sarah Lamothe
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Recipe for Female Joy By Sarah Lamothe Start by loving the little girl you used to be We learn to admire beauty and reflect it upon ourselves Adorn yourself You are the most beautiful living thing in the universe You have the power to shape shift your appearance Know that your rituals are important, balancing, and sacred Do not allow anyone to make you feel as though they aren’t We are the embodiment of creation, so CREATE Again, adorn yourself We are the ultimate givers of life Nourish everything By doing so you nourish yourself Grow plants Grow children; mold them into something you respect Nourish those that are famished Nourish with the food you make with love, intent, and magic Nourish with your laugh Nourish with your art Nourish with your being, your essence, your dance Love men Allow yourself to be vulnerable Acknowledge the power you hold over everyone in your life And be gentle with it Again, love men, they love us more than we can ever know Grow a belly Grow soft curving slopes Be pretty, whatever that means for you Again, Create Create art, rituals, healing soup, and love Create songs you sing alone and songs for your lover Create songs for the one you give thanks to And songs for the dead Wink at grandmothers And flirt with old men Question anyone who attempts to make deci21
sions for you Save a life, at least once Find your totems, and hear them Manifest your destiny Listen to the wind Acknowledge the difference between male and female energy And then love that difference To deny it is to deny your own immense power Give and give and give A woman is an enchanted vessel, never empty of love, hope, creation and wisdom As long as she feeds herself with knowledge Now take, without hesitation, what you have earned Claim yourself Own your decisions Sing a song to the moon For it reflects off of her onto every woman ever made by another woman. Start by loving yourself as a little girl And then never, ever, stop. JL
I’ll Be Waiting By Holly O’Blenis The morning light shines bright, waking my tired eyes as I step outside and look at the sky to the clouds that are painted with a tint of sunshine, and I think that it's beautiful. And I’m sitting here alone and thoughtful, and I’m thinking of a boy who reminds me of an ex-lover. And I’m hoping I’m the one on his mind as well. And I’m not using my heart to make my moves; I’m thinking it through and through and through, for I cannot afford to mess up. And I’m thinking on the bright side of things, but that might only be out of habit. And there's a conversation daydream playing in my mind of how things might play out when the time comes, but it doesn't do me any good. It’s a drag to sit and wonder, but under this sunshine in the midst of everything and into the dark night under the starry sky and pale moonlight... I’ll be waiting.
The Daunthless Damsel & The Darling Dude By Holly O’Blenis Like snow in the summer, she wasn't really prepared for this. In an attempt to look for herself, she found someone else. And she found feeling of adoration and avidity, a heart that skipped beats constantly. A permanent smile, something that was actually worthwhile. A reminder that she was still breathing, something that was not all about leaving. She wanted somebody to have her at hello...but he had her at every hello, hi and hey of every single solitary day. She had been living on her luck and her dreams for so long, but once he came along her heart got jump started, and she finally had a reality. He reminded her of summer and how everything was nothing but pure perfection, and how she was always so careless and free. There's only a few things she's ever tried real hard to hold onto. He tested her, tempted her, teased her...and she trusted him, which was so rare. She decided that for him she would hold on tighter when he's about to drown, pick him up when he's fallen down, and always keep him safe and sound. And she hoped he would always do the same. She had the entire world in the palm of her hand when she was holding his hand. And she loved his smile, the way it collapsed on his lips over
the smallest and simplest things. When the sun was setting, she couldn't wait until the next sunrise so that she could see him again. Soon never came fast enough. She always needed another another glance, another kiss, another touch. She liked how sometimes he would call her princess, and when they were apart it was always him that she would always miss. She would sometimes think about how much the past several months had sent her to hell and back, and everybody who truly knew her could second that. But he didn't have a clue, he never knew all the mishaps and setbacks, and she decided it was best to keep it all hushed. But then all those thoughts got pushed aside, far aside, and then she would smile because she would realize that she was finally getting lifted off of rock bottom, and she was finally getting swept off her feet. She was so lucky, so strong, so proud. So she made a vow to herself that she wouldn't let the mess ups with past lovers let this love get messed up. With the sun going down and there being hardly any sounds, she looked in his eyes and saw such a pretty blue, and that sight was one that she held onto. It was perfect if there ever was such a thing. And she felt perfect sitting next to him. Like a movie stuck on pause in her memory, that scene was kept there. He was looking at her and she was looking at him, and she felt nothing except her heart fill up to the brim with high hopes and happiness. And no longer could she complain, even when it rained. He was her silver lining, her sunshine...no matter how dark and stormy the days became. So there this perfection just dangled in front of her. She could have it if she tried, or she could give up like she's done so many times before. She knew which way to go. But still the questions were locked and loaded and kept pouring out. They asked "Is this what you really want?" She said "I'm in." They asked "What happens if you fail?" She said "I wont, I'll win." They said "But you don't know that. How can you be so sure? Just slow down." She said "Why? I think that we should run as fast as we can into what we don't know." So, she ran. 22
Dollar Store Angels By Rich Ferrell I've been to almost every major city, scanning the crazy faces flooding the busses, searching for some hint of my destiny, some comforting notion of certainty. But I've never-- not once-seen someone who is even a little like me. The closest I've come are more and more dollar store angels with chipped wings and tacky glitter that flakes at the places where glue has been too hastily applied, their tragic-comic grins turned upward to wink at the blank, godless sky that burns like the kiln from whence they came. But even they, with their southern oven-glaze patience, do not approach the stupid comment of my ever macking mouth, my ever brazen brain. The people pass and I judge them, am afraid, am terrified by them, just as they must be of me. I would like one gray rainless day to find myself looking back at me in a shuffling line of people poring over produce. And then I could settle, rest knowing that it was all true, and all certain, and I am written with as much concise surety as yesterday's comings and goings into the stars. The milk already spilt, the papercut already infected, the guilt dawning close after so many mistakes: the layered paper maybes revealing precisely that which we've always known.a
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