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Happy Halloween
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Volume 68, Issue 2
• halloween • horror • BEEF • • om • acid • dogs • diwali • spooky •
Letter From The Editor
THE KNOTHOLE
is the State University of New York College of Environmental Science & Forestry’s exclusive monthly student publication. The contents of the publication include recent and upcoming event coverage, interviews, editorials, opinion articles, political cartoons, artwork, poetry, club announcements, and much more. SUNY-ESF students are able to make submissions at The Knothole office in 12d Bray Hall (BraySpace) or by email at esfknothole@gmail. com before 5:00PM on Fridays the week after Issue meetings. The
Knothole meets every other Friday at 5:30 pm in the basement of Bray Hall. If you are interested in attending, please send us an email at esfknothole@ gmail.com so we can expect you! Co-Managing Editors Gavin Cohen Meg Callaghan Layout & Design Gabrielle Alper Liane DeRosa Conn Fraser Treasurer Hui Lin Editorial Staff Emily Adams Yocasta Pichardo Jennifer Louie Corie Boolukos
Dear Readers, I hope this semester is treating you well. I know it has been pretty hectic here on campus with midterms just over and finals starting to loom in the distance but keep your head on straight and persevere. We have a great issue here for your squishy grey matter to devour. A cross section of the minds of the very brightest on our campus sliced fresh and delivered here on our pages. Juicy morsels of words and sentences (and even some pictures) to quench that hunger growing deep inside you, and yes I know, I have the hunger as well. The ceaseless desire to consume every bit of information, to gobble down any stray fact, to maw on even the slightest of unknowns. Don’t restrain yourself, give in to the urge, become part of the horde. The student horde, the mindless thinkers, we are the future zombies, and this forsaken world will be our hunting grounds. Our kind will flourish, so long as there is more to learn and a universe full of mysteries, our hunger will never die. So have a snack on our new issue. The center spread is on all things festively Autumn, but we have much more. Continuing our tradition from last year Nick has given us the scoop on the best, and worst, horror movies to watch. As well we have the return of a much-loved piece from last time, The College Carnivore, teaching us that we don’t need pumpkins for a festive jack-o-lantern. New to this issue is on our penultimate page, a little interactive fun for ya, try out the Halloween flavored word search. Take a break, you probably deserve it, procrastinate a little with our newest issue and most of all, stay hungry for more knowledge. -Love, Gavin Cohen, Co-managing editor.
Inside Issue #:
he mission of The Knothole is to provide its readers with writings that are both stimulating and contemporary: to inform its students of clubs, events, and off-campus happenings, to challenge a world driven by progress to uncover the truth about current environmental policies and innovations, and to express such ideas, ingeniously and collectively. We are not a newspaper; we are not a magazine; we are not The Daily Orange. We are simply created by Stumpies, for Stumpies... and we like it that way.
In The Know..................................................3 Haloweenie..................................................4 Bringing Hapiness Back................................5 Deeper Thoughts...........................................6 Outlands......................................................7 Spooky Spectacles.....................................8-9 Baby, Its Cold Outside.................................10 Scared Straight............................................11 Mixing Bacon & Style.................................12 Articles Cont’d.......................................13-14 Tricks No Treats...........................................15 Mindspill....................................................16
The views and opinions expressed are those of the writers only and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publication’s staff or anyone affiliated with the State University of New York College of Environmental Science & Forestry.
Cover Photo: Gabrielle Alper, 2014
Advisor Karen Moore
Printer Scotsman Press
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THE KNOTHOLE • Student Life & The Environment
In the Know
Environmental News Meg Callaghan, 2014
Minamata Convention sparks nations to set legally binding measures to curb mercury pollution
On Oct. 10, the United Nations Environmental Program and member nations, meeting in Kumamoto, Japan, adopted the Minamata Convention on Mercury, according to the BBC. The international treaty is designed to protect human and environmental health from anthropogenic, or human-caused, mercury emissions. The convention declares that all signatories must create measures within each country to decrease mercury pollution. Tenants of the treaty include the agreement of phasing out certain commercial products containing mercury by 2020, as well as new regulations on industry. On the day of adoption, 86 countries and the European Union all signed the treaty, while five more countries have signed since then. The treaty will enter into force 90 days after it has been ratified by 50 nations. This treaty is the culmination of four years of international negotiations on mercury pollution.
Federal government shutdown closes slew of science, nature and environmental programs As the United States legislative branch could not come to agreement on this year’s fiscal budget, federal departments have been shut down as of Oct. 1. All “non-essential” positions in those
sent home without pay. While it is most likely that many, if not all, furloughed workers will receive retroactive pay when the shutdown comes to a close, currently some of the hardest hit departments include the Environmental Protection Agency and NASA. Roughly 94 percent of the EPA and 97 percent of NASA’s workforce has been furloughed, according to the New York Times. Other areas closed include the National Parks system and the National Zoo.
Euclid bike lane: renovation possible in future
Current bike lanes on Euclid Ave. dual as parking lanes. Credit: Drew Gamils
departments have been furloughed, or
In Syracuse, talks have been proposed to renovate bicycle lanes on Euclid Avenue. Current bicycle lanes on the street, a major hub between Syracuse University and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry campuses to many students, faculty and staff housing in the University Neighborhood and close by Westcott Neighborhood. Many commuters, including a large number of cyclists, find that the current bicycle lanes are insufficient for the high traffic area. Presently, the bike lanes are mixed with on-street parking. Cycling to work and school has many positive effects, not only on the cyclists’ health, but also in the reduced consumption of fossil fuels by taking an alternative transportation mode than automobiles or buses. Residents and commuters in the area are asked to voice opinions on the issue at hand, communicating to the universities and local government in the area. Public support for renovation must be garnered before any changes will be made.
Mercury polltuion is not only detrimental to our environment, but also to human health. Credit: Cornerstonemag.net
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Halloweenie
Let’s Get Spooky! Cyndi Jacobson, 2017
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o you want to hear a spooky factoid? We are currently closer to the end of this semester than we are to its beginning! This may frighten many of you but be not afraid—you have time to put in some more work! Keep in mind: “all work and no play make Jack a dull boy.” Have you fallen into the same mundane routine, dragging yourself to class each day and moving from homework assignment to lab report like a lifeless zombie? Well there is ample opportunity to add some variety into the mix—with some Halloween activities, of CORPSE (prepare yourself for some wacky and quite frankly, hysterical puns). Haven’t had the time to procure a terrifying Halloween costume yet? “Be yourself. Be someone else. Be
may have for any outfit. Be a pirate. Be Voldemort. Be Heisenberg-be the danger! Secure a Halloween costume and go pull some tricks and get some treats! Impress everyone at a party with your realistic Gandalf costume! Is dressing up not your thing? Not to worry—there are a variety of happy haunts around the Syracuse area WITCH are sure to rattle your bones and send a ghostly shiver down your spine. Haunted houses, trails, and hayrides are available through Halloween and the first weekend of November that appeal to kids, adults, and college students alike. The Abandoned-Canastota Fire Department Haunted House has been running its haunted attraction throughout October, but has one last event on October 31st for the public. For $10 (bringing a canned good gives you a two dollar discount!), you can try your luck with “The Abandoned”. Legend has it that a family of outcasts in the area terrorizes the night, and this haunted center will bring you face-toface with them! The Haunted Forest in Williamstown, NY delivers Also hosting an event to die for. Credit: one final event on http://thehauntedforest- October 31st is the cny.com/ Haunted Forest Halloween attractions center. Located in Williamstown, New York, this spectacle may be a bit of a drive but is well worth it. A walking tour through the forest called “The Dark Harvest,” a haunted hayride, and a bonfire are the three chilling components of this thrilling adwho you want to be,” proclaims Dough- venture, which includes a new “hearse erty’s Masquerade, a Halloween su- ride.” The name suggests the precise perstore just twelve minutes from the nature of this crowd puller, wherein SUNY ESF campus. In this extensive you can pay to take a drive in a hearse. costume coliseum you can find a variety It’s to DIE for. of garments to suit any wacky idea you One more opportunity to scare
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THE KNOTHOLE • Student Life & The Environment
your pants off can be found in the Nightmare Woods of Port Byron. Running through Halloween and until November 2nd, this haunted trail promises to be one of the scariest attractions in Central New York. A percentage of your admission goes towards children battling cancer, and at $10, you’ve got yourself a bargain! Mystery surrounds Syracuse’s Landmark Theater, the premier performing arts center on South Salina Street. While the previously noted Halloween spooks are only available for a few days at the end of this October and the beginning of this November, the supposedly haunted theater is open year-round. There’s thought to be a handful of ghosts who dwell in the historic building, sighted by patrons and thrill-seekers on many occasions. Who knows—maybe investigating into these occurrences could yield your own personal, X-Files-worthy encounter! Keeping in mind that there’s a limited amount of time to get your spooky on this October and November, all of these events will surely shock you, make you shiver, and ensure that you have one of the most strikingly stupefying and phantasmagorical Halloweens ever! For more information on any of the aforementioned locations, please visit: http://www.cfhauntedhouse.com/index.html http://www.doughertys.net/ http://thehauntedforestcny.com/ https://www.facebook.com/portbyron.hauntedwalk?fref=ts&ref=br_tf http://syracusehauntedattractions. blogspot.com/2013/09/nightmarewoods-of-port-byron.html
Bringing Happiness Back
Dog Breed Spotlight: Black and Tan Coonhound Ashley Huehn, 2017
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he Black and Tan Coonhound, first bred in the early 1700s, is a very beautiful breed. Its bold black body is colored orange, or a deep tan, in the legs and muzzle. It’s a strong breed, used primarily for tracking and treeing raccoons. They are characterized by their deep chests, long legs, and long ears that are the same length throughout their lives. High energy and very devoted to their hunting sport, the breed has a tendency to be aloof and seemingly unfriendly to strangers. Because of their aloofness, they aren’t necessarily the best breed to have with children who want a lot of attention from their dog. In terms of being a pet, the Black and Tan makes an excellent house dog. Although stubborn, they are incredibly intelligent and catch on to things very quickly. Like most coonhounds, though, they will test their
handler to see how serious he or she disciplines. They occasionally resort to silliness to get away from having to do any work, and from this, have fit into the “hound dog” stereotype very well. If given enough exercise and a job to do, they are wonderful in the home. However, without the proper exercise, the hound will pace and be somewhat difficult to deal with. They are playful in their puppyhood, but grow out of it as they mature. They require little to no grooming and have few health problems. Doesn’t it just make your heart melt? Image Credit: www.adoggieinthewindow.com (both)
Diwali: A Hindu Holiday Jennifer Louie, 2015
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iwali, the brightest and most colorful of Hindu holidays, is typically celebrated in October or November, depending on the Hindu lunisolar calendar. This year, the five-day festival of lights commences on November 3rd. In ancient India, Diwali was an opportunity to celebrate the last harvest of the year. Although there are various legends associated with the festival across the Indian subcontinent, the common thread among all interpretations of Diwali concerns the victory of good over evil. The festival is filled with bustle: cleaning the home, donning new colorful
clothes, exchanging gifts of sweets and dried fruit, preparing elaborate meals, decorating with fancy lights, and setting off fireworks and firecrackers. Small clay oil-filled lamps illuminate homes and businesses to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth Doors and windows are left open so that Lakshmi can enter the premises. You have a chance to sample Diwali here on campus: The Baobab Society is hosting a Diwali celebration extravaganza on November 2nd, Saturday evening, in Nifkin Lounge. There will be free food, music, crafts, henna, dance performances and more! For more details, follow facebook.com/ TheBaobabSociety for updates.
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Deeper Thoughts
Something to Meditate on: On the Origin of ‘Om’ Emily Adams, 2014
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f you’ve ever taken a yoga class, or you practice meditation, you’ve probably heard ‘Om’. Om is a mantra, which is a word or phrase that is spoken repeatedly to focus and calm the mind. But why that word? What does it mean? If you ask ten different people, you’re likely to get ten very different answers, and this is because the word has a complicated meaning rooted deeply in Hinduism and simply cannot be summed up in just one or two sentences. ‘Om’ (also spelled ‘Aum’) is composed of three sounds: a-u-m, and the theme of ‘three’ is central to the meaning of the word. It represents the three worlds (the earth, the atmosphere, and the heavens), the three major Hindu gods (Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva), and the three sacred Vedic scriptures (Rg,
Sama, and Yajur). Om is essentially the essence of the entire universe, and it is believed that Om is what holds everything together. In the Indian philosophical belief, God first created the sound ‘Om’ and the universe was created from the sound. With the traditional spelling of the mantra: a-u-m, we can see significant meanings in the letters and the sounds they make. The sound that ‘A’ makes in ‘Aum’ occurs in the very back of the throat and is said to include and be included in every sound that a human can produce. ‘A’ also represents the ‘waking state’ in the mind. It lies at the beginning of the meditative journey. ‘U’ symbolizes the ‘dream’ state, which is appropriately between the waking state (‘A’) and the state of
deep sleep, which is represented by ‘M’. The last part of Aum, the ‘M’, is known as the ‘maker’ and causes the mouth to close. This is akin to locking the door to the outside world and reaching a deep state within. Om is more than simply the sum of its parts; it is everything that ever has been, is, and will be. Om is said so that one can be closer to the essence of the universe, to be in tune with all of existence. It is the most sacred sound, and indeed, some Hindus believe that Om is the gods in the form of a sound. Amit Ray, a spiritually enlightened master of meditation, explains in his book Om Chanting and Meditation, that, “Om is not just a sound or vibration. It is not just a symbol. It is the entire cosmos, whatever we can see, touch, hear and feel. Moreover, it is all that is within our perception and all that is be-
See Om, cont’d pg. 13
Uncovering the Truth Beyond Our Skin Cayla Naranjo, 2014
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discussion of culture is an interesting and sensitive one to have. I spent this weekend at the South East Wise Women’s Herbal Conference in Black Mountain, NC. It was a weekend full of insightful discussions and workshops on holistic lifestyle choices. One discussion that took place was one about culture and identity. There were women of all different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds gathered together. A beautiful woman native to Africa named Olatokunboh Obasi was the facilitator. She started the open dialogue on our similarities and differences, which caused several people’s emotions to surface, from pride, joy, and empathy to anger, resentment, jealousy and guilt. Little did I know, there is such tension when it comes to diversity. There were many women that did not know their family’s history. Some women displayed jealousy towards those who knew their history.
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There were women who displayed resentment towards those who have the privilege to travel and find their own niche in a different community aside from their own ethnic background. Two women displayed anger because of how people that are ignorant toward diversity act in their presence; smelling their hair, asking where they are from, or asking when they come to the country. Many white women displayed guilt and apologized for their ancestor’s actions. While this discussion was taking place, there seemed to be underlying racism and inequality happening as well. Resentment, anger and guilt are creating problems in our communities and within our selves. I believe that in order for us to move forward, we have to learn from the past rather than dwell on it. Our country has had a rough history with racism and discrimination, but if we look at where we are today, there has been a significant change.
THE KNOTHOLE • Student Life & The Environment
People from all over the world come to the States and bring their culture with them. We have food, recreational activities and more importantly friends from various countries. I consider it to be a privilege to have grown up in New York City. I spent my youth surround by diversity, which has shaped me to create my own unique identity. I have pulled concepts from different cultures to figure out how I would like to view the world. In this discussion, I learned that it is hard to have a conversation about culture and not have our emotions surface. I learned that it is a very complex topic but it is an important one to have. It is something that is not spoken about often because of the sensitivity that it brings up. We even have a hard time communicating about it properly because we don’t know how to talk about it. We are never
See Skin, cont’d pg. 13
Outlands
Losing the War Against Acid Leah Samson, 2017
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ne of the things I like best about living in the Northeast is the history. There are buildings and graves in select places that are over 400 years old! Wandering among the graves in a cemetery near my home, there are stones marking the final resting place of soldiers who fought in the American Revolution. There are graves from the Civil War to the World Wars and even the war in Iraq. The most notable thing I’ve observed about these gravestones is how difficult it is to read the names and dates that represent the life and death of someone who made my freedom as an American possible. If those men were alive today, they would be aware of the war we’re fighting now. Our enemy’s ammunition is acid. Not the kind that protestors throw in peoples’ faces to permanently disfigure them, but the slow sulfuric acid that is a waste product of coal burning. The soldiers of the Civil War would recognize the black lumps of coal, which trains weaving around the Northeast consumed. After the Industrial Revolution, in the mid-19th century, coal overtook wood as a source of energy. The United States has an overwhelmingly large amount of coal reserves, most concentrated in the Appalachian mountain range. While other
industrialized countries like Great Britain used up their coal reserves quickly, the massive amount of coal that exists under the mountain cottages of Americans has enabled us to continue using it as our main source of power. Most coal mining in the United States occurs in Appalachia, a region including southern Kentucky, Tennes-
see, and West Virginia. The extensive coal mining has destroyed the once pristine Appalachian Mountains, and the scars inflicted on the mountains are visible from the air. The coal mining has had outstanding environmental impacts, from contaminating water to destroying the habitats of endemic species.
The Adirondacks of New York State are greatly affected by Acid Rain. Image Credit: Michael Melford, National Geographic
See Acid, cont’d pg. 13
On Wilderness, at the Time of Government Shutdown Michael Dillon, 2016
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here are many definitions of wilderness. If we go with the official United States Government definition, it is relegated only to protected lands that have as much restrictions as any privately owned land. When accepting this definition, we also have to account for the government closing these wildernesses. As unimaginable as this seems, it happened at midnight on October 1, 2013. The House Republicans could not agree on passing the new budget. This means national parks, monuments, and memorials across the country are closed until a deal is passed. This means no visitors are al-
lowed into these areas and everyone inside must leave. Wilderness is not just a place to get lost in or be somewhere untrammeled by man, but an idea, one of freedom and a place to escape to in our ever increasingly urbanized and industrialized society. Edward Abbey, an American anarchist and wilderness follower, states the “idea of wilderness preservation is one of the fruits of civilization like Bach’s music or Tolstoy’s novels…” We all have a bit of Wilderness (capital W) in our hearts. This type of wilderness is one that cannot be shut down without the possibility of being re-
opened. It is a wilderness of the soul, the kind we dream of where raw life is felt and where truth and honesty is the only reality. There’s freedom in Wilderness, a place to be the wild men we still are, to get naked, swim in rivers, and climb mountains. We need those mountains, deserts, and seashores to escape from this society that traps us into a way of life that is not fulfilling or sustaining. There are healing powers in wilderness that are extremely valuable. It is a place to recharge and reflect. Since wilderness areas are so
See Wild, cont’d pg. 13
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Spooky Spe
Tales from the Inbox Jennifer Louie, 2015
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irus Detected Click. Click. Click. Curiously, they’re not the sounds I expect of my computer booting up. I come to a likely conclusion: it must be coming from upstairs. I’ve already forgotten it by the time my default homepage is opened: there are emails from my younger brother. He’s the smartest little guy I know and I brag about how proud I am of him every chance I get. The newest email from him has no subject and the body only contains two letters, hi. He’s probably up to something, that sneaky fellow. Sure enough, I can hear childish giggles from upstairs. “Get down here, silly!” No response. He’s probably scared that I’m going to come upstairs and tickle-torture him. Luckily for him, I’m feeling lazy today. ‘Raven’ is the subject of his new email. It begins: ‘I dreamt of one particular raven last evening. It sat upon my brow and fed me blood of our forefathers. Sear, slash, stifle, and sever.’
The Conjecturing Conn Fraser, 2014
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ave you heard the legend of the thing that resides below? With a putrid smell and countless razor sharp teeth, it lies in its own filth, gnashing bone and feeding off of your very lifeessence. Have you ever tried to make a sound, only to find your voice not there? As if it vanished, taken to some forlorn realm and obliterated in the furnace of some vile beast’s stomach. You aren’t alone on this one; it’s a welldocumented phenomenon, covered by
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Photo credit: http://murrkimbai.deviantart.com/
“Are you messing with me? Where did you copy and paste that from? This isn’t funny” I shout in his general direction. ‘Earnest’ claims the following email but I’m already suspicious. He doesn’t know many complicated words. The text in the email’s body is distorted but I can make out ‘gush, gape, garrote, gore.’
My blood’s gone cold. It’s my responsibility to watch my little brother today and I have to see what he’s up to. I can’t imagine which website he’s using that contains these horrible words. As I reached the bottom of the stairs a key turns in the door lock. It’s my dad.
the likes of British demonologist, Chip C. Chippington III. Chip claims that this entity was brought into existence with the creation of what we call “the internet.” It may live in your computer, or the Internet cables. He isn’t sure. There is a theory that the tubes carrying the data from server to server actually pass through an ancient sub-abyssal cavern full of undocumented “life” forms. These apparitions desire a stronger connection
THE KNOTHOLE • Student Life & The Environment
“I’m going to check on the little bro,” I inform him as he’s stepping in. Dad’s smile falters. He nervously tugs at his collar. “Darling, are you OK?” “Yeah, dad. Why do you ask?” An uneasy pause. “We’ve had this conversation before,” he begins gruffly. “You don’t have a brother. He was a stillborn six years ago. Don’t you remember?” I point at my computer weakly and attempt to argue back but no words come out of my mouth. We stare at each other, neither of us willing to accuse the other. A klaxon sounding off nearby startles the both of us. Of course it’s my computer. It’s finally finished its virus scan, loudly declaring, “1 threat detected.” My email page is reopened and we both notice the email address affixed to the chilling emails: Brother.in.attic@email.com. I’m not certain that I’ve a brother anymore but I am pretty certain there’s no attic upstairs.
to the human surface world, so as your data flies through the cables, a “life form” snatches your email out and absorbs all of its substance and content. After it’s done, what’s left is a flaccid husk of correspondence that it sends back your way to discover the next morning, after you take a zero on the homework assignment. This brooding evil thing will never relent; its haunting may persist even as you send chain emails to your
ectacles
The Halloween Hegemony: Tales from the Headless & Greatness of the Season of Spook by Hoople Babooshka, 2014 he season of spook has run its course, but Halloween is embellished with more than just spook. Many of our beloved Halloween stories have been inscribed into social and cultural discourse, but where do they really come from? Rounding the corner from the bales of hay, the famous tale of the Great Pumpkin’s origin sets back to 1966 Charlie Brown series It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The famous story comes with the almost-as-famous quote from Linus, “There are three things I’ve learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.” Well, we don’t need a grave turnover, but how’s that for hegemony, Schulz? The Legend of Sleepy Hollow dates back to the 1820 literature of essayist Washington Irving, containing the story of one Headless Horseman post-*nameless battle* in quest for his head lost to a cannon shot during the American Revolutionary War. The story is set in the countryside of Tarry Town, New York, where villagers sworn to experience visions of a Hessian Trooper raised from the dead, roaming the fields in search for- you
guessed it- his dual-headed mistress. Irving failed to mention that at this time the residents of Tarry Town were experimenting with the mushroom industry, one villager states: “Salem ain’t got nothin’ on us!” Let’s add All Saints Day to this mix, giving Catholic school kids
Photo credit: www.scott.net
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worldwide the day after Halloween off from school to recuperate from the traumatizing ghoulish-ness of the night before. Halloween itself originates
in the ancient Celtic traditions surrounding the festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). According to history.com, before celebrating their New Year on November 1st, the Celts would end their summer in preparation for a season usually associated with its human death toll. The Celts would surrender their crops and animals to the living dead, who were believed to be able to cross over on Halloween night. After the Roman’s conquered Ireland and the UK, it was actually the Celts who were able to blur the worlds of the living and the dead, whichever was truly more unfortunate they never said. Once Halloween became routed in American culture, people were encouraged to dress up, walk doorto-door and ask for food or money. This socially acceptable solicitation has now been passed down to the children who now [understandably] throw commodities, such as food and toilet paper at other people’s homes. They’re giving back! Halloween is the source of spook for many thrill-seekers, so refer to our article featuring the scariest places to visit in Syracuse, or simply google “Honey Boo Boo”.
Photo credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/
grandkids in the future. There is a way to temporarily cleanse your email account, however, but the e-exorcism is incredibly volatile because it tampers with the dark energy festering below the binary fabric of the internet. If you are feeling brave, take 2 paper clips and bend them into the shape of a cross. While holding this in your hand, read the entire Wikipedia article on “The Internet” aloud in Latin while opening and closing your email. Be forewarned, there are documented
occurrences of e-priests experiencing abnormal conditions within their own home during the e-exorcism. Reported anomalies include dimming lights, Skype video chat requests coming from someone named B. Zill Bob, and all of the number keys on their keyboard turning to 6’s. Though with luck, perseverance, and divine intervention, encounters with the mailer daemon should cease for the next few months.
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Baby, It’s Cold Outside
Bad Reputations: The Emo Genre Conn Fraser, 2014
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he genre label of emo is rife with misappropriations and incorrect associations, which leads to an ignorance amongst some music listeners who think it’s just a bunch of whiney teens in all black self-harming. While some of those aforementioned teens identify with the label, the genre may as well have a scope comparable to hiphop or rock. The word “emo” results from a shortening of the phrase “emotional hardcore.” Hardcore being a more aggressive and fast version of “regular” punk rock. However, there is still a substantial amount of debate and deliberation, with many bands, detesting the label. Even defining a genre as emotional seems misleading, because most music contains the emotions of the artist somewhere within the track. Despite nomenclature, there is a consensus that a number of bands reside in their city’s respective emo scenes. Initially, older emo like Rites of Spring, Embrace, and One Last Wish were all integral in the D.C. scene in the ‘80s, exploring themes like confessional lyrics, coupled with more melod-
ic guitar playing than traditional hardcore. Ever since then, the label has been spiraling in a countless number of directions sonically and geographically, bending the framework of genres in cities across the globe and budding new forms of music. Not long after the explosion of the scene in D.C., bands like Jawbreaker and Braid took a sharp upturn in tone, melding increasingly catchy rhythms and pop-punk with bittersweet sing-songy vocals about failed relationships and wasted years. For the listeners, this fostered a more upbeat feeling of “it’ll be okay, even if it sucks.” With hardcore bands still doing their thing, pounding whatever emotions they feel into their songs, there came into existence an even more offputting sub-genre deemed screamo, pioneered by groups like Orchid, Pg. 99, and more recently, Pianos Become the
Snowing performing a live show at the model home. Credit: Melissa Brain.
Teeth and Old Gray. It’s exactly what it sounds like: the vocalist screams lyrics while the rest of the band plays the usual music, ranging from twinkly staccato spirals to chugging scummy chords. What the artists invoke within themselves and the crowd is a cathartic experience, earnest, forthright, and above all, organic. Toning the intensity down a bit, there’s a revival of mid ‘90s emo going on and See Emo, cont’d pg. 13
Make-A-Danket: Pumpkin Pie Bites
Miniature pumpkin pies perfect for the Halloween season Gabrielle Alper, 2014 These tiny delights are easy to make. Aside from the ingredients, you will need just a few tools: a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter, a rolling pin, a miniature muffin tray, and if you’re really creative, you’ll also need a pastry bag with a fine point metal tip. Ingredients: 2 refrigerated ready-to roll pie crusts 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature) 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup canned pumpkin 3 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice Again, if you’re creative, you’ll want to
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get some chocolate morsels Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take the refrigerated pie crusts and roll them out a couple of times with the rolling pin. With pumpkin shaped cookie cutter, cut 12 pumpkin-shaped pie crusts out. Push the pie crusts into the muffin tray, ensuring that none of the “pumpkin stems” are touching. Take one egg and discard the yolk, “paint” the top of the pie crust with the egg whites. Set aside. Combine remaining ingredients (with the exception of the chocolate chips)
THE KNOTHOLE • Student Life & The Environment
until you have a consistent mixture. Scoop the mixture into the cups using a tablespoon, until about ¾ full. Pray to the Great Pumpkin, and put them in the oven for 14 minutes. If you’re interested in decorating them, melt down the chocolate morsels fondue style on the stove or in the microwave. Put the chocolate in the icing bag, and get creative! (If you don’t own an icing bag, you can use a Ziploc bag by cutting the corner off.) Hopefully, you have been very mischievous this year, and the Great Pumpkin blessed your mini pies with perfection. If not, practice makes perfect! Source: bakerella.com
Scared Straight
Fright-fest 2013: A Horror Movie Roadmap Nick Hlat, 2014
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h Fall... that time of year when the air smells of wood smoke, the trees turn into a plethora of orange, reds and yellows, and I sit down to watch some of the scariest, bloodiest, most brutal (and some the dumbest), horror movies I can find. For the 31 days of October my roommates and I follow this yearly ritual because, well who doesn’t love a good scare? If you’re like me when it comes to everything horror, you probably find yourself searching for the new movie to rave about. You’re also probably sick of sifting through the garbage that Hollywood seems to crap out all too often these days. Here’s a list of some suggestions to guide you along your journey along that creepy dirt path in the woods we all know and love as the month of October.
1: The Descent (2005)
Written and directed by Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, Centurion), this thriller has always been a favorite of mine. With an all-female cast, it packs quite the punch in delivering a simple plot in an almost poetic manner. Six friends reunite a year after a tragic car accident in search of cheap thrills in the depths of an unmapped cave. They soon find out they aren’t alone in the claustrophobic caverns. The dark lighting and eerie shadows really help to build the paranoia even before the heads start to roll. What could have been a typical monster flick suddenly turns into a gripping tale of survival with an ending that will leave you rethinking your next spelunking trip.
vacation home in the woods. In a clever twist, the two happen upon some college kids who mistake them for serial killers. One-by-one, they begin to die from freak accidents, appropriately blaming the oblivious pair. With witless hicks, horny college kids, and a good deal of dismemberment, impalement, and other forms of death... this was one fun ride.
living with her elderly mother. They receive a strange package of a “Mr. GoodGuy” doll. The bodies begin to pile and the doll mysteriously appears at each crime scene. This film was well scripted, and had great suspense, (it was also creepy as sh*t). Overall, it was a great revival of the Child’s Play franchise.
Although it was released this year, this classic franchise dates back to the late 80’s. As a kid I was truly terrified of this ugly lookin’ doll stalking children in their attics. When I finally overcame this fear (last year), I found myself in love with the foul-mouthed, plastic killer doll. Unfortunately, the series took a real negative dip. By Child’s Play 3 the ticket sales had plum-
and this movie delivered on every level of the sh*t-scale. 31 days is a lot of scary movies, so often times we find ourselves scrolling the Netflix queue in search of a potential gem amongst the trash. Well damn my soft spot for sci-fi or I would have used 86 minutes for something productive, like literally anything else. Regardless, I forced myself to sit through this stinker of a
4: Dracula 3000 3: Curse of Chucky (2004) This list just wouldn’t feel right (2013) without an awful movie to tear apart,
Don’t miss these old horror flicks. Credit: imbd.com
2: Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010)
A quick nod to this brilliant horror/comedy is pertinent, as I have only recently discovered it. Although I try to avoid horror comedies (Scary Movie 3-5, A Haunted House... do you catch my drift?) I couldn’t pass this one up. It follows two rednecks hoping for some rest and relaxation in their new
meted, and the movies began to turn into a horror/comedy... much to the dismay of fans. Don Mancini (creator of Chucky) decided to finally go back to the serious manner of the original three and boy was it great. Strangely released straight to DVD, this installment was set at the home of a paraplegic woman,
film. This was apparently an attempt to bring Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula to the 31st century, with a sci-fi twist (you would think the ridiculous premise would have raised a few flags before they even made this P.O.S.). Exhausted from how bad this movie was, I’ll leave the rest to a quote from a review that pretty much sums up my opinion: “... To call this film sh*t is an insult to fragrant brown logs everywhere... Dracula 3000 makes Leprechaun 4: In Space
See Horror, cont’d pg. 14
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Mixing Bacon and Style
College Carnivore: Beef-o-Lantern complete with sweet meat treats Andrew “Mangus” Timmis, 2014
Candied Bacon!
I
love Halloween. It’s a grand time with all of the spooky movies, decorations, and dressing up in awesome costumes. I do have one beef with it though. Pumpkins. Just big ol’ vegetables being carved into and put on display. Where’s my meat? And when I go trick or treating, why do I get candy instead of some nice, crisp bacon? So my mission this Halloween season was to devise a way to have my own jack-o-lantern without those devious pumpkins. And what better way to make a meat pumpkin than with ground beef?
the lid and begin making a large bowl out of the meat. The sides may seem flimsy and fall in on themselves but we fix this by filling it with queso and the pulled pork, which has the added bonus of making it look like the inside goop of a pumpkin. We then top it off with the lid and I make a rope of tinfoil and Pouring pulled pork into the wrap it around the meat bowl filled with queso. Ingredients: Photos by Andrew Timmis base of the meat to • 2 ½ lbs. of ground beef help keep its form. • 2 eggs (makes the meat stick to- 4. Place it in the oven and let it cook gether better for shaping) for 1 hour. Keep an eye on it and pour • 2 tbsp. of butter out the extra grease carefully when • ½ tsp. black pepper needed. • 1 ½ tsp. salt 5. While it’s cooking we can make • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper ourselves some treats like candied ba• ¼ cup of spicy mustard con and some sweet potato. • ¾ cups of Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ 6. Cut up the sweet potato into little sauce disks (saving the gnarly end for later) • Jar of queso and place them into a pan to cook with • Dinosaur BBQ Pulled Pork (can butter and a buy packs of this stuff) bit of brown • Pack of bacon (Of course) sugar and • 1 sweet potato (a few vegetables salt. Place a aren’t evil) cover on it • 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon to seal in the • ¾ cup of brown sugar moisture and soften them Preparation: up and let 1. First we are going to make our them cook main dish. Start by preheating the for 15 minoven to 400° and putting the beef utes, stirring into a large bowl. occasionally. 2. Next, break and stir up them 7. F o r eggs, then add them to the meat with candied basalt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, con prepare another baking sheet and spicy mustard, and BBQ sauce. Melt place the strips on roughly an inch down 1 ½ tbsp. of butter and also add apart from each other. Rub them down it in. Then mix it all up into the meat with a combination of brown sugar and with your hands (just take care with the cinnamon and place them in the oven melted butter). to cook for 7 ½ minutes at 400°. Take 3. Prepare a baking sheet with tin- them out, pour out the extra grease, foil and cooking spray then place the and then flip the bacon to reapply some meat mound on it. Save some meat for more brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook
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them for 7 ½ minutes longer. When they are done let them cool a bit before eating so then get nice and crunchy. 8. When the pumpkin is done just take it out and place the gnarly end of the sweet potato on top. Now just carve yourself a face on it, letting the cheese come oozing out, and serve it with the treats. 9. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
The finished horrifically spooky product.
Roommate Reviews:
“That was yummy in my tummy!” Val Mitchell
“I enjoyed the meat. I like bacon!” Emily Adams
“So many yummy animals in one meal!” Kate McManus
“The best damn pumpkin I ever had.” Justin Evanicki
“A hearty Halloween meal fit for the courageous carnivore.” Dan “the man” Dohman
“Om,” Cont’d from pg. 6
yond our perception. It is the core of our very existence. If you think of Om only as a sound, a technique or a symbol of the Divine, you will miss it altogether. Om is the mysterious cosmic energy that is the substratum of all the things and all the beings of the entire universe. It is an eternal song of the Divine. It is continuously resounding in silence on the background of everything that exists.”
“Skin,” Cont’d from pg. 6 taught how to communicate with each other about culture, especially if we are new to a diverse community. Think twice before asking someone “What are you?” or “Where are you from?” Those can be very difficult questions to answer. If you are really interested and would like to know, get to know the person better in a different situation first. If you feel that you may have difficulty answering those questions, know that you can always reply by saying you are a human being from planet Earth.
Articles Cont’d “Wild,” Cont’d from pg. 7
“Emo,” Cont’d from pg. 10
valuable to the American spirit of freedom and liberty, I plead the United States Government and especially the House Republicans to work as hard as possible to decide on a new budget to reopen our public lands. People are rioting at Lee’s Ferry, the launching point for raft trips down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon because of the closures. Without even being able to camp at the put in, these people are losing their sanity without wilderness to calm them down. This might sound selfish, but wilderness and natural areas are the only thing worth saving. Spend some time in a wilderness area and you will soon find the power that it creates in you, the feeling of freedom and honesty. One last thing, to the House Republicans who are bickering over the budget based on Obamacare being unconstitutional: spend some time in the outdoors. There really is no better healing effects and therapy for the mind and the soul than a visit to one of America’s beautiful designated wilderness areas.
bands like Everyone Everywhere, and the now defunct Algernon Cadwallader, are injecting life into a scene left by Cap’n Jazz and The Promise Ring. These bands play with the fervor you’d expect from an adolescent youth regardless of their age. Mixed up rhythms, shifting and unconventional time signatures, along with an unbelievable amount of syncopation clash in an incendiary composition are sure to put the fire of those high school years back in your gut. Whatever your taste in music is, just know that there’s a lot more going on with this type of music than MTV would lead you to believe. It’s not just My Chemical Romance and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus putting tracks out. There is a lot of refreshing creativity to be found in one of the many nooks and crannies of the emo umbrella. So, as the days get a little bit colder, and we all get older, appreciate the bitter fall nights and deep piles of leaves. Youth is fleeting, after all.
east. Weather systems go across the Ohio River Valley, dissolve the chemicals released by the coal plants in the water droplets-forming strong acids like sulfuric acid and dump them along the Northeast. If you’ve ever experimented with dissolving a tooth in a class of Coke, you can see the powers of acid. The acid rain dropped by weather systems has been falling over the Northeast for decades and the effects have been devastating for both living and non-living things. Trees suffer damage to their needles and leaves from the acid, and plants die due to the increased acidity in soil. Animals have injuries to their skin and are more susceptible to illness. Non-living things-such as the gravestones nearby my home are dissolving quickly. Many carvings in stone seen on buildings are fading away to nothing, dulling the once crisp corners
on our buildings and damaging national monuments. Something that should be taken away, from the specific situation of gravestones being worn away at accelerated rates due to coal burning in the Ohio River Valley, is the sheer vastness of the externalities from our actions. At each level of this equation, the environment is hurt. The beautiful forests on the mountain ranges that are home to endemic organisms are destroyed. The bodies of water fish swim in are turning to acid. The organisms far away from the mining are injured. All of this is directly caused by human consumption and energy use. When we turn on a light switch we only think about the clean electricity, not the dirty and horrifying things that needed to happen in order to create that electricity.
“Acid,” Cont’d from pg. 7 The environmental impacts of coal mining and combustion are much more widespread than the mutilation of a mountain range. The Ohio River Valley contains the highest concentration of coal plants, and the environment there suffers also. The pollutants emitted from the coal plants have infiltrated their waterways and caused massive pollution. There are both soot and chemicals released by the plants during the combustion of the coal and only recently have the impacts been addressed. Now there are “scrubbing mechanisms” to remove the most harmful chemicals released by coal burning, but it’s too late. The environmental repercussions of coal burning goes even further than just the mountain range and Ohio River Valley traumas. Due to wind patterns, most weather systems go from west to east, ending up in the North-
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Articles Cont’d “Horror,” Cont’d from pg. 11 look like Alien.” -Darrel Roodt
5: Scream 2 (1997)
Lets throw in one more dud shall we? Sequels are always prone to receive some heavy backlash, and this one may not be terrible when you consider the whole franchise, but somehow it struck a chord with me... and not a good one. To be fair, I was never a fan of the whole Scream series, but the sec-
ond installment was particularly bleak and boring. Years after the events in the first film, a killer emerges that begins to replicate the murders of the original movie. Every scare is predictable, each scene is incredibly well-lit (which in horror, isn’t a plus), and the acting is way too god-awful. I would stay away from this one, unless you don’t want to be surprised or scared... at all. Got any suggestions or argu-
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ments? Feel free to send your thoughts and ideas for my next article! Make sure that on this Halloween you grab some popcorn, an alcoholic beverage of your choosing, and maybe a buddy or two- then hit the lights and watch some of these flicks! They’ll be sure to keep you up at night, from fear or sheer disgust. It’s been fun! Horror Guru out.
Tricks, no treats
SPOOKY NL!+&^%$
Ask-A-Nut Hi Nut,
I met this guy at a bar a couple of weeks ago. We had a really great chat, and he asked for my phone number. A week or two later, I ran into him and he invited me to an on-campus concert that night. That too seemed to go well, since he gave me a lift home and a hug at the door. Then, this past weekend, I ran into him at the grocery store. He gave a quick “hello” but then walked very swiftly into the frozen food section. Was it because I was talking to him with raw chicken in my hand?
Sincerely, Stranded in the Meat Section
Dear SMS,
BANSHEE BONES BOO CANDY CEMETERY COSTUME EERIE GHOUL HALLOWEEN HAUNTED LAIR PUMPKIN SARCOPHAGUS SKELETON SPIDERS SPOOKY TOMBSTONE TRICK-OR-TREAT VAMPIRE ZOMBIES
Do you have any burning quandaries or embarrassing inquiries? Ask-a-Nut! Email esfaskanut@gmail.com
I happen to very much enjoy the frozen food section in the grocery store. It’s always so cool in there, you know? Maybe he ran away from you to there because you were just so hot that he needed to escape. Sometimes guys just need a chance to cool down when confronted with a hot girl, and the frozen food section is just an ideal place to do that. Most of the time, you only see moms getting chicken nuggets for their kids and depressed girls getting ice cream to be paired with their Lifetime movie marathons in the frozen foods section. This makes it a good place to cool down after a run-in with a hot girl. My personal solution would be to dress as hideously as possible. Sure, he may not want to go out with you anymore, but he’s less likely to run away from you to the frozen food section! Just don’t worry that he’ll probably ignore or avoid you. That’s not what’s important. What’s important is that he doesn’t run from your chickenbearing beauty!
-Nut
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Mindspill
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