INSPIRER MAGAZINE - AUGUST 2012 by Inspirer Magazine

INSPIRER MAGAZINE AUGUST 2012

HOT UPCOMING

HIP HOP ALBUMS SCIENTOLOGY & HOW TO DEFINE IT

SHEDDING

HOPE A NEW DAY FOR

FRANK OCEAN

LOS ANGELES’ INDIE ROCK :

MADGA

SAYEG KNITTA PLEASE

CULPRIT

18 12

BYSK: JEREMY FISHER

FAMOUS BAND TATTOOS

FRANK OCEAN OPENS UP

OCCUPY WALL STREET

CON TEN TS 48 THE LOOK BOOK

WHO IS ON NEXT

KNITTER MAGDA SAYEG

THEME PARK GUIDE

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INSPIRER MAGAZINE CEO/FOUNDER DIRECTORS

PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITING ASSISTANTS FASHION JOURNALISTS CULTURE JOURNALISTS

Shannah Leaf Morgan Young (Music Director/Editor), Lena Petersson Malevitis (Fashion Director/Editor), Ella Goldsmith (News Director/Editor), Lindsay King (Culture Director/Editor) Noel Pena Kory Woodard Mark Disselkoen, Lillie Allen Giulia Brandimarti, Elisa Voltz, Penelope Santos, Karla Tejada, Colleen Scott, Lexington Dash Marissa Sjolander, Lauren Laveria, Monique Freemon, Ryshana Johnson, Kara Nixon

MUSIC JOURNALISTS

Nicolette Taber, Heather Hawke, Kory Woodard, Selma RakoviÄ&#x2021;, Rachel Martin, Joseph Becker

NEWS JOURNALISTS

Sandra Kasper, Marie Jayme, Brandon Krampert, Duncan Burress, Jacob Bynum

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Our focus is to grow awareness of all different countries fashions, music and culture by including featured news, reviews and more from the perspectives of our diverse staff of Inspirers.

MUSIC Lollapalooza is approaching and I’m sure those of you who are lucky enough to be in possession of a 3 day pass are getting your schedules down of the bands you’re excited to see. This year’s headliners are definitely some of the best at this popular Chicago music festival, but Lolla 2012 has a lot more to offer than just The Black Keys and Red Hot Chili Peppers. I’m here to tell you about some unique bands/musicians you may or may not have heard of that are definitely must sees for you Lollapalooza goers.

by Rachel Martin

bands you should see at

Lolla palooza

Metric For fans of Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and The Ting Tings

HALEY REINHART For fans of Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson

You may have heard this Canadian band during the drama and action filled concert scene in the movie Scott Pilgrim Vs The World or in the comedy Zombieland, but these guys, backed by vocalist Emily Haines, have won many Juno Awards, including Canadian Album of the Year, twice. Metric consider themselves “new wave” or indie and they have been known for a kick ass live performance. Be sure to check out their singles “Black Sheep” and “Gold Guns Girls”.

YELLOW OSTRICH

a a

For fans of Beirut and Two Door Cinema Club

“You’re gonna hear electric music, solid walls of souuunnddd..” Yes, this song was made famous by Elton John in 1973, but the hit has never been sung the way Miss Reinhart sang it on season 10 of American Idol in 2011. Even though the Chicago born 21 year old did not win the show, she is destined for success and this year’s Lollapalooza will, I’m sure, be the biggest hometown show she’s ever been showcased at. With her debut album, Listen Up!, out last May and her cover of “House of the Rising Sun” holding over a million views on youtube, Haley’s voice is demanding your attention. Be sure to check out her covers and her song, Free.

This diverse threesome is made up of ex solo artist, Alex Schaaf, drummer Michael Tapper, and multi-instrumentalist Jon Natchez, who used to play for the popular indie band, Beirut. After touring with Ra Ra Riot last year, these guys’ crazy, energy filled sets along with their newest album, Strange Land, have all been a part of helping them establish a well deserved solid fan base. Be sure to listen to “Whale and Marathon Runner”.

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BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB M83 For fans of Tokyo Police Club and The XX

This London based band will be in the midst of a US tour during Lolla 2012, and I’m so glad they will be a part of this festival. Their newest album, A Different Kind of Fix, holds to it’s name, you’ll definitely be listening to this one on repeat. Bombay Bicycle Club’s soft sounds combined with front man Jack Steadman’s unique voice makes them a great band to chill out to in the summer heat of Lollapalooza. Be sure to check out “Always Like This” and “How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep”.

For fans of Passion Pit and The Naked and Famous

This electronic music “band” is actually a French musician by the name of Anthony Gonzalez, sometimes backed up by a variety of different musicians. The band was founded in 2001 but has more recently been recognized by millions of people across the globe. M83 has toured with many successful bands including Kings of Leon, The Killers, and Depeche Mode. With electronic music taking over the industry, don’t be surprised if M83 receives as much attention as the previous mentioned bands, if not more. Definitely check out “Midnight City” and “We Own The Sky”.

DEV For Fans of Ke$ha and Far East Movement

“I like my beats high and my bass down low”. If this sentence describes you, definitely make your way to DEV’s set at Lollapalooza. You may be familiar with the song I just quoted, if not you’ll recognize her voice in Far East Movement’s popular dance song, “Like A G6”. The 23 year old California girl claims that her musical inspiration is Marshall Mathers, better known as Eminem, and she describes her music as “pop music with rap roots”. Make sure to listen to her electropop hits “In The Dark” and “Bass Down Low”.

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Millions of Justin Bieber fans react to seeing him come out of GMTV studios.

FAN

HYSTERIA BY: NICOLETTE TABER

edication to a band has transformed from simply listening to an album or showing up to a con cert to frightening, life-threatening extremes. Warped Tour is an excellent showplace of fan hysteria. Fans stand in sweltering heat and press up against thousands of other sweating fans with no

questions asked. Has anyone ever wondered why fans withstand the intense heat amongst other sweaty bodies just to see a band? Not only do concertgoers risk their health by standing through dangerous conditions, they also morph into robots by scarily doing whatever bands tell them to do. It should be brought to attention how powerful bands are once they are placed in front of a crowd of their followers. When All Time Low commands their mainly teenage audience to jump up and down and run in a circle, their fans do that. Why? This type of behavior occurs in too many people to go on unnoticed. When thinking about fan hysteria, One Direction and Justin Bieber instantly come to mind. They are two of the numerous musicians that draw fan hysteria from simple, daily activities. Once again, why? The definition of hysteria is “an uncontrol-

lable outburst of emotion, characterized by irrationality, laughter, weeping, etc.” Recently, a large group of Justin Bieber fans in Melbourne, Australia turned to hysterics by simply touching his car. From a report by Adrian Lowe from The Age, “There were reports of Bieber’s car doors being opened by desperate fans, and any girl lucky enough to have her jumper or hand signed by the singer was a hero among her friends — and hated by the rest of the Beliebers. One girl hysterically screamed to no one in particular: “He signed my jumper — with this marker! Nobody touch this marker!” Now, how is this behavior acceptable? Of course, with Justin Bieber, his fans reach the ultimate extremes. But, that does not mean that lesser known musicians don’t influence their fans to act crazy as well.

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BAND YOU SHOULD KNOW:

BY HEATHER HAWKE

eremy Fisher (www.jeremyfishermusic. com) is a two-time JUNO nominee and Ottawa resident. Jeremy just released his newest record Mint Juleps on July 3. Jeremy wanted to try something different, so for his fifth album, Mint Juleps, he recorded it live off of the studio floor. The album is composed of five original songs and six cover songs that he’s played live over the years. Fisher has earned the reputation of a folk singer-songwriter who ‘does it his own way.’ No stranger to touring by bike, he has completed the journey across North America three times since 1998. To support his 2001 independent debut album, Back Porch Spirituals, Fisher spent six months touring from Seattle, across Canada to Halifax, Nova Scotia by bicycle. The tour, "One Less Tourbus,” travelled 7500 kilometres, included 30 performances, and worked with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy to raise funds for the "Tour des,” promoting access to bicycle transport and to education for girls in Africa. Also, in 2010, for another tour “The Malahat Revue,” he pedaled roughly 500km from Vancouver to Saltspring Island, and then from Pender Island to Vancouver Island, across to the Sunshine Coast ending the tour with a closing set at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. Let It Shine, his first album on a major label (Sony BMG Music Canada), was released on October 12, 2004. During the spring of 2005, his second single from the album High School won wide airplay on Canadian commercial radio and music television stations. His third album, Goodbye Blue Monday, with help from fellow Canadian Hawksley Workman, was released on March 27, 2007 by his new record label, Aquarius Records. A home-made video for his song ‘Cigarette” has been viewed over two million times on YouTube and was also added, by surprise, at a Toronto radio station, 104.5 CHUMFM, in 2007. On August 20 of that year he made his U.S. television debut on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. The following night, he again appeared on the Late Late Show but this time with Craig Northey and Pat Steward of Odds. In April and May 2008, Fisher opened for The Proclaimers on their North American tour. He released his fourth album Flood on October 26, 2010. In June of this year, he launched a "Catch

and Release" series with singer-songwriter Jim Bryson, in which the two musicians collaborated on a project to write and release a song in a single day. The first song in the series, "The Age of Asparagus," was released on June 7, 2012. Besides being a talented musician he also produces animated videos for his own music, which in turn positioned him as a highly sought after collaborator for music videos by other artists including Adam Cohen, Hannah Georgas, Xavier Rudd, and Hawksley Workman.

“IF YOU WANT TO DO IT, YOU GOTTA DO IT.” Tell us a little about yourself. How long have you been singing/playing music? How did you know you wanted to be a musician? I've been playing music all my life, but I released my first album (Back Porch Spirituals) in 2001. I inadvertently became a songwriter when I started learning piano at a young age. I loved the sound the piano made, but had no interest in reading music. The only thing to do was write my own. In 2010 you launched a unique tour of the west coast called The Malahat Revue traveling by bike with gear in tow, and pedaled from Vancouver to Saltspring Island, and then from Pender Island to Vancouver Island, across to the Sunshine Coast ending the tour with a closing set at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. You’ve been riding your bike to tour for years; can you tell us what those experiences were like? How did you decide to start doing that? In the summer of 1998 my best friend and I got on our bikes in Vancouver and pointed east, riding as far as Wisconsin by the fall where we ended up spending the winter. It was an adventure that hooked me on travelling by bike and a few summers later I brought my guitar along and started to busk on street corners to make money. When I made my first record I decided to promote it with a bike tour from Seattle to Halifax and pedaled 7500 km in 2002 playing over 30 shows along the way. It was born out of necessity and I continue to do it because I love it. What’s your favorite song of yours? Why? I like "Scar That Never Heals" because it is wildly

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MUSIC

different from anything else I've written, and though it's a pop song it has a unique song form. It's also very fun and also difficult to play live. What does music mean to you? It is simply my favorite thing. Some people inexplicably love cars, some inexplicably love sports - I don't know why but almost all I want to do is listen to it and play music. In June you and Jim Bryson collaborated on a tricky project series called "Catch and Release" in which you two wanted to write and release a song in a single day. You succeeded and released the first song in the series, "The Age of Asparagus." How did that go? Do you think you’re more prepared for the next song in the series? We're already planning the second one, hopefully to be recorded in August. I enjoyed the immediacy of it. So often I'm working away on things that take weeks, months or years to complete. I'm always posting on Facebook and Twitter, giving updates and people grow impatient — I grow impatient waiting for it to come out! Catch & Release is a response to the short attention span we have as a culture now. It is also a way for Jim and I to challenge ourselves and each other in a friendly and hopefully helpful way. You just came out with your newest album ‘Mint Juleps’ on July 3rd. Since you do have some cover songs on there, ones that you’ve been playing live for some years, how did you choose those specific songs? For your 5 original songs, what are the main inspirations behind those song lyrics? I had a list of over 50 songs I wanted to cover and I ended up choosing songs that I've never heard covered before or ones that spoke to me at this point in life and added to the theme of the album. It's a summer record, something to listen to on a Sunday morning or a lazy afternoon sipping bourbon on the dock or back porch. It's also a very human record (we just pushed record and played) and the songs are inspired by the art of finding simplicity and joy in a

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world distracted by noise and technology. What did recording this album live off the studio floor feel like? Humbling. I realized that I've become a bit lazy with my playing now that computers can help out so much with making a recording sound perfect. It was also exciting and we were invigorated by the challenge of making it feel good in the room and just capturing that on tape. Who/ what do you think changed the music industry? Why? You, me and everybody we know. Because change is inevitable. I think I know what you're getting at, but it's very complicated. Let me over-simplify for a moment: making music is increasingly becoming a harder way to get rich, a possible way to make a living (for those who must), and an easier thing to promote on a small budget. Those things are good or bad, depending on your point of view. It works for me, so long as I don't become complacent. Is there a moment that sticks out in your head that made you realize that this is the perfect job for you? No. I don't know about perfect, it's more like there's really not much else I can do. You’ve been in the music industry for some time now, what inspires and motivates you to still pursue a career in music? I'm still trying to make a masterpiece. I even know what that sounds like; it's about half as good as a Randy Newman song and twice as catchy. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned working in the music industry? If you want to do it, you gotta do it. Lastly, what's one thing you've never mentioned about you or your music before in an interview? Even though I play folk music, when I'm on stage in my mind, I feel like I'm in AC/DC.

CULPRIT BY: MORGAN YOUNG

In recent years, the indie music scene

their first, and only, released EP titled

see there are no signals that would hint

has seemed to evolve and grow more

Analogue will have your head rocking to

at them being anything but passionately

than we’ve witnessed in the past. One

hard hits and swaying to smooth mel-

happy about the way they have gotten

local Los Angeles band named Culprit

odies in no time at all. The diversity in

through it all. More recently, the band

is taking the genre into their own hands

their sound from song to song is truly

released a new single titled “Knock on

by adding a rock twist to the otherwise

what makes them stick out as uniquely

the Sky” through Alternative Press and

traditional sound. Forming in late 2006,

talented in the music scene. Each mem-

will be heading out on a west coast tour

the band started out as a side project just

ber of the band possesses an enormous

in the upcoming months.

for fun but has since transformed and

amount of talent through the instruments

become the center of the four members’

that they play, which is just as clear as

lives. Culprit consists of Travis Powell

their hard work ethic. Though the band

on vocals and guitar, Brian Fulda on

has had their ups and downs, including

guitar, Zach Blumenfeld on bass, and

getting their van and trailer stolen by a

Jason Michalski on drums. Listening to

towing company, as far as the eye can

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KISS THE RING BY: DJ KHALED DUE OUT: AUGUST 21, 2012

DJ Khaled has proved to be one of the great collaborating artists. He began in 2006, but gained remarkeable popularity in 2007 with his single “I’m So Hood” featuring T. Pain, Trick Daddy, Plies, and Rick Ross. Since then, Khaled has been in control of the collaboration game. With this latest album, he is planning on taking over the game once again. The first single, “Take It To The Head” featuring Chris Brown, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, and Lil’ Wayne has already taken the radio by storm. Topping the US R&B/Hip Hop charts at number 6, this single gives the impression that Kiss The Ring will be successful.

CHAPTER V BY: TREY SONGZ DUE OUT: AUGUST 21, 2012

Trey Songz has been getting his fans amped up for this album since last year when he released his mixtapes Lemmeholdatbeat2 then Inevitable two weeks later. However, it doesn’t take multiple mixtapes to drive the ladies wild. Once his leading single, “Heart Attack,” was released the talk of another hit album was all abuzz. Since June, he’s released two more singles - “2 Reasons” featuring T.I. and “Simply Amazing”. With the album set to feature Lil’ Wayne, Rick Ross, and Diddy, we can’t help but wonder what Songz has up his sleeve. Regardless of what he’s up to, I have a pretty good feeling Chapter V won’t disappoint.

O.N.I.F.C BY: WIZ KHALIFA DUE OUT: AUGUST 28, 2012

Wiz Khalifa is known as the hip-hop bohemian. Since breaking into the scene with his popular single “Black and Yellow”, he has been gaining exposure like crazy. In fact, lately he’s been getting noticed for his style rather than just for his music. However, that’s not stopping him. Khalifa has been in the booth working his second full length album for his fans. The first single from this album is “Work Hard, Play Hard”, which is still gaining ground. Producers for this Taylor Gang album include the ever popular Pharrell, Will.i.am, and Deadmau5. O.N.I.F.C., the sixteen track album, will definitely blow you away.

CRUEL SUMMER BY: G.O.O.D. MUSIC DUE OUT: SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

Kanye West has been working on various items that deal with this album for quite some time now. In fact, he had his very own film under the same name that premiered at the Canes Film Festival. The album, however, is a collaborative work among G.O.O.D. Music. The group has released two singles off of this album so far. The first was “Mercy”, which features Big Sean, Pusha T, 2 Chainz, and Kanye West. This song hit number thirteen on the US Billboard Hot 100. The second single is “New God Flow”, released just days ago. Cruel Summer is rumored to be one of the best albums of the year, but I guess we will have to wait and see.

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MOST ANTICIPATED

HIP-HOP ALBUMS TO COME BY: KORY WOODARD

Hip-hop music often goes unnoticed or ignored in the music industry by many because of what the majority of it is about. Even if you do not particularly like this style of music, you have to at least admit that most of it is extremely creative. Remember, most of the guys are talking about things that might not actually be happening. These albums cover different genres within hip-hop and are some of the most anticipated albums coming out the rest of this year.

TROUBLE MAN BY: T.I. DUE OUT: SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

Since his release from prison, T.I. has been a very busy man. He has released a single, been featured on many singles, and has even been working on a book. In preparation for this release, T.I. dropped a mixtape, Fuck da City Up, on New Years Day (January 1, 2012). Since then he has released a few singles including “Here Ye, Here Ye” and “Go Get It”. Featuring artists include Lil’ Wayne, Cee Lo Green, Andre 3000, Juicy J, and R Kelly. Trouble Man, name inspired by a song by Marvin Gaye of the same name, is more than likely going to be very similar to T.I.’s other albums, but still a little surprising nevertheless.

GOOD KID IN A MAD CITY BY: KENDRICK LAMAR DUE OUT: OCTOBER 2, 2012

Kendrick Lamar, signed to Interscope, has been making music for a few years now, but didn’t get a lot of attention until the release of his fourth mixtape, Overly Dedicated, in 2010. In early ‘ll, Lamar was featured on XXL’s freshman class which also included CyHi the Prynce, Meek Mill, Mac Miller, and Diggy Simmons. This is his first full length album, but he’s not doing to shabby to start off with. Dr. Dre was featured on the first single from the album, “The Recipe”, and Lloyd will also be a guest on the album. Although he didn’t get huge producers, Good Kid In A Mad City should still be a good introduction of fans to Lamar and his work.

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BAND TATTOOS

Tattoos - body modifications that permanently preserve works of art on a person’s skin - have increased significantly in popularity in the modern world. Finding a band with tattooed members is as difficult to find as a screaming preteen at an All Time Low show. Whether it be a classic line of script across a lanky singer’s

chest or an arm sleeve full of nautical scenes, tattoos can be found everywhere. Some hold stories and others are just for kicks, but regardless of what purpose they serve, they are a classic icon of the music scene in the modern world. When posed the question, “what are the top 10 most memorable tattoos you have seen in the music world?” one might think compiling a list is easy. The mere quantity of such pieces of art on the bodies of artists and techies makes this a daunting task, however. After thinking and googling for hours, I have complied a list of 10 tattoos I find most memorable.

By: Selma Raković

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1 1. Travis Barker One of the most famous tattoo canvases in the music scene, Travis Barker is known for being covered from head to toe in artwork. Though he is famous for pieces like his DJ AM memorial on his leg or the enormous Cadillac logo on his side, the tattoos I found to be most memorable are the ones his kids, Landon and Alabama, did on him. A scribbled heart and a cross with the kids’ initials above it warm the hearts of all Blink-182 enthusiasts, and the idea of a parent permanently preserving his kids’ love on his body is touching to everyone.

ers more than ignorant judgement, and the message of living freely despite criticism is one I appreciate greatly.

2. Cassadee Pope - Former pop-punk frontwoman of Hey Monday, Cassadee Pope, is well known for her light-spirited nature and beaming smile. The simple, classic smiley face tattoo she has on her right hand is therefore a perfect addition to her bubbly personality. Whenever I see the small, yellow circle, I can’t help but smile, and though not intricate, I think the piece is one of the most memorable ones I’ve seen. 3. Miley Cyrus - Miley isn’t exactly the first person one would think of when speaking of the music scene, but her collection of over a dozen pieces of ink is memorable enough to make my list. She is known for the dreamcatcher on her side and the “love” inscribed on her ear, but her newest addition of text to

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her left forearm is by far my favorite. The quote on her body comes from a presidential speech by Theodore Roosevelt, and it reads, “So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.” The most notable passage reads, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” The quote’s a good reminder that action matt

4. Alex Gaskarth - Halloween has been my favorite holiday since the day I won a costume contest with my Queen Amidala getup and I discovered the existence of the Halloweentown movies. That being said, All Time Low frontman Alex Gaskarth’s halloween tattoo on his left forearm is one that has been on my list since the day he got it. A skeleton wearing a skeleton costume who is trick-or-treating is a cute spinoff of the holiday’s traditional icons, and though it may not have a meaningful story behind it, the piece is not one I would get bored of seeing. 5. Sierra Kusterbeck - Wild child Sierra Kusterbeck of VersaEmerge is known for outgoing quirkiness and serious trendsetting. Out of her collection of tattoos, my favourite has always been the bandaid on her left knee. The simple, black and white image reminds me that we all get bumps and bruises sometimes, and that the best way to deal with such a roadblock is to keep going and keep being yourself. 6. Christofer Drew - Though the perpetually smiling, hippie musician has seemed to have fallen off of the face of the music scene, his chest piece that reads “love is my weapon” is one that I have yet to forget. The peaceful message behind the script is a good reminder that love trumps all negativity, and it fits well with the themes he typically sings about.

9 10

7 7. Andrew McMahon - Genius vocalist, pianist extraordinaire Andrew McMahon has undergone countless challenges in his life. He has conquered Leukemia and propelled two of his bands to the top of the music charts, and his version of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” on his left forearm is a fitting summary of his battles. It is said that Van Gogh painted the original piece one night when he looked at the beautiful night sky and realized how strong and loving God was. McMahon’s version, which contains the word “music” in it, is a meaningful spinoff that suggests that music is the saving grace to his troubled life. Music is the holy figure of Andrew McMahon’s life, and such sentiment can be found in lyrics like those of “Swim” that read “swim for the music that saves you when you’re not so sure you’ll survive.” 8. Sam McTrusty - Scottish vocalist, Sam McTrusty, of the band Twin Atlantic bears a number of Tumblr-worthy, hip tattoos on his body. My favourite is the circle of symbols on his right bicep inspired by the band’s album,

Free. From ballerinas to type writers, the random collection of symbols that represent different types of freedom make an intriguing yet simple tattoo that not only sparks conversation but pays tribute to his journey to fame with the band. 9. Ryan Key - The first thing one sees when looking at Yellowcard’s frontman, Ryan Key, is two sleeves of color on his arms. Upon closer examination, however, one realizes that the ink on his skin bears images of superheroes and Star Wars characters. Given the fact that I won a costume contest as a child because of Star Wars and I saw the Avengers 5 times while it was in theaters, I am clearly very supportive of the tattoos on his arms. From Wonder Woman to a stormtrooper, the comic book and cinematic artwork on the singer’s arms are a wonderful tribute to nerds like me everywhere.

on his chest that reads “family first,” and although the full piece is a little overwhelming, the meaning behind the script is reassuring to see. Regardless of the party image the band follows, Ben exhibits permanent dedication to his family through the tattoo, and it is nice to see band members stay loyal to their roots. Looking back on the list, I realize the hundreds of other tattoos that could have made it to my top 10. This form of body modification is plaguing artists, techies, and fans everywhere, and although the tattoos I mentioned above are memorable to me, there are countless more that are just as memorable out there in the music scene. I challenge you to make your own top 10 list, but until you do, try to appreciate the one I have somehow compiled.

10. Ben Bruce - As a rockstar, it is easy to get caught up in sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Asking Alexandria’s Ben Bruce bears a tattoo

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BY: HEATHER HAWKE

MINIATURE TIGERS Miniature Tigers is an indie pop band that formed in Phoenix, Arizona (now based in NYC) in 2006; made up of front man-guitarist Charlie Brand, Rick Schaier on drums and vocals, guitarist Algernon Quashie and bassist Alex Gerber. They are currently signed to Modern Art Records. In fall of 2008, Miniature Tigers began their first national tour which included playing a set at the CMJ Music Marathon. They toured with Ben Folds in early 2009 and played the Monolith Festival in September of that year. Recently, they opened for Fun. in support of their latest album, Some Nights. Currently they are doing a select few east coast dates. In December 2006, Rolling Stone listed Miniature Tigers as “one of the 25 best bands on Myspace.” The band has also received favorable attention from Spin magazine, which included in its list of “The 9 Hottest New Bands Playing CMJ 2008.” Miniature Tigers’ debut album “Tell it to the Volcano” (Sept. 2008) took inspiration from the TV show Lost, using cannibals and volcanoes to step in for the real-world problems as it probes the joy and heartbreak of Charlie’s own life. Charlie flew to Los Angeles and collaborating with his friend Rick Schaier to complete the long-gestating album. Their creative music video for “Cannibal Queen” has been featured on mtvU and MTV2’s

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Subterranean. Between the cross-country tours that followed, Miniature Tigers moved to Brooklyn, where Charlie began writing songs that were a bit more experimental than their previous acoustic-based pop. They enlisted Members of Neon Indian and the Morning Benders to produce the material, which was recorded in upstate New York and released in summer 2010 as Fortress. Miniature Tigers returned in March of this year with the sexy set of synthed-up ‘80s pop songs- and dance-oriented Mia Pharaoh. They fused the sounds of ‘60s pop with an indie take on today’s top 40, and the result varies from the psychedelic to the almost club-ready. First off tell us about yourself. How did you know you wanted to be a musician? How long have you been playing music? I started playing drums when I was 10 and from there moved on to guitar at around 13.

I’ve always been drawn to playing music; I’m not sure what got me. Watching Aerosmith and Nirvana videos on MTV probably brainwashed me. You just released a free covers album called ‘Truffles II’. How did you choose which songs you wanted to cover? Why no Weezer? That’s a collection of songs I’ve randomly recorded over the last few years. I usually record a cover song when I don’t have any originals to work on but have the recording bug. It’s a good exercise to get the creative juices flowing. The most recent recording I did was the Friends theme song. I was laying around getting high and watching friends with my girlfriend for a few weeks over the summer and wanted the sound to reflect that hazy feeling. As far as =w= is concerned, I’m sure there will be a Pinkerton deep cut on Truffles III. What’s your favorite song of yours, of all time? Why?

Usually it’s changing from album to album. I’m obviously going to be more into what’s new. I remember feeling really proud of Lolita off the last record and I love Angel Bath on this latest one. My favorite song right now hasn’t been released yet. You just released an album, Mia Pharaoh, in March. Can you tell us a little bit about how it differs from Fortress? Much like everything we put out, it’s a departure from the sound of the previous album. Fortress we live tracked most of it and it was the sound of our band at that time. It was also kind of rebelling against us being labeled as a pop band. This one is rebelling against heavy reverb indie music. Kind of embracing pop music and mingling the production of top 40 hip hop. We were trying to make a Simon & Garfunkel hip hop album. I don’t think we quite hit the mark but the results were its own thing. You guys are famous for using pop culture references in your songs. Even though you just came out with a new album back in March do you have any ideas for future songs yet? By the time an album is released, it’s already been done for at least a few months and before it’s recorded, it’s usually done being written months before that. There’s always new jams waiting in the wings. I’ve been writing a lot of songs this summer but I don’t think it’s for the next Miniature Tigers record. In 2006, Rolling Stone listed Miniature Tigers as “one of the 25 best bands on Myspace”. Do you think this band would be in a different situation without Myspace/ social media (especially since that’s how Charlie and Rick started talking)? That was definitely our first major media/ social media coverage. Myspace is more of a joke than still being on AOL 2.0 at this point, so I’m not sure what it even means now. I used to think Myspace was the future, as did everybody. It’ll be a sad day when we look back on twitter and Instagram and laugh at how that was once a thing people used. You guys said in a recent interview that some of the main influences from this record are the top 40s hip-hop and pop artists, mainly Kanye West, The Dream, and Rick Ross. If you could, who would you want to do collaboration with in those

genres? I love Rick Ross but he keeps recycling the same garbage about these cars he has. I’m not a car guy, so not him. Kanye is pushing the boundaries on pop music and I would kill to work with him. The Dream is a great producer and I would love to see his process. Top 40 is in constant flux, and the sounds that are hot one day won’t be the next. It reflects social media and where society is at this point. Freaky. I’m sure some elements of Mia Pharaoh won’t age well but that was the point, to mix what was happening with top 40 hip hop with classic 60’s production kind of shit. Really it’s about the songwriting at the end of the day. Wait, what was the question? You recently got off tour with fun., how did that tour go? It was... fun! Really it was though. They’re really cool dudes, the shows were packed and the audience was super responsive. Had a blast. I don’t know if you know this but fun. also had major influence from Kanye West on their latest album. Are there any other artists that influence you that people wouldn’t think do? They were worked with a dude who is one of Kanye’s studio dudes. I think the most shocking influence is probably that top 40 hip hop stuff because I don’t think everybody has embraced that shit yet. Being in a band, you go from being at home (sometimes stuck in a recording studio for days/weeks at a time) to going from city to city every day. How do you find a balance in all of it? The balance is not being stuck in one of those for too long. If I’m home too long, I get antsy and want to get out on the road. Being out on tour too long is hard and literally all you can think about at a certain point is going home. Right now is the longest I’ve been home in 4 years. The first time I’ve been a human being with a desk job, being domestic. It’s great but I’m also really appreciating how awesome it is to play music and tour. We have a tour coming up at the end of July/August which will be a welcomed change of pace. What/who do you think changed the music industry? Why? Radiohead when they did that thing. haha, I don’t know. I’m not even sure what any of

it means anymore. There are major flaws in the system and I think it’s great that it’s now constantly changing and mutating. Is there a moment that sticks out in your head that made you realize that this is the perfect job for you? This is a terrible job, there’s no security and we get paid peanuts for months of hard work. No health benefits, in fact being on tour takes a tole on your health. BUT, I love traveling and love playing music and meeting people. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else with my life. It’s far from perfect but it’s all I know. What inspires and motivates you to still pursue a career in music? I feel like I have many songs to write and albums to make. I have more to say. I’m not sure what it is that keeps me going. I spend my free time either writing music or painting; it’s just what I do. It’s rare that I will think about why I’m doing it. That just leads to existential meltdowns. If you could go anywhere in the world, where’s one place you would like to either play a show at again, or play it for the first time? We’ve never played outside of US/Canada. I would love to play in Europe, Japan, and Australia. I would love to check out New Zealand too! What song or songs would you say represent your band the most? I feel like anything off Mia Pharaoh is a good starting point because it really combines a lot of what we did on each album before it and I think it’s just a more cohesive statement than our previous stuff. We change our sound so much from album to album that it’s hard to say. Has there been a specific night a show really sticks out in your memory? Some of my favorite shows we’ve played have been down in McAllen, Texas, which is right on the border of Mexico. It’s such a different cool vibe down there. People react to music there unlike any other place in the country. It’s always a blast. It’s hard to pick just one though. Lastly, what is the biggest lesson you’ve learned working in the music industry? Don’t drop the soap.

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MUSIC

ALBUM REVIEWS A word to the faint of heart, do not listen to this album! Now if your like me and get a satisfaction out of blood pumping, adrenaline laced dance music than open up your ears to Gatekeeper’s EXO. The album seizes you from the moment you step onboard with heavy big beat, techno drums, callused keyboards and bloody soundscapes seeming to take face from a horror film. You get a sense that Matthew Arkell and Aaron David Ross listened to the Chemical Brothers, Prodigy and Chrystal Method and then went about the task of making what they had extracted from them painfully darker and more grotesque. While the prevailing theme of EXO is dark and unforgiving, there are times when Arkell and Ross drift from the mundane to create some truly riveting tracks. In the tunes “Dromos” and “Areo” the boys take a more Industrial/Psychedelic mode similar to that of Infected Mushroom. While the album is not one of bleeding brilliance, there is a certain thrill in terrifying yourself every now and then with a dire dance trick. I can honestly say I found this album to be a good change of pace from the norm but I would suggest to all who give it a listen, turn it off before you go to bed.

BY: JOSEPH BAKER

Gatekeeper EXO

Overall Rating: 3/5

Family Band Grace and Lies

Molded around Kim Krans and Jonny Ollsin, Family Band surfaced around 2008 bringing with them the heavy, spirited guitar of Ollsin and the gloomy, robust vocals of Krans. Grace and Lies is the latest effort from the mysterious group. “Night Song” leads the way featuring slow, subdued vocals from Krans while a simple riff and drum kit resonates throughout creating a capitulating yet hollow mode. “Lace” picks up the tempo but maintains the essence invoked in the opening track. You cannot help but feel the band at anytime could retreat away and transform into a Café Folk bunch, but it never happens instead the group plays on the essence of Folk through their lyrics, Ollsin restraining the Folk urges with his unwilling, bleak guitars riffs. Ollsin reveals himself in the song “Your Name” garnishing the track with a tender acoustic tone. The group truly comes alive in the immense “Moonbeams” with Krans showing the dept and passion of her voice. Grace and Lies isn’t the album you listen to when your at a party or hanging around a bunch of rabble-rousers, rather it is the album you listen to when you are alone and have time to escape the mantra of the everyday.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

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The Dirty Projectors Swing Lo Magellan

Trying to figure out the motives behind David Longstreth seems more and more a chore each album. After a decade of albums, tours and an ever changing lineup one has to wonder if Longstreth is finally happy with himself and The Dirty Projectors. Unfortunately Swing Lo Magellan doesn’t seem a give any indication of such a decision. What is does offer is a majestic Indie swamp of meticulous, embellished music. “Offspring Are Blank” lays the foundation as an A-Cappella style chorus rings in complemented by a hip-hop drumbeat bouncing steadily before an eccentric Rock guitar riff comes belting along, all while Longstreth rallies his moody, modulated voice. Longstreth’s poetry is often perplexing leading one to wonder if he has any true direction in his composition or if he lets his mind wonder to create a parade of lyrical mish-mesh. “Gun Has No Trigger” envelops the ears with its magnificent chorus that beacons on and on like an angelic roar and it resonates to the wonderfully innocent “Just From Chevron.” When I break down the tracks I cannot help but get this feeling of a Jazzy/Folk ambience tacked to each tune and maybe it’s a misguided interpretation but then again it seems very warranted. This album can be interpreted as crass, oblique and discombobulating but to those who are willing to invest themselves to the album, they will find it stark, tantalizing and all together refulgent.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Passion Pit Gossamer

Since their 2009 debut album Manners, Passion Pit has been making waves amongst audiences in particular on college campuses where they have had a tremendous following. After a long hiatus Passion Pit have returned to the studio and produced the album Gossamer. “Take A Walk” carries on the pedigree making up their first album with an alluring hook infecting the mind while a rigid dance floor beat cascades in the background all while the boys weave an arresting chorus around Michael Angelakos’ galvanizing, falsetto vocals. “Carried Away” feels like a dedication to the 80’s dance hall before being (carried away) by a childlike chorus. By far the most shocking track on the album “Constant Conversations” embellishes itself in contemporary Soul/R&B with Angelakos really pouring himself into the vocals. “Cry Like A Ghost” screams into the picture on high pitch note that strings the ears before a heavy pop beat takes hold of the track. ”Love Is Greed” and “It’s Not My Fault, I’m Happy” stirs the pot with worthwhile melodies only to be drowned out by the mellow lyrics and vocals of Angelakos. You can forgive Angelakos more saddened tunes as he pours himself into the riveting tune “Where We Belong” which traces the elements Electronica/Dance with a steady drum line that is married to a tantalizing string and keyboard waltz. Some might say Passion Pit kept to the script of Manners to much in Gossamer, So What, if retaining the elements of old means creating something spellbinding than by all means do such. To often bands try to change what made them, which can often destroy the band and cause their fans to retreat. If a band can do as they have done and keep themselves fresh all the while then do so and have no regrets.

Overall Rating: 4/5

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NEWS

MOUNTAINS MOVE FOR

FRANK

OCEAN ON INDEPENDENCE DAY BY: SANDRA KASPER

On July 4th, 2012, Odd Future singer, 24-year-old Frank Ocean, came out in a letter that he posted on Tumblr. Ocean wrote: Whoever you are, where ever you are, I’m starting to think we’re a lot alike. Human beings spinning on blackness. All wanting to be seen, touched, heard, paid attention to. My loved ones are everything to me here. In the last year or three, I’ve screamed at my creator, screamed at clouds in the sky for some explanation. Mercy maybe. For peace of mind to rain like Manna somehow. Four summers ago, I met somebody. I was 19 years old; he was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Everyday almost. And on the days we were together, time would glide. Most of the day I’d see him and his smile. I’d hear his conversation and his silence until it was time to sleep. Sleep I would often share with him. By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless. It was no escaping, no negotiating with the feelings. No choice. It

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was my first love. It changed my life. Back then, my mind would wander to the women I had been with, the ones I cared for and thought I was in love with. I reminisced about the sentimental songs I enjoyed when I was a teenager. The ones I played when I experienced a girlfriend for the first time. I realized they were written in a language I did not yet speak. I realized too much too quickly. Imagine being thrown from a plane. I wasn’t in a plane though. I was in a Nissan Maxima, the same car I packed up with bags and drove to Los Angeles in. I sat there and told my friend how I felt. I wept as the words left my mouth. I grieved for them, knowing I could never take them back for myself. He patted my back. He said kind things. He did his best. But he wouldn’t admit the same. He had to go back inside soon. It was late and his girlfriend was waiting for him upstairs. He wouldn’t tell me the truth about his feelings for me for another three years. I felt like I only imagined reciprocity for years. Now imagine being thrown from a cliff. No, I wasn’t on a cliff. I was still in my car telling myself it was gonna be fine and to take deep breaths. I took the breaths and carried on. I kept up a

peculiar friendship with him because I couldn’t imagine keeping up my life without him. I struggled to master myself and my emotions. I wasn’t always successful. The dance went on…I kept the rhythm for several summers after. It’s winter now. I’m typing this on a plane back to Los Angeles from New Orleans. I flew home for another marred Christmas. I have a window seat. It’s December 27th, 2011. By now I’ve written two albums. This being the second. I wrote to keep myself busy and sane. I wanted to created worlds that were rosier than mine. I tried to channel overwhelming emotions. I’m surprised at how far all of it has taken me. Before writing this, I told some people my story. I’m sure these people kept me alive, kept me safe…sincerely, these are the folks I want to thank from the floor of my heart. Everyone of you knows who you are…. Great humans, probably angels. I don’t know what happens now, and that’s alright. I don’t have any secrets I need kept anymore. There’s probably some small shit still, but you know what I mean. I was never alone, as much as I felt like it. As much as I still do sometimes. I never was. I don’t think I ever could be. Thanks. To my first love, I’m grateful for you. Grateful that even though it wasn’t what I hoped for and even though it was never enough, it was. Some things never are…and we were. I won’t forget you. I won’t forget the summer. I’ll remember who I was when I met you. I’ll remember who you were and how we’ve both changed and stayed the same. I’ve never had more respect for life and living than I have right now. Maybe it takes a near death experience to feel alive. Thanks. To my mother, you raised me strong. I know I’m only brave because you were first, so thank you! All of you, for everything good. I feel like a free man. If I listen closely, I can hear the sky falling too.

Orange,’ which hit stores on July 17. In an exclusive interview, Ocean told the Guardian Guide that his open letter was written in December 2011 and was originally intended to be a part of the album sleeve. Ocean told the Guardian, “I knew that I was writing in a way that people would ask questions...I knew that my star was rising, and I knew that if I waited I would always have somebody that I respected be able to encourage me to wait longer, to not say it till who knows when.” Although the industry at large worried how Ocean’s Tumblr confession would affect his record sales, Def Jam released ‘Channel Orange’ a week early on July 10 as an iTunes exclusive. ‘Channel Orange’ sold an impressive 131,000 copies (3,000 of which were actually CDs) in its first week. The album is topping the charts at #2, just behind Zac Brown Band’s ‘Uncaged’. As Billboard notes, his sales are in line with recent R&B/hip-hop debuts from Usher (‘Looking 4 Myself’, 128,000) and Chris Brown (‘Fortune’, 135,000). Frank Ocean’s Tumblr confession documents the first time in history that a young, African American male R&B singer admitted to loving someone of the same sex. VH1 reported, “Given the troubled history that hip-hop, and the community that creates it, has had with homophobia, many are asking whether or not Frank’s revelation points to the genre’s growing acceptance of homosexuality, bisexuality and, ultimately, individuality.”

- Frank Ocean’s fans on Tumblr responded very positively to the artist’s confession, praising him for his bravery and honestly. The hip-hop community was also extremely supportive. Rolling Stone reported,”Ocean’s decision to come out has drawn support from many other musicians, including Beyoncé, Russell Simmons and 50 Cent, who told MTV that ‘Anyone that has an issue with Frank Ocean is an idiot.’” The artist’s confession prefaced his debut album ‘Channel

Moreover, Ocean told the Guardian of his decision to post his open letter on Tumblr, “I was thinking of how I wished at 13 or 14 there was somebody I looked up to who would have said something like that, who would have been transparent in that way...But there’s another side of it that’s just about my own sanity and my ability to feel like I’m living a life where I’m not just successful on paper, but sure that I’m happy when I wake up in the morning, and not with this freakin’ boulder on my chest.” Furthermore, on America’s Independence Day, Frank Ocean was also freed; the industry and community responded with love and support, and mountains have indeed been moved.

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NEWS

SCIENT– OLOGY HOW SHOULD YOU DECIDE WHAT IT IS BY DUNCAN BURRESS

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cientology, is it a cult? Is it a zany new age religion? I am not sure. I am never one to judge what another person believes but of the last 20 years, this church has been publicized more as a pseudo terrorist organization than a church. Scientology is back in the news due to Katie Holmes filing for divorce against her husband and biggest voice of scientology, Tom Cruise. It has been reported that, Scientologists are following Katie Holmes, relentlessly. She claims there was a white Cadillac Escalade outside her apartment building snapping photos of everyone that passed by. Rupert Murdoch, the chairman of News Corp. tweeted Sunday, “Scientology back in news. Very weird cult, but big, big money involved with Tom Cruise either number two or three in hierarchy.”

It isn’t the first time someone of prominent news media had something not so nice to say about the Church of Scientology. In 1991, Time magazine ran an article on scientology, in which they called the church “a thriving cult of greed and power.” In this article they speak on a man who was convinced Scientologists were out to get him so he jumps from a 10th floor window, clutching the last of the money that the scientologists didn’t take from him. It leaves one with the question, is this all just poor, tabloid journalism or is this a dangerous group of individuals with a very unclear motive? You cannot help but feel like you just don’t know. At this day and age, the idea of secret societies aren’t very popular, so it’s very possible that they are under the weight of massive amounts of stigma.

Expect a special announcement involving Clink Jewellry on our website and facebook page on August 1st, 2012.

NEWS

Occupy Wall Street And Pamphlets Occupying The Mind September will mark the first anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement. It was in response to the financial sector in the United States and how they failed in the market crash of 2008 and the government’s reaction(bailouts, too big to fail policies), and a cluster of other issues. It inspired many similar movements across many American cities and even reached into other countries. After thousands of people have been arrested across the country since then and most of the encampments have been raided by police and disseminated, a lot of people have asked, “What has come out of this movement that seems nonexistent that once struck the national consciousness?” Besides, the general assemblies, national days of action, the plethora of citizen-run media and other community oriented projects, there has been something else that has come along. Occupy has recently founded the Zuccotti Park Press/Occupied Media Pamphlet Series with the help of the Brooklyn-based non-profit organization, Adelante Alliance, that serves the Spanish-speaking immigrant community. The first pamphlet in the series came out this May, entitled,”Occupy”. It was written by Noam Chomsky, a professor of linguistics at MIT and an author of dozens of books on countless subjects. It is a collection of Chomsky’s lecture’s, interviews, and conferences relating to the Occupy movement. He goes over many topics like the media coverage of the movement, how it has changed communities, the late historian Howard Zinn, and much more. At the end of the pamphlet, it has a questionnaire section written by the National Lawyer’s Guild about what people should do if they get arrested for expressing freedom of speech.

Occupy definitely differentiates from some of Chomsky’s other writings. It’s not that it’s more simple, it’s just a lot more consolidated since it is a pamphlet. It shows more of how he speaks more than he writes. But he’s once again spot on with the sources and arguments. He made notes at the bottom of the pages. “The Occupy movement”, says Noam Chomsky, “spontaneously created something that doesn’t really exist in the country: communities of mutual support, cooperation, open spaces for discussion. They just developed a health system, a library, a common kitchen—just people doing things and helping each other. That’s very much missing. There is a massive propaganda—it’s been going on for a century, but picking up enormously—that you really shouldn’t care about anyone else, you should just care about yourself. You pay attention to yourself; we don’t want anything else. You take a look at the attitudes among young people, that’s—it’s polled, it’s studied. It’s remarkably high.”

What has come out of this movement that seems nonexistent that once struck the national consciousness?

written by Brandon Krampert

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BOY SCOUTS REAFFIRM EXCLUSION OF HOMOSEXUALS FROM ORGANIZATION BY MARIE JAYME Court since 2000. The Boy Scouts’ chief executive, Bob Mazzuca, said he thinks there is a large amount of support for the current policy.

The Boy Scouts of America have reaffirmed their policy of excluding homosexuals from the organization, despite recent protest campaigns. The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is an organization known for helping boys build good character, leadership skills and lifelong values surrounding good citizenship. The organization has approximately 2.7 million youth members and over 1 million adult volunteers. Over the past year, many members have tried to change Boy Scouts of America’s ban on allowing homosexuals’ involvement in the organization. After a confidential two-year review, the 11-member special committee announced on July 17 that they “came to the conclusion that this policy is absolutely the best policy for the Boy Scouts.” This unanimous recommendation preserves the policy that has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme

Mazzuca told the Los Angeles Times, "The vast majority of the parents of youth we serve value their right to address issues of same-sex orientation within their family, with spiritual advisers and at the appropriate time and in the right setting…We fully understand that no single policy will accommodate the many diverse views among our membership or society." Based on this decision, the BSA’s executive board will take no further action on reconsidering the membership policy despite recently submitted resolutions. Jennifer Tyrrell, a mother removed from her position as a voluntary Tiger Cub den leader because of her sexual orientation, started a petition on Change.org urging to be reinstated and to change the policy against gay members and leaders. She started the petition in mid-April and has gotten more than 300,000 signatures. She started a second petition to urge Scouting board member, AT&T chairman and chief executive Randall Stevenson, to stand with her. The petition says AT&T has a reputation as a place for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) to work. Stephenson is to become

president of the Boy Scouts’ national executive board in two years. Another member of the executive board, James Turley, Ernst and Young Chief Executive, is another advocate for allowing LGBT members to be involved in Boy Scouts of America. Turley said he would work within the organization to bring an end to the long-standing policy. “As CEO, I know that having an inclusive culture produces the best results, is the right thing for our people and makes us a better organization. My experience has led me to believe that an inclusive environment is important throughout our society and I am proud to be a leader on this issue,” Turley said. In a statement, the BSA told the LA Times that it "respects the opinions of our board members and are thankful for their leadership. While we have supporters and board members with different viewpoints on this issue…we believe that good people can personally disagree on this topic and still work together to accomplish the mission of Boy Scouts of America."

FASHION

SOMMABABY is a brand with a very interesting concept, which consists in a total nonverbal, communication seeking expression of their pride in multiracial identification and representation. With beautiful and youthful models representing the versatility that exists around the world and the multiracial community, this clothing and apparel speaks on behalf of all of us! Read the interview to learn more about it! BY: KARLA TEJADA

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First of all, what is the concept of the brand? SommaBaby Clothing Company was created to express pride in multiracial identity. From a social standpoint, our brand fill the gap for multiracial individuals who really want that piece of clothing that reflects their racial diversities. So many of us fall into that “gray” area, or “blur” the racial lines, so some other graphic tees might not accurately represent our clientele, racially or ethnically—SommaBaby fills that gap. In other words, a girl who is half Italian and half African-American might not want to wear one of the “Jersey Shore-type” tees that have “Italian” slogans because it seemingly omits her African-American side. And that goes for so many racial “mixes” nowadays. SommaBaby was designed to help eliviate that feeling of omission. From a political standpoint, the brand challenges society to accurately categorize people, racially, and not just shove them into a box based on physical appearance. It definitely challenges the effects & misrepresentations that the “one-drop rule” left in our society. Properly categorizing individuals, racially, is far more important than most people realize. For medical reasons, for geneology reasons, demographic reasons, giving society four boxes to choose from on government forms just doesn’t work anymore. So, yes, there is a Cause behind our brand. Overall, we just want to make the world a better place and keep that sense of pride alive in everyone.

styling the models, some are just monster promoters on social networks. When we meet, there’s a whole room of girls who “get” one another on this multiracial stuff! Everyone thinks being multiracial is so easy, but in truth, it can be harder—even now. Some people struggle throughout adolescence trying to fit in somewhere, without ever really fitting in their social circles. But, when all of my girls get together, you can feel the unity in the air. From hair issues, to skin, to body shapes…we all get one another! And for that hour, I know everyone feels like they “fit in.” So, my motivation is knowing that, from our platform, we can create this same sense of unity & pride in millions! THAT is powerful. Believing that we could have a hand in creating

I noticed that the union of races is your main goal, do you believe that this could help to racism problems? You know, I never really understood racism. I still don’t understand true racism. Honestly, I think a lot of people aren’t necessarily racists, they just fail to understand one another and group themselves around people who make them comfortable, which are usually people of the same race or upbringings. I think people get complacent in their immediate box and never explore the lives of others. Then, they form their opinions of others based on stereotypes, rhetoric, & statistics. Now, as far as true racism…I’ll never understand hating a person based on skin pigment or culture. Being born and raised in the South, you better believe I’ve had my experiences. But racism is worldwide. That true racism that fueled slavery in many countries, the Holocaust, and so many other persecutions all over the world…I’ll never under stand that. But, I believe in humanity. I believe in God. So, for that reason, I will always have faith that there is hope for racism too. Maybe not in my lifetime, and maybe not. I don’t think SommaBaby t-shirts will help people who are true racists. That is a disease of the heart and mind. But, I do believe that we contribute to helping empower som of the individuals who might be targets of racism. In life, you’re not defined by what you’re called, but yet, to what you answer. So, I’d like to think that SommaBaby Clothing Company helps our clientele to challenge society to accurately represent them. And that’s one step closer to them growing that “thick skin” & learning to demand respect and fairness in every aspect of life. I’d like to think we help prepare our generation for future fights… whether the fight is racism or any other “ism” in our society.

THINK BIG! AIM BIG! SURROUND YOURSELVES WITH PEOPLE WHO DREAM BIGGER AND AIM HIGHER THAN YOU.

What keeps you motivated to keep it up? Oh, that’s easy! The potential in the platform! The possibility of creating this massive platform from which we can inspire the world….help the world…. and speak to millions of young people who might really need to hear our voices knocks me off my feet. You see, everybody likes to fit in somewhere. We’re human. And our target market it that age group who’s usually trying to figure it all out. Team SommaBaby is a group of 25 multiracial girls that I have the unbelievable honor of leading back home. Some model the clothing, some help with

strong women who are firm on who they are and what they want is priceless. What inspired the name or who was responsible for it? When I was in elementary school, I remember being the only girl, other than my sisters, who looked like me. So, it drew a lot of attention and led to me having to answer a lot of questions about my race. That was so frustrating for me. I’m not a shy person, but being a “misfit” kind of shoved me into a shell at school because I struggled with finding my perfect clique. So, to counter the awkwardness of having to explain my “mix” to everyone who asked, I’d make it humorous. When questions arose, I would say, “I’m a SommaBaby—I’m somma this & somma that!” That way, I didn’t have to break anything down to anyone nor explain why I didn’t look a lot like my mother. It lightened the atmosphere and helped me dodge the questions! When I began researching prior to naming my company, I realize how typical my experience was for most mixed-race people. So, I decided to name the company, SommaBaby, to remind myself that there’s a smile that follows every struggle.

How you pick the models? I try to select models who best represent our brand. Again, we challenge the notion of just looking at a person and checking a box based on physical appearance. After all, can you really just look our President and know he is half white? Can you look at an actress like

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FASHION Cameron Diaz and know she is of Cuban decent? I like for my models to “confuse” the eye and make one dig deeper. My vision is to truly diversity the models as the company continues to grow. Some of them actually contact me and send pictures. Some are referrals, and some my team and I just spot at random places like the mall! Currently, our models represent racial & ethnic groups that span the globe—from Iran to Brazil! It really helps to have models who are actually passionate about SommaBaby Clothing Company as well! Passion is definitely a deciding factor as well.

Right now, our design process is fairly simple. We have very simple designs which are screenprinted onto quality t-shirts that are cut to fit a woman’s body well. These are fashion tees, so they are made to look nice with jeans and heels as opposed to just a leisurely tee. Our creative team usually has a brainstorm session where we bring any new slogans or cute anecedotes to the table for discussion. We decide on a couple, then test them with our market and social networks. We let them choose their favorite designs & those are the ones that make it to the front of the tees.

When did you realize you wanted to create “Sommababy”? You know, I didn’t being wanting to create this company! I wanted someone else to create it so I could just buy some awesome tees to rock with my jeans & heels! That’s the raw truth. But, I’ve always sketched clothing. It was always just for fun though. About seven years ago, I started sketching leisure wear. I was on the road working another project, but I kept a notebook in the car and just sketched in-between stops. It was full of designs—dresses, coate, jumpsuits, blouses, and tees. I started naming them and picking textiles. I tossed it aside & enrolled in college to study Public Relations. I still sketched here and there, but just to kill time. Then, one day, I saw my sister wearing a “Latina” tee. I was like, “you’re not Latina!” But, it dawned on me that there was no tee to properly describe her. That was when I truly recognized the need for a design that would appeal to “in-betweens” and the lightbulb truly went off for me. I began sketching tees & sweat suits at that point. I was still in school at the time and ended up tossing it all aside again. Five years later, I picked it back up because I still couldn’t go to a store and buy a multiracial t-shirt! And I haven’t put it down since then. With my sister & my amazing team of designers, SommaBaby Clothing Company was officially born.

How do you describe the style of Sommababy? Our style is best described as being “city chic.” I really LOVE high fashion, and our buyers are very fashion forward young ladies! So, it was important to us to create a tee that could look good at night with heels or while browsing through the mall with your girlfriends. We wanted something that still made you feel “girly & effortlessly beautiful.” And that is the whole soul of SommaBaby. We love effortless beauty, or what appears to be effortless, anyway!

Tell me about the design process

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How long have you worked as a designer? Honestly, as I said before, I can remember sketching clothing designs in middle school. I began to take it seriously in 2009. By 2010, I looked at it as a business opportunity and began proper research so that I would know what appeals to my target market. I have been fortunate to work with other designers who have been wonderful at taking my visions & initial sketches and helping bring them to life. What is the goal of “Sommababy”? My goal with SommaBaby is to always create a garment that represents my buyers. I believe that with multiracial people, you get mult-shaped bodies! So, I want to make sure my items really provide a good fit to my buyer’s bodies. I want SommaBaby Clothing Company to inspire people, multiracial or not.

After creating this company, I now, have dreams for the company & brand. So, by making mine come true, I hope to inspire others to do the same. I want to unite people and help create a platform from which we can all offer some amazing contributions to the world of fashion & beyond. Where can readers buy the clothes? Readers can purchase t-shirts from our website, www.sommababy.com or from our Etsy shop, SommaBabyClothingCo. Our stores are currently online only. There are links to the shops on our Facebook and Blog (www.sommababy. wordpress.com) or, if you catch us at a trade show or large event, stop by and purchase directly from one of our team members! Wholesalers & consigners are welcome to contact us at sommababyclothingco@gmail.com for larger orders & wholesale pricing. Any suggestions for our readers? I suggest that readers strive to draw inspiration from something that makes you happy. After all, life is too short to not find what makes you happy and pursue it full force. One suggestion that has helped me in life is to THINK BIG! AIM BIG! Surround yourselves with people who dream bigger and aim higher than you. Why? Because if you hang around them long enough, it will rub off on you and you will see things you thought to be impossible become within reach. You will learn to dream…to achieve…& to inspire others. It becomes infectious. My biggest revelation came to me this year…I realized that I was put here to inspire others. Through SommaBaby Clothing Company & Team SommaBaby, I plan to do just that!

FASHION

THE LO BO A PROTAGONIST FOR A COLLECTION:

Y B

O EL

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hat is a Lookbook? Well, according to the Oxford

• Concentrate on what´s important to Coherence and comprehension don’t

communicate: What is the lookbook

Dictionaries, a Lookbook is

limit its presence to the material and

selling? Clothing? Then show it. Elab-

a set of photographs displaying a fashion

evolution chosen, accomplished by a

orated pictures are amazing, but can the

designer’s new collection, assembled for

designer.

customers see the pieces of the collection

marketing purposes.

in the middle of all the props? It has to be, it needs to be, the

So you might have the best pieces, but it doesn't matter if you dont know how

thread that holds the coming together

lookbook: Make the brand identifiable, and

of an idea.

that doesn’t have to be placing the logo all

to show it off. When I’m going through collections to comment about, everyday,

• Marketing is the main goal of the

around the lookbook, but having the ability Because after all, that's what's be-

to make the client recognize the brand just

I have to choose what I consider to be the

hind a collection: an idea, such a loud

by looking at the clothing or maybe even

coolest, and best.

conviction, that it has to be sewn up

the style of pictures taken.

together for people to walk in it. So what helps me to do that according to my criteria? Lookbooks.

An example of a lookbook meeting So what makes a lookbook memorable?

Every little detail of the clothing line should pair off to the product and the

all the criteria mentioned above is the Larose Hats (http://www.laroseparis. com/), a personal favorite.

• Having a defined target: Knowing

production of the line: all from location

who the collection is for is going to

to the model, the styling, and who's

determine how you are going to present

going to take the pictures.

the lookbook.

Simplicity never fails, and it usually goes with elegance.

FASHION

Created by Joshua Wilks &Jay Shipley The Orphan’s Arms is an English clothing brand that mixes trendy clothes with Old England. “The Orphan’s Arms takes you back to a time of gin palaces, poor houses and public executions. King George IV is on the throne and Paris Hilton upon the public tongue. “ Each piece is part of English heritage combining the Old England to rock side typically English, the brand offers clothing for men and women. Sweatshirts, t shirts, bags that fit perfectly to the current trend. “Each one unique, each one an artwork, each one a piece of heritage. “ Just take a look on the net to see that the brand has already conquered a good number of bloggers and continued its ascent.

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FASHION

What are your favorite pieces in this collection? Probably the quilted sweatshirts. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re quite unusual and very soft. We import it from France. What are some of your inspirations? Mixing traditional & modern English culture. Do you have any favorite materials ? We like to source new textiles every season so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always different.

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What drove you to choose fashion design and specifically starting your own design? We used to work for another brand but didn’t like the kind of design it was doing so we decided to start our own. Describe your style Heavily graphic based complemented by original sloganeering. One thing you couldn’t live without ? Josh can’t live without beer and books. Jay can’t live without tea and cutting-edge pornography. Favorite part about being a fashion designer ? Being passed on the street by a beautiful girl wearing one of our tops. What are other activities you enjoy doing besides designing (art, music, etc)? Jay collects various house plants so the studio now looks like a jungle, and Josh looks after his cats and rabbits.

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FASHION

Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s On Next? By: Giulia Brandimarti

Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s On Next, the competition strongly wanted by Vogue Italia editor in-chief Franca Sozzani and AltaRoma, has seen great success. As always, all talents selected have presented their collections during the Rome Fashion Week, and they received several appreciations from media and buyers.

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FASHION

Andrès Caballero has presented a collection inspired by a travel inside the famous Majorelle garden as well as by 20’s and 70’s style. This collection, with clear and minimalist lines, reflects in clothes the colors of nature during the summer: light green, blue-sky. Each dress is embellished with leather or embroidery works. We can speak of a prêt-a porter a hair’s breadth away to the haute couture, which reveals the tailoring work of a time, very often abandoned.

SAN ANDRES MILANO

MARCO BOLOGNA The duo Marco Giugliano and Nicolò Bologna have captured the top spot on the podium for “his fabrics mixed in a contrast of sport, glamour and sophistication. Their trump card was the uniqueness, their models did not remember anyone.” The designers, who started their career with a line of accessories, have triumphed at Who’s On Next with their first prêt a porter line. The print is the power of collection: some prints are reminiscent of the jewels they produced at the debut but the source is also the pop art. The gun makes “bling” rather than “pow”.

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SUZANNE SUSCETTIBLE Her real name is Soojung, and she’s from Korea. She has always loved Italy for the fabulous fabrics. When she arrived in Italy (between Florence and Milan) she worked for important designers such as Ennio Capasa (Costume Narional) and Dirk Bikkembergs. At the Who’s On Next competition she won the YOOX prize, a special award to support young talents. Her collection is based on testing of shapes and made in Italy.

Clear lines and minimal for Barbara Casasola, another finalist in Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s On Next 2012 competition. The Brazilian-born designer has chosen long edges and color blocks to create a soft and geometric clothes. Barbara Casasola presents a collection so dry, but very elegant, showing its scholarly expertise of designers; she has been for two years assistant for the creative director at Roberto Cavalli and later worked for Gabriel Greiss on two projects, for Lanvin and See by Chloe. Her personal collection was launched in 2011 in London, where she has her studio, but the love for Italy and Made in Italy has never abandoned her. In fact, she has chosen our country as a manufacturer of each piece of her line.

Koonhor S/S 2013 collection is inspired by architectonical and geometric lines: edges and cut out are cutting and clear, effectively delineating the chaos of the design. A limited palette of nude, navy blue, black, and white complete with a big bang mint green and orange flame. In his spring, form and function combine themselves in a dynamic and indispensable synergy.

KOONHOR

BARBARA CASASOLA

MARIO CHIARIELLA Mario looks to the future using geometric lines for strong women, but at the same time feminine. The main fabric that interprets this mood is the neoprene that plays with an opalescent organdie giving us a futurist effect. The most important element is an accessory, hand made with the origami technical, made with a particular fabric constitued by natural paper and cotton padded with opalescent pvc material. The color of collection is one and only: white.

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FASHION

Alessia launched her first collection in 2010. The study of geometry deconstructed shapes and volumes, the relationship between body and space, represents an experimental approach in the construction of the garment, defining proportions and fabrics used. Each piece is designed to satisfied the needs of every woman: cross-age, learned, conscious of her femininity and of her sensuality never shouted. Research, exclusivity, and attention to the forms, these are the Alessia Xoccato’s ingredients.

ALESSIA XOCCATO

GIANCARLO PETRIGLIA The first prize was won by Giancarlo Petriglia’s bags for being “chromatically attractive and made with different skins”. He has a strong background in fashion working in the past with important designers such as Trussardi and Nicolas Guesquiere. His 2012 collection has been immediately appreciated by fashion market, first of all for the definite Made in Italy identity, given by expert processing technique performed by Italian craftsmen.

BENEDETTA BRUZZICHES Benedetta didn’t win, but her bag collection has been highly appreciated by the audience and critics. Collection, called “the art of happiness,” tells about meetings: hair turns into weaves. On the bags there are eyes that looks at you, and a mouth that you kissed. The hands that you shacked became guardians of one secret night. In short a collection that looks, kisses, and hugs you.

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CHARLINE DE LUCA GIANLUCA TAMBURINI Charline’s style is far from her colleague Gianluca Tamburini. Her collection starts from the traditional shapes meeting luxurious and technical materials and well defined colours. White is the starting point of the seasonal palette, sometimes as a basis others as a contrasting tone. The dominant is luminous and bleaching, softens or create sharp contrasts, casting shades.

Conspiracy is the brand created by Gianluca Tamburini. We should speak of work of art more than simple shoes being worked in details as to be safe inside a dresser . His inspiration comes from a travel at the bottom of ocean among coral and polyps. Love at first sight

ZANCHETTI The imagery of Giacomo Zanchetti is strongly inspired by the Grand Tour, in Italy a travel trough the 100 cities. For the 2013 Spring/Summer the stage is Lake Maggiore, on Isola Bella. The whole collection lives inside the Italian gardens, sculptures, camellias, rhododendrons and jasmine. It goes to the swans, off-white in color, and to the peacocks and pheasants’ irid blue feathers. His bags has been defined by Suzie Menkes, the Herald Tribune’s queen, “lovely” and “modern”.

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CULTURE

MAGDA

SAYEG, By: Marissa Sjolander

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Artists generally paint upon a canvas, draw on a drawing pad, or sew on a sewing machine. Magda Sayeg, however knitts on the world, not just on a sweater. She is called “the mother of yarn bombing”. Madga uses her knitting as a way of warming up the world with her colorful, 70’s inspired patterns. She covers her plethora of artwork upon parking meters, stairs, monuments, street ways, and even upon a whole BUS!

Magda leads community projects and works

on commissions internationally with her knitting. She works with companies such as, Insight 51, Mini Cooper, Smart Car, Absolut Vodka, and the National Gallery of Australia. Magda’s work has been shown in Paris, Mexico, Canberra, Bali, and many more!

Her work has also been shown in American

monuments such as South by Southwest, a standard hotel showing comtemporary culture and in Austin City Limits Festival. Magda continues to expand her artwork by joining 1stAveMachine, where she will experiment and collaborate new art inventions that spur around in her mind. A partial outcome of this had lead her to a solo show in Rome, where she combined lighting with knitting

Madga Sayeg is such an inspiring artist

everyone should know, and view as an artist of experimental warmth upon the world. She even shows people artwork that wouldn’t normally go to a place, such as an art gallery, to see artwork.

You can check her out on her website, http://

www.magdasayeg.com/home.php She also sells iPhone cases,a and t-shirts on knitta please and etsy.

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CULTURE

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Shedding Hope by Kara Nixon

Each of us has many talents. It is only a matter of what we will do with those talents. Photographers Nick Dinitale and Steph Gomez have taken their talents to the next level. They were tired of hearing about people who are pro animals, yet do nothing to help them. Together they have started Shedding Hope: an animal shelter project, which not only brings Nick and Steph into animal shelters allowing them to document and inform others about how animal shelters work, but also brings this community in relationship with the music industry. Nick and Steph’s goal this summer is to visit as many animal shelters across the United States as they can in order to document their needs and report what they are accomplishing on a daily basis. “While visiting every shelter, we take pages of notes to compare amongst each other and see what practices could be shared amongst everyone to ultimately boost adoptions and diminish overpopulation. We plan to compile this research and share it with the public, which at the very least, will educate future and current pet owners and shelter personnel” (Steph & Nick).

Although these commercials are good and raise money, Nick and Steph want people to actually want the animals versus feeling bad for them. When I met up with them in mid July, they had already been to 16 shelters, with a goal of around 35 by the end of it. While visiting all of these shelters, they are doing another project involving different people and their pets. Along their journey, they are meeting up with musicians, artists, press representatives/managers, entrepreneurs and their pets. When I met up with them, they were doing a shoot with photographer and entrepreneur Celina Kenyon and her dog Chuck. Many know her as the wife of ex-Confide Ross Kenyon and owner of Agape Attire. Of course, if you follow her on Twitter or Instagram, you should know who Chuck is. Nick and Steph are bringing popular faces and wet noses to the public to get people excited about being involved with animal shelters. Many people are deeply influenced by and connected to music. Nick and Steph think that if fans see their favorite musicians and their pets, they will realize they can be connected to a pet and will want to get involved by adopting. All of this will be put into a book, which will be sold to fund the shelters they visited.

Steph and Nick are here to show the world that one shelter’s needs may be vastly different than another shelter. They are going into shelters, taking photos, going on tours, and taking lots of notes—all to learn exactly what each shelter needs in order to make a change. They are not here to make any shelters look bad, simply to inform the public. They are trying to shed a different light on the situation versus the commercials we all see in support of animals and animal shelters.

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CULTURE

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www.sheddinghope.com twitter/instagram @sheddinghope Nickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s twitter @nickdinitale Stephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s twitter @iamstephgomez inspirer magazine | 59

CULTURE

CONTROVERSY OVER THE CHILDREN'S MOVIE:

BRAVE

BY: RYSHANA JOHNSON

Disney and Pixar’s new addition, Brave, is stirring up some major controversy. Here we have a female heroine who doesn’t want to follow her Scottish family’s traditions and marry at a young age. Merida, a very strong-willed girl, hates the idea of marrying for the sake of keeping peace between the other clans in Scotland. She doesn’t want anyone at only 15. She decides to fight this arrangement by competing in an archery competition to win her own hand for marriage. Making a fool of the men competing and of her own family, Merida is punished for her transgression of traditional norms. After a horrible fight with her mother, she runs away and encounters a witch who reluctantly offers to change her mother’s mind. When returning to the kingdom with a potion for her mother, Merida makes her mother terribly ill and turns her into a bear! After the two return to the witch’s house, they find the witch has disappeared but left a clue saying the only way to break the spell is to mend the broken bond. Taking this literally, Merida thinks she must fix her mother’s quilt that she destroyed during their argument. As they lose more and more time, Merida’s father finds the bear and mistakenly believes it to have killed his wife. After gathering many men, he tries to hunt down the bear and to kill it. Merida fights him and tries to explain to him how this bear is her

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mother. But as she tries to reason with her father, a more persisting issue comes up as a huge demon bear attacks them all. Merida’s mother comes to help as she sees her daughter getting attacked by the bear. She outwits the bear and has him defeat himself. After this, Merida tries to break the spell by putting the mended quilt on her mother but still nothing happens. It is then Merida finally blames herself for her mother turning into a bear and the spell is broke by the mending of the bond between them. In the end, Merida and her mother come to the agreement that one day Merida will have to be wed but that she should be able to choose. After the movie came out in theaters there was a lot of buzz over it. The movie exceeded expectations and really was enjoyable to watch. Merida was a fun spirit and the entire movie was done amazingly well by Pixar. But one post, from Entertainment Weekly’s Adam Markovitz, sparked up a lot of trouble. Markovitz argued that Merida is a lesbian because she is a tomboy, doesn’t want to be married, and likes outdoor sports (archery). Now I know what you’re thinking: how can that automatically make someone a lesbian? Well many people felt the same way and showed a lot of outrage at Markovitz for painting such a stereotypical portrait. Just because a girl is does not act like the typical girl she must be a lesbian. First of

all, Merida is only 15, so not wanting to be married is understandable. Secondly, Merida is a free spirit who was to be able to enjoy life and doesn’t want to have to get so serious at such a young age. Just because she doesn’t show any sexual interest to the suitors her parents picked out doesn’t make her a lesbian. Many websites and celebrities also had this same view. Jezebel.net did a few articles about how just because a girl wants to be empowering and make her own choices doesn’t mean she is a lesbian. They also did another article naming other Disney processes who were somewhat feminist. People like Markovitz seemed to lose the point of the movie which is to tell a story about independence and compromise. Here we have an entire story based around the fact that Merida and her mother do not listen to each other and they must work together to come to a peaceful compromise. It sounds quite familiar to what many teenage girls face with their mothers on a day-to-day basis. If anything, Brave is empowering and teaches us to be a little more patient and understanding with each others’ wants and needs.

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CULTURE

THEME

PARK SURVIVAL

GUIDE By: Monique Freemon

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CULTURE Here are a few simple tips to survive theme parks. This plan is full proof and has been tested by me. Caution: Results may vary!

01 02 03 04

Book in advance… When booking a trip this massive make sure to get everything in advance. Most trips like this will be cheaper if you book the hotel, buy the tickets, and a rental car (optional). Bring PLENTLY water. Before each day that you go to the park put a bottle of water in the freezer and one in the refrigerator. With one unfrozen you don’t have to wait for the water to melt. Then with the frozen bottle of water u can use it to cool your neck or your forehead. It can get scorching hot when waiting in line for a ride. on’t be embarrassed! Bring a D bandanna or towel to wipe off the sweat. Everyone is sweating at the park. Another tip: wrap you bandanna around your frozen water bottle but not long enough that it will be wet. It will cool you down and keep you dry at the same time. What to wear? Cargos are you best friend because they are versatile at theme parks. They dry very quickly if you go on water rides, and they keep you cool during the day. Also they have many pockets just in case you want to keep your cellphone out of your backpack. Wear sneakers, they are comfortable and your feet won’t hurt as much at the end of the night. Tank tops will help with the heat instead of wearing a short

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sleeve shirt. Bring an extra set of clothes because of water rides. You can dry off during the day but better safe than sorry. You don’t want to walk around a park soaked. It will keepyou cool, but you feel a little uncomfortable.

07 08

Make sure everything is charged! Your cellphone and camera are going to be used frequently during a trip. Make sure your phone is fully charged to last the whole day in order to contact family members and whoever is with you. Make sure your camera is fully charged so you can record memories. Bring a backpack. Pretty explanatory. You don’t have to carry everything or worry about losing anything. It’s is a mini survival pack. Extra, Extra! Bring extra clothes, batteries, contacts, water, and sunscreen. Better safe than sorry. Gift shops are more expensive than Walmart, Walgreens, etc because they know people are going to need this stuff. Be mindful of other people and different cultures. This is important because Disney World Theme Parks and Universal Studios Parks attract people from all over the world. I’ve seen Hispanics, French, British, Irish Indians, Koreans, Australian even monks (Yes! They really were monks) and a melting pot of visitors. When I mean be mindful just treat each culture with kindness and be respectful of others. Everyone is here to have a good time.

Don’t spend all of your money in one place AND be careful with your money. Every theme park has something different to offer. Be mindful of how much you spend in one park. Don’t bring wads of cash to the park because it might be stolen and/or your lose it. Also bring a certain amount of money helps with controlling you spending. Bring and wear sunscreen. I didn’t need sunscreen because I don’t burn easily. But you might and have heard sunburns are painful. To save yourself from having one and ruining your fun wear sunscreen and bring extra; it wears off. Make sure to have fun!

Cleveland Indians pitcher Hernandez suspended, gets visa BY LINDSAY KING ed in the Dominican Republic, outside the U.S. consulate, where he had traveled to renew his current visa. It was then that it was discovered that Hernandez is actually 31 years old, which is three years older than had been listed.

Cleveland Indians pitcher Roberto Hernandez was suspended by Major League Baseball, Saturday, July 21, for engaging in age as well as identity fraud. Hernandez, formerly known as Fausto Carmona, has agreed to restructure his contract with the Indians, which might have helped with his length of suspension. His suspension runs through August 10, 2012. Although suspended from the MLB, Hernandez will still be qualified for minor league rehabilitation during the duration of his suspension. His rehabilitation will consist of three or four starts. Manny Acta, the manager for the Cleveland Indians minor league team, said he has spoken to Hernandez several times throughout the last few months and, "He was getting antsy. He never got down on his hope for coming

over. I never felt he gave any sign of thinking that (returning to the Indians) wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to happen.â&#x20AC;? Chris Antonetti, Indians general manager, has said that Hernandez has received a visa to return to the United States and can return to his team August 11. According to a Cleveland newspaper by the name of the Plain Dealer, Hernandez, has not been allowed in the country after his real identity was discovered last offseason.

Struggling to stay in the AL Central race, the Indians are 12th in the league in ERA for starting pitchers. Being 53-66 with a 4.59 ERA in five seasons, Hernandez has been rashly unpredictable. He finished 19-8 with a 3.08 ERA in what was his best season in 2007 and finished fourth in the AL Cy Young award voting. In 2008, Hernandez was 8-7 and in 2009, he was sent to the minors to work on his skills. Then in 2010, the All-Star pitcher went 13-14 with a 3.77 ERA.

''We're looking forward to having Roberto back in the organization,'' said Antonetti. ''He has put in a lot of work at our academy in the Dominican. I know he's eager to get going. He's very remorseful.'' In January, Hernandez was arrest-

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Mortal Kombat

CULTURE

VIDEO GAMES SHOULD THEY BE MADE INTO FILMS? BY LAUREN LAVERIA

Doom

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Lara Croft

Max Payne

Hitman

House of the Dead

The problem with turning a really popular game into a movie is that if it does not satisfy the audience or live up to their expectation, people will despise the movie and cause a controversy dealing with the film. Other times it is that the plot for the story has to be at least remotely different from the actual game itself, which is difficult to do considering that the game is famous for being the way that it is with specific game play and storyline. This itself causes a problem for script writers for they have to write a story line that will be just as interesting and unique as the one presented in the game, and not just a complete copy of the game. With the suggested help of the creators of the game, writers would be able to collaborate on a specific idea and story that would help make the audience content with what it’s presented on screen.

Mass Effect

After starting an internet poll of about 100 people, the responses to this subject were as followed: 38% of people would prefer it if games were kept as games and not tampered with, 18% of people said they did not care, 6% of people said they would watch the movie anyway without any expectation. The remaining 38% of the group said they wouldn’t mind these games being converted to films so long as the people who helped create the games helped in creating the film as well. Once asked again, the majority of the people surveyed changed their answer to the last option, where they wouldn’t mind if the game creators helped.

Resident Evil

ideo games that turn into films is a topic that can spark much controversy and opinionated ideas throughout many groups of movie viewers and game players alike. Ever since the release of “Super Mario Bros.: Peach-Hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!” back in the year of 1986, many films have been inspired by video games. Games such as Mortal Kombat, Pokemon, Resident Evil, Mass Effect, and Silent Hill have all been turned into movies, as well as a list of many, many more.

More movies are to come out, but those are under wraps for now.

Silent Hill

Some video games that are actually being converted into film and some that are rumored to be made in the near future are as follows: Bio Shock, Dante’s Inferno, God of War, Roller Coaster Tycoon, World of Warcraft, Soul Calibur, and Dead Space.

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in this issue Cover photo & 15: Morgan Young

32-35: Nelson O. Smith Photography

8-11: http://images.mylot.com/userImages/images/ postphotos/559045.jpg http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/tag/yellow-ostrich/ http://www.cbsnews. com/8301-31749_162-57437672-10391698/haley-reinhart-of-american-idol http://blahblahblahscience. com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/bombay-bicycleclub4.jpg http://www.hivemag.com/wp-content/ uploads/2011/09/m832.jpg http://2.bp.blogspot. com/-ejLNgspXEs0/TyA968CISkI/AAAAAAAACy4/O5YoOIEmpoQ/s1600/Dev-polkadots.jpeg

54: http://samcomen.tumblr.com/post/15391562376/ yarn-bomb-los-angeles-magda-sayeg-for-the-wall-st

12: Remi Theriault

64: Monique Freemon

18: Morgan Young

65: AP Photo, Plain Dealer file photo

20: http://9.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/ top-10-twitter-pics-632012/8.%20Blink182%20 Tattoo.jpg http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m603gnTjLQ1rxnphgo1_500.jpg http://load. kovideo.net/s/raw/n/Miley-Cyrus-Tattoo.jpg http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1417/5119197016_ b4f98cbb65_z.jpg http://data.whicdn.com/ images/31591609/bandaid2_large.jpg http:// userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/54160191/Christofer+Drew+love+is+my+weapon.jpg http:// cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users13/fansatthedisco/default/close-up-andrew-mcmahons-tattoos--large-msg-116777809937.jpg http://www. coverdude.com/covers/twin-atlantic-free-2011cd-cover-76268.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr. com/7134/7476209732_81049089fd_z.jpg http://24. media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4wz6xIJcE1r9pw9qo2_500.jpg 22: Joseph Fuda 26: http://theurbandaily.com/1930213/def-jamfrank-ocean-didnt-talk-sexuality-for-sales/ 28: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/fashion/ for-scientologists-divorce-is-no-simple-matter. html?_r=1

56-59: Kara Nixon 60: http://jezebel.com/5921127/merida-from-braveisnt-a-lesbian-but-she-could-be 63: http://azerinn.deviantart.com/art/Sleeping-Beauty-Castle-Night-122785785

All fashion photos unaccounted for were provided by models, journalists, or brands.

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