Precis 08 2014 issue 3 by Chris Stecher ~ Précis Magazine

pré·cis 摘要

august.twenty fourteen

issue three volume one

cargo: editorias - 2 gigs - 3,4 expat 8 ball - 5 kats window - 6 word on the street - 7 music - 8 travel ~ qingdao - 9,10 per.spect.ive - 11,12 hippies - 13,14,15 teaching - 16 cartoon. - 18 images. - 19,20,21 photo: Melissa Davis

pr茅路cis publisher & editor: chris stecher graphics: stech design photography: stech design, melissa davis, kat tosi contributing writers: symeon north, kat tosi, chris parizo, casey ray hunter, william griffith, edward hutchins content submissions and /or letters to the editor are welcome. please keep Letters to 250 words and submissions to 750 words. Photos and images need to be at least 200 dpi at size. contact : stech@outlook.com 01

photo: Melissa Davis

pré·cis editorias

This wasn’t the intended editorial. There are times in your life that you remember where you were when someone of import dies. For my brother and parents, it was JFK, for me it was, long ago, Kurt Cobain.. And oddly enough, I have no idea why I remember that day in 1994 other than the fact that it was two days before my birthday, it just hit me, viscerally on the corner, waiting to cross the street to go to the OP, the bar that I had listened to the band time and time again. So I wonder as well, where I know I will always remember where I was when Robin Williams died. He sparked the same emotions as, Kurt in me maybe. I laughed, I cried with him on stage, but I always knew that there was something inside him that was tortured, like in all of us, which is why we, in fact empathized with the performance. Be it music or acting, they both had something that struck a chord in all of us. Both these men were genius in reaching down to your soul and gently ripping out a long buried memory of sorrow or a small part of humor you thought was lost.

volunteering, finding shells on the beach, long walks in the woods, fighting with the French foreign legion, eating chocolate, running with the bulls, surfing, jumping out of planes, or, yes john, sometimes kittens. The point is, you do SOMETHING, to take your mind, however temporarily, off what is making you unhappy, and focus more on life... Because as my father once told me, it’s the only game in town worth playing. Which gets me back to robin, and Kurt, and Hunter, (as well as so many close personal friends I have buried) ...As much as I have admire you and love what you did.... You took the idiot way out. You got so self-absorbed, that you never saw what tomorrow may bring.. The little things that would make you smile. And you forgot those of us who loved you. So yes. I admonish you for your act of mindless self-indulgence . But I forgive you. I will be sure to smell the flowers for you.

That said, depression is a stone cold bitch, but one that knows no socioeconomic boundaries, the rich , the poor, the color of your skin doesn’t matter, and I am pretty sure, that at one point or another, you reading this have had it too in one form or another. I know I have. The real meat of the matter is what you do with it. Some find solace with the bottle, for some, meditation, for others counseling., macramé, petting puppies, 02

Temple 7.24.14 ~ three year Anniversary Seven Light Years, Los Crasher, and Devils at the Crossroad

1 2

gigs.

1. voolcanoo of Los Crashers / 2. tha crowd / 3. Los Crashers / 4. photobomb the Jager girls / 5. insane power chord with Devils / 6. seven light years / 7. Dave gets real DATC / 8. BTime out at the bar / 9. cedric from DATC/ 10. Los Crashes backstage / 11. Morgan And The Temple Crew / 12. Beijing rock stars at the bar

10 9

expat by edward hutchins

You have worked in many places across the world. Looking back, what was your first expat position, and how did you prepare for it?

My first ‘expat’ position was actually in Beijing about four years ago, although at that time I was only here for two months so it was more an internship than a ‘real’ expat experience, but I’ll count it. At that point it was a pretty last minute decision, but I knew I was going overseas and I could had 30kg worth of things to take, so I let go of a lot of things and left my mind open. Thats about it. When you first moved to China, what was your transition like? Did you experience culture shock? I don’t think I ever experienced ‘culture shock’ however there were definitely a few things that shocked me. I feel like the initial transition was pretty easy, my company organized a sort of China induction program where I spent some time learning about Chinese customs, culture and history. I was also surrounded by a bunch of other foreigners and living in Sanlitun, so it wasn’t an instant submersion into the ‘Chinese’ China experience. In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing expats in china today? 05

Not being able to register you bank card on Wechat without a Chinese ID, or the variety of other things you can’t do without a Chinese ID. No, I’m kidding, that’s slightly frustrating, but not a big deal. To be honest I feel like getting and holding onto a Visa has becoming one of the biggest issues for expats, I know so many people who’ve left over the last year because they couldn’t just keep extending business or tourist visas every few months. When looking at hiring an expat what are the most important questions you ask in an interview? Salary expectations? Haha, again kidding. I don’t think I have any particular questions when interviewing expats, most questions would be job related and I would ask the same things of a Chinese person interviewing for the same position. Do you feel that the Chinese have been more or less inviting in granting or renewing Visas for foreign professionals in recent years? Yes, definitely. As mentioned I know a lot of people who’ve left just because getting a visa was too much of a hassle. Although, its maybe more that they are just being stricter on their actual policies whereas previously visa agents could use ‘guanxi’ to approve appli-

expat 8 ball

8 questions answered from an established expat cations that didn’t actually meet the visa requirements, etc. They’ve also changed the types of visas that can be issued. Sometimes I feel it just comes down to luck though. Are you finding that the Air quality is making finding and keeping quality talent difficult? I think for expats with families and young children this might be an issue, for younger expats (although we all complain about it) I don’t believe it would be the determining factor on staying/leaving China.

Make a conscious effort to learn Mandarin! Really, it’s hard but I feel like it pays off immensely. It will enrich your experience, and allow you to experience a bit more of ‘China’ than you would otherwise be able to, don’t just stick to the expat bubble! Edward Hutchins Bio:

What are your personal thoughts on living and working in China? Living and working in China has been amazing! To live in a country that has such a different culture and history from a small place like New Zealand actually makes me feel really blessed to have even had the opportunity to come here and experience this. There are so many beautiful places in this country, so many interesting and amazing people and the opportunities that present themselves to you are one of a kind. I don’t think I could have the experiences I’ve had here anywhere else in the world and I love that. If you could give one piece of advice for someone considering coming to China to work, what would it be?

Hi! I’m Edward, a New Zealander living and working in Beijing! I’ve been here for the past year and a half living in a small bubble between Guomao, Sanlitun and Gongti. Previously I traveled around southern China, lived in the ‘Hawaii of China’, Sanya, for a few months and also did a two year stint in Sydney before that. You can find me on twitter/wechat/instagram etc at ‘eddyhutchins’.

Kat’s Window ~ on China By Kat Tosi

Qingdao Brewery

Out-of-our-little-heads with the Tsingtao Beer Museum Tour

Qingdao, China is a fantastic city. Located on the seaside in the Southwest of the country and within striking distance (5 hours by train) from Beijing, it is a gem that is overlooked by most Beijing smog-dwellers and tourists alike. Perhaps this is because when people hear the word Qingdao they instantly think of China’s number one beer Tsingtao, which is just another way to phonetically spell the city. Boring, cheap but yellow and containing alcohol, this beer would hardly be considered a reason to make a pilgrimage. After my latest adventure, I would beg to differ. The Tsingtao beer museum was an absolute head-spinner and far more entertaining than any other brew-tour I have ever been on.

declaring “Absolutely Pure.” Yikes. In any case, while I was meandering through brewery tour, I couldn’t help but notice and hear the presence of hundreds of school children. At first I was a bit baffled as to why this would be considered a school trip. I reflected and considered that this could be filed under both a scientific and historical outing. Perhaps fitting for senior school children, but there were lots of kids barely reaching my waist. Well, never mind, I thought.

It was interesting to see how Tsingtao packaging and advertisement had evolved over time. Yes, Germans founded Tsingtao, and yes they occupied the city for over 30 years. This point was made very clear by a historical bottle of beer with the Swastika on it

What happens when you give half a liter of beer to a child weighing 18 kilos (40 lbs.) who has (hopefully) never consumed beer before? Well, they get drunk and rowdy, just like adults do. Soon the Tsingtao beer bar was like a Sesame Street show gone positively wrong. Kids were literally weaving around. Thank goodness none of them were driving home (I think). After the free-beer event, there was a section of the walkway that was a gigantic tube designed to look like it was submerged in the beer tanks. It was like being in a submarine, except when you looked out the windows, well, it was beer that bubbled by. As I strolled along I watched little whippersnappers zigzagging along this new version of yellow-submarine, drunk as skunks.

At the beginning of my beer-museum adventure, I was more than skeptical. Boasting 4 gigantic cans of beer as part of its roof, the factory still looked haggard. After paying a 60 RMB (10 USD) admission, I figured this beer tour couldn’t possibly be worse that the “looking at rocks in a cave tour” I’d been suckered into in Guilin, China earlier in the year. Looking at the brochure, the game plan looked rather standard. Walk along and discover the history and tradition of brewing beer, complete with explanation of process from past to present. Move on to a tour of their modern production and technology area. Receive a free beer at the end. It also mentioned the feature of “a drunken house” along the way, which raised my curiosity.

age of 7-90 all plunked down with their half-liter of Tsingtao and free package of peanuts and downed their beer amid a clatter of kids cheering and toasting and running around playing hide-and-seek and cops and robbers.

Towards the end of the tour we reached “the drunken house” which was a room built at 45-degree angles with optical tricks that were designed to replicate the experience of being drunk. The kids loved it. For me, it was but a familiar feeling and a clever trick. Finally, at last, we reached the taproom. Our crappy free beer awaited. I cued up with my ticket to receive my free beer-flavoured beer and SO DID ALL OF THE CHILDREN. Yes, there were parents and teachers there. And yes, everyone big and small, from the

Does Tsingtao really know what it is up to with this one? Is the new motto “Start ‘em Young?” Perhaps. I was astounded by the whole event. Nevertheless, as you exited the tour there was, of course, a gift shop and a proper bar selling no-longer-free Tsingtao. So some of the parents bought themselves their kids some more beer. And some kids bought themselves some more beer. And there they were, getting smashed at 2 in the afternoon. Have fun with those hangovers, little ones. It must have been a hell of a ride back home.

word on the street @livebeijingmusic.com by William Griffith

High School is a bitch. Plain and simple. Especially in China. Tutoring for four years has pretty much settled that I would never want my child placed in the educational system here. Cause when your students begin sounding like middle-aged pencil pushers you know something is up. It’s cutthroat, competitive, and kids will do just about anything to get a leg up.

And though most of these students will have to buckle down over the next year as gaokaos, SATs, and truckloads of homework piles up the fact remains that these kids are giving it a shot and making the best of high school lives. After years of listening to kids weep and mood about the week that lies ahead of them, it was inspiring to hear of kids immersing themselves in music.

So when I meet Coraline, a seventeen to the world – and like that Alkalic A week later one of my past students year old girl who had contacted me Weed was formed. contacted me out of the blue - I had through my website about an upcom- And it wasn’t only her – Coraline is known Troy since 2008 when he was part of a league of other high school bands across Beijing that have taken up creating music as an alternative to doing community service or taking part in spelling bee competitions. There’s Watermelon Canned, a trio of seventeen year olds whose punk pop had Brain Failrue drummer Xu Lin second guessing whether or not their were in fact high school students yet whose mothers who would gasp whenever they would show up to hear their sons screaming out ‘cào ni mā’. ing show, I was expecting to see yet another disgruntled high school student, who had either given up all hope or was void of all personality, spare a extensive knowledge of formulas, vocab, and Chinese poetry. And word to the wise, never meet a high school girl at a bar – can’t tell you the number of dirty looks I got. And what I found was someone who had immersed herself in creating music – though classically trained on the piano, Coraline had become immersed in music by junior high where she meet fellow classmates who also grew up on Bob Dylan, John Denver, and The Carpenters, the music they parents had adopted when China opened up

There’s Bomb and Shout, a six piece outfit who are the Frankenstein creation of their schools’ need to form a music club – originally forced to write and perform songs to help encourage

The spirit of rock and roll lives and breathes in today’s youth and I can’t wait to hear what they cook up. middle schoolers to do well on their exams the band eventually found themselves surpassing the teachers requests and fashioning their own sound. Or Dongbo and ChiChi of power pop outfit Finger Family, who became class heroes of their high school covering Green Day and AC/DC using school instruments before their teacher caught them sneaking girls into the rehearsal room.

just nine years old. Clever little kid. Could engage with you in just about any subject - politics, science, literature, philosophy – to the point where I’d have to stop him from jumping too far down the rabbit hole. He eventually become so bogged down in his studies we stopped seeing each other on a regular basis. So when his parents invited me out to dinner to catch up I was delighted. And then he popped the question - “How easy is it to start a band?” By golly, you should’ve seen the gleam in my eye.

Temple Bar Showcases Beijing’s Mightiest Music in 3-year Anniversary 4-day Meltdown

music. By Kat Tosi

ture. However, you can never go wrong with a late night crowd sing-along to their much-loved song ‘Obey’, which of course caused much crowd disobedience.

Opened 3 years ago by four friends, the anniversary bash at Temple Bar, Beijing lived up to all expectations. The line-up was a dead give away to what this bar is about: diverse killer local music with something for everyone. It was four full nights of very full on party that allowed Temple Bar to showcase Heavy Rock, Punk Rock, Psycho Rock and Funk. The first night saw Seven Light Years, Los Crasher and Devils at the Crossroad compete to see who could out-rock-theshit out of each other.

The second night saw Punk Night give our shoes a run for their money. With the delicious line-up of Rolling Bowling, Hell City and the Didiers, it was time to show that psycho/rockabilly and punk, are in fact, not dead but alive and well here in Beijing. Rolling Bowling made me feel like I was back in Austin, Texas for a bit but I was brought to my senses by the fact that they were also singing in Chinese. This fun loving trio loves to do ripping guitar solos. Having just come off a European tour, these guys are in tip-top musical shape and a band to keep your eye on. Get your autographs now?

Seven Light Years, having just released their EP entitled Zero, showed us what scream core meets emo produces. In my opinion, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. One minute I am head banging, the next I feel like I am listening to a top-40 hit. Get rid of those high, sweet lovey vocals and these guys do have something. Los Crasher had been a rather unpredictable live act of late in my opinion. They got their straight ahead rock on for this event, stayed away from cheesy cover songs, and regained my interest in seeing them perform again in the future. Of course, Temple Bar saved the best for last with Devils at the Crossroad melting down the house. The powerhouse 3-piece recently remolded themselves into a 4-piece with a new front man and new guitarist. After some minor teething problems I do declare, hell yeah, it works! I cannot wait to see what these devils have up their sleeves for the fu-

while dancing around in the dark dressed in a killer goth outfit, this one is for you. This dark trio was the perfect way to dance the time away dreaming of bats as I waited for the ultimate mind-melting of bands to come onstage. There is simply no way I can express how Whai continues to blow my mind. These guys get tighter, more confident and focused and more out-of-this world every time I see them. Calling themselves advant-garde-experimental-rock-industrial-noise Chinese-folktrip-hop-dance, I just call them freaking’ amazing. Positive entrancement had taken place. Day four saw Beijing put its funk on with the Groove Collective and Tavey Lean & the Solid Gold Dream Machine taking the stage. I was feeling more than funky. The Groove Collective, known for its traditional and modern mixes of international funk kept the crowd funkin’. Tavey Lean + was a great way to end a four-day melt down. Funk, soul, rock and reggae got everyone prepared to face the early hours.

The raw Hell City (old-school straight punk) and the Didiers (extremely aggressive rock/ punk) almost got my hair to stand up in a Mohegan. These two bands have been ripping it up at School Bar as of late and if you ever want to feel like you time traveled back to the 1970’s, come to Beijing for one of their shows. Punk. Punk. Punk. Crazy. Crazy. Crazy. You are never too old to mosh! And there ended day two. Next up, psycho rock.

Four days of musical magic had come to an end. But holy smokes, how did any of us get any sleep? Well, most of us didn’t. It was daring combinations of attention keeping music, YEE-HAH atmosphere, booze and beyond delicious Temple Bar burgers that must have kept us going. Temple Bar illustrated what keeps some of us in Beijing on those smog filled days; awesome music that unites people of all sizes, shapes, colours, beliefs and backgrounds under one stage, roof, Temple.

Luv Plastic, Big Wave and Whai for day 3 and only Whai could possibly get me off my couch. Luv Plastic, a rock duo, served their purpose as a non-offensive warm up band from what I heard. Big Wave gave definite props-out to the new-wave, electronica and post punk sounds of Joy Division and Depeche Mode. Perhaps not the most original sounding of bands, but if you like to reminisce about Bela Lugosi

travel.

Qingdao

If Beijing is what non expats aspire the yellow sea. your finger on before while looking at to, then Qingdao is where expats Before we get into it though, it is re- the awesome skyline form the warm want to be. source time, and if you are an English inviting beach… The air. It’s clean. Not it the “oh it’s only a 68 AQI Situated in the lower eastern part in Beijing, let’s go for a run” clean, of china on the coast, the city to- If Beijing is what non but actually CLEAN, clean. And day is a dynamic mix of different expats aspire to, then this is one of the distinctions that cultures. this large Chinese city difQingdao is where expats make ferent as a vacation destination. Since 1891, when the regional want to be. Qing government decided that As aforementioned, the “Qing” the area would be an optimal in Qingdao roughly translates coastal defense base and began boost- only speaker finding yourself in Qin- to “Lush” or “Green”, and green it is, ing fortifications, this area has long gdao, what you must pick up, is the from its beaches to its nearby mounlived up to the its translated name, monthly magazine REDSTAR (http:// tain range. Reminiscent of the Ha“Lush Island” The Germans however, www.myredstar.com/). It gives you waiian Islands, the weather is hot on were keeping tabs on these military season, but the offshore breeze and renovations and as a result decided to the ocean scent makes the heat more invade and occupy the region in 1897 than bearable. and it became known as the “Kiautschou Bay concession” until 1914. This Being the coastal city that it is, the explains some of the colonial period place is awash with fresh seafood, and fortifications, German architecture this can be found corner in barbeneighborhoods, stunning Christian cue form in almost any of the city at churches and arguably more importmore than reasonable prices, starting ant, a Brewery. Hence Tsingtao beer. mid-afternoon. But sometimes you want something different, so here is a The German occupation brought list of restaurants and attractions: about novel improvements to china at the time, solid streets, electricity, the scoop on the city and provides a OLD JACKS school systems, and clean drinking pretty accurate map in English and water. This all ended in 1914 with Ja- Chinese that is the go-to for taxi dipan taking control of the area after the rections. Kat and I relied on this for a siege of Tsingtao, marking the start week and it never let us down. of Japans inclusion in the First World War. China eventually regained con- The thing that strikes most is the wide trol of this important port in 1922. variety of architectural styling.. From prewar European, Chinese hutongs , But enough of the ancient history, high tech skyscrapers, to seaside late that’s what encyclopedias are for. This 70’s Wright inspired villages. Qingdao piece is about the here and now, and has it all. Then something else occurs, 09 what delights await in this city by something that you couldn’t quite put

bucks US during happy hour. And Nestled in the heart of Qingdao’s busy don’t forget the DYI stripper pole. downtown, with its rapid upward construction as well as its massive sub- BEER STREET way project, is a little cafe/bar named Old Jacks. Opened in 2013’ across the street from the infamous book city shopping plaza, this cozy little nook of a spot has all the old world charm of an English pub. A big plus is the fact that you can find REDSTAR magazine, a must have for English only travelers, in order to navigate effectively around Qingdao. Offering a full service bar as well as a full menu of international coffees, Old jacks is the place to chill out for a couple of iced lattes or draft beers from Strong Ale Works craft breweries. Prices range from 15 to 40rmb for coffee, and 15 RMB for the local Tsingtao to 25 for the strong ale drafts.

Yes Olivia, there is a beer street, and a wine street for that matter, but we only went to the former. The highlight of this is the Tsingtao brewery and beer museum (see Kat Window article on page 6).

THE BOMB SHELTER In the center of the city, by the Wharf that you can take a boat out into the sea to survey the skyline, is the “corkscrew” a big red sculpture that apparently is part of the Qingdao emergency action plan. Housing a 5000 person underground shelter, on the surface, the city plans to have 20,000 more people hang out on the lawn in tents. How that will play out during a tsunami, or a nuke attack seems unclear, but it’s a great lawn, and has dozens of eateries and places to sit to watch the kite flying.

The street itself is awash in restaurants offering seafood BBQ and , well beer.. and 99% Tsingtao, because they know Well, in keeping with the tradition of where their money is coming from. If finding the local dive bar in any city I for some reason, you don’t like a high SPARK and the DINER ever visit, I found it in this bar. Figur- quality, PBR-esque beer, avoid this ing who better to ask than the twenty street like the plague. For the rest of something guy from the outdoor BBQ us, come and enjoy! who served me fresh squid and beef rib knuckles, I asked for a bar in Chi- The BEACHES nese, and for my sins, he gave me the LPG. Writing it down in Chinese for good measure.

SSLPG bar

The LPG is a massive complex of different rooms, with different tables, and widely different clientele and cultures, but it seems with the limited exposure to be where the students, professional expats, and pro drinkers go to let loose on a Friday night.. Or at least one of them. A nine RMB cab fare from Haikue Lu , it mixes the traditional smoky bar environment, with decent music, without all the pretentiousness of the Kat and I did almost the entire 20 plus club scene. miles of boardwalk in Qingdao. The beaches range from the Very popular Told by a couple of locals that LPG is No. 1 Beach, to small outcroppings one of a small handful of bars clustered next to jetties that have wicked curls if in this area that is not poisoned by the you bring your surfboard. No mistake, KTV culture, and that has a decidedly there are rip currents here in the yelwestern/euro feel. The bartenders all low sea, so be wary, and be prepared speak English, you don’t have to ex- for shoreline fun. Kick back and watch plain your drinks, or what ice is, and the fishing boats bring in your dinner. the liquor seems to be real. Watch your belongings though. Drink prices are pretty reasonable as well.. Tsing Tao and a shot will only set you back 37rmb or a little over five

Located in the bomb shelter green, this is a home away from home for those wanting a break from Chinese food. Boasting a one pound burger, topped with whatever you would like, all of the fixings, from the bread to the pickles are all homemade or home grown. A must eat.

The 1953 Bar

Built oddly enough in 1953, the 1953 Bar & Cafe, located next to beach number 1 on HuiQuan Bay inside the Qingdao International Sailing Club (QISC), is a great place to have a cocktail with friends and watch the beautiful sunset over XiaoYuShan and Qingdao’s Old Town. It’s a great place to rest your heels over coffee and a beer during the 20 mile trek on the boardwalk. The archijump to page 17 tecture and period

per.spec. tive.

~ by Casey Rae

Information technologies warp our minds. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Ever since the first information technology—the alphabet—came along, our species has experienced psychological, if not physiological, paradigm shifts that have enabled us to grope our way towards the future. Often the new way of relating is awkward. Even the most willing participants in technology may not comprehend the full meaning and scope of a shift as it is occurring. Take, for example the written word. Once upon a time, text was something that only high-ranking castes would ever encounter. Even then, the technology of writing created some issues. Official writs were clumsy, and included odd proclamations to the people of the future. Coming from a formerly oral tradition, the idea that language could be recorded for posterity was a real mindfuck.

Acid Cults, Innovation & Control see, information has never wanted to be “free.” In either a liberal or totalitarian

William Blake had a name for this force: Urizen. William S. Burroughs simply called it control.

More hiccups: I am a believer in the sanctity of intellectual property as laid out in the delicate balance of Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution. This is not the place to debate that particular paradox, but I bring it up to demonstrate (once again) that the tensions between intellectual Like most Edens, this one property, Internet govserpents. One countercultu ernance, access to inforthe garden was the belief th mation and innovation cut to enlightenment could are persistent and real.

through drugs like LSD o tice of radical individualism

The gestation of this tension began in not some fog-shrouded era, but one much closer to our own. (Actually, the 1960s could be described as “fog-shrouded,” but for different reasons.) It was a volAs printing became democratized, Like most Edens, this one came with ser- atile and uncanny time, especially things got even goofier. When Don pents. One counterculture snake in the at the hippie movement’s epicenter Quixote—widely recognized as one garden was the belief that a shortcut to in Northern California. Dropouts, of the first popular printed entertain- enlightenment could be found through freaks, homeless kids, criminals, ments—was published, many readers drugs like LSD or the practice of radical mystics, hustlers and artists inwere not yet able to fully compre- individualism. termingled with intellectuals and hend written fiction, to say nothing radicals from the elite universities. of satire. Some readers became angry “Freedom,” as a bedrock American that Cervantes was lying to them—they universe, it wants to be regulated in or- ideal, mutated into new expressions—the believed the story was literal because it der to preserve or consolidate power and reverberations from which our society is was written down. You might think that’s wealth. These days, it’s not even a fight be- still experiencing. strange, but every new means of informa- tween “tech and content”—the real battle tion exchange seems to wreak havoc on is about who is in position to profit most Like most Edens, this one came with serveracity. The Internet is no different. The from information access and distribu- pents. One counterculture snake in the Birther movement was born from email tion. I recently joked that my professional garden was the belief that a shortcut to forwards. “I read it online! It has to be life is a protracted exercise in figuring out enlightenment could be found through true!” which side I have the least sympathy for. drugs like LSD or the practice of radical (It’s a tie.) individualism. And once this belief took Hello, Infowars. seed in the fertile intellectual soil of the In a historic context, we see the influ- Northern California, an even greater There have been other bumps on the road ence wielded by a priestly caste through outgrowth emerged. This garden is more to a globally-networked culture. The in- a monopoly on written language; in our commonly known as Silicon Valley. herently promiscuous nature of the In- contemporary times, we begin to discern ternet freaked out those who had built how massively-scaled Internet companies Its trees have produced remarkable fruit— massive, corporate empires on intellectu- are situated with governments seeking whether nourishing or toxic depends on al property (including the entertainment unfettered access to data for purposes of one’s own orientation. It’s become a new industries). They aren’t crazy. You security. American pastime to ponder the Silicon

Valley mindset. Like many communities, it’s not monolithic—nor do its principals and evangelists espouse a singular ideology. This is in keeping with a culture that lionizes disruptors. But there are some through lines.

is not engaging in politics, and the Ayn Rand strain is basically dismantling government in a way that is giving complete open field running to multinational corporatism. [Swap ‘hippie-mystic’ for ‘disruptor-innovator.’]That system [permission computing] is supposed to be designed to help control digital rights management. By its nature it will be great for political rights management, because it’s an enormously penetrative surveillance tool, and it makes it hard to do any-

It is an extremely advanced piece of evolutionary design that is capable of having its way in the world and competing with human beings for the world’s resources. From a multinational’s standpoint, the best thing that can happen is the best thing that can happen right now. They have to deliver maximum shareholder value today, next quarter, which means that they don’t worry about whether there are going to be resources for them to exploit in 10 years.

One of the more significant thinkers among the SV intellectual elite is John Perry Barlow, who, as a former lyricist for the Grateful Dead, has deep roots in the counterculture. Barlow correctly anticipated that the emerging cyberculture (a phrase he helped coin) We’ve got two distinct strains of liberwould test legal and social conventarianism, and the hippie-mystic strain is tions. He also co-founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) not engaging in politics, and the Ayn Rand in 1990, and issued the much-bally- strain is basically dismantling government hooed Declaration of the Indepen- in a way that is giving complete open field running to multinational corporatism. dence of Cyberspace in 1996.

I’ve long been interested in Barlow. I’m not a fan of Bob Weir (the Dead co-leader for whom he wrote lyrcame with ics), and our views on intellectual ure snake in property are divergent. Still, JPB hat a shortis a compelling figure—as a d be found young Republican, he helped or the pracsend Dick Cheney to Conm. gress, and has done more to foment the technolibertarian worldview than any other individual you’d care to name. In the middle of the last decade, Barlow’s long-held libertarian views evolved. He seemed to intuit that the information structures promising liberation could also be used for greater control. How’s that for a feedback loop? I certainly admire his intellectual flexibility, even as I bristle at many of his notions of intellectual property and digital culture. Still, if a guy can go from Dick Cheney to Democrat, that says something… what exactly, I’m not sure. Last night, I took some time to read a 2004 interview with Reason magazine. The following are excerpts, with my own commentary in brackets. Barlow’s diagnosis of monopolistic technologies and the then-emerging national security industrial complex is spot on, even if he wasn’t able to perfectly predict today’s players. We’ve got two distinct strains of libertarianism, and the hippie-mystic strain

Barlow didn’t get everything right. As prescient as he is on matters of corporatism and Internet governance, his inability (as well as that of others) to think through the repercussions of the so-called “sharing economy” continue to frustrate discussions about the economics of cultural production online. Information technology will no doubt keep on warping our minds. My advice? Take six tabs and call me from the future. Click on Casey Rae’s bio below for more from the Contrarian.

thing anonymously involving a computer. Here is a monopoly in essence, the Wintel monopoly—Windows/Intel—which has enormous global power and which no government is willing to stand up to, at least effectively, so far. [You know what to swap.] The multinationals have reached the point where they are essentially replacing the nation-state. I look at a multinational as an organism. It is not a human being and doesn’t have any characteristics of a human being. It is as much unlike a human being as a coral reef is unlike a coral polyp or an anthill unlike an ant.

Casey Rae is a musician, public policy wonk and the editor/publisher of The Contrarian Media. An in-demand speaker, he gives frequent talks at conferences and campuses on issues at the intersection of creativity, technology, policy and law, and is a go-to source for major media outlets from NPR to the New York Times. He is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and VP for Policy and Education at the Future of Music Coalition. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Media & Democracy Coalition and the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture. 12

hippies.

~ by Symeon North

tales from the tour

taking?”

ground zero

He has been involved with restoring the bus since 2008…. He replied “I was the only one stupid enough to do it. I kept hounding Zane for years about this 50th thing. And we went for it” Two or three days later, the bus pulled into our sleepy little hipster wanna be town, for one last tweak (new carburetor) before they hit the road to the first top in Madison, Wisconsin … This was billed

Somewhere in an undisclosed underground masonic bunker; nestled between growler filling car-washes and hand crafted artisan dough-nut shops; where unsuspecting hipsters in pedal pushers steer their white walled cruisers right on past, without giving it a second blink..... There it was... Headquarters, ground zero for Further’s 50th anniversary trek to the east coast. A mixture of Luddite-ness and high tech. Papers, index cards, post it notes,line the walls, as cellphones blow up and twitter is being flooded with pictures of excited riders who have revived their “ticket to ride” (Hand drawn, (by Derek and Madam Secretary) hand made all access laminate) There I sat with my steno pad, the inner Luddite in me rears it’s head when it comes to important stuff.. Although mostly my notes consist of one or two words, underlined & followed by arrows. Honestly not the perfect way,as I was taught in my English classes. I find the cloud scribble much easier to comprehend, as long as it is fresh in my memory…. Although, it’s 13

been about a week and a half since I visited the Underground Masonic Bunker so things may be omitted due to short term memory loss… But, my burning question still lingered. To Dereck “how did you become so entrenched with this huge under-

legs of the tour

as a litmus test. A play on words, and throw back to Ken’s infamous “Acid tests” I digress, earlier in the year, they formed a “Kickstarter, and after all was said and done, (kickstarter fees) they raised 30,000 to use to replace nearly every part of the bus.. Every wire that was there since 1947, replaced! An amazing task...So,

this also helped with the new carb For those of you who aren’t familiar, ment and finding all of my parent’s (a new engine had been put in a few pick up a copy of Tom Wolfe’s “Elec- old books) years prior.) tric Kool aid acid test” (which, I had The mood was good that day, As I mentioned in my last ar- A mixture of Luddite-ness and high tech. even if a bit nervous. They had ticle Grateful Dead stickers, in a long road ahead of them. To some states, were profiled Can Papers, index cards, post it notes,line the the east coast and back, gone you imagine the attention and walls, as cellphones blow up and twitter is through September and possi‘heat’ entirely Psychedelic paint- being flooded with pictures of excited rid- bly October, with many parties ed 1947 International Harvester ers who have revived their “ticket to ride” along the way. could bring? I was informed that the 120-140 riders on each “leg” To keep in touch, tune into @ of the tour had to sign a Zero toler- the pleasure of reading at the ripe furthurbusat50 on twitter and furance contract. (No sense in getting age of 12 due to raiding the base- thur bus 50th anniversary tour, on this Smithsonian worthy bus seized.) I managed to get a few photos, and one or two quotes. We waited patiently for the Uhaul (that was carrying all the merchandise) and for the film crew; who apparently were lost.) At this point I asked Zane Kesey, “What will you do if the film crew doesn’t show up? He explained that is exactly a good employment of the phrase “you are either on the bus or you are not on the bus” When Ken Kesey first made his trip out east, with his band of Merry Pranksters, it took the world by storm. No one knew what the hell was happening. Hot off the heals of the repressive 50’s times they were a changin’ (I can only hope this signifies a pendulum shift, when we can return to where we place personal freedoms and an artistic renaissance above war and political infighting.)

children are our future

facebook One stop that isn’t a party, that I find the most interesting in is a stop in Palmer, Ma on September 26, at a local High School. The whole school is participating in this, first and foremost the Art Class, the English class is going to be examining Ken Kesey’s body of literature, the sociology class will be researching the political climate that birthed Further and the Home ec class (I was surprised that these still existed) will be preparing the meal. This stop seems like the most important stop. Art is a living breathing organism and we need to take the time to foster that in our upcoming generations. Whitney was right, “the children are our future” or a throwback to the proper generation “Teach your children well.”

At the time of writing this, two stops have already happened. And Gathering of the Vibes festival is this weekend. There are many more

stops along the way, if you are so inclined, stop and take a look, it’s really worth the while. It is one true slice of Americana that can’t be over looked. Keep an eye out

Symeon North is 40 something a single mother of two children, living at the foothills of the Cascades; who somehow manages to sometimes gets things done. Current ventures include her crafting business “Built to Last Outfitters” and when she isn’t taking it on the road; She runs an etsy shop that she stocks with her handmade wares and manages a facebook page, that updates with new products and new adventures : https://www.facebook.com/ builttolastoutfitters She has written and coauthored many articles for Knitty.com, is featured in Shannon Okey’s book “Spin to Knit” (interweave press 2006) and has published her own book “Get Spun” (interweave press 2010) She is currently enjoying busting out words for Pré·cis.

Technology in the Classroom and the Generation Gap It was 1992, my sophomore English teacher asked us to write 500 words explaining why Herman Melville was an important figure in American Literature. This assignment required us to spend a day in the library, flipping through the card catalog, writing down Dewey Decimal numbers, and hitting the stacks to find the correct book that would allow us to properly respond to this assignment. We didn’t have the internet or encyclopedias at home.

future that was grim with little room for optimism. The Cold War ended but the classroom hasn’t changed much; it no longer aligns to the generation of students who occupy them. To quote Bruce Wellman, “At this point, we appear to have a 19th century curriculum, 20th century buildings, and 21st century students facing an undefined future.”

Teaching by Chris Parizo

cultivate the skills needed to create a stellar product, one that fits into the students’ worlds, so he/she walks away with the proper technological and problem-solving skills needed in today’s world? Creative thinking, creative writing, creative planning, creative design, all through embracing technology.

I’ll leave you with this: My graduate level British Folklore and Culture professor That “undefined future” that Wellman required a 30-page research paper of our talks about is a reality. And that unde- choosing. I am fascinated with a Welsh fined future establishes one of the great- song called “Suo Gan” – a beautiful lulI assign this same assignment in my class- est generation gaps in educational histo- laby most commonly known from the room as a warm-up activity. Ten minutes. ry. The system no longer fits the student. film “Empire of the Sun”. I researched on50 words. Tops. The Industrial Revolution ended and the line and noted that the song could only Technology Revolution reigns. be traced back to the early 1800’s, but it The means in which we learned vital was thought to have originated as earskills during the 90’s – learning the card What’s the point of assigning a reading ly as the 14th-century. Being the driven catalog, holding a volume of lore in individual that I can sometimes be, I your hands, asking for help from a told myself I could trace it back furlibrarian – is now as outdated as an Technology has taken what many still ther. And I did. I emailed a Welsh abacus. My students whip out their consider to be “real” education and librarian who sent me attached PDFs cellphones and go to work. We sum- turned it into something nearly archaic. of letters written by a noted musician marize our findings and we move on. who lived in the area, and one of the letters mentioned the lullaby directly Technology has taken what many What used to be important serves no by name – in the year 1748. still consider to be “real” education purpose to today’s student. and turned it into something nearly I had successfully added to the huarchaic. What used to be important man knowledge bank, something for serves no purpose to today’s student. quiz on three chapters that were to be the scholars to know for the foreseeable read at home when a student can Goo- future. Truly, a stellar feat of academia. Education has a specific hierarchy: Math gle search the chapter summaries, nevand Science are at the top, followed by er touching the book, and get a 100 the I got a “B” because my professor noted English and History, and below are the next day? Did I really authentically assess that I never signed into the library – never Arts - which has a hierarchy within itself. whether a student “did” their homework? physically entering the library and holdThis hierarchy is an artifact of the Indusing a book. He refused to give an “A” to trial Revolution – a time when engineers, And what’s a math class going to look someone who didn’t’ do “real research”. machinists, and inventors were needed to like when Google Glass becomes Google feed the American machine. Lens and students can just look at a math We, as educators, need to recognize that problem on paper and the answer appears our students are not carbon copies of who You see, modern day education sys- on their HUD, invisible to their teacher? we are and where we came from. They tems were made in the image of its cre- What future does math have? live in a new world where old skills are ators, and its creators were near-sighted mastered in new paths that may seem unwhite men who feared a beeping Soviet Let’s move away from Industrial Revo- familiar to us, and we cannot disregard ball that orbited above their heads, all of lution/ Cold War hierarchies and intro- or devalue them. We can’t expect them whom are now either dead or very close duce a new form of education, one that to pack the libraries when the small mato it. Following World War II, the Cold embraces technology and builds a bridge chine in their pocket possesses the world’s War seeped into our classrooms and mil- between the student and the school. knowledge, and we can’t punish them beitarization of education began. This is cause they refuse to live and learn in the still shown to this day through the no- Why isn’t coding taught in elementary past. menclature of education. We teach lesson schools? Schools shouldn’t shy away from “plans” with specific learning “targets”. iPads or smart phones in the classroom, It’s time to flip the Industrial Revolution’s Each assessment has a specific “objec- we should throw the programming guide educational hierarchy around and stop tive”. In my English class, we ask kids to at them and say “make something with it”. thinking of technology as a tool to teach “decode” a sentence as if it’s an encrypted other subjects, and start teaching it as a message from a Soviet sub. Why ask students to write an essay on subject itself. themes of Moby Dick or Billy Budd when The Cold War took the framework of the we can ask them to design an app or game Chris Parizo is an eight-year veteran Industrial Revolution and reinforced the that shares the themes? Or design an on- English teacher having taught in Atlanhierarchy. It was a timely response to a line magazine that matches the tones or ta, GA and Boston, MA. time that has passed. This hierarchy was moods of the novels? And rather than designed to give America the one-up on a tossing a numeric grade on it, actually 16

travel.

Qingdao

from page 10

stylings alone are worth the visit, and the floor to ceiling tiled bathrooms are rated the best bathrooms in all of China.

SEA LIFESTYLE HAPPY CENTER

Its really called the sea park, but they never ripped down the old sign. It houses not only the remnants of a 1970’s amusement park, but is being reborn as a tourist destination. Look at the lighthouse, eat the sushi, you won’t be disappointed, especially at night. Plus there is an Alfred Hitchcock theatre for some unknown reason. Situated on the shore, with dozens of shops and spanning a half mile, this is a late afternoon into an evening romp.

SCULPTURE PARK

Down the road from The Sea Lifestyle Happy Center, , on the boardwalk, you will bump into the sculpture park. Not only will the art inspire you, but at the end of this trek you will bump into 1970’s Frank Lloyd Wright inspired architecture that comes out of 17 nowhere. Never mind the fact that

all of these structures are derelict, you will want to squat here. Why wouldn’t you? Beach front, on the boardwalk, and down the street from downtown. Set up a tent. SCULPTURE PARK ADDENDUM ~ THE WEIRD EMPTY STRUCTURES OF THE QINGDAO REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION

while the main offices are still housing the planning commission, with tours starting at 10am.

THE GERMAN CASTLE AND CHURCH

It will take you about an hour outside city center on the bus (the 822) or about 45 minutes in a cab, but don’t miss the hilltop, ocean view of the German Castle. Nestled in the 1900 German built neighborhood, the castle itself is an old fortification with a Long title, but not to be missed. If you stellar view of the yellow sea. It has a walk north along the boardwalk past restaurant, but, le sigh, still only has the sculpture park,, you will see very Tsingtao on tap. Go Early, avoid the odd structures.. Sort of like A futur- tour buses, and spend the afterwards istic city that you would have seen in the movie, Logan’s Run, if it had been done properly from the book. Once you get up close and personal with these amazing structures, you will see that these must have been built 30 years ago, in a time where the planning commission was trying to make coastal china a futuristic city by the sea. Seemingly occupied either by squatters, or vacant, the housing structures are still stunning to look at,

roaming the European streets. So yeah… we have more, but this enough to get you started, and it will take a week to get you through these places alone, plus whatever you may find along the way. Bring your walking shoes.

ÂŠ 2014 Joel Fremming - http://facezine.wordpress.com

photo: Kat Tosi

images. Whai . Temple

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images. Elvis Lives. Qingdao

images. summer dance. beijing

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word on the street is..

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photo: Melissa Davis

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