Queen City Nerve - May 20, 2020

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 13; MAY 20 - JUNE 2, 2020; WWW.QCNERVE.COM

News: Needle Exchange needs a home pg.8 Food: CHEF ALYSSA DELIVERS PG. 16

Goodyear Arts & XOXO take it outside

BY PAT MORAN

TABLE OF CONTENTS DOWNLOAD THE “WCCB, CHARLOTTE’S CW” APP TO STAY UP TO DATE ON COVID-19 NEWS

NEWS& OPINION

4 JUST A PHASE BY PAT MORAN Small businesses proceed with caution as county reopens 7 THE SUFFRAGIST BY RHIANNON FIONN 8 A HOME FOR HELP BY RYAN PITKIN

Queen City Needle Exchange delays wellness center plans amid crisis

9 THE FIGHT FOR FALL BY NIKOLAI MATHER UNC Charlotte schedule change sparks backlash

ARTS

10 CRUISE CONTROL BY PAT MORAN Goodyear steps on the gas with Joyride

12 LIFEWAVE A dose of virtual reality

MUSIC Out of this world dentistry finally in your neighborhood!

14 NOTHING BUT NET BY RYAN PITKIN YouTube, TikTok and Spotify help lift Jaah SLT to new heights 15 CURTAIN CALL BY RYAN PITKIN Neighborhood Theatre launches GoFundMe campaign with bills piling up

16 FOR THE FAMILY BY LIZ LOGAN Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen adapts with online classes, family-style delivery

-Offering Whole Family Dentistry & Oral Surgery specialty care on an extended schedule

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-Locally owned

7am-7pm and select Saturdays

LIFESTYLE

FOOD& DRINK

18 PUZZLES 20 THE SEEKER BY KATIE GRANT 21 HOROSCOPE 22 SAVAGE LOVE BY DAN SAVAGE

THANKS TO THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS:

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PAT MORAN, GRANT BALDWIN, RHIANNON FIONN,

www.StellarDentalCLT.com

University

9010 Glenwater Drive 704-547-1199

NIKOLAI MATHER, LIZ LOGAN, AMELIA VANDERPLOW,

Noda

2100 North Davidson 704-688-7120

News: Needle Exchange needs a home pg.8 Food: CHEF ALYSSA DELIVERS PG. 16

Goodyear Arts & XOXO take it outside

BY PAT MORAN

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NEWS & OPINION FEATURE JUST A PHASE Small businesses proceed with caution as county reopens

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BY PAT MORAN

If there’s one essential message that came out of the virtual May 11 meeting of the COVID-19 Business Leaders Roundtable, it’s this one: Masks are vital.

In March, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that everyone wear masks over their noses and mouths in public to stem the spread of COVID-19, and now it’s on Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio and Co. to spread the word.

“We are going to [look at] what we need to do to get that message out and what’s the most effective way to do it,” Diorio said.

Diorio convened the meeting, which enlisted business leaders to build out the best way to implement Phase One of Gov. Cooper’s plan to reopen North Carolina, launched at 5 p.m. the previous Friday. The group met again on May 19 to discuss Phase Two, which is expected to be implemented on May 22, though that was not officially announced by Q.C. Nerve’s print deadline.

Phase One modified North Carolina’s stay-at-home order to allow people to leave their homes for commercial activity with retail business capacity increasing from 20% to 50% as long as cleaning and social distancing continues. The early part of the meeting addressed fine-tuning a toolkit, available on the county’s website, that consolidates guidelines for businesses to reopen safety — cleaning and disinfecting, signage, how to figure maximum capacity and, of course, masks. (As of May 19, the county’s dashboard reported 2,695 cases of COVID-19 and 69 deaths due to the disease.)

As much as the county strove to stay ahead of the information curve, many Charlotte businesses were already determining the safest course forward in the pandemic. Their efforts raised a question not heard at the roundtable: What if you threw an opening-the-economy party and no one came — or at least showed up late?

“We just don’t think it’s safe yet,” said Karla Southern, event and creative coordinator at Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find. Any doubts about where the Elizabeth comic book shop stood on jump-starting the COVID-19 ravaged economy were addressed on the store’s blog, where a sobering illustration by artist Patrick Dean boldly declared, “We won’t die for the Dow.” Organizers with Reopen Meck, an advocacy movement that aims to surpass Phase One’s guidelines and have more restrictions removed, hold the

MAYA PILLAI SPEAKS AT A MAY 1 REOPEN MECK RALLY.

opposing view. The movement hosted a 200-person strong protest in Uptown on May 1. Reopen Meck founder Maya Pillai, a student and president of the Davidson College Republicans, seemed surprised when Queen City Nerve told her that some businesses were imposing stricter safety measures than those allowed, if not completely delaying opening their doors.

“What are their reasons for not opening?” Pillai asked.

Teresa Hernandez, owner of Pura Vida Worldly Art

in NoDa, offers one obvious answer to Pillai’s query.

“I don’t want to get sick. I don’t want my employee to get sick,” Hernandez said. “He has a family — two daughters and his wife.”

Hernandez closed her business on March 16, several days before the mandated shut down. Schools had been let out, and students were hanging out in the shop, Hernandez remembered. This normally is not a problem, but at a time before social distancing requirements and face masks, she grew concerned.

She kept her two-person staff on payroll for a couple of weeks, but when she, like many other small businesses, was unable to secure a loan through the Payroll Protection Program, she reluctantly laid them off.

With the May 8 relaxation on retail restrictions, Hernandez contacted her staff. One member declined citing safety concerns, but the remaining employee, Paul Kepp, was eager to work. The following Saturday, Hernandez implemented what she calls a “soft test opening.” The following weekend, Pura Vida opened for a set of abbreviated five-hour days. Instead of 50% capacity, the store imposed a 20% capacity, established handwashing stations and required staff to follow a strict sanitation regimen, cleaning surfaces and merchandise. Hernandez also required customers to wear face masks, and provided masks for customers who did not have any.

“Sixty-five percent of the people who came through had their own masks,” Hernandez said.

“The other 35% we ended up giving them a mask.”

Though she considered the weekend test a qualified success, Hernandez decided to implement appointment-only shopping, in which a patron reserves either 30 or 45 minutes to shop in a small group of two to three people. Masks, sanitation and social distancing requirements remained in place.

She also implemented curbside pickup for patrons who don’t yet feel comfortable inside a store.

As restrictions lifted, Queen City Nerve interviewed several more small businesses that sought their own path forward in the first days of Phase One. While their decisions varied, all of them shared similar concerns.

Scott Wishart, owner of Lunchbox Records in the Belmont neighborhood, has opted not to open his store for now.

“I don’t feel safe yet,” Wishart said. “My employees don’t seem to feel that way either. [We] have kids who are in school. It’s kind of hard to work when your kids are out of school.”

Opening up would be especially problematic for a record store, he offered.

“It’s the kind of business where everyone has PHOTO BY JUSTIN LAFRANCOIS

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NEWS & OPINION FEATURE

of being in active chemotherapy, it is scary to think about contracting it,” Nesterowicz said, “because I imagine I’d be a sitting duck.”

Along with husband Nami Nesterowicz, Susan owns and runs The Bag Lady, a Charlotte metaphysical store with a feminist bent. Like many other businesses, The Bag Lady closed its doors before the state-mandated shut down. Although the store followed the lead of other establishments and launched curbside service for merchandise like books,

to touch everything and I have to show people stuff,” Wishart said. “I can’t just sit behind plexiglass at the counter like a dude in a convenience store.”

Like Hernandez, Wishart shut down in-store operations on March 16. A few days later, he switched to a business model split between mail order and curbside service. Even with his doors locked, Wishart cleans frequently with sanitizer that he makes himself with alcohol, water and aloe. For pickup, patrons pay for merchandise online and then arrive by car. Wearing gloves and mask, Wishart takes the bagged merchandise out to the parked car. He said only half the people who come up to the door and try entering the store wear masks.

“I still don’t think they get it,” he said.

Amy Goudy is also keeping her doors closed. The former owner of the 8910 Music record label channeled her love into a passion project, a hip-hop-themed bodega, retail space and event venue called The Corner. The north Charlotte establishment had a soft opening in December but Goudy reserved the grand opening for CIAA weekend in late February. As COVID-19 began to spread, Goudy also closed before the legally mandated date. By March 8, The Corner’s doors were locked. Goudy’s decision was health-based.

“I don’t have health insurance and my daughter has Type 1 diabetes,”Goudy explained.

“So, we’re at relatively higher risk.”

Goudy has started curbside pick-up for the store. With the shop less than half a block away from her house, she can easily don gloves and a mask to bring goods over to her establishment.

“It’s only 144 steps away,” Goudy proclaimed. “I counted them.”

Goudy’s business frequently takes her to New York, so she’s seen how COVID-19 can THE CORNER CLOSED SOON AFTER ITS GRAND OPENING. ravage a community.

“It’s so unpredictable and contagious,” Goudy crystals and jewelry, Nesterowicz estimated that The said. “I don’t understand why we’re reopening now. Bag Lady saw a 90% drop in business.

The entire state shut down with less than 1,000 cases.

Even so, they didn’t rush to reopen at half capacity We now have 15, 000 cases or more and they want on May 8. The Bag Lady opened the following day, to reopen.” [By our print deadline, the state had seen Saturday, with limited hours, a four-day work week, a more than 19,000 cases.] socially distanced staff of two, a five-customer capacity Goudy maintained that advocates for reopening and strict handwashing and sanitation procedures. might be more circumspect if they knew someone “Everyone has to wear a mask — employees and who has died from COVID-19, or someone at great risk customers,” Nesterowicz offered. “No one can come in due to a compromised immune system. without a mask.” There has been no pushback from For Susan Nesterowicz, that person is herself. customers, she maintained. “It’s been pretty darn “As someone who is immune suppressed because joyful. People are excited. They’re thrilled to come

back into the store.”

But the Nesterowiczs can’t lose sight of what is at stake for them. Susan’s husband Nami offered a sobering assessment. “Susan has cancer, so if she gets sick, she’s done,” Nami said. “We have bills to pay, but her life is more important than the job.”

The bills have been piling up for everybody, and the situation is exacerbated by commerce slowing to a crawl.

“In March the comics industry stopped,” Southern

for people to shop for comic books without picking them up and flipping through them, and sanitation is a challenge.

“You can’t spray Lysol on books,” Southern said.

Until the management sees a definitive break in the spread of COVID-19, the doors will stay closed.

Southern maintained that it makes no sense to rush.

“People’s health is worth more than a comic book. It’s more important to keep our employees and customers healthy.”

The way Southern sees it, the store is advocating tough love — with a heroic bent.

“We’re kind of like Greek Gods,” Southern offered. “If people don’t believe in us, then we don’t exist. We have to take care of the people who take care of us, even if they get grumpy about it.”

Among the stores contacted by Queen City Nerve there runs a common thread of practicality: It’s just good business not to risk your staff and patrons. It’s a view driven not by partisan talking points, but by boots on the sales-floor practicality.

Many more establishments have adopted this approach. As this story went to press, VisArt Video Executive Director Gina Stewart reported that the Charlotte video store and nonprofit film resource was bringing in staff to do inventory, but that there were no plans to open. Curbside and delivery will likely come soon, Stewart said, and tax deductible donations are accepted.

Reopen Meck’s Pillai said it’s up to each store to decide whether or not to reopen, but that the county can no longer bear the economic impact of small businesses being closed as well as rising unemployment. Phase One is a slight vindication of Reopen Meck’s platform, she maintained, but it doesn’t go far enough. She pointed to South Carolina as a model for Mecklenburg County to follow, even as the Palmetto State reported more than 100 new COVID-19 cases each day since May 5 and the death toll there rose to 391 by May 18.

Pillai also cited the unintended consequences PHOTO BY MARC PROSPER of North Carolina’s stay-at-home order.

“What’s happened with the closure of these offered. “The last time we got new product was businesses is, we’ve seen drug and alcoholic rates March 25, and no new books have shipped since. Our increase. We’ve seen suicide rates increase, and business went down a good 40%.” March 25 is also we’ve seen domestic violence rates increase,” Pillai the date the comic book store shut its doors. Mail maintained. order and curbside picked up some of the slack, and While the shut-down surely fuels economic Southern is grateful to community members who tensions that can lead to increases in suicide, reached out to support the store by buying comics alcoholism and domestic violence rates, it is not the that were already in stock. only contributor. The North Carolina Republican party’s Yet, despite the economic hardship, the shop is cuts in unemployment benefits, Medicaid expansion, not going to open — yet. The comic book store faces public education and mental health services have also the same conundrum as Wishart’s record store. They exacerbated economic tensions for North Carolinians, both sell a product that people need to hold. It’s hard and have done so without the purpose of stemming a

NEWS & OPINION FEATURE

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pandemic and saving lives.

Pillai also pointed to other pandemics that have impacted the county, such as H1N1, the flu, SARS, MERS and Ebola.

“In those instances, we never shut down the state to the degree that we have now,” Pillai maintained. “I’m not trying to compare coronavirus to those pandemics. I’m simply saying look at previous instances where we’ve had huge outbreaks of other viruses and pandemics that have plagued Mecklenburg County.”

Data shows that COVID-19 is killing 20 times more people per week than the flu does; SARS and MERS are not as contagious as coronavirus; and COVID-19 is much easier to contract than Ebola and far more deadly than H1N1.

Pillai said she would like to see North Carolina reopen small businesses such as salons and restaurants. As long as we have occupancy limits, sanitation and social distancing, COVID-19 will be contained, she offered. However, masks should be optional for customers at businesses.

Above all, Pillai advocated for reopening sooner rather than later.

“We cannot bring our economy to a screeching halt,” she urged.

Susan Burns Nesterowicz agreed that we cannot stay at home indefinitely.

“But at the same time, I think human life is more important,” she offered. “We have staff depending on us and we’re trying to walk the edge of a knife. We’re hitting that balance between safety and still being able to recoup some income and pay rent and our bills.”

Southern agrees with Pillai that the county needs to open back up, but how much will opening lead to closing again in two months, she wondered.

“Is it better to just give it more time now and hopefully not have to repeat the same process that we’ve been through in March and April?”

Southern asked. Her concerns were supported in mid-May when a previously unreleased White House report listed Charlotte high among the next potential COVID-19 hot spots.

As for optional masks for customers, that idea will be a nonstarter at Heroes, Southern offered.

“There’s always going to be that one person who doesn’t want to wear a mask, who doesn’t want to have their quote-unquote rights infringed upon,” she said. “But at what point are they infringing on other people’s rights to lead a healthy lifestyle?

We’re only as strong as the weakest link in the chain right now.”

KARLA SOUTHERN AT HEROES AREN’T HARD TO FIND PMORAN@QCNERVE.COM

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NEWS & OPINION COLUMN

voter ID laws, the NCGA persists in its efforts to prevent North Carolinians from exercising their right to vote.

Last month, according to a press release, the North Carolina League of Women Voters “filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit that would remove individuals en masse from voter rolls in Mecklenburg and Guilford counties. The lawsuit, Judicial Watch v. North Carolina, et al., was filed in federal court earlier [in April] to force a purge of thousands of registered voters in the run-up to the general election in November.”

“This lawsuit is a despicable attempt to push a voter suppression agenda during a public health crisis,” says Allison Riggs, interim executive director and chief counsel for Voting Rights at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice.

On May 4, according to The News NEWSPAPER CARTOON COURTESY OF LIBRARY OF CONGRESS and Observer in Raleigh, a group of Democratic legal organizations filed editors asserted with no evidence that the majority of the voters in the county — all men, of course — a lawsuit against the state of North Carolina in an were against women’s suffrage. “This newspaper is effort to loosen absentee voting rules since this year’s distinctly of the opinion that at least 80 per cent [sic] presidential election is being held during a global of the voters in the county are opposed to woman [sic] pandemic.

On April Fool’s Day, NCGA Senate Leader Phil suffrage and that the sentiment throughout the state against it is hardly of less proportion.”

Bell’s letter was itself sparked by a referendum in that year’s Democratic primary. He claimed that Gov. Thomas Bickett and Sen. Furnifold Simmons were also opposed to women’s suffrage “and so (are) many others high in the councils of the party.”

The editorial made it clear that if Mecklenburg County Democrats made a strong show of opposing suffrage for women the rest of the state would, too, stating, “pressure might be brought to bear in an indirect way against those who are trying to carry this proposition through the legislature …”

In August 2020, both Tennessee and North Carolina legislatures held special sessions and took up the issue of ratifying the 19th Amendment as the vote among the states stood at 35 having ratified and eight rejecting it. North Carolina rejected the amendment.

As I wrote in the first installment of this column in November: One Tennessee statesman, acting on advice in a note from his mother, was the deciding vote. After the vote, he reportedly hid in the attic of the state capitol, or, according to History.com, “Some say he crept onto a third-floor ledge to escape an angry mob of anti-suffragist lawmakers threatening to rough him up.”

The North Carolina General Assembly symbolically voted to ratify the 19th Amendment in 1971 more than 50 years after it mattered. Meanwhile, between racially motivated gerrymandering and attempts at

THE SUFFRAGIST BE WARY THE NAYSAYERS

Anti-suffrage movement was as ugly as the vote battle is today

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BY RHIANNON FIONN

As President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act in 1965, prohibiting racial discrimination in voting, he said, “The right to vote is the basic right without which all others are meaningless. It gives people, people as individuals, control over their own destinies.”

Perhaps that is why we are still arguing over voting restrictions. As I write, a three-judge panel is hearing arguments in Holmes v. Moore, a voter ID case regarding legislation from the North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA) that was blocked in February 2020.

During the century between the time when former slaves began pushing for women’s suffrage and the time when the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, women were vilified and abused for simply wanting to cast a ballot, something I dare say many of us take for granted today.

Look no further than political cartoons of the day for evidence where women were depicted as ugly, overweight and toothless. Voting rights for women were incorrectly linked to loneliness, anxiety, an inability to marry and more. Some cartoons depicted women wanting to vote being forcibly gagged.

According to multiple historical sources, arguments against women’s suffrage included assertations that politics is too dirty a world for women and that they would vote as their husbands told them to anyway, that men should be the voices for their entire family unit, the idea that more voters would be too much of an expense, that voting would distract women from duties like bearing children and keeping house, and, of course, that women are too emotional to vote.

Here in North Carolina, the anti-suffrage movement infiltrated all levels of government. In a Charlotte Observer editorial published in June 1920, sparked by a letter from James A. Bell, former Mecklenburg County chair of the Democratic party, the

Berger told WFAE that he’s not in favor of making mail-in voting easier for state voters. And, if history serves, that is no joke.

According to fivethirtyeight.com, voting by mail does not give either party an advantage and “both parties have enjoyed a small but equal increase in turnout.”

And, according to the MIT Elections Lab, “As with all forms of voter fraud, documented instances of fraud related to (vote-by-mail) are rare.”

The N.C. State Board of Elections has proposed several ways to make mail-in voting more feasible for voters, including making election day a holiday and not requiring postage on absentee ballots. The BOE also noted that if the state is going to allow all mailin voting that it needs to decide soon as it will take a great deal of time and effort to prepare and mail the ballots.

While, traditionally, only 5% of voters in North Carolina vote via mail, that number is expected to rise this year. You can request an absentee ballot now via the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections website so you can be sure to exercise your right to vote in 2020.

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NEWS & OPINION FEATURE A HOME FOR HELP

medical assistance, and other risks that go beyond the underlying health vulnerabilities that their lifestyle would already bring about if they were to catch the virus.

Sure enough, less than a month into the stayat-home order, those dangers began to play out in Charlotte. According to CMPD, between March 26 when the order was handed down and April 22, police responded to 100 overdose calls, with 10 resulting in deaths. The call total was a 24% increase compared to the same time span in 2019.

“If you listen to the experts across the country, they’re concerned that this spike is going to continue to intensify with some of these stay-at-home orders,” said CMPD spokesperson Rob Tufano at an April 22 press conference. “People are in close quarters together, a lot of anxiety out there with the

“The engagements are much different because we’re not in a space,” Kestner said. “It feels and looks very different. We’re all very uncomfortable with it quite honestly. With social-distancing measures, safety protocols, it’s very hard to do aggressive outreach right now. Also, our core QCNE team, we all have children. So there’s a lot of things to consider. But that was what we’ve been able to do.”

Between March 1 and April 16, QCNE has enrolled 29 new participants, distributed 16,890 syringes and 172 Naloxone kits, and had 19 reversals reported.

The work she and Ayers are doing is helping, it seems, anecdotally at least. While they’ve seen sharp increases in overdoses not only in Mecklenburg but the five other counties they serve — Union, Stanly, Cabarrus, Rowan and Davidson — they’ve not seen the same among their own participants.

for participants, offering not only a fixed site for the needle exchange program, but for peer-led support groups, a community garden and a site for testing and medication-assisted treatment from partnering providers.

The Center for Prevention Services (CPS) runs off donations and grants, the biggest being a 15-month, Queen City Needle Exchange $275,000 grant from the North Carolina Department delays wellness center plans of Health and Human Services. During the recent crisis, the organization has received additional grants amid crisis from Cardinal Innovations, Novant Health and the Comer Family Foundation.

BY RYAN PITKIN Much of that money goes to staffing and supplies.

CPS spends between $80,000-$86,000 a year on As COVID-19 descended upon the Charlotte area supplies alone, though its seen a sharp increase in in early March and stay-at-home orders loomed, that spending during the crisis, sometimes spending staff members with the Queen City Needle Exchange as much as $12,000 a week.

(QCNE) saw a tough road ahead for their program’s According to CPS executive director participants.

Angela Allen, the original plan was to dip The group, run by the Charlotte-based into the organization’s investment fund Center for Prevention Services, curbs the risks with Foundation for the Carolinas to buy for drug users by providing safe access to a property. However, as is the case with supplies such as clean syringes and overdosejust about everyone, COVID-19 changed reversal medication like Naloxone. Despite everything. a lasting stigma in many communities, “While I haven’t lost any grants yet, programs like Queen City Needle Exchange as an executive director I can’t see letting have been proven to not only decrease death go of our nest egg when I know that we counts among the drug-using community and could lose grants, and then we’re talking curb the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C, but to about the choice of paying for a building help direct drug users into recovery programs or paying for my employees and I don’t at their own pace. want to have to let anybody go,” Allen said.

For more than two years, QCNE has been “So I made the decision that we just can’t operating out of satellite sites such as Hope buy right now. We’ll have to rent until we Chapel north of Uptown and Carolinas CARE either raise the capital or things get back Partnership in east Charlotte, but with new to some semblance of whatever normal is social distancing requirements coming down going to be.” from local government, those sites became That sounds simple enough. However, impossible to run safely. nothing is simple in the world of a needle Staff knew they needed to make changes, A FEW OF THE SUPPLIES FROM A RECENT QCNE MOBILE RUN. PHOTO BY GRANT BALDWIN exchange. and fast.

“We’re not ahead of it by any means, but we have As Allen expressed in an open letter to community QCNE program coordinator Lauren Kestner unemployment spiking and people losing their jobs, was in Raleigh for a conference as talk of a stay-at- so that’s something that the experts are keeping their worked very hard to curb it and get people Naloxone partners on May 8, as she began looking for land to home order ramped up, and she quickly cut her visit eyes on, and something that we in public safety are and other safe and sterile supplies at this time with lease around Charlotte, she was repeatedly turned these restrictions,” Kestner said. “We’ve had reports, away as soon as landlords learned of her mission. short to return to Charlotte and help her program’s keeping our eyes on.”

In times when the folks they serve are at an even but not as many as what MEDIC and CMPD would “We started looking and time after time, landlords participants.

“We had to open our site on Friday [March higher risk than usual, the team at QCNE has taken be seeing, and I think it’s because they’re actively would find out what we intended to do and they said, 13] because we had to get people stocked up,” she action. Kestner and fellow program coordinator engaged in these programs, and they’re connected ‘No. We don’t want that kind of activity here,’” Allen recalled during a recent phone call. “We didn’t know Denae Ayers have gone mobile, meeting participants with NARCAN [a brand of Naloxone], they know how told Queen City Nerve. “It doesn’t matter that it’s legal, to respond to the overdose, and they may not be it doesn’t matter that it’s necessary, that it’s saving what the governor was about to put up, but we knew where they are all around Mecklenburg County.

For Kestner, the changes have been anything but reporting it but lives are definitely being saved.” people’s lives, they just didn’t want us.” that a quarantine/shelter-in-place was coming, and Over the last two years, the Queen City Needle Allen said she would have expected the pushback we knew that we had to give out three to four weeks ideal, due to the risk it puts her and her team at but also because they make it more difficult to connect Exchange has steadily been making progress along in more well-to-do communities such as Myers Park worth of supplies.”

Kestner was well aware of the specific risks that participants with resources. She continues to go out with its partners in the Charlotte Regional Harm or Ballantyne, but she was dealing with landlords — people who use drugs would face during the COVID-19 and deliver supplies every Tuesday through Thursday, Reduction Coalition, but recent events have halted many of them absentee — who own buildings where crisis: the dangers of using alone, not having access to however, because she can’t imagine leaving her its biggest goal for 2020. The team had planned to a lot of her participants live and work: the Woodlawn/ open a wellness center that will serve as a one-stop Tyvola road corridors, the Eastway Drive/Central clean supplies, going through withdrawals with no participants without help.

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NEWS & OPINION FEATURE

rates, they see the overdoses. MEDIC sees the overdose rates and they want to get that down, they’re a huge supporter. There are a lot of people who work in public Avenue corridors and health and emergency Monroe Road/Eastover services that have gotten corridors. this all along.

“They’re going, “It’s the community, ‘Oh no, we don’t want some of the landlords those kind of people out there,” she continued. walking around our “A lot of the elected neighborhood,’” Allen officials in Mecklenburg said. “I’m like, ‘Those County get it, but we still kind of people are have huge hurdles to go already walking around through in some of our your neighborhood. more rural counties we Those kind of people serve where the elected are your clients. They’re officials are not on board the people that are with this. And it doesn’t coming into your retail matter that it’s legal, establishments.’ If it they don’t want to do it.” just happened once it Allen said she’s HOPE CHAPEL IS A QCNE SATELLITE SITE. wouldn’t be bothering received great feedback PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN me so much, but I’ve since sending the letter been turned down by five, out, and is currently in conversation with one landlord or six at this point just because they don’t want our who is in the process of buying a property in the kind. You wouldn’t think that you’d be up against that Eastway Drive/Central Avenue area so that she can stigma these days.” rent it for a few years and buy it when things become The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more stable. have confirmed that needle exchange programs do The group hopes to host a soft re-opening of its not increase drug consumption, and participants are Carolinas CARE site in June, though staff members are more likely to enter drug treatment programs and constantly discussing how they can do that safely, be stop injecting drugs. However, beliefs about enabling it through curbside service or by appointment only. drug use still hold many programs back.

In the meantime, Kestner and Ayers will continue Also, people around the country have voiced hitting the road each week to provide participants other issues with the exchanges. Public concerns with life-saving services, because they don’t see any about discarded used needles were one factor that alternative. led to Madison County, Indiana’s syringe exchange “You’ve got a national public health crisis, which program being shut down in 2017 after two years still looms, and a pandemic on top of that, which is in operation. The program, run by the county health only going to exacerbate these things,” Kestner said. department, had been created in response to a 30% Her passion for the program and its benefits projected rise in viral hepatitis cases in 2015. A year later, county through the phone anytime she spoke about the commissioners there agreed unanimously to reopen a stigma surrounding needle exchanges. modified version of the program, which is now run by “The hope that we had for community members a nonprofit similar to CPS rather than the county. for the things that they would be receiving from [the On average, Queen City Needle Exchange sees a wellness center], especially during a time of such 45% return rate for its syringes. disconnection, to see the stigma and discrimination Locally, getting county support has never been an that we experienced was just the most horrific thing. issue. Experts know the benefits of a syringe exchange For a person’s arrogance and ideology to be powerful program, and they’ve been more than supportive. In enough to assume what’s best for a community and a other spaces, though, it can be harder to convince person’s needs, it just triggers every nerve in my body.” people.

For Kestner and her fellow staff members, it’s the “With our public health partners, there’s really difference between life-and-death, and never more never been an issue,” Allen said. “The [Mecklenburg so than now.

County] health department has been on board from RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM day one; they get it. They see the rising HIV and Hep C

FIGHT FOR THE FALL UNC Charlotte schedule change sparks backlash

BY NIKOLAI MATHER

UNC Charlotte looks to be going forward with a new fall semester schedule despite backlash from its student body.

On May 4, Chancellor Philip Dubois announced that the Fall 2020 semester will begin on Labor Day, Sept. 7, two weeks after the planned start date of Aug. 24. Dubois instated the delay to “allow additional time” between Charlotte and Mecklenburg County’s predicted peaks for coronavirus and the beginning of the semester.

“The health of our students and employees, especially those who may be at higher risk, is our top priority in making this decision,” he stated in the announcement.

The Fall 2020 schedule also omits vacation days for fall break and Thanksgiving Eve, while moving the final exam period back to Dec. 17-23, which many students took issue with.

The backlash was so great that the UNC Charlotte Student Government Association (SGA) released a statement on May 11 addressing these complaints.

“We want to assure you that we hear your questions and concerns and are working diligently to provide answers for you,” the statement read.

SGA encouraged students to continue voicing their concerns and assured them that it would “continue to advocate on behalf of [students].”

On May 12, SGA passed the 2020 Break Act, which formally stated that the Student Senate branch of SGA opposed the new fall semester schedule plans.

The text cited the more flexible plans implemented by 16 different universities across the country, including the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which will resume class as quickly as possible “with no disruptions” to student breaks.

The Senate pointed out that, like Charlotte, Milwaukee will host a major national convention this fall, though it’s still unclear what that will look like at this point.

The Senate also added that Thanksgiving and fall breaks are “essential” to students’ mental health and well-being. “Numerous studies have shown a direct correlation between academic success and adequate time to rest,” it stated.

SGA convened a special meeting with Provost Joan Lorden on May 12 in order to voice their concerns

and clarify further information about the proposed fall semester schedule.

During the meeting, UNC Charlotte officials named several factors in the decision-making process, including a “grace period” for faculty to plan hybrid and online classes, the long-term planning for normal spring and summer semesters, and the evasion of the projected coronavirus peak.

In a statement released on May 13, SGA thanked Lorden for the meeting, but reaffirmed their criticism.

“While we respect the decision made that the Fall 2020 schedule will remain, it is the belief of the Student Government Association that students would better benefit from keeping their breaks as we feel these breaks directly contribute to the well-being of our students’ mental and academic health.”

SGA also advocated for online final exams in hopes that they would offer more flexibility for students traveling for the holidays, as well as more transparency in the decision-making process.

Lorden and other UNC Charlotte officials will take it under consideration. As Dubois stated in the May 4 announcement, “We must be responsible about balancing the return to classrooms, offices, and residence halls with the health and safety of Niner Nation and the uncertainty this pandemic poses.”

A survey done by the UNC Charlotte chapter of the American Association of University Professors asked 162 faculty members how they’d like to see classes carried out in fall, with 65.4% of respondents saying they’d prefer online-only, and 25.3% responding hybrid. Less than 10% would like to see a full return to traditional, on-campus learning.

The decision on the UNC Charlotte fall semester schedule will be finalized on May 29.

As for other higher education institutions in the area, Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC), students have already begun to trickle back onto campus, as some health career and commercial driver’s license students have resumed face-to-face instruction. Like most institutions around the country, CPCC transitioned to online learning in March.

Queens University of Charlotte President Daniel Lugo released a statement on May 13 stating that the university is “actively planning for students to return to residence halls and in-person learning” in the fall, though how that will look has not yet been announced.

Johnson C. Smith University has not yet announced its plans for the fall semester, though the in-person graduation ceremony scheduled for May 17 was rescheduled to Oct. 28, as part of the stillscheduled homecoming festivities that week.

INFO@QCNERVE.COM

ARTS FEATURE CRUISE CONTROL

Goodyear steps on the gas with Joyride

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BY PAT MORAN

From the 1946 R&B tune “Get Your Kicks on Route 66” to the Fast & Furious film franchise of today, the car has become central to American mythology, symbolizing everything from freedom to gridlock.

Even with traffic jams eerily absent from Charlotte’s streets, the car is still ubiquitous as oxygen — or at least carbon monoxide belching from tailpipes. So, when the Goodyear Arts collective was looking for a way to shift from virtual programming to safe inperson experiences, they turned to the all-American automobile for their latest event, Joyride.

On the evening of June 6, audience members will cruise through Camp North End’s sprawling warren of streets, encountering dance pieces, poetry readings, live music, theater performances and films projected on warehouse walls — all from the comfort and safety of their cars.

Goodyear Arts co-director Amy Herman says the drive-by art show is a practical means to re-establish the face-toface connection between artist and audience that only live interaction can bring. Any thematic connection between the site-specific performances and installations at the 76-acre campus Goodyear Arts calls home and automotive symbolism is purely coincidental. Even Camp North End’s history as a Ford motor plant never entered the event planners’ minds, she offers.

That said, each of Joyride’s exhibits and performances has been designed to be seen and experienced from behind a windshield — or the window of your choice.

AMY HERMAN

phones. The guided tour will provide directions while that will be scattered throughout the maze-like supplying the audience with information about the grounds of the campus.

“It’s sort of ambient action that folks will see pieces that they’re seeing.

It’s a lot of direction to give to a mobile audience. as they drive through the experience,” says troupe And as is often the case with directions, there’s always the chance that some won’t follow the rules, Herman adds, laughing. As drivers navigate through the former industrial complex, they might encounter pieces not to their taste, but skipping any presentation simply won’t be an option.

“We’re saying, ‘You’re going to see all of it,’” Herman says. “So, buckle up.”

Herman and Jedrzejewski say it should take a car approximately one hour to complete the circuit. Patrons must stay in their cars and there will be no bathroom breaks, as there are no public restrooms in the complex.

Joyride was conceived as a kind of capstone to Goodyear Art’s spring fundraiser, a perk for supporters.

Interested parties must first go to the collective’s website and make a JOY DAVIS AND ERIC MULLIS PERFORMING ‘LAND OF NOD.’ donation.

PHOTO BY AMY HERMAN “On June 1, we will email everyone who has made a donation of $25 or more, and we’ll send a link to register for Joyride,” founder and artistic director Matt Cosper.

Joyride is a practice lap of sorts for XOXO, as it will Jedrzejewski offers.

Attendance to Joyride is inform their other new pivot project: LawnCare, set to optional, of course, and all launch at the end of May. For LawnCare, the Exxos will bring the show to proceeds support Goodyear Arts the audience, setting up in the viewers’ lawn to dance and their future work.

So, what’s in store for those to medieval religious songs, perform a wacked-out who choose to strap in and hit puppet show, Jell-O wrestle with their demons, and whatever else they can come up with that fits in with the Goodyear Arts highway?

Performances are designed social-distancing guidelines.

According to Cosper, dire times call for creative to take full advantage of the car-bound audience and camp measures.

“I don’t see the effects of the crisis receding in North End’s geography.

Musicians JM Askew and the near future, and theaters and other performance Casey Malone will perform venues are going to be hard,” he told Queen City Nerve. a composition to play from “It’s going to be important to be agile, imaginative, stereos in two cars. One CD with and to focus on fundamentals.

“I think the question we have to ask is: At its most half the music will emanate from the left car, and another essential, what is theatre? What do we absolutely need CD will be played from the car to do in order to serve our audiences? And then we do that,” he continued, before adding, “It’s probably not on the right.

“It’s sort of like that Flaming a great time to be a careerist in this sector, but artists Lips Zaireeka album,” Askew are needed now more than ever.”

For other artists, Joyride offers the opportunity to offers.

Experimental theatre stretch out and step outside their chosen disciplines.

Sculptor and designer Matthew Steele is putting troupe XOXO are creating a series PHOTO BY LYDIA BITTER-BAIRD of looped solo performances the finishing touches on an animated film that will

“These are works that either have been adapted or created for this specific viewing experience through the car,” Herman says. “Even the shape for the car audience is something that we have to think about.

Are the windows meant to be open? Are they meant to be closed?”

Joyride’s genesis stems from conversations between Herman and Susan Jedrzejewski, director of residencies and programs at Goodyear Arts. The two women were lamenting their inability to see, do and experience events in person. All day they felt shackled to their computer screens while they worked at home, only to turn to their TV screens for entertainment at night. They yearned for real-life experiences.

Then they brainstormed with Charlotte musician Dylan Gilbert, and the basic premise of interacting with the arts in cars was born.

“What’s great about Goodyear is that we’re multi-disciplinary and that we present work from movement-based, literary, visual and performance art,” Jedrzejewski offers “This event will include all of those disciplines.”

Goodyear’s innovative approach to presenting art has posed some logistical challenges, chiefly how to move cars throughout the complex, how to space groups of vehicles so they don’t create a traffic jam, and how to time each group’s park-and-stop viewing with each artist’s performance and display.

The audience will be guided along a pre-set course through an audio presentation they can play on their

ARTS FEATURE

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only superpower.”

Dia will explore the metaphor of life as a pandemic before the advent of COVID-19. be projected onto to large wall. The screening will “The murder of Ahmaud Arbery is just one of be accompanied by an original score composed by many tragic situations to highlight this ongoing Ben Geller, principle violist of the Charlotte Symphony.

“Pushing ourselves beyond the scope of our traditional work, we are both taking this opportunity to try something new,” Steele offers.

Eric Mullis will revisit a piece he began developing before the onslaught of COVID-19. With his fiancé Joy Davis he will perform a duet from his evening-length dance theatre piece “The Land of Nod,” which also features original music. He’s utilizing a follow-spot that will cast the dancers’ giant shadows on a brick wall as they perform.

“The work has been interrupted, and Joyride presents a unique opportunity to rethink the duet,” Mullis says.

Amy Bagwell and de’Angelo Dia SUSAN JEDRZEJEWSKI will each bring distinct approaches pandemic of being Black in America,” he offers. to poetry readings. Bagwell promises to read what Renee Cloud will be contributing text pieces she calls “some frighteningly recent poems,” possibly drawn from her Shiny Language Project, which was through a megaphone. funded through the Knight Foundation’s Celebrate “I like to push myself and surprise people,” she Charlotte Arts Grant. The presentation includes handsays. “Nobody expects me to be surprising. That’s my embroidered 16-inch sequined letters that will spell

XOXO AT CAMP NORTH END

out comments collected from the internet, Cloud of Joyride’s participants enthused. explains.

Fellow musician Askew asserts that the physical Amy Bagwell’s husband Brent plays saxophone space occupied by artwork is crucial to the arts alongside drummer Seth Nanaa as part of experience. experimental jazz duo Ghost Trees. Brent says he’s Steele also welcomes the opportunity to bring his work out of the virtual sphere and into real space.

“During this time, there are limited opportunities for artists to present their work beyond the screen,” Steele offers. Joyride not only changes the way artists think about presenting their work, it’s also challenging organizations to bring art to the community in a new and novel way, he adds.

Mullis also praises the event for giving people a safe alternative to laptop-mediated art. Joyride will maintain a physical distance between audience and performer, but everyone will be in the same place, he maintains.

“That is necessary right now,” Mullis says.

While Amy Bagwell appreciates efforts to share art through the internet, she also finds virtual events lacking. Citing the definition of virtual as “almost or nearly as described,” she believes Joyride is needed to break the present mold.

“It’s a great trailblazer in terms of how to provide literature and art and performance for audiences without sacrificing safety, quality, or immediacy,” she PHOTO BY LYDIA BITTER-BAIRD says. grateful for the opportunity to play in front of a live Herman also focuses on Joyride’s trailblazing audience again. The band is eager to work on their aspect. Taking part in virtual events is all well and new music, an album’s worth of new and unrecorded good, she maintains, but it is not experiencing life. material that the duo will adapt to fit the needs of “We’re in this for the long haul,” she continues.

Joyride.

Herman is convinced that the type of events Even with the restrictions of time and distance, that Goodyear hosted in the past, shows attracting Brent Bagwell feels the audiences of 50 people or more, are not coming back event will be far superior anytime soon. At the same time, people desperately — for both musicians need to feel meaning and connection. and audiences — to “We can’t wait until there’s a vaccine to have streaming concerts audiences again,”Herman says. “So, [we’re] pioneering offered on social media. what an art show looks like at this time.”

“Jazz has always Goodyear Arts has always done things its been best live and in- own way, Jedrzejewski maintains. “We’re pushing person, so it’s particularly ourselves to think differently about how we can still ill-suited to laggy engage the community for rich arts experiences.” streams and 2D images,” Joyride can also offer hope for a way forward in a he maintains. “Here we world transformed beyond anyone’s expectations, she are trying to figure out continues. how to have a live event Events like Joyride can imbue both the audience again and I couldn’t and artist with a renewed sense of wonder, adventure be more excited about and community, Cosper believes.

Ghost Trees being able to “We have experienced worse,” Dia asserts. pitch in.”

“The arts have always been an outlet for our pain, It is this aspect — processing, and celebration. COVID can’t stop bridging the gap from creativity.” virtual events to live PMORAN@QCNERVE.COM ones — that has many PHOTO BY JAYME JOHNSON

A DOSE OF VIRTUAL REALITY

People have always relied on our Lifeline and Soundwave to give them ideas on what to do. We like to say there’s no excuse to stay at home, but now that’s not the case. However, there are still plenty of things to do from the comfort of your couch, and we’ve compiled a few ideas to help you pass the time.

PORCH VIBES SPRINGFEST

What: Local musicians, short films and food and beverage demos are on the bill for CLTure’s digital festival and fundraising event, Porch Vibes Springfest. Hosts Ya Girl Nikki and Tom Hanchett will present music by The Hamiltones, Adrian Crutchfield, Chad Lawson, Josh Daniel, Emily Sage, Dirty Art Club, The Harvey Cummings Project, Cyanca, Greg Cox, Erick Lottary, Modern Moxie, The Wilt, Quentin Talley, Jason & Maya Beth Atkins, SOLIS and more.

The event will donate $2,500 to Frontline Foods Charlotte, which feeds healthcare workers while supporting local restaurants. Festival proceeds go to support participating musicians and artists.

More: Donations suggested; May 22, 7 p.m. – May 24, 9 p.m.; clture.org/porch-vibes-spring-fest/

CRUSH HOUR WITH DYLAN GILBERT

What: Songwriter, producer and genre-bending punk band Hectorina founder Dylan Gilbert is performing an eclectic set of his solo stuff, courtesy of Petra’s. The show is billed as a Facebook livestream for your commute home from your work-at-home situation. That means you don’t really have to go anywhere as you imagine yourself at Petra’s, crack open a cool one and groove to the tunes.

More: Free; May 22, 6 p.m.; tinyurl.com/GilbertCrushHour

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THE ARTIST’S WAY JOURNEY BY DEAR SOUL MUSIC

What: Culture Blocks presents this virtual workshop each Saturday. It serves as a weekly gathering for blocked, aspiring and emerging creatives of all mediums looking to explore their greatest creative potential. This 12-week program is based on Julia Cameron’s best-selling book called The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. Artists of all creative mediums are welcome.

More: Free, Saturdays, 1 p.m.; tinyurl.com/ArtistsWayJourney

WDAV’S VIRTUAL SMALL BATCH

What: WDAV’s Facebook page is the venue for a Small Batch concert featuring double bassist Dalanie Harris and violist Katie Brown. In addition to being virtuosos on their stringed instruments, Dalanie and Katie also host the Classically Black Podcast, in which they talk all things classical music as well as the experience of being black in the profession. For the complete Small Batch effect, avail yourself to the variety of grab-and-go options available for pickup at Free Range Brewing before the show.

More: Free; May 22, 5 p.m.; tinyurl.com/WDAVSmallBatch soundcloud.com/classicallyblackpodcast facebook.com/FreeRangeBrewing

AFRICAN DRUM CIRCLE

What: Is this really the first drum circle we’ve featured since we started these post-COVID listings?

Damn Charlotte, we’re slacking! Culture Blocks and Drums 4 Life present a virtual percussion circle where participants will learn about the healing and creative rewards of African drumming. Tune in with your drums, pots, pans and water jugs.

More: Free; Saturdays, Noon; facebook.com/drums4lifejewels/

STAY AT HOME SCIENCE

What: This is bliss. If you ever doubted that nerds are cool today, just drop by Discovery Place’s website and check out all the amazing home-bound experiments you can do. They’re all ostensibly for kids, but who can resist learning about our skeletal and muscular systems by dissecting a chicken leg with an experiment titled Play with Your Food?

Release your inner dork with other activities like building a car out of pasta, completing simple tasks without using your thumbs, utilizing genetics to create your own alien, and our favorite, making a paper rocket propelled by antacid. Neighbors beware. We know what we’re doing tonight!

More: Free; discoveryplace.org/stay-at-home-science

FILM FESTIVAL DAY: ‘LIFE IN SYNCHRO’

LUNCH & LEARN

What: You know how they say, “It’s harder than it looks?” Well, this shit already looks hard! We’re talking about Life in Synchro, a feature length documentary about the toughest sport you’ve never heard of: synchronized skating. The Charlotte Film Festival hosts a live screening of the surprising doc as part of Film Festival Day #2, where film festival audiences from across North America join together for a virtual watch party followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Angela Panaglia, with 50% of ticket proceeds donated back to the Charlotte Film Festival.

More: $10; May 23, 6 p.m.; tinyurl.com/LifeInSynchroCFF

What: Join the Charlotte Museum of History for a lunchtime conversation and learn about all the people who helped build the Queen City and the America we live in today. The Lunch & Learn series uses Zoom to facilitate a short talk followed by a community discussion, with two events planned for June. On June 4, discuss challenges faced by folks on the frontier in the 18th century with Hugh Dussek, and on June 18, celebrate Juneteenth with Khadija McNair of the Stagville State Historic Site, athe largest antebellum slave plantation in North Carolina.

More: Free; Noon-12:45 p.m.; charlottemuseum.org/lunch-learn/

THE BIG GIVE

‘JOURNEY TO OZ’ WATCH PARTY

What: National Black-owned company HKS Cleaning Services is hosting an online job fair, that, in itself, is not remarkable. What is cool is the giveaway HKS has devised to promote their business.

A drive-thru event at Northeast SDA Church is giving away free COVID-19 vehicle disinfections and free cloth masks in addition to touting job leads. If you’re making ends meet doing Postmates deliveries with your car, this could be worth your while. Plus, you might find out what electromagnetic disinfection entails, so, “Yay, science.”

More: Free; May 21, 11 a.m.; Northeast SDA Church, 827 Tom Hunter Road; tinyurl.com/TheBigGiveHKS

CONNECTED ART WORKSHOP: ABSTRACT ACRYLIC PAINTING

What: Drop them brushes, bitches. For the McColl Center’s latest workshop, Charlotte artist Laurie Smithwick shows you how to paint a simple abstract composition using only palette knives.

Learn different techniques for applying paint to the canvas while mastering the basics of defining a color palette and mixing acrylic paint.

More: $70-75; May 30, 10 a.m.; mccollcenter.org/art-workshops

What: Imagine yourself among a swarm of flying monkeys or cavorting amid a cluster of munchkins.

Either way, you’re not in Kansas anymore. Presented

by Children’s Theatre, this reimagining of the L. Frank Baum classic drops you into the middle of the action as Dorothy and her friends battle the wicked witch to find the brains, the heart, and the courage they never knew they had. A talkback follows the performance, so you can join the show’s creator, playwright Chris Parks and some of the actors as they discuss experiential theatre. Not able to join the party? The show will be available to stream from Children’s Theatre website from Monday, May 25, through Friday, May 29.

More: May 23, 4 p.m.; tinyurl.com/JourneyToOz

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MUSIC FEATURE NOTHING BUT NET

TikTok, YouTube and Spotify help lift Jaah SLTto new heights

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BY RYAN PITKIN

Jaah SLT remembers the first time his music was made into a meme.

It was November 2019 and the south Charlotte rapper was working in a factory at Printful, a custom screen-printing company based in Steele Creek. The Myers Park graduate had earned a bit of buzz earlier in the year after No Jumper podcast host Adam22 reviewed his song “Fuck a Hook” as one of the best on Soundcloud, but things had been relatively quiet since then.

The April release of his single “Tuff” had dropped to little fanfare, and the September video release looked to be the same. Then he came across an Instagram video of Dexter, the titular character from the Dexter’s Laboratory cartoon, walking along a hallway, perfectly on beat with the “Tuff” lyrics, “10, 11 ... 13, I don’t fuck with 12 and they don’t fuck with me.”

From there the clip spread like wildfire, and before Jaah knew it, his music was everywhere on the internet. It’s been half a year since that meme first hit, and as of the time of this writing, the one clip from “Tuff” has been featured in the background of 293,700 TikTok videos. His Spotify streams are currently holding steady at half a million per month.

In February, he signed with Alamo Records, a New York-based record label founded by former Warner Bros. CEO Todd Moscowitz.

“We came across Jaah and fell in love with everything he had out,” said Alamo A&Rs Jacob Gilliland and Zeke Hirschberg in an email. “He blends styles from a variety of musical influences, and his sound is versatile and unique. After witnessing the explosive success of ‘Tuff,’ Alamo saw a clear path to making Jaah SLT a household name.”

For Jaah himself, the whole experience has been a whirlwind.

“Adam22 gave me the kickstart I needed to get me something going on, but the point I’m at now, I don’t even know how I got here,” Jaah SLT said in a recent phone call with Queen City Nerve. “Like just in November I was in this bullshit ass factory, I was busting my ass every day trying to make some bread,

and all of a sudden I see this meme on Instagram, and it’s the first meme I’ve seen where I didn’t pay anybody for no promotion … and then all of a sudden it just got to this point and I couldn’t even tell you how.”

On May 22, he’ll drop the video for “Dottin’ Up,” his first release since joining the Alamo team. The video features Jaah wandering the empty streets of downtown Gastonia during the stay-at-home order, rocking his recognizable gym-shorts-andwhite-tee get-up and boasting his signature flow, which features an unpredictable dynamic that can flip from chill to aggressively hype without warning.

Jamir Rucks’rap career began in the classrooms of Myers Park High School. He and his friends would clown each other over beats, not full-fledged battles per se, just fun freestyle rhymes to pass the time. The varsity wide receiver would also freestyle in the locker room before football games to hype himself and his teammates up.

After graduating in 2018, he attended Jireh Preparatory Academy in Matthews, a school aimed at helping students who struggled elsewhere excel in academics and athletics. It wasn’t a great experience, as the school had recently filed bankruptcy.

“That’s when I realized I wasn’t going to be playing football forever and I needed to figure out something to do,” he said, “because I didn’t want to go to school, and I wasn’t fittin’ to go to school, so I was like, ‘Shoot, I can rap.’”

And so Jaah SLT was born.

According to him, it was all about believing in himself.

“I’m a confident person, so in anything I do, I always believe that I’m the best at it,” he said. “So I just felt like I knew this is something that I’m really good at, and I just always felt that this was something I could legit do. “ He dropped “Fuck a Hook,” which was featured on No Jumper in January 2019. He performed at a few pop-up shows throughout the year, all of them payto-play and none of them worth the money, but he enjoyed it and continued releasing songs and videos.

Despite the spike in attention he got from the Adam22 review, things were slow to pick up after that -- until it hit TikTok. “What’s crazy about the ‘Tuff’ song is, I dropped that song when I first started in April 2019, and then I shot the video, and then posting the video was a whole debacle,” he recalled. “When I posted it, it didn’t

JAAH SLT PHOTO BY AMELIA VANDERPLOW

even get any attention. Then I sent it to Adam, and he ain’t even fuck with it, so I was like, ‘Man, this song a dud,’ and I just left it at that … I never even told anybody that it was my song. It was like that, then all of a sudden here we are.”

The “Tuff” TikTok clips are made up of predominantly white teenagers who may or may not know what the reference to 12 means -— many of them featuring some sort of overly confident stroll and a caption referencing how they are a disappointment to their parents in some way.

In one, two siblings saunter down the steps to the song with a caption reading, “Us waking up at 5pm for breakfast.” In another, three people get out of a car and hit poses with the caption “When the 3 disappointments show up to the family gathering.”

For Jaah, despite being 19 years old himself and growing up in the meme generation, he was taken aback by going viral.

“It was weird. I didn’t expect it to come so fast,” he said of his newfound internet fame. “I’ve never been up in the camera. I never was the type of person to take a whole bunch of pictures, and it was just weird seeing myself all across people’s pages. It was weird to see myself all over the internet.”

Though he admits that he’s never found many of the memes that use his music very funny, he’s far from ungrateful for the support.

“It’s real humbling,” he said. “I didn’t really come from a lot, so there’s nothing to really brag about. So it’s just humbling to see everybody really support my music. All this time that I busted my ass at this weak-ass job, all the jux and plays I was making, all this time I put in, and to see that people are really enjoying my music, it’s just a really humbling thing and I appreciate everybody who supports it.”

His humility stretches to his dress code; in most of his videos he can be seen just rocking the gym shorts and tees — even slides — that have been a fixture of his wardrobe for years.

“When I was working, I ain’t worry about no clothes,” he said of the looks he serves in his videos.

“I’ve been wearing the same clothes since my freshman year of high school. I might get a little more drip, but I pretty much just like being comfortable in what I wear and I’m not much of a designer, so there isn’t a lot to my look; it’s just me.”

When asked what he plans to do now that he’s signed but can’t tour, Jaah SLT let out a long, Clay Davis-like “Shhiiiiiiiiiitttt.” He can’t wait to get on stage again — this time getting paid for it as opposed to dropping his own dough just to perform two songs.

Since that’s not happening anytime soon thanks to COVID-19, however, he plans to take things easy in the coming months.

“Make music, smoke good gas, chill. That’s pretty much it. I’m a content person I don’t really need a lot,” he said. He then went back and emphasized that first part about making music.

“Get ready to see a whole bunch of Jaah SLT,” he said. “The bummy drip, the ugly shorts, the blonde hair; you’re gonna see me a lot more of me.”

RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM

Pg. 15 MAY 20 - JUNE 2, 2020 - QCNERVE.COM

MUSIC FEATURE CURTAIN CALL

their name and address to shoot out an email to their respective representatives.

McCraw says he’s spent hours each day on the phone with venue owners in Charlotte and around the country, and Neighborhood Theatre is not alone in Neighborhood Theatre its grave concerns.

“We’re not the only ones in danger of not making launches GoFundMe it through this.” McCraw says. “Maybe we’re the first campaign with bills piling to raise the flag, but this is endemic to everyone in up this business. We all have rents, we all have utilities, we all have insurance bills — all those things that

BY RYAN PITKIN are coming due every week, every month, every day, whether we open the doors or not. So the ability to For Gregg McCraw, founder of Charlotte-based pay all of those bills and stay alive to be able to reopen booking agency Maxx Music, which books shows for when we can do that safely is what’s in question here.” the Neighborhood Theatre, the journey of the genrebending Boston-based soul/pop/ jazz fusion band Lake Street Dive in Charlotte is indicative of how musical acts work their way up in a music economy.

In April 2013, the little-known group played at The Evening Muse for two paying customers. Their next stop in Charlotte 18 months later was across the street at Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte’s biggest independently owned music venue at 1,000 seats. They’ve played at the Live Nation venue Fillmore multiple times since then, and McCraw expects that whenever Lake Street Dive is able to perform again in Charlotte, they’ll be at the Uptown Amphitheatre, built for bigger Live Nation acts.

McCraw compares it to baseball’s farm system, in which players often spend many years climbing the ladder through the minor leagues before they make it to the majors. “Most bands spend time in the minors, and some of them make it to the big leagues, but NEIGHBORHOOD THEATRE without the minors, the whole system falls apart,” McCraw says.

McCraw says one of the most frustrating things Now as a result of COVID-19, McCraw is seeing about this crisis is that there’s no way of telling when that infrastructure begin to crumble, and it could the end might come. Neighborhood Theatre hasn’t start with Neighborhood Theatre. On Wednesday, the hosted a show since March 7, and upon review of venue launched a GoFundMe campaign, stating that Gov. Cooper’s three-phase plan to reopen the state, it’s facing its most difficult period in the venue’s 24McCraw has determined that they won’t be able to year existence. McCraw and others with the venue are until June 26 at the earliest. hoping to raise $50,000 through the crowdfunding Even then, he says, it won’t be about the campaign, while also encouraging supporters to call government allowing them to do so, but whether on their representatives to help protect independent they can do it safely, and whether people will even venues. On it’s website, the newly formed National show up.

Independent Venue Association (NIVA) provides an “No matter what the government says, I don’t easy-to-use format in which they only have to enter

talk to anyone in the industry who is not concerned about doing this responsibly,” says McCraw. “Not just opening up the doors and getting back to business, but doing it so that our staff is safe, the musicians are safe and all of our patrons are safe. So that’s first and foremost, and then the reality of all this is, it doesn’t matter what Roy Cooper says, it doesn’t matter what Maxx Music or Neighborhood Theatre says. What matters is: Can we make music fans comfortable enough to come back out to an event? And that’s a wild card; none of us know the answer to that.”

Until then, the team at Neighborhood Theatre will rely on GoFundMe donations and sales of new merchandise, for which they partnered with two of their neighbors — Ink Floyd right down E. 36th

Street; and Inkfinity Printing, located on The Plaza.

McCraw says the live music industry is already a low-margin business that he describes as “legalized gambling,” but with no one buying tickets or coming through the door, and no real timeline for when concerts can resume, independent venues now face a future more uncertain than perhaps any other industry.

“Not to disparage restaurants, I know they’re in a horrible position too, but we can’t do take-out music, there’s no drive-thru with us; it’s open or not open,” he says.

Based on what was already on the books, McCraw says he had expected 2020 to be the biggest year ever for live music in Charlotte, certainly in the 25 years that he’s been booking shows. Following the pandemic, however, if venues were to remain closed across the country, they’re expected to lose $8.9 billion in revenue.

Many independent venues in Charlotte wouldn’t make it through the crisis if that were to happen, joining the ranks of other independent venues that the city has lost in recent years such as Double Door Inn, Tremont Music Hall and Chop Shop.

And for those not concerned with the small and mid-sized venues in town, McCraw calls back to his original point about the music economy, and the stepping stones that independent venues provide for up-andcoming acts before they make it big. For example, before they became internationally known, The Avett Brothers out of Concord recorded their a 2005 live album in Neighborhood Theatre.

And in 2009 shot the video for “I and You and Love” at the venue (below).

“The people who go to one concert a year at Spectrum Center or The Fillmore or one of the amphitheaters, the message that all of us would like those people to understand is that the band that you’re seeing at The Fillmore or the Spectrum Center PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN or PNC [Pavilion] didn’t just show up one night there, they worked their way through a music economy … and Neighborhood Theatre is big in the music economy,” he says.

He references the recent news that Saudi Arabia invested $500 million into Live Nation.

“I’m not trying to poke fun at Live Nation, believe me, Maxx Music works with Live Nation, but Saudi Arabia is not infusing $500 million into any small music venues across the country,” he says. “We are the ones that are going to suffer.”

RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM

FOOD & DRINK FEATURE FOR THE FAMILY

Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen adapts with online classes and family-style delivery

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BY LIZ LOGAN

Alyssa completing recipes for which she’d heavily prepped, while participants asked questions and interacted in Zoom’s comment section. Andrew, who played the role of producer, stayed in the background toggling between three cameras, providing a recording of the session for participants to re-watch and allowing those who couldn’t watch live to access the contents.

The classes started off strong. People were really drawn to the homemade breads (like the rest of the world’s quarantine Instagrammers). The dumpling, enchilada, gnocchi and cast iron classes were all hits,

has had her kitchen opened, she’s picked up various awards for “Best Cooking Class,” and been recognized as one of the city’s most influential women, among other accolades.

The online classes began taking off before the stay-at-home orders caused them to be the only option, a great alternative to the in-person class, which could only seat 24 and often had wait lists.

So why has it all come to a halt?

“People are just over it,” Alyssa said. “They’re Zoomed out.”

In March, Zoom, Google Hangout, Skype,

We are weeks (months? years?) into the Charlotte shutdown. Parking lots are empty, I-77 has finally become a dream, and the airplanes flying overhead have dwindled down to next to nothing. For Alyssa and Andrew Wilen, the parking lot they share with Brewers at 4001 Yancey is occupied only with cars of the seven employees holding down Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen.

“Closing wasn’t really an option,” Andrew said. “Mid-March, 95% of our business stopped and we had to regroup and just thought, ‘What’s next?’”

“Closing down didn’t feel right,” Alyssa continued. “It was a hard decision to stay open but a lot of people rely on us to keep the cycle of business going. Farmers and vendors rely on us and so does our staff.”

And so they kept at it, and with a new home-delivery program and virtual cooking classes, they’ve been able to power through the stay-at-home order. Though it’s been far from easy.

For a business that is run on in-person cooking classes, the Wilens, like other small-business owners, had to get creative to figure out how to keep their family business afloat, all the while keeping their CHEF ALYSSA’S KITCHEN — NO, LIKE, HER REAL KITCHEN — ALL SET UP FOR A VIRTUAL CLASS. full-time staff members on the payroll.

In the beginning, there were a lot of virtual cooking classes. Alyssa would set attendees too. The hour-long classes began taking place a few FaceTime, and any other video-conferencing tool up with a rough idea of what they needed, teaching times weekly in mid-March but have now slowed, took over, but that seems to be taking a toll on our recipes that were easily substitutable and required coming to an (at least temporary) halt as June nears. collective experience. Google “Zoom Burnout” and In-person classes are a huge hit — in fact, that’s you’ll find article after article on why we’re drained by primarily ingredients likely already lining folks’ how the business got its start in 2013 before evolving virtual interaction. It’s happening everywhere. pantries.

“Our goal when we first opened up was to create “I wanted to make this simple. We just did these to include Family Table Meals, Saturday brunch and kind of ‘one-pan dinners’. People really want to tackle corporate catering. In these “normal” classes, Alyssa fun family classes from the moment participants what they enjoy eating so we started there,” Alyssa guides participants through four dishes made with walk in the door. We want to be there for people so said. “I created classes with approachable, low-cost fresh, local ingredients in a state-of-the-art kitchen the family kindness, unselfish attitude permeates meals where people could simply tune in with what on culinary-school-approved butcher block tables throughout the whole room,” Andrew said. over the span of two-and-a-half hours.

“I enjoy seeing cooking-class guests and hope they have.”

During the relatively short time Chef Alyssa to create those feelings and positive memories all These demo-style classes ran start-to-finish with

together. Now, it’s really nice when people send photos of what they’ve made and can interact differently,” he continued. “There’s something to be said of cooking with someone for two hours when they’ve had selfdoubt. It’s something you can’t quite get online. We are fulfilled in different ways when people have their videos on and talk about how pleased they were but in-person is hard to replicate.”

When the staff of seven gets together in their now eerily quiet building, at least one staff member per day longingly says, “I miss our customers”.

“The challenge is that every day we are focusing

PHOTO COURTESY OF C.A.K.

on something new, having to create something we haven’t really done before,” Andrew said. “We are working a lot longer and a lot harder to get to the goal we need to get to just because we want to stay open.”

And now the Wilens are once again coming up with new, creative business practices to keep the doors of their custom-designed, 3,300 square foot kitchen space open.

In the fall, Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen launched the Family Table Meals portion of their business that they’d been ramping up for. The Wilen’s whole vision has been centered around creating a family vibe, and

FOOD & DRINK FEATURE

connections with local farmers and merchants, many of whom started with them right there in the market.

This helped set them up to consistently offer the freshest and local ingredients they can source.

“It’s all food you’d want to cook if you had the time,” Alyssa said. “For now, the biggest thing we’ve done is add delivery as an option and it looks like we

as a newly minted family-of-three (their 7-month-old daughter cooed cutely in the background during the couple’s interview with Queen City Nerve). The goal is to keep supporting and encouraging people to get around the family table, especially now, with meals delivered to your home.

Alyssa spent more than a year developing the Family Table based on what she would feed her family, she said — items like pan-roasted chicken and Nutella pie. And now she’s rolled it out just in time for the surge in food delivery.

“We had to think of food that would travel well. To-go food doesn’t always hold up well in a box but we just love the idea of family gathering around the table,” she said. “There aren’t minimums to what you can order and in what quantities; it’s just built around people eating together.”

There are meal pack options with wellsourced meats, vegetarian options, lots of side options — something for everyone. In the beginning stages of the business, when Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen occupied shared space at Atherton Mills, Alyssa began making ALYSSA’S PAELLA

got it figured out right when we needed to have it.”

The couple found a way to use the catering portion of DoorDash to not only expand their reach (deliveries can reach a 17-mile radius of Charlotte to include Huntersville, Gastonia, Mint Hill, Matthews) but to also keep their prices consistent. Customers can order day-of through chefalyssaskitchen.com and

PHOTO COURTESY OF C.A.K.

they will organize delivery.

“We are trying our hardest to grow this portion of the business, which is challenging because we’re not fully a restaurant and not thought of as a dinner option. We’re still fighting for that to happen and getting into the mix,” Alyssa said.

So now, with a high-end-classroom-turned-takeout-operation, the tables once covered with cutting boards and prepped class ingredients hold stacks of to-go containers, and a staff cut in half.

Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen, like the rest of the world, is figuring how to make it work in a way none of us planned for.

Charlotte does a great job with supporting local, Alyssa pointed out, and the camaraderie established during this time to show love and money to these businesses is a testament not only to patrons but to the businesses who have earned our trust and respect over the years when it was business as usual.

“At this point, it’s hard to imagine what a reallife scenario might look like,” Alyssa said. “The online classes and Family Table Meals aren’t just special events. We are really grateful for what we’ve been able to do with our customers who continue to support us and hope they’ll continue to think of that as things get back to normal.”

INFO@QCNERVE.COM

NOW OPEN FOR TAKE-OUT & DELIVERY! DELIVERY AVAILABLE THRU DOORDASH & GRUBHUB

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HOURS OF OPERATION Tuesday-Thursday, Saturday: 3pm - 8pm Friday: 12 pm - 8 pm

( 7 0 4 ) 9 6 9 - 2 5 5 0 | L A B E L L E H E L E N E R E S TA U R A N T. C O M

300 S TRYON ST, CHARLOTTE, NC

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LIFESTYLE PUZZLES

LIFESTYLE PUZZLES SUDOKU

BY LINDA THISTLE

PLACE A NUMBER IN THE EMPTY BOXES IN SUCH A WAY THAT EACH ROW ACROSS, EACH COLUMN DOWN AND EACH SMALL 9-BOX SQUARE CONTAINS ALL OF THE NUMBERS ONE TO NINE. ©2020 King Feautres Syndicate, Inc. All rights reserved.

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PG.18 PUZZLE ANSWERS

TRIVIA TEST

BY FIFI RODRIGUEZ

1. U.S. STATES: Which of the 48 contiguous United States has the largest land area?

2. TELEVISION: What city does SpongeBob SquarePants live in?

3. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What color is cyan?

4. FOOD & DRINK: In beer styles, what does the designation IPA mean?

5. GEOGRAPHY: Which two countries share the longest border?

6. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a group of squirrels called?

7. FAMOUS QUOTATIONS: Which famous author once wrote, “As full of spirit as the month of May, and as gorgeous as the sun in Midsummer”?

8. MOVIES: In the 2020 movie, what is the real name of the superhero in “Black Widow”?

9. BUSINESS: Which animal is featured in the Porsche auto logo?

10. HISTORY: What was the name of the dog who was first to orbit the Earth in a space vehicle?

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Completed 4 Tea leaf readers, e.g.

9 Title for Macbeth 14 Places to pitch tents 19 Transgress 20 Bow go-with 21 Dignity 22 Largest city in Nebraska 23 Arthur of TV 24 White of TV 25 Writer Dillard 26 Prohibited acts 27 Gougers charge them 30 Warrants 31 Sioux division 32 Just OK 33 Papa Doc’s country 35 First-aid flora 36 No-see-ums 38 Symptom of mumps 41 Tumult 44 Air safety gp.

45 1492, e.g.

46 Pesto ingredient 51 Portable enplaning bridge 56 - Banos, California 57 All tangled up 58 Friable soil 61 - degree or another 62 Arthur of tennis 64 Home of Iowa State 65 Organisms of a region 66 Chew the scenery 67 Hand-softened “superfood” dish 71 “1492” director Ridley

73 Pierces 74 CondŽ 75 Cyberjunk 78 More ticked 79 A Great Lake 80 Turns back to 000 82 Sci-fi hoverer 83 Like paradise 85 Result of dropping a bushel, maybe 88 Plant “pet” 91 45s’ relatives 92 Flimsy pancakes 93 What a great ad campaign leads to 99 Plant pest 101 Grimm nasty 102 Pan-fry 103 Lane of song 105 Gymnast Comaneci 109 Encore-eliciting cries 111 What many shards are 114 Handle the party food 115 Lake - Vista, Florida 116 George who played Sulu 117 Suffix with neat 118 Love to bits 119 Scourges 120 Sister of Fred Astaire 121 Blasting aid 122 Car rollers, in London 123 Actor Gable 124 Jewish ritual meal 125 Something associated with the first words of this puzzle’s seven longest answers

DOWN 1 Credit’s opposite 2 2011 hurricane 3 Air current 4 Safari sites 5 Part of QED 6 “Marty” star Borgnine 7 Sonata parts 8 Exchanges 9 Hot cuisine 10 Bigwig 11 Heat to prevent stress 12 In a racket-filled way 13 Prior to, in poems 14 Pylon shape 15 Indifferent to ethics 16 Capital of the Philippines 17 Light particle 18 Wised off to 28 Corporate symbols 29 Nun’s beads 30 Rapper Nicki 34 Driving range peg 37 Concert sites 39 - -Mart 40 Sister of Hansel 41 Sch. near Beverly Hills 42 Experts 43 Mount with presidents’ heads 44 Bone of the lower chest 47 Bring harm to 48 Mendel of genetics 49 Skater Kulik 50 Fonz’s quality 52 “Traffic” actor Milian 53 Fiber for newsprint 54 Wee colonist

SELF DESCRIPTIONS ©2020 King Feautres Syndicate, Inc. All rights reserved.

55 “- -haw!”

59 “Relax, GI!” 60 Assembled as one body 63 All gone, as dinner 65 Bible divs.

68 Not lax at all 69 Elk’s kin 70 Fasten 71 Reno-to-Riverside dir.

72 Chowder fish 76 For - (not gratis) 77 Peat source 80 Tries to shred 81 More elastic 84 Fischer’s skill 86 Suffix with glob or duct 87 Apt rhyme for “treadle” 89 Lupino of film 90 Like always 93 Lynx variety 94 “Hellcats” actress Gail 95 Expert talker 96 Intense 97 Goddess with an owl 98 Less fat 99 Chafe 100 Snuck a look 104 Test models 106 “Purgatorio” poet 107 “Of Thee -” 108 Invite to join at 110 Mined finds 112 Duty 113 Editor’s strike-out 115 Telly giant

LIFESTYLE COLUMN

THE SEEKER THE TOXIC ICEBERG

A live stream full of revelations

Pg. 20 MAY 20 - JUNE 2, 2020 - QCNERVE.COM

BY KATIE GRANT

While sheltering in place these past few weeks I’ve found myself exploring new strategies to maintain my mental and physical wellbeing. This week I virtually checked into a Facebook Live event titled Detox 101: Simple + Effective Holistic Detox Tips featuring Lauren Klitzsch, a holistic health coach based in Charlotte.

The free evening webinar discussion focused not just on the food we eat but also massive holes in the food industry around it. What I’ve learned has been eye-opening to say the least, exposing just the tip of the septic iceberg when it comes to the toxins we consume and the underlying policies involving food and chemical manufacturing.

According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States. High blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and smoking are key risk factors for heart disease. If you’re like me, you may feel overwhelmed by statistics and medical jargon, but maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet and not smoking (obviously) are within our control; all lifestyle factors that will help mitigate the likelihood of developing chronic heart disease.

Data connecting diet to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has mostly been generated from high-income countries, but over 80% of CVD deaths occur in low- and middleincome countries. This gives me pause. If we are citizens of the 12th richest country, but 80% of CVD deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, what are we doing wrong?

Klitzch noted that toxins are an important part of the conversation around the American diet and disease.

Toxicology is the branch of science concerned with the study of poisons, often referred to as the “Science of Safety” because it has evolved from a science focused on studying poisons to studying safety. Of the more than 80,000 chemicals currently used in the United States, most haven’t been adequately tested for their effects on human health.

In fact, we only know the effects of 1-2% of them. These chemicals lurk in everyday items: furniture, cosmetics, household cleaners, children’s toys, and yes, our food.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is pushing Congress to reform outdated chemical-safety laws and close loopholes exploited by the chemical industry.

I would be remiss not to note I signed up to receive NRDC updates via email. Clean air, water, and a healthy community are causes near and dear to my heart. But what can we do at home to advocate for ourselves when industries that put food on our tables don’t?

To start, we can control our toxin consumption by paying closer attention to food packaging. For example, Bisphenol-A (BPA), is a chemical found in the plastic containers of common foods and beverages. The main culprits are bottled water, packaged foods and canned items.

While the benefits of plastic are innumerable, studies have shown that BPA can leech out of these containers and into our food. Klitzsch recommends switching to glass or stainless steel storage options. Sounds easy enough to manage without breaking the bank.

She continued with the lecture, disclosing the alarming effects of BPA in the body. I dug a little deeper and found that, according to Healthline, studies on pregnant animals have shown that BPA exposure leads to reproduction issues and also increases the future breast and prostate cancer risk in a developing fetus.

Some studies have also found that high BPA levels are associated with infertility, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and obesity. Remember that obesity is linked to heart disease? According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), “studies indicate that BPA should be considered an obesogenic environmental compound.”

To sum it up, BPA exposure correlates to increased body weight and/or body mass index. An obesogenic, Klitzch revealed, is another type of toxin that tends to cause obesity.

This data leads us to our next set of avoidable toxins: “forever chemicals,” or fluorochemicals found in everyday food packaging. Fluorochemicals, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are (PFAS) are fire, heat and stain-resistant. I never would have correlated food storage with firefighting but these chemicals are also used in fireretardant foams. This is distressing because the chemicals leak into drinking water. Once in the human body their presence becomes associated with diseases including cancer.

PFAS are a class of over 3,000 synthetic, man-made chemicals, meaning these compounds do not biodegrade

naturally. Certain PFAS are used in food packaging like take-out containers, bakery and deli paper and disposable plates to prevent fat and water from the food reducing the strength of the material. This means our beloved fries and doughnuts are even worse for us than we thought.

While the thought process behind using these products in restaurants is understandable, restaurateurs most likely don’t understand the health consequences associated with them. Toxins leach from container to food and are consumed by the customer. As with other toxins mentioned, research has shown that these compounds can cause cancer and disrupt sexual development in lab animals.

Holistic health practitioner Ann Wigmore’s quote expresses these revelations accurately when she says “The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”

Echoing these sentiments, Klitzsch advises, “If it comes from a plant, eat it. If it was made in a plant, don’t.” Heard loud and clear.

Leveraging this type of complimentary advice from holistic professionals, making some lifestyle adjustments becoming our own health advocate radiates with gratifying undertones of consumer empowerment.

INFO@QCNERVE.COM

NO NEWS IS BAD NEWS OUR ADVERTISING REVENUE HAS DISAPPEARED HELP US KEEP OUR CONTENT FREE

By Lucie Winborne • The first sunglasses were invented in 12th-century China and made from smoked quartz. While providing no protection against harmful UV rays, they did give some relief from the sun’s glare and also served as a valuable tool for Chinese judges, allowing them to seem emotionally detached during interrogations.

• English Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) is credited with the first printed use of the words “selfless,” “psychosomatic,” “bipolar” and “bisexual.”

• A study by neurologists showed that some patients suffering from brain trauma and damage on the right-hand side of their brain have a compulsive obsession to tell jokes they find hilarious, while not finding other peoples’ jokes funny at all.

• The hacker group Anonymous once sent thousands of all-black faxes to the Church of Scientology to deplete all of their ink cartridges.

• May 29 is officially “Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day.” This curious holiday derives from an old custom of placing a piece of cloth from one’s bedroom in a place where food was kept, helping to ensure a supply of future plenty to the household.

• Sierra Leone is the world’s roundest country and sits not too far from Egypt — the world’s squarest country.

• Nearly 3% of the ice in Antarctic glaciers is composed of penguin urine.

Due to the subzero temperature in that area, it can’t evaporate.

• Think you hate going to the dentist? A 12-year-old French boy once faked his own kidnapping to get out of it! After being located in a village 100 miles from his home, the lad lied to police, even describing his kidnapper’s distinctive cheek scar. Only after they had searched for a month and re-questioned him did the boy confess. *** Thought for the Day: “A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.” — Albert Einstein © 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.

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LIFESTYLE

HOROSCOPE MAY 20 - MAY 26

MAY 27 - JUNE 2

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) You might be a bit LIBRA

(September 23 to October 22) A pesky shaken by a friend’s request. But before the Lamb problem should be dealt with immediately so you leaps to conclusions, insist on a full explanation. can put your time and effort into something more You still might say no, but at least you’ll know what important. Someone from your past could have you’re saying no to. significant news for you.

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) You might not like LIBRA

(September 23 to October 22) A recent some people’s idea of a surprise. But you could be flurry of activity leaves you in need of a little in for a pleasant shock when someone finally sends breathing space, and you’d be wise to take it. Close a reply to a request you made so long ago that you family members should have an explanation about almost forgot about it. an emergency situation that just passed.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Seeing red over those nasty remarks by someone with an ax to grind? Of course you are. So get out there and give your supporters the facts they need to get the truth out.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) A workplace situation becomes a lot more bothersome than you’d expected. Be careful not to be pulled into all that anger. Look for support among others who also want to avoid trouble.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) It’s a time to expect the unexpected. So don’t be surprised if a decision that just recently seemed final suddenly opens up and leaves you with another chance to make an important choice.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) An insensitive act makes a difficult situation more so. But try not to waste either your physical or emotional energies in anger. Move on and let others fill the clod in on the facts of life.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) A changing situation should get you to reassess your vacation plans and make any adjustments as soon as possible. And don’t fret — the change most likely will turn out for the better.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Cheer up, lonely lovers, wherever you are. Just when you thought you’d been deleted from Cupid’s database, the chubby cherub proves that’s just not so. Congratulations.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Taking a different tack on a work project might rankle some colleagues. But the positive results of your innovative course soon speak for themselves. Celebrate by doing something fun this weekend.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) It’s a good time to look into that training program or college course you’ve been considering. You might have a good place to use those sharpened skills sooner rather than later.

CANCER

CAPRICORN

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Don’t put off dealing CAPRICORN

(December 22 to January 19) A with any negative feelings that might be left over casual relationship could take a more serious turn. from a recent confrontation. The sooner all is Are you ready for it? Your stars say you are. Paired resolved, the sooner you can move forward with Sea Goats also will find a renewed richness in their fewer complications. relationships.

(June 21 to July 22) Meeting new associates can be awkward, even if you’re in a high positive phase right now. Best advice: Make them feel comfortable, and you’ll soon forget your own discomfort.

(December 22 to January 19) Education dominates much of your aspect during this week. You might want to start checking out those summer session courses that could help advance your career plans.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) Leos and Leonas might AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Meeting LEO (July 23 to August 22) It’s a good time for you AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Progress feel the urge to redecorate their dens, and that can turn into a good opportunity to strengthen family ties by putting the whole pride to work to make it happen.

a collaborator with new ideas seems to be a dream social Lions to blow-dry your manes, polish your come true. But for both your sakes, be sure all your claws and look like the Fabulous Felines you are as legal i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed before you you make new friends and influence the influential. start working together.

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VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Look for the PISCES (February 19 to March 21) A romantic most efficient way to get a job done quickly and well. Taking more time than you need to make it look more challenging is a short-sighted move you might regret later on.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Expectations

run especially high this week, and you should feel overture flatters the usually unflappable Fish. But confident in your abilities to take advantage of what since it’s a sincere from-the-heart gesture, go ahead might be offered. A colleague has some advice you and enjoy it. A minor health problem responds well might find helpful. to treatment.

BORN THIS WEEK: You have the warm heart

often comes in fits and starts. But at least you’re moving straight ahead with no backsliding. You should soon be able to pick up the pace and reach your goals in due time.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Be wary of a

deal that gives confusing answers to your questions.

Remember: It’s always risky swimming in unknown waters, so you need all the help you can get to stay on course.

BORN THIS WEEK: You have a way of bringing

of a Taurean and the sensitivity of a Gemini. You would make a wonderful leader. So go ahead: Run for office.

people together and creating close friendships wherever you go.

2020 KING FEATURES SYND., INC.

LIFESTYLE COLUMN

PG.19 PUZZLE ANSWERS

SAVAGE LOVE POWER PLAYERS

Problematic porno

BY DAN SAVAGE

Here’s a non-COVID question for you: I’m a queer white female in a monogamish marriage.

I vote left, I abhor hatred and oppression, and I engage in activism when I can. I’m also turned on by power differentials: authority figures, uniforms, hot guys doing each other. Much to my horror this thing for power differentials plus too many WW2 movies as a kid has always meant that for my brain (or for my pussy) Nazis are hot. Fuck me, right?

Other maybe relevant bits of info: I’m not interested in roleplaying with actual partners, I’m fairly sure this proclivity is not reflective of any deeper issues, and I’m both sexually and emotionally fairly well sorted. Not perfect, but fine working order and all that. And I get it: people like what they like, don’t judge yourself for your fetishes, just get off without being an asshole to anyone.

The problem is that my usual way of getting off on/indulging my fantasies is to read erotic fiction on the Internet. I’d love your input on whether seeking out Nazi porn is problematic for some of the same reasons that porn depicting sex with kids is problematic. Am I normalizing and trivializing fascism?

Pg. 22 MAY 20 - JUNE 2, 2020 - QCNERVE.COM

FREAKING ABOUT SEARCH HISTORIES

Seeking out child porn — searching for it online, downloading it, collecting images of children being raped and sexually abused — is problematic (and illegal) because it creates demand for more child porn, which results in more children being raped and sexually abused.

The cause-and-effect is obvious, FASH, the victims are real, and the harm done is incalculable.

But while it may discomfort someone to know a nice married lady who donates to all the right causes is furiously masturbating to dirty stories about hot guys in Nazi uniforms doing each other, FASH, no one ever has to know that. So you do no harm — not even the supposed harm of discomforting someone — when you privately enjoy the fucked up stories you enjoy. And while there are doubtless some actual Nazis who enjoy reading dirty stories about other Nazis, most people turned on by dirty stories about Nazis are turned on despite themselves and

their politics.

Transgressive sexual fantasies don’t arouse us because they violate societal norms and expectations (in safe and controlled manner), FASH, but because they allow us violate our sense of ourselves too (ditto). Just as a feminist can have rape fantasies without actually wanting to be raped herself or for anyone else to be raped, a person can have sexual fantasies about hot guys in Nazis uniforms doing each other without wanting Nazis to come to power.

I have to say it was easier to give anti-Nazi Nazi fetishists like you a pass — to shrug and say “you do you” but please keep it to yourself — before racist demagogues, white supremacists, and anti-Semites started marching around waving Trump flags. But no one picks their kinks and being told “that shouldn’t turn you on” has never made a problematic or transgressive kink less arousing.

And when you consider the number of non-erotic novels, movies, and television shows the culture cranks out year after year — and how many actually trivialize fascism (I’m talking to you, Hunters) — it’s seems insane to draw a line and say, “Okay, this story about Nazis isn’t okay because that lady over there masturbated while reading it in private.”

I’m an apartment-dweller in a dense urban area. Last night I overheard my neighbors having sex — no big deal, right? I consider myself a sex-positive person, and have always held and espoused the belief that if you can’t have loud sex in your own home, where can you have it? But the sex I overheard last night was fairly kinky.

Someone I read as a cis man was dominating someone I read as a cis woman. They were in the apartment right across from mine — about 20 feet away — and my bedroom window faces theirs.

There was a lot of derogatory talk, hitting, namecalling, giving orders, and some crying. I could tell it was consensual — she was very clearly having a good time — and I eavesdropped long enough to witness the post-coital return to equilibrium.

Everything seemed great, but physically I experienced this as overheard violence. I was shaking and had a hard time getting to sleep afterwards. I’m glad I stuck around until the end.

It helped me feel better.

I guess what I’m saying is that I needed some aftercare. I’m still thinking about it this morning, and I’m concerned that being triggered by my neighbor’s sex is going to become a regular part of my life.

TRIVIA ANSWERS: 1. Texas 2. Bikini Bottom 3. Blue

4. India pale ale 5. The United States and Canada 6. A scurry or dray 7. William Shakespeare

I’m wondering about the ethics of the situation: Do kinky folks have an obligation to muffle potentially triggering sounds? Or is any overheard sex potentially triggering to someone and am I therefore applying a double standard here? What do you think?

8. Natasha Romanoff 9. A horse 10. Laika

For the record: I would tell a person who enjoys a good single-tail whipping to find a soundproof dungeon to enjoy that in (because that shit is loud) but I wouldn’t tell a person who screams her head off during PIV intercourse to find a soundproof box (even though her shit is just as loud). Instead I would urge her to fuck at 8 p.m., when most people are awake, rather than 2 a.m., when THE VANILLA NEIGHBOR most people are asleep. (It can be annoying listening to someone screamfuck but it’s even more annoying to have You went from overhearing kinky sex to your sleep ruined by a screamfucker.) Is this a double eavesdropping on it — meaning, you went from standard? Perhaps. But it’s one I’m willing to endorse. accidentally hearing your neighbors fucking to intently listening as your neighbors fucked. And you needed to 1. Is it safe to hook up again? 2. Will it be do that. safe to hook up again soon? 3. You’ll tell us when You heard something that sounded violent but it’s safe to hook up again, right? hearing more led you to guess it was consensual sex and listening all the way to the end — all the way through GETTING REALLY IMPATIENT. NEED DICK. REALLY. the aftercare — confirmed your guess was correct.

So for you own peace of mind, TVN, you needed to • It isn’t. keep listening. But you don’t need to listen next time. If it • At some point. triggers you to hear your neighbors fucking, don’t listen.

• I will.

Close the window and crank up some music or go for a walk and listen to a podcast.

Hey, Everybody: Me and Nancy and the techThat said, TVN, you raise an interesting ethical savvy/at-risk youth will be doing a special Savage Love question: Are kinksters — particularly the kind of Livestream on Thursday, June 4th at 10 p.m. EST. You can kinksters who enjoy verbal abuse and impact play — send your questions to livestream@savagelovecast.com obligated to keep it down? While I think people should or ask them live during the event. I’ll answer as many as I be considerate of their neighbors, people are allowed to can in one fun-filled Zoom meeting! Tickets are $10 and all have sex in their own homes, TVN, and it’s not like vanilla proceeds from the Savage Love Livestream will be donated sex is always quiet. to Northwest Harvest, a nonprofit that distributes food But if the sex a couple enjoys could easily be to more than 370 food banks in Washington State. Go to misinterpreted as abuse or violence by someone who savagelovecast.com/events to get tickets! Follow Dan on accidentally overhears it, that couple might wanna close Twitter @fakedansavage; mail@savagelove.net. the window and turn up some music themselves — not only to avoid alarming the neighbors, but to spare INFO@QCNERVE.COM themselves the hassle of explaining their kinks to a cop.

THE OUTBREAK OF CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19) MAY BE STRESSFUL FOR PEOPLE. FEAR AND ANXIETY ABOUT A DISEASE CAN BE OVERWHELMING AND CAUSE STRONG EMOTIONS IN ADULTS AND CHILDREN. COPING WITH STRESS WILL MAKE YOU, THE PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT, AND YOUR COMMUNITY STRONGER. EVERYONE REACTS DIFFERENTLY TO STRESSFUL SITUATIONS. HOW YOU RESPOND TO THE OUTBREAK CAN DEPEND ON YOUR BACKGROUND, THE THINGS THAT MAKE YOU DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PEOPLE, AND THE COMMUNITY YOU LIVE IN.

 -Fear and worry about your own health and the health of your loved ones -Changes in sleep or eating patterns -Difficulty sleeping or concentrating -Worsening of chronic health problems -Increased use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs

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Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting.

-Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, and avoid alcohol and drugs.

-Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy.

-Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling. Â? Â?

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ONLINE THERAPY OPTIONS

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OPEN PATH COLLECTIVE

A nonprofit that connects people with private practice therapists that choose to participate.

Digital therapy is available for a $59 membership tinyurl.com/opcollective Pg. 23 MAY 20 - JUNE 2, 2020 - QCNERVE.COM

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PSYCHOLOGY TODAY

An interactive website where users can enter their zip code to find a counseling professional near them online with phone and video options available. tinyurl.com/psychtodayonline €€

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