SLAUGHTER HOUSE J i v e.
Slaughter House Jive is a collaborative publication dedicated to:
Transcending Boundaries. Creative and Free Thinking. Intellectual Growth.
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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch................................................................ 4-7 An Interview with Laura Palm.................................................................. 8-11 Lost & Found............................................................................................... 12-13 Clutch Picks................................................................................................. 14-15 Is it Sexy to be Safe ?.................................................................................. 16-17 Jive-Word Puzzle.............................................................................................. 18 Kernal Corny................................................................................................... 19
M
an has done many great things. Man has done many horrible things. One thing that is for sure resides in believing what we see. What if we do not see it? Does it remain unknown? Yes. If there is one thing that can go un-debated in regards to what man has inflicted upon itself, it is that of waste. We are a wasteful bunch. We can infer upon its origin whether it is innate or learned by habit, but we do it and it is not going anywhere foreign. In fact, it is staying right here on this finite planet. It builds and builds until it reaches the limit, the limit that is ambiguous but approaching. Have you ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Probably not. The fact of the matter is that you, a friend, a family member, a girlfriend, a boss—whoever, has contributed to its presence.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is exactly what it sounds like, a giant patch of garbage in the Pacific Ocean. Disgusting. We, humans, are one hundred percent responsible for this phenomenon. We have created synthetic materials, in which plastic is the culprit of this patch. You are probably wondering why the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is controversial. To start off, it is roughly twice the size of Texas, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, completely made of plastic waste. This spot is where the North Pacific Gyre is located, in which the sub tropical currents converge in a vortex-like motion. The only cause of this: Littering, which is a euphemism for being completely careless and selfish, but who is to judge? It is located in between California and Hawaii in the central part of the Pacific Ocean. All of the trash, plastic specifically, that is in the Pacific Ocean will eventually make its way to this gyre and add on day by day. The reason is mostly plastic is because plastic floats while other products like paper will dissipate and sink to the bottom of the unchartered ocean floor. The fascinating thing about this is that most people are not aware of this patch, and if they are, they just seem to not care. Most people who learn of this tend to think how one person like them can help the problem. It can be thought of as voting, where people just do not vote because either they do not care or because they think that their one vote will not make a difference.
Plastic is an interesting product. It is interesting because it cannot chemically breakdown. It is made from petroleum, which is a material that the earth cannot digest. We can burn it, but the chemicals and particles that are released fly up into the atmosphere and are considered toxic. It can become extremely weathered and essentially become microscopic particles meandering throughout the ocean, but those particles still exist. Thus, there is absolutely no way of getting rid of plastic on this earth. The patch was discovered in 1997, but plastic has been present on this earth for over 144 years. With the Great Pacific Garbage Patch sitting idle in the middle of the ocean, a biological hazard has already been birthed. The catalyzing threat that this plastic land mass creates is that of marine life. Humans tend to underestimate the importance of marine life and how we inversely affect it. The ocean is what created the first organisms on this planet. From those tiny protozoa evolved more intelligent life forms and eventually the genus homo, or humans, came into existence. It does not take a scientist to explain to an educated adult that life is based on a web of food chains. Everything needs to eat or consume and energy source to live and progress as a species or individual. This is the main reason why this extreme issue of water pollution is alarming.
The ocean is being filled up with all of our trash and plastic, where the animals that populate these areas of high pollution are forced to eat trash and eventually die. This then further leads to endangerment of the species and works its way up the chain to other animals. Regions like coastal Asia and island regions throughout the Pacific rely heavily on fish and sea life for both economical reasons and accessible dietary reasons. An example is the Albatross species in Midway Atoll. There are approximately 1.5 million Laysan Albatross that inhabit the island in which nearly all are found to have plastic in the stomachs, and about one third of the chicks dying from plastic ingestion. Currently, the ratio of plastic to sea life, or zooplankton, is 6:1. What this also means is that these marine animals that we consume have these pollutant particles inside of them, in which they will eventually reach a stage that will be completely unsafe to eat, at least more unsafe than it already is. This problem gets worse. In 2009, researchers have discovered at least two more patches that have an alarming growth rate and are expected to reach the same size as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. These are located in the Atlantic Gyre near Puerto Rico and the South Pacific Gyre between Japan and Hawaii. This totals three major gyre garbage patches that will do nothing but accumulate more trash and plastic every day.
Sitting idly by and being in denial about this problem is not the answer. Sure, people can say, “we can just devise a cleanup mission.� There are a couple problems wrong with that. One, it is impractical to administer a record breaking fleet of barges to reclaim the matter that is an island twice the size of Texas. Second, Do you really think that tens of thousands of people are that committed to being gone for weeks at a time in the middle of the Pacific to pick up our trash? Sadly, it is unlikely. The garbage patch represents our careless culture filled with overproduction of man made materials and the lack of willingness to clean up our home, Earth. Our action inversely affects us, and though not instantly, it will make a full circle sometime in the future. If the litterers stop littering, the GPGP is still here. They won’t stop littering, therefore, it will keep growing. What can we do to secure this situation? Can it be fixed? Why have we let humanity do this? When will it ever stop? Has it reached the point of no return? You do the math, it has all added up.
Laura
Palm Brandon: What’s your name, university you attend, and city you are from? Laura: My name is Laura Palm and I go to Cal State San Bernardino and I am from Claremont, California. Brandon: What is the theme and name of your pieces? Laura: The whole theme is “animals”. I have a stingray, a buffalo, kangaroo, ostrich, chinchilla, goose, vikyuna, and a goat. My favorite is the buffalo. It’s the first one I did. Brandon: What was the motivation for these pieces? Why these animals? Laura: Animals have been used for many things for thousands of years. I wanted to use a mixed media approach with pen and sewing machines and embedding fabric in paper.
I chose these animals because they are used either for their fur, skin, or feathers. For example, the stingray is for leather, goose for feathers, and so on. Brandon: how long did it take to make? Laura: They actually don’t take too long. I would say less than an hour for one. I do a lot of preliminary work and sketches. Brandon: What’s a summarized description of the process of making one of these pieces? Laura: First, I chose the animals I wanted to use. Then I sketched out the animals and drew it out freehand using a reference photo. They started with different compositions and sizes. Then I Went over it with a pen and stitched some areas in roughly with a sewing machine. It’s all done with a sewing machine. Then I cut out larger portions with an exacto knife where I would be stitching the fabric.
Brandon: What materials did you use? Laura: It’s all on watercolor paper and batik fabric. I also used black cotton thread to sew and picked up the batik fabric that I cut and modified to fit in the pieces. Brandon: What was the most difficult part? Laura: Just deciding on the animals. There were 8 animals total. For the installation I had it in at my exhibit, I chose 8 just because it was an aesthetic placement I wanted to present to the exhibit goers. I just saw it as being presented as four pieces side to side by the other group of four. Brandon: Did you learn anything throughout this process? Laura: Researching each animal individually was really interesting because I really learned about our dependence on animals. And this type of art was a new technique for me so going on and making more pieces allowed me to learn a lot.
Brandon: Have you seen any work that is similar to yours? It seems very original. Laura: I think people do things similar in all stitching, but I have never really seen anyone take this approach before. Brandon: What do you hope that people take away from these interesting art pieces? Laura: I hope people could possibly see the message I was trying to present, but most importantly I hope people just aesthetically enjoy them. Brandon: Do you have any plans for future projects that we can expect? Laura: I’ll probably do something similar, but definitely more paintings and sculptures coming my way. laurapalmstudio@gmail.com www.etsy.com/shop/laurapalmstudio
Lost & found I began to imagine this grand mural of my character as reflected in this pile of garbage and how one might perceive me through an objective lens peering downward into my couch cushions. On the outset I appear to be a sexually responsible-needle jockey with a nack for craft beer and an inability get Cheetos successfully into my mouth; I knew I was much more than this however in the end ‘you are what you eat’ so to speak. But in a world consumed by material possessions and swimming in waste how does one objectively separate themselves from the “stuff” that we are surrounded with? Whether its the contents at the bottom of your purse, semester old waste at the bottom of your back pack or the mountain of articles littering the back seat of your Corolla these items largely help to illustrate who you are in a very direct and objective manner.
I awoke one morning amidst a drunken stupor and to my surprise we unable to locate my car keys. After a relentless search effort through every nook and cranny of my house I found myself elbow deep in the cushions of my couch. Amazed at the treasure I was happening upon I decided to lay out every article in order to consider its relevance in finding my keys; what happened next was quite unexpected. As a gazed down at the arrangement of condom trash, bottle caps, used syringes, and food crumbs I found myself in an existential quandary as I saw myself reflected in this mess and confusion.
Consider your waste pile, where ever it may accumulate as a means to view your own reflection without preconceptions and without bias. Understand your accumulation of things as a unique insight into understanding your habits, personality, and choices but most importantly their implications to both you and those around you for better or for worse. I took this moment to do just that. As the world grows crowded by an expanding population so to will it become consumed by the articles of our existence to an extent that it is posed to become a linchpin in defining individuals. Faced with this reality, reflect on how you would hope that your possessions speak to your sense of individuality and self. What your ‘stuff’ says about you is entirely based upon the lens it is viewed through. However the proposition that it says anything can be infinitely valuable to both personal and collaborative growth.
Album: Santana (1969) Price: free from family collection Clutch: It is the group’s debut studio album featuring a unique and nearly improvisational style. The album is also includes songs preformed at the Woodstock Festival which propelled the band first major success.
Album: LA Woman (1971) Price: 25.00 @ Rhino Records Clutch: This album is the sixth studio album for the band and also the last featuring Jim Morrison, died later in 1971. Arguably one of the Doors most blues rock oriented albums.
Album: A New World Record (1976) Price: .99 @ Rhino Records Clutch: This reocrd is the sixth studio album by the band ELO and represents the music which took them to a commerical sucess in the UK. Tracks include the hit single “Telephone Lines”.
Album: Foghat Live (1977) Price:4.00 @ Rhino Records Clutch: This is a recorded live album which was the band highest grossing of all time, selling over two million copies. Features their commercial hit “Slow Ride”.
Album: Crosby, Stills, and Nash (1969) Price: .99 @ Amoeba Records, Los Angeles Clutch: This is the debut album for the band and represents a transition in late 60’s music to the more folk influenced music seen on this album.
Album: Live at the Cook County Jail Price:10.00 @ Rhino Records Clutch: This album is a recorded live performance in front of over 2,000 inmates in the notorious jail in Cook County, Florida. Has been voted one of the 500 greatest albums of all time by Rollingstone.
As the times change, decades grow, and the population is larger than ever, so is the amount of sex. Sex. The word makes some giggle, others uncomfortable, or it may make some remember many of the most memorable moments in their lives. Either way, it’s a part of life. The reason for those different reactions and feelings when confronting sex is mostly due to age and maturity. Safe sex is a subject that is frequently imparted in most Americans’ education systems or by doctors, parents and whoever or whatever other institution; which has all been based on past studies conducted in increments of considerable years. This is harmful to attempt to educate generations due to lack of consistency and statistical relevance. However, it is just as frequently touched on just as frequently as it is put on the back burner, which only promotes unhealthy consequences. The reality is that the past century has set precedence in sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies, in which both of these occurrences and topics can be prevented from safe sex and education promoting it. In the most recent study conducted by The University of Indiana in 2010, preceded by a 16 year lapse of research, 5,865 people ranging from ages 14-94 were surveyed on issues pertaining to sexual health, most notable the use of contraception. What they found may surprise you. People, or children, ages 14-17 are the ones who use condoms more than any other age range in the study. About 79% of teenage boys reported using a condom the last ten times they had intercourse with a girl, while girls are at 58%. The study found that by time someone reaches the age of 50, only one in five men and one in four women are reported to use a condom. And the trend continues as individuals reach the twilight of their lives. It took 16 years to resurface and invest interest and research into a study of this caliber and importance in today’s age. That is almost two decades which correlates into millions of teens in that 16 year generation.
The study shows that the starting documented age of sexually active teens are at 14 years of age, leaving at least two years of intercourse that has been left without educating this generation. This time lapse clearly indicates a notion of Americans’ taboo-like feelings of the topic of sex. The only realm that sex is housed in a common manner is in film, television, music, and the general media. Sex is glamorized, but not imparted through education. This taboo perpetuates the lack of education and spreading of necessary facts to not just teens, but to everyone else. Irresponsibility is what is being promoted. The real perpetrators of unsafe sex are the supposed mature and rational adults that are expected to be educating young generations at the fore-front. Let’s just say expectations never leads to effective results. This can be thought of as a classic case of do as I say and not as I do. A three-day family life course in 6th grade is not enough to drill into the brains of the young ones. A health class that is an elective in high school does not cut it either. The ignorance imparted on young individuals is a sole reflection of our selfishness as a whole. The cliché statement, “The children are the future,” is painfully true. When gazing into the soul of the bigger picture at hand, the older ones really just come off as careless and irresponsibly. Leaving the adolescent population without the proper education of sex presents an instilled unfair disadvantage that can be completely corrected. Instead, we conduct somewhat large studies every 16 years or so, and let it be. These kids grow up to be less concerned about the dire consequences they will ultimately gather from practicing unsafe sex. Or is it their fault? Learning of and adjusting to life changing and compromising consequences of practicing safe and unsafe sex are not events we should experience. Rather, we should be taught in a formal way. Ultimately, sex is a personal choice, yet it’s course of action is influenced by several factors: family, peers, media, etc. Sex is a natural thing that is present and prevalent in everyone’s life at one point or another. Whether it is a couple trying to have a child, a frat guy wanting to get laid at a party, or a teenager losing their virginity, sex is going to happen. However, there is only one
jive Word
puzzle
The puzzle is brought to you by the found father of jive-speak Cab Calloway.
kernal Yo mama so fast… s.
She can check out her own as
Yo mama so strong… She literally held up a liquo r store st…
Yo mama so hone
e cheated The only thing sh
was death.
Yo mama so slick… She doesn’t walk she slides.
Yo mama so smart… st.
She wrote the IQ te
Yo mama so fly …
“ yo momma so...awesome”
She’s always h igh.
o Yo mama s
caring…
or free. f n m a d a She gives