YES! Weekly - October 7, 2020

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KAY KAY LAVELLE ‘THE BIG, BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL’

SALVINO

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OCTOBER 7-13, 2020 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 41

10 5500 Adams Farm Lane Suite 204 Greensboro, NC 27407 Office 336-316-1231

KAY KAY LAVELLE

Fax 336-316-1930 Publisher CHARLES A. WOMACK III publisher@yesweekly.com EDITORIAL Editor KATIE MURAWSKI katie@yesweekly.com Contributors IAN MCDOWELL MARK BURGER

Kay Kay Lavelle is a Greensboro-based drag queen and SUPERSTAR on the rise, who has already helped usher in her art form of bearded drag into the mainstream. This year, in particular, has been devastating to the LGBTQIA+ and drag communities. Like Lavelle and other full-time drag entertainers across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic threw the proverbial pearls, knocking them financially unstable and unemployed. But, like the LGBTQIA+ community as a whole, Lavelle is resilient.

KATEI CRANFORD

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PRODUCTION Graphic Designers ALEX FARMER designer@yesweekly.com AUSTIN KINDLEY artdirector@yesweekly.com ADVERTISING Marketing TRAVIS WAGEMAN travis@yesweekly.com Promotion NATALIE GARCIA

DISTRIBUTION JANICE GANTT KYLE MUNRO SHANE MERRIMAN ANDREW WOMACK We at YES! Weekly realize that the interest of our readers goes well beyond the boundaries of the Piedmont Triad. Therefore we are dedicated to informing and entertaining with thought-provoking, debate-spurring, in-depth investigative news stories and features of local, national and international scope, and opinion grounded in reason, as well as providing the most comprehensive entertainment and arts coverage in the Triad. YES! Weekly welcomes submissions of all kinds. Efforts will be made to return those with a self-addressed stamped envelope; however YES! Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited submissions. YES! Weekly is published every Wednesday by Womack Newspapers, Inc. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. First copy is free, all additional copies are $1.00. Copyright 2020 Womack Newspapers, Inc.

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SALVINO, one of our area’s most perennially popular Italian restaurants, changed ownership last fall. Mary and Tom Speaker took over in October, but former owners Debbie and Sal Bruno worked with them on the floor and in the kitchen through November and mid-December to ensure a seamless transition. Mary manages the front of the house; her professional background is marketing and customer service.

Tom oversees the kitchen. He trained at New England Culinary Institute. They were regular customers at Salvino, and he was working for one of Salvino’s vendors, when they began exploring buying the restaurant.

5 Beginning Thursday, the RIVERRUN International Film Festival and HanesBrands will present the premiere screening of the documentary short Crop to Campus, which will be available to view at no cost for two weeks at riverrunfilm.com/virtual-theater/.

6 Oct. 9 is the last day to REGISTER TO VOTE in North Carolina. After this Friday, eligible voters can still register, but they must do so in person at one-stop polling sites during the early voting period, which is Oct. 15-Oct. 31. Why am I telling you this?

Because, dear readers, this election is truly the most important one...

7 This year, the news media has been focused on the Presidential election, and understandably so. Here in North Carolina, we’ve also been bombarded with ads about candidates for Congress, Senate, and State legislature. But ask most people who’s running for STATE INSURANCE Commissioner, and you’ll get a blank stare.

12 NOOR GHAZI, visiting research scholar in UNCG’s Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, is working on a book titled To Bagdad, We Shall Return. Her place on the black list came from her work last year, when the Iraqi October Revolution erupted in the country of her birth.

14 Monstercade is proud to partner with the industrial supergroup PIGFACE, as a venue presenting the “Stay the F*ck Inside Virtual World Tour,” beginning at 7pm on Oct. 10. Featuring a livestream of the collective’s 2019 performance at Thalia Hall in Chicago, the screening comes as part of their “Everywhere All at Once” fundraising campaign for independent venues, and nonprofits...

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OCTOBER 7-13, 2020

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Chow down with John Batchelor at Salvino

BY JOHN BATCHELOR

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alvino, one of our area’s most perennially popular Italian restaurants, changed ownership last fall. Mary and Tom Speaker took over in October, but former owners Debbie and Sal Bruno worked with them on the floor and in the kitchen through November and mid-December to ensure a seamless transition. Mary manages the front of the house; her professional background is marketing and customer service. Tom oversees the kitchen. He trained at New England Culinary Institute.

They were regular customers at Salvino, and he was working for one of Salvino’s vendors, when they began exploring buying the restaurant. They have been in the restaurant business one way or another for about 35 years.

The bar, well separated from the dining areas, has had a devoted following in the past. I hope to rejoin the crowd someday.

Stippled walls in mustard and wine lend color over a cream chair rail above a wine base. Acoustic tile ceilings and carpet yield an ambience that allows conversation in a normal tone of voice.

The wine list is well chosen for quality and value. You simply can’t make a bad choice or pay an unreasonable price here.

Warm, crusty ciabatta bread (the dough is made in Chicago; it is baked in house) arrives promptly; quality olive oil blended with herbs is provided on the side.

Entrees come with a choice of soup (house or Caesar) or salad, adding extra value to already reasonable prices. The House Salad places a bright red tomato wedge and red onion slices in mixed leaf lettuces. All dressings are made in house.

Pasta and Fagioli Soup hosts cannellini (Italian white beans) in homemade

TAGLIATELLE ALIA BOLOGNESE

MUSHROOM RAVIOLI

LASAGNE

chicken broth with onions, plus a little bacon and a dab of marinara, along with clips of pasta- hearty and robust, especially welcome as the weather cools.

Such inclusion might cause some people to eschew a separate first course.

That would be a mistake. Gnocchi al Gorgonzola- potato dumplings bathed in gorgonzola cheese sauce- does not simply taste good; it is going face down on the table and licking the plate good. Calamari Fritti is lightly battered and fried crisp, yet tender, enhanced with a pronounced marinara, prepared in house with Italian tomatoes, fresh basil and oregano, plus garlic and chopped cherry peppers.

Pastas are economical and rewarding. Mushroom Ravioli, lush in flavor, are blessed with a porcini demi-glace seasoned with fresh sage. Tagliatelle Alia Bolognese blends ground beef with a sauce of tomatoes, onions, and celery, with a little cream, folded into wide pasta strips. Lasagne, an off-menu special one night, turned out to be a family style rendition, with salty-sweetish tomato sauce incorporated between layers of sheet

pasta, interspersed with melted cheeses.

Penne alla Mediterranean joins grilled chicken breast with sun dried tomatoes, fresh mushrooms and spinach, plus feta cheese, in a creamy sauce. Hard to pick a favorite, but if forced, I would gravitate toward the latter.

I am especially drawn to seafoods here.

In Scallops al Soave, four large, tender sea scallops are coated with a light milk-flour batter and sautéed in olive oil, finished with butter, and augmented with lemon and white wine. A side of spinach and spaghetti, twirled together, lends color as well as flavor.

Linguine Pescatore arrays shrimp, clams, mussels, and sliced scallops, all at the appropriate texture, in a light clam sauce with white wine, garlic, and a little marinara.

In Halibut Mediterranean, most of the flavor emerges from the wild-caught fish itself, followed by a touch of onion in light white wine and tomato broth, plus black olives and a few capers.

Fowl dishes are not foul. Petto di Pollo Luigi is a breast sautéed with sage, shal-

lots, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts, in lemon, butter, and white wine. The sharpish flavor of the artichokes sets off the chicken really well. Pollo Piccata presents a tender chicken breast, sautéed in butter with capers, graced by lemon and white wine. All butter-lemon-white wine blends are well balanced.

Vitello Saltimbocca- thin-sliced veal- is sautéed with fresh sage, joined by prosciutto and mozzarella cheese in white wine veal demi-glace, arrayed over soft-cooked spinach. The prosciutto adds a salty-bacony layer of flavor to the veal and demi-glace.

Reflecting on these visits, I concluded that Salvino has not missed a step in its transition. It has long been a personal favorite. It remains so.

I would add particular commendation for takeout arrangements. They will take credit card information over the phone.

Park in a dedicated space in front of the door, and a server will place your order directly into the car, in a completely nocontact arrangement. !

SCALLOPS AL SOAVE

LINGUINE PESCATORE

HALIBUT MEDITERRANEAN

JOHN BATCHELOR has been writing about eating and drinking since 1981. Over a thousand of his articles have been published. He is also author of two travel/cookbooks: Chefs of the Coast: Restaurants and Recipes from the North Carolina Coast, and Chefs of the Mountains: Restaurants and Recipes from Western North Carolina.

Contact him at john.e.batchelor@gmail.com or see his blog, johnbatchelordiningandtravel.blogspot.com.

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Salvino, located at 2917-D Battleground Ave. in Greensboro,(336)540-8663, salvinorestaurant.com Hours: 5-9 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday dine in; curbside pickup orders can be called in starting at 3 p.m. | Appetizers: $10-$14 | Soups: $5 | Entrees: $18-$39, including salad or soup | Desserts: $7 YES! WEEKLY

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flicks

RiverRun Virtual Theater sews up free film screening

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eginning Thursday, the RiverRun International Film Festival and HanesBrands will present the premiere screening of the documentary short Mark Burger Crop to Campus, which will be available to view at no Contributor cost for two weeks at riverrunfilm.com/ virtual-theater/.

The film details the step-by-step of HanesBrands’s process in creating its Comfort Wash apparel line, from a cotton farm in North Carolina to a yarn-spinning facility in Tennessee, and finally its stateof-the-art cut, sew, and dry facilities in El Salvador – as experienced by three 2019 seniors from the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University: Mamie Tigg (from Austin, Texas), Katy Powers (from Charlotte), and Sydney Parker (from Lexington).

Katy Powers takes a picture of Sydney Parker at Grant Farms “The idea was to let the students immerse themselves in the experience and let them share their perspectives via social media,” explained Michael Johnson, Hanes Activewear’s director of marketing.

“But we quickly realized, from their excitement and energy, that documenting the experience in a larger way could be a great story in itself.”

Award-winning documentary filmmaker and RiverRun veteran Rod Murphy, a native of Asheville, was tapped to direct Crop to Campus. “This was a great project primarily because of the openness of everyone involved, and no topics were off the table,” he said. “As seniors, the students came into the project at a crossroads where they are passionate

about textiles and apparel, but deeply concerned about fashion’s impact on the future of the planet.”

The students, all of whom have since graduated NCSU, saw first-hand both the process by which the apparel line is created, but also the efforts by HanesBrands to incorporate water conservation, limited pesticide usage, science, and other socio-political factors in its methods of production.

“A lot of people when they think of sustainability, they think it’s an item that’s been recycled or reused,” observed Parker.

“I now know that there is an ethical and human aspect to it.”

“We are really excited that RiverRun will be the first to show this film,” said Johnson. “RiverRun is a true gem and widely admired. Sustainability means different things to different people, and we all still have a lot to learn. RiverRun is a great venue to help spark thought and conversation.”

The RiverRun International Film Festival’s official website is www.riverrunfilm. com/. The official HanesBrands website is www.hanes.com/. !

‘Heavy METL’:UNCSA’s immersive storytelling residency yields first work The Media and Emerging Technology Lab (METAL) at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) has concluded its inaugural Immersive Storytelling Residency with the completion of BonsAI, an immersive narrative experience inspired by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The sixth-month residency is the first of its kind in the nation, combining the skills and talents of a technical artist, a software engineer, and a screenwriter to create a fully-realized virtual reality experience.

METL, established in 2017 at the UNCSA School of Filmmaking, is dedicated to defining, refining, and shaping the evolution of how immersive story content is created, consumed, and told.

The storytelling residency was conceived

by Ryan Schmaltz, who has been the director of METL at UNCSA since its inception.

“As one of the few immersive labs in the county to be housed in a professional arts conservatory, METL is uniquely situated to train and serve as a resource for the next generation of creative innovators. The residency brings together people with complimentary skill sets, gives them room, to develop an idea using METL’s technology and resources, and provides guidance and mentorship by key industry experts.”

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The creative participants of the program included software engineer Alex Moro, screenwriter/producer Trent Spivey (who graduated the School of Filmmaking in 2018), and technical artist Fernando Goyret.

BonsAI is a futuristic parable in which the virtual-reality (VR) participant “plays” the assistant to an esteemed scientist during the rise of a novel plant virus. The participant must formulate a solution to the crisis while remaining one step ahead of a corrupt conglomerate bent on sabotaging the project. That the narrative mirrors, to some extent, the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, was not coincidental, according to Spivey.

“We were tasked with thinking about how we could use this immersive technology and platform to cultivate empathy and awareness, while still creating an entertaining and meaningful experience – all within (approximately) an eightto-12-minute time-frame,” he said. “We knew we wanted to draw on what people are experiencing right now, but we also wanted to inspire.”

UNCSA will submit BonsAI to VR film festivals as well as such popular festivals as Sundance, Tribeca, and South by Southwest (SXSW) that have categories devoted

to immersive media.

“Virtual reality affects your mind in a different way,” Spivey observed. “You are not just watching something on a screen. You are in the scene. There’s a power in being immersed, in what it can do for the human spirit.”

The official UNCSA website is www. uncsa.edu/. !

See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies on Burgervideo.com. © 2020, Mark Burger.

Arts through it All. In our most trying times, art and artists are here. As the world confronts chaos and despair, historic levels of uncertainty and unsure footing, art and artists are here.

They fuel learning and support the economy. They matter and make a difference.

They are necessary, especially now. Events and live art experiences have temporarily been taken away, but the arts are here through it all.

Please Support the Artists and Arts Organizations You Love.

FOR A FULL LIST OF NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, PLEASE VISIT ARTSGREENSBORO.ORG

Powered by ArtsGreensboro

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A letter from the editor: How the Forsyth Freedom Federation, Guilford For All helped restore my faith in humanity

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ct. 9 is the last day to register to vote in North Carolina. After this Friday, eligible voters can still register, but they must do so in person at one-stop Katie Murawski polling sites during the early voting period, which is Oct. Editor 15-Oct. 31. Why am I telling you this? Because, dear readers, this election is truly the most important one— will the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave continue to casually and callously drift toward fascism? Or will our country, upon which freedom is the foundation, finally practice what we preach and get back on the course of progress?

Our country, states, counties, and cities are all plagued with those who sit on a throne of power, disguised as civil servants. They are the ones who refuse to serve all of their constituents, but do everything they can to make sure their financial interests are taken care of and that their wealthy friends and family benefit.

These cults of personalities, (the current one running our country especially), are playing hard-working taxpayers like a fiddle by having an all-access pass to the best health care, housing, transportation, and protection that taxpayer money can buy. The same people who took an oath to serve are taking handouts left and right, yet they deny the same opportunities and basic human rights to anyone they deem unworthy. The gut punch comes when the New York Times reports that they don’t even pay into the system they benefit from. That gut-punch feeling made me realize that enough is enough— so I decided to roll up my sleeves and volunteer with the Carolina Federation, which is a nonpartisan, grassroots “statewide organization that brings local people together across race and the rural-urban divide to build political and electoral power in their own communities and across North Carolina.”

During two phone banking sessions with the Forsyth Freedom Federation (the Forsyth County chapter), and a conversaYES! WEEKLY

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tion with Guilford For All (the Guilford County chapter) steering committee members, Jess St. Louis and Kay Brown, for the first time since March, I feel hopeful instead of hopeless.

“We are a grassroots organization working to build permanent people power,” St. Louis said, “in ways that build the leadership of our community that wins changes people can feel that eventually in the long-term, works to govern with the everyday people. We, organizationally, believe that we are up against a set of forces that use stuff like race, gender, class, and immigration status in ways that court more and more power of the wealthy few— rather than ensuring that we live in a county that works for all of our people, particularly, people most impacted by racism, economic inequality, by homophobia, and etc. We see it as critical if we are going to have a working democracy that works for all people.”

St. Louis, like myself, wants to set roots in the Triad, and Guilford County is where she wants to grow old. She said that is why she felt a calling to start volunteering with Guilford For All. “For me, I want a county in which, if I ever had the honor of being someone’s parent, that children can thrive—that Kay’s children thrive, that Kay can thrive— and I want a county in which we can experience the freedom that we are worth, and that we deserve. And in order to get that, we have to change the balance of who is in power.”

As a reporter/editor of this wonderful newspaper, I have read, seen and experienced first-hand the inequalities in our communities that the rich and powerful perpetuate and use to divide, in order for them to continue to thrive.

“I feel like all of our oppressions are tied together, and it is going to take us coming together to dismantles these systems that oppress all of us, whether that is poor white folks, Black folks, queer folks— when you come to the core of it, all of our oppressions are tied together,” Brown said. “Typically, I work with mostly Black organizers, but I had to come to the realization that this isn’t a system that is just oppressing Black folk. This is something all of us have skin in the game to dismantle so that all of us can thrive. We need to balance out the power away from the wealthy, few elites who have been

making decisions for [Guilford County], and actually give that power back. Give those voices back to people, and create opportunities for those people to gain knowledge, hold people accountable, and actually turn over some seats if they are doing what they are supposed to in it.”

“We have to talk about race, we have to talk about gender, we have to talk about class, and we are really clear that improving conditions for Black folks, immigrants, queer/trans folks, and women in our county, means that all of our conditions will get better,” St. Louis added.

Despite what “political” differences we may have, dear reader, the truth is, we have much more in common than our affiliation.

We all need better schools for our children (or in my case, my nieces and nephews). We all need affordable, accessible health care, especially during this pandemic. We need a cleaner environment to pass on to the next generation.

We all need better-paying jobs. We all need a roof over our heads.

But first, we must understand that the only way we can get those things is if we have a system that functions for everyone, and not just those with the most money or influence.

“We are a nonpartisan organization that organizes around the issues that matter to our people,” Brown said. “So, if you are a Democrat that is in the way, we will come for you. If you are a Republican that is in the way, we will come for you...

We have no interest in organizing based on personal feelings about how likable someone is; it is about what position they are taking on the issues, what their platform is, and how will that benefit, change and impact the people of Guilford County.”

“We see elected office as a tool that is able to be used to make the conditions of our lives better for people,” St. Louis said.

“We need people in those roles and positions that will fight for us on the issues, as Kay was saying, our role as an organization is not to just do that but to build a level of power so that we are able to continue to influence and be able to have our everyday folks of Guilford set the agenda.”

Meaningful change starts at the bottom, which is why Guilford For All and the Forsyth Freedom Federation are specifically focusing on the smaller local elec-

tions. St. Louis and Brown said that is why the Guilford County Board of Commissioners (Districts 4 and 5) election should be at the forefront of every Guilford County resident’s mind.

“What happens in those races will change the conditions for all of us,” St. Louis explained. “Our county commissioners failed to respond to the COVID-19 crisis by refusing to allocate a major portion of resources to housing, to rent and mortgages— remember, we are facing an impending eviction crisis. The priorities of the people that have the governing majority are making decisions that benefit them and their friends and not the majority of working people in Guilford County. We see these races in 4, 5, and 6 as critical if we are going to transform our county.”

“There is a really powerful framework of people that we are voting for,” she continued. “We aren’t voting for a savior, we are voting for targets— people we can push to make the changes that we need more or less possible. Even if people are disillusioned by the presidential election if people are unsure of what is the decision that causes the least harm and allows progressive change to be more and more possible. We are trying to build a political organization that is far beyond Nov. 3, 2020. We need to develop a level of power and coordination into 2021, 2022, and all the years to come. Becoming part of a people’s organization that is working to set the agendas of what is happening in our cities, counties, state and beyond, is a really key way in order to make sustained change over time.”

“It is less important to get wrapped up in the D and R, and it’s more important to actually look at the platforms of the people, their records, what have they done and what those impacts have been for you and your family,” Brown said. “In order to move collective people power, we are going to have to send some strong messages together. The fact that we don’t have health care here— that is a huge issue. And it is not an issue I consider partisan. It is an issue of like; do we feel that people should not die because they are poor? Should people die if they do not have access?

Should you have to ration your insulin when in other countries, it is practically free? I think we need to start looking at JUMP TO NEXT PAGE

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Causey, Goodwin Compete for insurance post This year, the news media has been focused on the Presidential election, and understandably so.

Here in North Carolina, we’ve also been bombarded with ads about candidates for Congress, Senate, Jim Longworth and State legislature.

Longworth But ask most people at Large who’s running for State Insurance Commissioner, and you’ll get a blank stare. It’s ironic because very few elected officials have more impact over our everyday lives than does the Insurance Commissioner. During a recent taping of Triad Today, I spoke with Mike Causey, the current Commissioner, and Wayne Goodwin, who preceded Mike in that job and now wants it back.

JL: Most folks aren’t aware of all the things that the State Insurance Commissioner regulates, and the responsibilities he has.

MC: When I was campaigning in 2016, I’d go around the State and introduce

myself. I’d say, “Hi I’m Mike Causey and I’m running for State Insurance Commissioner.”

And people would say, “Well, what kind of insurance do you sell?” And I’d tell them, “We don’t sell insurance, we regulate it.”

Folks just don’t know what all falls under the Department of Insurance. The Commissioner is also the State Fire Marshal, overseeing all fire departments and fire training. We’re over engineering codes and building code inspections. We regulate manufacturers of modular homes and mobile homes, which is a huge industry in our State.

WG: The Insurance Commissioner’s office has fairly broad regulatory authority.

Not just about regulating insurance agents, but insurance companies and insurance rates. You also regulate bail bondsmen and collections agents. You provide education about Medicare for every senior citizen in the State.

MC: We also have sworn law enforcement officers to investigate fraud and arson. In fact, North Carolina was the first State in the nation to put sworn officers in the Department of Insurance.

WG: It’s a huge office with great responsibility.

the issues that are on the ballot and look less at the personality of the people on the ballot. If we can do that, and continue to do that, then North Carolina will not only be a battleground state, we will be a state that can set the tone, pace and agenda for what the rest of the country could look like.”

“We are existing on a deeply uneven playing field that is designed to make us feel alone, and that change is impossible or blame ourselves for problems— to me one of the antidotes to hopelessness is community,” St. Louis said. “Kay has a stake in my freedom as a trans woman, I have a stake in Kay’s freedom as a single Black momma of two incredible children— that breaking of isolation is really critical; to realize we are not alone, and that when things are set up against us, we have the tool of people power to win. And that is what you get when you join an organization like Guilford For All.” Dear reader, if you are like me, you may find yourself leaning into the feeling of hopelessness and let headlines ruin your day and further discourage you. All while complaining about nothing changing and idly standing by.

To that, I have only this to say: Snap out of it and get to work.

Voter disillusionment is what keeps the

careless and power-hungry in office for decades without any change.

“As a single mom, I used to think, out of everyone that could be listened to in the city, why do they want to listen to me?’ I had to take a step back and realize, nobody advocates better for you than you, nobody is better to speak to your people than you if you are of your people.

If you feel called to serve, it is a duty to serve your people. The change starts with you,” Brown said. “People think that you have to be able to move mountains to get change. Now, it may feel that way on a national scale, but on a local scale, it doesn’t take that. On the local level, it takes the engagement of citizens, even if there are citizens that people haven’t heard of before.”

To see what candidates G4A and FFF are endorsing and why, visit www.carolinafederation.org/2020-endorsements/ and to learn more about the organizations, follow them on social media, and learn more about the Carolina Federation, and sign up to be a volunteer online at www.carolinafederation.org !

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Mike Causey and Wayne Goodwin Both men know something about responsibility. Before holding the Commissioner’s job, Causey was an Army veteran who came up through the ranks in the insurance industry, while Goodwin is an attorney who took on big corporations.

MC: No offense to my attorney friends, but I think it’s a good idea to have an insurance commissioner who actually has experience in the insurance business. I’ve gone through the ranks as an agent, agency manager, superintendent of agencies, and I’ve been in all aspects of insurance. That not only helps me understand the agent’s point if view, it helps me understand the consumer’s point of view and what they have to go through. That’s why last year

alone, we were able to help over 258,000 people in this State.

WG: During my two terms as Insurance Commissioner I saved us $2.4 billion, had refunds of $206 million, and we had the lowest car insurance premiums in the country right here in North Carolina because of the decisions I made.

JL: With all of the responsibility and stress that comes with the job of Insurance Commissioner, why do you want the job again?

WG: Because for as long as I can remember, even as a kid, my passion in life was I wanted to solve problems and help people.

MC: We had an agriculture commissioner years ago named Jim Graham, and he would tell everybody, “I love my job.”

Well, that’s the same for me. I love my job and I love helping people.

For more information about Mike Causey and Wayne Goodwin, visit www.mikecauseync.com and www.waynegoodwin.org .

To learn more about the NC Department of Insurance, visit www.ncdoi.gov. !

JIM LONGWORTH is the host of “Triad Today,” airing on Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. on ABC45 (cable channel 7) and Sundays at 11am on WMYV (cable channel 15).

KATIE MURAWSKI is the editor of YES! Weekly. She is from Mooresville, North Carolina and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in film studies from Appalachian State University in 2017.

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[NEWS OF THE WEIRD] LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS

Chuck Shepherd

Convicted drug smuggler Mike Gielen, 24, hired a helicopter at Deurne airport near Antwerp, Belgium, on Sept. 25, then hijacked the aircraft in mid-flight and forced

the pilot to fly to Berkendaal women’s prison south of Brussels to free his wife, Kristel Appelt, 27, who is being held there on suspicion of murdering an ex-boyfriend, The Guardian reported. As inmates cheered and waved below, the pilot circled the prison yard, trying unsuccessfully to land, while Gielen put his head out of the chopper to vomit five times, before giving up and flying off. Authorities arrested Gielen and several accomplices within 24 hours when they discovered he had used

his real name to hire the helicopter. “It seems the whole thing has been staged quite amateurishly,” remarked Tom van Overbeke, Gielen’s attorney.

WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS

Hillsborough County (Florida) Sheriff’s deputies responding to reports of a domestic violence situation on Sept. 23 arrived at the apartment of Devon Garnett, 26, to find Garnett and two friends, fans of the Tampa Bay Lightning, watching Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals. Neighbors had become alarmed after hearing shouts of “Shoot! Shoot!” and “I dare you to shoot!” just before 8:30 that evening, reported the Associated Press. The deputies “thought there were guns in the house,” said Garnett, who told them, “Nope, we’re just screaming for Steven Stamkos.”

RECURRING THEMES

Voters in the village of Deveselu, Romania, reelected popular Mayor Ion Aliman to a third term in a landslide victory on Sept.

27 despite the fact that Aliman had died of COVID-19 10 days before the election.

The Associated Press reported that word of the mayor’s passing had spread fast among the village’s 3,000 residents, but his name still appeared on the ballots, and many villagers used the vote as an opportunity to honor Aliman, who would have celebrated his 57th birthday on election day. After the results were revealed, many villagers went to his grave to pay respects and light candles, saying, “We will make you proud” and “This is your victory.”

COMPELLING EXPLANATION

After throwing a Bible that struck a Marion County (Florida) Sheriff’s deputy in the face, Robert Otis Hoskins, 39, of Summerfield, told officers that God had directed him to break into his neighbors’ home and free their young daughter, according to authorities. WKMG-TV reports police were responding to reports of a burglary on Sept. 22 when they encountered Hoskins, who emerged from the house next door wearing nothing but briefs and yelling something like, “I condemn you!” before throwing the Bible. Officers tased him and took him into custody; Hoskins’ wife told deputies he “does have a drug problem,” according to the arrest report, and the alleged victim said about $50 worth of clothing had been stolen.

Hoskins was booked on multiple charges.

LATEST HUMAN RIGHTS

A High Court judge in Liverpool, England, has rejected Cheryl Pile’s attempt to sue the Liverpool Police for violating

YES! WEEKLY

OCTOBER 7-13, 2020

her rights in April 2017 when four female officers changed her out of the clothes she had vomited on, reports the BBC. Calling the officers’ actions “an act of decency,” the judge noted that Pile, who later paid a fine for being drunk and disorderly, was “too insensible with drink to have much idea of either where she was or what she was doing there,” and would otherwise have been left “to marinade overnight in her own bodily fluids.”

BAD BEHAVIOR

CNN reports a 32-year-old unnamed Irishman was charged with vandalism after being caught on Sept. 21 carving his first and last initials into a pillar on the first floor of the Colosseum in Rome. The structure, which has stood for two millennia, is a World Heritage Site, and Italian law calls for a hefty fine or prison sentence for damaging a historical and artistic landmark. Archaeologist Federica Rinaldi, who is responsible for the Colosseum, suggested it would be better to “take a selfie” than to carve into the amphitheater’s walls.

ANNULS OF TECHNOLOGY

— Taro Kono, Japan’s new minister for administrative reform, is wasting no time in starting his crusade to cut down on bureaucratic red tape, reports The Japan Times, and among his first targets is the fax machine, which is still in use in more than 95% of businesses in Japan. “I don’t think there are many administrative procedures that actually need printing out paper and faxing,” Kono said on Sept. 25.

A day after being appointed to his new job, Kono created a red-tape hotline on his website, inviting public input, that had to be shut down the next day after receiving more than 4,000 responses.

— Keith Bebonis knows a secret about the Chicago Police Department, reported the Chicago Sun-Times on Sept. 25: They still use typewriters. Bebonis knows because he repairs them when the officers “abuse” them. “Police officers, in general, are very heavy typists,” said Bebonis, 46, who carries on the business his dad started in the late 1960s, Bebon Office Machines and Supplies. He contracts every year to repair 40 to 50 IBM Wheelwriters — early word-processing machines that can store a few pages’ worth of data.

“I don’t want it to seem like I’m saying they’re taking their frustrations out on the typewriter,” Bebonis said. “But they’re just not very sensitive with these machines.” !

© 2020 Chuck Shepherd. Universal Press Syndicate.

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

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[weeKly sudoKu]

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‘The big, bold and beautiful’ bearded drag of Kay Kay Lavelle *Editor’s note: October is LGBTQIA+ History Month, and to celebrate YES! Weekly will be spotlighting local folks from the LGBTQ IA+ community.

K

ay Kay Lavelle is a Editor Greensboro-based drag queen and superstar on the rise, who has already helped usher in her art form of bearded drag into the mainstream. This year, in particular, has been devastating to the LGBTQIA+ and drag communities.

Like Lavelle and other full-time drag entertainers across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic threw the proverbial pearls, knocking them financially unstable and unemployed. But, like the LGBTQIA+ community as a whole, Lavelle is resilient.

Lavelle has been doing drag for seven years, and was born in Shelby, North Carolina, moved to Orlando, Florida, to work at Disney, and then settled down in Greensboro in 2016.

Lavelle said while at Disney, she had to adhere to a strict facial hair policy, so she had to keep her beard— but at the same time, she started getting interested in doing drag.

Katie Murawski

YES! WEEKLY

OCTOBER 7-13, 2020

“I liked the way I looked with a beard better, so I didn’t want to sacrifice that much for drag,” she said. “At the end of the day, outside of drag, I still have to have confidence; I still have to live my life.”

At Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub, Lavelle’s regular spot before the deadly massacre in 2016, she attributes male entertainer and Pulse’s talent show host, Axel Andrews, as being the person who encouraged her to start performing as a bearded drag queen.

Andrews invited Lavelle to perform in the talent show, and after she said she couldn’t because she didn’t want to have to shave, “he said, ‘well then don’t shave.’

And I was like what? I had never seen a bearded queen.”

Lavelle took his advice, which ended up being well-received by the audience.

Now, as a full-time bearded drag queen, Lavelle can’t look back. Her beard is an integral part of her drag persona, and it holds an even more sentimental value when she is performing.

“It is one of those things that are sentimental because the last time I performed at Pulse, before the shooting, I had a beard,” she said. “So, it is almost like if I do shave, and I am on stage, my angels won’t recognize me.”

Lavelle said that she was supposed to go to Pulse for a friend’s birthday party the night of the shooting that claimed 49 lives and injured 53 others, but was

running late and decided not to go. After hearing the news, she was devastated, scared, and said she suffered from survivor’s guilt coupled with anxiety and PostTraumatic Stress Disorder. The tragedy didn’t end Lavelle’s dreams of being on stage, but it reaffirmed her mission with her drag, which is “doing the things for people who can’t.”

“Whenever someone tells you that you can’t do something, you’re going to have to do it anyway,” Lavelle said. “Sometimes, when you don’t fit into places, you have to make yourself fit in there anyway.”

Being a bearded drag queen didn’t come without criticism from those who think drag is a cookie-cutter art form— where everyone looks and performs gender the same. When Lavelle started competing in pageants, she said she took a lot of flak from other performers critiquing her beard. Lavelle proved them all wrong when she placed in the Top 3 at one pageant.

“Doing bearded drag, you are always told, you’d look so much better without the beard— they don’t even get why I do the beard, they think it’s out of laziness, but it’s not the case,” she added. “For me, I can do everything that your ‘normal drag queen’ would do. I just happen to have a beard.”

Lavelle said bearded drag is deeply rooted in LGBTQ history, citing the influence of The Cockettes, a San Franciscan

drag/theatre troupe in the 1960s that challenged societal norms through gender-fuck performances that included bearded queens. According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, The Cockettes’ influence even paved the way for the ‘70s glam rock aesthetic and even the cult-classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. “[Bearded drag] has been around for a long time,” Lavelle said. “It is nothing new, the way it is breaking barriers is new, and the way that it is growing is new.”

Lavelle said her beard isn’t a protest; it’s her badge of pride.

“I think my favorite part about it— I want to say it’s like a big middle finger, but it’s not, being who you are shouldn’t be a middle finger to anybody,” she said.

“It’s almost like a pride flag; my beard is like my flag.”

Lavelle said she had sold shots at Castle McCulloch events, and whenever she’s there, her beard and make-up turns everyone’s heads.

“They are like, ‘whoa!’ And I think, oh, here it comes they are going to slap the shots out of my hand or beat me up or something,” Lavelle said. “But then they are like, ‘I am confused, bro, you have a beard, but like, you are so fucking pretty, I love it.’ It’s almost like challenges cisgender, heterosexual men to stop and think. It gives them the food for thought to experiment with their sexuality, too.”

Before the wave of COVID cancella-

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tions, Lavelle was set to compete in the National Bearded Empress pageant, which is exclusively for performers who have beards or perform bearded drag.

“It spoke to me because I competed in National Entertainer of the Year in 2018— I was the first bearded queen to qualify and compete at that pageant because I went to North Carolina Entertainer of the Year,” Lavelle explained. “I qualified, and then I had to go to Nationals. And they are scary because all the pageant girls are rich, skinny and pretty.”

Lavell said she was the first bearded queen to compete in the history of that pageant’s system, and that she qualified for the same pageant that RuPaul’s Drag Race queens like Trinity “The Tuck” Taylor, Shangela and Nina West had competed.”

“For me to be there and earned my way there, [proved] that I can do everything that they can, the only thing I had different was a beard.”

Mainstream media isn’t sleeping on bearded queens anymore. The Boulet Brothers helped break barriers when they featured the bearded Ursula Major on the first season of their creepy, alternative drag competition show, Dragula.

And now, the cast of Drag Race Holland includes the bearded beauty, Madame Madness.

“I haven’t watched yet, but I have seen the promo pictures for the season and am so excited for them!” Lavelle said of Madame Madness on Drag Race Holland.

“I think it shows a lot about the United States version that after 12 (13 if you count the season that just filmed but it’s not public knowledge yet) we still don’t have a bearded queen. Yet, one season of Drag Race Holland and they already have one. But change is coming to the United State’s Drag Race— I just can’t comment on exactly what, since it hasn’t released info yet. I can’t wait to see some muchneeded change in the upcoming seasons.”

Lavelle has traveled extensively as a professional drag queen and has even hosted shows at big-city venues such as Rock Bar in New York City. Even though she loves living and performing in Greensboro, she knows she is a big fish in a little pond.

“I definitely think everything in life can be a stepping stone— it is for me, drag is so nice because it is so different everywhere,” Lavelle said. “If you go to New York, they have one costume, one hair, and one look. And then you come here, and every number has to be a different costume and a different look, different everything. It is almost more expensive here, in a way— that is why I like jumping to all of these places because I pick up something new every city that I go to. I feel like it is rounding me out to be the WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

Kay Kay Lavelle performing at Greensboro’s Chemistry Nightclub best entertainer I can be.”

But her work isn’t done in Greensboro just yet, “I want to plant seeds everywhere I live, and I want to make sure I have plans to water the seeds.”

In her travels, Lavelle also noted that it’s been important for her to learn the history of each drag scene she visits, and one day, she hopes to help create a drag almanac or encyclopedia so she can document her observations of each scene. She said as someone part of the LGBTQIA+ community, knowing the history and learning from it is crucial these days.

“We have this really nice generation right here at us, that they were here for Stonewall, they were here the AIDS epidemic, they were here for all of that,” she said. “We need to hurry up and get that information so we can pass it down.

It is important not to forget. If you forget where you came from, how do you know where you are going?”

Lavelle likes to think of herself as a drag queen of the people, for the people and by the people.

“Without the people, you wouldn’t be a queen—if there is no kingdom, then you literally can’t have a queen. What are you going to be the queen of, your bedroom, your shower?” she said. “The business that booked me, how would they stay in business if they didn’t have this many people to support me?”

Lavelle said drag queens are innately

political, in that the art form of drag itself started as a political movement.

“It has always been trans women and drag queens that have been [at the forefront] of movements,” she said. “People look up to us whenever there is a big event, and it is our job to say, ‘this is not right.’ It is important to use the platform you are given; you have to be thankful for it, and use it because it could be taken away as easily.”

This mentality, coupled with the reality that LGBTQIA+ civil rights are literally hanging by a thread in this country’s current administration— inspired her to join forces with other Ru Paul’s Drag Race queens as a drag ambassador for “Drag Out the Vote.” According to a press release, Drag Out the Vote’s mission is to “educate, register, and turn out voters with the art and activism of drag.”

Lavelle was chosen by a group of cochairs that includes Drag Race alumni Phi Phi O’Hara and Brita Filter, to work along with other drag artists in the country to amplify “messages to get people out to vote, as well as sharing resources to make sure all of our voices are heard at the polls this fall.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most venues have been closed, and all of Lavelle’s planned events— the National Bearded Empress pageant, Orlando bear festival Tidal Wave, and the Charlotte ComiCon Drag Show— were canceled due to the pandemic.

“It has landed me raggedy,” she said of its financial impact. “It has canceled every large event that I had, and I laugh through the pain. I can’t throw a pity party because I am not alone; it is not just me.”

In the meantime, Lavelle has kept herself busy by starting a side business called “Bearded Bling,” where she makes and sells drag jewelry, and earlier this spring, she even dipped her toes into the digital drag world.

“I had a psychic recently tell me, ‘you have to stop being so scared, you are being so anxious and are missing opportunities,’” Lavelle said. “It has been tough for everybody, luckily I was able to make ends meet, and I was invited to do the Digital Drag Fest.”

Ran by PEG Management, and almost exclusively booked with drag queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Lavelle found herself as the sole bearded queen, and one of the only non-Drag Race queens at the digital show, held March 27-May 30.

“That was a cool opportunity to show that I can run with the big girls, so to speak,” Lavelle said of the experience. I was able to make money, and it was cool because I was able to perform in a way I haven’t performed before. I was able to reach people from all over the world.”

In a post-COVID world, Lavelle said she has so many plans and exciting opportunities coming up, including several special projects and collaborations with Drag Race stars, gigs in Canada, and the 2021 National Bearded Empress pageant.

“It has been tough, but I think the coolest part of the LGBTQ+ community and especially a lot of entertainers, we are resilient as hell. We can go through some stuff and keep going,” Lavelle said. “I can’t help but feel we are on to something new, but great. It is like a butterfly feeling— we were squiggling along like a caterpillar, and all of a sudden, it wasn’t up to us, but we got trapped in a cocoon, literally. Now, we are finally breaking out, and I feel like we are going to be bigger, bolder and more beautiful than we were before.”

Lavelle would like to give a special shout-out to ArtsGreensboro, Raleigh’s Visual Art Exchange, The Stonewall Inn in New York City for the grants that have helped keep her afloat during this unprecedented health and economic crisis.

Follow KayKay Lavelle on social media to keep up with one of the Triad’s most beloved, big, bold, and beautiful bearded drag queen. !

KATIE MURAWSKI is the editor-in-chief of YES! Weekly. Her alter egos include The Grimberlyn Reaper, skater/public relations board chair for Greensboro Roller Derby, and Roy Fahrenheit, drag entertainer and selfproclaimed King of Glamp.

OCTOBER 7-13, 2020

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Surviving war, working for peace: The journey of Noor Ghazi Noor Ghazi, visiting research scholar in the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, is working on a book titled To Bagdad, We Shall Return. Her Ian McDowell actually doing so could be fatal.

Contributor “I was planning on visiting last year with my little daughter, so I could show her the region and its historical legacy, the great civilization of Babylon. But my name appeared on the blacklist, marking me for death if I go back. Here, I and others like me are peace activists, but in the country to which we are trying to bring peace, we are considered terrorists, just because we can speak up.”

Her place on the blacklist came from her work last year when the Iraqi October Revolution erupted in the country of her birth.

“I worked with many peace activists in the U.S. and orchestrated peace protests in 17 different states. It was very successful in supporting Iraqis on the ground. We did what we could from here and cannot return home because we did that. All peace activists are targeted in Iraq. Recently, Dr. Reham Yacoub was murdered in Basra simply because she was a peace activist.”

Ghazi knows all too well that she could be murdered here, too. On Feb. 10, 2015, her friends Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha were shot dead in their apartment near the University of North Carolina by their neighbor Craig Hicks, in what the victims’ families have criticized Chapel Hill police for not designating a hate crime.

“I was pregnant with my daughter when I learned my friends had been murdered. I started wondering, am I safe, will she be safe? I wondered if I dared give birth to Tala here. Why did we come to the U.S. for safety, if we could be killed for our religious beliefs here, too?”

Nor is Iraq the only place where she’s been called a terrorist.

“One day in High Point, I dropped my mom off at Walmart and was sitting in my car waiting for her, wearing my hijab.

This guy pulled up beside me and started recording me on his phone. Then he yelled, ‘are you a terrorist?’”

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OCTOBER 7-13, 2020

Noor Ghazi, visiting research scholar in UNCG’s Department of Peace and Conflict Studies She said she was so shocked she could only stare at the man. “He laughed and said, ‘oops, I’m sorry, do you know how to make a bomb?’”

After the man left, she began to weep, “repeating to myself, no, I’m not a terrorist, I’m not a terrorist, that’s why my family ran away from Iraq to bring us here. I don’t know how to make a bomb.

We came here to get away from bombs.”

And power drills— her father decided to flee Iraq when his cousin was tortured to death with one. When that happened in 2005, her family was well aware of war and death, having survived two U.S. invasions.

“My very first childhood memory was of war. And then growing up, it cast its aspect on every single thing in our life. In

our school, in our house, in our kitchen, in our living room. It was everywhere.

However, we were just living life as normal people, going day-by-day to survive.

The second war came when I was 13, the invasion of 2003. For me, it did not seem much different from the previous war or the economic sanctions. The parents were whispering about this war because we were not allowed to speak up about it.”

Things changed after what she called “the liberation or occupation, take your pick.” For the first time in her life, she heard the words “Shia” and “Sunni.”

“I was in 10th grade when I asked my parents, am I Shia or Sunni, and what do these terms mean? I asked them because I’d just been asked at school which of

these previously unspoken words I was.”

As these new terms were being spoken, new conflict was erupting in the street.

“When I moved here three years later, I learned more about how these two wars had impacted our lives, how the economic sanctions had actually impacted not only us as a family, but other families who lost their kids, whether due to war, cancer, or the lack of medication and education due to those sanctions.”

Her family consisted of two parents and their three children. “That’s a typical size for an Iraqi household.” She went home and asked the question she’d just been asked in school, were they Shia or Sunni?

“My dad said, ‘we shouldn’t be saying that, because we’re all Muslim.’ I said, OK, but I want to understand. And he said ‘I’m Sunni, and your mom is Shia; we never had those differences.’”

“After I had my little girl Tala, I gave her the middle name of Fatima. Fatima, for the Sunni people, they say is a Sunni name, but the Shiite people say it’s Shia.

We just wanted to give her a name that would show we don’t have many differences. “ She explained how Iraqi family names work. “Noor is my first name. My second name is my dad’s, Abdulwahab, and the third name is my grandfather’s, Ghazi.

Traditionally, your last name would be the tribal one. However, when religious conflict erupted in Iraq, you were identified as Shia or Sunni by your last name, and you could be executed based on that.”

Which nearly happened to her family during the first step of their journey to the U.S. “When we were leaving for Syria, we were stopped by men who put guns to our heads. They asked us what may seem like a simple question, ‘what is your last name?’ My dad realized they were actually looking for Shia. My mom has a Shia last name, but she hid her ID. They looked at everybody else’s IDs and let us go. But the next family to come through, a family that had left Iraq with us, carrying kids and women, they were all shot dead in their car.”

Her father had said the family would never leave— until he had to claim his cousin’s body at the hospital after it was found in the street, perforated by power drills. Like her father’s other cousins, he had already fled to Syria, but had returned for some family belongings and was kidnapped in the middle of the night.

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Noor Ghazi posing with children during her visit to Iraq “My dad told my mom to pack and that we were leaving. He said he’d seen how human life no longer had value in Iraq.

His cousin was drilled to death. Another person was repeatedly run over by a car. Another was burned, another was cooked to death. He said, ‘I can’t let that happen to any of you.’ We left the next day.”

Her father told the family they would probably be able to return in a few weeks when the conflict settled down and when people came to their senses, but that never happened.

“Fourteen years later, we’re still here. I lived for years in that hope of returning to Bagdad, but when I visited in 2012, I did not feel at home anymore. I was crying for that feeling that my family would all return together, but that will never happen; we are all married and have families now— we’re not children being taken care of by my parents. This idea of home still exists in my memory and my feelings, but will I ever be able to live it again? I don’t think so.”

She has traveled to Iraq once more since then.

“When I left at 16, the ideal was to return to the flourishing and amazing country we were promised after the WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

invasion or liberation, whatever people choose to call it. I imagined returning to a country with tall buildings and people living lovely lives. I wanted to visit a favorite city of my childhood, Mosul, that was occupied by ISIS from 2014 to 2017.”

She did so in 2018, just months after it was “liberated.”

“Mosul had been beautiful, a historic city with the shrine of the prophet Jonah of the whale, blown up by ISIS in 2014.

Far more destruction was done by U.S. forces trying to drive ISIS out. Everything was rubble and trash. I wondered how we could call this liberation, killing that many innocent people while trying to force killers out. I met with many families and many kids. One invited me to what he called a playground. He said, ‘come, let me show you something, auntie,’ which is the respectful way they address older women.

He showed me a kid’s corpse, and said ‘I don’t know, but we were trying to guess whether this was a boy or a girl.’ I sat in that street and cried.”

“We are killing the childhood of these people. What do we want these children to grow up thinking? How do we want to rebuild? How do we want to stop the conflict in Iraq, the destabilization of the whole Middle East? How do we expect to

Noor Ghazi and her daughter, Tala Fatima, at their home in the United States rebuild peace in those cities, where kids have no school— kids who either studied under ISIS or never studied because their parents were hiding them from ISIS? How do you break this cycle of violence when we have a whole generation that either grew up studying under ISIS or never studied at all?”

This question is why she became a scholar of peace.

“I never imagined it really existed as an academic study until I came to UNCG and saw those words, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies. Then I knew what I wanted to do. I received my Master’s in Peace and Conflict Studies last year and gave the graduation speech. I gave part of it in Arabic to honor my parents and the country that helped me become who I am today. Living through this conflict made me who I am and pushed me toward peace.”

When video went viral in Iraq she was approached by the Iraqi Al-Amal Association. “They asked me to be involved with them in building peace studies in Iraq. I have worked with them on translating Preparing for Peace: Conflict Transformation Across Cultures, by the imminent scholar John Paul Lederach.”

And then there’s the book she’s writ-

ing, with the title that describes something she cannot do.

“I started writing To Bagdad, We Shall Return three years ago. I want my book to speak to any Iraqi who carries it and reads it. I want that reader to say, I’ve been through that, I’ve lived that story. So, it’s not only about what I’ve experienced but about all the Iraqis who’ve died crying for justice. I tell the story of the 1,700 cadets killed in Camp Speicher. I tell the story of Atwar Bahjat, the journalist who was murdered in Samarra. I talk about those little kids who died under the economic sanctions of the ‘90s. I tell the story of my grandmother, who died looking for her brother, forced into the war between Iraq and Iran when he was very young, and her dream of meeting him again and learning what had happened to him. That is the case of millions of women in Iraq.

I write of the feeling of war that hangs over every single person who lived in Iraq.

It’s not about me, but all the Iraqis who have lived in war and conflict, and who are still living that way.” !

IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.

OCTOBER 7-13, 2020

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HEAR IT!

Pigface at Monstercade (and everywhere all at once)

M

onstercade is proud to partner with the industrial supergroup Pigface as a venue presenting the “Stay the F*ck Inside Virtual World Tour,” beginning at 7 p.m.

Katei Cranford on Oct. 10.

Featuring a livestream of the colContributor lective’s 2019 performance at Thalia Hall in Chicago, the screening comes as part of their “Everywhere All at Once” fundraising campaign for independent venues and nonprofits, including BLM, NIVA, Black Kids Swim, and Hope For The Day. The tour is the latest incarnation of the “Stay the F*ck Inside” project from co-founder Martin Atkins (PIL, Ministry, Killing Joke, Nine Inch Nails, and more.)

“With each passing week, the diverse, unique community we created onstage and off seems more and more important,” Atkins said in a press release, “the ability to share this, while helping venues is all the more important.”

And community is the cornerstone for Monstercade, for which owner Carlos Bocanegra considers events and alcohol sales as merely catalysts. “I created Monstercade as a hangout space where everyone would make new connections, find new friends with similar alternative tastes, and get inspired by other people,”

he explained. “Most of all, and maybe selfishly so, I’ve wanted Monstercade to be a place where I could be inspired by all those around me.”

The outlook has helped Monstercade pivot, almost constantly, as the pandemic continues shuttering bars and venues.

From pop-up drive-ins to plant markets, Bocanegra is excited to embark on the pay-per-view nouveau adventure. “It’s a brilliant idea,” he said, “we’re thankful to be joining 65 venues around the world in this event. Best of all, you can stream it from the safety of your living room, and help financially support Monstercade!”

“Venues have yet to receive any bailouts,” Bocanegra said, praising the Ramkat’s ‘Home Sweet Home’ online concert fundraiser series featuring mostly local artists. “But it couldn’t hurt if more national acts, like Pigface, started doing shows in support of smaller venues.”

“Plus, Pigface are legendary,” he noted, listing ties to N.C. through former members Hope Nicholls (Fetchin’ Bones, Sug-

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arSmack, It’s Snakes) and Chad Wilder (Voodou and 30 Year Sick.)“ As for the Thalia Hall star-studded lineup, Atkins was joined by Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe, Mary Byker (PWEI, Gaye Bykers On Acid), Chris Connelly (Revolting Cocks, Ministry), Danny Carey (Tool), Curse Mackey (Evil Mothers), En Esch (KMFDM), Lesley Rankine (Silverfish, Ruby), Charles Levi (My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult), Bobdog Catlin (Evil Mothers), Bradley Bills (Chant), Andrew Weiss (Ween, The Rollins Band), Greta Brinkman (Moby, Druglord), Orville Kline (Porn and Chicken), Gaelynn Lea, Dirk Flanigan (77 Luscious Babes), Leanne Murray (Beer Nuts), Chris Harris (Project 44), Mike Reidy (Worm), Leyla Royale, Andrew Apocalypse, Ali Jafri, Roger Ebner, Bruce Lamont, Jesse Hunt, Dai, C.A.M., J Lamar, Just Chris (courtesy of Add-2) and Rona Rougeheart.

Tickets are $15, with half going directly to the venues. The show itself features the Chicago date from Pigface’s 2019 tour— their first in 14 years. With three bass players, five drummers, and a whole slew from the supergroup’s lineage, Atkins recalls the experience as “a joyful, healing, and hopeful blast.”

As an incentive, Pigface will be hosting a live Zoom chat “pre-show” followed by a live auction, and opening sets from Project 44, Curse Makey, Ruby, Dog Tablet, and Worm. T-shirts are also available.

“You can get a Pigface ‘Stay The F*ck Inside Tour’ T-shirt with Monstercade listed as a venue,” Bocanegra noted, “how sweet is that?!”

Monstercade’s actual capacity as a venue for broadcasting the show will

depend on the weather. Bocanegra hopes to host a “drive-in” for ticket holders, but with rain in the forecast, he isn’t making an official event just yet.

Immediate rainy days aside, Bocanegra sees sunshine and inspiration from those around him. “Monstercade’s best investment will always be the community formed around our existence,” he said, thanking the “artists who’ve graciously donated their talent to be a part of countless unforgettable experiences.”

Continuing with those experiences, Monstercade has returned--weather permitting— to hosting Monday night comedy open-mics, and is the most recent home for “Wu-Wednesdays,” a pop-up eatery from Clyde Singleton paired with kung-fu flicks. ”We’re very fortunate to have him bring his inspired menu and amazing taste,” Bocanegra noted.

“In the end, it’s the community around Monstercade that matters,” he added of his motivation to sustain. “We’ve been busy coming up with creative ideas for outdoor events during the colder months.

If a second shut-down happens, we’ll be ready to roll with it!” !

KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who hosts Katei’s Thursday Triad Report, a radio show highlighting Triad happenings, Thur. 5-7 p.m. on WUAG 103.1 FM

WANNA

go?

In the meantime, Monstercade hopes the Pigface broadcast will bring some bacon to help keep things rolling. The “Everywhere All at Once” tour launches at 7pm on Oct. 10.

Tickets can be found here: https://noonchorus. com/monstercade-presents-pigface/

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last call

[THE ADVICE GODDESS] love • sex • dating • marriage • questions

MEET JOE BACKUP

The guy I’m seeing is super attentive and affectionate when we’re together, but then he always falls off the grid. He’ll wait weeks before texting me to make Amy Alkon plans again, and sometimes I have Advice to initiate. What’s Goddess his deal, and how do I proceed? It’s a new relationship, so I’d feel too needy to tell him I want more attention. —Yearning We have a term for a pleasant, attentive man who drops by from time to time and then isn’t seen for weeks, and no, it is not “boyfriend” but “UPS man.”

Some will say you should just ask for what you want: Hit the guy up for increased attention and presence like you’d hit up the Burgers R Us server for another thingie of mustard. However, we modern humans have an antique psychological operating system: psychology adapted for solving recurring mating problems for ancestral humans. So, responding to behavior without considering the underlying evolved motivation could get you in trouble, maybe even nuking your chances with a guy.

Evolutionary psychologists David Buss and David Schmitt find that humans opt for different “sexual strategies”: “shortterm” (casual) or “long-term” (committed). Which strategy is activated depends

on “context,” including factors like a person’s mate value (relative to their competition) and the stage of life they’re in.

Many men eventually want to settle down with a long-term partner. However, because for men, having sex does not lead to ye olde bun in the oven (and the need for a committed partner to help feed and shelter the child that results), they evolved to prioritize sexual variety and commitment-free sex. (All the better to spread more of their genes into future generations!) So, a “short-term sexual strategy” is generally optimal for men in a way it just isn’t for women.

Women, just like men, engage in casual sex. However, women’s emotions evolved to push them to seek commitment (and freak out and long for it when they perceive it isn’t there — sometimes even when a woman knows she wants nothing more than a one-nighter from a guy). So, a woman might be relieved some himbo she dragged home is sneaking down the tree outside her bedroom window after sex but then wake up in the morning all, “How dare you?!” that he isn’t back under it, holding up a speaker attached to his iPhone, and trying to win her heart Cusack in “Say Anything”-style.

In men, a long-term sexual strategy — being commitment-driven rather than sexual smorgasbord-driven — can be triggered. Recall that sexual strategies are “context-dependent.” Wanting a family is one such context. But men will also commit when that’s what it takes to land a woman with high “mate value,” who can “afford” to hold out: commitment or goodbye.

Your immediate focus, however, should

be on what you potentially have in common with a coke-obsessed lab rat.

Psychologists find that “intermittent reinforcement” — occasional, unpredictable “rewards,” like a guy who pops up unexpectedly from time to time — is the stuff obsessions are made of. (Poor little lab rats that push a bar and only sporadically get a hit of cocaine will often push the thing till they’re lying paws up in the corner of their cage.)

Contrast intermittent reinforcement with “regular reinforcement,” like a guy who’s always there for you. When rewards come reliably and predictably rather than randomly and unpredictably, the suspense is gone. The air goes out of the crazy, and you can relax and maybe even take Mr. Reliable for granted.

Becoming obsessed with a guy — even if you do your best to hide it — tends to send a message, and it isn’t, “I’m seriously high in mate value!” It also shifts your focus from learning who he is and what you might have together to the chase. All that matters is whether he’s called, when he might call, and how you might find a gig-economy sorcerer to cast a spell to make him call.

To avoid taking off on the crazy train, open your life up to other men. This doesn’t have to mean swiping a new guy into your bed every night. You could be exploring your prospects in Zoom conversations, taking advantage of how the pandemic has slowed the pace of dating. Adding men on your end changes your emotional context from needy and desperate to “hope you come around, but if you don’t, plenty more where you came from.”

He may sense he has competition and change his strategy: start calling and coming around on the regular. Of course, maybe with the attention and commitment famine no longer a factor, you’ll end up with another guy — one who makes the relationship you two have feel like a dream as opposed to the last desert mirage you see before you collapse in the sand and are eaten by buzzards. !

GOT A problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or e-mail AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com) © 2020 Amy Alkon Distributed by Creators.Com.

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