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"Celebrate Pride" On Facebook: Social Media Always Needs More Rainbows Because #LoveIsLove!6/29/2015
Rainbows, Pride, & Our True Colors
American #MarriageEquality just took a huge step forward! #LoveWon by 5-4 when the United States Supreme Court ruled that states could no longer ban same-sex marriage or refuse marriage rights to same-sex unions. As far as #MarriageEquality is concerned, state governments can no longer deny same-sex couples the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the realm of relationships.
Since then, Facebook has released the “Celebrate Pride” app, a tool that imposes a rainbow filter onto your profile picture, and transformed social media into a digital Pride extravaganza. My entire feed is drenched in rainbows and I would never have it any other way. A lot of these rainbow-faces belong to people who identify as heterosexual, cisgendered, and/or not queer. Keep those colors flying, people! The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Mr. Robot: "Fuck Society"
By Deborah Johnstone
QuailBellMagazine.com “Fuck society” may well become the mantra of the decade – that is, if Mr. Robot continues its heady slash and burn assault. If you think a television series can’t be successful when the premise is based on hatred of corporate greed and the fact that technology both infringes on and controls our lives, think again. Mr. Robot has adroitly tapped into the encroaching zeitgeist of discontent and revolt. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Unconscious Bias in The Secret Life of Bees
The Secret Life of Bees is a favorite among book clubs and English classes for its themes of motherhood, spirituality, and racial tension during the Civil Rights Era. But the book also addresses problems we still see today: hidden biases.
Though Lily, the fourteen year-old white protagonist, has grown up with her black mother-figure Rosaleen and is considerably kinder to her than her father T. Ray, she still falls victim to the thinking of her time. When she meets August, one of the three beekeeper sisters that Lily and Rosaleen find in Tiburon, SC, she is shocked to discover that August is in fact, very intelligent and well-read. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
UO's Anti-Semitism And General AwfulnessAt this point, the name "Urban Outfitters" is nearly synonymous with "controversy." The "hip" retailer's racist "Ghettopology" made headlines over a decade ago . . . and since then, it hasn't seemed to make any real effort to clean up its image. Between the bloody-printed Kent State top, offensive "Navajo Hipster Panty," and—like you could forget—the "Eat Less" top, it would take wild naivete to believe Urban Outfitters' apologies anymore. Mocking innocent deaths? Trivializing cultural heritage? Triggering the deadliest psychiatric illness? Mere child's play compared to Urban Outfitters' true target: the Jewish community. In the wake of yet another offensive product, we have to wonder if the powers that be at Urban Outfitters are just straight-up, unabashedly anti-Semitic. Time and time again, the design team has made "artistic" nods to the Holocaust while trafficking in offensive Jewish stereotypes. It's not enough for us to shrug it off and say, "Well, that's just Urban Outfitters!" Given the company's accumulation of "mistakes," it's time for consumers to stop buying into their weak apologies . . . and stop buying their products, period. Let's explore the company's anti-Semitic products. Because indeed, there are enough for an entire list. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
A New Yorker State of Mind
By Jody Rathgeb
QuailBellMagazine.com
I am a long-time subscriber to The New Yorker. Looong-time. In its pages I read Annie Proulx’s “Brokeback Mountain” long before it became a film; Woody Allen’s “The Kugelmass Episode,” a hilarious take on Madame Bovary; John McPhee’s articles on Man vs. Geology; Calvin Trillin’s explorations into small towns and big food. Each issue seemed to contain bits of greatness from great writers. John Updike! Roger Angell! Pauline Kael! Although, I was not yet a subscriber for John Hersey’s “Hiroshima” or Rachel Carson’s serialization of Silent Spring (I’m just old, not ancient).
The New Yorker and I have been through several address changes, a name change (mine), the awkward Tina Brown years, and the difficulties of a long-distance relationship, when I would have to wait a month or more for each issue to arrive on North Caicos Island. I remember certain cartoons and covers the way most people attach memories to movies and pop songs. I am loyal, and I know I’m not alone. Not only is it more than just another magazine, The New Yorker also sits apart from all the other special media that tend to capture loyal audiences today. It’s an experience more private than an “it” TV show like “Breaking Bad” or “House of Cards”; more current events-based than any popular series of novels; more considered than tweets, memes and listicles; more accessible than fine art or literary journals. The New Yorker isn’t beyond criticism and jokes, and it’s always a good target for some inscrutable cartoons, unstructured fiction, political boldness and provincialism. Cover art alone could form someone’s graduate thesis. Was Barry Blitt’s “fist bump” cover (Titled “The Politics of Fear”) satire or racist? Is Saul Steinberg’s “View of the World from 9th Avenue” self-irony or a New Yorker statement? Could the black-on-black post-911 cover by Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly have been more perfect? Within its pages I always find something compelling in my New Yorker, whether it’s a non-fiction piece that sparks my interest in an unlikely subject, a short story that haunts, or a “casual” that I wish I’d written. The essence, for me, is that The New Yorker always tells a good story. Harold Ross didn’t start The New Yorker in 1925 to be the significant cultural commentary that it has become. He just wanted to make some money with a light magazine that caught the tenor of the times. But he and those who followed him (except maybe Tina) were sticklers for language, facts and storytelling. The rest is the magazine’s history. Thus it offers a lesson both for writers and for anyone trying to live a creative life: Don’t try to be significant. Try to be true, to be entertaining, and to tell a story. The significance will happen.
#Real #TheNewYorker #LiteraryMagazines #Culture #BeTrueBeYou #Significance
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One Path Forward
By Kieran Rundle
QuailBellMagazine.com
Everyone told us to stick in large groups, don’t talk to strangers, and avoid sketchy places.
It was the first time they I traveling without my parents, and excitement bubbled over the top as I boarded the plane to Europe with my classmates and teachers. My new black suitcase dragged along nicely behind me. The trip would take us all across northern Italy and France, and my excitement was hardly containable. Italy was gorgeous, completely perfect in every way. The grass seemed greener, the flowers brighter, the air sweeter. Our introduction to France was just as glorious. Late nights with my friends out on the streets of foreign countries were amazing. We took so many selfies and silly tourist pictures. I had imagined Nice would be the same, and well, nice. It was. The city was gorgeous as we drove down a mountain from Monaco and on streets along the sapphire ocean. There is a main road through Nice, an above ground trolley lane for riding across the city. It ended at this huge open courtyard with tall pillars to the clouds with winged people perched upon them. If you kept walking past the courtyard there was a grassy area that sloped onto the beach. In this stretch of grass, though, was a double decker carousel. My good friend Lisi and I peered out the big charter bus windows and the kids “oohed” as we passed by. “We’re going there later.” Lisi commented, her eyes brimming with excitement. “Definitely.” I agreed. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
No, You're Not HelpingWhen Kontra first wrote this brilliant op-ed, “A Modern War on Ancestral Symbols,” for Quail Bell in October of 2013, I was in my senior year of high school. More specifically, I was in my senior year of attending a highly controversial school in central Virginia: Lee-Davis High School, home of the Confederates. So naturally, controversy involving the rebel flag and anything to do with Confederate culture always keeps my attention. What I have witnessed on social media illustrates we are still very much divided. To a portion of America, the answer is obvious: the flag should be removed because of its painful past. To the other, the answer is obvious: its heritage, not hate. In both answers we find truth: The Civil War has not ended. It still continues in debates and hateful language against Americans of every region. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Artist Shannon Chrisman of Aywen Creations SpeaksIf you were to sit down in Shannon Chrisman’s work-space, you’d find the table covered with amethysts, garnets, labradorite, cat’s eye beads (maybe an actual cat as well), and other precious gemstones. They’re all anxiously awaiting to become anything from earrings to a true statement necklace (come on, what’s a bigger statement than a copper lion with champagne cubic zirconia eyes?). Previously known as Crayons to Canvas, Aywen Creations officially opened in 2014 after Chrisman decided to move from her melted crayon art to professional jewelry. Drawn from fantasy and mythology, Aywen Creations’ Etsy page offers everything from everyday wear to custom engagement and wedding bands. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Commentary On The "Edgy Bisexual"
By Maggie Park
QuailBellMagazine.com Let’s get one thing straight: I’m the worst kind of bisexual. I’ve had long-term, serious relationships with men, and yet I still claim the sacred space of LGBTQ. I’m not out to my parents because it’s easier to pass. My sexuality is, moreover, hella confusing. Some months I’m into boys. Other months I’m into girls. I once planned a boy-girl-girl threesome with a male friend, and thereby rose through the ranks of mere mortals into the upper echelons of cool girl status. Another time, I broke up with a woman because I found greater chemistry with our mutual male friend. I’m not attracted to every pair of breasts, and I’ve met vaginas that I didn’t like. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
A Shell of the Man that I Used to Be
He began to cry. I had seen him cry several times, but this cry was transported from an alternate dimension, I was sure of it. I asked him why he was crying, and he didn't hold back: "Because I'm dying." It didn't seem like an answer that a father would give. It didn't seem like an answer a man his age would give. It seemed like a child's answer: confused, timid, uncertain, and most of all, it was a conviction that lacked any conscience. Could this be a rehearsal for another movie? I just didn't want to believe it was real.
It's easy to be cynical about a holiday like Father's Day, amid all the corporate merchandising and the outrageously prolific power tool sales. And do all fathers deserve a brand new tie? It's no secret that some men don't deserve to be called a father. I have learned over the years that my perceptions of the people in my life are ever-changing, and that most friendships are covered in a thin veil of superficiality. At the drop of a hat, a friend can become so unfriendly. Man, sorta makes me wonder what the point is. The phrase "with friends like these" has become so poignant. For years I stepped away from my father. I didn't appreciate the time we had together. I thought he was a boring man with a boring life. Sometimes I took my own self-loathing out on him. Sometimes I thought he was a bully. I didn't realize that I had been brainwashed. I had been brainwashed by media, culture, and my own emotional maturity as a teenager to think that I needed anything more than the father I had. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Ignorance in the Name of Nationalism
By Cheyenne Glenn
QuailBellMagazine.com
They say that history is written by the victors. As far as I can tell, that is definitely a true statement. Despite concrete facts and actions, many schools teach things incredibly different. Take World War II for example, in any American history class, they would tell you that the ultimate turning point in the victory of that war came after the bombing of Pearl Harbor when the United States became an active ally. If you asked my former co-worker Cydney, an American girl with a British born mother, she would argue you into the ground that it was the British who won the war against the Germans.
According to Doranna Tindle, the principal of Friendship Tech Academy in Washington DC, “It isn't always as black and white as lies versus truth. History is told from a perspective. American History--British history-- is told from a narrative perspective that omits, justifies, or interprets American actions as protective of democracy, freedom, and the merit of the individual.” It would appear that there are multiple sides of the story; his, hers, the truth, and what’s taught in the average American textbook. This isn’t a new phenomenon; in fact, people have been doctoring, censoring, and just outright lying about the past since almost the beginning of time. It’s where our ancient myths and fables come from and sometimes these stories can benefit us by teaching us valuable lessons. The question becomes, who gets to determine what is acceptable to change and why? Should they be able to pass lies off as the truth or just as cautionary tales? “[It is] absolutely unnecessary to lie. In the end it sets students up to be further behind the worldwide curve that we are already lagging behind,” says Seana McDuffie, a film student in Oceanside, California. Cap Hill, a rapper stationed out of Washington DC, echoed her sentiment, stating, “If patriotism can only be crafted with lies, is it even worth having? Is it even real or just brainwash[ing]? It's like we decide that something is wrong as a whole, [and] then our governing bodies search for loopholes and wiggle room that allow us to bend the rules when it's convenient.” The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
The Difference Between Niceness and Street Harassment
Y’know when you’re walking down the street and some stranger takes it upon themselves to tell/yell at you about how attractive you and at least one of your body parts are? Here we are, perfect strangers, and since I don’t know that person’s name or address, it somehow grants them the license to comment on my appearance. If I’m lucky, then they won’t figure out my name or address, especially by following me there.
(By the way, I almost forgot that I had a big ass. Thanks for reminding me, random stranger in a car.) The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Becoming Little Bee
By Rachel Wilson
QuailBellMagazine.com It all started in 2008, at the age of eleven, with a glass bead and a bit of curiosity. I’d always been a creative child; I greatly enjoyed the art class at my grade school, and constantly fueled my imagination with adventure books. A tray of blown glass beads was given to me as a gift to supply my friendship bracelet habit, but I happened upon a captivating bead that was too big for my planned project. I remember carrying it around in my pocket, waiting for an idea. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Toy Industry, Are You Listening?
Move over, Barbie: A new face has entered the fashion doll market overseas. And its putting the perky, proportionally impossible blonde doll to shame.
In fact, Nigeria's Queens of Africa line recently overtook Barbie, the Queen Mum of girl-targeted toys, in the country's sales numbers. While Barbie’s numbers have been dropping consistently worldwide for the last few quarters, Queens of Africa took off, now accounting for about 10-15% of sales in Nigeria’s toy market. The creator, Taofick Okoya, says he was inspired to start the company after he tried shopping for his young niece’s birthday and turned up zero dolls that looked like her, and after hearing a heartbreaking comment from his daughter about her skin color. Intended to give girls of color confidence, the dolls are stately and statuesque, dressed in colorful, printed patterns reminiscent of styles seen in Africa. Some have their hair in braids, some wear head wraps, and all represent one of the three most prominent African groups in Nigeria: Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Flight of the Griffon
By Gretchen Gales
QuailBellMagazine.com *Editor's Note: First published on Life In 10 Minutes on February 15th, 2015 and in the March issue of Pencil Marks.
It was spring of 2007. My friend Sarah and I were in the same group for a trip to Busch Gardens. Every year, the music department at the middle and high school would send us to the festival to compete. At the time, the roller coaster “Griffon” had just opened. The allure of its blue pastel paint and 90-degree angle drop made ride warriors crave the ooze of adrenaline. Being fearful of roller coasters, Sarah and I vowed to stay close to the sweet, candy wrapper and churro-dust covered ground. This did not make our chaperone, a roller coaster addict, very happy. It was revealed that she had gone on the trip specifically to ride “Griffon”.
Making it clear that whatever it took, she would stand in that two and a half hour line with or without us, we were ordered to stay at the entrance and told not to go anywhere. Sarah and I watched as she and her kid went to go stand in line. So there we were, a freckle-coated redhead and a goofy looking brunette with an overbite, huddled beside the gift shop, making sure not to be seen by the other groups. We wandered around the gift shop and watched the coaster we couldn't brave drop over and over again. As a watched, I felt my stomach back flip when I heard the click of the tracks drop the magnificent steel creature, and felt a gust of wind as it flew past us, beneath the bridge, and executed a flawless corkscrew turn. After a while it made us dizzy, so we retreated back into the gift shop where our boredom resulted in a few ($20) compulsive purchases. As the brilliant eleven-year-olds we were, thought calling my grandmother was something cool for us to do. She was, as you could imagine, not that pleased that the chaperone did not keep an eye on us. I think one of us might have let it slip to a “higher up”, because I didn't see her chaperone anyone again, at least not us.
#Real #FieldTrips #BuschGardens #RollerCoasters #MiddleSchool #RidePhobia
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A Slice of My Life: Synesthesia and Pizza-Flavored Words
Synesthesia is a super power that makes 2 or more of your senses intermingle. As such, stimulation of just 1 of the individual sense triggers another, synthesizing each individual sensation into one.. It’s an “all for one and one for all” situation that works out quite nicely once you learn how to work it just right. That is how I taught myself how to speak pizza somewhat fluently although, admittedly, that fluency wasn’t intentional. It just happened.
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Relativity In Music
By Steven Joseph McCrystal
QuailBellMagazine.com
There’s something to be said about good old-fashioned music. Its intoxicating rhythms must have been moving humanity for millennia. We can only imagine the primal sound created early man, and women of course - from the first animalistic drum beats, to the more modern electronic blips, beeps and booms, music has travelled through time with humanity, and it has evolved in the process (except for Oasis). I can almost imagine a prehistoric top twenty, echoing through the ages: one that had our ancestors dancing wildly around the newly discovered element called fire. I ask you to imagine the sights - and the sounds - as we wander back through history to when the first musical instrument was played.
What type of music would we find at this point in history? The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Just The Beginning
By Deborah Johnstone
QuailBellMagazine.com
The history of Black America is too complex to be neatly ordered into digestible sound bites, although the media would have you think that's possible. To sum up how we arrived at this point cannot be done in 140 characters.
As a result, news gatherers seize upon the most sensational images and analysis: a mother beating her son to prevent him from joining a riot, buildings and cars burning, entire communities enraged and defying police. As spectators, it’s easy to identify the police and black communities as antagonists – enemies in a constant battle that has no resolution. These images provide a simplistic framework that works to dilute the complexity of the situation. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
An Interview With Iron-Gibbet StudiosWhen Iron-Gibbet Studios officially opened in 2007, no one imagined that it would grow to be where it is now. Chelsey Rockwell-Román and Alex Román met online in 1997 and have collaborated on projects and are now married. Chelsey took the role as artistic director, head writer, and illustrator. Alex is a panelist, writer, and illustrator. Kristin Fisher joined the team later on and currently serves as a writer, editor, and community manager. Eight years in operation, Iron-Gibbet has generously given access to their comics and other work as a gift to the community.
What started as an obsession with The Phantom of the Opera gave the studio its name, referring to the torture device used in the Phantom’s torture chamber. It also led to the birth of Requiem Mask. The comic is an extension of the original novel (not Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway production) in the modern age. Erik (the name of the phantom not included in the play), the opera ghost, along with the other original characters appear in the comic. This includes the Daroga, the Persian advisor to Erik that does not appear in Webber’s version. It is a vivacious, vividly colorful comic filled with comedy, drama, and suspense over an obsession that may never die. In 2013, Chelsey published a prequel novel to Requiem Mask called Dies Irae that takes place the same time as Leroux’s novel. It provides exclusive information to the plot not included in the online comic. Though Requiem Mask is wrapping up soon, there are many more projects lined up for long-time and new fans to enjoy.
Their most recent comic is The Refuge, an action comic with mystery and uncertainty right from the beginning. The main character “Alex” awakens on a beach with no recollection of who she is and is swiftly enlisted into a militia. The comic keeps readers guessing as Alex attempts to make sense of her situation and piece together her own memories. Recently, the studio has set up a Patreon to support the comics. Each subscriber receives benefits such as early access to new comic pages when they’re completed, exclusive desktop wallpapers, and art prints. As well as collecting sufficient funds to continue providing free, quality comics, it is a thank you gift to loyal fans. I was given the privilege to interview the studio, located in Edmonton, Canada, on their work process, inspiration, and future plans for the studio. Their responses are heartfelt and humble: Back in 2007 when Iron-Gibbet was officially formed, what were the expectations of the outcome of the projects? I don’t think any of us planned on making Iron-Gibbet our number one career goal, actually. We have such high expectations for it now, and will work ourselves ragged to accomplish our dreams for the studio, but back then… I think we were just trying on a name for our collaboration, and when we realized it was working and gaining attention we ended up assuming the identity entirely. In regards to Requiem Mask, we definitely didn’t have plans for it to go on as long as it has, but when you imagine a story and write a script – and then release it on a weekly basis – you sort of underestimate just how long it takes to tell a short story. Are there any plans for a hardcopy of any of your comics? Of course! It was always the plan to get hardcopy versions of all of our comics, but it hasn’t worked out so far because printing costs would have had to come from our own pockets. For a short while, Chelsey worked at a printing and publishing firm, and even with an employee discount, the cost was too great for us to even fathom a free comic. We considered doing them on a print-to-order basis, but we couldn’t seem to find an appropriate 3rd party printer to supply us with the quality we wanted. Now with the help of our Patreon subscribers, we have some more room to really invest in a good printing establishment. Requiem Mask was obviously inspired by Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera. What works, if any, inspired The Refuge and upcoming projects? While I can’t say anything for our upcoming projects, The Refuge, believe it or not, was inspired by Pokémon. It’s rather groan-worthy, but we can’t deny it because we wouldn’t have been where we are now without it. Alex was actually a fan of Chelsey’s Team Rocket fan artwork, and that’s how they met, fell in love and started collaborating. It’s kind of embarrassing after all these years to say that [Chelsey and Alex] are now happily married because of Pokémon. But at the same time, it’s sort of awesome. We’ve been incorporating little homages in-comic to honor that fact, and it’s sort of fun to think back on. I mean, Ash Ketchum is supposed to be only 3 years younger than us… We got older, he hasn’t aged a day. How unfair is that? That’s also the plus side to writing fan fiction… you never know the potential a story has to turn into its own original creation. So if we have any advice for the prospective comic artists out there, it’s to just go with it! Write whatever it is that has inspired you. You’ll never know what can become of it if you don’t do it! Besides time constraints, what other challenges do you face regarding your creative work? All the same sort of problems that I assume all artists face with their work: perfectionism, stagnation, criticism, and exhaustion. Despite what many people think, there are currently only three of us doing the work. From web-design and maintenance right down to community interaction, we try to keep the face of a big production company, which needless to say can be overwhelming. We know there are lots of other comics out there run by fewer people, but since the very beginning, we’ve kind of been flying by the seat of our pants! What keeps you motivated to keep updating the comics and creating new work even with the various barriers? Every few weeks or so, we have to have a sit down chat and remind ourselves that we are doing it for ourselves, not for anyone else. It sounds selfish, but the more demand that’s put on us by our fans, the more it feels like a job that we weren’t being paid to do. Not that we don’t appreciate the love from our fans, but up until recently we were doing everything for free in our spare time. So after a while it started to weigh down on us. It is a labor of love. We’re doing it for ourselves. We can’t forget that, otherwise we fall out of love with our own stories and the drive disappears. We’re story tellers first, and it’s the thrill of telling our stories that keeps us going. Who has had the biggest influence on your comic career, and how has that person changed your work? Both of our illustrators studied animation in college, so many of our influences are based on cartoons and animated movies such as Disney and Dreamworks animation. You can kind of see that in our style. It’s coincidental that we ended up having a similar style of illustration to The Road to El Dorado for example. But we’ve adopted little pieces here and there that we think add to each comic separately. Squared fingers in Requiem Mask actually come from Mike Mignola’s style in Hellboy. Favorite comics, shows, and books growing up? Chelsey: I lived on cartoons and comics. I collected Spider-Man, Archie comics, and later mangas such as Mermaid’s Forest and Ghostsweeper Mikami. But I mostly grew up on TV cartoons such as The Flintstones, The Jetsons, The Mighty Hercules and Inspector Gadget. I read all the time, but it got to the point where I had read so much that most of the stories blended together. *Chuckles* My favorite book was about some house pets, and in particular, a cat that thought his name was Mucus. I’m still trying to find it again. Alex: I didn’t really have any favorite comics – wasn’t big on comics, actually. I did read the Disney Adventures ones, because all my favorite shows were in the Disney lineups. Such as Gargoyles and Darkwing Duck. I wasn’t much of a reader growing up, either. I’m more in to reading now than I was as a kid. Kristin: I was never really a comic person growing up, but now I like to read some of DC’s Batman series, especially ones with the Joker. I grew up watching shows like Hey Arnold, Rocko’s Modern Life, Angry Beavers, etc. – basically whatever was popular in the ‘90s and early 2000s. I was a big reader though, and still am. When I was younger, I would have said my favorite books series was Harry Potter, but now it’s the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. Good stuff. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Advertisements For Me, You, and Everyone We Know (To Say Nothing of the Dog Videos)
By Christopher Sloce
QuailBellMagazine.com *Editor's Note: First published on On The Grid Zine April 30th, 2015
Welcome to the Internet. Both a savior and Satan, Goofus and Gallant. A screaming, sprawling city. The marketplace sells spermicide next to Marcus Aurelius. Like a boomtown, it once existed for a singular purpose and then life swallowed it. It’s Deadwood, but with opinions articulated through someone else’s opinion instead of knives, like fading someone with your cousin’s arm.
Buses pass by covered two feet thick in advertisements. McDonalds, Ragu, Brooks Brothers, baby food, liquor, all lingering together, all depending on what you like. The oddest advertisements are pictures of people: usually with someone wearing sunglasses and looking just off the camera or holding a cat, then a banner that’s usually mountains. It’s all advertising. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Less Talking, More Walking: What The Controversial Movie Has To Say About The Iraq War And What It Leaves Out
By John Cappello
QuailBellMagazine.com
The tragedy of "American Sniper" isn't that it is American propaganda, or that it depicts the Iraq War in only a singular opinion. The real tragedy is that so many Americans are complicit with the existence of such a film, and are quick to dismiss its detractors as people getting all-upset over "just a movie."
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Pensive Puns and Pop Culture: Nardo Lilly's Unique Musical Voice
By Colleen Foster
QuailBellMagazine.com
It comes with the strummed territory: most female singer/songwriters relish the doling out of a good dose of irony in one form or another. Some even make a doubly Grammy-nominated song out of it. (Whether or not Alanis Morissette’s 1996 song actually illustrates said literary device is a debate for another time, or another angsty middle school English class.)
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