" The Dharma Bums" Review!

This is my review of The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac. The Dharma Bums is one of my favorite books of all time, so I hope you enjoy!

Lion Meat Tacos. Expensive For You And Biodiversity.

Boca Tacos y Tequila in Arizona has recently announced that it will start serving African lion meat as a taco option for their "Exotic Taco Wednesdays." Tacos will cost about $8.75 each, as a single pound costs the restaurant $100. Though people have already started paying in advance for the rare meal option.


The restaurant has received many comments in protest even over the internet, many claiming that they will boycott the restaurant. Lions are listed as being a vulnerable species. It is legal to sell although the population has dwindled to less than half of what it was in 1950.

Now, I'm all for trying new things. But I try to be aware of the price of what I eat beyond what I charge to my debit card. It seems to me that if people are introducing a new form of exotic food, I would rather it be something that worked against the problem of food sustainability, rather than against it. More livestock that are already being produced for our consumption will go to waste. Besides this, even the restaurant owner believes that he will lose money on the lions, meaning that he will be unable to sell all of these slaughtered big cats, but is doing it purely for publicity.

Laura Massey is an art major with heterochromia iridum, which is not a disease, with a passion for finding uses for trash, thrift stores and eighties movies. She believes unflinchingly that it's probably fine.

In Prison Are Smuggled Drugs Or Cell Phones Worse?

This past week Colombian police in Bucaramanga made a startling discovery.  A carrier pigeon was found a block away from the city's prison trying to make it over the wall but failing because of a 45g package of marijuana and cocaine paste strapped to its back.  According to the BBC, this is one of the first times that a pigeon has been found carrying drugs.  But what's more important to me is the fact that this wasn't the first time they have been used to smuggle things into prisons throughout the world.  No, the item most commonly smuggled into prisons is a symbol of the modern age: the cellphone. 

Although this may seem harmless at first glance, in reality this should scare the shit out of you. Through the use of cell phones gang leaders who have been caught are able to continue to run their gangs with almost the same amount of ease that they had on the outside.  Stories of prisoners ordering hits, intimidation's, kidnappings, and even bank robberies are rampant.  What's more, as cell phones become increasingly advanced and we become more and more connected online, it becomes even easier for prisoners to find you as one death row inmate was able to find personal details about Senator John Whitmire.  What this means is that prison (which was already an ineffective system) has become almost meaningless.  As long as cell phones are easily found inside their walls, what really separates a free or imprisoned gang leader beyond a jumpsuit?  

Ban K2 Now

Sherman city council is considering banning K2, a legal substitute for cannabis that mimics the high effect of marijuana. Discussion of the substance reached a national level last year when "David Rozga, an 18-year old Iowa teen who was smoking with friends, told them he was 'in Hell', walked home and committed suicide."

The reason it has become so popular is that cannabis is illegal, and K2 has similar effects to smoking marijuana - it is also cheaper. However, the side effects of smoking K2 are shocking. Some side effects include: "hallucinations, vomiting, agitation, panic attacks, tachycardia, elevated blood pressure, pallor, numbness and tingling, disorientation, loss of time awareness and, in some cases, tremors and seizures." Scientists also don't know whether some of these effects are long-term. 

I have witnessed friends exhibit some of these side effects after smoking K2, and it was an incredibly scary experience for me to see such reactions, such as friends freaking out over strong hallucinations. This begs the question, why is something legal, that has worse effects on kids than giving them a hit of acid? It should have been banned in Texas a long time ago. 

This information should matter to parents because it’s their kids who are smoking these chemicals that are synonymous with the kind of compounds you’d find in an air freshener or a chemical warfare factory. The government should also care because there’s a substance out there which mimics the effects of marijuana, is not detectable via drug test, and if it’s causing kids to kill themselves, they should be as harsh on it as they are on other drugs.  

This all brings to the forefront the question of whether to legalize cannabis. If legal substitutes like K2 continue to be made made, which have worse effects than cannabis, then the laws pertaining to cannabis should be reconsidered. I am neither for or against marijuana legalization, however, in light of K2, I would take a serious look at my thoughts on cannabis, and possibly see it as a lesser of two evils. 

Film Noir Tonight!

Do you like Noir films? Do you have anything to do tonight between 8PM and 10PM? If not, come to WCC 231! Mungo Estate will be showing Sin City, a fantastic modern Noir movie.

See ya'll there!

Caity Kennedy Of Meow Wolf Productions

http://www.flickr.com/photos/meowwolf

Following up from my introduction the other day, this is my interview with Caity Kennedy of Meow Wolf.

How did you first hear about and become involved with Meow Wolf?

I'd heard of Meow Wolf through show flyers but was too shy to go.  Then I ran into a friend from high school (from another state, it was a real movie moment) who had been involved since the beginning.  He invited me to work with them on the installation "Horror", a haunted house style show that opened on Halloween in 2008. I was amazed by the ambition, creativity, flexibility, and the general capability of everyone at the first meeting I attended.  I dove right in and never left!

How much time do you personally invest in each of the installations?

I think I can speak for the majority of us here; by the end of an installation we are all usually poor and exhausted!  In the month or three before an opening (depending on the size of the project) I invest most of my time in our installations.  So much that when we aren't working on one, I'm sometimes not sure what to do with myself!  Its really a full time job when we're in full swing.

I've seen and read that most materials used in Meow Wolf works are repurposed. Is this mainly for budgetary reasons or is there a greater philosophy behind it?

For the most part we re-use materials for budgetary reasons, yes, but that is both because we have to AND because we want to.  If it can be found or donated, reused repeatedly till used up, there's no real reason to buy it new.  If we can re-use someone else's stuff, we can use our money for other things (something cool like a PA system or, you know, food) AND reduce waste in the community.  Also, sometimes there is just no competition, aesthetically, between new and used objects.  The layers of history on a reused object can be an abstractly beautiful thing.

Are the installations that you've completed planned out well in advance, or inspired by materials as you find them?

That depends on the installation.  We have definitely done a couple installations with zero planning.  But right now we are in our sixth(?) month of planning for a massive project we will be opening in May 2011.  We are just beginning fabrication now and most things are blue-printed and concept-drawn already.  This time we have elected a hierarchy of directors and project leaders (though some of those elections were "who wants to do this" "me" "good").  Its very unusual for us and its been a challenge, but this project is too big to do any other way.  Conversely, previous projects have been too small or organic for this kind of structure to work, so this has happened very naturally with little or no messy politics.

What is the dynamic of completing installations with others like without having someone in an official leadership position to monitor how work is being done?

When the common goal is clear enough, and the process doesn't involve too much engineered construction, its really just getting together with your friends all day every day and working.  Any visual or conceptual cohesion we've stumbled upon in our more unplanned installations has come from just working near each-other and constantly bouncing ideas around.  The vital thing is the excitement, the commitment, and the we-can-do-anything attitude of the whole group.  Also, though, we do very little editing.  If someone wants to do something, usually the answer is "go for it" or "ok, how".  This artistic acceptance makes for fewer hurt feelings and a lot more individual confidence.  It also means that our combined aesthetic is usually over the top to say the least, but we like it that way.

What are upcoming projects that fans of Meow Wolf should anticipate?

"The Due Return"
We are building a 75x25x15 foot boat in CCA's 6000 square foot Munoz-Waxman gallery.  The boat will be fully interactive with a bridge full of buttons, a laboratory full of mysteries, a lounge on the deck, a massive search-able archive, an indoor garden, engine rooms, bunks, and captain's quarters.  The boat will be sitting in a glowing forest of alien trees, amid cliffs and caves, with odd creatures everywhere.
The planning stages alone have involved 35-40 dedicated artists, both veterans of Meow Wolf and brand new people.  We expect that number to jump dramatically once we start construction.  Anyone who wants to help is encouraged to start by coming to a meeting; Thursdays at 9pm, currently at 3134 Rufina, or email for more information.
This being our biggest project ever, it also needs the biggest fundraising.  Anyone can donate online by visiting www.meowwolf.com/kickstart - any amount makes a big difference!

Check out Caity and the rest of Meow Wolf's artwork here. It's absolutely great.

Time With James And Taylor