Lesley Kartali

Parachuting

mandy — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Those who are avid readers often fondly remember the books that seemed to have changed our lives. Many of the books that have stuck with me, I read during my teenage years. Adolescence is a time in life when people struggle with identity and seek to be understood. The books we connect with at this time can be an extremely powerful influence—sometimes as powerful as a friend, a counselor, or a family member.

Not much time has passed since I was a teen, but young adult books seem a lot different to me now. More appear open and honest about the struggles actual kids go through, and Parachuting by Leora Freedman is this kind of book. It doesn't shy away from delving into the realistic challenges of the main character, sixteen-year-old Zoe Diamond. There is no sugarcoating in this book, thankfully!

Parachuting is Freedman's second novel, a follow up to Ivory Pomegranate, which won several awards in Israel. This book is a coming of age novel in which Zoe struggles with a suicidal best friend, a confusing crush on her Hebrew School teacher, and asking big questions about life and identity. She has sex, cuts class, and smokes pot—all things I imagine would make her more relatable to teenage readers.

Freedman is spot-on in writing a believably self-absorbed teenager. So, given that I was reading Parachuting as an adult, it was sometimes annoying to be immersed back in that phase of life. But the feelings explored throughout the book—confusion, anger, depression—are ones we can all understand.

It would have been interesting to delve deeper into some of the issues touched only on the surface in the book, like the state of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 1973 or the race relations at Zoe's school. Hannah Senesh, the real-life Israeli parachuter whom Zoe admires, has a very fascinating biography, and it would have been neat to hear more about her in the story. A strong female role model in a YA book is always a good thing!

It was refreshing to read a young adult novel that deals with the important themes of queerness and trauma. Freedman treats her readers with respect, wrestling with the true challenges of being a teenager rather then pretending high school is the best time of our lives.

Written by: Lesley Kartali, April 2nd 2011

Ecosystem Advisor

gwen — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 12:00:00 +0000

By Ecosystem

I have been through many a planner in my life, from the small plastic-covered one with creepy kitten pictures, to one made of fake leather with a magnetic clasp. I prefer to keep it pretty simple when it comes to planners. But I’m also very picky about the amount of space I need to write down notes, not to mention the question of having a daily, weekly, or monthly view. Plus, it needs to be relatively light and easy to carry with me.

The sweet thing about Ecosystem books is that you can customize your purchase. There are four kinds of notebooks available: the Author (ruled journal), Architect (grid journal), Advisor (the planner), and Artist (blank journal). You also get to choose the cover (hard or flexible), the size, and even the color (with sassy names like lagoon and kiwi), since as the website says, "one color does not fit all." I have the onyx-colored Advisor, which has monthly and two weekly view options.

The price range is from $9.95 to $18.95, which is on par with Moleskin, the other company a lot of people go to when trying to find a quality notebook. However, the key difference and the reason you should consider going the Ecosystem route is that you are doing a great service to the environment. The Ecosystem books are 100% post-consumer recycled paper. If you go to the website, you can enter in a specialized pin code on the back page of your book and it will tell you exactly when it was made and where each part of the planner, from binding to the elastic band was assembled, the ecosystem attribute of each place, and even how many people are employed there!

Last year Ecosystem’s style of production saved 3,046 full-grown trees and over a million gallons of water. Furthermore, they are made in the United States, which helps the economy and saves on the energy it would take to transport them farther.

You can also check on their website to see how and where you can recycle your book when you are finished with it. There is also a lost and found, in case you misplace your Ecosystem book and want to see if anyone found it (and had the presence of mind to go on the website). Probably unlikely, but a cute idea!

As an avid writer of to-do lists and random bits of information that I must either jot down or forget, I like a good amount of space available for notes. On the left side of my Advisor pages was the week, with space for notes each day. On the right side was just a ruled page for notes. I really dug this set-up. It didn't make me feel overwhelmed like the monthly view does and I found it really helpful to still have a lot of space to write all the things I needed to get done. Other then that, the Advisor is pretty no-frills. But just knowing I was using something that was a benefit to the environment made me feel happy in the heart.

The only other bonuses are a small paper pocket in the back to keep perhaps coupons or receipts in. Plus of course, the random information always included in planners, the time zones, measurement conversions, international dialing codes. I am still convinced one day I will actually utilize these. Until then, at least I know I am not hurting the environment by having these extra pages!

Written by: Lesley Kartali, December 20th 2010

Crow Mercies

caitlin — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

By Penelope Scambly Schott

Calyx Books

When picking up a new poetry collection, I give it an initial read and then sit with it a while, thinking about whether any particular poems or lines stuck in my mind, or whether I had any specific feelings while reading. Sometimes I draw a big blank, which usually means that particular collection doesn't merit another read. Collections like Crow Mercies are different. Even during my first reading of this collection, I found myself stopping to reread poems again out of excitement. This is certainly the kind of book that ends up a permanent fixture on my bookshelf that I come back to again and again.

Penelope Scambly Schott is a former English literature professor living in Portland, Oregon, and Crow Mercies, her fifth poetry collection, won the Sarah Lantz Memorial Poetry Book Prize. Schott has also published three poetry narratives and five chapbooks. She identifies as a feminist poet, and this collection aims to create a forum for women writers who might not otherwise be heard.

Schott's poems seem to inhabit the realms of female roles and experiences: wife, mother, daughter. In my favorite poem in this collection, "The US Air Force Admits it May Have Bombed Civilians in Afghanistan," Schott uses the connection between mothers and their children to explore the contrast between people living in daily fear of being killed in Afghanistan and those in the United States who are relatively safe and secure. Never hitting you over the head with the points it makes, the poem left me choked up.

The poems in Crow Mercies often speak about relationships, running the gamut from grandparents to children to siblings. Family relationships and complexities are something most everyone can relate to, so I felt it brought a real accessibility to her work.

I am generally not moved by poets who write of the aesthetic of nature with no deeper meaning. Yet, Schott utilizes strong natural imagery and metaphor very heavily throughout the collection. She does so beautifully; her images, rich with meaning, carry the words along. Bears, orchids, roses, reeds, the wind, and the ocean all become crucial to the poems, evoking strong emotion.

One skill Schott has mastered is the zinger, the end line that packs a punch and leaves you thinking about a poem long after you've finished reading it. This is exactly how I would describe all of Crow Mercies. I was impressed and thrilled to find such a treasured zinger of a poetry collection.

Written by: Lesley Kartali, October 21st 2010

Word Comix

caitlin — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:00:00 +0000

By Charlie Smith

W.W. Norton

Word Comix by Charlie Smith is a collection of poetry that often explodes with strange and unfamiliar words. Reading it, I kept getting the desire to grab a dictionary and improve my vocabulary. Oftentimes the poems, especially ones starting with ellipses, feel like jumping into someone's inner monologues, getting a peek into their secret thoughts about politics, romance, being middle-aged, waiting, living in the city, the natural world, and many times, just the intense feeling of solitude and loneliness.

Word Comix is Smith’s seventh book of poetry, and he also has six novels published, among having received a variety of awards, grants, and fellowships. It is interesting to note that he is also a fiction writer, which I think becomes apparent through both his prose poetry style and the way he seems to take on a variety of different voices and personas throughout the collection. These constantly changing voices keep the collection feeling fresh and wonderful.

The poems that resonated most for me were the shorter, structured pieces, little scenes of emotion. My favorite was "An Illustrated Guide to Familiar American Trees," in which the narrator moves through the city, speaking of the bursts of city sunlight and certain trees on a block which they "love...like [their] own brothers." A few times, I felt the more verbose pieces lost me in their "above my head" word choices. But, there is also an irony and a humor that runs throughout the whole collection, that kept me reading through even those particular pieces.

I wouldn't say Word Comix is a particularly feminist work, but there were definitely little snippets throughout the whole collection that moved me and that I felt I could relate to. Many pieces definitely deal with the desire for connection even while living among so many in such a vast city. Inhabiting a big city myself, this was a theme I definitely could understand. So, don't expect any huge revelations or radical thoughts when reading Word Comix, but also don't miss the small moments of beauty it offers up.

Written by: Lesley Kartali, October 20th 2010

Couture Collection Tsunami

admin — Mon, 24 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000

By AdultSexToys.com

A vibe is a vibe is a vibe right? The way I see it, how many varieties of vibrators can there possibly be? Well, a lot! There are a ton of vibrators out there and depending on what you are looking for, you can get exactly the one that features everything you desire.

The Couture Collection Tsunami Silicone Vibrator is a G-spot stimulator, seven-function, Japanese silicone vibrator available for purchase at a variety of sex toy shops. It is seven inches by 1.5 inches, if size matters to you, and is multi-ridged with a pinpoint head. It typically costs around eighty dollars. If you check out AdultSexToys.com, you will see that the Couture Collection also offers many other options of similar vibes.

I've only really ever used the typical low quality bullet vibes, so this vibrator was a sassy step up! I really liked that the Tsunami runs on AA batteries, instead of the smaller ones some use that you can only usually find at the sex toy store you bought it from. So, if you are out, you can just pop over to any store and get new ones. Plus, it is quite portable since it is not a plug-in.

While I am not usually interested in sex toy use in water, it is completely waterproof. That means if you are into water fun, you could definitely get splashing without fear of ruining it. On the downside, I found the battery compartment near to impossible to open. It probably has to be very secure so that there is no water leakage, but I had to struggle with it roughly for quite a while to pop it open. I was almost ready to throw it across the room!

The seven functions mentioned include vibration, pulsation, and escalation, which means there are three levels of normal, continuous vibration; two escalating vibrations increasing from gentle to fast; and two pulsing vibrations. It is moderately quiet for more discreet use, for instance, if you have roommates!

Using it with a partner was difficult and actually kind of humorous as the function button was quite sensitive, or as the company described it, has a “feather-touch.” The Tsunami would change to the next function at the slightest pressure. So, if you are looking for some spontaneity it perhaps could serve you well; however, while I found it funny, the constant shifting was, unfortunately, a bit too distracting in the end.

Overall, the vibrator is very high quality and definitely worth the higher price. It can be used on the clitoris and for penetration and G-spot stimulation. It offers nearly all possible combinations of vibrating power. I mean, I'm not sure what else you could possibly want when looking for a vibrator! So, get greedy, treat yourself, and check out the Couture Collection Tsunami.

Written by: Lesley Kartali, May 23rd 2010

500 Years of Indigenous Resistance

admin — Fri, 21 May 2010 16:01:00 +0000

By Gord Hill

PM Press

We are all familiar with the smiling happy portrayals of pilgrims sitting down to dinner with Native Americans, or perhaps the slightly more critical viewpoint from many of our high school history books of the Indigenous people being simply helpless victims to European colonization. However, neither of these views is, in reality, very accurate.

500 Years of Indigenous Resistance was originally published in 1992 by Gord Hill, the native artist, activist, and at the time, member of the revolutionary Indigenous newspaper, OH-TOH-KIN. The book is in a pamphlet style with artwork throughout its pages. It starts with the arrival of Columbus in the Americas and goes up through history to chronicle native resistance in North and South America until after WWII, even up through the 1960s. It was originally published just before the Zapatista uprising in Chiapas, Mexico in 1994, and so was extremely relevant and insightful both then and now.

Even though I was aware that the history of the Americas many of us were taught growing up was very skewed towards celebrating white European colonialism, I hadn’t read anything, until this, that so clearly shows all the various Native American resistance movements that have existed. Lacking from most of written American history of the past 500 years is a detailed exploration of the resistance of native peoples and how they influenced and limited the colonialism to which they struggled against. 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance fills in this gap in an extensive way. It also records all the horrendous and calculating strategies of colonization employed to destroy native people, wipe out whole cultures, and steal land.

While many people, including myself, could probably not give names of more than a few tribes, this book speaks of all the millions of indigenous people there were 500 years ago, an estimated 70 to 100 million people. Even now after hundreds of years of colonization there are still an estimated forty million indigenous people. The book chronicles the various resistance strategies that native peoples utilized: demonstrations, festivals, violent uprisings, the creation of alliances with other tribes or nations, protests, occupations, road blocks, forming organizations to oppose governmental policies, and most recently, organizing around international bodies.

In a country that still has offensive caricatures of Native Americans on display for sports team mascots, it is easy to get discouraged that there will be any real recognition of the magnitude of the American Indian Holocaust, the mass genocide of Native peoples that has run rampant the past 500 years and continues on today. But books such as 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance which don't glorify, romanticize, or just plain omit all the horrors that abound throughout this history of colonization, stand to give us some hope. For they just give us the facts, but, more importantly, the ones we most likely have never heard before.

It would be an amazing thing to make copies of this work and slip into every school in America and slide it into every history book for children to read. Well, it is no less crucial and eye-opening a book for existing simply on its own. It is a rare event to read books that really have the potential to change the way that you think about things, that help you unlearn many lies and find yourself faced with honest truths. It always gives me the chills to read something from a new perspective and to know that this information is being let loose in the world, seeking to help us to open our eyes, to learn from the past, and to ultimately change for the better.

Written by: Lesley Kartali, May 21st 2010

Seven Minutes in Heaven: Coming Out!

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Directed by Courtney Trouble

Reel Queer Productions

Courtney Trouble, the creator of Seven Minutes in Heaven: Coming Out!, is one of the hottest new directors of queer porn. After creating No Fauxxx in March 2002—a website with 150 models, twenty videos, and a free social networking community—Trouble started making full-length queer porn videos. She has also been in a few porn films herself, which she says adds to her respect for those in front of the camera. To date, she has ten feature films available.

Seven Minutes in Heaven is the first film of a three-part series of “reality porn,” unscripted amateur porn where the participants get to choose partners, sex toys, and chat about their experiences. It is set up like a wild slumber party night, with scenes being fueled by those timeless junior high games, spin the bottle and truth or dare, though these versions definitely end up in a lot less awkward and a lot sexier scenarios then making out sloppily in a closet! The truth or dare sequence leads to some brief food play and some of the hottest group sex scenes in the film. Seven Minutes in Heaven was nominated, like many of Trouble's films, for the 2010 Feminist Porn Awards.

I liked the parts where participants talked about their experiences or discussed certain issues, like sucking cock and having it be your first time in a porn, although at times the conversations dragged on a little long and were a bit too reminiscent of the familiar reality television confessionals, leaving a viewer feeling like they want the action to get going already! A lot of new queer porn films, including this one, have real musicians add to the soundtrack, which I think is a cool idea in theory. Seven Minutes in Heaven included Purple Rhinestone Eagle, Jenna Riot, DJ European DJ, and Diamond Beats. However, when it comes down to it, I don't generally feel like there truly is good porn music. The way I see it, if you barely notice it, that's probably the best. This soundtrack, at times, sounded pretty riot grrrlish, though that might be a turn-on for some!

The inclusion of S&M and kink was prevalent throughout, though pretty mild with some role play, flogging, gagging, fisting, and a few moments of knife play. There was definitely a lot of use of sex toys, mainly vibrators; a crop; and a good amount of dildo use for some steamy fucking and lessons on sucking. Many times there were multiple scenes going on at the same time, though you could only hear or get a glimpse of the indirect scenes, which definitely spiced things up.

Though the cast wasn't super diverse, it is always refreshing when there is a variety of real-sized bodies. Also of note was the use of safer sex; gloves and condoms were utilized throughout. Since there is generally not a lot of sex education oriented towards queers, I was glad to see a film where it encourages the notion that safe sex can be both easy to do and not make sex play any less erotic.

Seven Minutes in Heaven: Coming Out! has a lot to offer, and scenes get better and better as the film progresses and the participants get more comfortable with each other. Watching this film certainly made me very curious to explore Courtney Trouble's other films. If they are as appealing as this one, I would say she deserves all the credit she has coming her way.

Written by: Lesley Kartali, May 20th 2010

Living Life as a Thank You: The Transformative Power of Daily Gratitude

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:53:00 +0000

Edited by Nina Lesowitz, Mary Beth Sammons

Viva Editions

The most wonderful part about the idea of practicing daily gratitude is that any person can do it. Unlike many concepts, like faith or prayer, which tend to be examined via certain religions or spiritualities, thankfulness is pretty universal. Living Life as a Thank You illustrates extensively how incorporating gratitude into one's life can draw enormous benefits for everyone.

This book serves up ten chapters full of stories about how learning to be grateful has changed people from all walks of life. Each chapter carries a theme, ranging from "the power of gratitude to make a difference in the world" to "gratitude in times of transition." Each chapter begins with an introduction, musings on the particular theme, then follows with seven or eight snippets from real people telling the specifics about how they have come to have gratitude play a strong part in their lives—some from epiphanies, some from years of training.

Throughout the book there are exercises, suggestions, and tips on how to bring gratefulness into your life, including a "gratitude tool kit" with proposals for ways to say thank you every day, how to make a "gratitude dream board," and how to adjust your schedule to make time for focusing on thoughts about what you are grateful for. There are also inspirational quotations peppered throughout the book, which I, as a bit of a quote-aholic, found myself writing down to give to others.

I've tended, in the past, to get turned off by "inspirational" books that speak of concepts too abstractly, but one of the reasons I really appreciate this book is that it brought a broad concept down into concrete stories that I could relate to. One of the editors, Mary Beth Sammons, is a popular blogger, which was interesting to discover because the whole book reminded me of the short, focused, pondering style of blogs. Reading this book felt very much like sitting down with a bunch of people from a variety of backgrounds and having them simply speak about what they are thankful for and how they got to having gratitude so strongly in their life.

For many years I have kept a personal list titled "Things That Make Me Happy"; it consists of small things that make me smile or feel uplifted. During rough times, I pull it out and read these tiny reminders of how amazing life truly is. Living Life as a Thank You argues in favor of this idea and adds how practicing gratitude every single day has the immense power to give us greater personal happiness, make us more satisfied with the present, help us celebrate triumphs, and make us generally healthier in body and mind. I found myself marveling that something so simple can do so much to change the outlook of our life, and I am grateful I was reminded of this by reading this book!

Written by: Lesley Kartali, November 24th 2009

Bottoms Up: Spanking Good Stories

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:01:00 +0000

By Rachel Kramer Bussel

Cleis Press

Although I would not say I have a particular propensity for spanking, I am fascinated by various kinks or sexual fetishes, and like to support writing that allows people the space to explore their desires, even if it just in a fantasy realm. I am also usually not the biggest fan of erotica, as I have found many of the collections I've read to be either quite stale or laughably cheesy—neither of which are very steamy. However, I found myself surprisingly intrigued and pleasantly provoked by Bottoms Up: Spanking Good Stories.

Editor Rachel Kramer Bussel has put together a number of anthologies of erotica with a variety of themes ranging from domination and submission to voyeurism. Bottoms Up is a collection of erotica focusing on being either a spanker or spankee, and is Bussel's fourth anthology on this particular theme. There is an even mix of stories representing different perspectives: giving, receiving, fantasizing, and watching spanking. The majority of stories comprise male/female partnerships, though there are a few involving queer characters. Since openly male authors in this genre are apparently uncommon, this particular collection has mostly male authors.

One of the things I liked most is that many of the stories felt real in the sense that the characters were often experiencing the conflicting feelings of arousal, confusion, and guilt that often come with having a fetish. The sensation of pleasure mixed with pain is a major theme and, of course, is pretty much the basic idea of BDSM. The character in "Ass Worship," for instance, is drawn to experiment with being spanked. He has many questions about it and is extremely nervous at first, unsure if he can actually go through with it.

Many of the stories involve a person's first time being spanked or spanking someone else. Others involve such exciting and sometimes amusing subjects as swingers, Renaissance Fair fantasies, church frolicking, and (in the editor's piece) a spanking machine. My very favorite story, "I'm Going to Grab Your Hair," is written as though the author (and spanker) is "dirty talking" to the reader (and spankee). It is rough and nasty and thrilling. I'd never read an erotica piece in quite that style before.

If you consider yourself a spanking enthusiast or are just curious, Bottoms Up is sexy, engaging, and fascinating. I don't think you will find yourself disappointed.

Written by: Lesley Kartali, November 23rd 2009

A Woman Alone at Night

admin — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 19:01:00 +0000

By Tamara Faith Berger

Soft Skull Press

A Woman Alone at Night is a story loosely based on St. Mary of Egypt, a prostitute who "reveled in her sexuality before repenting". Throughout the novel, Berger walks a dangerous line between portraying a female character who is empowered in her sexuality, and adding to the stereotyped idea that all sex workers choose their work willingly.

Early on, Mira meets an older man, John, who rapes her then forces her into amateur porn, although the description of the novel frames his actions as him "taking advantage of her willingness." This discrepancy alone illustrates the real risk this book takes in being put out into a society where women are usually seen as either helpless innocent victims or whores, and where sexual consent is rarely promoted as a necessity. Mira then meets Adi, a stripper, who introduces her to the world of sex work where the rest of the story runs its course.

I got to the end of the novel feeling as if there were few moments when Mira is not being degraded by her johns, the religious Gio or her cousin, Ezrah, who attempts to "rescue her from 'sin.'" The inclusion of religion in this novel was confusing, hovering at times towards implying that women who engage in sex work are held up somehow through the text of the bible, but more often looming towards a deep-seeded disgust of women who are in sex work. Although the end of the novel is supposed to be Mira repenting, I felt it was more like her being taken away again against her will.

I was excited at the possibility of a story that explored the multidimensional facets of female sexuality, but read the story as an illustration of the conflict of perspectives with the character of John encompassing one perspective: men think a woman walking alone at night is a whore. Mira's more devastating observation is another interpretation: "why does every girl have to get fucked?"

Written by: Lesley Kartali, July 13th 2007

Swinger's Pad

admin — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:13:00 +0000

Womyn's Ware

Available only through Womyn's Ware, a Vancouver-based company that promotes consumer advocacy and a focus on sexual products "for the celebration and empowerment of women's sexuality," the Swinger's Pad is a figure eight shaped pad with different sized tips arranged in two flower-like patterns for clit stimulation and a hole through which to place various sex toys.

Depending on what position the owner of this pad is attempting, the pad can be used alone or in a harness for clit stimulation when thrusting with a dildo or butt plug, or around the shaft of the penis to create a clitoral pad on a male's pubic mound. Neither of us had anything similar to this, so my girlfriend and I were excited to give it a whirl, as it seemed like a bonus to our existing collection of sex toys. The pad wasn’t too awkward to use, as it was flexible enough to contour well to various angles and firm enough to usually stay put and not slip around too much.

However, there was only position that my girlfriend and I tried it in that felt particularly stimulating, and that was around the outside of a harness while using a dildo. I liked the texture of the pad, but could very easily see it being too rough against more sensitive clits. We did not find the Swinger’s Pad satisfying at all when used alone for clit stimulation. It just kind of made us both laugh trying it on each other. The aspect of the pad I liked most was that the pad could be used for a variety of sexual interests and wasn’t geared towards any one in particular. Although I think it is great to support companies that have such great values and that focus on empowering women sexually, our Swinger's Pad ended up being used only on a rare occasion when we remembered it existed. I feel it would probably be better as a bonus accessory for folks who already have a collection of sex toys and are willing to spend around $40 to take things up a notch.

Written by: Lesley Kartali, July 11th 2007

The Sky Observer's Guide

admin — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 23:56:00 +0000

Directed by Amy Cook

Root House Records

Written over the course of a month, Amy Cook's second album, The Sky Observer's Guide, is a strong albeit average album. Whereas Amy’s first album was just her and her guitar, this album showcases her band: Nina Singh on drums, Brad Rice on guitar and Bobby Daniel on bass. Cook's songs have been featured on many television dramas, including Dawson’s Creek, Veronica Mars, Laguna Beach and The L Word. Once learning this, I expected a cheerful, easy pop sound and was pleasantly surprised to get something entirely different.

Cook's voice is reminiscent of a softer Jenny Lewis with echoes of Mazzy Star and much more melancholy than anticipated. The album is effectively smooth, and, although there are a few more upbeat songs, overall, it is a softer listen. My only disappointment was that there were few specific songs that really stuck with me. Most are more suitable as background music, which makes sense that her music has been used as such.

However, the album finishes strong with my two favorites: “Pearl” and “Feathers To a Crown.” I was hooked particularly by the lines: “These are hard times for dreamers/We are just pennies in a wishing well/We ain't going to buy/We ain't going to sell." Lyrics such as these show Cook’s potential to go beyond music used for a few temporary moments during a television scene, and into something deeper, more meaningful and, thus, permanent.

Written by: Lesley Kartali, July 8th 2007

Gasp! The Swift and Terrible Beauty of Air

admin — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:39:00 +0000

By Joe Sherman

Shoemaker and Hoard

When I first received Gasp! The Swift and Terrible Beauty of Air, I couldn't believe that someone could write a 400 some paged book on the subject of air. But after reading this book, I realized that kind of attitude is exactly the basic root of the problem.

Joe Sherman explores everything there is to explore about air, from why a child takes their first breath to the evolution of Earth's atmosphere and all the radical scientists who discovered truths about our air. Most interesting was the explanation of the progression of people considering fresh air as a human being's right and fight for a better quality of air. I had not known that early feminist groups had fought for cleaner air, which makes sense as historically (and presently) women and children often bear the brunt of environmental degradation.

The World Bank, in 1992, estimated the deaths from air pollution every year average between 300,000 and 700,000 people. We need to continue our fight for cleaner air. I think the most important aspect of this book, what I hope it does for everyone who reads it, is that it got me thinking in my day-to day life about the air I breathe – how ridiculous it is that we ignore the quality of the one thing that is keeping us here. I think it made me focus on my actions and the ripple effect they have, how much our actions influence the world for better or worse, and how we need to be aware of this.

Written by: Lesley Kartali, May 31st 2007

In Advance of the Broken Arm

admin — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 18:23:00 +0000

By Marnie Stern

Kill Rock Stars

Who wouldn't be interested in listening to a female musician who is described as playing guitar better than “you, or me or probably ninety-nine percent of the people who have ever looked at a guitar?" From the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Marnie Stern was signed to Kill Rock Stars after sending in a demo tape. In Advance of the Broken Arm is Marnie Stern's debut album and includes songs she wrote in her bedroom over a two year period, with production and drum work by Zach Hill.

Marnie Stern certainly does shred. After receiving the album, I did what I usually do with new music. I listen to it sitting. I listen to it while I bustle around the city. I listen to it when I am feeling tired, and when I am full of energy. In Advance of the Broken Arm satisfied me in each of these listens. Her music is so rip roaringly catchy that you can't help but move your body to it in some way. There are layers of guitar work that compliment well her riot grrrl-like voice. My favorite aspect of the album is the lyrics; they are simple, but beautifully poetic.

On one of my favorite tracks, “Patterns of a Diamond Ceiling,” Marnie sings, “I am not looking to find a pot of gold” and “the picture in my head is my reward.” I would say the picture she creates in this album could be your reward if you take a listen.

Written by: Lesley Kartali, April 13th 2007