Kent Page McGroarty

Gingerbread 1930s Waterproof Mascara

admin — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:14:00 +0000

The Gingerbread 1930s Waterproof Mascara from Bésame Cosmetics is a great all natural make-up find, especially for those with make-up sensitivities. The gold-plated tube is gorgeous, and the mascara is soft, pliable stuff that smells like yummy gingerbread, hence its name.

Bésame Cosmetics is a cool, environmentally-friendly, luxury make-up line that appears to support and encourage women by providing products that are meant to help today’s busy working woman look and feel feminine without taking a lot of time and energy. The style of Bésame's products is a throwback to the Art Deco movement, a time when the look of a piece of make-up was just as important as how it appeared on your face. Considered a “responsible luxury brand,” Bésame Cosmetics only uses non-toxic, natural ingredients in their products and refuses to test on animals. Another awesome thing about Bésame products is that all of their make-up is created in small batches so that they remain fresh. It’s always nice to know that your make-up has not been sitting in a warehouse for who knows how long!

Allergy tested and paraben-free, this mascara actually doesn’t clump! Really! While it is not the best ‘thickening’ mascara I have ever used (it would take about ten minutes of application to get my desired ‘thick lashes’ look), it is definitely the best in terms of lengthening and separating; however, it is also a matter of taste. If you prefer to wear less mascara, this is absolutely the perfect product for you!

I really enjoyed the scent, which I could still smell after application! The “sweet, spicy gingerbread aroma” is from natural conditioning oils and food grade colorants, and apparently, this “special combination dates back to the 1930s!” The mascara remained soft as I continued to apply it and did not get stiff or brittle. My lashes looked totally fringy and soft!

Another great thing about this mascara is that, while it is waterproof, it is also easy to remove! I can always count on my other waterproof mascara staying put for the next three days, which is extremely annoying, but this mascara is easily removed with soap and water.

This latest addition to Bésame Cosmetics' “famous and classic era-style make-up line” will make a welcome addition to your make-up bag!

Written by: Kent Page McGroarty, July 9th 2008

No Control

admin — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:17:00 +0000

By Shannon K. Butcher

Grand Central Publishing

While Shannon K. Butcher is definitely a good writer, if you’ve read one “Romantic Suspense” novel, you’ve read them all. This genre inspires books that are all basically the same (predictable) except the characters’ names and settings are different.

In this particular book, No Control, a woman named Lana Hancock is captured by a terrorist group only to be freed by a large man named Caleb Stone, an army guy who had infiltrated the terrorists’ ranks. Months after her recovery, the terrorist group is after her again because of what she witnessed through the slit in her head covering, and Caleb must protect her. Naturally, Lana hates Caleb, as she associates him with her awful ordeal and isn’t remotely interested in having him look out for her.

Don’t these books always start out with one main character hating the other, or the two main characters hate each other? Yet dramatic circumstances that never happen to anyone always somehow ensue, which of course always leads to mind-blowing sex. Amazing how that happens.

What’s always amazing is the sex in these types of books. It’s always the most amazing, bestest sex ever, despite the fact that it’s the first time! Everyone’s bodies are always perfect, smooth, and muscular in all the right places! Everyone always smells fantastic, and there’s no unsightly body hair or body acne! The guy’s package is always freakin’ huge! There’s almost never any mention of a condom, even though these people usually barely know each other! In this case, however, a condom is used. Characters always say ridiculous, dramatic things to each other! Seriously, if a guy said to me what Caleb says to Lana in this story I’d throw up. For hours.

Let’s also discuss how the guy in these stories is all about the woman and wants nothing except to protect her (old-fashioned and sexist!) and have sex with her for the rest of her life. Would he ever look at another woman or cheat on her?! Of course not! This is a Romantic Suspense novel! The two main characters are going to be together forever and ever. And ever. It’s just so realistic

I have never understood the appeal of books like No Control, except that there are unfortunate women out there who believe this kind of stuff actually happens, and hopefully, will happen to them. It’s absurd and sad. The sooner women give up the insane fantasies about men these books perpetuate, the better off all women will be!

Written by: Kent Page McGroarty, June 17th 2008

Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to and Living in the San Francisco Bay Area

admin — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 23:00:00 +0000

By Scott van Velsor

First Books

The Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to and Living in the San Francisco Bay Area covers just about every aspect of living in and around San Francisco. I mean everything! Including "Moving and Storage," “Getting Settled,” "Children and Education,” “Sports and Recreation,” “Transportation” and everything in between, this thick book answers almost any question about San Francisco.

The introduction to the book is just as cool: “San Francisco is the land of the 49er Gold Rush, the Great 1906 earthquake, and the missionary expeditions of the Spanish; it is the birthplace of Levi’s jeans and home of the railroad tycoon Leland Stanford; it is host to one of the greatest feats of engineering, the Golden Gate Bridge, and as a cultural epicenter, it fueled the hippie flower-power revolution, gave rise to Rolling Stone magazine, and played host to beat generation poets.” Geez, now I want to move to San Francisco!

This guide to “America’s melting pot” provides information about the local lingo, so you will not feel too much like an out-of-towner. For example, “The Haight” is the famous Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, “The City,” always capitalized, “is the way natives and local newspapers refer to San Francisco” and BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is “the under-and-above ground subway-style train network that connects the East Bay and peninsula with San Francisco.”

This guide also provides detailed information concerning the many municipalities of San Francisco, including web sites, area codes, zip codes, post offices, police stations, emergency hospitals, libraries, public schools, community resources and public transportation. The "Cultural Life" section is also pretty cool, providing tons of information about film festivals, music, theater, ballet and dance, restaurants, nightclubs, comedy, art, museums and anything else you can think of. San Francisco is one cool town, and this book is undoubtedly the perfect guide to moving there!

Written by: Kent Page McGroarty, August 2nd 2007

The Actress

admin — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 20:02:00 +0000

Directed by Zak Hilditch

The Actress is nothing more than another chauvinist movie that transforms the woman into the “foul temptress.” The “foul temptress” in this movie is an actress who moves in with three roommates: two men and a lesbian woman. The men have less than glamorous jobs, and one is a chronic masturbator. The lesbian roommate seems to be the most level-headed of the three, although she and her girlfriend have just broken up when the actress comes to stay.

This "actress" never goes to an audition while staying with the roommates and never pays rent. Instead, she proceeds to sleep with her three roommates. This is when she is not doing her laundry or lounging around hitting the bong. She begins with the male roommate who brings her to the house her first night there. Then she quickly moves on to the other male roommate and, finally, to the female roommate. She does tell the roommate, who foolishly thinks she is his girlfriend, what she is doing, and from then on the roommates, especially the two male roommates, start fighting each other for her affection.

A party thrown for the actress turns into a brawl between the two male roommates. The female roommate asks the actress to explain her behavior, and the response is a vague smile and silence. The actress even invites the female roommate’s ex-girlfriend to the party without the woman's knowledge. All the actress ever accomplishes is creating havoc. It is unclear whether or not the roommates will stay friends or continue to live together by the end of the film. Suffice it to say that, considering the movie so far, the ending was predictably unsatisfying.

No explanation is ever given as to why this woman is doing what she is doing. She seems bloodless, her actions pathological. She is the harpy, the temptress, the witch, the castrating bitch who comes into these people’s lives and hurts all of them. What is one supposed to take from this movie? Why does this character do these things, and why are her actions never explained? I am sick of "art" that depicts women in such a manner: that they are trouble, evil or put on Earth solely for the purpose of ruining men’s lives. Indeed, it is the men in the movie who fight over the woman. The female roommate is the sensible one who even says to one of the men, “No one is going to win here.” And even though the only sensible character in the film is a woman, she is a lesbian. What is one supposed to take from that? That only straight women are truly base, but lesbians are, at least, tolerated according to the male definition of sexual politics?

I found this movie pointless and offensive. The writer and director should be ashamed of himself for creating a work that depicts women in such a tired, clichéd manner.

Written by: Kent Page McGroarty, June 24th 2007

Tazewell’s Favorite Eccentric Issue #5

admin — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 02:28:00 +0000

By Sarah Arrr

Tazewell’s Favorite Eccentric Issue #5: The Breakup Issue is a perzine dedicated to the pain and loss of a breakup. It is mainly about one woman who, for all intents and purposes, appears to be the love of the author’s (also a woman) life. One thing rings particularly true while reading this deeply personal zine: relationships are often messy and complicated and wonderful and awful, and the pain of a breakup can feel unending no matter what gender you are.

This zine explores all kinds of pain that derives from breaking up with someone you loved in an epic, devastating way. The author describes her marriage to a man that she liked well enough, but was hardly crazy in love with; then an abusive relationship with a woman that followed; and, finally, Hannah, the beloved one in the central relationship that this zine focuses on. Hannah is the one whom the author cannot imagine not having in her life, at least in a platonic way. Hannah, who caused so much joy and pain: “I will wash myself in your tears, my shame in the sweat and scent of you. I will push my guilt away in the arms and the charms of people who are not you.”

I found many relationship truths in this zine. For example, how tacky, tired clichés like “It’s not you; it’s me,” “I think we should just be friends” and, perhaps the worst of all, “I never meant to hurt you” really are! They are tacky, to be sure, and yet unavoidable sometimes. The author also notes how “Lifelong commitments are for very few people” and that she “misses the potential of a new crush.” She poses the question: “Why is love so appealing that normally sensible people rearrange their lives?”

Essentially this zine takes the reader on a journey of pain, anger, depression, forgiveness and acceptance. Anyone who has been through a heart-wrenching breakup can relate to at least one of the author’s poems or stories. You do not have to be a feminist, a woman, or a lesbian to understand basic human pain and loss.

Written by: Kent Page McGroarty, June 23rd 2007

I Hate You, Rob Crow

admin — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 18:48:00 +0000

By Rob Crow

Temporary Residence

Pinback frontman Rob Crow has released his first single, I Hate You, Rob Crow, from his solo debut, Living Well. The single includes the title track, “Slick,” “Sea Sawn,” and the video for “I Hate You, Rob Crow.” “I Hate You, Rob Crow” is an especially catchy tune, while the other two tracks are of the dark and moody variety, but still make for excellent listening. Rob Crow obviously has no problem poking fun at himself. He continues this humor with the video for the title song, which features Crow interrupting a surgery and taking a piece of the patient's intestine to use for a microphone, much to the doctors’ confusion. The expressions on the doctors’ faces are priceless as they are definitely more confused than horrified, which only adds to the sick-yet-hysterical humor. At another point in the video, Crow tackles a man playing a saxophone. It is absolutely hilarious!

In “I Hate You, Rob Crow,” Crow asks both “What’s your name?” and “What’s in a name?” to add a bit of irony to the track. He also poses the question, “What’s your perspective?”-- a refreshing question, the likes of which are usually not found in rock lyrics. Crow’s lyrics are definitely relevant to both men and women. His tongue-in-cheek attitude, along with almost sensitive lyrics - “Is anything wrong/Is anything missing/A little bit lazy/And want your forgiveness/A bunch of regrets but/It’s none of my business” - make for some great listening. Rob Crow is someone from the music scene who is definitely worth checking out!

Written by: Kent Page McGroarty, June 18th 2007

“No More Blood for Oil” Tee

admin — Thu, 17 May 2007 13:00:00 +0000

By No Star Clothing

No Star is a clothing company based out of Portland, Oregon, that came about due to the founders’ love of t-shirts and graphic design. No Star businesses can be found in thirty-one states and eight countries. I was sent their “No More Blood for Oil” t-shirt to review.

This t-shirt is red, with a green brontosaurus on the front saying the words, “No More Blood for Oil.” Perhaps the reason a dinosaur is saying these words has to do with extinction, meaning that the dinosaurs are extinct, and humans will be also if they do not stop killing each other for oil.

Other interpretations are feasible, however. Perhaps the brontosaurus represents the death and extinction of oil as a commodity on this planet, just as dinosaurs became dead and extinct. Perhaps because oil itself is composed of ancient, formerly organic materials, such as dinosaurs, the brontosaurus represents oil itself with the red of the shirt representing blood, and therefore, it is all the more profound that it is the brontosaurus saying "No More Blood For Oil." Did that make sense? Anyway, the message seems to reach people, and even if they couldn't say exactly what the precise message is, they still had a gut reaction to that message that was meaningful.

There are many possible interpretations of this t-shirt's message, and that is another reason to wear it. It's so interesting! And who doesn't love red and green? I did receive many “I like your t-shirt” comments when wearing the shirt, and many people applauded the shirt’s message (whatever their interpretation was...)

Written by: Kent Page McGroarty, May 17th 2007

The Future of Food

admin — Sun, 13 May 2007 17:02:00 +0000

Directed by Deborah Koons Garcia

Lily Films

The Future of Food, written, directed, and produced by Deborah Koons Garcia, is a fascinating and chilling look into the state of the food industry in this country. Patented, unlabeled, genetically engineered foods, and the corporations behind them, could be the doom of the United States, if not the human race, if the present situation continues.

While biotechnology has always existed, the film points out that genetic engineering enters unknown territory. A central theme in the film is that genetically engineered food is hardly ever labeled as such, despite 80-90% of Americans stating that they want their food labeled. The Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act has been presented to Congress every year since 1999. It is still waiting to be voted on.

The film explains in detail why genetically altered food is so harmful. Problems like allergens, low nutritional value, immune system problems in animals and the general issue of genetically engineered seeds becoming sterile after one planting are all very serious. The possibility of sterile seeds blowing into normal crop fields has frightening potential ramifications. There are also problems concerning “superweeds,” or weeds that have become resistant to many pesticides, which cause farmers to spray more chemicals instead of less. The chemicals they use are similar to that of Agent Orange, which causes birth defects among other health problems.

The film also explains in detail how the government originally approved such genetically engineered technology; during the first Bush administration, vice president Dan Quayle ran something called the Competiveness Council, which called for no regulation of all genetically engineered foods. The idea was to be the first in the world to market such foods. While FDA scientists were outraged, and provided document after document saying this food needed to be tested, Quayle and his associates saw to it that the "no regulation" policy became official in 1992.

While the rest of the world is banning genetically engineered foods, this film painted a grim portrait of the future of “pharming” in the United States. Deborah Koons Garcia does an outstanding job painting a terrifying portrait of a little-known yet complicated problem in this country. The last words in the film, “It’s up to you,” absolutely ring true!

Written by: Kent Page McGroarty, May 13th 2007

Shades of Dorian Gray

admin — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 13:15:00 +0000

By Danny Cohen

Anti- Records

Danny Cohen’s third record for the label ANTI demonstrates his uniqueness as an artist, as did 2005’s We’re All Gunna Die. The 16-track CD takes one on a musical journey of mystical, gothic proportions.

Often compared to Tom Waits, Vic Chestnut, Jad Fair, and Daniel Johnston, Cohen has crafted an offbeat musical career spanning some five decades. The album was partly recorded on a half-inch Ampex tape machine, as well as, interestingly, in a “mobile garage studio.”

This slow, dark record delves into subject matters such as witches’ fables, original sin, visits to Hell and various other ghosts and “morbid fascinations” of Cohen’s. It is the kind of record one imagines listening to in the dark, lying on silk cushions, while on some kind of opiate. The women Cohen portrays in this collection almost never are fully human, another version of that tired old male cliché that allows poor treatment and misunderstanding of women because they aren't true humans, but rather sub-humans, witches or sex objects.

The song “Beneath the Shroud” demonstrates this point, for it describes a visit to Hell after “the subject loses his virginity to a gorgeous Laurel Canyon witch.” Although it is doubtful that Cohen only views women as witches or other mythical beings, rather, his unusual lyrics are simply meant to shock and intrigue the listener. Cohen’s deep, almost creepy voice makes for an excellent companion to his dark lyrics and simmering organ playing.

Written by: Kent Page McGroarty, April 5th 2007

Fringe Magazine (Feminism, February 2007)

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 12:04:00 +0000

Edited by Lizzie Stark

Fringe Magazine’s Feminism issue is bursting with refreshing and candid short stories, interviews, poetry, photographs, and non-fiction essays. Standout pieces include “Young Mother: Three Portraits” (poetry), “The Harlot’s Curse: Feminism and Prostitution” (non-fiction essay), “Wanting” (short story), and “The Sideboard” (photograph).

“The Harlot’s Curse: Feminism and Prostitution”, by Kate Morris, takes a look at how feminism has always been divided on the issues of sexuality, i.e. “that sex is understood as either the primary source of women’s oppression or the primary source of women’s liberation”. Morris explores the fact that feminism has tended to ignore the concept of the prostitute, and what this means in terms of feminism’s political power.

“Young Mother: Three Portraits”, by Lenore Wilson captures a certain rawness and desperation of women trapped by their respective families. The husbands are abusive, as are the sons, none of whom have any regard for their weak wife/mother. In the third poem, “Fat Carol”, the now-fat wife dreams of being thin once more amidst her horrendous trailer park existence. The anger and resentment pile on, and there is nothing to do but eat. “Wanting” by Amy L. Clark could almost serve as a prelude to “Young Mother”. In “Wanting”, a 21-year-old woman holds the new baby of her young friend, now a wife and mother. This woman wanted her friend to finish college before she had a baby, not to be a mother so soon, and for the baby to have a different father. She appears to greatly fear what her friend will become—the unhappy, overweight housewife we see in “Fat Carol”.

“The Sideboard”, photographed by David Barnes, depicts the back of a nude woman on the cutting board, the meat cleavers at her side. The photo seems a biting criticism of, and commentary on, the American media. “If you are going to portray women as slabs on meat, why go half way?” is the question the artist poses. The image is stark, beautiful, and powerful.

I found all of the above artistic efforts to be provocative, insightful, original, inventive and, therefore, well worth my time, and would highly recommend them to those people in particular who truly ponder the human condition.

Written by: Kent Page McGroarty, March 27th 2007