Entries from November 3rd, 2005
On the fifth day he realized his only hope of escape was to amputate his own arm
The human body is a marvel of perfectly synchronized chemical reactions choreographed to perform optimally in a relatively narrow range of external conditions. While it is possible for the human organism to adapt to environmental stresses, it doesn’t take much for its symphony of physiology to collapse into chaotic discord. When deprived of water, food, or oxygen these processes begin to break down. If internal body temperature varies by more than four degrees, malfunction is imminent. Despite this fragility, when put to the test the body can prove to be extraordinarily resilient. […]
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Tags: Essays · Nonfiction · Canibalism · Survival
A Discussion with Joshua Davis of Steppin' In It
After six years and three albums as the primary songwriter and vocalist of the Michigan quartet Steppin’ In It, Joshua Davis decided to release his first solo record “Fool Rooster” in the spring of 2005. Because it was recorded entirely live and in a few short days, the album has a very intimate quality. We decided to ask Josh to explain a bit more about himself, his friends, and his solo debut.
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Tags: Interviews · Music
A frequent criticism of the popular television series Star Trek: The Next Generation centered around the unremarkable physical appearance of its various alien species. In nearly every episode, the crew of the starship Enterprise would encounter a “new” civilization– a society of life-forms that had supposedly developed in complete isolation from other worlds. Amazingly, the overwhelming majority of these aliens barely differed in appearance from humans, typically distinguished by a small wrinkle on their forehead or nose. This absurdity prompted a critic on Trek’s own website to dub them “Forehead Aliens of the Week.” Even more preposterous than their physical similarity to humans, however, was the utter lack of divergent philosophies and sociopolitical ideals exhibited by these “aliens.”
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Tags: Essays · Cultural Diversity
The Adverse Effects of the Free Market
When Thomas Jefferson determined the “pursuit of happiness” to be one of humankind’s unalienable rights, he could not have foreseen the consequences of dangling this elusive proverbial carrot under the noses of subsequent generations. For the average proponent of free market economics, and by extension the average consumer, this phrase is synonymous with the accumulation of capital. If this notion were rooted in truth, one would expect the beneficiaries of the most successful marketplace in history – the American middle-class – to be living in a veritable state of pure ecstasy.
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Tags: Essays · Addiction · Depression · Mental Illness · Society
Life trickles away, I watch it escape, like a last gasp, in the cold, frost on the air, blanking out the blanket of prospective poppies, clutching at my lungs, you can see it. […]
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Tags: Fiction · Experimental
