Poetry Book Cover
Post title...
Se comienza a ampliar el poblado con la construcción de nuevas casas, tiendas, fuertes, iglesias, plazas, etc. Debido al auge tomado por este poblado se acuerda constituir su Ayuntamiento el 1ro de Enero de 1879, quedando así fundado el Municipio de Placetas.
Por Real Decreto el 19 de Noviembre de 1881 obtuvo el título de "Villa", y el 24 de Abril de 1925 fue declarada Placetas con el título de "Ciudad".
Cash, Cans & Cocaine
The Phoenix Literary Magazine
Chess Club Tournament
November 16, 2 013 at
At Lane Tech High School
By: Ernest R.
The chess club tournament on November 16, 2013 was an average tournament. It didn't go perfect but it was average. It was average or okay because in the past YCFC tournaments, the +Bateman chess club had better success. Sometimes all the teams got a trophy or many Bateman individuals took top 10 trophies in all categories but this time only a few individuals earned trophies and wonderful performances.The tournament organization was the YCFC or the Youth Chess Foundation of Chicago. The event took place at Lane Tech High School. There were three total categories, they were K-4, 5-8, and the advanced section. There were 346 players across the city of Chicago. There were only 29 players from Bateman which would give a total 8% of the players who were in the tournament. Even
it seems to be such a small percent it was actually a lot. Only Goudy and Decatur had more players than Bateman.
The Bateman players who got 3.5 or better in the K-4 section were Layla R. with 4 points, Jana Z. with 4, Lillian R. with 4, and Jeremy E.with 3.5 points. From the 5-8 section the players who got 4 points were Umair A., Michael R., and Leonard R. In the advanced section, Miguel C. led with 2.5 points, Ernest R. with 2 points, and Carrey N. and Jimmy N. with 2 points each.
The K-4 section got a third place trophy out of 29 schools. The 5-8 novice section got fourth place out of 34 schools. Finally the advanced section got in 9th place out of 17 schools.
It wasn’t an awesome tournament day but it was a good shot for the first tournament for this year. The next chess tournament will be in December. Good luck to all Bateman chess players and keep working hard for those next tournaments!
6th Grade
Broken
Don't let me drown in my lonely sorrows
Never wanting to look back
Never wanting to fall into the hole that I couldn't get out of
He was my prescription
I needed him daily
Why would he do this?
Leave me like a stray
I never hurt him
Stabbed me for what it seemed like, eternity
Never will I look back on him and think of him as my love
How could I give in like that?
Let him see through me
Then break through me
By Sirine N.
March 12, 1951
Life in war. It is horrible. You don’t know when you will die. All around you people are dying. You can hear their screams even at night from men suffering from blood loss, destroyed torsos, being shot at, and much more devastating injuries. This place is a living hell. Rats are everywhere, lice sucking at your blood while you rest for the day, dead bodies everywhere. Guns are flaring, bombs exploding, shards being sprayed everywhere, mortars falling everywhere not caring who it hits. Everyday many of us are slaughtered. All I dream of is to be back with my family, my wife, my sons, and my dog, Barky. But probably I won’t go back on my two feet but in a bodybag. Many of my comrades have died on this war. My life before this was at a farm, playing around not caring about anything, having a good life. Well then its time to go. Hope I live to see tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Ernest R.
The Fence
The separation between
us was deadly
Every day that separation
would get worse.
Days, months, years
they were hard
I wanted to die.
Even if I died I wanted to die
beside you.
That one person I adore
is too far t
hat I can’t reach.
Why must we have this?
Why can’t she be with me?
She’s my family.
Let her be in
peace on that other
side of the fence.
I hope this end at once
because your my
sister no matter what.
By Jenny F.
Esperanza's View
I’m Esperanza- sad and blue,
Watching all the girls sing and twirl
I walk sad in tears,
With the fear of being caught
I crossed the border,
The big divide,
It’s huge in my eyes
They count hopscotch squares
I count cracks,
But nobody knows who I am
I’m the black little dot,
Hard to find,
Lost in a field trip
Teacher says that’s fine
In a world of black.
By: Julian S.
Aliens
They come through and under
Lurking throughout the country
Searching for their life
Never knowing what will happen
Always preparing for the worst
Praying day and night
Coyotes could eat them alive,
steal all their money,
leave them broke
Coming from all around
Under the wire they come
in pairs, packs, and groups
Avoiding la migra, once you see green
it breaks your heart into minuscule bits
Weeping with every step
Unknown to the world
Unknown to your boss
Unknown to everyone
Only hoping for the best
By: Sirine N.
Outcast
Alone
At Risk
No home
Deciding whether to trust someone
Abandoned
Fighting
Thinking about your family
Need
Want
Trusting a Coyote?
Losing
Frightened at the thought of going home
All alone
No money
-Skye P.
Sin Papeles
Suffering the torture
Immigrants migrating
No freedom of your own
Papers and papers of nothing
A powerful heart to reach your goal
Planning a perfect life
Ever lasting tears of sadness
Leaving your families
Enough seeing my children cry
Stay with what you believe in
By Angelica G.
In Response to The Circuit
All I am to them is a number
To them I’m not a sweet, lovable, amazing human
I’m just a code, a serial number that won’t be seen as me
Just an illegal alien
I didn’t want to fall into this situation
I could’ve starved to death if I hadn’t broken the law
I could’ve been killed in my own country
Even if I die, I don’t want to die and be seen as a number
But that’s what I am to them, a number
I don’t want to be noticed, no one does
Trouble always seems to find me but I face it no matter what happens
Sometimes I want to give up
It seems like the best answer
But something makes me think twice and I don’t
I get stronger every time I lose a fight
I learn from those mistakes I’ve made
By anonymous
Who are we?
That is a question we never answer.
We spend our whole life searching for the answer.
Some like to blend in and follow a leader,
some like to lead and set trends,
others stick out and be themselves,
as Stargirl has.
She has wowed us,
being herself is the most dangerous and stunning of all her tricks.
So now she sets the trend.
We are followers,
she is now a leader,
no longer unique.
We all act as she does,
her actions and her things are no longer what makes her different,
we all act the same and own the same items.
Why do we follow?
We all have our reasons.
No one has a definition,
just a quality that sticks out.
Are you funny or serious?
Do want to create buildings or bring them down?
Are you open to ideas or plain sighted?
Do you want lead a country or rise against one?
These are merely a few of the questions we must ask to find ourselves.
Stargirl hasn’t,
but she started the search before us.
We,
even Stargirl,
have yet to be ourselves,
finding paths and roads to ourselves.
We all are still conformists,
I think soon,
we’ll spread our small and delicate wings,
and see that the those wings,
we thought were ugly and horrible,
are really bewitching and wonderful.
All we need to do is spread them.
When the World Is Against Me
When the whole world is against me what do I do? Do I run away, turn around, ignore, cry, throw myself on my bed and muffle my cries? Do I listen to music, do I just hide behind my parents, what do I do? All I do is walk outside, listen to nature, and music and learn to be grateful. Because I know nothing will last forever so I have to take every chance I got to appreciate what I have. Friends, enemies, people who defend you, people who hate you, they will all fade away.
RRR Records - Ron Lessard Interview
Wynwood - during Art Basel Miami Beach 2013
The London Police in Miami
What role did you play in “Caleidoscoop?”
Chaz: We helped bringing some of the artists because we know a lot of people. The guy who organized it petitioned the Dutch government. We were instrumental in helping but we can’t take any credit really. We brought in as many artists as we can to come and join the project.
Is there a unified theme to this project?
Chaz: No. it is literally just a case of getting as many good artists as we could together. Create a really nice looking place. It is just about fun and the pursuit of excellence.
Have you painted in Miami for Art Basel before this year?
Chaz: I have painted in Miami during Basel every year for the past five years and Bob has also painted down here in Miami but this is his first time for Basel so this is great. When we work together that is when we really do our best stuff. Flexing muscles. I am really happy Bob’s out here.
Tell us a bit about this piece you are doing for this project please.
Bob: This is based on a painting we did in our studio about a month ago. Chaz drew his characters on this painting and handed it to me. I thought, how can I make this work? I just invented some kind of perspective and then I kind of invented this narrative where I wanted to tell a story about these god-like creatures that were worshipped by this race of people that are kind of like worker bees. An army of happy guys with these big space helmets on. They seem to be at a street party or carnival on the way to board this mother ship. We try to experiment when it comes to telling a story with the painting and the viewer can invent any story so you can interpret it yourself. It is this very happy party.
How did you come by the name “The London Police?”
Bob: We were based in London. I grew up just outside London. We liked the idea of the London police because the actual real police are called the Metropolitan Police and that name hadn’t been taken. We like the idea that we are policing the streets with good art work. That was the idea. And everyone knows the word “London” and the word “police” in any language so that’s quite strong. I can’t take credit for the name. Chaz came up with it.
How long have you guys been doing street art?
Chaz: 15 years. The last five, we have probably been doing more stuff on canvas and projects that are actually going out. There comes a certain time when it gets boring and you are repeating yourself. You want to use your time and your artistic energy for other things. If you have the chance to make money off what you do, that is always the best. We love making paintings. The minute you start ding something on a different scale with so much detail you do not want it painted over the next week. It’s not fun. You want it to stay up to entertain and show people what you have done. That’s the whole point. You want to make pieces that will have longevity and be around for hundreds of years almost if it is on canvas.
How do you divide the work? You both come up with a concept and equally have input in terms of the aesthetics?
Chaz: We definitely have a system and we work well together. We know what each other requires. We know what each other desires in the piece. It’s about coming up with a theme and trying to make symmetrical work. Balance it nicely. Bob has been leaning a bit more on these little characters and he is doing architecture rather than drawing portraiture and stuff like that, which he was doing before. I love the portraiture stuff that he did but when it comes to drawing from the imagination then it is something a bit more special because it’s original. There is no substitute for originality in my opinion, in artwork.
Do you have any upcoming exhibitions or projects for 2014?
Chaz: We have got all sorts of things going on at the moment. A project will hopefully be going on in Belgium where we will paint a commission. We have stuff in Sweden, back in America. We can’t really talk about it. We have to keep it on the low down until it is all definitely happening. You never know. We had this job lined up for Italy last summer and it was gonna happen and they would pay us and we would go over to Italy for two weeks and then all of a sudden it just fell through. It was months of planning and it just didn’t happen suddenly but then, two days before, these people from Luxembourg called us and wanted us to do this project and we ended up doing that and that was brilliant. You never know what’s going to happen. You just do what you can, really. Just stay flexible and try to keep enjoying it.
Is there any building or wall, anywhere in the world, Where you would love to paint?
Chaz: Big cities are always inspiring. I would also like to do something huge in my hometown. Just because it is where I grew up. In Essex. I would like to do my local shops. I would love it. We also love traveling, we love putting things in different countries. I do not particularly have a preference.
How was your Miami experience this year?
Chaz: The graffiti artists out here don’t give too much beef to the graffiti artists from around the world who suddenly show up at their doorstep and start painting everywhere. They seem to embrace that and get involved, too. It’s nice, you can see every type of art from graffiti letter styles to paste ups and kids doing stuff. We advocate a policy of: enjoy yourself. It is not competition for us. We want to make a great piece for people to see. We are happy to be hear in a community of artists, meet people and have fun. I have a lot of respect for the local artists. It is their city. I think the trouble is that some of the biggest cities like New York or London there seems to be some beef between street art and graffiti. I don’t understand it. I mean, it is all under one heading of art to me. As long as people respect each other, I don’t see the problem. That’s just my personal view. We don’t expect everyone to share it. Everyone gets a chance to paint here.
Have you experienced a lot of tagging of your work here?
Chaz: Not too bad. I think Shepard Fairey’s stuff got done a few years back but he is a particular case. He doesn’t deserve it but a lot of the graffiti artists target that as a sort of big name making statement. Shepard is actually one of the nicest guys I have met in the whole scene over the years. He has always got time for people and just likes to work and do his thing. He actually has a lot of great respect for a lot of the great graffiti artists. He has got nothing against them. It is interesting how it is all developing and evolving. When my mom and dad had me, they never brought me up to be a lawyer or an accountant. They just brought me up to be myself. In graffiti you have all these different forms of street art that came out and it is funny that people get upset about it. Why is this person doing wheat paste? It is just your child coming from graffiti doing a different thing. It is a seed and you cannot control the seed. Graffiti is how it all started and I have nothing but respect for the art of graffiti but I think everyone should be open minded.
An Interview with LAKWENA
Tell us about your new mural “I Remember Paradise”
I am really interested in typography. I often use words. I am really interested in words. How they look but also the meaning behind them. Recently I have been reading a lot of books and I read this book called “Eden,” which references a lot C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. The guy who wrote “The Hobbit.” They talk a lot about mythology. They were very interested in mythology. That’s why they were writing these books. They had this idea that myths are echoes of reality. They were talking about this concept of there being echoes of paradise in the world now, so, when you see a beautiful sunset, it is an echo of paradise. When you listen to the story of Cinderella and all ends with happily ever after it is a bit unrealistic in this world but it is actually an echo of a better world. I just find that really exciting. I do believe there are echoes of paradise all around us. It is kind of an encouragement. It is saying “I Remember Paradise.” there is a paradise. It might be a bit messed up in this world but there is something better. That’s what it is trying to say. It is just me really saying what is in my heart. The beautiful colors are reflecting paradise. I think every beautiful thing here is a reflection of that better place.
Have you painted in Miami before?
No.
How do you like Miami?
It’s amazing. The guys here, like all of the people who we have been working with, the team we have been working with, all the other artists, are so amazing and it is so inspiring what they are doing out here. Just such a collaborative vibe. Really about community and very open. Lots of sharing. They have been so welcoming. Really, really nice and so healthy in their creativity. I feel like you really need those things. Creativity rather than closed-ness. That kind of edge you sometimes find, I found it to be the exact opposite here. It has really been inspiring. I am just so amazed to be part of it, really.
How long have you been doing street art?
It’s funny cause I studied graphic design and illustration in London. I graduated in 2009. It was a weird course because it really pushed the idea of what illustration is, outside of children’s books and traditional stuff. I ended up coming out of that doing lots of different stuff, just kind of applying my aesthetic. I did a lot of commercial work but also my own work. I was really into painting large scale rather than doing small things. I ended up making a lot of large scale work. I like this sense of the epic. Monumental things that really shout louder than something that’s closed in a book. I have never done a wall this big. This is like a giant leap from what I have done before in terms of scale. I am really happy and I am loving it.
How did you end up painting this wall here in Wynwood?
I have a friend who has got a gallery in LA. She comes to London, to art fairs like Frieze and this contemporary African art fair that is very interesting. She came two months ago for Frieze and when she comes we always chat about my work and what I am doing. We just kind of share interests and inspiration. I showed her around my studio and she is friendly with Jeffrey Deitch, who curated this project here in Wynwood. She told him about me and, basically, he liked my work and I got to do it.
Do you do gallery work?
I do, yes. I don’t exhibit as much as I would want to because you have to pay the bills so I have done a lot of commercial stuff but I do exhibit. When did I last exhibit? In Shoreditch this summer at Hoxton Gallery. Right now I am just kind of going from thing to thing. I am trying to get some funding from the Arts Council for a project all about African and Caribbean hairstyles. My husband is a barber. We have decided on this collaboration, which we call “Bros with ‘Fros,” which is a t-shirt collection at the moment. For the moment it is just a commercial thing but I really want to explore it deeper and really get underneath the whole history and culture of the hairstyling. I just find it really interesting. I have done research into European ethnographic research. Back in the day they would do all this research and measure people’s heads and they would take samples of people bodies to label people. I was really interested in the idea of reversing that. Often they took hair samples because hair was an easy thing to package up and send off. Hair, often, in many cultures, has a kind of mystic quality and a magical quality so it is a really weird thing. They were actually stealing bits of people and then taking it home and then saying “this means this and this and this” and labeling it. I was quite interested in the idea of reversing that and re-labeling African Caribbean hair. I am just celebrating it for all the beauty and the craft and the skill involved in the hairstyling. Hopefully in the beginning of the new year that will all have produced a body of work.
AMDISCS INTERVIEW
CRYSTAL MAGIC RECORDS INTERVIEW
NICOLE SKELTYS INTERVIEW
LIGHTNING GLOVE INTERVIEW
7th Grade
War
Rockets flying everywhere:
war is evil
war is the devil
war is between Politicians
war is about religion
war is destruction
war is not world construction.
when you are a world power
the world hears you
but fears you because not of your world construction
but the desire of your world power and desire of destruction.
By: Angel R.
Dear Winnie, from Robbin Island
I dislike sitting in this small cell were the walls feel like sand paper. I look through the window as the sun scares my eyes on the horizon. I smell the prison food from miles away like the dump. I taste the water that tastes like it’s been there for years. All the inmates making all of this noise and I can’t hear myself think. Hope you got on the outside. Staying strong in here and not letting them break me. Hope you are okay and I will always love you.
Love,
Nelson
By: Kieran M.Homelessness
Homelessness sometimes can’t be prevented,
but people in that situation are still respected.
Although you might think they’re all alone,
society provides them with food and what
you might call, a home.
Sometimes it takes longer for homeless to leave,
so society gives them a place to sleep.
You’re probably thinking this isn’t much,
but to homeless it’s great to still have lunch.
By: Daphne D.
Love
Love is romantic at first sight
Often love is the wrong person.
Very often
Every person has their own type of love
By Litzy H.
VAMPIRES
Vampires
Sucking blood
Hissing, flying, sleeping
Quietly, suckers, loudy, eaters
Screaming, walking,
waking
Eating meat
Humans
by Litzy H.
Dear Winnie,
Here in prison is like rotting like a dead animal. It makes me feel like I’m dying slowly, the only thing I see is the sun eating my eyes. This cell is so small I have to sleep standing like an animal, also it smells like dead rotten rats. I work so hard I can’t feel hands anymore and the only beautiful sight I have is a beach. But this makes it harder for me to stay calm and I’m always rushing to be free. I only wish I could be with you. I can’t shave my hair and my beard is so large that birds make a nest out of it sometimes. Sometimes I feel so lonely I talk to myself which is crazy. The only thing my eyeballs see are three gray walls with no color. My face is getting more wrinkles like an elephant’s skin. It feels like I am going to cages because I have been treated like one and lived like one in prison.
Sincerely,
Nelson
By: Alan P.
My name will never be changed no matter what. No matter if I change my name ,it will still be Mexican, even though I love my name ,because my parents gave me that name I will always like it. If somebody else tries to change my name I will not let them.
I don’t want to give up my name if I did that means I would give up my culture.
response To The Novel Any Small Goodness-
Arturo shouldn't call himself and his group of friends "THe GREen Needle GAng" because they really aren't a gang at all. In fact, they are the opposite of a gang.
FOrming “The Green Needle Gang” is a positive way for Arturo to show “goodness” to the barrio because Arturo and his gang are giving something to the barrio. “I am going for venganza, man, my kind of revenge.” Which means that this kind of revenge that he is going for is he will be doing positive deeds. “My jefes would be proud of our modus operandi.” Which means that his parents would be thankful to have a son that instead of receiving he is giving. “When they see the tree and the food and the toys, I think they’ll expire, from joy.” Which means that The Green Needle Gang gave a poor family goods and felt resplendent. “God bless The Green Needle Gang!” which means that the pigeon woman knew that it was them and gave them all she could think of. “ I feel high as heaven. I feel wide as the ocean. I feel totally resplendent.” Which means that he feels spectacular because he made a poor family happy and joyful instead of just doing nothing. This is why forming “The Green Needle Gang” is a positive way for Arturo to show “goodness” to the barrio.
By: Janet C.
Photos from the Satellite Fairs - Miami Art Week 2013
The Paw Print
Vote for the next Teacher Feature! Scroll down to the bottom to submit.
I know you know your teachers, but have you ever met……
Mrs. Peters?
This is Mrs. Peters first year teaching at Jouett. She was born here in Charlottesville, Virginia and moved to Bowling Green Ohio at the age of three. After seven years she moved back to Charlottesville to start 5th grade. “I struggled adjusting and missed the friends I had made back in Ohio.” says Mrs. Peters. “However this move taught me how to stay connected to people far away.” After having to write letters, and fly in person, Mrs. Peters says there is nothing better than having friends everywhere! She went to college at James Madison University and majored in Education. The past three years she worked at an Elementary School in Staunton, Virginia. She loves hands-on learning and her favorite college classes had “practical components” Mrs. Peters says. 
Fun Facts: Here are some fun questions that lead you to a conclusion about who she is!
Q: What are some of your hobbies?
A: I love to bake, especially cupcakes! I enjoy staying active, whether it be running, playing soccer or trying to keep up with my puppy Gibson.
Q: Where could I find you if you had three spare hours?
A: At a local coffee house (Mudhouse Mrs. Peters
is my favorite). I would probably be reading, and her⇨
listening to music, and sipping a delicious puppy Gibson!
cup of coffee!
Q: What is something you can look back on and be proud of?
A: During my graduate year at JMU, I was asked to be a learning strategist for the Office of Disability Services. Being chosen by professors that I respected was an accomplishment in itself. I was nervous to be working with students my age who were struggling to adapt to college social and academic life. I wondered if they would even listen to someone their own age. It ended up being the most rewarding job I have ever had. I helped students with testing taking skills, study skills, and organization. The strategies I learned and taught, I use every day in my teaching.
Mrs. Peters and her husband at Boston Harbor.
Q: What is your dream? or What do you hope to accomplish before retirement?
A: My dream is to inspire as many students as I can. I want to help them discover who they are and where they would like to be as adults.
Q: What is one thing you want people to remember you for?
A: I want people to remember me for being the teacher who never gave up on a student. Someone who worked very hard to inspire those around her.
Q: What is one thing you would change about yourself or your life if you had to?
A: I wish that I took more risks while I was in college. There were a few activities and clubs that I would have loved to join, but I was too nervous to put myself out there. I would advise everyone to take as much risks as they can. You do not want to look back and wish you had done something.
Q: What is one thing you feel like you have to do everyday to feel like you’ve been to work?
A: A unique aspect of the teacher profession is that your work is never done, even when you leave to go home. I make a list every morning and try to accomplish as many things as I can. It always feels great crossing tasks off your list.
Q: What are three words you think describe you best? Why?
A: Inquisitive- I enjoy learning about students and how they best take in information. This often involves asking questions so we can get to the bottom of who they are as a learner. I also love learning about interesting and different topics that involve the world around me.
Patient- I had a lot of difficulty learning new subjects in Middle School. I learned information differently from others. Some of the most influential teachers I had were patient and presented information in a way I understood best. It is important to me to be patient during all students learning process.
Creative- Creativity is what makes teaching fun! I love figuring out what learning strategies work best for individual students. It’s like putting together a puzzle, you have to find the pieces that fit. Creative lessons and activities keep students engaged in learning.
Vote for the next Teacher Feature by clicking here:
Votes will be counted by March 1.
Reviews. Sean Floyd.
Ride Along 2014 (PG-13)
Awesome. Some critics say it’s only funny when Kevin Hart (playing Ben) is talking, but Ice Cube (playing James) has this psychotic determination about him that is just hilarious. Frankly I believed it to be a great movie and, if provided with the chance, would see it again.
This movie is an action comedy directed by Tim Story about a gamer security guard named Ben, who has just been accepted to the police academy. He wants to propose to his girlfriend Angela (Tika Sumpter)-but needs to get her brother’s blessing. Her brother, James, is a cop with a bad relationship with Ben. James decides to make Ben go on a ride along with to prove he is worthy of his sister. He secretly asks dispatch for the most annoying cases that nobody wants to go on. This starts off as an innocent prank that turns into a full on investigation of a Serbian arms dealer and a gang leader named Omar (played by Lawrence Fishburne).
Ask Lola!
Dear Lola;
Last week in math class I took a test and I got a “D”! A “D”! I studied for 2 hours the night before. When I went to the teacher she said “You need to study more!” I did! Ugh! Lola, what should I do?
Sadly,
All Studied Out
Dear All Studied Out;
I see your problem. Getting a bad grade when you least expected it can ruin your entire day. You obviously tried hard to prepare for this test and took it as seriously as you could. Your studying probably wasn’t the problem. If those two hours went well, then the problem is probably how the class is going. For some tests I barely study, because I already have everything down in my head. The most important thing to do when learning something is to pay full attention during class, so you don’t have that much studying to do last minute. Focus is key. Try to stay seriously involved in the class, even if it’s not interesting. If you don’t understand something, try to describe to the teacher exactly what is troubling you. Then you can get the help you need to feel better secure during class, and you will better understand the test material. Don’t be afraid to speak up! Another problem could be how the test itself went. Even if you paid attention during class and studied like your life was on the line, you could still fail from lack of focus. Sometimes when you’re really worked up about a big test you’re so intimidated and scared you’ll fail that you can’t even concentrate on the material. Though sometimes, you can be so determined you slack. Other problems that could take away your focus is the tension floating through the air. A dead silent room of uneasy kids is actually very distracting. Try to relax the best you can. Just remember that it’s never the end of the world. Try very hard to just to concentrate on the test question. That test is currently the only thing in existence, the only thing you need to worry about. Another distraction is temperature. If you’re too hot or cold, you’re only focusing on getting comfortable, not on the test. Comfort is important. Try to remain in a comfortable position throughout the test, and bring something to wear if you get too cold. By the way, an important thing to always remember when receiving grades: grades never, ever, ever, measure your intelligence.
Sincerely, Lola
All Around Town: The Downtown Mall
What is it and what’s so great about it?
The Charlottesville Historic Downtown Mall is one of the top tourist attractions in Charlottesville. With over 120 shops and 30 restaurants, no trip to C’ville is complete without a stop at the Downtown Mall.
Can’t figure out what you want to spend your day doing? Come to the Downtown Mall! With a wondrous ice park, a hands-on Virginia Discovery Museum and a free-speech wall, why wouldn’t you want to visit? This center of Charlottesville life also has a free trolley service connecting to the University of Virginia and a wide variety of stores.
There are many entertainment venues on the Downtown Mall such as the Paramount Theater, the nTelos Wireless Pavilion, the Jefferson Theater, and the Live Arts theater. The Paramount, a renovated historical theater, has tons of different kinds of amazing live shows and movie showings. The nTelos Wireless Pavilion hosts many outdoor concerts, including “Fridays after Five”, a free concert series from spring to fall every Friday after five o’clock. Another incredible theater on the Downtown Mall is the Jefferson Theater, which hosts a massive variety of live shows. Lastly, the Live Arts theater, a non-profit community theater, has a number of unique and enjoyable productions, education programs, and more.
The Downtown Mall is one of the most famous pedestrian malls in the nation. No matter how old you are or what you like to do, there is something for you. From the fabulous live music, to the mouth-watering pizza, dumplings, and ice cream, to the large gently used-book store, the Charlottesville Downtown Mall is the place to be.
More Info:
http://www.downtowncharlottesville.net/
http://www.thenteloswirelesspavilion.com/
http://www.jeffersontheater.com/
Math Question of February:
What 5-digit number has the following features:
If you put 1 at the beginning, you get a number that is the same as the number you get if you put the 1 at the end of the number.
Submit your answer at this link: https://docs.google.com/a/student.k12albemarle.org/forms/d/1VXv6qvJYxeOxKN_oy_wUW-aoTu2Jssg-yXmCezUdZ2A/viewform
ESSC9: INTERVIEW WITH ZANE O' BRIEN
How and when did ESCC9 come together a label?
Escc9 came together in the late part of 2009, and developed alongside the witch house/chillwave movements that began in the early 10s. Escc9 began not as a label but a multimedia collective made of artists by artists for the purposes of networking and media proliferation. our first efforts were .torrent based releases (one of the most popular and definitive ones was "heavy rotation" :
http://www.lastfm.fr/label/escc9/journal/2010/08/26/3vct3v_heavy_rotation
Which saw over 1.2k peers/leechers in it's six months of seeding) through the hexagon.cc .torrent portal. i initially began the effort in Bangkok Thailand though when I returned to the United States the hexagon.cc .torrent tracker was blocked nationally by pro-copyright legislation passed by the US Supreme Court. It wasn't until late 2011 that we needed to find a new archive and moved to Bandcamp. We were maybe one of the last active "net labels" that decided to make this move as our mediafire archives and tumblr advertising was proving ineffective.
What was your main motivation and inspiration?
The main motivation that initiated Escc9 was an attempt to take media power away from corporations, labels, or blogs and give it back to the artists, it was very apparent in the early stages of 2010 and 2011 that the "underground" was being both bought and sold out since then the mainstream has co-opted many of the fashions we have influenced. So far as from what we can see this "is" working, slowly killing the mainstream music industry, even if escc9 is one of the slowest growing collectives in the digital age, our output is innovative and filled with a quality as well as an edge that isn't being found elsewhere.
Were you active before ESCC9 in any other projects or labels? I personally was offered a 3LP contract when I was sixteen by Morr Music in conjuncture with Warp Records; though I was unable to sign on the dotted line as they were asking that I front 5k USD to tour EU to support my release. I was a minor, did not possess a passport, nor own a laptop and I didn't think carrying my desktop computer and 17 inch monitor around EU would go over too well. Had I possessed the money, this would have been a great investment when one considers how important these two labels have became. My musical projects to date are fauxmusica (originally formed as a collaborative effort between myself and Bradford Cox of Atlas Sound and Deerhunter), Zeph/Prole (my first musical monicker and material that I sent to Morr Music/Warp Records in early 2001), and presently "Zanye East". Since the formation of escc9 I have also been affiliated in two other collaborative projects: Sacred Star (2011) and a three piece band called "Folding Pyramid" (2012).
What is the music scene currently like in New York?
The music scene in NYC is terrible; It's a self serving sport of cannibalistic competition where no one has the same collective or cultural goal other than hedonism. There is essentially no community present amongst experimental-independent musicians in NYC other than small left-of-center cliques in Bushwick or the very private and respectable Port D'or community in South Brooklyn. I left NYC after residing there for nearly three years, nearly half of that time being spent on the streets, in the gutters, sleeping on trains, or being kicked off couches and having sublets fall through. NYC is not an easy city to make it in, let alone for someone consumed with a passion for advancing the arts. Most respectable artists I met in Brooklyn were in similar situations or protected by their trust funds. There are a few very respectable musicians and performers who do hold down jobs while playing shows week to week, though many slowly their interest in the scene as it has been dying since the early 80s. Night clubbing is much more the entertainment industry, though most venues cannot seem to keep their doors open for long and playing experimental left field techno I had many difficulties trying to find gigs DJing let alone be considered for a residency, even with a massive network of connections. In the modern day music scene, real life friends are fans, and not all of your friends are going to want to spend their hard earned money week after week drinking in a bar to support your music career. Perhaps this is why the online communities are doing better than the real life communities. Simply no one can afford "The Underground" any longer and most venues will shut you down immediately if you don't pull in over 75 people. The smaller venues will do with 10-25 heads if people are spending money on alcohol, though fifty heads in a Bushwick venue is a full house, and that rarely happens apart from some "raves" where the line to do drugs in the bathroom is over an hour long wait. Such parties often do not release the details of the location of the event until only a few hours before the party, and of course bars or traditional music venues won't play this game as it's too risky. Even though NYC in the 80s may have been a new age and experimental punk heaven, you won't see the cutting edge of alternative culture there, unless it is a classroom where you are paying $50,000 a year to attend a design course at Parsons New School For Design.
Are acts on ESCC9 New York centric or from further afield?
Primarily no, apart from the début release from Drrty Pharms (Wolfe Margolis) and the collaborative efforts I recorded with other musicians while I lived there (Sacred Star, Folding Pyramid). Most of the acts on escc9 are from "The Internet", or basically we are scattered through-out the globe.
The label seems to transcend genres with doses of hip hop, pop, mutated electronica, occult psychedelic kitsch - are there any specific bands or genres that have influenced yourself?
. There are so many, though I could not say any recently. My musical tastes are as diverse as the personalities and artists on the imprint I represent. The only pre-requisite for escc9 is innovation and novelty, either technically, spiritually, or some other psychological perception. Much of our music is in fact danceable, just not in the cheesy 4/4 house or dubstep perspective. When I recruit an artist, seeing eye to eye with the artist and sharing a similar world view is a huge plus, though as people change so does their understanding of the world-- that is inevitable. If one thing more than anything else has unified escc9 it would be the detest for popular musical culture and the goal of bringing about it's demise through sonic evolution. Electronic Psychedelia, or Occult Dance Music, is what we have became known for, which to me is better than being pigeonholed as a "witch house" label. It can and probably will be debated that escc9 is the true and "original" home of witch house, and not labels like Tri-Angle and Disaro, though we have more over disowned the term "witch house" (apart from Justin Ordnung of Radio Vril who still tags every song he writes with it) because of how the media has misrepresented the ideals and sound of the genre was intended to represent. I have no pension for "labels" or "musical genres" I don't want any of the artists to be pigeon-holed or limited by one persons idea of what something should sound like. I create new "flash-in-the-pan" genre tags that seemingly never catch on or take off on a semi-regular basis. I began tagging "witch-house" on last.fm in 2007 after reappraising my first release as fauxmusica "hello subversive arcitecht". To me it was an ironic representation of the sound based on my damaged upbringing very far away from what anyone would consider "society". What has happened since 2007 has been nothing more than a convolution of my original intentions by media affiliates of all levels. The original intention of what "witch house" was to be was a fusion of ambient-darkwave fusing it with post-punk elements and not something symbiotic with teenage devil worship. The goal was achieving a sort of avant garde renaissance via the "occult"-- a sort of fairy trance combining elements of trance, idm, and industrial (Two acts on escc9, Enix Inri and Radio Vril, seemingly do this to the T). This has happened on many levels, though I think in most cases when the average listener thinks of "witch house" they think of slowed down muddy hip-hop samples or acts like Salem and Balam Acab. While Salem and Balam Acab may have a completely different technical approach on how they create music, one similarity they have is "slowed" samples, which very rarely appear in any work associated with the escc9 branding, especially when the roster has artists like Argon Cowboy (Matthew May) who has this polished electronic pop sound similar to that of Boards Of Canada or Forest Swords, though it still fits into what I would consider "fairy trance" and is perhaps much more psychedelic than BoC, even though it this very quantized idm character at times it just goes into this otherworldly ambient sprawl where Window Blinds (Petri Parkkali and Thomas Scharer) fits the character and tense of classic music with a very modern sound in perhaps the most minimalistic way possible.
What do you look for in an act that makes it worthy of being on ESCC9?
When I contact someone about a release with escc9 there is only one thing I consider and that is, "Will this sound and style of music be important and influential in ten if not twenty years from now?" I think the greatest weakness of escc9 and the only exception to this rule is some of my own experimental material (primarily some of the Sacred Star material) which was more or less me experimenting and developing my abilities. I would hope twenty years from now this work would be ignored and more more prolific material gained focus :) Granted much of this work has been compared to Throbbing Gristle, and my own persona to that of Genesis P. Orridge or Gary Numan-- though I am much more a influenced by the work of Einstürzende_Neubauten, Cocteau Twins, Skinny Puppy, Gary Numan, and Cevin Key than Throbbing Gristle or Psychic TV. Though one of the artists on escc9 that I have been working with since the labels conception, Petri Parkalli (of Zoomonk and Window Blinds), is perhaps more influential to me than any of the names I have dropped previously.
The internet has opened up doors and revolutionised the way we listen to and consume music - do you think would ESSC9 have happened without the internet? What would you say the advantages and disadvantages of running an internet based label were?
Escc9 was developed with all of this in mind, perhaps as precursor to how this could positively and negatively effect the future of music, art, or humanity for that matter. The name "Escape Sirius Cybernetics Corporation" is a derivative of "Sirius Cybernetics Corporation" from Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" in which "Sirius Cybernetics Corporation" is responsible for the production and manufacture of just about everything. From toilet paper to personal computers , from robots responsible for processing trash to robots responsible for the operation of spaceships. I am actually not a particular fan of "The Internet" and in most cases I shun away from sharing my personal opinions, feelings, or talking about "real life" in a digital capacity other than spamming new works and promoting the musical works associated with escc9. I would hate to see such a future where robots responsible for the processing of waste were produced by the same company as our musical instruments and software or more or less any monopoly over creativity. Though Apple and iTunes seem to have their eyes set on exactly that. In the past one of my peers said that I was more of a philosopher than a musician, and this may be true, though what would either be without the other?
Are you or any of the acts regular performers on the live circuit? Any upcoming live shows people should be aware of?
Maybe in the past. Many of us are becoming aged, I will be turning thirty next year and many of the artists on the roster are much older than myself. Performing is a luxury that I am sure if all of us had the chance, we would partake in much more regularly. One of the newest acts to our roster NO EYES performs regularly in Atlanta, GA. Though apart from that, I cannot think of anyone on the roster other than perhaps Luna Lee Jackson of PrismViews and Black Sun from Santiago, Chile, who perform regularly or semi-regularly. I definitely feel like I am forgetting someone, and I definitely probably am, though live shows have not been a centerpiece of the roster thus far; Perhaps if any one of us, or the label it's self, had more funding that would definitely change.
What projects are you currently working on? Any new releases in the pipeline?
Most of our releases are not planned. They are speculated and discussed, though creativity can never be rushed, and it certainly cannot be limited. I don't believe in deadlines. The universe is ruled by chaos, and I try to take this into consideration as much as I can when I am dealing with artists and releases. When an artist agrees to release their material with escc9, the release happens as soon as I have the time to upload the album and begin promotion. Though usually it takes longer on the artists end to actually stamp-seal and deliver the album. More-so, musical should be as spontaneous as possible. I truly believe in that. While escc9 may be one of the longest running multi-media collectives online at the moment, we are perhaps the most unorganized of all the net labels to emerge since 2010. Possibly why we are the slowest to grow as well. We may be influential amongst artists, though the statistics prove that we are very far from "popular". Though the support that has been garnished in the past six months exceeds the entire previous three years of the imprints existence. Culture and art always exist with-in the rules of critical-mass. A very popular saying is" "Success takes a lifetime to achieve, though often happens over night." I think this is one of the main differences between art from business and if one thing is certain: Everyone affiliated with escc9 is more concerned with art than business, except for perhaps Vitamin Wig C (Robbie Hansen) who should be opening shows in Las Vegas, because he is the contemporary mixture of both Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson!
An Interview with Elle
Tell us about the Dutch mural project.
One of the guys from The London Police asked me and a bunch of other artists from all over the world to come to Miami and paint walls. It was curated together with a gallery from Amsterdam. It is me, Lister, The London Police and many other artists.
Where are you from?
I am from New York. I am living in Brooklyn right now.
Tell us about your art please.
My art is always pretty figurative but it is always influenced by animal spirits and combines animals and people. It is very colorful and I always like to consider my women that I paint to be warriors around the street. They are warriors and protectors and animal spirits and kind of fierce ladies. I put them up around the streets in New York and wherever I travel.
Do you also do gallery work?
I do a little bit of gallery work but I started out doing only street art.
What are the specifics of your piece in the mural project?
I started painting the wall white just to buff it and then, in my buff, I kind of started playing around with shapes and it started to evolve. I was just playing with the shape of the wall and this just happened to evolve out of it. It is a woman and an animal that keeps transforming. First, it was a wolf and then it was a rat and now it looks like a kangaroo. It is evolving as I go. Very animalistic. It is a hybrid animal. It is a work in progress so we will see what happens.
How did you come by the name “Elle?”
There is a personal reason that I do not disclose but also, I lived in France for a year, and “elle” means “she” and when I started doing street art and graffiti there was a very limited woman’s presence and I wanted it to be known that I was a female presence and also that I was representing all of the women. I am actually starting this girl crew, “Garmy,” which is Girl Army, and I am trying to include all of the powerful street artists and graffiti artists. Really awesome women that are kicking ass in their field.
Will these be street artists in New York or are you envisioning this as an international crew?
All over the world but not just street artists. Women who are really killing it in their fields anywhere. Like a support network. I am taking the idea of a crew from graffiti. We need to make our presence felt. When I put up a big “Elle” I hope that everyone can just feel that that represents them.
Do you want this to include collaborative projects?
Definitely.
How has the female presence in graffiti changed since you started?
There are more of us but very few of us. It is pretty limited but I think we are coming up. We are about to take over from the men.
Why do you think there are so few girls in street art?
Street art comes from the graffiti scene and there are a lot less women in graffiti. They don’t really wanna go to jail. There are more muralists and street artists than graffiti artists. There are a lot of risks that you take doing graffiti.
What did you start with?
I started with street art and then I actually got into graffiti. I saw street art when I first moved to New York about six years ago and fell in love. I was like, man, this is such a gift, and I really wanna do that. It started with street art and then I started to appreciate graffiti as well. I started to try using spray cans and realized that it is so technical. It is just so beautiful and amazing, the things that you can make with it, so I got really involved with that as well and now I do a little bit of both.
You say you live in New York for about six years now. Where are you originally from?
It is a mystery.
